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• Overview of custom prompt text

• Add a text placeholder to a layout

• Add custom prompt text to text placeholders in a layout

Overview of custom prompt text

If you create templates (template: A file or files that contain the structure and tools for shaping such elements as the style and page layout of finished files. For example, Word templates can shape a single document, and FrontPage templates can shape an entire Web site.) for others to use to create new presentations, you can overwrite the text in the default placeholders (placeholders: Boxes with dotted or hatch-marked borders that are part of most slide layouts. These boxes hold title and body text or objects such as charts, tables, and pictures.) by adding custom prompt text. Custom prompt text describes or specifies what you want the users of your template to enter into various text placeholders.

  Notes  

It's important to note that there is a difference with how you use a text placeholder versus a text box in Slide Master view. Here's the difference:

• Add a text placeholder from within Slide Master view when you want to prompt users of your template to replace the prompt text with text that is pertenent to their own project. Normal behavior of custom prompt text in a text placeholder is that it disappears when you begin typing.
• Add a text box from within Slide Master view when you want it to contain permanent, uneditable text.

  If you add a text box in Normal view, the text is editable by anyone.

The author of the soccer sports award certificate template shown below added text placeholders in specified areas to contain prompt text, such as Enter player's name here, Enter the coach's name here, Enter the date of the ceremony here, and Year.

Any soccer team can use this certificate of achievement award template simply by customizing the text in the place holders. And the beauty of custom promt text is that it provides the users of the template with instructions on what information is needed to fill in the blanks.

 Important   If you apply a layout to one or more slides in your presentation, and then go back and edit that layout (such as by adding a placeholder or custom prompt text), you must reapply the layout to the slides so that the slides adhere to the updated layout. For more information see Edit and reapply a slide layout.

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Add a text placeholder and then add custom prompt text

When creating a template, you may want to add a text placeholder that isn't one of the default text placeholders. Generally these are text placeholders in non-standard locations on a slide layout. Add it, and then you can add your custom prompt text.

1. On the View menu, in the Presentation Views group, click Slide Master.
2. In the pane that contains the slide masters and layouts, click the layout that you want to add a text placeholder and custom prompt to.
3. On the Slide Master tab, in the Master Layout group, click Insert Placeholder, and then click Text.

   

4. Use the mouse pointer to draw the size of your text placeholder.
5. Highlight the default text in the placeholder and replace it with your own custom prompt text.

    Note   If an unwanted bullet appears before your custom prompt text, click the Home tab, and in the Paragraph group, click the down arrow next to Bullets, and then click None.

6. On the Slide Master tab, in the Close group, click Close Master View to return to Normal view.

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Add custom prompt text to default text placeholders

Standard, pre-built layouts contain placeholders with default text like Click to edit Master title style or Click to add subtitle style.

1. In Slide Master view, click a default text placeholder, and then replace the text text with your own custom prompt text.
2. On the Slide Master tab, in the Close group, click Close Master View to return to Normal view to view your new custom prompt text.

 Note   If you edit a layout in Slide Master view, for example by adding custom prompt text, or some other layout-altering action, you must reapply the layout to the slides in your presentation when you return to Normal view. This ensures that the slides in your presentation will contain your most recent updates to the layout.

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