[Big Dave]

What a disappointment. A big dumb problem in Word2002 (and previous versions)
is that when you protect any part of the document you can no longer insert
textboxes into any part of the document. Disaster for those creating a
managed document for users who want to add their own content to unprotected
sections.

Does anyone have any idea how to get around this behavior - I can't believe,
after several years, Word still does this!

--
Big Dave

[Big Dave]

I just noticed also that you CAN put in a new canvas, but you then CAN'T put
a drawing (or textbox) in it!!!! Argh!

I'm crossing my fingers real hard that this is not the 'finished'
implementation (I have the trial version) but I think I'm gong to be
disappointed (and suicidal when I'm asked to develop with it again)

--
Big Dave


"Big Dave" wrote:

What a disappointment. A big dumb problem in Word2002 (and previous versions)
is that when you protect any part of the document you can no longer insert
textboxes into any part of the document. Disaster for those creating a
managed document for users who want to add their own content to unprotected
sections.

Does anyone have any idea how to get around this behavior - I can't believe,
after several years, Word still does this!

--
Big Dave

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Dave,

The Office 2007 60 day trial editions are the released product.

Remember that tip from Word 6 though "No running with scissors".

===============
"Big Dave" wrote in message ...
I just noticed also that you CAN put in a new canvas, but you then CAN'T put
a drawing (or textbox) in it!!!! Argh!

I'm crossing my fingers real hard that this is not the 'finished'
implementation (I have the trial version) but I think I'm gong to be
disappointed (and suicidal when I'm asked to develop with it again)

--
Big Dave
--

Bob Buckland ?:-)
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

[Big Dave]

Oh dear Disappointed I guess you don't know of a workaround?

--
Big Dave

"Bob Buckland ?:-)" wrote:
Hi Dave,
The Office 2007 60 day trial editions are the released product.
Remember that tip from Word 6 though "No running with scissors".
===============
"Big Dave" wrote in message ...
I just noticed also that you CAN put in a new canvas, but you then CAN'T put
a drawing (or textbox) in it!!!! Argh!

I'm crossing my fingers real hard that this is not the 'finished'
implementation (I have the trial version) but I think I'm gong to be
disappointed (and suicidal when I'm asked to develop with it again)

[Cindy M.]

Hi ?B?QmlnIERhdmU=?=,

What a disappointment. A big dumb problem in Word2002 (and previous versions)
is that when you protect any part of the document you can no longer insert
textboxes into any part of the document. Disaster for those creating a
managed document for users who want to add their own content to unprotected
sections.

Does anyone have any idea how to get around this behavior - I can't believe,
after several years, Word still does this!

I recommend taking a look at the new Content Controls (in the Developer tab).
You can look these for editing, or deletion. The user can TAB from one to the
next... All without needing to use the document protection that locks out other
commands in the entire document. In addition, there's a control for inserting
images :-)

So Microsoft did hear the complaints about using Forms protection.

To get a forms-like behavior (protect text), type in all your text, with the
input controls. Then select all this and click the button for a Rich Text
content control. This will nest all the text and controls in that one control.
You can then set the Properties for this control to not allow editing or
deleting. The nested controls will still be available to the user, however :-)

And, if you wish, you can leave parts of the document outside any content
control.

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 :-)

[Big Dave]

Thanks for that reply. The content controls look useful, yes, but they won't
do what I need, it seems. One of the most basic requirements for my users is
to be able to make content changes without affecting document format, which
means I need to stop them from deleting section breaks. Try putting a section
break into a content control. If you manage that (I did at one point though
it behaved bizarrely and I can't seem to do it again) try putting just a
continuous section break in one and make it so it doesn't interfere with
editting the document.
I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.
--
Big Dave


"Cindy M." wrote:

Hi ?B?QmlnIERhdmU=?=,

What a disappointment. A big dumb problem in Word2002 (and previous versions)
is that when you protect any part of the document you can no longer insert
textboxes into any part of the document. Disaster for those creating a
managed document for users who want to add their own content to unprotected
sections.

Does anyone have any idea how to get around this behavior - I can't believe,
after several years, Word still does this!

I recommend taking a look at the new Content Controls (in the Developer tab).
You can look these for editing, or deletion. The user can TAB from one to the
next... All without needing to use the document protection that locks out other
commands in the entire document. In addition, there's a control for inserting
images :-)

So Microsoft did hear the complaints about using Forms protection.

To get a forms-like behavior (protect text), type in all your text, with the
input controls. Then select all this and click the button for a Rich Text
content control. This will nest all the text and controls in that one control.
You can then set the Properties for this control to not allow editing or
deleting. The nested controls will still be available to the user, however :-)

And, if you wish, you can leave parts of the document outside any content
control.

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 :-)

[Jay Freedman]

If you can achieve the formatting you need with paragraph styles and
character styles instead of section breaks, then you can protect the
document against formatting changes without disabling other functions.
The formatting restrictions feature lets you choose which styles may
be applied, and prevents direct (non-style) formatting. This feature
was introduced in Word 2003.

In Word 2007, click the Developer tab. (If it isn't visible, enable it
in the Word Options dialog.) Click the Protect Document button. In the
task pane that appears, check the box for "Limit formatting to a
selection of styles" and then click the Settings link below it. Choose
the styles you want the user to be able to apply. Then click the Start
Enforcing Protection button, and supply an optional password.

This feature won't prevent the user from deleting section breaks, so
if you're mostly worried about page margins, headers/footers and the
like, this is not the answer -- and I'm not sure there is one.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:19:00 -0800, Big Dave
wrote:

Thanks for that reply. The content controls look useful, yes, but they won't
do what I need, it seems. One of the most basic requirements for my users is
to be able to make content changes without affecting document format, which
means I need to stop them from deleting section breaks. Try putting a section
break into a content control. If you manage that (I did at one point though
it behaved bizarrely and I can't seem to do it again) try putting just a
continuous section break in one and make it so it doesn't interfere with
editting the document.
I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

But don't content controls allow you even more control over overall document
formatting? I certainly got that impression from Tristan Davis's demos.

For Tristan Davis's blogs on content controls, see
http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_offi...s/default.aspx

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
If you can achieve the formatting you need with paragraph styles and
character styles instead of section breaks, then you can protect the
document against formatting changes without disabling other functions.
The formatting restrictions feature lets you choose which styles may
be applied, and prevents direct (non-style) formatting. This feature
was introduced in Word 2003.

In Word 2007, click the Developer tab. (If it isn't visible, enable it
in the Word Options dialog.) Click the Protect Document button. In the
task pane that appears, check the box for "Limit formatting to a
selection of styles" and then click the Settings link below it. Choose
the styles you want the user to be able to apply. Then click the Start
Enforcing Protection button, and supply an optional password.

This feature won't prevent the user from deleting section breaks, so
if you're mostly worried about page margins, headers/footers and the
like, this is not the answer -- and I'm not sure there is one.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:19:00 -0800, Big Dave
wrote:

Thanks for that reply. The content controls look useful, yes, but they
won't
do what I need, it seems. One of the most basic requirements for my
users is
to be able to make content changes without affecting document format,
which
means I need to stop them from deleting section breaks. Try putting a
section
break into a content control. If you manage that (I did at one point
though
it behaved bizarrely and I can't seem to do it again) try putting just a
continuous section break in one and make it so it doesn't interfere with
editting the document.
I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

[Jay Freedman]

Whether they do or don't, the question is still whether the desired
formatting can be done at all without the need for section breaks. If the
OP's concern is with users deleting section breaks and taking with them
things like headers/footers, then neither style restriction nor content
controls is going to solve the problem. Word has no way to lock down section
breaks other than using forms protection, and that disables other functions.
It's not a good story.

--
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.

Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
But don't content controls allow you even more control over overall
document formatting? I certainly got that impression from Tristan
Davis's demos.

For Tristan Davis's blogs on content controls, see
http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_offi...s/default.aspx


"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
If you can achieve the formatting you need with paragraph styles and
character styles instead of section breaks, then you can protect the
document against formatting changes without disabling other
functions. The formatting restrictions feature lets you choose which
styles may be applied, and prevents direct (non-style) formatting.
This feature was introduced in Word 2003.

In Word 2007, click the Developer tab. (If it isn't visible, enable
it in the Word Options dialog.) Click the Protect Document button.
In the task pane that appears, check the box for "Limit formatting
to a selection of styles" and then click the Settings link below it.
Choose the styles you want the user to be able to apply. Then click
the Start Enforcing Protection button, and supply an optional
password.

This feature won't prevent the user from deleting section breaks, so
if you're mostly worried about page margins, headers/footers and the
like, this is not the answer -- and I'm not sure there is one.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:19:00 -0800, Big Dave
wrote:

Thanks for that reply. The content controls look useful, yes, but
they won't do what I need, it seems. One of the most basic
requirements for my users is to be able to make content changes
without affecting document format, which means I need to stop them
from deleting section breaks. Try putting a section break into a
content control. If you manage that (I did at one point though it
behaved bizarrely and I can't seem to do it again) try putting just
a continuous section break in one and make it so it doesn't
interfere with editting the document.
I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I just thought the protection allowed you to protect section breaks along
with other text. You can select a block of text and protect it from
deletion; could not this block include a section break?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Whether they do or don't, the question is still whether the desired
formatting can be done at all without the need for section breaks. If the
OP's concern is with users deleting section breaks and taking with them
things like headers/footers, then neither style restriction nor content
controls is going to solve the problem. Word has no way to lock down
section
breaks other than using forms protection, and that disables other
functions.
It's not a good story.

--
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.

Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
But don't content controls allow you even more control over overall
document formatting? I certainly got that impression from Tristan
Davis's demos.

For Tristan Davis's blogs on content controls, see

http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_offi...s/default.aspx


"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
If you can achieve the formatting you need with paragraph styles and
character styles instead of section breaks, then you can protect the
document against formatting changes without disabling other
functions. The formatting restrictions feature lets you choose which
styles may be applied, and prevents direct (non-style) formatting.
This feature was introduced in Word 2003.

In Word 2007, click the Developer tab. (If it isn't visible, enable
it in the Word Options dialog.) Click the Protect Document button.
In the task pane that appears, check the box for "Limit formatting
to a selection of styles" and then click the Settings link below it.
Choose the styles you want the user to be able to apply. Then click
the Start Enforcing Protection button, and supply an optional
password.

This feature won't prevent the user from deleting section breaks, so
if you're mostly worried about page margins, headers/footers and the
like, this is not the answer -- and I'm not sure there is one.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:19:00 -0800, Big Dave
wrote:

Thanks for that reply. The content controls look useful, yes, but
they won't do what I need, it seems. One of the most basic
requirements for my users is to be able to make content changes
without affecting document format, which means I need to stop them
from deleting section breaks. Try putting a section break into a
content control. If you manage that (I did at one point though it
behaved bizarrely and I can't seem to do it again) try putting just
a continuous section break in one and make it so it doesn't
interfere with editting the document.
I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

[Jay Freedman]

I've been experimenting with this (a.k.a. "playing around" g). I
didn't have any trouble inserting a continuous section break at the
end of either a Rich Text content control or a Plain Text content
control. Inserting a continuous section break in the middle of the
text in a control split the control in two, just the way a section
break splits a table.

The break behaved just like a continuous section break in regular text
-- for instance, I could set the section ending at the section break
to be two columns, and the section after it to one column.

When I set the content control's properties to "Contents cannot be
edited" and/or "Content control cannot be deleted", I got some complex
results. If the content control's outline was visible, I couldn't
delete the section break. But if I placed the cursor to the left of
the section break and pressed the right arrow key, the control's
outline disappeared, leaving the cursor still to the left of the break
but apparently outside the content control. At that point I could
select the break with Shift+right arrow and press Delete to remove the
section break. The preceding material, including the content control,
then assumed the section formatting of the material that followed.

So my answer to Big Dave remains essentially the same: Content
controls don't provide protection against deleting section breaks if
the users are prone to accident, experimenting, or actively trying to
sabotage your documents. If you can get the formatting you want
without section breaks, then content controls do provide a way to lock
down text without killing off other functions.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 11:55:40 -0600, "Suzanne S. Barnhill"
wrote:

I just thought the protection allowed you to protect section breaks along
with other text. You can select a block of text and protect it from
deletion; could not this block include a section break?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Whether they do or don't, the question is still whether the desired
formatting can be done at all without the need for section breaks. If the
OP's concern is with users deleting section breaks and taking with them
things like headers/footers, then neither style restriction nor content
controls is going to solve the problem. Word has no way to lock down
section
breaks other than using forms protection, and that disables other
functions.
It's not a good story.

--
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.

Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
But don't content controls allow you even more control over overall
document formatting? I certainly got that impression from Tristan
Davis's demos.

For Tristan Davis's blogs on content controls, see

http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_offi...s/default.aspx


"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
If you can achieve the formatting you need with paragraph styles and
character styles instead of section breaks, then you can protect the
document against formatting changes without disabling other
functions. The formatting restrictions feature lets you choose which
styles may be applied, and prevents direct (non-style) formatting.
This feature was introduced in Word 2003.

In Word 2007, click the Developer tab. (If it isn't visible, enable
it in the Word Options dialog.) Click the Protect Document button.
In the task pane that appears, check the box for "Limit formatting
to a selection of styles" and then click the Settings link below it.
Choose the styles you want the user to be able to apply. Then click
the Start Enforcing Protection button, and supply an optional
password.

This feature won't prevent the user from deleting section breaks, so
if you're mostly worried about page margins, headers/footers and the
like, this is not the answer -- and I'm not sure there is one.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:19:00 -0800, Big Dave
wrote:

Thanks for that reply. The content controls look useful, yes, but
they won't do what I need, it seems. One of the most basic
requirements for my users is to be able to make content changes
without affecting document format, which means I need to stop them
from deleting section breaks. Try putting a section break into a
content control. If you manage that (I did at one point though it
behaved bizarrely and I can't seem to do it again) try putting just
a continuous section break in one and make it so it doesn't
interfere with editting the document.
I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Too bad. Something to hope for in the next version, I guess.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
I've been experimenting with this (a.k.a. "playing around" g). I
didn't have any trouble inserting a continuous section break at the
end of either a Rich Text content control or a Plain Text content
control. Inserting a continuous section break in the middle of the
text in a control split the control in two, just the way a section
break splits a table.

The break behaved just like a continuous section break in regular text
-- for instance, I could set the section ending at the section break
to be two columns, and the section after it to one column.

When I set the content control's properties to "Contents cannot be
edited" and/or "Content control cannot be deleted", I got some complex
results. If the content control's outline was visible, I couldn't
delete the section break. But if I placed the cursor to the left of
the section break and pressed the right arrow key, the control's
outline disappeared, leaving the cursor still to the left of the break
but apparently outside the content control. At that point I could
select the break with Shift+right arrow and press Delete to remove the
section break. The preceding material, including the content control,
then assumed the section formatting of the material that followed.

So my answer to Big Dave remains essentially the same: Content
controls don't provide protection against deleting section breaks if
the users are prone to accident, experimenting, or actively trying to
sabotage your documents. If you can get the formatting you want
without section breaks, then content controls do provide a way to lock
down text without killing off other functions.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 11:55:40 -0600, "Suzanne S. Barnhill"
wrote:

I just thought the protection allowed you to protect section breaks along
with other text. You can select a block of text and protect it from
deletion; could not this block include a section break?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Whether they do or don't, the question is still whether the desired
formatting can be done at all without the need for section breaks. If
the
OP's concern is with users deleting section breaks and taking with them
things like headers/footers, then neither style restriction nor content
controls is going to solve the problem. Word has no way to lock down
section
breaks other than using forms protection, and that disables other
functions.
It's not a good story.

--
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.

Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
But don't content controls allow you even more control over overall
document formatting? I certainly got that impression from Tristan
Davis's demos.

For Tristan Davis's blogs on content controls, see


http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_offi...ent+controls/d
efault.aspx


"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
If you can achieve the formatting you need with paragraph styles and
character styles instead of section breaks, then you can protect the
document against formatting changes without disabling other
functions. The formatting restrictions feature lets you choose which
styles may be applied, and prevents direct (non-style) formatting.
This feature was introduced in Word 2003.

In Word 2007, click the Developer tab. (If it isn't visible, enable
it in the Word Options dialog.) Click the Protect Document button.
In the task pane that appears, check the box for "Limit formatting
to a selection of styles" and then click the Settings link below it.
Choose the styles you want the user to be able to apply. Then click
the Start Enforcing Protection button, and supply an optional
password.

This feature won't prevent the user from deleting section breaks, so
if you're mostly worried about page margins, headers/footers and the
like, this is not the answer -- and I'm not sure there is one.

--
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.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:19:00 -0800, Big Dave
wrote:

Thanks for that reply. The content controls look useful, yes, but
they won't do what I need, it seems. One of the most basic
requirements for my users is to be able to make content changes
without affecting document format, which means I need to stop them
from deleting section breaks. Try putting a section break into a
content control. If you manage that (I did at one point though it
behaved bizarrely and I can't seem to do it again) try putting just
a continuous section break in one and make it so it doesn't
interfere with editting the document.
I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

[Cindy M.]

Hi Jay,

I've been experimenting with this (a.k.a. "playing around" g). I
didn't have any trouble inserting a continuous section break at the
end of either a Rich Text content control or a Plain Text content
control. Inserting a continuous section break in the middle of the
text in a control split the control in two, just the way a section
break splits a table.

Funny, I'm not seeing what you describe.

I started like this:

1. Type the "boiler-plate" into the document. Do any necessary Layout
formatting (such as columns)

2. Ctrl+A, then click the "Rich text" control type.

3. Select other text sections that should be editable and choose the
appropriate control type (usually RichText).

4. Now set the properties of the outer control to not allow editing
or deletion of the control.

In my scenario, a section break doesn't "break" a (rich text) control
(I didn't try with any other kind, since by definition I don't think
plain text would support one). Section breaks at the end of a control
couldn't be deleted. I could also add section breaks within a
control.

I think the important part is to use "enough" content controls to
allow for protecting what needs to be protected...

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 :-)

[Jay Freedman]

Cindy M. wrote:
Hi Jay,

I've been experimenting with this (a.k.a. "playing around" g). I
didn't have any trouble inserting a continuous section break at the
end of either a Rich Text content control or a Plain Text content
control. Inserting a continuous section break in the middle of the
text in a control split the control in two, just the way a section
break splits a table.

Funny, I'm not seeing what you describe.

I started like this:

1. Type the "boiler-plate" into the document. Do any necessary Layout
formatting (such as columns)

2. Ctrl+A, then click the "Rich text" control type.

3. Select other text sections that should be editable and choose the
appropriate control type (usually RichText).

4. Now set the properties of the outer control to not allow editing
or deletion of the control.

In my scenario, a section break doesn't "break" a (rich text) control
(I didn't try with any other kind, since by definition I don't think
plain text would support one). Section breaks at the end of a control
couldn't be deleted. I could also add section breaks within a
control.

I think the important part is to use "enough" content controls to
allow for protecting what needs to be protected...

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 :-)

Yes, I think you're right. I hadn't thought to enclose the entire document
in a content control and then "exempt" pieces with nested controls. Probably
I should have, since that's the way editing protection works in 2003. I'm
away from my Office 2007 system now, but I'll try that this evening.

--
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.

[Big Dave]

Thanks lots for the replies and the experimenting I hadn't really
considered putting the whole document into a content control - I guess I'm
nervous about what effect it might have that everything you then do will be
within a content control.
Does a content control do anything other than tag an area and hold
properties about it? I think the fact that it has associated events and
behaviour makes me wonder what will happen when I start doing the weird
things with it that my job (producing automated research document templates)
make me do to poor unsuspecting templates

--
Big Dave


"Jay Freedman" wrote:

Cindy M. wrote:
Hi Jay,

I've been experimenting with this (a.k.a. "playing around" g). I
didn't have any trouble inserting a continuous section break at the
end of either a Rich Text content control or a Plain Text content
control. Inserting a continuous section break in the middle of the
text in a control split the control in two, just the way a section
break splits a table.

Funny, I'm not seeing what you describe.

I started like this:

1. Type the "boiler-plate" into the document. Do any necessary Layout
formatting (such as columns)

2. Ctrl+A, then click the "Rich text" control type.

3. Select other text sections that should be editable and choose the
appropriate control type (usually RichText).

4. Now set the properties of the outer control to not allow editing
or deletion of the control.

In my scenario, a section break doesn't "break" a (rich text) control
(I didn't try with any other kind, since by definition I don't think
plain text would support one). Section breaks at the end of a control
couldn't be deleted. I could also add section breaks within a
control.

I think the important part is to use "enough" content controls to
allow for protecting what needs to be protected...

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 :-)

Yes, I think you're right. I hadn't thought to enclose the entire document
in a content control and then "exempt" pieces with nested controls. Probably
I should have, since that's the way editing protection works in 2003. I'm
away from my Office 2007 system now, but I'll try that this evening.

--
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.

[Big Dave]

Hmm. While attempting Cindy's approach, I decided to delete 'stuff' until I
was left with just what I wanted and ended up with a content control which
just contained a section break! Exactly what I wanted. Odd, and I'm not sure
if it will behave, since it was arrived at in such a manner, but I'll
experiment...

Just tried making a 'blank' content control and inserting a section break in
the middle of the 'type your text here'. It worked, so I removed the text and
end up with what I want.

*shrug* seems to be resolved - thanks for your prompting! Weird it will do
it under certain circumstances and not others.

Now I just need to work out how to stop users copying and pasting them...

--
Big Dave


"Jay Freedman" wrote:

Cindy M. wrote:
Hi Jay,

I've been experimenting with this (a.k.a. "playing around" g). I
didn't have any trouble inserting a continuous section break at the
end of either a Rich Text content control or a Plain Text content
control. Inserting a continuous section break in the middle of the
text in a control split the control in two, just the way a section
break splits a table.

Funny, I'm not seeing what you describe.

I started like this:

1. Type the "boiler-plate" into the document. Do any necessary Layout
formatting (such as columns)

2. Ctrl+A, then click the "Rich text" control type.

3. Select other text sections that should be editable and choose the
appropriate control type (usually RichText).

4. Now set the properties of the outer control to not allow editing
or deletion of the control.

In my scenario, a section break doesn't "break" a (rich text) control
(I didn't try with any other kind, since by definition I don't think
plain text would support one). Section breaks at the end of a control
couldn't be deleted. I could also add section breaks within a
control.

I think the important part is to use "enough" content controls to
allow for protecting what needs to be protected...

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 :-)

Yes, I think you're right. I hadn't thought to enclose the entire document
in a content control and then "exempt" pieces with nested controls. Probably
I should have, since that's the way editing protection works in 2003. I'm
away from my Office 2007 system now, but I'll try that this evening.

--
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.

[Cindy M.]

Hi ?B?QmlnIERhdmU=?=,

I think the fact that it has associated events and
behaviour makes me wonder what will happen when I start doing the weird
things with it that my job (producing automated research document templates)
make me do to poor unsuspecting templates

I think only experience will tell us if there are any "gotchas" lurking in them
:-) That's one reason discussions like this are important - we all learn from
one another.

Does a content control do anything other than tag an area and hold
properties about it?

Not actively. You can change how it behaves, of course. But "out of the box" it
doesn't do anything except restrict the type of data if it's not a RichText
control.

Hmm. While attempting Cindy's approach, I decided to delete 'stuff' until I
was left with just what I wanted and ended up with a content control which
just contained a section break! Exactly what I wanted. Odd, and I'm not sure
if it will behave, since it was arrived at in such a manner, but I'll
experiment...

Just tried making a 'blank' content control and inserting a section break in
the middle of the 'type your text here'. It worked, so I removed the text and
end up with what I want.

*shrug* seems to be resolved - thanks for your prompting! Weird it will do
it under certain circumstances and not others.

Now I just need to work out how to stop users copying and pasting them...

That's definitely an issue, and I'm not sure it's one you can resolve. They
don't seem to be designed with that level of protection in mind. And
unfortunately Word doesn't give you any access to drag-and-drop or Clipboard
events so that you could prevent it. However, if you don't assing a TITLE to a
field in a protected "container" it's pretty difficult to select it so that it
can be copied, leaving only the document-level container as a problem.

Some macro code could probably take care of this. Check all the content control
IDs when the document starts. At some point, loop through and see if there are
any IDs that aren't in that original list. If there are, controls have been
duplicated, so remove them.

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 :-)