Hi there. I've been working at this for a while now and am at a roadblock. I've creating a fax cover page as a template so the users in our office simply have to find the template on the shared drive, fill in the variables and then can use it to send faxes. Once they fill out the form and on the chance the user wants to save it, how do I prevent them from saving over top of my template?
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preventing users from saving over Microsoft Word template form
- Thread starter Maya67
- Start date
That depends they understand how to use the template. I am going to presume that your file is saved as a DOT in Word 2003 or earlier. If you file is accessed by File>New then a copy of your template is used to create a new document. Your staff can fill in the blanks, print it and not bother saving. IF your file is accessed by File>OPEN then they are editing the template itself. Educating your staff on the correct way to create the cover letter is important.
Depending on how you created the letter itself and how your staff can “fill in the blanks” you could insert Text Form Fields for the variables. Then add section in the VBA to set the values of the form fields when it first opens (Document_New or Document_Open). You could then protect the document so that they don’t have access to any other part the document other than those fields.
Depending on how you created the letter itself and how your staff can “fill in the blanks” you could insert Text Form Fields for the variables. Then add section in the VBA to set the values of the form fields when it first opens (Document_New or Document_Open). You could then protect the document so that they don’t have access to any other part the document other than those fields.
- Thread starter
- #4
they get the document off of a shared drive. So unless their templates folder is pointed to the shared drive location, it's not going to come up as a template is my understanding. I guess what I'm trying to say is how do I create a form, put it out on the shared drive but I don't want the user to save over top of my original form.
- Thread starter
- #6
they get the document off of a shared drive. So unless their templates folder is pointed to the shared drive location, it's not going to come up as a template is my understanding. "
Your understanding is incorrect.
The use of templates has NOTHING to do with the templates folder, nor anything to do with it being on a shared drive.
A template can be anywhere, including a shared drive.
The real question is: how are they accessing it?
Are they using File > Open?
Are they using an icon on the desktop?
Are they using Explorer?
Depending on how they are accessing it, the bets way to solve this is, as has already been mentioned, use a REAL template (a DOT file). This can be anywhere (including a shared drive, which in fact is the best place). They use the template, and it clones itself into a new document leaving th eoriginal intact.
That is the whole point of templates. Users neevr open the original. The original can be locked using OS Permissions.
Gerry
Your understanding is incorrect.
The use of templates has NOTHING to do with the templates folder, nor anything to do with it being on a shared drive.
A template can be anywhere, including a shared drive.
The real question is: how are they accessing it?
Are they using File > Open?
Are they using an icon on the desktop?
Are they using Explorer?
Depending on how they are accessing it, the bets way to solve this is, as has already been mentioned, use a REAL template (a DOT file). This can be anywhere (including a shared drive, which in fact is the best place). They use the template, and it clones itself into a new document leaving th eoriginal intact.
That is the whole point of templates. Users neevr open the original. The original can be locked using OS Permissions.
Gerry
You are quite right Gerry but what are the further advantages of a template over a workbook that is marked read only in Windows explorer?
I am thinking that there may be different behaviours in terms of changing the current folder or additional features that can be employed.
Gavin
I am thinking that there may be different behaviours in terms of changing the current folder or additional features that can be employed.
Gavin
template over a workbook?
I do not understand the question. What workbook?
A .DOT file can be:
read-only
locked by OS Permissions
on a network drive
Thus, a user can invoke (call) it and it clones itself into a new document. The original is not touched, as it is never opened.
"so the users in our office simply have to find the template on the shared drive,"
This can still apply. They find the file (say using Explorer), double click it. The .DOT executes Document_New (the procedure fired when cloning a new document).
Document_New can do whatever you want it to do. It is a procedure like any other procedure.
I rarely, if ever, change the FileOpen folder. I have rarely ever seen an actualy need to do this. People change FileOpenDirectory all the time, but more often than not it is because of a misunderstanding.
As for additional features, you are going to have to state what those may be, as ALL features/functionalities are avilable.
Gerry
I do not understand the question. What workbook?
A .DOT file can be:
read-only
locked by OS Permissions
on a network drive
Thus, a user can invoke (call) it and it clones itself into a new document. The original is not touched, as it is never opened.
"so the users in our office simply have to find the template on the shared drive,"
This can still apply. They find the file (say using Explorer), double click it. The .DOT executes Document_New (the procedure fired when cloning a new document).
Document_New can do whatever you want it to do. It is a procedure like any other procedure.
I rarely, if ever, change the FileOpen folder. I have rarely ever seen an actualy need to do this. People change FileOpenDirectory all the time, but more often than not it is because of a misunderstanding.
As for additional features, you are going to have to state what those may be, as ALL features/functionalities are avilable.
Gerry
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