Problem with Normal.dot

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dudley Wright
  • Start date Start date
D

Dudley Wright

Using Windows 2000 and Office 2002.
In Word, we save approximately 25 items, some are two or three
paragraphs, as Autotext for our sales people to insert into sales
contracts. This is done this way to ensure uniformity to additions to
the standard contract.
I just replaced the normal template on one of these machines, into
C:\Documents and Setting\username\Application
Data\Microsoft\Templates. When the user goes into Autotext from the
Insert menu, the Normal entry on the submenu does not appear. Thus
she can not include the contract additions she needs to choose.
I opened the Normal file directly, which I tell our users to never do,
and all those Autotext entries were there. Restarting the computer
was tried, to no avail. I have never seen this before.
Any suggestions will be gratefully received.
Dudley
 
Are you sure that the folder you quoted is the correct location for
normal.dot on that machine? Check tools > options > file locations.
In any case messing with users' normal.dot files is not the way forwards and
will irritate the hell out of your more experienced users. Expect to find
rude words written in screwdriver down the side of your car!

Create a template for use as an add-in containing the autotexts - or better
still put them in the sales contract document template.

Autotexts are saved under the menu entry for the paragraph style which
applied when you saved them. They will be in 'normal' if that style is
normal. If the style at the cursor is normal the list of those normal styles
autotexts will display automatically.


--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>>< ><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
E-mail (e-mail address removed)
Web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site www.mvps.org/word
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>>< ><<>
 
Windows 2000 is a user-based OS, so each user has their own profile and thus
their own normal.dot. What you are trying to do is the hard way to
distribute customisations. What you need to do is create a 'Group Template'
and copy all the customisations across using the Organiser. This can be
Macros, AutoText, Toolbars, Styles, etc. Then once you have the great
template ready, place it somewhere special on the server - a folder called
Startup would be logical. Send an email to all the users to go to Word,
Tools, Options, File Locations Tab, select the Startup Location and Edit the
path to point at the Folder where you placed the Group Template. Make sure
that you use UNC paths and not mapped drives.

--
Terry Farrell - Word MVP
http://word.mvps.org/

Keeping users up to date is simple because you can edit your own local
master copy of the Group Template and when it is ready, simply substitute it
for the version on the server. When users next open Word, they will get the
new changes.
: Using Windows 2000 and Office 2002.
: In Word, we save approximately 25 items, some are two or three
: paragraphs, as Autotext for our sales people to insert into sales
: contracts. This is done this way to ensure uniformity to additions to
: the standard contract.
: I just replaced the normal template on one of these machines, into
: C:\Documents and Setting\username\Application
: Data\Microsoft\Templates. When the user goes into Autotext from the
: Insert menu, the Normal entry on the submenu does not appear. Thus
: she can not include the contract additions she needs to choose.
: I opened the Normal file directly, which I tell our users to never do,
: and all those Autotext entries were there. Restarting the computer
: was tried, to no avail. I have never seen this before.
: Any suggestions will be gratefully received.
: Dudley
 
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