Using long help texts with Text Form Fields

[inaschomaker]

I am creating a form with - among other fields - also a bunch of Text
Form Fields. I want to use the Add Help Text feature to add my own
Status Bar Text and Help Key (F1) Text. I want to use a rather long
Help Key text, longer that Word permits me. It seems like Word is
truncating my text at appr. 255 characters. I want to use a slightly
longer Help text. How can I do this?

Many thanks,
Ina Schomaker

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi Ina

I am creating a form with - among other fields - also a bunch of Text
Form Fields. I want to use the Add Help Text feature to add my own
Status Bar Text and Help Key (F1) Text. I want to use a rather long
Help Key text, longer that Word permits me. It seems like Word is
truncating my text at appr. 255 characters. I want to use a slightly
longer Help text. How can I do this?

The only possibility I can imagine is to try the AutoText entry option.
But if the limitation is in the message that is displayed (rather than
the storage of typing in your own message), then the F1 approach isn't
going to work.

In that case, I could imagine creating a macro that displays a MsgBox
(or a UserForm) with the message appropriate to each field. (The macro
would use something like SelectCase to determine in which form field
the user has the focus.) Assign the macro to some other keyboard
shortcut. You could then use F1 to instruct the user how to get the
form-specific help by pressing that other key combination.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[inaschomaker]

Thanks for your suggestions, Cindy. Unfortunately, they didn't help
me. I tried the Autotext feature, it didn't work. I also tried
Autocorrect, didn't work either.
I am making a template, that contains a protected form. I think
Autotext doesn't work because the form is protected. I defined the
Autotext entry with the protection off, that worked. But when I
created a new doc, based on the protected template, I saw the original
text and Autotext had not done anything. The Autotext tab was greyed
out when I looked at Tools - AutoCorrect Options.

And unfortunately it is not possible for me to use macro's. I had to
start with a company letter template to ensure the company style. And
in those templates the VBA code and macro's are password protected and
you are not supposed to change anything there. So I am severely
'handicapped' by this. My options are very limited. I think my only
option now is to condense the help text so that it will fit in 255
characters. I think my client will not be so happy with that...

And I forgot to say in my first message: I am working with Word 2003
SP3

Thank you,
Ina Schomaker

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi Ina

Thanks for your suggestions, Cindy. Unfortunately, they didn't help
me. I tried the Autotext feature, it didn't work. I also tried
Autocorrect, didn't work either.
I am making a template, that contains a protected form. I think
Autotext doesn't work because the form is protected. I defined the
Autotext entry with the protection off, that worked. But when I
created a new doc, based on the protected template, I saw the original
text and Autotext had not done anything. The Autotext tab was greyed
out when I looked at Tools - AutoCorrect Options.

I think there's a misunderstanding about what I meant by "AutoText". If
you take a look in the dialog box for creating Help entries, there are
two options: AutoText and "Type your own". I was talking about creating
AutoText entries, then linking them with the form field.

And unfortunately it is not possible for me to use macro's. I had to
start with a company letter template to ensure the company style. And
in those templates the VBA code and macro's are password protected and
you are not supposed to change anything there. So I am severely
'handicapped' by this. My options are very limited. I think my only
option now is to condense the help text so that it will fit in 255
characters. I think my client will not be so happy with that...

Mmm, there may be a way to work with macros. You could distribute an
additional template with the form. It would need to be stored in the
user's Startup directory. (Or you could ask those who are allowed to
change the macros to load it into the Addins collection.)

This should make the macros available.

And I forgot to say in my first message: I am working with Word 2003
SP3

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question
or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail