blank documents at startup

[kclark]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel I was wondering if there was a way to stop word from loading a blank document/template at startup. When I click the icon in my dock it always loads a blank document that I have to close. I know that I can avoid this by finding the file I want to open but many of the files I use are buried in folders. Is there a way to stop word from loading this blank document?

Thanks,
K

 

[John McGhie]

No. Not on the Mac.

That's a "Required Behaviour" for an Apple Mac application: the rules are
made by Apple, not Microsoft.

If you proceed directly to File>Open and open a different document, the
Blank should close. If it doesn't, there's something in your Normal.dotm
template that is updating the text and this triggering a "Document Dirty"
requirement to save.

Hope this helps

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel
I was wondering if there was a way to stop word from loading a blank
document/template at startup. When I click the icon in my dock it always loads
a blank document that I have to close. I know that I can avoid this by finding
the file I want to open but many of the files I use are buried in folders. Is
there a way to stop word from loading this blank document?

Thanks,
K

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

If you are actually referring to the new document created on *initial
launch* of Word you do not have to "close it"... Just open a document
without making any changes in it & the new blank one evaporates.

OTOH, if you really mean the new document generated because you're
*switching back* to Word from another app by clicking the Dock icon, don't
click the Dock icon. Instead use the Apple-preferred method of Command+Tab
to switch between active applications - it doesn't generate a new document.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[kclark]

thanks. and I am referring to the startup and not the switching back. I hope that apple permits this to be fixed at some point. it's rather annoying.

 

[CyberTaz]

Don't hold your breath It won't be "fixed" because it isn't something
that's broken. Programs such as Word (as well as any number of non-Microsoft
apps) are virtually useless without having a document open. This is a
software design matter that has existed since 'forever' & isn't expected to
change any time soon.

Just to satisfy my own curiosity ‹ since the blank document goes away on
opening another, why is this such a sore spot for you?

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Phillip Jones, C.E.T.]

There is another way, but involve not just click on the word (or any
other icon) on the Dock. Click on the item but hold the mouse button
down and wait a second up will pope a sort of Context menu scroll up to
the document you have open it goes to the document you have open.

if you want to open a document without a New window opening , locate
document and double click.

 

[Phillip Jones, C.E.T.]

maybe he is use to the way adobe does things. when you open acrobat for
example and haven't opened a Document nothing is own the screen except
the main menu then you click on file and you have choices of what to do.

 

[John McGhie]

Yeah, he may be.

However, in Word, if there is no document open, then there is no "Template"
open either, which means that a large part of Word does not work, because
things such as macros, keystrokes, styles, dialog boxes, toolbars and a few
other useful things are not loaded.

So the real answer is "Without a document open, Word is only partially
loaded." So it's just as well that the Apple UI guidelines "require" a
blank document to be open on launch, because otherwise Word wouldn't work
very well at all

Cheers

maybe he is use to the way adobe does things. when you open acrobat for
example and haven't opened a Document nothing is own the screen except
the main menu then you click on file and you have choices of what to do.

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]