Getting Started With AuthorIT - instructional media + magic

Chapter 4 Understanding AuthorITʹs Concepts 53
Can I Base an Object Template on Another Template?
You can certainly base templates on other templates. In fact, we recommend it. That
way, itʹs easier to manage global changes but also possible to specify variations in
your standards.
For example, the standard AuthorIT object templates for Linked Files (like Linked GIF
and Linked Icon) are all based on the Linked Graphic Directory template, which only
specifies the location of the directory containing all your graphic files. When you want
to change the location of that directory, you only need to do it in the Linked Graphic
Directory template, and AuthorIT automatically updates that setting in all your File
Objects, within seconds.
Note: For technical reasons, Related Topic Groups can only be inherited once, so
they will not be inherited by a topic based on a template based on another template ‐‐
although every other feature of the topic template will be inherited correctly.
Changing Inherited Settings
Each object has settings or ʺpropertiesʺ which tell AuthorIT how that object behaves.
Objects are usually based on an object template, and they inherit some of their settings
from the template. This means you can update the settings of all related objects at
once, and your standards will remain consistent. Itʹs also quicker than having to set
each property every time you create a new object.
If the label of any setting is blue, it means the setting is inherited from the objectʹs
template. Such inherited settings cannot be directly changed. For example, when you
base a Book object on the ʺNormalʺ template, youʹll notice that the Include object in
settings on the General tab are all inherited.
To Change an Inherited Setting
Base the object on a different template. Another template may have the setting
you need.
‐ OR ‐
Open the objectʹs template, then make your change there. AuthorIT will update
all objects based on that template. This may take a while. Think carefully before
you do this, because the change may not be appropriate for all other objects based
on the same template (see ʺInheriting Settings By Using Object Templatesʺ on
page 51).
‐ OR ‐