Date/Time will not automatically update.

[Guest]

I am using Office Word 2003 Pro (SP2) and I cannot get the date/time fields
to update when document is opened even though "Autoupdate" is checked in the
Insert/Date+Time Menu. Any advice?

 

[Charles Kenyon]

The "AutoUpdate" setting is specific to the next date field you enter. It is
not a system setting or a document setting.

Generally, you may be better off saving these documents, which you are
apparently using to produce new documents, as templates. Put a CreateDate
field in the templates. It will update to the current date when a new
document is created based on the template.

Otherwise, change the dates in your documents to Date fields, which they
currently seem to not be. I'm not advising this, but answering your
question.

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


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[Guest]

You know, I should have explained, I am very new to this program. In fact,
that is why I am asking for help, I am taking a Word class at a community
college (online, so my instructor cannot see what I am doing, when I actually
do it). I had to take my first test last week, and one of the assignments
for the test was to insert the date and time so that they update
automatically whenever the document is opened. I went through the Menu Bar -
Insert/Date&Time - and made certain that "update automatically" box was
checked. My instructor tells me that this is the correct method, but for
some reason, it is not updating. I am afraid I will be marked off for every
test because of this. My instructor has been virtually no help at all, she
says that since nobody else who is using Word 2003 Pro is having this
problem, it might be specific to my software - a glich of sorts.

Anyway, the reason for my whole long explanation is this - I do not
understand what you are telling me to do. I am very new to Word, and am not
sure if what you are saying would satisfy the instructors requirements. I
was hoping that there was something I need to check/or uncheck that I may not
know about, and my instructor is forgetting (or she doesn't believe me, just
thinks I am trying to get back the points she marked me off on the test).

Thanks so much for you help and response, though.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

What you inserted if you used the method you specify was a DATE or TIME
field. If you press Alt+F9 to view the field code, you should see { DATE }
or { TIME }, probably with some switches to specify the format. If in fact
you have a field, then it can be updated. It may not update *automatically,*
depending on your settings, but it can be updated using F9. Alt+F9 to toggle
the field back to display the field result, click in it, and press F9.

Some fields that used to update automatically in Word no longer do so; in
some cases the change occurred between versions, in some cases as a result
of applying a patch to a specific version of Word or Windows. If you have
"Update fields" checked on the Print tab of Tools | Options, your date field
will probably update when you switch to Print Preview and certainly when you
print.

For more information about updating fields, see "Which fields are updated
when you open, repaginate, or print document" at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=211629.

For more about date fields (in case you ever want to know more), see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/DateFields.htm

The information Charles gave you can be saved for a time when you want a
field that *doesn't* update!

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

It did update when I switched to Print Preview. However, you said "depending
on your settings" it may not automatically update. What settings would I
need to change to make it update automatically whenever the document is
opened, as this is what she (my instructor) wants it to do?

The class is a Word 2002 class, but the syllabus stated that there would be
relatively few issues for users of Word 2003, and we could go ahead and sign
up. But, I have a real problem with automatically losing 5 points off the
top of a 20 point test, everytime, just because my software is a different
version. Is there someone from Microsoft that can confirm that my program
will not do this automatically in this version? Also, I am using SP2, though
I don't know if that makes a difference.

Thanks for any and all help I can get.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Fields in the header and footer update when the document is repaginated (for
example, when you switch to Print Layout view) regardless of your settings.
Other fields are updated at print time (or when you Print Preview) if you
have "Update fields" checked on the Print tab of Tools | Options.

The only other information I can find about updating fields in Word 2003 is
in the KB article I already referenced. This article specifically states
that DATE and TIME fields are not updated except when you print or Print
Preview (and then only when the "Update fields" option is enabled).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Sorry, I don't know because inserting such a field is almost always a bad
idea. Tell your instructor that I said a CreateDate field in a document
template is far better for most purposes. I never use the Insert>Date
command.

Again, the settings in effect immediately before the date is inserted are
the important ones. You can view the fields (to make sure you inserted a
field and not text) by pressing Alt-F9. If you inserted text, it will just
show the date, otherwise it will show field codes. Pressing Alt-F9 again
gets you back to normal (result) view of your fields.

The differences that Suzanne is talking about depend on the version of Word
(and fixes, updates, etc.) that your instructor has, so if it is working for
other people on the instructor's computer, it should work for you.


--
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


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
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.