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Barry MacDonnell's
Toolbox for WordPerfect

Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows®
© Copyright 1996-2008 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.

Page updated Feb 8, 2008
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Headers, Footers, and Watermarks - how to start, stop, change, replace, delay, overlay, and remove them

Some related items:

Page numbering topics -

Page Numbering in WordPerfect: The Basics, by Jan Berinstein

Numbering Pages, Chapters, and Volumes in WordPerfect, by Laura Acklen, in the Corel Newsletter (April 2005)

Create page numbering for Chapters such as found in many books

Page identification topics -

SupDelay macro - Automatically set up "second pages" with "page identifiers" using Suppress and Delay codes

Page identification tips - Create even and odd page identification in headers or footers - Create a third type of "header" or "footer" for additional identifying information

Stamps - Creating "DRAFT," "COPY," and other identification stamps on the pages of a document

LetterHd - An automated letterhead template with second page identifiers

HFmach - The "Header/Footer Machine" macro 

How to create "Continued on Page x" footers where "x" is the number of the following page

Using two footers simultaneously (one for page number, the other for separator line and filename, etc.) so that items do not overlap

Outside the margins - Creating text outside a document's page margins, along the edge of the page(s)

Other related pages -

Mixing landscape and portrait pages: How to maintain headers, footers, and page numbering at the top and bottom of all pages when you mix landscape orientation with portrait

Pleadings - Modify the legal Pleading feature (in Watermark B)

 

 


 

 

 

Headers, footers, and watermarks are available on the Insert menu in WordPerfect. They will be visible onscreen in Page mode (View, Page), or if you are directly editing them. They usually contain text, but can contain graphic images and format codes (page number, current date, filename, line justification, etc.).

Like page numbering, they are considered "repeating elements" or "repeating substructures" because they are designed to automatically display on more than one pages even though you (typically) need only create them once in a document.

WordPerfect provides two "flavors" (i.e., varieties, or types) of each of these three elements, A and B, so you have six more ways to add extra information -- often called "page identification" -- to multiple pages in your documents.

For a brief tutorial on headers and footers, see Adding Headers and Footers to Your Documents by Laura Acklen.

For specific topics, see the sidebar on the left, or simply scroll down on this page.

TIP: Check out the context-sensitive Property bars

Once one of these repeating elements is on screen (see the next topic, "How to start them"), and your cursor is inside it, it is worth exploring the Property bar that appears for useful features related to that element, such as buttons to insert a page number inside a footer or set headers to display on even and odd pages.

Property bars for these elements are visible only when your cursor is inside one of them and View, Toolbars, Property Bar is enabled.

Note that if you use the Property bar button to put page numbers inside a header or footer, you probably will want to turn normal page numbering off (if it was turned on) with Format, Page, Numbering, Position: <No page numbering>. Otherwise you will get two numbers on each page, one in the header or footer and one on the page itself. (For more on page numbering see the links in the sidebar column on the left.)

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How to start them

You can start one of these repeating elements on a certain page by simply placing your cursor on that page (usually at the top) and creating the element there using the Insert menu. Select the element you need -- Header/Footer or Watermark -- then select the type (A or B) and click Create. Go on from there to create the header, footer, or watermark by typing text, etc. (See Laura Acklen's tutorial on creating headers and footers for representative examplea, such as adding page numbers in a header or footer, adding the current document's filename, etc.)

When you are finished, exit from the header, footer, or watermark with the Close button on the Property bar, or just click in the main document. (To see them on screen you should not be in Draft view [on the View menu].)

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How to stop them

There are two ways to do this.

Small arrow You can suppress any of these elements (and page numbering, too) on a given page with Format, Page, Suppress. Such repeating elements will still show up on other pages (if any); they are merely stopped (suppressed) from displaying on the page with a [Suppress] code. This can be handy if you only need a page or two without headers, footers, or watermarks.

For example, if Header A is suppressed on page 3, you would have the sequence AAXAAA...., where "X" is a page without the header.

Schematically (for the first several pages) -
Header A  Header A    Header A  Header A  Header A
         

[In some versions of WordPerfect, editing pre-existing choices in the Suppress dialog to change your choices can cause the Suppress code to be removed from the document (it's a bug), so it is a good idea to examine the document to see if this happens. If it does, simply reapply your choices at that page location with Format, Page, Suppress.]

Small arrow You can also discontinue a header, footer or watermark from the Insert menu (e.g., Insert, Header/Footer, Header A, Discontinue). That means that the item will show up on all pages prior to the one where it was discontinued. This is normally done at the bottom of the last page where you want the header, footer, or watermark to show up. Discontinuing these structures might be useful when you do not want any more of them to show up in the rest of your document (e.g., in an Appendix or Index) or for a given section of your document (i.e., spanning more than one page).

[Note that you can create a new header, footer, or watermark of the same "flavor" (A or B) from the Insert menu (e.g., Insert, Header/Footer, Header A, Create) and it will automatically discontinue the existing item, and replace it with the new version from that point forward until it is discontinued or replaced with yet another new version (if any). You do not have to discontinue a header, footer, or watermark to start a new, different one. See the next section.]

If, for example, Header A is discontinued on page 3, you would have the sequence AAXXXX....

Schematically (for the first several pages) -
Header A  Header A        
   

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How to change or replace them

Small arrow To change the content of the currently displayed header/footer/watermark (either A or B), you can edit the current version of the item in one of two ways. First, place your cursor on the page that displays the item you want to change, then either (1) click Insert, Header/Footer, Footer A, Edit, or (2) click inside the header/footer/watermark itself (assuming you are not in Draft view) and edit it directly. Click anywhere in the main document area to exit, or click the Close button on the property bar.

IMPORTANT: All such changes will affect the display of the header/footer/watermark you are editing. That is, the changes will show up on any previous pages where the current item is displayed, as well as on any following pages. You need only edit the current item on any page where it displays in order to change the same item on all pages.

Schematically (for the first several pages) -
If you Edit Header A on page 4 to make a change to the Header...
Header A Header A Header A Edit
(change)
Header A
Header A Header A
           

...it will produce this change in the document:
Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
           

Small arrow To replace (supersede) the content of a header/footer/watermark (either A or B) somewhere in the document after the page where you first created that item, and leave the previous version of that item unchanged, you must create a new one (of the same type, A or B) at the new location where you want the change to take effect.

This is often done to change chapter or section titles in a manuscript's header. Just create a new header of the same type (A or B) on the new page with Insert, Header/Footer, Header (A or B), Create, and it will supplant the old one.

For example:

To change the text or other content in Header A starting on page 4, and continuing on the following pages (but not on the previous pages), you would --

  • place your cursor on page 4 -- usually at the top of the page;
  • click Insert, Header/Footer, Header A, Create (not Edit);
  • insert -- i.e., paste or type -- the new content inside the new, empty header (N.B.: Don't delete or edit the [Open Style] code inside the header area, unless you need to do so for a specific reason; see Footnote 2); then
  • exit from the header by clicking anywhere in the main document area, or by clicking the Close button on the property bar.

You should now see the new Header A's content take effect on that page, and the old Header A's content should stop on the previous page, as shown schematically in the diagram below. (You will also see a new [Header A] code in the Reveal Codes pane on page 4. This tells WordPerfect where to start the new version of Header A.)

As previously noted, if you simply edit the current header (e.g., with Insert, Header/Footer, Footer A, Edit) you will change the current item wherever it is displayed in the document. That is, the change will show up in the same item on all previous pages as well as all following pages. To change Header A (using our example) to something else, you must cause a new Header A to "take over" from the older Header A. (The same thing applies to footers and watermarks.)

Some users try and replace an existing header/footer/watermark at some point after page 1 by editing the existing item, rather than by creating a brand new one on the later page. This is a common mistake, and probably stems from the idea that headers, footers, or watermarks seem to "flow" only in one direction -- forward to the end of the document -- much like applying a new font type at a specific location. In fact, editing one of these elements simply changes the display of that item on all pages where it is set to display -- both on previous pages (if any) and on following pages (if any). These elements are displayed in both directions from the page where you are viewing them.

Hence, to replace the content of one of these items from a particular page forward, think in terms of superseding or supplanting it, not in terms of editing it.

You can also think of these items as single "structures" or small "containers" that -- once created on a given page -- have the ability to show up on all pages from the point of creation onward. You can change the same structure (e.g., Header A) later in the document by editing any single display of it, not just on the page where it was created. All "instances" of that structure will change immediately -- forward until discontinued, or another item of the same type (A or B) is encountered, and backward to the creation page. (You are really only dipping down into a single structure when you edit a repeating element on any page where it displays. WordPerfect takes care of displaying it wherever -- and however often -- it is required.)

In summary:

To replace the same structure so that the new content appears at a specific point in mid-document, thereby leaving the display of the older version of that item on previous pages alone, you can do one of two things:

      • Either discontinue the old structure (if you don't want any more of them to display on subsequent pages, as demonstrated in the previous section, "How to stop them"); or
      • create a new, revised one on a new page, as in the next illustration (if you want them to display on subsequent pages). Most often you will choose this option.

The following diagram illustrates a replacement header on page 4.

Schematically (for the first several pages) -
If you Create a new Header A on page 4...
Header A Header A Header A Create a new
Header A
Header A Header A
           

...it will produce this change in the document:
Old
Header A
Old
Header A
Old
Header A
New
Header A
New
Header A
New
Header A
           

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How to delay them to another page

To add to this mix of options, you can delay the onset of any of these elements by one or more pages. That is, you can -

  • delay the starting of a new item (e.g., delay the start of a new footer until the second page);
  • delay the stopping or "discontinuance" of an item (e.g., shut off, on page 2, a header, footer and/or watermark that was created on page 1); or
  • delay the suppression of an item until a specific number of pages have passed.

The principal advantage of this feature, and its most common use, is to allow you to set up special formatting for a subsequent page -- but these actions will only have an effect if there are subsequent pages. Otherwise, they exist only as format codes inside a "container" code: the [Delay] code you will see if you use this feature.

To use this feature in a document, click Format, Page, Delay Codes, X (where 'X' is the number of pages to delay the action -- usually this is set to "1"). Typically, you perform these steps on page 1 so that you can delay some action until page 2, if there is a page 2.

This opens the Define Delay Codes window, and any actions you specify there -- such as starting a new header, discontinuing an existing footer, or setting new page margins (but see the NOTE below) -- will be carried out on the specified (subsequent) page.

If, for example, Header B is delayed until page 2, you would have the sequence XBBBBB....

Schematically (for the first several pages) -
   Header B  Header B  Header B  Header B  Header B
         

And if, for example, Footer A is discontinued on page 2 and Footer B is started on page 2 . . .
           
 Footer A  Footer B  Footer B  Footer B  Footer B  Footer B

In the first case you could, of course, simply suppress the element on page 1. But because delay codes are created in their own special Define Delayed Codes window, you can delay several items with the same [Delay] code, which might be a better way of keeping them together.

Also, you can hide the [Delay] code inside the document's initial style code to prevent accidental deletion or movement of the code. (See Footnote 1.)

CAUTIONS

  • One downside to using a [Delay] code: You can't use Edit, Find and Replace to search inside a [Delay] code. However, you can use F&R to remove these elements; see "How to remove them".

TIPS

  • You can open an existing [Delay] code the same as you can open (to edit) many WordPerfect codes. Just double click on the code in Reveal Codes.

NOTE

  • To delay setting new page margins or return (reset) them to the 1-inch default on page 2 of a document, see this tip. A small bug was introduced in WP10 (and still present in WPX3) that requires an extra step in the Delay Codes procedure.

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How to overlay them

It is worth remembering that, like transparent pieces of film, you can overlay either type (A or B) of a repeating element with the other type by using them on the same page(s).

Since A and B of the same element will occupy the same space on the page, be sure to separate text or graphics inside them so the material in one doesn't conflict with (i.e., overlap) the material in the other on the same page. (Usually, setting different line justification or adding a few hard returns will separate the materials. For more precision, use Format, Typesetting, Advance.)

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How to remove them

Headers, footers, and watermarks are created with WordPerfect format codes, so you can delete them from the document by deleting the codes. (You should back up your document first.)

Here are some general methods:

  • Open the Reveal Codes window to locate the code. Then either (1) drag the [Header], [Footer], or [Watermark] code from the Reveal Codes window to delete it; or (2) use the [Delete] or [Backspace] keys to delete the code.
  • If you need to quickly delete all codes of a given type in the document, place your cursor at the very top of the document (before all codes and text), then click Edit, Find and Replace.
    • In the Find and Replace dialog that appears, delete anything that might be in the "Find:" field, then click Match, Codes from the dialog's menu.
    • In the Codes dialog that appears, scroll down to code you want to remove: Header A, Header B, Footer A, Footer B, Watermark A, or Watermark B. Click on the listed item in the Codes dialog, then click Insert & Close. You should now see the code in the "Find:" field.
      • Tip: You can also copy the code from your document and paste it into the Find and Replace field.
    • In the Find and Replace dialog's "Replace with:" field, choose <Nothing> (or simply delete the contents of this field with Delete or Backspace), then click Find Next (to find the first code), then click Replace.
    • Repeat deleting each remaining code with Find Next ... Replace, or simply click Replace All.
    • Note: You cannot use Find and Replace to find codes inside a [Delay] code, as mentioned above. This is a limitation of the program, at least for recent versions of it. You will have to edit the [Delay] code by double-clicking on the [Delay] code in Reveal Codes and then removing the header, footer, or watermark code contained in it.

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Example: Modifying the current document or a custom template

For the current document: Note that you can use this method in the current document (.WPD), but the SupDelay ("Suppress and Delay") macro probably is more convenient if you have to do it often. For future documents, you probably will want to modify the template (.WPT) on which those documents are based. See the procedures below.

For new custom templates: Create the template with File, New (or New from Project), Options button, Create WP Template. A new document will open, named Template1. You can create everything here, or import a previously created (one page) document with Insert, File.

For existing custom templates: Edit the template with File, New (or New from Project), select the template by name, then click the Options button and choose Edit WP Template.

Example (taken from the SupDelay macro page):

Let's say you want to use Header A, Footer A, and/or Watermark A for your first page letterhead design (or to supplement the design of preprinted stationery), or for the title page of a company report.

Assume you want to use Header B, Footer B, and/or Watermark B for other things (such as a name, date, document title or page number) on the second and subsequent pages -- if there are any such pages in a given document.

Also assume you have set new margins on Page 1, and want to return the margins to some preferred default setting on subsequent pages, if there are any. (Sometimes body text "runs over.") You don't have to create any header, footer, or watermark, but if you do you can set them up like this:

Page 1: Page 2 and subsequent pages (if any):
Header A available (Header A discontinued)
(Header B suppressed) Header B available
Footer A available (Footer A discontinued)
(Footer B suppressed) Footer B available
Watermark A available (Watermark A discontinued)
Watermark B available Watermark B available
No page numbers on Page 1 Page numbering continues (if page numbering was turned on)
Page margins can be customized Page margins reset to 1" (the WP default setting, but this can be easily changed; see also the Important Note in the first section above on this page)

Here's how.

    • Go to the top of your template (i.e., page 1) and set up both varieties (A and B) of the headers and footers, set up one or both watermarks, and set new Page 1 margins if desired.

Then either play the SupDelay macro or manually suppress and delay pages:

    • Assuming you have used Header A and Footer A on the first page of the template, you can set up Header B (and Footer B) for the second and subsequent pages. Do both of these things while editing page 1 of the template. That is, create all headers and footers on the first page.
    • Next, you need to discontinue (i.e., stop) Header A and Footer A on the second and subsequent pages (you don't need them anymore), and supress Header B and Footer B on page 1 (you don't want them to appear until page 2).
      • The first task (discontinue Header A and Footer A) is done with Format, Page, Delay Codes, 1, OK. Then click Header/Footer, Header A, Discontinue. Do the same for Footer A. You can also discontinue Watermark A, if it is used, and reset margins for the second and subsequent pages. Then click the Close button to return to the main template window.
      • For the second task (suppress Header B, etc.), go to the top of the document and click Format, Page, Suppress. On the dialog that pops up, choose Header B, Footer B, and (probably) Page Numbering. Click OK.
    • Save the template with File, Save. If it's a new template, save it in the group category of your choice.
    • TIP: On page 2 you can create a new Header A, Footer A, and Watermark A instead of discontinuing (stopping) them. The newly created elements will simply take over on page 2, automatically discontinuing the same elements that are on page 1.
    • TIP: Several of these techniques were used in the LETTERHD template in the Library.

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Footnote 1 - Hide the Code

[Continued from "How to delay them to another page," above]

Here's a tip to let you "hide" a [Delay] code so it is less likely to be moved or deleted accidentally: Open Reveal Codes, select just the new [Delay] code (this is most easily done with <Shift+arrow>), and cut it to the clipboard with <Ctrl+X>. Then double-click the initial [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code at the very top of the document; this opens the Style Editor; paste the [Delay Code] into the Contents field, then click OK. (Just remember to look inside the initial style code if you need to revise or delete the [Delay] code!)

  • You can use more than one Delay code in the document's initial style.
  • Caution: Do not try to create a [Delay] code for a Header, Footer, or Watermark directly inside the document's (or template's) initial style's Styles Editor by using the menu in the Styles Editor dialog, or the program may "hang" on you under some conditions. Instead, either cut the [Delay] code from the document and paste into the Style Editor as explained above, or copy an existing [Delay] code from another document and paste it into the Styles Editor.
  • Macro writers: You can easily incorporate formatting codes inside a document's (or template's) initial style with a macro. See here for an example.

Footnote 2 - Inside the Header or Footer area

[Continued from "How to change or replace them", above]

The [Open Style: HeaderA] code inside the Header area (a similar code exists for Footers) is designed to apply system default format settings for the header (or footer) areas-- which, in this particular instance, comes from the system style, HeaderA.

Normally, you will not want to delete this code, since it might be applying formatting from the system style.

Also, unless you need to apply special formatting -- or even some text -- inside this code, you normally will have little need to edit it (by double-clicking on the code). The reason: Any changes inside this code will show up in all versions of Header A in the document -- backward and forward in the document -- not just in the new version going forward from that page in the document.