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Old 05-16-2010, 09:08 AM
Lynn O'Shea Lynn O'Shea is offline create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Mac OS X create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
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Default create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages

Hello everyone. I need to do something rather obvious, and can't seem to figure it out.



In Publishing Layout mode, I set up a document with various text fields (and some background graphics). Saving and using this as a template works. But I need to fix size and position of these text fields (as well as those of the graphic elements) in the template, allowing to write (and paste images) into the fields once a normal document is created from the template. I don't see how. I recon the latter should be possible when turning text boxes into forms. Unfortunately, Word being a Microsoft product, Help doesn't contain any hint on how that is achieved or what a form might even be. Additionally, I need to lock this background image. Equally, I can't find out how.

Secondly, the template should serve single and multi pages letters. I can create a template with two pages and link the main text field of the first page to the one on the following. It seems that newly added pages in the document that relies on the template will equal the second one. Still this way the user will have to delete the unsused second page when setting up a single page letter, which I think is quite error prone. What I'd like is an intelligent template that knows what the first page looks like, and what to following ones look like—and how the text fields are to be linked—and adds new pages as needed. Since this seems an obvious necessity, I'm sure there is a way to do this. But I can't find it anywhere.

I'll be very thankful for any idea and advice. Thanks a lot in advance
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Old 05-17-2010, 11:47 AM
Kimberly Kimberly is offline create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Windows 7 create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Office 2010 (Version 14.0)
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I am not clear on what you are trying to do, but maybe this will help: The general way to control alignment and placement of controls on a form is the same in Word as in most products... Tables, tables, tables.
I searched for 'Form' in Help and instructions came up at the top. Then I googled and this article came up at the top of the search. Microsoft has a plethora of information free on the internet about how to use their products. I don't think any software manufacturer offers more. Here is that article:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/wo...307461033.aspx
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Old 05-17-2010, 01:35 PM
Lynn O'Shea Lynn O'Shea is offline create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Mac OS X create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
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create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages
 
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Hello Kimberly, thanks for your reply. Yes I think I might have been more concise about what I want to achieve. Here it is:
I need to set up a template after which to create document (a letter) that has: 1. a fixed position background image as large as the entire page, and 2. fixed position text fields to type in static text. I don't care if this is achieved with form elements or how else.

(The link you provide—thanks for that one, too—does unfortunately not help with office:mac. The described elements (starting with one Microsoft Office Button) don't exist here.
Searching Word's Help returns results such as 'Restore a picture" (1.), and 'Create an Index) (2.). Bizarre, but true. So, I didn't really know how to search.)


Now, after long searches, I came to see that an image that allows for form fields (as opposed to text fields) on top of it*, in Word is entitled a watermark.
Two problems remain with this. First: Despite Form Field Shading turned off when creating the form field, the print shows a border. I don’t see why, and how to get rid of it. (Searching this forum or the net doesn't return applicable results; I attach the dotx)
The second one is related to the second section in the initial question: how do I get the main form field in page one link to the one on page two so that when field 1 is full, text flows into field 2? It equals this one: https://www.msofficeforums.com/userf...-question.html . With text fields, this is possible.

–––––––––––––––––––––––
* to whom it may concern: My image is available in two formats: a .pdf created out of InDesign, and a .png (which is the format of Word’s Clip Art files) made from that pdf in Illustrator.
In Print Layout View, I try Insert / Picture / From File. Inserts the image into the default text field, and what shows is only a blank surface of the same proportions as the image (but smaller).
Putting the same file in the cliparts folder (in the application directory) and insert it as Clip Art: same result.
Changing to Publishing Layout View allows the insertion of both the pdf and the png. Now, I have to insert some kind of text fields. Publishing Layout mode does present the possibility to create text boxes, but I don’t see how their position can be fixed. Tools / Protect Document is active, but it only offers to protect Track Changes and Comments. Doing that effectively doesn’t hinder moving the text boxes.
Creating form fields in Publishing Layout seems impossible: the form palette is unavailable. I change to Print Layout, and try to change these text fields into form fields. But when selecting / clicking into one of them, the form palette no longer offers any tools but those to create tables. Deselecting everything and creating a form field the way I earlier created a text field moves the background image to a second page that Word creates to that end.
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File Type: zip form3.dotx.zip (693.2 KB, 21 views)
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Old 05-18-2010, 12:32 AM
Kimberly Kimberly is offline create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Windows 7 create letter template with fixed position fields and follow up pages Office 2010 (Version 14.0)
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If a watermark doesn't suit your purposes, you can also insert a picture and set the "Wrap Text" to behind text.

I cannot help with how to do anything on a Mac. I can tell you what I would do on a PC and maybe it will help. I don't know if Word on a Mac calls them "text fields", but that was confusing. You want textboxes. (That may be what you have, but my PC isn't sure) Get rid of the form fields. If you have to Insert textboxes, you might need to set the wrapping to Square to get them positioned. Delete any default content in the textboxes if necessary.

Click on the first textbox and then on the Format tab click 'Create Link'. Your cursor will turn into a little pitcher. Click in the second textbox to pour. Now your textboxes are linked together. Set the 'Shape Outline' (also on the Format tab) to 'No Outline' for all textboxes.

Go to the Review tab and 'Restrict Editing', which will launch a task pane. Check the checkbox to "Allow only this type of editing - No changes (Read only)". Click on the border of the textboxes and in the Restrict Editing pane, under the heading Exceptions, check "Everyone". Do the same for the remaining textboxes. Then click "Yes, start enforcing protection". You will be prompted for a password. People will only be able to edit textbox content and will not be able to move them. In addition, the first textbox overflow will flow into the second textbox.

I don't know what to say about a second page, if you make a two page template and enforce protection, you will always get two pages printed. Maybe you want a one-pager and a two-page version.

See attached. I don't think I have the test boxes exactly where you had them, you can enter the password and move them.
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File Type: zip Doc2.zip (245.9 KB, 23 views)
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