Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect for Windows

Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect

Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows® © Copyright 1996-2024 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.		Page updated Oct 16, 2018
[Original pub.: Jun 6, 2008]

WordPerfect Tips
Main tips page | Browse more tips

Using two footers simultaneously (one for page number, the other for separator line and filename, etc.) so that items do not overlap

Some related items -

• Modifying the legal Pleading feature

• Headers, Footers, and Watermarks - how to start, stop, suppress, edit, change, replace, delay, overlay, and remove them

• Page Numbering in WordPerfect (a page of links to basic information and some page formatting variations)

• The EdgeText macro - place text, date, or filename outside the page margins

• Creating and modifying custom templates

• The Suppress feature

• Delay codes

Some courts (e.g., in California) require a page number at the bottom of all pages except on Page 1, with a graphic separator line under it and then the filename or other text under the line.

In WordPerfect the easiest way is to put everything in a footer. (To see footers, headers, etc., on screen be sure to set WordPerfect's View menu to Page and not Draft.)

This presents a small problem in WordPerfect: When using a normal footer you can't selectively prevent displaying just the page number (here, just on Page 1) that was inserted in the footer and still leave the other text and graphics showing. (Note that this also applies to a header; see more here.)

However, you can do it using both footer types (Footer A and Footer B) in the document -- one for the page numbering and the other for the text and graphic line.

Tips

☼ Another way is to use just one type of footer (A or B), but creating it is just a bit more involved. See the example in Footnote 1.

☼ You could also modify the WordPerfect legal Pleading document to customize it instead of creating a brand new document. See here.

Note that both types of footers (and headers, too) are transparent and overlap the same area on the page when used simultaneously on the same pages. So a little tweaking is needed to keep them from interfering with each other.

Example

When you use two footers (or two headers) one lays on top of the other, so you need to do some spacing in one or the other (or both) if you want to see or print everything that is in both structures.

Assume you want something like this in the footer area -- but with the page number only suppressed on Page 1 and visible on all other pages such as this one:

- 10 -

filename.wpd [or other information]

If so, try this ...

Step 1. Turn normal page numbering OFF (if it's ON).

Since you will be using page numbers inside a footer (and this also applies to headers) you will want to be sure to turn normal (i.e., standard) page numbering OFF while the cursor is outside the footer in the main document area. Otherwise you will get duplicate page numbering on each page -- one from the normal page numbering feature (which displays in one of the 10 pre-set locations around the page) and one from the numbering code inside the footer.

To turn normal page numbering off, click in the top of the document (i.e., in the main editing screen's body text area). Then click on Format, Page, Numbering. The dialog below opens. Set the Position to "No Page Numbering" and click OK.

Note that if normal page number was not already turned on before starting with Step 1 then you should not see any new page numbering format code ([Pg Num Pos]) in Reveal Codes on that page and no page number should be visible.

Performing Step 1 is simply insurance against getting duplicate page numbers.

On the other hand if normal page numbering was turned on for that page, then Step 1 should change the existing [Pg Num Pos] code to [Pg Num Pos: None].

You can also simply delete the [Pg Num Pos] code where it appears in Reveal Codes to restore the program to its default page numbering state of Off (i.e., no page numbers) at that location. When page numbering is in the Off state the Position list defaults to "Bottom Center," which will be where numbering will appear if you don't choose another item from the list and then click OK (or press Enter). Hence, if you just want to view this dialog without adding page numbers to the document, be sure to click Cancel to exit from it.

Tips

☼ For more on this topic, including "Page x of y" numbering, see here and the following sections there.]

☼ For a guide to the various aspects of page numbering in WordPerfect see here.

Step 2. Create the first footer.

Click on Insert, Header/Footer, Footer A, Create. This opens a new Footer A, with your cursor inside it.

Step 3. Add a page number code and any other text on that line.

Insert a page number code with Format, Page, Insert Page Number; select the type of numbering and then click Insert, Close. You should see the current page number displayed and a new format code in Reveal Codes: [Pg Num Disp].

While still in the footer, go to the left of the page number code (or select it), center justify it with Format, Justification, Center and set any font/size for it that you want.

You can also add text around the number, such as hyphens: "-1-". (Note that a smaller font size than the document body text often looks better here.)

[Alternatively, you could use one of the "Mixing text justification (left-center-right) on the same line" methods here to include some text, the centered page number, and some more text set to flush right -- all on the same line.]

Now, go to the end of the line and press Enter. This moves the page number up one line on the page by placing a hard return directly under it.

Click outside the footer to return to the document.

Step 4. Create the second footer.

Click on Insert, Header/Footer, Footer B, Create. This opens Footer B. Immediately press Enter to move subsequent text or graphics down a line then insert a horizontal graphic line with Insert, Line, Horizontal Line. Press Enter following the graphic line (i.e., at the end of the graphic) to move the insertion cursor down one more line.

For our example, enter a filename code with Insert, Other, Filename (or Path and Filename). (These will appear when the document is saved.) Or, enter any other text.

Optional (which can be done later in Step 6):

You can format the filename (or other text) by selecting it and applying a different font/size or position in the same manner as the page number.

You can adjust the graphic line's thickness and/or space above/below the line by double-clicking on the [Graph Line] code to open the Edit Graphic Lines dialog.

Step 5. Prevent the first footer from appearing on Page 1.

Now (assuming) you want to suppress printing the page number on page 1:

Click anywhere outside the footer to exit from it. Go to the top of the document and click Format, Page, Suppress. This opens the Suppress dialog. Check (tick) the box next to "Footer A."

Rationale: You want to suppress the entire footer that contains the page numbering code you just created in Step 2 -- i.e., Footer A. It will reappear on page 2 and following pages (if any).

Footer B contains the graphic line and other text or codes (e.g., a Filename code), and will display on Page 1 and following pages (if any).

[It's important to note that checking "Page Numbering" on the Suppress dialog would suppress numbering set up by the Format, Page, Numbering feature -- a method which was not used here -- so you don't need to check that box.]

Step 6. Review and edit if needed.

Check the document to see if it looks right to you. You might need to add a few page breaks (Ctrl+Enter) if it has just one page.

You may want to adjust the bottom page margin where the footer "sits" if the new footers are pushing up the body text too much.

To edit a footer just click inside it (or use the Insert menu). For example, if you want to add some space above and/or below the graphic line in Footer B, you could add additional hard returns in the footers with the Enter key, or click the graphic line (select it) and then click Edit, Edit Graphic Line (or just double click on the [Graph Line] code in Reveal Codes) then adjust the "Space above (or below) line".

If you edit the line, you may have to make corresponding changes in the spacing of the other footer.

Tips

If this works for your purposes you could either -

(A) record a macro that would go to the top of the document and create these structures in the same way as above, whenever you need them; or

(B) create a QuickWord abbreviation from the two Footer codes so that you can quickly and easily insert these custom footers in any document; or

(C) record a style in your template (or the default template) so you can set up documents by selecting a style; or

(D) you could just add these structures to a new custom template so that they are always present.

Footnote 1

[From a Sept. 2016 post on WordPerfect Universe here:]

Can you use just one type of footer (A or B)?

A user asked how to create numbered footers but where the first page's footer is not numbered, and where the second page begins with the number "1".

My suggestion was to use a Delay code. The general method can be adapted for other "postpone formatting" situations.

...

"1. Create your footer (e.g., Insert, Header/Footer, Footer A) at the top of page 1 with the desired content -- but do not include page numbering inside the footer or on the main document. Exit from the footer by clicking in the document.

2. Still on page 1 (just to the right of the new [Footer A] code):

Create a [Delay] code with Format, Page, Delay Codes, 1, OK. When the Define Delayed Codes editor opens: On the main WordPerfect menu use Format, Page, Numbering and for Position set it to No Page Numbering. Then click Set Value and set the number to "1" (if it's not already 1). Click OK twice to return to the Delay Codes editor. You should see this code in Reveal Codes: [Pg Num Set].

3. Still in the Define Delayed Codes editor:

Click the Header/Footer button on the editor's toolbar, and choose the same type of Footer (A or B) you used on page 1 of the document. Click Create. You will now be inside the footer. Enter your text, etc., [i.e., the same as in the footer on page 1] and place the page number code where desired -- e.g., with Format, Line, Flush Right (on the main menu), then use the Page Numbering icon on the property bar or Ctrl+p. (Note: The new Footer A will supersede the Footer A on page 1.)

4. Click the Close icon (looks like a yellow folder) on the property bar to return to the Delay Codes editor. You should now see these codes: [Pg Num Set][Footer A].

5. Click Close on the editor's toolbar to return to the document.

Important: All of this presumes you have set the normal page numbering Position to No Page Numbering (step 2) so that you don't get duplicate page numbers on each page from page 2 forward."
...