Preview Mode
By default, card layouts are shown in edit mode, as described in previous pages. Preview mode allows you to see, in the Card Layout area, what each printed card will look like with all of its proper content filled in.
Turn on preview mode by selecting the Preview option in the Layout Options area. (You must have a valid content source and Image Folder for the current template in order to turn on preview mode.)
The Layout tab, with the Preview option selected.
(Background image is Copyright © 2016 by Daily Magic Games)
In preview mode, one card is displayed in the Card Layout area as it will appear in printed output. Items are not outlined.
Selecting a Card to Preview
Select a card to preview by using the controls in the Preview area. These are the Card field, its associated stepper control, and the Next Unique button.The Card field accepts a number in the range of 1 (the first card in the content) to the number of cards in the content.
The stepper control increases or decreases the value in the Card field by one.
The Next Unique button is similar to the stepper, but will skip over identical cards to show the next card that differs from the currently previewed card.
The Preview Display Mode button
By default, in Preview you will not see highlighting for selected card items. You can change this by clicking the Preview Display Options button in the Layout Toolbar, to toggle highlighting in Preview mode on and off.
The Preview Display Mode button
Changing Content and Images on the Fly
If you are using the Content Editor as your content source, any edits you make in the Content Editor will be shown immediately in Preview mode in the Layout tab (if that tab is visible and you have turned Preview mode on). If you are using a spreadsheet and/or external CSV file, you may find yourself making changes to the CSV file and the images while Multideck is open. When you do, use the Reload Content button to tell Multideck that these inputs have changed.Tip: If you prefer, you can type ⌘R to reload your CSV instead of pressing the button.
Refresh Images and Reload Content: Because images are external to the document, changes to images may not be updated in Preview immediately. Click Refresh Images in the Preview panel of the Layout tab to update all images in Preview. Note: When your content source is CSV, this button is titled Reload Content and will reload content from your CSV file as well as refreshing the images.
The Auto Reload option: If your content source is "CSV", there is a checkbox in the Deck tab and under the CSV tab, labeled Auto Reload. If you turn on this option, Multideck will automatically reload your CSV file (and update all images) any time the CSV file has changed. You will not have to click the Reload Content button every time. This setting applies to your entire document.
No Printable Cards Warning
If a template's source contains no cards, or if all of its cards have been excluded from printing by using the #PrintSelected column in the source or by using the Filter tab, then preview mode is disabled because there are no printable cards to review.
Tell me more about #PrintSelected.
Tell me more about Filters.