This video was inspired by one of my viewer's questions after watching my other videos on creating fillable forms. Thanks for the great questions and be sure to leave comments or share tips below. You can access my other fillable form videos Part 1 (th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html) and Part 2 (th-cam.com/video/n_Ni_fj-158/w-d-xo.html) from my channel. A huge Thanks to all my subscribers! Thank you for watching!
This is great. Thank you. I have another problem in the same vein as this and I can't figure out how to do it. Do you know how to get text from a text-form-field to appear as a selection in a drop-down field box? For example, I have a form where the user has to fill in the names of their employees in text box fields. I then ask the manager to select the "best" or "hardest working" individual in their store. The goal is to have the names (as they were typed in the field) to appear in a drop-down box. I know it has to be a macro, but I don't know how. This has been driving me crazy for years. This has so may uses for so many different fields. Please help.
This was amazing! I've been spending a day on LinkedIn Learning trying to figure out how to do this exact thing and you taught me in minutes. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the informative video!! I had to play around because there were differences on Mac Word. For anyone else looking for Mac instructions: Adding Developer tab: Word (left of File) Preferences Authoring and Proofing Tools Ribbon & Toolbar Main Tabs Developer In Developer: Combo Box (in Ribbon) Options (in Ribbon) Visual Basic (in Ribbon) Insert Module Paste the code (edit) Protect Form (in Ribbon)
@@SharonSmith Hi Sharon, thanks for the excellent video. I have a set of business names and associated addresses that I used your code to allow users to select the business name and the associated address would be displayed. I used a Windows machine to develop the solution and the result works perfectly on that laptop. On the MacBook Pro however, it does not. Only one address is shown (constantly). Is this a compatibility issue do you think?
This is awesome thanks. As a mere stale pale male, who's fond of excel, I found it far too clunky for ease of use. The word option is a lot more streamlined. It's a game changer.
Your videos are great! Very detailed and well explained. Thank you. I do have a question, what if there's only a portion of the document that is a drop down form, the remaining sections are free text field and can be modified? By Restricting Editing, no other changes to the entire document is possible. Is there a way to only restrict editing on the drop down?
I'm wondering this as well!!! I usually use Google docs which makes it super easy to insert dropdown menus within a table. Microsoft Word seems behind the times in this area. I am using a MacBook Pro, and the developer ribbon options look different.
You are just too good Sharon. Thanks for the resource. You now have a new subscriber. I normally build this kind of form in Adobe Acrobat and Livecycle, now trying to explore MS Word.
Hi P-cide! Thanks so much for subscribing to my channel and watching my videos. I'm so glad you find them helpful. Yes, as long as your users can open your form in MS Word, it is a great option to create fillable forms. I appreciate you taking time to leave a comment! Take care!
This was SOOO helpful!!! Thank you so much for sharing this in an easy to understand and straightforward video. You saved me sooo much time trying to code.
Hi Mandy, thank you! I'm so glad you found it helpful. I have another video on multiple level dependent drop-downs in case you are interested: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a nice comment, I appreciate it!
i guess im asking randomly but does anyone know a trick to get back into an instagram account?? I stupidly forgot my login password. I would love any help you can give me
@Landen Nixon I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
Your videos are very clear & understandable and I love the content! I have a question - maybe you could help? How do I add a dependent text box based on a drop-down list? For example, if they choose 'Other - Please explain.' I want the input text box to normally hide unless the 'Other' option is selected. I've spent 3 days trying to find the answer through Google & TH-cam and don't understand why I haven't found an answer. Maybe I'm phrasing the question wrong. By the way, your thumbnails are the best! (The ones for your videos, not the ones on your actual thumbs.)
HI, i am so happy i actually did it and thanks to you. It's been so helpful. Hers's the thing, i wanna ask, if the line statement is too long and it went off paper margin, how can i make the line in two rows.
Sharon Smith Thank you for your comment. Sorry, you won’t understand my language, it is Malayalam. If you like, please subscribe my channel. I have few videos in English too !
Great Tutorial... Thank you...Random Question... How do I increase character limit on Drop-Down Form Fields? Or get it to add more information if a field is selected?
In Word's legacy Drop-Down Form Fields, the character limit is set to 50 characters, and unfortunately, there’s no direct way to increase this limit. What are you looking to do? I have a video on how to make text or sections appear in a document based on a drop-down selection: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Not sure if this is what you are looking to do, but you may find it helpful! Thanks for watching!
Hello! You can go back to the Developer tab, select Visual Basic to open the VB editor again. Select your Module that you want to edit and make your changes. Click Save, and then you can close out again and test your changes. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching and for subscribing to my Channel!
Hello! Great video. I was wondering if you have a video that tells you how to create a fillable questionnaire that if you answer Yes it will add additional questions to be answered or provide a box to provide answers other than yes/no. Thank you!
Thank you, I'm glad you liked this video! I don't have another video yet with those more advanced features. I will let you know when I have new ones out. I also started a playlist on my channel for videos related to filling in forms. I'll look into this and see if I can make a video on this topic soon. Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment. Much appreciated!
Hi Sharon! Thank you so much for putting this video together. I keep receiving an error that states "Compile Error: End With Without With" , any suggestions on how to fix? Thank you for your time!
Hello! The error message "Compile Error: End With Without With" typically occurs when you have an End With statement without a corresponding With statement in your VBA code. If you are using the code I provided in the description of the video, it should have the With statement properly structured. However, the issue might be related to the way your code is formatted or some invisible characters or any changes you may have made to customize the code for your needs. To resolve this issue, you can try these steps: 1) Make sure there are no extra spaces or line breaks that might be interfering with the With block. Make sure to check the code is indented correctly. Also check spelling of any changes to the code. 2) Check that there are no invisible characters, especially at the beginning or end of your code. Sometimes, copying and pasting code can introduce unwanted characters. 3) Try deleting the With and End With lines and retyping them to ensure they are correctly matched. Here's some code with potential formatting issues corrected: Sub PopulateddStatus() Dim xDirection As FormField Dim xState As FormField On Error Resume Next Set xDirection = ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddStatus") Set xState = ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddSurvey") If ((xDirection Is Nothing) Or (xState Is Nothing)) Then Exit Sub With xState.DropDown.ListEntries .Clear Select Case xDirection.Result Case "Active" .Add "Completed" .Add "In Progress" .Add "Not Started" Case "Inactive" .Add "Do Not Engage Employee is Inactive" End Select End With End Sub If the error still persists, consider creating a new subroutine and copying the code into the new subroutine to ensure that there are no hidden issues in the original subroutine. I hope this helps you out! Thanks for watching my videos!
Hi Sharon, it looks like i'm a little late to the party, but i have a very specific question. I'm creating a (hopefully) dependent form. 1. Do you have to use all legacy controls throughout the entire form in order to make any portion dependent? I have date pickers throughout the form, but i noticed the date picker is not part of the legacy control family. 2. I need to be able to make dependents on a drop down. The end user will select the number of sessions they will need from the drop down (1-5). If they select 1 session, the form will populate the information they need to fill out for one session (a table). If they select that they need 5 sessions in the drop-down, it will need to open up all 5 tables to fill out information for each session, if that makes sense. The way i have it now, all 5 tables are open and it makes the document 8 pages. I don't want it to be 8 pages if it doesn't need to be. I have a mix of controls throughout the document.
This video was super helpful but I'm having an issue. Once the code is edited and saved, when I restrict the document and test it, it functions fine on my workstation. Once I send the document, the second drop down option doesn't populate correctly, if at all. Sometimes, the dependant drop down populates as if another parent selection was chosen when it was not. I've made sure that the formatting of the Visual basic code is consistent, and everything aligns as it should. Any suggestions?
Thank you for the tutorial and the VBA. However, i made this for a form in work today and I have to select the required option in the first drop down at least TWICE for it to load properly in the second drop down. I have quite a few options in each drop down. is it due to this? Is this quite limited on how many options to have? Or is there anything else i can look for?
Thank you very much Ali! I'm so glad you found this video helpful. I have some more videos coming out soon that I'm working on that are related to other viewer's questions on creating fillable forms. Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave comments! Take care!
Super helpful. Is there a way to do this without restricting other edits, though? I want to be able to do this in a document where I can also type things, but now it looks like either you have to restrict edits so the drop-down boxes work, or you can edit in other ways but then the drop-downs don't work. What about forms where you also want people to write things?
Hello - there is a way to restrict only parts of your document. Here is a video on how to do that: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharin, tons of thanks for these videos, you're a lifesaver. I do need your help further though and I am sure more of us do... We would need the code / tutorial to see how we can hide or show a field based on user choices from a dropdown list. I'm struggling bad at it.... thanks!!
Hi Zeke! Thank you! Glad you found my video helpful. Yes, you can format the text color of a legacy tools form field by selecting the form field and then on the home tab under the font area, you can select a different font color. For the font color to show up, you have to turn off the legacy tool form field shading (this video shows you how to turn off the shading): th-cam.com/video/vagwP5Jsv7k/w-d-xo.html When you are done formatting your form and you start enforcing protection to "filling in forms" you can test that this works for you. You'll see that users can select from the drop-down and whatever font color you set will appear. Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!
Sharon, this was of great help and is much appreciated. But I have a issue where my child fields are coming up bold, how do I prevent this from happening?
Dear Sharon, Q1) I am confused in the 3 types of control: Content control, Legacy control & ActiveX Control. Q2) Under which condition should I use which control ?
Hello - the Legacy tool form fields gray shading can be turned off, but there are no other options to change the color of the form field properties. You can actually select the form field and then use the "Highlight" feature on the Home tab - Font area but you have limited color options there. Here is a video on how to turn off the gray shading in case you want to do that: th-cam.com/video/-arXX9EKJ0g/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Here are two videos you may find helpful. This video is how to set up fields that will auto-repeat throughout your document: th-cam.com/video/_K_HSHPF83Q/w-d-xo.html and here is a video on how to make text or images appear based on a drop-down selection: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Hi Sheena! Do you mean add multiple levels of dependent drop-downs? If so, here is another video that may be helpful: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Awesome video. I do Building INspections and my problem is that I am unable to use the values from the same drop-down multiple times within the same cell of the table in MS Word. Can you kindly suggest any solution to this. If you have any video on this, kindly refer me to that please. I give you an example of my problem. I go to inspect a house and I find a defeat. So to define that defect in few different ways, I have values in my drop down. With normal drop down list, you can only use one value at a time from the same drop down menu. However, If I am able to use that same drop down menu to populate the same cell, with multiple value from the drop down menu, that will will make my life easy and less prone to other legal issues I may face.
Hi Sharon, this was a great video tut ty! If i want to make this form a PDF or available on a Sharepoint site, Do I need to save the module anywhere special? Do i need to do anything different with the form?
Hi Bob, you can save the file on SharePoint but when you create a fillable form in Word, the users filling it in also have to be able to access it in Word. If you need a fillable PDF form, you can use Adobe Acrobat DC or another PDF editor to create that. Unfortunately you can't just save a Word form as a PDF file type as the form fields won't work. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon. Great video. I was curious if there is a way to "Restrict Editing" only in the drop down menus while still allowing other area of the document to be edited/filled in? I have a doc I want to provide Dependent Drop Down Menus to allow for quicker data entry, but still need some areas to allow for manual entry. For example: For SOP creation - Parent DD = Department & Child DD = Roles, but then allowing for manual entry of process in separate field.
Hi James! Here is a video that may help you on how to lock only part of your document: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Hi Rafael! Here is a video that may help you do that for multiple level dependent drop-downs: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon, really helpful video. I have a question: if I add too many answers to a case, they will not be displayed and there’s no scroll botton. Do you know how can I solve this problem?
Hello! Unfortunately Word has some limitations in how many list options can be created. You may be running into this issue. Thanks for watching my videos!
Great video Sharon! Someone may have already asked this question and if so I apologize. I have a hierarchy that I want to follow through with multiple drop downs one after the other. So if I select from A it gives me a selection in B. and what I select in B gives ne a selection in C... etc. How do I incorporate that into this code or is it in a new module? Thanks
Hi Roger! Here is a video on multiple levels of dependent drop-down lists: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps with what you are trying to accomplish. Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon. Great Videos. I have a question. The answer is probably in one of your videos and I overlooked it. I would like to create a Drop down box or content box where the amount in a dollar value entered in this box will be transferred automatically to the next 3 boxes. For example - In a bank funds deposit form.There are 4 spots that I have to enter the same amount. How can I make it that whatever amount goes into box 1 will be the same as the amount that will appear in remaining boxes. Thanks for now. Hope it makes sense
@@SharonSmith Thanks so much. That sure helps. Only problem is that I can't put any active x controls inside a text box. Won't let me. The text box is in the perfect spot for filling out cheques or deposit slips that's why I don't want to get rid of them
Hi, I love the clear ways you explain everything. Question: if there is just one option, is there a way to have this automatically pop up instead of having to click and select the one option?
Hi Iris! Are you referring to having text appear based on filling in a form field? If so, I have a video on this topic: th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html I also have a video on how to link text to appear based on a drop-down selection. If there is only one, you can set the the option to default as the first choice: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
This video was a huge blessing, thanks for posting! I have an issue and hoping you can help me. I'm creating an interview guide, where a manager can select a competency and then select one of the loaded questions specific to that competency (dependent drop-down). Some of my interview questions are long and when selected, they continue on the same line and I cannot see the end of the sentence. How do I force the sentence to go to the next line?
Hi Kamoy! Thank you so much for your nice comments and I'm so glad you found my videos helpful. I did some research to try and solve your issue, however I have not found that it is possible in Word to have text wrap from within the drop-down selection. From what I have read, there are not many easy solutions out there that offer the ability to have paragraph-like drop-down answers (longer than one line) in Word, but it also seems to be an issue in other solutions as well. One thing you might consider if you know Excel very well, you may be able to create your form in Excel. You can design the format of the spreadsheet by merging cells and using borders and you can hide tabs that might contain your data. I'm working on tutorials on Excel forms in the near future and perhaps this can help you. I wish you luck with your form! Thanks again for watching and taking time to leave a comment!!
Hello Sharon thank you for such an informative videos. If you can make a video on how to auto-populate information to another page by selecting drop-down options in MS word which is VBA enabled. For example table with drop-down is on first page and have macros, how we can have the same information copied over to the 4th page of the same word file. Looking forward for the same. Thanks
Hi Sharon! This video was SO helpful, I'm really loving your channel!! Quick question, if I'm making a table that has 12 rows and each row needs to contain a dependent drop-down list, how can I copy and paste to each row so that I don't have to go through the VBA 12 times. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this Sharon, it really helped! I would like to ask how i make a drop down list that isn't dependable and is just to choose one of the items out of the list (for example just selecting the bank we will do a loan through)
Hi Georgie! You can simply insert a legacy tool drop-down form field and open properties by double-clicking and then just list the drop-down answer options you want and "add" them. You don't need to use any VBA code or anything to create this. Here are some more videos in my Creating Fillable Forms playlist that will show you how to do this. I hope it helps! Thanks so much for watching! th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuOe1LfFMNExEabkRkB5ehcv.html
This video was a great help. Is there a way to import the dependent drop down values from an excel sheet as opposed to typing them into an Add method? Thank you in advance.
Hi Derrick! I'm glad you enjoyed this video. I use Office 365 so it is the latest version of Word (2019 I believe). I have some other videos in my Word playlist on How to Create Fillable Forms you may find helpful. Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment.
Thanks for these great videos! Two questions: 1 - Can I create a drop down list where the user can select multiple options? 2 - Can I add an Excel worksheet (2 columns) that will calculate the sum at the bottom? I can't seem to get it to calc. Thank you!
Hi Debbie! Thank you! 1) Unfortunately MS Word does not have a "multi-select" drop down form field option. Depending on how many options you want to display, you may be able to use check boxes instead. 2) When you paste from Excel, unfortunately formulas won't work. You may be able to use calculating form fields by bookmarking each form field and then placing the sum calculation form field where you need it. This video on calculating form fields may be helpful: th-cam.com/video/MnsLhJzqmqY/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching my videos!
You are very welcome Zeljka! Glad you found it helpful. I also have another video that shows how to set up multiple levels of dependent drop downs: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching!
Hi this video is useful but i have a question though. How do i make the same exact thing but at the same time also allowing anyone to edit the document. Because there are other areas that i would need the user to fill in their details.
Hello, this video may be helpful to you. It shows how to only lock part of a Word form document: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
This is fantastic. Is there a way that you can make a selection window that will populate a separate table into the document? For example, if I want to Select a major of a student and then the selection prompts a specific table to be populated with information specific to that major for courses by semester?
Hello! Here is a video you may find helpful that shows how you can make text appear based on a user's drop-down selection using legacy tool form fields: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Sounds like this may assist with what you are trying to do. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching my videos.
Thanks for the video! Is there a way of having it so when you click an item from the dropdown list, it displays sections of text in the word document that would normally be hidden when not selected? Thanks
Hi Sam, here is a video that shows a way you can make text (or images) appear based on a user's drop-down selection. Hope you find it helpful for what you are looking to do. Thanks for watching! th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html
Thanks. Very helpful. Is there a way to have this feature on part of a document that has dependable fillable forms but leave the rest of the document editable with free text? Thanks
Hello! Here is a video you may find helpful that shows how to lock/restrict only part of your Word document that has the form fields and the rest of the document can be open for editing. I hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Thanks for video. I have a requirement of disabling the dropdowns based on the value selected value in the parent dropdown. I have say three values in the first down and accordingly three another drop down lists with associated values in each drop down list. If I select the first value in the parent drown ( say the value is A), then only the drown named A should be selectable and remaining drop downs ( Say B&C) should not be selectable.
Great video! But I have question regarding the "Restrict Editing". Can I not restrict the form? I would like the drop down capability but without the restriction, is that possible? My "secondary" drop down is dependent of the "primary" drop down. Is this possible in word without restrictions? I am also using the latest office.
Hello Rajat! If you use legacy tool form fields, you do have to restrict editing and protect the form for users to be able to fill in the form. Here is a video you may find helpful on only restricting the part of your document that contains form fields: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Also, here is another video on creating multiple level dependent drop-downs: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Hi Sharon, great tutorial. Have you got something on toggling the visibility of a table based on a checkbox value or from a line of text from a dropdown list in Word? I've tried the VBA scripting posted elsewhere which doesn't seem to work
Hello! Yes, you can make text, images, tables, etc. appear based on a drop-down list selection. Here is a video on how to do that: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html However the same technique does not work for checkboxes. I wish it did, but hoping Microsoft may enhance that functionality someday. For now, you would have to just use a drop-down list selection. Hope this helps with what you are trying to do! Take care!
Hi Sharon, thanks for that, just noticed your reply as I'm back at work and will follow your video link. Our Gov dept has come away from PDF's of late using LiveCycle Designer to develop fully interactive PDF's so Word and VBA is a new venture for me due to form collaboration and opening in a browser etc. One other Q as a follow on to toggling the visibility of a table, is there then a get around or a new instance type of script via a button or drop down to add or subtract more of the same table? Thanks in advance for your help @@SharonSmith
Thankyou so much, this is so helpful!!! Is there a way to include colouring as well in this code? In my word doc I have a table format, and I am trying to find a way to colourfill the boxes in depending on the first selection (so for this example if Active was selected how could I autofill the box green, and if Inactive was selected how could I tell it to autofill the box red)?
Great video, thanks, Can you do a video to demonstrate how we can have an expandable/collapsible Heading and its content on the checked and unchecked status of a Checkbox. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hi Sharon! A coworker recently introduced me to your channel and it is AMAZING!! Your tutorial videos are so well done, easy to follow and a game changer! I am working on a form with dependent drop downs, I was able to successfully follow your tutorial and make the basics work. I have two questions. I have a long list of categories (parent), some of which have sub-categories (child). However there are some categories that do not have a sub-category, so I want the sub-category box to not have any selection available for those categories and be greyed out with no ability to click on it. How would I code that? My second question is, this list of categories and sub-categories is quite long. Do I just make one long set of code for the module? Or would it be better/preferred to make a different module for each category/sub-category pair? Thanks again, your channel is awesome!!
Thanks for these great videos! One question: 1 - Can I create a drop down list where the user can select multiple options using check box selection for the Parent field/s and dependent on which field/s are checked, then a corresponding section of required fields needs to be displayed and so on....? Example is Section A, Section B, etc.
Works *almost* perfectly for what I need. I would like to choose a gender from a combo box (male/female/nonbinary/etc.), or, if necessary, a legacy dropdown as you show in this video, then have this link to pronouns all throughout the document, and THEN (and this is the point at which I'm stuck), auto-fill all of these. Using your method, I get blank entry boxes where the only available option is the correct one. Rather than having to manually set hundreds of pronouns throughout the document, is there a way to get these to auto-fill the dependent entry points if there is only one available option? Thank you so much.
Hello! So glad you found my videos helpful. This is a great question that I get a lot and I'm researching how to do this. Thanks so much for watching and be sure to subscribe to my channel so you can be notified when I post new videos. I hope to get a solution to this out soon. Take care!
How would I create a document where is someone answers "yes" to Question 1, they get a specific set of questions vs. answering "yes" to Question 2 (which would elicit a different set of questions). Not sure if that's even possible. If not, would it be possible to "gray" out a set depending on which question was answered "yes" ?
Hi Kathleen - do you mean a 3rd level dependent drop-down where users have different options depending on how they answer question 2? Yes, you can do this. Please follow these instructions below. Thanks so much for watching my videos! One way to program a 3rd level (and even a 4th) dependent drop-down would be to use the similar code and insert additional Modules into your code (modifying the pick list items appropriately in each inserted Module) and then ensuring you select the correct macro to run upon exit in the properties box of the drop down field in your Word document. (Field level 1 runs to populate Field level 2 upon exit, so Field level 2 will need to run Field level 3 upon exit). Here are some instructions I hope you can follow easily. In this example, we’ll create 3 dependent drop-down fields for 1. Region, 2. State and 3. City. (Depending on the Region the user selects, they will have programmed options for State, then depending on the State they select, they will have programmed options for City): 1. Create your form template and insert 3 Legacy Tools Drop-Down form fields 2. Double Click to open Properties on the first Drop-down field and enter the Drop Down Items (example: North, South, East, West). In the Bookmark field, label this one ddRegion, click OK 3. Double Click to open Properties on the 2nd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddState. 4. Double Click to open Properties on the 3rd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddCity. 5. Open Visual Basic and click Insert - Module (a 1st Module will be inserted) and this would be the code used: Sub PopulateddState() Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddRegion").Result Case "North" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Michigan" .Add "Ohio" End With Case "South" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Georgia" .Add "Texas" End With Case "East" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "New York" .Add "Maine" End With Case "West" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "California" .Add "Oregon" End With End Select End Sub 6. Click Save (be sure the document is saved as a Word Macro-Enabled Document if prompted) 7. Insert - Module (this will insert a 2nd Module window). Here is the code you will use in the second module (this will populate your third level drop-down field ddCity - notice it is the same/similar code, but we replace line 1 with the bookmark for the 3rd field and the cases are the options from the ddState 2nd level bookmark field and we had to copy down additional rows in order to accommodate all the possible State pick list options): Sub PopulateddCity() Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").Result Case "Michigan" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Lansing" .Add "Detroit" End With Case "Ohio" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Columbus" .Add "Cleveland" End With Case "Georgia" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Atlanta" .Add "Savannah" End With Case "Texas" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Houston" .Add "Dallas" End With Case "New York" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Queens" .Add "Brooklyn" End With Case "Maine" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Augusta" .Add "Portland" End With Case "California" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "San Francisco" .Add "San Diego" End With Case "Oregon" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Portland" .Add "Salem" End With End Select End Sub 8. Click Save 9. Go back to your Word document and double-click to open properties on your 2nd level drop-down form field (ddState) and be sure to select “PopulateddCity” upon Exit under the Run Macro section, then click OK 10. Restrict Editing to filling in forms like the video shows and you’ll see that the Region a user selects will prompt the next level State options and then that will prompt the third level City options. This would also work for a fourth level by adding another module, and your code will need to include every possible answer option from the previous level. This option may be worthwhile if you have static lists with known items. There are other options with more code that can retrieve appropriate list items from a database, but the above is simpler (hope this works for you). Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
Is there a way to create a multiple drop down list in word that is nondependent? I need a user to select all applicable options in my drop down list. Thank you. Your channel is super helpful.
Hi Dirk, here is a video on how to create multiple levels of dependent drop-downs. I hope this helps with what you are looking to do. Thanks for watching! th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html
I'm making a form in Microsoft Word using tables. Can I make it so that if someone clicks yes, it shows certain cells, but if they click no, it hides the cells? Like a dynamic table? Thanks.
Hello - yes, you can do this using legacy drop-down lists linked to field code. Here is a video on my channel that shows the basis on how to do this: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html In my TH-cam Course on creating fillable forms in Word, it is a paid course and you get a course workbook and the form templates with the functionality built in (table(s) appearing based on a selection) in case you are interested in that (th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuNzAyHVMYrPOS7itBm5gWVs.html). I hope this helps! Best of luck in building your document, and thanks for watching my videos!
Can't thank you enough. Solid content. One little issue. When I try to restrict the form the "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection" button is grayed out. Any Thoughts?
Hi Seth! Glad you found this video helpful. What version of Word are you using? And also, are you using Mac or PC? In Word 365 for windows, when you open the panel to "Restrict Editing" from the Developer tab, you can leave #1 (Formatting Restrictions) unchecked, then under #2 (Editing Restrictions) you will check that box and then select "Filling In Forms" from the drop down. When you do this, the "Yes, start enforcing protection" button should activate. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!
is there a way for a user to select a 'short name' in the drop down list but have it populate the field (or another field perhaps) with full details without having to select presented options from a second drop down list? Trying to use a drop down list to select "Typical Office" and have the field return a full description of "Typical Office" working environment. Can this be done using dependent drop down lists as shown in the video or is there another way to populate a field with full details other than a 2nd drop down? Thank you very much -
Hello! I believe there is a way to do it with Word VBA macro programming, but I would have to research how to do it. If I come across a way to do this, I will be sure to let you know. Thanks so much for watching my videos. Best of luck with your form!
Sharon your videos are great, they have been a big help. I do have a question though. Is it possible to remove a section of your form based on the way a user selects an item from a drop-down list?
Hi Rob, thanks for watching my videos! Glad you find them helpful. I'm researching how to do this. Please be sure to subscribe and click the bell to receive notifications so you'll know when I post new videos. Thanks so much!
Hi Rob - my latest video: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html will show how to make text appear based on a user's drop-down list selection. May not quite be what you are looking to do, but thought you might find this helpful! Thanks!
Very interesting video. However, this does not apply to headers and footers, therefore I cannot create a dependent drop-down. Is there a workaround? Thanks!
Hello - yes, unfortunately Word has limitations with form fields in headers and footers. Here is a video on how you can auto populate form fields in a header or footer, in case this is helpful to you: th-cam.com/video/qh9XM-TWOuE/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
What an incredibly helpful tutorial! Thank you. I do have a follow up question. Let's say that on this example you had 10 more questions with drop down menu options that were dependent upon the #1 question Employee Status. In other words, the next 10 questions would be dependent upon "Active" vs "Inactive as well, just like #2. Engagement Survey Status. Do you just add more modules with the same code and change the relevant sections? Or are there other steps that are required? Thanks in advance!
Great video Sharon! This helped me a lot with a document I'm building, but I was wondering, based on the Drop-Down List, do you know how to show/hide sections of the document. For example, the document I'm building is a template for a contract, with x, y and z types, some information is shared among all types and I have 3 different sections depending on each type, so, when I select x it should show the information related to x, and hide sections y and z, and the same for the other types. Can you work your magic on this issue? :D
Hello Herminio! My apologies for the delay in responding. My latest video may be helpful for what you are trying to do here: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching!
Hey Sharon, First off great content - really top notch stuff. I recently transitioned to a new company and want to try updating their New Hire Req forms. I'd like to do a similar macro but I believe it would be a bit more complicated. I'm trying to do a drop down of say division that would list IT, Operations, HR, etc, then have which department dependent on what division the person would pick.How would I go about that? Thanks, Carl
Hi Carl! Thanks for the great feedback, glad you found my video helpful. Congratulations on your new role. I believe you may find the info below helpful. I had another viewing needing to create a "3rd" level dependent drop down and it sounds similar to what you are trying to do. Hoping you can follow this example below and modify it for your needs: One way to program a 3rd level (and even a 4th) dependent drop-down would be to use the similar code and insert additional Modules into your code (modifying the pick list items appropriately in each inserted Module) and then ensuring you select the correct macro to run upon exit in the properties box of the drop down field in your Word document. (Field level 1 runs to populate Field level 2 upon exit, so Field level 2 will need to run Field level 3 upon exit). Here are some instructions I hope you can follow easily. In this example, we’ll create 3 dependent drop-down fields for 1. Region, 2. State and 3. City. (Depending on the Region the user selects, they will have programmed options for State, then depending on the State they select, they will have programmed options for City): 1. Create your form template and insert 3 Legacy Tools Drop-Down form fields 2. Double Click to open Properties on the first Drop-down field and enter the Drop Down Items (example: North, South, East, West). In the Bookmark field, label this one ddRegion, click OK 3. Double Click to open Properties on the 2nd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddState. 4. Double Click to open Properties on the 3rd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddCity. 5. Open Visual Basic and click Insert - Module (a 1st Module will be inserted) and this would be the code used: Sub PopulateddState() Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddRegion").Result Case "North" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Michigan" .Add "Ohio" End With Case "South" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Georgia" .Add "Texas" End With Case "East" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "New York" .Add "Maine" End With Case "West" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "California" .Add "Oregon" End With End Select End Sub 6. Click Save (be sure the document is saved as a Word Macro-Enabled Document if prompted) 7. Insert - Module (this will insert a 2nd Module window). Here is the code you will use in the second module (this will populate your third level drop-down field ddCity - notice it is the same/similar code, but we replace line 1 with the bookmark for the 3rd field and the cases are the options from the ddState 2nd level bookmark field and we had to copy down additional rows in order to accommodate all the possible State pick list options): Sub PopulateddCity() Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").Result Case "Michigan" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Lansing" .Add "Detroit" End With Case "Ohio" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Columbus" .Add "Cleveland" End With Case "Georgia" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Atlanta" .Add "Savannah" End With Case "Texas" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Houston" .Add "Dallas" End With Case "New York" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Queens" .Add "Brooklyn" End With Case "Maine" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Augusta" .Add "Portland" End With Case "California" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "San Francisco" .Add "San Diego" End With Case "Oregon" With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries .Clear .Add "Portland" .Add "Salem" End With End Select End Sub 8. Click Save 9. Go back to your Word document and double-click to open properties on your 2nd level drop-down form field (ddState) and be sure to select “PopulateddCity” upon Exit under the Run Macro section, then click OK 10. Restrict Editing to filling in forms like the video shows and you’ll see that the Region a user selects will prompt the next level State options and then that will prompt the third level City options. This would also work for a fourth level by adding another module, and your code will need to include every possible answer option from the previous level. This option may be worthwhile if you have static lists with known items. There are other options with more code that can retrieve appropriate list items from a database, but the above is simpler (hope this works for you). Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
Hello Pradip! I'm very glad you found this video helpful. Can you let me know a little more about your looking to do? Are you asking about radio button options (in Word or Excel)? Thanks so much for watching!
Hello! Thank you, glad you found my channel too! Can you elaborate on your question? I have a video on Mail Merge that might help: th-cam.com/video/jn0zjxV7xbI/w-d-xo.html If you have a different question, please let me know. Thanks so much for watching! Take care!
Sharon Smith Thanks. The problem is when you have to send many emails with common body content but different attachments to each email. For e g - Sending invoices to individual suppliers at the end of the day.
Hello! To my knowledge, MS Word does not offer the functionality to send personalized attachments to an e-mail mail merge. But if your invoice doesn't need to be an attachment (for example, if you can send it in the body of the email) then you can do this by creating your Word document invoice, selecting your data source and matching the mail merge fields and selecting "Email messages" as you document type in the mail merge wizard. I can work on a video on how to do this and it can quickly and easily send a customized invoice via email to each different recipient. I will let you know when I have this one ready and hope it will help you out. Thanks for watching!
Hello - to my knowledge you can program a reset macro if you use legacy tools form fields, but if may work for you to save your document as a template and have users select File - New when they want to use a blank document. This video reviews this option: th-cam.com/video/gzTu46-Z5h0/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!
Great and informative video Sharon. Thank you for sharing. I was wondering if you can help lay it out a little further for me. I am trying to create a Word form (a Fax cover sheet actually) where I would have a drop-down of several recipient names and I am trying to have their phone # and fax # auto-populate or auto-fill based on the name selection. Is that possible?
Hi Eli! I would recommend you create your fax cover sheet template in Excel instead of Word in order to easily auto-populate phone # and fax # based on a selected name from a drop-down field. You can merge cells as needed to format your page so that when printed, you wouldn't know it was an Excel spreadsheet. You would use Data Validation to create your name selection drop-down and then use VLOOKUP to populate cells for Phone and Fax based on the name the user selects. I will work on a video to show how to do this. It would be difficult to try and create this in Word. Thanks so much for watching my videos! Take care!
Hello Heidi! Here is a video that shows how to lock only part of your document so edits can be made to other parts of the document: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
I created a form with tables with drop down dependent fields. When I clicked start enforcing protection, all forms are not editable. How do I make the rest of the fields editable?
Hi Shar! If you are trying to make only part of your document restricted to filling in forms (like you have only one section with form fields), you can insert section breaks in your document and protect only the section that has the form fields. I have a video coming out soon that will show how to do this. If you had an issue with your form fields after restricting editing, make sure you are only using either all content control form fields or all legacy tool form fields, but not both as that can cause issues for users after you restrict the document. Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos. Take care!
Thanks for the video. I did exactly as you instructed but nothing happened in the second field. So, I believe you forgot to mention that one also has to double-click on the second field, go to Run macro on Entry and select the module.
hi there, thanks for explaining. Its is possible To create a dependent list from a dependent list. I mean I need to create a credit line that has a code and each code has some products it
Thanks for this! I'm wondering, instead of making the second field a dependent drop-down, can you just make it a dependent field (i.e. it will populate with a value depending on which drop-down was selected on the first field?).
I think what you are looking for is explained really well in one of her videos called "How To Link Text or Images To A Drop-Down List Selection in MS Word - Create Fillable Forms" :)
Is there a way to make a fillable form in Word, where if you select a drop down that says for example YES..then certain text headings appear for the user. If the user selects NO, then a different set of text would appear? So, the WOrd document is different depending on the user's choice on the drop down or check box.
Hello! Yes, you can do this. Here is a video you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html It shows how to make certain text (or images) appear based on a user's drop-down selection. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
great... now trying to make a vloopup function in word, searching in a table in the same word document, and filling in several fields, based on the choise of the user in de dropdown list. Fe: If I choose to select the name of Ben, the address, email and phone of Ben needs to be filled in in the flields: Street - Postal code - Village - email. Ben is a value in the first row of the table... other values are in the following collums... easy in excel, but in word? can you help me out?
Hi Michiel! Unfortunately this can only be done in Word with more advanced VBA coding. You can always create a formatted form in Excel so that the form looks similar to a Word document, but then you can take advantage of Excel functionality (like drop-downs, tables, VLOOKUP, etc.). You can do that by merging cells and ensuring proper page formatting. Another option is to consider Microsoft InfoPath if you have that. It is a more advanced application for creating forms. I hope this helps you out! Thanks so much for watching my videos. Good luck with your document! Take care!
![ลองสั่งของจากแอพ temu ถูกจริงหรอ?? ( part : 1/2 ) [โกงไหมครับ ep.89 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RTcZSQTiDZw/mqdefault.jpg)
This video was inspired by one of my viewer's questions after watching my other videos on creating fillable forms. Thanks for the great questions and be sure to leave comments or share tips below. You can access my other fillable form videos Part 1 (th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html) and Part 2 (th-cam.com/video/n_Ni_fj-158/w-d-xo.html) from my channel. A huge Thanks to all my subscribers! Thank you for watching!
Amazing
This is great. Thank you. I have another problem in the same vein as this and I can't figure out how to do it. Do you know how to get text from a text-form-field to appear as a selection in a drop-down field box? For example, I have a form where the user has to fill in the names of their employees in text box fields. I then ask the manager to select the "best" or "hardest working" individual in their store. The goal is to have the names (as they were typed in the field) to appear in a drop-down box. I know it has to be a macro, but I don't know how. This has been driving me crazy for years. This has so may uses for so many different fields. Please help.
This was by far the best instructional video on this topic. I watched so many other videos trying to understand how to use the dropdown menu
That is awesome to hear! So glad you found my video helpful. I try to be helpful and to the point. Thanks for watching!
This was amazing! I've been spending a day on LinkedIn Learning trying to figure out how to do this exact thing and you taught me in minutes. Thank you!
That is great to hear! I'm so glad you found my videos helpful. Thanks for watching and for subscribing to my Channel!
Thank you! Video is straight to the point with fantastic visuals, great editing. Wish all tutorials were this productive.
Thank you so much for the nice feedback, Gesha! I'm glad you find my videos helpful. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for the informative video!! I had to play around because there were differences on Mac Word. For anyone else looking for Mac instructions:
Adding Developer tab:
Word (left of File)
Preferences
Authoring and Proofing Tools
Ribbon & Toolbar
Main Tabs
Developer
In Developer:
Combo Box (in Ribbon)
Options (in Ribbon)
Visual Basic (in Ribbon)
Insert
Module
Paste the code (edit)
Protect Form (in Ribbon)
Thanks for sharing the info for Word for Mac! Thanks for watching!
@@SharonSmith Hi Sharon, thanks for the excellent video. I have a set of business names and associated addresses that I used your code to allow users to select the business name and the associated address would be displayed. I used a Windows machine to develop the solution and the result works perfectly on that laptop. On the MacBook Pro however, it does not. Only one address is shown (constantly). Is this a compatibility issue do you think?
Thank you Sharon, This helped me a lot. My script was much longer than this one but the basis was perfect.
Glad to help! Thanks for watching!!
This is awesome thanks. As a mere stale pale male, who's fond of excel, I found it far too clunky for ease of use. The word option is a lot more streamlined. It's a game changer.
Glad you found my videos helpful, Paul! Thanks so much for watching!
Your videos are great! Very detailed and well explained. Thank you. I do have a question, what if there's only a portion of the document that is a drop down form, the remaining sections are free text field and can be modified?
By Restricting Editing, no other changes to the entire document is possible. Is there a way to only restrict editing on the drop down?
I'm wondering this as well!!! I usually use Google docs which makes it super easy to insert dropdown menus within a table. Microsoft Word seems behind the times in this area. I am using a MacBook Pro, and the developer ribbon options look different.
thanks for the video...it's exactly what I was looking for and you even made the Visual Basic part painless!
Glad you found it helpful, Benjamin! Thanks for watching!
You are just too good Sharon. Thanks for the resource. You now have a new subscriber. I normally build this kind of form in Adobe Acrobat and Livecycle, now trying to explore MS Word.
Hi P-cide! Thanks so much for subscribing to my channel and watching my videos. I'm so glad you find them helpful. Yes, as long as your users can open your form in MS Word, it is a great option to create fillable forms. I appreciate you taking time to leave a comment! Take care!
This was SOOO helpful!!! Thank you so much for sharing this in an easy to understand and straightforward video. You saved me sooo much time trying to code.
Hi Mandy, thank you! I'm so glad you found it helpful. I have another video on multiple level dependent drop-downs in case you are interested: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a nice comment, I appreciate it!
i guess im asking randomly but does anyone know a trick to get back into an instagram account??
I stupidly forgot my login password. I would love any help you can give me
@Denver Danny Instablaster ;)
@Landen Nixon I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Landen Nixon it worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy!
Thanks so much you really help me out :D
Your videos are very clear & understandable and I love the content! I have a question - maybe you could help? How do I add a dependent text box based on a drop-down list? For example, if they choose 'Other - Please explain.' I want the input text box to normally hide unless the 'Other' option is selected. I've spent 3 days trying to find the answer through Google & TH-cam and don't understand why I haven't found an answer. Maybe I'm phrasing the question wrong.
By the way, your thumbnails are the best! (The ones for your videos, not the ones on your actual thumbs.)
Does anyone have an answer for this?
Thanks for this Information. Didn't know that Dependent Drop Down Menus are possible in Word.
Glad you found this video helpful! Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment. Take care!
This is amazing! Is there a way to have one parent and 10-15 children? The children only are dependent on the first parent question.
HI, i am so happy i actually did it and thanks to you. It's been so helpful. Hers's the thing, i wanna ask, if the line statement is too long and it went off paper margin, how can i make the line in two rows.
Very informative video. First time watching dependant drop-down list and vb coding for word.!!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it. You have a great channel and I like your new channel art. Thanks for watching!
Sharon Smith Thank you for your comment. Sorry, you won’t understand my language, it is Malayalam. If you like, please subscribe my channel. I have few videos in English too !
This is incredibly helpful!!! Thanks a lot for your straight forward explanation!
Glad to help! Thanks for watching!!
Great Tutorial... Thank you...Random Question... How do I increase character limit on Drop-Down Form Fields? Or get it to add more information if a field is selected?
In Word's legacy Drop-Down Form Fields, the character limit is set to 50 characters, and unfortunately, there’s no direct way to increase this limit. What are you looking to do? I have a video on how to make text or sections appear in a document based on a drop-down selection: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Not sure if this is what you are looking to do, but you may find it helpful! Thanks for watching!
how do I edit the vbs code after I saved it? your videos have saved me truly!! makes creating forms so doable!
Hello! You can go back to the Developer tab, select Visual Basic to open the VB editor again. Select your Module that you want to edit and make your changes. Click Save, and then you can close out again and test your changes. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching and for subscribing to my Channel!
Hello! Great video. I was wondering if you have a video that tells you how to create a fillable questionnaire that if you answer Yes it will add additional questions to be answered or provide a box to provide answers other than yes/no. Thank you!
Thank you, I'm glad you liked this video! I don't have another video yet with those more advanced features. I will let you know when I have new ones out. I also started a playlist on my channel for videos related to filling in forms. I'll look into this and see if I can make a video on this topic soon. Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment. Much appreciated!
Hi Sharon! Thank you so much for putting this video together. I keep receiving an error that states "Compile Error: End With Without With" , any suggestions on how to fix? Thank you for your time!
Hello! The error message "Compile Error: End With Without With" typically occurs when you have an End With statement without a corresponding With statement in your VBA code. If you are using the code I provided in the description of the video, it should have the With statement properly structured.
However, the issue might be related to the way your code is formatted or some invisible characters or any changes you may have made to customize the code for your needs. To resolve this issue, you can try these steps:
1) Make sure there are no extra spaces or line breaks that might be interfering with the With block. Make sure to check the code is indented correctly. Also check spelling of any changes to the code.
2) Check that there are no invisible characters, especially at the beginning or end of your code. Sometimes, copying and pasting code can introduce unwanted characters.
3) Try deleting the With and End With lines and retyping them to ensure they are correctly matched.
Here's some code with potential formatting issues corrected:
Sub PopulateddStatus()
Dim xDirection As FormField
Dim xState As FormField
On Error Resume Next
Set xDirection = ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddStatus")
Set xState = ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddSurvey")
If ((xDirection Is Nothing) Or (xState Is Nothing)) Then Exit Sub
With xState.DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
Select Case xDirection.Result
Case "Active"
.Add "Completed"
.Add "In Progress"
.Add "Not Started"
Case "Inactive"
.Add "Do Not Engage Employee is Inactive"
End Select
End With
End Sub
If the error still persists, consider creating a new subroutine and copying the code into the new subroutine to ensure that there are no hidden issues in the original subroutine.
I hope this helps you out! Thanks for watching my videos!
Hi Sharon, it looks like i'm a little late to the party, but i have a very specific question. I'm creating a (hopefully) dependent form.
1. Do you have to use all legacy controls throughout the entire form in order to make any portion dependent? I have date pickers throughout the form, but i noticed the date picker is not part of the legacy control family.
2. I need to be able to make dependents on a drop down. The end user will select the number of sessions they will need from the drop down (1-5). If they select 1 session, the form will populate the information they need to fill out for one session (a table). If they select that they need 5 sessions in the drop-down, it will need to open up all 5 tables to fill out information for each session, if that makes sense. The way i have it now, all 5 tables are open and it makes the document 8 pages. I don't want it to be 8 pages if it doesn't need to be. I have a mix of controls throughout the document.
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for this video.
Is it possible to have a bullet list in the child section?
.Add " - A
- B
- C"
Great, that was my want, thank you.
Glad to help! thanks for watching!
This video was super helpful but I'm having an issue. Once the code is edited and saved, when I restrict the document and test it, it functions fine on my workstation. Once I send the document, the second drop down option doesn't populate correctly, if at all. Sometimes, the dependant drop down populates as if another parent selection was chosen when it was not. I've made sure that the formatting of the Visual basic code is consistent, and everything aligns as it should. Any suggestions?
Thank you for the tutorial and the VBA. However, i made this for a form in work today and I have to select the required option in the first drop down at least TWICE for it to load properly in the second drop down.
I have quite a few options in each drop down. is it due to this? Is this quite limited on how many options to have? Or is there anything else i can look for?
Very informative and easy to do, thank you so much.
Thank you very much Ali! I'm so glad you found this video helpful. I have some more videos coming out soon that I'm working on that are related to other viewer's questions on creating fillable forms. Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave comments! Take care!
Loved the Tutorial and the way you explain. Subscribing. Best wishes from Mumbai
Thank you so much for subscribing and watching my videos! I'm glad you like them and find them helpful. Best wishes to you too! Thank you!
Great video. Extremely well thought out and user friendly.
Thank you so much Nathan! Glad you found my videos helpful. Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a nice comment. Take care!
Super helpful. Is there a way to do this without restricting other edits, though? I want to be able to do this in a document where I can also type things, but now it looks like either you have to restrict edits so the drop-down boxes work, or you can edit in other ways but then the drop-downs don't work. What about forms where you also want people to write things?
Hello - there is a way to restrict only parts of your document. Here is a video on how to do that: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
@@SharonSmith Thank you so much, Sharon!
Hi Sharin, tons of thanks for these videos, you're a lifesaver. I do need your help further though and I am sure more of us do... We would need the code / tutorial to see how we can hide or show a field based on user choices from a dropdown list. I'm struggling bad at it.... thanks!!
Thank-you Sharen, This video was very helpful!
You are very welcome, Mike! Thanks so much for watching!
Very helpful tips. Thank you very much!!!!!!
You are very welcome! Thanks for watching!
Wow! This is awesome! Can you also change the color of the dropdown? TIA.
Hi Zeke! Thank you! Glad you found my video helpful. Yes, you can format the text color of a legacy tools form field by selecting the form field and then on the home tab under the font area, you can select a different font color. For the font color to show up, you have to turn off the legacy tool form field shading (this video shows you how to turn off the shading): th-cam.com/video/vagwP5Jsv7k/w-d-xo.html When you are done formatting your form and you start enforcing protection to "filling in forms" you can test that this works for you. You'll see that users can select from the drop-down and whatever font color you set will appear. Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!
Sharon, this was of great help and is much appreciated. But I have a issue where my child fields are coming up bold, how do I prevent this from happening?
Dear Sharon,
Q1) I am confused in the 3 types of control: Content control, Legacy control & ActiveX Control.
Q2) Under which condition should I use which control ?
Good tutorial and thank you. Is it possible to change the grey color of the legacy drop-down form tool?
Hello - the Legacy tool form fields gray shading can be turned off, but there are no other options to change the color of the form field properties. You can actually select the form field and then use the "Highlight" feature on the Home tab - Font area but you have limited color options there. Here is a video on how to turn off the gray shading in case you want to do that: th-cam.com/video/-arXX9EKJ0g/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Very helpful video! Any idea if I can use a similar approach to perform auto text fill thorough the word doc based on a drop list chosen value ?
Here are two videos you may find helpful. This video is how to set up fields that will auto-repeat throughout your document: th-cam.com/video/_K_HSHPF83Q/w-d-xo.html and here is a video on how to make text or images appear based on a drop-down selection: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Thank you Sharon. Can you enter in multiple items
Hi Sheena! Do you mean add multiple levels of dependent drop-downs? If so, here is another video that may be helpful: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Awesome video. I do Building INspections and my problem is that I am unable to use the values from the same drop-down multiple times within the same cell of the table in MS Word. Can you kindly suggest any solution to this. If you have any video on this, kindly refer me to that please. I give you an example of my problem. I go to inspect a house and I find a defeat. So to define that defect in few different ways, I have values in my drop down. With normal drop down list, you can only use one value at a time from the same drop down menu. However, If I am able to use that same drop down menu to populate the same cell, with multiple value from the drop down menu, that will will make my life easy and less prone to other legal issues I may face.
Hi Sharon, this was a great video tut ty! If i want to make this form a PDF or available on a Sharepoint site, Do I need to save the module anywhere special? Do i need to do anything different with the form?
Hi Bob, you can save the file on SharePoint but when you create a fillable form in Word, the users filling it in also have to be able to access it in Word. If you need a fillable PDF form, you can use Adobe Acrobat DC or another PDF editor to create that. Unfortunately you can't just save a Word form as a PDF file type as the form fields won't work. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon. Great video. I was curious if there is a way to "Restrict Editing" only in the drop down menus while still allowing other area of the document to be edited/filled in? I have a doc I want to provide Dependent Drop Down Menus to allow for quicker data entry, but still need some areas to allow for manual entry.
For example: For SOP creation - Parent DD = Department & Child DD = Roles, but then allowing for manual entry of process in separate field.
Hi James! Here is a video that may help you on how to lock only part of your document: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Sharon, thankyou for your awesome video! I'm trying to do one more dependent, how do I add a third conditional drop-down linked at the second answer?
Hi Rafael! Here is a video that may help you do that for multiple level dependent drop-downs: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon, really helpful video. I have a question: if I add too many answers to a case, they will not be displayed and there’s no scroll botton. Do you know how can I solve this problem?
Hello! Unfortunately Word has some limitations in how many list options can be created. You may be running into this issue. Thanks for watching my videos!
Great video Sharon! Someone may have already asked this question and if so I apologize. I have a hierarchy that I want to follow through with multiple drop downs one after the other. So if I select from A it gives me a selection in B. and what I select in B gives ne a selection in C... etc. How do I incorporate that into this code or is it in a new module? Thanks
Hi Roger! Here is a video on multiple levels of dependent drop-down lists: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps with what you are trying to accomplish. Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon. Great Videos. I have a question. The answer is probably in one of your videos and I overlooked it. I would like to create a Drop down box or content box where the amount in a dollar value entered in this box will be transferred automatically to the next 3 boxes. For example - In a bank funds deposit form.There are 4 spots that I have to enter the same amount. How can I make it that whatever amount goes into box 1 will be the same as the amount that will appear in remaining boxes. Thanks for now. Hope it makes sense
Hello! Here is a video that might help you do this: th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
@@SharonSmith Thanks so much. That sure helps. Only problem is that I can't put any active x controls inside a text box. Won't let me. The text box is in the perfect spot for filling out cheques or deposit slips that's why I don't want to get rid of them
Hi, I love the clear ways you explain everything. Question: if there is just one option, is there a way to have this automatically pop up instead of having to click and select the one option?
Hi Iris! Are you referring to having text appear based on filling in a form field? If so, I have a video on this topic: th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html I also have a video on how to link text to appear based on a drop-down selection. If there is only one, you can set the the option to default as the first choice: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
yes I want this too :-)
GREAT!!! Professional and helpful! Thank you!
Could you tell me how to create a numbered list in a "Free text" field -- every time the user hits Enter
This video was a huge blessing, thanks for posting! I have an issue and hoping you can help me. I'm creating an interview guide, where a manager can select a competency and then select one of the loaded questions specific to that competency (dependent drop-down). Some of my interview questions are long and when selected, they continue on the same line and I cannot see the end of the sentence. How do I force the sentence to go to the next line?
Hi Kamoy! Thank you so much for your nice comments and I'm so glad you found my videos helpful. I did some research to try and solve your issue, however I have not found that it is possible in Word to have text wrap from within the drop-down selection. From what I have read, there are not many easy solutions out there that offer the ability to have paragraph-like drop-down answers (longer than one line) in Word, but it also seems to be an issue in other solutions as well. One thing you might consider if you know Excel very well, you may be able to create your form in Excel. You can design the format of the spreadsheet by merging cells and using borders and you can hide tabs that might contain your data. I'm working on tutorials on Excel forms in the near future and perhaps this can help you. I wish you luck with your form! Thanks again for watching and taking time to leave a comment!!
Hello Sharon thank you for such an informative videos. If you can make a video on how to auto-populate information to another page by selecting drop-down options in MS word which is VBA enabled. For example table with drop-down is on first page and have macros, how we can have the same information copied over to the 4th page of the same word file. Looking forward for the same. Thanks
Hi Sharon! This video was SO helpful, I'm really loving your channel!! Quick question, if I'm making a table that has 12 rows and each row needs to contain a dependent drop-down list, how can I copy and paste to each row so that I don't have to go through the VBA 12 times. Thank you!!!
This is an amazing video. I have a question...how to I add in Visual basic the blank field and it not being dependent? Hope this makes sense.
Thank you so much for sharing this Sharon, it really helped! I would like to ask how i make a drop down list that isn't dependable and is just to choose one of the items out of the list (for example just selecting the bank we will do a loan through)
Hi Georgie! You can simply insert a legacy tool drop-down form field and open properties by double-clicking and then just list the drop-down answer options you want and "add" them. You don't need to use any VBA code or anything to create this. Here are some more videos in my Creating Fillable Forms playlist that will show you how to do this. I hope it helps! Thanks so much for watching! th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuOe1LfFMNExEabkRkB5ehcv.html
This video was a great help. Is there a way to import the dependent drop down values from an excel sheet as opposed to typing them into an Add method? Thank you in advance.
Hi Sharon. Enjoying your video as a new subscriber. What version of Word are you using to create this form?
Hi Derrick! I'm glad you enjoyed this video. I use Office 365 so it is the latest version of Word (2019 I believe). I have some other videos in my Word playlist on How to Create Fillable Forms you may find helpful. Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment.
Thanks for these great videos! Two questions: 1 - Can I create a drop down list where the user can select multiple options? 2 - Can I add an Excel worksheet (2 columns) that will calculate the sum at the bottom? I can't seem to get it to calc. Thank you!
Hi Debbie! Thank you! 1) Unfortunately MS Word does not have a "multi-select" drop down form field option. Depending on how many options you want to display, you may be able to use check boxes instead. 2) When you paste from Excel, unfortunately formulas won't work. You may be able to use calculating form fields by bookmarking each form field and then placing the sum calculation form field where you need it. This video on calculating form fields may be helpful: th-cam.com/video/MnsLhJzqmqY/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Thank you so much this was really helpful.
You are very welcome Zeljka! Glad you found it helpful. I also have another video that shows how to set up multiple levels of dependent drop downs: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching!
Hi this video is useful but i have a question though. How do i make the same exact thing but at the same time also allowing anyone to edit the document. Because there are other areas that i would need the user to fill in their details.
Hello, this video may be helpful to you. It shows how to only lock part of a Word form document: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
This is fantastic. Is there a way that you can make a selection window that will populate a separate table into the document? For example, if I want to Select a major of a student and then the selection prompts a specific table to be populated with information specific to that major for courses by semester?
Hello! Here is a video you may find helpful that shows how you can make text appear based on a user's drop-down selection using legacy tool form fields: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Sounds like this may assist with what you are trying to do. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching my videos.
Excellent
Thank you so much for watching and leaving a comment! Glad you found this video helpful!
Thanks for the video! Is there a way of having it so when you click an item from the dropdown list, it displays sections of text in the word document that would normally be hidden when not selected? Thanks
Hi Sam, here is a video that shows a way you can make text (or images) appear based on a user's drop-down selection. Hope you find it helpful for what you are looking to do. Thanks for watching! th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html
Thanks. Very helpful. Is there a way to have this feature on part of a document that has dependable fillable forms but leave the rest of the document editable with free text? Thanks
Hello! Here is a video you may find helpful that shows how to lock/restrict only part of your Word document that has the form fields and the rest of the document can be open for editing. I hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Thanks for video. I have a requirement of disabling the dropdowns based on the value selected value in the parent dropdown. I have say three values in the first down and accordingly three another drop down lists with associated values in each drop down list. If I select the first value in the parent drown ( say the value is A), then only the drown named A should be selectable and remaining drop downs ( Say B&C) should not be selectable.
Great work, I am a big fan.
Thank you, Mbhazima! Thanks for watching my channel!
Great video! But I have question regarding the "Restrict Editing". Can I not restrict the form? I would like the drop down capability but without the restriction, is that possible? My "secondary" drop down is dependent of the "primary" drop down. Is this possible in word without restrictions? I am also using the latest office.
Hello Rajat! If you use legacy tool form fields, you do have to restrict editing and protect the form for users to be able to fill in the form. Here is a video you may find helpful on only restricting the part of your document that contains form fields: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Also, here is another video on creating multiple level dependent drop-downs: th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Hi Sharon, great tutorial. Have you got something on toggling the visibility of a table based on a checkbox value or from a line of text from a dropdown list in Word? I've tried the VBA scripting posted elsewhere which doesn't seem to work
Hello! Yes, you can make text, images, tables, etc. appear based on a drop-down list selection. Here is a video on how to do that: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html However the same technique does not work for checkboxes. I wish it did, but hoping Microsoft may enhance that functionality someday. For now, you would have to just use a drop-down list selection. Hope this helps with what you are trying to do! Take care!
Hi Sharon, thanks for that, just noticed your reply as I'm back at work and will follow your video link. Our Gov dept has come away from PDF's of late using LiveCycle Designer to develop fully interactive PDF's so Word and VBA is a new venture for me due to form collaboration and opening in a browser etc. One other Q as a follow on to toggling the visibility of a table, is there then a get around or a new instance type of script via a button or drop down to add or subtract more of the same table? Thanks in advance for your help @@SharonSmith
Yes it is helpful! Thanks a lot!
Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching!
Thankyou so much, this is so helpful!!! Is there a way to include colouring as well in this code? In my word doc I have a table format, and I am trying to find a way to colourfill the boxes in depending on the first selection (so for this example if Active was selected how could I autofill the box green, and if Inactive was selected how could I tell it to autofill the box red)?
Great video, thanks, Can you do a video to demonstrate how we can have an expandable/collapsible Heading and its content on the checked and unchecked status of a Checkbox. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hi Sharon! A coworker recently introduced me to your channel and it is AMAZING!! Your tutorial videos are so well done, easy to follow and a game changer!
I am working on a form with dependent drop downs, I was able to successfully follow your tutorial and make the basics work. I have two questions. I have a long list of categories (parent), some of which have sub-categories (child). However there are some categories that do not have a sub-category, so I want the sub-category box to not have any selection available for those categories and be greyed out with no ability to click on it. How would I code that?
My second question is, this list of categories and sub-categories is quite long. Do I just make one long set of code for the module? Or would it be better/preferred to make a different module for each category/sub-category pair?
Thanks again, your channel is awesome!!
Thanks for these great videos! One question: 1 - Can I create a drop down list where the user can select multiple options using check box selection for the Parent field/s and dependent on which field/s are checked, then a corresponding section of required fields needs to be displayed and so on....? Example is Section A, Section B, etc.
Works *almost* perfectly for what I need. I would like to choose a gender from a combo box (male/female/nonbinary/etc.), or, if necessary, a legacy dropdown as you show in this video, then have this link to pronouns all throughout the document, and THEN (and this is the point at which I'm stuck), auto-fill all of these. Using your method, I get blank entry boxes where the only available option is the correct one. Rather than having to manually set hundreds of pronouns throughout the document, is there a way to get these to auto-fill the dependent entry points if there is only one available option? Thank you so much.
Hello! So glad you found my videos helpful. This is a great question that I get a lot and I'm researching how to do this. Thanks so much for watching and be sure to subscribe to my channel so you can be notified when I post new videos. I hope to get a solution to this out soon. Take care!
How would I create a document where is someone answers "yes" to Question 1, they get a specific set of questions vs. answering "yes" to Question 2 (which would elicit a different set of questions). Not sure if that's even possible. If not, would it be possible to "gray" out a set depending on which question was answered "yes" ?
Hi Kathleen - do you mean a 3rd level dependent drop-down where users have different options depending on how they answer question 2? Yes, you can do this. Please follow these instructions below. Thanks so much for watching my videos!
One way to program a 3rd level (and even a 4th) dependent drop-down would be to use the similar code and insert additional Modules into your code (modifying the pick list items appropriately in each inserted Module) and then ensuring you select the correct macro to run upon exit in the properties box of the drop down field in your Word document. (Field level 1 runs to populate Field level 2 upon exit, so Field level 2 will need to run Field level 3 upon exit).
Here are some instructions I hope you can follow easily. In this example, we’ll create 3 dependent drop-down fields for 1. Region, 2. State and 3. City. (Depending on the Region the user selects, they will have programmed options for State, then depending on the State they select, they will have programmed options for City):
1. Create your form template and insert 3 Legacy Tools Drop-Down form fields
2. Double Click to open Properties on the first Drop-down field and enter the Drop Down Items (example: North, South, East, West). In the Bookmark field, label this one ddRegion, click OK
3. Double Click to open Properties on the 2nd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddState.
4. Double Click to open Properties on the 3rd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddCity.
5. Open Visual Basic and click Insert - Module (a 1st Module will be inserted) and this would be the code used:
Sub PopulateddState()
Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddRegion").Result
Case "North"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Michigan"
.Add "Ohio"
End With
Case "South"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Georgia"
.Add "Texas"
End With
Case "East"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "New York"
.Add "Maine"
End With
Case "West"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "California"
.Add "Oregon"
End With
End Select
End Sub
6. Click Save (be sure the document is saved as a Word Macro-Enabled Document if prompted)
7. Insert - Module (this will insert a 2nd Module window). Here is the code you will use in the second module (this will populate your third level drop-down field ddCity - notice it is the same/similar code, but we replace line 1 with the bookmark for the 3rd field and the cases are the options from the ddState 2nd level bookmark field and we had to copy down additional rows in order to accommodate all the possible State pick list options):
Sub PopulateddCity()
Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").Result
Case "Michigan"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Lansing"
.Add "Detroit"
End With
Case "Ohio"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Columbus"
.Add "Cleveland"
End With
Case "Georgia"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Atlanta"
.Add "Savannah"
End With
Case "Texas"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Houston"
.Add "Dallas"
End With
Case "New York"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Queens"
.Add "Brooklyn"
End With
Case "Maine"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Augusta"
.Add "Portland"
End With
Case "California"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "San Francisco"
.Add "San Diego"
End With
Case "Oregon"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Portland"
.Add "Salem"
End With
End Select
End Sub
8. Click Save
9. Go back to your Word document and double-click to open properties on your 2nd level drop-down form field (ddState) and be sure to select “PopulateddCity” upon Exit under the Run Macro section, then click OK
10. Restrict Editing to filling in forms like the video shows and you’ll see that the Region a user selects will prompt the next level State options and then that will prompt the third level City options.
This would also work for a fourth level by adding another module, and your code will need to include every possible answer option from the previous level.
This option may be worthwhile if you have static lists with known items. There are other options with more code that can retrieve appropriate list items from a database, but the above is simpler (hope this works for you). Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
Is there a way to create a multiple drop down list in word that is nondependent? I need a user to select all applicable options in my drop down list. Thank you. Your channel is super helpful.
Do the answers of the questions filled out in the child field eventually? Also, can I add more child fields?
Hi Dirk, here is a video on how to create multiple levels of dependent drop-downs. I hope this helps with what you are looking to do. Thanks for watching! th-cam.com/video/54dSJukbe3k/w-d-xo.html
I'm making a form in Microsoft Word using tables. Can I make it so that if someone clicks yes, it shows certain cells, but if they click no, it hides the cells? Like a dynamic table? Thanks.
Hello - yes, you can do this using legacy drop-down lists linked to field code. Here is a video on my channel that shows the basis on how to do this: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html In my TH-cam Course on creating fillable forms in Word, it is a paid course and you get a course workbook and the form templates with the functionality built in (table(s) appearing based on a selection) in case you are interested in that (th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuNzAyHVMYrPOS7itBm5gWVs.html). I hope this helps! Best of luck in building your document, and thanks for watching my videos!
Can't thank you enough. Solid content. One little issue. When I try to restrict the form the "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection" button is grayed out. Any Thoughts?
Hi Seth! Glad you found this video helpful. What version of Word are you using? And also, are you using Mac or PC? In Word 365 for windows, when you open the panel to "Restrict Editing" from the Developer tab, you can leave #1 (Formatting Restrictions) unchecked, then under #2 (Editing Restrictions) you will check that box and then select "Filling In Forms" from the drop down. When you do this, the "Yes, start enforcing protection" button should activate. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!
is there a way for a user to select a 'short name' in the drop down list but have it populate the field (or another field perhaps) with full details without having to select presented options from a second drop down list? Trying to use a drop down list to select "Typical Office" and have the field return a full description of "Typical Office" working environment. Can this be done using dependent drop down lists as shown in the video or is there another way to populate a field with full details other than a 2nd drop down? Thank you very much -
Hello! I believe there is a way to do it with Word VBA macro programming, but I would have to research how to do it. If I come across a way to do this, I will be sure to let you know. Thanks so much for watching my videos. Best of luck with your form!
Hello Sharon, I just need to know How to create a dropdown menu for the particulars column and auto-fill in the Unit Rate column. Thank You!
Sharon your videos are great, they have been a big help. I do have a question though. Is it possible to remove a section of your form based on the way a user selects an item from a drop-down list?
Hi Rob, thanks for watching my videos! Glad you find them helpful. I'm researching how to do this. Please be sure to subscribe and click the bell to receive notifications so you'll know when I post new videos. Thanks so much!
Allready did 😉 Thank you.
Hi Rob - my latest video: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html will show how to make text appear based on a user's drop-down list selection. May not quite be what you are looking to do, but thought you might find this helpful! Thanks!
Great - thanks!!
@@SharonSmith Thank you, Sharon! Watching now.
Very interesting video. However, this does not apply to headers and footers, therefore I cannot create a dependent drop-down. Is there a workaround? Thanks!
Hello - yes, unfortunately Word has limitations with form fields in headers and footers. Here is a video on how you can auto populate form fields in a header or footer, in case this is helpful to you: th-cam.com/video/qh9XM-TWOuE/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
What an incredibly helpful tutorial! Thank you. I do have a follow up question. Let's say that on this example you had 10 more questions with drop down menu options that were dependent upon the #1 question Employee Status. In other words, the next 10 questions would be dependent upon "Active" vs "Inactive as well, just like #2. Engagement Survey Status. Do you just add more modules with the same code and change the relevant sections? Or are there other steps that are required? Thanks in advance!
I guess a simpler way to ask might be, how do you create multiple children for one parent form field?
Did you find solution for this? I need to do the same.
@@anam2455 did you get a resolve to this?
Hi ma'am.
How can we Create table of different line and columns.
And I appreciate how you explain everything very simple.
Great video Sharon! This helped me a lot with a document I'm building, but I was wondering, based on the Drop-Down List, do you know how to show/hide sections of the document. For example, the document I'm building is a template for a contract, with x, y and z types, some information is shared among all types and I have 3 different sections depending on each type, so, when I select x it should show the information related to x, and hide sections y and z, and the same for the other types. Can you work your magic on this issue? :D
Hello Herminio! My apologies for the delay in responding. My latest video may be helpful for what you are trying to do here: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching!
Hey Sharon,
First off great content - really top notch stuff. I recently transitioned to a new company and want to try updating their New Hire Req forms. I'd like to do a similar macro but I believe it would be a bit more complicated. I'm trying to do a drop down of say division that would list IT, Operations, HR, etc, then have which department dependent on what division the person would pick.How would I go about that?
Thanks,
Carl
Hi Carl! Thanks for the great feedback, glad you found my video helpful. Congratulations on your new role. I believe you may find the info below helpful. I had another viewing needing to create a "3rd" level dependent drop down and it sounds similar to what you are trying to do. Hoping you can follow this example below and modify it for your needs:
One way to program a 3rd level (and even a 4th) dependent drop-down would be to use the similar code and insert additional Modules into your code (modifying the pick list items appropriately in each inserted Module) and then ensuring you select the correct macro to run upon exit in the properties box of the drop down field in your Word document. (Field level 1 runs to populate Field level 2 upon exit, so Field level 2 will need to run Field level 3 upon exit).
Here are some instructions I hope you can follow easily. In this example, we’ll create 3 dependent drop-down fields for 1. Region, 2. State and 3. City. (Depending on the Region the user selects, they will have programmed options for State, then depending on the State they select, they will have programmed options for City):
1. Create your form template and insert 3 Legacy Tools Drop-Down form fields
2. Double Click to open Properties on the first Drop-down field and enter the Drop Down Items (example: North, South, East, West). In the Bookmark field, label this one ddRegion, click OK
3. Double Click to open Properties on the 2nd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddState.
4. Double Click to open Properties on the 3rd level Drop-down field and in the Bookmark field, label this one ddCity.
5. Open Visual Basic and click Insert - Module (a 1st Module will be inserted) and this would be the code used:
Sub PopulateddState()
Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddRegion").Result
Case "North"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Michigan"
.Add "Ohio"
End With
Case "South"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Georgia"
.Add "Texas"
End With
Case "East"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "New York"
.Add "Maine"
End With
Case "West"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "California"
.Add "Oregon"
End With
End Select
End Sub
6. Click Save (be sure the document is saved as a Word Macro-Enabled Document if prompted)
7. Insert - Module (this will insert a 2nd Module window). Here is the code you will use in the second module (this will populate your third level drop-down field ddCity - notice it is the same/similar code, but we replace line 1 with the bookmark for the 3rd field and the cases are the options from the ddState 2nd level bookmark field and we had to copy down additional rows in order to accommodate all the possible State pick list options):
Sub PopulateddCity()
Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddState").Result
Case "Michigan"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Lansing"
.Add "Detroit"
End With
Case "Ohio"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Columbus"
.Add "Cleveland"
End With
Case "Georgia"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Atlanta"
.Add "Savannah"
End With
Case "Texas"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Houston"
.Add "Dallas"
End With
Case "New York"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Queens"
.Add "Brooklyn"
End With
Case "Maine"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Augusta"
.Add "Portland"
End With
Case "California"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "San Francisco"
.Add "San Diego"
End With
Case "Oregon"
With ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddCity").DropDown.ListEntries
.Clear
.Add "Portland"
.Add "Salem"
End With
End Select
End Sub
8. Click Save
9. Go back to your Word document and double-click to open properties on your 2nd level drop-down form field (ddState) and be sure to select “PopulateddCity” upon Exit under the Run Macro section, then click OK
10. Restrict Editing to filling in forms like the video shows and you’ll see that the Region a user selects will prompt the next level State options and then that will prompt the third level City options.
This would also work for a fourth level by adding another module, and your code will need to include every possible answer option from the previous level.
This option may be worthwhile if you have static lists with known items. There are other options with more code that can retrieve appropriate list items from a database, but the above is simpler (hope this works for you). Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
@@SharonSmith 👌, this did the trick! Thank you so much for your help on this!
Best,
Carl
Glad I could help!
Great informative video, can show how add and use option button in group.
Hello Pradip! I'm very glad you found this video helpful. Can you let me know a little more about your looking to do? Are you asking about radio button options (in Word or Excel)? Thanks so much for watching!
Glad to have found this channel. Thanks
Is there a way to have different attachments for mail merge?
Hello! Thank you, glad you found my channel too! Can you elaborate on your question? I have a video on Mail Merge that might help: th-cam.com/video/jn0zjxV7xbI/w-d-xo.html If you have a different question, please let me know. Thanks so much for watching! Take care!
Sharon Smith Thanks. The problem is when you have to send many emails with common body content but different attachments to each email. For e g - Sending invoices to individual suppliers at the end of the day.
Hello! To my knowledge, MS Word does not offer the functionality to send personalized attachments to an e-mail mail merge. But if your invoice doesn't need to be an attachment (for example, if you can send it in the body of the email) then you can do this by creating your Word document invoice, selecting your data source and matching the mail merge fields and selecting "Email messages" as you document type in the mail merge wizard. I can work on a video on how to do this and it can quickly and easily send a customized invoice via email to each different recipient. I will let you know when I have this one ready and hope it will help you out. Thanks for watching!
One question as well, can we create a Reset button, especially for Calander. Thanks
Hello - to my knowledge you can program a reset macro if you use legacy tools form fields, but if may work for you to save your document as a template and have users select File - New when they want to use a blank document. This video reviews this option: th-cam.com/video/gzTu46-Z5h0/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!
Great and informative video Sharon. Thank you for sharing. I was wondering if you can help lay it out a little further for me. I am trying to create a Word form (a Fax cover sheet actually) where I would have a drop-down of several recipient names and I am trying to have their phone # and fax # auto-populate or auto-fill based on the name selection. Is that possible?
Hi Eli! I would recommend you create your fax cover sheet template in Excel instead of Word in order to easily auto-populate phone # and fax # based on a selected name from a drop-down field. You can merge cells as needed to format your page so that when printed, you wouldn't know it was an Excel spreadsheet. You would use Data Validation to create your name selection drop-down and then use VLOOKUP to populate cells for Phone and Fax based on the name the user selects. I will work on a video to show how to do this. It would be difficult to try and create this in Word. Thanks so much for watching my videos! Take care!
Is there away to not restrict the form so I can make changes to other parts of the document??
Hello Heidi! Here is a video that shows how to lock only part of your document so edits can be made to other parts of the document: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
I created a form with tables with drop down dependent fields. When I clicked start enforcing protection, all forms are not editable. How do I make the rest of the fields editable?
Hi Shar! If you are trying to make only part of your document restricted to filling in forms (like you have only one section with form fields), you can insert section breaks in your document and protect only the section that has the form fields. I have a video coming out soon that will show how to do this. If you had an issue with your form fields after restricting editing, make sure you are only using either all content control form fields or all legacy tool form fields, but not both as that can cause issues for users after you restrict the document. Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos. Take care!
How to do a combo box that add word in it and can add values this is my project for ITAAPS subject and im struggeling...
Thanks for the video. I did exactly as you instructed but nothing happened in the second field. So, I believe you forgot to mention that one also has to double-click on the second field, go to Run macro on Entry and select the module.
hi there, thanks for explaining. Its is possible To create a dependent list from a dependent list. I mean I need to create a credit line that has a code and each code has some products it
Thanks for this! I'm wondering, instead of making the second field a dependent drop-down, can you just make it a dependent field (i.e. it will populate with a value depending on which drop-down was selected on the first field?).
I think what you are looking for is explained really well in one of her videos called "How To Link Text or Images To A Drop-Down List Selection in MS Word - Create Fillable Forms" :)
@@c0urtzz1 Thank you! That was exactly what I was looking for
Glad you found what you were looking for! Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Thank you for referring to my other video! Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!!
Is there a way to make a fillable form in Word, where if you select a drop down that says for example YES..then certain text headings appear for the user. If the user selects NO, then a different set of text would appear? So, the WOrd document is different depending on the user's choice on the drop down or check box.
Hello! Yes, you can do this. Here is a video you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html It shows how to make certain text (or images) appear based on a user's drop-down selection. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
great... now trying to make a vloopup function in word, searching in a table in the same word document, and filling in several fields, based on the choise of the user in de dropdown list. Fe: If I choose to select the name of Ben, the address, email and phone of Ben needs to be filled in in the flields: Street - Postal code - Village - email. Ben is a value in the first row of the table... other values are in the following collums... easy in excel, but in word? can you help me out?
Hi Michiel! Unfortunately this can only be done in Word with more advanced VBA coding. You can always create a formatted form in Excel so that the form looks similar to a Word document, but then you can take advantage of Excel functionality (like drop-downs, tables, VLOOKUP, etc.). You can do that by merging cells and ensuring proper page formatting. Another option is to consider Microsoft InfoPath if you have that. It is a more advanced application for creating forms. I hope this helps you out! Thanks so much for watching my videos. Good luck with your document! Take care!
this one is a bit advanced for me, but i wont give up 😎
You can do it! Thanks for watching!
Thank you, how do I add code if the option is others and the user needs to type the option
Great tutorial..
Thank you for watching my videos Richard! Glad you found it helpful!