The many ways to use the new Date field options in Writer!

The many ways to use the new Date field options in Writer!

With the all-new date field options, you can forget about manually calculating your past, present and future dates and leave it all to Writer to automatically calculate it for you.

1. To insert today's date:
If you're writing a letter, you'll likely want to include the current date to show the day it was sent. However, since you could be drafting the letter today but sending it a week later, it's important that your date field updates automatically to the current date.  To do this go to Fields > Date > Dynamic Today's Date. 




2. To display a future or past date:

Future date
Say you're drafting a payment reminder letter to let your subscribers know that the payment deadline has been extended 25 days from the original due date. Instead of calculating the extended due date manually, you can simply input +25 and Writer will automatically input the date into your letter.

To do this, go to Create Custom Date Field. In the Preset date value field, enter your original due date (let's say it's 06/29/2021). Now to convert this due date to the extended date, all you have to do is add 25 days in the (+)Add days option below. Writer will then automatically calculate this date for you.



Past date
Similarly, if you wanted to include a past date from your original due date, you can just enter the days you want to subtract from your original due date. To do this, go to Create Custom Date Field. In the Preset date value field, enter your original due date (we'll use 06/29/2021 again).

Now to convert this due date to the past date, all you have to do is enter the number of days or month(s) you want in the (-)Subtract days option below. In this case say it's 25 days. Writer will then automatically calculate this date for you.



3. To create a named date field and reuse it throughout the document:
Now let's say you want to use the extended date field from example 1 in multiple places in a document, so that if you changed the settings for one of these extended date fields it would affect all the other fields as well.

To do this, go to Create Custom Date Field and create the extended date field like how it's shown in example 1. After you've created the field, go to Date >  Custom Autofields > Extended due date and place the fields wherever necessary in the document. Now if you were to change the settings for one of these fields (if perhaps you want to change the extended date field from 25 to 30 days), then this change would be reflected in every other field in the document as well. 




4 (a). To add business dates during document merge:
Payment due dates, submission deadlines, and meeting dates often take place on business days and exclude weekends. To calculate only business dates during document merge, click the settings icon next to Manage Fields and click Configure next to the Date merge field. Now add or subtract the number of days you want, then check the Exclude option and select Weekends.




4 (b). To add business dates for new merge date fields:
If you wanted to create a new merge date field (like an extended date field which is 25 days from your original date) that excludes weekends, go to Create Field.




Now, add the name of the field and choose the format as Date. Click Configure under the Value option.




Select the field value as your original date (as your extended date will be 25 days after). Now enter 25 in the (+) Add days option, then check the Exclude option and select Weekends.




4 (c). To add business dates for particular date fields: 
To add business dates for particular date fields, click on the date field in the template you want to change and the choose the Change for this instance alone option.



Select the Configure option and add or subtract the days you want, then check the Exclude option and select Weekends. 






Like the update? Let us know what you think of this feature in the comments below, and follow us on Twitter to catch all the latest Writer news first.

    • Sticky Posts

    • Free webinar! Build smarter apps with Zoho Sign and Zoho Creator

      Hello, Bring the power of digital signatures to the apps you build in Zoho Creator! Connect Zoho Sign as a microservice and enable seamless e-signature workflows in your applications. This integration allows you to automate signing tasks using Deluge.

      • Recent Topics

      • How to move emails to Shared Mailbox?

        Hello, I created a Shred Mailbox instead of using a distribution group. But I cannot move previous emails to certain shared mailbox. Is it possible move some emails from inbox to shared mailbox?

      • Email task creator when task is updated/marked complete

        I am looking for a way to notify the creator of a task in zoho todo when - Task is updated Task is closed Comments entered 1 and 2 are critical, and I cannot find a zoho flow to do this. There is no way that as a manager I will know when someone has completed

      • The attendees will now be redirected to the landing webpage when they exit the webinar, set by the organizer.

        Hello All, In the latest version of the Zoho Meeting iOS mobile app (v1.3.16), we have brought in the below enhancements:   Post Webinar Re-direction Revamped exit UI for Webinar Post Webinar Re-direction:  The attendees will now be redirected to the

      • Download API file contents from browser

        Hi Team - is there something being planned to be able to trigger file downloads from the browser via a deluge script? i.e. retrieve a file via API, trigger the file download directly from the browser. Or... using the convertToPdf function (https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/functions/file/convert-to-pdf.html)

      • When using "locations" in zoho books, can you keep the two locations totally separate from each other?

        I am looking to add a location but I don't want to intermingle the banking or other accounts. I want that to be like two separate independent branches that use different banking accounts, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. The people who are in

      • Adding a Channel to SalesIQ

        I have a client that currently uses Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk. They would like a live chat to place on their website that has a mobile app and chat bots (something like SalesIQ). However, they would also like to have all this work over SMS as well. Does the SalesIQ API allow this? Can I add visitors without them being a visitor on a website? Thanks! Bryan Redeagle

      • How Do I Refund a Customer Directly to Their Credit Card?

        Hi, I use books to auto-charge my customers credit card. But when I create a credit note there doesn't seem to be a way to directly refund the amount back to their credit card. Is the only way to refund a credit note by doing it "offline" - or manually-

      • Zoho Flow Needs to Embrace AI Agent Protocols to Stay Competitive

        Zoho Flow has long been a reliable platform for automating workflows and integrating various applications. However, in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-driven automation, it risks falling behind competitors like n8n, which are pioneering advancements

      • Important Features Missing

        Hey all I love linkthread, but i am missing some important features. I want to be able to include my Google Tag Manager. I have all the important stuff in my GTM Container: Facebook Pixel, LinkIn Pixel, Zoho Pagesense and so on. So i am able to do retargeting

      • Zoho SignForms: Prefill parameters with spaces render as “+” in the document (even when using %20)

        Hello Zoho Sign team, we are using SignForms with prefill parameters passed via URL. Spaces in parameter values are being rendered as “+” in the finalized document—even when we URL-encode spaces as %20. This is critical for us because we prefill addresses

      • Currency selector (based on variable) usage in comparsion

        Hi, I've developed a currency selector based on the following topic, and it's working well in pivot tables and charts: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/how-can-i-allow-my-users-to-choose-a-currency-for-the-dashboard I also have a comparison

      • Customize Column in Projects - Default View for Template?

        Is there a way to have the columns you'd like to see added to a template? I want my customized columns to show up every single time I create a project from that template. It appears I can customize them in the template but when I create the project they do not transfer over.  Template: See below how the columns in order are : Task, Owner, Status, Assigned, Website URL, Blog H1..etc. When I create a project from that same template it comes out as: Task, Owner, Status, Tags, Start Date, End Date, etc

      • Ask the Experts 24: Analytics, data administration, and mobile experience with Zoho Desk

        Hello Everyone! Welcome back to the Ask the Experts(ATE) series! We were so focused on our Autumn 2025 release that we didn't host an ATE session last month. In this month's ATE, we'd like to expand our areas for discussion: we'd like to listen to your

      • Multi-Page Forms in Zoho Creator!

        Let’s make long applications easier to handle by dividing them into pages, adding a progress bar, and guiding users step by step through complex data entry. This would be a total game-changer for the user experience and could significantly boost completion

      • Email login error

        Login successfully but email page error

      • Shared Mailboxes Disappeared

        Zoho Mail users in our company haven't been able to see their Shared Mailboxes for the past few hours. I've checked with App and Web Access, but they can't access them. When I send emails to their addresses, I get no error messages. They're still visible

      • Remote Server is misconfigured

        Dear Team, I am unable to use email id as remote server is misconfigured. It would be really great if you could help on this and get this resolved. Thanks & Regard Rohit Gupta

      • why cant i access my email account. it keeps asking me for reverifiying my account by entering my password.

        I cant access my account. it keeps asking me for reverifcaton by entering my password. once its entered it asks for it over and over.

      • Free webinar alert on October 16 - Less Complexity, More Security: Workplace + Directory

        Hello Zoho Workplace Community! Security and productivity shouldn't be at odds—and with Zoho, they're not. Discover how Zoho Workplace + Directory delivers seamless collaboration with enterprise-grade security, all in one integrated ecosystem. Join our

      • Email Recall Feature In Zoho Mail Which Should Also Work For Outside Organisation Members

        Add a feature to recall or undo sending an email within a configurable short time window (e.g., 30 seconds to 2 minutes) after hitting send, similar to Gmail’s undo send. Currently the sent email can not be recall If the recipient is not from within your

      • Workdrive and ChatGPT Team Synced Connectors

        Hi, we want to be able to integrate Zoho Workdrive with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Team plan. Google Drive and OneDrive both offer this, zoho please catch up asap. We dont want to have to put our company files in google drive, we want to allow chatgpt Team edition

      • Alias Name (on items) use case in Zoho inventory

        Hey, Hope everyone is well. Wondering if anyone can shed some light on the use case of Alias Names on Products in Zoho Inventory? Cheers, Chris

      • Updating an Invoice Line Item's Discount Account via API Call / Deluge Custom Function

        I need help updating an invoice line item's discount account via API. Below is a screenshot of the line item field I am referring to. Now the field to the left of the highlighted field (discount account) is the sales income account. I am able to modify

      • Send e-mail with attachments

        Dear Zoho, How is that possible in Zoho Flow to send an e-mail with attachment?  Just a simple example: Zoho Flow checks my Zoho mails and if the conditions starts the trigger then I would like to send an email with the original email's attachment. Any idea? BR, Adam

      • How to I get checkboxes on a subform to update via deluge

        Hello, would someone be able to tell me what I'm doing wrong here? I am trying to take the contents of a Deals subform and add them to an invoice then update the checkbox on each row so that 'add to invoice' is unticked and 'invoiced' is ticked. The output

      • Your bot just got smarter: AI-Powered routing that reads between the lines

        What if your bot could tell the difference? Between a visitor who just needs a quick answer, someone actively comparing options, and a frustrated customer one click away from leaving? Most bots can't. They deliver the same response to everyone, missing

      • Urgent Security Feature Request – Add MFA to Zoho Projects Client Portal Hello Zoho Projects Team,

        Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit an urgent security enhancement request regarding the Zoho Projects Client Portal. At this time, as far as we are aware, there is no Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) available

      • Unified customer portal login

        As I'm a Zoho One subscriber I can provide my customers with portal access to many of the Zoho apps. However, the customer must have a separate login for each app, which may be difficult for them to manage and frustrating as all they understand is that

      • Zoho Projects - Task Owner filter at Project level

        Hi Projects Team, The feature requests I would like to raise is the ability to create a custom view at the project level for projects with tasks owned by a user or users. For example "Ashley's Projects" custom view might contain a list of project in which

      • Cadences

        I have just started using Cadences for follow-up up email pipeline. Is it just me or do you find the functionality very basic? For example, it will tell me (if I go looking for it) if someone has replied to a follow-up and been unenrolled; but it won't

      • Zoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series!

        Dear users, Continuing in the spirit of our 'Function Fridays' series, where we've been sharing custom function scripts to automate your back office operations, we're thrilled to introduce our latest initiative – the 'Zoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series'.

      • Custom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder

        Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities if

      • Would be really awesome to have Created Time and Modified Time showing for custom functions list

        It would be SO HELPFUL to be able to sort custom functions by created time/ modified time. Also seeing a created by/ modified by with the little profile picture would be supremely helpful as well. Just really hard sometimes to find a function you were

      • Ticket Export Does Not Include Ticket Threads

        Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, I hope you’re doing well. I would like to report an issue regarding the ticket export functionality in Zoho Desk. Currently, when exporting tickets, the ticket threads or conversation history are not included — only the ticket

      • Payments made notification

        This is a really wonderful feature but we can only use it for about 50% of payments made & have to revert to sending statements which is a real chore. Credits applied to the bills paid in the notification aren't included & this causes great confusion in the accounts receivable departments. Please, please add this required feature asap ! .....

      • Ability to add VAT to Retainer Invoices

        Hello, I've had a telephone conversation a month ago with Dinesh on this topic and my request to allow for the addition of VAT on Retainer Invoices.  It's currently not possible to add VAT to Retainer Invoices and it was mutually agreed that there is absolutely no reason why there shouldn't be, especially as TAX LAW makes VAT mandatory on each invoice in Europe!   So basically, what i'm saying is that if you don't allow us to add VAT to Retainer Invoices, than the whole Retainer Invoices becomes

      • ZOHO DESK link with Power BI

        HI, I am using ZOHO Desk for last two years and now my client is asking to integrate ZOHO desk data to Power BI so that they can use Data for reporting. Kindly guide in details so that i can give access to ZOHO desk export data for more visibility.

      • URLs being masked despite disabling tracking

        Hey, We had disabled click tracking from an email update we are sharing with our users. Despite this, the URL the end user is receiving is masked, and looks like "https://qksyl-cmpzourl.maillist-manage.net/click/1d8e72714515cda6/1d8e72714515ca70" instead

      • Dashboard Autorefesh

        Good day, I am a dashboard that displays the number of tickets based on "Product Name". This dashboard is displayed on a big TV for the team to monitor. Can the dashboard auto-refresh every few minutes to display the new values? Currently, we have closed

      • Deferred/ Unearned revenue

        Dear Zoho Team, Just in case you have missed out my query posted few days ago: We issue invoices relating to 12-month web hosting service. When we issue the invoice, we should record the entire amount of the invoice as DEFERRED/UNEARNED REVENUE (ie. $10

      • Next Page