RTF sections, headers and footers

A document is one or more sections, each a run of paragraphs with its own page setup, columns, page numbering, and headers and footers. \sect ends a section.

<section> = <secfmt>* <hdrftr>? <para>+ (\sect <section>)?

Section properties can appear anywhere in the section and apply to the whole of it, except the break words (\sbk…), which describe the break before the section. Without \sectd a section inherits every property of the previous one. Lengths are in twips.

General

Control word	Meaning
`\sect`	End of the section (and of its last paragraph); a new section starts.
`\sectd`	Reset to the default section properties.
`\endnhere`	Endnotes are placed in this section.
`\binfsxnN`	Printer paper bin for the first page of the section; if absent, `\binsxn` is used.
`\binsxnN`	Printer paper bin for the pages of the section.
`\dsN`	Section style; its properties must also be written out with the section.
`\pnseclvlN`	Destination: default Word 6 numbering for level `N` in this section.
`\sectunlocked`	The section is not protected when the document is protected for forms.

Section breaks

Control word	Break before the section
`\sbknone`	No break (continuous).
`\sbkcol`	New column.
`\sbkpage`	New page (default).
`\sbkeven`	Next even page.
`\sbkodd`	Next odd page.

Columns

Control word	Meaning
`\colsN`	Number of newspaper-style columns (default 1).
`\colsxN`	Space between columns (default 720).
`\colnoN`	The column the next two words describe, for columns of different widths.
`\colsrN`	Space to the right of that column.
`\colwN`	Width of that column.
`\linebetcol`	Line between columns.

Line numbers

Control word	Meaning
`\linemodN`	Number every `N`th line (default 1).
`\linexN`	Distance from the line number to the left text margin (default 360; 0 means automatic).
`\linestartsN`	First line number (default 1).
`\linerestart`	Line numbers restart at the `\linestarts` value.
`\lineppage`	Line numbers restart on each page.
`\linecont`	Line numbers continue from the previous section.

Page size and margins

\sectd resets each of these to the matching document property.

Control word	Meaning
`\pgwsxnN`	Page width (from `\paperw`).
`\pghsxnN`	Page height (from `\paperh`).
`\marglsxnN`	Left margin (from `\margl`).
`\margrsxnN`	Right margin (from `\margr`).
`\margtsxnN`	Top margin (from `\margt`).
`\margbsxnN`	Bottom margin (from `\margb`).
`\guttersxnN`	Gutter (from `\gutter`). Without facing pages it is added to the left margin of every page; with them, to the left of odd pages and the right of even pages.
`\margmirsxn`	Swap left and right margins on facing pages.
`\lndscpsxn`	The section is landscape. To mix portrait and landscape sections, leave out the document’s `\landscape`.
`\titlepg`	The first page has its own format (and its own header and footer).
`\headeryN`	Header distance from the top of the page (default 720).
`\footeryN`	Footer distance from the bottom of the page (default 720).

Page numbers

Control word	Meaning
`\pgnstartsN`	First page number (default 1).
`\pgncont`	Continue page numbers from the previous section (default).
`\pgnrestart`	Restart page numbers at the `\pgnstarts` value.
`\pgnxN`	Page number `N` twips from the right margin (default 720). Understood but not used by Word 6.0 and later.
`\pgnyN`	Page number `N` twips from the top margin (default 720). Understood but not used by Word 6.0 and later.
`\pgnhnN`	Put the number of heading level `N` (1 to 9) before the page number; 0 (default) for none. Only with numbered heading styles.
`\pgnhnsh`	Separator between heading number and page number: hyphen.
`\pgnhnsp`	Separator: full stop.
`\pgnhnsc`	Separator: colon.
`\pgnhnsm`	Separator: em dash.
`\pgnhnsn`	Separator: en dash.

The page number format is one of:

Control word	Format
`\pgndec`	Decimal.
`\pgnucrm`	Upper-case Roman.
`\pgnlcrm`	Lower-case Roman.
`\pgnucltr`	Upper-case letters.
`\pgnlcltr`	Lower-case letters.
`\pgnbidia`	Abjad Jawaz if the language is Arabic, Biblical standard if Hebrew.
`\pgnbidib`	Alif Ba Tah if the language is Arabic, non-standard decimal if Hebrew.
`\pgnchosung`	Korean numbering 1 (`*chosung`).
`\pgnganada`	Korean numbering 2 (`*ganada`).
`\pgncnum`	Circle numbering (`*circlenum`).
`\pgndbnum`	Kanji numbering without the digit character.
`\pgndbnumd`	Kanji numbering with the digit character.
`\pgndbnumt`	Kanji numbering 3 (`*dbnum3`).
`\pgndbnumk`	Kanji numbering 4 (`*dbnum4`).
`\pgndecd`	Double-byte decimal.
`\pgngbnum`	Chinese numbering 1 (`*gb1`).
`\pgngbnumd`	Chinese numbering 2 (`*gb2`).
`\pgngbnuml`	Chinese numbering 3 (`*gb3`).
`\pgngbnumk`	Chinese numbering 4 (`*gb4`).
`\pgnzodiac`	Chinese zodiac numbering 1 (`*zodiac1`).
`\pgnzodiacd`	Chinese zodiac numbering 2 (`*zodiac2`).
`\pgnzodiacl`	Chinese zodiac numbering 3 (`*zodiac3`).

Vertical alignment, direction and text flow

Control word	Meaning
`\vertalt`	Text aligned to the top of the page (default).
`\vertalb`	Aligned to the bottom.
`\vertalc`	Centred vertically.
`\vertalj`	Justified vertically.
`\rtlsect`	Columns run from right to left.
`\ltrsect`	Columns run from left to right (default).
`\horzsect`	Horizontal rendering.
`\vertsect`	Vertical rendering.
`\stextflowN`	Text flow: 0 left to right, top to bottom; 1 top to bottom, right to left, vertical; 2 left to right, bottom to top; 3 right to left, top to bottom; 4 left to right, top to bottom, vertical; 5 vertical, with a non-vertical font.

Page borders

The same words as in the document properties, applying to this section: \pgbrdrhead, \pgbrdrfoot, \pgbrdrt, \pgbrdrb, \pgbrdrl, \pgbrdrr, \brdrartN (art border 1 to 165), \pgbrdroptN (8, 32 or 40) and \pgbrdrsnap. The style, width, colour and spacing of each side use the paragraph border words.

Line and character grid

Control word	Meaning
`\sectexpandN`	Character pitch minus font size, in device-independent units of 1/294,912 inch.
`\sectlinegridN`	Line pitch, in twentieths of a point.
`\sectdefaultcl`	Default state: neither of the next two words is written.
`\sectspecifycl`	Specify the number of characters per line only.
`\sectspecifyl`	Specify both characters per line and lines per page.
`\sectspecifygenN`	Text snaps to the character grid. The `N` is part of the word.

Headers and footers

Headers and footers are destinations at the start of a section. A section without its own uses the previous section’s.

<hdrftr> = '{' <hdrctl> <para>+ '}' <hdrftr>?
<hdrctl> = \header | \footer | \headerl | \headerr | \headerf | \footerl | \footerr | \footerf

Control word	Meaning
`\header`	Destination: header on all pages.
`\footer`	Destination: footer on all pages.
`\headerl`	Destination: header on left pages only.
`\headerr`	Destination: header on right pages only.
`\headerf`	Destination: header on the first page only.
`\footerl`	Destination: footer on left pages only.
`\footerr`	Destination: footer on right pages only.
`\footerf`	Destination: footer on the first page only.

The left and right forms go with \facingp and the first-page forms with \titlepg. Without \facingp only \header and \footer should be used; with it, only the left and right forms. \headerf without \titlepg is allowed but shows nothing. If the previous section had a first-page header and \titlepg and this one has no \titlepg, the first-page header is switched off but kept, and comes back in a later section that sets \titlepg. Readers should reset formatting at the start of each header and footer with \pard\plain.

\sectd\titlepg\pgnrestart\pgnlcrm
{\headerf \pard\plain\qc Title page\par}
{\header \pard\plain\qr \chpgn\par}

.RTF File Format – Sections, headers and footers