Section 20.2. Designing Document Templates | Word 2007[c] The Missing Manual

20.2. Designing Document Templates

A template is a special type of document that's used to create new documents. For example, if you write memos as part of your daily work, you can create a memo template customized to your needs. That way, instead of creating a new memo from scratch, you can open a new document that's based on the memo template.

Like all templates, your memo template can include the following elements:

Boilerplate text . Every memo has the same text such as Memo to, From, Date, and Re. You can store text that's used in every memo, so you never have to type it again.
Pictures and graphics . You can include a company logo in the letterhead along with the address, phone number, and other contact details.
Styles, themes, and formatting . Many documents, such as memos, use specific and sometimes complex paragraph styles, margins, indents, and other formatting magic.
Headers and footers . No need to mess with choosing and customizing headers and footers for memos. Save header and footer details in the template, and never worry about them again.
AutoText . The AutoText entries you save in the memo template are available whenever you create a memo.
Content controls, macros, and fields . More complicated templates can include automation elements, like a date picker or a macro.

Note: This section explains how to create and modify templates. The details for using templates to create a new document are in Section 5.2.1.

In the next few sections, you create a memo template that you can modify and use for any number of purposes. This example is lengthy, but if you follow all the steps, you learn lots of helpful tips and techniques along the way. You add the boilerplate text that should appear in every document generated from the template, plus some content controls (Section 14.2) to save even more typing. You also create a letterhead complete with a graphic logo. Finally, you add a header (using content controls and fields) to automatically provide the pertinent information at the top of each page.

20.2.1. Saving a Word Document As a Template

The first step in creating a template is as simple as saving a document. Word lets you save any document as a template, so you can create templates by starting from scratch or by modifying existing documents. For example, to create a memo template, you can:

Start from scratch . You can open a blank document with Office New Blank document, and then add the boilerplate text, paragraph styles, and all the other elements you want stored in your memo template.
Use an existing memo document . If you already have a memo document stored on your computer, you can save some time starting with your existing memo. Remove all the text that's specific to a single memo, but leave the boilerplate text.
Modify one of Word's templates . If you don't have a particular memo style in mind, you may want to use one of the many memo templates that Word provides. You can change the template by adding your own logo, letterhead, and AutoText entries.

Once you've opened the document you want to start from, save it as a template file:

Go to Office Save As Word Template or press Alt+F, FT (Figure 20-9) .

The Save As box opens with the "Save as type" drop-down menu already set to Word Template (*.dotx).
Navigate to the folder where you want to save your template .

Since you're creating this template yourself, you probably want to save it in your Trusted Template folders, which is C:\Document and Settings\[Your name ]\Templates . Templates stored in this folder are easily available when you create a new document using Office button New or Alt+F, N.
Click Save to save the template file and close the Save As box .

Figure 20-9. You can save any document as a template simply by choosing Word Template from the Save As menu.

20.2.2. Setting Up the Template Document

The Word settings described in Chapter 3 affect the document as a wholemargins, theme, and so on. Document settings are a big part of template formatting, because you want them to be the same for every document you create from the template. In designing your memo template, you'll get them out of the way first.

Choose Office New (or use Alt+F, N) to open the New Document box, and then, in the top row of the box, double-click the Blank document icon .

A new blank document opens in Word.
Go to Page Layout Page Setup Margins, and then choose Normal from the Margins menu .

The Normal option sets the top, bottom, left, and right margins to one inch. The Margins menu shows several preset margins. If you don't like any of the options shown, click Custom Margins at the bottom of the menu, and then use the box to set your own margins.
Choose Page Layout Themes Themes (or Alt+P, TH) to open the Themes menu, and then select the Equity theme .

The Equity theme sets colors for text, background, and highlights. This theme uses the Perpetua font for body text and Franklin Gothic Book for headings. Last, and perhaps least, the theme selects the Equity effects for your memo template.

20.2.3. Adding Boilerplate Text

Boilerplate refers to any text that you use over and over in multiple documents. In the precomputer days, printers put boilerplate text on sturdy metal plates, because it never changed. In Word, things are easier: You can create text that appears exactly the same in every memo simply by typing it into a template (.dotx) document. (And, as an added benefit, you can change it later.)

At the top of your document page, type Memo to :.

You're making "Memo to:" boilerplate text so you don't have to retype it every time you write a memo.
Use the horizontal ruler to create a hanging indent for the "Memo to:" line .

If the horizontal ruler isn't showing at the top of your document, click the View Ruler button above the scroll bar at right. Drag the hanging indent marker (the bottom triangle) to the one-inch mark on the ruler, as shown in Figure 20-10. With the hanging indent, the words "Memo to:" will extend further left than other text, catching the reader's eye. If you add multiple recipients, they'll line up neatly under the first one.

Figure 20-10. The memo template uses a hanging indent for the "Memo to:" line. The arrow in this figure points to the hanging indent marker on the ruler.
In the right margin next to "Memo to:", double-click to select the entire paragraph. Then use the keyboard shortcut Alt+H, LQ to save the formatting as a paragraph style with the name Hanging .

The Create New Style from Formatting box opens.
Type Hanging in the Name text box .

Word saves new styles in the template, so they're available to any document that uses the template. That way, you can always add more lines under "Memo to:" that align with the same hanging indent ("Subject:" for example).
On new lines, add boilerplate text for the From:, Date:, and Re: lines that make up the top section for each of your memos, as shown in Figure 20-10 .

As you hit Enter to create new lines, Word continues to use the Hanging style for new paragraphs.

20.2.4. Adding Content Controls

The whole point of spending time upfront to create a template is so that you save time later. If most (if not all) of your memo recipients are the same group of coworkers, why spend time typing their names over and over when you can just type them once? You can use a Word content control (Section 14.2) to create a drop-down menu of the names you use most often. You can also use the Date Picker content control to make sure the date gets typed accurately every time.

By adding content controls, you can make the template more useful to others as well as yourself. In this example, you'll see how easy it is to have Word automatically fill in the "From:" line with the name of whoever's using the template. If you make a template like this and distribute it around the office, you may even get a promotion! (Well, you can always hope.) Content controls are also useful if your company wants to create a document database that keeps track of memo subjects, authors, and recipients.

Content controls are like the drop-down menus and text boxes you use when you fill out a form on a Web site. Word makes it easy to create your own, but if you've never used them before, you may want to review Chapter 14 before you follow these steps:

Click the end of the "Memo to:" line, and then press Tab to move the insertion point to the hanging indent position. Then, go to Developer Controls Text (or Alt+L, E) to insert a plain Text content control .

The plain Text content control appears on the "Memo to:" line. (Make sure you don't use the Rich Text control.) This control will hold the names of the memo's recipients.
On the "Memo to:" line, select the text content control, and then choose Developer Controls Properties (or press Alt+L, L) .

The Content Control Properties box for this Text control opens.

Change the settings in the Content Control Properties box to match Figure 20-11 .

Type Memo to in the Title and Tag text boxes at the top of the Content Control Properties box. Turn on the "Use a style to format contents" checkbox, and then choose Hanging from the Style drop-down menu.

At the bottom of the box, under the Plain Text Properties heading, turn on "Allow carriage returns (multiple paragraphs)." This option lets you enter the names of different recipients on separate lines. Word will store all the recipients' names in the content control. Click OK when you're done.

Figure 20-11. The properties for the "Memo to" content control are set to provide a title and a tag. The Hanging style formats the contents of the control, and the Text content control allows multiple paragraphs.

Go to Developer Controls Design Mode (or Alt+L, DM) to switch to Design Mode .

The tabs around the content controls change, indicating you're in Design Mode. In the next step, you change the prompt text that appears in the "Memo to" content control.

Note: You have to switch to Design Mode before you change the prompt. Otherwise, if you just type new words in the content control, you're not changing the prompt; you're changing the contents of the "Memo to" control.
Select the text in the "Memo to" content control, and then type Click here to enter recipients .

This text will appear on the "Memo to" line in your template before you (or anyone using this template) types into it. You're making your template more foolproof by providing prompts that tell people exactly what to do.
On the "From:" line, insert a tab, and then use Insert Text Quick Parts Document Property Author to insert the Author document property .

You can also use the keyboard shortcut Alt+N, QD to open the document properties menu.

Back in your template document, your name appears on the "From:" line. Word gets this information from the Word Options box. If you share this template with others, their names will automatically show up instead.

Tip: If your name doesn't appear, go to Office Word Options and click the Popular button on the left. Make sure the User Name text box near the bottom of the box is filled in.

On the "Date:" line of the memo, insert a tab, and then choose Developer Controls Date Picker .

The Date Picker control appears in your memo template, displaying the words "Click here to enter a date."
On the "Date:" line of the memo, select the date picker, and then choose Developer Controls Properties .

The Properties box for the Date Picker control opens.
Type Memo date in the Title box and in the Tag box. Then, in the "Display the date like this" box, choose the third option that shows a format similar to January 1, 2007 .

When you're done, the box should look like Figure 20-12. Click OK.
On the "Re:" line of the memo, insert a tab, and then choose Insert Text Quick Parts Document Property Subject to insert a content control showing the Subject document property .

Like the Author property, the Subject property is one of the standard document properties that you can view using the Office Prepare Properties command (or Alt+F, EP).

The text in the Subject content control simply reads "subject." The template will be clearer for newcomers if the content control explains what to do.
Select the text in the Subject content control, and then type Click here to enter a subject .

The new prompt text shows in the Subject content control.
Go to Developer Controls Design Mode to turn off Design Mode .

When you're through changing each of the four lines in your memo template, it should look like Figure 20-13.

Figure 20-12. The Properties box for the date picker content control gives you several options for showing dates or both dates and times.

20.2.5. Adding a Header

Headers and footers are a natural for document templates. They let you add elements common to all documents, like a logo, page number, and so on. In the following steps, you also get to try your hand at creating a Building Block using some fancy WordArt.

Double-click at the top of the page .

A dotted line appears separating the header from the body of the document. The Header & Footer Tools tab shows on the ribbon.
Choose Header & Footer Tools Design Options Different First Page or press Alt+JH, A .

You want your letterhead to show on the first page of your memo, while subsequent pages will show the page numbers and other details.

Go to Insert Text Word art to open the WordArt menu, and then choose the WordArt style that looks like an arch (Figure 20-14) .

The WordArt box opens with a text box showing Your Text Here.

Figure 20-13. Top: In Design Mode, content controls show brackets on each side of the prompt text.
Bottom: With Design Mode toggled off, empty content controls show the prompt text. Controls like the Author control display the contents Word put there. Selected controls show a tab with the control title and a frame around the contents, as shown in the Subject control.

Replace the words in the text box with All Through the Year and leave the font set to Arial Black and the size set to 36 points. Then click OK to close the WordArt box .

Your arched text appears in the Header of the memo template.
With the WordArt selected, go to Home Paragraph Center (or use Ctrl+E) to center the All Through the Year logo horizontally in your memos header .

If you want to change the color and design of your logo, now's as good a time as any. To do so, double-click the WordArt logo to reveal the WordArt Tools tab.

Figure 20-14. Need to create a letterhead quickly? Give WordArt a spin. It may be a little heavy-handed, but it creates big graphics fast.

Press the right arrow key to deselect the logo, and then press Enter to create a line for text under the logo. Type an address for the All Through the Year company, and then press Enter to create some more space between the header and the beginning of the memo .

For example, you can use: 48 Doughty Street, London, England WC1N 2LX . Your letterhead should look something like Figure 20-15.

Figure 20-15. With a WordArt logo and a few typographic tricks, you can create a letterhead. To create this example, use the Alt+N, U shortcut to insert the diamond symbols. Select the diamonds and change their font size (Alt+H,FS) to 7 points. Then select the entire line and change the character spacing (Alt+H, FN) to Expanded by 3 pt.

Click back in the body of your document, and press Ctrl+Enter to create a second page. Then double-click the top of the second page to edit the Header for page two and any pages that follow .

You could choose one of the predesigned headers and footers for your memo template; however, this example shows how to create a custom header by inserting content controls and fields.
Choose Insert Text Quick Parts Document Property, and then select Subject from the menu to insert a Subject content control in the header .

This way, you can spot the topic of every memo you write at a glace. Mighty handy if you print memos and file them in a folder, or open them onscreen.
Press the right arrow key to deselect the Subject content control, and then press Enter to create a new line .

Your insertion point moves to a new line in the page-two header.

Type the word Page , and then press the space bar. Choose Insert Text Quick Parts Field .

The Field dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 20-16. Time to add some automatic page numbering to your headers.

Figure 20-16. Select a field in the "Field names" list, and then click OK to insert the field in your document. You can use the Categories drop-down menu to limit the fields shown in the list. Different formatting options and field codes appear on the right, depending on what you select in the "Field names" list.

From the Categories drop-down menu, choose Numbering. Then in the "Field names" list, double-click Page .

The Field box closes , and the Page field appears in your header. Since you're on the second page of your template document, it displays the number 2.
Type the word of , and then press the space bar .

This header is going to show both the page number and the number of pages in the memo.
Choose Insert Text Quick Parts Field to open the Field dialog box again. In the Categories drop-down menu, choose Document Information, and then double-click NumPages to insert the number of pages field .

When you've completed the page-two header, it should look like Figure 20-17.

Figure 20-17. The header for page two and the following pages in the memo template shows the subject of the memo, the page number, and the number of pages.
Click back in the body of your memo to close the header, and then press the Backspace key until page two disappears .

Page two disappears as your cursor moves back to page one of the memo template. Don't worry. Word won't forget the page-two header details. They'll be there, hard at work, any time you create a multipage memo using the template.

20.2.6. Adding an AutoText Entry

Another juicy little item you can store in a template is AutoText (Section 2.6). Since the hypothetical corporation in this example has such a long name, folks could injure themselves typing it several times a day. You're going to create an AutoText entry to shorten it to a three-letter keystroke, and save it in this template.

Anywhere in the body of your memo, type All Through the Year Publishing Company, LLP . Then select the words you just typed and press Alt+F3 to open the Create New Building Block dialog box .

In Word 2007, AutoText entries are part of the new Building Block scheme. In previous versions, they had a separate dialog box.
Type the letters aty as the name for the Building Block, and then, from the Gallery drop-down menu, choose AutoText. From the "Save in" drop-down menu, choose the name of your memo template: MemoAll Through the Year .

This AutoText entry is available to any memo created using the memo template, but not to other documents. (There's no point in having it clutter up to non-company documents.)
In the body of your memo, select the words "All Through the Year Publishing Company, LLP," and then delete them by pressing the Backspace or Delete key .

Now that you've finished creating the AutoText entry, you don't need the words in the body of your memo. Banish them with the Delete key.

20.2.7. Finishing and Saving Your Template

Whew! The heavy lifting is done. Now you just have to put the finishing touches on the document and then save it as a template so you can get started creating new memos from it.

At the end of the "Re:" line, click to place your insertion point, and then press Enter to create a new line. Choose Home Styles More (or Alt+H, L) to open the Styles menu, and then click the Normal style .

When you press Enter, your insertion point moves to a new line in the memo template. This line marks the starting point for your memo's body text. You don't want to format the body text with a hanging indent, so you change the formatting to the Normal style.
Choose Office button Save (or Office button As Word Template if you want to save your template with a new name). When the Save As box opens, type MemoAll Through the Year for the file name .

Make sure the "Save as type" box below shows Word Template (*.dotx), the file format for templates that don't include macros. If you included macros in your template, choose Word Macro-Enabled Template (*.dotm) here.
Save your template in your Trusted Template folder ( C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Name]\Templates ) or one of its subfolders .

That way, your template will appear when you create a new document using Office New My templates.

20.2.8. Test Driving the Memo Template

The steps showed you how to create a template for memos that stored boilerplate text, a paragraph style, content controls, a WordArt graphic, a custom header, fields, and an AutoText entry. Just like you'd test a macro or a program that you designed, you need to test your template to make sure it works as planned. Here are some things to try:

Create a document from your template . Go to Office New My templates. You should see your template listed in the New box. If you saved your template in a subfolder, you should be able to find it under one of the tabs. When you open the template, you should see the letterhead slightly grayed-out (Figure 20-18). Thats the way headers look when you're not editing them. It will look just fine when you print your document.

Figure 20-18. After you create your memo template, take it for a test drive and run it through its paces. Check each of the items that you added to the template: boilerplate text, formatting, content controls, and AutoText entries.

Test the "Memo to:" line. Click the prompt text: "Click here to enter recipients." One click should select the entire prompt. As soon as you type, the prompt should disappear, replaced by your text. Type a name, and then press Return and type another name. They should align neatly one under the other.
Check your styles menu . Open the Styles menu using Home Styles More (or Alt+H, L) to make sure your Hanging style is available.
Check your content controls . Your name should appear on the memo's "From: " line. Word uses the name that's stored in Office Word Options Popular User to fill in the Author document property.
Test drive the date picker . Use the Date Picker content control to select a date. The date should appear properly formatted on the Date line.
Examine the document properties . On the "Re:" line, click the Subject prompt and type a subject, like Your serialized novel A Tale of Two Cities , for example. Then choose Office Prepare Properties to display the Document Properties pane (just below the ribbon).

The memo's subject should appear in the Subject text box. Your name should show up in the Author text box. (You can close the Document Properties pane by clicking the X in the upper-right corner.)
Enter text in the body of the memo . Type some text in the body of the memo, to make sure everything looks okay. If you plan to use headings in your memos, try out the Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 paragraph styles. Do the same with bulleted lists and numbered lists.
Test your AutoText entries . Type the letters aty , and then press F3 to test your AutoText entry. Word should replace the letters "aty" with "All Through the Year Publishing Company, LLP."
Examine your memo headers . With your cursor in the body of your memo, press Ctrl+Enter several times, and then examine the headers on the pages. You should see the memo's subject on one line and then a line that reads something like "Page 2 of 6." (See Figure 20-19.)

Keep in mind that you won't change your template document by making changes to a document you created using the template. If any part of your template doesn't work as planned, you need to open the template "MemoAll Through the Year. dotx" (Alt+F, O), make the changes, and then save the file.

Tip: To create a new document from a template, don't open the .dotx file. Instead, use the Office button

New command and select the template in the New Document dialog box.

Figure 20-19. After a subject is typed in on the Re line of the memo, it appears in the page-two header and on any subsequent pages. The line that reads "Page 2 of 6" is a combination of boilerplate text and Word fields.