Customizing HTML with a .properties file

You can also use a .properties file to reference a set of build parameters when building output with the dita command. The DITA-OT documentation uses a .properties file to include custom CSS, header branding, and table-of-contents navigation in the HTML5 output.

1. Create a .properties file to store the parameter settings for your customization.

   Tip: You can use one of the sample .properties files from the DITA-OT documentation as a starting point for your own customizations. These files are available in the installation folder under docsrc/samples/properties/.

   For example:

   # Directory that contains the custom .css file:
   args.cssroot = ${args.input.dir}/css/
   
   # Custom .css file used to style output:
   args.css = style.css
   
   # Copy the custom .css file to the output directory:
   args.copycss = yes
   
   # Location of the copied .css file relative to the output:
   args.csspath = branding
   
   # Generate a full navigation TOC in topic pages:
   nav-toc = full
   

2. Reference your .properties file with the dita command when building your output.

   `dita` **--input**=*my.ditamap* **--format**=html5 **--propertyfile**=*my.properties*
   

Note: For an example of HTML output generated using this method, see the HTML5 version of the DITA-OT documentation included in the installation folder under doc/index.html.