Templates in Word 2003.

[Gnibtay]

I am trying to create a template in Word 2003. Following
tutorials/instructions from the Word MVP Site (which is GREAT, by the way) I
have made great progress. However I am still having a few issues. I have
created my own template called "Agreement" and customized the formatting and
automated numbering styles the way I like. When I open Agreement.dot, they
all appear there as available Styles. However, then in creating a Document,
I am having trouble to get these styles to show up as an option for my
document. Must I "Add" or "Attach" Agreement.dot to the Normal.dot to do
this? I have tried both, and have Unchecked all other "Add" Templates, yet
my Agreement.dot Styles do not appear in the "Styles and Formatting"
(Shift-F1) list. They do appear to be available in the "Bullets and
Numbering" list, but you have said to avoid selecting them from this menu if
possible. Moreover, when I do select them from that menu, then they appear
in the "Styles and Formatting" list, but Tab stops and some of the other
formatting items of the Agreement.dot Styles change. I have a feeling that
this is the "Normal" Template messing up my "Agreement" Template. Is there
any way I can use ONLY the styles from my Agreement Template without all the
other baggage from the Normal Template? Or Is there something else I am doing
wrong? thank you for any assistance you can provide.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Use the template you have created and create new documents from it. You
don't 'attach' it to anything.
It might help if you add the FileNewDialog command from the All commands
group to the toolbar in place of the New command. You can copy the icon from
the New command to the FileNewDialog command which does not have one.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Gnibtay]

OK, thank you. I see it was "create a new document from template" that was
eluding me. So, for those following at home, apparently the way to do that
is:
1. you Click the File>New menu (NOT Ctrl-N because apparently that is a
different command).
2. The "New Document" window opens.
3. Then, you DON'T click "Blank Document". Instead, you go to the section
marked "Templates" and click on "On my Computer".
4. Then it takes you to templates to select.
5. If you select a template there, your new document is based on the
Template you select.
Very convoluted, I must say, but as long as it gets me there, fine.

 

[Graham Mayor]

If you add the FileNewDialog command to the toolbar as suggested it's a two
click operation.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Gnibtay]

SO.. on to my next question: how to delete unwanted outline & numbering
Styles from my Template. Now that I can open a new document solely from my
template, that's good progress. However, the formatting pane still has a
number of styles I don't want. Furthermore, the document seems to default to
them rather than my custom ones (although I can find my custom ones by
scrolling through the Formatting pane). Furthermore, if I accidentally
stumble or click on one of the numbering formats, it resets all my custom
outline and level settings. So I would like to delete them from this
template. But when I open the template to edit the template, and then open
the Formatting pane to access this style, I right click on it, but "Delete"
is greyed out. So apparently you can't delete it?. If I apply that
numbering style to a new paragraph in the document, it RESETS all the custom
levels I have set up. Then "Delete" becomes an option in the formating pane.
However, selecting Delete deletes it from the document but not from the
formatting pane. It restores it to the formatting pane with the Delete
option greyed out again, while in the meantime, it does not undo the
Resetting of all my custom numbering levels.
I feel like Word is fighting me to the death on achieving a very simple
objective: setting up a reliable and predictable and repeatable customized
style of Level numbering and formatting. This was so simple to do in
WordPerfect.

 

[Gnibtay]

OK Thank you again, now I've done that.

If you add the FileNewDialog command to the toolbar as suggested it's a two
click operation.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Graham Mayor]

You cannot delete Word's built-in heading styles. You can however regulate
which styles are on view by setting the options in the Styles task pane.
See the information on heading styles and outline numbering on fellow MVP
Shauna Kelly's web site - http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/index.html

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Gnibtay]

Thank you. It's helpful to know they can't be deleted. So I'll stop trying.
Thanks for the cite to the Shauna Kelly article. That was great and helped
a lot. I'm getting my template in better shape each time. Once I have my
levels and numbering set up, then I'll move on to trying to get the Table of
Contents to function. Thanks again.

 

[Graham Mayor]

You are welcome

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Gnibtay]

Removing Unwanted List Numbering templates

OK, getting back to this project after your prior help. Now I can use my
template and acquired SOME degree of control and customization over the
numbering. But Word, maddeningly, continues to disregard, reset and alter my
numberings, seemingly at random. I'm studying John McGhie's wonderful
Article, "Word's numbering explained" and it is helping.

Based on John's article, it seems as though part of my problem is that a
template/document can store potentially hundreds of list template
definitions, without telling which, where or how many are being used.

I understand that Microsoft's default List Gallery templates can't be
deleted, but is there some Global command that allows you to delete ALL other
List/Numbering definitions that can possibly be deleted? My objective is to
start over from scratch, as closely as one can get to that point, with as
little baggage as possible.