Too many unwanted blank documents in Office applications

[trying_to_work]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Word, Excel, and Powerpoint all open with new blank documents. I typically close these, open existing documents for revision, and close the revised documents. The problem is that when I move to another application and then come back to an Office application, the application opens still another new blank document when I want to open another existing document. I have to close these unwanted blank documents many times a day. I can not find a way in Word/Excel/Powerpoint to stop the applications from creating these blank documents. Anyone know how to do this?

 

[CyberTaz]

There is no way to prevent it -- it's in compliance with Apple's OS X user
interface guidelines for document-specific applications. It's actually been
that way forever on both Mac & PC. However, there are 2 simple points to
keep in mind:

1- There's no need to close the new documents generated when you launch the
program. Just open the file you want to work with & the blank document will
evaporate.

2- Once the program is running *don't* use the Dock icon to "switch back" to
it -- that causes OS X to force the app to generate a new blank document.
Instead use the Command+Tab method, and if you have several programs running
you don't have to tab through them all. Once you use Commad+Tab just keep
the Command key pressed while you click the icon of the app you want to
bring to the front.

Alternatively I believe you can create Apple Scripts to close the new files
but IMHO that's like hunting rabbits with cannon.