Previously it was very easy to edit my pages templates.
Now it seems to be harder to do.
How do I edit my existing custom templates in Pages?
iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), iOS 7.0.4
Edit what?
Your question is totally vague.
Peter
Thanks Peter.
I have Pages template documents saved and need to edit the templates to update them.
Bascially I want to change the year to 2014 (etc.)
It seems to be impossible to edit the templates without saving another version to the templates, where I used to just be ableto over-write the template with the new version.
Any ideas welcome as I can't even work out how to delete my templates I don't want from the template chooser anymore.
So what you are really saying is that you have some older Pages '09 files/templates that you are opening in Pages 5?
Yes they do require resaving because they are new files and the formatting has changed. After causing a lot of havoc when Pages 5 was trashing older files Pages 5.01 now prompts you to do the resave.
The templates are saved to a special file in Pages' preferences.
You delete and alter templates by right clicking on their names in the Template Chooser.
I am still unsure where you are having trouble selecting text, or were you just talking about the file's name in the Template Chooser?
Peter
Thanks Peter. This is very helpful.
After years of never having to right click for any reason I am now happy to do so.
This lets me edit the name of the template and delete templates. Very useful.
It now also gives me a work-around for my other problem.
But I will detail here as I bet you know the cure.
I open a template "Invoice"
I change some details (e.g. the date in my invoice to 2014.)
I now want to save this as "Invoice" to replace the out of date template.
I am not allowed to name it the same thing / overwrite - so to workaround I call it something different e.g. "Invoice 2014" then delete the original, then re-name by right clicking now the name "Invoice" is not being used. As you advised. This works, but is much more cumbersome than it used to be to do.
So I can now do this, but I have lots of templates that need to be updated and some with similar names, so it's going to be a real pain if I have to do it the long way...
Open a new document from the template you whant to chage. Delete the template. Do the change in the document and Save as template with the old name.
If the name of the template is for the year, wouldn't that mean you only have to do a new template (once) for each year. How would that need to replace another template?
Why not just have the Date auto inserted in the template as you use it?
Why are you getting rid of the previous template, not that it matters.
Peter
This is a totally lame way to update templates. Pages is turning into a very lame product.
Correction, Pages 5 …has turned…
Peter
I agree with pxfori. I just upgraded from my old Mac G5, to an iMac (just could not justify the expense for a Mac Pro) but this computer is pretty nice when compared to the old G5. I really wanted to like and get pages (iWork or whatever) et al to work, but the dearth of templates as compared to Wor, the the way one has to jump through all sorts of hoops to edit a template, indicates that this is a halfass attempt by apple. Thats so sad. Guess that I will be installing Word on the new, errrr, can't call it a box, pancake.
I create my template content/layout, and save it to a backup template location in Documents. Then, I save it as a template into My Templates.
If I need to edit the template, I reopen the original in Documents, revise, and save. Then I save again as an updated template with the same original name.
The hope in template creation is that you get it right the first or second try, and then there is no need to edit that template again, or at least, for some longer cyclical timeframe. Lame shouldn’t even enter the equation.
There is no defense however, in the lameness metric that is Pages v5. @Danuke, retreating to the ribbon bar in Word, would cost far more in productivity, than any temporary distraction with Pages template creation, revision, or organization.
@VikingOSX, thank you for the feedback. I am not much of a hand at word processing; BBEdit is where I mostly work on text; playing with BBEdit and the Terminal to play with C or LUA Programming.
Alas, I noticed that Office 2011 for Mac does not have nearly as many 'home' templates as the earlier version that worked on the good old G5. I must not understand your process.
eg. I downloaded a template and saved it as a template in My Templates. It was a grocery list and needed major, major editing to meet our needs. So I opened it from My Templates, edited it, but it would not let me 'replace', save over, what ever in My Templates because I had used the same name. I had to go through the process; saving it as a template with a different name, right click -> delete the original template and renaming the newer template as described earlier in this thread. I did not try deleting the original after I had opened it prior to editing which may have been a slightly better process.
I don't understand why your process works. If I understand you, you edit a version that was saved in your Document folder and then are able to save back to the Document folder AND in the 'My Templates' folder using the same name. If memory serves, saving over the same document name in the Documents folder has never been a problem with Macs, however, I am mystified as to why you are able to rewrite to the template folder. Does something magic :^) happen when you go about it this way?
But I will give it a try. and I will be taking copies of the Word 'home' / 'personal' templates from the G5 and putting the Pages My Templates folder.
Again, I appreciate your insights and the time that you took to reply!!
Danuke
In Pages '09 you can save over a template of the same name, it may have changed in Pages 5.
For sure you will not be able to save over the factory default templates, thoseare protected.
I still don't get some of the examples given. eg if you have Invoice 2013 and need an Invoice 2014, just name them that so you can tell them apart. You still have to trash the one you no longer want anyways.
Peter
How do i edit my Pages templates now?
