five autotext and autotextlist template questions

[JustSomeGuy]

If I use the Organizer to MOVE all my autotext entries to a new template
(instead of keeping them in my Normal.dot), and store that new template in a
different location from where the Normal.dot is located, (thus rendering it
a non-global template), then:

a) if I later edit that new template directly from within Word, will all
subsequent new autotext and autotextlist entries I create (plus all the old
ones I moved there, too) automatically remain and accumulate in that new
template, rather than in Normal.dot?

b) If I double click that template (in which case Word uses it as a basis
for a new blank .doc) is that new .doc (hopefully) in no way connected to my
normal.dot, but, rather, based on the new template?

c) If I send that new .doc to someone else, when they open it, all they will
see if they choose Insert Autotext is whatever autotext defs they happen to
have in their own normal.dot...and they won't see any of my autotextlist
dropdown lists anywhere, either, because they didn't travel with the
..doc...only their results traveled......right?

d) if I send that new template to someone else, will it function on their PC
the same way it functioned on mine, continuing to contain all the autotext
defs and autotextlist items?

e) if they edit that template on their PC, directly from within Word, will
all subsequent new autotext and autotextlist entries they create (plus all
the old ones that I provided with the template) continue to remain and
accumulate in that new template, rather than in their Normal.dot?

 

[Shauna Kelly]

Hi

See inline. I'm assuming you have Word 2003 or earlier.

By the way, I strongly recommend that you do *not* move any of the built-in
AutoTexts that Word puts into Normal.dot into another .dot file. It's not
uncommon for normal.dot to get corrupted and for a user to have to get Word
to create a new one. Word will then do its thing and create a new
normal.dot with all the built-in AutoTexts. If they also appear in a
separate file available to the user, then the user will now have 2 of
everything.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word

If I use the Organizer to MOVE all my autotext entries to a new template
(instead of keeping them in my Normal.dot), and store that new template in
a
different location from where the Normal.dot is located, (thus rendering
it
a non-global template), then:

a) if I later edit that new template directly from within Word, will all
subsequent new autotext and autotextlist entries I create (plus all the
old
ones I moved there, too) automatically remain and accumulate in that new
template, rather than in Normal.dot?

No. When you create an AutoText, you identify where you want the AutoText
saved. At Insert > AutoText > AutoText look at the bottom of the dialog box
to see where you're saving your AutoText. "All active templates" is code for
normal.dot. For a file to appear in the list, it must be open or loaded as
an add-in.

b) If I double click that template (in which case Word uses it as a basis
for a new blank .doc) is that new .doc (hopefully) in no way connected to
my
normal.dot, but, rather, based on the new template?

For a full answer, see
What is the relationship between a Word document and its template?
http://www.ShaunaKelly.com/word/templaterelations/index.html

c) If I send that new .doc to someone else, when they open it, all they
will
see if they choose Insert Autotext is whatever autotext defs they happen
to
have in their own normal.dot...and they won't see any of my autotextlist
dropdown lists anywhere, either, because they didn't travel with the
.doc...only their results traveled......right?

Only a template can hold an AutoText. The .doc structure does not allow it
to hold AutoTexts. So if you send a document, your recipient will receive no
AutoTexts in the document.

An AutoText list *field* will still be in the document. But if the recipient
right-clicks the AutoText field, Word will be displaying the AutoTexts
available to the user, not the ones you had. If it's an important document,
and you don't want the user to see that you constructed some content from a
list, you can unlink the field before you send it. To do that, click within
the field and do Ctrl-Shift-F9. That unlinks the field and leaves only the
field results. The field is then no longer in the document.

This might help with related issues:
What happens when I send my document to someone else? Will Word mess up my
formatting?
http://www.ShaunaKelly.com/word/sharing/WillMyFormatChange.html

d) if I send that new template to someone else, will it function on their
PC
the same way it functioned on mine, continuing to contain all the autotext
defs and autotextlist items?

In theory, yes. If you send someone a template, the AutoTexts in the
template will be available to the user. What you have to do is to make sure
the user saves the file in the right place. If you want the user to use the
template as a basis for new documents, get the user to store it in the User
Templates folder or the Workgroup Templates folder that are listed at Tools

Options > File Locations. Then the user can do File > New and choose your

template.

In practice, there are a hundred things you might have done to your machine
that affect the way your template works that can lead to some interesting

e) if they edit that template on their PC, directly from within Word, will
all subsequent new autotext and autotextlist entries they create (plus all
the old ones that I provided with the template) continue to remain and
accumulate in that new template, rather than in their Normal.dot?

No. See (a) above.

 

[Jay Freedman]

If I use the Organizer to MOVE all my autotext entries to a new template
(instead of keeping them in my Normal.dot), and store that new template in a
different location from where the Normal.dot is located, (thus rendering it
a non-global template), then:

a) if I later edit that new template directly from within Word, will all
subsequent new autotext and autotextlist entries I create (plus all the old
ones I moved there, too) automatically remain and accumulate in that new
template, rather than in Normal.dot?

No, that's not quite how it works. In each session (i.e., each time
you restart Word) that you want to create new entries, you need to go
to the Insert > AutoText > AutoText dialog, open the "Look in"
dropdown, and select the template to which you want to add AutoText
entries. After that, you need only use Alt+F3 to put entries into your
template. The dialog will retain the setting until you change it to
another template or until you shut down Word, but the setting goes
back to Normal.dot with each new session.

b) If I double click that template (in which case Word uses it as a basis
for a new blank .doc) is that new .doc (hopefully) in no way connected to my
normal.dot, but, rather, based on the new template?

Correct -- with the understanding that Normal.dot is always loaded in
addition to the template on which the document is based. It's a
"global" template (supplying AutoText, macros, shortcuts, and
toolbars) even when it isn't being used as a base for the document.

c) If I send that new .doc to someone else, when they open it, all they will
see if they choose Insert Autotext is whatever autotext defs they happen to
have in their own normal.dot...and they won't see any of my autotextlist
dropdown lists anywhere, either, because they didn't travel with the
.doc...only their results traveled......right?
Correct.

d) if I send that new template to someone else, will it function on their PC
the same way it functioned on mine, continuing to contain all the autotext
defs and autotextlist items?

Yes. Word neither knows nor cares where the template originated, as
long as it's in the correct location (usually the Templates folder as
indicated in the Tools > Options > File Locations dialog).

e) if they edit that template on their PC, directly from within Word, will
all subsequent new autotext and autotextlist entries they create (plus all
the old ones that I provided with the template) continue to remain and
accumulate in that new template, rather than in their Normal.dot?

No, the answer for new entries is the same as for (a) -- at least once
in each session you must set the AutoText dialog to use your template
instead of Normal.dot. The old entries that you supplied will, of
course, stay in your template.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
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