types are a powerful tool for organizing information on Decko. Every card has a type, and that type can shape how a card looks and behaves.

 

 

Two examples of types are phrases and images.  Phrase cards hold short lines of text.  Images hold image files.  Here are examples of each:

 Phrase card

Grand Opening: patterns of joy

 

Image card:

 

Different types can have different edit views.  When you edit an Image card, for example, you get an upload button. When you edit a Phrase card, you get a small box.

 

Like most things in Wagn, every type itself has a card.  So there is a card named "Image" and a card named "Phrase".  And like all cards, these cards have a type.  Appropriately enough, their type is called "Cardtype".

 

See all Cardtype cards on decko.org

 

set a new card's type

In many situations, adding a card will automatically prompt you with a type dropdown menu.  If not prompted (because the type is implicit), you can simply create the card and then change its type.   A card's default type is generally set by a *default rule.  For newly installed Deckos, the default type is RichText.

change a card's type

Just go to the menu and select edit > type.  You'll see a dropdown menu that you can click on to change the type to something else. (Don't worry; you can always change it back.)

add your own types

To create a new type, just add a card whose type is "Cardtype". 

organize your data into types

There are no hard and fast rules about what kind of data must have its own type, but here are some rules of thumb:

  • types are often used for patterned data
  • data with "fields" is usually accomplished with types.  For example, if you want to store descriptions and contacts for a number of organizations, you probably want an "Organization" type.
  • you only need special types for the fields themselves if they too are patterned In the previous example, you wouldn't need a new type for descriptions, that can be a "Basic" card.

 

  • To make links that create new cards of a specified type, use something like: [[/new/Recipe]].

 

See cardtypes+tickets for item

(we've been using "cardtypes" rather than "types" as the main tag for this)

  --Ethan McCutchen.....Mon Jan 05 15:49:13 -0800 2009