Add Elements

The position of the cursor is important as there are rules that govern where each type of element can be used. Paligo will advise you if you try to add an element in a position that is not permitted.

You can check what the current element is in the Element Structure Menu at the top of the Editor. The last element in the hierarchical path is the current element.

Tip

You can select an element in the Element Structure Menu and choose Go to element.

For most types of:

Block Elements, you can place the cursor on the next line, just like you would in a word processing program. But there are some exceptions, for example, you cannot add a table inside a para element.
Inline Elements highlight the content to which you want to apply the inline element.

Three ways of adding elements:

Keyboard Shortcuts to make working with structured content as fast and efficient as possible.
Toolbar is always visible when the Editor is displayed.
Element Context Menu is a popup menu in the Editor that you can access when you are creating or editing a topic and it provides access to the various Paligo XML elements that you can use.

It only shows elements that are valid at the position you have selected.

Display the Element Context Menu

At the top of the Element Context Menu, there is a search field that you can use to find an element by name. When you start to type in the field, the list updates to show those elements that are a close match to your entry and are valid at the current position.

The Element Context Menu only shows the elements that are valid at the position you have selected in the content structure. If you cannot see the element you want, it is because it is not valid at that position. Try selecting a different position.

By default, the Element Context Menu has two sections:

The first section contains commonly used elements.
The second section contains all of the other valid elements. It also has a search feature at the top, so that you can search for an element by name.

A topic in the Paligo editor. The element context menu is displayed and has a search at the top followed by a list of elements that are valid at the selected position.

Paligo displays the Element Context Menu. It contains a list of the elements that are valid at the current position.

Tip

You can add a third section with elements marked as your favorites, see Mark Elements as Favorites.

To display the Element Context Menu:

Edit a topic and select the position where you want to add the new element.
Press Alt + Enter ⏎ (Windows) or Command ⌘ + Enter ⏎ (Mac) to display the Element Context Menu.
Use the search field to narrow down the alternatives and select the element from the menu.

Alternatively, you can scroll through the list of all available elements.

Mark Elements as Favorites

If you use certain elements a lot, you can mark them as favorites. Marked favorites get a black star to the right of their name and they will appear in a favorites section at the top of the Element Context Menu above commonly used elements.

To mark elements as your favorites:

Edit a topic and position the cursor at the position where your favorite element could appear.
Press Alt + Enter ⏎ (Windows) or Command ⌘ + Enter ⏎ (Mac) to display the Element Context Menu.
Find the element of interest and position the cursor over it to reveal a star icon. Select the star icon to change its status:
- Set the star to black to add the element to your favorites
- Set the star to clear to remove the element from your favorites.
Click outside the Element Context Menu to make it disappear.
Display the Element Context Menu again and the favorites section appears with your choices.

Note

The favorites section can only contain elements that are valid at the position you have selected. You can set up different favorites for different positions in the structure. See the example for details.

Example 1. Different favorites for different structures

Let's say that you are going to use the guilabel element for UI names in your content. As you will be using it a lot, you want to add it to your element context menu favorites. To do that:

Position the cursor inside a para element or any other element where guilabel is valid.
Display the element context menu.
Search for guilabel.
Position the cursor on the guilabel option to display its favorites star.
Select the star so that it goes black.
Close the element context menu and re-open it. Now the guilabel is shown at the top, in your favorites.

You continue to work on your content. Every time you need to use the guilabel, you position the cursor in a valid position, access the element context menu, and select the guilabel from your favorites.

You then select a position between two paragraphs.

Topic in the Paligo editor. The cursor is at a position after a procedure, where a para element is valid. A callout arrow points to the position.

You access the element context menu and guilabel is not shown in your favorites. This is because guilabel is not valid at the selected position.

You decide to add the itemizedlist element as a favorite. The itemizedlist element is valid at the selected position. You access the element context menu, search for itemizedlist and set its favorite star to black.

Element context menu. A user has searched for item. The list shows itemized list as the only result. The itemized list option has a black star icon.

You then close and reopen the element context menu. It now shows the itemized list element in your favorites, as it is valid at the selected position.

You select a word inside a para element and display the element context menu. The guilabel is shown in your favorites, as it is valid at the selected position. The itemizedlist favorite is not shown as it is not valid at the selected position.

Why is Element Missing from Element Context Menu?

The element context menu only shows elements valid at the currently selected position in the topic structure.

If the element you want is not included in the Element Context Menu make sure that you are selecting a valid position for that element. Typically, some elements are valid inside a structure, such as inside a paragraph or list, and others have to be a the top level, directly inside the section for the topic.

This also applies to any favorites you have set up. Paligo can show different favorites for different parts of a topic's structure. For details, see the example in Mark Elements as Favorites.