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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 Jul 30, 2023

WordPerfect Tips
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Headers, Footers, and Watermarks - how to start, stop, suppress, edit, change, replace, delay, overlay, and remove them



Additional resources


►  Page numbering

Page Numbering in WordPerfect - A page of links to basic and advanced page numbering topics and related tips

Using "Page X of Y" numbers inside headers and footers (footnote 6 below)

Page numbering outside the page margins - simulating page numbering outside the document's normal top and bottom page margins


►  Page identification

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 in headers and footers

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), using a watermark or text box


►  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)

Can you use multi-page watermarks? See the note here

A primer on 'Reveal Codes'

DynaHead - a macro to create dynamic headers (a/k/a "running heads" or "floating headers") -- i.e., headers that change page-to-page with the section, topic, or heading on the same page (-- also see the footnote on that page for simpler "running headers" and "running footer" macros)

Footnotes are sometimes confused with Footers (and vice versa); see the Footnotes and Endnotes page for more information and tips about these features




 

 


 

 

 

This page was designed to be a comprehensive reference to help you use the program's header, footer, or watermark features as well as help with formatting issues or problems you might have with them.

So, there's a lot of material here.
But like many other powerful programs, things that are unfamiliar in WordPerfect might seem overly complicated or time-consuming at first. Using them, however, is fairly simple and straightforward, especially if you understand their underlying logic.

You probably will not need to use everything here in your everyday work — but you might want to take a minute or two to look over the page topic headings so you'll know what's here should you ever need more help.
Note:

WordPerfect menu choices
on this site refer to the <WordPerfect> menu
(right-click on the top menu bar in WordPerfect 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.

Page Contents

•  First things first - Headers or Headings?

•  Some general things to know about headers, footers, and watermarks

▸  They are available as menu options on the Insert menu

▸  They are visible in Page mode but NOT in Draft mode

▸  They are "repeating elements"

▸  There are two "flavors" of each of these elements

▸  Some of their additional features are on the Property Bar

▸  Using page numbering inside headers or footers
... includes some tips ...
turning off normal page numbering;
stopping numbering inside headers/footers;
setting up "Page X of Y" numbering;
resetting numbering to another value midway in the document;
separate numbering schemes in the same document

•  How to start (i.e., create) them, exit from them, and see them on screen


•  How to stop or suppress them (3 methods)


•  How to edit, change, or replace them (i.e., edit their contents)


•  How to delay them to another page


• 
How to overlay them

• 
How to remove them

•  Example
: Modifying the current document or a custom template

First things first

Headers or Headings?

These are common terms, but it helps to use the right one when you discuss issues with other WordPerfect users.

Headers vs Headings

•  Headers (and Footers)

These are format structures ("containers") that can contain text and (optionally) graphic elements and/or page numbering.

Headers are located inside (i.e., below) the page's top margin, between that margin's dotted gray guideline and the body text area. (See image above. Page margin guidelines are visible when View > Guidelines > Margins is enabled.)*

Footers are similar structures but they are located at the bottom of the page inside (i.e., above) the page's bottom margin.*

Once created, headers and footers automatically continue displaying their contents until they are either discontinued (stopped) or replaced (superseded). These formatting issues are discussed below.

-----
* Inside? Outside? Note that here, "outside" the page margins indicates the areas that are conventionally referred to as "in the margin" (i.e., adjacent to the outside edges of the printed page -- where you see the "Page margins" box in the image above). But because we need to accurately reference where content can normally appear in WordPerfect we typically use the phrase "inside the margins" to mean anything inside the perimeter described by the (gray dotted) page margin guidelines. All else is considered to be "outside the margins".

•  Headings

Headings, on the other hand, are words or short phrases in the document's body text area that introduce or divide a larger body of work, such as a chapter or a section of a topic. (See image above.) They are created by typing some text and then (generally) applying formatting in a way that visually sets them off from other material.

Once created, headings display their text only at their current location. Unlike headers (or footers) they can appear anywhere on the page.

Tip (for Headings):

WordPerfect comes with several Heading paragraph styles (easily available on the text property bar or with Format > Styles). When these styles are applied to some text, they automatically apply their formatting to the text, such as a new font size, bold or italics, etc. They also are specially "marked" internally so that their text will be automatically included in any Table of Contents, as explained here.

Some general things to know about headers, footers, and watermarks

Headers, footers, and watermarks are available to create, edit, or discontinue (i.e., stop) from the Insert menu on the top menu bar in WordPerfect.

•  Can't find these items on the Insert menu?

The Insert > Header/Footer and Insert > Watermark menu choices, along with a few others mentioned on this site, might only be available when using the program in WordPerfect mode (i.e., on a <WordPerfect> menu: see note above) -- not when using the Microsoft mode. If you don't see those two choices, see here.

They will be visible onscreen in Page mode (turn it on with View > Page on the top menu bar) or if you are directly editing them. By design, they do NOT appear in Draft mode.

They usually contain text, but they can also contain graphics (images, lines, boxes, etc.) and even format codes (current date, filename, line justification, columns, tables, etc.).

Headers and footers can also contain page numbering (see left sidebar as well as the tips below).


Like page numbering (Format > Page > Numbering) they are considered "repeating elements" or "repeating substructures". 

This is because they are designed to automatically display on more than one page even though you (typically) need only create them once in a document — unless of course you need to change their contents for various sections of the document, such as with book chapters.

The key word to remember here is display: They are not actually part of each page like body text. They are merely displayed (and will print) on the page where they were created
— and including all following pages unless they are replaced or discontinued further down in the document. (More on this in the sections below.)

Tip

☼  Watermarks are particularly useful to display text and/or graphics on multiple pages. Since a watermark essentially lies "under" the main document's text it will not impact the main document's formatting — it merely "bleeds" its content into the document. (You can even used rotated text boxes inside a watermark to make use of the area outside page margins, such as is often done for document stamps; see examples such as DocStamp, EdgeText, and PrntCopy in the Library.)

Notes

¤  Unlike watermarks, headers/footers reduce the vertical dimension of the main body text area for any given top/bottom page margin setting. This means that the main text areas will shrink vertically whenever headers or footers are present compared to when they are absent. (The material inside the main text area doesn't shrink in size
just the area the material occupies.) If you add headers/footers sometime during editing this can cause existing body text to flow down to subsequent pages a bit differently, possibly affecting pagination. (Next note.)

¤  This issue of a possible change in text flow might be especially important with a pre-existing Table of Contents (TOC), List, Index, or cross-references, which are features that "point" to specific page numbers. Hence, these items should be re-generated if headers or footers are added anytime after these reference tools were created. This will ensure correct pagination in those features.

     Related tip:
Since re-generating the document refreshes any TOC, List, or Index area by temporarily deleting their entries you should not create (i.e., start) a header, footer or watermark when the cursor is inside these areas or their format codes will also be deleted. (See the re-generation section on the TOC page for this and other tips.)

WordPerfect provides two identical "flavors" (or options) for each of these three elements, designated with a suffix "A" or "B".

Thus you have six easy ways to add extra information — often called "page identification" — to individual or multiple pages in your documents. 

Tips

☼  One flavor of a given element (e.g., Watermark A) is initially and functionally the same as the other flavor (e.g., Watermark B). Which you use is a matter of preference, although some program features default to using a particular flavor, such as the factory-provided Pleading feature which uses Watermark B (users of Pleadings who need an additional watermark would then use Watermark A in their pleading documents).

☼  You can use either flavor of a given element more than once (i.e., sequentially, over one or more pages) in the same document, since the most recently created one will automatically stop (i.e., discontinue and supersede) the earlier one of the same flavor at that point, and then display its newer contents going forward in the document. The prior existing version will still display its contents up to that point. (This is a common task with books and other multi-section documents where Headers or Footers often change as you progress through the book or document.) See the various topics below, which will help give you control over these items.

☼  You can use both flavors of a given element simultaneously on the same page(s), much like an old-fashioned overhead projector which let you lay transparent film sheets ("transparencies") on top of each other to combine their projected information on a screen. [See the left sidebar for some tips (e.g., using two footers) using this layering apporach. See also "How to overlay them" below.]

Some additional features of these repeating elements are available on the context-sensitive property bar that should appear when your cursor is inside the element.

Some notes and tips on property bars

•  Can't see property bars?

Property bars for these elements (and many other items such as currently selected text, tables, and columns) are visible only when your cursor is inside one of them and the View > Toolbars > Property Bar option is enabled. See this page for more on what these items are and how they differ from regular toolbars.

•  What's on property bars?

The number and type of items varies with the type of Property bar, which is "context-sensitive" and provides you with the most typically useful functions in the form of clickable buttons and drop lists.

Tips

☼  Once a header, footer or watermark is visible on the screen (see the next topics, "How to start them" or "How to change them...") and your cursor is inside that "substructure," it is worth exploring its Property bar to become familiar with some of the features related to that element.

For example, there are buttons to insert page numbers inside a header or footer; or set headers or footers to display on even and odd pages; or set the distance between headers and footers and the adjacent body text; or set a watermark's shading. (Example: See Footnote 5 for how to use a footer to "fix" the distance between body text and page numbers and the bottom edge of the page.)

Just pass your mouse cursor over the buttons to view a brief explanation of each button's purpose.

Property bars can also be customized.

Some tips about using page numbering inside headers or footers.

☼  Important:

If you use page number codes inside a header or footer  -

[Tip: There's a button to insert page numbers Header-footer page number button on the Header and Footer property bars — or just use the shortcut alternative, Ctrl+P]

- you probably will want to turn normal page numbering OFF if it was previously turned ON in that document. Here's how:

Either -

•  Go to the top of the document (i.e., before any Header/Footer codes) and then use Format > Page > Numbering > Position: <No page numbering>. This will override any normal Page numbering that was set in the document prior to that point.

or -

•  Simply find and delete the [Pg Num Pos] code in Reveal Codes that is responsible for normal page numbering. [Note: Codes can generally be searched: see this page.]


Otherwise, if you don't disable normal Page numbering you will get two page numbers on each page, one inside the header or footer and one in the page's text area.

Note that turning OFF normal Page numbering does not affect Secondary, Chapter, or Volume numbering. For more on page numbering see the links in the sidebar column on the left.


☼  Need to stop (or reset) page numbering in a header or footer on one or more specific pages?

What doesn't work:

Using either -

Format > Page > Numbering > Position:<No page numbering>
or
Format > Page > Suppress > Page Numbering

- on that document page will not work to stop page numbering inside headers or footers from displaying on one ore more specific pages. Similarly you cannot reset the numbering from inside the header or footer on that page.

Those two Format > Page... menu choices control page numbering in the main text area — so you can stop (or reset) such numbering in the main body text by using either choices (and you probably will want to use the first one, as discussed in the previous section above).
But any numbering set to display in the header or footer will continue to display in the header or footer area on subsequent pages regardless of those settings.

Recall from above that headers and footers merely display their contents on the page, including the current page number — which number results from a [Pg Num Disp] code whose value is taken from the program's internal page number information for that particular page.

But to stop (or reset) just those header/footer page numbers you must work around this "display only" issue.

What does work to stop (or reset) them on specific pages:

•  To stop page numbering on specific pages you can simply create a new header or footer
on the appropriate document page, of the same type (A or B) and with the same text as before (if desired), but without any page numbering codes. It will replace the existing header or footer from that page forward (more on this below).

Then you can re-establish page numbering on any following page (if desired) by creating a new header or footer that contains your original text and page numbering format codes. Typically you would use the same type (A or B) but you can use either one if the other one is not being used. (Copy and paste should help here.) See "How to edit, change, or replace them" below.

Side note: You can always suppress the header and/or footer on one or more pages as described below. But this is not as "surgical" since it removes the entire header/footer from view on the page(s) where you suppressed it.

•  Re-setting header/footer page numbering (for both normal page numbering and numbering inside headers/footers) mid-way through a document is a little easier:

P
ut the cursor at the top of the relevant page's main body text area and insert a new page number code there with Format > Page > Numbering > Set Value. (See also the tip on creating separate numbering schemes below.)

Just remember that the new page number code might be moved to another page if you insert or delete material above it, so this might work best on the final draft.


☼  Setting up page numbering (e.g., "Page x" or "Page x of y") inside a header or footer —  see Footnote 6 below.

☼  To reset page numbers to another value midway through a document when page numbering is used inside a header or footer — see Footnote 7 below.

☼  Headers and/or footers can be used simultaneously to create separate numbering schemes on the same pages, something the default numbering feature cannot do.  — See Footnote 8 below for methods and examples.
[Page Top]

How to start (create) them, exit from them, and see them on screen

•  To start them — i.e., create a brand new header, footer, or watermark:

Step 1. Place your insertion cursor in the body text area at the top of the page on which you want to start the header, footer, or watermark, above all text and other items -- but NOT inside any existing header/footer/watermark, Table of Contents, List, or Index area. (As an example, the body text area begins in the image above where you see the Heading, "Lorem ipsum dolor".)

Notes

¤ 
For most documents this is usually on page 1 -- but it can be on any other page where you wish to start them.

¤  Starting a new header, footer, or watermark of the same type [A or B] on a subsequent page will supersede (replace) any previous item of that same type -- but the replacement begins at the new "starting" location. Just remember to place the cursor in that new starting page's body text and not inside any of the structures mentioned above.

   For example, if Footer A is started on page 1 it will display on all subsequent pages if nothing stops or replaces it. But if you create a new Footer A on page 10 then [1] the original Footer A will still display on Pages 1-9 and [2] the new Footer A will begin displaying its contents on Page 10. (Note that Footer B, if it exists, will not affect either the old Footer A or the new Footer A since it is a separate type of footer.) The same superseding effect happens with headers and watermarks, too.

    [For more about editing, changing or replacing existing headers, footers, or watermarks see the topical section below.]

¤  [Side note:] "Pages" as used here means any of the items listed in Format > Page > Page Setup -- but it also means label pages (which includes business cards, name badges, etc.). The latter are actually made up of "logical" pages (a.k.a. "virtual" pages) that are grouped together on one or more single WordPerfect pages. For more on this, see the sidebar on the LablCopy macro site page under "... What does WordPerfeect consider to be a page?".


Step 2. Click on the Insert menu choice on the top menu bar.

Step 3. Select the element you need — Header/Footer or Watermark — then select the type (A or B). [Note that these choices are available when using the program in WordPerfect mode (i.e., with a <WordPerfect> menu), not when using the Microsoft mode. If you don't see it, see here.]

Notes

¤  As previously mentioned, one type of a given element (e.g., Watermark A) is initially — and functionally — the same as the other type (e.g., Watermark B). Which one you use is a matter of preference, although some features such as the legal Pleading feature default to a particular type (pleadings typically use Watermark B).

¤  Note also that both the A and B types of a given element will display in the same physical area on the page (see Tips below). Hence you can use both types (A and B) of a given element simultaneously, much like old-fashioned overhead projectors that let you lay transparencies on top of each other to combine their information on a screen. Generally you will want to position their individual contents so they do not visually overlap. [See the left sidebar ("Page identification") for some tips (e.g., using two footers) using this layering apporach.]

Step 4. Click on Create.

Step 5. Type, paste, or otherwise insert the text, graphics, table, etc., to create the header, footer, or watermark.

Notes

¤  Important: If you do not insert anything — even if only a single space — before exiting back to the document (next topic below) the structure will not be created and will simply disappear.This is by design, so if you need to keep a new but empty header/footer/watermark just add a space character to it. (Keep in mind that, by design, such an "empty" item will still supersede/replace any previous item of the same type and flavor (A or B) at that location, as discussed in a separate section below.)

¤  You can use the property bar that should appear when the cursor is inside a header, footer, or watermark to use additional features. For example, you can easily place a code to display page numbers inside a header or footer, as discussed above.

¤  Once created, you can edit, stop, replace, delay, combine, or remove these items as explained in the following sections. Editing — probably the most common task — takes only a direct mouse click to "get into" the structure to change its information. But be aware that this can change displayed information backward as well as forward in the document for the same header/footer/watermark type: See the edit section below for the proper steps to take — depending on your specific task — to tell the program where to start (or end) displaying the information. [To change the formatting of these elements — e.g., use their own fonts or page margins — see Footnote 3.]

¤  See the left column (sidebar) on this page for information about page numbering and page identification, which often use headers, footers, and/or watermarks.

Tips

Last, but not least: When the header, footer, or watermark is created it creates a format code in the document that does the actual work of displaying the item. This code is visible in the Reveal Codes pane -- and that code can be carefully selected there, copied to the clipboard (Ctrl+c) and then pasted (Ctrl+v) in another document. This is a handy shortcut to creating the same item several times if you simply need copies of it.

The code can also be saved as a QuickWord so it is available in any document.

See also the tip in the "To see them on screen..." section below.

•  To exit from them and return to the main document:

•  For headers and footers:

- Click anywhere in the main document area
or
- click the Close button  Property bar close button on the Header/Footer property bar.

•  For watermarks:

- Click the Close button Property bar close button on the Watermark property bar
or
- click File > Close to close the watermark window.

•  For all three structures:

- Press Esc. If you are also inside a graphic image caption or in a text box embedded in the header/footer/watermark, press Esc again.

•  To see them on screen after you exit from them you should not be in Draft view [on the View menu]. Use Page view or Two Pages view. Draft view hides them to minimize what some users think of as "screen clutter" so they can concentrate on just the body text.

Tips

☼  In the Reveal Codes pane (enable it with View > Reveal Codes), and with your cursor in the main document area (the "body text" area), these structures will appear as a single code (e.g., [Header A] or [Watermark B]). These codes can be deleted in Reveal Codes by simply dragging them from Reveal Codes or using the <Delete> or <Backspace> keys. They can also be moved downward by typing or inserting material above them. If they are moved down this way they might start on a different page from the one you wanted. Hence it is a good idea to start these structures at the very top of the page, above all other items. [To help prevent inadvertant movement of these codes see the "Hide the code" trick in Footnote 1.]

☼  See page numbering inside headers and footers below in Footnote 6. This is very easy to do but you probably will want to  stop normal page numbering to prevent duplicate numbering on each page. (For more about WordPerfect's page numbering and related topics see "Page numbering in WordPerfect" here.)

☼  As an alternative to using the "Insert menu" method (above), you can delay starting the header, footer, or watermark to another page. This is usually done at the top of the first page of the document with a Delay code: see the Delay section below. It will cause the header, footer, or watermark to appear on the specified page and pages following that page, but not appear on page 1. Note that there are certain advantages to this alternative method, as explained in the Delay section.

Related topics (below) -

•  To edit them later see "How to edit, change or replace them (i.e., edit their contents)" below.

•   To stop them from displaying on particular pages see the next section.

•   To delay them to another page see below.

•   To remove them see below.

[Page Top]

How to stop or suppress them - 3 methods

•  Method A. You can suppress any of these elements (and/or page numbering, too) on any particular page. [For more on the Suppress feature see here.]

Place your cursor at the top of the page (in the body text of the document, NOT inside a header/footer/watermark) where you want to suppress the desired element(s). Then click Format > Page > Suppress to bring up the Suppress dialog (screen shot).

These suppressed elements will still show up on other pages (if any). They are merely stopped 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. (If you need larger sections without these items, see the next two methods below.)

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

Schematically (showing the first several pages) the header's content is displayed on all pages except the page where the header was suppressed -

Header A Header A   Header A Header A Header A
         

[Note: In some early 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 was a bug), so if you use an older version it's 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.]

Tips

☼  See also the example below, which uses both [Suppress] and [Delay] codes.

☼  Another way to "skip" a header, footer, or watermark on a particular page:

[1] Simply replace the header, footer, or watermark at the desired location with a new empty one (of the same type, A or B) on that page.

Thus, in the example scheme above, page 3 would contain a new Header A.  However...

Note that when you create an empty header, footer, or watermark you will need to insert at least one character or code in it — otherwise the program will not create it.

Solution: You can use either -

(A) a space character (<Spacebar>) or non-printing format code; or

(B) a text character that is colored the same as the page (typically: white) by selecting it and using Format > Font > Color; or

(C) a character to which you have applied the Hidden attribute by selecting it and using Format > Font > Hidden (it will not print unless you display all hidden text by enabling View > Hidden Text).

[2] Then create a new instance of the original header on the page that follows the "skipped" page (e.g., on page 4 in the example above). You should be able to simply copy and paste the original header's contents into the new header. This should provide continuation of the header that displays on pages 1-2 (in our example above).

☼  See also "Task C: To replace (supersede or supplant) the content of headers, footers, or watermarks midway in the document" below.


•  Method B. You can discontinue a header, footer or watermark on a specific page.

This is done from the Insert menu (e.g., Insert > Header/Footer > Header A > Discontinue).

"Discontinuing" an item means that the item will show up on all pages prior to the one where the setting was enabled. It 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, "How to change or replace them".

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

Schematically (showing the first several pages) -

Header A Header A        
   


•  Method C. You can delay the stopping ("discontinuation") of a header, footer, or watermark to another page. (This is similar to Method B above.)

This is typically done at the top of the page 1, in the body text area of the document. It will cause the header, footer, or watermark to appear on page 1, but stop appearing on page 2 (or some other specified page). See the Delay section below.

[Page Top]

How to edit, change or replace them (i.e., edit their contents)

There are three related concepts here depending on what task you wish to accomplish.

•  Task A:  To change the content of particular headers, footers, or watermarks:

□  To change the content of the currently displayed header, footer, or watermark (either A or B), you can edit the current version of the item in one of three ways.

Place your cursor on the page that displays the item you want to change, then -

either -
click on Insert > Header/Footer > <Select an item>, then click the Edit button;

or (even easier) -
click inside the header/footer/watermark itself (which should be visible, assuming you are not in Draft view) and edit it directly;

or (alternatively) -
in Reveal Codes, double-click on the code ([Header], [Footer], or [Watermark]).

Then add new content or change the existing content. Then exit from the item back to your document.

Be sure to read the Important Notes below about what this does to the display (and printout) of the content on other pages for that particular item.

Tips

☼  To change fonts or margins for these items, see Footnote 3.

☼  Be sure to explore the buttons on the context-sensitive property bars that appear when your cursor is inside one of these structures. The buttons allow adjusting the header/footer's distance to body text, its even/odd page placement, a watermark's shading, etc. One of them lets you quickly insert a horizontal line. Pass your cursor over these buttons to see their functions appear in a balloon tip.

□  To exit from these substructures and return to the main document:

•  For headers and footers:

either -
click anywhere in the main document area

or -

click the Close button Property bar close button on the Header/Footer property bar.

•  For watermarks:

either -
click the Close button Property bar close button on the Watermark property bar

or -

click File > Close to close the watermark window.

•  For all three structures:

- Press Esc. If you are also inside a graphic image caption or in a text box embedded in the header/footer/watermark, press Esc again.

□  To see them on screen after you exit from them you should not be in Draft view [on the View menu]. Use Page view or Two Pages view. Draft view hides them to minimize what some users think of as "screen clutter" so they can concentrate on just the body text.

Important Notes

All such editing changes will affect the display (and the printout) of the particular header/footer/watermark version that 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. Hence, you need only edit the current item on any page where it displays in order to change the same item on all pages where it displays.

But what if you want to change the content of an item at various locations in the document? To actually replace (i.e., supersede) the content of one header/footer/watermark with a new one further down in the document (e.g., a header containing a new chapter title), see the "To replace...content..." section below.

Schematically (showing 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 (i.e., revised header content is displayed on all pages that both precede and follow the edited instance of that header):

Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A

Changed
Header A
Changed
Header A
           


•  Task B:  To change the format of headers, footers, and watermarks:

That is, to

(1) change the font in headers, footers, or watermarks;

or


(2) change the margins of headers, footers, or watermarks;

or


(3) set the separation distance between headers and footers and the body text area...

... see Footnote 3.


•  Task C:  To replace (supersede or supplant) the content of headers, footers, or watermarks midway in the document:

To replace the content of an existing header, footer, or watermark 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 header, footer, or watermark (of the same type, A or B) at the new location where you want the change to take effect. The new item will then supersede — but not delete — the prior item, beginning on the page where the replacement is created.

[Since these items display continuously in a document, some users may conceptualize this process as "un-linking" new header/footer/watermark material from the existing (i.e., previous) material.]

This procedure is often done to change chapter or section titles in a manuscript's running 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);

•  type (or paste) the new content inside the new, empty header (caution: don't delete or edit the [Open Style] code that is 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 Property bar 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.)

Tips

For those who might want to automate the creation of new headers at various locations in a document, you should be able to do it with a macro such as on the DynaHead ("dynamic headers") page in the library here.

Alternative:  While the DynaHead macro has several formatting options, you might prefer a simpler macro to quickly insert a new header at the current location in the document by simply selecting some text on the page (or by typing the text into a small dialog); if so, see the footnote on the DynaHead page here.

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 (of the same type, A or B) on a new page, as in the next diagram, if you want them to display on subsequent pages. Most often you will choose this option.

Tip:  You can use the latter method multiple times in a document — e.g., to create a new header for each Chapter in a book.

The following diagram illustrates a single replacement header on page 4.

Schematically (showing 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 (i.e., the new header content is displayed from page 4 onward):

Old
Header A
Old
Header A
Old
Header A
New
Header A

New
Header A
New
Header A
           

[Page Top]

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, and/or delay when they should stop.

That is, you can -

•  delay the starting of a new item (e.g., delay the start of a new header or footer until the second page);

or -

•  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 do this on page 1 so that you can delay some action(s) until page 2 ... if there is a page 2.

Using that menu choice opens the Define Delayed Codes window, and any actions you specify there — such as starting a new header, discontinuing an existing footer, or setting new page margins — will be carried out on the specified (subsequent) page.

To exit from the Define Delayed Codes window, you can use the Close button on the Delayed Codes toolbar or on the property bar (depending on which is displayed). Alternatively, simply use File > Close on the main WordPerfect menu to close that window.

Example

Here, Delay Codes was opened (Format > Page > Delay Codes) at the top of the document (page 1) and set to skip 1 page. This opened the Define Delayed Codes editing window.

Header B was created inside that window with the Header/Footer button on that window's toolbar.

Footer B was created the same way in the same window.

Tip: You can also copy an existing [Header] and/or [Footer] code from Reveal Codes in any document's main body area and paste it into the Define Delayed Codes window. (To select just the code use Shift+Arrow for precision; then use Ctrl+C to copy the code to the clipboard — ready for pasting in the Define Delayed Codes window.)

Note: If you are copying (or re-creating) existing codes from the current document into the Define Delayed Codes window you should delete them from the current document after pasting them into the Define Delayed Codes window; otherwise they might conflict with the pasted versions.

Remember that the Define Delayed Codes window tells the program what to do on the chosen delayed page — in this example, to display Header B and Footer B starting on page 2 — so this is the place to create them.

In our example, Footer A was created directly at the top of document's page 1, and (using Delay Codes again) it was then discontinued on page 2 with the Define Delayed Codes window's Discontinue button.

Schematically,
this is the result (showing the first several pages) -

  Header B Header B Header B Header B Header B
 




       
Footer A Footer B Footer B Footer B Footer B Footer B

- At the top of page 1 in the main document area (as viewed in Reveal Codes) you should see 2 codes: [Footer A] and [Delay].

- In the Defined Delayed Codes editing window (as viewed in Reveal Codes) you should see 3 codes: [Header B], [Footer B], and [Footer A End].

[Tip: You could, of course, simply create Header B directly on page 1 and then suppress it on that page. But the above method keeps more of the delayed items in one [Delay] "container," which might be a better way of keeping them together.]

Cautions when using [Delay] codes

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when using a [Delay] code:

(1) Searching inside them:  You can't use Edit > Find and Replace (or a macro routine) to search inside a [Delay] code. However, you can use Find and Replace (or a macro) to locate and/or remove Header, Footer, or Watermark codes that are not inside a [Delay] code: see "How to remove them".

(2) Deleting them:  If you deliberately or accidentally delete a [Delay] code you might delete some codes inside them that you might want to keep. It is best to edit the [Delay] code (see the tip below) and examine the code's contents to see which item(s) you want to delete.

Tips

☼  For a comprehensive reference on [Delay] codes (which are actually paired codes) see here.

☼  Editing the contents of a [Delay] code:

You can open an existing [Delay] code the same way you can open (to edit) many WordPerfect codes:  Just double click on the code in Reveal Codes. This opens the Define Delayed Codes window (a full size window, not a small dialog).

Important

¤  Delay codes are actually a pair of codes (when the delay is active for a subsequent page).

The first [Delay] code (typically located on page 1) is the clickable one, and the second, non-clickable one is the "activation point" or "marker" where the code will take effect.

Like all paired WordPerfect format codes, if you delete one, the other is also deleted.

¤  You cannot use Find & Replace (or the macro equivalent, SearchString) to search inside [Delay] codes, [Style] codes, or text variables (a form of Style).

These are limitations of the program, at least for recent versions of it. You will have to edit the [Delay] or [Style] code by double-clicking on the code in Reveal Codes to edit it.

To exit from the Define Delay Codes window, you can use the Close button on the Delay Codes toolbar or property bar (depending on which is displayed).  Alternatively, use File > Close on the program's main menu to close that window.

☼  You can delay other things besides Headers, Footers, and Watermarks. For example, you can set new page margins on page 2, or return (reset) them to the 1-inch default on page 2. But see this tip first: A small bug was introduced in WP10 (and still present in later versions) that requires an extra step in the Delay Codes procedure.

☼  Advanced tip: You can hide the [Delay] code inside the document's initial [Open Style] code to prevent accidental deletion or movement of the [Delay] code. See Footnote 1.

☼  See also the example below, which uses [Suppress] and [Delay] codes.

    [Page Top]

    How to overlay them

    Like with using large 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 physical space on the page, be sure to separate the text or graphics inside them so the material in one doesn't conflict with (i.e., overlap or block) the material in the other on the same page. 

    Usually, setting different line justification or adding a few hard returns will separate the materials vertically, and using different left/middle/right justification in each type can accomplish separation horizontally.

    For more precision, you can use Format > Typesetting > Advance.

    [Page Top]

    How to remove them

    Headers, footers, and watermarks are created with WordPerfect format codes, so you can delete them from the document by simply deleting their codes.

    Tip: You can usually undo deletions with Edit > Undo or the shortcut Ctrl+z, but it's always a good idea to back up the document first.



    Here are some general methods

      To delete an individual code — and you know the page where the header/footer/watermark starts go to that page and open the Reveal Codes window to locate the code.

    Then -

    •  either
    drag the [Header], [Footer], or [Watermark] code from the Reveal Codes window to delete it (note that the code displays its type — A or B — which could be important if you use both types in the same document);

    •  or 
    place the insertion cursor (
    ) next to the code and use either the Delete or Backspace key to delete that code.

      If you need to quickly find several (or all) codes of a specific type in the document to locate their starting page and (optionally) delete them:

    [1] Open the Reveal Codes window, then place your cursor at the very top of the document (before all codes and text) and click Edit > Find and Replace.

    [Tip: For more information and tips about using the Find and Replace feature see here.]

    [2]  In the (draggable) Find and Replace dialog that appears, delete (clear) anything that might be in the "Find:" field, and then click Match, Codes on the dialog's menu.

    [3]  In the Codes dialog that appears, scroll down to code you want to find or remove:

    Header A, Header B, Footer A, Footer B, Watermark A, or Watermark B.

    Click once on the listed item in the Codes dialog to choose it, then click the Insert & Close button.

    You should now see that specific code in the "Find:" field.


    [4]  Find only ... or find and replace?

    •  To just find the chosen code(s), click the Find Next button. Repeat to find the next one.

    Then click Close when finished your search(es).

    •  To find and replace them: In the Find and Replace dialog's "Replace with:" field, choose <Nothing> (or simply clear the contents of this field with Delete or Backspace).

    Then click Find Next (to find the first code) and click Replace.

    Repeat finding and deleting each remaining code with
    Find Next...Replace.


    Or ... simply click the Replace All button to globally delete the all codes of that specific type.

    Then click Close when finished your deletion(s).

    Note

    You cannot use Find and Replace to find codes that might be 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 manually edit the [Delay] code by double-clicking on the [Delay] code (the second part of a pair of codes) in Reveal Codes and then removing the header, footer, or watermark code contained inside it. For more on this special code see here.

    [Page Top]

    How to modify the current document or a custom template to use  different headers, footers, and watermarks at various locations (and also change page numbering and margins)

        Plus:
        An EXAMPLE of these elements in the SAME document -
        such as a letterhead with extra pages

    •  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 WordPerfect default setting — but this can be easily changed; also be sure to read the Note in the delay 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 (1) discontinue (i.e., stop) Header A and Footer A on the second and subsequent pages (you don't need them anymore), and (2) 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.

    Tips

    ☼  On page 2 of the template 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.

    ☼  You can set a default header or footer separation distance (i.e., the distance between body text and the header/footer) by temporarily creating an empty header or footer in the template, clicking the Header/Footer Distance button on the Property bar and setting the new distance, then clicking outside the header or footer to dismiss it (unless you truly want to create an actual header or footer for all new documents!). You should see a [Header Sep] or [Footer Sep] code in the template's body text area, which will be replicated in all new documents.

    ☼  Several of the above techniques were used in the LETTERHD template in the Library.

    [Page Top]


    Footnote section

    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 [and some other codes] on WordPerfect's main editing screen so it is less likely to be moved or deleted accidentally.

    Side notes and cautions

    ¤  You can hide many other format codes, not just [Delay] codes. (For example, if you have [Header] and/or [Footer] codes that don't need to be delayed but should be immunized from accidental movement or deletion you can hide them without embedding them in a [Delay] code.) This is explained in a tip on the page on setting default formatting for all new, blank documents here.

    ¤  However, you probably don't want to delay headers/footers/watermarks for every new blank document based on the default template! Such delays are more often used in custom templates or an individual document — which is assumed below.

    ¤  For the purposes of the 3-step example below — which deals with delaying a specific custom header/footer/watermark -- we'll just hide the [Delay] code involved with that particular type of structure.

    ¤  You should be sure to create the codes and structures you wish to hide in the document text area first -- i.e., not inside another code, as noted in the caution below Step 3.

    For example, here's a post on WordPerfect Universe that demonstrates the general hide-the-code technique -- but hides both a [Header] code and its related [Delay] code so that the header appears on page 1 only. [See Footnote 9 for the transcripted steps.]

    Caution:

    The essential point here -- and in the example below -- is that both the [Delay] code and the custom header/footer/watermark codes were created in the main document, not inside the [Open Style] code referenced in step 2 below.

    This caution applies to any format code that acts as a "container" for other things. For example, headers/footers/watermarks can contain text, graphics or other format codes; styles can contain other codes and even text; and delay codes can contain all other these. If you try to create or edit such a "nested" format code from inside another code (such as the initial [Open Style] code) the program can freeze or crash. [To edit these "nested container" items see Footnote 9 under "Cautions".)

    ¤  While this hide-the-code technique is very useful for many users, it can be problematic if you have other users on the same machine where you were the one who hid the code(s). Why? They might not understand why some formatting appears in the document for which there is no apparent format code responsible. This can be frustrating to them if they need to modify the formatted text (e.g., the information in a hidden or delayed header or footer).

    ¤  Be aware that since delay codes are actually a pair of codes (see Step 1 below), this hide-a-code method will only hide the first code and not the second code of the pair. Hence a user might still delete the second code while editing on page 2 (or whatever the specified delay is), thereby deleting both codes! If this is a possibility with (e.g.) a Header or Footer you wish to delay to page 2, consider using the Suppress feature on page 1 instead of delaying the appearance of the Header or Footer until page 2. Then the resulting [Suppress] code can cut and pasted into the [Open Style] code after the [Header] code, as outlined in the steps below. Neither code is a paired code, so they won't have any presence in the body text area once you hide them.

    Step 1. Open Reveal Codes, and in the main document area select just the new [Delay] code (this is most easily done with <Shift+arrow>), and cut it to the clipboard with <Ctrl+X>. (Essentially, you'll want to move the code from the body text area into the initial document style code in Step 2 below.)

    Note

    Delay codes are actually made up of two codes: the first [Delay] code (usually located at the top of the document) tells WordPerfect what to do; the second [Delay Codes] code appears on the (delayed) page and tells WordPerfect to start doing it.

    You can double-click the first code of the pair to open the Define Delay Codes window; if Reveal Codes is open you can see what is inside the [Delay] code, which acts as a sort of container for other codes (and, sometimes, text or other things, such as styles)

    The second code of the pair ([Delay Codes]) is not clickable. Finally, like all paired WordPerfect format codes, if you delete one the other is also deleted.

    Step 2. Double-click the initial [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code at the very top of the document; this opens the Style Editor for the document.

    Step 3. Paste the [Delay] code into the Styles Editor's Contents field, then click OK.

    Tips and notes

    •  Remember to look inside the initial Open Style: DocumentStyle code (double-click on it) if you need to revise or delete the hidden [Delay] code in it (or any other hidden code)!
        To revise it see the cautions at the end of Footnote 9, which explains how you will need to temporarily relocate the hidden code so that it can be edited.

    Note

    You cannot use Find & Replace (or the macro equivalent, SearchString) to search inside [Delay] codes, [Style] codes, or text variables (a form of Style). These are limitations of the program, at least for recent versions of it. You will have to edit the [Delay] or [Style] code by double-clicking on the code in Reveal Codes to edit it.

    •  More than one [Delay] code can exist inside the document's initial style. But this can make things a little confusing later, if you need to revise or delete one or more of them.

    •  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 the example in "How to edit, change or replace them" above]

    The [Open Style: HeaderA] code inside the Header area (a similar code exists for Footers and Watermarks) is designed to apply system default format settings for the header (or footer or watermark) areas -- which, in this particular instance, comes from the program's 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. (But see Footnote 3, for an explanation of when this might be useful. Also see Footnote 4 for how to modify it so it becomes the default for future documents.)


    Footnote 3

    Modifying the format of Headers, Footers, and Watermarks

    Be aware that, by default, these substructures inherit their formatting from the main document's initial (or default) style settings.

    That is, whatever font and margins were set in the current document's initial [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code -- which in turn, usually comes from the template the document is based on -- will become the initial font and margins for the header, footer, or watermark.

    However -

    •  To change the font used in the current header, footer, or watermark, put the cursor inside it (see above) and simply set a new font and/or font size from the property bar or from the Format > Font menu. You can also select some text first to apply a font to just the selection. You can also add new justification (even left-center-right mixed justification to a single line), or add bold, italics, color, or other text attributes. [If you want to set the font, font size, or other formatting to be the default for your headers or footers (or even just one of them), see Footnote 4.]

    •  To change the left and/or right margins in these substructures when the cursor is inside them, you can simply drag the left or right margin guidelines (be sure to enable the checkbox, "Drag to move guidelines" in View > Guidelines). Alternatively, when the cursor is inside them, click Format > Margins and specify the left and right margins.

    Note that when you create a header or footer (Insert > Header/Footer) the Headers/Footers dialog box that appears has a checkbox option to "Align with document margins". If you enable (tick) the option the left and right margins for the new header (or footer) will line up with the left/right page margins at that location. However, if you change the left/right page margins further down in the document's text the header/footer margins at that location will not automatically change to align them. If you need them to align, just use the manual drag method in the previous paragraph. (Clearly, this probably is best done on the final draft.)

    •  If you have replaced the same header, footer, or watermark of the same type (A or B) one or more times in the document (e.g., with Insert, Header/Footer, Create) then (by design) each replacement supersedes the previous substructure of that type. So, any font or margin change you make in one of them will not carry over to the others. Therefore, if you want to apply, say, a new font to all versions of several Header A substructures wherever they appear in the document, it is much easier to edit the HeaderA style using Format > Styles on the main WordPerfect menu. Your edits will be global: they will modify all HeaderA's in the current document, in one operation.

    •  To change the top and/or bottom margins in header/footer substructures, you must work from the main document screen (not from inside the header/footer substructure) and either [A] drag their horizontal page margin (dotted) guidelines up or down, or [B] specify a new top/bottom margin setting in the Format > Margins menu. For watermarks, the second method is the only way to set up new top and bottom margins.

    Hence, to move a header (for example) upward you would have to move the top page margin upward a small amount. This adjusts the distance above the header -- i.e., the area outside the page margin, not the distance between the header and body text. The latter can be done from the property bar, which is discussed below. You might need to adjust both the horizontal page margin and the separation distance to achieve the effect you want.

    Note that you cannot create or move a header or footer outside (some might say "into") the page margins (i.e., between the page margin and the physical edge of the page). You can, however, simulate this format (see here).

    •  The context-sensitive property bar contains features (buttons) that allow 
    - adjusting the header/footer's separation distance to body text;
    - setting even/odd/every page placement;
    - setting a watermark's shading etc.;
    - quickly inserting a horizontal line.
    Pass your cursor over these buttons to see their functions appear in a balloon tip.

    •  You can set a default header or footer separation distance (i.e., the distance between body text and the header/footer) for new documents by modifying the default template; see the Tips section at the end of the example above.

    •  Don't put a copy of the DocumentStyle code into a Header or Footer. For example, some users have thought to copy their highly customized initial [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code directly into a header or footer to force the entire DocumentStyle's formatting into that header or footer in one operation -- but these substructures already inherit the DocumentStyle. (Open a header or footer and you'll see it in Reveal Codes when the cursor is inside the header or footer.)

    This can lead to problems with conflicting or circular demands on the program such as in headers and footers that try to process things inside the header/footer that also affect the main document the substructure is a part of [such as Format, Page, Page Setup settings that affect the entire page].

    It is better to use complex formatting (such as setting the page to Landscape) directly in the main body of the document itself, or even inside a custom style (which can contain several format codes) that you can apply at the top of the main document or wherever in the document it’s needed. Similarly, it’s better to modify (e.g.) headers and footers directly inside those structures rather than by inserting complex codes that might try to affect them in unforeseen or non-obvious ways.

    It's worth noting that headers and footers are treated by the program somewhat like separate documents, with a top and a bottom and with left/right margins. Think of formatting inside a header or footer as downstream supplements to your DocumentStyle's formatting, not replacements of it. To quote Noal Mellott on WordPerfect Universe (here):

    “[WordPerfect], by default, automatically inserts [the] DocumentStyle in certain other system styles, such as those used to govern footnotes, footers and headers. This is normal: after all, most users want these substructures to use the same formatting (the same margins, for example) as the document itself. This implies that we place in DocumentStyle those codes (e.g., margins, language- and hyphenation-related codes, line-formatting codes such as Widows/Orphan) that are normally to be used in all elements of a document, including its substructures. It also implies that we should [generally] avoid placing in DocumentStyle any other codes.”



    Footnote 4

    Setting formatting defaults for Headers, Footers, and Watermarks

    If you want to set the font, font size, or other formatting to be the default for your headers, footers, or watermarks (or even just one of them) in future documents, you can do it by setting them in the template which spawns your documents. Otherwise, headers and footers use the default font and font size set for the body text area, so changing them in the current document only leaves them active for that particular document.

    The template that spawns your new, blank documents is normally the default template, but could be -- and here, probably should be -- a custom template. With a custom template, you can use it for special purposes (e.g., a letterhead), leaving the default template to spawn your ordinary blank documents. [For more on these important files, see the page on templates.]

    For example:

    Suppose you have created a custom template where you wish to have a footer (e.g., Footer B) be in Arial Narrow 10-point font. You would edit the template itself and set the defaults there.

    Here's one way to do it (another way is to directly modify the footer style itself, but the following method makes it slightly easier to find and edit that style):

    Step 1. Once the template is open for editing (the filename at the top of the WP window should end in .WPT, not .WPD), you can create a temporary Footer B (Insert > Header/Footer > FooterB > Create) if it doesn't already exist.

    Step 2. With the cursor inside Footer B, double-click the [Open Style: FooterB] code in Reveal Codes. This opens the Styles Editor for the Footer B style in the template.

    Step 3. In the Contents pane of the Styles Editor, place the cursor after any other codes, then from the property bar in the Styles Editor choose Arial Narrow font, then 10 point; then click OK to dismiss the Editor.

    Step 4. Click outside the Footer to return to the main document area. (If you didn't actually create a footer -- i.e., you inserted no text or codes in the footer itself -- no footer should appear on screen. That's okay: the Footer B style has been modified, which is what we are trying to do. It will be "upstream" from the footer text later, when you create a document from the template, and pass on its new formatting to that text.)

    Step 5. Save your template. When you create new documents based on that template, and then create a new Footer B, it should automatically format all text in Arial Narrow 10-point.

    You could, of course, do all this in the default template, but that is only recommended if you are certain that you always want Arial Narrow 10-point in Footer B. You might not remember how to change it back if you need to, or you might find yourself needing to constantly change the font. A custom template is easier to copy (clone) and/or edit.

    Tip: To reset the header, footer, or watermark style in the template where it was modified back to its factory default state: Edit the template and click Format > Styles. Choose the item that you wish to reset to its factory default. Click the Options button, then click Reset.


    Footnote 5

    Example of using a footer to "fix" the vertical distance between body text and the bottom edge of the page

    Assumptions: You want a 1.0" vertical area between the bottom of all body text (including any footnotes) and the bottom edge of the page, and you want page numbers to appear 0.5" up from the bottom edge of the page. (For more tips on page numbering see the resource links in the left sidebar above.) [Screen shot of example]

    Here's how to do it.

    Step 1. At the top of the document, set the bottom page margin to 0.5" with Format > Margins. This vertical position is where the page numbers will appear.

    Step 2. Click on Format > Page > Numbering and set the Position to "No Page Numbering". This turns off the display of standard (default) page numbering, which normally appears at the bottom page margin. [If it does not turn it off you might need to search in the document for a [Pg Num Pos] code, which is what sets the visible page number position, and delete it.]

    Step 3. Create a Footer (either A or B; see "flavors" above) with Insert > Header/Footer (see "How to start them" above). With the cursor inside the footer, use the Header/Footer property bar button labeled "Header/Footer Distance" to set the distance between the body text (which includes any footnotes) and the footer's text and/or format codes. Set it to 0.5".

    Step 4. While still inside the footer, insert page numbering with the "Page Numbering" button on the Header/Footer property bar. This inserts a [Pg Num Disp] code, which you can then center in the footer (e.g., select the code in Reveal Codes and use either the Justification button on the Selected Text property bar that appears, or use Format> Justification on the main menu). You can also add characters in the footer such as hyphens to bracket the page number.

    ¤  Note that this step is optional, unless there is nothing else in the footer, because headers/footers require something in them when you create them. If you have any other content in the footer (even just a space character) you could just use normal page numbering at the bottom of the page (Format > Page > Numbering > Position) by positioning the cursor in the body text area, such as the top of the document. (But see information above about using only one of the numbering methods, not both (unless you actually want duplicate numbers on each page!).

    ¤  An advantage of using numbering inside a footer is that you can add text, formatting, and other material such as a logo in the footer, and also position the page number in a custom location in the footer, not just at the bottom.]


    Step 5. Click outside the footer to return to the main document.

    Tips:

    ☼  Assuming you want to prevent the text-to-footer distance from being changed by deliberately or accidentally click-dragging the footer's top guideline, you can disable the ability to drag guidelines with View > Guidelines. This would help "fix" the distance from the bottom of the body text (and footnotes, if any) to the bottom edge of the page. It also prevents page margins from being dragged with the mouse.

    ☼  You can, of course, use a similar method with headers to adjust the vertical distance to body text.


    Footnote 6

    Using page numbering inside a header or footer ("Page x" or "Page x of y" )

    [See also Footnote 8 about using headers/footers to display two separate sequences of numbering on the same pages.]

    Method

    Step 1. First, turn normal page numbering off if it is on (see above). Then:

    Step 2. Place the cursor inside the header or footer (click in it or use Insert > Header/Footer > Edit).

    You can position the location for the page numbers with hard returns, tabs, justification, line centering, flush right, typesetting codes, etc.

    [You can also create a text box (with or without a border) inside the header or footer to hold the page numbering (see next step). This is an easy way to "box" the numbers and/or drag them to a desired position.]

    Step 3. While the cursor is in the header/footer, insert the Page Number at the desired location with either the Page Numbering button on the Header/Footer Property bar (choose Page Number), or with Format > Page > Insert Page Number.

    Step 4. For "Page x of y" numbering: Continue by typing the word " of " in the header or footer; then use the button again and choose Total Pages.

    Notes and tips

    ¤  Standard (i.e., program default) page numbering -- i.e., numbering applied outside headers or footers with Format > Page > Numbering -- has a "Page x of y" formatting choice, at least in modern versions of WordPerfect. But using this format inside a header or footer requires the steps above.

    ¤  Each button choice on the property bar inserts a format code (visible in Reveal Codes [View > Reveal Codes]) which does the work of displaying the numbers.

    ¤  The "total pages" number is automatically updated when you add or delete pages in the document (sometimes you have to scroll up or down a bit to refresh the pages and their numbers).

    Customization (some examples)

    •  The "page" part (the "X" component) of the numbers can be changed to another value mid-way in the document. See the next footnote below.

    •  The "total pages" part (the "Y" component) of the numbers can also be changed to another value -- such as "Y-1" so as to include an extra non-numbered page after the last (numbered) page. Here's a tip by Joe Fox on WordPerfect Universe:

    (1) Go to the last page and suppress page numbering -- or, if using the numbers in a header or footer, suppress or discontinue the header or footer on that page, or else replace it with the same header/footer without page numbering inside it. (See above for more on headers, footers, and watermarks.) Essentially this step removes page numbering from the "Y+1" page.

    (2) Click on Format > Page > Numbering > Set Value. Reset that last page number's value to the total number of pages minus 1.

    (3) In that Values dialog enable (click on) the radio button option to "Let number change as pages are added or deleted".

    (4) Click OK.

    The main advantage with this method is that prior numbering should be  maintained even if you add or remove material above the last page.

    •  Use a cross-reference target in place of the "Y" component.

    Here's a similar method to change the "total pages" value (though not automatically) with an old method (circa WP6?) that was used before the program began shipping with "Page X of Y" numbering.

    Tip: Open Reveal Codes to see what codes are created by this method.

    Example: Set the "total pages" number (inside a header or footer) so that any additional page that follows a desired "last page" is NOT included in the total page count.

    First: Place the cursor on the last line of the desired "last page". Then -

    (1) Mark a cross-reference Target there using Tools > Reference > Cross Reference (tab) and set the Reference Type to Page.

    (2) Choose any name in the Select Target field and click the Mark Target button. This should insert a [Target] code in the document.

    Then: With the cursor inside the header (or footer) -

    (1) Type "Page " (i.e., the word followed by a space).

    (2) Insert the code for the current page number (usually Ctrl+P; or use the page number button on the header/footer property bar).

    (3) Type " of " (i.e., the word surrounded by spaces).

    (4) Insert the cross reference to the target with the Mark button (NOT the Mark Target button) on that same Reference Tools dialog. This should insert a [Ref Pg] code in the header (or footer).

    Finally:

    (1) Exit from the header or footer (click outside it) and generate the document with Tools > Reference > Generate. (Note: Un-checking "Build hyperlinks" in the small dialog that appears will remove the hyperlinks -- but also from any other hyperlink items such as a Table of Contents or an Index. But this might be useful with documents that are to be printed on paper.)

    (2) You will need to either [a] suppress (or discontinue) the header or footer on any pages that follow that "last" page, or [b] replace the header/footer at that point with one that has no page numbering or has a different page numbering scheme (i.e., one without a "Y" component). (See above for more on headers, footers, and watermarks.) [Tip: See the next footnote below for a way to use separately numbered "Page X of Y" sections in a document.]

    (3) Important: Be aware that if you insert or delete materials before (i.e., above) the [Target] code the page numbering might change, so you will need to re-generate the document with Tools > Reference > Generate -- the same as you would for a Table of Contents or an Index -- to refresh cross references.

    Tip: See WordPerfect's (F1) Help, "Working with cross-references," or the Reference Center on the Help menu, for more information.


    Footnote 7

    To reset page numbers to another value midway through a document when page numbering is used inside a header or footer

    [For "Page X of Y" numbering this method applies to just the "page" part of the numbers
    (i.e., the "X" component). To change both the "page" part and the "total pages" part of "Page X of Y" numbering see the Notes and Tips section below.]

    Assumptions

    Assuming you have already inserted a page numbering code in a header or footer with the Page Numbering button on the Header/Footer Property bar (see above) or with Format > Page > Insert Page Number:

    Method

    Step 1.

    Exit from the header/footer and go to the very top of the specific document page
    (before all other format codes) where you wish to reset the page numbering sequence.

    Step 2.

    Use Format > Page > Numbering to first turn off standard page numbering in the Position field (i.e., choose "No Page Numbering").

    Then use the Set Value button to specify a new page number value (e.g., "1"). This will insert a [Delay] code at that location. The new page numbering value will be picked up by the [Pg Num Disp] code in the "downstream" header/footer.


    Notes and Tips

    ¤  See "Page numbering using both Roman and Arabic numerals" here for a similar method using Roman numeral page numbers for initial material ("front matter") or elsewhere in a document, and Arabic numbers for the rest of the document.

    ¤  If you want to skip header or footer numbering in a section of the document and then resume numbering in the same header/footer location on pages in a later section, you can simply create a new header or footer (of the same type, A or B) at the point where numbers should be absent. As noted above, a new header or footer of the same type will replace (i.e., discontinue and supersede) the previous one at that point in the document. [Note that since the new header or footer must contain something, you can simply add a space character in it when creating it.] Then create another new header or footer where numbering should resume and add numbering as explained above in this footnote (you can start the new numbering with a different value, if desired). Repeat as needed in the document, using un-numbered headers or footers as "spacers" between the numbered pages.

    ¤  [For "Page X of Y" numbering:] Assume you want to create separately numbered "Page X of Y" sections in a document -- e.g., a section numbered like "Page X of 8" (for physical pages 1-8) followed by a section numbered "Page X of 2" (for physical pages 9-10).

    You can do this using cross-reference targets as the "Y" component of the numbered sections. (See the footnote above for the general method.)

    Here's how (thanks to Noal Mellot on WordPerfect Universe here):

    ▸ At the top of the document (or before the first section to be numbered this way) use Format > Page > Numbering to first turn off standard page numbering in the Position field (i.e., choose "No Page Numbering").

    ▸ Go to the end of the first section of the document. Open the Reference Tools dialog with Tools > Reference > Cross-Reference and set a target there: Set the Reference Type to Page, give it a name in the Select Target field, and click Mark Target.

    ▸ Then go to the end of the second section of the document and set another target there:
    Give it a (different) name, set the Reference Type to Page, and click Mark Target.

    ▸ Create the header (or footer) at the top of the document (or where desired) [see above]. Define its placement to appear on every page going forward.

    ▸ In that header (or footer) type "Page " (i.e., the word followed by a space). Insert the Page Number code [usually Ctrl+P, or use the Page Numbering button on the property bar]. Type the word " of " and then insert a  cross-reference to the end of the first section using the Mark button (NOT the Mark Target button) on the Reference Tools dialog. This inserts a temporary question mark ("?") in the header (or footer).

    ▸ Go to the top of the second section. Reset the page number there to "1" with Format > Page > Numbering > Set Value > "1".

    ▸ Then create another header (or footer) of the same type, A or B, so that it supersedes the first header (or footer) and also appears on every page going forward. Insert the same text and Page Number code in it the same way as in the first section, but insert the cross-reference to the end of the second section.

    ▸ Exit from the header (or footer). Generate the reference tools with Tools > Reference > Generate. Note: Un-checking "Build hyperlinks" in the small dialog that appears will remove the hyperlinks -- but also from any other hyperlink items such as a Table of Contents or an Index. But this might be useful with documents that are to be printed on paper.

    Important: Be aware that if you insert or delete materials before (i.e., above) the [Target] code the page numbering might change, so you will need to re-generate the document with Tools > Reference > Generate -- the same as you would for a Table of Contents or an Index -- to refresh cross references.

    Tips

    ☼  You can eliminate the hyperlink and blue underline from the generated "total pages" page number when you generate the reference tools by un-ticking the "Build hyperlinks" choice on the pop up Generate dialog (image). Of course, if you have other hyperlinks (e.g., a Table of Contents, Index, etc.) in the document then this will eliminate hyperlinks there as well. [Related tip: An option some users employ that will keep the links active: Remove just the blue [Color] and [Und] format codes from the Hypertext style. (Or you can change the Hypertext style to something other than blue underlines.) See more here.]

    ☼  See WordPerfect's (F1 key) Help, "Working with cross-references," or the Reference Center on the Help menu, for more information.


    Footnote 8

    Headers and footers can be used simultaneously to create separate numbering schemes on the same pages -- something the default numbering feature cannot do.

    An example, from a tip by Charles Rossiter on WordPerfect Universe (here):

    [Problem:] "I need to have page numbers on the top and bottom and my pages [have] different number[ing]. I need the top to start with 1 through 660; and the bottom to start with 194 through the end."

    [Solution:] "... Use Secondary Page numbers in the header and Primary [i.e., normal] Page numbers in the footer.
    1. At the very top of the document, do Format > Page > Numbering. Set the Primary Page number to be 194. Set its Position to be "No Page Numbering" [to remove normal page numbering from the body text area].
    2. Create your header [on page 1]. Click the [#1] button [on the Property bar] and choose Secondary Page Number. [Since it was not set to a different value it will start with "1".]
    3. Create your footer [on page 1]. Click the [#1] button and choose Primary Page Number." [Since it was set to "194" it will begin numbering with that value.]

    Another example:

    [Problem:] Suppose you want to use normal page numbering at the bottom of all pages in a long document, but also want to separately number the last 20 pages in a Header at the top of those pages, beginning with the number "1," so that the last 20 pages are numbered 1-20 at the top of the pages while the bottom of those pages have continuous numbering from the beginning of the document to the end.

    [Solution:] Use normal page numbering [Format > Page > Numbering, etc.] at the bottom of all pages (or even inside a Footer, as Charles mentioned [see the method here]) and use Secondary numbers inside a new Header that starts on the 20th page from the end of the document.

    Secondary numbers are a separate, sequential numbering feature that can be used anywhere, including in a Header or Footer.

    Here's how.

    Assuming all pages already have normal numbering at the bottom of each page*:

    1. Open Reveal Codes. Create a new Header on the 20th page from the end of the document. Position the cursor inside the header where desired and click on the Page Numbering button (it has a #1 as the button icon) on the Header/Footer property bar that should be visible; then choose Secondary Number from the button drop list. This will
    insert the Secondary page number's display code: [Sec Pg Num Disp]. The number will display as the current page number, so....

    2. Exit from the Header and set the Secondary page number's value to "1" at the very top of the body text area on the 20th page from the end of the document, before (i.e., to the left of) the new [Header] code with Format > Page > Numbering > Set Value (button) > Secondary (tab) > "Set secondary page number" = 1. Click OK until you are back in the document.

    You should now see a new [Delay Codes] code on that page -- and the Secondary number in the new header should display "1" and increment on each subsequent page where that Header appears.

    This is not particularly intuitive, so don't feel bad that you couldn't easily discover the method. Essentially you control (reset) the header's numbering value from the body text area, "upstream" from the header, and not from inside the header (for more, see above). (The same is true if you use a footer this way.)

    Obviously this is best done on the final draft of the document. Otherwise any material inserted or deleted above that new header could affect the Secondary page numbering.

    ----------
    * If you want to use a footer to display normal Page numbering instead of displaying them in typical text areas (e.g., Bottom Center) you will want to turn normal Page numbering off (if it was on) above/before the point where the footer begins to prevent getting duplicate Page numbers on each page -- one from normal Page numbering and one from the footer's Page code on each page. See above for more on this specific topic.


    Footnote 9

    [...continued from Footnote 1 above:]

    A user on WordPerfect Universe (here) requested a method to display a header on page 1 of a document and automatically discontinue it on page 2 (if there is a page 2). He also wanted to make the format codes that produce the one-page [Delay] immune to being "pushed" downward in the document's text if material is added above the code.

    Here's my reply, which includes hiding both the [Header] and the [Delay] code.

    "1. Open a multi-page document (i.e., at least 2 pages). Open Reveal Codes (View > Reveal Codes).

    2. If it does not already exist, create the header at the top of page 1 with Insert > Header/Footer. Choose the Header type (A or B) and then click Create. Add your required text, graphic, etc. Click in the main document area to exit from the header.

    3. At the top of page 1 just after the new [Header] code, use Format > Page > Delay Codes. Set number of pages to "1" and click OK. This opens the "Define Delay Codes" editing window. Click the Header/Footer button. In the Headers/Footers dialog that appears, choose the Header type you used in step #2, and click Discontinue. A new code appears in Reveal Codes (e.g., [Header A End]). Click Close to exit from the "Define Delay Codes" editing window and return to the document. You should see a new [Delay] code there, next to the new [Header] code.

    4. In Reveal Codes, select just the [Header][Delay] codes (Shift+arrow works well) and cut them to the clipboard with Ctrl+X.

    5. Double-click on the initial [OpenStyle: DocumentStyle] code to edit it. Paste the codes there with Ctrl+V. Click OK to close the editor and return to the document.

    Done.

    The new header should appear on page 1 and not appear on page 2 and following pages (unless, of course, you create a new header of the same type further in the document).

    This method probably is best done in a custom template so it will be available in all documents that are spawned by that template. If you do it in the current document, do not use the option in the DocumentStyle editor, "Use as default": You probably do not want the new customizations above to be used in the default template that spawns ALL new documents!

    Cautions:

    •  Be especially aware that if you need to change (edit) the hidden header's material in the future you will need to -

    [1] open the DocumentStyle code and select, cut, and paste the [Header] code from the DocumentStyle code into the main document [better: open a new blank document as a temporary work area] to edit it there,

    then -

    [2] select/cut/paste the changed [Header] code back into the DocumentStyle where it came from.

    If you try to edit the [Header] code while inside a DocumentStyle code (i.e., one code nested inside another code) it will likely cause the program to lock up and require you to use Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del). (Headers and delays are a form of style, and WordPerfect can't edit a style within another style.)

    •  Since a [Delay] code is made up of two codes (for more see here) -- a [Delay] code that tells WordPerfect what to do, and (on the specific delayed page) a [Delay Codes] code that tells it where to start doing it -- deleting the second one in the document's text area will prevent the execution of the [Delay] code instructions. (Using the method above, the first code will still be inside the initial DocumentStyle code since it is still "hidden".)

    A quick and easy fix for this small problem is to double-click on the [Open Style: DocumentStyle] code, select and cut the [Delay] code with Ctrl+X, and then immediately paste it back in place with Ctrl+V. This should "refresh" the [Delay] code's instructions, restoring the [Delay Codes] code on page 2.
    Then click OK in the styles editor to exit back to the document."



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