Dynamic Templates? Format changes based on length of document?

[Guest]

My organization's stationary has a large graphic element on the bottom right
side of the page. To maximize space on one page letters, we would like our
letter template to drop lower than the graphic, so that the short-lined
salutations, signatures, and titles that close our letters can sit nicely in
the white space next to the graphical interface. On two page letters,
however, we need the bottom margin of our front page to be taller, otherwise
text would obscure the bottom graphic.

One solution for our problem, obviously, would be to have two templates: a
one page template and a two page template. But it would be better if we
could have just one template, that would dynamically change first page
formatting if text spilled onto a second page. Is this possible in a
Microsoft Word template? And if so, how?

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Yes it is possible. Take a look at
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Numbering/PageNumbering.htm. For even more,
see http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Page_Numbering.htm. These show how to use
conditional fields (IF) to change the contents of a header/footer depending
on page numbers. Positioning graphics within these fields can be tricky, but
it can be done.

Otherwise, you could set your graphic to wrap text to the left or right and
actually allow your regular text to flow around but not on top of your
graphic.
--
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.

 

[Guest]

Yes it is possible. Take a look at
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Numbering/PageNumbering.htm. For even more,
see http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Page_Numbering.htm. These show how to use
conditional fields (IF) to change the contents of a header/footer depending
on page numbers. Positioning graphics within these fields can be tricky, but
it can be done.

Otherwise, you could set your graphic to wrap text to the left or right and
actually allow your regular text to flow around but not on top of your
graphic.
--
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.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the idea.

Unfortunately, I've looked at this solution, and I'm not sure that the
conditional (IF), as related to page number, will solve the problem, since
page numbering must exist in static header or footer boxes. If the page
number doesn't appear, the footer would still appear on the page and cause a
defacto new bottom margin. Ideally, what I would have is a conditional (IF)
for whether or not a first page footer would appear or not. (In other words,
if the total document pages > 1 the first page footer appears, if total
document pages = 1 the footer doesn't appear.)

Another possible solution: is there a way to create an equation using total
document pages. If there were, I could see an equation that would exist in a
first page footer that would call for a blank box in the first page footer if
the total pages of the document are greater than one. In that case, the
blank box could force the footer to expand past the normal one inch margin.
Thus one page documents would format all the way to the bottom margin, and on
multiple page documents, the box in the footer would establish a larger first
page margin.

Are either of these options feasible?

Thanks!

 

[Charles Kenyon]

No, the page number does not need to appear on the page. It is used as a
condition in the IF field. The examples shown do display page numbers but
the key thing is the test for a particular page number or for equality to
the NumPages field (last page). In your example, you would be testing for
{ If {NumPages} > 1 "long footer" "short footer" }


--
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.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

See the "More complex letterhead" section at
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/Letterhead.htm. You can adjust the size
of the First Page Footer and Footer to be different, and you can also adjust
the wrapping on your graphic.

--
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.