A variable is a simple way of allowing KWord to modify the document in
very
specific ways to reflect the changing nature of the document or report.
A variable can be a number (such as a page number, the total number of pages in a document, etc),
a selection of words (clients name, product name, the documents filename, etc),
a date, a time, or nearly anything you desire.
Once the variable is defined, a
placeholder
is inserted in the document.
KWord will replace this placeholder with the value of that variable each time the placeholder is used.
Variables can either be
fixed
(which means that once inserted, their value does not
change), or
variable
(where the placeholder is
updated by KWord
to reflect
the current value of the variable).
This chapter will begin with a few examples of commonly used variables
(date,
time, and
page numbers),
then detail the
remaining variables
available to you. Finally, it will detail how to
create
custom variables for documents.
Many letters, reports and documents contain
information about the dates or times they correspond to. The date and time
information may establish the creation of a document (which will remain
fixed as long as the document is around), or the date and time may serve as
a notice of the last date of modification (which would change with each passing day).
KWord allows for both fixed and variable date and time variables in the document.
To insert the date in the document, simply place the cursor in the text box where the date
should be inserted and select
->
->
from the menubar. This will bring up several selections. To insert the current date, select one of two
options:
and
.
-
-
Selecting this option will insert the current date into the current cursor position.
This date is determined by checking with the computers system clock. Once entered, this value
will not change, even when KWord is asked to update the document
variables.
This item is ideal for dates of document creation, or when including data in a report from todays work.
Compare this choice to
.
-
-
Selecting this option will insert the current date into the current cursor position.
This date is determined by checking with the computers system clock. This value will
change when KWord is asked to update the document
variables.
This option is good for any point in the document where the current date is always wanted.
Compare this choice to
Once the date has been selected, a dialog box will appear.
The top combo box determines the layout of the variable. Your choices are:
-
Locale date format
-
This inserts the date in the format specified in the
KDE Control Center.
To select this option, simply make sure the upper combo box says
Locale date format
. A preview of the date format will appear above the
OK
button. If satisfied click
OK
.
-
Preformatted date strings
-
KWord comes with 19 predefined date strings. These predefined strings will
be all that are needed in most circumstances. Simply select the predefined string in the upper
combo box. A preview of the date format will appear above the
OK
button. If satisfied click
OK
.
-
Custom String
-
If the appropriate format for the date cannot be found, it is possible to create custom
date format strings.
A date format string consists of a list of letters and numbers which follow
specific rules (which are outlined below) to create the completed date.
The date format string consists of
placeholders
and
separators
. The placeholders are defined in the following three tables.
Days
Months
Year
Simply combine placeholders with normal text (separators) to create completed date strings.
For example:
“MM/dd/yyyy” is translated to 01/06/2004
and
“MMMM d, yyyy” becomes January 6, 2004
Notice that only the placeholders change. Spaces, commas, slashes and other text remains unchanged.
Note
It is important to remember that placeholders are case sensitive.
“DD” is not a placeholder,
only “dd”.
To create a custom date string, place a mark in the
Custom
check box.
Now type placeholders and separators text into the upper combo box. Alternatively
select the format from the
Insert:
combo box, and the
placeholder will be inserted into the date format string at the cursor location.
There is a spinbox labeled
Correct in Days
. You can use this spin box to adjust the date up or
down one or more days from the current date.
A preview of the current date
string is visible above the
OK
button. Click
OK
when
the date format string is correct to insert the variable into the document.
Tip
Once the date has been inserted into the document, it can be reformatted to a different layout
and toggled between fixed and variable dates. Simply click once with the right mouse button on the date.
A small menu will appear. Select
Change Variable To
and a submenu will appear. Select your new
variable or new layout from the menu and the variable is immediately updated.
There are three additional dates you can insert into your document:
-
-
Selecting this option will insert the date this document was last printed into the current cursor position.
-
-
Selecting this option will insert the date this document created into the current cursor position.
-
-
Selecting this option will insert the date this document was last edited into the current cursor position.
To insert the time in the document, simply place the cursor in the text box where the time should
be inserted and select
->
->
from the menubar. This will bring up two selections:
and
.
-
-
Selecting this option will insert the current time into the current cursor position.
This time is determined by checking with the computers system clock. Once entered, this value
will not change, even when KWord is asked to update the document
variables.
This item is ideal for timestamps.
Compare this choice to
.
-
-
Selecting this option will insert the current time into the current cursor position.
This time is determined by checking with the computers system clock. This value will
change when KWord is asked to update the document
variables.
This option is good for any point in your document where the current time is always wanted.
Compare this choice to
This brings up a dialog box.
The top combo box determines the layout of the variable. The choices are:
-
Locale format
-
This inserts the time in the format specified in the
KDE Control Center.
To select this option, simply make sure the upper combo box says
Locale format
. A preview of the current time
string is visible above the
OK
button. If satisfied click
OK
.
-
Preformatted time strings
-
KWord comes with 6 predefined time strings. These predefined strings will
be all that are needed in most circumstances. Simply select the predefined string in the upper
combo box. A preview of the current time
string is visible above the
OK
button. If satisfied click
OK
.
-
Custom String
-
If the appropriate format cannot be found, a custom
time format string can be created.
A time format string consists of a list of letters and numbers which follow
specific rules (which are outlined below) to create the completed time.
The time format string consists of
placeholders
and
separators
. The placeholders are defined in the following five tables.
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Milliseconds
Seconds
Simply combine placeholders with normal text (separators) to create completed time strings.
For example:
“hh:mm:ss” becomes 06:23:13
and
“h:mm ap” becomes 6:23 am
Notice that only the placeholders change. Spaces, colons and other text remains unchanged.
Note
It is important to remember that placeholders are case sensitive.
“HH” is not a placeholder,
only “hh”
To create a custom time string, place a mark in the
Custom
check box.
Type the placeholders and separator text into the upper combo box. Alternatively,
you can select the format from the
Insert:
combo box, and the
placeholder will be inserted into the time format string at the cursor location.
A preview of the current time
string is visible below the
Custom
check box. Click
OK
when
the time format string is correct to insert the variable into your document.
A preview of the current time
string is visible below the
Custom
check box. Click
OK
when
the time format string is correct to insert the variable into your document.
Tip
Once the time has been inserted into the document, it can be reformatted to a different layout
and toggled between fixed and variable times. Simply click once with the right mouse button on the time in the document.
A small menu will appear. Select
Change Variable To
and a submenu will appear. Select your new
variable or new layout from the menu and the variable is immediately updated.
Inserting page numbers is easy in KWord.
There are five variables that relate to page numbers:
Page Number
,
Number of Pages
,
Section Title
Next Page
,
and
Previous Page
.
To insert the current page number, place the cursor where you want the page number and select
->
->
->
from the menubar. The page number will be inserted at the current cursor location.
To insert the total number of pages, place the cursor where you want the variable and select
->
->
->
from the menubar. The total number of pages will be inserted.
To insert the title of the section, place the cursor where you want the variable and select
->
->
->
from the menubar. The section title will be inserted.
By selecting
->
->
->
from the menubar, a reference to the page number after the current page will be inserted at the current cursor location.
Likewise, by selecting
->
->
->
from the menubar, a reference to the page number before the current page will be inserted at the current cursor location.
Note
Page numbers are updated dynamically as the document
is edited.
Tip
Page numbers are usually best located within
headers and footers. This ensures that
every page will have a page number at the appropriate place.
You can insert the section title anywhere in your document by selecting
->
->
->
from the menubar.
KWord determines the Section title by beginning a search from the top of the current page. The first paragraph with a style of
Head 1
is the section title. If there are no paragraphs on the current page, KWord does the same search along
on previous pages until it finds a section title.
KWord provides other commonly used variables that you might find useful. This set of variables
are specific to the document. You can insert these variables by selecting
->
->
from the menubar. This will bring up a list of variables. The variables are detailed below.
Additionially, there are numerous variables under the
Statistics
submenu for inserting the number of words, lines, frames, etc. These variables should be self explanitory.
Note
Uninitialized variables will appear as <none>, until you define their
value in the
Document information box.
KWord has many predefined variables. You may encounter documents where it would be nice
to define your own variables for a document.
Using
Custom Variables
, you can create an unlimited number of variables for each document.
Create a new custom variable
To create a new custom variable, place the cursor at the location in the document to insert the new variable.
Select
->
->
->
from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog box.
Enter the variable name and its current value in the text boxes provided.
Click
OK
to create the new variable name and insert it at the current
cursor location. Click
Cancel
to cancel the creation of the new variable.
It is now possible to insert this new variable at any
place in your document.
Edit a custom variables value
In order for variables to be useful, you need to be able to give them a value, and be able to
change that value easily. To change the value of a variable:
Select
->
from the menubar.
This will bring up a dialog box.
Each custom variable has a line in this table. The first column is the name of the variable, and
the second column is the value.
To change the value of a variables, simply click within the text box to the right of
the variable name. Enter the desired value.
When all the changes have been complete, simply click
OK
and all the
variables will be updated.
To insert a new custom variable select
->
->
from the menubar. The custom variable is listed in the submenu. Click on the name of
the variable and KWord will insert the variable, with its current value, at the cursor location.
Updating All Variable Values
You can tell KWord to update all variable values (to make sure all variables are set to their
current values). This is
especially
important with dates and times.
Simply select
->
->
from the menubar.
Updating One Date or Time Variable Value
You can tell KWord to update a single date or time variable value, and leave the others unchanged.
Simply place the mouse pointer over the variable you want to update and click with the right mouse button.
Select
. A small menu will appear which will show
several new date or time formatting options and the option to change either dates or times to fixed or variable time formats. Simply select
the new option and this variable will be updated.
