Using Forms in header and footer (or linking file properties)

L

LRI

Hi,

Anyway you can use "forms" fields in the header and footer?

What I'm trying to do is to setup a template for an A size document that
resembles a CAD template. Since not everyone has CAD, and only need to
create A sized documents, we want a A-sized template.

So first of the is a Revision block at the top of the page with 6 fields
that need to be edited by every document creator. ONLY needs to be on the
first page.

Second is a title block at the bottom of the page with 9 fields to input.
A SECOND simplified title block (only revalant fields) is on all following
pages. The data in the 2 title blocks is the same.

What about using "Custom Properties" in file properties to define all the
fields. Anyway to link it to a textbox in the header/footer?

Thanks
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

DocProperty fields can be inserted in the header/footer. Form fields cannot,
and REF fields don't work in the header/footer of protected forms (but
StyleRef fields do, and they update automatically).
 
E

eagle

DocProperty fields can be inserted in the header/footer. Form fields
cannot, and REF fields don't work in the header/footer of protected
forms (but StyleRef fields do, and they update automatically).
Click to expand...

A couple of follow up questions. If I created a custom file property
called "CO NUMBER", is there a way to create the field without going to
Insert>Field ? Can I just type the following?

DOCPROPERTY "CO NUMBER" \* Upper

When I save the DocProperty don't update? How do I update the whole
document?

I've ready the help about StyleRef fields and I'm unclear what they are
used for and if I want to use them. Could you elaborate...
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

A couple of follow up questions. If I created a custom file property
called "CO NUMBER", is there a way to create the field without going to
Insert>Field ? Can I just type the following?

DOCPROPERTY "CO NUMBER" \* Upper
Click to expand...

You can insert any field manually if you know what the syntax of the field
is. Press Ctrl+F9 to insert the field delimiters and then type the text
between them. Updating of fields is always a problem in protected forms.
Usually a macro of some sort is required (but don't ask me about about
that!).
I've ready the help about StyleRef fields and I'm unclear what they are
used for and if I want to use them. Could you elaborate...
Click to expand...

I'm preparing an article on this and other uses of StyleRef fields, but it
won't be published for a few days, so here's a summary. You can use a
StyleRef field to pick up text in any given style and repeat it elsewhere on
the page (the header or footer is the usual location). The style referenced
can be either a paragraph or a character style. A character style doesn't
have to differ from the default paragraph font in anything but name; you can
apply a character style that does not change the appearance of the text at
all, just marks text to be picked up by the StyleRef field.

So if the data you want in the header appears anywhere on the page (for
example, if it will be entered in a form field), you can apply a specific
style to that form field and put a StyleRef field in the header to pick up
that style. The text will appear in the header on every subsequent page
until the field detects other text formatted with the referenced style.
Obviously, if you want the text to appear on *every* page, you'll need to
have the form field that provides it on the first page of the form.
 
L

LRI

Thanks for the summary on StyleRef. I won't use them for this application,
but I'm sure in the future I'll be able to put them to good use.

I have a question about Inserting pages. Is there away to insert a page
from a template. Since I have a need for two different "backgrounds" or
title blocks, I'm using a section break with two different headers/footers.
Therefore in my template I need the 2 pages defined. Now what if you only
need one page. Then people need to delete the second page. Is that easily
done with a second section defined?

Also, if you have a document at REV-A with only 1 page and it needs
updating to REV-B which requires adding pages, how do you add those second,
third, etc. pages with a different background from the first page?

Thats why I would like to be able to go Insert>Page>From Template... and
have a template for the first page and one for the following pages.
Possible?
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

You don't need a section break to get different headers and footers if the
different "background" is needed only on the first page. If you check
"Different first page" on the Layout tab of Page Setup, you'll get a
separate First Page Header/Footer and Header/Footer. You create both of
these, then delete the second page. Word will remember the Header/Footer
when they are needed. For more on this, see
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/Letterhead.htm
 
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