Kimberly,
So needless to say i'm confused
You are not alone, believe me! The link between Report Writer report designs and Word templates is not clear-cut... and the documentation assumes that everything works dandy.
I don't know about the availability of webinars in this community; but if your company is a GPUG member, there's a webinar given by Mark Wiley that provides a detailed explanation of the inner workings of using Word templates here. Again, you'll need to be a GPUG member to see it.
i'm worried about the fact that they have different names - is this going to be an issue when i try to import my template back in to GP?
In a word, no. Once you've saved the Word template, all GP cares about is where it is an what's it called. The template is stored in the GP database somewhere... it isn't stored as a separate file at all. You could save your modified Word template in any folder at all; and as long as you remember where you put it, GP will simple take what you've got and absorb it into the database.
Also, when i go in to alternative/modified reports, it only gives me the choice to use the original or modified version (I'm assuming in Report Writer) - nothing about templates shows up.
That's because Word templates are managed in a separate place: Administration >> Reports >> Template Maintenance. That's where you went to select the template you wanted to modify or to create a new one. You're OK.
Sincerely,
Steve Erbach
WOW Logistics Company
Appleton, WI