The DITA Open Toolkit, or dita-ot for short, is a set of Java-based, open source tools that provide a "reference implementation" for processing DITA maps and topical content. You can download the OT and install it for free on your computer, to get started with topic-based writing and publishing.

The DITA Open Toolkit is a modest publishing system. The Toolkit transforms DITA content (maps and topics) into publishing deliverable formats such as web (XHTML), print (PDF), and Help (CHM and Eclipse). Your output files are simply generated in your file system. It is up to you to move them to your website, or into your print publishing process.

The OT is integrated into many authoring tools (e.g.,FrameMaker, <oXygen/>, XMetaL) and content management systems (e.g., Astoria, Bluestream, IXIASOFT, XyEnterprise).

If you find installing the OT too difficult, consider a free running version of the DITA Open Toolkit provided as an online software-as-a-service by the DITA Users organization.

There you can have an online workspace folder with DITA docsets from IBM and Comtech Services. Edit the files and build/publish them as web (XHTML), print (PDF), and Help (Eclipse). All your work can be browsed on the web by your colleagues as a portfolio of your DITA work with the OT.

The home page of the DITA Open Toolkit is http://dita-ot.sourceforge.net/. The DITA Open Toolkit Installation Guide, which is on that page, contains a list of supporting open-source software to download, together with a set of versions that are known to be compatible.

The instructions on how to install and use the OT are maintained by Anna van Raaphorst and Dick Johnson as the DITA Open Toolkit User Guide. Note that there are multiple packages available for the toolkit; if you are trying it out for the first time, you probably want to get the "full" package that comes with other required software, and requires less manual setup.

Don Day maintains a DITA Open Toolkit Resources Page.

See also:

• Tips for debugging PDF2 plugin PDF issues
• Installing the DITA Open Toolkit