What is a Word template?

There are three elements to templates in Microsoft Word:

• Document settings and layout
• Easier interface
• Template tools - adding capability or making frequent tasks easier

The first is to set up the characteristics of a new document when opened from a template. The second is to add additional functionality to speed up certain tasks or to introduce more complex capability.

Document settings and layout

In a basic template we would set up all the elements of the document including:

• margins
• paragraph styles:
  Normal text style covering font, font size and colour, leading /line spacing, space between paragraphs. Heading styles (typically three or four levels) need to be set up in the same way as do styles for bulleted and numbered list
• default table style
• header and footer style
• page numbers
• positioning logo

Easier interface

This is an example of a typical client tab we add to the ribbon giving access to the tools we have developed. The tab looks the same in either 2010 or 2007.

1. Select and launch template
2. Standard Microsoft functions that clients frequently use
3. Main styling buttons for Normal through to heading styles and bulleted and numbered lists
4. Access to update document details
5. Tools such as insert landscape page
6. Table formatting tools

Template tools

The tools that we add to Microsoft Word are wide ranging and are driven by the particular needs of each client.

Examples include:

• adding a landscape page to a portrait document
• print to letterhead - temporarily removes the graphics whcih are on a client's pre-printed letterhead
• insert formatted tables in client style
• add images to pre-defined locations and dimensions
• one click to add charts and format charts from Excel

Adding functionality to templates

We do this using writing macros written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) and Visual Studio. Typical functions added to Microsoft Word  might be insert a landscape page in a portrait document; insert an image at a predefined size and position; print to letterhead or print to plain paper.

Our templates not only improve the presentation they also make it very easy for users to access the relevant capability of Microsoft Word. At the following link we have a short video of a Word template in use plus a series of illustrations below.

Forms

Sometimes you need to create a Microsoft Word document that needs to be filled in by another user for example a job application form.

You can layout the document in the preferred style and then use 'fill-in fields' to help users complete the forms. There is an option to protect the document so that only the text in the fill-in fields can be changed.

Using a new template (built in Word 2003)

Selecting File / New gives you access to the templates on your machine. The majority of our templates use dialog boxes for the user to easily enter their required options.

Below is an example of the New Letter dialog box for our Brochet letter template.

New Letter dialog

In the dialog box users are prompted to enter the standard elements of a letter.

In this case there is the option to choose between two offices (1) which will then print different addresses onto the letter allowing us to use a single pre-printed letterhead (it just has the Brochet logo on it).

By checking the box *Save as Default (2) the user's, or sender's, details are remembered and do not have to be re-entered each time the template is used.

 

Ready to type

Clicking OK enters all the information into the letter and places the
cursor ready to start typing the main body of the letter (1).

At the base of the letter is the list of associates (2). The data for this is held in a simple data file. The London address details are held in the same data file (3).

 

Ribbon tab (Word 2007 and 2010)

Access to the bespoke template styles and macros are accessed via button on a client tab added to Word's ribbon. This client tab is organised in a logical way to make the template features easy to use.

Toolbar (Word 2003)

Each template has its own dedicated toolbar (1) with a series of buttons to access regularly used functions. By choosing PrintOnHeadedPaper the logo, and any details that are pre-printed on the letterhead, are temporarily removed before displaying the print dialog box. The remaining buttons are short cuts to the agreed paragraph styles.

We hope this example gives you a feel for how easy it is to create a new letter from one of our templates.

Types of templates

We have developed a wide range of different types of templates including:

• Correspondence templates including
  letter, fax, memo, attendance note, telephone note etc
• Invoice
• Reports including legal numbering
• Bid / Tender / Proposal / RFP
• Portfolio
• Newsletters
• Fact sheets
• Certificates
• Application forms
• Posters
• Labels - including envelope and CD
• Plus many other bespoke solutions.

Typical benefits

These include:

• Simple, intuitive dialog boxes.
• They do not require specialist users.
• No additional software needs to be purchased (or additional features added), they work in your current version of Word.
• A single template (eg letter, fax etc) will support multiple client office addresses.
• A single letter template required for both emailing and printing.
• A single template (eg letter, fax etc) can support multiple offices using different languages - on selecting the required language all the boilerplate text is translated to the required languages eg French, German as well as Chinese!
• Easy to print routines / buttons - especially for printing to plain paper and printing to letterhead paper.
• 'Intelligent' signoff eg when writing a 'Dear Sir' letter the signoff automatically changes to 'Yours faithfully' and, if required, is signed off by the Company name.
• Easily updateable 'ini' holding common changeable data for all templates.
• Standard company information can be simply updated by clients.
• Insert Landscape page button - allowing users to quickly insert a landscape section with the headers and footers updated (if required).
• Switch paper size button - allows the paper size to be switched between A4 and US Letter at one click
• Our templates will work in different language versions of Word eg French, Italian, Spanish, Germany etc.