protect document doesn't work in some versions of Word?

[Guest]

I created a document with one editable section, using Word 2003. Some of the
people I've sent it to have not been able to edit the editable section. Are
all versions of Word compatible in this way? What can I do to help these
folks use the template and edit the editable section. (It's a newsletter
with standard/uneditable copy and one section that the user can add their own
info to before distributing.)
THANK YOU!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Did you protect the document for forms or by using Tools | Protect Document:
Editing restrictions and then selecting Exceptions? If the latter, and users
open the document in an earlier version, the entire document will be locked.
If you protected it for forms, leaving certain sections unprotected, they
should be able to edit those.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Suzanne--I did protect it by using "Tools | Protect Document: Editing
restrictions and then selecting Exceptions," and yes, it is entirely locked
for all users with earlier versions. You mention "protect it for forms"--I
don't know how to do that. Would you mind pointing me in the right
direction? MANY THANKS!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Forms protection is generally used for documents containing form fields. The
advantage for you is that this type of protection is backward-compatible.
The significant disadvantages are that (a) the protection (even when
password-protected) is easily removed by inserting the file into a new blank
document, and (b) much more seriously, protecting even specific sections for
forms disables a good half of Word's features for the entire document. If
you can live with hobbled Word functionality even in the editable parts,
this may be the way you have to go.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.