Inserting form textbox in Word 2007 but compatible with 2003

[HDCSAM]

I'm trying to create a Word document that has designated areas to enter text
in response to questions typed on the page. (It looks something like an essay
test). How do I do this in Word 2007 in a document that is saved to be
downward compatible with Word 2003 and lower? It looks to me like I can't
use the regular 2007 methods and still have the document be compatible with
2003. But the Legacy forms or ActiveXControls on the Developer toolbar
don't seem to work correctly. (I can't get the Active XControl textbox to let
me enter text, but perhaps I'm not using it correctly...) Thanks for any
help anyone can offer.

 

[Jay Freedman]

I'm trying to create a Word document that has designated areas to enter text
in response to questions typed on the page. (It looks something like an essay
test). How do I do this in Word 2007 in a document that is saved to be
downward compatible with Word 2003 and lower? It looks to me like I can't
use the regular 2007 methods and still have the document be compatible with
2003. But the Legacy forms or ActiveXControls on the Developer toolbar
don't seem to work correctly. (I can't get the Active XControl textbox to let
me enter text, but perhaps I'm not using it correctly...) Thanks for any
help anyone can offer.

Stay very far away from the ActiveX controls, as they run afoul of Word's
draconian antivirus measures. Use the legacy form fields only.

To make them active, you must protect the form: Click the Protect Document
button further to the right on the Developer toolbar, and choose "Restrict
Formatting and Editing" to open a task pane. There, check the box for "Allow
only this type of editing" and choose "Filling in forms" in the dropdown.
Finally, click the Start Enforcing button at the bottom.

As an alternative, the equivalent of the lock icon from the Forms toolbar of
previous versions can be added to the Quick Access Toolbar. It's the Protect
Document item in the "Commands Not in the Ribbon" category in the Customize
dialog.

 

[HDCSAM]

Thanks for the top on Active X -- I'll just avoid it. From the legacy options
though, I didn't see anything for a large empty text box. Is that not really
available in Word? Or am I missing something...

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The button with "ab" on it is for a Text Form Field. By default it will
contain just a small string on nonbreaking spaces, but it will expand to fit
the text typed into it. You can increase its apparent size by putting it in
a frame or (preferably) a table cell of specific height and width.

 

[HDCSAM]

Okay, thanks! I found the "ab" button for the text form field (duh), but I
have to confess, I'm not sure of the benefit (for me, for this project) if I
can't set it to a specific size. Right now, I already have each item in a
table cell to try to control the size and margins. Is there any reason to
use a text box on top of that? It also seems people could easily put their
cursors before the text box and just be typing into the table cell anyway. I
get the feeling that I'm missing something here...

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If your text form field is already in a table cell of specific size, then
you have already accomplished your goal, haven't you? Note that text boxes
are not appropriate for form fields.

Reading between the lines, I think maybe you're expecting users to just type
in table cells. This will work fine in an unprotected document. If you're
using any kind of form fields, however, your document will have to be
protected for forms in order to work properly, and in that case you will
need to have a text form field in your table cell; otherwise, users will be
unable to access that cell.

 

[HDCSAM]

Thanks, yes, you read between the lines correctly! I do not need to protect
the files, so I will keep the table cells.