Using text variables in Microsoft Word

A tour through fields, bookmarks, and document properties in Microsoft Word.
Learn three different ways to create a "text variable", which means you can type some text in one place and have other bits of text update to match the changes.
Check out my blog at DrNatJG.com

[@livronuvem]

Thanks. Elegantly explained and illustrated. MS could make this functionality a lot more straightforward, and I'm surprised they haven't after 25+ years.

[@Fidrafunk]

yes i thought a text variable would be a standard piece of functionality by now

[@mikeecklund1851]

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to make such a detailed video with multiple approaches to accomplishing the same task. Method #3 is ideal. This helped me tremendously for managing software documentation. Thanks again.

[@kevinsteptoe]

This is precisely what I need. You quickly get to the important points and leave us with a comprehensive explanation of the approaches and then direct us to the elegent and preferred solution. Thank you.

[@thisxgreatxdecay]

I love how the simplest method is last, haha. But thanks! This helped me make sure that I don't leave the wrong company name in my cover letters. And I'm sure it will come in handy for all sorts of things!

[@ArnoldNewton]

Thanks for creating this video. Definitely a niche topic but not many people has figured this out!

[@awesomeaartvark]

This is exactly what I was looking for! You made this very easy to understand, thank you!

[@RaviKiranChaliki]

Excellent solution. Something that is bothering me for a couple of days. Every Elegant with your flow. Thank you.

[@monireachtang712]

This is absolutely awesome!! Thank you Dr. for sharing!

[@robertmcnulty6596]

I was trying to figure out how to do this a long time ago and didn't succeed. It seemed like a pretty obvious thing that one would want to do, but there was no obvious method. This is very cool. Also, my compliments to Dr. Nat JG for his skills as a teacher. He shows three ways of achieving the same thing that goes from simplest to most complicated. Each approach builds on the previous one and so the third one is the best and ultimately simples if one wants to have a document that will be used on multiple occasions in which this property appears, but it might be intimidating if he just showed method #3.

[@DrNatJG]

Thanks

[@OliviaSantiagoOn2]

I needed this yesterday!! So excited to go to work and update my doc!!

[@shadowrunesword]

Thanks for the tutorial. This is helping me make short work of cover letters as I seek a job. Cheers.

[@miticaresidencial145]

Thank you so much!! been looking for this solucion for such a long time

[@rush883]

just recently found your channel and I'd say even though it's dated, it was very well explained, thank you!

[@SaidElnaffar]

You deserve a LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! Very tricky, useful, and comprehensive!

[@MalinaC]

Thank you, extremly useful!

[@JackMachiela]

Thanks was a great help. Using method 3 was the one for me.

[@JPinToronto]

I'm really enjoying this video. Please make more content!

[@MisterFizz]

Nicely done. Thanks for the post.

[@richardbryanesq]

Thank you for taking the time to make this very helpful video.

[@lotfymercedes]

This magnificent. Thank you for sharing knowledge. You saved me alot of time

[@kapilvora]

Great! A very nice way to save so much time! Thanks a Lot!

[@kreech68]

Well-described - thank you very much!

[@malchicken]

Very helpful! Thank you very much!

[@dietrickthomas8106]

Thank you for this!

[@elyana_]

Very clear - thank you!

[@gergelypal354]

Thanks a lot. To summarize more solution is the best base of this video.

[@saikhunkhay3617]

Thanks for your time. So useful for me.

[@littlenewton6]

非常感谢您的视频，我感到很有启发性！

[@Fidrafunk]

These days you can do this pretty straightforwardly with inserting a bookmark with highlighted text, and then inserting a cross-reference to that bookmark. The key thing is its the text inside the bookmark brackets, not the bookmark name (from bookmark creation), that gets used for the cross-reference text.

[@FrozenHero2010]

Thank you for this tuition. One small thing I was unable to do was to view the document properties bar at the top of the page. I follwed the instructions, File > Info > Properties, but I only have one option (Advanced Options) whereas in the video, there is also Show Document Properties. I am using Word 2019.

[@wmickinley]

one of the best of all time

[@NozmoKing]

THANK YOU!!!!

[@emartin1990]

Thank you jesus

[@danpantazi9149]

great video!

[@vebe7109]

Great video!

[@livronuvem]

4:27 for method 3

[@sucramsucram3558]

Thank you!

[@JulioMeza]

That was good. Thanks

[@skyacaniadev2229]

Hope they add something like "/" drop menu, so I don't have to click 10 times to insert a field.

[@taketheredpill1452]

great teaching

[@LoveToRock1313]

Great video! Do you happen to know where to find the definition of named DocVariable fields in Word?

[@neillmack]

Excellent video - thank you. Tried to incorporate the document panel but guess what, the help desk says, "The Document Information Panel has been removed in Office 2016 applications." :-(

[@rileyo578]

Can this function be used for a other applications like a company logo throughout headers & footers

[@mannuposki10]

Can we drive all this through Word Add-in APIs? I wanted to create a content control using the Word API instead of manually clicking the options you showed. Is it possible?

[@veronicakonig8643]

Hi! I would like to know how to use merge field from a drop down list. That is, a different text appears from an option chosen by the user. Thank you very much!.

[@jrb040892]

At the end you said there is an advanced method to put a content control box around custom variables. Can you point me towards how to do this?

[@m.n.953]

thanks for nice explanation. I have a question pleas : in MS word 2019, if I need to add a command button inside the word FORM or template, THIS TEMPLATE HASE SOME FIELDS TO FILL IN the fields are all in type plain text content controls. I want to write a code for the command button that save the document as the content of “student name” field (plain text content control), and to save it into a specific bath directory, how can I write the code pleas ? can you drop the line code that do this when I click in this command button.? pleas your answer and thank you in advance. (PS I don’t want to print the command button in paper when I print out the document . can I make the command button unprinted?)

[@cnfnbcn3227]

No idea if its still actual, but you can get rid of the problem of method two by doing so: In options, go to Customize Ribbon and under the Main Tabs enable Developer Then select text that you wish to bookmark, and in Developer tab, in Controls, find Plain Text Content Control and click it Now you basically have a text field. Click on 3 dots on top left of it and then perform all the same things: add bookmark and so on

[@mnapier2210]

If my variable is in a Drop Down (Combo Box Content Control or Drop Down Content Control) and I want to choose the information once and for it to automatically change all the other drop downs, how do I set that up?

[@andiechambliss7255]

this is my question as well!

[@fabiomarques4110]

Hello, on method two, I'm having some trouble. the update field only works after I open and close the properties window. is there a way to refresh the values without opening this panel? thanks for the great video and detailed explanation.

[@6guame]

same problem

[@DrNatJG]

It's possible Microsoft made some changes and more recent versions of Word are acting differently.

[@BCFroude]

Thanks for the video. I followed through three times and my bookmark is not working properly. It doesn't update the fields after saving and updating. It brings it back to the first initial value from the field code....

[@manishmadhavan587]

wonderful

[@farhandeen6341]

Which office version are you using

[@steveremich7255]

Thanks for making this video, but it doesn't appear to work (Word for Mac, 2019). Custom fields don't update after updating the bookmarked text.

[@jedrzejleopold2743]

How about linking together several documents, or downloading specific informations from one, source document to the other? I can't find any sollution for that.

[@Popart-xh2fd]

Hi, nice video. Is it possible to insert fields inside fields and this way update links for instance. Thanks.

[@CristobalRuiz]

What if the content isn't necessarily related to the document properties? I create templates for technical specifications that have several fields that need to be updated and are inserted across multiple section of the document. I have thought about using "Bookmarks" but these are not "editable, are they?

[@MrThesavage78]

Bookmarks can only be used once in one location, well techincally they can be used multiple times howere it's really cumbersome. Use variables instead. Search for "Using a Form in MS Word to Populate a Document" in youtube (not association, just the video I used and make the following changes: In Microsoft Word, use Insert>Quick Parts>Field>DocVariable> Type variable name in Field Properties>New Name. The code for the "OKBut_Click" in VBA changes to (my sheet was titled "KPIInfo", change to reflect your sheet): Private Sub OKbut_Click() For Each Control In KPIInfo.Controls If Control.Tag "" Then ActiveDocument.Variables(Control.Tag).Value = Control.Value End If Next Me.Repaint ActiveDocument.Fields.Update KPIInfo.Hide End Sub To enable editing of the variables after a new document has been created firstly create a new module, rename it "Edit_Doc" or similar and use the following code: Sub Edit_Doc() For Each Control In KPIInfo.Controls If Control.Tag "" Then Control.Value = ActiveDocument.Variables(Control.Tag).Value End If Next KPIInfo.Show End Sub This enables editing of the variables after a new document has been created by clicking on Develop>Macros"Edit_Doc">then press the "Run" button. Back in VBA window, under "Forms" update the Properties>Tags for each data entry box according to the corresponding variable. This is so much simpler and versatile! I was assisted writing the code by a guy who's a gun with Python so I can only answer basic questions.

[@SteS]

In 2019 the 2nd method doesn't work. Selecting the field saving and pressing F9 doesn't work. You need to go to the prop dialog and redo the Field link.

[@mehmetbaran9742]

can we add more default variables for the method 3?

[@DrNatJG]

To my understanding, no you can't - also you can't change the name of those properties. That's the main limitation =(

[@markmedalla2509]

Can you do superscript/subscript inside the field?

[@rpprevost]

If film makers ever do a remake of "2001: A Space Odyssey," you should do the voice of HAL.

[@dingviet4310]

Please help! Step 2 isn't working for me. I need to go back into advanced properties to make the field update to the master field. Pressing F9 alone won't work!

[@dimaagkoshot4648]

You are God

[@J_L22]

The fact that the functionality of the third method is not this straightforward with custom properties is ridiculous

[@alvaromorales6828]

sort of literate programming

[@hulladek3]

This is what you want kzbin.info/www/bejne/haWpmXyngJWam8U

[@jmooch59]

Hilarious!

[@f0ru0l0rd]

Show Document Panel is now gone. Now it's no longer as intuitive as before. Every time you want a change you have to go backstage again and again. It's frustrating to say the least!

[@michaelpearce3662]

You need to have an degree in computer programming to use word these days ...ridiculuous

[@SteS]

In 2019 the 2nd method doesn't work. Selecting the field saving and pressing F9 doesn't work. You need to go to the prop dialog and redo the Field link.

[@DrNatJG]

Thanks, it's been an awful long time since I've looked into this stuff.

[@origami_canoe1952]

In Method 1, how can I create a Document Property that is able to be used in EVERY new document that I create?

[@DrNatJG]

What if you make those changes then do a "Save As"... save the document as a template in .dotx format? Open that template next time and all your custom properties/field codes should be set up for you.