About printed forms and forms for use in Word

You can create:

• A form (form: A document that contains fill-in blanks, or form fields, in which you enter information. For example, you can create an online registration form in Microsoft Word that uses drop-down lists from which users can select entries.) that is printed and then filled in on paper. You can insert blanks for users to complete as well as check boxes that list choices, such as Yes and No.
• A form that users view and complete in Word. This form is distributed and collected by using e-mail or by posting it on a network location. You can use text fields, check boxes, and drop-down lists. You can compile data from this form and then analyze it in Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel.

Some advantages to using forms that users complete in Word are that Word can automatically verify user input (such as an employee number), update other fields based on the input in an associated field (such as the city and region associated with a particular postal code), and offer Help messages to make the form easier to fill out.

When designing a form (form: A document that contains fill-in blanks, or form fields, in which you enter information. For example, you can create an online registration form in Microsoft Word that uses drop-down lists from which users can select entries.), you can sketch a layout first, or use an existing form as a guide. Many forms, such as contracts, consist solely of text, with form fields (form field: In a form, a location where a particular type of data, such as a name or address, is stored.) inserted throughout the document so users can provide specific information. Other forms are based on a grid, in which you can combine features such as:

• Tables (table: One or more rows of cells commonly used to display numbers and other items for quick reference and analysis. Items in a table are organized into rows and columns.) to help you align text and form controls (control: A graphical user interface object, such as a text box, check box, scroll bar, or command button, that lets users control the program. You use controls to display data or choices, perform an action, or make the user interface easier to read.).

Tables generally work well when you're creating a form with a simple layout. However, if the layout is more complex, you can insert several tables and separate them with blank paragraphs; use the Draw Table tool; or use nested tables (nested table: A table inserted within a table cell. If you use a table to lay out a page, and you want to use another table to arrange the information, you can insert a nested table.).

• Text boxes (text box: A movable, resizable container for text or graphics. Use text boxes to position several blocks of text on a page or to give text a different orientation from other text in the document.). These are useful when you want to precisely position a block of text, a graphic, or a chart. You can then format the text box borders, background color, text color, and so on.
• Borders and shading. These can designate text areas to be filled in and generally help make key elements in the form attractive and easy to follow.

If you want to create more powerful forms, you can use the form controls in the Control Toolbox, which are Microsoft ActiveX controls (ActiveX control: A control, such as a check box or button that offers options to users or runs macros or scripts that automate a task. You can write macros for the control in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications or scripts in Microsoft Script Editor.).

To use these controls, a knowledge of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is recommended so that you can customize their behavior.

 Note   The controls in the Control Toolbox do not function in many browsers (browser: Software that interprets HTML files, formats them into Web pages, and displays them. A Web browser, such as Windows Internet Explorer, can follow hyperlinks, transfer files, and play sound or video files that are embedded in Web pages.), so it is recommended that you use them for forms that will be filled out in Microsoft Word, not for Web forms.