Custom Building Block File Locations

[ptmuldoon]

I'm still learning about Building Blocks, and they seem like a very useful and underused piece of Word.

But I want to keep all of my Building Blocks in a separate custom file, and not either the defaults of the Normal.dotm or Building Blocks.dotx template files.

So, I have create a 'Report Building Blocks.dotm' template file, and have placed this in my Word Startup folder.

And the template shows as loaded when Word Starts. Yet, the file is not an option to save the building blocks too?



Edit. I can't seem to link/attach a shared image on Google drive, but the the custom Report Building Blocks.dotm file show as loaded.

[Charles Kenyon]

To attach an image here, click on the "Go Advanced" button instead of the button to post, then click on the paper clip.

The image I am attaching shows options for saving AutoText when I press the Alt+F3 keyboard shortcut. It includes a number of files from my Startup Folder.

Is your file actually saved as a template from within Word? Can you call building blocks you have already saved in your template?

Greg Maxey's tools can help when manipulating building blocks. Building Blocks & AutoText.

[Charles Kenyon]

I just double-checked and in Word 2013 I get the same dialog and choices when going through the Ribbon buttons to save to a Quick Part Gallery.

[ptmuldoon]

I think i figured it out.

If you take a blank document and save it as a template file and place it in your start folder, the template will be 'active' but will not show in the drop down to add a building block.

But once after I created/added a building block to it with some VBA. The template files does show up in the dropdown list. I could then also delete that 1 block and the template is still available.

So I'm guessing the template file must somehow identify a building block did or does exist to show.

I can duplicate and show some screen shots if anyone want to see what I am. I do have another template in my Start folder does not show in the Building Block drop down, and I assume will should I add a block to it first with VBA.

See below. Notice the 'ChangeLinks' template is not available in the Building Blocks dropdown? I believe it is because that template has never had a BB associated with it. But if I add a BB to the ChangeLinks global template manually via VBA, it would be available.

[gmayor]

There is a macro listing on my web site at http://www.gmayor.com/word_vba_examples_3.htm (end of the page) which shows how to insert building blocks no matter where they are stored, that you may find useful.

[Charles Kenyon]

One other thought. I try to keep building blocks in purpose-designed Add-Ins or in a document template. That is, building blocks for a particular purpose are stored in a separate template. This makes it easier to organize them. Only if macros are going to be used with them do I store them in .dotm files, otherwise I store them in .dotx files.
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