Update a template automtically

[Ulf Nilsson]

Hi,

We have a template, 123.dot, that is placed in users'
Startup-folder.

If a newer version is published on the local network, how
can this template be updated? The file is in use when a
user has opened Word. I understand how to do it manually,
but can it be done automatically?

/ Ulf

 

[Jonathan West]

There are a variety of approaches. In a large organisation, the most normal
one is to use SBS to push out updates. If you don't have SBS, but you do
have network logon, then you can run a logon script which will check if
there are any updates to run.

 

[Ulf Nilsson]

We have network logon, but we don't want Word to be
updated during logon. It will take a long time if users
logon using modem-connection.

Is there a way to update a template automatically using
Word.

/ Ulf

 

[Malcolm Smith]

Yes. But it's a pain in the bottom.

The document templates are easy enough, but it's the start-up templates
which cause fun. I've done it once and I seem to remember having to use a
lot of Grecian 2000 afterwards to restore my hair colour...

- Malc
www.dragondrop.com

 

[Jonathan West]

We have network logon, but we don't want Word to be
updated during logon. It will take a long time if users
logon using modem-connection.

It depends on how big your templates are. Your logon script could also
possibly detect whether the logon is remote and forget about updates until
next time.

Is there a way to update a template automatically using
Word.

Yes, but it can be a bit messy. If you have a template in the Startup
folder, code in a macro called AutoExec will run when the template is loaded
as Word starts. That code can look to see if there are updates available,
and copy files as necessary.

Where it can get messy is that if some of the updated templates are
themselves add-ins in the startup folder, you will need first to ensure that
they are unloaded from Word before the new version can be copied,
overwriting the old. If you don't do that, you will be attempting to
overwrite an open file, and you will get a sharing violation. I've done a
good deal of work on this approach, and have concluded that it can't be made
to work reliably in all circumstances. There are too many variables in terms
of the order in which global templates are loaded, and Word seems to have
some idiosyncracies regaring whether an unloaded global template is *really*
unloaded and can be deleted.

I've come to the conclusion that it is much safer to carry out updates when
Word is not running.

 

[Malcolm Smith]

Ditto

 

[Ulf Nilsson]

Thanks for your answer. I will try to find another
approach.

/ Ulf

 

[Byron]

Thanks for your answer. I will try to find another
approach.

/ Ulf

We have over 350 templates in use. I wrote an application the is
placed in the All Users Startup folder. The application uses a MD5
checksum stored on each PDC and compares it against an on-the-fly
checksum from the workstation template folders. It also checks the
type of connection and checks to see if Word or Excel (we have Excel
templates also) is running. If everything is ok, then the templates
are copied to the workstation, if not, then the user is notified that
updates are available and they should run the update manually when
conditions are "right"