This is another "default" template that users can specify in Tools, Settings, Files, Template. It supplements the user's default template, it does not normally replace it (but see next paragraph).
From WordPerfect's X5's (and X6's) Help file:
☼ From Using WordPerfect X3 , by Laura Acklen and Read Gilgen:"You can . choose an additional objects template. This is a second default template that stores objects such as keyboards, menus, template macros, toolbars, and styles that you can use in addition to or in place of those in the default template. For example, a system administrator could use an additional objects template as a network template that would overwrite a user’s default template [assuming the Update default template. option is enabled; see below].
To choose an additional objects template
1. Click Tools Settings.
2. Click Files.
3. Click the Template tab.
4. In the Additional template folder box, click the Browse button.
5. Choose the drive and folder where the template is stored.
6. Click Select.
7. In the Additional objects template box, click the Browse button.
8. Click the template you want to use as the additional objects template.
9. Click Open.If you want to update the default template with styles from the additional objects template, enable the Update default template from additional objects template check box.
Note
It is not always recommended that you update the default template with the additional objects template. Updating might only be useful, for example, if many users on a network use the styles in the additional objects template. The network administrator could enable the Update default template from additional objects template check box to update each user’s default template."
"In a networked environment, a system administrator can implement company standards by customizing an additional objects template and keeping it on a networked drive. Each user has his or her own default template on the local drive [N.B.: a local default template is required for their WordPerfect program to function] , so each is free to customize WordPerfect. As an added precaution, the additional objects template can be set up as read-only to prevent accidental modification."
☼ In addition to the network deployment discussed above, the Additional Objects template might also be used to store special custom menus, keyboards, etc., that you might wish to give to another user (via physical copy of the additional objects file) or to use with your other WordPerfect versions (by copying it to the appropriate template folder for each version). It offers a means to keep these items separate from your default template but still have them available in all new, blank documents.
☼ Another way to include custom toolbars, macros, etc. — a.k.a. "objects" — in a user's template is to copy them directly into the template from another template (a "source file"). This can be done manually as discussed on the custom toolbar page here, or it can be done with a simple macro using the TemplateCopyObject() command to specify the path+filename of the source file, the type of the object (e.g., ButtonBar! [i.e., toolbar], macro, keyboard, etc.), and the name of the object (e.g., "My New Toolbar").
☼ You can also store text variables in (and retrieve them from) the Additional Objects Template. In WordPerfect Help (F1), search for Additional Objects, then click "Using variables".
• Please view the section "Things you need to know first" above.
• For information on the default template , see "Default template" above.
Intermediate to advanced users:
• To create a custom, automated ("prompted") template , see "Automating WordPerfect Templates".
• Is there a quicker or easier way to create a custom template ? (Yes, but. ) See Footnote 5.
■ How to create, use, modify, fix, or delete your own custom templates
□ To create a custom template:
[ Tip for intermediate/advanced users: You can simply rename a standard document with a .WPT file name extension; this creates a simple template from the document. Moreover, the template can be located anywhere you wish. This has the advantage of simplicity — but it also has a few disadvantages ( discussed in Footnote 5) over the traditional 3-step method described next.]
• Click File, New from Project (or just File, New in WordPerfect 8). The PerfectExpert dialog opens. (In WP8 this dialog is named New.)
• Under the Create New tab, select " Custom WP Templates " — or any other preferred group from the top drop list. This group is where you want to see the new template's name appear in the Project category list when you have finished creating it.
• Click the Options button, then click " Create WP Template " on the drop list that appears.
The "Add Project. " choice on the drop list is typically used for creating or importing automated, predefined projects which use PerfectExpert "helper" files.
Predefined project files — such as the memo, agenda, and budget projects included with the WordPerfect Office — have an .AST or .ASX filename extension.
On the other hand, standard WordPerfect documents (.WPD) can also be used as projects, but you should find the current procedures described here more often useful since they produce custom templates that can be edited at any time with "Edit WP Template."
• A new, blank template document should appear on screen, with the name Template1 at the top of the window, and with the Template Property Bar displayed just below your other toolbars. [Note: The Template Property Bar has the “Build Prompts” button on it. If it (or any property bar) does not show, click View, Toolbars, Property Bar to display it.]
Step 2.
• Create your new template in the open Template1 document. Type any text, format the document (fonts, margins, etc.), and include any custom styles, toolbars, etc. Whatever you enter in this document and then save will become a template for future use.
Tips
☼ You can create the new template from scratch in the open Template1 document, or you can use an existing WordPerfect document as a basis for your new template by inserting it directly into Termplate1.
To use an existing document, simply place the cursor where you want the new file to be inserted and click Insert, File. Choose your existing document and click Insert. Answer “Yes” to any question about overwriting existing styles, which will overwrite defaults (such as font types) for the new template (not for all templates). Edit the newly inserted material as needed; for example, you might need to remove existing bookmarks, prompts, date codes, or text.
Important: If you use an existing document to create the custom template you should first ensure that document is not internally corrupted; see here for the free Corel standalone utility (WPLOOK) that can help clean out any corruption. (It is very quick and easy to use.) Otherwise, you might simply create a corrupted template, which can then pass the corruption down to documents spawned by the template.
[And for extra insurance — especially if you edit the custom template further — use WPLOOK on it before relying on it.]
☼ Advanced users: You can "hide" some format codes so that they are less likely to be deleted while creating or editing a document. See Footnote 8.
• Save the new custom template with File, Save. The "Save Template" dialog will appear.
• In the Description field of the Save Template dialog, type a description (e.g., “My personal letterhead,” “Company invoice,” etc.). This appears in the PerfectExpert (or New) window when you create a new document.
• In the Template Name field, type a filename for the project template, without a filename extension (e.g., “My personal letterhead”). The template file will be saved in a folder (subdirectory) that corresponds to the group, with a .WPT filename extension automatically added to whatever name you typed in the Template Name field.
• From the bottom drop list, choose a template group/category (e.g., Custom WP Templates), then click OK to close the Save Template dialog.
Tip: You can create your own categories beforehand with File, New from Project, Options (button), Create Category. If you want the category to appear near the top of the list, begin the name with a bracket ([).
• Since the template file has just been saved, close the current window with File, Close.
• When you wish to use the new template, select it in the File, New from Project category list and click Create. (Don't see it? Check out the Tips below.)
Note: This opens ("spawns") a copy of the template [temporarily named Document1 (i.e., with a number from 1-9)] which you can then name properly when you save it to disk. (See also the "To open. " section below.)
Tips for custom templates
☼ If you do not see your custom template in the File, New from Project category list (and you are sure you saved it or moved it there), you may need to refresh the list with File, New from Project, Options button, " Refresh Projects ".
Note: The same Options button can tell you where a custom template (or WordPerfect Project) is stored on disk — its complete path and filename — by using the "Project Properties" choice.
☼ You can import other "objects" (customized keyboards, toolbars, menus, styles, etc.) into the new template from another template. See Footnote 2 below.
☼ To create a custom, automated ("prompted") template, see "Automating WordPerfect Templates".
☼ To trigger a template macro to automatically play when you open a document based on a template, see here (this information is also included in the "Automating WordPerfect Templates" article in the previous tip).
☼ (Arcane tip:) To find out later which template (default or custom) the currently open document is based on, click on Tools, Template Macro, Edit. You can see the template's filename in that dialog, or you can see it if you click the Location button in that dialog.
□ To open ("load") a new document based on a custom template:
The standard method of loading a new document based on a custom template is to use File, New from Project (or File, New in WordPerfect 8), then select the category and name of the template, then click Create (i.e., a new document).
However, there are easier and faster ways, especially if you frequently use the same template-generated custom documents. See Loading new documents based on custom templates, which describes several methods (toolbar button, macro, etc.) to more easily load such custom documents.
Note that when you load a new document based on a custom template, the name of the document on screen will be Document1 (or Document2, etc.) — the same generic name as any new, blank document based on the default template. When you save it you will give it a new name.
□ To modify a custom template:
Like the default template described above, you can modify a custom template. There are a couple of ways to do this but the best (or most intuitive) way might be to modify it by directly editing it.
Note: If you wish to modify a custom template that is not in the File, New from Project list — such as when the template was created by merely renaming an existing .WPD file with a .WPT extension as discussed in Footnote 5 below ( which you should read first! ) — simply open it with File, Open. You can then skip steps 1-3 below.
Caution: If you wish to modify a standard WordPerfect Project, rather than a user-created custom template, note that some Projects are automated with internal coding and an additional "helper" file. This can mean that your modifications might render them partially or completely inoperative. (A clue is the presence of [Named Region] and/or [Bookmark] codes visible in Reveal Codes. Don't delete them.) Make a copy of the Project with the Options button and work on the copy.
Step 1. Click File, New from Project (or just New in WP8).
Step 2. Under the Create New tab, in the upper drop list, choose the name of category in which the custom template is listed. Then in the lower drop list, choose the name of the custom template.
Step 3. Right-click the name to edit it (or click the Options button) with "Edit WP Template". Note the full path and filename at the top of the WordPerfect program window when it loads, to verify this is the custom template you want to modify.
Step 4. You can make most changes in the template's initial style (e.g., font changes) by double-clicking the initial [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code in Reveal Codes; then use the Styles Editor's Format menu to make font changes. The changes will be stored "inside" all new (blank) documents' (based on that particular template) initial style codes, and thus be less likely to be deleted accidentally. When finished, click File, Save or Save As.
□ To move or delete a custom template:
First determine the custom template file's location (and the new folder location if you want to move the file) on your computer with File, New from Project,
Then exit from WordPerfect and use Windows Explorer or My Computer (or just Computer in recent versions of Windows) to navigate to the folder that contains template file. Move or delete the file. Re-open WordPerfect, and click File, New from Project, Options (button), Refresh Projects.
Note: Removing a category does not delete template projects from your hard drive. If you remove a category containing projects not stored in another category, a new category, "[Deleted Projects]," is created containing those projects. [- From WordPerfect X5's Help file.]
Tip: To find out which template the currently open document is based on, click on Tools, Template Macro, Edit. You can see the template's filename in that dialog, or you can see it if you click the Location button in that dialog. [Macro writers can use a single macro command to find the name of the template the current document is based on: Messagebox(;;?CurrentTemplate) .]
If an embedded template macro does not play automatically — such as when you attempt to use a WordPerfect Project (File, New from Project) that contains them to provide some type of automation (e.g., the Monthly calendar needs to format the calendar for the desired month) — then WordPerfect's template macros may have been turned off (i.e., disabled) in response to a program dialog message prompting you to " disable macros ".
[Another (less common) reason for the failure of a template macro to play: The original template file might be unavailable on your system to "trigger" the template macro in the current document that was saved to your disk. See Footnote 6.]
Typically, WordPerfect will automatically display this message whenever you launch a Project or other template containing a template macro.
But if you then -
- then you will have told the program to prevent playing any embedded template macros and not show this dialog again. (Unless a user's organization tells them otherwise, most users will probably want to enable template macros.)
It's #1 that can cause confusion and a "problem" with the Project since it effectively hides the message in the future, when you probably have forgotten that message or how you answered it. You are left trying to figure out why a Project or other automated template is not working as intended.
So . what if you want to enable template macros but cannot do so because the above dialog no longer appears?
Here's how to restore (un-hide) the program's message so you can answer it differently. It does require a small, simple change to the Windows Registry — but that's why the Corel article also shows how to back up the Registry first.
"How do I restore the template macro prompt dialog after hiding it?
When a template is opened which contains a PerfectScript� template macro, a [message] dialog is presented asking if the user wishes to disable the macros in the document. If you answered [in the affirmative, and you also] enabled the "Do not show this message again" option [with] 'Yes,' you will be unable to use any template macros within WordPerfect.
When opening templates which contain PerfectScript� projects in WordPerfect, some options may not work or may not be shown if the template macros are disabled. If you are not prompted on opening a template containing macros, you may need to reenable the template macros.
If you are not prompted when using a template which contains macros you can follow these directions to restore the prompts to factory default:
Please read this [Microsoft Support] article prior to performing these steps:
Title: How To Back Up and Restore the Windows Registry. [Updated URL Dec 2015: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/322756]
1. Close all applications, including WordPerfect.
2. Click Start, Run.
3. In the Open text box, type: Regedit and click OK.
This will launch the Windows Registry.
4. Click File, Export (or Registry, Export)
5. In the text box, Save in: select My Documents or Desktop.
6. Towards the bottom where it says File Name: type CorelBackup
7. Below to the left, under Export Range, select All and click Save.
8. The cursor will change to an hour glass and will return to a pointed arrow
9. Click the + to the left of HKey_Current_User [ Tip: This expands the "key". Also, instead of "+" it might be a ">" symbol.]
10. Click the + to the left of Software
11. Click the + to the left of Corel
12. Click the + to the left of WordPerfect
13. Click the + next to your version number of WordPerfect.
14. Right-Click on "HideDialogs" and select Delete.
15. Click Yes on the confirmation dialog.
16. Close the Registry Editor with the X in the upper right corner.
17. Relaunch WordPerfect.
WordPerfect will now prompt you when you open a Template containing template macros."
[Edited slightly for clarity. Also, after step #17 the Registry key you deleted in step #14 will be restored and the message will reappear when a template macro is present in a document. In other words, the message's appearance will be restored to the factory default. When you then want to make a different choice and hide the message iagain, be sure to first check (tick) the "Do not show. " box.]
Related pages and tips
• Saving custom styles to your default (or other) template; importing custom styles from other documents (even ones you didn't create); and removing new styles from your template when you don't need them anymore: See here.
• To create a custom, automated or "prompted" template, see "Automating WordPerfect Templates". [An example of an automated template is the letterhead template in the Library.]
• "Trigger" a macro from inside a template to play automatically when specific events occur as you use the template
• Automatically insert the current date as (unchanging) text (not as a code) in a letterhead or other template.
• Create a vertical toolbar with text buttons (instead of graphic icons) to quickly access your favorite folders, templates, and files. See Vertical Toolbar.pdf.
• Automatically associate a personalized keyboard or menu with a template so that the keyboard or menu will appear automatically when you open a new document.
• Need to reset page margins on page 2 (if there is a page 2) back to the one-inch default or some other setting? Here's how to do it in either the current document or in a template.
When you have multiple versions of WordPerfect installed on the same computer:
If you have renamed your default template and/or you have several versions of WordPerfect installed on the same computer, you will have several " Create a blank document " files listed in File, New from Project.
Each file belongs to its own copy of the default template or its own version of WordPerfect, but you can change the displayed name in the Project list to make them easier to find and edit.
Try one of these methods:
• To change the listed name to another name: Simply click on File, New from Project, then right-click the filename, choose Project Properties, and edit the Display Name. (The actual filename is shown in the field, "Project filename.") You can use the actual filename as the Display name (e.g., "wp13us.wpt") or simply add a version number to the display name (e.g., "Create a blank document 13").
Note that you will have to do this in each version of WordPerfect you have installed on your computer, since each Project list (the Projects.usr file) is stored with its own version of WordPerfect.
• To change the listed name to the actual Windows filename (but without the .wpt extension): Edit the template File, New from Project, then right-click the filename, choose Project Properties, and choose Edit WP Template. When the template opens, click the Description button on the template toolbar, and delete the contents of the Template Description dialog. Save the template, and then refresh the Project list with File, New from Project, Options, Refresh Projects.
Note that, to be on the safe side, you probably should not do this for templates created in another version of Wordperfect. Use the first renaming method above for those templates.
[Thanks to Roy "lemoto" Lewis in a post here at WordPerfect Universe for the first tip, and Noal Mellot in his post here for the second tip.]
Footnote 2
Advanced tip: You can import other " objects " — customized keyboards, toolbars, menus, styles, etc. — from another template (if they are not already present in the new template) with the Copy/Remove Object button on the Template toolbar.
First , back up the target template you wish to modify.
Second , if the source template is not already in the same directory/folder as the current default template (or any other "target" template you wish to modify), then copy it there with Windows Explorer or Windows Computer. The location of the default template folder will be indicated in Tools, Settings, Files, Template. You should rename the source (e.g., MyOldDefaultTemplate.wpt) before copying it so it will not conflict with an existing template of the same name. (The source template needs to be in the same folder as the target template.)
Third , open the target template for editing. [See Method 2 above for complete steps.] When it opens, simply click the Copy/Remove button on the Template toolbar that should be visible (it will have these buttons: Build Prompts. ; Copy/Remove Object. ; Associate. ; and Description. ) Then choose the "Template to copy from" (the source), and then choose the "Object type" (i.e., Styles). Select one or more objects, and click Copy to import them. Click Close when finished, then Save the template.
Notes and tips
• Save and back up the target template before importing objects. This is especially important if you have spent a lot of time customizing the new template before importing other objects into it.
• As noted, the template to be copied from must be in the same folder on your system where the custom template is located. This is an often overlooked step.
• Some Styles available in the old template can be either normal format styles or outline styles. WordPerfect doesn't tell you which type of style they are in the Copy/Remove Template Objects dialog's Styles list, but when you copy them to the new template they will show up in the new template in the appropriate place (either the Format, Styles menu, or the Insert, Outline. menu, respectively).
Footnote 3
[Continued from a Note above:]
More on using the Format, Font dialog:
The Format, Font dialog has a Settings button that allows you to "Set the font and point size as the default for all document." If you use it I believe you might have similar problems to those explained in the Footnote 9 below ("I do not recommend using . ").
This particular dialog might have been "inherited" from WordPerfect 8 and earlier versions, and while it might have worked well in those versions, it probably should not be used in recent versions of WordPerfect to set the default font and font size for future (new) documents. See Method 1 above, which uses File, Document, Current Document Style to set the default font and font size for all new documents.
To add one final — if esoteric — blow to using this Format, Font dialog:
Some users have discovered that clicking in the "+" symbol in the Font list in that dialog lets you choose a "sub-font" or "sub-face" such as Times New Roman Italic or Times New Roman Bold . Applying italics or bold this way can be problematic since their format codes might not be easily found — even with a macro such as Replace Codes (which can replace one format code with another) — if you want to remove or replace them. Instead, you might consider applying text attributes such as italics or bold with the Text property bar on the main document screen or by using the shortcut keys Ctrl+I or Ctrl+B on selected text.
Footnote 4
A kink (pothole?) in the Template Road
[A] right-clicking on the Windows Desktop (or in your desired folder in Windows File Explorer) and then choosing New > WordPerfect [version#] Document on the Windows pop-up context menu,
. then method [A] will create the new document based on a separate, relatively hidden "parent" file named WordPerfect.wpd . ( In WordPerfect X5 and earlier it was named wordpfct.wpd .) *
For example, if you are using WordPerfect 2020 the new file on your Windows Desktop will be named WordPerfect 2020 Document.wpd — or if more than one file with that name exists in that folder it will be named WordPerfect 2020 Document (n).wpd, where n is an incremented number.
This new file will be a simple copy of the hidden "parent" file and appear in whatever location method [A] was used — e.g., the Windows Desktop or some other preferred folder.
Importantly, the file uses standard WordPerfect default settings for paper size, font, font size, margins, tabs, etc.
-----------
* The location of the parent file WordPerfect.wpd (size=30 bytes) is inside a protected Windows folder (you might need Administrator rights to modify anything in it). For example, in WordPerfect 2020 it is located in
C:\Program Files (x86)\Corel\WordPerfect Office 2020\Shared\ShellNew
You probably should not modify the contents of that folder.
Why this matters
The separate parent file in method [A] above is used to create a renamed, empty copy of itself when you use New > WordPerfect [version#] Document on (some) Windows right-click context menu s.
In many if not most cases this should not be a problem. It's an easy way to quickly create a new, empty WordPerfect document with standard formatting.
However .
The document created this way is not based on your currently active (and possibly customized) default template, as discussed above. It's a mere "shell" of a template-created document. Even your own preferred font won't show up in such a document: It will use the Times New Roman 12-point font (along with other "standard" formatting).
The normal [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code created by the default template (method [B]) will be missing from the top of the new document. That code is often modified by users to set the current document's preferred formatting and (optionally) save such customizations to the default template so they can be used with future documents. But in this case any customizations you might have made to your current default template will not be present in this new document.
This might even be preferred by some users or in some situations.
[ Advanced users should be able to force Windows to always use their current WordPerfect default template as the basis for new documents — even when using method [A ] — as discussed below.]
• If you need to create new, blank documents that will include personal customizations previously made in your default template, then do it the traditional way with File > New on the WordPerfect menu or click the "New Blank Document" toolbar button.
That way, you are sure to be using the default template that is set in Tools, Settings, Files, Template — the one that passes downstream to the new, blank file any customizations you may have made to that template (default font, page margins, etc.).
And you will get access to the important and editable [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code placed at the top of the new document.
[ As noted, a more advanced way is described in the tip below, which shows a Registry edit that will force Windows to always "point" the program to your currently active default template ( .wpt ) file instead of the WordPerfect.wpd file described above.]
• What if you want to be able to start a new empty file (using the Windows context menu method above) in the folder it's supposed to be in, rather than the Windows Desktop?
Use Window File Explorer, or any file manager, or even WordPerfect's File > Open to navigate to a desired folder first. Once you can see the contents of the desired folder, right-click in that View pane (the one that shows icons, details, etc.) and use method [A] above.
An alternative is to create a special toolbar or other method to quickly navigate to the relevant folder before starting a new, empty file using the Windows context menu method. (You probably have to navigate there anyway, right?) See, for example, Navigating quickly to your favorite folders, files, and templates from inside WordPerfect.
▸ Macro writers:
Another bit of arcana related to this initial format code was discovered with WordPerfect X5: Using a macro in a global search/replace routine for all [Open Style] codes will delete the initial code as well. It is better to use a macro routine that starts searching just after the initial code before it replaces any of these particular codes.
▸ More on starting a new document from the Windows context menu:
See the WordPerfect Universe post starting here about the discoveries made and the recommendations offered.
▸ Forcing Windows to use the WordPerfect default template:
Here is a method based on a WordPerfect Universe post in 2012 by member (and frequent contributor) Larry Lewis that makes a single change to the Windows Registry so that the "template" file that is accessed when you create a new WordPerfect document from the right-click context menu on the Windows Desktop (or File Explorer) is the same WordPerfect default template file used when opening a new document with File > New on the WordPerfect menu.
Caution: Obviously always back up the Windows Registry before editing it. You assume all risks when using this or any method that involves changing the Registry.
Step 1. First, get the [full] Path and Filename of your current default Document Template.
Important : This is the same Path and Filename that is listed under Tools > Settings > Files > Template tab > Default template folder and Default template file [as also described above].
If you copy the folder's Path to the Windows clipboard you can paste it into Regedit in the steps below. You will need to add the template's Filename to the end of that copied Path.
Example, using WordPerfect X6 (should be all on 1 line) —
C:\Users\ \AppData\Roaming\Corel
\PerfectExpert\ 16 \EN\Custom WP Templates \ wpUS 16 .wpt
Step 2. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
• Click on the ">" next to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT to expand it.
• Navigate down to .wpd and click on the ">" to expand it.
• Locate and click on the ">" next to WP xx Doc (where '' xx '' is your version number; e.g., WPX6 is WP 16 Doc . WP2020 is WP 20 Doc.
• Under WP xx Doc , click on ShellNew . As you click on ShellNew, in the right pane locate FileName .
• Double- [or right-] click on FileName .
• [ This step might not be needed and, if so, it will not appear: ]
In the pop-up, click on Modify.
You should now be in the Edit String dialog containing 2 fields:
"Value name" and "Value data."
On a typical Windows 7/8/10 system using (e.g.) WordPerfect X6, the existing string in the Value data field should show a full Path and Filename like this (all on 1 line) —
c:\Program Files (x86)\Corel\WordPerfect Office X6\Shared\ShellNew\WordPerfect.wpd
• In the "Value data" field replace the existing string with the full Path and Filename of your current default template (obtained in Step 1 above).
For a typical U.S. language edition of WordPerfect, your new string in the Value data field for the full Path and Filename will be something like this (all on 1 line) —
C:\Users\ \AppData\Roaming\Corel
\PerfectExpert\ xx \EN\Custom WP Templates \ wpUS xx .wpt
— where " xx " is your version number such as 16 for WPX6 or 20 for WP2020.
Now when you right-click the Windows Desktop (or File Explorer) and choose New > WordPerfect [. ] Document, the WPD document that appears will be based on your WordPerfect default template and contain the standard [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code at the top of that document.
But be aware that the document will be named (and sequentially numbered if more than one exists in that folder) the same way as before your modification to the Registry. For example, using WordPerfect 2020:
New WordPerfect 2020 Document. wpd
Obviously, you can rename (or copy or move) it from Windows or open it in WordPerfect and then save it with a new name (and location, if desired).
Note that if you have multiple versions of WordPerfect installed, the ShellNew entry in the Registry for the version currently associated with Windows will have to be modified the same way as the above example if you want its new documents created via the Windows context menu to be based on that version's default template. (Only the associated WordPerfect version is used with the context menu's New. choice.)
The Registry change above will not be automatically carried into a newer WordPerfect version if you decide to upgrade WordPerfect. It will need to be made manually for that newer version's ShellNew Registry entry (assuming the newer version is the one associated with Windows).
Any modifications you make to your currently active default template will be reflected in ("inherited" by) any new document subsequently opened directly from Windows (e.g., by right-clicking on the Windows Desktop or by using Windows File Explorer, and then choosing New > WordPerfect [version#] Document) .
The one-time method above requires modifying the Windows Registry, which might not be desirable or even allowable in some organizations.
Footnote 5
Is there a quicker or easier way to create a custom template (than the method described above)?
Yes. You can simply create a normal document with the usual .wpd filename extension, save it, and then rename it with a .wpt filename extension. Choose it in the File, Open dialog and it will spawn a duplicate of itself, just like any other template.
A small disadvantage here is the template could then be located almost anywhere — which might not be optimal for some folks, such as those in an office where machines might be shared. The traditional methods described above for creating a custom template will automatically create an entry in the File, New from Project list, and place it physically along with other custom templates. This might make it a bit easier to use or edit. (Of course, you can always use Windows Explorer to move the template to the disk location used for any desired Project category. You can then access it the same as other Projects, as explained above.)
Another disadvantage is inherent in the method itself: To edit the template later and make changes you will need to (1) locate it, (2) rename it back to a normal document with a .wpd filename extension, (3) edit it [note that in later versions of Windows you can right-click on the .wpt file to edit it], (4) save it, and (5) rename it back to a template file with a .wpt extension.
Still another (potential disadvantage): See Footnote 6.
So if you used this file renaming method to create the template, you still might want to place the resulting template file in the same folder or sub-folder as your other WordPerfect template Projects so that you can easily edit it without having to go through the file-finding-renaming-editing-renaming process. (When they are placed in that folder for the first time, simply Refresh the Project list with the File, New from Project, Option button.) Then to edit it just right-click on its name in the Project list, and choose "Edit WP Template."
If you plan to share documents containing template macros with other WordPerfect users, take note of this:
If a template containing a template macro is set to be triggered by some event, note that the template macro will only trigger in a document (.WPD) if the template (.WPT) is present, either in the original template folder or in the default (parent) template folder. If WordPerfect cannot locate the template, the template macro will not play even though it is embedded in the document itself, since the trigger specification is stored in the template, not in the resulting document.
This can cause problems when sharing such automated documents with other WordPerfect users. Make sure they also have the template that spawned the document and it is located in the same relative folder as the original. [This might explain why template macros fail to automatically play in some documents if the original template has been renamed, relocated, or removed.]
[ A corollary: If you change or add a template macro in a template, all documents that were previously created with that particular template should — if the template is present — be able to run the revised (or new) template macro if they are set up to be triggered (or if they are manually played through the menu).]
For those who are new to computers or to folder and file navigation using Windows File Explorer (which is installed on all Windows PCs), here's an easy way to find your currently active default template so that you can rename it ( if necessary).
1. In WordPerfect, click on Tools, Settings, Files, Template (tab).
2. The "Default template folder" field on that tab should be selected (i.e., the contents are highlighted in reverse color). If it is not selected, right-click in that field and choose Select All.
3. Copy the selected contents of that field to the Windows clipboard with Ctrl+c (or by right-clicking the selected field and choosing Copy).
4. Close the dialog and then close the WordPerfect program .
Before doing any other task that invloves the Windows clipboard, do the following:
5. Right-click on the Start Orb ("Start button") on your Windows desktop. Click on Open Windows Explorer. [ Alternative: Click Start, (All) Programs, Accessories (folder), Windows Explorer.]
6. In Windows Explorer, click in the top field — in the empty space area to the right of the field's contents (the field shows the current path). Delete the contents of that field. (If you can't find an empty area in that field, try choosing "Computer" or "Desktop" from the left pane in Windows Explorer. This should shorten the displayed path in that field.)
7. In that field, paste the previously copied material (step #3) with Ctrl+v (or by right-clicking in that field and choosing Paste).
8. Press the Enter key. The folder containing the currently active default template should open in Windows Explorer. (You can click on the "Name" column heading to sort the items alphabetically.).
9. Scroll down to find the default template. It will have a name like wp16US.wpt — assuming you are using WordPerfect X6 (i.e., version 16) and the US language version. (If you can't find it in the Windows Explorer window, see above.)
10. Rename the first part of the name; for example, rename wp16US.wpt to wp16USbackup.wpt. (You can rename the file by clicking on its name to choose it, then use Windows Explorer's File menu to Rename it. Or you can just right-click on the file's name and choose Rename from the context menu that appears.)
When you next reopen WordPerfect, it will automatically create a new factory fresh (i.e., unmodified) version of the default template in that folder. You can then copy (transfer) various customizations from the backed up version into this new template file, as described above.
Since a template can contain various formatting codes (and perhaps text or graphics) so that it spawns new documents set up the way you want them to look, and since the new documents are clones of the template, some user-inserted format codes in the body text area of the spawned ("child") document might be accidentally deleted by users while editing — especially if they are located at the beginning of the document or where Reveal Codes is not visible to let users see what they might be deleting at that point.
Often, this happens with [Delay] codes that exist to do something on subsequent pages, such as set new tabs or margins, but it can happen with other (non-delayed) codes.
One solution is to "hide" these format codes inside the template's initial [OpenStyle: DocumentStyle] code. This is done by opening Reveal Codes, then selecting and copying (or cutting) the code(s) from the body text area into the initial [Open Style] code. Caveat: If you do this you would not be able to later modify those codes (e.g., a header or footer) while editing the [Open Style] code: You would need to cut (with Ctrl+X) the inserted codes back into a document, edit them there, and then paste them back into the [Open Style] code with Ctrl+V. Of course, you have to remember how to do this.
This little trick is briefly explained in a footnote here (using a [Delay] code as an example). Another example is used in a macro to set up line numbering (et al) in a macro's edit screen, which is found in the Library (MacSetup); the download page explains in an example how you can use the same trick to reset page margins on page 2 (if there is a page 2) in any document.
Important note about using certain MENU options
to set your preferred FONT and/or FONT SIZE
I do not recommend using either File, Document, Default Font or Format, Font to change your preferred default font or font size. [In WordPerfect 8: Format, Font, Default Font.]
[ Side note: Both menu options have a Settings button to save changes: The File, Document, Default Font . Settings button has a single choice to save changes for all new documents based on the default template; the Format, Font . Settings button lets you save changes to either the default template or just to the current document. But read on for caveats. ]
Here's why you might not want to use those two menu options.
With either menu option, changes are made to the program's internal program code and thus they are transmitted directly — and somewhat invisibly to the user — to all new, blank documents created ("spawned") from that template. (The Settings button on Format, Font also lets you apply changes to just the current document.)
A frequent and often puzzling problem can arise from this:
If you use File, Document, Default Font (or Format, Font) to change the font or font size and there are existing font or font size codes in the document's initial Open Style code (the first code in the body text area) then nothing will be changed — and no message is given to let you know that nothing was changed.
In this scenario you might assume that there must be a font change somewhere in the body text area of the document, and if you cannot find one you would be left puzzled since you know you just changed the font with (e.g.) File, Document, Default Font!
How might this happen?
Any font changes you or a co-worker might make directly in the Styles Editor (e.g., see above method) with either File, Document, Current Document Style or by simply by double-clicking the initial [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code at the very top of the document, are "downstream" from the internal changes made with File, Document, Default Font (or with Format, Font). [See more about WordPerfect's "stream formatting" above.]
Hence, new font or font size codes inside the current document's initial Open Style code (visible in its Styles Editor's Contents pane) will take precedence over similar changes made with the File, Document, Default Font (or Format, Font) menu selection, which are "upstream" from them.
Using the Styles Editor to directly set up customizations is common — even typical. Moreover, such changes can be made before and/or after using the two problematic menu options above. If before , you might run into the problem. [Another unanticipated twist in the tale: If font changes are made using either problematic menu option, and the Settings button is used to save them to the default template (with "Set face and point size as default for all documents"), the changes will not work if there are font and/or font size codes already in the default template's Open Style!]
You could, of course, simply delete the new font codes from the Contents pane in the Styles Editor for the Open Style code. This should allow the even-further-upstream font settings to reassert themselves . but that's not the point, or even the best solution. It's just a workaround.
I explained this issue in a 2005 post at WordPerfect Universe — including an easy way to test it (see the steps described below).
In that post I recommended using File, Document, Current Document Style [alternatively, double-click on the initial Open Style: DocumentStyle code to use the Styles Editor] whenever you want to change your default font or font size while editing the current document or the default template (see above ).
At least you can see any existing font codes and delete them before applying new default font codes.
Using the Styles Editor method above has other advantages: It will (1) set the default font for all printers, whereas File, Document, Default Font (or even Format, Font) probably applies to the current printer only; (2) it will let you set several other format options, not just your choice of font; and (3) just as easy to use as the either of the problematic menu choices discussed above. [See also the issue with "sub-fonts" in Format, Font described in Footnote 3 above.]
To help prevent accidental use, you can rename the File, Document, Default Font menu choice (or even remove it altogether) to something like "Default Font (DON'T USE). ". See "Customizing your menu. "