Need a date in your document? You can insert one with a menu command (select Insert-Date and Time, then choose further options from a dialogue box). If you're fond of keyboard shortcuts, there are alternatives.

Word 97 & 2000: put the cursor where you want the date and press <Alt>-<Shift>-D. There's a twist to this approach: the date you get is a dynamic date field that will update each time you load the document. To make the current date permanent, click the field once, then press <Ctrl>-<Shift>-F9. To change the default appearance of dates you have entered in this manner, select Insert-Date and Time, choose the desired format, click Default, and confirm the change.

WordPerfect 8 & 9: place the cursor at the desired position and press <Ctrl>-D to permanently insert the current date. To insert a date code that will automatically update itself, press <Ctrl>-<Shift>-D. (Hey, Microsoft, see how easy it can be?)

-- George Campbell