Automatic date change

[Guest]

When I open saved word documents, such as letters or faxes, they open with
the current date. Auto update is off in date & time format. HELP! How can
I keep the date the document was written as the date on the document.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

AutoUpdate only changes a field as you insert it. Once it is inserted it is
what it is unless _you_ change it.

You are using a DATE or TIME field rather than a CREATEDATE field. This
field should be put in the original template if possible (instead of
inserting using the keyboard shortcut or header/footer toolbar button).

In the document in question, press Alt-F9 to display field codes. Then
change the field to a CREATEDATE field, press F9 and then Alt-F9.

See http://addbalance.com/word/datefields1.htm for information on the
different kinds of datefields and how to format them.

--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Guest]

When I follow these instructions, it does correct the problem for the
document I have already opened. How can I set it so it does not
automatically update the date on every other document that I open up later,
without having to go through this process on each document?

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Hi Seattle:

I guess you're not feeling so well after SuperBowl, huh?

When you feel better, you need to replace the DATE field in all of those
documents with a CREATEDATE or PRINTDATE field.

There's no way you can prevent a DATE field updating to the current date on
document open.

But if you change the field to Create Date or Print Date, it will change
back to the correct date of those operations.

I would make an AutoText to replace the Date Field with a CreateDate field
(which will give the date the document was created).

Cheers

When I follow these instructions, it does correct the problem for the
document I have already opened. How can I set it so it does not
automatically update the date on every other document that I open up later,
without having to go through this process on each document?

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[Guest]

1. Print date will change too, each time you print the document.

2. Oh yes, you CAN stop a date or any field from updating - by the LOCK
FIELDS code. Block the field (or the whole document if you want to lock all
fields in it), then apply LOCK FIELDS. I find this useful as the dates are
updated until I finish a document, then I can lock the final copy or unlock
it to use it as a template for another document.

3. I don't know where the codes are on the menus but you can put them on
your tool bar: right click the toolbar, click "customize" at the bottom of
the drop down list, then in the categories list click "all commands", then in
the commands list scroll down to "lock fields" (type L) then drag it to where
you want on your toolbar. The scroll down to "unlock fields" and do the same.

Cheers, Duh...

Hi Seattle:

I guess you're not feeling so well after SuperBowl, huh?

When you feel better, you need to replace the DATE field in all of those
documents with a CREATEDATE or PRINTDATE field.

There's no way you can prevent a DATE field updating to the current date on
document open.

But if you change the field to Create Date or Print Date, it will change
back to the correct date of those operations.

I would make an AutoText to replace the Date Field with a CreateDate field
(which will give the date the document was created).

Cheers

When I follow these instructions, it does correct the problem for the
document I have already opened. How can I set it so it does not
automatically update the date on every other document that I open up later,
without having to go through this process on each document?

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[Guest]

When I open saved word documents, such as letters or faxes, they open with
the current date. Auto update is off in date & time format. HELP! How can
I keep the date the document was written as the date on the document.

 

[Stefan Blom]

The "Update automatically" setting in the Date and Time dialog box
applies only to the field you are currently inserting; it doesn't
change anything in existing documents.

To fix the problem, you'll have to do the following: Open a document
where the date keeps updating. Press Alt+F9 to display the field code.
You'll see something similar to: { DATE \@ "MM/dd/yy" }. Replace the
DATE part with CREATEDATE and press F9. Repeat for each affected
document.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message
document.

 

[Guest]

John,

Can you provide some clear directions on how to do this? I am working
currently with both woord 2003 & 2007. I have documents that were generated
using the built-in contemporary memo. It is using the DATE field. How do I
automatically detect and fix this error for documents that I didn't create?

Thanks,

Jeff

Hi Seattle:

I guess you're not feeling so well after SuperBowl, huh?

When you feel better, you need to replace the DATE field in all of those
documents with a CREATEDATE or PRINTDATE field.

There's no way you can prevent a DATE field updating to the current date on
document open.

But if you change the field to Create Date or Print Date, it will change
back to the correct date of those operations.

I would make an AutoText to replace the Date Field with a CreateDate field
(which will give the date the document was created).

Cheers

When I follow these instructions, it does correct the problem for the
document I have already opened. How can I set it so it does not
automatically update the date on every other document that I open up later,
without having to go through this process on each document?

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

To fix old docs, select the field, toggle field codes on the right-click
menu (or hit alt-F9), and change the DATE field to CREATEDATE. Just type
right into the field adding CREATE.

Don't know how you would automatically detect it.

 

[Graham Mayor]

The following macro will change all the date fields in documents in a
selected folder for createdate fields.

Sub BatchFixDates()
Dim myFile As String
Dim PathToUse As String
Dim MyDoc As Document
Dim iFld As Integer

With Dialogs(wdDialogCopyFile)
If .Display <> 0 Then
PathToUse = .Directory
Else
MsgBox "Cancelled by User"
Exit Sub
End If
End With
If Documents.Count > 0 Then
Documents.Close SaveChanges:=wdPromptToSaveChanges
End If
If Left(PathToUse, 1) = Chr(34) Then
PathToUse = Mid(PathToUse, 2, Len(PathToUse) - 2)
End If
myFile = Dir$(PathToUse & "*.do?")
While myFile <> ""
Set MyDoc = Documents.Open(PathToUse & myFile)
ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = True
For iFld = ActiveDocument.Fields.Count To 1 Step -1
With ActiveDocument.Fields(iFld)
If .Type = wdFieldDate Then
.Code.Text = replace(.Code.Text, "DATE", "CREATEDATE")
.Update
End If
End With
Next iFld
ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = False
MyDoc.Close SaveChanges:=wdSaveChanges
myFile = Dir$()
Wend
End Sub

or for the current document only

Sub FixDates()
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = True
Dim oRng As Range
Dim iFld As Integer
For iFld = ActiveDocument.Fields.Count To 1 Step -1
With ActiveDocument.Fields(iFld)
If .Type = wdFieldDate Then
.Code.Text = replace(.Code.Text, "DATE", "CREATEDATE")
.Update
End If
End With
Next iFld
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = False
End Sub

http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

John,

Can you provide some clear directions on how to do this? I am
working currently with both woord 2003 & 2007. I have documents that
were generated using the built-in contemporary memo. It is using the
DATE field. How do I automatically detect and fix this error for
documents that I didn't create?

Thanks,

Jeff

Hi Seattle:

I guess you're not feeling so well after SuperBowl, huh?

When you feel better, you need to replace the DATE field in all of
those documents with a CREATEDATE or PRINTDATE field.

There's no way you can prevent a DATE field updating to the current
date on document open.

But if you change the field to Create Date or Print Date, it will
change back to the correct date of those operations.

I would make an AutoText to replace the Date Field with a CreateDate
field (which will give the date the document was created).

Cheers

When I follow these instructions, it does correct the problem for
the document I have already opened. How can I set it so it does not
automatically update the date on every other document that I open
up later, without having to go through this process on each
document?

:

AutoUpdate only changes a field as you insert it. Once it is
inserted it is what it is unless _you_ change it.

You are using a DATE or TIME field rather than a CREATEDATE field.
This field should be put in the original template if possible
(instead of inserting using the keyboard shortcut or header/footer
toolbar button).

In the document in question, press Alt-F9 to display field codes.
Then change the field to a CREATEDATE field, press F9 and then
Alt-F9.

See http://addbalance.com/word/datefields1.htm for information on
the different kinds of datefields and how to format them.

--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version
of Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
When I open saved word documents, such as letters or faxes, they
open with the current date. Auto update is off in date & time
format. HELP! How can
I keep the date the document was written as the date on the
document.

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not
email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical
Writer Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410