Using Word’s StyleRef Code in Letter Header

When you want to repeat a snippet of text in a precise location in your document, a Word StyleRef is the tool you need.

The StyleRef is a reference field code.  It “refers” to text that exists elsewhere in the document and has a specific style applied; it duplicates that text in the field code.  If the text gets changed, it is automatically updated in the StyleRef location.  It is sometimes used to refer to Title style text, in order to repeat the title in the document Header.

This is a little-known feature in Word, but it turns out, LegalBar can use the StyleRef to make sure that dates on the first page and subsequent pages of a letter always match.

The trick works because LegalBar uses styles to structure every element of a letter. This includes the first page date, which is always styled with the *DateFirstPage style.  If you put a reference to *DateFirstPage style in the exact spot where you need the same date on the second page…. Viola, Word repeats the date.

A video is worth a thousand words.  Watch this one to see the StyleRef field code at work as the date of a letter gets changed on two pages.

In this short video, you will see the benefits of the StyleRef field code. When used in a letter, StyleRef helps avoid a simple but embarrassing mistake: forgetting to update the date on page 2 of the letter, when changing the date on page 1.

---

Laurie Danford
Director of Software Development, BEC Legal Systems

Published: July 9, 2018