HowTo_AutomaticRunningHead

How to enable automatic running heads (repetition of top level headers) with scrartcl or scrreprt classes

With the classes scrartcl and scrreprt the page style plain is default. This normally contains only a page number in the footer for the KOMA-Script classes. The header, on the other hand, is empty. In order to set an automatic running head,

\pagestyle{headings}

must be used to select a page style with automatic running head.

Even loading package scrlayer-scrpage does not initially change whether automatic running heads are used. Loading scrlayer-scrpage always includes a switch to page style scrheadings-scrpage. However, with scrlayer-scrpage the question of whether automatic column titles are used does not depend on the choice of page style. Also, explicitly inserting \headmark or \leftmark, \lefttopmark, \leftbotmark or \rightmark, \righttopmark resp. \rightbotmark into one of the header or footer elements does not invoke automatic running heads. Unless you explicitly specify otherwise, the settings that were valid before loading the package will continue to apply.

For the scrartcl and scrreprt class, this is a manual running head by default. See the instructions \markboth, \markright and \markleft in the KOMA-Script guide for more information. However, if you have already switched to a page style with automatic running heads before loading scrlayer-scrpage, i.e. normally to page style headings, its settings for automatic running heads will continue to apply after loading. Since the scrbook class already uses headings and thus automatic running heads by default, automatic running heads will remain enabled for this class even after loading scrlayer-scrpage.

However, when using scrlayer-scrpage it is also possible to simply set the desired behavior directly when loading the package using the automark option or subsequently using the \automark{...}{...} statement. This is also strongly recommended. This and the further configurability can be found in the KOMA-Script guide.