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#1
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legacy tools or content controls?
Hi
What is the advantage of the content controls compared to the ol legacy tools...at first sight a lot of functionality has dissappeared. Can we still calculate, Can we still use bookmarks and the ref field? Or are those controls used in a completely different context? Thanks Tom |
#2
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legacy tools or content controls?
On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 13:03:25 -0800 (PST), tom forel
wrote: Hi What is the advantage of the content controls compared to the ol legacy tools...at first sight a lot of functionality has dissappeared. Can we still calculate, Can we still use bookmarks and the ref field? Or are those controls used in a completely different context? Thanks Tom The main advantage of the content controls is almost completely hidden and undocumented, so far. It is that they can be bound to a data source such as an Access database or a web service. They can also be bound to XML in the document file, so that data entered in one content control can be automatically repeated by other content controls bound to the same XML node. Without needing to know about data binding, you can use some other advantages: There are content controls that have no similar legacy control, such as the rich text control and the date picker. Content controls' boundaries disappear when they aren't selected, so documents look less clunky. Documents that use content controls don't have to be protected, so there aren't the kinds of problems with things that don't work (spell check, graphics, hyperlinks). The main thing that's missing is that there is no check box content control. MVP Greg Maxey has been working on that problem; have a look at http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Custom_CC_Checkboxes.htm. If you need to do calculations with content control entries, you have to write macro code. For that, it's probably best to continue to use the legacy form fields in protected forms -- which are still present and work exactly as before, although the buttons to insert them are stuffed into a single button on the Developer ribbon. Bookmarks and ref fields are completely separate features that have nothing much to do with form fields or content controls. They, too, continue to work as before. -- Regards, Jay Freedman Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. |
#3
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legacy tools or content controls?
On 10 jan, 04:36, Jay Freedman wrote:
On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 13:03:25 -0800 (PST), tom forel wrote: Hi What is the advantage of the content controls compared to the ol legacy tools...at first sight a lot of functionality has dissappeared. Can we still calculate, Can we still use bookmarks and the ref field? Or are those controls used in a completely different context? Thanks Tom The main advantage of the content controls is almost completely hidden and undocumented, so far. It is that they can be bound to a data source such as an Access database or a web service. They can also be bound to XML in the document file, so that data entered in one content control can be automatically repeated by other content controls bound to the same XML node. Without needing to know about data binding, you can use some other advantages: There are content controls that have no similar legacy control, such as the rich text control and the date picker. Content controls' boundaries disappear when they aren't selected, so documents look less clunky. Documents that use content controls don't have to be protected, so there aren't the kinds of problems with things that don't work (spell check, graphics, hyperlinks). The main thing that's missing is that there is no check box content control. MVP Greg Maxey has been working on that problem; have a look athttp://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Custom_CC_Checkboxes.htm. If you need to do calculations with content control entries, you have to write macro code. For that, it's probably best to continue to use the legacy form fields in protected forms -- which are still present and work exactly as before, although the buttons to insert them are stuffed into a single button on the Developer ribbon. Bookmarks and ref fields are completely separate features that have nothing much to do with form fields or content controls. They, too, continue to work as before. -- Regards, Jay Freedman Microsoft Word MVP * * * *FAQ:http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. Thank you very muck!!! tom |
#4
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legacy tools or content controls?
Thanks for your explanation.
I noticed that using content controls without protecting the document still allows users to modify the layout of the document. Also the [TAB] does not move from field to field, unless the document is protected. Unless I have missed something the content controls do not serve the same purpose as the legacy form controls. CAn you describe a way of using the new content controls to make a fill-in form that users can ONLY fill in these control fields without turning on protection, which disbles the spell checker? Thanks for your participation "Jay Freedman" wrote: On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 13:03:25 -0800 (PST), tom forel wrote: Hi What is the advantage of the content controls compared to the ol legacy tools...at first sight a lot of functionality has dissappeared. Can we still calculate, Can we still use bookmarks and the ref field? Or are those controls used in a completely different context? Thanks Tom The main advantage of the content controls is almost completely hidden and undocumented, so far. It is that they can be bound to a data source such as an Access database or a web service. They can also be bound to XML in the document file, so that data entered in one content control can be automatically repeated by other content controls bound to the same XML node. Without needing to know about data binding, you can use some other advantages: There are content controls that have no similar legacy control, such as the rich text control and the date picker. Content controls' boundaries disappear when they aren't selected, so documents look less clunky. Documents that use content controls don't have to be protected, so there aren't the kinds of problems with things that don't work (spell check, graphics, hyperlinks). The main thing that's missing is that there is no check box content control. MVP Greg Maxey has been working on that problem; have a look at http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Custom_CC_Checkboxes.htm. If you need to do calculations with content control entries, you have to write macro code. For that, it's probably best to continue to use the legacy form fields in protected forms -- which are still present and work exactly as before, although the buttons to insert them are stuffed into a single button on the Developer ribbon. Bookmarks and ref fields are completely separate features that have nothing much to do with form fields or content controls. They, too, continue to work as before. -- Regards, Jay Freedman Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. |
#5
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legacy tools or content controls?
You have a couple choices. You can use the "No Changes (Read only)"
protection type and mark each Content Control as an Exception. Then when you protect the document only those areas marked as exceptions can be used and spell check will work. The other choice is in the Content Control Properties for each control, set the "Content Control cannot be deleted" option. Then select the entire document, add a Rich Text Control (all of the text and other controls will be nested in the Rich Text Control) and in its Properties set both Locking options: "Content Control cannot be deleted" and "Contents cannot be edited". This will allow users to modify the Content Controls only and prevent deletion of the controls and contents of the document. BUT if you are looking for a bit of security this won't work since savvy users can access the Content Control properties and make modifications. Note that Content Controls are intended to be used in a collaborative environment and not for security purposes. However, neither of these options will enable the use of the Tab key to move between the controls. You need to use the Legacy controls to obtain that functionality. Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for assistance by email cannot be acknowledged. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beth Melton Microsoft Office MVP Coauthor of Word 2007 Inside Out: http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/boo...x#AboutTheBook Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/ MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/ "JR Hester" wrote in message news Thanks for your explanation. I noticed that using content controls without protecting the document still allows users to modify the layout of the document. Also the [TAB] does not move from field to field, unless the document is protected. Unless I have missed something the content controls do not serve the same purpose as the legacy form controls. CAn you describe a way of using the new content controls to make a fill-in form that users can ONLY fill in these control fields without turning on protection, which disbles the spell checker? |
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