Creating "Fill-In" type fields in Word 2003

[Shane]

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

 

[Terry Farrell]

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.

 

[Shane]

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]

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]

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

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

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/Customization/FillinTheBlanks.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

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[Shane]

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