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␡- Creating a Form with Legacy Form Fields
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Creating a Form with Legacy Form Fields
Legacy form fields are the field types that were available in earlier versions of Word. You can continue to use them in Word 2016, and you must use them for forms to be saved in Word 97-2003 format.
Legacy form fields are accessible from the Legacy Tools button’s menu in the Controls group on the Developer tab, as you saw in Figure 16.6. Table 16.7 explains each of them.
Table 16.7 Legacy Form Field Types
Form Field Type | Purpose |
Text Form Field | Holds text. Unlike with content controls, you cannot format the text within the field; however, you can format the field. |
Check Box Form Field | Creates an on/off check box. |
Drop-Down Form Field | Displays a list containing values you specify. Users cannot add their own entries. |
Yes, there are only three types of legacy form fields. The other three buttons in the Legacy Forms section of the Legacy Tools list have other purposes. Table 16.8 describes them.
Table 16.8 Legacy Form Tools
Tool | Purpose |
Insert Frame | Creates a frame. Frames are similar to text boxes; they hold static content. |
Form Field Shading | Toggles form field shading on/off. |
Reset Form Fields | Clears all entries in fields. |
Inserting a Legacy Field
To insert any legacy field, follow these steps:
- Position the insertion point where you want the field.
- On the Developer tab, make sure Design Mode is selected.
- In the Controls group, click the Legacy Tools button. Its palette of tools appears.
- Click the desired field type.
The field appears in the document as either a shaded gray box (for drop-down lists and text boxes) or as a check box (for check boxes).
Inserting a field is simple, but you will probably want to configure it after insertion. One advantage of legacy form fields is that they have some different formatting and configuration options available than content controls. Depending on what you want to do with the form, the legacy form fields might have just the option that will make your life easier.
To view the properties for a form field, right-click it and choose Properties, or click the Properties button on the Developer tab. If there is no Properties command, make sure Design Mode is selected in the Controls group and click the Properties button. Figure 16.12 shows the Options dialog box for a legacy text field.
Figure 16.12 Set properties for a legacy text field.
Configuring Legacy Text Field Options
There are three basic field types: Regular Text, Number, and Date. Depending on which of these types you select, different formatting options and length restrictions become available in the Options dialog box. The other three choices on the Type menu are special-purpose types, discussed later in this chapter.
If you choose Regular Text from the Type menu, the following options are available:
- Default Text—You can optionally specify default text to appear in the field before the user enters his or her own value.
- Maximum Length—This is measured in number of text characters. The default is Unlimited.
- Text Format—Choose among Uppercase, Lowercase, First Capital, or Title Case.
- To learn about First Capital and Title Case as formatting options, see “Changing Text Case,” p. 159.
If you select Number from the Type menu, you can choose among these options:
- Default Number—This is just like Default Text; enter a default if desired.
- Maximum Length—This is measured in number of digits.
- Number Format—This drop-down list lets you specify a numeric format, some of which include currency symbols or percentage signs.
- For information about number format codes, see “Constructing a Custom Numeric Format,” p. 642. You cannot construct a custom format here, but that section helps you understand the available choices.
Finally, if you choose Date from the Type menu, you can choose among these options:
- Default Date—This is just like Default Text; enter a default if desired.
- Maximum Length—This is measured in number of digits. It is not typically limited for dates, because dates take up only as much space as they need.
- Date Format—This drop-down list lets you specify a date format, including various combinations of month, day, and year.
- For information about date format codes, see “Constructing a Custom Date or Time Format,” p. 644. You cannot construct a custom format here, but that section will help you understand the available choices.
Inserting the Current Date or Time
If you choose Current Date or Current Time from the Type list in the field’s Options dialog box, the field changes to show the current date or time, as determined by the PC’s clock. The field no longer accepts user input. It does not automatically update, but you can update it manually by selecting it and pressing F9.
Setting Up a Calculation in a Legacy Field
If you choose Calculation as the type for the field, an Expression text box appears in the Field Options dialog box. In it, enter the formula for the calculation (see Figure 16.13). You can then use any of the calculation methods that Word supports.
Figure 16.13 Set up a Calculation field within a table, and reference cells by row (number) and column (letter).
- For more information about the calculations that you can perform in Word, see “Performing Math Calculations in a Table,” p. 374.
Configuring Legacy Check Box Options
Check boxes are useful when you have a list of items and the user can select as many of them as he or she wants.
Check boxes have two unique options you can set for them, shown in Figure 16.14:
- Check Box Size—The default is Auto, which makes the check box the same size as the text that follows it. If you prefer, you can choose Exactly and enter a size in points.
- Default Value—This is set to Not Checked unless you specify otherwise. It determines the check box’s starting state.
Figure 16.14 Set the options for a legacy check box.
Configuring Legacy List Options
A legacy list box, also called a Drop-Down Form Field, is like the list box content control. It does not allow the user to input his or her own entries like a combo box does.
The main thing to set up for a list box is the list itself. Follow these steps to create the list:
- From the Options dialog box for the field, type the first list item in the Drop-Down Item text box.
- Click the Add button.
Repeat steps 1–2 to enter the other values (see Figure 16.15).
- (Optional) If you need to remove an item, select it and click Remove.
- (Optional) To reorder an item, select it and click the Move Up and Down arrows.
- Click OK.
Setting a Macro to Run on Entry or Exit for a Legacy Field
If you have macros stored in the template or document, you can run one of them when the user enters or exits a particular field. For example, you might want to set up a macro that saves the file and associates it with exiting the final field on your form.
To set a macro to run on entry or exit, select the macro from the Entry or Exit drop-down list in the field’s Options dialog box.
Enabling or Disabling a Legacy Field
In some cases you might want to prevent users from changing the content of a field. Some would argue, “Why use a field at all if the user can’t change it?” But there are reasons for that. For example, if you save the form data only to a text file, only what’s in the fields is saved, so you might want some fixed values to travel along with the user-entered data.
To set up a legacy field so that users cannot input anything into it or change its content, open its Options dialog box (right-click and select Properties) and clear the Fill-In Enabled check box.
Assigning a Bookmark to a Legacy Field
Each field has a default bookmark name so you can refer to that field whenever you reference a bookmark. See the section titled “Using a Field to Set Bookmark Text” in Chapter 14, and the section “Working with Bookmarks” in Chapter 15, to learn about the various uses for a bookmark.
To change a field’s default bookmark name, open its Options dialog box (right-click and select Properties) and change the text in the Bookmark text box.
Adding Help Text for a Legacy Field
For legacy form fields, you can create help text that tells the user what to put in the field. With content controls, this isn’t necessary because you can customize the placeholder text in the field, as you saw earlier in the chapter. But the unfriendly gray boxes of the legacy fields need the extra help.
You can set up help to appear in either or both of two ways: in the status bar or in a pop-up window that appears when the user presses F1 while the insertion point is inside the field. (Pressing F1 any other time opens the regular Word Help window.)
To set up help messages, follow these steps:
- Right-click the field and choose Properties.
- Click Add Help Text. The Form Field Help Text dialog box opens.
To set up F1 help:
- Click the Help Key (F1) tab.
- Select the option Type Your Own.
- Type the text to appear in the help message
To set up status bar help:
- Click the Status Bar tab.
- Select the option Type Your Own.
Type the text to appear in the help message, as shown in Figure 16.16.
Figure 16.16 Set up help text.
- Click OK.
- Click OK.
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A form in Word 2016 is a means of soliciting and recording information. You can use forms like the one shown to enter data faster and to reduce data-entry errors. Instead of entering all the information by hand, you or a data-entry clerk can choose entries from combo boxes, drop-down lists, and date pickers.
You save time because you don’t have to enter all the information by hand, and the information you enter is more likely to be accurate because you choose it from prescribed lists instead of entering it yourself.
To create a form like the one shown, start by creating a template for your form and putting data-entry controls — the combo boxes, drop-down lists, and date pickers — in the form. To fill out a form, you create a document from the form template and go to it. These pages explain how to create a form and use forms to record information.
Creating a computerized form
The first step in creating a data-entry form is to create a template for holding the form. After that, you design the form itself by labeling the data fields and creating the data-entry controls. Better keep reading.
Creating a template to hold the form
Follow these steps to create a new template:
Mercedes lock screen for mac pro. Press Ctrl+N to create a new document.
On the File tab, choose Save As.
You see the Save As window.
Click the Browse button.
The Save As dialog box opens.
Open the Save As Type menu and choose Word Template.
Enter a descriptive name for your template and click the Save button.
Word stores your template in the Default Personal Templates Location folder.
Creating the form and data-entry controls
Your next task is to create the form and data-entry controls for your template. Enter labels on the form where you will enter information. The form shown earlier, for example, has five labels: Name, Phone, Fee Paid?, Association, and Date. After you enter the labels, follow these steps to create the data-entry controls:
Display the Developer tab, if necessary.
If this tab isn’t showing, go to the File tab, choose Options, and on the Customize Ribbon category of the Word Options dialog box, select the Developer check box and click OK.
Click where you want to place a control, and then create the control by clicking a Controls button followed by the Properties button on the Developer tab.
Here are instructions for creating three types of controls:
Drop-down list: A drop-down list is a menu that “drops” when you open it to reveal different option choices. Click the Drop-Down List Content Control button and then the Properties button. You see the Content Control Properties dialog box, as shown here. For each option you want to place on the drop-down list, click the Add button, and in the Add Choice dialog box, enter the option’s name in the Display Name text box and click OK.
Click the Add button to create options for a drop-down menu or combo box.Combo box: Like a drop-down list, a combo box “drops” to reveal choices. However, as well as choosing an option on the drop-down list, data-entry clerks can enter information in the box. Click the Combo Box Content Control button and then the Properties button. In the Content Control Properties dialog box, enter option names the same way you enter them in a drop-down list.
The information in this article only applies to perpetual versions of Office that use the Windows Installer (MSI) installation technology. Office for mac 14.7.3 update hanging system. Note.
Date picker: A date picker is a mini-calendar from which data-entry clerks can enter a date. Click the Date Picker Content Control button and then the Properties button. In the Content Control Properties dialog box, choose a display format for dates and click OK.
Click the Save button to save your template.
Now you’re ready to use your newly made form to enter data.
Entering data in the form
![Word For Mac Combo Box Not Found Word For Mac Combo Box Not Found](https://cdn.lynda.com/course/424776/424776-635888099515365793-16x9.jpg)
Now that you have the template, you or someone else can enter data cleanly in easy-to-read forms:
On the File tab, choose New.
You see the New window.
Click the Personal tab.
This tab lists templates stored on your computer.
Double-click the name of the template you created for entering data in your form.
The form appears.
Enter information in the input fields.
Press the up or down arrow, or press Tab and Shift+Tab to move from field to field. You can also click input fields to move the cursor there.
When you’re done, print the document or save it.