Pattern Cards+overview

A "Pattern" defines a group of cards to which settings may be attached. 

"Pattern" is actually not a new cardtype, but it is defined (and named) by a search card. For example, I can make a Search card called "Basic cards" (or use the built-in Basic+*type cards), and then I've got a new pattern of cards to which I can attach settings.  For example, I could create "Basic cards+*table of contents" to turn the table of contents on or off for all Basic cards.

All active patterns are represented as search cards, but not all search cards can be used as patterns.  This is because to use a pattern we need to be able not only to start with a Pattern and find all the cards that match that pattern but also to start with a card and find all the patterns it matches.  (And that has to be fast!)  Some searches, like matching regular expressions, say, will not be "patternable".  In fact, it's likely that initially only a small subset of searches will be patternable, but that percentage will grow over time.

Since a given card can match many patterns, and those patterns might have conflicting settings, we have to figure out which patterns have precedence.  Whether to base this on a fixed (based on which type of pattern you have) or flexible (based on configuration) ordering system is the subject of ongoing discussion.