'New document'-icon should work same way as menu command 'New'

M

Mike

When you click the "New document" icon in the Word toolbar an entirely empty
document is created. When you select "New" from the "File" menu, the
application opens a panel from which you can select what kind of new Word
document to create; one based on a template, an entirely empty one, etc.

Since the icon in the "File" menu is the same one as in the toolbar, you
expect them to behave the same. Personally I would vote for the latter
behaviour, since that one is more flexible.
 
J

Jay Freedman

Mike said:
When you click the "New document" icon in the Word toolbar an
entirely empty document is created. When you select "New" from the
"File" menu, the application opens a panel from which you can select
what kind of new Word document to create; one based on a template, an
entirely empty one, etc.

Since the icon in the "File" menu is the same one as in the toolbar,
you expect them to behave the same. Personally I would vote for the
latter behaviour, since that one is more flexible.

You can put a button on the toolbar with the same behavior as the File > New
command. You're right, it's confusing that they have the same icon, but they
really are two separate commands.

Open the Tools > Customize dialog. It should already be open to the Commands
tab, with File selected in the Categories list. Find the command in the
right-hand list that says "New..." with the dots, not the one without the
dots. Drag it to the toolbar, and drag off the old one. Close the dialog,
and save Normal.dot when prompted on shutdown of Word.
 
D

Dian Chapman, MVP, MOS

Different strokes for different folks. Personally, *I* prefer the
simple icon shortcut, although I generally just hit Ctrl + N for new
page.

So you're welcomed to voice your opinion, but do realize that
Microsoft needs to TRY to provide alternatives for millions of users,
so as I've said before...you can't please everyone.

Dian D. Chapman, Technical Consultant
Microsoft MVP, MOS Certified
Editor/TechTrax Ezine

Free Tutorials: http://www.mousetrax.com/techtrax
Free Word eBook: www.mousetrax.com/books.html
Optimize your business docs: www.mousetrax.com/consulting
Learn VBA the easy way: www.mousetrax.com/techcourses.html
 
T

TF

Mike

To add to Jay's reply, if you want to open a new file from a template, you
can bypass both those command and use FileNewDialog to directly open the New
Dialog (as on older versions of Word). To find it, you need to select All
Commands and scroll down to FileNewDialog and drag it onto the Toolbar.
Bizarrely, once on the Toolbar it is called 'Other'. Perhaps when creating
all these New commands, the developer called the old one Other and forgot to
go back and change it!



: When you click the "New document" icon in the Word toolbar an entirely
empty
: document is created. When you select "New" from the "File" menu, the
: application opens a panel from which you can select what kind of new Word
: document to create; one based on a template, an entirely empty one, etc.
:
: Since the icon in the "File" menu is the same one as in the toolbar, you
: expect them to behave the same. Personally I would vote for the latter
: behaviour, since that one is more flexible.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

I have a FileNewDialog button, and it says New. The "Name" property for it
is "New..." If you select the New command that has a right-pointing arrow
next to it, I believe it shows up on a menu or toolbar as Other.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

By default, the New button on the Standard toolbar runs the FileNewDefault
command, which opens a document based on Normal.dot. In Word 2000 and
earlier, the New... command on the File menu runs the FileNew command, which
opens the File New dialog, allowing you to select a different template. In
Word 2002 and 2003, the New... command on the File menu opens the New
Document task pane, but either this menu entry or the button on the Standard
toolbar (or both) can be replaced by the FileNewDialog command, which opens
the dialog as in the past.
 
T

TF

Suzanne

FileNewContext is the command that has the Page Icon with the little right
arrow: FileNewDialog has no icon and says Other when dropped onto a Toolbar.
This 'Other' command is the one that opens the New Dialog with all the
templates.

Terry

:I have a FileNewDialog button, and it says New. The "Name" property for it
: is "New..." If you select the New command that has a right-pointing arrow
: next to it, I believe it shows up on a menu or toolbar as Other.
:
: --
: Suzanne S. Barnhill
: Microsoft MVP (Word)
: Words into Type
: Fairhope, Alabama USA
:
: Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
: all may benefit.
:
: "TF" <terryfarrell%40%6d%73%6e%2ecom> wrote in message
: : > Mike
: >
: > To add to Jay's reply, if you want to open a new file from a template,
you
: > can bypass both those command and use FileNewDialog to directly open the
: New
: > Dialog (as on older versions of Word). To find it, you need to select
All
: > Commands and scroll down to FileNewDialog and drag it onto the Toolbar.
: > Bizarrely, once on the Toolbar it is called 'Other'. Perhaps when
creating
: > all these New commands, the developer called the old one Other and
forgot
: to
: > go back and change it!
: >
: > --
: > Terry Farrell - Word MVP
:
: >
: > : > : When you click the "New document" icon in the Word toolbar an entirely
: > empty
: > : document is created. When you select "New" from the "File" menu, the
: > : application opens a panel from which you can select what kind of new
: Word
: > : document to create; one based on a template, an entirely empty one,
etc.
: > :
: > : Since the icon in the "File" menu is the same one as in the toolbar,
you
: > : expect them to behave the same. Personally I would vote for the latter
: > : behaviour, since that one is more flexible.
: >
: >
:
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

This must have changed, because when I created the New toolbar button in
Word 2002, it was definitely the FileNewDialog command that I created it
with. I assigned the button face to it, copying and pasting it from the
existing New button. If I do the same thing now, I do get Other..., and the
name of the button is &Other... I have no explanation for the discrepancy
except that this evidently changed between Word 2002 and 2003; I am
reasonably sure that FileNewContext was labeled Other... in Word 2002
because I remember going round and round with the KB writers about this, and
I tested it at that time. All I can say is that I have a button whose
ScreenTip shows "New" and whose command is shown as New... that leads
directly to the File New dialog, and I am absolutely positive that I created
it by dragging the FileNewDialog command to the toolbar.
 
T

TF

You may be correct in that it somehow changed between XP and 2k3. I vaguely
remember being surprised that I had dragged up the wrong FileNew... command
when I first set up Office 2003 for users at work. However, because it was
such a long period between setting it up in XP and repeating the process for
2K3, I put it down to bad memory!

However, it does seem logical that FileNewContext produced the command with
the list selection and that &Other just opens the New dialog.

Terry

: This must have changed, because when I created the New toolbar button in
: Word 2002, it was definitely the FileNewDialog command that I created it
: with. I assigned the button face to it, copying and pasting it from the
: existing New button. If I do the same thing now, I do get Other..., and
the
: name of the button is &Other... I have no explanation for the discrepancy
: except that this evidently changed between Word 2002 and 2003; I am
: reasonably sure that FileNewContext was labeled Other... in Word 2002
: because I remember going round and round with the KB writers about this,
and
: I tested it at that time. All I can say is that I have a button whose
: ScreenTip shows "New" and whose command is shown as New... that leads
: directly to the File New dialog, and I am absolutely positive that I
created
: it by dragging the FileNewDialog command to the toolbar.
:
: --
: Suzanne S. Barnhill
: Microsoft MVP (Word)
: Words into Type
: Fairhope, Alabama USA
:
: Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
: all may benefit.
:
: "TF" <terryfarrell%40%6d%73%6e%2ecom> wrote in message
: : > Suzanne
: >
: > FileNewContext is the command that has the Page Icon with the little
right
: > arrow: FileNewDialog has no icon and says Other when dropped onto a
: Toolbar.
: > This 'Other' command is the one that opens the New Dialog with all the
: > templates.
: >
: > Terry
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

I would expect FileNewContext to be something intended to be added to
context (shortcut, right-click) menus, but, as you say, the current behavior
probably is more logical. I have an idea the behavior may have changed
*during* Word 2002's term--perhaps changed by an SP? I know I got thoroughly
confused when a KB article about Word 2002 seemed to be describing something
entirely different from what I was experiencing. But then it's a well-known
fact that Word on any system I own always behaves differently from the rest
of the world! (Perhaps that's Scott's problem as well?)
 
B

Beth Melton

But they *are* different. If you look at the menu item, File/New...,
there are three dots after "New" which indicates the command will
prompt a dialog box. The same is true of the Print commands.

The same technique is used in 99.9 % of Windows applications and
should be something you learn in a basic Windows class.

--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/
 

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