I am the customer working with Veera on this issue. Veera's company supplies the code to the product that launches Word. We have been able to edit these form fields he is describing in both Word 2000 & Word 2003. When we received Word 2007 is where the problem began.
Veera's application (Java based program) launches Word with the template selected by a user (template is a .doc which is created in another Java based program/application created by Veera's same company), using macros it unprotects the document, populates attributes (selected within the application the template is created in) into the document (some of which are in form fields), re-protects the document & shows the document to the end user for them to edit the form fields if necessary.
I just want to reiterate, we've been using this process for over 5 years - with Word 2000 & Word 2003 with no issues of editing. Now with Word 2007, we've encountered the road block with the error message Veera refers to.
As the customer, I don't care who's problem it is - Java vs. Microsoft, we just want to use the application/process as we have been for the past 5 years.
Veera wrote:
Thanks Macropod for all the help...."macropod" wrote:
19-Feb-10
Thanks Macropod for all the help....
"macropod" wrote:
Previous Posts In This Thread:
On Monday, February 15, 2010 2:19 PM
Veera wrote:
Editing Password protected form fields in Word 2007
We have created a Word document with a legacy text form field. We inserted a
word date field and protected the document allowing Filling in Forms. After
protecting the document when we try going to the form field and clicking on
back space to delete the entry we get "This is not a valid selection" message
box.
We have existing word documents in 2003 with similar form fields. We were
able to delete the entries and add new data. After converting the documents
to 2007 or create new documents in 2007 and try to delete the entries we get
the above error.
On Monday, February 15, 2010 6:40 PM
macropod wrote:
Hi Veera,You mention a Word date field.
Hi Veera,
You mention a Word date field. These are not formfields and are not editable in a Section protected for forms in any version of
Word.
Any formfields into which data can be input after protection has been applied should remain editable unless there is an on-exit macro
attached to the formfield to change it is editing restrictions.
--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]
On Tuesday, February 16, 2010 3:54 PM
macropod wrote:
Hi Veera,This is getting confusing!
Hi Veera,
This is getting confusing!
Now you are introducing mergefields. Mergefields are not formfields and neither are they Date fields. Please be clear about what kind
of fields you are working with and what kind of document they are in.
Are you working with a:
1. document containing formfields, that has forms protection applied;
2. mailmerge main document;
3. mailmerge output file; or
4. standard Word document with no formfields or mergefields, but perhaps other fields (eg Date)?
If it is:
.. 1, does the document also have fields that are not formfields (eg Date fields, but not mergefields)?
.. 2 or 3, does the document also have formfields or fields that are not formfields (eg Date fields)?
If it is 1, 2 or 3 and the document also has fields that are not formfields, what kinds of fields are they and are those fields in a
protected Section of the document?
If it is 2 or 3 and the document also has formfields, what kinds of formfields are they?
Note: the addition of the 'mergeformat' switch, which Word sometimes adds to a field, does not make the field a mergefield.
--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]
On Tuesday, February 16, 2010 5:54 PM
Veera wrote:
Hi Macropad,Sorry for the confusion.
Hi Macropad,
Sorry for the confusion.
We have documents that contains "Text Form Field". Inside these text form
fields we add MERGEFIELD (programatically in Java using JACOB). The document
is protected allowing only editing form fields.
As part of another Java program we open the document created above and set
the values for the MERGEFIELD. The users can either use the values populated
or remove and add their own values. This we were able to do in 2003. In Word
2007 we are not able to delete the value populated and enter our another
value. It gives "This is not a valid selection" message.
Hope I am clear now.
"macropod" wrote:
On Wednesday, February 17, 2010 1:41 AM
Graham Mayor wrote:
Mail merge and protected forms are mutually exclusive.
Mail merge and protected forms are mutually exclusive. You *may* be able to
get around this - see
http://www.gmayor.com/Form_Fields_and_Mail_Merge.htm
--
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
My web site
www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site
http://word.mvps.org
On Wednesday, February 17, 2010 4:14 PM
macropod wrote:
Hi Veera,You cannot (and never have been able to) put a mergefield into a
Hi Veera,
You cannot (and never have been able to) put a mergefield into a formfield. It seems to me your Java apps are trying to simulate a
mailmerge via Java code. To resolve any issues in that regard, you will need to examine that code - it is not apparently a Word
problem, per se.
--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]
On Wednesday, February 17, 2010 4:42 PM
Veera wrote:
Thanks Graham.
Thanks Graham. We are able to set the values in merge fields by unprortecting
th document and protecting it. But since the protection allow Editing of Form
Fields the user would like to delete the entries populated and set their own
values. While deleting is when we are getting this error.
"Graham Mayor" wrote:
On Wednesday, February 17, 2010 6:23 PM
Veera wrote:
Hi Macropod,I could send the document with the merge field inside a text form
Hi Macropod,
I could send the document with the merge field inside a text form field to
show you the problem? How should I send this?
Or
you can the steps to insert a merge field inside Text For Field.
1) In the design mode I selected Legacy Forms -- Text Form Field. This
creates a gray text form field in the document with the cursor in the end.
Move the cursor to the front. This will put the cursor outside the form
field. Now move one column to the right so that cursor is inside the field.
2) Select the Insert tab and click Quick Parts -- Field.
3) In the Field Names List select -- MergeField.
4) Enter say "Name" in the Field Name. This will create Name inside the
form field.
5) Select the Developer tab and click Protect Document. In this check Limit
formatting..., Allow only this type of editing.... and select Filling in
Forms in drop down and then click Start protection.
6) With the document protected click inside the Text Form Field so that the
cursor is in the end. Now use the backspace to delete the entry in the form
field. It will delete any empty spaces available and when it tries to the
delete the merge field we get "This is not a valid selection" message.
We were able to do this in 2003.
Thanks in advance for any help in this matter.
"macropod" wrote:
On Thursday, February 18, 2010 5:33 PM
macropod wrote:
Hi Veera,Since it is not possible to use Word's text formfields and mailmerge
Hi Veera,
Since it is not possible to use Word's text formfields and mailmerge fields in the same document (any text formfields get deleted
when the merge is executed) and your Java programs, which I do not have (and would not even be able to interpret if I did), seem to be
at the heart of your process, I do not believe much would be gained by you sending the Word files to me. As I said my my previous
post, this really does seem to be an issue with your Java programs, rather than being a Word problem, per se.
--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]
On Thursday, February 18, 2010 6:16 PM
Veera wrote:
Thanks Macropod.
Thanks Macropod.
For the steps that I have mentioned, it is happening outside the Java
application. I created a word document following the steps below and I get
the error. The test is without intercation from our application.
"macropod" wrote:
On Thursday, February 18, 2010 9:23 PM
macropod wrote:
Hi Veera,I do not have Word 2003 to test with, so I cannot comment on what it
Hi Veera,
I do not have Word 2003 to test with, so I cannot comment on what it might do. I do know, though, that any mergefield you insert into
a formfield in Word 2000 gets deleted as soon as the document is protected. Since text formfields are incompatible with mailmerge in
all Word versions, I'd have expected Word 2003 to behave in much the same way. If the mergefields remained with the protection on
and you were able to use & edit them, then all I can say is that you managed to find a bug in Word 2003 that you were able to
exploit to your advantage. IMHO, the fact that the mergefield apparently remains (though inaccessible) in a protected text formfield
in Word 2007 is a different bug - I also note that, if you update a text formfield in Word 2007 when the document is in an
unprotected state, any mergefield within it gets deleted.
--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]
On Friday, February 19, 2010 11:14 AM
Veera wrote:
Thanks Macropod.
Thanks Macropod.
Should I ask the customer to raise a ticket with Microsoft for this issue or
is this how it should function?
Thanks
Veera
"macropod" wrote:
On Friday, February 19, 2010 3:38 PM
macropod wrote:
Hi Veera,Mailmerge fields and text formfields have never co-existed happily in
Hi Veera,
Mailmerge fields and text formfields have never co-existed happily in Word documents (your Word 2003 experience aside). I doubt that
the mergefield was meant to remain as it does in the Word 2007 text formfield and be inaccessible - whether it should have been
deleted (as per Word 2000) or should have remained accessible (as per Word 2003), I do not know. So, on that basis, it might be
worthwhile taking the issue up with MS.
--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]
On Friday, February 19, 2010 11:11 PM
Veera wrote:
Thanks Macropod for all the help...."macropod" wrote:
Thanks Macropod for all the help....
"macropod" wrote:
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