Creating a template

OpenOffice.org 2.x Writer Guide

Chapter 10: Working with Templates

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• Using a template to create a document
• Creating a template
• Editing a template
• Adding templates with Extension Manager
• Setting a default template
• Organizing templates

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You can create your own templates in two ways:

• From a document
• Using a wizard

Creating a template from a document

To create a template from a document:

1. Open a new or existing document of the type you want to make into a template (text document, spreadsheet, drawing, presentation).
2. Add the content and styles that you want.
3. From the main menu, choose File → Templates → Save. The Templates dialog opens.
4. In the New template field, type a name for the new template.
5. In the Categories list, click the category to which you want to assign the template. (The category is simply the template folder in which you want to save the template. For example, to save the template in the "My Templates" folder, click the My Templates category.) To learn more about template folders, see Organizing templates.
6. Click  OK . AOo saves the new template and the Templates dialog closes.

Saving a new template.

Any settings that can be added to or modified in a document can be saved in a template. For example, below are some of the settings (although not exhaustive) that can be included in a Writer document and then saved as a template for later use:

• Printer settings: which printer, single sided / double-sided, and 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

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Creating a template using a wizard

You can use wizards to create these types of Writer templates:

• Letter
• Fax
• Agenda

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 complementary close
• 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 template required.
2. Follow the instructions on the pages of the wizard. This process is slightly different for each type of template, but the format is very similar.
3. In the last section of the wizard, you can specify the name and location for saving the template. The default location is your user templates directory, but you can choose a different location if you prefer.
4. Finally, you have the option of creating a new document from your template immediately, or manually changing the template. For future documents, you can re-use the template created by the wizard, just as you would use any other template.

Creating a template using a wizard.

Content on this page is licensed under the Public Documentation License (PDL).