Image: Getty Images.
How many times have you created a document and had to add specific elements to it, such as today’s date, number of pages, author of the document, time, chapter, file name, statistics on the document or a company name?
You can always add this information manually, but what if you use this document multiple times and prefer not to have to type these items each time you reuse the file?
This is where document fields come in handy.
What is a field?
A field is a dynamic piece of information added to a file, which is automatically updated as needed.
For example, if you add a “date” field, each time you reuse this document, the field will be updated to today’s date.
Or maybe you want to add page numbers for the document, but don’t want to go through the arduous task of adding them manually. You can add a page number field which will be automatically updated, depending on the number of pages in the document.
Fields are an incredibly convenient way to not only add important data to your documents, but also make them more efficient to reuse.
Now see how fields work in the open and free office suite LibreOffice.
How to add fields to a LibreOffice document
Install LibreOffice on your computer, if you haven’t already. It doesn’t matter which operating system you use (Linux, MacOS or Windows), as the functionality remains the same. Let’s go to the fields.
- Open LibreOffice
The first thing to do is to open LibreOffice. Once the app is open, you can either work on a new document or reopen a previous document that could benefit from a few fields. - Add a date field
Then add a date field. Let’s say you create a document template that you plan to use repeatedly.
At the top of this template you have:
HAS :
Of :
D :
Date :
Instead of always typing the date, you can add a field. To do this, click on the space located directly to the right of Date: , then click, on the Main menu bar (at the top of the document) on Insert > Field > Date. The field will be populated with today’s date.
If you open that same file tomorrow, the date will change to reflect the new date. You will notice that there are other fields you can add in the submenu Field. If you click on Other fieldsthe pop-up window Fields opens and you can choose from a number of different fields to add to your document.
LibreOffice includes many preconfigured fields to add to your document. Picture: Jack Wallen.
- Add a field to number your pages.
You probably want to put it in the footer of the document. For this, LibreOffice makes it easy for you. Click anywhere at the bottom of the page to bring up the blue button Footer (Default page style). Click on + to activate the Footerthen click anywhere in the footer to place the cursor.
Inserting a page number in a LibreOffice document. Picture: Jack Wallen.
Adding other fields
Let’s say you want to add your name to the section Of :, at the top of the document. To do this, place your cursor after Of :then click Insert > Field > First Author.
If the author does not appear, it means that you have not configured LibreOffice with your name. To do this, in the general menu, click on Tools > Options. In the window that appears, add your first and last name in the section Identity data.
Adding your personal information for LibreOffice to use in documents. Picture: Jack Wallen.
Another useful way to add fields is the function Document Properties. Let’s say it’s a long document and you want to be able to add your business address to it in different places. Instead of typing it every time, you can add a new custom property to the document and then add that address as a field.
To do this, you must first add the custom field to the document by clicking, in the general menu, File > Properties. In the window that appears, click Custom propertiesthen on Add property. Click on the drop-down menu on the far left and select Information. Select Text in the central drop-down menu, then type the address of the value. To save the new custom property, click okay.
Adding a custom property to a LibreOffice document. Picture: Jack Wallen.
You can now add this field anywhere in the document by clicking Insert > Fields > Other Fields. In the window that appears, expand the entry Personalizeselect Informationthen click Insert and close. The field will be inserted into the document. If you go to the document properties and change the address, it will automatically update in the document!
Our new custom property is now available to add as a field. Picture: Jack Wallen.
So here is the essential for this feature of adding fields to a LibreOffice document. Once you get to know this feature, you will definitely use it regularly to make your work more efficient.
Source: ZDNet.com