I am using the stationary pad to place backslash around a number in caption for code conversion and placing the result conversion in an unused field.
I then use the pad to place the conversion back into the caption field.
Then use the pad to empty the "unused" field.  
If there is a sequence of pad operations, I may be able to combine some operations.
Typing bib numbers of 400 Special Olympic athletes is much faster if I don't have to put the backslash  around the bib number at data entry time.  My process works.  Just trying to symplify.