Form loses macros when downloaded

[Brenda from Michigan]

Word 2002 SP3
User A created protected form ABC with drop down fields and macros. Said
form is available for other users on the internet. User B downloads ABC but
there are no macros attached and no drop downs. I duplicate behavior of User
B.

Fortunately I was able to do a takeover on User A to see how the form is
supposed to work. When hitting a drop down field, a macro runs that opens a
screen with the available choices to be selected.

So far I can't determine why when some users download this form, unprotect
it and look for macros, there are none. Consequently the form does not
operate as designed. Can anyone give me any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Are the macros saved in the document or in its template or Normal.dot?

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

They are saved within the template, not normal.dot. It's the strangest
thing. I watched User A download and run this from the Desktop. Neither
User B nor I can get the same downloaded template to work no matter where we
put it. And if I unprotect the form and look, there are no macros. I've
tried with Macro Security set to Medium and to Low with no difference.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You're definitely downloading the template itself and not a document based
on it?

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

Well, it has a dot extension, so I believe I am downloading the template. I
watched User A download and run it and I d/l from the same location but I
don't get any macros. I am at a total loss.

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

There is something that I note visually. There are a number of other text
fields in the document, some of which contain default text. These are the
gray that you see if you have Always for Field Shading. In the locations
where a macro should run giving us the page of drop-down choices, there is no
gray box but there is a gray 'I' beam. That should be telling me something,
but it escapes me.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If this is a form using form fields, you wouldn't necessarily need macros. I
wonder if the problem is just that the form is not protected? What you are
describing sounds like a form field that's open for editing rather than one
that's protected for data entry.

There is something that I note visually. There are a number of other text
fields in the document, some of which contain default text. These are the
gray that you see if you have Always for Field Shading. In the locations
where a macro should run giving us the page of drop-down choices, there is no
gray box but there is a gray 'I' beam. That should be telling me something,
but it escapes me.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I am just reading a white paper about Office 2003 SP3, and one of the
problems it corrects is described as follows:

"Word 2003 no longer removes macros, toolbars, and auto-text entries from
documents that were created using online templates when those documents are
closed and reopened. For more information, read KB Article 938799
[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938799/en-us]."

I wonder if that's relevant to your issue.

Well, it has a dot extension, so I believe I am downloading the template. I
watched User A download and run it and I d/l from the same location but I
don't get any macros. I am at a total loss.

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

I agree it does sound like an unprotected form. However, that's not the
case. It definitely is a protected form. One thing I don't think I checked
is what version of Word the creator of the form is using. I wonder if that
might be 2003. I'll check it out.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I'm out of ideas, then.

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

Thank you for sticking with this for so long. I have confirmed the person
who developed the form does have Word 2002 SP3. We just simultaneously went
to the web site, each d/l the form again to the desktop and tried it with the
same result. It is a .dot, the form is protected, I do not get the pop-up
when expected, and when I unprotect, there are no macros associated with this
document. It works correctly for her.

If/when we finally figure this out (I suggested they redo the form in
Excel!) I'll let you know. This is quite the mystery as far as I'm concerned!

Thanks again!