WD97: How to Use AutoText as a Result of a Form Field Entry

ID: Q196939

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SUMMARY

This article describes how to use AutoText as the result of a form field. The procedure uses a drop-down form field that contains an on-exit macro.

MORE INFORMATION

In the example that follows, you will create a form that contains a form field that causes a company's address to be inserted automatically when the user enters a form field and selects a company name. The address will be placed at a bookmark located in an unprotected section of the document.

Creating the On-Exit Macro:

Create the macro appropriate for your version of Word, where "DropDown1" is the bookmark that represents the drop-down form field containing your list of items, and "Mark1" is the bookmark that represents where you want the AutoText inserted.

Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic for Applications procedures for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. The Visual Basic procedures in this article are provided 'as is' and Microsoft does not guarantee that they can be used in all situations. While Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular macro, they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality, nor will they help you construct macros to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to consult one of the Microsoft Solution Providers. Solution Providers offer a wide range of fee-based services, including creating custom macros. For more information about Microsoft Solution Providers, call Microsoft Customer Information Service at (800) 426-9400.

   Sub DropDownAutoText1()     'This is the name of the macro
      Dim DropResult As String
      ' Get result of the form field.
      DropResult = ActiveDocument.FormFields("DropDown1").Result
      ' UnProtect the document.
      ActiveDocument.UnProtect
      With Selection
         ' Go to location to insert Autotext
         .GoTo What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="Mark1"
         ' Insert AutoText name chosen from dropdown list.
         .InsertAfter DropResult
         ' Insert the AutoText.
         .Range.InsertAutoText
      End With
      ' Re-Protect the document.
      If ActiveDocument.ProtectionType = wdNoProtection Then
         ActiveDocument.Protect Type:=wdAllowOnlyFormFields, NoReset:=True
      End If
   End Sub

WARNING: ANY USE BY YOU OF THE CODE PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. Microsoft provides this macro code "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.

Creating the Drop-Down Form Field:

Open a new document and follow these steps to create a drop-down form field:

1. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Forms.

2. On the Forms toolbar, click Drop-Down Form Field (the third

   button).

3. Double-click the newly inserted form field. Enter an item

   name in the Drop-down Item box, and choose the Add button. Use
   items (such as company names) to denote information (such as
   addresses) to be inserted into other places on the form.

4. Repeat step 3 for each item needed in the Drop-Down list. Then

   click OK.

5. Right-click the Drop-Down Form Field and click Properties on

   the shortcut menu.

6. In the Drop-Down Form Field Options dialog box, under "Run

   Macro On," in the Exit box, select the macro you created
   in the "Create the On-Exit Macro" section of this article.
   Click OK.

Creating the AutoText Entries:

Create the AutoText entries. Give each AutoText entry the same name that is used in the drop-down form field list. The content of the AutoText entry will be the company address.

For additional information on creating AutoText entries, use Word Help. To locate the appropriate Help topic, follow these steps:

1. On the Help menu, click Contents and Index.

2. Click the Index tab, and then type AutoText on the Step 1

   line.

3. Under Step 2, select Creating from the AutoText topic, and

   then click Display.

Placing the Bookmark in the Form:

Use the following procedure to insert a bookmark (in this example, name the bookmark Mark1) where you want the AutoText (address) to appear. This section of the document will be unprotected so that the AutoText result can be inserted into the document. Insert a Continuous Section Break above and below this bookmark.

1. On the Insert menu, click Bookmark.

2. Type Mark1 on the Bookmark name line.

3. Click Add.

NOTE: You will not be able to use bookmarks in headers, footers, annotations, footnotes, or endnotes because the EditGoto command in the macro will not see these bookmarks, and they cannot be unprotected in your form.

Protecting the Form:

To protect the form, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Protect document, select the Forms option, and

   click Sections.

2. In the Section Protection dialog box, clear the check box corresponding

   to the section where the AutoText will be inserted and click OK twice.

3. Save the Form.

Additional query words: forms result module auto text

Keywords          : kbmacro kbdta word97 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: April 9, 1999