What changed?
In Office Timeline Version 8, we released a major advancement to Custom Templates. This functionality now depends on the new Themes feature to function, and the rebuild of Custom Templates required changes to which Editions can access custom template creation.
Themes are switchable skins that handle the bulk of the styling work and enable quick standardization, and the new Custom Templates relies on this capability to create much more predictable results replicating timeline designs and layouts.
All users on Version 8 or higher have access to a collection of predesigned themes for immediate style changes. Any existing custom templates will work better than before; however, in order to create new custom templates, users on Versions 8 or higher will need full access to the Themes functionality, only available in Expert Edition.
Why the change?
Based on feedback from power users, the Custom Templates feature, despite our best efforts, often caused unpredictable results and dissatisfaction, and only a small portion of our users leveraged this feature. In planning for Version 8, we prioritized improvements to this functionality and rebuilt Custom Templates from scratch as part of Themes, ensuring best-in-class template creation.
Due to the extremely limited usage we saw of the Custom Templates feature, weighed against the complexity of splitting template creation from Themes, we decided to couple the functionality together and put it into a separate Edition. As per our data, 97+% of our users are unlikely to be affected.
Access to Custom Templates for Pro+, Pro and Basic users
For the avoidance of doubt, existing custom templates still work on Version 8. Your existing templates will be fully accessible and functional, minimizing any disruption to your work.
To create new custom templates, we’d like to offer you two options:
A) Get Expert Edition for the remainder of your license term for free
As a token of appreciation for our Pro+, Pro and Basic Edition customers who rely on creating new templates, we are offering a free upgrade to Expert Edition for the remainder of their license term. You can experience all of Office Timeline’s latest innovations and improvements and speed up your timeline creation with full access to Themes and Templates.
To take advantage of this offer, contact us at sales@officetimeline.com, and we’ll help you get set up with Expert Edition.
Please be advised:
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This free Expert upgrade may require the deployment of a new build.
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Custom templates or themes created with Expert Edition will not be usable in Pro+, Pro or Basic.
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Timelines created in Expert Edition using custom themes or custom templates will not be usable in other editions. However, timelines created in Expert Edition with our readymade themes will be compatible with Pro+, Pro, and Basic, as long as they don’t include features restricted on these plans.
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At the end of your current license term, you will have the option to upgrade to Expert Edition at the list price or switch back to your previous plan.
B) Revert to Office Timeline Version 7.4.7
If you don’t wish to try Expert Edition for free, you can revert to Office Timeline Version 7.4.7 and continue to use the old Custom Templates functionality. Simply uninstall Version 8 first, and then download and install Version 7.4.7 from here.
Please be advised:
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Any timelines created in Version 8 will not be usable in Version 7.4.7.
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This version will not receive updates or any future product innovations.
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us at support@officetimline.com - we’d be happy to help.