WD2000: How to Automatically Update Fields

This article provides a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macro example that automatically updates all fields--including the fields in the header and footer--in a Word document or template.

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements. To create a macro that updates all fields in a document or template, use the following steps:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Visual Basic Editor.
2. In the Visual Basic Project window, expand the Project (<Document/ Template Name>) folder.
3. Double-click ThisDocument.
4. In the Code window, type either of the following macros:
   
   To run the macro when you open the document, type the following code:

   Sub AutoOpen()
      Dim aStory As Range
      Dim aField As Field
      For Each aStory In ActiveDocument.StoryRanges
         For Each aField In aStory.Fields
            aField.Update
         Next aField
      Next aStory
   End Sub
   						

   To run the macro when you create a new document, type the following code:

   Sub AutoNew()
           Dim aStory As Range
           Dim aField As Field
           For Each aStory In ActiveDocument.StoryRanges
              For Each aField In aStory.Fields
                 aField.Update
              Next aField
           Next aStory
         End Sub
   						

5. On the File menu, click Save <Document/Template Name>.
6. Close the Visual Basic Editor.

Each time you open or create a document, the macro runs and updates all fields in the document or template.
For more information about how to use the sample code in this article, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: