Can you pwd-protect hidden text?

[Guest]

I have a simple form set up that is forms protected. We complete the form in-house then email it to clients. One whole section of the form is for internal use only, and I have therefore hidden it using Format>Font>Hidden (checked). Problem is that I want now to password protect the hidden section so that not just anyone (i.e. the client) can Show|Hide the hidden text.

Is there a way to accomplish this?

Thanks.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

There is no easy way. Show/hide hidden text is not document specific but is
rather a view option. (My Word is almost always set to show hidden text.)

Any hard way that still leaves the text in your document could be easily
defeated.

What is the purpose of emailing it to clients?

Do you want them to fill part of it in and send it back to you?

Have you considered converting it to .pdf format? You could have a
pre-sending macro that actually stripped the hidden text from your document
rather than simply hid it.

Which version of Word are you using?
--

Charles Kenyon

See the MVP FAQ: <URL: http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
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I have a simple form set up that is forms protected. We complete the form

in-house then email it to clients. One whole section of the form is for
internal use only, and I have therefore hidden it using Format>Font>Hidden
(checked). Problem is that I want now to password protect the hidden section
so that not just anyone (i.e. the client) can Show|Hide the hidden text.

 

[Mathilda]

Thanks, Charles. I'll start w/ the easy question: Word
2002.

We currently create two docs (one internal, one for the
client) that duplicate much but not all of the info. We're
trying to consolidate into one. The form protection is so
that the formatting doesn't get messed up by our novice
Word users in-house as they fill out the form. The client
will have no interaction with the doc (a proposal) other
than to print and sign it, then fax it back to us. I'm not
worried that anyone outside will take the time to dig
through the code of our document; I just want to be sure
they can't see our internal notes with an errant mouse
click.

I've thought about converting to PDF but not everyone here
has that capability, and I can't count on all of these
crossing my desk before going out. Could the PDF-writing
macro be built into the Word doc, to prevent my users from
being lazy and skipping that step?

 

[Charles Kenyon]

PDF writing requires additional software - it doesn't come built into Word.
If you don't need form capabilities in the PDF file software can be
downloaded for free/cheap. I use CuteWriter which is free. If you are
sending pdf format items just make it a RULE that no Word docs get sent by
email or disk. Explain that it is the equivalent of giving out trade
secrets. Also, perhaps, make sure their machines are set to view (but not
print) hidden text.

Once you have the software installed you can record a macro to write the pdf
file. (It is the equivalent of printing, so hidden text should not show up.)
Make sure a part of your procedure, though, is to actually view the pdf file
before it is sent. Perhaps even print it. That is because it is possible to
set Word to print hidden text and if that setting is turned on by accident,
your hidden text will be in the pdf file.
--

Charles Kenyon

See the MVP FAQ: <URL: http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
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This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Mathilda,

<<I have a simple form set up that is forms protected. We complete the form in-house then email it to clients. One whole
section of the form is for internal use only, and I have therefore hidden it using Format>Font>Hidden (checked). Problem is
that I want now to password protect the hidden section so that not just anyone (i.e. the client) can Show|Hide the hidden
text. >>

This is tricky. I don't think you can count on anything being really secure that's left IN the document. This means a macro solution, whether you use a macro to export to PDF format, or one that removes the hidden text at the end of processing.

I'd also say: put the text in in such a way that it canNOT be hidden, so that the user can't make the mistake of NOT doing the processing.

An alternate approach might be to not put this text directly into the document, but in the template or an outside file that won't go to the customer. You could have a toolbar button, for example, labelled "Client form Help" (or whatever is appropriate) that would display the text in a UserForm (custom dialog box). This could even be set to "non-modal", which means the user could have it displayed while working in the document. You could even go so far as to have the code that displays this execute automatically when the user tabs into or out of a particular form field.

Word 2002.

We currently create two docs (one internal, one for the
client) that duplicate much but not all of the info. We're
trying to consolidate into one. The form protection is so
that the formatting doesn't get messed up by our novice
Word users in-house as they fill out the form. The client
will have no interaction with the doc (a proposal) other
than to print and sign it, then fax it back to us. I'm not
worried that anyone outside will take the time to dig
through the code of our document; I just want to be sure
they can't see our internal notes with an errant mouse
click.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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