Field shading in a form/template

[Guest]

I've created a template for one of our forms that has fields. On this
template, I have turned field shading to Always on via the Tools, Options,
View menu. I click okay, do a save of the template, and when I use the
template to create a new document, the shading is turned off. Why is this?

(I have previously created a customized fax form using Microsoft's form, and
the field shading stays.)

Another question concerning building fill-in forms: The form I have built
is in narrative form, so I didn't put it in a table like the fax form.
However, I would like the field to contain a specific block of space; is
there a way I can do that?

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

Try this:

Open the template.

Make the field shading setting.

Perform a false edit in the file by inserting and promptly deleting a space
or any other character.

Save and close the file.

Does the setting "stick" now?

 

[Guest]

It worked!!! Why did it require these steps to make the shading stick?

Thanks!!

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

Because, the change to the shading setting doesn't get picked up by Word as
an actual edit. Look at the Edit menu after making a settings change, and
there won't be any Undo available. Hence, Word thinks the file is still
unchanged. So, to make Word think the document/template has actually
changed, you need to perform some kind of edit. That way, when you save the
"edit" (which really didn't change anything), the change to the setting gets
saved, too.