Chapter 8: Using and Creating Templates
167
Caution
Excel will offer a name, such as Book1.xlt. You must change this name to book.xlt (or book.xltm) if
you want Excel to use your template to set the workbook defaults. n
- Save the file in your XLStart folder (not in your Templates folder).
Tip
The location of the XLStart folder varies, but it is probably located here:C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\XLStart- Close the file.
After you perform the preceding steps, the new default workbook is based on the book.xltx (or
book.xltm) workbook template. You can create a workbook based on your template by using
any of these methods:l Press Ctrl+N.l (^) Open Excel without first selecting a workbook to open.
Note
For some reason, the book.xltx template is not used if you choose File ➪ New and choose Blank Workbook.
That command results in a default workbook. I’m not sure whether this is a bug or whether it’s by design. In
any case, it provides a way to override the custom book.xltx template if you need to. n
Caution
If you insert a new worksheet into a workbook that’s based on the book.xlxt template, the new worksheet
will not use any customized worksheet settings specified in the template (for example, a different column
width). Therefore, you may also want to create a sheet.xltx template (described in the next section), which
controls the settings for new worksheets. n
If you ever want to revert to the standard default workbook, just delete the book.xltx file.
Using the worksheet template to change worksheet defaults ..........................
When you insert a new worksheet into a workbook, Excel uses its built-in worksheet defaults for
the worksheet. These default settings include items such as column width, row height, and so on.If you don’t like the default settings for a new worksheet, you can change them by following
these steps:- Start with a new workbook and delete all the sheets except one.
- Make any changes that you want to make, which can include column widths,
named styles, page setup options, and many settings available in the Excel Options
dialog box.