Microsoft Publisher – Tools and Effects

The background of your publication is where you place objects that will appear on every page of your publication, such as page numbers or a company logo.

Understanding how the background works

The publication page lies on top of the background, like a sheet of transparent paper.

You can see objects on the background through the publication page, but you can’t work with them unless you're on the background.

Going to the background

To work on the background of your publication:

• On the View menu, click Go To Background.

When you are on the background, you can’t see any foreground objects, but they are still there, on the foreground.

• Add or change objects on the background.
• On the View menu, click Go To Foreground.

Determining if you are on the background

To make sure you’re on the background, check the lower-left corner of the Publisher window.

• When you’re on the foreground, the page navigation control shows representations of the pages of your publication.
• When you’re on the background, the page navigation control shows the left and right master pages. If your publication is one page, only the right master page is displayed.

Sending an object to the background

If you want one or more objects to appear on every page of a publication, you can send them to the background without going to the background first.

1. Select the object or objects you want to send to the background.
2. On the Arrange menu, click Send To Background.

Any object will remain in the same position in the background as it was in the foreground.

Field codes: PageRef field

{ PAGEREF Bookmark [\* Format Switch ] }

Inserts the page number of a bookmark for a cross-reference. To cross-reference items in a document, use the Cross-reference command (Insert menu).

Examples

In the following example, the bookmark "Worldpop1990" marks the table containing figures for 1990.

Field: The world population in 1991 was 5 billion; for 1990 figures, see the table { PAGEREF Worldpop1990 \p }.

Result:The number of the page on which the table appears is inserted in place of the field: "... see the table above."

Field codes: NoteRef field

{ NOTEREF Bookmark [Switches] }

Inserts a footnote or endnote reference mark that you've marked with a bookmark to make multiple references to the same note or to cross-reference footnotes or endnotes. If you modify the sequence of footnotes or endnotes, the new result of the NOTEREF field reflects the new numbering.

Example

The following text and field appear in a footnote of a document. The bookmark "Brun" marks the footnote reference mark for footnote 3: "This process is discussed in Brun's new book (see note { NOTEREF Brun } )."

When the field is updated, the footnote number is displayed: "This process is discussed in Brun's new book (see note 3)."

Note: The NOTEREF field replaces the FTNREF field used in earlier versions of Word for Windows. If you open a document that contains FTNREF fields, the fields remain in the document and function correctly.

Field codes: Bookmark and Ref fields

{ [REF] Bookmark [Switches ] }

Inserts the text or graphics represented by the specified bookmark. The bookmark must be defined in the active document. To insert bookmarked text or graphics from another document, use the INCLUDEPICTURE or INCLUDETEXT field. The Cross-reference command (Insert menu) inserts REF fields to create cross-references.

The BOOKMARK field is an abbreviated form of the REF field and isn't available in the Field dialog box (Insert menu). If a bookmark name (for example, "Title") matches a Word field name (TITLE), you must use the REF field. The field { REF Title } inserts the text represented by the "Title" bookmark, whereas the field { Title } inserts the contents of the Title box on the Summary tab in the Properties dialog box (File menu).

Note: When you insert text copied from another location in the same document, the Paste Special command (Edit menu) inserts a REF field with the bookmark INTER_LINKn, where n is incremented automatically. You should not edit an INTER_LINKn bookmark in a REF field. Also note that REF fields with INTER_LINKn bookmarks in a mail merge main document can cause errors during merging.

Examples

The following REF field assigns the result of an ASK field that prompts the user for the cost per unit. The ASK field prompts the user for information when the field is updated and then assigns the user's input to the bookmark "unitcost": { ASK unitcost "What's the cost per unit?" }

The following REF field's result will display the user's input:{ REF unitcost }

Add a curve

• On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to Lines, and then click Curve .
• Click where you want the shape to start, and then continue to move the mouse and click wherever you want to add a point to the curve.
• To end the shape and leave it open, double-click it at any point.

To close the shape, click near its starting point.

Change the shape of a curve or freeform drawing object

• Select the freeform object or curve you want to change.
• On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Edit Points.
• To reshape the freeform, drag one of the vertexes that form its outline.

To add a vertex to the freeform, click where you want to add it, and then drag.

To delete a vertex, press CTRL and click the vertex you want to delete.

Tip: For greater control over the shape of a curve, after you click Edit Points, right-click a vertex. A shortcut menu appears with options for other types of vertexes you can use to refine the shape of the curve.

Curve and freeform drawing objects

The AutoShapes menu on the Drawing toolbar includes several categories of tools. In the Lines category, you can use the Curve , Scribble , and Freeform tools to draw lines and curves, as well as shapes that combine both lines and curves. When you want a drawing object to look like it was drawn with a pen, use the Scribble tool. The resulting shape closely matches what you draw on the screen. Use the Freeform tool when you want a more refined shape ¾ one without jagged lines or drastic changes in direction.

When you want to draw curves with greater control and accuracy, use the Curve tool. To change the basic shape of a curve or freeform by moving, deleting, and adding vertexes, click Edit Points on the Draw menu (Drawing toolbar).

You can enhance freeforms and curves just as you can other AutoShapes ¾ for example, you can add color or a pattern, change the line style, and flip or rotate them ¾ but you can't add text or convert a freeform or a curve to another AutoShape.

Change the shape of a curve or freeform drawing object

Select the freeform object or curve you want to change.

• On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Edit Points.
• To reshape the freeform, drag one of the vertexes that form its outline.

To add a vertex to the freeform, click where you want to add it, and then drag.

To delete a vertex, press CTRL and click the vertex you want to delete.

Tip: For greater control over the shape of a curve, after you click Edit Points, right-click a vertex. A shortcut menu appears with options for other types of vertexes you can use to refine the shape of the curve.

• On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to Lines, and then click Curve .
• Click where you want the shape to start, and then continue to move the mouse and click wherever you want to add a point to the curve.
• To end the shape and leave it open, double-click it at any point.

To close the shape, click near its starting point.

Word fields for use in mail merge

By inserting the following fields in a main document, you can include additional information in the resulting merged documents and control how data is merged.

Customize documents created with mail merge

You can include additional information in form letters and other merged documents by inserting the following Word fields in the main document.

• ASK and FILLIN fields display a prompt as Word merges each data record with the main document. Your response is printed in the specific form letter, contract, or other merged document resulting from the data record.
• IF (If...Then...Else...) fields print information only if a condition you've specified is met. For example, you can use an IF field to inform clients who live in a particular ZIP Code area that you are opening a nearby branch office.
• SET (Set Bookmark) fields allow you to assign text, a number, or other information to a bookmark. You can use the information multiple times in the resulting merged documents. If the information changes, you can edit the SET field once rather than searching through the main document and changing each occurrence.

Customize documents created with mail merge

You can include additional information in form letters and other merged documents by inserting the following Word fields in the main document.

• ASK and FILLIN fields display a prompt as Word merges each data record with the main document. Your response is printed in the specific form letter, contract, or other merged document resulting from the data record.
• IF (If...Then...Else...) fields print information only if a condition you've specified is met. For example, you can use an IF field to inform clients who live in a particular ZIP Code area that you are opening a nearby branch office.
• SET (Set Bookmark) fields allow you to assign text, a number, or other information to a bookmark. You can use the information multiple times in the resulting merged documents. If the information changes, you can edit the SET field once rather than searching through the main document and changing each occurrence.

Customize documents created with mail merge

You can include additional information in form letters and other merged documents by inserting the following Word fields in the main document.

• ASK and FILLIN fields display a prompt as Word merges each data record with the main document. Your response is printed in the specific form letter, contract, or other merged document resulting from the data record.
• IF (If...Then...Else...) fields print information only if a condition you've specified is met. For example, you can use an IF field to inform clients who live in a particular ZIP Code area that you are opening a nearby branch office.
• SET (Set Bookmark) fields allow you to assign text, a number, or other information to a bookmark. You can use the information multiple times in the resulting merged documents. If the information changes, you can edit the SET field once rather than searching through the main document and changing each occurrence.

Field codes: MergeRec field

{ MERGEREC }

Displays «MERGEREC» as a field result. Use this field in a mail merge main document to print the number of the corresponding merged data record in each resulting merged document.

Note: The number reflects the sequential order of the data records you've selected and possibly sorted for merging with the active main document. It does not indicate the actual order of the records as they occur in the "physical" data source. For example, a personnel database in Microsoft Access might contain thousands of records. However, to send a form letter to employees who've reached their five-year anniversary with your company, you'd select as your data source only the records of those five-year employees ¾ a much smaller set of records. To print a "physical" record number, you must include a record number field in the data source and insert the corresponding merge field in the main document.

Example

The following example uses a MERGEREC field inside an = (Formula) field to create unique invoice numbers. When the main document is merged with the data source, the number resulting from the MERGEREC field is added to the numbers representing the date and time the invoices are printed.

Field: Invoice Number: { = { PRINTDATE \@ "MMddyyHHmm" } + { MERGEREC } }

Result: Invoice Number: 21390946

Field codes: MergeSeq field

{ MERGESEQ }

Counts the number of data records that were successfully merged with the main document. Word starts numbering merged records from 1 each time you merge documents. The number may be different from the value inserted by the MERGEREC field.

For example, suppose that you merge only the range of records 10 through 25. The MERGESEQ number corresponding to the first data record merged is 1, even though the MERGEREC number for that data record is 10.

{ NEXT }

Instructs Word to merge the next data record into the current resulting merged document, rather than starting a new merged document. The Next field produces no printed result. Word uses this field when you set up mailing label and envelope main documents by using the Mail Merge command (Tools menu). To list information from several data records in the same document, such as a membership directory or a price list, select the Catalog main document type in the Mail Merge Helper dialog box (Tools menu). The NEXT field is useful, however, to print a specific number of data records in one resulting merge document.

Insert a NEXT field after the first set of merge (MERGEFIELD) fields in the main document; otherwise, Word skips merging the first data record. Repeat the set of merge fields and the NEXT field in the main document only the number of times it takes to fill one page or to print the number of data records you want.

Note: NEXT fields cannot be used in footnotes, endnotes, annotations, headers, footers, or data sources. A NEXT field cannot be nested within any other field or used with the SKIPIF field.

Example

The following fields print three sets of names and phone numbers in each resulting merged document:

{ MERGEFIELD Name } { MERGEFIELD PhoneNumber }

{ NEXT }{ MERGEFIELD Name } { MERGEFIELD PhoneNumber }

{ NEXT }{ MERGEFIELD Name } { MERGEFIELD