Customized Normal.dotm

[Claude]

MS Office Enterprise 2007 (French) on Windows XP (French) - Since I have to
install Office 2007 on many PCs, I used the OCT to create a customized
installation DVD. The installation includes copying a customized Normal.dotm
template that gives me the default font that I want, macros, etc. When I open
Word 2007 for the very first time, everything is fine, then I close it. When
I open Word the second time, my customized Normal.dotm is renamed
Normal.dotm.old and Word creates a new one without my macros, etc. On top of
that, the creation of this new Normal.dotm changes some of the Word options I
had set with the OCT (such as displaying in inches instead of centimeters,
and others). Replacing the new Normal.dotm with my customized one does not
bring back the options that I wanted (display in inches, etc.). Does anyone
have any ideas on how to make Word keep the settings I chose in the OCT
and/or not replace my customized Normal.dotm?

 

[Tony Jollans]

I don't know the answer but this may help your investigation.

When you change the interface language in Office 2007 and then start Word,
it renames your Normal.dotm as Normal.dotm.old and then creates a new
Normal.dotm. It also, I believe, refreshes the Data key in the registry (or
maybe just the Settings Value, I'm not sure) - and I don't think it backs up
the old one.

As a side note, do it twice and Normal.dotm.old gets overwritten without
warning. I found this to my cost the first time I changed the language to
check something out and then changed it back.

It very much sounds like the second time you start up Word it's recognising
a language change - why, I have no idea - and starting afresh.

 

[Claude]

Hi Tony

Thank you for your feedback. Indeed, I also noticed that Word will replace
the Normal.dotm.old after a second opening. It even renames Normal.dot to
Normal11.dot if you have previous versions of Office (which we do). I really
don't understand this behaviour.

Anyhow, I've decided that I've spent too much time already trying to figure
this out and I'm just going to start my installations and open and close Word
as many times as I have to before it will accept my Normal.dotm, and then
reset the options that were changed from the initial installaiton. And to
think all of this was so easy with Office 2003! Oh well.

Thanks again.

Claude

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Claude,

Office 2007 has a new architecture. It's 'language neutral' (i.e. even English is an 'add-on') to the core files.

The renaming of Normal.dot to Normal11.dot on upgrade from Office 2003 is to preserve at least one copy of your prior settings from
the prior version so you'll have it available (the '11' is for Office 2003 which is v11).

Switching the languages with the language setting tool causes Word to create a new basic UI set (much of which it stores with
Normal.dotm) for that language and it unfortunately only has provision for one version back in backup. (Prior versions of Office did
not offer the multilanguage products (other than the proofing tools) to retail/end user customers, so the switching behaviors
weren't too widely seen.

=============
Hi Tony

Thank you for your feedback. Indeed, I also noticed that Word will replace
the Normal.dotm.old after a second opening. It even renames Normal.dot to
Normal11.dot if you have previous versions of Office (which we do). I really
don't understand this behaviour.

Anyhow, I've decided that I've spent too much time already trying to figure
this out and I'm just going to start my installations and open and close Word
as many times as I have to before it will accept my Normal.dotm, and then
reset the options that were changed from the initial installaiton. And to
think all of this was so easy with Office 2003! Oh well.

Thanks again.

Claude >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Tony Jollans]

Hi Bob,

What, exactly, is in Normal.dotm that is interface language-dependent? And,
if there is anything, then what is wrong with using locale-specific versions
and, on interface language change, reinstating the appropriate one if it
exists? And/or basing the new Normal it creates on the existing one?
Something like the way Building Blocks work - although there does seem to be
some confusion between interface language and document language there.

The way it works at the moment is destructive, which, in my book, is wrong.
It's from another discipline, but Hippocrates' injunction to "First, do no
harm" would seem to be appropriate.

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Tony,

Well, I didn't say the way it's implemented is ideal <g> and yes it is destructive.

Could it have been setup to have Normal.dot(m) stored in LCID/language subfolders, probably or rename it to have the LCID as part of
the name when going to 'old' (i.e. Normal1033.dot(m), probably <g>, but it doesn't appear to be what happens as the default.

The behavior to rewrite a new Normal.dot(m) when you change the *primary editing language* for Word isn't new to Word 2007, although
the warning you get depends both on version and the Language Settings tool you use.

For example, for Office 2003, using the downloadable
Microsoft Office Desktop Language Settings tool
the message you get when changing the primary editing language is

===============
"Changing the language defining default behavior for Microsoft Office applications will result in loss of the following
customizations:
o Any changes made to the default blank document template
in Word (normal.dot) and Powerpoint (blank.pot) such
as additional macros, styles, etc.

o Preference settings

o Bullets and numbering customizations in Word

o Toolbar customizations
[Continue and lose customizations] [Cancel]"
============
While using the Language Settings tools in Office 2007 the message is:

"The primary editing language has been changed and will take effect the next time you start your Microsoft Office programs. This
change may replace some of your Office customizations, such as preferred fonts and tab stops in the blank document template. Do you
want to continue? [Yes] [No]."
=============

The change switches the registry value for 'InstallLanguage' (new choice) and 'PreviousInstallLanguage' (last choice) in
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\LanguageResources

When you next start Word I'm guessing that it compares the LCID stored in the Normal template to that registry value and when it
doesn't match it generates, in memory, default settings in memory from within the Office program files, and immediately renames the
previous Normal.dot(m) to Normal.dot.old (only one backup level) (it doesn't send the previous one to the recycle bin).

(Interestingly when Word starts it still creates lock files in the \1033 folder for Building blocks, even though it's no longer the
primary editing language)

At this point there isn't a Normal.dot(m) file, just Word using, probably in memory only, the internal basics settings stored within
the Word program

The creation of the new Normal.dotm happens, it appears, when you close Word. As you mentioned, changing the primary editing
language also causes some of the registry keys for settings and options to be switched, including including, in Word options,
unchecking the Advance option 'Prompt before saving Normal template'.

When the new Normal.dotm is generated here are some of the things that
are stored (at least they're viewable as XML <g>) that changed. System defaults are English(US) in this case.

\word\document.xml
Page Size Section Property: Changed from Letter to A4
(but margins stayed at 1")

\word\webSettings.xml
Customizations lost. Revert to installation defaults.

\word\Settings.xml
Default tab stops changed from .5" to .4917"
Theme Font Language property: from "en-US" to "fr-FR"

\word\styles.xml
Text Run language default changed from "en-US" to "fr-FR"

Those seem to be, on a quick look the things that actually reflect the new choice of primary editing language at the cost of
basically you have a new 'vanilla' (reset) default value set for the locale code picked as the primary editing language, (i.e.
internal default languages are stored as section properties in Normal.dot(m)) except where system settings (such as list separator
and decimal values overrule).

Any custom QAT entries stored in the Template are lost.

The Theme, Quick Style Set, Color set and Font Set are reset to the Word 2007 defaults.

The changes to style priorities and display.

Formatted autocorrect entries and pretty much anything stored in Normal is lost unless you pull it back in.

==========
<<"Tony Jollans" <My forename at my surname dot com> wrote in message Hi Bob,

What, exactly, is in Normal.dotm that is interface language-dependent? And,
if there is anything, then what is wrong with using locale-specific versions
and, on interface language change, reinstating the appropriate one if it
exists? And/or basing the new Normal it creates on the existing one?
Something like the way Building Blocks work - although there does seem to be
some confusion between interface language and document language there.

The way it works at the moment is destructive, which, in my book, is wrong.
It's from another discipline, but Hippocrates' injunction to "First, do no
harm" would seem to be appropriate.

--
Enjoy,
Tony >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Tony Jollans]

Thank you for that, Bob. I knew some of it, but not all. I guess none of
this is very important in Microsoft's eyes as few people will regularly
change interface language - it just doesn't seem to me that language issues
have been fully thought out.

Incidentally, if Claude is still watching, there is another thread in this
forum by NRCfrog dated 24/06/2008 at 04:32 - "Normal.dotm created
automatically" (see with no answers but a followup by the author
(which gives some
information on the subject. I haven't checked it out but it seems
believable.

--
Enjoy,
Tony

Hi Tony,

Well, I didn't say the way it's implemented is ideal <g> and yes it is
destructive.

Could it have been setup to have Normal.dot(m) stored in LCID/language
subfolders, probably or rename it to have the LCID as part of
the name when going to 'old' (i.e. Normal1033.dot(m), probably <g>, but it
doesn't appear to be what happens as the default.

The behavior to rewrite a new Normal.dot(m) when you change the *primary
editing language* for Word isn't new to Word 2007, although
the warning you get depends both on version and the Language Settings tool
you use.

For example, for Office 2003, using the downloadable
Microsoft Office Desktop Language Settings tool
the message you get when changing the primary editing language is

===============
"Changing the language defining default behavior for Microsoft Office
applications will result in loss of the following
customizations:
o Any changes made to the default blank document template
in Word (normal.dot) and Powerpoint (blank.pot) such
as additional macros, styles, etc.

o Preference settings

o Bullets and numbering customizations in Word

o Toolbar customizations
[Continue and lose customizations] [Cancel]"
============
While using the Language Settings tools in Office 2007 the message is:

"The primary editing language has been changed and will take effect the
next time you start your Microsoft Office programs. This
change may replace some of your Office customizations, such as preferred
fonts and tab stops in the blank document template. Do you
want to continue? [Yes] [No]."
=============

The change switches the registry value for 'InstallLanguage' (new choice)
and 'PreviousInstallLanguage' (last choice) in
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\LanguageResources

When you next start Word I'm guessing that it compares the LCID stored in
the Normal template to that registry value and when it
doesn't match it generates, in memory, default settings in memory from
within the Office program files, and immediately renames the
previous Normal.dot(m) to Normal.dot.old (only one backup level) (it
doesn't send the previous one to the recycle bin).

(Interestingly when Word starts it still creates lock files in the \1033
folder for Building blocks, even though it's no longer the
primary editing language)

At this point there isn't a Normal.dot(m) file, just Word using, probably
in memory only, the internal basics settings stored within
the Word program

The creation of the new Normal.dotm happens, it appears, when you close
Word. As you mentioned, changing the primary editing
language also causes some of the registry keys for settings and options to
be switched, including including, in Word options,
unchecking the Advance option 'Prompt before saving Normal template'.

When the new Normal.dotm is generated here are some of the things that
are stored (at least they're viewable as XML <g>) that changed. System
defaults are English(US) in this case.

\word\document.xml
Page Size Section Property: Changed from Letter to A4
(but margins stayed at 1")

\word\webSettings.xml
Customizations lost. Revert to installation defaults.

\word\Settings.xml
Default tab stops changed from .5" to .4917"
Theme Font Language property: from "en-US" to "fr-FR"

\word\styles.xml
Text Run language default changed from "en-US" to "fr-FR"

Those seem to be, on a quick look the things that actually reflect the new
choice of primary editing language at the cost of
basically you have a new 'vanilla' (reset) default value set for the
locale code picked as the primary editing language, (i.e.
internal default languages are stored as section properties in
Normal.dot(m)) except where system settings (such as list separator
and decimal values overrule).

Any custom QAT entries stored in the Template are lost.

The Theme, Quick Style Set, Color set and Font Set are reset to the Word
2007 defaults.

The changes to style priorities and display.

Formatted autocorrect entries and pretty much anything stored in Normal is
lost unless you pull it back in.

==========
<<"Tony Jollans" <My forename at my surname dot com> wrote in message
Hi Bob,

What, exactly, is in Normal.dotm that is interface language-dependent?
And,
if there is anything, then what is wrong with using locale-specific
versions
and, on interface language change, reinstating the appropriate one if it
exists? And/or basing the new Normal it creates on the existing one?
Something like the way Building Blocks work - although there does seem to
be
some confusion between interface language and document language there.

The way it works at the moment is destructive, which, in my book, is
wrong.
It's from another discipline, but Hippocrates' injunction to "First, do no
harm" would seem to be appropriate.

--
Enjoy,
Tony >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*