I am trying to create a document using word 2007. I don't want to have to
print my document out to fill it out. I want to be able to fill it out with
out having to reformat it while doing so, as a way of record keeping.

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:57:01 -0700, troutkila
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I am trying to create a document using word 2007. I don't want to have to
>print my document out to fill it out. I want to be able to fill it out with
>out having to reformat it while doing so, as a way of record keeping.

You can create a "protected form" like those in previous Word versions, and
that's recommended if you expect users of the earlier versions to fill out the
form. See http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=22 to get started,
although you need a couple of bits of 2007-specific information not in that
article:

- First display the Developer ribbon -- go to Office button > Word Options >
Popular and turn on that option.

- On the Developer ribbon, in the Controls group, click the Legacy Tools button
(fourth one in the second row in that group) to see the buttons that used to be
on the Forms toolbar.

- The Protect Document button is farther to the right on the Developer ribbon,
and it shows a menu where you click "Restrict Formatting and Editing". That
opens a pane on the right. Check the box under Editing Restrictions, and choose
"Filling in forms" in the dropdown below that. Then click the Start Enforcing
button to make the form protected (active).

If you're the only user of the form, or you expect that everybody who fills in
the form will use Word 2007, then you're better off using the new Content
Controls, which are the other buttons in the Developer ribbon's Controls group.

--
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 for your help. but im trying to protect my document but the "Yes,
Start enforcing protection" button isnt becoming active so I cant finish the
protection. any ideas?

"Jay Freedman" wrote:

> On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:57:01 -0700, troutkila
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >I am trying to create a document using word 2007. I don't want to have to
> >print my document out to fill it out. I want to be able to fill it out with
> >out having to reformat it while doing so, as a way of record keeping.
>
> You can create a "protected form" like those in previous Word versions, and
> that's recommended if you expect users of the earlier versions to fill out the
> form. See http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=22 to get started,
> although you need a couple of bits of 2007-specific information not in that
> article:
>
> - First display the Developer ribbon -- go to Office button > Word Options >
> Popular and turn on that option.
>
> - On the Developer ribbon, in the Controls group, click the Legacy Tools button
> (fourth one in the second row in that group) to see the buttons that used to be
> on the Forms toolbar.
>
> - The Protect Document button is farther to the right on the Developer ribbon,
> and it shows a menu where you click "Restrict Formatting and Editing". That
> opens a pane on the right. Check the box under Editing Restrictions, and choose
> "Filling in forms" in the dropdown below that. Then click the Start Enforcing
> button to make the form protected (active).
>
> If you're the only user of the form, or you expect that everybody who fills in
> the form will use Word 2007, then you're better off using the new Content
> Controls, which are the other buttons in the Developer ribbon's Controls group.
>
> --
> 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.
>

Quoting MVP Beth Melton from the thread
http://groups.google.com/group/micro...aee68ba480c51a

'On the Developer tab make sure "Design Mode" isn't selected. If that's not
it, on the Mailings tab click "Start Mail Merge" and make sure the document
type is a "Normal Word Document".'

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:04:01 -0700, troutkila
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Thank you for your help. but im trying to protect my document but the "Yes,
>Start enforcing protection" button isnt becoming active so I cant finish the
>protection. any ideas?
>
>"Jay Freedman" wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:57:01 -0700, troutkila
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>> >I am trying to create a document using word 2007. I don't want to have to
>> >print my document out to fill it out. I want to be able to fill it out with
>> >out having to reformat it while doing so, as a way of record keeping.
>>
>> You can create a "protected form" like those in previous Word versions, and
>> that's recommended if you expect users of the earlier versions to fill out the
>> form. See http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=22 to get started,
>> although you need a couple of bits of 2007-specific information not in that
>> article:
>>
>> - First display the Developer ribbon -- go to Office button > Word Options >
>> Popular and turn on that option.
>>
>> - On the Developer ribbon, in the Controls group, click the Legacy Tools button
>> (fourth one in the second row in that group) to see the buttons that used to be
>> on the Forms toolbar.
>>
>> - The Protect Document button is farther to the right on the Developer ribbon,
>> and it shows a menu where you click "Restrict Formatting and Editing". That
>> opens a pane on the right. Check the box under Editing Restrictions, and choose
>> "Filling in forms" in the dropdown below that. Then click the Start Enforcing
>> button to make the form protected (active).
>>
>> If you're the only user of the form, or you expect that everybody who fills in
>> the form will use Word 2007, then you're better off using the new Content
>> Controls, which are the other buttons in the Developer ribbon's Controls group.

--
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.