Transcript Document

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Chapter 29
Creating Forms
Understanding Forms
• Word enables you to create fill-in forms to
eliminate the need for storing pre-printed
forms.
• Add content controls such as picture, date
picker, and drop-down lists to create the form.
• After a form is saved as a protected
document, users can create and fill in new
copies of the form.
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Understanding Forms
• A form is a protected document that includes
user-defined sections into which a respondent
enters information.
• Content controls limit user input, as in a dropdown list.
• A form field enables the respondent to enter
specific text.
• The generic term data field refers to both
content controls and form fields.
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Understanding Forms
The respondent fills in data fields
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Designing a Form
• Identify the form’s purpose and make a list of all
the information needed to meet the form
objective.
• Then plan the layout of the form, sketching it out
if needed and considering the following points:
– Group like items together.
– Place the most important information at the top of the
form.
– Use design elements purposefully and sparingly.
– Use white space and lines to create clear sections
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Creating a Form Template
• Create a form as a template so that the
respondent creates a copy of the form rather
than using the original.
• Protecting the template allows the user to
enter or change information only in the form
fields.
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Creating a Form Template
• To create a new template,
click the Office button,
and then New. Click
My templates under
Templates in the New
Document dialog box.
• In the New dialog box, click the Blank
Document icon, click the Template option
button, and click Create New.
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Displaying the Developer Tab
• The Developer tab offers buttons for inserting
data fields into a form template.
• Display the Developer tab by clicking the Office
button and then Word Options. Click Popular in
the left pane if needed, click the Show Developer
tab in the Ribbon check box to check it, and
click OK.
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Inserting Text Controls
• Add a text control in a location where
you want the user to enter text, typing in
any label for the control first.
• Click the Rich Text button in the
Controls group of the Developer tab to
add a rich text control, which can have
its own formatting or when the data to
be entered will be used in another
document.
• Click the Text button in the Controls
group of the Developer tab to add a
plain text control, which takes on the
format of the text around it.
Rich Text
Text
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Protecting a Template
• Protecting the template enables the
respondents to enter information in the
fields but not edit the template itself.
• Click the Protect Document button in the
Protect group of the Developer tab.
• Check the Allow only this type of editing
in the document check box in the Restrict
Formatting and Editing task pane.
• Select Filling in forms from the dropdown list.
• Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
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Checkpoint
• What is the difference between a form and a
regular document?
• Describe a situation where you might want to
create and use a form.
• What two types of controls can you add to a
form?
• What tab holds the buttons for adding form
controls?
• Why do you create a form as a template?
• How do you protect the form template?
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Filling in a Form Document
• After you create and save the form template,
you can use it to create copies of the form for
data entry.
• Click the Office button and click New.
• Click My templates in the Templates section
of the new dialog box.
• Click the template icon in the New dialog
box, leave Document selected and click OK.
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Filling in a Form Document
Select the template
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Filling in a Form Document
• The form copy opens with the insertion point
in the first data field.
• Type information in each field.
• Press Tab and Shift + Tab to move forward
and back between fields.
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Opening a Form Template
• Open the form template file to edit it.
• Word automatically saves a template
document in the Templates folder.
• Click the Open button on the Quick Access
toolbar, and then open the .dotx template file
from the Templates folder.
• You can then unprotect the template if
needed, and make changes.
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Unprotecting a Form Template
• If the form is protected, turn off protection to
edit the form.
• Click the Protect Document button in the
Protect group of the Developer tab.
• Click the Stop Protection
button.
• Turn protection back on
after editing the document.
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Adding Tables and Instructional Text
• Use a table to provide a framework for the
form information.
• You can create your own prompt or
instructional text for a text field to give the
respondent specific information about what to
enter.
• Type in the desired instructional text, select it
and then click either the Rich Text or Text
button in the Controls Group of the Developer
tab.
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Adding Instructional Text
Then make it a field
Type and select the
instructional text
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Checkpoint
• What do you have to do to create a copy of the form
to fill in?
• How do you move between form fields?
• How is opening a form template to edit it different
from opening a regular document?
• How do you turn off protection for the form
template?
• Name one benefit of creating instructional text for a
field.
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Inserting Pictures
• A picture content control can display a picture, clip art
image, drawing, shape, chart, table, or SmartArt
diagram.
• Position the insertion point in the desired location, and
click the
Picture Content
Control button in the
Controls group of the
Developer tab.
• Click the picture icon in
the control to open the
Insert Picture dialog box,
and select the picture to
insert.
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Using the Date Picker
• The Date Picker button in the Controls group
of the Developer tab inserts a content control
that displays a calendar when the user clicks
the control.
• The respondent can use the
calendar to display the
desired month and year, and
then click the date.
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Using the Date Picker
• Type the field label separately.
• Position the insertion point at the location for
the control, and then click the Date Picker
button.
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Creating a Drop-Down List
• A drop-down list offers the form user a
number of options for filling in the field.
• Type the field label separately and position
the insertion point at the location where you
want the field to appear.
• Click the Drop-Down List button in the
Controls group of the Developer tab, and
click the Drop-Down Form Field button.
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Creating a Drop-Down List
• Leave the control selected, and
click the Properties button in
the Controls group of the
Developer tab.
• In the Content Control
Properties dialog box, click
Add.
• Enter a Display Name and
Value for the item in the Add
Choice dialog box, and click
OK.
• Click OK after you finish
adding items.
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Customizing a Picture Content Control
• Locking a picture content control causes the
insertion point to skip the picture when the
respondent presses Tab.
• Click the picture control to select it and click the
Properties button in the
Controls group of the
Developer tab.
• Click the Contents cannot
be edited check box to
check it, and click OK.
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Customizing Date Picker Properties
• A date picker control displays
the date in m/d/yyyy format by
default. You can specify
another date format for the
control.
• Click the date picker control to
select it and click the
Properties button in the
Controls group of the
Developer tab.
• Click the desired date format
in the Display the date like this
list, and click OK.
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Checkpoint
• What button do you use to insert a picture control?
• What is the benefit of inserting a date picker content
control?
• What is the benefit of creating a drop-down list
control?
• How do you display the properties for customizing
any form field?
• What key function can you customize for a picture
content control?
• What key function can you customize for a date
picker control?
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Wrap Up
• A form is a document with userdefined sections into which a
respondent enters information.
• Create content controls and data
fields—called data fields—on a
form.
• Plan the form design to make
sure it gathers all the needed
information.
• Create the form as a template so
respondents work from copies
and the original remains intact.
• Protect the form to prevent
unwanted changes while
allowing respondents to enter
data.
• Use the buttons in the Controls
group to create the form controls.
• Open a form copy based on the
template and press Tab to move
to a field and fill it in.
• Open the template itself and
unprotect it to make changes to
the form.
• Select a data field and click the
Properties button in the Controls
group to display its settings.
• Create a table and instructional
text to help organize the form
and prompt the user for
information.
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