Using Templates
Templates can be used in several ways to create or format charts. A template can be applied to one or more existing charts, or it can be used to create new charts. There are menu items for creating new charts or documents from templates, and you can set a new-chart template in Preferences that will be applied to every new chart. You can double click a template in the Finder to create a new chart or document based on the template.
Apply Template Menu Item
Choosing the Chart->Apply_Template menu item uses the Template Selector panel to apply a template to the currently selected chart or to any range of charts specified in the Navigator.
The Template Selector panel allows you to select a template from any folder in the Finder, although by default the panel displays the contents of the Library/Chartsmith folder in your Home folder. When a template file is selected, its contents are shown in the lower section of the panel. The Template Thumbnail shows you an image of the attributes the template contains. The Series List shows you how many series, what series types, and in what order the series (if any) were saved in the template. The Contents box shows which attribute groups are saved in the template and allows you to select/deselect any of these attribute groups by clicking the group name. The Description View displays the templates description (if one was provided when the template was saved). The Navigator allows you to apply the template to the currently active chart or to any range of charts.
Drag and Drop Template Files
The simplest way to apply a template is to drag a template file from the Finder and drop it in the Chart View. This applies the template to the selected chart only. If you wish to apply a template to more than one chart, drag-select the charts in the Navigator, and then drag the template file from the Finder and drop it on the Navigator.
New Chart From Template Menu Item
To create a new chart based on the attributes stored in a template, use the Chart->Add_From_Template menu item. The Template Selector panel will be displayed allowing you to select the desired template. Once you have done so, a new chart will be created with all the attributes set as specified in the template. Note that if Series attributes have been stored in the template, then chart series will be created in the chart to match those in the template.
New Document From Template Menu Item
This feature is similiar New Chart From Template, but creates a new document into which the new, templated chart will be placed. Note that only the first chart in this newly created document is based on the specified template. Choose the Document->New From Template menu item. The Template Selector panel will be displayed allowing you to select the desired template. Once you have done so, a new document will be opened in which a new chart will be created with all the attributes set as specified in the template.
New-Chart Templates in User Preferences
Chartsmith Preferences allow you to specify a template for each chart type that will be applied every time a chart is created. When such a template is specified and activated, the attributes stored in the template file are applied to any new chart that is created. The effect is the same as if you were to create a new chart from a template using the Chart->New_From_Template menu item, but the template is specified in the Preferences only once. However, there are cases when this template will not be applied. These cases occur when you actively specify the template from which a chart should be based. Those cases include creating a new chart from a template and opening a new document from a template.
Opening Templates From the Workspace
A template may be opened from the Finder by double clicking the template icon. When a template is opened this way, a new document is created and the template is applied to the first chart.