Edit styles in one place, change styles in multiple documents

Question

Hi,

I would like to be able to edit styles once, and let the styles be implemented in multiple word documents. For example, I would have a folder with 20 existing Standard Operating Procedures. I would like to change the Heading 1 style to have another font colour or size without having to open all documents and do it manually. For clarification, this of course assumes the proper use of Heading 1, Heading 2, Body text styles.

Today these files are stored on Onedrive for business and edited by several people. We could be storing them in a SharePoint document library instead if that is part of the solution? 

Any good advice on how to set this up the easiest way is very welcome. 

Peter

Answer 1

There is nothing, exactly, built into Word that will do this.

Someone will have to change the styles to suit.

It could be done with a macro.

You would change the template on which all of the documents are based.

Then the macro would cycle through the folder containing the documents.

1. It would open each document in the folder,
2. tell the document to update styles from the template,
3. (important) tell the document to stop updating styles, and
4. save and close each document before going on to the next one.

The person who makes the change in the styles in the template would be responsible for updating them.

Another solution would be a macro like the one described here:

A Global StyleSheet in Microsoft Word?

The problem that exists with multiple people making these changes or simply leaaving the setting to update on all the time is described in this article: What happens when I send my document to someone else? Will Word mess up my formatting?

Answer 2

Thanks Charles. 

I can see how that would work. But is this really the easiest way? Running macros and relying on one (or several) people to remember doing this seems like a risky business. How would a large company do that enforce branded styling? Would they put the normal.dot file on the server and restrict editing of it? 

Thanks for any further advice!

/Peter

Answer 3

1. The normal template should not EVER be a shared file.
2. It should seldom be one forced and locked down. Doing so cripples Word use and hampers productivity.
3. Train users to create new documents based on existing templates, not old documents.

I have template elements like letterhead logos, addresses and names stored in a central template that is not the normal template. That template is stored in a folder the Workgroup Templates which is copied/updated from a central location to each user's computer as a part of network login. The macros look for the template in each user's local computer in the Workgroup Templates folder.

My other templates have AutoNew macros in them that grab parts (identified by bookmarks) from the repository file and put them in the new documents as appropriate. Since some of these templates are decades old, the finished document sometimes looks remarkably different from the template. The AutoNew macro could easily import given styles at the same time.

However, if I were doing it over again, I would store those elements as AutoText in a Global Template and put them in the document templates as AutoText fields. Once a document was created, the AutoNew macro would lock those fields or unlink them so the content would not change. (I am a lawyer and I want a document I prepared 10 years ago to have the same content when I open it today as when it was created, I do not want existing documents to automatically update, only new documents.) Again, autonew macros in the templates can update the styles from that global template or from another.

As with the repository stored in the Workgroup templates folder with the bookmark import method, the global templates  are master files located centrally and copied/updated locally as a part of the user login. I do not want to depend on a user being connected to the network every time they use Word for this to work. So long as they are connected on a regular basis for those updates, it works fine, for me.

Again, my system is set up so that the easiest way for someone to create a new document for work is to begin with an existing template rather than to be working from a new document created based on the normal template. When I want to create a new template, I open an existing template (that already has my AutoNew macro) and copy content into it. All of my pleading templates are set up to automatically update the styles in a new document from a central repository.

Using AutoText stored in global templates and AutoText fields in document templates allows a high degree of uniformity of content that can easily be updated in all templates. The same could be said of updating styles.

Your original question asked about existing documents. Again, that is not something I face because (1) historical authenticity is important to me and (2) I base all new documents on existing templates, not old documents.

Automated Boilerplate Using Microsoft Word

Unfortunately, Microsoft has over the years devalued custom templates and made it harder for users to intuitively

access them. See this article for ways to make it easier: File New Variations in the Versions of Word

It is also possible to have a template other than the normal template be the basis for new documents by default without hampering the use of the normal template as a local scratchpad. See Easy New Document Template Package  for ideas.

Finally, I have a custom Ribbon tab that produces 95% of my documents. Greg Maxey helped me develop it and I'm sure he would be willing to work with your company on a plan to implement something similar. Many of the menus on it are dynamic so that I can simply add a template to a folder and it will show up under a menu.

Such a custom ribbon is not a minor undertaking to set up, but it is easy to maintain. It is in a global template. If you do one, you should expect to either spend substantial time on it or to pay someone to help.

Time for me to go to work!

Answer 4

Thanks for your comprehensive reply Charles. I will most certainly consider this setup and see if I can make it work (with my limited VBA knowledge). 

Best regards,

Peter

Answer 5

The custom Ribbon is not a do-it-yourself project unless you are willing to invest a great deal of time (like 1000 + hours).

The rest can be handled in bits and pieces. Once you have the AutoText set up it is simply a matter of adapting your templates to use it. Likewise, the AutoNew macro can be set up. You may want to have that simply call component macros from your global template as well.