.dotm templates not allowed?

[Guest]

We are two writers who use Robohelp 9 and Word 2007 to produce online and printable documentation, using a printed documentation SSL in Robohelp, with a Word template. We want that template to carry our own macros that we use afterward on the converted document to, for example, clean up the converted tables. In Word 2007, a macro-enabled template is .dotm. When I open the Robohelp SSL dialog, and get to the fourth page, called Print Documentation Appearance, where you browse for and select a Word template, the only extensions shown/allowed are .dot, .dotx, and .zpl. No .dotm. Maybe this is because Robohelp doesn't want user macros interfering with the Robohelp conversion macros and breaking things? In any case, it appears that we are not able to associate a template that has macros with the SSL and have the template stored and updated in our version control with the rest of the project paraphernalia. Yes, we can send the macros to each other outside of Robohelp and outside of our version control system, but it would be nice to be able do it all through version control, like everything else in the project. Any helpful suggestions?

[Peter Grainge]

Let me amend that to an XML macro-enabled template is .dotm

dotm is the XML version of a dot file. Dot files still hold macros but they are not in XML format. That begs the question, is the XML format an issue? If not, just save your template in dot format.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/introduction-to-new-file-name-extensions-HA010006935.aspx may help.

One warning. I have seen quite a number of problems where people have created their own templates from scratch and they appear to be perfectly good templates but nonetheless there is a problem. Not always, just sometimes. Modifying the supplied Style Mapping template can be a better route to go.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Hmmm. I had pretty much put the old Word behind me but I see that the .dotm template saved as a .dot template works for the conversion, and it seems to hold the macros as desired. If the other writer who works in this project can get this to work as expected, retrieving the template with macros from version control through the SSL when she uses it, that's what I'm looking for.

I have been using this template successfully for the Robohelp to Word conversion from Robohelp 9 for a while, after getting the styles in Robohelp and in Word to get along, and avoiding things that create problems. I am curious, when people find that "there is a problem" with their template, what are kinds of problems that you would be concerned about?

[Peter Grainge]

As I understand it, the difference between dot and dotm is not what they hold but the format in which they hold it.

The problems vary from not generating the correct content, wrong layout and suchlike. Stuff that is obvious as long as you take a look. It is a while since anyone referred such a problem to me so perhaps later versions of RoboHelp are working better. If you template is working for you, don't worry about it. Just keep it in mind if you do hit such problems and then try the supplied templates to verify.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

So the thing that got us over the hump here was saving the Word template as .dot, even though we are using Office 2007. Thanks.