# Model Behaviors Templates<no value>
A **template** can be defined directly under any [`<Behaviors>`](../../../model-xml-properties/#Behaviors) or [`<CompileBehaviours>`](../../../model-xml-properties/#CompileBehaviors) node, and it consists of an identifier specified with the attribute name and a "body" where we specify what the template does. For example:

``` xml
<Template Name="Create_Animation">
    <Parameters Type="Default">
        <GUID/>
        <LENGTH>100</LENGTH>
        <TYPE>Sim</TYPE>
        <TYPE_PARAMS>Autoplay</TYPE_PARAMS>
        <LAG>0</LAG>
        <WRAP>False</WRAP>
        <DELTA>False</DELTA>
        <BLENDWEIGHT>1.0</BLENDWEIGHT>
    </Parameters>
    <Animation Name="#NAME#" Guid="#GUID#" Length="#LENGTH#" Type="#TYPE#" TypeParam="#TYPE_PARAMS#">
        <Parameter>
            <Code>#CODE#</Code>
            <Lag>#LAG#</Lag>
            <Wrap>#WRAP#</Wrap>
            <Delta>#DELTA#</Delta>
            <BlendWeight>#BLENDWEIGHT#</BlendWeight>
        </Parameter>
    </Animation>
</Template>
```

The goal of creating and using a template is to define base **components** (like [`<MouseRect>`](../../../animation-xml-properties/#MouseRect), [`<Animation>`](../../../animation-xml-properties/#Animation), etc..). A component definition consist of a lot of parameters, many of which can simply have a few default parameters. Therefor a template is the interface that allows you to use these default values while hiding most of the component parameters behind behavior [`<Parameters>`](../../general-template-xml-properties/#Parameters).

 

 

### Using A Template

To make use of a defined template we use the node [`<UseTemplate>`](../../general-template-xml-properties/#UseTemplate) which takes the name of the template to be included as an argument. Any content defined within the `<UseTemplate>` node will be parsed as parameters with an override rule. We discuss this in more detail on the following page ([Default Templates](default-templates/)), but let's just take a quick look at an example, using the XML posted above, to create an animation:

``` xml

<UseTemplate Name="Create_Animation">
    <NAME>An_Animation_ID</NAME>
    <CODE>(L:XMLVAR_My_Lever_Position, percent)</CODE>
</UseTemplate>

<UseTemplate Name="Create_Animation">
    <NAME>An_Other_Animation_ID</NAME>
    <CODE>(A:ELEVATOR DEFLECTION PCT, percent) 100 + 2 /</CODE>
    <LAG>100</LAG>
</UseTemplate>
```

 

What makes using the template system so special, is the use of **conditional statements** (using [Program Template Definitions](../../program-template-xml-properties/)). With this system you can easily use a template or an other based on a parameter specification, changing radically the created component properties

``` xml
<Switch>
    <Case NotEmpty="ANIM_CODE">
        <UseTemplate Name="Create_Animation_Code"/>
    </Case>
    <Case NotEmpty="ANIM_SIMVAR">
        <UseTemplate Name="Create_Animation_Simvar"/>
    </Case>
</Switch>
```

 

One of the XML programming elements in particular is very useful: [`<Loop>`](../../program-template-xml-properties/#Loop). This element allows the simplification of repetitive `<UseTemplate>` statements, for example:

``` xml
<Loop>
    <Setup>
        <Value>MAP_MODE</Value>
        <Parameters>
            <1>WXR</1>
            <2>STA</2>
            <3>WPT</3>
            <4>ARPT</4>
            <5>DATA</5>
            <6>POS</6>
            <7>TERR</7>
        </Parameters>
    </Setup>
    <Do>
        <UseTemplate Name="My_Button_Template">
            <BASE_NAME>A_GLTF_NODE_PUSH_#MAP_MODE#</BASE_NAME>
            <ON_EVENT>(&gt;H:Plane_MFD_MAP_#MAP_MODE#)</ON_EVENT>
        </UseTemplate>
    </Do>
</Loop>

```