ReadMe File for TreeLine

TreeLine requires the following libraries and programs:

Using the files provided in the installer, TreeLine should run on any computer running Win 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP or Vista.

Simply execute the downloaded installation file (treeline-x.x.x-install.exe). It will install the program with its libraries and optionally create file associations and shortcuts.

Introduction

Templates

When starting a new file, the templates dialog gives a choice of nodes with a single line of text or with long text. The single line template only has a node title, while the long text options have a title and a multiple line text field in each node. For long text, you can also choose between plain text, which preserves line breaks, and HTML text, which allows more complex formatting.

There are a few more specific options, including canned setups for personal contact information a book list and a to-do list.

Example Files

Various TreeLine sample files can be opened by using the "File->Open Sample" command. They include (roughly in order of increasing complexity):

Left Pane Views

Right Pane Views

Commands

Most of the menu and tool-bar commands apply to the items selected in the left view. In general, they perform an operation on the nodes themselves or on the descendants of the nodes. Multiple nodes can be selected by holding down the "Ctrl" and "Shift" buttons when clicking with the mouse.

To add information to a new TreeLine document, use the "Edit->Add Child" command to create a new node. Then combinations of the add and insert commands may be used for additional nodes. Alternatively, new node titles may be typed into the "Title List" view in the right pane.

Keyboard Shortcuts

There are several keyboard commands that can be used for tree navigation. The up and down arrow keys move the selection. The left and right arrows open and close the current node. Holding the CTRL and SHIFT keys with "J" or "K" moves between siblings, skipping children. The CTRL key and "U" moves to an item's parent. The "Home", "End", "Page Up" and "Page Down" keys can be used to move quickly through the tree. The CTRL and SHIFT keys can be held with the "Page Up" and "Page Down" keys to move the tree view even when a different pane is focused.

All of these keys and the keyboard shortcuts for pull-down menu commands can be customized by using the "Tools->Set Keyboard Shortcuts" command. The shortcut editor has tabs for menu and non-menu based commands. Simply type the new key sequence with the appropriate field selected.

Another way to move through the tree is to type the first letter of a visible node title. Hitting the letter again moves to the next possibility.

Selection

Multiple nodes can be selected by holding down the CTRL or the SHIFT keys when changing the active node. Individual nodes are added or removed from the selection when the CTRL key is held. The selection of all nodes between the old and new active nodes are toggled when SHIFT is held. The active node can be changed by using the mouse or by using any of the keyboard navigation methods.

The "View->Previous Selection" and "View->Next Selection" commands can be used to toggle through a history of selections, allowing faster navigation through the tree.

By default, the selection sequence doesn't matter. However, if the general option for multiple selection is changed to "Selection Order", nodes selected with CTRL key held are output in the order selected.

Searching

There are two ways to search for nodes. These methods can find nodes that are buried in the tree structure. The first is the "Tools->Find" command. Keywords can be entered in a modeless dialog box. A node is found if the keywords are matched in any of the node's fields. The matching text will highlight in the "Data Output" pane.

The next method is an incremental search, started by typing CTRL + "/". Then type the search string, which shows up in the lower status bar area. The search will progress as the string is being typed. The incremental search only finds text in the node's titles. The previous search can be repeated with the "F3" key and backward with "Shift-F3".

By default, parent nodes will automatically open and close when found with the search methods, by typing the first letter, and with the "next sibling" keyboard command. This behavior can be disabled in "Tools->General Options".

Edit Menu

The commands in the "Edit" menu (except for undo and redo) operate on the selected nodes in the left tree view. The cut, copy and paste commands can be an exception to this, since they operate on the right view when something is selected there. And keep in mind that, in general, the descendants of the selected nodes are also affected.

Paste will add a copied nodes as the last child of the selected node. If more than one node is selected, additional copies are added under each selected node.

The "Edit->Paste Node Text" command renames the selection based on either the text in the clipboard or the title of the top node in the clipboard.

Shortcuts

There are several shortcuts for use in tree editing. Drag and drop will move or copy nodes to become a children of the destination node. Clicking on a selected node will rename it. Pressing the enter key will insert a new node, and pressing the delete key will remove the selected nodes. If desired, these shortcuts can be disabled in "Tools->General Options".

Right Pane Views

Spell Check

Setting Nodes to a Type

By default, a new TreeLine document contains two node types: "ROOT" and "DEFAULT". The type is shown at the top of each node box in the "Data Editor" right-hand view. The creation of new types and the customization of types is described below. To set the selected nodes to a specific type, use the "Data->Set Item Type" menu. Alternately, to set a series of child and descendant nodes to a specific type, use the "Data->Set Descendant Types" command. The resulting dialog box allows the selected nodes, their children, all descendants, or descendants matching logical conditions to be set to the highlighted type. The dialog box can be left open while the tree selection is changed to set more nodes.

Type List

The "Type List" is the first tab of the "Data->Configure Types Dialog". The list of data types can be modified by the buttons on the right. New types can be added, and existing types can be copied, renamed or deleted.

Type Config

"Type Config" is the second tab of the "Data->Configure Types Dialog". It contains a selection for the default child type. If set, this will be the initial type used for new children with this type of parent. If set to "[None]", children will default to either the type of their siblings or their parent.

The "Change Icon" button allows the selection of a custom tree icon for this data type. The "Clear Select" button on the icon dialog can be used to set the icon to "None", so that no icon will be displayed for this type. To avoid showing any tree icons, the "Show icons in the tree view" general option can be unset.

Field List

The "Field List" is the third tab of the "Data->Configure Types Dialog". The list of fields within a data type can be modified by using the buttons on the right. New fields can be added, and existing fields can be moved up and down in the list, renamed or deleted.

Field Config

Output

Title Formatting

When a node in the tree is renamed, the program attempts to match the title formatting pattern to set the appropriate fields. If the title formatting is too complex, it may not correctly guess the intent. Things like adjacent fields with no characters separating them should be avoided unless you do not wish to rename nodes from the tree.

If the text data used for a tree view title has multiple lines, only the first line will be used as the title.

Skipped Output Lines

If a line in the output formatting contains one or more fields and all of those fields for a given node are empty, the line is skipped. No blank line or embedded text will be output for that line. Note that this does not apply to a line without any fields (only embedded text). Also, when a line ending with a <br/> or an <hr/> tag is skipped, the ending tag is retained.

HTML Tags

Simple HTML formatting tags can be used in node output formats. Commonly used tags include "<b>bold</b>", "<u>underline</u>", "line break<br/>", "<hr/>horizontal line", and various font tags. Complex block tags should generally be avoided. When the "Allow HTML rich text in formats" file option is disabled, formatting tags are treated as plain text. For an example of tag use, see the "sample_color_items" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

A line break is automatically output after each formatting line, unless the "Add line breaks after each line" file option is unset. In addition, the "Add blank lines between nodes" file option determines whether there is also an automatic blank line between node outputs. A line break tag ("<br>") can be used at the end of the formatting to get the same effect, or a horizontal line tag ("<hr>") may be used instead to separate the nodes.

Formatting Examples

Other Field References

References to fields that are not contained within the node can be added to the output. Pushing the "Show Advanced" button on the "Output" tab of the configure dialog makes a reference level selection become visible.

If the reference level is changed to "File Info Reference", fields containing file meta-data can be added to the output. These include the file name, path, size, and modified time. These are shown as "{*!field_name*}" in the title and output format editors.

There are field references to various ancestor nodes (parents, grandparents, etc.). These require the data type of the reference to be specified. This selection determines the field names that are available, but the data from any type with a matching field name will be shown in the output. References to fields from parent and grandparent nodes are shown as "{**field_name*}" and "{***field_name*}", respectively. There are also general ancestor references, shown as "{*?field_name*}", that take data from the closest ancestor with a matching field.

References to child nodes can also be added. These also require that the child data type be specified. The child data becomes embedded in the parent output. The child data is delimited with a separator string defined as a file option. The separator defaults to a comma and a space, but can be set to <br> or anything else.

Finally, a "Child Count" reference can be added. This field will show the number of children ("Level1" field) or grandchildren ("Level2" field) of a node. These are shown as {*#Level1*} in the format editors.

For examples of these fields, see the "sample_other_fields" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Sibling Prefix and Suffix

Pushing the "Show Advanced" button on the "Type Config" tab of the configure dialog makes a sibling text section become visible, with settings for sibling prefix and suffix tags. These tags can often be left blank, but are useful for creating tables or bulleted lists. These tags will be placed before and after sibling groups of the proper type. For example, to create an output table, the sibling prefix tag could be set to "<table border="1">" and the suffix tag could be set to "</table>". Then, the output format could be set to:

<tr><td>"{*Title*}"</td><td>(c) {*Copyright*}</td></tr>

Also see the "sample_table_booklist" example file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Siblings should generally be of the same type, or at least have the same prefix and suffix tags.

Link Reference Field

One of the fields for each type is designated as the link reference field. By default, it is the first field in the list. Pushing the "Show Advanced" button on the "Type Config" tab of the configure dialog shows the selector for this field.

The link reference field is used for internal link references and for the arrange and flatten by reference commands. The contents of this field should generally be unique if usage of these functions is planned.

Generic and Derived Types

Data types can be set to derive their field settings from a generic type. This allows types with different output formatting to always use the same set of fields. Any changes to the generic's list of fields and field types are automatically reflected in the fields of all derived types. This does not apply to a field's output formatting, which can still be set independently.

There are two methods for creating derived types. First, a derived option can be selected when copying a type on the "Type List" tab of the "Data->Configure Types Dialog". Alternately, a generic type can be specified from the derived type's "Type Config" tab of the dialog if the advanced functions are shown.

Conditional Types

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (defaults to mailto:). When clicked in the output window. these links open an external browser or email program. In exported HTML, they act as regular links. Simply enter the desired full path (such as "www.bellz.org/treeline/index.html") in the data editor. In Linux, setting the "BROWSER" environment variable to a string like "mozilla %s" will result in the desired browser being used.

There is also an internal link field type. It creates a clickable link in the Data Output window that selects the next node with matching text in its reference field. If link or reference fields contain multiple lines, each line is treated as a separate link or reference, respectively. If desired, the same field can be used as both the link and reference fields, so that clicking on a keyword in one node's field selects the next node that a n.

Conditions do not have to be set for all types in a family. If no conditions are true for a node, the program will select a blank condition over a false one.

For an example, see the "sample_conditional_todo" file (by using the "File->Open Sample" command).

Copying Formats

Another method for changing data type formatting is to copy the formats from another TreeLine file. This is done with the "Data->Copy Types from File" command. All types from the chosen file are copied. Any types in the current file with matching names are overwritten, but types with unique names are retained.

Field Options

Text Type

The default field type is a text field. These fields are edited using edit boxes in the data editor view. The edit box height expands when redisplayed after adding several lines of text. The edit box height can also be set explicitly in the "Field Config" tab.

Choice, Combination and Boolean Types

The choice and combination field types allow for the selection of text items from a pull-down edit list. The formatting strings for these types list the items separated with the "/" character (use "//" to get a literal "/" in an item). Choice is used to select a single item and combination to select multiple items. The pull-down edit list for combination allows items to be added or removed. Also, the initial text of an item can be typed and auto-completed.

The boolean field type is similar to choice, but defaults to options such as "True/False", "yes/no" and "1/0".

There is also an AutoChoice field type. Like Choice, it provides pull-down selection items, but it does not have a formatting string. The pull-down is automatically populated with all previously used entries.

Number Type

In the number type, special characters in the format define the display of the numbers. The format uses a string of "#" (optional digit) and "0" (required digit) characters to define the output formatting. For example, pi formatted with "#.#" is "3.1" and formatted with "00.00" is "03.14". Regardless of the formatting, digits to the left of the decimal point are not truncated, since that would display an incorrect result. But use care to show enough decimal places (either optional or required) to avoid problems with round-off error.

The radix character can be specified as either "." or "," to handle internationalization. For use as a thousands separator, use "\," or "\.". For example, a large number may be formatted as "#\,###\,###.##" or as "#\.###\.###,##". Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for more formatting details.

Unlike most other formats, the number type also uses the output format for display in the Data Editor. Of course, any new entry with a reasonable format is correctly interpreted (but the correct radix character must be used).

Date and Time Types

In the date, and time field types, special characters in the formats are replaced by elements of the data, similar to number fields. Press the "Format Help" button from the field format dialog for formatting details.

There are also formats for these types under "Tools->General Options->Data Editor Formats". These control how these fields are displayed in the Data Editor view. Generally, entries in the data editor with various formats will be correctly interpreted regardless of this setting, but dates must use the correct day-month-year sequence. Also note that the date editor format does not support days of the week. Entries which cannot be interpreted will cause the field name to show in bold.

A default initial field value of "Now" can be used to get a time-stamp of node creation.

Linking Types

The URL, path, and email field types are used to create links in the output. URL is for a standard web link (defaults to http:// unless otherwise specified), path is for a local file link (defaults to file:///), and email is for a mail link (d