[Razberri]

I need to generate a template for complex (lengthy) reports that are customisable to the work department and to different types of projects.

For example:
We have departments A, B and C, which report on similar, but different topics.
Each of these sections then writes a report. Each of the three reports need to be consistent, and they are sometimes combined into one master report.
Each report can be of 3 or 4 different detail levels (level 1, level 2, etc) which relate to how much information is contained in the report on what results are being reported on.
Each report has certain common section and often identical text, at least partially. Then sections are customised depending on the department and level of the report.

I hop that makes sense... I'm trying to ensure consistency and compatability between all final reports. What I would like to achieve, is to have one master template, for all possible reporting oustcomes, that is then customisable per department and per detail level.

Ie. When starting a report you would open the master template. Then you would select the type of report you are creating. The template would then filter for you the relevant default text and sections, which you could then start customising and editing as you please, without affecting the main template.

The idea behind this, is so that it is easy to carry out changes to the main template. So that if you add a sentence to say, the introduction, that sentence is added to ALL reports, regardless of whether they are a department A level 2 or a department B level 1 report.

Is there a way to achieve this using macros or some other function?
We are currently using Word 2003, soon to update to Word 2010.

Thanks

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

One feature/function you'll want to explore is building blocks (Quick
Parts). These are sort of like AutoText on steroids. You can still use
ordinary AutoText entries in 2010 templates, but you can also create
building blocks that are much more elaborate. Some of these are inserted
from galleries of cover pages, TOCs, headers/footers, and other document
parts, and some are just ordinary AutoText. You can also create custom text
boxes, but they are not, for some reason, considered building blocks.
Building blocks share the drawback of AutoText that they cannot be directly
edited; you have to insert the entry, modify it, and then resave it under
the same name.

You may also want to incorporate a userform to make it easier to insert
specific elements. And you might also want to investigate the use of
IncludeText fields.

A few articles you might want to look at:

http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Word2007_B...&_AutoText.htm

http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Create_and...a_UserForm.htm

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFm...textfields.htm

If you decide that all of this is too much for you to produce on your own,
you might look at the DataPrompter add-in
(http://www.wordsite.com/products/dpdas.htm), which makes it easy to create
automated documents with userforms and building blocks.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Razberri" wrote in message
...

I need to generate a template for complex (lengthy) reports that are
customisable to the work department and to different types of projects.

For example:
We have departments A, B and C, which report on similar, but different
topics.
Each of these sections then writes a report. Each of the three reports
need to be consistent, and they are sometimes combined into one master
report.
Each report can be of 3 or 4 different detail levels (level 1, level 2,
etc) which relate to how much information is contained in the report on
what results are being reported on.
Each report has certain common section and often identical text, at
least partially. Then sections are customised depending on the
department and level of the report.

I hop that makes sense... I'm trying to ensure consistency and
compatability between all final reports. What I would like to achieve,
is to have one master template, for all possible reporting oustcomes,
that is then customisable per department and per detail level.

Ie. When starting a report you would open the master template. Then you
would select the type of report you are creating. The template would
then filter for you the relevant default text and sections, which you
could then start customising and editing as you please, without
affecting the main template.

The idea behind this, is so that it is easy to carry out changes to the
main template. So that if you add a sentence to say, the introduction,
that sentence is added to ALL reports, regardless of whether they are a
department A level 2 or a department B level 1 report.

Is there a way to achieve this using macros or some other function?
We are currently using Word 2003, soon to update to Word 2010.

Thanks




--
Razberri

[Razberri]

Thanks Suzanne! A lot for me to look up and absorb there!

Main issue I see now is I need something that is then easy to edit in the document. Each of the template sections are pre-written but might need adapting on a case by case scenario. This needs to be super easy and quick to do.

Also I had a think about using form features but I just didn't see a practical and user-freindly way of incorporating them to suit my purposes.

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Don't confuse a UserForm with legacy form fields or even content controls.
If you have ever used one of Word's "wizards" to create a document, you've
used a UserForm. It basically asks questions or presents choices, and the
document is built on the basis of your input.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Razberri" wrote in message
...

Thanks Suzanne! A lot for me to look up and absorb there!

Main issue I see now is I need something that is then easy to edit in
the document. Each of the template sections are pre-written but might
need adapting on a case by case scenario. This needs to be super easy
and quick to do.

Also I had a think about using form features but I just didn't see a
practical and user-freindly way of incorporating them to suit my
purposes.




--
Razberri