Writer Guide

10Chapter
Working with TemplatesThis PDF is designed to be read onscreen, two pages at atime. If you want to print a copy, your PDF viewer shouldhave an option for printing two pages on one sheet ofpaper, but you may need to start with page 2 to get it toprint facing pages correctly. (Print this cover pageseparately.)CopyrightThis document is Copyright © 2005–2010 by its contributors as listed
in the section titled Authors. You may distribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of either the GNU General Public License, version 3 orlater, or the Creative Commons Attribution License, version 3.0 orlater.
All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

AuthorsAlan Madden
Paul Miller
Catherine Waterman
Jean Hollis Weber
Michele Zarri

Feedback
Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to:authors@documentation.openoffice.org

Publication date and software version
Published 25 March 2010. Based on OpenOffice.org 3.2.

You can download
an editable version of this document fromhttp://oooauthors.org/english/userguide3/published/

Contents
Copyright............................................................................................... 2Introduction........................................................................................... 4Using a template to create a document.................................................4
Creating a template...............................................................................5
Creating a template from a document................................................5
Creating a template using a wizard....................................................6
Editing a template.................................................................................. 7
Updating a document from a changed template.................................8
Adding templates with Extension Manager...........................................9Setting a default template.................................................................... 10Setting a custom template as the default..........................................10
Resetting Writer’s Default template as the default...........................11
Associating a document with a different template...............................11
Organizing templates...........................................................................13
Creating a template folder................................................................13Deleting a template folder................................................................13
Moving a template............................................................................13
Deleting a template........................................................................... 14
Importing a template........................................................................14
Exporting a template........................................................................15

Working with Templates

3Introduction
A template is a model that you use to create other documents. For
example, you can create a template for business reports that has yourcompany’s logo on the first page. New documents created from thistemplate will all have your company’s logo on the first page.
Templates can contain anything that regular documents can contain,such as text, graphics, a set of styles, and user-specific setup
information such as measurement units, language, the default printer,and toolbar and menu customization.
All documents in OpenOffice.org (OOo) are based on templates. If you
do not specify a template when you start a new Writer document, thedocument is based on the default template for text documents. If you
have not specified a default template, Writer uses the blank template
for text documents that is installed with OOo. See “Setting a default
template” on page 10 for more information.

Using a template to create a document
To use a template to create a document:
1) From the main menu, choose File > New > Templates andDocuments. The Templates and Documents dialog box opens.
(See Figure 1.)2) In the box on the left, click the Templates icon if it is not alreadyselected. A list of template folders appears in the center box.
3) Double-click the folder that contains the template that you wantto use. A list of all the templates contained in that folder appears
in the center box.
4) Select the template that you want to use. You can preview theselected template or view the template’s properties:•To preview the template, click the Preview icon. A preview of
the template appears in the box on the right.
•To view the template’s properties, click the Document
Properties icon. The template’s properties appear in the box
on the right.
5) Click Open. The Templates and Documents dialog box closes anda new document based on the selected template opens in Writer.
You can then edit and save the new document just as you would
any other document.

4Working with TemplatesDocument
Properties

Preview

Figure 1. Templates and Documents dialog box

Creating a template
You can create your own templates in two ways: from a document, andusing a wizard.

Creating a template from a document
To create a template from a document:
1) Open a new or existing document you want to make into atemplate.
2) Add the content and styles that you want.
3) From the main menu, choose File > Templates > Save. The
Templates dialog box opens (see Figure 2).
4) In the New template field, type a name for the new template.
5) In the Categories list, select the category to which you want toassign the template. The category is simply the template folder inwhich you want to save the template. For example, to save thetemplate in the “My Templates” folder, click the My Templates
category.

Creating a template

5To learn more about template folders, see “Organizing templates”
on page 13.
6) Click OK to save the new template.

Figure 2. Saving a new template
Any settings that can be added to or modified in a document can besaved in a template. For example, below are some of the settings(although not a full list) that can be included in a Writer document andthen saved as a template for later use:
• Printer settings: which printer, single-sided or double-sided
printing, paper size, and so on.
• Styles to be used, including character, page, frame, numbering,and paragraph styles.
• Format and settings regarding indexes, tables, bibliographies,
table of contents.
Templates can also contain predefined text, saving you from having totype it every time you create a new document. For example, a letter
template may contain your name, address and salutation.
You can also save menu and toolbar customizations in templates; see
Chapter 14 (Customizing OpenOffice.org) for more information.

Creating a template using a wizard
You can use wizards to create Writer templates for letters, faxes, andagendas.
For example, the Fax Wizard steps you through the following choices:• Type of fax (business or personal)• Document elements like the date, subject line (business fax),
salutation, and complimentary close
6Working with Templates• Options for sender and recipient information (business fax)
• Text to include in the footer (business fax)

To create a template using a wizard:
1) From the main menu, choose File > Wizards > [type of templaterequired].

Figure 3: Creating a template using a wizard
2) Follow the instructions on the pages of the wizard. This process isslightly different for each type of template, but the format issimilar for all of them.
3) In the last section of the wizard, you can specify the name andlocation for saving the template. The default location is your usertemplates directory, but you can choose a different location if youprefer.
4) Finally, you have the option of creating a new document from yourtemplate immediately, or manually changing the template. For
future documents, you can re-use the template created by thewizard, just as you would use any other template.

Editing a template
You can edit a template’s styles and content, and then, if you wish, youcan reapply the template’s styles to documents that were created fromthat template. (Note that you can only reapply styles. You cannot
reapply content, except for content in headers and footers.)

Editing a template

7To edit a template:1) From the main menu, choose File > Templates > Organize. TheTemplate Management dialog box opens (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. Template management dialog box2) In the box on the left, double-click the folder containing thetemplate that you want to edit. A list of all the templates
contained in that folder appears underneath the folder name.
3) Select the template that you want to edit.
4) Click the Commands button and choose Edit from the dropdown menu.
5) Edit the template just as you would any other document. To saveyour changes, choose File > Save from the main menu.

Updating a document from a changed template
The next time that you open a document that was created from thechanged template, the following message appears.

Figure 5. Update styles message
Click Yes to apply the template’s changed styles to the document. Click
No if you do not want to apply the template’s changed styles to thedocument (but see Caution notice below).
8Working with TemplatesCautionNote

If you choose No in the message box shown in Figure 5, thatmessage will not appear again the next time you open thedocument after changing the template it is based on. You will not
get another chance to update the styles from the template,although you can use the macro given in the Note below to reenable this feature.
You can also use the Template Changer extension (see page 12)
to reactivate the template.
To re-enable updating from a template:1) Use Tools > Macros > Organize Macros >OpenOffice.org Basic. Select the document from the list,
click the +, and select Standard. If Standard has a + besideit, click that and select a module.
2) Name the macro. For example, you could call it
FixDocument. If the Edit button is active, click it. If the Edit
button is not active, click New, type a module name in the
pop-up dialog, and click OK.
3) In the Basic window, enter the following:
Sub FixDocV3' set UpdateFromTemplate
oDocSettings = ThisComponent.createInstance( _"com.sun.star.document.Settings" )oDocSettings.UpdateFromTemplate = True
End Sub 'FixDocV3
4) Click the Run BASIC icon, then close the Basic window.
5) Save the document.
Next time when you open this document you will have theupdate from template feature back.

Adding templates with Extension Manager
The Extension Manager provides an easy way to install collections oftemplates, graphics, macros, or other add-ins that have been“packaged” into files with a .OXT extension. See Chapter 17(Customizing Writer) for more about the Extension Manager.
This Web page lists many of the available extensions:
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/.

Adding templates with Extension Manager9

To install an extension, follow these steps:
1) Download the extension package and save it anywhere on yourcomputer.
2) In Writer, select Tools > Extension Manager from the menu bar.
In the Extension Manager dialog box, click Add.
3) A file browser window opens. Find and select the package oftemplates you want to install and click Open.The package begins
installing. You may be asked to accept a license agreement.
4) When the package installation is complete, the templates areavailable for use through File > New > Templates andDocuments and the extension is listed in the Extension Manager.

Figure 6: Newly-added package of templates

Setting a default template
If you create a document by choosing File > New > Text Documentfrom the main menu, Writer creates the document from the Default
template for text documents. You can, however, set a custom template
to be the default. You can reset the default later if you choose.

Setting a custom template as the default
You can set any template to be the default, as long as it is in one of thefolders displayed in the Template Management window. If necessary,
10

Working with Templates

you can add the template to a folder as described in “Importing atemplate” on page 14.
To set a custom template as the default:
1) From the main menu, choose File > Templates > Organize. TheTemplate Management dialog box (Figure 4) opens.
2) In the box on the left, select the folder that contains the templatethat you want to set as the default, then select the template.
3) Click the Commands button and choose Set as Default
Template from the drop-down menu.
The next time that you create a document by choosing File > New >Text Document, the document will be created from this template.
Although many important settings can be changed in the Options
dialog (see Chapter 2), for example default fonts and page size, moreadvanced settings (such as page margins) can only be changed byreplacing the default template with a new one.

Resetting Writer’s Default template as the default
To re-enable Writer’s Default template as the default:
1) In the Template Management dialog box (Figure 4), select any
folder in the box on the left.
2) Click the Commands button and choose Reset Default
Template > Text Document from the drop-down menu.
The next time that you create a document by choosing File > New >Text Document, the document will be created from Writer’s Default
template.

Associating a document with a different
template
At times you might want to associate a document with a different
template, or perhaps you’re working with a document that did not startfrom a template.
One of the major advantages of using templates is the ease of updatingstyles in more than one document, as described in Chapter 7 (Workingwith Styles). If you update styles by loading a new set of styles from adifferent template (as described in Chapter 7), the document has noassociation with the template from which the styles were loaded—soyou cannot use this method. What you need to do is associate thedocument with the different template.
Associating a document with a different template

11You can do this in two ways. In both cases, for best results the namesof styles should be the same in the existing document and the newtemplate. If they are not, you will need to use Search and Replace toreplace old styles with new ones. See Chapter 3 (Working with Text)
for more about replacing styles using Search and Replace.
Method 1
This method includes any graphics and wording (such as legal notices)that exists in the new template, as well as including styles. If you don’twant this material, you need to delete it.
1) Use File > New > Templates and Documents. Choose thetemplate you want. A new file is created from the template. If thetemplate has unwanted text or graphics in it, delete them fromthis new file.
2) Open the document you want to change. (It opens in a newwindow.) Press Control+A to select everything in the document.
Paste into the blank document created in step 1.
3) Update the table of contents, if there is one. Save the file.
Method 2
This method does not include any graphics or text from the newtemplate, except material in headers and footers; it simply includes
styles from the new template and establishes an association between
the template and the document.
1) Download the Template Changer extension fromhttp://extensions.services.openoffice.org/ and install it as
described on page 9.
2) Close and reopen OpenOffice.org. Now the File > Templatesmenu has two new choices: Assign Template (current document)
and Assign Template (folder).
3) Open the document whose template you want to change. Choose
File > Templates > Assign Template (current document).
4) In the Select Template window, find and select the requiredtemplate and click Open.
5) Save the document. If you now look in File > Properties, you will
see the new template listed at the bottom of the General page.

12

Working with Templates

Organizing templates
Writer can only use templates that are in OOo template folders. You
can, however, create new OOo template folders and use them toorganize your templates. For example, you might have one template
folder for report templates and another for letter templates. You canalso import and export templates.
To begin, choose File > Templates > Organize from the main menu.
The Template Management dialog box (Figure 4) opens.
Note

All the actions made by the Commands button in the Template
Management dialog box can be made as well by simply rightclicking on the templates or the folders.

Creating a template folder
To create a template folder:1) In the Template Management dialog box, select any folder.
2) Click the Commands button and choose New from the dropdown menu. A new folder called Untitled appears.
3) Type a name for the new folder, and then press Enter. Writersaves the folder with the name that you entered.

Deleting a template folder
You cannot delete template folders supplied with OOo or installedusing the Extension Manager; you can only delete template folders thatyou have created. (If you have administrator privileges, you can delete
any folder.)To delete a template folder:1) In the Template Management dialog box, select the folder thatyou want to delete.
2) Click the Commands button and choose Delete from the dropdown menu. A message box appears and asks you to confirm thedeletion. Click Yes.

Moving a template
To move a template from one template folder to another template
folder:1) In the Template Management dialog box, double-click the folderthat contains the template that you want to move. A list of all theOrganizing templates

13templates contained in that folder appears underneath the folder
name.
2) Click the template that you want to move and drag it to thedesired folder. If you do not have the authority to delete templates
from the source folder, this action copies the template instead ofmoving it.

Deleting a template
You cannot delete templates supplied with OOo or installed using theExtension Manager; you can only delete templates that you havecreated. (If you have administrator privileges, you can delete anytemplate.)
To delete a template:1) In the Template Management dialog box, double-click the folderthat contains the template that you want to delete. A list of all thetemplates contained in that folder appears underneath the foldername.
2) Click the template that you want to delete.
3) Click the Commands button and choose Delete from the dropdown menu. A message box appears and asks you to confirm thedeletion. Click Yes.

Importing a template
If the template that you want to use is in a different location, you must
import it into an OOo template folder.
To import a template into a template folder:1) In the Template Management dialog box, select the folder into
which you want to import the template.
2) Click the Commands button and choose Import Template fromthe drop-down menu. A standard file browser window opens.
3) Find and select the template that you want to import, and thenclick Open. The file browser window closes and the templateappears in the selected folder.
4) If you want, type a new name for the template, and then press
Enter.

14

Working with TemplatesExporting a template
To export a template from a template folder to another location:1) In the Template Management dialog box, double-click the folderthat contains the template that you want to export. A list of all thetemplates contained in that folder appears underneath the foldername.
2) Select the template that you want to export.
3) Click the Commands button and choose Export Template fromthe drop-down menu. The Save As window opens.
4) Find the folder into which you want to export the template andclick Save.

Organizing templates

15