Trigger the Properties Dialog box on open

This is slightly different than some of the other questions on the group.

We are developing a template for drafting over 2000 instruction documents.
Since most of our user base have never correctly used templates and we want
the flow to be as smooth as possible; we are putting as much repetitive
information into properties as we can.

Of course, we will instruct them on our to use the template; but judging
from past experience.... We thought if we opened the properties dialog box
for them when they opened the template it would increase our odds that they
will use it.

Our problem is that while recording the macro, we have to close the dialog
box before stopping the recorder and then it has nothing written to it when
we do.

How can we automatically open the Properties dialog box when a user opens
the template?

Thanks

Jay
Tue Oct 03 15:29:36 CDT 2006

Put the following maro into a regular module of the template:

Sub AutoNew()
Const wdDialogFileProperties = 750
On Error Resume Next ' in case of Cancel
Dialogs(wdDialogFileProperties).Show
End Sub

If you want the dialog to open also when an existing document based on the
same template is opened, make another copy of the macro in the same module
and change its name to AutoOpen.

The constant declaration is needed because, for reasons I never understood,
Microsoft didn't define a built-in constant to represent the File >
Properties dialog. There is one for wdDialogFileSummaryInfo, which is a
useless cut-down version. <shrug>

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

Jack_Feeman wrote:
> This is slightly different than some of the other questions on the
> group.
>
> We are developing a template for drafting over 2000 instruction
> documents. Since most of our user base have never correctly used
> templates and we want the flow to be as smooth as possible; we are
> putting as much repetitive information into properties as we can.
>
> Of course, we will instruct them on our to use the template; but
> judging from past experience.... We thought if we opened the
> properties dialog box for them when they opened the template it would
> increase our odds that they will use it.
>
> Our problem is that while recording the macro, we have to close the
> dialog box before stopping the recorder and then it has nothing
> written to it when we do.
>
> How can we automatically open the Properties dialog box when a user
> opens the template?
>
> Thanks

Jean-Guy
Tue Oct 03 15:51:03 CDT 2006

Jack_Feeman was telling us:
Jack_Feeman nous racontait que :

> This is slightly different than some of the other questions on the
> group.
>
> We are developing a template for drafting over 2000 instruction
> documents. Since most of our user base have never correctly used
> templates and we want the flow to be as smooth as possible; we are
> putting as much repetitive information into properties as we can.
>
> Of course, we will instruct them on our to use the template; but
> judging from past experience.... We thought if we opened the
> properties dialog box for them when they opened the template it would
> increase our odds that they will use it.
>
> Our problem is that while recording the macro, we have to close the
> dialog box before stopping the recorder and then it has nothing
> written to it when we do.
>
> How can we automatically open the Properties dialog box when a user
> opens the template?

I think you meant to ask how to activate that dialog when creating a
document form the template, not when opening the template itself.
This particular dialog is not part of the Dialogs collection... go figure!

So you need a workaround.
Also, when displaying the dialog through VBA, if the user hits "Cancel" you
get an annoying error message. This is why I sorta trap the error in the
code below.

Paste this code in the ThisDocument module of your template. IF you want the
dialog only when creating a document (Not when subsequently opening it, do
not use the Document_Open.

'_______________________________________
Private Sub Document_New()

On Error Resume Next
WordBasic.FileProperties
On Error GoTo 0

End Sub
'_______________________________________

'_______________________________________
Private Sub Document_Open()

On Error Resume Next
WordBasic.FileProperties
On Error GoTo 0

End Sub
'_______________________________________

--
Salut!
_______________________________________
Jean-Guy Marcil - Word MVP
jmarcilREMOVE@CAPSsympatico.caTHISTOO
Word MVP site: http://www.word.mvps.org

JackFeeman
Wed Oct 04 06:38:01 CDT 2006

Thanks for the great responses and for your insights as well. Yes, only
opening the dialog box on the creation of a new document from the template is
a great way to do this.

Thanks again, Jack

"Jean-Guy Marcil" wrote:

> Jack_Feeman was telling us:
> Jack_Feeman nous racontait que :
>
> > This is slightly different than some of the other questions on the
> > group.
> >
> > We are developing a template for drafting over 2000 instruction
> > documents. Since most of our user base have never correctly used
> > templates and we want the flow to be as smooth as possible; we are
> > putting as much repetitive information into properties as we can.
> >
> > Of course, we will instruct them on our to use the template; but
> > judging from past experience.... We thought if we opened the
> > properties dialog box for them when they opened the template it would
> > increase our odds that they will use it.
> >
> > Our problem is that while recording the macro, we have to close the
> > dialog box before stopping the recorder and then it has nothing
> > written to it when we do.
> >
> > How can we automatically open the Properties dialog box when a user
> > opens the template?
>
> I think you meant to ask how to activate that dialog when creating a
> document form the template, not when opening the template itself.
> This particular dialog is not part of the Dialogs collection... go figure!
>
> So you need a workaround.
> Also, when displaying the dialog through VBA, if the user hits "Cancel" you
> get an annoying error message. This is why I sorta trap the error in the
> code below.
>
> Paste this code in the ThisDocument module of your template. IF you want the
> dialog only when creating a document (Not when subsequently opening it, do
> not use the Document_Open.
>
> '_______________________________________
> Private Sub Document_New()
>
> On Error Resume Next
> WordBasic.FileProperties
> On Error GoTo 0
>
> End Sub
> '_______________________________________
>
> '_______________________________________
> Private Sub Document_Open()
>
> On Error Resume Next
> WordBasic.FileProperties
> On Error GoTo 0
>
> End Sub
> '_______________________________________
>
> --
> Salut!
> _______________________________________
> Jean-Guy Marcil - Word MVP
> jmarcilREMOVE@CAPSsympatico.caTHISTOO
> Word MVP site: http://www.word.mvps.org
>
>
>