Here are some suggestions for setting up oXygen to make it easier to use

Change the default file-type in the x:\ directory of the UPP XML & TIFF records right-click on an xml file and select Open with>Choose default program>Browse for oXygen.

Prompt on save in Options>Preferences>Editor>Open/Save make sure “Check errors on save” is on.

Spell Check in Options>Preferences>Editor>Spell Check make sure “Automatic spell check” is on.

Wrapping in Options>Editor>Edit Modes>Text make sure “Line wrap” is checked

Indents in Options>Editor>Format “Indent on enter” & “Enable smart enter” are all selected

Open last edited files in Options>Preferences>Global make sure “Open last edited files from project” is selected.

To start a MODS record, select New → From templates and choose the appropriate MODS template:

Once you have the template open, you can edit just as you would a text document in a word processor. The template is tailored to your object’s genre and should include most necessary elements. The elements with text in CAPS are prompting you to enter information about the object you’re describing. NOTE: make sure to “Save as” before editing the template.

If you need to add elements or attributes, here are some handy tools:

“Views” are different ways of accessing information about your document. oXygen takes this information from the MODS schema and gives you a few handy ways to access it. These views do take up screen real estate, so if you need more room, you can always close them.

The right-hand side of the oXygen window should have two helpful views, “Model” and “Elements.” The “Model” shows the rules of each element as they are defined in the schema. The “Elements” view is a list of all the available sub-elements of an element. By double-clicking on an element in the “Elements” view, that element appears in the document you’re editing. To get information about an element in these views, place the cursor on a tag in your document.

oXygen will also make suggestions about elements as you type. For example, if you enter an element that has attributes, after you complete the text of the tag, a drop-down list will appear with the allowable attributes and, if they’re prescribed by the schema, a list of the attributes’ text too.

It is essential to make sure the documents you create are valid. Before you save a document, oXygen should automatically validate it and prompt you to fix errors before the document is saved.

oXygen also validates your document as you type. If you see a red box appear in the corner of the editing window and a red squiggly line under an element, there is a validation problem. The error message will appear at the bottom of the editor:

Simply fix the validation error and the square should turn green: