Can someone tell me what the difference is between the content controls found
in the gallery when you click the Developer tab, as opposed to the same
controls found when you click the Legacy controls?
I cannot figure out what the difference isw or how to explain to someone
else what the difference is, why should I use the controls on the Legacy
Control panel instead of just using the ones without clicking hte Legacy
Controls button.
Thanks,
Judy
The legacy controls, as their name implies, are older -- they've been
part of Word practically forever.
The top row of buttons, Legacy Forms, create form fields that operate
only when the document is "protected for forms"; that locks all parts
of the document so they can't be edited except inside the fields.
Although that works well for a lot of uses, it also disables some
important features such as spell checking and inserting pictures
unless you use macro programming (for example,
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/SpellcheckProtectDoc.htm).
The other buttons, ActiveX Controls, are really meant for web pages
but can be used (carefully!) in other documents. They require macros
in order to operate. The article
<
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140269(office.10).aspx>
explains how to use them.
Content controls are new in Word 2007. They don't need (shouldn't
have) forms protection. They don't require macros, although macros can
make them much more useful (for example,
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Mapped_Content_Control.htm). They offer some
abilities the others don't have, such as the rich text control and the
date picker. If you want to make a document where users can edit only
inside the content controls, select the whole document (or just part
of it) and use the Group button; this kind of protection doesn't
interfere with other features the way forms protection does.
The main drawback of content controls is that they can't be used in
Word 2003 or earlier, even if you have the Compatibility Pack that
lets you open docx files. If the document must be sent to others who
don't have Word 2007, don't use content controls in it; use form
fields instead.
The one content control that's missing in Word 2007 (but will be
available in Word 2010) is a check box. You can work around that as
discussed at
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Custom_CC_Checkboxes.htm.
