How do I copy an existing page to use as a template for a new page? – Forbes AAC Online Help Center

Sometimes you may want to use a page that's already in a user's vocabulary file to create a template for a new page. This can be especially helpful if you want certain elements (i.e. clear button, home button, message bar, etc.) pre-programed on the new page you plan to create.

This article covers:

How to make a copy of an existing page that you can save and use as a template for future pages.
How to use the template to create a new page.

How to Create a Template from an Existing Page

Navigate to the page in the vocabulary file that you wish to copy and use as a template. This will likely be a page that has the elements you are wanting to duplicate (i.e. clear button, home button, message bar, etc.). In this example, we are on the "Around the House" page in CoreWord 20 because it has several buttons that will be useful in a template.
Select "Menu" in the upper left corner of the screen and select "Edit" from the dropdown menu.
You are now in "Edit Mode" and your screen should look like this:
At the top of the "Edit Menu" on the right side of the screen, select "Page," and then select the "cog wheel."
In the "Page settings" menu that appears, the page that you are currently on (in this example "CoreWord 20 Around the House") will be highlighted in green.
Select "Copy" (the icon that looks like 2 pages) at the bottom of the "Page settings" menu.
After selecting the "Copy" icon a clipboard icon ("Paste") will appear. Select the clipboard icon to paste the page you copied.
A copy of the page with (2) after it will appear. In this example, the label of the copied page is "CoreWord20 Around the House (2)."
You can rename the page by typing into the name box on the right side of the menu screen. In this case, we're calling our new page "1 Template - "Pages" Category Page" since this is a copy of one of the category pages within the "Pages" folder of CoreWord 20.

Note: Putting the number "1" in the front of your page name ensures that it will be easy to find later!
Select "OK" in the lower right corner of the menu screen.
Since this is a template that you will use for future pages, you may want to delete the category-specific vocabulary that is currently programmed onto the page. Click on a button that you would like to be deleted from the template (in this example, we selected "chair"). Then, press the small eraser at the top of the "Edit Menu." The button image and the label will disappear.
Repeat this process for all buttons that you would like to be deleted.

Note: To delete multiple buttons at once, see this article: How do I edit multiple buttons at one time?
When finished, your screen may look like this:
You may notice that the buttons on the screen still retain the color of the original buttons before they were deleted. If you would like all the buttons to be the same "style" (i.e. border, background color, etc.) click on a button that has the style you would like to use and see what the name of that style is (look in the "Style" box in the "Edit Menu"). In this example, the style is "Nouns 1."
Click a button whose style you would like to change, and then select the small paintbrush button in the "Style" section of the "Edit Menu."

Note: To change the style for multiple buttons at once, see this article: How do I edit multiple buttons at one time?
In the menu that appears, select the style that you want the selected button to have. In this example, we're selecting "Nouns 1."
Select "OK" in the lower right corner.
The style will now be changed on the selected button:
Press the green checkmark button in the lower right corner of the "Edit Menu."
Press the floppy disk save button in the upper left corner of the screen to save your changes.

How to Make a New Page from a Template

Open the vocabulary file that is being utilized if it is not open already.
Select "Menu" in the upper left corner of the screen and select "Edit" from the dropdown menu.
You are now in "Edit Mode" and your screen should look like this:
In the "Edit Menu" on the right side of the screen, select "Page" at the top of the "Edit Menu," and then select the "cog wheel."
Select the "AZ" sort button at the top center of the "Page settings" menu.
If you labeled your templated page with a "1" at the front of the name (as recommended in step 9 of the previous section), your page will be right at the top! Alternatively, you can use the search bar to search for the name of your templated page.
Select "Copy" (the icon that looks like 2 pages) at the bottom of the "Page settings" menu.
After selecting the "Copy" icon a clipboard ("Paste") will appear. Select the clipboard icon to paste the page you copied.
A copy of the page with (2) after it will appear. In this example, the label is "1 Template - "Pages" Category Page (2)."
You can rename the page by typing into the name box. In this case, we're calling our new page "My Pets" since this will be a page about the AAC user's pets.
Select "OK" in the lower right corner.
Customize the page you created. The "My Pets" example is below:

Note: For more information about how to edit/customize buttons, see: How do I change a button's image, label, and speech message?
You will now want to create a button that links to this page. More information about that process can be found here: How do I program a button so that it opens a different page within the vocabulary file?

Questions? You are more than welcome to reach out to your local Assistive Technology Specialist: Find a Specialist | Forbes AAC | Augmentative Communication

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