Why does document protection change when file is uploaded to web?

[Guest]

I have a form in Word that is password protected so that users can only fill
in form fields. When I upload the file to my website, then download it to my
desktop to check the form, the password protection is gone. I don't want
anyone changing my form questions, so how do I keep my password protection
active?

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi =?Utf-8?B?RFVrYXJlbg==?=,

I have a form in Word that is password protected so that users can only fill
in form fields. When I upload the file to my website, then download it to my
desktop to check the form, the password protection is gone. I don't want
anyone changing my form questions, so how do I keep my password protection
active?

Hmm. How are you "uploading" the form to your website? Are you really uploading
the file, via FTP? Or are you creating a web-page from it? Which version of
Word?

FWIW, forms protection isn't particularly secure. It's only meant as a
convenience. But anyone can open a password protected form using Insert/File
into another document and the protection is gone.

Creating a PDF form would probably be more secure for your purposes.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Guest]

The form was created in Word 2003, and it is being uploaded via FTP.
I was just curious about why this was happening, but I will be converting my
form to pdf. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi =?Utf-8?B?RFVrYXJlbg==?=,

The form was created in Word 2003, and it is being uploaded via FTP.
I was just curious about why this was happening

Hard to say, in that case. Normally, a form will lose protection if
it's saved to a different file format, or opened into a document using
Insert/File. You may also lose it if the user opens it directly into
IE (don't know for sure, I've never tried that).

Another possibility is that the file is being damaged in transmission.
Word files are particularly susceptible to being damaged in that
manner. So it's usually a good idea to pack a Word doc into a ZIP
file.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question
or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail