Suzanne, Indeed. The reason Eskimos are reputted to have seven different
names for "snow" is that there are seven significantly different
relationships to snow, for the eskimo.
I'm beginning to believe that "templates" covers an almost equal number of
significant differences with only one indistinct term: templates.
I used to create a boiler plate of text and save it in a file I would re-use
to cut down typing required... I called that a template at one time. The fill
in data was just missing. Nothing fancy. Later Satelite Software Inc produced
a word processor that would mail merge a list with a letter. The letter was
considered to be a template. The merge points were "fields." That seemed more
deserving of the term template.
MS Word seems to cover both of these and several other very distinct
techniques under an almost uselessly general term: templates. Thus, as you
point out, without specific instructions or technical inspection of a
template, being that it migh be any one of several very different things, it
is impossible to characterize a "template" operationally, or to provide "How
to use" instructions, because it is litterally impossible to know what is
being talked about.
I was interested in using the online Business letter templates, provided
through the Microsoft online mechanism.
Thank you for your patience and clarity. Being as their are "7" different
things a template can be, there are at least "7" very different sets of
instuctions relative to operating them. Getting an answer would require
knowing both which technology had been used, and how it had been implemented,
and the creators intention relative to use.
thanks. David
"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:
Yes, it is very difficult to get to the File New dialog in Word 2002/2003.
To do so, you must use File | New... and then select "On my computer" in
the New Document task pane. The article to which you refer was probably
written for Word 2000 or earlier, where File | New... took you straight to
the dialog (see http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/C...ngWord2002.htm
for instructions on regaining this functionality). In that dialog you can
create a new template.
But that is not what you're asking. If you will tell us exactly which
template you're using (give the URL from which you downloaded it), we can
tell you how it's supposed to be used. These templates are mostly provided
by third parties (not Microsoft) and use a variety of different formatting
options. Many templates use MacroButton NoMacro fields; these usually have
text such as [Type name here], and when you click on them, they are selected
and you overtype them. Other fields may be intended to be filled by a
UserForm (wizard) that runs when you create a new document based on the
template. But we don't have any way of knowing which of these techniques (or
some other) has been used unless we know which template you're talking
about.
--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
"TheWheel" wrote in message
...
To provide you with an example of what is not helpful... take the
following
linked document/instructions:
http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=22
I would copy and paste verbatim, but I think it may be protected...
(against
what I ask)
Open a blank template in Word by clicking File|New and be sure to choose
the
TEMPLATE option before you click OK.
Aside from the fact that there is no TEMPLATE option in Word 2003 
Do you understand at all? Not one entire instruction into the process, and
it does not work. It isn't even possible as written.
I'm getting an irritating right hand panel with many icons and links, even
headers and a search field, and nothing remotely resembling the ability to
"choose TEMPLATES" and certainly no OK Button.
So, for clarity, again, I would suggest to MICROSOFT that they make sure
available instructions actually are POSSIBLE to follow.
Hmmm. Is that really such a revolutionary idea?
David
"TheWheel" wrote:
Thank you to all in the chain.
However, I must assume I have been unclear.
I wish to use a pre-existing, Microsoft provided template, obtained
through
the "live" link to templates from inside Word 2003.
By "use" I mean to understand the significance of areas that are "gray"
and
appear to be fields for input of my information.
I asked several very specific and very mechanical questions concerning
whether these "gray" spots are intended only to be "overstriken" and
obliterated, or whether there may be some slightly more sufisticated
manner
available to obtain "replacements" of those values.
For all the effort Microsoft help demonstrates, and the efforts of the
good
people above in this thread, I do not see anything addressing these very
straightforward mechanical questions.
I am starting to suspect that Instead of using all caps for CLIENT NAME
and
just typing over it, some people use macrobuttons, not to run macros at
all,
but simply to be obliterated by typing over them. Seems like a gross
waste of
horsepower. Of course, this really doesn't address the order of
operations
required to change a document rather than the template when doing so.
If I were addressing Microsoft (do "they" listen?) I would suggest that
every help topic be reviewed with respect to: Why does one want to do
this?
What other alternatives are there? From the beginning, what is done? And
avoid generalities in the instructions portion of the help. Exemplify by
picking an instance and making an example of it.
Thanks for all your efforts, and any future comments you may wish to
make.
-- David
"Shauna Kelly" wrote:
Hi Wheel
To add to what JoAnn and Charles said, it's worth bearing in mind that
people create templates for different reasons. When you create a new
document from a template, you'll see quite different things depending
on
what the template creator had in mind. Here are some examples:
1. A template might be created to help people use appropriate
formatting.
When you create a new document from the template, the body of the
document
might be completely empty. You can just type the text you choose.
Businesses
create templates like this to help you use the standard formatting the
business has chosen. So when you apply, say, the Heading 1 style,
Heading 1
might be defined as blue Arial 16pt. In a different template, Heading
1
might be green Times New Roman 18pt.
Some templates like this have additional toolbars to help you insert
standard pieces of text, or to apply styles (like Heading 1) easily,
or to
provide extra functionality to Word.
2. A template might be set up to help you lay out a complex document.
A
template for a newsletter or flyer might be like this. It may be laid
out in
columns, it might have a banner on the front with place for a logo.
3. A template might be set up as a form, for example an Application
for
Leave form. So the template will include text (like "Name") and a
place for
you to type your name. Some form-type templates are simple forms where
you
type where indicated. Some might be partly protected so the template
will
only allow you to type in the right places. Some can be quite
sophisticated.
For example, when you type your name, the template might look up your
name
in a database, find your supervisor's name and automatically add the
supervisor's name to the document.
4. Other templates are designed to give you standard text as a
starting
point for your document. In a business, you might have a standard
contract
for buying goods and services. The template would hold all the
required text
of the contract, perhaps dozens of pages of text. It may have places
for you
to type the name of the supplier, the price and so on. Templates like
this
may or may not care much about formatting or layout.
5. Some templates use a wizard. When you create a new document from
this
kind of template, a wizard opens that asks you for information, and
then
puts the information into the new document. There are some built-in
wizards
in Word. Try File New. In the Task pane at the right, click On My
Computer. Now, on the Other Documents tab, click the Calendar Wizard,
and
then click OK.
There are several templates built in to Word (which you can access
through
File New and "On my computer"). You can download templates from
Microsoft
at http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/te...323741033.aspx.
And, of
course, you can create your own templates.
Hope this helps.
Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word
"TheWheel" wrote in message
...
Nothing I've seen starts at the begining and moves forward!
Simple! How do you use a template?
File Projects My Templates?
THEN WHAT?
Are there ANY fields, or do I just type stuff on?
If I need additional sets of things, what do I do? Just type them
in, or
copy and paste the template lines?
How should I replace the template text? Search and replace?
Highlight and
Type? Type and delete?
How how how!