What can Cmd-N do?

[Daniel Cohen]

There has been considerable discussion suggesting that one should not
use the Normal template as the standard template for documents.

Does that mean that one has to use the Project Gallery in starting a new
document? In particular, does Cmd-N always open a document with the
Normal template? And the same question when Word opens.

I know I could always set Word to open with the Project Gallery and
select the template from there. But I am wondering if if it is possible
to set Word always to open a blank document with a particular template.

I'm using Word 10.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi Daniel,

When Word launches, that new blank document will *always* be based on the
Normal template (there are workarounds for this on Windows, but not on the
Mac).

To easily create a document based on a different template, the general
procedure is to record a macro of yourself using the Project Gallery to
select a template, and then assign that macro to a toolbar or keyboard
shortcut. That keyboard shortcut could certainly be Cmd-N, if you wanted.
However, the new doc at launch will still be based on the Normal template.

Whether one should use the Normal template depends on the documents. If this
is a highly customized document that will be circulated, or used for a long
time (e.g., a Ph.D. dissertation), then using a custom template is likely
worth the trouble of setting one up. If you find yourself repeating the
same formatting steps over and over, then a custom template is likely worth
the trouble of setting one up (e.g., when I'm printing onto letterhead).
Companies that want to standardize doc appearance across an office should
*not* try to use the Normal template for that purpose.

For short-lived documents that are created, printed, and then stored, I
think using the Normal template is fine, and most of my day to day work is
done in the Normal template, but most of my day to day work never goes to
anyone else electronically, except in pdf form. Although Normal has a
tendency to corrupt, it doesn't retroactively corrupt documents that created
based on Normal.

Actually, let me retract something. It *might* be possible on the Mac to
use a macro that runs at launch to force the new blank doc to be based on
something other than Normal, I'm not sure about that.

For me, this solution would not make sense, because I'm never going to need
the *same* non-Normal base at launch every time. For companies wanting to
standardize doc appearance, it might make sense. If you say a bit more
about how you use Word, you could get more a specific response.

 

[Daniel Cohen]

Hi Daniel,

When Word launches, that new blank document will *always* be based on the
Normal template (there are workarounds for this on Windows, but not on the
Mac).

Thanks. That's pretty much what I expected.

To easily create a document based on a different template, the general
procedure is to record a macro of yourself using the Project Gallery to
select a template, and then assign that macro to a toolbar or keyboard
shortcut. That keyboard shortcut could certainly be Cmd-N, if you wanted.
However, the new doc at launch will still be based on the Normal template.

Useful to know, I might try that for some templates. I hadn't realised
that a macro could be created at that level.

For short-lived documents that are created, printed, and then stored, I
think using the Normal template is fine, and most of my day to day work is
done in the Normal template, but most of my day to day work never goes to
anyone else electronically, except in pdf form. Although Normal has a
tendency to corrupt, it doesn't retroactively corrupt documents that created
based on Normal.

I think that Normal should be fine for my use.

For me, this solution would not make sense, because I'm never going to need
the *same* non-Normal base at launch every time. For companies wanting to
standardize doc appearance, it might make sense. If you say a bit more
about how you use Word, you could get more a specific response.

I have run into some kind of an oddity. My standard document is (Normal
template) with a large window and zoomed in for easy reading. This
isually works fine, but at times I have had a much smaller window
appear. I need to see if I can work out what triggers this, and then I
might ask about how to prevent it. I can't ask this question as yet,
because I don't have ahanfle on when it happens. It *may* occur on the
first launch of Word after a restart, but I'm not entirely sure.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi Daniel,

Useful to know, I might try that for some templates. I hadn't realised
that a macro could be created at that level.

Yeah, it's pretty easy, for those times you don't want to use Normal. The
help that comes up for record a macro and assign it to toolbar/shortcut key
is decent, I think, or ask if you run into problems.

Macros can be created at most any level, by the way--anytime you find
yourself doing something over and over again, chances are that there's a
predefined command in Tools | Customize that you can set up for easy access,
or that a macro can make it run smoother.

I have run into some kind of an oddity. My standard document is (Normal
template) with a large window and zoomed in for easy reading. This
isually works fine, but at times I have had a much smaller window
appear. I need to see if I can work out what triggers this, and then I
might ask about how to prevent it. I can't ask this question as yet,
because I don't have ahanfle on when it happens. It *may* occur on the
first launch of Word after a restart, but I'm not entirely sure.

Yeah....this one is a bit tricky.

Documents open in the view in which they were last saved. So if you are
getting documents from other people, they tend to show up in their preferred
view, not yours. That's the most common cause of screwiness.

The new blank document technically opens in the view that is saved in the
Normal template, but there must also be some code somewhere that tells Word
to open in the view that was last being used--which is sometimes the
preferred view of someone who sent you a document. So Word tends to get a
little confused here, and not be consistent.

It *is* possible to force Word to open documents a certain way with
macros--an AutoNew macro runs on every new document, and an AutoOpen macro
runs on every document that is opened, and you can make sure all sorts of
things happen with these. I get a lot of Page Layout view documents from
students that contaminate my preferred Normal view in 125% zoom, so I
installed these two macros--whether something similar is worth the trouble
for you probably depends on how often yours goes wiggy.

Sub AutoNew()
With ActiveWindow.View
.Type = wdNormalView
.Zoom.Percentage = 125
.TableGridlines = True
End With
End Sub

Sub AutoOpen()
With ActiveWindow.View
.Type = wdNormalView
.Zoom.Percentage = 125
.TableGridlines = True
End With
End Sub

How to Install (use the names given here):
http://word.mvps.org/Mac/InstallMacro.html

 

[Daniel Cohen]

Hi Daniel,

On 4/19/06 11:04 PM, "Daniel Cohen" wrote:


Yeah....this one is a bit tricky.

Documents open in the view in which they were last saved. So if you are
getting documents from other people, they tend to show up in their preferred
view, not yours. That's the most common cause of screwiness.

The new blank document technically opens in the view that is saved in the
Normal template, but there must also be some code somewhere that tells Word
to open in the view that was last being used--which is sometimes the
preferred view of someone who sent you a document. So Word tends to get a
little confused here, and not be consistent.

That may well be the issue, Word opening in the last used view (which
was someone else's layout) rather than in my Normal view. That gives me
some idea of what to check.

It *is* possible to force Word to open documents a certain way with
macros--an AutoNew macro runs on every new document, and an AutoOpen macro
runs on every document that is opened, and you can make sure all sorts of
things happen with these.

Thanks for these macros. I did have something like them installed at one
point, but I'm not sure what happened to them, whether I deleted them by
mistake or what. Useful to have them again. Thanks.