QUESTION: "Protect Form" clears forms?

[Matthew Freedman]

Hi all,

Simple question here.

I'm just beginning to learn how to use the Forms toolbar.

So I put a bunch of forms in my document then hit "Protect Form" so I
can tab between the Form Fields to fill them in. Then I hit "Protect
Form" again so I can edit the regular text of my document.

Now I decide that I want to enter "Protect Form" mode again so I can
fill in some more fields. However, when I do that, all of the fields
that I've already fill in clear themselves.....which means I have to
start all over again.

There must be an easy way around this. Appreciate any help you may be
able to offer me.

Thanks,
Matt Freedman

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Matt -

It sounds like you have a bit of a misunderstanding The Form Fields do
you good only if you use them to create a Form *Template*, then generate new
docs based on the template so you can fill in the blanks in those docs - a
Fax cover sheet template for example, which is set up as you want it to be
including standard content. When you create new files based on that template
you need only "fill in the blanks" as appropriate for that document.

Form tools in a regular document do you no good for exactly the the reason
you discovered - they aren't designed to have the protection (which
activates them) turned on/off repeatedly. If you can provide an accurate
description of what you're trying to accomplish perhaps there are some
alternatives to be offered.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

If you have access to VBA, try this macro:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/TurnFmFlfResetOff.htm

Hi all,

Simple question here.

I'm just beginning to learn how to use the Forms toolbar.

So I put a bunch of forms in my document then hit "Protect Form" so I
can tab between the Form Fields to fill them in. Then I hit "Protect
Form" again so I can edit the regular text of my document.

Now I decide that I want to enter "Protect Form" mode again so I can
fill in some more fields. However, when I do that, all of the fields
that I've already fill in clear themselves.....which means I have to
start all over again.

There must be an easy way around this. Appreciate any help you may be
able to offer me.

Thanks,
Matt Freedman

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[macropod]

Hi Matthew,

Another solution would be to put the editable text in a separate Section, then leave that Section unprotected.

 

[Matthew Freedman]

Form tools in a regular document do you no good for exactly the the reason
you discovered - they aren't designed to have the protection (which
activates them) turned on/off repeatedly. If you can provide an accurate
description of what you're trying to accomplish perhaps there are some
alternatives to be offered.

Hi Bob,

I'm trying to accomplish two things:

(1) with Form Fields you can "Protect Form" and use the TAB KEY to
quickly move between form fields, skipping over anything in between.
The fields themselves are easy to see because they are shaded. I'm
looking for a way to replicate this behavior - a way to quickly move
between shaded fields in my document. BUT - I need to be able to move
between and edit fields, then edit "normal portions" of the document,
then edit fields again - without losing the data in the fields.

(2) I need the "REF" field behavior to be part of this. I need to be
able to move to a field quickly, enter a value, and have that value
appear in several other fields.

Does this make sense? Thank you very much for your help!

Best,
Matt

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Matthew:

The least complex way to do this is to surround each Field with a pair of
Continuous Section Breaks. Then protect for Forms only the sections that
contain fields.

That way you do not have to release the protection to edit the "normal
text". But it does make the document very fiddly to set up. Fine if you
are doing it yourself, but not the sort of thing you would expect an end
user to succeed with.

You may also wish to investigate Custom Document Properties. You can link
these to content, and then insert them in multiple places throughout the
document. Done carefully, they're as stable as form fields (well, they are
fields...) but they do not require the document to be protected for forms.

You haven't told us which version of Word you're using, so you're making
this a bit hard

Hope this helps

Hi Bob,

I'm trying to accomplish two things:

(1) with Form Fields you can "Protect Form" and use the TAB KEY to
quickly move between form fields, skipping over anything in between.
The fields themselves are easy to see because they are shaded. I'm
looking for a way to replicate this behavior - a way to quickly move
between shaded fields in my document. BUT - I need to be able to move
between and edit fields, then edit "normal portions" of the document,
then edit fields again - without losing the data in the fields.

(2) I need the "REF" field behavior to be part of this. I need to be
able to move to a field quickly, enter a value, and have that value
appear in several other fields.

Does this make sense? Thank you very much for your help!

Best,
Matt

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]