[Help] Modifying Template

[VisioExploration]

Hello everyone,

Tearing my hair out here trying to make a relatively simple edit to a master template. Hoping someone has some insight....

Details
Version:  Visio 2013
Template: Cross Functional Chart
Shape: Horizontal Swim Lane

Need
Looking to add a small amount of text to the swim lane *master template* so that every time a new swim lane gets inserted, that text will be included.
Ideally, the swim lane label would be ghosted into the background of the swim lane itself (this is one very large diagram where it is was to loose your row label). If the field label can not be 'mirrored' as a ghosted image, then the alternative would be editable text which would allow me to change the text per swim lane.

Closest Attempt
I can get 'close' to modify what appears to be an 'instance' of the master swim lane template. Just about any edit breaks the template...and...the changes do not hold when inserting a new swim lane.

Thank you everyone for any insight....

---
Modified: Added image to illustrate. Top swim lane is the default. Need the template to always be kicking out the second swim lane image (and the lanes all auto adjust and flow just as they do now, today, OTB)

[vojo]

read in template
make changes
save as template with different name

[VisioExploration]

Would you mind elaborating on "read in template?"

[vojo]

read in = open the template

either from the start screen because you opened it a few times before...or...go to the directory listed for templates
find template directory based on:   Open blank drawing==>file ==> advanced==>file options==>template directory

then
make changes you want

then
save as template with new name into template directory

So all this works great

now after using this new template a few times, next time open visio, this new template is listed as recent
you can pin it to visio start menu so always there.   e.g. a quick way to launch it

Now here is the fun part...sometimes visio 2013 looses its mind and all the recent pin files that could be quick launch
disappear so have to do "open the new template a couple of times to get it back on the visio to pin it again.