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Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
#17911 10/05/11 12:02 PM
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grelber Offline OP
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I want to modify the Normal template. According to Word Help, I open a document from the Standard Toolbar, then go the Library and find Normal template (Normal.dotm), double-click on same, make the requisite changes (eg, justified text), save and close.

Well, that doesn't work. mad tongue
At the point of saving, it turns out to be just another Word document which gets saved to the Desktop and nothing changes in the Normal template.

Either I'm doing something wrong or the program is.

Anybody got any experience with this?

Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17916 10/05/11 02:11 PM
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When Saving, change the Format to: Word Macro-Enabled Template (.dotm)

Save it to: ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/

with the filename Normal.dotm

You may want to backup the original first in case things go awry.


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Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
Kevin M. Dean #17917 10/05/11 02:43 PM
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grelber Offline OP
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That's a work-around. I want to change the Normal.dotm template itself; that's what's not working according to Microsoft.

And, having tried your suggestion, my customized toolbars bit the dust. Not an auspicious sign. Fortunately I was able to expunge the offending template.

Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17923 10/05/11 05:41 PM
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I think, Word is making it more simple than this. Previously, some settings under "format" had the button "use as default". Now, many seem to be gone. However, I just tried the following: opened Word (it opens a new blank document), which had default left side paragraph formatting, and clicked on "justified". In format paragraph, checked that "justified" was selected, closed the document and clicked on "save" (to the desktop). One can get rid of this doc later. Quit Word and reopened it. The new blank document had the paragraph format as justified. Apparently, if one saves changes, Normal remembers it. Hope this helps.

Last edited by macnerd10; 10/05/11 05:42 PM.

Alex
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Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
macnerd10 #17931 10/05/11 06:51 PM
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grelber Offline OP
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Nope. Tried that several times, to no avail.

I even went to the university to ask a colleague familiar with the inner workings of Word, and MS Word's instructions worked for him. I tried to recapitulate it on my machine — nothing. In fact, doing it by opening a document in Word via the File menu produces an Open: Microsoft Word panel, in which there's no way I can find Library much less Normal.dotm. My colleague's machine immediately produced Library and the subsequent subfolders and achieved the required adjustment to Normal.dotm.

I'm stymied ... and don't know where to go from here.

Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17935 10/05/11 07:15 PM
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I'm sure somebody can help you out, but in the meantime, have you opened Office Help and looked for Normal Template? I'm still using Office 2004, and one of the first hits in Help lists the full path to the Normal Template. In addition to this, it looks like you also may need some getting used to navigating the file dialogs etc. Not to worry though, we'll figure out where your road blocks are and remove them. tongue


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Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
alternaut #17936 10/05/11 07:23 PM
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grelber Offline OP
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My initial post essentially described my trying to follow Word Help's instructions. They don't work or I can't understand what they are instructing and am pushing all the wrong buttons.
My colleague did precisely those things and it worked for him; he changed his Normal.dotm template lickety-split.
I seem to be just hitting random keys in the attempt to achieve the proper result. Guess what doesn't work.
Frustration is building once again.

Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17939 10/05/11 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted By: grelber
My initial post essentially described my trying to follow Word Help's instructions.
>> According to Word Help, I open a document from the Standard Toolbar, then go the Library

OK, so exactly which Library are you checking (or trying to find)? The one at the root level of your hard disk (/Library), the one in in the System folder there (/System/Library), the one in your Home folder (~/Library), or yet another one (I don't know if Office 2011 sports one)?


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Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17949 10/05/11 09:20 PM
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Looks like your Office does not work properly. If you don't have too many toolbar and format customizations, just trash Normal and restart Word. If you do, I would begin by putting on the desktop Word preferences from your user library AND the folder Microsoft in users/library/preferences. If this does not help, reinstall Office. I would first use the uninstaller, then check whether all preferences and app support have been removed, and then install again.

Just a naive question, to rule out the computer involvement: how does it work on a new test admin account?


Alex
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Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
alternaut #17950 10/05/11 09:21 PM
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The one in question is the user's library.


Alex
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Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
macnerd10 #17951 10/05/11 09:31 PM
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grelber Offline OP
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Haven't a clue what a "test admin account" is or anything else in that regard.

That out of the way, the problem is with Lion (10.7.1):
After spending close to an hour on the telephone with a Apple front-end agent and then more productively with a supervisor, it became obvious what the problem was/is, viz Library has purposely been "hidden" by Apple (because in OS 10.6 and earlier too many incompetent yutzes like me were mucking about with it and buggering things up).
You can go to Finder and select Go in the menu bar; you will not see Library. Push option key and it appears.
In OS 10.6 it'll show up in your home folder (but not in 10.7). It can be installed under Favorites in the side bar of the home folder, and then all is good.
Once that little bit of business was taken care of, changing the Word template Normal.dotm took about 7.5 seconds.
As they say in the Old Country (unnamed): Hot snot!

Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
macnerd10 #17952 10/05/11 09:32 PM
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That's what I would figure (although it's different in Office 2004). Beyond that, I suspect grelber may have a problem navigating Mac OS X file dialogs, especially with regard to the level navigation options of the Save location box. Hence these questions.

PS, so much for those navigation problems. I also *should* have realized Lion's hide & seek game... blush


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Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17961 10/05/11 10:51 PM
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Then I don't understand where did you get the Normal file from in the first place when the user Library was invisible. By Spotlight search?

The good news is that you sorted this out and no tweaks are necessary!


Alex
3.1 GHz 13" MacBook Pro 2015, 8 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, TimeWarner Cable
2.8 GHz Xeon Mac Pro 2010, 16 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, LAN
Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
alternaut #17962 10/05/11 10:52 PM
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Office 2004 is significantly different. God, I miss it badly... The only improvement for me in Office 2011 is a little bit better handling of pasted pictures in Word (kind of a very minor thing).

Last edited by macnerd10; 10/05/11 10:53 PM.

Alex
3.1 GHz 13" MacBook Pro 2015, 8 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, TimeWarner Cable
2.8 GHz Xeon Mac Pro 2010, 16 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, LAN
Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
macnerd10 #17968 10/05/11 11:54 PM
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grelber Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: macnerd10
Then I don't understand where did you get the Normal file from in the first place when the user Library was invisible. By Spotlight search?


I should have been more clear:
The Library is invisible in the home folder. In 10.6 (eg) it is visible there. Apple 'hid' it.
To gain access and to manipulate Library, go to Go in Finder menu bar, press option key when dropdown menu appears which will make Library appear; click on same and a Library panel appears. Drag and drop the little folder next to the title Library (at top of panel) into the Favorites list in the side bar of that panel. (Note: It can't be added to home folder (since it's already there but hidden and inaccessible).]
Then Library will appear in any such panel, including Word, such that its contents can be used as desired.
Clear? Or still muddy? That's about the best I can do in terms explanation.

Spotlight sucks beyond all measure! Every time I try to use it, it just brings up thousands of my own documents which decidedly have no relevance whatsoever; as noted before and elsewhere, Spotlight insists that the search term is in the file name and it never is. I will never use Spotlight again for anything.

Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17969 10/06/11 12:26 AM
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I know these tricks and also find hiding user Library strange. TinkerTool System can make it appear easily and is otherwise a great maintenance utility that does not mess up your system the way Onyx does sometimes.
I was referring to your first post. If the user Library was hidden how did you open the Normal file?

Last edited by macnerd10; 10/06/11 07:39 AM.

Alex
3.1 GHz 13" MacBook Pro 2015, 8 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, TimeWarner Cable
2.8 GHz Xeon Mac Pro 2010, 16 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, LAN
Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17976 10/06/11 04:47 AM
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> Spotlight sucks beyond all measure!

Have you looked into EasyFind as I suggested a while back?


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
artie505 #17979 10/06/11 07:38 AM
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Thanks, Artie! Looks very nice and is indeed very fast.

Last edited by macnerd10; 10/06/11 07:38 AM.

Alex
3.1 GHz 13" MacBook Pro 2015, 8 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, TimeWarner Cable
2.8 GHz Xeon Mac Pro 2010, 16 GB RAM, OS 10.11.2, Office 2011, LAN
Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
macnerd10 #17980 10/06/11 07:57 AM
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Originally Posted By: macnerd10
Thanks, Artie! Looks very nice and is indeed very fast.

You're welcome, Alex.

If there are situations in which Spotlight's functionality surpasses that of EasyFind, I've never been in one.

Kudos to DEVONtechnologies for creating and donating a wonderful and wonderfully functional piece of freeware! (I believe the real thanks belong to joemikeb for having first mentioned it.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
macnerd10 #17981 10/06/11 08:07 AM
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grelber Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: macnerd10
I was referring to your first post. If the user Library was hidden how did you open the Normal file?

Ah so. I have no idea; I was randoming hitting keys and somehow came across it. It would only open as a new document (from a 'pad', the way templates are stored), it became obvious that I wasn't accessing it properly – ie, in its non-padded state in which it could be altered. [That is much like the way Word 98 works in OS 9, but the filing system seems to be different and way more complicated in OS X to find, which is very much due to my complete ignorance regarding OS X).

Re: Microsoft Word 2011 – Normal Template Modification
grelber #17995 10/06/11 11:11 AM
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The most recent replies unrelated to Word or its Normal template are now a separate thread in the New Users forum: EasyFind to Utilities, Note Pad replacement


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