Inserting fields or document properties 2007

O

OrderedChaos

I have inserted some document properties (title and subject) into a template
(dotm) however when I open a new document based on the template the fields do
not update as they are still attached to the template file not the new
document. I have inserted the fields through insert quick parts, field,
docproperty, title. I would rather do this than insert the document property
again (insert, quick parts, document proerties, title) as it shows up as a
highlighted field and easy to replace if they wont something else (i.e. not
linked).

However I did insert the document properties this way as a trial and in the
new document based on the template the document properties box (insert, quick
parts, document proerties, title) is not retaining the style. It retains
everything except the font - which reverts back to Times New Roman.

Any help/tips would be appreciated. Thanks
 
S

Stefan Blom

When you insert the Title document property it displays the contents of the
Title field in the Document Properties pane (Office button | Prepare |
Properties). The behavior for Subject is the same.

To edit the contents of a document property field, just type into it (or
change the corresponding entry in the Document Properties pane).

Note that the document properties that you inserted are content controls,
which means that you can set their properties via the Developer tab on the
ribbon. For example, you can specify that a certain control cannot be
deleted or
you can choose a style to for it.
 
O

OrderedChaos

Thank you - yes I have already done this for the document properties but the
second lot of referneced infomation are fields not replicated document
properties. How do I get these to update to the new document based on the
template (currently there are still link to the template file and hence not
updating).

Sorry this is a little hard to explain. But when I show the field it is
referencing the template

{LINK WORD.DOCUMENT.12
"\\\\ORANGE\\COMMON\\GEOLYSE\\TEMPLATE_ADMIN\\REPORT.DOTM" "OLE_LINK3" \A \T}
 
P

Peter Jamieson

It sounds to me as if you could have created these fields by doing a
drag-and-drop in the .dotm, in which case they would update (in some
circumstances) in the .dotm, but would still be linked to the .dotm when
Word created a document based on that template.

Can you open the template itself and use Alt-F9 to see if the same or
similar { LINK } fields are in that?

Perhaps there is something else going on, but document properties
inserted into a .dotm here in the normal way behave just the way Stefan
described.

Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
 
O

OrderedChaos

Thanks Peter - there must have been a glitch somewhere becuase I created a
new template and then a new document and all worked as it should. The only
thing now is you have to manually select the fields and update them - its not
automatic - is this the norm?? Is there a way to update them all at once as I
have some in the main body of the report and also headers and footers. Thanks
 
P

Peter Jamieson

Unfortunately the situation is nothing like as straightforward as it
should be.

If you go to Office Button->Prepare->Properties , Word displays a number
of "core properties" in a "Document Information Panel" (DIP). You can
also enable the DIP for a specific document, or documents based on a
specific template, by going to Developer->Document Panel, enabling the
DIP, then saving the document (or template).

However, the standard DIP does not show anything like the number of
"Properties" that are available from the Insert->Quick Parts->Document
Property option. Nor do the properties in this list correspond to any
other obvious list of properties. Other than that, these properties
behave in much the same way, i.e. each of these properties is associated
with a value in an area of the saved document called the "Data Store".
When you insert the "property" you are inserting a content control that
is like a "window" into the appropriate part of the data store. So when
you alter the content of either one of the content controls, or the
content of the data store, or the content of the property field in the
DIP, everything linked to this property in the data store is updated
(once you exit the control/field etc.)

If you happen to be using Sharepoint (or any other document management
system that knows how to perform the necessary tricks) then you can add
new properties to the document, and Sharepoint arranges that the DIP
displays those properties. AFAICS even if you create a Sharepoint
property with the same name as one of the "standard" properties not
displayed in the DIP (such as "Company Address") it is in fact a
different property. How helpful.

This all relies on the presence of one or more components of the
InfoPath forms package, because the DIP is in effect an InfoPath form.
You can also use Infopath to customise the DIP. However, what has never
been completely obvious to me and which seems to be skimmed over in
almost every treatment of the subject, is which components you actually
have to have on your machine to make Word behave in this way.

In other words, if you're not using Sharepoint, although you can use the
standard property content controls, and using VBA or other code, you can
also create your own property content controls that will behave in just
the same way, but none of them except the really standard ones will
appear in the DIP. Other options would be to use code to display them in
another way, or to protect the document for forms, which would make it
easier for the user to tab from control to control rather than having to
click in each one in turn. In that case you would either need to have a
mechanism for them to unprotect the document once they'd finished, or
you need to use an unprotect area, or perhaps rich text control, to
allow the user to edit freely.

Although it isn't particularly relevant, the old-style "Custom Document
Properties" are still available, but still work the old way: you can
enter them using the same old dialog box, accessible via "Advanced
Properties" from the DIP, but you have to insert their values using {
DOCPROPERTY } fields, those fields do not update automatically when the
property value is changed, and the flow of data is not two-way (i.e.
modifying the result of the field does not in itself modify the
underlying property value.

You may find some of the tools/info./links on Greg Maxey's site useful:
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/word_tips.htm


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
 

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