Using StyleRef Fields in Microsoft Word - a Tutorial in the Intermediate Users' Guide to Microsoft Word

"A field in a Word document is simply a placeholder that contains the instructions for what should go here rather than the text itself."
John McGhie
"Word's Numbering Explained"

Overview

This is an expanded excerpt from the Chapter on Word Fields. You will find fields to be one of your basic tools in preparing document templates that will automatically update themselves to reflect information you want to be in the document.

The StyleRef field is used to get information from text formatted in a certain style (paragraph or character). That can be a repeat of the text formatted in the style or the location or the number for numbered paragraphs. In most cases, it is used in the headers and footers of a document but it can be used in the body as well.

Using the STYLEREF Field

Insert => (Quick Parts =>) Field... => Links and References (left window) => STYLEREF (bottom of right window)
Pick or type the style name (right or center window)
Choose options or leave blank (If blank, you get the text formatted in the style)
1. Search from bottom of page to top (\l switch)
2. Insert paragraph number (without text - \n switch) Causes the field to display the entire paragraph number for a referenced paragraph without trailing periods. No information about prior levels is displayed unless it is included as part of the current level.
3. Insert postition of paragraph (above/below - without text -\p) This is of little use in headers and footers.
4. Insert paragraph number in relative context (without text - \r switch) Inserts the entire paragraph number of the bookmarked paragraph in relative context — or relative to the paragraph numbering scheme — without trailing periods.
5. Suppress all non-delimiter characters (used with displaying numbers - \t switch) When used with the \n, \r, or \w switch, causes the StyleRef field to suppress nondelimiter, or nonnumerical, text. With this switch, for example, you can reference "Section 1.01," and only "1.01" is displayed in the result.
6. Insert paragraph number in full context (\w switch) Used with one of the other numbering switches. Inserts the paragraph number of the bookmarked paragraph in full context, from anywhere in the document. For example, when referencing paragraph "ii.," a StyleRef field with the \w switch would return "1.a.ii" as a result.

Using the STYLEREF Field and Styles in the header/footer instead of multiple sections with different Headers / Footers

Do you want your headers or footers to reflect the content of the page, or change from Chapter to Chapter?

You can use the StyleRef field with Word's built-in Heading Styles to change the content of the Header / Footer to reflect local document contents. Thus the Header/Footer can change to reflect headings and other content.

Using the STYLEREF Field to create dictionary-style headers/footers

Are you trying to get dictionary style fields (Krofta - Lamb) listing the first and last entry on your page?

If that is what you are trying for, the following will work:
Put your last name field (or whatever it is you are trying to capture) in a particular character style in your primary merge document.
The character style does not need to look any different from surrounding text but it can look different.

In the header/footer use two STYLEREF fields with an optional switch on the last one to tell it to search from the bottom of the page instead of the top. STYLEREF fields probably don't show up in the mailmerge toolbar.

Insert => (Quick Parts =>) Field... => Links and References (left window) => STYLEREF (bottom of right window) => Options (button)

Look in help for "dictionary-style headers."

You can name the character style anything you want and it should be based on your default character font with no changes. You are using the style as a tag rather than as a way of formatting. Remember, this new style is a character style rather than a paragraph style.

This is especially useful when you have something on the first page of a document which, if changed, should be reflected in continuation page headers or footers. Examples: the addressee name, the subject, the date. Useful StyleRef Field Tricks - Suzanne S. Barnhill, MVP

If you are doing this in a mail-merge, you may have to insert the header after you do the merge. Try inserting it before you do the merge, if that doesn't work, then try after. (I haven't tried this with a mail merge but it should work. After you get results, please share them by letting me know so I can update this.

Using the STYLEREF Field and Styles instead of Bookmarks and REF fields

Do you want something entered in one place in your document reflected elsewhere?

{ StyleRef "MyStyle" } instead of { Ref "MyBookmark" }

If your have a single word or a phrase in a document marked in the character style "MyStyle" that word or phrase will be reflected in this field's results, instantly. This updates in headers and footers as well as in the body when the marked text is changed. It is much more robust than bookmarks which are easily deleted by accident. See Letterhead Textboxes and Styles Tutorial - two page download demonstrating StyleRef and Author fields, among other things.

Either a character style or a paragraph style will work with the StyleRef field. The style does not have to change any formatting - it can just serve as a marker for the field. In the tutorial the styles used do have formatting functions as well -- primarily the paragraph spacing and the designation of the following style.

Note: it has been observed that if there is a bookmark with the same name as the reference style it can cause problems. See this forum thread.

Making a StyleRef field only appear if there is text in the style - getting rid of the Error message!

If you use a StyleRef field and there is no text in that style anywhere in the document, you will get an error message. That probably is not what you want. You can use a conditional (IF) field to screen the error message.

The following nested field displays nothing unless there is something in the named style. If something is present in that style, it gives you the text set in the style as well as extra comment text in the field.

{ IF {STYLEREF "stylename"} <> "Error!*" "{STYLEREF "stylename" } extra comment text" }

If you do not need the extra comment text, do not put it in the field.

This coding came from responses to a Word Answers forum question.

Thank you to Paul Edstein, Doug Robbins, and Suzanne Barnhill for this field coding!

	StyleRef Tricks and Tips - Suzanne Barnhill, MVP
	StyleRef Fields and Language-Specific Style Names - Lene Fredborg, MVP
	StyleRef Field documentation BetterSolutions.com
	StyleRef Field documentation Microsoft

Note, if the StyleRef field finds text that has been formatted as hidden, it will display blank. It will not search for the next displayed text.

How to type fields in Word

The { } field delimiters can not be typed using the braces characters on the keyboard. They are special Word characters that have to be inserted as a pair using Ctrl+F9, or Insert => Field... or Insert => Cross Reference... or some other special field insertion command. If you are using Ctrl+F9 you can either press Ctrl+F9 first and then type your field or type the field code first, select it, and press Ctrl+F9. Once you are done with the field, press F9 to update the field and display the result.

I call these delimiters { } "braces" in this and other pages. Microsoft calls them brackets, but to me brackets have right angles and look like [ ] so I'll go on calling delimiters braces.

Some computers have hijacked the Function keys in their BIOS. These computers should have a Fn shift key on their keyboards. So, instead of Ctrl+F9, you would press Fn+Ctrl+F9 (or edit the BIOS so that function keys act as described in documentation for programs).

How to toggle the Display of Field Codes in Word

Sometimes (rarely) you want to see the field codes rather than the text generated by a field. This can be set in your Word Options, but the simple way is to use the keyboard shortcut of Alt+F9. This switches all fields in the Word session to display or hide field codes. Note, this is a Word option toggle and remains set for all Word documents and future Word sessions until toggled back.

When you have field codes displayed in a document, they will print rather than the field code results. This is great for debugging, but not what you usually want. You can also choose to print them as a print option.

The XE (Index Entry), TC (Table of Contents Entry) and TA (Table of Authorities Entry) fields are exceptions. Those fields are displayed when Hidden text is displayed and are not affected one way or the other by the toggling of Field Code Display. Complex Documents - Microsoft Word Intermediate User's Guide - Table of Contents - Table of Authorities - Cross-References

How to copy a field from a newsgroup or email message into Word:

If you are using a typed field display from a newsgroup or email message first make sure that the field isn't broken up by any line breaks or paragraph breaks. (Lines that are wrapped automatically by Word are fine but turn on Show All to make sure there are no special characters at the end of the line.) Select the text inside a matched pair of braces and press Ctrl+F9. Word will insert its field delimiters around the text. Delete the typed braces.

For instance, with the field:

{ = { REF "Number1" } * { REF "Number2" } }

first select

REF "Number1"

and press Ctrl+F9, then select

REF "Number2"

and press Ctrl+F9, then delete all of the typed braces and select everything from the = sign to the end of the second field and press Ctrl+F9 again.

Then press F9 to update the field and display the result.

If you press Alt+F9 (view field codes) you'll see something that looks very much like what you started with except the field delimiters look like bold braces and the field will probably be shaded. Press Alt+F9 again to go back to viewing the field result.

You can also use the macro found on Graham Mayor's site to convert fields to/from plain text.

For more on fields, follow the links on the Word Web Resources Page. For a table of shortcut keys dealing with fields, see below.

Using the Insert Field... dialog box to insert fields

The Insert Field Dialog box is virtually unchanged since Word 97. You get to it in Word 97-2003 using Insert > Field, and in Word 2007 and later using Insert (tab) > Quick Parts > Field.

Insert Field dialog (CreateDate)

Insert Field Dialog (Field Codes > Field Options)

The screenshots above are for the Insert Field dialog box using the CreateDate field. The first shows the dialog box as it first appears. The second shows what you see after you click on the Field Codes button (bottom left) and then on the Options button.