Create form microsoft word 2003

Drop-down form fields are used when the response must be from a specific list of choices e. NOTE: Drop-down form fields are not recommended for forms that will be printed and completed manually, because only the first choice is printed. When working with drop-down form fields, it is often necessary to modify or delete drop-down entries.

When modifying a drop-down item, the entry must initially be removed from the list and then added again. To modify the item, make the desired changes and click ADD To remove the item completely, press [ Delete ]. Was this article helpful? I have the same question 3. Report abuse. Details required :. Cancel Submit. Charles Kenyon Volunteer Moderator. There is far more information about Word on the net than any other version.

What you have been asked to do is not simple, but it can be done, through vba coding. You would want an on-exit macro for your trigger field. It will have to unprotect your form, insert the new field at a bookmark in your form, and reprotect your form. These form fields are a subset of Office 's Content Controls, which allow you to populate forms automatically from external sources, extract form data as XML for use in other applications, and perform other operations.

I may have use for these advanced features someday, but for creating a basic form, they're too much. Start with a template and a table Whether you're using Word or Word , create a template to serve as the master copy of your form document. The simplest way to format the form is by using a two-column table: The left column lists the field names, and the right one holds the data you're collecting.

In my example form for planning a company potluck lunch, I created fields for the respondent's name, department, and preferred event date, as well as for the food and beverage each person plans to bring. Text boxes work for the name, department, and food fields, and I use a drop-down menu for the beverage choice.

I also use a drop-down menu for the date preference in Word , but Word adds a control that lets people select a date from a monthly calendar. To select a form control in Word , place the cursor in the table cell where you want the control, click the Developer tab, and choose the appropriate icon in the Controls section, or click the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Legacy Tools icon and select the control from the drop-down list.

In Word , place the cursor in the table cell you want the form field to appear in, right-click an empty area of the toolbar, select Forms to open the floating Forms toolbar, and choose one of the controls on the toolbar. Once your form control is in place, right-click it and choose Properties to customize it. Another way to access the control options is by selecting the Properties button in the Controls section of the Developer ribbon in Word , or by clicking the Form Field Options icon on the Forms toolbar in Word For text fields, you can change the default text that appears by adding "Click here to enter text," for example.

You can also specify that a number, date, or other type of text be entered; set a maximum length; specify a text format; and even set a macro to run when data is entered, or when the field is exited.

This is also how you enter items for drop-down lists, and set the size and default values of checkboxes. There's a more elegant way to ask people to select their preferred date in Word choose the Date Picker control, which adds a month-by-month calendar to the form that appears when you select it and choose the down arrow to the right of the current entry.