I just tried with saving commented text as an AutoText entry in the normal template. I had never done so before. I closed and restarted Word. I had no problem inserting the AT entry, complete with comment in a new document.
Automated Boilerplate Using Microsoft Word
Version of Word you are using?
Is the AutoText entry present in your template? You can tell using the Building Blocks Organizer.
Is the AT entry inserting, but stripped of comments?
Charles Kenyon Madison, WI
