When using a field to automatically add the date to a Word template or stationery, there are two different ways to add this.
- Office Date field.
Using the Date field will add 'today's date' when the document is created from the template/stationery, but it will reset the date to the current date whenever the document is opened or downloaded.
- FYI's DocumentCreatedDate Merge Field.
Use the FYI CreatedDate Merge Field to add the current 'today's date' when a document is created from the template/stationery. This original creation date is retained whenever the document is opened or downloaded.
For details on adding Merge Fields, refer to Including Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery. A full list of Merge Fields can be found in Merge Fields Glossary.
Formatting a Date Merge Field
You can add a formatter to the Merge Field to format the date. This allows you to set it to display in different formats, for example:
- 5 Feb 2024
- 5 February 2024
- Friday, 5 February 2021
For details on changing the date format, for example, refer to Formatting Merge Fields.
Microsoft Office Date being reset when used in existing Templates and Stationery
When using the Microsoft Word Office Date field, it will be reset whenever the document is open and downloaded.
If you have set up templates and stationery using the Office Date field, and you don't want dates to reset to the current date, you will need to use the FYI DocumentCreatedDate Merge Field. Refer also to Updating Merge Fields in Including Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery.