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Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows®
© Copyright 1996-2024 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.

Plain numbering (like WordPerfect's QuickFill feature): 1     2     3	Prefix added to numbers: #1     #2     #3
Suffix added (period/full stop): 1.     2.     3.	Perfix and suffix added: (1)     (2)     (3)
Bates ("fixed width") numbers: [See also BATES in the Library.] 001     002     003	Bates ("fixed width") numbers, with a prefix and a suffix: #001:     #002:     #003:

How it works

From the current table cell, this macro -

(1) deletes any existing items (cell contents and formulas) in the current column from the cursor location to the last cell in that column; then it

(2) adds incrementing numbers (1 .. n) in that column up to, and including, the last cell in that column.

Caution: Obviously, since the macro deletes any existing items in some cells, you should make a backup of your document first.

Modifications

See the redlined User Modifcation Area in the macro's code. (You can open the macro like any other WordPerfect document, make changes, and then click the Save & Compile button on the macro toolbar.)

Known limitations and caveats

(1) The column cells' Numeric Format must be set to General (the typical default) and not to Text or other format style.

Starting with version 1.3 the macro will do this automatically. But if you wish to do it manually in any table:

Tip: To set a column to General format the easy way:

(a) Move the cursor in a cell to near the top border of the cell until it turns into an upward-pointing arrow --

(b) then double click your mouse to select the entire column;
(c) then right-click in the selected column and choose Numeric Format, General;
(d) then click OK.

(2) The macro language does not offer a way to detect if the cursor is in a header row of a table. (See Table, Format, Row for the header row setting in effect for the current row.) Be sure to start numbering in a non-header row.

Tip
You can sssign this macro to a menu, keystroke combination, or toolbar button. See here.

QwikFill Dates.wcm (v1.0) is a macro that automatically fills a series of table cells — even dozens or hundreds of them — in the current table column with your chosen dates (in plain text), each date incremented by a chosen interval (e.g., every "n" days/weeks/months/years).

Example: Type numerical dates into a table column (and add weekdays to each date) for every other day starting on Jan. 25, 2019:

Dates are automatically calculated based on a starting date (the default is the current date but you can specify another date), so months with less than 31 days as well as leap years are taken into account when incrementing the dates.  [All dates are calendar dates; hence the macro includes weekends and holidays in its calculations.]

The macro can be useful when you need to print a date-specific schedule, task list, diary, or other documentation using flexible periodic dates in any of 24 formats — including several with appended weekday names — e.g., January 31, 2023 (Tuesday).

Optionally, you can include extra text characters or symbols (e.g., a checkbox) from a menu to include before and/or after each date.

Note that a table, as used here, is simply a formatting tool:

Unlike using (e.g.) a typical monthly-calendar-on-a-page (there's a macro for that!) a table allows formatting larger amounts of date-specific material using adjacent table cells — which items are easy to manually select and copy later into multiple cells. Further, the typed dates can then act as paragraph or section headings for each adjacent block of material.

When you have finished playing the macro you can change or remove the table's lines and borders, or even remove the table's entire structure (leaving behind just the dates and optional text), with a few mouse clicks (see the tips below).

Operation

When played with the cursor located inside a table cell, a menu will appear to let you specify the:

Since all dates are simply typed into the cells they can be formatted in a large variety of ways — e.g., numbers only, mixed text and numbers, day before month and vice versa, etc.

The desired format for all typed dates in the range can be quickly selected from representative examples displayed in the menu's drop list.

The best way to see how it works is to -

Operational notes

•  This macro does NOT use WordPerfect's built-in QuickFill feature (on the program's Table menu choice). Instead, it calculates each date, formats it, and types it into the appropriate table cell as plain text. Hence the dates are not designed for further calculation.

•  Existing cell contents are deleted: The macro deletes any existing items — both cell contents and formulas — in each cell in the specified insertion range. Be sure to use a range of cells that are empty or do not contain important material.

•  "Short" tables: If the table doesn't have enough available rows for the desired number of dates the macro will stop and exit at the end of the column. A message will appear to alert you about the issue. You can always add more rows (Table, Insert, Rows) and play the macro again with the cursor in the same (or different) "start date" cell.

•  Table header rows: The macro language does not offer a way to detect if the cursor is in a header row of a table when you start playing the macro. (See Table, Format, Row for the header row setting in effect for the current row.) Be sure to start the date insertions in a non-header row.

Tips

•  You can always immediately undo date insertions with Edit, Undo (or with Ctrl+z).

•  Your desired menu defaults can be set in the redlined User Modification Area.

•  The entire range of dates can be selected to apply custom text formatting to it (e.g., new font, text attributes, size, color, etc.).

•  If you prefer slightly different date formatting — e.g., use periods (full stops) instead of slash marks as date separators — you can simply select the table rows containing the dates and use Edit, Find and Replace to change from one to the other. (For more permanent changes you can modify any of the 24 provided date formats in the User Modification Area.)

•  To type the last day of every "n" months, set the Start date's Day field to 31 and choose month(s) for the Interval. As with other intervals you can choose, months with less that 31 days (February, April, June, September, and November) and leap year dates will be automatically adjusted.

•  You can split any table into one or more separate tables with Table, Split. Once split, your can add hard returns or page breaks between them: Use Reveal Codes to place the cursor above the split (i.e., just to the left side of the [Tbl Def] code) and then press Enter (or Ctrl+Enter for page breaks).

•  As with any table, you can add, remove or change table borders and fills with Table, Borders/Fill. For more tips on using and formatting WordPerfect tables see https://wptoolbox.com/tips/TablTips.html.

•  You can convert any WordPerfect table to ordinary document text with Table, Convert. This removes the table structure — lines, borders, and fills. You are given the choice to separate cells in the same rows with commas, hard returns, tabs, etc. (Most likely you would choose tabs.) Note that the cursor must be inside the table to convert it.