Organizer not bringing in styles

[Karin C.]

I'm using the Tools, Templates and Add Ins, Organizer button (Word 2003) to
try and import a set of updated styles from one template (called "core") to
a set of other templates that have already been formatted. The heading styles
1 - 9 have been used in all the templates. I rebuilt the Core from scratch
after the original became corrupted, and set up the outline numbered heading
styles properly though the modify style command, and not through the format,
bullets and numbering. Yet when I use the organizer to bring these newly
defined styles into the other templates, nothing seems to change in the other
templates.

Any ideas?

 

[Stefan Blom]

Are you saying that if you create documents based on the modified templates,
you are not seeing the copied styles? Or is numbering incorrect?

Note that existing documents (based on the modified templates) will not
change unless you check the "Automatically update document styles" option in
Tools | Templates and Add-Ins.

 

[Karin C.]

Hi, Stefan.

Actually, neither. The templates may have at one time been based on the Core
template, but since then the original Core template has become corrupted so I
rebuilt it from scratch. I now want to take the styles in the brand new Core
template and copy them into the other templates.

What I have been doing is creating new, blank documents based on the new
Core, copying all the text (minus the last paragraph return, just in case
there's some dormant document corruption there) in each template, and pasting
it into the new, blank document based on the Core. In this way the "new"
document has the styles in place. I then have to use the Task Pane to select
all Heading 1s with locally applied formatting (e.g., "Heading 1 + space
after 5pt...") and reapply the "plain" Heading 1.

Originally what I had tried, and what my question was trying to address, was
using the document organizer to re-define the Heading and other styles; to
"reimport" the styles from the new Core into all the other templates. This is
what wasn't working, and I gave up. Hoever if you have insights please let me
know.

Thanks.

 

[Stefan Blom]

You could try the reverse: Create a new document based on the recreated
template, and then use Insert | File to bring in the contents of an existing
file.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message

 

[Karin C.]

Is there an advantage to inserting the file over copying and pasting it? I'm
trying to do a little something to avoid these newly - regenerated files from
developing corruption, and from what I've read, avoiding selecting the last
paragraph symbol is one method that might work.

Still it would be nice to have the Organizer work as intended. For future
updates, if the styles ever need to be updated, I'm not sure what to tell the
client at this point. Make new ones every time? Perhaps changing the child
template temporarily into a document, associating it with the partent, or
core template, checking "automatically update" to "import/update" the styles,
opening and closing the child document, and then turning the auto update off,
then changing the child back into a template. ?? Opinions anyone?

 

[Stefan Blom]

in message

Is there an advantage to inserting the file over copying and pasting it?
I'm
trying to do a little something to avoid these newly - regenerated files
from
developing corruption, and from what I've read, avoiding selecting the
last
paragraph symbol is one method that might work.

It's just that I find Insert | File to be an easy way to see how the
document will look; if something goes wrong, all you have to do is close the
target document without saving. Of course, if you are dealing with corrupt
documents, copy and paste is the way to go (see also
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/apperrors/corruptdoc.htm).