Prototype Display Schemes
A prototype’s Display Scheme is how it looks in Outline View and Map View—i.e., its color, display expression, and (in some cases) the setting of subtitles (for Map View).
For example, by default …
- Person-notes prepend biographical year span
- Article-notes prepend the last name of the first author, then year of publication, then article title
- Book-notes prepend year of publication, then author
- Quote-notes and quote-ana-notes prepend author then title
But these are just the defaults. BoxPress display expressions are modular and can be easily and quickly modified by toggling the value of the note’s display expression attributes (all of which start with DE). For example, to force a note to display its sibling order, simply set its $DENum to true.
BoxPress is always striving to use the Tinderbox interface to make things ultra convenient. One result of this effort is the monumental SmartExpression Control Panel. To see it, go to your UX Window > Prototypes Tab and then do View > Show Columns:
Do View > Use Columns to reveal the defaults for the content prototypes. Remember that all content prototypes inherit from normal_note.
These default settings yield the following appearance:
Your default SmartExpressions.
The icons on the left (controlled by $DEIcon) are the Proticons. They denote the prototype—and thereby the content—of the note. The icons on the right (controlled by $DEBips) indicate export options and external resources. See below for more.
Display schemes: Outline View
Default settings
The default settings for your notes are displayed below:
Here I have used View > Use Columns to reveal the defaults for the content prototypes. Remember that all content prototypes inherit from normal_note.
With Number turned ON
HOVER to see the effect of running ⬍ Show Num (turning $DENum on).
With Proticon turned OFF
HOVER to see the effect of running ⬍ Show Proticon (turning $DEIcon off).
With Date toggled
HOVER to see the effect of running ⬍ Show Date to toggle $DEDate for all prototypes. You’ll notice that some prototypes always show their date (and that code_note never does).
With Bips turned OFF
HOVER to see the effect of running ⬍ Show Bips (turning $DEBips off).
Display schemes: Map View
Here are the same notes appearing in Map View.
Default settings
The default settings for your notes are displayed below:
Here I have used View > Use Columns to reveal the defaults for the content prototypes. Remember that all content prototypes inherit from normal_note.
With Bips turned OFF
HOVER to see the effect of running ⬍ Show Bips (turning $DEBips off).
With Proticon and Bips turned OFF
HOVER to see the effect of running ⬍ Show Bips and ⬍ Show Proticon (turning both off). This is the clean or naked look.
BoxPress SmartExpressions
The BoxPress SmartExpression is a modular display expression, each segment of which can be toggled buy
Although the display expression of each prototype is different, all content prototypes share the same structure. This is the famous BoxPress SmartExpression.
BoxPress uses an ingenious modular display expression composition that allows you to exert total control over how your notes appear on the screen. The SmartExpression is the abstract compositional structure shared by each content prototype—a set series of segments each of which can be toggled individually by stamp.
The six SmartExpression segments are:
Number | Proticon | Body | Name | Count | Bips
- Number: The note’s sibling order
- Proticon: An icon indicating prototype
- Date: Date format varies per prototype
- Body: The heart of a prototype’s Display Scheme is the construction of the body. The actual note
$Nameis included, but may not receive pride of place. For example, the article_note, quote_note, and quote_ana_note prototypes put the$Namein square brackets. - Count: number of descendants (turns off automatically when none)
- Bips: icons indicating (1) granularity options, and (2) attachments such as featured image (or HTML Imagemap), online links, and DevonTHINK links.
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SmartExpression toggler stamps Smart, modular, stamp-governed display expressions |
Ways to change display expression
The BoxPress modular display expression
Should I ever turn $DEExport ON?
The value of $DEExport determines whether $DisplayName or $Name is exported as the note’s title.
If $DEExport is set to true, post and sub-post titles will export as whatever fancy $DisplayName you have concocted.
How is such a thing possible? It is customary to use ^title^ (which exports $Name) to export headings. But BoxPress uses a macro rather than ^title^ or ^value($DisplayName)^, and the macro checks the value of a bool to decide which format to use. That bool is $DEExport.
It’s a good idea to turn $DEExport OFF for nearly all of your exports. Number gets its own special handling, so there’s no need to turn $DEExport ON for the sake of numbering. Proticons are replaced with neater Glyphicons; audio_note even indicates whether audio file is present or not.
The best time to turn $DEExport ON is when you want to disguise the actual $Name.
It may be a good idea to turn $DEExport ON for the code_note and normal_note prototypes.
It should always be turned on for code_note since these prepend type-names, and should be usually turned on for normal_note since these often hide their $Names.
Adding a column for $Name here shows why I have turned $DEExport ON for these notes. You cannot include the names of prototypes inside other note names without causing serious problems. So I had give the notes that describe the prototypes ridiculous names—and then cover them over with the display expression.