MS Word — How to Create Dynamic "Running Headers" and Footers

Would you like to have headers and footers in your MS Word document that pick up text automatically from a heading paragraph style and display it dynamically?
FrameMaker accomplishes that through built-in RunningHeader variables, created specifically for that purpose. In MS Word it takes a tiny bit more effort to accomplish a similar effect.
1) Select View > Headed and Footer from the menu to display your header area and the Header and Footer tool bar.
MS Word 2003 Header and Footer tool bar
2) Click and insert your cursor inside the Header dotted-line area.
3) Select Insert > Field from the menu to display the Field dialog box.
4) Select StyleRef from the Field Names text box to display the Style Names available:

MS Word 2003 FIELD Dialog Box
5) Click and select Heading 1 and click OK button to insert the text that’s tagged with that style into the header:
MS Word 2003 Heading 1 tag inside Header
6) Click the Close button to close the Header and Footer toolbar.
NOTE: Repeat the same procedure for the footer and experiment by inserting different StyleRef fields.
7) TEST: Change the first line of text by deleting “HEADING 1 –” and leaving only “Introduction.” The header will dynamically and automatically reflect the change you’ve made:
MS Word 2003 Heading 1 tag inside Header
Congrats!  You’ve created your first “Runner Header.”
If Header1-tagged text changes to “Configuration” on page 4 (just as an example), then your header on that page would also automatically change to display: “Configuration”. Isn’t that neat?
ASSIGNMENT: Can you display a Header 2 text right under the Header 1 text inside the header area?

1 Comment

  1. Guest on November 25, 2010 at 8:09 am

    Thanks a lot!