word 2003 template has been written over. How?

[confused template]

Hi,
I have created a template in word 2003 (yes, it is correctly saved as a .dot
file) for general use on a network. Twice now people have opend the template,
written what they want to write then saved, only to find they have saved over
the original template. What is there is still a template with the same name.
I just can't figure out how this is happening. Whenever I open it, I get a
new word doc opening. Any suggestions on what might be going wrong?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If they have *opened* the template, then of course they have created a new
file. The default action for templates (.dot files) is to create new
documents based on them, an action that prevents the template itself from
being modified, except in specific instances when modified styles are saved
to it.

 

[confused template]

I have investigated further and found out how he has opened the template and
saved over it. He opens word, then clicks recent documents on the right hand
side within the "getting started" task pane. As he had recently opened teh
template it is listed there. Oddly when you click on it there it is the .dot
that opens and any saved cahnges are made to the .dot, it is not a new
document that opens. Is this correct or is there a set up error somewhere?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

When you "open" a template as he is doing, you open it for editing, just
like a document.

 

[confused template]

Is there a way of stopping templates from appearing in this list so people
don't accidentally write over general templates?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I don't know of any. But templates shouldn't be listed there unless they've
been opened; they won't be listed just because you've created documents
based on them. Where you will see recently used templates is in the list of
My Recent Documents in File | Open. But if the user is using the Getting
Started task pane, he should be instructed to click on "Create a new
document." The New Document task pane does list recently used templates, but
clicking on one there will create a new document based on the template, as
expected.

 

[JoAnn Paules]

Teach them not to open a .dot file. (Seems like a good solution to me.
There's no substitute for developing good work practices.)

 

[Jean-Guy Marcil]

Is there a way of stopping templates from appearing in this list so people
don't accidentally write over general templates?

To prevent accidental modifications to the template, once you are done with
it save it and then right lcick on its name from the Windows Explorer window.
Select Properties and check the Read Only box. This way, if someone tries to
save changes to the tempalte itself, it will not be possible.