How do I apply a template to an existing document (RTF)

[perherman]

I am writing my Master thesis in Scrivener, and want to finalize the thesis using Nisus.

I am experimenting a little before deciding.

I have made adjustments to the default Nisus Template.

How to I apply this template to the thesis. I do not se any Import document functionality.

when I open the thesis it gets a simple style (template) without the styles I configured in the Nisus Template

Thanks for help

Per-olof Hermansson

[Groucho]

Hello, Per.

There are two ways. The longer:
Open your document. Go to Style Sheet view by clicking on the upper left corner icon. In the left pane, click on plus sign (+) and select Import from Style Library… Check on the template you wish to import the styles from. Click Import. This will import the styles, not the layout (page size, margins, etc.).

The shorter:
Create a new document from a template. Open your source document. Select all and copy. Go to the new empty document. Paste. This will preserve the layout.

Any trouble let me know.

Best, Henry.

[Yohanan]

HI, I have hundreds if not thousands of docs written first in MSWord for the last three decades and more. For most of them I use the same text and format definitions, with some differences here and there. Is there any way to have all older docs (already converted into rtf format) align with a the template or New File I have saved in Nisus ? When recurring to the first solution (longer one) I am offered an empty window for importing styles. What is the best and faster way to go if I use Nisus, as I now do for the last six months, being obliged very often to redefine the paragraphs formats, as Nisus forgot them from one time to the next. Same thing for the glossaries, they worked fine, but now they have disappeared.
Thanks for any help.

[Yohanan]

. . . and when going through the shorter solution (open the New File I have defined, then pasting the whole of the preceding document), the styles do not conform to the template but keep their original font (Century schoolbook unavailable in Nisus) and paragraph definitions.

[Yohanan]

I redefined the Nisus New File.dot as well as the Normal document.dot in the Templates file, within the file: "Nisus Project" and just created a new document from these (tried both after the following failure). It just kept to take back to a "Normal" Style with Century Schoolbook which I have no idea where it could be stored in Nisus.
There must be something very elementary I am missing here from the outset of working with Nisus. How could I get some stable, reliable style sheet so that I have not every time to correct through the menus inside each document I edit or create ?
Thanks for any help. (The Nisus Pro Guide is very perplexing for it sends you from one place to another, too flexible to serve as an introduction guide for a beginner.)
Yohanan

[Þorvarður]

A.

For most of them I use the same text and format definitions […] Is there any way to have all older docs (already converted into rtf format) align with the template or New File I have saved in Nisus?

Open a copy of a typical old file with layout (page size, margins, etc.) and all the styles you need and save it as a blank Nisus New File.

B.

When recurring to the first solution (longer one) I am offered an empty window for importing styles.

You shouldn't be getting an empty window unless you have not created any style libraries yet. However, this remains a speculation until you upload a screenshot. Then we can see what window you are talking about exactly. -- If you need help making a screenshot or instructions how to upload it to the forum, then please ask.

C.

Same thing for the glossaries, they worked fine, but now they have disappeared

.
What do you mean by "disappeared" ?

D.

Century schoolbook unavailable in Nisus

Then the font is not installed on your machine. If you have installed it, then make sure you see the Character palette in Nisus (Window –> Palettes –> Character). If you click in the lower right corner and drag, then the shape of the palette changes so you can scroll up and down and choose the font you need.

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[Þorvarður]

Open a copy of a typical old file with layout (page size, margins, etc.) and all the styles you need and save it as a blank Nisus New File.

I forgot to mention that it's not enough to just save it as a blank Nisus New File. You need to *tell* Nisus that you have a new "Nisus New File" now. Otherwise Nisus keeps using the old "Nisus New File".

WHERE TO SAVE IT?
You can keep the new "Nisus New File" wherever you want, as long as Nisus knows where it is. For example, I have mine here:
Home Folder –> Documents –> Nisus Documents –> My empty Nisus Templates –> Nisus New File.dot

UNDER WHICH NAME SHOULD I SAVE IT?
You can use whatever name you want, but it's probably best for you to stick to the default name which is "Nisus New File". If you delete this file, Nisus will tell you it can't open your chosen new file template and create a new default file in the following location [assuming you are running v.2.1.8]

Home Folder –> Documents –> Nisus Documents –> Templates –> Nisus New File.dot

Notice that the file name always (!) defaults to "Nisus New File".

OK, let's assume you have now saved a typical old document—that is, typical for your needs—as blank "Nisus New File.dot" somewhere on your hard disk. As next, go to Nisus' preferences and click on the "New File" button, then on "Advanced." Make sure Template File: 'Nisus New File' is selected in the pop-up menu. Then click on the "Choose…" button and navigate to your file, select it and click on the "Open" button in the lower right corner of the dialog box. This will tell Nisus that you have changed your "Nisus New File". Now, every time you choose 'New' from Nisus' File menu (or press Command + n) your new "Nisus New File" will be opened, and you should have all the styles you need right at your disposal.

[Yohanan]

Thank you. I have done all this, but the app. still opens on a new doc with only the few specifications we are allowed to enter under the "Format" button in "New File" preferences. I still believe that I have not understood something more basic about Nisus regarding the "sandbox" structure. For sometimes I do have a library of my own styles, sometimes I also do have my predefined glossaries, and often I have them not. I have tried to insert a shot of the screen in my precedent message, with all the templates with long and strange names, but apparently it did not arrive on this web page.
I am sorry for the disturbance. I sometimes think that I will lose less time in readjusting everyone of my docs when I open them (for some it is always to be done again. . .) I have take the "stubborn" attitude in regard of this, because of a long habit of shortcuts and style sheet in Word working rather nicely for thirty years. I should probably become more of philosopher in the antique meaning of the word. . .

[Yohanan]

Well there is a bug on the page regarding the inserting of a shot. It says file too large (which is certainly not).

Important discovery: I just found that there are three Templates folders in three folders within my Nisus Project main folder: 1) One inside the Glossaries folder (BTW in this last folder there is again an empty Glossaries folder) ; 2) a second one in "Style Library" (in this last one they multiply with names like this: Nisus New File.dot.sb-795e1cc8-GnN4NW or this : Nisus New File.dot.sb-bd3be7c6-fd1Cd2, there are eight of them right now); 3) and finally one in the main folder Nisus Project besides the folders here above (Glossaries and Style Library). In each one of these there also is a Nisus New File.dot

so in the absence of screen shot:
1) home>Nisus Project>Glossaries>Glossaries/Macros/Templates>Macro templates.dot/Nisus New File.dot/Plain Text template.dot
2) home>Nisus Project>Macros
3) home>Nisus Project>Style Library>Glossaries/Macros/Style Library/Templates (inside the last the eight strangely named + Macro Template.dot/Nisus New File.dot/Plain Text template.dot
4) home>Nisus Project>Templates> Nisus New File.dot (which is not exactly the one I defined)

Should I erase some ? Should I reinitiate the whole application ?

P.S. I just placed MyOwnLibrary into the folder Style Library for it was outside (under n° 3 here above)

Thanks in advance for any suggestion to simplify and NOT REPRODUCT this complex situation..

[Yohanan]

Is there a way of having this Nisus New File opening when opening Nisus Pro? Right now I get something akin to the template, but with some other specifications.

[credneb]

For my work I basically do not use/need styles or templates at all, but your mention of glossaries caught my eye. I use those _a lot_.

So I looked at your second to last post, and the solution may be quite simple.

I let Nisus install what it wants to install where it wants to find whatever it needs. After sandboxing, on my system, there is the following directory structure:

~/Documents/Nisus Documents/Glossaries
~/Documents/Nisus Documents/Macros
~/Documents/Nisus Documents/Style Library
~/Documents/Nisus Documents/Templates

These files used to be in the (hidden) system Library folder, but no longer.
It seems that you have created a proprietary file structure that Nisus does not understand.

Your macros cannot be in a Macros folder inside a Glossaries folder, etc etc.

It would seem that if you created a Nisus Documents folder in your standard system Documents folder, inside the Nisus Documents folder created the folders named above, and put your glossary, macro, styles, and templates files into the appropriate folders, your problem may be solved.

Of course, you have another problem if there are multiple Normal styles defined, or multiple Letterhead templates, or multiple Glossaries names MyGlossary.But if you have like-named glossaries, you can simply rename them more appropriately.

But make sure your glossaries are labelled with the correct extensions (glossary = .ngloss, macro = .nwm). A glossary that has somehow been saved as an .rtf file will not work as a glossary even in the glossary folder. If that happened, you'll need to change the New Line characters to Glossary Break characters (which can be done by a global find/replace).

HTH

[credneb]

I wrote "These files used to be in the (hidden) system Library folder, but no longer. "

That should be "These _folders_ used to be...."

[Yohanan]

Thank you so much. Let me apologise for not reacting sooner, because of a lot of trips during the summer and the fact that deleting all the useless Templates and glossaries returned everything in order.