Hi Dave
There's one kind of file that Word recognizes as a template and (all other things being equal) it will have a .dot extension.
But, there are two quite different *functions* of a template. And (all other things being equal) where the template is located
determines how you and Word can use it.
First of all, a template is used as the basis for creating a new document. So, you might have a template called Report.dot. Every
month, you use this template as the basis from which to create a new monthly management report. So, it would be useful if this
template contained styles formatted as you need them for your monthly report. And, it would be good if this template had appropriate
margins, page numbers. If there are standard headings that you must use each month, then the headings could be included as text in
the template, so you don't have to re-type them every month. The template might store some AutoText entries so you could quickly add
common text to the report. If you got really fancy, you might even have a special toolbar in this template. Maybe the toolbar would
have buttons for your AutoText entries, or buttons for styles you want to use frequently in these monthly management reports.
So that's the first use of a template: as a basis from which to create a new document.
When you go to create a new document, you do File > New. If you have an old-ish version of Word, it will display a whole lot of
templates from which you can choose. If you have a newer version of Word, you have to go through the Task Pane on the right and
click on "On my computer" to see your list of templates. The templates that Word lists here are those found at the folder given at
Tools > Options > File Locations > User Templates and Workgroup Templates.
So, if you have a template and you want to use it as the basis for creating new documents, then store it in folder shown at Tools >
Options > File Locations at User Templates or Workgroup Templates.
Second, a "template" can function as a global template or an add-in. These *are* the same kinds of files (ie Word thinks they're
templates, and all other things being equal, they'll have a .dot extension). But they are *not* used as the basis for a new
document. Their purpose is to make functionality available to all the documents you may have open, regardless of the template from
which they were created. So, for example, if a global template or add-in is loaded, then any toolbar in that global template or
add-in is available to all the documents you have open.
You can store a global template more or less anywhere, and you can then load it by going Tools > Templates and Add-ins and clicking
the Add button. But if you had a global template that you wanted to load every time Word starts, then put it in the folder listed at
Tools > Options > File Locations > Start Up. Then, Word will load it every time Word starts.
For example, I have a whole lot of macros that I use on all kinds of documents. I stored them all in a file called STK_Global.dot.
And I saved that in my StartUp folder. So every time Word opens, that file loads and those macros, and the toolbars that hold
buttons that invoke those macros, become available to me.
But you can't (all other things being equal) use a global template or add-in as the basis for a new document.
Lastly, just when you thought this was all very clear-cut, a confusion arrives. Normal.dot, which Word creates when you first
install and run it, acts as *both* the basis for new documents *and* as a repository for functionality (eg toolbars, autotexts,
macros) that is available to all documents you're working on.
I've skipped some of the finer points, of course. But I hope this gives you a picture of how templates work.
Hope this helps.
Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word
Melbourne, Australia
