Creating Custom Document Properties

Besides your actual document, Word also maintains quite a bit of statistical and overview information about your document. You can view a portion of this information by choosing the Properties option from the File menu. Word then displays the Properties dialog box for your document, and you can use the different tabs to view the information maintained.

In addition to the standard properties maintained by Word, you can create your own custom document properties. These can then be used within your document (using the DOCPROPERTY field) or within macros. To create a custom document property, follow these steps:

1. Choose Properties from the File menu. Word displays the Properties dialog box for your document. (To display this dialog box in Word 2007 you click the Office button | Prepare | Document Properties and then use the Document Properties drop-down list to choose Advanced Properties.)
2. Make sure the Custom tab is selected. (Click here to see a related figure.)
3. In the Name box, type the name you want used for your new document property.
4. Using the Type drop-down list, specify the type that best describes what you will store in this document property.
5. In the Value box, type the value you want assigned to the property.
6. Click on the Add button. Your new property appears at the bottom of the dialog box, in the Properties list.
7. Click on OK or Cancel to dismiss the Properties dialog box.