ClipTemplates

How to organise a template directory and how to design svg templates.

Two Concepts for Templates

Let me define: user level (~/.inkscape/templates) and system level (share/templates) templates.

These are the two features that should be implemented so that Inkscape supports a healthy concept of templates:

1. Default Template that is opened on startup of Inkscape

• This document should be called default.svg and a default.svg located at the user level has priority over the system level default.svg.
• We should include the default.svg in the system level folder standard, but have a backup plan if that is not found.

2. New File Menu Item: New from Template... that shows a dialog allowing users to choose from a list of preset sizes or specify their own Custom size.

• If a new document is open with nothing on it, then replace that document with the selected template.
• The hierarchy for the system level should be transparent to the user, and shown as a simple list in the dialog or as a treeview if it is believed that extra complexity is needed. (similar to the The_Gimp 2.0 or Adobe Illustrator etc)

Rationale for Support of this

If this is implemented then people could build and add their own canvas sizes to the app, and we could support multiple sizes. We could also support our SVG format with having graphics pre-built onto the canvas. This could be useful for slide presentations, calendars, blueprints, letterhead (with logo and text on it), etc.

Logistics of the Template System File and Folder Hierarchy

The proposed structure of the system-level templates folders would be:

• COVERS
  • CDformat
  • DVDformat
  • TAPE
  • VHS

• LABELS
• BACKGROUNDS
• BANNERS
• ICONS
• PAPER SIZES
• WEB
  • BUTTONS
  • BANNERS
• TEMPLATE THEMES
• OTHER

(Add more please)

The user level hierarchy, if folders within it exist, would be added to the Open Templates list in order. Thus if a user had a folder called PAPER SIZES, then anything in that would be added along with the system level into the Open Templates sub-menu.

Name of the Template File

The name of the template should be autodescriptive as:

ARBITRARYNAME+MEDIA+SIZE.svg

autumn_cd_cover.svg autumn_background_a4.svg

Templates may have some help for placing or modifying items through the "no print" and "Sensible" features. You can make no "printable" and no "Sensible" items by pressing left mouse button over an item and choosing the "Item Properties" entry. Help could be something like "Title", "Left Side" or "Cut Here".