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Old 07-16-2008, 09:37 AM
ashwken ashwken is offline
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Join Date: 10-16-2005
Location: Blairsville, GA USA
Posts: 431
J-Mac,

Let me focus on Templates, for now, as this seems to be one of the concepts that plaques new users (myself included). For this discussion you need to look at the default UR Templates Folder as it contains the examples of the types of Templates available. All of the default UR Templates are considered Core Templates (a term used in the Help file), except the Project Template which is an example of a user created Template (based on Text).

Every Item (node) has a Detail Pane, this Detail Pane is also a Viewer Area. This Viewer Area will be one of three modes:

RTF - which is the basis for Appointment, Contact, Folder, Task, and Text. The Templates - Appointment, Contact, and Task - are special because they integrate directly with Outlook.

Browser (render data files) - this is the Document Template and the types of data files it will render are shown at Tools | Options | Document - MIME and Image and Tools | Options | Browser - file extensions to display. The Doc Type Attribute classifies these different data types (this is revealed in the IA Pane, there was a list some place, or import different types of data to see the various values).

Search - here the entire Viewer Area is devoted to the Serach Dialog.

So, it really becomes a question of what type of data you are bringing into UR (or composing within), RTF or Data, that determines which Template will be (or should be) used.

EDIT: Basically you want to work from a copy of either the Text or Document Template when creating your custom Templates.

With v.3 we saw the introduction of Forms, which bring the Attributes up and out of the IA Pane (Ctrl-4) into the top of the Detail Pane - the Viewer Area begins after the Form. Forms are assigned to Templates. Forms can be added to either a Document or the Text Template.

Assigning a Form to a Template does not assign the Attrbutes to the Template - I'm a bit sketchy on the reasoning here, but as a rule after creating a Template I will set focus to the IA Pane and proceed to <Insert> Attributes to the IA Pane for the Template just created (then create the Form and assign it to the Template). This method allows you to either create new Attributes or pick an existing to assign to the Template.

Note: You need an Attribute in the IA Pane of the Tempalte if you want to use that Attribute for any type of mass updating.

With v.3.5 we saw the introduction of Title Expressions, which are also assigned to the Template.

Also, you can set a custom column display for the Child Pane (Ctrl-3) of a Template.

In addition to these customizations, you can Search by a specific Template:

(Item) is (choose Template from pick list)

You can also change the Template of an Item, as long as the Template you want to change to is of the same "type" as the one you are working with - from the IA Pane look at the Template Item Attribute for a pick list of available Templates. Now obviously switching Templates for an Item doesn't make a lot of sense, but it may in some situations.

As an example, here's a application of this that I recently stumbled across.

Create a series of Text Templates named:

H1 - Article Title
H2 - Chapter
H3 - subChapter
H4 - Section

Create a series of Attributes that correspond to these Templates names, and assign the Attributes so that each Template has the same name Attribute plus the previous named Attribute:

H1 - Article Title: (H1 - Article Title)
H2 - Chapter: (H1 - Article Title, H2 - Chapter)
H3 - subChapter: (H1 - Article Title, H2 - Chapter, H3 - subChapter)
H4 - Section: (H1 - Article Title, H2 - Chapter, H3 - subChapter, H4 - Section)

Create a corresponding Form for each Template.

In usage:

Create an H1 - Article Item and give it an Article Title. Now, copy/paste this H1 Item to itself, creates a Child. From the IA Pane for the newly created Child change the Template Item value to H2 - Chapter, answer NO to the prompt and the new Item will take on the new Template assignment and the value for H1 - Article Title will remian entact.

After giving a value for the H2 Attribute, repeat this procedure to create an H3 Item.

Granted this is not earth shattering, but it is interesting, and it will carry the document structure with the Item, something that may be useful when exporting or printing. I'd like to hear from others who may have used this feature (changing an Item Template).

This could be a helpful thread.

Last edited by ashwken; 07-16-2008 at 11:55 AM.
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