To externalize any object in the toolkit, you can store it in an ASCII file using XML syntax. Each class hierarchy for data elements, formats, services, and contexts has its own definitions file where you can add definitions as needed. Since some elements need to be defined before others, the order in which you to define elements is:

You can use any text editor to edit the XML files, but the preferred method is to use the CHA Editor. See Default generic definition files for the XML files provided with the Branch Transformation Toolkit for information about creating and editing external files.