Main Help → Browser Style → Display Templates

Display Templates

The main files controlling the display are called templates. The various templates are defined here. Details on creating and editing them are given here.

Record Editing Templates

Whenever a new window opens in GEDitCOM II with genealogy data, that display is controlled by a "Record Editing" template. The type of record determines which template is used. For example, INDI or individual records use the "INDI Record Editing" template. Key features of record editing template are:

  1. The template name must be exactly three words. The first word is the GEDCOM tag or custom tag word for type of record it will format. The second and third words are always "Record Editing".
  2. The special template called "_Unknown_ Record Editing" is the default template used when GEDitCOM II cannot find a custom template for a selected record. This special template is required and thus cannot be deleted and its name cannot be changed.
  3. Special record editing templates that do not correspond to GEDCOM record types may be created for formatting special windows created by StructuresLink cells.

Tag Editing Templates

A record editing template formats a window by calling a series of "Tag Editing" templates to format each part of the record. For example, the "NAME Editing" template might be called by the "INDI Record Editing" template to format the name data for the individual. Key features of tag editing templates are:

  1. The template name must be exactly two words. The first word is the GEDCOM tag or custom tag word for the data it will format. The second word is always "Editing".
  2. The special template called "_Unknown_ Editing" is the default template. This is used when GEDitCOM II cannot find a custom template for a tag. This special template is required. It cannot be deleted and its name cannot be changed.
  3. Special tag editing templates that do not correspond to GEDCOM data may be created to be called by other templates with the use command.

Subroutine Templates

You can create subroutine templates to define GENerel subroutines that might be used by more than one template. Subroutine templates can only contain GENerel subroutines, but may contain more than one subroutine. When a template wants to use defined subroutines, it can load them with Load commands and call them with Gosub commands. Key features of subroutine templates are:

  1. The subroutine name must be exactly one word and that word cannot be "Editing".
  2. Subroutine templates are optional. The alternative is to include the full subroutine at the beginning of each template that uses it. If several templates will use the same subroutine, however, it is better to use subroutine templates and Load commands, because they make the browser style easier to write and revise.

Subroutines can also define embedded Internal Scripts, AppleScripts, or Python scripts. These scripts be run by interface features using ScriptLink option available for EditValue, EditField, EditPane, LinkButton cells by setting their ScriptType property to formaatM. Such scripts open up browser styles to many more options.