Microsoft Word Fillable Forms Fillable Forms: Legacy Form Controls To Use the Legacy Form Controls, when inserting your controls: 1) Click on the Legacy Tools button ( ) in the Controls area of the Developer tab. Legacy Tools button 2) The following toolbar displays after clicking on the Legacy Tools button: Use only these Legacy controls 3) Use only the controls that appear in the first row directly below the Legacy Forms title (and above ActiveX Controls). Legacy Form Controls Form Control Description Text field, including: • Free form text • Date fields • Numeric fields Checkbox field Drop-down (combo box) field Show/Hide field shading Updated: 1/5/2012 Page 1 of 6 Microsoft Word Fillable Forms Creating Fillable Forms in Word You can create a form in Microsoft Office Word 2007/2010 by starting with a template and adding content controls, including text boxes, date fields, checkboxes, and drop-down lists. Other people can use Office Word 2007/2010 to fill out the form on their computer. You can also create a form by starting with a sample template. Many are available on the Microsoft Office Online Web site. Note: You can print a form that was created by using content controls in Office Word 2007/2010, but the field shading of the content controls will not be printed. Create a Form STEP 1: SET UP WORD FOR CREATING FORMS In Word 2007: 1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options. 2. Click Popular. 3. Select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box, and then click OK. In Word 2010: 1. Click the on the File menu/tab, and then click Options. 2. Click Customize Ribbon from the list on the left-hand side of the dialog box. 3. Under Customize the Ribbon, verify Main Tabs is selected and in the list of Main Tabs below, check the box next to Developer. Click OK. Updated: 1/5/2012 Page 2 of 6 Microsoft Word Fillable Forms STEP 2: OPEN A TEMPLATE OR A DOCUMENT ON WHICH TO BASE THE FORM 1. Click the Microsoft Office Button (for Word 2010, go the File menu), and click New. 2. Under Templates, click My templates. 3. Double-click Normal, and then click Template or Document under Create New. 4. Click the Microsoft Office Button (for Word 2010, go to the File menu), and click Save As. 5. In the Save As dialog box, give the new template or document a file name, and click Save. STEP 3: ADD CONTENT CONTROLS TO THE FORM Design the form by sketching a layout first, or use an existing form as a guide. In your form, you can add content controls, tables, and other graphics elements. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Design Mode, and then click where you want to insert a control. Accessing the Legacy Tools Form Controls 1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click the Legacy Tools button . Legacy Tools button 2. This will give you a dropdown toolbar of options for Legacy Forms controls (shown below). Use only these Legacy Forms controls Note: You will want to only use the controls shown under Legacy Forms, not the controls under ActiveX Controls. Updated: 1/5/2012 Page 3 of 6 Microsoft Word Fillable Forms Insert a text control where users can enter text: 1. Click to place the cursor where you would like to insert the text field. 2. Go into the Legacy Tools toolkit and click on the Text Form Field control . Insert a date field where users can (and must) enter a date value: 1. Click to place the cursor where you would like to insert the text field. 2. Go into the Legacy Tools toolkit and click on the Text Form Field control . 3. Click on the Properties button in the Controls section of the Developer tab (with the cursor still situated in the Text Form Field just inserted). 4. For Type, select ‘Date’. 5. For the Text Format, select the desired date format to use in displaying the date entered by the user on the form. If you would like to automatically have the field place the current date on the form, select ‘Current Date’ as the Type. Note: If you format a Text Form Field as the Type ‘Current Date’, the end user will not be able to change the value. Insert a drop-down list that restricts available choices to those you specify 1. Click to place the cursor where you would like to insert the text field. 2. Go into the Legacy Tools toolkit and click on the Drop-Down Form Field control . 3. Click on the Properties button in the Controls section of the Developer tab (with the cursor still situated in the Drop-Down Form Field just inserted). 4. For Drop-down item, type a value you would like to appear as an option in the dropdown list. 5. Click Add >>. 6. Repeat Steps 4-5 until all desired options appear under Items in drop-down list . 7. Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to move the options in the list into a desired order. Insert a check box 1. Click to place the cursor where you would like to insert the text field. 2. Go into the Legacy Tools toolkit and click on the Check Box Form Field control . 3. To adjust properties, click on the Properties button in the Controls section of the Developer tab (with the cursor still situated in the Check Box Form Field just inserted). 4. If desired, adjust Check box size and/or Default value (checked or unchecked). Note: You won't be able to select or clear the check box until you protect the form. STEP 4: ADD INSTRUCTIONAL TEXT TO THE FORM Instructional text can enhance the usability of the form you create and distribute. You can add instructional text that will appear in the Word Status Bar (located on the light blue bar in the bottom, left-hand corner of the Word window ); and/or you can add instructional text that will appear in a popup dialog box when the user is in a field and presses the ‘F1’ (Help) key. Updated: 1/5/2012 Page 4 of 6 Microsoft Word Fillable Forms To add instructional text to appear in the Word Status Bar for your form users, do the following: 1. While in Design Mode, click on a form control to which you would like to add instructional text. 2. Click on the Properties button in the Controls section of the Developer tab. 3. In the Field Options dialog box, click on Add Help Text… The following dialog box will appear. 4. On the Status Bar tab, select Type your own and then click in the white box below it and type in the instructional text you would like to appear in the Status Bar. To add instructional text to appear in when form user presses F1 key, do the following: 1. While in Design Mode, click on a form control to which you would like to add instructional text. 2. Click on the Properties button in the Controls section of the Developer tab. 3. In the Field Options dialog box, click on Add Help Text… The following dialog box will appear. 4. On the Help Key (F1) tab, select Type your own and then click in the white box below it and type in the instructional text you would like to appear in the Status Bar. STEP 5: SHOW FORM CONTROL SHADING You can turn on and off the visibility of the form control shading. Showing the form control shading makes it easier on the form user to see exactly where they need to enter data in filling out the form. Generally, Word defaults to showing the field shading, however, it can be turned off. Updated: 1/5/2012 Page 5 of 6 Microsoft Word Fillable Forms To toggle form field control shading: 1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click the Legacy Tools button . 2. Go into the Legacy Tools toolkit and click on the Form Field Shading button . Add Protection to a Form and Prepare It for Distribution You can protect individual content controls in a form template to help prevent someone from deleting or editing a particular content control or group of controls, or you can prepare a form to be distributed and filled out by locking it. You can help protect all of the form template content with a password. Tip: If you want, you can test the form prior to distributing it. Open the form, fill it out as the user would, and then save a copy in a location that you want. Prepare a Form to Be Filled Out 1. On the Developer tab, in the Protect group, click Protect Document, and then click Restrict Formatting and Editing. 3. In the Protect Document task pane, under Editing restrictions, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box. 4. In the list of editing restrictions, select Filling in forms. 5. Under Start enforcement, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection. 6. To assign a password to the document so that only reviewers who know the password can remove the protection, type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password. Important: If you choose not to use a password, anyone can change your editing restrictions. Use strong passwords that combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Weak passwords don't mix these elements. (Strong password: Y6dh!et5; Weak password: House27) Passwords should be 8 or more characters in length. A pass phrase that uses 14 or more characters is better. It is critical that you remember your password. If you forget your password, Microsoft cannot retrieve it. Store the passwords that you write down in a secure place away from the information that they help protect. Parts of the content of this handout are from Microsoft Online Help for Microsoft Word 2007 (Source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/create-forms-that-users-complete-or-print-inword-HA010030746.aspx?pid=CH100991571033) Updated: 1/5/2012 Page 6 of 6