Using Word Templates

Microsoft Office Specialist: Create documents using templates

A template is a file that includes all the text, formatting, styles, toolbars , AutoText entries, and macros necessary to create a particular type of document. Unless you specify otherwise , all new Word documents are based on a predefined template called Normal . In addition, Word comes with several other templates that you can use as is or modify, and you can create your own templates.

Selecting a Template

As part of the Word installation procedure, several templates were copied to a special Templates folder on your hard disk. (If you save a document as a template, Word automatically saves it in this folder unless you specify a different location.) All templates stored in this folder are displayed and can be previewed in the Templates dialog box. To preview the templates, follow these steps:

1. With Word open on your screen, on the View menu, click Task Pane .

   Word displays the New Document task pane.

   Information about: New Document task pane, page 21

2. In the New from template area of the task pane, click General Templates .

   Word displays this Templates dialog box:

   

   Word organizes its templates into categories on different tabs. The default type of document (which is available even when no other templates have been installed) is Blank

   Creating custom templates

   You can save any document as a template for future use. First create the document on which you want to base future documents. On the File menu, clickSave As, click the down arrow to the right of the Save as type box, and then click DocumentTemplate. Word moves to your personal Application Data\Microsoft\Templates folder.Assign a name to the template in the File name text box, and click Save. To use the new template, click New on the File menu to display the New Document task pane. In the New from template area of the task pane, click General Templates, and then click your template in the Templates dialog box.

    

   Document on the General tab. The Blank Document icon links to the Normal document template.

3. Click the Letters & Faxes tab, and then click Contemporary Letter to highlight it.

   If the Contemporary Letter template is installed, the Preview box on the right side of the dialog box shows a preview of it. If it is not installed, you can install it by clicking OK.

4. Click a few of the templates on the Letters & Faxes tab to preview them, and then switch to some of the other tabs and click to preview any other templates that interest you.

   As you can tell from their names and previews, the templates provide the basis for several common business documents.

5. When you are ready to continue, click the Memos tab, click Elegant Memo , and either press Enter or click OK .

   Word opens the memo shown in this graphic:

   

   As you can see, all the common elements of a memo have placeholders within square brackets, and Word has entered the current date (using the date stored in your computer). Our screen shows the document in Print Layout view, with rulers and non-printing characters turned on. If you want your screen to match ours, you can make any necessary adjustments now.

   Install on demand

   If a preview is not available for a particular template or wizard in the Templates dialog box, you can easily install it. Select the template or wizard, and then clickOK. Word starts the installation process and might prompt you to insert the installation CD-ROM.When the installation process is complete, Word opens a document based on the template or starts the wizard. This install-on- demand capability enables you to install items as you need them rather than having to store items on your hard disk that you might never need to use.

    

Filling In a Document Field

In addition to the basic memo outline, Word has also entered the current date, according to your system clock, in the Date field of the new memo. Why? Because the document contains a special code called a field. Fields can contain a variety of information; they can also serve as placeholders to indicate required information. The fields in your document are indicated by gray shading.

We ll discuss fields in more detail later in this course. For now, let s fill in the memo. You need to replace the memo s placeholders with specific items of information, and then you need to enter the text of the memo. This text is essentially the same as that contained in the letter you wrote in Chapter 1. As you ll see, the beauty of a word processor like Word is that instead of retyping the information, you can copy and paste it from the letter and edit it to suit the purpose of the memo. Follow these steps to complete the memo:

1. In the To area, click the placeholder text to select it and its square brackets, and type Kara Boo .

   Because of the formatting applied to the placeholder, the name appears in capital letters even though you typed it with initial capitals only.

2. In the From area, click the placeholder, and type Ida Down .

3. In the Subject area, replace the placeholder with Glacier Bag Launch Party .

4. In the CC : area, type Chip Monk .

5. Select the How to Use This Memo Template title (but not the paragraph mark), and replace it with New Glacier Sleeping Bags Ideal for Extreme Conditions .

   Date fields

   The memo template includes a date field. When you open a document based on the memo template, Word automatically enters the date stored by your system s clock/calendar in this field. If you do nothing to this field, Word will insert the current date each time you open the document. To freeze the current date, click the field to select it, and press Ctrl+Shift+F9. The field is then converted to normal text that will not be updated and can be edited. To insert a date field in a document, on the Insert menu, click Date and Time. In the Date and Time dialog box, select a date format, select the Update automatically check box, and click OK. To modify the date s format later, right-click the field, click Edit Field on the shortcut menu, and change the format. To format the text of the field, select and format it as usual.

    

   Take a moment to admire your work. Without adding any formatting of your own, you ve created a professional-looking header for a memo, as shown in this graphic:

   

6. On the File menu, click Save As , and save the document with the name Glacier Memo .

7. Select the text of the main paragraph (but not the paragraph mark), and press the Delete key.

8. On the Standard toolbar, click the Open button, and in the Open dialog box, double-click Launch Party Letter .

9. Select the two main paragraphs of the letter, including the paragraph mark between them, and on the Standard toolbar, click the Copy button.

10. Click the Glacier Memo taskbar button to switch to that document s window, and press Ctrl+End to make sure the insertion point is in the blank paragraph at the end of the memo.

11. Click the Paste button to insert the copied text.

12. Edit the first phrase of the first paragraph so that it reads In The Bag is pleased to announce that the Glacier Series , and then delete the third sentence .

13. In the second paragraph, replace We re throwing a party with A launch party will be held , adjust the date as necessary, and then replace the last sentence with the following:

    In The Bag s President, Al Pine, will be on hand to answer questions about the Glacier Series.

14. On the Standard toolbar, click the Save button to save the Glacier Memo document, and then close it.

    The results are shown in this graphic (we ve magnified the memo so that the text is more readable):

    

15. Close the Glacier Memo document, and then close the Launch Party Letter document, clicking No if Word asks whether you want to save any changes.