How do I insert a date?

Why does it (not) change when I re-open the document?

This page last revised: 13 Jul 2006 07:21:32 -0500.

Downloadable Menu Add-On for Date fields

The easy (but probably wrong) way to put a date in your document is Insert --> Date and Time.

If you don't check "Update Automatically" it is the same as typing the date yourself (except harder). If you do check "Update Automatically" it will update when you print (if you have the setting under printer options as "Update Fields" which is the default). You can manually force an update by putting your insertion point in the date and pressing the [F9] key.

If you want to put a date in a template that updates to the current date when a document is created based on the template, or want to change the format or do other things with the date field, you want to use Insert --> Field --> Date and Time instead. Using the options here, you can either pick a format or type your own characters (called a picture) for the format. The options for the type of date include:

{ DATE } - The date you are looking at the document. Always today (although it may not show on screen as today until you update the field).

{ CREATEDATE } - The date the document was created (or saved using Save As).

{ PRINTDATE } - The date the document was last printed.

{ SAVEDATE } - The date the document was last saved.

The above are the field codes that will be inserted for you using Insert è Field è Date and Time without using any options. If you choose options, they can include the following "pictures:"

Picture	Displayed Date
\@ "MMMM d, yyyy"	August 1, 2001
\@ "MMM dd, yyyy"	Aug 01, 2001
\@ "MM/dd/yy"	08/01/01
\@ "dddd, MMMM d"	Tuesday, August 1
\@ "ddd, MMM. d, yyyy"	Tue., Aug. 1, 2001
\@ "MM/dd/yy hh:mm:ss am/pm"	08/01/01 10:36:12 PM
\@ "d" \* ordinal	1st
\@ "d" \* ordtext	first

If you want a menu that gives you different kinds of date fields that can be inserted into documents, download the LegalToolbars from http://www.addbalance.com/word/download .htm. This is a self-documenting global template and includes the following fields in different formats on a menu that can be used without the rest of the legal toolbar:

	Create Date (probably the one you will want to use in most forms)
	Saved / Modified Date
	Date Printed
	Always today (changes whenever document is opened / printed)

Otherwise, you can download an Add-In that will give you a CreateDate field when you press Alt-Shift-D instead of a Date field. (Version 1.0)