Using Placeholder Fields

Apache OpenOffice 4.1 Writer Guide

Chapter 14: Working With Fields

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• Introduction to Fields
• Quick and Easy Field Entry
• Using Document Properties to Hold Metadata and Information That Changes
• Using Other Fields to Hold Information That Changes
• Using AutoText to Insert Often-Used Fields
• Defining Your Own Numbering Sequences
  • Create a Number Range Variable
  • Use AutoText to Insert a Number Range Field
• Using Automatic Cross-References
  • Inserting Cross-References
  • Available Formats
  • Preparing Items as Targets for Cross-Referencing
    • Using Bookmarks
    • Setting References
• Using Fields in Headers and Footers
• Using Fields Instead of Outline Numbering for Appendix Numbering
• Tricks for Working with Fields
  • Keyboard Shortcuts for Fields
  • Fixing the Contents of Fields
  • Converting Fields into Text
• Developing Conditional Content
  • Choose the Types of Conditional Content to Use
    • Conditional Text
    • Hidden Text
    • Hidden Paragraphs
    • Hidden Sections
  • Plan Your Conditional Content
    • Choose or Define a Variable
    • Define a Logical Expression (Condition) Involving the Selected Variable
  • Create the Variable
    • DocInformation Fields
    • User-Defined Variable Field
  • Apply the Condition to the Content
    • Conditional Text
    • Hidden Text
    • Hidden Paragraphs
    • Hidden Sections
  • Change the Value of the Variable
• Using Placeholder Fields
• Using Input Fields and Input Lists

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Using Placeholder Fields

A placeholder field prompts you to enter something (text, a table, a frame, a graphic, or an object).

To insert a placeholder field into a document:

1. On the Functions tab of the Fields dialog box, select Placeholder in the Type column and select what the placeholder is for in the Format column.
2. In the Placeholder box, type the text that you want to appear in the placeholder field.
3. In the Reference box, type the text that you want to display as a help tip when you rest the mouse pointer over the field.

Figure 19 shows the results of inserting a placeholder field for a graphic.

Figure 19: Inserting a placeholder field

Because the <Logo> field is a graphics placeholder, when you click on the field in the document, the Insert picture dialog box opens, prompting you to select a graphic (picture). When you select a picture and click Open, the picture replaces the field in the document.

Similarly, clicking on a table placeholder field opens the Insert Table dialog box, clicking on a frame placeholder field opens the Frame dialog box, and clicking on an object placeholder field opens the Insert OLE Object dialog box. The text placeholder field is different: you simply click on it and type some text in the Placeholder box, which replaces the field.