Change documents from one template to another

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Hi everybody

I have created two different templates with different styles, formats and
names. I have also created some documents attached to one of these templates.
I would like to know whether it is possible to transform them into documents
attached to the other template. This is not as simple as attaching a new
format and automatically upgrading the document styles. The point is that
there is not a correspondence between the styles in these two templates. For
example, I may need to transform the style of a paragraph in one of the
documents from Normal into FootNote Text.
Maybe there are some new tools available in Word 2003 that I ignore. I also
thought of transforming the documents into XML and then work on them using
some add-hoc software.

Can anyone help me?
 
Hi Jorge

There is no built-in way to do this, but here are some idle thoughts on
relevant topics.

1. The effect of attaching a new template to a document
See: What happens when I attach a new template to my document? or How do I
copy content and settings from a template to a document?"
http://www.ShaunaKelly.com/word/attachtemplate/index.html



2. Automatically updating styles from a template to a document does not
always work brilliantly, especially for numbered or bulleted styles. See
How to safely update a document's styles from its template without using the
Organizer (and how to make the Tools + Templates and Add-ins dialog safe)

http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/UpdateStyles.htm


3. You can search and replace styles. Use Edit > Replace and click More.
Click in the Find what box. Leave it empty and click Format > Style etc to
choose the "Find" style. Click in the Replace with box. Leave it empty and
click Format > Style etc to choose the "Replace" style.

4. When changing text from one style to another, be aware of the hierarchy
of styles. Let's say you have two custom styles, A and B. B is based on A.
You search and replace and change all the text in style A to be in the
built-in Body Text Style. You might expect that text in style B would also
be affected, but it won't. All the text in style B is still in B, and B is
still based on A.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word
 
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