I just don't want to save NORMAL.DOT!

[Scott_MacKenzie]

Hi all,

When I , or any user on our small network of 25 users, exits out of Word, there is a message at the bottom of the app window saying 'Word is saving Normal.dot'... and a progress bar.

I would like the Normal.dot to remain unchanged, the main reason being that another app that uses word as its document editor is having a problem with word. The problem is that this other app has moved on, expecting word to have quit, but this saving of the normal.dot is still happening - causing winword.exe to either crash or freeze.

I have read all sorts of things on this subject, but they all say to check the 'Prompt to Save Normal Template' checkbox with Tools/Options, or making the Normal.dot read only... but these still prompt the user for a response of 'No'. I have had a look into AutoExit() subs, but these are applied after the Normal.dot has either been saved or not - want to NOT save before this...

All I want is - when you exit out of word, for word NOT to save the Normal.dot.

1. If you uncheck the 'Prompt to Save Normal Template' - it just goes and saves it for you each time.

2. If you make the user's Normal.dot read-only, then it prompts them to save it as something else.


Is there a way to tell word that irrespective of any changes that may have effected the normal.dot - to ignore them and NOT change the normal.dot??

Thanks for any help - this is sending me 'round the bend...

Scott.

[BrianB]

1. This is code to close Word without saving Normal.dot. I am more of an Excel person so I do not really know how this works in practice. It does not seem to work in the Document_Close event of Normal so it would have to go into the main program.

NormalTemplate.Saved = True
Application.Quit

2. [this other app has moved on]

Another way of handling the problem is to put a Wait line in the code to give time for events to take place. This is a 1 second delay that works in Excel. Perhaps there is an equivalent in Word :-

Application.Wait Now + TimeValue("00:00:01")

Or perhaps get word to spend time doing a loop :-

for n=1 to 1000000000000: next n

[Scott_MacKenzie]

Hi BrianB,

I have tried your 2 and 3 suggestions within the AutoExit() sub and seen how they work. They look good and I can see how it delays the word app closing. Normal.dot saves and THEN the app closes - exactly what may be causing the problem - so I will play with that. Thanks.

As for the first one... I have tried putting that code ito the AutoExit() Sub, to no avail (as the Normal.dot already saves before the AutoExit() sub is called.

What do you mean when you say put it into the "main program"?

Scott.

[Scott_MacKenzie]

Got it, me thinks...

To have the Normal.dot unchanged, and not disrupt any user with dialog boxes etc asking to save the template or not...

Sub AutoClose()
     NormalTemplate.Saved = True
End Sub

Difference being the AutoClose() (instead of AutoExit, as this is called too late), and NOT using the Application.Quit (which would kill word every time you close a document).

This means that every time you close a document, the Normal Template registers as already saved and word doesn't quit. All good so far. If you close word itself, it goes through the same process - but naturally closes word. All good as well.

Seems this is it.

Thank you for your help, BrianB.