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Best Practices for Template Locking

This article will cover:

  • Why Should I Lock Templates

  • What can you Lock on a Template

  • Global Template Locking Defaults

Why Should I Lock Templates

Template locking is an important feature in Design Huddle. Because most of your users are not going to have a lot of graphic design experience, locking is a way to ensure that designs you have created cannot get be tampered with improperly.

Brand integrity is also so important when distributing design collateral. Locking allows you to maintain the integrity of the brand or style you have chosen while allowing users freedom to customize designs.

Locking is important to create simple workflows for your users. Giving users too many options can be overwhelming. Locking gives your users a simple workflow to make quick and professional designs for them to use in any context.

What Can You Lock on a Template

How locking works

On the main Locking page, you can lock any of the following buttons in the left menu:

  • Text
  • Images (Media)
  • Shapes
  • Background

When a Project contains two or more pages, scenes, or slides, a globe icon appears next to each of these items. Click the globe icon to choose how the locking setting is applied:

  • Use Global applies the locking setting across all pages, scenes, or slides in the Project.
  • Override This Page (Scene or Slide if Video or Presentation) applies a different locking setting only to the page, scene, or slide you are currently viewing.

When Use Global is selected, the button remains locked consistently throughout the Project. Select the Override option when a specific page, scene, or slide requires different locking behavior. The icon will change to a book icon if switched to the override. If you are overriding locking on a specific page, be sure to select the Override option prior to making the locking pages. If not, it will default to the Global behavior. 

The Apply Template button is hidden from end users by default. Paging is also locked automatically. Depending on the Project type, paging may appear as scenes for videos or slides for presentations.

You can also select an element within the design, including text, images or media, shapes, and lines. In the left menu, any button that displays a locking symbol can be locked for that element.

This includes design features such as curved text, resizing, drop shadows, and any media galleries made available to the user.

In the right menu, you can lock the following options:

  • Context Menu
  • Position
  • Content for text elements

By default, users cannot add, delete, or duplicate a page. They also cannot add, edit, or remove a transition. These options can be unlocked from the main locking panel in the right menu.

If you have created a locking profile, select it from the right menu to automatically apply its locking settings across the elements in the Template. When a global locking profile is selected, you can still override individual settings within the Template as needed.

Locking All of a Singular Element Type

Lastly for every element at the bottom of the right panel you will see an Apply As Default button. Clicking this will apply the Locking settings you have chosen for that element across any of the same elements on the design. You can choose to apply this to new elements added and/or current elements on the design. 

Lock All Attributes

If you want to lock all attributes for a specific element, choose the Lock All Attributes menu in the Context Menu or Right Panel.

For example, for text you can choose to lock the ability to change the font or the color. For images, you can lock the ability to add a color overlay. Any specific design feature can be locked per element or all attributes can be locked and specific functions can be unlocked. 

By default, Design Huddle will hide any new control added to any element that has been locked by using the Lock All Attributes button applied to it moving forward. This protects the integrity of your existing Templates. However, if you want new controls to show you have two options.

1. You can re-publish these Templates with your new desired Locking settings.

2. You can contact Design Huddle support and we can turn on a setting that will auto-render any new setting that Design Huddle adds to an element across all your templates.

Saving Your Settings

Once you have set your locking on the Template, be sure to click the Save Locking Configuration button on the main locking page. Design Huddle will prompt you to save prior to publish but this is crucial to select or all your locking will be lost. 

Global Locking Defaults

If you have come up with a Locking strategy that will apply across a subset of your Templates, Design Huddle gives you the ability to set Locking Profiles. You can do this by hovering over your name on the top right of the portal and clicking Configure Locking Defaults. Here you can set defaults that will apply for Templates where that locking profile is applied. You can still configure settings on individual Templates but when set the Template will initially inherit the locking in the profile.

Design Huddle also has backend settings that will override individual set locking on a Template with what is set in the locking defaults. This will apply to all existing templates and be applied when a user creates a Project. The new Default Locking set will apply to all Templates and override all existing locking. Please contact support@designhuddle.com to turn this on if necessary. 

 

 

Note: If you do not currently have access to Video or Presentations, please contact support@designhuddle.com or your Account Manager to add this to your system.