Updating a template file

Dave R · 15 Jul 2013, 12:39

What sort of changes do you want to make? A template is really only a starting point for attributes such as paper size, fonts, shape styles and so on. You can change any of those things after you've opened the template or used it to start a new project. If you want to change a template and save those changes, you'll have to give the template a new name because the Save as template option won't overwrite an existing template.

trellisillert · 15 Jul 2013, 12:48

@dave r said:

What sort of changes do you want to make? A template is really only a starting point for attributes such as paper size, fonts, shape styles and so on. You can change any of those things after you've opened the template or used it to start a new project. If you want to change a template and save those changes, you'll have to give the template a new name because the Save as template option won't overwrite an existing template.

Thanks for your reply! I use a template as a title block. I revised the title block (a template file), but I don't seem to be able to find how to update the template file in a layout file.

Dave R · 15 Jul 2013, 12:53

SO you have a page in LayOut with a title block on it. Click File>Save as template. Give it a name and save it. Now you'll be able to open new LO files using that page with the title block as your template. You'll choose this saved template from the My Templates section.

trellisillert · 15 Jul 2013, 12:59

@dave r said:

SO you have a page in LayOut with a title block on it. Click File>Save as template. Give it a name and save it. Now you'll be able to open new LO files using that page with the title block as your template. You'll choose this saved template from the My Templates section.

Thanks again Dave R! My problem is that I already worked on a page (layout file) with all the details. I just need to update the title block (template file) which was revised, but I don't know how to update the revised template file (title block)in the layout file.

Dave R · 15 Jul 2013, 13:05

OK. I think you're confusing things by referring to the title block as a template. They are different things. You need to change the text in your title block? Double click on the text box to open it for editing and change the text. If this change is something that would be needed in subsequent projects, open a blank project using the template, make the edits and Save>As template and give it a new name as I wrote, above.

Are you having problems editing the text? Is the text box grouped with other stuff? Is it on a locked layer?

trellisillert · 15 Jul 2013, 13:11

@dave r said:

OK. I think you're confusing things by referring to the title block as a template. They are different things. You need to change the text in your title block? Double click on the text box to open it for editing and change the text. If this change is something that would be needed in subsequent projects, open a blank project using the template, make the edits and Save>As template and give it a new name as I wrote, above.

Are you having problems editing the text? Is the text box grouped with other stuff? Is it on a locked layer?

Thanks again Dave R! Sorry for the confusion. I started a new layout file with my custom template file (title block). I've done with the page editing, but I decided to change the title block(template file). So I opened the template file (title block) and revised it & saved it as a new template file. However, I don't know how to update the revised template file in the original layout file.
I came from a CAD-oriented thinking, so I maybe misunderstanding how layout works. Does the template file behave like an xref in a layout file?

Dave R · 15 Jul 2013, 13:23

Where is your "title block (template file)"? Is it something separate from the LayOut template?

I'll PM you.

trellisillert · 15 Jul 2013, 13:45

@dave r said:

Where is your "title block (template file)"? Is it something separate from the LayOut template?

I'll PM you.

Thanks you very much Dave R!
What I am trying to do is nothing complicated, but maybe I'm misunderstanding how layout works. I created a custom template file for my title block. I started a new layout project using the template file (title block) I created. I finished editing the layout project, but I decided to change the title block. So I opened the title block file and saved it as a new template file.
Is there a way to update the title block in the layout project?

Dave R · 15 Jul 2013, 13:49

@unknownuser said:

Is there a way to update the title block in the layout project?

Now I get it! Isn't it amazing how one sentence can make all the difference?

OK. Yes. You can update the title block in the project to match the change you made in the template file. Open both the project and a blank copy of the template. Select the updated content in the template and copy it. Ctrl+C, Edit>Copy, etc. Go to the project and select the equivalent content. Hit Ctrl+V, Edit>Paste, etc. The selected content in the project will be replaced by the stuff you copied and it'll appear in the same relative position as the copied content from the template. Make sure you have the appropriate layer set as active in the project before doing this.

By the way, you can leverage this copy and paste thing for more than just these changes. If you want to copy any content from one project to another or from one page to another in the same project, Copy and Paste will do the trick.

trellisillert · 15 Jul 2013, 14:10

@dave r said:

@unknownuser said:

Is there a way to update the title block in the layout project?

Now I get it! Isn't it amazing how one sentence can make all the difference?

OK. Yes. You can update the title block in the project to match the change you made in the template file. Open both the project and a blank copy of the template. Select the updated content in the template and copy it. Ctrl+C, Edit>Copy, etc. Go to the project and select the equivalent content. Hit Ctrl+V, Edit>Paste, etc. The selected content in the project will be replaced by the stuff you copied and it'll appear in the same relative position as the copied content from the template. Make sure you have the appropriate layer set as active in the project before doing this.

By the way, you can leverage this copy and paste thing for more than just these changes. If you want to copy any content from one project to another or from one page to another in the same project, Copy and Paste will do the trick.

Thank you very much Dave R! Now I understand how layout works! Basically, a template file in a layout project is not a file link which can be updated automatically as an xref, but Copy + Paste works pretty well. Thanks so much again!