Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Calculating Dates with Fields.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 9, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365
Aidan asked if it is possible to calculate dates using fields. Seems he wants a date that is two weeks in the future and thought there must be an easy way to calculate such a future date using fields. Unfortunately, there is no easy way. While Word allows you to do simple calculations using numeric values in fields, it does not allow you to perform such calculations using dates instead of numbers.
You can, however, pull dates apart into their intrinsic portions (months, days, and years), and then do your calculations, but this introduces a whole set of new problems. All of a sudden you need to be concerned with what happens when you "roll" past the end of a month or year. The math involved in doing such a calculation is not trivial. As an example, consider the following compound field:
{QUOTE "{SET Delay "14"}{SET "DaysInMonth" {IF {DATE \@ "MM"} <> 2 {=ROUND(30.575*{DATE \@ "MM"},0)-ROUND(30.575*{= {DATE \@ "MM"} —1},0)}{IF {=MOD({DATE \@ "yy"|, 4)} > 0 "28" "29"}}}{SET "NextMonth" {IF {DATE \@ "MM"} = 12 "1/97" "{= {DATE \@ "MM"} + 1}/97}}{IF {= {REF Delay} + {DATE \@ "dd"}} <= {DaysInMonth} {DATE \@ "MMMM {= {REF Delay} + {DATE \@ "dd"}}, yyyy"}{QUOTE "{NextMonth \@ "MMMM"} {= {REF Delay} + {DATE \@ "dd"} — {DaysInMonth}}, {IF {DATE \@ "MM"} <> 12 {DATE \@ "yyyy"}{DATE \@ "{= 1 + {DATE \@ "yyyy"} \# "xxxx"}" }}}}"}
This will return the date in two weeks time (specified in the first line where the Delay value is set. The drawback, of course, is the compound nature of the field—there are over 30 different fields just within this compound field! Even this implementation, as formidable as it looks, will not handle leap years correctly in all instances. (It won't handle leap years correctly in century years divisible by 400.)
Is there an easy way to calculate future dates? Yes, there is—simply use macros. With just a couple of simple instructions you can make short work out of otherwise difficult date calculations. This was covered in an earlier WordTips; you can also find information at the following Word MVP page:
http://wordmvp.com/FAQs/MacrosVBA/DateOfPrevMonth.htm
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8660) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Calculating Dates with Fields.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
You can use a few bookmarks and an equation field to add a dynamic total anywhere in your document. Once in place, you ...
Discover MoreOne of the properties you can specify for a document is a subject. You can then use a field code to insert this subject, ...
Discover MoreYou can create a special header and footer page numbering scheme by using nested fields. This tip shows an example of how ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments