TurboLaw documents use macros - therefore, macros always need to be "enabled" for TurboLaw documents to work properly. If macros are disabled, some functions of TurboLaw (such as editing, printing, or saving) will not work. Having macros enabled makes TurboLaw much easier to use.

Sometimes, however, macros can become disabled for various reasons. This article describes how to make sure that your macros are always enabled (when possible) and how to make sure you have the option to enable macros if they can't be automatically enabled for you.

In addition to their macros, all TurboLaw documents are digitally signed so that Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel will allow their macros to run without having to prompt you each time you use a document. However, digital certificates in older documents do eventually expire (making them "invalid"), and some situations can arise where Microsoft Word and Excel don't recognize the digital certificate used in TurboLaw documents. Because of these situations, you may need to "enable" macros yourself.

NOTE: The steps for enabling macros vary depending on whether you are using Word 2003 (or earlier), Word 2007, or Word 2010. Be sure to follow the steps for the version of Word you are using!

For Word 2003 or earlier:

The first step to make sure your macros are enabled is to tell Microsoft Word and Excel that you "trust" the macros that have been signed by TurboLaw (Promethean Software Corporation). This will allow the macros to be enabled automatically, without requiring you to enable them every time.

A quick and easy way to do this is to open the TurboLaw Readme file, which is a Word document that is also digitally signed by TurboLaw. (You can also open any other TurboLaw document if you prefer.) To do this, follow these steps:

1. Before beginning, close and save any documents you have open. If you use Microsoft Outlook for your email, make sure it is closed as well before beginning these steps.
2. On your Start menu, click All Programs > TurboLaw > TurboLaw Readme.
3. This will cause Microsoft Word to open. Before the document appears, you will be prompted to enable macros. Depending on your security settings, you may be able to check a box which says either "Always trust macros from this source" or "Always trust macros from this publisher." Be sure to check this box! Once this box is checked, you may click the button which reads "Enable Macros."
4. You will now see a dialog box which says "Thank you for enabling macros." You can click "OK" to this dialog.
5. Click the Tools menu in Microsoft Word and click Macro > Security.
6. Make sure your macro security level is set to Medium. If you have it set to High, then Word may sometimes disable macros for you, without giving you an option to enable them. (If your macro security level has been set to "low", check with your computer or IT manager to make sure this is the correct setting for your office - as the "low" setting is generally not recommended.) When you are done, click "OK" to close the window.
7. Close Microsoft Word (you must close Microsoft Word for the changes to take effect).
8. Sometimes you need to enable macros for Microsoft Excel as well. The steps are very similar: first open Microsoft Excel.
9. Click the Tools menu in Microsoft Excel and click Macro > Security.
10. Make sure your macro security level is set to Medium. When you are done, click "OK" to close the window.
11. Close Microsoft Excel for the changes to take effect.

Now, whenever you open a TurboLaw document, if the digital certificate is recognized, the macros will be enabled automatically (you don't need to do anything). If for some reason the digital certificate is not recognized, you will be prompted and can choose to enable the macros.

For Word 2007:

The first step to make sure your macros are enabled is to tell Microsoft Word and Excel that you "trust" the macros that have been signed by TurboLaw (Promethean Software Corporation). This will allow the macros to be enabled automatically, without requiring you to enable them every time.

A quick and easy way to do this is to open the TurboLaw Readme file, which is a Word document that is also digitally signed by TurboLaw. (You can also open any other TurboLaw document if you prefer.) To do this, follow these steps:

1. If you use Microsoft Outlook for your email, make sure it is closed before beginning these steps.
2. On your Start menu, click All Programs > TurboLaw > TurboLaw Readme.
3. This will cause Microsoft Word to open. When the document opens, you will see a bar appear near the top of the window which says "Security Warning" with an "Options" button. Click the Options button.
   
   
   Above: the security warning in Word 2007.
   
   Note that the exact wording of the message may vary from what is shown above; for example, the message may say "Active content has been disabled" instead of "Macros have been disabled." If you do not see this message at all, see the article: Macro Warning does not appear in Word 2007, but macros are disabled.
4. In the window which appears, choose the option to Trust all documents from this publisher, then click OK.
   
   
5. You will now see a dialog box which says "Thank you for enabling macros." You can click OK to this dialog.
6. Close Microsoft Word for the changes to take effect.

Now, whenever you open a document, Microsoft Word will enable the macros automatically. If for some reason the macros cannot be enabled automatically, you will see the Security Warning message. You will be able to click the Options button and enable the macros.

For Word 2010:

The first step to make sure your macros are enabled is to tell Microsoft Word and Excel that you "trust" the macros that have been signed by TurboLaw (Promethean Software Corporation). This will allow the macros to be enabled automatically, without requiring you to enable them every time.

A quick and easy way to do this is to open the TurboLaw Readme file, which is a Word document that is also digitally signed by TurboLaw. (You can also open any other TurboLaw document if you prefer.) To do this, follow these steps:

1. If you use Microsoft Outlook for your email, make sure it is closed before beginning these steps.
2. On your Start menu, click All Programs > TurboLaw > TurboLaw Readme.
3. This will cause Microsoft Word to open. When the document opens, you will see a bar appear near the top of the window which says "Security Warning" with an "Enable Content" button. Click on the text Macros have been disabled.
   
   
   Above: the security warning in Word 2010.
   
   Note: if you click the "Enable Content" button instead of the "Macros have been disabled" text, then macros will be enabled for this one document only instead of for all documents. If you do this (or have done this in the past) by accident, you will have to open a different TurboLaw document in order to get the Security Warning prompt to re-appear so that you can enable macros for all documents.
   
   
4. On the screen which appears, click the "Enable Content" button and choose Advanced Options.
   
   
5. In the window which appears, choose the option to Trust all documents from this publisher, then click OK.
   
   
   
   
6. You will now see a dialog box which says "Thank you for enabling macros." You can click OK to this dialog.
7. Close Microsoft Word for the changes to take effect.

Now, whenever you open a document, Microsoft Word will enable the macros automatically. If for some reason the macros cannot be enabled automatically, you will see the Security Warning message. You will be able to click the Macros have been disabled text and enable the macros, or simply click the Enable Content button to enable macros for this one document only.

Office 2010 Tip

If you are using Office 2010, then you can enable macros even if the "Security Warning" prompt doesn't appear (or was accidentally closed). To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click the File menu and choose Info (it may be selected already by default).
2. You will see a Security Warning prompt; click the Enable Content button and choose:
   • Enable all Content - this will enable macros for this document from now on; but it will not apply to other documents.
   • Advanced Options - this will display the same prompt shown in the instructions above. This is the recommended choice.

Above: Office 2010 allows you to enable macros even if the "Security Warning" prompt is not visible.

Related Problems

This is a list of problems that are related to macros.

If you are receiving prompts to enable macros along with a warning that the digital certificate has expired in the file "turbolaw.dot", see this article: Message about "Digital Certificate has expired" when opening Word, Excel or Outlook.

If you are using Word 2007 (or later), but the "Security Warning" bar does not appear (even though you know macros are being disabled), see this article: Macro Warning does not appear in Word 2007, but macros are disabled.

If you receive a prompt to enable macros every time you open Microsoft Word (even if you are not working on a TurboLaw document), and you have already "trusted" the TurboLaw certificate, see this article: "Enable Macros" prompt appears even though macros are enabled.

If you are using Word 2000 and are receiving a message about "You have modified a signed project," see this article: Warning message: "You have modified a signed project. You do not have the right key to sign this project. The signature will be discarded."