Office programs you can use to create an online or printed form

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You can create a form in Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft FrontPage, or Microsoft Outlook. Most of these programs provide sample forms you can use "as is" or as a starting point for creating custom forms. Word, for example, provides several common business forms, including invoices, purchase orders, and weekly time sheets. Access provides sample databases that include various types of forms you can modify to suit your needs. Access also has the Form Wizard that generates questions and then uses your answers to automatically lay out and format your form.

• Use InfoPath to create dynamic, XML (Extensible Markup Language (XML): A condensed form of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) that enables developers to create customized tags that offer flexibility in organizing and presenting information.) based forms that can contain common controls such as text boxes, check boxes, drop-down lists, and date pickers, as well as new controls such as repeating tables (repeating table: A control on a form that contains other controls in a table format and that repeats as needed. Users can insert multiple rows when filling out the form.), repeating sections (repeating section: A control on a form that contains other controls and that repeats as needed. Users can insert multiple sections when filling out the form.), and optional sections (optional section: A control on a form that contains other controls and that usually does not appear by default. Users can insert and remove optional sections when filling out the form.). You can specify the data types allowed in the controls, as well as set data validation (data validation: The process of testing the accuracy of data; a set of rules you can apply to a control to specify the type and range of data that users can enter.) and conditional formatting (conditional formatting: The process of changing the appearance of a control, including its visibility and read-write state, based on values entered into the form.) for them, which provides users with immediate feedback on data they have typed. In addition, you can create different views (view: A form-specific display setting that can be saved with a form template and applied to form data when the form is being filled out. Users can switch between views to choose the amount of data shown in the form.) of the form for viewing data and printing, enable multiple forms to be merged together, and design forms so that they can be submitted directly into a database or Web service. You can also create custom task panes, toolbars, dialog boxes, and menus for use when people fill out a form in InfoPath's rich-text editing environment.
• Use either Word or Access when you want to create a form that contains complex formatting, pictures, linked objects (linked object: An object that is created in a source file and inserted into a destination file, while maintaining a connection between the two files. The linked object in the destination file can be updated when the source file is updated.), embedded objects (embedded object: Information (object) contained in a source file and inserted into a destination file. Once embedded, the object becomes part of the destination file. Changes you make to the embedded object are reflected in the destination file.), check boxes, drop-down lists, or text areas that have specific data types, formatting, and default text. In either program, you can create forms you fill in on your computer and forms you print and then fill in on paper. You can also set conditions for adding data to a form, include macros that run automatically, and provide Help messages that make it easier for others to complete a form. Additionally, in Access, you can include Visual Basic for Applications code that runs automatically, and you can provide ScreenTips that also make it easier for users to complete forms.
• Use Access when you need to collect and store a lot of data, when you need full relational database (relational database: A type of database that stores information in tables. Uses matching values from two tables to relate data in one table to data in the other table. In a relational database, you typically store a specific type of data just once.) capabilities, when you want to generate a variety of reports from your data, or when you want to tie your forms together into a program.
• Use Excel when you want to create a form to collect information for use in calculations, analysis, or financial documents — for example, a mortgage table or customer quotes. To add information entered in the form to a database, use the Template Wizard with Data Tracking to create a form template. Each new form created from the template automatically creates a corresponding record in the database.
• Use FrontPage when you want to create a form on a Web page to collect information from site visitors or to let visitors search for information on your Web site. Web-based forms can also be used to create a virtual guestbook, collect e-mail addresses for a mailing list, or submit online feedback as an alternative to e-mail.
• Use Outlook Forms when you want to customize mail messages, appointments, and any other Outlook item as an easy way to distribute and collect information electronically. By using Outlook forms, you can group and sort the information you collect, respond to information, and view information by conversation so that responses to the form are grouped with the original form.