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The default template
- how to find it, modify it, or fix it
How to create a custom
template
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Every WordPerfect document you create is
based on a template.
In WordPerfect, the word template has
a specific meaning: A template is a document on your disk with
a special filename extension, “.wpt,” where
the “t” stands for “template”. WordPerfect
recognizes this special extension, and "knows" it is
a template and not an ordinary document.
Even new, empty documents with names like
Document1 are based on a special template, called the
default template (discussed
below).
Templates — whether default or custom
(discussed below) — define formatting
and program options for a document such as margins, tab settings,
styles, menus, toolbars, and keyboard definitions. Custom templates,
unlike the typical default template, usually also include text,
such as the “From:” and “To:” headings in
a memo, or the “Sincerely yours” closing in a letter.
Some editions of WordPerfect — usually
the more expensive ones — ship with many predefined static
templates, such as a simple, preformatted “To Do” list,
as well as many dynamic, automated Projects that you can
use to create personalized memos, faxes, résumés,
and so forth, with little thought or effort. These custom templates
are divided into groups, or categories, and can be seen
when you click File, New from Project (or File, New in WordPerfect
8). [Tip: While many of these predefined templates are installed
during a Typical WordPerfect installation, more may be available
using a Custom installation.]
Once created and located in a template folder,
templates are used only to create a copy or image
of the document on your screen (i.e., in your computer’s
temporary memory). The template itself is out of harm’s
way for the casual user, making it more difficult to accidentally
modify or delete. The document can then be edited, printed and
saved without impacting the template.
Best of all, templates can be automated:
You can insert prompts, bookmarks, and template macros in them
to save many keystrokes and reduce the chance of input error.
(For more on automating templates see here.) |
Default template
The default template's file name
- The actual default (or "shipping")
template file on disk -- the one specified and used by WordPerfect
when it is first installed -- is named WPnnxx.WPT, where nn=version
(e.g., 8, 11, etc.) and xx=language (e.g., US, UK, CE, etc.).
Standard location on disk (WP9+)
- [Note that this might not be the actual
location on your particular system; see the next paragraph
below.] For standard locations, see http://support.corel.com
and search for Answer ID 753791; this document lists the Corel
"standard" installation locations for default templates
for WordPerfect versions 9-12.
Actual location on disk
- The location and filename of your currently
specified default template can be found under Tools, Settings,
Files, Template. [Note that unless someone has changed the location
of this file during or after installation, it will be found in
one of the standard Corel subfolders (see above paragraph).]
- Note: The reason why both the standard and actual locations
are listed here is that some users might want to know where Corel
puts this file during a normal (i.e., not custom) installation.
- Tip:
This author has copied his own default template to a sub-folder
in the My Documents folder; it then is automatically backed
up along with other data files. The path to the default template
that was specified in Tools, Settings, Files, Template was changed
to reflect this so that WordPerfect can locate the correct default
template.
- Tip:
If you can't find the default template (or any other template)
in Windows Explorer, see the "Finding it" section below.
Using Windows Explorer or My Computer to
find your default template
- Normally you will see this file in the folder
specified above. If you still can't find the default template
file on disk with Windows Explorer, it might be because of a
default setting in Windows itself that prevents you from seeing
certain files. Here's what to do.
- [Windows CP:]
- Open Windows Explorer;
- click on the Tools menu;
- select "Folder Options...";
- click on the View tab; then
- (1) select (check) "Show hidden files
and folders";
- (2) deselect (uncheck) the "Hide..."
options; then
- click on OK. You should now be able to find
the file.
- [Windows Vista:]
- Click Start, Documents;
- press the Alt key, then click Tools, Folder
Options;
- on the View tab, uncheck the box that says
Hide extensions for known file types;
- click OK.
- Tip:
To find out 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.
Automatic generation of the default template
- If the default template file (WPnnxx.WPT)
is deleted from the disk or, better yet, renamed to something
else (e.g., MyDefault12.WPT, WP13USbackup.wpt, etc.), a new (virgin)
one will be created the next time WordPerfect is opened.
- Tip:
Renaming the default template and reloading WordPerfect is a
standard trouble-shooting technique. If it solves the problem
at hand, your customizations can be restored to the new template.
For more on this, click here.
- Note: Unlike with default templates, it is not possible
to automatically generate a custom template
by renaming the existing custom template. This is a good reason
to keep backups.
Modifying your default template
- Before you begin
modifying your default template, it you don't intend to make
a copy of it in another folder to serve as a backup you should
at least rename the default template file to something
else. First find it on your system (see above paragraphs), then
rename it with a new filename that you will recognize as being
the backup of your original default template (e.g., WP13US_BACKUP.wpt).
- Important:
- Renaming the default template is an easy
way to make a backup of this important file. As mentioned above,
a new, virgin (a/k/a shipping) default template will be recreated
automatically the next time WordPerfect loads if it cannot "see"
WPnnxx.WPT in the default (installation) location. You can then
copy customizations such as personalized toolbars from the backup
(for more on this topic, click here.)
Hence, you will then have both the new version and the unaltered
(and renamed) shipping version.
- If you also relocate this customized
default template to another Windows folder, be sure
to immediately specify any change you might have made to the
new template's location and/or name in Tools, Settings, Files,
Template so that WordPerfect can find it and use it instead of
the usual shipping default template. Then: (1) select it as your
default template in Tools, Settings, Files; and (2) refresh your
Projects list with File, New from Project, Options, Refresh Projects.
(See also Footnote 1.)
- Method 1: (For minor changes to the default template.) With
a document open, you can use File, Document, Current Document Style (or simply double-click the [Open Style: DocumentStyle]
code in Reveal Codes, at the very top of the document) to make
changes to the current document and also save them to the default
template that is currently specified in Tools, Settings, Files,
Template. For example, you might want to change the current
font and font size, and make them the default for all new documents,
too. To do this, make the changes in the Styles Editor dialog,
then be sure to enable (i.e., tick) the checkbox at the bottom
of the dialog, "Use as default," and click OK.
The changes will affect both the current document and the default
template. (After you test your changes in a brand new document,
you can disable that checkbox to prevent unwanted changes to
the default template.)
- Note: I
do not recommend using File, Document, Default Font
(or, in WP8: Format, Font, Default Font) to change fonts
or font sizes, since font changes made in the Styles Editor
with File, Document, Current Document Style (or simply
double-clicking the [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code in Reveal
Codes, at the very top of the document) are "downstream"
from changes made with File, Document, Default Font and thus
will over-ride them. I explain this in more detail in a thread
at WordPerfect Universe about changing the default font for both
existing and new documents. I suggested in a post
there that you always use File, Document, Current Document Style
(or simply double-click the [Open Style: DocumentStyle]) to change
fonts or font sizes with the Styles Editor dialog. In addition,
this method will set the default font for all printers, whereas
File, Document, Default Font (or even Format, Font) applies to
the current printer only.
- Method 2: (For moderate to extensive changes to the default
template.) You can
modify (edit) the default template directly to customize
it, by opening it for editing. This
is often done to delete previous customizations, or to add more
complex formatting codes, or to copy certain customized "objects"
(keyboards, toolbars, etc.) from other templates. (For the latter,
see Footnote 2.)
- Click File, New from Project (or just New
in WP8).
- Under the Create New tab, in the upper
drop list, choose "Custom
WP Templates."
- In the lower drop list, choose "Create a blank document." This oddly named choice is the default
template shipped with WordPerfect.
- [For those who have multiple versions of
WordPerfect installed on the same computer, see Footnote
1.]
- Right-click the name to Edit it (or click
the Options button). Note the full path and filename at the top
of the WP program window when it loads, to verify this is the
template you want to modify (i.e., the one that is currently
specified in Tools, Settings, Files, Template).
- 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'
initial style codes, and thus be less likely to be deleted accidentally.
When finished, click File, Save or Save As.
- Tip:
Since the label "Create a blank document" is not very
useful in indicating the fact that it is your default template
-- especially if you have several versions of WordPerfect on
your computer and use a common folder for all of their default
templates -- you can easily change the description to reflect
the actual filename(s) of the default template(s): Right-click
the "Create a blank document" description label, then
click "Project Properties..." and take note of the
filename in the Project filename field. Then use it ("wp13US.wpt")
or some other more useful descriptor in the Display name
field. (Thanks to Roy "lemoto" Lewis for this tip.)
Fixing a damaged or corrupted default template
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Custom templates
Creating, finding, modifying, or fixing your
own custom templates
- To create a custom template -
- Click File, New from Project (or just New
in WP8). The PerfectExpert (or just New in WP8) dialog opens.
- Click the Options button, then click "Create
WP Template." A new, blank Template1 document will
open.
- You can create the new template from scratch,
or you can use Insert, File to bring in a normal document (.WPD)
from your disk which will then become the basis for the new template.
- Save the new custom template withFile, Save.
The "Save Template" dialog will appear.
- Enter a brief Description (used in the list
of Projects and Templates), a Template name (used for the filename),
and the Template category (group) you want it saved in. Click
OK.
- Since the file has just been saved, you can
close it with File, Close.
- Advanced tip: You can import other "objects" (customized
keyboards, toolbars, menus, styles, etc.) into the new template
from another template. See Footnote 2 below.
- To find out 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 modify a custom template: Like the default template described above, you can
modify a custom template by directly editing it.
- Click File, New from Project (or just New
in WP8).
- 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.
- Right-click the name to Edit it (or click
the Options button). Note the full path and filename at the top
of the WP program window when it loads, to verify this is the
custom template you want to modify.
- 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 fix a damaged or corrupted custom template, use the procedure to fix ordinary documents, explained
here.
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Footnote 1
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 description in the Project list to make
them easier to find and edit.
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 is stored with its own version.
[Thanks to Roy "lemoto" Lewis in
a post
at WordPerfect Universe for this 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 property bar.
Simply click the Copy/Remove button, choose
the Template to copy from, choose the Object type (i.e., Styles),
select one or more styles, and click Copy to import them. Click
Close when finished, then Save the template.
- Save and back up the new custom template
before importing other objects. This
is especially important if you have spent a lot of time customizing
the new template before importing other objects into it.
- The template to be copied from must be in
the same folder on your system where the custom template is located.
- 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).
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Barry MacDonnell's