atw: Re: Authors using DOTM files instead of DOCX files (cross posted to Word-PC)

From: "Suzy Davis" <suzy.davis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2017 10:56:41 +1100

Thanks Peter, Carl and Dora

I think you are right; it’s just been a bad evolution from, “let’s put our
templates on servers”.

In fact it makes sense that it might have been more an Excel developer needing
to deploy Word templates and given a half day to get their head around it – as
Excel isn’t really designed to work from an attached template the way that Word
does.

And I’m not blaming the template developer, or internal IT person who advised
that this was the way to go. It’s been a while since I’ve worked in a corporate
– their general project philosophy is “Just do it!” with no time for research,
or thinking through the best approach.

Keep your fingers crossed that I can keep them on the path to the new world.
Currently battling with some resistance to change amongst some senior managers…

Your feedback is fortunately in line with my approach, and hopefully it will
help them see that a step forwards is better.

Kind regards Suzy

Suzy Davis
Microsoft Word Templates, Apps for Microsoft Office

& Documentation Projects
<http://www.appsforoffice.com/>

<http://au.linkedin.com/pub/suzy-davis/6/5ba/4b1>
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apps-for-Office/136256423063414>
<http://twitter.com/#!/AppsForOffice>

www. <http://www.appsforoffice.com/> appsforoffice.com

(Melbourne) Australia
Email  <mailto:suzy.davis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> suzy.davis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Peter Martin
Sent: Monday, 9 October 2017 10:43 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Authors using DOTM files instead of DOCX files (cross posted
to Word-PC)

Suzy:

Sounds like a firm basis for an infinite nightmare.

Parts of that experience -- involving the misuse of template files -- seemed
surprisingly common in various enterprises I worked in a few years back (when
the similar issue was with .DOT files).

There seems to be a fairly widespread leap of faith a.k.a. lack of real
knowledge involved in quite a few workplaces where the intended use of Word
template files (i.e. "intended" by Microsoft) doesn't seem to register.

I've not seen so much of the more complex problems involved in embedded macros
-- I suspect because there is an awareness of the "macros are viruses" policies
that I think most enterprises adopt these days.

But misunderstanding does seem to occur in basic areas:

1. an assumption that there's more or less no difference between a template
file and the usual doc file  (which can lead to some interesting mysteries when
inevitably a user changes a template file in memory and doesn't notice a file
extent change when the file is saved -- particularly if it goes to a different
folder area).

2. an assumption that if you have say, a template that needs no file changes,
but is simply intended for use in say, printing out a standard form, you should
be saving it as a "Word template" file on the server for everyone to use.
(Thereby possibly spreading the odd "virus"??)

My own view (not that I had much success in getting it adopted) was that every
real Word template file deployed (e.g .DOTM) should have a note in bold at the
top where preferably the note itself it looks ugly and an obvious candidate for
excision and which says in effect this is a template file which should be saved
to a .DOCX  etc. format immediately and before you make any changes to it. (And
probably also:" If you even attempt to save any version of this as a .DOTM file
without permission your hands will be cut off.")

Good luck with the 800 pp templates.

-Peter M



On 8 October 2017 at 09:40, Suzy Davis <suzy.davis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:suzy.davis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:

Hi there

(apologies – long post)

The question: How common is the practice of large author teams to use the
template file, DOTM to create their documents – some of which are 800 pages
long??

I’ve just deployed a new template brand refresh to a little over 22,000 authors
in a global engineering and consulting company.

As corporations often do, they thought bringing the template builder in
literally 4 weeks before the brand launch would be enough time.  And they
wanted a macro refresh as well!

An interesting month that I survived, and delivered on time (although we had to
cut a few corners); but there wasn’t any time for document analysis; or the
analysis of the way people need to work.

They accepted that I just needed to do the job in the way I could do it and
achieve the deadline.

One of the main things I saw when I arrived was that authors were using DOTM
files in documents, with an embedded custom Ribbon.  I was notified that these
documents error when the documents are sent to customers or external
collaborators when the macros are taken out (many mail servers won’t accept
DOCM OR DOTM files).  This means that the resulting DOCX with the Ribbon XML
still embedded (as an author won’t know how to take it out) will error when
that document is opened.  They’ve just learn to live and accept that.

The documents are deployed via SharePoint.

I don’t know much about SharePoint.  When people open the DOTM in SharePoint it
opens the DOTM file on their PC and they happily continue working in it.  Even
when they save as, they don’t notice that it’s a DOTM file; and if they did and
saved it as a DOCX, they would lose macros etc.

I took one look at that and said I’ll move you towards a Microsoft Best
Practice approach – which was to add a macro into the DOTM file, that when
saved to the PC, will save it to a template location, and force the start of a
new document, and load the ribbon from an external addin.  This forces people
to work in the DOCX files not the DOTM files.

The new Ribbon (with macros) is loaded as a global addin (currently via a
SharePoint download and self install), and their new documents are all attached
to a template in a common location (not under the user profile – yet) which
holds the macros and building blocks.

I’d like to move them to a Word\Startup global addin location, and a template
deployment where IT push the templates out rather than people needing to open
from SharePoint (at least for the base corporate templates) – but that will
likely take a year of discussion with IT.

Is this a common practice – working in the DOTM??

First time I’ve encountered it, and I was shocked that someone would consider
that as an option, and can only imagine that they did so while fairly
inexperienced and needing to appease a demanding corporate stakeholder under a
tight timeframe.

In companies deploying templates via Intranets or SharePoint I’ve more commonly
seen DOCX files deployed as templates.

Because of the way they’ve been working they are used to the Ribbon only being
present when they have the document (DOTM) open, and otherwise it’s not there.

With my method there is some confusion because people are expecting the Ribbon
to work no matter what document is open – but Ribbons only work in when the
building blocks, or styles are present in the current document.

To me it’s the same as trying to use your Bank app on your phone when the phone
is out of range.  You get a message that that button won’t work in this
document, and move on.

From my point of view this is a maintenance nightmare.  If they need new
building blocks or macros, or ribbon alternations we just update the templates,
or the ribbon file, and tell people to download the updated template or ribbon.

They would have no way to deploy these updates, except by telling people to
copy their document into the new template.  Just what someone needs in an 800
page document on a time crunch.  Seems bizarre to me, but maybe I’ve been
working the way I’ve been working (and avoiding corporates) for too long!

Would love to hear your thoughts…

Kind regards Suzy

Suzy Davis
Microsoft Word Templates

APPS for MICROSOFT OFFICE

& Documentation Projects

<http://au.linkedin.com/pub/suzy-davis/6/5ba/4b1>
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apps-for-Office/136256423063414>
<http://twitter.com/#!/AppsForOffice>

<http://www.appsforoffice.com/> www.appsforoffice.com

<http://www.appsforinteriordesigners.com/> www.appsforinteriordesigners.com

PO Box 404
Brighton VIC 3186

(Melbourne) Australia

Email  <mailto:suzy.davis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> suzy.davis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Skype suzy.davis

References:
- atw: Authors using DOTM files instead of DOCX files (cross posted to Word-PC)
  - From: Suzy Davis

atw: Re: Authors using DOTM files instead of DOCX files (cross posted to Word-PC)

Other related posts: