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This is a glimpse at a couple of the things Word’s fields can do for you. A field is a place where you have left an instruction for the computer to insert the most up-to-date information about one particular thing.
In Word, to insert a field, click “Insert” on the menu bar and choose “Field”, which is usually the fifth item from the top.
You might insert some fields in the footer of a document, as follows. Insert FileName, hit the tab key, write “Page” and a space, insert Page, then type a space, “of” and another space, insert NumPages, hit the tab key again, and insert PrintDate.
The result of this would be that at the bottom of each page the computer would automatically print, for instance:
(While you’re writing without having printed, PrintDate will read 0/0/00. Don’t worry; when you print the date will be inserted correctly.)
If you've filled out the document properties and given the document a title, you'd probably choose to insert Title rather than FileName, too.
You can, of course, alter the format of the date, and include the time as well. You might choose to have the date you began the document rather than the date of printing. You can also use the font and size you want, just as with any other text.
Scroll down the list of fields. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the number of things available for you to have inserted automatically.
Having done this once, you could highlight the whole thing and save it as an AutoCorrect entry. If the document in which you next use it is called “Flowering Shrubs,” that name will appear on the bottoms of the pages without your having changed anything.
If the choices of page numbering offered don’t include what you want, you can find out how to have a lot more control by reading the notes on Page Numbering by Bill Coan at mvps.org.
When inserting fields, uncheck the “preserve formatting” box. Otherwise, Word will keep replacing your formatting with its own.
To “update” a field, highlight it and hit F9. To change the field into once and forever text, highlight it, hold Control and Shift and hit F9.
This may be necessary if, for instance, you have a template or AutoCorrect entry with your address and the date for the top of a letter. The date will at first appear as the date when you saved the entry. When you highlight it and hit F9 it will change to the current date. Because you may wish to look back and see when you actually wrote—and presumably sent—the letter, you’d need to unlink the date by the ctrl + shift + F9 method to stop it from changing automatically ever again.
A useful field for a writer is NumWords. Writers are often asked to supply this when submitting manuscripts, and a field to keep track is more efficient than repeatedly checking in Tools > Word Count. If you type the first few words of a document and insert NumWords immediately after the last word, then put your insertion point immediately to the left of it and keep typing, it will move ahead of you down the page. Every time you highlight it—you can highlight it with a tap of the right arrow key— and hit F9 the number will update.
It doesn’t have to be in that particular position, of course. It will work anywhere in the document. It’s just so much easier if you don’t have to find it each time.
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Created on ... March 23, 2002