This page contains basic instructions to guide you through the process of attaching the IEC standard template (iecstd.dot) to your working document. For more detailed explanations, download the user guide at the bottom of this page.

 

For your work with the IEC template, you have two options:

1) to save the template in the folder containing your MS Word templates

2) to save it anywhere on your computer

 

We recommend saving it together with the other Word templates.

 

Locating the template folder may take you a few minutes longer initially, but will save you time later, because every time you want to apply the template to a document, Word will automatically open the templates folder. If you have saved the document here you can access it immediately. If you have saved it elsewhere, you need to remember the path and navigate there.

 

To find the Word templates folder:

• Word 2010: File > Options > Advanced > General, button File locations (bottom of page); under User templates, you can find the location of your Word templates.
  If the path is not displayed in its entirety, select it and click Modify to see where your templates are located. Then press Cancel, so you do not change the location.
• Word 2007: like Word 2010, but instead of File, click on the MS Office button in the upper left hand corner, then select Word options.
• Word 2003/before: Tools > Options > File locations tab

This is where you need to save the IEC template.

 

Step-by-step instructions

 

1) Download the template and save it in the Word templates folder.

 

Do not open the file - this only creates a new document based on the template, but you want to save the template itself.

 

If your browser opens the file straightaway, without asking whether to open or save it, simply close it. Go back to the browser, right-click on the downloadable file and select Save target as...

 

The file will now be downloaded to either a place of your choice (navigate to the template folder), or to your Downloads list. In that case, move the template file from your downloads list to your templates folder.

 

2) Either create a new document based on the template or attach the template to an existing document.

2a) Creating a new document based on the template

• Word 2010: File > New > My templates; double-click on iecstd.dot
• Word 2007: like Word 2010, but instead of File, click on the MS Office button in the upper left hand corner.
• Word 2003/before: File > New; double-click on iecstd.dot

A new document opens that has the IEC standard template attached to it. You can now use the IEC styles and autotexts.

 

Save the document; if you are working in Word 2007 or 2010, make sure you save it in the appropriate format for your working group (.doc or .docx).

2b) Attaching the template to an existing document

Open the document to which you want to attach the template.

• Word 2010: File > Options > Add-Ins; at the bottom, next to Manage, select Templates, then click Go.
• Word 2007: like Word 2010, but instead of File, click on the MS Office button in the upper left hand corner, then select Word options.
• Word 2003/before: Tools > Templates and Add-Ins

The Templates and Add-ins window opens.

 

 

Click on Attach (1) and browse to the location of iecstd.dot, then click OK.

 

Note for Word 2007/2010 users:

In the long run, it will save you time to add the Templates icon to your Quick Access Toolbar. Once the icon resides in the toolbar, clicking on it brings up the Templates and Add-ins window.

'Templates' icon - add this to your Quick Access Toolbar

 

To add the Templates icon to the Quick Access Toolbar:

• Right-click on the arrow to the right of the toolbar
• Select Customize Quick Access Toolbar > More Commands
• Under Choose commands from: select All Commands
• In the list of commands, select Templates and click Add, then OK.

The Template icon is now added to your Quick Access Toolbar.

Automatically update document styles - a useful or dangerous option?

The option Automatically update document styles (2) has to be used with care.

 

Its function is to replace all the styles that have been modified during the work on the document with the original styles from the template. As long as this option is checked, the updating takes place every time the document is opened.

 

It can be useful when styles have been accidentally damaged (for instance, when suddenly heading numbers go missing), but it can also wipe out hours of work where styles have been modified for a good reason. If you have changed the automatic numbering of clauses and subclauses, this option will reset all numbers to normal, sequential values.

 

Therefore, once the option has been applied, we recommend you uncheck it immediately afterwards, to maintain control over its usage.

 

Description	File name	Document
Installation and user guide for the IEC standard template	iecstd-v4.pdf	957 kB