Word Help is obsolete

[pegasus]

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

When getting Help for "creating templates" I am instructed to choose File > Get Info. No such menu choice exists. (Properties).

In the General section of the window which opens there is no Stationery Pad checkbox.

Instead, I have to choose File >Save As ... Word Template.

How about bringing this Help entry into line with reality?

 

[Michel Bintener]

These instructions refer to the *Finder*, not Word. If you select the file
in the Finder, you can access the Get Info menu, and you can also enable a
document as a stationery pad in the Get Info window. The method which you
are using also works, and is in fact preferable to the Finder method for a
number of reasons.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

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

When getting Help for "creating templates" I am instructed to choose File > Get Info. No such menu choice exists. (Properties).

In the General section of the window which opens there is no Stationery Pad checkbox.

Instead, I have to choose File >Save As ... Word Template.

How about bringing this Help entry into line with reality?

Hi,

There are two entirely different ways to make templates:

*One way
In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint use File > Save As and change the Format
option to Template. This changes the save location to My Templates,
where you can save a template that you will find in Project Gallery
(File > Project Gallery > My templates).

*Another way
You can turn any file regardless of the program that created it into a
template using Mac OS. That's what you are doing when you use Get Info
and use the Stationery Pad check box. These don't go into the My
Templates folder and aren't usually found in Project Gallery.

-Jim

 

[CyberTaz]

It sounds like you're trying to follow the Mac Help while working in MS
Word. The Mac Help for creating a Stationery Pad needs to be executed from a
Finder window or from the Desktop, depending on where the file is stored.

As Jim replied, either select the file in a Finder window & follow the Mac
Help instructions *or* open the file in Word & use File> Save As - Word
Template from the Format: dropdown. Note that using the Stationery Pad
method does *not* actually create a Word document template file & can be
used for any type of file, not just Word documents.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[pegasus]

I was puzzled by the other answers to my query/complaint. They did not explain the disconnect between the instructions I found and the menus I encountered, But you have put your finger on it. I am so used to going to the Mac Help on the main menu that I didn't even notice the help item on the Word toolbar. Even after reading your post, I had to look for it.

Thanks for pointing out my error.

Suggestion: maybe the implementers could make Word Help a bit more noticeable.

 

[CyberTaz]

No problem - it took me a while to catch on to it as well. What basically
happens is that even the application's Help menu opens with the focus in a
Spotlight search box tied to the Mac Help. You typically have to explicitly
select the program's Help even after opening that program's Help menu. I'm
not certain, but this appears to be something imposed by Apple --- Office
apps aren't the only ones guilty of the misdirection.