ID: Q187864
The information in this article applies to:
This article describes how to create an online form using form fields. A form is a template or document with empty areas in which to collect and organize information. An online form uses form fields, which may include text boxes to fill in, check boxes to select or clear, and drop-down list boxes that contain lists of items from which to select choices.
To create an online form, follow these steps:
1: Create a template using the appropriate method for your version of Word.
Word 7.x:
a. On the File menu, click New.
b. Click the General tab. Select Blank Document.
c. Select the Template option under Create New, and click OK.
Word 6.x:
a. On the File menu, click New.
b. Select the Template option under New, and click OK.
appear in the form.
a. Position the insertion point where you want the user to
type or select information.
b. On the Insert menu, click Form Field.
c. Under Type, select the type of form field you want to
insert.
d. In the Form Field dialog box, click Options. Specify the
properties of the form field, and then click OK.
e. Repeat steps a-d for each form field you want to add to your form.
NOTE: Each type of form field is described in the table below:
Type Description
------------------------------------------------------------
Text Use a regular text form field when the form
requires an entry of any type, including text,
numbers, dates, current date and time, or
calculations. You can specify a default entry
so that the user does not have to type an
entry except to change the response.
Check Box Use a check box to prompt the user for a yes
or no response.
Drop-Down Use the drop-down form fields to provide the
user with a list of answers to choose from.
Selecting from a list rather than typing
entries makes it easier for users to fill in
the form correctly.
a. On the Tools menu, click Protect Document.
b. Click Forms, and then click OK.
Word protects the template from changes so users can enter
information only in the form fields.
In Word 6.x, all document templates are saved to the <Winword>\Template folder by default. The name of the template is available when the user clicks New on the File menu.
In Word 7.x, you can save the template to any folder. If you save the template to the default folder of Msoffice\Templates\Payroll, for example, the template will be available when the user clicks New on the File menu, and clicks the Payroll tab.
Templates containing calculations as the type of text field require that you update the fields. To do this, use any of the following methods.
Method 1:
Assign a Run On Exit Macro to update the field doing the calculation.
Method 2:
To have Word update all fields when the document is printed, follow these Steps:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the Print tab and then click to select the Update Fields check
box.
For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q187815
TITLE : WD: How to Update Fields in a Protected Form
ARTICLE ID: Q137439
TITLE : WD: How to Unlink Form Fields
ARTICLE ID: Q110174
TITLE : WD: Preserving Text When Reprotecting a Form Without Macros
ARTICLE ID: Q110014
TITLE : WD: Calculation Text Fields Within Forms Fail to Update
ARTICLE ID: Q187813
TITLE : WD: How To Create An Automated Form with Fill-in Fields
"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 6.0, pages 305-326
"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 472-482
Additional query words: forms setformresult template invoice kbfield
Keywords : kbdta kbfield kbform word6 word7 word95
Version : MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a; WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a; winnt:6.0
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbhowtoLast Reviewed: June 2, 1999