Quickly Inserting the Date Your Way

Several other WordTips explain how you can understand and change the default dates used by Word. Some people prefer a simple way of inserting the date, in their preferred format, using AutoText. To set up this method of date entry, follow these steps:

1. Position the insertion point on a blank line.
2. Choose Date and Time from the Insert menu. This displays the Date and Time dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
3. Choose the display format that is closest to what you want.
4. Make sure the Update Automatically check box is selected at the bottom of the dialog box.
5. Click on OK. The date, using the selected format, appears in your document.
6. Select the date field and press Shift+F9. This displays the actual DATE field coding.
7. Change the format within the quote marks to reflect your final format.
8. Press Shift+F9 to display the DATE field results instead of the field coding.
9. Select the date field again.
10. Choose AutoText from the Insert menu. This displays a submenu.
11. Select New from the submenu. Word displays the Create AutoText dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
12. Type the word Date in the Name field, replacing whatever is there.
13. Click on OK. Your DATE field, properly formatted, is now saved under the Date AutoText entry.

Now, to use the entry, type the word Date and then press the F3 key. The word Date is replaced with your DATE field, as you saved it in AutoText.