Fusion:Template creation

Introduction

Creating a Fusion Template is very similar to creating a project, except that the Template requires to have a main SVG file called template.svg (instead of index.svg). Beside this file, a Template can also contain other SVG and media files.

To make a Template configurable, you can add options to the Template , which are editable elements that will be shown within the Fusion interface. This way, the user can create different Slides based on the same Template.

To use custom fonts inside your Template, create the Template inside a Style Pack and include the custom font inside the "fonts" collection of the Style Pack.

Sample templates can be downloaded from the Download Templates page.

Notes:

• When using multiple SVG files, it is recommended to have all the inner SVG files directly included by the template.svg, otherwise the Template preview upon Slide creation might not reflect the actual position of the layers.

• When creating a Slide, the Templates are usually listed under a tab named "Simple", except for the case where the name of the Template starts with one of the following strings:

  "multi_" -> the Template is listed under "Advanced" tab;

  "news_" -> the Template is listed under "RSS Feeds" tab;

  "others_" -> the Template is listed under "Others" tab;

Using Elementi X

Template creation

A Template can only be created inside the "templates" collection of a Style Pack.

To create a new Template , follow these steps:

1. Open / create the Style Pack inside which you want to create the new Template.
2. Go to "files" > "templates" collection.
3. Right-click inside the Browse panel. (Or click on the "Menu" icon in the toolbar, then select "Projects" > "Fusion Elements".)
4. Select the "New Template..." option. A pop-up window appears.
5. Enter the name of the Template, the model of the target HMP, the format of the target screen and the duration of the Template.
6. Click on the "OK" button. A new collection is created, containing a single file: template.svg.
7. Open "template.svg" and create the Template layout.
   • You can use multiple SVG files inside the Template to add more functionalities.
8. Set the Template options (i.e. elements that can be editable within Fusion interface).
9. Finally, archive the Template (see below) and upload it into Fusion.
   • You can also archive the Style Pack and upload it into Fusion.

Template duration

When creating a slide based on a template, the slide inherits the template duration (configurable from the "Document Properties" dialog), and this might influence its duration within a program, as explained below.

But first, note that when adding a slide to a program, you can set a fixed duration for the slide within the program playlist to force playing it for that duration of time.

If you don't do that (i.e. you leave it on "automatic"), Fusion sets a minimum duration for the slide equal to the default duration set for the entire program. Then, depending on the duration set within the slide / template, the actual duration of the slide is computed as following:

• "Indefinite" or "Automatic" -> the slide is played forever, thus the program playlist will not advance past it (to overcome this, it is necessary to set a fixed duration for the slide within the program playlist).
• A fixed duration (e.g., 00:00:30, 00:05:00 etc.) -> if this is greater than the default duration set for the entire program, then the slide is played for the template duration, otherwise the slide is played for the default duration set for the entire program.

To force an indefinite slide to end when an inner child element (for instance a video) ends, see the Conditional ending page.
In that case, the slide will behave as if it would have a fixed duration in regards to the cases presented above.

Template archiving

To archive a Template, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the Template icon inside the Browse panel. (Or click on the "Menu" icon in the toolbar, then select "Projects".)
2. Select the "Archive..." option.
3. Select where the 7z archive file will be saved and set the name of the file.
4. Click on the "Save" button.

Using HMD Professional

Template creation

HMD - New template

Example of template

To create a Template using HMD Professional, follow these steps:

1. Open My Fusion Elements workspace and decide where to create the Template.
   • You can create a standalone Template or as part of a Style Pack (within the "templates" collection).
2. Right click on the browsing panel and select the New Slide Template option.
3. Set the name and the format of the Template.
4. Press OK. (A new collection is created, containing a single file: skin.svg)
5. Open template.svg and create the Template layout.
   • You can use multiple SVG files inside the Template to add more functionalities.
6. Set the Template options (i.e. elements that can be editable within Fusion interface).
7. Finally, archive the Template (see below) and upload it into Fusion.
   • If the Template is part of a Style Pack, then export the Style Pack and upload it into Fusion.

Note:

See also the Event and Corporate template examples.

Template duration

When creating a template, special care should be taken regarding the duration of the template.svg file (the duration can be configured from the Properties view).

• Use a dur = 'media', when you want the Slide duration will be equal to the duration of the media it contains (i.e. to end with the end of the last media it contains).

  This is useful if you plan to use a video inside the Slide for instance. In this case it is recommended to uncheck the Repeat option of the video as well.

  Be aware, that if images are used in such templates, then the computed duration can be 0, as images have no duration. To solve this issue, it is recommended to add a minimum duration min='1s' to the <svg> element using the XML Tree View.

• Use a dur = '10s', to use a default duration for the template.
• Use a dur = 'indefinite', to create a slide that will never end. In this case an explicit duration must be set when using this slide in a Program
• Use custom JavaScript code in more complex setup, with multiple media.

Template archiving

To archive a Template, follow these steps:

1. Open My Fusion Elements workspace and find the Template to archive.
2. Right click on it and choose the "Update metadata" option. (To ensure that all the previews are generated before exporting the Template)
3. Right click on it and choose the "Archive" option. (A new window will open)
4. Select where the 7z archive file will be saved and set the name of the file.
5. Press the "Save" button.

Example

HMD - Simple Slide Template

Fusion - Simple Slide Template

To create a Template like the one presented on the right, follow these steps:

1. Create a new Template (as explained above) and open it.
2. Delete the existing text layer.
3. In the browsing panel, create a collection called media, open it and import there a background image.
4. Drag & drop the background image into preview panel. Right-click on it and make it full screen. Lock this layer.
5. Insert a media layer, type [Fusion] as URI, enable the "Fusion editable" option, input a Fusion label (e.g., "media") and press the OK button. Move it to the left side and adjust its size.
6. Insert a new text layer, move it to the right side, adjust its size and properties. Make sure to enable the "Fusion editable" option and to input a Fusion label (e.g., "Custom text").
7. Save the changes.
8. To use this Template: archive it, then upload it into Fusion and create a Slide with it.