Using AutoText to insert often-used fields

OpenOffice.org 3 Writer Guide

Chapter 14: Working with Fields

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• Using document properties to hold information that changes
• Using other fields to hold information that changes
• Using AutoText to insert often-used fields
• Defining your own numbering sequences
• Using automatic cross-references
• Using fields in headers and footers
• Using fields instead of outline numbering for chapter numbers
• Tricks for working with fields
• Developing conditional content
• Using placeholder fields
• Using input fields and input lists

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If you use the same fields often, you will want a quick and easy way to insert them. Use AutoText for this purpose. To define an AutoText entry for a field:

1. Insert a field into your document, as described previously.
2. Select the field, and then click Edit > AutoText (or press Ctrl+F3).
3. On the AutoText dialog box, choose the group where this new entry will be stored (in this example, it is going into My AutoText), type a name for the entry, and change the suggested shortcut if you wish.
4. Click the AutoText button and click New to have the entry inserted as a field. Do not choose New (text only) because the AutoText entry will be plain text, not a field. (The selection New does not appear until you have selected a group and typed a name for the entry.)Click Close to close the AutoText dialog box.
5. Now whenever you want to insert this field at the cursor position, type the shortcut, and then press F3.

Creating a new AutoText entry.