editing templates

[werthpolk]

This is a problem related to editing a template. In Word 2000, I created a
template (normal.dot type) with an extensive autocomplete listing (I'll call
it TEMPLATE1). I then wanted to create a second template, using that same
autocomplete listing, but with a letterhead built into it. When I lay out
the letterhead on top of a copy of TEMPLATE1, to create TEMPLATE2, only the
letterhead remains in TEMPLATE2. That is, the autocomplete list reverts to
default in TEMPLATE2.

So, how can a copy of TEMPLATE1 be edited to retain the autocomplete list
but also include a new letterhead layout? Thank you.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you're referring to AutoText entries, assuming you actually saved them in
TEMPLATE1, in order to retain them in TEMPLATE2, you must create TEMPLATE2
as a New Template. If you create it as a document and save it as a template,
the AutoText entries will not be included.

 

[werthpolk]

I did save the AutoText (I incorrectly referred to it as autocomplete)
entries in TEMPLATE1. As you can see from the original post, that is not the
issue. I am aware that "If you create it as a document and save it as a
template, the AutoText entries will not be included." I am trying to save
the autotext and letterhead together in a single template without retyping
the huge autotext data load. Any ideas?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

And what I'm saying is that if you created TEMPLATE2 from a document based
on TEMPLATE1 rather than a template, the AutoText entries will not be
transferred. Did you start with TEMPLATE2 as a template?

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Read Suzanne's responses.

You can transfer the AutoText from Template1.dot to Template2.doc using the
organizer. Tools > Templates and Add-Ins... > Organizer (button)

You can make your AutoText generally available by putting it in a global
template. See http://addbalance.com/word/movetotemplate.htm for step-by-step
instructions on moving / sharing / copying customizations including
AutoText, AutoCorrect, keyboard assignments, macros, etc.

For ideas on setting up your letterhead template, take a look at: How to set
up letterhead or some other document where you want one header on the first
page and a different header on other pages.
http://www.addbalance.com/word/headersfooters.htm This gives step-by-step
instructions. (It also has the following links)

Some other pages to look at:

Letterhead Tips and Instructions
http://home.earthlink.net/~wordfaqs/Letterhead.htm

Letterhead Textboxes and Styles tutorial
http://addbalance.com/word/download.htm#LetterheadTextboxesAndStylesTutorial

Template Basics
http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm

How to Create a Template - Part 2 - essential reading
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm

Word "Forms"
http://www.addbalance.com/word/wordwebresources.htm#Forms and

Word for Word Perfect Users
http://www.addbalance.com/word/wordperfect.htm if you are coming from a WP
environment (or even if you are not).

If you are interested in creating templates that will work with the letter
wizard or use that wizard, you should look at the chapter on Advanced
Document Formatting in Using Office 2003 (or whatever your version is),
Special Edition, by Ed Bott and Woody Leonhard. It has detailed instructions
including instructions on getting the fields you want from your Outlook
Contacts for addressing a letter. (Chapter 19 of SE Using Office 2003) You
should be able to get this through your public library or at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0789729555/balancecheckbookA/

Finally, take a look at the letter templates that come with Word. While they
are no great shakes as letterhead, they do use styles and AutoText lists
very well. If you use the same style names that are used in those templates
in your own letterhead for the same parts of the document, you will have
better luck with using the built-in AutoText entries in Word.

Hope this helps,

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If the AutoText entries are not being saved to TEMPLATE2 by any of these
methods, then you will have to copy them using the Organizer as Charles
suggested. But I would have thought that creating a new template based on
TEMPLATE1 (as a template from File New) would have done it.

 

[werthpolk]

(This may be a redundant posting.)

I intend to try Charles's suggestions, but I was hoping for something more
direct.

You last posting is correct. I am sorry that I was not clear. I AM able to
save the AutoText entries. As I stated, when "I tried copying template1 in
the templates folder, then attempting to modify the copy", the AutoText
entries DID follow. But when I attempted to lay in the letterhead, then save
the template, only the letterhead remained, not the AutoText. I must be
missing a simple step. Do you care to describe your method for doing what I
am attempting to do?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I will stress that I have not tried this, but I would go to File New and
select TEMPLATE1. I would check the radio button for Template and click OK.
This opens a new template based on TEMPLATE1. I would save it as TEMPLATE2
and immediately check to see whether the AutoText entries were present when
I set "Look in" to TEMPLATE2 in Insert | AutoText | AutoText. If so, so far,
so good.

What happens next depends on how you are "laying in" the letterhead. If you
are using Insert | File in an empty document, then you're bringing some of
the document information from the letterhead document into your template,
which could cause problems. Assuming that the letterhead is text and/or a
graphic, copy only that from the header of the document and paste it into
the header of the template.

If the AutoText entries are ones you want to make available to a number of
templates, you might do better to save them in a global template placed in
Word's Startup folder. They would then be available to all templates.
Alternatively, you can load TEMPLATE1 as an add-in, which would make them
available to all documents while it was loaded.

 

[werthpolk]

The organizer suggestion worked easily. The additional references were also
very informative.

Thanks for helping!

 

[werthpolk]

Just for your information, I wasted more time and effort on many other
copy-and-resave ploys, but none was effective. Then I used the organizer,
and it did just what I needed.

Thanks for helping!