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How to create, use and share custom templates

Overview 

The Office Timeline Expert add-in allows users to create their own custom timeline templates and use them for any future work. The following guide provides step-by-step instructions to help you make the most out of the feature. 

A) Create a custom template
B) Import into a custom template
C) Manually create a timeline from a custom template
D) Share your custom template
E) Rename or delete a custom template

Read the full guide to learn how to get the most out of the new feature or click on any of the links above to skip to the section you’re most interested in.

A) How to create a custom template

  1. Open a timeline you'd like to turn into a template so you can quickly reuse its layout and customizations for other visuals.

  2. Click the Templates button and select Save Current Timeline as Template. 

    save-current-timeline-as-template

    The timeline will be saved in your template gallery for future use.

B) How to import into a custom template

  1. Click New on the Office Timeline ribbon and then double-click the template of your choice to open its preview window.

    double-click-to-use-custom-template

  2. From the preview window, click on the Import button, select the project management tool you wish to load your data from, and then follow the usual import steps.

    import-into-custom-template

    Note: The same steps are valid if you wish to import data into one of the add-in’s pre-formatted  templates or themes.

 C) Manually create a timeline from a custom template 

To add data manually into a custom template, simply click Create Timeline in the template's preview window:

create-timeline-from-template (1)

This will open the Edit Data window, where you'll see the template's data pre-populated. Simply update the existing data with your own and that's it!

D) Share your custom template

To share a custom template with your team, simply open it in PowerPoint (create a timeline slide out of it), and then save and send it as a .pptx file.

share-template-as-attachment

Then, instruct your team to open the timeline slide and click Templates -> Save Current Timeline as Template on the Office Timeline ribbon to save it as a template on their own machines.

E) How to rename or delete a custom template 

To rename a custom template from your gallery, simply click New on the Office Timeline ribbon, right-click the template you wish to rename, and select Rename.

To delete a custom template from your gallery, click New on the Office Timeline ribbon, right-click the template you want to dispose of, and select Delete.

rename-or-delete-custom-template

If you need any further assistance with custom templates, please don’t hesitate to raise a support ticket with us by clicking the button below. Our friendly customer support representatives will be happy to help you out.