Microsoft Word 2003/2004

Working with Form Fields

Word forms depend on form fields to gather information from the user through any of three ways: text form fields, check box form fields, or drop-down form fields. The nature of the information to be gathered will determine the type of form field to be used. This document provides basic advice on using fields to create forms.

NOTE: To use the instructions in this document, the Forms toolbar should be displayed. For more information, refer to The Forms Toolbar.

Form Field Types
Text Form Fields
Check Box Form Fields
Drop-Down Form Fields
Deleting Form Fields

Form Field Types

Form Field Types	Examples
Text Used when the response consists of unknown choices EXAMPLE: the respondent's name
Check Box Used when the response is to select one or more choices from a series EXAMPLE: providing a list of classes and asking respondents to check the ones they have taken
Drop-Down Used when the response must be from a select list of choices EXAMPLE: "yes" or "no" questions

Text Form Fields

Text form fields are used when the response consists of unknown choices (e.g., a respondent's name).

Adding Text Form Fields

Place the insertion point where you want the field to appear
On the Forms toolbar, click TEXT FORM FIELD
The text form field appears.
OPTIONAL: To turn form field shading on or off, on the Forms toolbar, click FORM FIELD SHADING

Customizing Text Form Fields

The Text Form Field Options dialog box allows you to do all of the following:

Specify the type of text you want to enter (e.g., regular, date, number, current date or time, currency, calculation)
Specify the length of the text, the default text, and the text case (e.g., uppercase, lowercase, title case, initial case)
Execute a macro when the user enters or leaves the field
NOTE: A macro groups a series of word commands and instructions in order to automate a task performed repeatedly in Word
Name the field as a bookmark
Add "help" for the field
Calculate the results of the field when the user exits the form
Disable or enable the completion of the field

Double click the field
OR
With the text form field selected, click FORM FIELD OPTIONS
The Text Form Field Options dialog box appears.
Make the appropriate changes to the text form field
Click OK

Check Box Form Fields

Check box form fields are used when the response is to select one or more choices from a series (e.g., providing a list of classes and asking the respondent to check the ones he/she has taken).

Adding Check Box Form Fields

Place the insertion point where you want the field to appear
Click CHECK BOX FORM FIELD
The check box form field appears.
OPTIONAL: To turn form field shading on or off, on the Forms toolbar, click FORM FIELD SHADING

Customizing Check Box Form Fields

The Check Box Form Field Options dialog box allows you to do all of the following:

Specify the size of the check box and the default value
Execute a macro when the user enters or leaves the field
NOTE: A macro groups a series of word commands and instructions in order to automate a task performed repeatedly in Word
Name the field as a bookmark
Create "help" for the field
Calculate the results of the field when the user exits the form
Disable or enable the completion of the field

Double click the field
OR
With the check box form field selected, click FORM FIELD OPTIONS
The Check Box Form Field Options dialog box appears.
Make the appropriate changes to the check box form field
When finished, click OK

Drop-Down Form Fields

Drop-down form fields are used when the response must be from a specific list of choices (e.g., "yes" or "no" questions).

NOTE: Drop-down form fields are not recommended for forms that will be printed and completed manually, because only the first choice is printed.

Adding Drop-Down Form Fields

Place the insertion point where you want the field to appear
Click DROP-DOWN FORM FIELD
The drop-down form field appears.
Double click the field
OR
With the drop-down form field selected, click FORM FIELD OPTIONS
The Drop-Down Form Field Options dialog box appears.
To add items to a drop-down list, in the Drop-down item text box, type an entry
Click ADD
OR
Windows: Press [Enter]
Macintosh: Press [return]
Repeat steps 4-5 until all items are added
Click OK
OPTIONAL: To turn form field shading on or off, on the Forms toolbar, click FORM FIELD SHADING

Customizing Drop-Down Form Fields

When working with drop-down form fields, it is often necessary to modify or delete drop-down entries. When modifying a drop-down item, the entry must initially be removed from the list and then added again.

Double click the field
OR
With the drop-down form field selected, click FORM FIELD OPTIONS
The Drop-Down Form Field Options dialog box appears.
From the Items in drop-down list scroll list, select the item to be modified
Click REMOVE
The item appears in the Drop-down item text box.
To modify the item, make the desired changes and click ADD
To remove the item completely, press [Delete]
Click OK

Rearranging Entries in Drop-Down Form Fields

Double click the field
OR
With the drop-down form field selected, click FORM FIELD OPTIONS
The Drop-Down Form Field Options dialog box appears.
From the Items in the drop-down list scroll list, select the item to be moved
To move the item up or down in the list, click UP or DOWNas necessary
Click OK

Additional Drop-Down Form Field Options

The Drop-Down Form Field Options dialog box also allows you to do the following:

Execute a macro when the user enters or leaves the field
NOTE: A macro groups a series of word commands and instructions in order to automate a task performed repeatedly in Word
Name the field as a bookmark
Create "help" for the field
Calculate the results of the field when the user exits
Disable or enable the completion of the field

Deleting Form Fields

When you no longer need a specific form field, you can delete it.

Select the form field to be deleted
Press [Delete]