Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect for Windows - Creating comment lines on document printouts (underlines to margin)

[Note the formatting continues through the document -- unless you discontinue the watermark at some point (see the watermark page here if you need help) and reset page margins.]

At the top of the document where you want the column of lines to begin, set the right margin to 4.25" (see Format, Margins, Right: 4.25", OK).

(You only need to set the right margin. The macro will take care of setting the left margin for the indented, underlined area.)

All document text should now flow in a single narrow "column" on the left side of all pages (see image above).

Note that the macro uses a 4.5" left page margin setting, but you can use whatever value you wish in the vLeftMargin command.

[Optional: The watermark's margins default to 1.0" but you can set the left/right watermark's margins to create wider lines. For example, you could set them to 0.5". The lines will expand to fill the new margin space.]

Double click on the [Graph Line] format code that appears (this opens the Edit Graphics Line dialog), and set the Line color to (e.g.) Red.

In that same dialog you can also Set the vertical line's Horizontal Position on the page -- such as 1.0" inward from the left edges of the blue lines. (The red line shown in the image above was set inward 0.5" from the blue lines.)

Click OK when done making adjustments to the vertical line.

WordPerfect Tips Main tips page \| Browse more tips
Creating comment lines on document printouts (underlines to margin) Note WordPerfect menu choices on this site refer to the <WordPerfect> menu (right-click on the top menu bar for a choice of menus). If you use a <Microsoft Word> menu, the choices might be absent from your menu (but not from the program), or they might be found under another menu selection. See here for more.	Purpose Some users need to create temporary printouts of a document with text on one side of the page and "comment lines" on the other side — something like "old school" lined notebook paper — like this: [Note the formatting continues through the document -- unless you discontinue the watermark at some point (see the watermark page here if you need help) and reset page margins.] The idea is to reformat a copy of a WordPerfect document into a single column on the left side of the page with a column of underlines on the right side. (Using a copy is a better idea so that no changes are made to the original document.) The copy should contain just text with standard 1" left/right page margins, with no complex formatting like tables or columns -- although double spacing, bold, italics, etc., should be okay. (Avoid changing the font, font size, or otherwise adjusting the space between lines to fractional amounts; the method below uses a watermark to hold the horizontal lines, which take their vertical spacing from the default font, font size, and line height that was set for the current document.) The underlines can be used by editors or proofreaders as a place to add written comments for the author (or editor) of the document, who can then more easily re-edit the original document by referencing the commented printout. (See also the tip below on adapting this method to create full-width "old school" lined notebook style pages.) How to create the underlines Below is a macro (in plain text format) that can produce the underlines in a watermark so they appear on all pages. The manual steps are shown in Footnote 1 for those who are interested in a more readable version of the technique. An adaptation of the effect that can produce an "old school" notebook background (margin-to-margin blue lines with a single red vertical line on the left side of the pages) is shown in Footnote 2. Instructions for using the macro 1. Copy the plain-text macro code below into your WordPerfect program to create a working macro. [If you need help, see https://wptoolbox.com/tips/CopyCode.html.] 2. Then (as noted above) make a copy of the original document. The copy should contain just text with standard 1" left/right page margins, with no complex formatting like tables or columns (although double spacing, bold, italics, etc., should be okay). 3. Adjust the right margin: In the body text area of the copied document — generally at the top of the document — manually set a new right page margin. (It can be helpful to open Reveal Codes first with View, Reveal Codes so that you can see the actual reformatting process.) At the top of the document where you want the column of lines to begin, set the right margin to 4.25" (see Format, Margins, Right: 4.25", OK). (You only need to set the right margin. The macro will take care of setting the left margin for the indented, underlined area.) All document text should now flow in a single narrow "column" on the left side of all pages (see image above). 4. On that same page, manually create a watermark with Insert, Watermark (either A or B — your choice). (For more on watermarks see here.) 5. While the cursor is inside the new watermark editing window, play the macro. Note that the macro uses a 4.5" left page margin setting, but you can use whatever value you wish in the vLeftMargin command. 6. Exit from the watermark with the Close button on the Watermark property bar. Print the document. The macro (This is a "plain text macro". To create a functioning macro, all code lines below should be selected, copied to the clipboard, pasted into a new blank WordPerfect document, and then saved and compiled as detailed on a separate page here. Be sure to set the vLeftMarginSet command below to your own preference.) // Macro code begins here // PURPOSE: Creates a "column" of underlines from the left margin to // the right margin, from the page top to the page bottom -- typically // inside a watermark so that it appears "under" any text entered in the // main document. // Set the left margin where the "column" of lines should begin: vLeftMarginSet:=4.5" MessageBox(vAns;"Make a column of underlines up to the right margin"; "This macro should be played inside a" +NToC(0F90Ah)+ "WATERMARK (A or B) for best effect." +NToC(0F90Ah)+NToC(0F90Ah)+ "Do you wish to continue?";YesNo!\|IconQuestion!) If(vAns=2 or vAns=7) Quit Endif // 'Cancel' or 'No' If(?CurrentSubDoc<>{7;8}) // (i.e., Not in a watermark structure) Messagebox(vAns;;"You are not inside a watermark."+NToC(0F90Ah)+ "Do you still want to continue?";YesNo!\|IconQuestion!) If(vAns=2 or vAns=7) Quit Endif // 'Cancel' or 'No' Endif // Determine the current Format, Font, Underline choices; "remember" them // with flags; then turn ON the settings to underline tabs and spaces - If (?UnderlineTabs = True) vUndTabsFlag:=1 Else vUndTabsFlag:=0 UnderlineTabs (Yes!) Endif If (?UnderlineSpaces = True) vUndSpacesFlag:=1 Else vUndSpacesFlag:=0 UnderlineSpaces (Yes!) Endif // Start at the top: PosPageTop MarginLeft(vLeftMarginSet) vPg1:=?Page // Insert separate lines up to the right margin: While(True) // Turn underlining ON, add a flush right code: AttributeAppearanceOn (Underline!) FlushRight // Skip past the last [Und] code, enter a hard return PosCharNext HardReturn // If cursor is on the next page, go back a page: vPg2:=?Page If(vPg2>vPg1) DeleteCharPrevious Break Endif Endwhile // Reset user's default Format> Font> Underline choices - If (vUndTabsFlag = 0) UnderlineTabs (No!) Endif If (vUndSpacesFlag = 0) UnderlineSpaces (No!) Endif // Exit macro here: Display(On!) Messagebox(;"Finished"; "You can Close the Watermark now from the"+NToC(0F90Ah)+ "property bar -or- with File> Close.";IconInformation!) Return // Macro code ends here Tips and notes ☼ You can discontinue the watermark further into the document to stop the lines from appearing with Insert, Watermark, (choose the watermark you used), Discontinue. You might also want to reset the left/right page margins by dragging them (or use Format, Margins). ☼ You can adjust the width of the column of underlines by editing the watermark and dragging the margin guidelines leftward or rightward. (Dragging the page margins in the main document editing screen adjusts the text area that contains your text — not the width of the underlines.) Note that the vertical distance between the lines is set by the document's current default font (i.e., the line height and any line spacing that was set for the document). Hence, any changes to the font or font size in the main document after the watermark is created will cause that text to become vertically misaligned over the corresponding waternark's lines. The only solution is to use the same font, font size, and line spacing in the main document as was set as that document's defaults. (Sorry, but there's no automatic adjustment between the main text areas and any watermark used there. ☼ You can color the lines by editing the watermark and (with the cursor at the top of the watermark's contents) use Format, Font, Color (e.g., Blue). ☼ You can edit the watermark and add vertical lines to the watermark with Insert, Line, Vertical Line. ☼ If you [1] skip step #3 and [2] also set vLeftMarginSet to (e.g.) 1.0" the resulting watermark will have lines that extend horizontally between your typical left and right page margins — something like an "old school" lined paper notebook. (For an example see WordPerfect Universe here, which is repeated in Footnote 2 below.) ☼ To undo the changes made to this working document, simply use Edit, Undo (or Ctrl+Z). Or, just delete both the new page margin codes and the new watermark code in the document's Reveal Codes window.
	Footnote 1 [...Continued from above:] [This manual method was developed for a user on WordPerfect Universe here.] Method Assumptions: [A] Left/right page margins are set to 1.0" throughout the document where this procedure is used. (They can be adjusted as noted below, but you should try the procedure as described at least once so you can see the effects.) [B] Fonts and line height (line spacing) are the same for the documents described in this procedure. First, open Reveal Codes (View> Reveal Codes). Then ... Step 1. At the top of the document where you want the column of lines, set the right margin to 4.25" (see Format> Margins> Right: 4.25"> OK). All document text should now be in a single narrow "column" on the left side of all pages. Now create the column of lines in a new, temporary document: Step 2. Open a new blank document and set the left margin to 4.75". (This will leave a 0.5" space between the two "columns". If you want a narrower space, set it to 4.5".) Step 3. At the top of this new document, set up this formatting for individual lines: • Use Format> Font> Underline (tab)> All> OK. This inserts an [Undrln Tab] code in Reveal Codes. • Use Format> Font> Font (tab) (tick the Underline checkbox), OK [...or just use Ctrl+U)]. This inserts a paired [Und][Und] code in Reveal Codes. • Use Format> Line> Flush Right. This inserts a [Hd Flush Right] code in Reveal Codes, between the paired underline codes, which creates the first horizontal line from the left margin to the right margin. Step 4. Now, replicate the lines. • Move the cursor in Reveal Codes past the second [Und] code, and then press Enter to end the line (a [HRt] code will appear in Reveal Codes). • In Reveal Codes, select just the last 4 codes -- [Und][Hd Flush Right][Und][HRt] -- and copy them to the clipboard with Ctrl+C. (Selection of codes in Reveal Codes is easiest with Shit+Arrow.) • Click in the document below the selected line to de-select it. Then use Ctrl+V (paste) as many times as required to fill the second "column" to the bottom of the page (i.e., bottom page margin). NOTE: If you should go past that bottom margin, simply use Backspace to erase just enough codes until your cursor is back at the very bottom of page 1. • Finally, use Edit> Select> All to select the entire page containing all the lines. Copy this selection to the clipboard with Ctrl+C. Now apply the column of underlines to the original document: Step 5. Go to the very top of the original document that has the text in the narrow left "column" (see Step 1 above). . • Use Insert> Watermark> [choose A or B]> Create. This opens a full screen watermark editing window. • Use Ctrl+V to paste the clipboard contents (i.e., the column of lines) into the watermark window. Step 6. Close the watermark window with either the Close icon on the watermark propery bar, or with File, Close (the program treats the watermark window like a separate structure, which is why File, Close works). Note: You might need to reset the Underline option with Format> Font> Underline (tab) to your preferred default. (For example, I prefer Text & Spaces, but Step 3 in the above procedure uses All.) Done. Footnote 2 [...Continued from above...] Adjusting the method above to simulate a lined ("old school") notebook Example: First: Ignore Step 3 in the instructions above about setting a new right margin, if you want full-width lines. Then ... assuming your document's left margin should be set at 1.0" ... 1. You will need to change the macro command (see above) - vLeftMarginSet:=4.5" --to --> vLeftMarginSet:=1.0" 2. Then save the macro and play it inside a new watermark. 3. If it's not already open, open the watermark (whichever you used, A or B) to edit it and place the cursor at the very top, before the beginning of all lines. [Optional: The watermark's margins default to 1.0" but you can set the left/right watermark's margins to create wider lines. For example, you could set them to 0.5". The lines will expand to fill the new margin space.] 4. Use Format> Font> Color and set all the horizontal lines to Blue (or any color of choice). 5. You can then use Insert> Line> Verical Line to add a left side line. Then - Double click on the [Graph Line] format code that appears (this opens the Edit Graphics Line dialog), and set the Line color to (e.g.) Red. In that same dialog you can also Set the vertical line's Horizontal Position on the page -- such as 1.0" inward from the left edges of the blue lines. (The red line shown in the image above was set inward 0.5" from the blue lines.) Click OK when done making adjustments to the vertical line. 6. Exit from the watermark with the Close button on the Watermark property bar. Done. Adjustments and tips: • Back inside the main document (i.e., not inside the watermark editing screen) you can drag (or set) the left margin guideline rightward a bit to give your typed text a little space between the red line and the text. The example image above shows the result of dragging both of the page margin guidelines [not shown] inward to give a bit more space around the text next to the red line and also near the end of all blue lines. • If you need more vertical space between each horizontal line — without changing the current font size of your document text — you will need to set a new line height (Format, Line, Height, Fixed) or new line spacing (Format, Line, Spacing), both inside the watermark (at the beginning of all lines) and at the top of the page in the main document itself, where the watermark begins. Both settings — in the watermark and in the main document — typically should be the same value.
© Toolbox for WordPerfect - https://wptoolbox.com

Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect

Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows® © Copyright 1996-2024 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.		Page updated May 21, 2022