Save styles for further projects (empty template)?

[auriga]

Hi there,
when I set and save style classes for a project, can I reuse them for further new projects?
If I create a new project, in empty template, I cannot display previous saved styles but default ones.
The way I tried is Save Project as Template, but doing so I see I save physically formatting+content+everything.

Thank you

A.

[kwag_myers]

If you have a project in development and want to use it as a template, then you have two options (that I'm aware of). The first option is to start a new project based on the existing and then delete the topics, snippets, etc. that you don't want. Once you have the elements (skin, css, etc.) that you want for your template, you can Save As a Template.

The other option is to use a blank template for a new project and add the elements one by one, using the New from existing option. Both have advantages, but the second option is more flexible. I've often found in subsequent projects that I still have to tweek a style, or the skin, then go back to the original project and match things up, which makes my template obsolete. I'm not sure if Flare lets you revise a template in the UI, or if you have to use a third-party text editor, but either way, the second option seems to be more efficient for me in the long run.

[Nita Beck]

As I understand your question, you'd like to save just the stylesheet as a template so you can use it in other projects.

Flare lets one create templates for any kind of file (e.g., snippets, stylesheets, topics, skins). One is not limited to saving only an entire project as a project template.

First, set up the folder where your file templates will be stored. By default, Flare will store file templates in a folder called My Templates. If you want to change that, you can use the Template Manager to set up a different folder. Use Tools > Manage Templates to open the Template Manager window, from which you can set up the folder. You can read more about templates and how to manage them here:
-- http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... plates.htm
-- http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... plates.htm

Once you know where you plan to save your file templates, you're ready to save your stylesheet as a stylesheet template. Open the stylesheet in the Stylesheet Editor, just as you normally would. Now use File > Save > Save as Template. You can read more about this here, in particular the section called "How to Create a File Template--with the File Open".
-- http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... plates.htm

In future, you can add a new stylesheet by right-clicking the Stylesheets folder, selecting New > Stylesheet, and then choosing your stylesheet template from the My Templates folder.

*******NOW for a completely different solution*******

Instead of having a stylesheet template, if you plan to reuse the same stylesheet in different projects, there are two options you might consider:

-- External Resources -- This is a way to store in a central location those files that you plan to use in different projects. Read more here: http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... ources.htm

-- Global Project Linking -- This feature has many uses, but a common use is to have there be a "master" or "global" project that stores commonly used files, from which some or all of the files can be imported into "child" or "local" projects. For example, say you have a stylesheet that you want to use in all of your Flare projects. Instead of having a different variant of the stylesheet in all those different projects, you can maintain the stylesheet in just one place--the global project--and then import that stylesheet into the local projects whenever you next update them. This is my preferred method for maintaining a common stylesheet. You can read more here: http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... inking.htm

[SteveS]

S'funny. That's why I put in a feature request way back in Flare 1!

We had common matter, including a style sheet, we were using in multiple projects. We wanted a way to keep everything up to date, I used to have to copy my style sheet and masterpages (or was it page layouts?) into all the other projects if I made a change. I even had a spreadsheet showing which files were used in which projects to make sure nothing was missed.

GPL was a boon.