[Xerte] Working with Templates

Fri Aug 15 18:14:24 BST 2008

Thanks.  That will be a great help.

Yes, put me down for the beta test.  I used to have a LAMP on a memory 
stick for testing a wiki.  I think I could re-install it.  Of course, once classes 
start....

PS--if you haven't seen Jing (from the Camtasia folks) take a peek.  I think it 
is a great way to deliver tutorials (you can keep them private, too), though in 
this case your explanation here should get us going.

Date sent:      	Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:34:47 +0100
From:           	Julian Tenney <Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk>
Subject:        	RE: [Xerte] Working with Templates
To:             	"Xerte discussion list" <xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>
Send reply to:  	Xerte discussion list <xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>

> Thanks for the feedback.
> 
> The workflow is roughly:
> 
> Double click the xtp file. Let Xerte unzip it for you into a folder.
> Open up the .rlt file. The wizard will open. Go ahead and add your pages
> and configure them using the forms for each page type.
> Press Play to preview your work. At this point your file is saved - it
> is also saved when you hit the 'save' button.
> When you're done, close the form. The Xerte main window appears.
> To get back to the wizard, double-click the Learning Object icon, which
> as a little cog wheel on the icon, telling you that this piece is data
> driven.
> Don't touch the actual .rlt file unless you want to make changes to it -
> you can close Xerte as usual from here.
> Next time you open the .rlt file, the wizard should open - otherwise
> just open it by double clicking the LO icon.
> 
> 
> What's actually happening:
> The .rlt file is data driven. It gets it's data from an .xml file,
> specified in the templateData property of the LO icon.
> The wizard edits this xml.
> The .xwd file in the project folder tells the wizard how to edit the
> file,, i.e. which sort of controls to use for each node or attribute in
> the xml file being edited. It's just xml - take a look.
> The .xwd means it is extremely quick to develop new editors. Read the
> 'Developing Templates' guide on the website for more info. Wizards are a
> factor of 100 faster and easier to develop than Authorwarew Kos, and
> performa  similar function.
> The .rlt file is given the xml when it starts and then constructs itself
> using the page types held on the pageStore icon. These are data driven
> models that use the xml data at runtime.
> 
> The idea is that a developer creates whatever templates he wants,
> creating the .rlt, the initial .xml and the .xwd files, and zips them up
> into an .xtp. He then hands them over to SMEs to use to use to create
> the content without having to do anyhting more difficult than use the
> wizard. The SME can create as many projects from the .xtp as he wants
> and the developer can get back to playing space invaders.
> 
> We have some new, very powerful tools we are about to release, which use
> the wizard in the browser. In a nutshell, any user can log in, create
> projects from .xtp files, edit them (and a heap of other things) all
> without having to download and install anything, in a Web 2.0 sort of
> fashion. It hugely simplifies the process. All they ever see is a
> browser, the toolkits web site and the wizard interface. We're looking
> for beta testers very soon with a LAMP setup (even a localhost) they can
> trial it on. Let me know if you are interested.
> 
> J
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
> [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of
> jventola at verizon.net
> Sent: 15 August 2008 00:23
> To: xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
> Subject: [Xerte] Working with Templates
> 
> Congratulations on 2.0.  It looks great.
> 
> In the Help file is information on "Creating Models and Templates" that
> speaks of saving an icon as a model and never mentions templates.  What
> is the difference?  There is also a section on creating templates for
> dynamic use, with the data in xml files.  But there is no section I can
> find about using templates to build your lessons.
> 
> I am a user.  I have found a wonderful wizard called "pageTemplates"
> which is an xtp file.  When I double click that, I get all the tools I
> need in an Insert drop down.  Surely, this is the palce to start.  But
> there is no documentation.  
> And I do not understand the workflow at all.
> 
> I open the xtp fileand create a new rlo file in a folder. The xtp seems
> to add a bunch of other files in my folder.  I do some work.  I go to
> save it.  There is no SAVE AS only SAVE.  (I guess that is because I am
> in the wizard?)
> 
> So I save and close and find myself in the basic Xerte editor.  Now I
> can save the rlo with any name.  I learn that all that stuff from the
> wizard is in a framestore.  So save and close the rlo.
> 
> Now what?  How to I get back to edit my project? Do I work with the rlo
> file? 
> Do I keep loading the wizard?  Do I use the stuff in the framestore?
> 
> I need a nice screncast showing how to use a template--from an author's
> point of view.  Aimed at the newbie, it could even start from a clean
> install of Xerte and should include saving and reloading. If it then
> covered SCORM publishing, it would give the newbie a good start.
> 
> (The free jingproject.com might provide an easy way to create and
> publish such screencasts.  I use the plural because I hope to see many
> from generous users of Xerte.)
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