Saving slide numbering preferences with a Theme.

[Scott_Franks]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel Hello,

Among the daily and innumerable problems I have using PowerPoint, the latest is this:

I have set up a very nice Theme with custom fonts and color schemes and all sorts of neat content slides and even multiple options for title slides. It is my desire to have Slide Number in the footer. I go to View > Header and Footer, check the box for Slide Number, set it to start at 0 and "Don't show on title slide". Perfect. It works. Title slide has no page number, the following slide starts at 1, then 2 and so on. Excellent.

So, I save this wonderful Theme and go to test it out. I open a new presentation, go to Slide Themes, choose my new custom theme that I just saved moments ago. Everything looks great. The fonts work properly, the color scheme is in tact, etc. BUT...slide numbering is turned off. On all slides. I go to View > Header and Footer and all boxes are unchecked. It didn't save my preferences.

So, I re-set my desired preferences. And again I save the Theme. Again I go to test it...and no slide numbering.

Anyone have any idea why this is happening? Other than: "PowerPoint has a mind of it's own and bends to no man's will," which I'm beginning to think should be this product's official slogan. It angers me daily. I have mastered far more powerful software than this, yet I cannot seem to make PowerPoint perform the simplest of tasks with any regularity.

Thanks for any solutions, suggestions or commiserations.

 

[Jim Gordon Mac MVP]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor:
Intel Hello,

Among the daily and innumerable problems I have using PowerPoint, the
latest is this:

I have set up a very nice Theme with custom fonts and color schemes and
all sorts of neat content slides and even multiple options for title
slides. It is my desire to have Slide Number in the footer. I go to View
0 and "Don't show on title slide". Perfect. It works. Title slide has no
page number, the following slide starts at 1, then 2 and so on. Excellent.

So, I save this wonderful Theme and go to test it out. I open a new
presentation, go to Slide Themes, choose my new custom theme that I just
saved moments ago. Everything looks great. The fonts work properly, the
color scheme is in tact, etc. BUT...slide numbering is turned off. On
all slides. I go to View > Header and Footer and all boxes are
unchecked. It didn't save my preferences.

So, I re-set my desired preferences. And again I save the Theme. Again I
go to test it...and no slide numbering.

Anyone have any idea why this is happening? Other than: "PowerPoint has
a mind of it's own and bends to no man's will," which I'm beginning to
think should be this product's official slogan. It angers me daily. I
have mastered far more powerful software than this, yet I cannot seem to
make PowerPoint perform the simplest of tasks with any regularity.

Thanks for any solutions, suggestions or commiserations.

Hi Scott,

I think the problem here is terminology and what to expect from
PowerPoint features. I'm putting in a plug for my book here, because
there's a lot more about this in the book.

But here's the essence:

A theme consists of 12 primary theme colors plus a font family. In
PowerPoint, it also includes the formatting of any slide masters and
slide layouts.

Since you made no mentioning of formatting slide master or slide layouts
using View > Master > Slide Master, I presume you made edits on
individual slides in Normal view. Edits made on slides in Normal view
are not part of a theme. So what you are reporting fits exactly what I
would expect.

A template is all-encompassing. It includes every aspect of the
presentation you are saving using File > Save As and choosing the
PowerPoint Template format. I think this is what you really want to have.

I like to explain the difference between using themes and templates like
this: You apply a theme to a presentation in Normal view to get the
colors, fonts, master slide layouts and slide designs of the theme. But
for when it comes to templates, you open a new document based on a
template where the new document starts off as a copy of the template but
with a new file name.

-Jim

 

[Scott_Franks]

Thanks Jim. I'll go the template route. And I do know what a Theme is, and I DID, in fact, set the slide numbering preferences when I was in the slide masters view. The content slides (as opposed to title slide) even have the little place-holder with the symbol. But, in normal view, slide numbering is turned off by default when I choose this theme.

As I said, I'll try to go with the Template solution, but am I wrong in assuming that my header/footer options (APPLIED IN SLIDE MASTER VIEW) should be saved with the theme?

 

[Jim Gordon Mac MVP]

Thanks Jim. I'll go the template route. And I do know what a Theme is,
and I DID, in fact, set the slide numbering preferences when I was in
the slide masters view. The content slides (as opposed to title slide)
even have the little place-holder with the <#> symbol. But, in normal
view, slide numbering is turned off by default when I choose this theme.

As I said, I'll try to go with the Template solution, but am I wrong in
assuming that my header/footer options (APPLIED IN SLIDE MASTER VIEW)
should be saved with the theme?

When I tried it, the formatting on my footer on a master slide and on a
slide layout was preserved by the theme.

-Jim

 

[Scott_Franks]

Thanks for checking on that Jim. I get most concerned about problems I'm having when there are conflicting or inconsistent results. I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong on this one.

If I figure it out, I'll come back and let you know so you can add this phenomenon to your problem-solving knowledge base.

Thanks again...