ActiveX controls you can use on a form - Help and How-to

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ActiveX controls you can use on a form

Applies to: Microsoft Office Word 2003

You use the Control Toolbox toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.) to insert 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.) in 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 users will view and complete in Microsoft Word.

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 Microsoft 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.

Controls
Check Box Insert a check box next to an independent option that you select or clear. Also, insert a check box next to each item in a group of choices that are not mutually exclusive — that is, you can select more than one.
Spin Button Insert a spin control that lets a user increment or decrement a value.
Scroll Bar Insert a scroll bar next to a list box that contains more items than are visible in the box — for example, to dynamically update the display when the user selects a hypothetical investment rate or retirement age.
Label Insert a label.
Text Box Insert an edit field or edit control that displays text typed by the user, information entered at design time (design time: The time during which you create and modify the design of the objects and code in your application. For example, you design custom dialog boxes and controls. In contrast, during run time, you interact with the program as a user would.), or information assigned to the control at run time (run time: The time during which an application is running. During run time, you can interact with an application. In contrast, during design time, you can create and modify the design of the objects and code in your application.).
Command Button Insert a command button that carries out an operation, such as displaying more options.
Option Button Insert an option button next to each item in a group of two or more choices that are mutually exclusive — that is, you can select only one.
List Box Insert a box that displays available choices in a list format. If the list exceeds the box size, the user can scroll through the list to view additional choices.
Combo Box Insert a combination text box and list box. A user can either type an entry or select one from a list. A combo box includes a scroll bar.
Toggle Button Insert a toggle button that switches between states — for example, to switch from showing more options to showing fewer options.
Image Insert a picture or graphic.
More Controls Display additional controls you can insert in an online form. If you don't see the control you want, you may need to register it.