Using templates relative to workstation

[Guest]

Hi all, needing help.

We have a template at our Institution which I set up (Word 2003).

If staff use the template, then give the doc file they created from that
template to another staff member for them to change the content etc, the
document loses all the macros/auto text entries from the original.

The staff member was then, therefore, required to find the template on their
computer, under their workstation profile, to be able to use the macros/auto
text. It seems that each staff memeber needs to have the template in the
EXACT same place on their machine, the same place where the original staff
member set up their template, otherwise Word cannot find the template as the
path file name is absolute. Being that each staff member signs in to their
workstation under their username (ie JoeBloggs), Word is searching for the
absolute path for that user profile when a different staff memeber (ie
JaneDoe) opens their document.

This is happening far too often, with staff getting increasingly frustrated.
I wondering is there anyway to automatically attach/embed a template with the
doc so all the macros etc work on another staff member's computer without
having to go through all those steps? Or, is there another solution which
someone can offer..?

 

[Guest]

GDM:

First of all, while macros can be stored in a document, autotext can only be
stored in a template. It really is best not to try to put everything in the
document if you can avoid it.

You can put the common templates on a server, and Word will find them if
your users set the correct path in Tools > Options > File Locations >
Workgroup Templates.

We take a less sophisticated approach. We get our users to change their User
Templates path to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates. Since the path
is the same on all machines, the documents can always find the templates.

The downside to this approach is that we have to manually update the
templates when they change. (We put them up on our LAN and send an e-mail
advising the users to download them. But you can have them "pushed" onto the
users' machines if you know how. I don't.)

Bear

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi =?Utf-8?B?bW1tbWFyY3Vz?=,

We have a template at our Institution which I set up (Word 2003).

If staff use the template, then give the doc file they created from that
template to another staff member for them to change the content etc, the
document loses all the macros/auto text entries from the original.

If you look in Word's Tools/Options/File locations dialog box you'll see an
entry for "Workgroup templates". You can set this to anything you like (and if
you have an IT department + network the IT folks can make this setting using a
system policy in the Registry - they should check the ORK). It can be a folder
in a location everyone agrees to create on their machine. Or it can be a network
folder you all share. Whatever works out best for you.

That will leave the "user templates" folder in the individual locations as you
now have them.

The staff member was then, therefore, required to find the template on their
computer, under their workstation profile, to be able to use the macros/auto
text. It seems that each staff memeber needs to have the template in the
EXACT same place on their machine, the same place where the original staff
member set up their template, otherwise Word cannot find the template as the
path file name is absolute. Being that each staff member signs in to their
workstation under their username (ie JoeBloggs), Word is searching for the
absolute path for that user profile when a different staff memeber (ie
JaneDoe) opens their document.

This is happening far too often, with staff getting increasingly frustrated.
I wondering is there anyway to automatically attach/embed a template with the
doc so all the macros etc work on another staff member's computer without
having to go through all those steps? Or, is there another solution which
someone can offer..?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Guest]

Ah yes!! Thanks peeps!!!! You rock!!