HelpStudio 2022
Design the Content / Introduction to Templates
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    Introduction to Templates
    In This Topic

    What are Templates

    A HelpStudio template is a set of configuration information that defines the style of a particular type of content in your project. Templates are saved and edited independently of any project, which is useful because you can create a custom template and use it in multiple projects.

    Template Types

    The HelpStudio offers a variety of templates designed for different types of project outputs, such as Topics,  Booklet, Web, and more. You can select templates for specific output types through the 'Templates' page within the Build Profile editor."

    Template Type Description
    Topic

    This template is applied to any conceptual topic page (and Glossary) that is generatedHelpStudio.

    Booklet This template is used for the format and style of the Table of Contents, Index, and heading of the Booklet output.
    Web Help This template is used to define the layout and style of the web frame and navigation bar in the plain HTML web output.

    Anatomy of a Template

    Each template consists of several different aspects which collectively define the content and style of the template.

    Page Types

    Page Types are HTML documents that define the structure and style of each type of generated page.

    Scraps Scraps are re-usable snippets of HTML that are inserted into Page Types.
    Phrases

    Phrases are static pieces of localizable text that are defined in a template and can be used in both template and project

    content e.g. "Table of Contents", "See Also". Phrases can be referenced by using the

    <!--DXMETADATA start type="Phrase" name="PhraseName"--><!--DXMETADATA end--> element in template content,

    and PhraseName in project content.

    Properties

    The template editor contains a Property List that allows you to define template level property that can then be

    overriden at the Project or Build Profile level.

    Metadata Elements

    Metadata elements are dynamic pieces of content generated by HelpStudio and can be inserted into Page

    Types and Scraps. More information on metadata elements can be found here: Metadata Elements

    Other Files A template may contain one or more additional files that are used throughout the template e.g. images, javascript, stylesheets.
    Widgets Globally defined Widgets can be overriden at the template level.
    See Also