Q191179: WD97: Customizing and Sharing Toolbars in Microsoft Word

Article: Q191179
Product(s): Word 97 for Windows
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbdta word97
Last Modified: 04-MAR-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Word 97 for Windows 
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SUMMARY
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This article describes how to create a custom toolbar, how to distribute it to
other users, and how to allow other users to share it over a network.

The built-in toolbars provided by Microsoft Word cannot be changed or replaced
because they are stored as Microsoft Word program code. However, you can create
custom toolbars, save them in templates, and then do any of the following:

- Send those templates for other people to use.

- Copy the toolbars into the Normal template.

- Place the templates in a folder so they can be shared globally and used
  automatically by Microsoft Word.

Custom toolbars are stored in templates or documents. You can use the organizer
to copy toolbars between templates or documents.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Creating a Custom Toolbar in Normal.dot:

To create custom toolbars for personal use only, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Toolbars tab.

2. In the Customize dialog box, click New and type a toolbar name in the Toolbar
  Name box.

3. In the "Make toolbar available to" box, select Normal.dot, and then click
  OK.

  Note that an empty floating toolbar appears on your screen.

4. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.

5. Drag the desired commands to the empty toolbar.

6. Dock your toolbar by dragging it near the other toolbars.

7. Click Close.

Creating a Custom Toolbar in a New Template:

To create a toolbar for use on multiple computers, follow these steps to create
custom toolbars within a customized template:

1. On the File menu, click New.

2. Click the General tab and click Blank Document. Under Create New, click
  Template, and then click OK.

3. On the File menu, click Save As.

4. In the Save As dialog box, enter a file name and click Save.

5. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and click the Toolbar tab.

6. Click New and type a toolbar name in the Toolbar Name box.

7. In the "Make toolbar available to" box, type or select the name for your
  newly created template, and then click OK.

  Note that an empty floating toolbar appears.

8. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.

9. Drag the desired commands to the empty toolbar. Dock your toolbar by dragging
  it near the other toolbars, and then click Close.

SHARING A TOOLBAR
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Once you have created a template containing custom toolbars, use either of the
following methods to share it.

Method 1: Copy the Toolbar from the Network Template to the Normal.dot File:

To copy the toolbar from the network template to the Normal.dot file, follow
these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Open.

2. Locate the folder where the template is stored and open the template.

3. On the Tools menu, click Templates And Add-ins.

4. Click Organizer, and then click the Toolbars tab.

  The Organizer contains two windows. One side contains Normal.dot and the other
  contains the network template you opened in step 2.

5. On the network template side, click to select the customized toolbars you
  want available in Normal.dot, and then click Copy.

6. Click Close.

Method 2: Loading the Network Template Globally:

To load the network template globally, follow these steps:

1. Quit Microsoft Word.

2. Using Windows Explorer, copy the network template to your startup folder for
  Microsoft Word. Following is the default startup folder location for Word 97:

  Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup

When you start Word, the new toolbars should be available.

REFERENCES
==========

For additional information about custom toolbars, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q141995 How to Create Custom Toolbars and Toolbar Buttons

For additional information about starting Word with a template other than Normal,
please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q97687 Starting Word for Windows with a Template Other Than "Normal"

For additional information about using the organizer, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q119126 Organizer Cannot Copy Default Toolbars

Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbdta word97 
Technology        : kbWordSearch kbWord97 kbWord97Search kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : :
Issue type        : kbhowto

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