Forms fields: edit content easily in tables

[kirby gilman]

I'm finding text fields placed in table cells make it difficult to select, edit, copy & paste content.

I don't have this problem when the fields aren't in table cells, but I use tables to line up my forms.



Thanks for any help, Kirby

[Stefan Blom]

Which kind of fields are you using? Is this a protected form?

[kirby gilman]

Hi Stefan, the women who develops our office forms uses Word Legacy Forms. We're having a problem with Text Form Fields placed in table cells. Yes, the forms are protected.

[Stefan Blom]

Usually, I find it easier to put text form fields inside table cells (because it gives me control over the layout).

Is the problem with copy and paste when you are designing the form or when you are actually using it (that is, after protection has been enforced)?

[gmayor]

Another pertinent question is what are you 'copying and pasting' and where to? Forms are primarily a means of gathering similiar data from a number of users. If you want to extract data from forms for processing, there are better ways to do it e.g. http://www.gmayor.com/ExtractDataFromForms.htm

[kirby gilman]

Thanks for the feedback.

The problem is with users working with fields in table cells after they are protected. We want to make it easier to select text, copy & paste, edit what they have inputted if need be (for both the folks entering information in the forms and for staff using the collected data).

We are working on a number of forms and wondering whether the Legacy Forms or the newer ActiveX Controls may work best for our purposes.

I will forward the link Graham attached to our form developer.

[gmayor]

You can use either legacy form fields or content controls. Which is best will be determined by who is going to use the form and for what purpose - and you still haven't said why it is necessary to copy and paste text in a form.

If the form is used internally in your organisation or you wish to allow access to the parts of the form that are not fields then you can allow the use of macros which are almost essential when working with content controls.

If the form is for use by third parties, you should try and avoid macros, as you cannot force users to allow them to run, which can prevent some aspects of form design from working.

If the form is used for collecting data for processing, then use legacy form fields and process the documents using macros. If you are e-mailing the forms then see also my page about extracting data from e-mail messages.

Like Stefan, I see no problem using tables for legacy forms and I too would use them for laying out complex forms - but I can't think of any reason why I would want to copy and paste from a form.

[kirby gilman]

Thanks for the informative reply Graham. Most of the forms (templates) are for internal use in the organization (e.g., Visa requisition, Performance Appraisal). Staff sometimes copy sections from one form to another to save time. Also, when filling in the fields staff sometimes want to edit the content entered. Currently, it's hard to do both (select/copy and edit) in fields placed in table cells, and I'm wondering if there's a way around this.
Our form developer prefers the Legacy form fields. I'm not familiar with macros but we could explore this option. By content control do you mean ActiveX controls?--I'm not very knowledgeable about the Developer side of Word.

[gmayor]

Content controls were introduced with Word 2007 and upgraded in Word 2010. They work a lot like legacy form fields, but do not require the document to be protected.

Copy and paste is never desirable in a form. Better to create a new document using the filled and saved form as a template.