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Mac Forum / Applications / Word / March 2007Adding form fields
I want to add two check boxes to a document. That's all. This will be a letterhead with two addresses and the user of the letterhead will check which address is appropriate. I am stuck. I tried to read the help files, and they tell me I need to insert a table (I don't want to), then add the check boxes. Well, I created the table, but I cannot add the check box. The Forms toolbar is active, but all field tools are dim. Ah. I see the no-help files live up to their reputation. For no reason but to piss me off Worst won't let me add a form field to a text box or the footer, either of which is what I need. Garbage. How do people put up with this crap? > I want to add two check boxes to a document. That's all. This will be > a letterhead with two addresses and the user of the letterhead will [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > created the table, but I cannot add the check box. The Forms toolbar > is active, but all field tools are dim. Damn, almost had it, or so I thought. I turned the Text Box into a Frame. Then I hit the Lock icon on the Forms toolbar and everything seemed to work fine. Until I tried to enter text. Nope. Apparently I turned the entire document into a form, so the only editing available is changing the check boxes from off to on. Seems I can have check boxes, or a letterhead, but not both. > Ah. I see the no-help files live up to their reputation. For no reason > but to piss me off Worst won't let me add a form field to a text box [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > created the table, but I cannot add the check box. The Forms toolbar > > is active, but all field tools are dim. Hi: Actually, the reason is not just to piss you off. That's a side-benefit :-) The real reason is that the header or footer are replicated on each page of a document. A Form Field is a data structure, and there must be precisely ONE of them with each unique name in each document. So if you were to copy said structure to another page, you would end up with the computer not knowing which one to work with. (In other words, you can have CheckBox1, CheckBox2, CheckBox 3 etc, but you can't copy CheckBox2 anywhere else...) Sorry, but there are some power tools in Word which assume a fairly high level of computing ability. Form Fields are amongst those. Generally, they're hidden/buried from new users so they can't get themselves into too much trouble. In your case, you can put the form field into the body of the document on Page 1, and copy the result into the runing header or footer using a bookmark and cross-reference. Cheers  SignatureJohn McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer, McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd Sydney, Australia. GMT + 10 Hrs +61 4 1209 1410, <mailto:john@mcghie.name> mailto:john@mcghie.name > Damn, almost had it, or so I thought. I turned the Text Box into a > Frame. Then I hit the Lock icon on the Forms toolbar and everything [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >> > created the table, but I cannot add the check box. The Forms toolbar >> > is active, but all field tools are dim. > Hi: > [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > >> > created the table, but I cannot add the check box. The Forms toolbar > >> > is active, but all field tools are dim. But why can't I put a form item in a text box? Why, when I make a frame, does the document esentially become just a form and won't permit normal text entry? is there a way to accomplish what I'm after? I want two check boxes in a specific location on page 1 only. I want the user to be able to change the value of the fields (preferable allowing a maximum of one to be checked). I want the user to be able to type her letter normally, even allowing her to ignore the check boxes if she wishes/is in a hurry. The letter can be only one page or several. A text box is actually a "Graphic Element". It's not in the text layer. A Word document is a three-layer sandwich, with the "text" in the middle. You cannot put Form Fields in the graphics layer (and I am not sure of the underlying reason for that). You could use a borderless table to position the controls you want. You can place checkboxes in a table, and if you remove the borders, it will be invisible. Or you can use the Paragraph properties to move the paragraph containing the checkboxes where you want. I don't think Mac Word supports the kind of CheckBox that enables you to float it and move it wherever you like (that's an ActiveX control that is not supported on the Mac). When you protect a document for forms, it enables input only to the form fields. However, you do not have to protect the entire document. If you add a Continuous section break either side of your checkboxes, you can protect only the section containing them, whch means form field entry will be enabled within the field area and normal input will be accepted elsewhere in the document. Make sure that the Anchor for each check box remains within the protected section. You may not need to protect the document at all: if you are using the legacy Checkbox field, you can check or uncheck it simply by double-clicking it. (Sory, I can't test this for you right now: I have only Word 2007 installed) Hope this helps SignatureJohn McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer, McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd Sydney, Australia. GMT + 10 Hrs +61 4 1209 1410, <mailto:john@mcghie.name> mailto:john@mcghie.name >> Hi: >> [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] > normally, even allowing her to ignore the check boxes if she wishes/is > in a hurry. The letter can be only one page or several. |
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