Guide / Getting started

Your first layout.

Let’s use Carbon Clock: a small dashboard about the carbon intensity of electricity generation in Great Britain. You won’t need to create an account with the data provider or set up a server.

  1. Get CAR-TER.

    Download CAR-TER from the App Store on your iPhone or iPad, then open it.

  2. Choose a template.

    In the app, open Templates → Featured and choose Carbon Clock. Or open its template page and tap “Open in CAR-TER.”

    If the website link isn’t recognized by your installed version, use Templates inside the app. You can also download the .carter file, open it with CAR-TER from Files or the share sheet, and confirm the import. Manual imports may need Control Pack for some controls; the signed catalog template is the simplest path.

  3. Try one interaction.

    Drag across the chart to inspect a reading. Tap a reading card to turn it over and find out what the number means. Open Explore for another view of the same data.

  4. Check what the data can tell you.

    Look for the source and observation time. Carbon Clock describes generation carbon intensity in Great Britain—not your home’s individual footprint.

    A successful retrieval doesn’t mean the observation just happened. If a feed is unavailable or your device is offline, check the timestamp before relying on a value that remains on screen.

Like it? Make a copy first.

Use the template’s add/edit option to save your own copy before changing it. Start with the arrangement: move a reading, give a chart more room, or keep secondary details on another tab.

Changing the source, city, or meaning of a measurement is a separate step. These public-data templates use fixed source queries; moving a control doesn’t change what the provider measures.

You don’t need to write a layout file to enjoy a template. When you do want to build, the developer guide explains the connections and layout format.

What should you try next?

Choose something different: a map of river monitoring stations, or a swipeable art collection. Notice how the controls change to suit the question.

Explore the templates