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Old 04-23-2012, 12:21 PM
michael.fisher5 michael.fisher5 is offline Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows XP Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2007
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Default Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template

My template creates a Word document with text and nothing more. The end result is a narrative report. In 'Restrict Formatting and Editing,' I set Editing restrictions to 'No Changes (Read Only)' and use 'Exceptions' to allow the user to edit the text in the content controls.



Where I want the user to simply complete a sentence, I use the plain text content control, select 'Remove content control when contents are edited' and do not select 'Allow carriage returns.' When I want the user to enter a narrative and provide the option to enter multiple paragraphs and use bullets, I used the Rich Text content control and selected both 'Remove content control when contents are edited' and 'Allow carriage returns.'

I put the template in 'Installed Templates.' When I open the template as a document and enter text in the content contrrols, the plain language content control allows carriage returns, even though I did not select it. The Rich text content control allows carriage returns and bullets, but only after you insert three or more carriage returns and it will not allow bullets for the first or last carriage return.

This is my first template. I managed to solve my other problems reading help screens and trial & error, but after a week, this one has me beat. I would attach my template but this site will not upload a .dotx file.
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Old 04-23-2012, 05:47 PM
Charles Kenyon Charles Kenyon is online now Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows Vista Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2010 32bit
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What are Installed Templates? How are they different from User Templates?

The proper way to use a template is to create a new document base on the template. I assume that is what you are donig.

I don't use Content Controls so I'm looking to see if I can find an answer for you.
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Old 04-23-2012, 06:31 PM
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macropod macropod is offline Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows 7 64bit Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2010 32bit
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Hi Michael,

I'm not sure why you'd want to remove a content control once it's conents are editied, as that removes whatever restrictions you had in place once an initial edit has been made.

Be that as it may, you should be able to apply bullets, etc to any paragraph in a Rich Text content control.

As for attaching docx files, you can zip them first, then attach the zip archive.
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Old 04-24-2012, 06:47 AM
michael.fisher5 michael.fisher5 is offline Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows XP Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2007
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Default Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template

First - thank you for helping me. My users do not adapt well so I need to get this right or they won't use it.

Charles - Installed Templates is the name of the folder where the template exists in our server system. The IT folks control that. My users select 'Office Button, New, Installed Templates' and open the template as a document. I suspect that Installed Templates is no different than User Templates. Both are just a folder where the template exists. Yes - I created a new document based on the template. First I created a Word document. Then I created the template from the Word document. Then I added the content controls and placed text in the content controls. Lastly, I set properties for the content controls. It basically works, except for the glitches described.

Paul - In my intial attempts at creating a document from my template, the user had to delete the instructional text inside the content control. As I read about properties, I learned that I could make the instructional text disappear as soon as the user entered text into the content control. On the screen, the [ ] remain around the text, but these disappear when you print the document. I did not realize that removen the content control this way also removes the restrictions. That explains why my plain text content control allows line feeds. It does not explain my bullets limitation in the rich text content control, which allows bullets on any line other than the first and the last. I have attached my template as a .zip file.
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File Type: zip Template_IKE Scenario.zip (19.3 KB, 23 views)
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Old 04-24-2012, 04:05 PM
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Hi Michael,

I had a look at your attachment. The first thing I noticed is that, upon creating a new document from the template, nothing was editable, due to 'no changes (read-only)' protection being applied and none of the content controls being tagged to allow editing. The next thing I noticed is that all of the content controls are still configured for deletion upon editing, instead of allowing editing and not being deletable. Of course, while you have the 'no changes (read-only)' protection applied, none of the content controls can be deleted anyway, even if 'exceptions' are applied to them.

If you want users to be able to enter multiple bulleted paragraphs under the 'Additional Resources' heading, you're not going to be able to use the 'no changes (read-only)' protection. Your options are to:
1. leave the document unprotected; or
2. apply forms protection and put Section breaks either side of the 'Click here to enter a bullet list' paragraph so that that portion can be left unprotected.
In either case, the content control for the 'Click here to enter a bullet list' paragraph should be configured for deletion upon editing.
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Old 04-25-2012, 05:49 AM
Charles Kenyon Charles Kenyon is online now Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows Vista Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2010 32bit
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Quote:
Originally Posted by michael.fisher5 View Post
Charles - Installed Templates is the name of the folder where the template exists in our server system. The IT folks control that. My users select 'Office Button, New, Installed Templates' and open the template as a document. I suspect that Installed Templates is no different than User Templates. Both are just a folder where the template exists.
Installed templates under the Office Button > New can be a conglomeration of folders. It will include the User Templates folder, which should never be shared because that is where normal.dotm is kept and normal.dotm should never be shared. It can also include a Workgroup Templates folder, which is designed to be shared. See Templates in Microsoft Word You can look in your Word Options (under Office button) > File Locations, to see what folders are actually being used.

Quote:
Originally Posted by michael.fisher5 View Post
Yes - I created a new document based on the template. First I created a Word document. Then I created the template from the Word document. Then I added the content controls and placed text in the content controls. Lastly, I set properties for the content controls. It basically works, except for the glitches described.
The way to use your template is to create a new document based on your template. Paul described protection problems he ran into when he tried doing that.
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Old 04-25-2012, 01:04 PM
michael.fisher5 michael.fisher5 is offline Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows XP Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2007
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Default Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template

Paul:

Thank you for the feedback. You give me some new ideas to experiement with. Time for me to get to work and see if I can solve my problem.

Charles:

Thank you for the links to other resources. Nice website. If I ever in your hometown, hopefully I won't need your professional services.

I will let you know how this works out.
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Old 04-26-2012, 01:17 PM
michael.fisher5 michael.fisher5 is offline Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows XP Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2007
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Default Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template

Charles/Paul:

This is basically solved, but I have one last question. First the solution.

1. To protect text in a template, do not use the Restrict Formatting -Read Only features under Document Protection. Simply put the text you want to protect inside a Content Control and use Content Control Properties to prevent deletion of the control and the contents.

2. Use a Rich Text Content Control if the user might need to change Font or Paragraph feature inside a Content Control.

That is how I solved my two basic problems. I want the template to be as user friendly as possible. To catch the users attention, I used 'CLICK HERE' inside Content Controls where the user enters text. If they click inside the Content Control, the Title pops up with the words 'Click Here to Highlight Text.' This lets the user delete the placeholder text enmass.

It would be nice if I could highlight the placeholder text and have it revert to Arial 12 point font and disappear when text is entered in the content control. I managed that somehow in properties when I used the Protect Document features, but cannot do it now. If you know of a way to to that with my existing template, that would be great. Otherwise, I have a workable template. Thanks again for the assistance. You guys rock.

Mike
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File Type: zip New IKE Scenario Template.zip (17.5 KB, 20 views)
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Old 04-26-2012, 02:34 PM
Charles Kenyon Charles Kenyon is online now Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows Vista Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2010 32bit
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Explore MacroButton fields (which go back at least as far as Word 97). You can put your prompts in 36-pt pink comic Sans and have the responses be formatted like surrounding text. The prompts (and fields) disappear as soon as you type in them leaving the user's text. The F11 key can be used to move from prompt to prompt. You can download a free Add-In to add these prompts to your document or template from here: MacroButton Prompt Add-In

Not suitable for use in protected documents as prompts.

Last edited by Charles Kenyon; 02-24-2014 at 11:27 AM. Reason: Add link
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Old 11-19-2014, 06:36 AM
frankbutler frankbutler is offline Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Windows 7 64bit Rich text/Plain text Content Controls in Template Office 2010 64bit
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Default Content Control doesn't accept bullets

Michael,
Did you ever get the bullets working inside the rt content control?
I am experiencing the same problem.
Frank
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