LabPlot/ThemesAndTemplates
LabPlot provides different tools to quickly apply settings on multiple objects:
- Templates - save and re-use definitions of single objects like curve, axis, etc.
- Plot Templates - save and re-use the complete definition of the plot including its all children
- Themes - apply colors from a predefined set of color themes to a worksheet or a plot and to all their children
Templates
Templates allow to save the properties of objects on the worksheet like curves, axis, etc. and to quickly apply them on other objects.
A common use-case for the usage of templates is for example the situation where the appearance of a curve with a certain set of properties for the symbol type and size, line width, colors, etc. needs to be applied on other curves in the same or in other projects in a quick way. For this, the current settings are saved in a template and loaded for other objects of interest.
Similarly, the current properties of the object can be saved as the default properties ("default template") that will be automatically applied for every new object of this type.
The management of templates is done via the template bar at the bottom of the Properties Explorer hosting the three buttons to save the current properties as a template, to load the properties from a list of saved templates and to save the current properties as the new default ones.
Plot Area Templates
Contrary to the object templates described above that save and load the properties for one object type only, plot templates do the same for the whole plot area including all its children. This is helpful for example if a certain definition of a plot area with multiple data ranges and axes, curves, labels, etc. is frequently used. Once the desired definition of the plot area is designed finally and saved as a template, a new plot area of such a new "type" is created with one single mouse click similarly to how other basic and predefined plot areas are created on the Worksheet.
To save the current plot definition as a new plot template, the button "Save current plot definition" in the themes and templates bar in the Properties Explorer for the plot area needs to be clicked and the name for the new template needs to be provided.
To create a new plot area having this definition, select "Load from template" in the context menu (or in the toolbar):
Themes
Color themes allow to quickly apply colors from a predefined set of themes to a worksheet or a plot and to all their children. See the video on how to use themes in LabPlot.