Updating and applying an updated template across afpubs

[dr john williams]

I have created an  atemplate with 5 master pages and saved it in a template folder. I have used it to create 30 afpub chapters (documents).

I want to update this aftemplate with more master pages (containing different graphics/layout elements such as a rectangle and sidebar). This is easy easy enough to add to the original template. However although I have over written the original template in my template folder the additional master pages do not show up when a chapter is loaded. It appears that the afpub file has stored the original and uses the original aftemplate file rather than inherit my updated one with the same name from the same directory.

Is there any workaround this? For example can the original aftemplate be detached and the one applied? Would the Style Source Chapter help?

Thanks

John

[walt.farrell]

There is no relationship maintained between the template you use to create a document and the document you create. It's just a one-time action: open template, make changes, save a new unrelated document.

For creating a Book using the new Book function in Publisher 2, you could have started by making Chapter 1 your template, and later adding new Master Pages to it. But that won't work very well, either. It would allow you to Synchronize from that chapter after adding new Masters. But when you do that all the older Masters would be duplicated in each synchronized chapter and you would need to delete them.

[Komatös]

Hi @dr john williams

The templates are only used to create a new document. Changing or creating a new template does not affect already existing documents.

For an existing document, you can copy and paste the master pages from a new document that you create with the new template.

[thomaso]

10 hours ago, dr john williams said:

Is there any workaround this? For example can the original aftemplate be detached and the one applied?

Aside the mentioned way of copy / paste you can try menu Document > Add Pages from File. This will also add the Master Pages of the added document pages. Then you can reassign the master pages to the document pages or, maybe more simple, make the existing masters depending on the newly added ones. (it may help to name all masters individually in the old vs. new document versions to avoid confusion after "Add Pages from File…")

[dr john williams]

Thanks. This works great.