Repeating Fields

Structure

The first thing to understand is how SignAgent breaks down a sign's content. There are 4 nested levels: 

1. Side - This one is pretty self explanatory. This is the number of faces a sign has. 
2. Column - Within each side there are columns. These define the maximum number of rows of content. 
3. Repeat - Within each column are repeats. The repeat defines what content can go in each row of a sign. 
4. Fields - The fields in the repeat are the actual content of the sign

• 

  This sign has 2 sides.

• Within each side there are 2 columns.

• Within each column there are a maximum of 3 repeats.

• Within each repeats there are 3 fields: arrow, destination, and symbol

Creating the Sign Type

The information identified about the number of sides, columns, repeats, and fields will now be added to the sign type. 

1. There are 2 sides
2. Within each side there are 2 columns
3. Within each column there are a maximum of 3 repeats
4. Within each repeat, an Arrow, Destination, and Pictogram could be drawn
5. The Zone Header is set as a non-repeating field because the information is only entered once. The content will be drawn in two places on the sign, but the person programming this sign only enters the text one time = a non-repeating field

The Result

Templating

1. Create the Sides

Just like a field, a side needs a bounding box to tell the system where the edges are. Within the "sign" layer create a sublayer for each side and draw a no-stroke no-fill rectangle to define the perimeter. When creating a 1 sided sign, this layer can simply be called "sign". 

2. Create any Non-Repeat Fields & Background

Within the sides, create layers for any fields that are non-repeating or static elements of the sign. These are created like any text or visual field that you've done before. If you need a refresher, check out this introduction: Templating Introduction

3. Create the Columns

Create a layer within the Side for each Column. A single column in a side can be named "column" but multiple columns need to be numbered "column_1", "column_2", "column_3", etc. Just like the sides, a column needs a bounding box. This will define how much room the repeats have. A column drawn with enough room for 3 rows of repeats won't allow 4 to be drawn even if that information is entered into SignAgent. 

4. Create the Repeat

Create a layer called "repeat" within each column. Any fields added under this layer can be drawn on any row. 

5. Create the Repeating Fields

Only the first row of the column will be drawn. These are the fields that will step and repeat down the column. In this example each row could contain an Arrow, a Destination, or a Pictogram. 

The repeat needs to contain all possible fields in this one row even if there are some that will never be used at the same time on a row. If in addition to the arrow, destination, and pictogram fields, this sign sometimes used a field called "Emergency Visual", that visual's bounding box would be drawn on the same row as all the other fields. It would overlap the other fields and that wouldn't be a problem because the repeat is about possibilities, not what actually gets drawn together. 

6. Define the Spacing Between Repeats

Now that we've defined what could go in each row, we have to define how close the rows should be drawn to each other. There are two ways to do this, but this article will focus on the simpler method that assumes each row is a consistent height. 

First create a layer within the repeat called "height". Then draw a bounding box within that layer that is the height and width of each row. It will at least be large enough to encompass the bounding boxes of the fields within the repeat. 

When the system goes to draw the second row it will step and repeat all elements within the height box immediately underneath. 

6. Upload the Template