Allows you to create a sign template based on an existing guide sign.
Before creating and saving custom templates, see Creating Signs for Templates Tips and Template Creation Tips.
For information on the location of user created sign templates, see Customizing GuideSIGN Plus -> Saving User Created Content.
Note:
- If the Road Classification and/or Sign Type category under which you want to save your sign template does not exist, you will have to confirm the creation of a new category.
- Templates can be created only from rectangular shaped signs.
Panel Information Section
Displays the current panel style, the units which the software uses to match the drawing's units, and the M.U.T.C.D. Edition.
Sign Preview
Displays the preview of the guide sign to be used for a new template. The pointer will change shape as you move it over the sign preview to help you select a sign element. As you select an element, the parameters available at the right of Sign Preview will change accordingly. As you modify the template parameters, the preview will update dynamically.
Select each element to display and modify it's settings as required. Ensure that the positioning of the elements in the sign preview is similar to that in the original sign, and that the base point arrow of each element indicates the desired direction in which the element's range box may grow when a sign is created from the template.
General Data Section
Road Classification and Sign Type
To specify the road classification and sign type for the template, click the arrow to the right, and then click the desired category in the list or type a new category name.
Road Classification and Sign Type categories are organized based on the M.U.T.C.D. highway signing classification (see Appendix -> Templates Classification). You can use this structure for storing the sign templates that you create with the Create Template from Sign tool. However, you can add your own Road Classification and Sign Type categories and use them along with the ones that were shipped with the software.
Template Name
Lets you specify a name for the template.
Width and Height
Allows you to specify a fixed panel width and height. By default, these settings can be modified when the template is used to create a new sign (see Create Sign from Template). If you want to fix the Width and/or Height values so the user cannot modify them when creating a sign based on the template, select the corresponding Lock check boxes. Selecting a Lock check box lets you specify the panel width and/or height by typing the desired value in the Width and/or Height box.
Horizontally Justified
To have the sign elements aligned evenly along the left and right margins, select the Horizontally Justified check box.
Note: For the software to be able to horizontally justify text strings, you must fix the text strings at the same length as you create a sign for a template (see Place Highway Text and Creating Signs for Templates Tips). It is also important to adjust the word gap minimum width appropriately (see Create Template from Sign -> Word Gap Settings).
Shift Margin
Makes the objects in a sign shift towards the selected margin position (see Place New Panel - Advanced). You can select one of the nine options available to modify the margin shift within the sign.
Note: If you select the Horizontally Justified check box, the left and right side Shift Margin options will be unavailable, and you will be able to shift the margin only to the top center, bottom center, or center position.
Information
Allows you to type the description of the current sign (i.e. the suggested use, the reference source, and the sizes and fonts (letter series) for the major text).
Creating Signs for Templates Tips
The steps to create a sign to be used as the basis of a template are generally the same as those for creating signs (see Using Sign Creation Features -> Creating a Sign: Basic Steps for Creating a Sign).
To ensure that your template behaves as desired, consider the following points when creating the sign:
Panel Style Margin Settings
When a template is created from a sign, the panel size is recalculated based on applying the sign's panel style. If you have placed objects that encroach on the margins and the size is not locked, the panel will increase in size to accommodate the margin calculations. To ensure the template system will accurately create the desired templates and thus subsequent signs, ensure that the panel style has appropriately sized margins (see Panel Styles' Margins Category).
Panel Updates
It is usually a good idea to work with the Auto update panel setting turned on (see Program Settings' Locks - Design Category). This ensures that the sign will behave as desired when a template is created from the sign. Ensure that the objects do not encroach on the margins if you did not use auto panel updating while creating the sign.
Text Strings
- Create all text strings in a distance sign using the Name X text style and the same fixed length value. This will enable the template system to treat the strings correctly for that type of sign (see Template Creation Tips -> Creating Distance Sign Templates).
- Do not use letters (e.g. 'X' or 'XX') to represent a replaceable number. Instead, use '10', '100', '1000', etc.
- Use '3/4' for the Fraction component as this is the widest stacked fraction. This ensures that the sign will be created correctly when the fraction is replaced with the same or narrower fractions when the sign is created from the template.
- Use the Align Text Components tool to align the whole numbers, and then align the fractions.
Distance Sign Created for a Template
Numbers and Ordinal Endings in Street Name Templates
The number and ordinal ending in street name signs must be created as a text string with two components. Remember to select the Number-Ordinal Ending text style in the Text Style box when placing the text in the street name sign.
Number-Ordinal Ending in a Street Name Sign
Template Creation Tips
To ensure that your template behaves as desired, please consider the following points when creating the template:
Positioning Base Points
- Base points determine the starting point of an element and in which directions the element will shrink or expand, depending on the replacement value.
- Route shield: position the shield element's base point in the upper corner closest to the object it is aligned to.
Route shield element base point aligned to object
- Position place name element base points in the corner which is closest to the object so that when it is replaced, the elements will retain their relative positions to each other:
Place name element base point
- Position centered element base points in the top center or center of the element:
Centered element base point
Aligning Sign Elements
- To ensure that elements replace as desired (e.g. centered, or right aligned) adjust the sizes of the range boxes to align with the range boxes of the desired elements.
- To ensure that elements replace centered in the sign, select the element then select the Horizontally Centered in the Panel check box:
Route shield element centered in the sign
- In a diagrammatic sign, for example, the exit distance string should be aligned with the place name element above it. Use the Change Range Box Size arrows to adjust the width of the range box to make it the same width as the place name element.
Exit distance text string aligned to place name
- Vertically center align the arrow to the side of the route shield / cardinal direction and place name (adjust the arrow range box's height so that it is aligned with the top of the route shield / cardinal direction and the bottom of the place name).
Vertically center the arrow to group and place name
Note: The horizontal and vertical orange bars that appear on the sides of the range boxes denote how the range box is aligned with other element range boxes.
Creating Distance Sign Templates
- Ensure that the Horizontally Justified check box is selected.
- Position the number element base points on the right sides of the range boxes if the numbers are to replace such that they are right aligned, otherwise, set the base points in the center of the range boxes:
Number element base points
- Set the word gap in the Minimum Width box (usually 1 to 2 x the word height). This ensures that the space between the place names and distances will not be less than this value when the template is used to create signs (see Create Template from Sign -> Word Gap Settings). It also ensures that the word gap will adjust properly when the sign's width is increased when creating a sign from the template.