Now that Google Drive Documents support scripts, it is possible to, say, create a footer that contains the date that the document was last accessed.
In your Google Doc, click Tools | Script Editor.
Copy/paste the code below, and save the script.
/**
* The onOpen function runs automatically when the Google Docs document is
* opened. It will add a "Tools" menu with an "Update Footer" option. It also
* (automatically) updates the date in the footer as soon as the documents is
* opened. (WARNING: Any footer content will be removed/deleted.)
*/
function onOpen() {
// Add a menu with some items, some separators, and a sub-menu.
DocumentApp.getUi().createMenu('Scripts')
.addItem('Update Footer', 'onEdit')
.addToUi();
onEdit();
};
function onEdit() {
var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
var footer = (doc.getFooter()) ? doc.getFooter() : doc.addFooter(); // Thanks, Martin!
footer.setText("");
var divider = footer.appendHorizontalRule();
var footerText = footer.appendParagraph('Confidential and Proprietary - Accessed ' + new Date());
footerText.setFontSize(9);
footerText.setForegroundColor('#4a86e8');
footerText.setAlignment(DocumentApp.HorizontalAlignment.RIGHT);
return doc;
};
Return to your document, and reload it; the footer will automatically be created. (NOW it will! Thanks, Martin!) If you want to update the footer, you can click the Script | Update Footer menu item.
That I know of, there isn't yet an "onSave" or "onEdit" trigger in Google Documents - but, if that comes about, this will be an even more awesome tool! (*hint,hint, Google!) You CAN, however, use a "clock tick event" but I haven't gone there yet.
