File Properties-Custom tab

[Deborah Mowry]

I would like to try the File|Properties|custom tab for more efficient
document
management in our office. However, the "Add" button is greyed out.
Why are they not active?

Is there also anyone who can better explain or point me to an article
that explains Custom file properties better then the Word Help. I find
it does not say very much on exactly what will happen when I use these
fields (e.g. group, edited by, etc.) Does this get filled in
automatically or does the end user provide the info.

Deborah

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You have to both name the custom property and give it a value (or assign a
value to one of the built-in ones) before the Add tab becomes enabled.

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

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[Jay Freedman]

Hi Deborah,

I admit it isn't very intuitive, but in this dialog you must type (or
select from the list) a name in the Name box and type at least one
character in the Value box, and only then the Add button becomes
active. When you click the button, the resulting name/value pair will
appear in the Properties box.

None of the custom properties are filled in automatically -- they have
no value (in effect, they don't exist) unless the user types something
in. (It's also possible to write a macro to create or modify custom
properties, but I don't think you need that complication yet.)

In the document, you can display/print the values of custom properties
by inserting DocProperty fields. For example, if you create a custom
property named Boss, you can place the field code {DocProperty Boss}
anywhere in the document. When the field is updated, it will show the
current value of the property. If the property has no value or has
been deleted, the field will display the nasty message "Error! Unknown
document property name".