Adding Outline Styles to a template

[Jean Pereira]

I have added 6 more outline numbered styles to a template which is attached
to all our documents.

Whilst the new styles are visible when creating new docs based using this
template, they are not available when editing previous docs created using the
older version of the same template. I thought that when you open an existing
doc, the new styles would automatically be available once the template was
updated.

The only way I can get them attached is by going into the organiser and
copying over the styles from the template in the template directory to the
actual doc.

Is there an alternative way to handle this as there are thousands to
precedents we need to have these new styles available in?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Stefan Blom]

For new styles to be added, or old styles to update, from the template
the "Automatically update document styles" option must be checked in
Tools>Templates and Add-Ins, for the relevant documents.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message
news:[email protected]...

 

[Robert M. Franz (RMF)]

Hi Jean

I have added 6 more outline numbered styles to a template which is attached
to all our documents.

Whilst the new styles are visible when creating new docs based using this
template, they are not available when editing previous docs created using the
older version of the same template. I thought that when you open an existing
doc, the new styles would automatically be available once the template was
updated.

No: once created, a document does not maintain a connection to its
template (except pointing to it for macros, for instance).

The only way I can get them attached is by going into the organiser and
copying over the styles from the template in the template directory to the
actual doc.

Is there an alternative way to handle this as there are thousands to
precedents we need to have these new styles available in?

(Most) anything you can do in Word, you can automize through VBA. And
usually automizeable to do on a bunch of files (say, in one folder).

See for instance the following thread:

http://groups.google.ch/group/micro...938cf/8c632c3238df66ae?hl=de#8c632c3238df66ae

and the therein referenced:

How to safely update a document's styles from its template without using
the Organizer (and how to make the Tools + Templates and Add-ins dialog
safe, by Dave Rado, Margaret Aldis, Ian Sharpe and Beth Melton)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/UpdateStyles.htm

And maybe also:

How to Find & ReplaceAll on a batch of documents in the same folder (by
Ibby)
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/MacrosVBA/BatchFR.htm

Greetinx
Robert

 

[Charles Kenyon]

See Robert Franz's response for detailed ideas on how to handle multiple
documents. I am writing just to point out that generally you want to leave
that box to update styles unchecked. Otherwise you will get very strange
results when your documents can't find their attached templates (as in you
change servers or send the document to a different computer). In that case,
they attach to the local normal.dot and update their styles to match that
normal.dot.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word



Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


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[Robert M. Franz (RMF)]

Hi Charles

See Robert Franz's response for detailed ideas on how to handle multiple
documents.

Which he has deleted (I'm not sure that reflects anywhere else than
here, though) upon reading Stefan's post!

I am writing just to point out that generally you want to leave
that box to update styles unchecked. Otherwise you will get very strange
results when your documents can't find their attached templates (as in you
change servers or send the document to a different computer). In that case,
they attach to the local normal.dot and update their styles to match that
normal.dot.

Indeed, not unchecking the box after the one-time usage is a sure way to
grief later on!

Robert

 

[Stefan Blom]

The problem you are describing should only occur when the attached
template is normal.dot. If a custom template is missing, Word won't
start updating styles from normal.dot. See
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/sharing/WillMyFormatChange.html.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message

 

[Charles Kenyon]

This differs from my recollection, but I hadn't tried it recently. I just
checked in Word 2003 and you are correct. Thank you.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word



Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.