Spacing between words

[linjinwei]

Hi all

Is it possible to create spacing between words in XMetaL? Something like this;

Code:

Once      upon a time

I have tried using word-spacing, padding and margin but it doesnt work.


Thanks in advance

[mag3737]

For DITA in XMetaL:

Go to Insert > Advanced > Entity Reference....

Select "-//OASIS//ELEMENTS DITA Topic//EN" from the dropdown list.

Select "nbsp" from the list (it may be the only item on the list), and click Insert.

[Derek Read]

Your other option would be to use an element that is designated as one where whitespace is significant. In DITA there are several such elements, including pre and codeblock. Perhaps that is what you are looking for? I would recommend that if at all possible because if you take advantage of these elements everything should "just work", including the DITA OT. Consult the DITA Language Reference (we include a copy available via the Help menu or you can check online) for elements that should treat whitespace as being significant.

However, it sounds like you are modifying the CSS. If that is the case then the CSS properties that control whitespace rendering supported by XMetaL are:
white-space:pre
white-space:pre-wrap

If you get in this far though, and your documents are pretty printed, you may also need to set the CTM settings for pretty printing for the elements you are modifying to use the <PreserveSpace/> setting (see XMetaL Developer).