Troubleshooting a template problem

[Mary Lee]

I have a document I made a template for. I actually saved the document as a
template then went back to it later and took out the text, leaving all the
setups, headers, etc. Twice now I have checked it and it was no longer
attached to my template, but was attached to Normal.dot. How is this
happening?

 

[TF]

What is not attached to the template and now attached to normal.dot?



:I have a document I made a template for. I actually saved the document as a
: template then went back to it later and took out the text, leaving all the
: setups, headers, etc. Twice now I have checked it and it was no longer
: attached to my template, but was attached to Normal.dot. How is this
: happening?
: --
: Thanks!
: Mary Lee

 

[Mary Lee]

Yes, it is Normal.dot rather than the template I saved it as.

 

[TF]

See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/BlankDocNotBlank.htm to resolve this

Terry

: Yes, it is Normal.dot rather than the template I saved it as.
:
: "TF" wrote:
:
: > What is not attached to the template and now attached to normal.dot?
: >
: > --
: > Terry Farrell - Word MVP
:
: >
: > : > :I have a document I made a template for. I actually saved the document
as a
: > : template then went back to it later and took out the text, leaving all
the
: > : setups, headers, etc. Twice now I have checked it and it was no longer
: > : attached to my template, but was attached to Normal.dot. How is this
: > : happening?
: > : --
: > : Thanks!
: > : Mary Lee
: >
: >
: >

 

[Mary Lee]

I have read that document, TF, and apparently I have not stated my problem
clearly enough. I did not say that I opened a new document and found my
manual in it and did not know why. When I open a new document, it is quite
blank.

In Word 2002, I created a template that I want to use for manuals. I started
by setting up the styles as I wanted them then saving the document itself as
..dot with the name I want to use. Later, I have to go back and remove some
(but not all) of the text so I can use the template for the next manual, but
that is not the issue. Once I had saved the document as .dot, I then saved
the document as .doc again - leaving me with a manual attached to my new
template - it said so in the properties box. The problem is that when I
opened the document again later, it was attached to Normal.dot, not
"mytemplate.dot" as I had set it up. How does a document become unattached to
a template and revert to the Normal template all by itself? I worked on it
for days before accidentally discovering this, assuming that once I had it
all set up it was stable. I have not had this happen before, and in this new
situation I am in I had it happen with two different new templates. I must be
missing something here, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd sure appreciate
hearing them.

An additional issue is that my IS folks and I have been looking for
"Normal.dot" and we can't find it. It is not in the usual places, nor does it
come up in any kind of search we have tried. I don't know if this has
anything to do with it or not.

Thanks again.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The template itself was based on Normal.dot, so when you save it as a
document, that's what you got. The correct way to create a document based on
your template, as Terry said, is to select it in the File New dialog and
create a new document. You can also reattach your custom template to the
document using Tools | Templates and Add-ins. It's possible you can't find
Normal.dot because the folder where it lives is a hidden folder in Windows
XP. That folder is also where you should have saved your template.

 

[TF]

Mary

As Suzanne says and as an extra: the path where your local templates (and
normal.dot) will be found is listed under Tools, Options, File Locations.

If your IS folks cannot find normal.dot, they are somewhat deficient. They
need to change the Windows Explorer settings from the idiotic default
settings that MS setup on install: under Tools, Folder Options, View tab,
they should check 'Display Contents of Hidden Folders', 'Show Hidden Files
and Folder's and clear 'Hide File Extensions for know File types' and 'Hide
Protected Operating System Files'. Apart from being security risks, they
stop users from being able to find important files such as normal.dot.





:I have read that document, TF, and apparently I have not stated my problem
: clearly enough. I did not say that I opened a new document and found my
: manual in it and did not know why. When I open a new document, it is quite
: blank.
:
: In Word 2002, I created a template that I want to use for manuals. I
started
: by setting up the styles as I wanted them then saving the document itself
as
: .dot with the name I want to use. Later, I have to go back and remove some
: (but not all) of the text so I can use the template for the next manual,
but
: that is not the issue. Once I had saved the document as .dot, I then saved
: the document as .doc again - leaving me with a manual attached to my new
: template - it said so in the properties box. The problem is that when I
: opened the document again later, it was attached to Normal.dot, not
: "mytemplate.dot" as I had set it up. How does a document become unattached
to
: a template and revert to the Normal template all by itself? I worked on it
: for days before accidentally discovering this, assuming that once I had it
: all set up it was stable. I have not had this happen before, and in this
new
: situation I am in I had it happen with two different new templates. I must
be
: missing something here, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd sure appreciate
: hearing them.
:
: An additional issue is that my IS folks and I have been looking for
: "Normal.dot" and we can't find it. It is not in the usual places, nor does
it
: come up in any kind of search we have tried. I don't know if this has
: anything to do with it or not.
:
: Thanks again.
:
: "TF" wrote:
:
: > See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/BlankDocNotBlank.htm to resolve
this
: >
: > Terry
: >
: > : > : Yes, it is Normal.dot rather than the template I saved it as.
: > :
: > : "TF" wrote:
: > :
: > : > What is not attached to the template and now attached to normal.dot?
: > : >
: > : > --
: > : > Terry Farrell - Word MVP
: > :
: > : >
: > : > : > : > :I have a document I made a template for. I actually saved the
document
: > as a
: > : > : template then went back to it later and took out the text, leaving
all
: > the
: > : > : setups, headers, etc. Twice now I have checked it and it was no
longer
: > : > : attached to my template, but was attached to Normal.dot. How is
this
: > : > : happening?
: > : > : --
: > : > : Thanks!
: > : > : Mary Lee
: > : >
: > : >
: > : >
: >
: >
: >

 

[Mary Lee]

OK, thanks TF and Suzanne about the template.

I checked out my settings in Explorer - we had already checked "Show Hidden
Files and Folders, and unchecked "Hide File Extensions for Known File Types"
and "Hide Protected Operating Sytem Files." On my Explorer, the remaining
statement reads "Display Contents of System Folders" so I checked that. Maybe
I need to restart my computer because that did not do the trick, either.

I looked up the Knowledge Base articles, and I do know where Word is
automatically putting my templates. That should be where Normal.dot is, too,
but it isn't there. So I still have a mystery, and I am afraid that it will
bite me one of these days.

 

[TF]

Under Tools, Options, Save Tab, is the Option to Prompt to Save Changes to
Normal.dot checked? If not check it. Then go to Format, Font and select any
different font: press DEFAULT and the Font dialog will close. Now close
Word. (As long as Outlook is closed too), you should be prompted about the
save to normal.dot. Do you get this prompt? Answer YES. Now look in
Documents and Settings, Username, Application Data, Microsoft, Templates and
check that normal.dot is present.



: OK, thanks TF and Suzanne about the template.
:
: I checked out my settings in Explorer - we had already checked "Show
Hidden
: Files and Folders, and unchecked "Hide File Extensions for Known File
Types"
: and "Hide Protected Operating Sytem Files." On my Explorer, the remaining
: statement reads "Display Contents of System Folders" so I checked that.
Maybe
: I need to restart my computer because that did not do the trick, either.
:
: I looked up the Knowledge Base articles, and I do know where Word is
: automatically putting my templates. That should be where Normal.dot is,
too,
: but it isn't there. So I still have a mystery, and I am afraid that it
will
: bite me one of these days.
: --
: Thanks!
: Mary Lee
:
:
: "Mary Lee" wrote:
:
: > I have a document I made a template for. I actually saved the document
as a
: > template then went back to it later and took out the text, leaving all
the
: > setups, headers, etc. Twice now I have checked it and it was no longer
: > attached to my template, but was attached to Normal.dot. How is this
: > happening?
: > --
: > Thanks!
: > Mary Lee

 

[Mary Lee]

The option "Prompt to Save Changes to Normal.dot" is checked. I can go to
Fromat/Font and check "default" and it will prompt "Do you want to change the
default font to (whatever - I have done it several times with different
fonts)? This change will affect all new documents based on the Normal
template." I click on "yes" and the font dialogue closes. I close Word. I do
not get a prompt asking me if I want to change the Normal template. When I
re-open Word, the font change I said I wanted has not taken affect, and of
course, Normal.dot has still not shown up in the folder as you directed.

I am thinking that someone - perhaps someone earlier than the current IS
guys - has set things up on the corporate server or something such that
company users are not allowed to change the Normal template. Is this
possible? Could everyone's Normal.dot reside off of our own PCs and reside
instead at some central location?

 

[TF]

The default location is that set in Tools, Options, File Locations Tab, User
Templates. If a corporate install has changed this setting, then it should
be reflected there: and your IT department should know what they have done.

Are you sure that you don't have Adobe Writer v7 or some other horrible
add-in that has broken normal.dot.

Terry


: The option "Prompt to Save Changes to Normal.dot" is checked. I can go to
: Fromat/Font and check "default" and it will prompt "Do you want to change
the
: default font to (whatever - I have done it several times with different
: fonts)? This change will affect all new documents based on the Normal
: template." I click on "yes" and the font dialogue closes. I close Word. I
do
: not get a prompt asking me if I want to change the Normal template. When I
: re-open Word, the font change I said I wanted has not taken affect, and of
: course, Normal.dot has still not shown up in the folder as you directed.
:
: I am thinking that someone - perhaps someone earlier than the current IS
: guys - has set things up on the corporate server or something such that
: company users are not allowed to change the Normal template. Is this
: possible? Could everyone's Normal.dot reside off of our own PCs and reside
: instead at some central location?
:
: --
: Thanks!
: Mary Lee
:
:
: "TF" wrote:
:
: > Under Tools, Options, Save Tab, is the Option to Prompt to Save Changes
to
: > Normal.dot checked? If not check it. Then go to Format, Font and select
any
: > different font: press DEFAULT and the Font dialog will close. Now close
: > Word. (As long as Outlook is closed too), you should be prompted about
the
: > save to normal.dot. Do you get this prompt? Answer YES. Now look in
: > Documents and Settings, Username, Application Data, Microsoft, Templates
and
: > check that normal.dot is present.
: >
: > --
: > Terry Farrell - Word MVP
:
: >
: > : > : OK, thanks TF and Suzanne about the template.
: > :
: > : I checked out my settings in Explorer - we had already checked "Show
: > Hidden
: > : Files and Folders, and unchecked "Hide File Extensions for Known File
: > Types"
: > : and "Hide Protected Operating Sytem Files." On my Explorer, the
remaining
: > : statement reads "Display Contents of System Folders" so I checked
that.
: > Maybe
: > : I need to restart my computer because that did not do the trick,
either.
: > :
: > : I looked up the Knowledge Base articles, and I do know where Word is
: > : automatically putting my templates. That should be where Normal.dot
is,
: > too,
: > : but it isn't there. So I still have a mystery, and I am afraid that it
: > will
: > : bite me one of these days.
: > : --
: > : Thanks!
: > : Mary Lee
: > :
: > :
: > : "Mary Lee" wrote:
: > :
: > : > I have a document I made a template for. I actually saved the
document
: > as a
: > : > template then went back to it later and took out the text, leaving
all
: > the
: > : > setups, headers, etc. Twice now I have checked it and it was no
longer
: > : > attached to my template, but was attached to Normal.dot. How is this
: > : > happening?
: > : > --
: > : > Thanks!
: > : > Mary Lee
: >
: >
: >

 

[Mary Lee]

The path in that tab is the same one we already stated, so nothing has been
changed there. I do have Acrobat 7.0.1. Is that the problem? If so, what then?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

See the very last section of
http://www.gmayor.com/lose_that_adobe_acrobat_toolbar.htm