Designing template files

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The template file contains page templates. A template page typically contains a predesigned page with image placeholders. The autofill wizard applies a template page to a page and then fills the empty placeholders on that page. Also the user can drag a template page on to a page.

Designing the templates for a product is very similar to designing a layout file. Please make sure that you have templates for cover and content pages and that the pages have the same dimensions as those in the layout file.

Use Shape -> Add Image Placeholder to add empty placeholders to a page. You can use Copy&Paste to create a number of shapes with the same dimensions.

A red number is displayed at the top right of every shape. This is the Z-Order. Shapes with a higher number will be drawn in front of those with a smaller number. Use the buttons “Backward” or “Forward” to change the Z-Order. We recommend that the Z-Order matches the order that the autofill wizard should use. Currently the auto fill function tries to determine the fill order automatically so that shapes at the top will be filled before those at the bottom of a page. This might be changed to using the Z-Order in the future because this allows finer control over the fill order. Right now you need to make sure that the shapes are properly aligned.

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Currently shape two will be filled before shape one because it is closer to the top of the page. Be careful, because two shapes might appear to have the same top position, even though they have not. Avoid this by selecting at least two shapes, then use the align buttons to align the shapes.
Do not use the group button in templates or layout files. Grouped shapes will be ignored by the Autofill wizard and when applying templates.
 

 

 

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