open Template directory

[GettinBi]

We have a great number of templates in Word stored in 30 separate directories in our Workgroup section, so it's often a number of steps to find the template we're looking for.

It's fairly easy to open individual templates with toolbar shortcuts, but I would like to be able to open a directory and have the user choose the actual template they want to use. So I basically want to program File, New, subdirectory, pause for user input, or quit leaving the diretory open.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

 

[mintjulep]

If you look at Tools | Options | File Locations

you will find the ability to point Word to a single directory for workgroup templates.

You could (should) consolidate all of your templates in a single directory, and point everyones' Word to it.

Alternately, you could place shortcuts to all the templates into that single directory.

 

[tf1]

Have these templates been installed in a Workgroup folder on the server and you have changed the location of the Workgroup folder to point to that folder in Word (Tools, Options, File Locations tab). In which case, when a user uses File, New to open the template dialog, it will have a series of tabs along the top matching the sub-folder names inside the Workgroup folder.

Is that insufficient for the users to be able to find the templates?

If a particular users always uses one of the workgroup sub-folders, then simply add the shortcut to the user's places bar in the File Open dialog or point the workgroup folder to that sub-folder rather then the Workgroup Folder.

Of course, how will depend on which version of Word you are using.


Regards: tf1

 

[GettinBi]

We have over 500 Word templates in the Workgroup directory that you've described and over 20 directories to help sort them. We've added an ! to the beginning of the most used directories to help sort them to the top.

But for many of the templates you have to select File, New, On my computer, other, browse to the directory and then select the template.

I'm working with office 2003, and anything to make it faster/easier for the endusers...

Thanks, tf1, I'll have to research the users places bar, I don't know that one, it may help.

 

[tf1]

Note that in WOrd 2003, the traditional File New Dialog is still available but nicely hidden because everyone is suppose to love the Task Panes. If you edit a Toolbar, you can add the original File New command to one of the regular toolbars so that users can get to the template dialog with a single click.

You can help reduce the number of tabs displaid across the top of the dialog by uininstalling all the totally useless Microsoft templates (presuming you did a default installation and have them all there) which will help clear up some of the clutter. Then prioritise the tabs by numbering the sub-folders in the Workgroup folder on the server.

How you organise your template folders depends on your business, but we mostly find it useful to create 'top folders' for each department and point each department to their specific Workgroup folder. It may mean that some of the templates will be common across several of the Workgroup folders, but this can be achieved by putting shortcuts in the additional folders.


Regards: tf1