Default Directory for Templates

[Idaho Word Man]

I work in Document Control for a large corporation, and we save most of our
forms as protected Word templates. Most of the time, when I'm creating or
revising a form, I work on it as a document and then save it as a protected
template when I'm done.

When I use Save As for a regular document, it saves in the same directory
where the original was filed. But whenever I try to use Save As and click the
template option, it automatically flips over to my user templates folder
instead of the folder where I've been working. So I have to navigate back
through several layers of server directories to find the right directory in
which to save it.

Is there a way to make templates automatically save to whatever directory
I'm currently working in? I've looked for that option and haven't found it
yet.

I'm running Word 2003 under Windows XP Professional.

Thanks,

Fred

 

[Jay Freedman]

In versions up to and including 2003, there is no option about where to save
templates; the dialog will force you to the Templates folder. This changed
in Word 2007, which just defaults to the last used folder (or the Documents
folder for the first save during a session).

You can add other locations to the Places Bar on the left side of the
dialog. Navigate to the desired folder, click the Tools button in the upper
right corner, and choose "Add to My Places". After that, when you go to save
a template and the dialog opens to the Templates folder, just click the icon
on the left to jump directly to the saved location.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Idaho Word Man]

Okay, thanks.

We use a different folder for every document, so your suggestion -- even
though it's a good one -- won't work too well for us. With over a thousand
forms, that would give a REALLY long list of places. I guess I could put one
place for //Documents/Forms/ and then just navigate down to the right
directory. I'll try that.

Fred

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I wouldn't say there was "no option," just that the Save defaults to the
folder you've designated for templates. You can still choose a subfolder of
that folder or any other folder you like, just as you can with any file.

 

[Jay Freedman]

I guess I didn't phrase that well enough. What I meant was that there isn't
any setting in the Options dialog to determine the Save As dialog's default
folder for templates. Of course you can navigate to anywhere else after the
dialog opens.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I'll definitely agree with that. But the words "no option" were used in the
context of earlier versions and seemed to be equivalent to "default."