Question about inserting a date header in the Normal template.

[Robot2984]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

Hi. I would like to insert a date header into the normal template so that every time i create a new document, the date of that document's creation is stamped into top of the first page. I want to use the date of creation for each document.

I tried to do this by selecting the header and then going to VIEW--> Date and Time, OR Autotext, OR Field. Every one of these options worked to imprint the current date/time on the Normal Template, but then when i opened up a new document using this modified template, the date/time that appeared was the date/time that I inserted the "created on" stamp in the Normal template, instead of the date/time that i created this new document.

How can i arrange an "insert created-on date/time" command in the Normal template without atually copying a specific date from the Normal into every new document? I want every document i open to have its own correct 'created-on' stamp and i want Word to generate this stamp automatically, without my having to modify it.

Thanks!

 

[John McGhie]

Insert>Field>Date and Time>CreateDate...

But you may need to update that field to see the new value. I don't have
time to test this, but I think that fields in the header are not updated
when the document is created from a template.

If you set the Word Preference to "Update fields" on Print, then the field
will update to the current document's creation date whenever you print the
document. Or, I think, if you do not put the field in the running header,
it will update on document open.

Sorry: Word Mac 2008 has some funny new rules about when fields are
updated, and it's not documented. In fact, NOTHING about fields is
documented in Word 2008... Grrrr.....

Cheers

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

Hi. I would like to insert a date header into the normal template so that
every time i create a new document, the date of that document's creation is
stamped into top of the first page. I want to use the date of creation for
each document.

I tried to do this by selecting the header and then going to VIEW--> Date and
Time, OR Autotext, OR Field. Every one of these options worked to imprint the
current date/time on the Normal Template, but then when i opened up a new
document using this modified template, the date/time that appeared was the
date/time that I inserted the "created on" stamp in the Normal template,
instead of the date/time that i created this new document.

How can i arrange an "insert created-on date/time" command in the Normal
template without atually copying a specific date from the Normal into every
new document? I want every document i open to have its own correct
'created-on' stamp and i want Word to generate this stamp automatically,
without my having to modify it.

Thanks!

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Clive Huggan]

John,

Would a STYLEREF field in the header be the answer in Word 2008, or would
that not work either? (As you know, I don't use Word 2008 and I'm too
terrified to actually propose suggested answers: only questions.)

Cheers,

CH
===

 

[CyberTaz]

I've been driving myself bonkers on this one :-/

If you put the field [CREATEDATE] in the header of Normal the new doc will
display the date/time Normal was created until you update the field.
However, it appears that if you create a Custom Template with a [CREATEDATE]
field in the header the new docs based on it will be currently dated.

The challenge is getting the auto-generation of new files based on the
custom template - My Word Startup folder has always been totally ignored...
Templates I store there don't even appear in the Templates & Add-Ins list. I
always have to go through Project Gallery to create new docs - which really
isn't a problem for me because I don't use the same template routinely.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

STYLEREF in the header would be fine: but the issue, as Bob notes, is
persuading the FIELD to update. It SHOULD update at the time of document
creation. But in Word 2008, it doesn't.

If you can get the field to update correctly, then it doesn't matter where
you put it. If the field doesn't update, the StyleRef will just show the
wrong date.

I wish they would take fields seriously. They are, after all, one of the
most commonly used features in corporate documentation! But someone seems
to think that anyone who buys Office 2008 is too stupid to understand fields


Cheers

John,

Would a STYLEREF field in the header be the answer in Word 2008, or would
that not work either? (As you know, I don't use Word 2008 and I'm too
terrified to actually propose suggested answers: only questions.)

Cheers,

CH
===

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]