Template Management¶

Version: 2.1.0

Reusable XML snippets and document skeletons: insert them into the document you are editing, or start a new file from one. Templates can carry ${parameter} placeholders that you fill in when the template is used.

Templates power the New File dialog

Templates also appear in the guided New File dialog (filtered to the matching file type), so a brand-new document can start from a template instead of a blank page. You manage your own templates in the Settings → TEMPLATES card. See Creating templates for the New File dialog.

Overview¶

Templates overview Templates in the Unified Shell: the Insert Template dialog and the TEMPLATES settings card

Templates let you keep document structures you type again and again - a SOAP envelope, a Maven POM, a CDATA section, a Schematron rule - and drop them into the editor with a few clicks. The parts written as ${name} are parameters: when you use a template that has parameters, FreeXmlToolkit asks for their values first and then inserts the finished text.

There are two places where templates are used:

Where	What it does
Insert Template (toolbar button or Ctrl+T)	Inserts a template at the caret of the active document
New File dialog (toolbar New or Ctrl+N)	Creates a new document from a template of the selected file type

Inserting a Template¶

Open (or create) the document you want to edit and place the caret where the snippet should go.
Press Ctrl+T or click Insert Template on the editor toolbar.
The Insert Template dialog lists all templates as name — category; select one to see its content in the Preview box. OK is enabled once a template is selected.
If the template has parameters, a second dialog asks for each value (defaults are pre-filled where the template defines them). Cancelling this dialog inserts nothing.
The rendered text is inserted at the caret. Undo (Ctrl+Z) removes it again in one step.

The dialog is only available while a document is open; with no active document the shortcut does nothing.

Built-in Templates¶

FreeXmlToolkit ships with a set of ready-made templates, grouped by category, for example:

Category	Examples
Basic	`simple-element`, `element-with-attributes`, `cdata-section`, `xml-comment`
Web services	`soap-envelope`, `rest-response`, `wsdl-service`
Build & configuration	`spring-config`, `maven-pom`, `api-documentation`
Industry	`financial-transaction`, `patient-record`, `vehicle-information`, `government-form`
Schema	`xsd-schema`

Built-in templates cannot be edited, but you can create your own with the same content and change it freely.

Managing Your Own Templates¶

Your templates are managed in Settings (gear icon at the bottom of the activity bar), in the TEMPLATES card.

Set the templates folder¶

In the TEMPLATES card, use Browse… next to Templates directory to choose the folder where your templates are kept (leave it empty for the default location, ~/.freeXmlToolkit/templates, or the bundled examples/templates folder when it exists).
The change takes effect right away - no restart needed.

Add or change a template¶

Below the folder you find the list Your templates with three buttons:

Button	Action
New	Opens the New Template dialog. Fill in Name, Category, Description, File type and Content.
Edit	Opens the selected template in the Edit Template dialog to change any of its fields.
Delete	Removes the selected template.

Each template is saved as a .template file in the templates folder, so you can copy those files to another machine or share them with colleagues. The File type you pick decides where the template shows up in the New File dialog: it appears only when that same file type is selected.

Creating templates for the New File dialog¶

Click New on the toolbar (Ctrl+N), or New file in the Explorer panel.
Choose the File type that matches your template.
Open the Template list - your templates appear alongside the built-in ones.
Select it; if it has parameters, you are prompted to fill them in.
Optionally choose a Save to location, then confirm to create the document.

See New File dialog for the other options of that dialog.

Placeholders and Parameters¶

Write placeholders as ${name} anywhere in the template content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<${rootElement}>
    <header>
        <title>${documentTitle}</title>
        <version>${version}</version>
    </header>
</${rootElement}>

When the template is used, every ${name} is replaced by the value you enter. A placeholder can be used several times (${rootElement} above appears twice and is filled in once).

Templates created with the built-in library or programmatically can declare typed parameters (string, integer, decimal, boolean, date, email, URL, or a list of allowed values); the parameter dialog validates the input accordingly and offers default values where defined.

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+T`	Insert Template into the active document
`Ctrl+N`	New File dialog (choose a template there)

Tips¶

Tip	Description
Keep it simple	Smaller templates are more reusable
Clear names	Use descriptive parameter names such as `${customerId}` instead of `${x}`
Use categories	The Insert Template dialog shows name — category, so consistent categories make long lists scannable
One file type per template	Pick the File type carefully - it controls where the template is offered in the New File dialog

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