Understanding Templates

Summary: Templates are used to store a pattern for how a document should look. As such, they can be a very powerful tool for creating new documents in Word. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, and Word 2003.)

A template is nothing more than a pattern used by Word to describe how your document looks and how you interact with the document. Templates contain formatting information, a style sheet, macros, toolbar and menu modifications, and boilerplate text.

In Word, templates all end with the DOT extension (this stands for DOcument Template). If you want to create a template, you follow these steps:

Start a new document.
Make your changes to formatting, macros, and the toolbar and menus.
Save with Document Template (*.dot) selected in the Save As Type drop-down list.

That's all there is to it. Generally, selecting Document Template in the Save As Type drop-down list will move you to your templates directory. However, you should make sure that you save your new template file in the same directory with all your other template files. That way it will be available for future use.

Tip #466 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003

Take Control! Master the real power behind Word! Successfully master the secrets of powerful formatting and create documents that stand out from the rest. Best of all, you can create documents that are easy to maintain and quick to change.

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Understanding Templates