Templot Club Archive 2007-2020
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posted: 25 Oct 2008 01:54 from: Brian Lewis
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All, I accept that as a casual user of Templot I really have not been able to master the programme - but I guess I am not alone in this. One thing I find frustrating and cannot seem to solve is the problem of 'when is saving, not actually saving?'. Let me explain. I create a template and/or series of templates. OK. It is my own aberration but before I create anything I perform the following actions: Real - Timbering, I uncheck the 9' sleepering and replace by 8'-6" sleepers. (I guess so few folk model 9' sleepers that perhaps the default is the wrong way round. I also check timber ends in line. Generator - generator settings. I uncheck, (one at a time - why not a pop-up that allows me to so do in one operation)?, track centre lines, radial end marks, outline extension marks, timber centre lines, timber infill, 8'6" marks on 9' sleepers, guide marks. This leaves me with an uncluttered template/templates that I feel is/are easier with which to work. (I really do not understand why these are opt outs - surely they should be opt ins)? Now I print out and if satisfied, save the file. But when I open it at a later date, Stap me! Everything I spent so much time unchecking is back! Why? If I save a file, surely I save all its attributes as well. There are a couple of 'niggles' in printing, which I cannotseem to by-pass. I am sitting in front of a bank of 4printers - two Epsons, an HP and a 31ppm duplex OKI. Each is so accurate that I save time by not loading the calibration file. Now if there has to be a warning printed on the print-out, why does it have to be positioned so that it obscures the template? Also, my A3+ printer is colour, but I always print only in B+W. Why do I need a time wasting pop-up reminding me that my printer is capable of printing in colour? And lastly, I always seem to forget to uncheck the 'Print Data Pages' check box, so that is two sheets of paper and associated ink wasted. Martin I am sure you once undertook to reverse the default on this. Martin has said on more than one occasion that Templot is not a production tool and is designed for leisure interests. That is so, but it ignores the fact that the one thing we are all short of is time. So often, by the time I have set everything as I want it, there is little time for real use. Surely it does not have to be like this? Templot becomes more powerful at every revision. But, I would gladly forgo any number of these for a 'Tools, Options, control panel that I could use to enter my requirements once and for all. What do others think? Regards Brian Lewis Carrs - C+L Finescale |
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posted: 11 Nov 2008 13:47 from: Martin Wynne
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Hi Brian, You asked: What do others think?Others have remained silent, so I will add a few comments of my own. One thing I find frustrating and cannot seem to solve is the problem of 'when is saving, not actually saving?'Saving a .box file saves the full specification for each of the stored track templates. It's not a "document" file in the Windows sense, it's a data file. It doesn't contain anything about your program preferences or settings. The only exception to this is the grid settings, which were added recently as a "fudge" because so many asked for them to be saved in some way. Templot also makes some assumptions after you reload a .box file, setting the gauge and scale for the current/control template to match the final template loaded. Real - Timbering -- I uncheck the 9' sleepering and replace by 8'-6" sleepers. (I guess so few folk model 9' sleepers that perhaps the default is the wrong way round. I also check timber ends in line.It's better to use the term "untick" rather than the American "uncheck" on a UK-based forum. Many members here read "check the box" to mean "examine its contents", not put a tick mark in it. You may have a point about the default 9ft timbering. The original idea was that by default Templot would match the convention on templates available from yourself (C&L), EMGS, Exactoscale, Protofour and elsewhere. Whereby timbers are shown with a double end, for both 9ft and 8ft-6in timbering. When you select 9ft timbers in Templot you also get the 8ft-6in marks. However, time moves on. Although everyone knew what these marks meant 30 years ago, I wonder if that is still the case? We are also 30 years further on from the date when the last 9ft sleeper was laid (anyone know where and when?  ).Does anyone feel strongly that the default should be changed? Or is it more useful to have the twin marks? Whatever, this setting is saved separately for each template. So the default doesn't really matter much. A good proportion of Templot users will be in the situation that they want 9ft timbering in the goods yard and 8ft-6in for the running lines. After loading your file, delete or copy one of your templates to current/control and you will be back with the timbering length which you set for it. Generator - generator settings -- I uncheck, (one at a time - why not a pop-up that allows me to so do in one operation)?Two reaons. It's significantly more programming work to create a dialog panel than a menu structure. And for Windows 95/98/ME it uses significantly more of the scarce Windows resources. Templot already hogs the lion's share of those on a Windows 95/98/ME system, and using even more risks having the computer lock up. track centre lines, radial end marks, outline extension marks, timber centre lines, timber infill, 8'6" marks on 9' sleepers, guide marks. This leaves me with an uncluttered template/templates that I feel is/are easier with which to work. (I really do not understand why these are opt outs - surely they should be opt ins)?They are not opt-ins because these settings also control printing. There are many users who switch on Templot simply to print a single template, and all these features are desirable by default on the print-out. Now I print out and if satisfied, save the file. But when I open it at a later date, Stap me! Everything I spent so much time unchecking is back! Why? If I save a file, surely I save all its attributes as well.The generator settings are not part of the template specification, so they don't go in the .box file. In practice I find myself changing these settings so frequently while using the program, that I'm surprised you would want to save any particular combination of settings. But when we finally get a function to save user preferences, it will include the generator settings in the options. There are a couple of 'niggles' in printing, which I cannot seem to by-pass. I am sitting in front of a bank of 4printers - two Epsons, an HP and a 31ppm duplex OKI. Each is so accurate that I save time by not loading the calibration file. Now if there has to be a warning printed on the print-out, why does it have to be positioned so that it obscures the template?There doesn't have to be a warning, you can switch it off in the "print pages" dialog. Whether it obscures any part of a template or not depends on where your templates are on the page. Hiding it out of the way would rather defeat the purpose of calling it a "warning", wouldn't it? Also, my A3+ printer is colour, but I always print only in B+W. Why do I need a time wasting pop-up reminding me that my printer is capable of printing in colour?Which is the greater waste -- one click and half a second of your time, or a whole series of A3 pages inadvertently printed wrong? And lastly, I always seem to forget to uncheck the 'Print Data Pages' check box, so that is two sheets of paper and associated ink wasted. Martin I am sure you once undertook to reverse the default on this.I can't find a specific undertaking to change it, but I agree that for most users the information sheet is probably not wanted. Please post a request in the "I wish it would" forum, so that I don't forget it (again? ).Martin has said on more than one occasion that Templot is not a production tool and is designed for leisure interests. That is so, but it ignores the fact that the one thing we are all short of is time.I'm not convinced that the actual time gained is significant. A few seconds here, a few clicks there. Compared with 5 minutes staring out of the window pondering, and half-an-hour looking through back issues of MRJ, and 10 minutes sketching on the back of an envelope, and going to make another cup of coffee. But I agree that it would be convenient to be able to restore several settings with one click, and it is on the list. The problem is that it doesn't add any actual functionality to the program -- you can't then do anything which you couldn't do before. Whereas if I spend time on program functions instead, you could then adjust the radius through a tandem's crotch frog independently of its angle -- which you can't do at present. Or a dozen other such things which are sorely needed. There's a reason that the upgrades are free, as I mentioned in another topic -- it's that Templot is still essentially unfinished. Saving user preferences is on the list, and we shall get there eventually. regards, Martin. |
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posted: 11 Nov 2008 18:30 from: Nigel Brown click the date to link to this post click member name to view archived images |
Martin Wynne wrote: You may have a point about the default 9ft timbering. The original idea was that by default Templot would match the convention on templates available from yourself (C&L), EMGS, Exactoscale, Protofour and elsewhere. Whereby timbers are shown with a double end, for both 9ft and 8ft-6in timbering. When you select 9ft timbers in Templot you also get the 8ft-6in marks. I'd vote for the existing system. It shows both timber lengths. And if folk don't know what they're for, if they're modelling steam era layouts which a lot are, then they need to know if they're interested in prototype accuracy. cheers Nigel |
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posted: 11 Nov 2008 20:46 from: Phil O
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Hi All Nigel Brown wrote: I'd vote for the existing system. It shows both timber lengths. And if folk don't know what they're for, if they're modelling steam era layouts which a lot are, then they need to know if they're interested in prototype accuracy.That gets my vote. Cheers Phil |
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| Posted: 11 Nov 2008 20:49 |
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5th Message |
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peterpeg click the date to link to this post click member name to view archived images spacer.gif 
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Me Too Peter
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