Format Display: Templates

To access this screen:

Show the Format Display screen. Activate the Overlays tab and click Overlay Objects >> Show: Overlays.

This screen displays a list of the available templates for 2D plot projections.

Note: For information on applying templates in 3D projections, see 3D Display Templates.

More templates can be added, and any template can be edited, when in template editing mode.

A template is associated with a particular category of data (points, strings, wireframes and so on). You can only apply a template to data of the corresponding type.

If a template is ticked, the template is applied whenever data of the associated type is loaded. You can apply more than one template if you like (say, a general template to define one batch of settings and a more specific one for a sub-category of data).

Once a template is defined, it can be applied to an overlay using the Format Display: Style screen.

Note: You can also use this screen to update an existing template by picking it and configuring the settings on the right. You can also update a template using the Format Display: Style screen.

Data display templates can be used to:

Apply the same display format to multiple objects in memory (subject to limitations, see below)
Apply the same display format to objects in different projects (subject to limitations)
Automatically create an overlay or overlays each time data of a particular type is loaded into memory

Data display templates are saved with the project file, so will be available the next time a project file is loaded. You can also elect to save template information to an external template (.tpl) file for import into any project.

You can pick an existing template and Delete it, Reset it to default settings or Rename it using the Rename Overlay screen.

To create a new data display template:

Display the Templates list.
Click Add.

The Add Template screen displays.
Create a template for a data type. See Add a Display Template.