Typing in a protected form...

[Zoe]

Is there a way to "protect" a form so that the form fields work AND the user
can also type or make changes to the rest of the document without toggling
back and forth between the protect and unprotect button?

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix at news.microsoft.com]

Zoe,

Enclose the section that needs to remain editable in section breaks -
usually of the 'continuous' type - and then configure the forms protection to
be applied only to those sections that you want to protect. You will see that
when your document contains multiple sections, and option to select the
sections to be protected is presented when you apply the protection.
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups - no
membership required!

 

[Zoe]

Now... here is another question for you. Can I make the section breaks go
vertically or only horizontally? Your reply was extremely helpful! Thank
you...

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix at news.microsoft.com]

Zoe,

You can create "column" type section breaks that go vertically, but I'm
pretty sure that they can't be used with forms protection in the way that you
need. However, a continuous section can be as small as a single paragraph or
a single table row.

Maybe if you describe what it is that you're trying to achieve, we can find
a solution.
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups - no
membership required!

 

[Zoe]

Sure. I have a form. It's a checklist of sorts. Some of the fields gets
pre-filled automatically from another system that the document is attached
to. I have placed form fields throughout the document to aid in fillling out
the rest of it.

I have drop downs, text boxes & check boxes. I also have 3 small tables. The
tables are a combination of form fields AND just table cells that they can
type in. I have NOT placed text boxes in them b/c it works well without them
plus when I do it sort of deforms my table.

So, when the employee fills the form out they have to toggle back and forth
between protecting and unprotecting so that they can freely type in the non
form cells.

I honestly don't think there is a way around this. I think that I'm going to
have to bite the bullet and figure out how to make my table "work" with the
text box inserts so that there isn't any free form typing. I'm not worried
about them being able to make changes in the document "permanently" but the
only way for the forms to work is to protect it. If you have any other ideas
it would be much appreciated. I'm going home finally after working with this
document pretty much ALL day! I've seen enough of it for now! LOL! Anyway.
Thanks for your input!

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP on news.microsoft.com]

You should use TextInput FormFields in the cells of the table where you want
the user to be able to type.

You say doing that causes the table to be "deformed". In what way? There
should be no difference between what happens to the cell of the table when
the text is entered into a FormField from what happens to the cell when the
text is just typed directly into the cell without a formfield and with the
document unprotected.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP, originally posted via msnews.microsoft.com