>I've saved the document as a template. Then I open a new document in word based on this template. I see these fields as *Date*, etc. They look and behave like regular words. What should I do?
Well, the idea is to repeat the following for each variable: press Ctrl-Home (beginning of document), search, e.g., for *Date*, and insert text. Deleting the text should not be necessary - I believe - since it will already be selected when you insert text.
(Alternately, if you use bookmarks, give the command to go to the bookmark and insert the corresponding text.)
When you manage to automate this, we'll get to the next point: the table.
Hilmar.
Difference in opinions hath cost many millions of lives: for instance, whether flesh be bread, or bread be flesh; whether whistling be a vice or a virtue; whether it be better to kiss a post, or throw it into the fire... (from Gulliver's Travels)