dbl open project templates

[greg]

Hello,
Has anyone noticed 2 files opening when you dbl-click on a template file in
windows explorer?
If I create a template, mpt file. Then if I dbl-click on it in windows
explorer, I see 2 files open.

After testing scenarios,
I noticed that if Project is shut down completely, and you dbl click on an
mpt file, you get 2 files open.
One file has a "1" appended to it.

If you start with Project up and running, when you dbl click on the mpt file
in windows explorer, you only get a single file open.

Further study I have noticed the file type for "mpt" has the following
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\WINPROJ.EXE" "%1"
Which seems like it is trying to pass in a file to the template.


Do others see this?
Do others have this open line for the mpt file type?
Does anyone know if there is a fix for this?

thanks for any help

 

[JulieS]

Hi Greg,

User created templates are usually buried pretty deep in the file
directory structure and in Windows XP are in a folder that is
typically hidden -- so, I guess in my eyes -- finding a template in
the directory structure and double clicking on it would not be
something I'd be likely to do. That being said, I do see what you
report in both Project 2003 (SP-3) and Project 2007 (SP-2).

Template files are different from "regular" project files in that
they are designed to provide some default options, calendar
settings, and perhaps tasks to a user -- the user can then safely
save the file without risk of overwriting what is set in the
template.

Why are you navigating through the directory structure and double
clicking on the template file?

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[greg]

hello Julia,
Thanks for the input.
We put a shortcut to the template on the start menu. which is similar to
dbl-clicking on the template.
The reason is that our users are not the smartest people.
We have another excel application. and we installed the template in the
excel new templates folder. And our users were very confused. Too much for
them to understand the new option.
So we also add a start menu option to launch the template.

Do you think there is a better way to create a start menu shortcut link to
the template?

thanks

 

[Rob Schneider]

Greg,

I gotta ask. Sorry.

If your users can't handle how to use Project templates are they
sufficiently qualified to use Project. Project is a very specialized and
complex tools to model complex human endeavours (projects)?

Why not have them, if they must use Project, just launch Project, Menu:
file/new and base it on one of the templates you want them to use. Use
that as a test. If they can't handle that then ...

 

[greg]

Rob,
Are you saying create a shortcut on the start menu that launches project
with the template?
like c:\......\Microsoft Office\Office12\WINPROJ.EXE" <template name>
or something else?

thanks

 

[JulieS]

Hi Greg,

Many users have different "global templates" with customized views,
tasks etc. If you take your custom template and rename it to
"global.mpt" (no quotes) you can add the path statement in the
"start in" property on a new shortcut to project. Create a new
shortcut to Project and set the full path to your new global file.
When the user uses that shortcut they will automatically get your
custom template as the starting point. See the following knowledge
base article. It references an error about saving changes to
global, but the section on which global is used should help work
through the details.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/163093

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[Rob Schneider]

No. I'm saying keep it standard as documented in all the books about
Project, help guide, etc.

Use a standard startup icon. Lauch Project. They issue the commands to
Project Menu: File/New, and pick the template you want them to use. If
you need to make it more automated, put a button on the tool bar that
does this.