Templates need to be used on PC both 2003 and 2007

[marye]

Version: 2004 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) The original template has been created in 2008 on a mac the client is PC based and is running both 2003 and 2007 so the template needs to be provided for both.

ISSUE #1: I ran into the non-appearance issue of the title master when back saved and used applied to a new presentation.

I was trying to re-create the template in 2004 specifically for the 2003 user but the title master has additional text placeholders. I cannot figure out how to make this happen in 2004. Is it possible? If it is please share! Thanks!

ISSUE #2:
When some users have inserted a new slide into the layout using the various options the text boxes which contain "click here to add text" are uneditable. Does any one know why and how to work around it?

 

[Jim Gordon Mac MVP]

Version: 2004 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) The original
template has been created in 2008 on a mac the client is PC based and is
running both 2003 and 2007 so the template needs to be provided for both.

ISSUE #1: I ran into the non-appearance issue of the title master when
back saved and used applied to a new presentation.

I was trying to re-create the template in 2004 specifically for the 2003
user but the title master has additional text placeholders. I cannot
figure out how to make this happen in 2004. Is it possible? If it is
please share! Thanks!

ISSUE #2:
When some users have inserted a new slide into the layout using the
various options the text boxes which contain "click here to add text"
are uneditable. Does any one know why and how to work around it?

Hi

I think you are running back and forth across a new feature boundary.
PowerPoint 2004 has an older internal structure using an older method of
displaying objects on the screen. 2004 does not support Master Slides
the same way that 2007 and 2008 do. Each time you go back and forth
between 2004 and 2007/2008 you run your presentation through translators
that try to deal with the various kinds of content that's enclosed.

The new placeholders with the "click here to add text" do not exist in
PowerPoint 2004, so it displays what it can without wrecking anything,
but it can't use the new placeholder you're seeing.

Be sure that your PowerPoint 2004 is fully up to date. Use the
PowerPoint menu and check to make sure it says you have version 11.5.5
(090514). If you open PowerPoint 2004 and use it to open a presentation
saved in 2007 or 2008 you should see "Double-click to add Picture" where
the new-style text/object placeholder would be.

If your PowerPoint 2004 is not full updated then use the Help menu and
choose Check for Updates,

-Jim

 

[marye]

Thanks Jim,

On Issue # 1 I have pretty much concluded that it cannot be done simply at least. As a workaround they will no be able to use it as a built in template but have to open the template document and save as. The additional text fields and Title will be available as page 1.

RE Issue #2
My software is up to date but who knows about the client and their end users. I am not experiencing the uneditable fields but they are. I will see if using the template doc as above eliminates that also. However the editable fields are on new slides inserted into the document choosing from the built-in layouts so I don't think that is the cause.

Have you ever experienced this?

Not an ideal solution but what about Microsoft ever is...

 

[Jim Gordon Mac MVP]

Thanks Jim,

On Issue # 1 I have pretty much concluded that it cannot be done simply
at least. As a workaround they will no be able to use it as a built in
template but have to open the template document and save as. The
additional text fields and Title will be available as page 1.

RE Issue #2
My software is up to date but who knows about the client and their end
users. I am not experiencing the uneditable fields but they are. I will
see if using the template doc as above eliminates that also. However the
editable fields are on new slides inserted into the document choosing
from the built-in layouts so I don't think that is the cause.

Have you ever experienced this?

Not an ideal solution but what about Microsoft ever is...

You can open files saved in .ppt (older style, not .pptx) in newer
versions of PowerPoint. When you open the older files in the newer
versions the title bar will indicate you're in Compatibility Mode. This
mode should keep you from adding content or using features that did not
exist in the previous version.

Getting others to update their software is always a problem, as about
the most you can do is make a gentle request. When they point out a
problem, you can gently remind them of your suggestion.

There are several reasons for the changes. The two main things that are
causing you trouble are:
* New file format: this was pretty much forced onto Microsoft by open
source advocates who insisted that the old format was binary, closed,
and proprietary. The new file format is plain text in XML format (that's
where the x comes from at the end of the file extension).
* New graphics "engine:" Computer hardware is advancing. There's new
64-bit hardware on the market, and Microsoft is phasing in new stuff in
Office to keep up.
It's hard to fault Microsoft for making the changes they did. There's
bound to be some compatibility problems for a while, but they will fade
away as the new file format becomes adopted.

Office 2010 for Windows offers some great improvements in the way sounds
and video are handled, so I expect most Windows users will upgrade. I
hope the same improvements make their way to the next Mac version of
Office, which should come out late in 2010. Things will gradually get
much better.

-Jim