Normal.dotm Nightmare

[Scott Derby]

Here is the scenario...

I have created a Normal.dotm template to serve the needs of a computer lab
running Office 2007 under Windows XP SP3. I first realized I had a problem
when I copied the updated Normal.dotm to another machine's "Template" folder
(C:\Documents and Settings\TheUser\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates. The
first thing I noticed was the the edited Toolbar wasn't there. After much
grief I discovered that I needed to copy an obscure file from a different,
obscure folder (why is it in "Local Settings"?) called "Word.qat". Great. I
fix that. I make another change to the Normal.dotm and copy it AND the
Word.qat to the their respective files on another PC. The changes are not
reflected!? Most of the information is correct, but my updated settings for
"Show this number of Recent Documents" isn't reflected (I want to show zero)
and the default file save format (which I want to be .doc instead of .docx).
Other than that, it is all fine.

Why is it doing this? It is as if those new settings are not being
reflected in the Normal.dotm file. If not, where are they being reflected?
If they are there, why are they not working? I even made sure to open the
file for editing, save it under another name, remove the old Normal.dotm
file, rename the newly created file to Normal.dotm and put it in the Template
directory. Could that cause an issue? I am at a loss and I've already
wasted a full day on this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much...

Scott

 

[Graham Mayor]

For a start, you cannot create normal.dotm - only Word can do that. You can
merely edit it.

The two items you mention have not been saved with the normal template are
not stored in the normal template but are user settings in the registry and
stored in the Word data key.

Frankly I can't see why you would want to restrict the recent file list -
the usual complaint is that the list does not hold enough files.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Scott Derby]

Graham:

I appreciate your reply. I don't encourage the use of the "Recent Files"
list because it makes the students oblivious to where their files are
located. They see the file name and just assume it is there, but they really
don't know where that is in reality. This forces them to be mindful of the
location of the storage (which drive, which directory, etc.). And, if a file
is removed (which happens more than I like to admit), the list still displays
the file. The student assumes that since the name is there, the file should
be there. Doesn't always happen. This is less convenient for them, but ends
up being a lot less work for me and makes them lose less files. Also, since
this is a public environment, if a student types a document, another student
can see that document in the list and bring it up if it is saved in a common
area. This will not cure that potential issue, but it reduces the
likelihood. It isn't a perfect solution, but it the best we can do.

I'll look for the registry entries of which you speak. It is sad that most
items that I configure under "Word Options" are kept in normal.dotm but I
have to either memorize a manual or pray for luck when it comes to a few. I
wouldn't mind so much if it didn't take up so much time to figure out.

Live and learn.

Again, thank you for your help.

Scott
No Title or Awards to List.

 

[Graham Mayor]

The following macro saved in normal.dotm will configure Word Options not to
display recent files, and set the default save format to Doc - at least as
long as Word is started from its shortcut.

Sub AutoExec()
Application.DisplayRecentFiles = False
Application.DefaultSaveFormat = "Doc"
End Sub


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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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