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Page & section layout

This group of instructions controls the page and section layout of a document: the page size, orientation, and margins; page breaks and section breaks; the number of text columns; the starting page number; and mirror margins for double-sided binding.

Prerequisite: before using any of these instructions, the workflow must already have a DOCX document created or opened (with Create text doc), which these instructions will act upon.

A note on sections: a document is divided into one or more sections, and settings such as page size, orientation, margins, columns, and starting page number belong to a section. The instructions that change these settings (Configure Page Size/Orientation/Margins, Set Column Count, Configure Page Numbering Start) apply to the document’s last section, creating one if the document does not have any yet. To make later settings apply to only part of the document, add a section break first.

These concepts recur across several instructions in this group; they are explained here once.

  • Document: indicates which document in the workflow the instruction applies to. If left empty, the current document is used.

  • Dynamic values (@name): in a text field you can type @ followed by the name of a value saved earlier in the workflow, and it will be replaced by that value. In this group the only text field is Paper size.

  • “From variable” fields: the @name trick only works in text fields. So that a numeric field (like Top margin) or a yes/no field (like Landscape) can also take its value from a saved value, each one has a companion “from variable” field:

    • If you leave it empty, the value typed in the normal field is used.
    • If you fill it in with the name of a saved value, the engine ignores the normal field and uses that variable’s value.

    This is mainly for chaining instructions (one instruction saves a value, the next one reads it). If you only work with fixed values, you can ignore these fields.

Configure Page Margins .docx

Sets the four page margins (top, bottom, left, right), measured in centimeters, with decimals if needed (2.5).

When to use it: to widen or narrow the blank space around the text, for example to leave more room for binding or notes.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No
Top margin (cm) Top margin. -1 leaves it unchanged; 0 sets it to zero 3 No
Bottom margin (cm) Bottom margin. -1 leaves it unchanged; 0 sets it to zero 3 No
Left margin (cm) Left margin. -1 leaves it unchanged; 0 sets it to zero 3 No
Right margin (cm) Right margin. -1 leaves it unchanged; 0 sets it to zero 3 No
Top margin (from variable) Reads the top margin from a saved value (empty) No
Bottom margin (from variable) Reads the bottom margin from a saved value (empty) No
Left margin (from variable) Reads the left margin from a saved value (empty) No
Right margin (from variable) Reads the right margin from a saved value (empty) No

Important behavior: applies to the document’s last section (one is created if needed). Each margin follows the same rule — -1 leaves it unchanged (so you can change just one margin), 0 sets it to zero, a positive number sets it. Updates only the four page margins — the header and footer distances set by “Set Header Footer Margin .docx” are kept.

Configure Page Numbering Start .docx

Sets the page number that the section starts counting from.

When to use it: to make numbering start at a specific value — for example to begin the body at page 1 after front matter, or to continue numbering across files.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No
Starting page number The number the section starts counting from 1 No
Starting page number (from variable) Reads the starting number from a saved value (empty) No

Important behavior: applies to the document’s last section (one is created if needed). For the numbers to be visible, the document also needs a page-number field in a header or footer.

Configure Page Orientation .docx

Switches the page between portrait (tall) and landscape (wide) orientation.

When to use it: to turn the page sideways for wide tables or images, or back to upright.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No
Landscape Yes = landscape (wide); No = portrait (tall) No (portrait) No
Landscape (from variable) Reads the yes/no value from a saved value (empty) No

Important behavior: applies to the document’s last section (one is created if needed). It swaps the page’s width and height to match the chosen orientation, keeping the current page size.

Configure Page Size .docx

Sets the page size, either from a list of standard sizes or as custom dimensions.

When to use it: to choose the paper format (A4, Letter, Legal…) or to set an exact custom page size.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No
Paper size Standard size (A3, A4, LETTER, LEGAL) or CUSTOM A4 No
Custom width (cm) Page width in centimeters, used only when Paper size is CUSTOM 0 No
Custom height (cm) Page height in centimeters, used only when Paper size is CUSTOM 0 No
Custom width (from variable) Reads the custom width from a saved value (empty) No
Custom height (from variable) Reads the custom height from a saved value (empty) No

Important behavior: applies to the document’s last section (one is created if needed). An unrecognized Paper size falls back to A4. For CUSTOM, both width and height must be greater than 0, otherwise nothing happens. If the section is already in landscape, standard sizes keep that orientation.

Insert Page Break .docx

Inserts a manual page break at the end of the document, so the following content starts on a new page.

When to use it: to force a new page — for example to start a chapter at the top of a fresh page.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No

Important behavior: the break is added at the end of the document.

Insert Section Break Continuous .docx

Inserts a continuous section break — it starts a new section without moving to a new page.

When to use it: to change section settings (such as the number of columns) in the middle of a page.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No

Important behavior: the break is added at the end of the document; the new section continues on the same page.

Insert Section Break Even Odd Page .docx

Inserts a section break that starts the next section on the next even or odd page.

When to use it: in double-sided documents, to make a section (such as a chapter) always begin on a right-hand (odd) or left-hand (even) page.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No
Start on even page Yes = start on the next even page; No = start on the next odd page Yes (even) No
Start on even page (from variable) Reads the yes/no value from a saved value (empty) No

Important behavior: the break is added at the end of the document.

Insert Section Break Next Page .docx

Inserts a next-page section break — it starts a new section on a new page.

When to use it: to begin a new section on a fresh page, so it can use different page settings (orientation, margins, page size) from what came before.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No

Important behavior: the break is added at the end of the document; the new section starts on the next page.

Set Column Count .docx

Sets how many text columns the section is laid out in (like a newspaper).

When to use it: to split the text into two or more columns, or to return to a single column.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No
Number of columns How many columns to lay the text out in 2 No
Equal width Yes = all columns the same width; No = let the word processor size them Yes No
Number of columns (from variable) Reads the column count from a saved value (empty) No
Equal width (from variable) Reads the yes/no value from a saved value (empty) No

Important behavior: applies to the document’s last section (one is created if needed). A value below 1 is treated as 1 (a single column).

Set Mirror Margins .docx

Turns mirror margins on or off. With mirror margins, the left and right margins of facing pages are swapped so the inner (binding) margins line up.

When to use it: for documents that will be printed double-sided and bound, so the binding margin is consistent on both sides.

Parameter Meaning Default Required
Document Document the instruction applies to (current document) No
Enable Yes = turn mirror margins on; No = turn them off Yes No
Enable (from variable) Reads the yes/no value from a saved value (empty) No

Important behavior: this is a document-wide setting rather than a per-section one. When turned off, any existing mirror-margins setting is removed.

This documentation is the help of the application, and it comes underCreative Commons Attribution 4.0.