diff --git a/src/patternparser.cpp b/src/patternparser.cpp
index 0c7d456..82bf4c9 100644
--- a/src/patternparser.cpp
+++ b/src/patternparser.cpp
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
  * Author: Tomasz Sowa <t.sowa@ttmath.org>
  */
 
-/* 
- * Copyright (c) 2007-2021, Tomasz Sowa
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2007-2026, Tomasz Sowa
  * All rights reserved.
  * 
  * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
@@ -54,66 +54,148 @@ PatternParser::PatternParser()
 }
 
 
-
-void PatternParser::Directory(const char * dir, const char * dir2)
+void PatternParser::AddDirectory(const char * dir)
 {
-	directory.clear();
-	directory2.clear();
-
-	if( dir )
-		pt::utf8_to_wide(dir, directory);
-
-	if( dir2 )
-		pt::utf8_to_wide(dir2, directory2);
+	pt::utf8_to_wide(dir, file_name);
+	directories.push_back(file_name);
+	file_name.clear();
 }
 
 
-
-void PatternParser::Directory(const std::string & dir)
+void PatternParser::AddDirectory(const wchar_t * dir)
 {
-	pt::utf8_to_wide(dir, directory);
-	directory2.clear();
+	directories.push_back(dir);
 }
 
 
-
-void PatternParser::Directory(const std::string & dir, const std::string & dir2)
+void PatternParser::AddDirectory(const std::string & dir)
 {
-	pt::utf8_to_wide(dir, directory);
-	pt::utf8_to_wide(dir2, directory2);
+	pt::utf8_to_wide(dir, file_name);
+	directories.push_back(file_name);
+	file_name.clear();
 }
 
 
-
-void PatternParser::Directory(const wchar_t * dir, const wchar_t * dir2)
+void PatternParser::AddDirectory(const std::wstring & dir)
 {
-	directory.clear();
-	directory2.clear();
-
-	if( dir )
-		directory = dir;
-
-	if( dir2 )
-		directory2 = dir2;
+	directories.push_back(dir);
 }
 
 
-
-void PatternParser::Directory(const std::wstring & dir)
+void PatternParser::AddDirectories(const std::vector<std::string> & dirs)
 {
-	directory = dir;
-	directory2.clear();
+	for(const std::string & dir : dirs)
+	{
+		pt::utf8_to_wide(dir, file_name);
+		directories.push_back(file_name);
+	}
+
+	file_name.clear();
 }
 
 
-
-void PatternParser::Directory(const std::wstring & dir, const std::wstring & dir2)
+void PatternParser::AddDirectories(const std::list<std::string> & dirs)
 {
-	directory  = dir;
-	directory2 = dir2;
+	for(const std::string & dir : dirs)
+	{
+		pt::utf8_to_wide(dir, file_name);
+		directories.push_back(file_name);
+	}
+
+	file_name.clear();
 }
 
 
+void PatternParser::AddDirectories(const std::vector<std::wstring> & dirs)
+{
+	for(const std::wstring & dir : dirs)
+	{
+		directories.push_back(dir);
+	}
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::AddDirectories(const std::list<std::wstring> & dirs)
+{
+	for(const std::wstring & dir : dirs)
+	{
+		directories.push_back(dir);
+	}
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectory(const char * dir)
+{
+	directories.clear();
+	AddDirectory(dir);
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectory(const wchar_t * dir)
+{
+	directories.clear();
+	AddDirectory(dir);
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectory(const std::string & dir)
+{
+	directories.clear();
+	AddDirectory(dir);
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectory(const std::wstring & dir)
+{
+	directories.clear();
+	AddDirectory(dir);
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectories(const std::vector<std::string> & dirs)
+{
+	directories.clear();
+
+	for(const std::string & dir : dirs)
+	{
+		AddDirectory(dir);
+	}
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectories(const std::list<std::string> & dirs)
+{
+	directories.clear();
+
+	for(const std::string & dir : dirs)
+	{
+		AddDirectory(dir);
+	}
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectories(const std::vector<std::wstring> & dirs)
+{
+	directories = dirs;
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::SetDirectories(const std::list<std::wstring> & dirs)
+{
+	directories.clear();
+
+	for(const std::wstring & dir : dirs)
+	{
+		directories.push_back(dir);
+	}
+}
+
+
+void PatternParser::ClearDirectories()
+{
+	directories.clear();
+}
+
 
 void PatternParser::SetBlocks(Blocks & blocks)
 {
@@ -341,16 +423,22 @@ void PatternParser::ReadFile(const wchar_t * name, std::wstring & result)
 	{
 		result.clear();
 
-		if( !ReadFileFromDir(directory, name, result) )
+		bool file_read_successfully = false;
+		std::vector<std::wstring>::reverse_iterator dir = directories.rbegin();
+
+		for( ; dir != directories.rend() ; ++dir)
 		{
-			if( !ReadFileFromDir(directory2, name, result) )
+			if( ReadFileFromDir(*dir, name, result) )
 			{
-				if( log )
-				{
-					(*log) << pt::Log::log2 << "Ezc: can't open file: " << name << pt::Log::logend;
-				}
+				file_read_successfully = true;
+				break;
 			}
 		}
+
+		if( !file_read_successfully && log )
+		{
+			(*log) << pt::Log::log2 << "Ezc: can't open file: " << name << pt::Log::logend;
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/patternparser.h b/src/patternparser.h
index 9f981b4..f6ae6d6 100644
--- a/src/patternparser.h
+++ b/src/patternparser.h
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
  * Author: Tomasz Sowa <t.sowa@ttmath.org>
  */
 
-/* 
- * Copyright (c) 2007-2021, Tomasz Sowa
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2007-2026, Tomasz Sowa
  * All rights reserved.
  * 
  * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
@@ -52,16 +52,25 @@ public:
 
 	PatternParser();
 
-	// first we're trying to read a file from directory dir
-	// if there is no such a file there then we try read from dir2
-	// (the second dir2 can be empty - it will not be used)
-	void Directory(const char * dir, const char * dir2 = 0);
-	void Directory(const std::string & dir);
-	void Directory(const std::string & dir, const std::string & dir2);
+	void AddDirectory(const char * dir);
+	void AddDirectory(const wchar_t * dir);
+	void AddDirectory(const std::string & dir);
+	void AddDirectory(const std::wstring & dir);
+	void AddDirectories(const std::vector<std::string> & dirs);
+	void AddDirectories(const std::list<std::string> & dirs);
+	void AddDirectories(const std::vector<std::wstring> & dirs);
+	void AddDirectories(const std::list<std::wstring> & dirs);
 
-	void Directory(const wchar_t * dir, const wchar_t * dir2 = 0);
-	void Directory(const std::wstring & dir);
-	void Directory(const std::wstring & dir, const std::wstring & dir2);
+	void SetDirectory(const char * dir);
+	void SetDirectory(const wchar_t * dir);
+	void SetDirectory(const std::string & dir);
+	void SetDirectory(const std::wstring & dir);
+	void SetDirectories(const std::vector<std::string> & dirs);
+	void SetDirectories(const std::list<std::string> & dirs);
+	void SetDirectories(const std::vector<std::wstring> & dirs);
+	void SetDirectories(const std::list<std::wstring> & dirs);
+
+	void ClearDirectories();
 
 	void ParseFile(const char * file_name, 			Pattern & pattern);
 	void ParseFile(const std::string & file_name, 	Pattern & pattern);
@@ -115,10 +124,9 @@ private:
 	// default: false
 	bool delete_white_text_items;
 
-	// first we're trying to read a file from 'directory'
-	// if there is no such a file there then we try read from 'directory2'
-	// we read from these directories only if they are not empty
-	std::wstring directory, directory2;
+	// directories for templates
+	// we start looking for files from the last directory
+	std::vector<std::wstring> directories;
 
 
 	int include_level, include_level_max;