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Shane[_2_] Shane[_2_] is offline
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Default Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

Greetings,
Using Word 2003 sp2 in Windows XP sp2.

I've been asked to use a PDF file with heavy tables/lines and limited text
to create a 'form our users can fill out and save electronically'
I use Acrobat and so can create "data fields" in that program, but the
end-users don't have Acrobat and so we've opted to use Word. No biggie,
should be workable.

Converting to Word has been... unpleasant. So I hit on the idea of saving
the PDF as a JPG and using it as a background. That way I figured I could
put in some 'data entry' fields in the right places and people can fill out
the form. The difficulty is that text boxes are not real familiar to our
end-users who would likely move them and/or delete them while trying to
enter text.
..
I tried a "Text Form Field" but that's based on the formatting of the
document text (It seems I have to put it on a line, and hitting 'Tab' simply
moves the cursor one tab-space), so I won't end up with something they can
open, fill in a field, hit 'Tab' to get to the next field, and go from
there.

Ultimately, I suppose I could create an 'invisible' table with appropriate
cells locked, but that's a rather heavy, clunky way to work.

Is there a way to insert something similar to the Text Form Field that
doesn't rely on the actual paragraph formatting? I need something I can
place anywhere, regardless of text formatting (There won't BE any text on
this document, just the background and the fields). Ideally, I'd want to be
able to have them open the document and find the cursor in the first field,
then when they fill it out and hit Tab or Enter, it would go to the second
field and on from there.

I think I was able to do this in WordPerfect, but I've not used it in years.

Any ideas?? I figure there's some rather obvious thing I'm just missing!

Thanks,

Shane


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Terry Farrell Terry Farrell is offline
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Posts: 2,904
Default Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

Hi Shane

I'm not sure why you would think tables as clunky as a table set with fixed
column widths and fixed row heights would be appropriate and robust. Insert
text boxes making sure that they are set for an appropriate number of
characters so that they don't exceed the table cells but are sufficient for
the required information. You could even use the drop down box with fixed
choices where applicable. Once saved and protected as a table, users only
have access to the text boxes and it will be as robust as any other option.
If you bookmark the text boxes, you can automate information retrieval too.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com wrote
in message ...
Greetings,
Using Word 2003 sp2 in Windows XP sp2.

I've been asked to use a PDF file with heavy tables/lines and limited text
to create a 'form our users can fill out and save electronically'
I use Acrobat and so can create "data fields" in that program, but the
end-users don't have Acrobat and so we've opted to use Word. No biggie,
should be workable.

Converting to Word has been... unpleasant. So I hit on the idea of saving
the PDF as a JPG and using it as a background. That way I figured I could
put in some 'data entry' fields in the right places and people can fill
out the form. The difficulty is that text boxes are not real familiar to
our end-users who would likely move them and/or delete them while trying
to enter text.
.
I tried a "Text Form Field" but that's based on the formatting of the
document text (It seems I have to put it on a line, and hitting 'Tab'
simply moves the cursor one tab-space), so I won't end up with something
they can open, fill in a field, hit 'Tab' to get to the next field, and go
from there.

Ultimately, I suppose I could create an 'invisible' table with appropriate
cells locked, but that's a rather heavy, clunky way to work.

Is there a way to insert something similar to the Text Form Field that
doesn't rely on the actual paragraph formatting? I need something I can
place anywhere, regardless of text formatting (There won't BE any text on
this document, just the background and the fields). Ideally, I'd want to
be able to have them open the document and find the cursor in the first
field, then when they fill it out and hit Tab or Enter, it would go to the
second field and on from there.

I think I was able to do this in WordPerfect, but I've not used it in
years.

Any ideas?? I figure there's some rather obvious thing I'm just missing!

Thanks,

Shane


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Shane[_2_] Shane[_2_] is offline
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Posts: 9
Default Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

Well, nothing about tables in general is clunky or unweildy. I don't have
the option of fixed column widths or row heights as the table has to conform
to a previously-created setup and many of the places for writing information
are not laid out in an easy grid format.
I'll end up having to cover the entire page with a table, then use lots of
merges and splits to get the cells in the right places and the right sizes.

I can do it, but it got me curious about whether or not one can create
form-fields that can be placed like text-boxes.

Shane


"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
Hi Shane

I'm not sure why you would think tables as clunky as a table set with
fixed column widths and fixed row heights would be appropriate and robust.
Insert text boxes making sure that they are set for an appropriate number
of characters so that they don't exceed the table cells but are sufficient
for the required information. You could even use the drop down box with
fixed choices where applicable. Once saved and protected as a table, users
only have access to the text boxes and it will be as robust as any other
option. If you bookmark the text boxes, you can automate information
retrieval too.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com
wrote in message ...
Greetings,
Using Word 2003 sp2 in Windows XP sp2.

I've been asked to use a PDF file with heavy tables/lines and limited
text to create a 'form our users can fill out and save electronically'
I use Acrobat and so can create "data fields" in that program, but the
end-users don't have Acrobat and so we've opted to use Word. No biggie,
should be workable.

Converting to Word has been... unpleasant. So I hit on the idea of
saving the PDF as a JPG and using it as a background. That way I figured
I could put in some 'data entry' fields in the right places and people
can fill out the form. The difficulty is that text boxes are not real
familiar to our end-users who would likely move them and/or delete them
while trying to enter text.
.
I tried a "Text Form Field" but that's based on the formatting of the
document text (It seems I have to put it on a line, and hitting 'Tab'
simply moves the cursor one tab-space), so I won't end up with something
they can open, fill in a field, hit 'Tab' to get to the next field, and
go from there.

Ultimately, I suppose I could create an 'invisible' table with
appropriate cells locked, but that's a rather heavy, clunky way to work.

Is there a way to insert something similar to the Text Form Field that
doesn't rely on the actual paragraph formatting? I need something I can
place anywhere, regardless of text formatting (There won't BE any text on
this document, just the background and the fields). Ideally, I'd want to
be able to have them open the document and find the cursor in the first
field, then when they fill it out and hit Tab or Enter, it would go to
the second field and on from there.

I think I was able to do this in WordPerfect, but I've not used it in
years.

Any ideas?? I figure there's some rather obvious thing I'm just missing!

Thanks,

Shane




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Terry Farrell Terry Farrell is offline
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Posts: 2,904
Default Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

Of course, I never really meant Text Boxes but meant Text Form Fields
located in place inside table cells (which I suspect you guessed otherwise
what is the point of protecting the document as a form!).

The secret of using a table for this is to make sure that you insert a
single table with sufficient rows and columns to accommodate every place you
need to insert a Form Field. Then adjust column widths and row heights and
fix them. Finally, merge cells where needed to straddle where extra width is
needed for the form field. Avoid cell splitting or merging column cells: if
you stick to just merging adjacent cells, the table is unlikely to corrupt.

Once the document is Protected as a Form, the tables are inaccessible and
the users are unlikely to make a mess of the form filling g.

Terry

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com wrote
in message ...
Well, nothing about tables in general is clunky or unweildy. I don't have
the option of fixed column widths or row heights as the table has to
conform to a previously-created setup and many of the places for writing
information are not laid out in an easy grid format.
I'll end up having to cover the entire page with a table, then use lots of
merges and splits to get the cells in the right places and the right
sizes.

I can do it, but it got me curious about whether or not one can create
form-fields that can be placed like text-boxes.

Shane


"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
Hi Shane

I'm not sure why you would think tables as clunky as a table set with
fixed column widths and fixed row heights would be appropriate and
robust. Insert text boxes making sure that they are set for an
appropriate number of characters so that they don't exceed the table
cells but are sufficient for the required information. You could even use
the drop down box with fixed choices where applicable. Once saved and
protected as a table, users only have access to the text boxes and it
will be as robust as any other option. If you bookmark the text boxes,
you can automate information retrieval too.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com
wrote in message ...
Greetings,
Using Word 2003 sp2 in Windows XP sp2.

I've been asked to use a PDF file with heavy tables/lines and limited
text to create a 'form our users can fill out and save electronically'
I use Acrobat and so can create "data fields" in that program, but the
end-users don't have Acrobat and so we've opted to use Word. No biggie,
should be workable.

Converting to Word has been... unpleasant. So I hit on the idea of
saving the PDF as a JPG and using it as a background. That way I figured
I could put in some 'data entry' fields in the right places and people
can fill out the form. The difficulty is that text boxes are not real
familiar to our end-users who would likely move them and/or delete them
while trying to enter text.
.
I tried a "Text Form Field" but that's based on the formatting of the
document text (It seems I have to put it on a line, and hitting 'Tab'
simply moves the cursor one tab-space), so I won't end up with something
they can open, fill in a field, hit 'Tab' to get to the next field, and
go from there.

Ultimately, I suppose I could create an 'invisible' table with
appropriate cells locked, but that's a rather heavy, clunky way to work.

Is there a way to insert something similar to the Text Form Field that
doesn't rely on the actual paragraph formatting? I need something I can
place anywhere, regardless of text formatting (There won't BE any text
on this document, just the background and the fields). Ideally, I'd want
to be able to have them open the document and find the cursor in the
first field, then when they fill it out and hit Tab or Enter, it would
go to the second field and on from there.

I think I was able to do this in WordPerfect, but I've not used it in
years.

Any ideas?? I figure there's some rather obvious thing I'm just missing!

Thanks,

Shane





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Shane[_2_] Shane[_2_] is offline
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Posts: 9
Default Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

Terry,
"Avoid cell splitting or merging column cells: if you stick to just merging
adjacent cells, the table is unlikely to corrupt."

AHH.. that one I'll HAVE to remember! Thanks!

Shane

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
Of course, I never really meant Text Boxes but meant Text Form Fields
located in place inside table cells (which I suspect you guessed otherwise
what is the point of protecting the document as a form!).

The secret of using a table for this is to make sure that you insert a
single table with sufficient rows and columns to accommodate every place
you need to insert a Form Field. Then adjust column widths and row heights
and fix them. Finally, merge cells where needed to straddle where extra
width is needed for the form field. Avoid cell splitting or merging column
cells: if you stick to just merging adjacent cells, the table is unlikely
to corrupt.

Once the document is Protected as a Form, the tables are inaccessible and
the users are unlikely to make a mess of the form filling g.

Terry

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com
wrote in message ...
Well, nothing about tables in general is clunky or unweildy. I don't have
the option of fixed column widths or row heights as the table has to
conform to a previously-created setup and many of the places for writing
information are not laid out in an easy grid format.
I'll end up having to cover the entire page with a table, then use lots
of merges and splits to get the cells in the right places and the right
sizes.

I can do it, but it got me curious about whether or not one can create
form-fields that can be placed like text-boxes.

Shane


"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
Hi Shane

I'm not sure why you would think tables as clunky as a table set with
fixed column widths and fixed row heights would be appropriate and
robust. Insert text boxes making sure that they are set for an
appropriate number of characters so that they don't exceed the table
cells but are sufficient for the required information. You could even
use the drop down box with fixed choices where applicable. Once saved
and protected as a table, users only have access to the text boxes and
it will be as robust as any other option. If you bookmark the text
boxes, you can automate information retrieval too.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com
wrote in message ...
Greetings,
Using Word 2003 sp2 in Windows XP sp2.

I've been asked to use a PDF file with heavy tables/lines and limited
text to create a 'form our users can fill out and save electronically'
I use Acrobat and so can create "data fields" in that program, but the
end-users don't have Acrobat and so we've opted to use Word. No biggie,
should be workable.

Converting to Word has been... unpleasant. So I hit on the idea of
saving the PDF as a JPG and using it as a background. That way I
figured I could put in some 'data entry' fields in the right places and
people can fill out the form. The difficulty is that text boxes are not
real familiar to our end-users who would likely move them and/or delete
them while trying to enter text.
.
I tried a "Text Form Field" but that's based on the formatting of the
document text (It seems I have to put it on a line, and hitting 'Tab'
simply moves the cursor one tab-space), so I won't end up with
something they can open, fill in a field, hit 'Tab' to get to the next
field, and go from there.

Ultimately, I suppose I could create an 'invisible' table with
appropriate cells locked, but that's a rather heavy, clunky way to
work.

Is there a way to insert something similar to the Text Form Field that
doesn't rely on the actual paragraph formatting? I need something I can
place anywhere, regardless of text formatting (There won't BE any text
on this document, just the background and the fields). Ideally, I'd
want to be able to have them open the document and find the cursor in
the first field, then when they fill it out and hit Tab or Enter, it
would go to the second field and on from there.

I think I was able to do this in WordPerfect, but I've not used it in
years.

Any ideas?? I figure there's some rather obvious thing I'm just
missing!

Thanks,

Shane









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Suzanne S. Barnhill Suzanne S. Barnhill is offline
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Posts: 33,624
Default Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

It might be a good idea for you to read the series of Forms tutorials by
Dian Chapman that are linked from
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customizat...nTheBlanks.htm and especially
the forms tutorials by Dian Chapman that this article links to. I think
you'll see that forms in Word work similarly to those in Acrobat.

--
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.

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com wrote
in message ...
Greetings,
Using Word 2003 sp2 in Windows XP sp2.

I've been asked to use a PDF file with heavy tables/lines and limited text
to create a 'form our users can fill out and save electronically'
I use Acrobat and so can create "data fields" in that program, but the
end-users don't have Acrobat and so we've opted to use Word. No biggie,
should be workable.

Converting to Word has been... unpleasant. So I hit on the idea of saving
the PDF as a JPG and using it as a background. That way I figured I could
put in some 'data entry' fields in the right places and people can fill

out
the form. The difficulty is that text boxes are not real familiar to our
end-users who would likely move them and/or delete them while trying to
enter text.
.
I tried a "Text Form Field" but that's based on the formatting of the
document text (It seems I have to put it on a line, and hitting 'Tab'

simply
moves the cursor one tab-space), so I won't end up with something they can
open, fill in a field, hit 'Tab' to get to the next field, and go from
there.

Ultimately, I suppose I could create an 'invisible' table with appropriate
cells locked, but that's a rather heavy, clunky way to work.

Is there a way to insert something similar to the Text Form Field that
doesn't rely on the actual paragraph formatting? I need something I can
place anywhere, regardless of text formatting (There won't BE any text on
this document, just the background and the fields). Ideally, I'd want to

be
able to have them open the document and find the cursor in the first

field,
then when they fill it out and hit Tab or Enter, it would go to the second
field and on from there.

I think I was able to do this in WordPerfect, but I've not used it in

years.

Any ideas?? I figure there's some rather obvious thing I'm just missing!

Thanks,

Shane



  #7   Report Post  
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Shane[_2_] Shane[_2_] is offline
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Posts: 9
Default Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

Suzanne,
Thanks for the info, actually, a LOT more than I had realized was there. The
more I know about macros, the happier I am with Word. Coolness. I learned
much.

My difficulty is that in Acrobat I can put in a field that is placed without
regard to text.
I can use the Forms toolbar to click/drag a text box anywhere and then when
someone opens it, they can enter information then hit Tab to go to the next
one.
The only real difference is that they use a separate cursor to create the
fields than they do to enter data. I guess that's the big difference, eh?
Yeah, I know, Acrobat not Word.. but still.. a guy can dream, right? :-)

Hey, if I ever figure out a way, I'll post it!

Shane


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
It might be a good idea for you to read the series of Forms tutorials by
Dian Chapman that are linked from
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customizat...nTheBlanks.htm and especially
the forms tutorials by Dian Chapman that this article links to. I think
you'll see that forms in Word work similarly to those in Acrobat.

--
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.

"Shane" Shane•Varnadore@DoYouLikeGreenEggsAndSpamBoweBell Howell.com
wrote
in message ...
Greetings,
Using Word 2003 sp2 in Windows XP sp2.

I've been asked to use a PDF file with heavy tables/lines and limited
text
to create a 'form our users can fill out and save electronically'
I use Acrobat and so can create "data fields" in that program, but the
end-users don't have Acrobat and so we've opted to use Word. No biggie,
should be workable.

Converting to Word has been... unpleasant. So I hit on the idea of
saving
the PDF as a JPG and using it as a background. That way I figured I could
put in some 'data entry' fields in the right places and people can fill

out
the form. The difficulty is that text boxes are not real familiar to our
end-users who would likely move them and/or delete them while trying to
enter text.
.
I tried a "Text Form Field" but that's based on the formatting of the
document text (It seems I have to put it on a line, and hitting 'Tab'

simply
moves the cursor one tab-space), so I won't end up with something they
can
open, fill in a field, hit 'Tab' to get to the next field, and go from
there.

Ultimately, I suppose I could create an 'invisible' table with
appropriate
cells locked, but that's a rather heavy, clunky way to work.

Is there a way to insert something similar to the Text Form Field that
doesn't rely on the actual paragraph formatting? I need something I can
place anywhere, regardless of text formatting (There won't BE any text on
this document, just the background and the fields). Ideally, I'd want to

be
able to have them open the document and find the cursor in the first

field,
then when they fill it out and hit Tab or Enter, it would go to the
second
field and on from there.

I think I was able to do this in WordPerfect, but I've not used it in

years.

Any ideas?? I figure there's some rather obvious thing I'm just missing!

Thanks,

Shane





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