Adding form fields

[leftnotracks]

I want to add two check boxes to a document. That's all. This will be
a letterhead with two addresses and the user of the letterhead will
check which address is appropriate.

I am stuck. I tried to read the help files, and they tell me I need to
insert a table (I don't want to), then add the check boxes. Well, I
created the table, but I cannot add the check box. The Forms toolbar
is active, but all field tools are dim.

 

[leftnotracks]

Ah. I see the no-help files live up to their reputation. For no reason
but to piss me off Worst won't let me add a form field to a text box
or the footer, either of which is what I need.

Garbage. How do people put up with this crap?

 

[leftnotracks]

Damn, almost had it, or so I thought. I turned the Text Box into a
Frame. Then I hit the Lock icon on the Forms toolbar and everything
seemed to work fine.

Until I tried to enter text. Nope. Apparently I turned the entire
document into a form, so the only editing available is changing the
check boxes from off to on.

Seems I can have check boxes, or a letterhead, but not both.

 

[John McGhie]

Hi:

Actually, the reason is not just to piss you off. That's a side-benefit

The real reason is that the header or footer are replicated on each page of
a document. A Form Field is a data structure, and there must be precisely
ONE of them with each unique name in each document. So if you were to copy
said structure to another page, you would end up with the computer not
knowing which one to work with. (In other words, you can have CheckBox1,
CheckBox2, CheckBox 3 etc, but you can't copy CheckBox2 anywhere else...)

Sorry, but there are some power tools in Word which assume a fairly high
level of computing ability. Form Fields are amongst those. Generally,
they're hidden/buried from new users so they can't get themselves into too
much trouble.

In your case, you can put the form field into the body of the document on
Page 1, and copy the result into the runing header or footer using a
bookmark and cross-reference.

Cheers

--

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. GMT + 10 Hrs

+61 4 1209 1410, <mailto:[email protected]> mailto:[email protected]

 

[leftnotracks]

Hi:

Actually, the reason is not just to piss you off. That's a side-benefit

The real reason is that the header or footer are replicated on each page of
a document. A Form Field is a data structure, and there must be precisely
ONE of them with each unique name in each document. So if you were to copy
said structure to another page, you would end up with the computer not
knowing which one to work with. (In other words, you can have CheckBox1,
CheckBox2, CheckBox 3 etc, but you can't copy CheckBox2 anywhere else...)

Sorry, but there are some power tools in Word which assume a fairly high
level of computing ability. Form Fields are amongst those. Generally,
they're hidden/buried from new users so they can't get themselves into too
much trouble.

In your case, you can put the form field into the body of the document on
Page 1, and copy the result into the runing header or footer using a
bookmark and cross-reference.

Cheers

--

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. GMT + 10 Hrs

+61 4 1209 1410, <mailto:[email protected]> mailto:[email protected]

But why can't I put a form item in a text box? Why, when I make a
frame, does the document esentially become just a form and won't
permit normal text entry?

is there a way to accomplish what I'm after? I want two check boxes in
a specific location on page 1 only. I want the user to be able to
change the value of the fields (preferable allowing a maximum of one
to be checked). I want the user to be able to type her letter
normally, even allowing her to ignore the check boxes if she wishes/is
in a hurry. The letter can be only one page or several.

 

[John McGhie]

A text box is actually a "Graphic Element". It's not in the text layer. A
Word document is a three-layer sandwich, with the "text" in the middle.

You cannot put Form Fields in the graphics layer (and I am not sure of the
underlying reason for that).

You could use a borderless table to position the controls you want. You can
place checkboxes in a table, and if you remove the borders, it will be
invisible. Or you can use the Paragraph properties to move the paragraph
containing the checkboxes where you want. I don't think Mac Word supports
the kind of CheckBox that enables you to float it and move it wherever you
like (that's an ActiveX control that is not supported on the Mac).

When you protect a document for forms, it enables input only to the form
fields. However, you do not have to protect the entire document. If you
add a Continuous section break either side of your checkboxes, you can
protect only the section containing them, whch means form field entry will
be enabled within the field area and normal input will be accepted elsewhere
in the document. Make sure that the Anchor for each check box remains
within the protected section.

You may not need to protect the document at all: if you are using the legacy
Checkbox field, you can check or uncheck it simply by double-clicking it.

(Sory, I can't test this for you right now: I have only Word 2007 installed)

Hope this helps

--

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. GMT + 10 Hrs

+61 4 1209 1410, <mailto:[email protected]> mailto:[email protected]