| Applies to |
| Microsoft Office Word 2003 |
| Microsoft Word 2002 |
If you use fields to add dynamic information to your documents, you'll find user interface improvements in Microsoft Word 2002 and later that make it easier to insert fields and set their properties.
Streamlined interface with clear, verbose labels
The Field dialog box (Insert menu) is now streamlined and simplified. In previous versions, you used different dialog boxes to select a field and set its properties and switches. Now, you can do everything in the same dialog box.
In addition, field codes, which can sometimes be cryptic, have been supplemented with clearly labeled options for specifying each field property and switch.
Select the field, properties, and options in one place
Properties and switches are clearly labeled
For example, if you want to set the level of a list item in a LISTNUM field, you can simply select the Level in the list check box, and then type the level you want. You never have to see the field code if you don't want to. Contrast this to previous versions, in which you had to tunnel into the Field Options, and then manually add the \l switch.
Field functionality is exactly the same, and you can still type your own code
These improvements have done nothing to change the underlying functionality and flexibility of fields.
If you prefer to work with field codes manually, you can still do so. Click Field Codes in the Field dialog box to have Word display the familiar Field code box, and from there click Options to set properties and switches the same way you did in previous versions.
