Is there a Microsoft Word Form Method That Restricts Placement, Length, and Spell Che

[petec]

have been all over the internet and I have not been able to find a good way to create Microsoft Word forms for others to fill out. I need a form that works for people that are somewhat "luddites". They could be using very old versions of Word, like pre 2002 or Word for Mac or even Open Office. I also need it to be either printed and filled out by hand or filled out online and then printed.



I have tried:

(1) Word Forms. They are not spell checked. I added the macro for spell checking but my users get the warning that "Marcos are dangerous" and delete everything. Also, the fields in Forms are only as long as what the user types so things move around and confuse them. If I set a field length or default text and they enter less the field gets too short and lines "unwrap".

(2) Protected fields. With these the user types in the "unprotected area". But if they type too much things move around like in Forms.

(3) Tables. That keeps things from moving but the content of my form doesn't lend itself to tables. I have a lot of descriptive text taking a few lines then a field for the user. Using tables gets too complex. Also, the borders are visible on the screen even if "no border" is selected.


Is there any other alternative? Something where I can type my protected words and leave specific places for the user to fill in. Those spaces are locked in place and size and spell checked? And without using Macros/VAB?

Thanks In Advance

Pete

[Stefan Blom]

I would suggest using a table where you restrict formatting and editing to certain cells. (For more on setting up the table, see the article at http://word.mvps.org/faqs/tblsfldsfms/LinesInForms.htm.) Users can type only in the cells that you mark as editable and spellcheck will work.

To restrict the document: On the Tools menu, click Protect Document. In the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane, select "Allow only this type of editing in the document" and choose the "No changes (Read only)" option. Then select each location where you want to allow editing, and click the check box under "Exceptions (optional)." Finally, click the Yes, Start Enforcing Protection button, and specify an optional password.

[petec]

Thanks Stefan. I guess I'll have to take another look at "tables". I did try a mockup and decided tables were very cumbersome for my type of form. But if there is no alternative (I'm still hoping) I guess I'll get out my shoehorn and see if I can jam my needs into it.

Pete

[Stefan Blom]

Tables are the best way to control the appearance of the form. Note that you don't have to use a single table for the whole form; you can divide the page into multiple tables, as suggested in the article.

[petec]

Yes I understand that. I even dug out a version of the form I experimented with using tables. It had four tables already. I just don't like the apperance of tables. Too restrictive with positioning. But I guess I will try again.

I followed the links you gave. They used "forms" inside the table which looses the spell checking. You recomendation to Protect Document seems a better solution. I'll give it a shot. The big question will be if I can control things so the less skilled users can fill in the form with minimal frustration.

You may hear from me again but I hope not.....except to report success.

Thanks

Pete

[Stefan Blom]

Good luck! Document restriction is fairly straightforward, at least for users.

[petec]

I created tables. I locked the width and height of the cells. Everything almost works except the user can keep typing in a cell until the new characters go off behind the edge. For most of us that isn't a problem because we would recognize what is happening but I will have people using this that are very new to it and will be doing it from home without benifit of any instruction.

I can see them going back to insert something in a cell and not realize that characters are going off to the right.

Is there anyway to limit the number of characters typed like Forms has. And, of course still spell check like forms doesn't? Or am I asking too much?

Thanks

Pete

[Stefan Blom]

With some training, I'm sure your users will be able to accept that the amount of data they can type into a cell will be limited.

There is no way to set the number of characters allowed in a restricted document. (For that you need an ordinary form, and a macro that takes care of the spellchecking. See http://word.mvps.org/faqs/macrosvba/...ProtectDoc.htm.)

In a restricted document, you should be able to spellcheck, though. Are you saying that this doesn't work for you?

[petec]

(1) I don't get to train users. I am responsable for documents for a community corporation of over 1100 families. I need something pretty fool proof. You should see how mucked up some of the returned forms are. When I tried a macro I got emails saying they deleted my form because it had a virius. It was just the MSWord caution about running macros.

(2) Restricted + Spell Check worked fine. I thought I could mix FormFields and Restricted. Then things like Name could be length limited and didn't need spell checking. Then large explaination fields could be just restricted and get the benifit of spell checking. If I protect the document and type in the FormFields the FormFields get wiped out when I unprotect.

I think you have told me all there is to know about solving my problem. I will see if there is a PDF form creation program that does what I need.

Thanks So Much,

Pete

[Stefan Blom]

No, as you have noticed, you can only choose one option in the dropdown under "Editing restrictions" in the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane.

I don't know anything about PDF forms, but they may very well be more user-friendly than Word's document protection features. :-)

[petec]

Thanks Again