Creating and Managing Templates

Templates allow you to save existing node structures from your Story Map and reuse them to accelerate the creation of your narrative. In addition to the ones that you create, several default templates are included for you to experiment with.

Any templates you create will be accessible via the Add/Insert Template menu.

Creating Templates

To create a template, select all corresponding nodes, then right-click on one. In the context menu, select ‘create template’. You will be prompted to give the template a name. Click ‘OK’ and the node will then be saved. Note that non-default templates are saved on a per-project basis.

Adding or Inserting Templates

Right-click on the background field of your Story Map to select ‘Add Template’. This will open the template selection dialog. Choose a template from the dropdown and click ‘OK’. This will add the selected template to your Story Map, but will not connect it to any existing nodes.

To insert a template into an existing node structure, right-click on the desired node and choose ‘Insert’. This will open the template selection dialog. Choose a template from the dropdown and click ‘OK’. This will insert the selected template into your Story Map and connect it via a transition.

Deleting Templates

To Delete a template, navigate to the Add/Insert Template menu, and using the dropdown, select the template you wish to Delete to bring it into view. From there, you'll find the option to delete the Template.

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Please note, users may only delete templates they've created themselves. Templates also may not be edited once they've been defined.