Heraldry

The module separates Reconstructions, Coat of arms descriptions, Multimedia and Reports. Reconstruction builds a working depiction; descriptions record a manual blazon and parts; the research graph records sources, hypotheses and decisions.

Reconstruction and template library

Add a reconstruction from Heraldry or the Reconstructions group's context menu. Select a template and attach image references from Multimedia. A node may contain several designs; check which is active.

Download predefined templates through Tools → Research aids. The downloaded catalogue is read-only; personal templates stay in a separate library. Editing a catalogue item creates a personal copy. Check source and metadata; visually approved geometry alone does not confirm historical classification, rank or period.

Drawing and colouring

Vector drawing requires a template with a closed shield field. The toolbar offers line, rectangle, ellipse, circle, polyline, polygon and Bézier curve. Release the mouse to finish dragged shapes; finish polygons/curves with Enter or double-click. Backspace removes the last point; Escape cancels drawing.

Selection works on shapes and crops, including movement and multiselection. Double-click a shape or use Edit nodes to adjust points and tangents. Its context menu changes appearance, size, rotation and layer order.

The paint bucket colours a closed shape, an open line's stroke, the whole free field or a region enclosed by lines and the shield outline. Real gaps are not closed automatically. Region fills retain the boundary at filling time; moving a line later does not recalculate them. Shapes are clipped to the shield field. Operations support Undo/Redo.

Coat of arms description

1. Choose Add coat of arms description in Heraldry.
2. Select a Multimedia image or a specific reconstruction design. A reconstruction remains a live reference; Edit opens its editor.
3. Enter the blazon, notes and citation in the right-hand Description tab.
4. Add part label or double-clicking the image sets the arrow target. Escape cancels insertion.
5. Enter the part's name, type, description, tincture, certainty and source.

Move the box and arrow target separately. Corner handles change dimensions and wrapping, not the font. Double-click a label or choose Edit part label for its attributes. Described parts lists labels; click to select a box, double-click to edit it.

Use the wheel or touchpad to zoom and drag with the wheel held down to pan. Labels keep their on-screen size when zooming. Set fonts in Settings → Fonts → Labels. Certain parts have green backgrounds, probable/unspecified parts yellow, unknown parts red.

Heraldic right/left are from the shield bearer's perspective. The blazon is manual; changing a label does not rewrite it. The application does not yet check heraldic correctness or infer tinctures or ranks from images.

Research graph

Open research graph in a reconstruction's context menu or its graph toolbar button opens a separate tab over the same data. It shows designs, references and notes, and allows hypotheses, decisions and manual links.

A hypothesis interprets a source; a decision records a chosen reconstruction form. Acceptance status is separate from stated certainty and justification. A decision can target the whole reconstruction or one element but does not itself recolour or move anything. Add institution, shelfmark, folio and citations. Double-click navigates to the real source or target element.

The right-hand Reconstruction summary continuously summarises saved sources, interpretations, decisions and open questions. It is read-only and does not add scholarly conclusions. Link filters do not change it. Printing this summary is not connected yet.