Tokens
Tokens are visual representations of elements on the Board in Alkemion Studio. They serve as the graphical instances that you interact with during the creation and organization of your Modules. Each Token corresponds to an Asset on the Board: a Node, a Widget or an Anchor.
Node Tokens
Widget Tokens
Anchor Tokens
Multiple vs Unique Tokens
Nodes can have several Tokens on the Board to represent them. In addition, each Token belonging to the same Node share the same image, but can have its own visual customization settings.
An Anchor can be represented by several Tokens on the Board, and just like Node Tokens, each can have its own visual customization settings.
A Widget is different in nature from a Node in that it is merely a decorative or illustrative element within a Board. This nature makes the Widget a Token in itself, and it exists only through its unique representation on the Board.
Adding a Widget to a Module imposes its presence on the Board via its unique Token. And deleting a Widget's Token from a Board means deleting the Widget from the Module.
Floating Token Toolbars
Every Token on the Board has a floating toolbar that appears when the Token is selected. It gives you quick access to the most common actions and settings without opening the full Settings Panel.
Floating toolbars can be toggled on or off globally with the Show token toolbars option in the Interface tab of the Module Settings panel, or from the Board context menu. When disabled, Tokens continue to behave normally; the toolbar simply does not appear on selection.
The toolbars of the selected Tokens hide while you pan or zoom the Board, and reappear as soon as you stop.
In reader mode (shared modules), Node Tokens display a minimal toolbar with View and Info buttons, giving viewers quick access to open the Node's content or details without full editing controls.
Token Selection
To select a Token, click (or tap) on it.
To select multiple Tokens, hold down the Ctrl key, or click on the board and create a selection area by dragging the mouse. The same can be achieved on touch devices by tapping and dragging.
Once Tokens are selected, several actions can be performed: they can be deleted by pressing the Del key or dragged across the Board.
Additional actions are available in the Contextual Menus.
Contextual Menus
Right-clicking on a Token will display a contextual menu with various actions (or a long press on touch devices). Some of these actions can also be applied to a selection of Tokens (see Token Selection).
The details of the available actions are described below:
Lock Token and Unlock Token will respectively lock and unlock the Token. A locked Token cannot be moved, and shows no hover popup. A contextual menu with a limited set of actions can still be triggered on a locked Token. To check the details of a locked Node Token without unlocking it, click it and press I: its Info Panel opens while the Token stays locked.
Token Settings will open the Settings Panel for the Token. The panel offers visual customization options and link configurations that vary by Asset type; Node Tokens and Widget Tokens each provide different settings.
Duplicate Token will create a new Token with the exact same settings and position it right next to the original.
Bring to Front and Send to Back will change the display layer of the Token so that it appears on top of or below any overlapping Tokens. Also, both these actions can be done with PageUp and PageDown key shortcuts on a selection of Tokens.
Create a Template will open the Create Template dialog and let you create a new Template containing the Token (along with its parent Node), and any other selected Assets.
The following options are only available for Node Tokens:
Edit Node will open the Token's parent Node in the Editor.
Info Panel will open the parent Node's Information Panel in a floating window (or a modal window on small screens). This panel contains the essential information about the Node.
Link a Node and Unlink a Node will allow you to link the Token's parent Node to another Node or to remove one of the current links. The first action will open a Node selection modal, whereas the second will directly list the current links in a sub-menu.
Link a Random Table, Change Random Table and Unlink the Random Table: The first option will allow you to link the Node to a Random Table. A modal window will let you select one of the available Random Tables. The second option will let you change the linked Random Table with the same modal window. The third option will unlink the currently linked Random Table.
Add to Pages… will let you add the Token's parent Node, or every Node of a selection of Tokens, to one or several Pages of the Editor at once. See Adding Nodes to Pages.
Featured Image will open the Image Browser and let you pick a new Featured Image for the Token's parent Node.
Delete Token will delete the Token, but it won't delete the parent Node.
The following options are only available for Widget Tokens:
Delete Widget will delete the Widget and its unique Token.
The following options are only available for Anchor Tokens:
Travel to Module will transport the Board to the Module set in the Anchor.
Delete Token will delete the Token, but it won't delete the parent Anchor.
Duplicating Tokens
To duplicate one or more Tokens, first select the Tokens you wish to duplicate (see Token Selection for more details about this).
Once selected, you can duplicate the Tokens in two ways:
- Right-click to open the contextual menu and choose the 'Duplicate Tokens' option.
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + D.
The duplicated Tokens will appear adjacent to the original ones and will retain all the same settings and properties as the originals.
Aligning and Distributing Tokens
To tidy up a layout, select several Tokens, right-click one of them, and use the Align or Distribute sub-menus.
Align lines up the selected Tokens by their left, right, top or bottom edges, or by their horizontal or vertical centers. Distribute spaces three or more Tokens evenly, horizontally or vertically.
Each command can be undone, and has its own keyboard shortcut:
- Shift + A / D: align left / right
- Shift + W / S: align top / bottom
- Shift + H / V: align horizontal centers / vertical middles
- Shift + X / Y: distribute horizontally / vertically
Customizing Tokens
The Token Settings window, accessible via a Token's contextual menu or the gear button of its floating toolbar, provides the customization options specific to the selected Token.
If a Node has multiple Tokens, the settings apply only to the currently selected one. Each Token shows only the settings that are relevant to it, so the content of the window depends on the Asset type and, for Node Tokens, on the selected Layout.
The header of the window shows the Asset's name and type, with buttons to center the Board on the Token, lock it, and copy or paste its settings. Copying and pasting includes every visual setting. For Image and Icon Widgets, this also applies the source Widget's custom resized dimensions.
Below the header, the settings are grouped into collapsible sections: Size, Text, Colors, Frame and Behavior. Colors that can follow the Board's palette have a reset button to return to it. Every change made in Token Settings can be undone.
Node Token layouts: Standard, Diamond, Content Card and Image Card
The Layout selector at the top of the window changes how a Node Token is drawn on the Board. The Standard layout shows the Node's featured image or icon with its name, the Diamond layout frames the image in a diamond, the Image Card shows the image as a card, and the Content Card displays the Node's content.
From left to right: the Standard, Image Card and Content Card layouts.
The main settings of the Standard and Image Card layouts are:
- Scale (Standard): resizes the whole Token. Tokens can be scaled down to 0.75×, 0.5× or 0.25× as well as enlarged.
- Show image (Standard): hides the featured image or icon for a text-only Token.
- Image size: shrinks the featured image or icon without changing the size of the name.
- Show name and Name position: shows or hides the Node's name, and places it above, below, to the left or to the right of the image.
- Name lines (Standard): sets how many lines the name can use before it is truncated.
- Font: chooses the font of the Node's name, from the same list of fonts as Text Widgets.
- Show tags and Tag size: shows or hides the Tag overlays of the Token and scales them, down to 0.25×.
- Text color, Icon color and Opacity. Image Cards also have a background color and opacity.
- Mask, and for Image Cards the border style, corner width and corner height.
- Opens on: chooses which Page the Editor opens when you double-click this Token. Leave it on Automatic to use the Node's own default Page. See Choosing the Page a Node opens.
Image Cards and Content Cards can be resized freely with their resize handle, down to a minimum of 150 × 150, which makes compact and landscape cards possible.
Below are the options available to a Widget Token:
Below are the options available to an Anchor Token:
Content Card Layout
The Content Card layout is a specialized Token layout that displays not only the Node's name but also its rich text content directly on the Board. Unlike the Standard layout which only shows the name and featured image, Content Card tokens render the actual content of the Node, making it visible without needing to open the Editor.
This layout is particularly useful for displaying narrative text, descriptions, or any content you want readily visible while navigating your Module on the Board.
Page Style Selection
Content Card tokens display their content using a Page style, similar to how content appears in the Editor. You can select any available Page style for each Content Card token, in the Colors section of its Token Settings, independently of the style used in the Page Editor. This allows you to visually differentiate different types of content or simply match the aesthetic of your Board.
Responsive Scaling
The content displayed in a Content Card token scales according to two dedicated slider settings: Name Size and Content Size. These settings allow you to independently control the size of the Node's name and its content text, or you can adjust them in sync to maintain consistent proportions. This flexibility ensures optimal readability while allowing you to create visual hierarchy within your cards on the Board.
The Keep Aspect Ratio toggle in Token Settings controls whether the card preserves its proportions when you drag its resize handle. A Content Card can be resized down to 150 × 150.
Content Override
By default, a Content Card token displays the full content of its parent Node. However, you have two levels of content override available:
- In the Editor, you can specify alternative content for any Node that will be displayed in all Content Card tokens of that Node, overriding the original content. You can hide and display this alternative content in the Editor using the button in the Node's toolbar.
- In the Token Settings, you can use the Ignore Token Card Content option of the Behavior section to force an individual token to display the original Node content, ignoring any Editor-level override.
In the Editor, the Token Card Content of a Node is only visible to the Module's owner. Readers of a shared Module do not see it in the Page.
Customization Options
The Token Settings Window for Content Card layout provides extensive customization options:
Size:
- Keep aspect ratio: preserves the card's proportions when you drag its resize handle.
- Card padding: adjusts the inner spacing between the card's border and its content.
Text:
- Show name: toggles the visibility of the Node's name.
- Name position: places the name above or below the content.
- Emphasized name: when enabled, the name uses h1 styling instead of h2 for greater prominence.
- Name alignment: positions the Node's name horizontally (left, center, or right).
- Name size and Content size: adjust the size of the name and of the content text. The link control keeps both sliders in sync.
- Show tags and Tag size: toggle the visibility of the Tags assigned to the Node and scale their overlays, down to 0.25×.
Colors:
- Page style: the Page style used to render the card.
- Text color: keep the Page style's font color, or choose Custom to override it with a color of your choice.
- Background color: keep the Page style's background, or choose Custom to override it.
- Background opacity: controls the transparency of the background, from 0% (fully transparent) to 100% (fully opaque).
- Opacity: controls the transparency of the whole Token.
Frame:
- Border: choose a border style (none, solid, dashed, dotted or double) to frame your card.
- Corner width and Corner height: round the corners of the card.
- Mask: applies a mask from your Library.
Behavior:
- Opens on: the Page the Editor opens when you double-click the Token.
- Scrollable content: when enabled, a vertical scrollbar appears when content overflows the card boundaries, allowing you to see all content within a fixed token size.
- Ignore Token Card Content: displays the original Node content instead of the Editor-level Token Card Content.