WD: How to Create an Online Form Using Form Fields

ID: Q187864

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SUMMARY

This article describes how to create an online form using form fields. A form is a template or document with empty areas in which to collect and organize information. An online form uses form fields, which may include text boxes to fill in, check boxes to select or clear, and drop-down list boxes that contain lists of items from which to select choices.

MORE INFORMATION

To create an online form, follow these steps:

Create a template using the appropriate method for your version of Word.

Word 7.x:

On the File menu, click New.

Click the General tab. Select Blank Document.

Select the Template option under Create New, and click OK.

Word 6.x:

On the File menu, click New.

Select the Template option under New, and click OK.

Lay out the form. Include any text, tables, or graphics that you want to appear in the form.

Insert the form fields.
1. Position the insertion point where you want the user to type or select information.
2. On the Insert menu, click Form Field.
3. Under Type, select the type of form field you want to insert.
4. In the Form Field dialog box, click Options. Specify the properties of the form field, and then click OK.
5. Repeat steps a-d for each form field you want to add to your form.
NOTE: Each type of form field is described in the table below:


    Type        Description
    ------------------------------------------------------------

    Text        Use a regular text form field when the form
                requires an entry of any type, including text,
                numbers, dates, current date and time, or
                calculations. You can specify a default entry
                so that the user does not have to type an
                entry except to change the response.

    Check Box   Use a check box to prompt the user for a yes
                or no response.

    Drop-Down   Use the drop-down form fields to provide the
                user with a list of answers to choose from.
                Selecting from a list rather than typing
                entries makes it easier for users to fill in
                the form correctly.

Protect the document.

On the Tools menu, click Protect Document.

Click Forms, and then click OK. Word protects the template from changes so users can enter information only in the form fields.

Save and close the template.

In Word 6.x, all document templates are saved to the <Winword>\Template folder by default. The name of the template is available when the user clicks New on the File menu.

In Word 7.x, you can save the template to any folder. If you save the template to the default folder of Msoffice\Templates\Payroll, for example, the template will be available when the user clicks New on the File menu, and clicks the Payroll tab.

Updating the Fields

Templates containing calculations as the type of text field require that you update the fields. To do this, use any of the following methods.

Method 1:

Assign a Run On Exit Macro to update the field doing the calculation.

Method 2:

To have Word update all fields when the document is printed, follow these Steps:

On the Tools menu, click Options.

Click the Print tab and then click to select the Update Fields check box.

Click OK.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q187815 WD: How to Update Fields in a Protected Form

Q137439 WD: How to Unlink Form Fields

Q110174 WD: Preserving Text When Reprotecting a Form Without Macros

Q110014 WD: Calculation Text Fields Within Forms Fail to Update

You can also create online forms using ASK and FILLIN fields. For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q187813 WD: How To Create An Automated Form with Fill-in Fields

Or, see the following references:

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 6.0, pages 305-326

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 472-482

Additional query words: forms setformresult template invoice kbfield

Keywords : kbdta kbfield kbform word6 word7 word95
Version : MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a; WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a; winnt:6.0
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbhowto