To be most effective, follow the simple steps below...

Step1:

Locate the Templates folder, which can be found under Microsoft Office, which an be found under Program Files.

Create a folder there to contain your CAP templates.

(In the example at right, there is one folder for California Wing forms, and one folder for National CAP forms.)

Step 2:

Copy the .dot files from the California Wing Home Page into your new CAWG Forms Folder.

It's that easy.

(If you downloaded the .ZIP file containing all the forms, you'll want to extract those files to the forms directory.)

Step 3:

Now that your forms are installed, what do you do with the darned things?

Well, when you run Microsoft Word, say that you want to create a new document.   You'll need to do this from the File menu as shown at right.  (If you just click on the little "New Page" button on the toolbar, you'll get a blank page.)

Step 4:

Just like magic, if you look at the tabs at the top of this form, you will now see the CAWG Forms folder, and the CAP Forms folder right next to it.  (The .dot files of National forms work exactly the same way...)

Select the form you want, and say that you want to create a new document (that's the default.)  Then click on "OK."

Step 5:

Well, look at that!

You now are filling out an official California Wing Form.  Just fill in the gray boxes (some of them even give you menus of choices) and you're good to go.  You can save the document to disk, too.

That's handy because then you can e-mail the completed form.  Or, like I do, you can keep a CAPF 17 filled out, with all those annoying boxes filled in.  Change the date and the activity, and print it out, and presto!  What could be easier?

WARNING: Once you start using electronic forms, California Wing cannot be held responsible for your foul verbal outbursts if you ever attempt to line up a manual form in a typewriter again!