Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 1, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
There may be times when you want your header or footer to contain the date of the last time that your workbook was saved. Normally, this is not information you can set in Excel. However, you can use the following macro to force the information into the proper place:
Sub MyFooter() Dim mh As String On Error Resume Next mh = ActiveWorkbook.BuiltinDocumentProperties("Last Save Time") If Err = 440 Then Err = 0 mh = ActiveWorkbook.BuiltinDocumentProperties("Creation Date") If Err = 440 Then Err = 0 mh = "Not Set" End If End If mh = Left(mh, 8) ActiveSheet.PageSetup.LeftFooter = "Saved: " & mh End Sub
There are a number of items to note in this macro. First of all, it attempts to determine the last date (and time) that the workbook was saved. If that information cannot be determined, then it extracts the date it was created. Finally, if that cannot be found, then it sets the footer to "Not Saved."
Notice that there is some error handling done in this macro. The reason is that Excel will return an error if a particular document property (BuiltinDocumentProperty in this case) is not set. The error needs to be intercepted and handled, which is done here.
You should note that this macro, once run, will set the left footer to the desired information. That information will not change again until you run the macro again. Thus, if you always want an up-to-date date in the footer, then you should either run the macro periodically (perhaps right before printing), or set it up to run whenever you open your document.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2055) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Want to print different headers or footers on different parts of your worksheet? Excel has no inherent way to do this, ...
Discover MoreNormally Excel displays row and column headers in a worksheet. If you prefer, you can turn these navigational aids off ...
Discover MoreWhen preparing your worksheet for printing, you may want to add a header that appears at the top of each page that you ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2023 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments