A new Visual Studio Code plugin using DITA OT

[jyjeanne]

Hello everyone, I have created a Visual Studio Code plugin called DitaCraft, which allows you to integrate Dita OT into this IDE. The project is available here: DitaCraft It automates topic creation and allows transformations with Dita OT, displaying an HTML preview with the HTML5 transtype.

Why I Created DitaCraft: A Beginner-Friendly DITA Extension for VS Code

As a web developer specializing in DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture), I noticed a gap in the tools available for newcomers to the standard. While powerful solutions like Oxygen exist for professionals, beginners often face a steep learning curve when trying to understand DITA’s core concepts and workflows—especially when using DITA-OT (DITA Open Toolkit).
DitaCraft was born out of this observation. It’s a lightweight, open-source extension for Visual Studio Code designed to simplify the learning process for DITA beginners. With DitaCraft, users can:

• Edit DITA files (topics, bookmaps, and maps) directly in VS Code.
• ShortCut to create basic dita element like topic, bookmap
• Validate syntax and structure against the DITA standard.
• Preview and publish content using DITA-OT, all from a familiar IDE.

The goal is not to replace professional tools like Oxygen but to provide an accessible entry point for those exploring DITA for the first time. Whether you’re a technical writer, developer, or student, DitaCraft helps you focus on learning the standard—without the complexity.

[infotexture]

@jyjeanne Thanks for building this, looking forward to trying it out.

Tried installing it in Cursor, but the marketplace entry doesn't seem to appear there.

Thought I'd try installing the .vsix file instead per instructions in the README:

Download the latest .vsix file from Releases

— but the releases page doesn't list any published releases or tags yet.

Can you publish a release to make that easier?

[jyjeanne]

i understand ,i made a release , you can upload .vsix here : https://github.com/jyjeanne/ditacraft/releases/tag/v0.1.1

[jyjeanne]

i release a new version here with some interesting improvment :

• Smart Navigation with Ctrl+Click
• DTD Validation with 168 bundled DTD files
• Real-time Validation with debouncing
• 21 Smart Snippets