Hi Brenda,
I pasted some relevant snippets of previous messages from different threads
below. You should have a script or other means to download the latest
version of a template into the Workgroup folder for templates for each user.
I have a letterhead template in a public network folder. My problem is
that when I make edits and want to copy the template back I can't because
so many people won't save their letters when they first run the template so
it's considered an open file so cannot replace the original template.
Any help would be appreciated.
Brenda
=================================================
I would strongly recommend you never set the attached template to a network
location. Always store templates locally.
If the server becomes unavailable, there is a bug in Word that means it can
take several minutes to open a document based on a template located on the
server. There are other good reasons not to put templates on the network.
e.g. limiting network traffic, improving response times in Word, ease of
updating templates.
--
Regards
Jonathan West - Word MVP
=================================================
Questions for the group:
Is it really possible to *share* a template .dot file on a network. I know
Windows can share .dll files among many programs simultaneously. When you
attach a template, is it the same as Windows opening a file and locking out
other users, which would mean only one user at a time? So maybe Word just
opens the file long enough to read and apply the template data when attached
and then tries to release the .dot before someone else needs it? Do you have
to make the .dot on the server a 'read only' file?
--
Russ
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Hi Russ
Yes, it is possible for users to share a template .dot file on a network.
This is possible because of the two ways that a template interacts with a
Word document. When a Word document is created, it inherits certain things
from its parent template. When a Word document is open, the template to
which it is attached makes certain things available to the document (note:
"makes available to", not "stores in"). See the following for more info:
What is the relationship between a Word document and its template?
<
http://www.ShaunaKelly.com/word/templaterelations/index.html>
In the normal course of events, if you have a template on the local machine,
you might have open several documents that are attached to that one
template. Similarly, several users can each have open several documents that
are all attached to one template on a server.
If you want to prevent users from making changes to a template stored on a
server, then you should mark it as read only.
However, there are several disadvantages to setting up an organization so
that users share a template:
(a) if the network goes down, no-one can do any work
(b) if a user unplugs the laptop and takes it home, or to the local coffee
shop, or to a meeting room, or on to a plane, then they can't do any work
(c) if the name of the network share changes, Word will take ages to open
the document (see <
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/830561/>)
(d) updating the template can be difficult.
The best solution is a logon script to copy new or updated templates to the
local machine.
Hope this helps.
Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
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A few more reasons...
e. I've known VBA code in templates to work differently when the template
was open from two different users compared to how it works when there is
just one user holding it open. The problem is not predictable nor common,
but when it does occur, it is reproducible.
f. network templates are generally slower to open than locally-stored ones.
g. You are loading the network with unnecessary traffic which reduces the
bandwidth available for other applications that really must use the network.
h. If the template gets corrupted (it can happen from time to time), it is
corrupted for all users. At least with a locally stored template only one
user is affected until you get a good copy back onto that PC.
--
Regards
Jonathan West - Word MVP
=================================================
Messing with users' normal.dot files is not generally a good idea.
Normal.dot should be the individual user's preserve.
However, your fundamental idea (download the files when the user first
starts Word) is possible. Put the relevant code in a .dot file and put the
..dot file in the user's Word Startup folder (the folder identified at Tools
Options > File Locations > Startup. There is info here on how to get code
to run automatically when Word starts:
<
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/MacrosVBA/PseudoAutoMacros.htm>
It is more usual, however, to get the IT guys to write a script that runs
when the user logs on to the network.
There are several good reasons for this. Here are two examples:
(a) Consider the user who brings the laptop into the office and connects to
the network. Does some work, but does not open Word. Disconnects the laptop
from the and takes it to the coffee shop. If you had waited until the user
opened Word to copy down the templates, then this user has not received the
latest templates. If you do it at logon, the user can't avoid getting the
updated templates.
(b) A user can always stop Word running macros. So the user can avoid
getting the new templates if you rely on code running within Word.
Hope this helps.
Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
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Hi, Shauna,
Yes, this does help. I wasn't quite sure of the difference between
downloading templates on Word startup and on login. Since our
templates don't change very often, I think I'll take the easy way out
and just e-mail them to the staff when needed. It seems so low-tech,
though.
Thanks again.
Rhana Cassidy
=================================================
Distributing templates is the normal way to distribute macros.
If you distribute your templates and your recipients put them in the user
templates folder or the workgroup templates folder or the Word startup
folder, and if they check the macro security option to trust installed
templates and Add-Ins, then they will not receive a security prompt for your
templates and your macros will run.
For more on the different kinds of templates, tabs on the file new dialog,
and locations of templates folders see
<
http://addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm>.
--
Charles Kenyon
=================================================
The network adminstrator should be able to set up a logon script that copies
templates down to the appropriate locations. Having them stored locally
rather than using network locations is a good idea to allow people to
continue working even if the network goes down - they can save newly created
documents as well as checked out documents locally until the network is back
up and they can be saved to the DMS.
As for resetting everyone's Startup and User Template locations, that can be
done using a VB exe that runs once (via the logon script) or in VBA using an
AutoExec macro in Normal.dot:
Sub AutoExec()
Options.DefaultFilePath(Path:=wdUserTemplatesPath) = _
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\"
Options.DefaultFilePath(Path:=wdStartupPath) = _
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup\"
End Sub
You can of course substitute any valid paths for the above.
To make sure all users have their default file paths changed, the logon
script should copy the Normal.dot with the AutoExec macro into whatever
folders are currently being used as User Template folders. For instance if
some users are using C:\Templates and others are using C:\Documents and
Settings\bloggsj\Templates (or whatever) the logon script can copy
Normal.dot
to both locations on *every*local machine. Once each user opens Word, the
AutoExec macro should reset their folders and the old folders and templates
should become redundant. The logon script should of course create any
folders that don't exist, if necessary.
Once all users have opened Word and the AutoExec macro has reset their file
locations, the logon script can be amended to remove the download to the
redundant locations and the AutoExec macro can be removed from Normal.dot
(if
you wish) and a new one downloaded to the new local User Template folder.
There are other ways of doing this and someone else may have a more elegant
solution, but hopefully the above shows you that it can be done fairly
painlessly and transparently.
HTH
