Converting All DATE Fields to Text

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Kristen has a document that uses fields extensively. A lot (but not all) of those fields are DATE fields. She can convert each field to text manually using Ctrl+Shift+F9, but she would like a way to convert all of the DATE fields at once without disturbing the other fields.

The easiest way to do this is to use a macro. Fortunately, Word makes all the fields in a document available in the Fields collection, and you can use your macro to step through each of those. Here's an example:

Sub UnlinkDateFields()
    Dim aField As Field
    Dim lNum As Long

    lNum = 0
    For Each aField In ActiveDocument.Fields
        If Left(Trim(aField.Code), 4) = "DATE" Then
            aField.Unlink
            lNum = lNum + 1
        End If
    Next aField
    MsgBox lNum & " DATE fields converted to text"
End Sub

Note that the .Code property of the field is examined, which is what you see when you look at the field code within your document. If the left four characters of the .Code property is equal to "DATE", then the .Unlink method is invoked, which converts the field to text. The macro keeps a count of how many fields were converted and then, when finished, displays a message box that shows the total.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6016) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Deleting a Footer

Excel allows you to add footers to the worksheets you create. If you decide you don't need a footer any more, here's how ...

Discover More

Pulling Headers and Footers from Other Files

You may have some standard headers and footers you want to make available in your document templates. This tip describes ...

Discover More

Accurate Font Sizes

Need to use some bizarre font size in your worksheet? Not a problem, provided it is a full or half point size.

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

A Quick-and-Dirty Word Count

Word provides a tool that counts the number of words in a document. Here's an alternative method of calculating the a ...

Discover More

Word and Character Count Information

Using fields you can easily insert both the word and character counts for a document into the document itself. Here's how ...

Discover More

Inserting the User's Initials

One of the pieces of information tracked by Word are your name and initials. You can insert your initials by using the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 - 2?

2023-12-11 10:10:02

Andrew

Instead of -- Left(Trim(aField.Code), 4) = "DATE" --
why not check for -- aField.Type = wdFieldDate?


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.