I've been working on this for a number of years. There is no "best" way but
there are several ways.
Method 1
If you don't care about having old documents change when you update the
letterhead, I would suggest putting the letterhead into an AutoText entry
and then using an AutoText field for that entry in your header. To change
your letterhead in all your templates and in existing documents created from
templates which uses such a field, you merely change the AutoText entry.
That entry can be stored in a global template which is in each user's Word
startup folder.
Problems with method 1
I prefer to have a document I did 6 months ago be the same on my computer as
its printed version and so do not use this method. Method 1 does not update
styles, which are the preferred method of formatting everything in a
template.
I am currently using two methods (and shifting my templates gradually to the
second method). Both involve marking the letterhead text with bookmarks in
my templates and using macros to copy in the latest version of the
letterhead when a new letter is created based upon a template.
Method 2 - LetterheadParts.doc
I have a document stored in a folder named "Parts" in the Workgroup
templates folder. This folder contains no templates and so does not show up
as a tab under File => New. The document is named "LetterheadParts.doc." It
contains the letterhead, formatted using styles, as well as all styles used
in any letter templates. The letterhead is marked with a bookmark. An
AutoNew macro in form letter templates (which contain no letterhead of their
own) copies that letterhead into a new document based upon one of the
templates.
If I change the letterhead in LetterParts.doc, that change is automatically
reflected in any new documents. The AutoNew macro also copies letter and
letterhead styles into the new letter, so I can update any general styles in
that one location as well. LetterheadParts.doc also contains footers and
various continuation headers which can be used in different documents. These
are also bookmarked and copied by the AutoNew macro. LetterheadParts.doc has
explanations of what each bookmarked area in the document is, gives the
bookmark names, and warns about deletion of bookmarks in editing.
This works pretty well but I think Method 3 is even better.
Method 3
I have a basic letterhead template that I use for producing letters. It has
a UserForm which pops up and requests the name of the addressee, etc. It
also has a button that lets the user grab that address information from a
previous letter based on the template or one of its derivative templates.
The headers and footers in that template are bookmarked. It also contains a
document variable which is the name of the template, this is key.
Any new letter form templates I create (and slowly older templates are being
retrofitted) starts out as this template which I open and Save As to a new
name to create the new template. This base template is stored in the
"Letters & Faxes" folder of the Workgroup Templates folder. Derivative
templates will have the same document variable (with the original template's
name).
The AutoNew macro compares the document variable to the name of the attached
template to ascertain whether this is the original template or a derivative
template. If it is the original template, the macro simply opens the
UserForm. If it is not the original template, the AutoNew macro:
1) copies the letterhead and other headers/footers from the original to the
new document using bookmarks in both the original and the derivative,
2) displays the UserForm, and
3) after the UserForm is displayed either executed or cancelled, attaches
the original template to the document as the attached template and updates
all styles and then breaks the style update link.
Thus, any changes made in the letterhead or styles of the base template are
used in any new documents created using any derivative templates.
Advantages / differences using Method 3.
I don't have to name the styles being updated in the AutoNew procedure, all
styles in the base template will override those in derivative templates.
NOTE: This means that no one should lightly change those styles. Styles that
I want to be special for specific templates are given different names and
may or may not be based on styles that are in the letterhead. That way,
those styles are not overridden.
It is easier to understand changing the letterhead in your basic letter
template than it is to understand changing it in some document that is never
seen.
Note that from the time the AutoNew macro finishes, under Method 3 the
attached template is the base letterhead template regardless of what
template was originally used. This limits use of template-specific interface
modifications.
This method makes it easy to have multiple letterheads on the same computer.
Further, if I want to copy a form letter from one letterhead to another, I
can simply change the name of the base letterhead (in the document variable)
in a copy of the template.
Going further:
Actually, in each case, the AutoNew macro in the letterhead template (and
derivatives) in both Method 2 and Method 3 calls one or more macros in a
global letterhead template. That way, I can make changes to those macros and
automatically update all of the calling templates. I have different macros
because in some situations I don't want the continuation page headers
updated, I have information specific to that form letter in the continuation
header. Also, I have base AutoNew procedures which copy styles rather than
attaching the original template because I do want to keep using custom
toolbars or key bindings found in the derivative template.
In both Method 1 & Method 2 the macros find and use the location of the
Workgroup Templates folder as a base for finding either the
LetterheadParts.doc or the base template. That way, when these are moved or
changed, the changes are reflected automatically in the macros.
In Method 3 it would be relatively easy to copy and update the UserForm as
well. I probably will do this at some time in the future (or put the
UserForm in my global).
The base letterhead in Method 3 has specific styles for different parts of
the letter. Many of these have MacroButton fields to prompt for user input.
If the UserForm is cancelled, these remain as prompts. If it is used to
address the letter, many of the prompts are overwritten by the information
from the UserForm. Generally I find these locations in the letter for
writing (and overwriting the prompts) by finding the styles rather than
using bookmarks.
This is probably a longer explanation than you really wanted, as this is not
the easiest thing to do. Hope it helps,
--
Charles Kenyon
Word New User FAQ & Web Directory:
<URL:
http://addbalance.com/word/index.htm>
Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide)
<URL:
http://addbalance.com/usersguide/index.htm>
See also the MVP FAQ: <URL:
http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
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