3.1 Template Layer

The template layer provides a way to write, and compile templates. The template layer is the scheme used to insert text into an Emacs buffer.

The SRecode template layer is more advanced than other modes like the Emacs packages skeleton or tempo in that it allows multiple layers of templates to be created with the same names. This means that SRecode can provide a wide range of templates, and users can override only the small sections they want, instead of either accepting someone else’s template, or writing large new templates of their own.

Templates are written in .srt files. You can learn how to author new .srt files Template Writing.

While the template system was designed for SRecode based applications it can also be used independently for simple template insertion during typical coding.

3.2 Template Manager

Once templates have been written, a scheme for loading and selecting templates is needed. The template manager has a loader for finding template files, and determining which templates are relevant to the current buffer. Template files are sorted by priority, with user templates being found first, and system level default templates last. Templates are also sorted by application. Each application has its own templates, and are kept separate from the generic templates.

3.3 Dictionary

Dictionaries contain values associated with variable. Variables are used in macros in a template. Variables are what allows a generic template such as a function to be made specific, such as a function named foo. The value of a variable can be one of three things; a string, a list of more dictionaries, or a special srecode-dictionary-compound-value object subclass. See Variables for more.

3.4 Template Insertion

The template insertion layer involves extensions to the basic template layer. A wide range of custom variables are available for mixing derived data as macros into the plain text of a template.

In addition, templates can be declared with arguments. These arguments represent predetermined sets of dictionary values, such as features of the current file name, user name, time, etc.

Some arguments are major-mode specific, such as the :el or :cpp arguments.

3.5 Template Insertion Context

A context can be provided for templates in a file. This helps auto-selection of templates by name, or allows templates in different contexts to have the same name. Some standard contexts are file, declaration, and classdecl.

A context can be automatically derived as well based on the parsing state from Semantic. See (semantic)Semantic Manual.

3.6 Applications

Commands that do a particular user task which involves also writing Emacs Lisp code. Applications are at the top layer. These applications have their own template files and logic needed to fill in dictionaries or position a cursor. SRecode comes with an example srecode-document application for creating comments for Semantic tags. The CEDET application EDE has a project type that is an SRecode application.

3.7 Field Editing

If the variable srecode-insert-ask-variable-method is set to ’field, then variables that would normally ask a question, will instead create “fields” in the buffer. A field-editing layer provides simple interaction through the fields. Typing in a field will cause all variable locations that are the same to edit at the same time. Pressing TAB on a field will move you to the next field.