Document title problem

Yes, that check box is unavailable unless it is checked (in which case you can clear it) or the current document is in .doc format. It gets checked when you use the Document Inspector to "remove personal information." I said it was a long shot, as I didn't think the "personal information" would include the title.

I'm wondering whether the problem may stem from the difference between Word 2003 and 2007 in that there's no (good) way to duplicate the Word 2003 setting "Prompt to update document properties." Unless you're manually changing the Title field in the document properties (or using a Title content control), I'm not sure how Word would know what the title is. None of that speculation matches what's actually happening, though (since you do see the title, and then it disappears), so I have no explanation.

I can suggest another approach, but it would be slightly more work: use the Title style for the document title and put a StyleRef field (referencing the Title style) in the header. This doesn't change the Title field in the document properties, but it does accomplish your basic purpose.

The best approach would be to use a Title content control; anything you type in that does get written to the document properties, and whenever you update it in one place, it gets updated in any other Title control in the document. I'm sure it must be possible to generate one of these from scratch, but I don't know the trick, so I would be inclined to try copying one from one of the built-in cover pages that include the Title control.

It's a long shot, but check under Office Button | Word Options | Trust Center: Trust Center Settings | Privacy Options and make sure that the box for "Remove personal information from file properties on save" is not checked. If it is, clear it. You'll probably need to do this in the Normal template as well.

Incidentally, the Normal template is neither Normal.doc nor Normal.dot but Normal.dotm, and it is generally not recommended that you put any content in the header or footer of the Normal template because it has adverse affects on labels. Instead, create a custom document template that has the features you want and use that as a basis for new documents.

I don't know of problems other than labels and envelopes; those are the most frequently mentioned problems. Using a separate template, though is easy. Simply put the template in your user templates folder and put a Windows shortcut to it on your desktop. You can also put one in your Start menu if you want. You can use those shortcuts to start Word.

You could even put a macro starting a new document from this template on your QAT if you wished.

Suzanne: I’m so use to saying "Normal.dot" over the years that I just continue to call it that without thinking.

Yes, the file is really Normal.dotm. With regard to putting something in the Normal dot's header I’ve been doing it for years (with Word 2007) without any problems (maybe because I don’t use Word for labels?) I have even customized a document template to use the way you suggest, but opening it is a pain-it’s a two step process. It’s quicker to simply start Word and letting Normal.dotm do the job.

I did look at "Remove personal information from file properties on save" as you suggested. It is not checked. In fact, it is grayed out.

Thanks for the suggestion. Any other thoughts?