Inserting & Adding Fields to Footers Part 2

Last week in Inserting & Adding Fields to Footers Part 1  how to add the author field, the publish date, and page numbers into the footer section of a Word document was covered.  As a reminder, footers are used as a quick way to display the same information in the same format on every page of a document.  In this post we discuss how to add file source paths, save dates, and last saved by information in footers.

As a reminder, double-click close to the bottom of the page to make the header and footer the active sections.  Clicking on "Footer" and selecting Edit from the drop down menu on the Insert tab is another way to gain access to the footer section.

Inserting File Information
The header and footer tools menu provides easy access to adding many types of common information and fields in the footer.  The benefit to adding fields is that they update automatically as information changes.  Like the fields in part 1, the examples below are accomplished using the header and footer tools menu.

Adding a file source path - Click on the "Document Info" drop down and select "File Path".

Once the field has been added, it appears in the footer like this:

Adding file save dates - Click on "Quick Parts" and select "Field" from the drop down.  In the field window click the drop down under "Categories" and select "Date and Time".

Under field names select "SaveDate".  Then under field properties, select the desired date format from those listed then click "OK" to add the field.

Once the field window closes the latest file save date appears in the footer.

Adding last saved by information - Click on "Quick Parts" and select "Field" in the drop down.  In the field window click the drop down under "Categories" and select "Document Information".

Under Field Names select "Lastsavedby".  Then under field properties select the desired case for the name and click "OK".

Once the field window closes the file last saved by information appears in the footer.

Regardless of the type of document, there are many reasons to add fields to footers.  Using fields saves time, tracks changes automatically and can reduce errors.  The greatest benefit to adding fields is having the displayed information update automatically.  For instance, if a document with the file source path field in the footer is moved to a new location, the source path listed in the footer will update automatically.  

Beyond these examples there are close to one hundred quick fields and document property fields to add.  Many of these also have multiple formatting properties and options to choose from so they are useful no matter how unique a document.  With so many options to choose from there is most likely a field worth adding to any document. 

As always, have fun!

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