How to enforce styles in Word

[EdwardMartinIII]

I'm using Word 2007. I proofread documents from about a dozen different users, each of whom seems to have their favorite variation of our master style.

When a doc comes to me, is there a way I can tell Word "take the styles of this document and enforce them onto this other document, overwriting all styles currently in the target document"?

I've tried posting templates to the network, but that's not a viable solution, as some people make changes to the template, and most of them simply copy the template to their local machine and then produce their own docs from their own personal versions of the templates.

I'm one of the last guys to see the doc, and if there was a way to blast the "golden" templates onto a doc, that would be awesome.

Does this functionality exist?

Thanks!


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

What I have been doing in the past has been to keep my own template locally and with every doc that comes in, open up a NEW doc in my template, and paste-as-text the copy from the old doc into the new template.

For obvious reasons, while this does great at imposing a style, it's not a long-term solution.

Well, probably not.


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[macropod]

Hi Edward,

The long-term solution is to have a corporate policy supported by training and enforcement. In the interim, you could try making the template read-only via Windows Explorer and setting its access permissions to stop users copying it, plus setting the 'Automatically update document styles' property (via Developer| Document Template)on all PCs. You can also look into setting Style restrictions (via Home|Styles > Manage Styles > Restrict).

Cheers
Paul Edstein
[MS MVP - Word]

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

I plan to train. It doesn't stick very well, and it frustrates me because, of course, I have to depend on people who do not stick to that bit. It's a big social hassle.

Enforcement is pretty... problematic. People just make copies and use them, or they modify their styles on the fly or whatever.

How can you prevent someone from copying something they took from a template? Can't they just do a "Save As..."?

I cannot easily get to all PCs, as they are out in the field at times. Plus, people change things on their PCs anyway.

There is no way to impose styles from Doc A to Doc B?


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[macropod]

Hi Edward,

Setting the 'Automatically update document styles' property should cause the document to adopt your template's Styles when it's opened. Simple.

If you set the template file's read-only attribute via Windows Explorer, most users won't be able to edit the Styles as they won't know how to remove the attribute. They'd have to open the template (which, again, few would know how to do), then use Save As to save the template with a new name & use that instead of your template.

Beyond that, your firm's IT management should be able to lock down the PCs so that things that shouldn't be copied/changed can't be.

Cheers
Paul Edstein
[MS MVP - Word]

 

[tf1]

Well other than water-boarding or bamboo splinters under the finger nails, there isn't a way to force any determined idiot to change styles at their whim. However, there are some additional steps you can make that will make it more difficult.

Place all the templates into a 'group template' folder on the server. Make them all read only (note: not the folder, just the templates).

Change the settings in Word under File Locations, Workgroup templates in Word Advanced options to point to the new folder.

Let them all know that documents not created using these templates will be rejected and returned. Also say that if anyone has any suggested modifications, additional styles, or a better layout, etc to let you know (by email).

What will happen? Users will try to change the Styles manually (which they can) and every time they save their documents they will be prompted to 'Save changes to the template' which won't work, of course. They will try to move copies of the templates to their own computers and that won't work either. This will eventually drive them barmey, so they'll stop doing it.

Regards: Terry

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

"What will happen? Users will try to change the Styles manually (which they can) and every time they save their documents they will be prompted to 'Save changes to the template' which won't work, of course. They will try to move copies of the templates to their own computers and that won't work either. This will eventually drive them barmey, so they'll stop doing it."

I wish.

What they have done (when I've tried this) is that they open the template. Then they do what they will with it. Then they do a save-as to their personal computer. Then, for future docs, instead of going to the template, they copy the last file they did, change the data, and send THAT to me for proofing.

Errors and style creep propagates, because one might ask the others "Hey, do you have some wording for such-and-so?" and they'll send along their personal copy of the doc. So it spreads like a style disease.

What I have done in the past has been to take whatever they send me and copy-text into a NEW doc I make from the template.

I swear to Zeus 'nads, I've gotten complaints like "Why doesn't it look like what I sent you?"



Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Beyond that, your firm's IT management should be able to lock down the PCs so that things that shouldn't be copied/changed can't be."

This will never happen. At least not yet. Too small an org, and all that entails.

If it does, in fact, turn out to be the case that Word is completely unable to "impose the styles from Doc A to Doc B if they're called the same thing," then my next avenue of exploration is to, hell, I dunno'.

They collect data over a period of several days into a doc, so they REALLY want Word, of course, so they can keep saving their work as they progress through everything.

I'm exploring the idea of forcing people to use spreadsheet checklists and fill-ins, and then I use Office's brilliant ability to automate a Word doc from Excel content to produce a NEW Word doc every time they submit information (once it's all collected).

Another possibility is to let them use a DRAFT Word doc, something that's very obviously draftish, with big goofy boxes and stuff, which they fill out, and then I produce a pretty report.

Of course, all that means is that they'll make their NEXT report from a copy of the deliverable I send them. "Grrrrr," I say.

Get this -- I've even found docs they copied that included my approval revs in the doc history. Docs I had NEVER seen, and I was told "how come there are so many corrections on the second pass -- why did you miss them all on the first pass?" "Grrr," I say again.



Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Y'know, part of my solution would be to uniquely number each report and keep a spreadsheet of when I generated/saw each report.

At least then, I could kick it back and say "Hey, use the template, dammit!" except that kicking things back has to be done... judiciously.


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[tf1]

There's nowt more stubborn than users!

Try some blackmail by providing them some plus factors that are locked away with the templates. I was thinking along the lines of using loads of boilerplate text as AutoText entries saved with the templates. If these become 'indispensable', it may provide the impetus to use the templates because they won't have them on their workstations. Offer to add AutoText entries to the templates on request.

You may also be able to automate some of their common functions with macros. Save these with the templates along with custom Groups on the Ribbon that are again only available with the templates.

Regards: Terry