Hello! I am wondering if it’s possible to create a project default so that every time I create a new document within a project, it has a default target word count. I have searched the help features and the community forums, but can find no mention of this possibility. Is there some way of doing this that isn’t obvious?
TIA!
Bruce
Sure.
Make sure you have a folder in the binder which is designated as the Document Templates folder — Project > Project Settings > Special Folders > Templates Folder.
Create a new document in that templates folder and look at it in outline view (ie highlight the templates folder and toggle cmd-3). Add the Target field to the columns (View > Outliner Options > Target), then double click on the Target column for your new document template and add your chosen default word count. Here I’ve added a default Target of 1000 to the new document template Test.
Now, whenever you create a new document anywhere in the project using that template (from the Project > New from Template menu), it will have 1000 words set as the default target. You can override it of course.
This technique is very useful for other metadata – such as default keywords, statuses etc. As you can allocate a different template to be used by default for any folder, you can quickly build up quite a sophisticated range of different ‘starter’ data for different types of documents. You can see in the Screenshot that the Book Diary template has a default Label of ‘Admin’ and a default status of ‘In progress’.
HTH.
Interesting; I cannot get the target folder assigned as the Template folder. There are no options in the list at all.
Have you already created one in the Binder? If not, create a folder (eg called Templates) at the top level of the Binder (on a same level as Draft/Manuscript, Research and Draft. Then look in Special Folders again.
I don’t think you can have the Templates folder inside Draft / Manuscript, or as the Research folder itself, so if you don’t have any other folders the list will be empty, I think.
If not, I don’t know what’s happening, as this works with no problems for me.
I discovered my challenge! The Template folder (whatever it’s called) needs to be at the same level as Drafts, Research & Trash.Surprisingly, I did not yet find out how to CREATE a folder that isn’t inside one of the default root level folders, so I simply duplicated the Research folder and renamed it Templates and then set it as the template folder.
Just to be clear, the Templates folder DOES NOT need to be at the top level — mine aren’t.
To create a new folder at the top level, just click on a blank part of the binder and Project > New Folder (cmd-opt-n).
HTH.
