text boxes

[Brad Reichert]

I'm trying to create a form for user to fillout using Word 97. I've created
the fom with Text box form fields and check box form fields. The problem is
that some times users will fillout the form electronically and sometimes
they will print it out and fill it out by hand. If I draw lines on the form
for the non-electronic users the lines get messed up when a form is filled
out and wraps to the next line. Is there a way to force a filed to be XX
characters wide? I could then underline it and everything would work.

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Mark Tangard]

Hi Brad,

The secret is not to use underlines, but rather to set up your
text formfields in *table cells*, whose borders you adjust
(and selectively erase) to get the appearance you want. Using
tables to set up your form may feel strange at first if you've
never done it, but it provides the most useful structure for
keeping everythihg aligned. For more on this, see the article
at http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/LinesInForms.htm.

 

[Brad Reichert]

That makes some sense, but what happens when a response could be multiple
lines long? How do I provide a box that wraps to the next line and provide
lines for a user t write in by hand?

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

In this case you have little recourse but to use drawing lines. That's
pretty fiddly but *can* be done; you just need to anchor them all to the
paragraph containing the text form field and space them to match the
paragraph spacing (24 pts apart is good for handwritten or typed entries).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
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