Word2003 - opening a DOT template file

[ChrisGreaves]

(1) In File Explorer I double-click or tap <Enter> on a template file and Word loads itself and creates New Document based on the template. I close that new document.
(2) In File Explorer I right-click and choose “Open With” (then Microsoft Word) and Word creates New Document based on the template. I close that new document.
(3) From within a File Explorer pane I drag the template onto the Word2003 pane and to my great delight, Word actually opens the template as a template, so that I can do some work on it.

I very rarely create a new document based on a template. I am not a text-typist creating documents as memos.
When I write. I usually am in an existing document and use a rather clever saveAs mechanism to create a clone of the original document.
Most of my work/play is developing and maintaining applications in VBA and hence in DOT templates.
And yes, I know that all my applications now can be DOCuments.

I think that apart from issuing a File Open command from within MSWord, the only other way to open a template is by the drag-from-Explorer method.

But then, I just know that I am about to be proved wrong (grin)
Cheers
Chris

[HansV]

Right-click the template in Windows Explorer/File Explorer.
Select Open from the context menu instead of the default New.

S2956.png

[ChrisGreaves]

Right-click the template in Windows Explorer/File Explorer. Select Open from the context menu instead of the default New.

Thanks, Hans. It's good to see that I was correct. I was proved wrong!
Cheers
Chris, on his way home wondering, again, "Why didn't I think of that?"

[Charles Kenyon]

***
I very rarely create a new document based on a template. I am not a text-typist creating documents as memos.
When I write. I usually am in an existing document and use a rather clever saveAs mechanism to create a clone of the original document.
Most of my work/play is developing and maintaining applications in VBA and hence in DOT templates.
And yes, I know that all my applications now can be DOCuments.
***
Cheers
Chris

On a side note, .doc files, .docm files, and .dotm files can all hold macros.
If you are doing Add-Ins, yes, they need to be templates.

After all this time, it might be time to bite the bullet and move to the ribbonx files. Building blocks can be a lot of fun.

[ChrisGreaves]

After all this time, it might be time to bite the bullet and move to the ribbonx files. Building blocks can be a lot of fun.

I looked at The Ribbon back in 2007 and again in 2010 and disliked it intensely.
Ribbons take up far too much real-estate and cater to the wimpy crowd who have superglued their hand/finger to the mouse.

As I recall, the argument behind the Ribbon was that people had far too many toolbars taking up space, but in 20 years of helping people at their desks, all I saw were the Standard and the Formatting toolbars.

And if there wasn't a button to do what you wanted, well, that meant that what you wanted to do just couldn't be done

Cheers
Chris