Master slide

[KC]

PP 2007 - View Master

I change the positioning of the header in the top-level slide master...
shouldn't all the dependent master slides follow and reposition their
header(s) accordingly?

 

[KC]

More information:

The header on one slide master won't reposition after changing the top-level
master. The font type and size follow, but not resizing and positioning.

 

[Luc]

KC,
That would be the title slide layout, that is normal behaviour. Placeholders
in title slides are always centered. And remain so, unless you edit the
layout individually.
See here:
http://www.echosvoice.com/2007/editinglayouts.htm

 

[KC]

Good point, and good URL, but I did some work to further clarify my problem
description.

Just a few steps will demo the issue of layouts following master. (this is
PP 2007, but it works similarly in 2003 I think)

1- Create a new presentation
2- View the Slide Master
3- Select the top-level master slide
4- Reposition or Resize the placeholder for the body text. Note (in the
slide pane) that several individual slide layouts immediately mirror the
change made to the body-text placeholder in the top-level master.

NOW, let's *break* one of those individual slide layouts which are
subserviant to the top-level master:

5- Select any of the affected individual slide layouts whose placeholder
follows the top-level master
6 - Resize or reposition the placeholder in that individual slide layout.
7 - Now, resizing or repositioning the top-level slide master body-text
placeholder will have no effect on the placeholder modified in step 6.

So far, this is all as it should be and exactly mirrors the way powerpoint
slides follow layouts. Modifications to a placeholder in an individual
slide (not it's master or layout), will retain those modifications, even if
the associated layout or master is changed. Put another way, author
modifications to a slide layout are retained even if the master is modified.

Stay with the PP slide for a moment, if I want to restore the individual
slide to follow changes to the slide master (or layout), there is a *Reset*
button on the PP2007 ribbon. Clicking this button removes the authors
modifications to the slide placeholders so the slide will follow the master
/ layout once again.

The problem is that I can find no similar *Reset* for layouts in the View
Master once a modification to a layout's placeholder is made. There's got
to be a *Reset* so the layout will follow the master, but I can't find it.

 

[Echo S]

You're exactly right in your description of how this all works.

You're also right that there's not a "reset" option in the Master view.

The "reset," as you know, resets a slide to its master's specifications. But
it's not available for the slide masters, because, I guess, there's no
master to reset the master to.

I would guess this was an oversight by the development team, but it may have
been "by design" -- that is, for a reason. One workaround, though, is to
insert a new slide master and move (drag) the layouts up into the layout
list for the original master. Alternatively, insert a new master, then use
the format painter to apply formatting quickly -- to various objects and to
the slide in general. (You can format paint from one slide master thumbnail
to another to get some of the basics, then you have to do it to specific
objects to get the specifics.)

I know this isn't ideal. I'll report your "missing reset button in slide
master view" issue, because I definitely agree this should be available.

 

[Luc]

KC,
I see what you mean, there is no reset I know of in the master view.
The only thing that seems to work is to delete the placeholder altogether
from the top-level master, then re-insert it using the Master Layout button
in the Master layout group. Unfortunately the related slide layouts do not
change with it.

Also, if you insert a new master, it seems you can drag the slide layout
from that new master on top of old one thus replacing the existing.

I am curious if someone else will have a better suggestion on how to reset,
if at all possible.

 

[KC]

One workaround, though, is to insert a new slide master and move (drag)

the layouts up into the layout list for the original master.

Thanks. This I understand and tested. It works great. Thanks again.

Alternatively, insert a new master, then use the format painter to apply
formatting quickly -- to various objects and to the slide in general.

I've never used the format painter before now, but I read up on it and gave
it a try to solve this problem. I didn't get the desired result of the
layout's body-text placeholder following the size and shape of the master's
body-text placeholder. Format painter does work against the text in the
object, but it doesn't seem to do what I want when applied apply against the
placeholder object:

- Size and position are not affected...
- Font Size and Type are applied to all levels of text indentation based
upon the source object's least-indented level. (BAD !)

 

[KC]

The only thing that seems to work is to delete the placeholder altogether

from the top-level master, then re-insert it using the Master Layout
button in the Master layout group. Unfortunately the related slide layouts
do not change with it.

This could be dangerous if a user tried this on an active presentation.
Better to do on a blank presentation.

Also, if you insert a new master, it seems you can drag the slide layout
from that new master on top of old one thus replacing the existing.

I couldn't get the slide layout to replace the old one with drag-drop (it
will insert the new layout, but won't delete the existing layout).

 

[KC]

One workaround, though, is to insert a new slide master and move (drag)

the layouts up into the layout list for the original master.

This works, but there another problem remains.

I've got say 20 slides that are following the *bad* layout that I would like
to modify to follow the *reset* layout. Is there a quick way to do this in
the master slide view or must I find and modify each of the 20 slides?

 

[Echo S]

- Size and position are not affected...
- Font Size and Type are applied to all levels of text indentation based
upon the source object's least-indented level. (BAD !)

Right. Size and position are not affected. You'd still have to correct
those. I was just thinking of it as a quick way to get some of the font
formatting taken care of quickly.

 

[Echo S]

This works, but there another problem remains.

I've got say 20 slides that are following the *bad* layout that I would
like to modify to follow the *reset* layout. Is there a quick way to do
this in the master slide view or must I find and modify each of the 20
slides?

No quick way for this that I'm aware of, sorry.

If you need to modify position of an element on the "bad" layouts, you might
check into the Hammer (Place Exactly) tool on the free RnR Starter Set
add-in. http://www.pptools.com/starterset/index.html