[Solved] Strange happenings with templates

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hswallow
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[Solved] Strange happenings with templates

Post by hswallow »

I use several different templates frequently (eg general letter.ott). Normally when I open one, it will say "Untitled" at the top of the screen. I then type away and when I press the save button, it automatically asks me for a file name, which I enter, using extension .doc or .odt depending on the audience/recipient of the document.

However, very recently, something strange has been happening to all my templates. When I open a template file, it doesn't say "Untitled" at the top of the screen. The template name (eg general letter.ott) is there instead. If I type away and press the save button, then I find that I have over-written the template file.

They are not supposed to work like that. I thought at first that I must have checked/unchecked some box somewhere, but I cannot find anything. Can somebody, please help me? Thanks.
Last edited by hswallow on Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Strange happenings with templates

Post by Hagar Delest »

How do you open your templates? Through the File>New>Templates and Documents menu (or from the Templates button in the Start Center)?

If you open them from the recent documents list, it opens the template in editing mode.
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hswallow
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Re: Strange happenings with templates

Post by hswallow »

Thanks for your help.

I keep all my templates in a directory called Templates, and I usually open each one by clicking on a shortcut on my Windows desktop. Isn't that the normal way to open a file? It should not open the template in editing mode - after all that is the whole point of a template, isn't it? If I want to edit a template, I would normally open as above, but then make sure the file is saved under the correct template file name (eg letterhead.ott), but if I just click on the file name in Windows Explorer/other file manager/shortcut I would expect to find an "Untitled" document which will not overwrite the template.

This is bizarre and I wonder if others have experienced the same thing - it is has occurred only very recently. I am using Openoffice 3.1.1 (Build 9420)
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Strange happenings with templates

Post by Hagar Delest »

I've never seen that.

But basically, you should call the templates from within OOo and save them through the File>Templates>Organize dialog because this way, OOo will check any change made to the templates. And if you change a template once, when you open old documents made with a previous version, OOo will detect the template update and ask you if you want to update that document according to the new version of the template. This check is not done if you call the template from another directory.
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hswallow
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Re: Strange happenings with templates

Post by hswallow »

Thanks, but I don't want to edit my templates! Not normally, anyway. And I don't want to have to start up OOo first - I used to just click on my template short-cut icon on the desk top and be able to start typing a letter or whatever it is straight away.

However now, when I click the template shortcut, the template file itself gets opened, rather than an .odt file. So now, if I click the Save button, the .ott file gets overwritten. Please don't tell me that this is the correct functionality - if so when did it change?
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Strange happenings with templates

Post by Hagar Delest »

Could you try to open the file and then save as and select in the formats drop-down list the template entry (.ott) and make sure the automatic extension for filename is checked. Perhaps a standard .odt file has got the .ott extension. I've checked and in this case the faked .ott is opened as a standard .odt file.

Thanks to add '[Solved]' at beginning of your first post title (edit button) if your issue has been fixed.
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hswallow
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Re: Strange happenings with templates

Post by hswallow »

Hagar, thank you for your suggestion, but it did not work for me (perhaps I didn't understand it properly).

However I have now found the cause of my problem. Opening an .ott file with swriter calls up the template file for editing and any changes made overwrite the .ott file. However, opening an .ott file with soffice does not edit the template file - you get an Untitled file which you are prompted to save as an .odt file and does not overwrite the .ott file.

Either the functionality of OOo changed or somehow the file association for the .ott extension was changed (probably the latter). Anyway, now I can revert to my previous method of clicking a shortcut icon (eg Memo, Letter, etc) on my Desktop without having to open OOo first, and being able to type into the form straight away.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: [Solved] Strange happenings with templates

Post by Hagar Delest »

What is the difference between opening the file with swriter and soffice?

How have you changed back the behavior of the shortcuts?
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Re: [Solved] Strange happenings with templates

Post by tn@BeWo »

Hagar de l'Est wrote:What is the difference between opening the file with swriter and soffice?
The parameters
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Hagar Delest
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Re: [Solved] Strange happenings with templates

Post by Hagar Delest »

Yes, but are the parameters invoked when you double-click a file in the explorer???

I just tried and if I right click and then Open with swriter, I get an untitled file, that's fine. If I open with OOo 3.1, it opens the template in edit mode. So first, it's the opposite and second, I've to right click to get this behavior. It would mean that the registry has been modified somehow.

And I don't see in the OP reply what he has made to change that back to initial behavior.
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Bill
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Re: [Solved] Strange happenings with templates

Post by Bill »

Hagar de l'Est wrote:I just tried and if I right click and then Open with swriter, I get an untitled file, that's fine. If I open with OOo 3.1, it opens the template in edit mode. So first, it's the opposite and second, I've to right click to get this behavior. It would mean that the registry has been modified somehow.
I see just the opposite in Vista and Windows 7. Double-clicking a template opens a new untitled document, but it opens with OOo 3.1 (the default program for all OOo templates is OpenOffice.org). In order to get a template to open for editing when double-clicking, the default program has to be changed to swriter.exe, scalc.exe, etc.
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Re: [Solved] Strange happenings with templates

Post by tn@BeWo »

On right-clicking, you get the menu with the associated actions.
On of them, usually the first one, will show in bold font. This default will be launched on double click.
On my systems (w2k, wXP, ubuntu 8 LTS, ubuntu 9.10) "open" is default for all ODF documents, "new" is default for all ODF templates.
I haven't manipulated any of them from the standard install.

Anyway, it's quite easy to change (back) the default by setting the association.
In Window's Explorer: Tools/(Folder?)Options/Filetypes(?) (only localized windows here, currently).
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Bill
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Re: [Solved] Strange happenings with templates

Post by Bill »

tn@BeWo wrote:Anyway, it's quite easy to change (back) the default by setting the association.
In Window's Explorer: Tools/(Folder?)Options/Filetypes(?) (only localized windows here, currently).
The File Types tab was removed from Folder Options in Vista and Windows 7. Changing the default program is accessible from the Start Menu, but as far as I know, changing the default action in Vista or Windows 7 would require editing the registry.

Edit: Changing the default program in Vista also changes the default action. If the default program for OTT files is OpenOffice.org, the default action is New, and a new untitled document is opened when double-clicking the OTT file. If the default program is changed to swriter.exe, the default action changes to Open, opening the OTT file for editing when double-clicking the file.
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