Thank you for getting straight to the point and no extra filler talk! You explain everything so well and made it simple for me to create a quick form for work!
Thank you so much David! I have some more videos coming up that I'm working on that may be of help too. Many of them inspired by my viewer's questions on creating fillable forms. I'm so glad you found it helpful. Thanks for taking time to leave a comment, and thank you for watching the video. Take care!
This is EXACTLY what I need to know to create my Incident Reports for my Company. I can not THANK YOU Enough!!! Yes, you are very clear & helpful & very nice to listen to while learning. I will be watching all of your videos this week & next to get this project completed. Thanks a million!!
Hi Sarah! I'm so glad to hear you found my videos helpful! I have another video using legacy tool form fields where I use an Incident Report form as an example that you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/GgV0SKF0o_U/w-d-xo.html Good luck with building your forms and thanks so much for watching!
Thank you sharon, I am a EMS Instructor in Iowa and need to create a document that my students can fill out. You make it look very easy and I really liked your video on this. Look forward to seeing more. Dave Rogis, CCP / EMS-I Clinton Community College EMT Program
Hi David! Thank you for your kind words, I'm very glad you found this video helpful. I created a playlist on my channel for Creating Fillable Forms so my new related videos will be easier to find. You can access the playlist here: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html Hope you find them all helpful. Thanks for the important work you do! Take care.
I love how your simple step-by-step instructions and your enlarged screen which helped me follow your tutorial with ease. I watched part 1 also but forgot to like it because I was so anxious to see this one, lol! Thank you!
Thank you so much for the great feedback! I'm very glad you found my videos helpful. I have a playlist of videos related to filling in forms that you may find useful: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it. Take care!
Thank you so much! Very glad to hear you found my videos helpful, that is my goal! Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a nice comment. Best of luck!
Your videos are so clear. Thank you so much. I have had to mix the legacy with the new ones because do all the new elements would not tab through from check box to text. I also had to put in hints for the end user to know what to do. I imagine for the combo box there would have to be something that tells them they could either select or enter their own info. I look forward to more on fillable forms. Thanks again!!
Thank you very much Sharon! Your videos are tremendously useful. Only one question: which are the criteria to use Legacy Tools or Content Control form fields?
Stayed all the way until the whistling stopped lol that was a great video! Thank you so much. This will enhance my work tremendously. Watching from New Zealand.
Hi Dominique! I'm so glad you found this video helpful and it is great to hear it will help you with your work! Glad you found my channel all the way from New Zealand! Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment! Take care!
Hi Sharon,! Your video saved me a ton of time. I am having an issue with the my document though. My form is meant to collect prescription information for open enrollment. I want people to be able to tab through the various fields as they fill in their information. When tabbing, the line area only gets bigger, it does not move to the next column or the next line. I did use the Rich Text option vs the Plan Text option when setting up my rows and columns. Both are not allowing for tabbing through the document. Is there something that I'm missing?
Hi Sharon - can you please confirm that the only way to tab through the form fields (vs. clicking on each one to fill it out) is by using the Legacy Tools? Or, does using the Plain Text fields (rather than Rich Text) allow you to tab through? If it does allow you to, does that include the drop-down and date picker fields as well? Basically, I'm trying to create a form that will allow the user to tab through the form to complete the necessary fields. I like the Content Control fields because they allow me to "title" the field so the user knows what to put in that field. Thanks for a great video and your help!
Hello! Users should be able to tab through the content control form fields (plain text, date picker, etc.) except for the Rich Text. The Rich Text content control form field lets users hit return and tab within the form field so they can't tab to the next form field if you use that particular one. But you should be good to go with the others. I recommend testing your form thoroughly to ensure it works how you want it to for your users. Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Great! I'm so glad to hear you found my video helpful! Be sure to check out the other videos in the creating forms playlist, you may find some other tips that will help you out: th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuOe1LfFMNExEabkRkB5ehcv.html Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a kind comment. I really appreciate it!
Hi Sharon, I just discovered these videos and they are very clear and precise thankyou. Please keep up the good work as it is really appreciated. Ques:- I have created a fillable word form using content controls. But i cannot change tab order between controls, despite looking everywhere over the past two days. Do you have a video that covers this please? Also is it possible to make a tab order in a multi column table to go from top to bottom in a column rather then left column and then right column? Thanks in advance.
hello Sharon and thank you for sharing your skill and information on forms. I do have a question, though. If I am creating a form that my users will retreive from the cloud and then send to me, what is to prevent from them saving what they wrote so that the next user sees that instead of a blank form. One other question...is their a limit to the number of text characters when using form fields? For example if they are answering a question that requires a lengthy answer do I need to make any adjustments to the placement of the controls?
Hello! Instead of saving as a document file type, be sure and save your form as a template (.dotx file type). Users can make a copy of the template for their responses, and this won't affect the original form. This ensures that each user starts with a clean form. To my knowledge there is no limit to a user's input on a legacy text form fields. You can set a max character limit in the form field properties if needed. Be sure and communicate any special instructions on the form. Here is another video you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/GgV0SKF0o_U/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Hello Sami! You can accomplish this by creating a new Character Style and applying that to your form field and then in your header, you can insert a STYLEREF instead of a REF and it will auto populate in the header from the form field. I'll work on a video showing how to do this. Thanks so much for watching!
Sharon, great two videos on fillable forms. I am creating a form where I need employees to add text on a line. I currently have lines on my form that I did with tab stops but I cannot figure out how to get it where the person is able to actually type text over it. We are talking about 3-4 lines with each section that I need to have text available for. When I do the content control it just pushes the lines to the side so I am at a loss.
Your video really helped! I have a MSWORD document (developer) that is fillable, I also want to make the header fillable. Do you have a video on that? Or know if its even possible?
Great lesson Sharon! I have a question for anyone how may know. Is there a way to reference a content control combo box and text field at the bottom form; i know how do to it with the legacy controls but have not been able to find away to do it with the Active X controls. Thanks
Hi Sharon have just viewed this and is great, although I want to also create a form where text I enter in one place is also duplicated in multiple areas throughout the form i.e. enter a clients name once and it duplicated automatically throughout the rest of the form?
Hi James! Yes, you can repeat form fields if you use Legacy form fields. Here is a video on how to do that: th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html I also have a video that shows a way to repeat form fields in a Header or Footer if that is also needed: th-cam.com/video/qh9XM-TWOuE/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Thank you I watched two of your videos regarding this matter. I felt they were the best I’ve seen so far. I’m not an expert but looked pretty good to me. Do you recommend any simple database programs that I could use to gather my orders together in my business. I looked through your videos but I didn’t see one that you offered.
Hi Thomas! Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm very glad to hear you found my videos helpful. Not knowing exactly what you need to accomplish, you could do something simple like keeping your database in MS Excel. Or you can look into QuickBooks, or GoDaddy Bookkeeping, or FreshBooks.com if you need something like that for your business. I have an affiliate link for FreshBooks if you are interested: freshbooks.com/pricing (as a disclaimer, I would earn a small commission if you click this link and make a purchase). Hope this helps! Thanks again for watching my videos!
Hi Thomas - yes of course you can! Here is the creating fillable forms playlist that you can refer to if needed, hope you find it helpful! Thanks so much for watching: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html
Very good tutorial. I was wondering if you could change the “help text” in a text box. Right now it says “Click or tap here to enter text.” I would like to customize that text but can’t find how.
Hi Max - here is a video that may help you. One thing we review in this video is how to update placeholder text on content control form fields. Hope this helps: th-cam.com/video/gBb2QFKclRc/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Hi Charles! Great recommendation! I started including these instructions on the descriptions of all the videos in my Creating Fillable Forms playlist so viewers would have this info: TIP: To ensure the Developer tab is visible in MS Word so you can insert form fields, follow these steps: 1) Right Click on the Ribbon area and select "Customize Ribbon" 2) The Customize Ribbon and Keyboard Shortcuts window opens 3) On the right hand side under "Customize the Ribbon - Main Tab" ensure the "Developer" checkbox is selected, then click OK. But I realize not everyone reads the video descriptions so I'll likely do a quick tutorial on how to enable the Developer tab. Thanks for watching my videos and for your feedback. I appreciate it!
@@SharonSmithNow, I feel silly because I'm a teacher and I'm guilty of not doing what I tell them to do, "Read the directions". haha Anyway, thanks for the downloads you provided. They are helpful templates. Take care and be safe.
Hello Sharon, Thank you for the wonderful videos. Can you please explain if it is possible to create multiple choice questions in word using the checkbox legacy tool?
Hi Ruhee, yes you can design your document to include checkboxes with various labels to create the ability for users to select a multiple choice option. Here is a video on Legacy Tool form fields. I hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching my videos!
Sharon, this video was so helpful. I do have a question is there a way that on the document a pop up window can ask the questions then pull the information into the text vs the person clicking the gray boxes?
Thanks for this video. How do we format the form to not show the text that's in the form fields or grey boxes that don't need to be filled in when we are ready to print?
Hi Carlos! Are you referring to the form field placeholder text? If so, you can hide that. Here is a video that shows how: th-cam.com/video/vagwP5Jsv7k/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
@@SharonSmith - Thanks! That worked! Now, we're having issues when we email a fillable form that has "Restricted Editing". We have the "Editing Restrictions" set to allow people to fill forms but it's not allowing them to do so when they download the form from the email. They can't click in areas of the form that we want them to fill out.The only thing it's allowing them to do is select dates on the form. What do we do to fix that?
Hi Marcia! So glad you found this video helpful. Unfortunately MS Word does not have a multi-select drop-down option. You may want to look into another solution like MS InfoPath or SurveyMonkey if you need an online tool. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos. I appreciate it.
Brilliant. I'm really appreciative of your generosity. Where's your donations link? I'm thinking about forms that have tables. How can we restrict or allow editing in individual cells of some tables? Quite a challenge I imagine.
Hello Russell! Thanks so much, I'm so glad you found my videos helpful. I have a video that shows how to insert form fields within a table with borders. Here is a link to that video: th-cam.com/video/GgV0SKF0o_U/w-d-xo.html In addition to this video, another viewer had a question on how to ensure the table width did not change when users filled in the form, so here are some additional instructions that you may find helpful if you are building a table template for your form: Highlight your table and right click to select “Table Properties.” When the Table Properties window comes up, on the first tab (Table) click the “Options” button near the bottom right. The Options menu pops up, and go ahead and UN-check the box that says “Automatically resize to fit contents” then click OK and OK. This should effectively “lock” your table so that a user can type unlimited into your text form field and their contents will expand down and not over horizontally (messing up the width of your other columns). I truly appreciate you watching and sharing my videos! If you ever want to donate, here is my channel donation link: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AJJ6SXERNDMYA&source=url Thank you!! Take care!
Your videos are very easy to learn from. Do you have a video training for creating help text in a fillable form and still be able to tab from field to field? The help text would appear when the user hovers over or tabs to the form fields?
Hi DeAnna! I'm so glad to hear you find my videos helpful! I don't currently have a video on this topic but it is a great suggestion. I'll work on one. Thanks for watching my videos!
Hi Malcolm! So glad to hear it. Thank you for the kind words and for taking time to leave a comment. Hope you find my other videos helpful as well. I have a playlist for various topics on creating fillable forms: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Thank you for replying, Sharon. I’m attempting to create a rather complex fire risk assessment for so as you can imagine, lots of ‘if answer yes, do this. If answer no provide a list of solutions. I also need to like to returned solutions to an Action Table that will be at the end of the report. Do you know if this is possible? I could send you a section of a report if it helps to make sense. Thanks again. Love your videos.
Hi Sharon, thanks again for your helpful videos! I have a problem: I created a fillable form in word with Content Control form fields. I need to insert an image content control in the header and footer of the page to allow the customer to insert their letterhead but I can't. I believe that Word does not allow the insertion of form fields in the header and footer of the page. Is it correct? How can I solve it?
Sharon, I am trying to set up some legal documents to repeat information throughout the document. Is there a way to have the format of the text that is being repeated be different depending on where it is being repeated. In other words, if it is bold in the first paragraph it seems to be bold throughout the document, which is not my goal. Thank you so much for your help on this.
Hi Marie! Yes, you can use REF fields to repeat what a user fills in from a bookmarked form field and then apply different formatting to that REF field by inserting a field switch. Have you watched my video on repeating form fields to auto-populate? th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html You can watch this video and add a field switch after the REF code. For example, if your bookmarked form field was labeled "Text1" then here is how you would use the field switch: {REF Text1 \*MERGEFORMAT}. If the MergeFormat switch doesn't give you your desired result, you can use the \*Charformat switch instead and apply whatever formatting you want to appear there to the letter R in REF. I will work on a video for this to show people how to do it. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching my videos.
Hello Sharon, Thank you for sharing this video. I do have an issue with the value of dropdown menus not being shown. Essentially I am trying to have a dropdown with Display Names : Anger 01, Anger 02, Anger 03. Based on selection of any of these the value of a full sentence appears that is unique to the selection. Is there a video where you explain how to do this? Thank you, Michael
Do you have a video or can you point me to any information that shows how to allow full paragraphs as choices when using the drop down list or combo box? It only allows you to add about a sentence, but I need to have full paragraphs to choose from. Thank you!
Hi Beth, while there are limitations on the number of characters you can use to create a drop-down list selection item, you can link text to appear based on a drop-down list selection. I'm not sure if this would work for your document, but you can see how this works in this video: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon your tutorial for form filling was fantastic thank you. Could I ask a question please, I have completed my form and added boxes but it the person who is filling in the form enters a lot of text it widens the box and it goes onto another page. Can I stop this happening as my form is quite large and full and if any extra lines are used by the person filling the form it drops onto another page and I don't want that to happen. Thank you Terry
Hi Terry! Thank you, glad you found this video helpful. If you are using Legacy Tools form fields then when you double-click to open properties, you can set a maximum limit (that includes characters and spacing). If you are using content control form fields, then there is not an easy way to limit the characters. I would recommend opening the properties and then check the box that allows you to open the New Styles button and then you can set the font size a bit smaller. This may help out. Hope this helps!
I had created a form before watching this video. I had both legacy and the other control X fields. I did that because I could not set the field length limits with the new controls. Can the non-legacy controls have their limits set?
If I have a file with 5 separate documents, can I set to auto populate needed info from one doc to another? Do you have a video addressing this. I need to share different documents with different employees.
Hi Sharon, I watched your other two videos on Legacy Fillable Forms and Auto-Populate with Fillable Forms but couldn't get it to work on a newer version of Word. Is there an up-to-date version of the Auto-Populate With Fillable Forms if we use Content Control Form Fields instead of Legacy Fillable, or the same method of displaying the form content applies to both fillable forms?
Sharon only replies to applause and praise - not difficult and important questions about her videos. But I will answer (and turn off monetezation): Word 365 DOES NOT support Legacy Forms Properties, meaning you cant do the types of things you could in the past: text format conversion.......CALCULATIONS, unless you write VBA in the new - and improved "Content Controls" Oh Joy ----
Great video. Is there a way to add multiple titles in a combo/drop down box all at once? instead of 1 at a time? Having many titles I want a quicker way to add them in my drop down. Thanks!
Hi Leisa! As far as I know, there is not an easy way to do this without a VBA macro. If I come across a way to do it more quickly, I'll let you know. Thanks so much for watching my videos! Take care!
Hi Sharon, Is there a way to restrict editing on a few things in a document and enter text freely in other parts of the document. And is there an option instead of the Gray box just the clear or white background?
Hi Brian! Yes, you can restrict editing on just parts of your document - here is a video that shows how to do that: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Also, here is a video that shows how to hide placeholder text if you are using content control fields and also shows how to hide gray shading if you are using legacy form fields: th-cam.com/video/vagwP5Jsv7k/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Thank you Sharon for your great video. Is there a way to insert numbers into a check box? I'm doing a questionnaire which will be emailed out and in one question I'm asking participants to rank something from 1 to 6, if that makes sense. I've tried drawing a text box but looks terrible.
Hi Lorna! One thing you can do is to create a Table in your document (Go to Insert - Table and select the number of rows and columns you want) then you can place checkboxes within your table. Here is a video that shows how to do this: th-cam.com/video/ooh-J16pYe4/w-d-xo.html (the middle of the video shows a ranking type scenario that might be similar to what you need to create). I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Hi Sharon, your videos are Fabby & helping me create my fillable forms as I go. Just a question, I am trying to add a transparent signature to a Microsoft Word Macro-Enable Document which is protected & it wouldn't let me copy & paste! what is the best & easiest way to sign a fillable form and send by email to be signed by a manager? thanks for all your help.
Hello! Thank you and I'm so glad you have found my videos helpful. In order to add an image (like a digital signature) to a document, you would have to Stop protection on the document (under the Restrict Editing area of the Developer tab). I have a video on Digital Signatures that you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/qKQT5HW4kxY/w-d-xo.html Alternatively, there is a Photo Content Control form field if you are using content controls to create your form that you could use and your manager could upload an image file of their signature. Otherwise, you may need to consider using a digital signature software solution. I hope this helps! Thanks again for watching!
@@SharonSmith Hi Sharon, thanks for your prompt reply much appreciated. This helps me a lot, I will use the Photo content which will work perfect for what we want to do. Many thanks
Hi again Sharon, I have tried to add a picture content control form field but it will still not let me add a signature! could you possible do a video showing how this can be do on a protected form in developer, I seem to be struggling with this. thanks very much for your help and support. kindest regards.
Hi there - I have another video that might help you. Here is one on creating a digital signature image file (a transparent .png file type) that should be able to be uploaded to a picture content control form field on a protected form: th-cam.com/video/qKQT5HW4kxY/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps! Thanks again for watching!
Hi Georgios! If you just need a few simple form fields like text box, check box or drop-down, then I think using Legacy Tools is good (they are compatible with lower versions of Word) and they are easy to format and work with. Content Control form fields are newer and offer more options like the date picker and combo-box so if you need that, I recommend using all Content Control form fields. The key is to only use one or the other in your document to avoid issues for your end users. Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment. I appreciate it! Take care.
I need to do an attendance form for one time purpose. Some columns use drop down. Seem I can’t copy the design. Do I need to insert the design row by row?
very helpful videos - one question stays for me: is it possible to insert radio buttons or do I have to take a list field to ensure that only one option is selected? thx
Happy New Year Sharon! Thank you so very much for creating this amazing instructional series!! For years I hated Word because I didn't realize it could be such a useful tool. Your instructional videos have improved my understanding of the broad range of capabilities within this product. Word and I are on our way to becoming besties...kindest regards :-)
Oh, thank you so much, Brooks! I really appreciate this feedback and so glad to hear my videos have helped you out and given you a better understanding of the capabilities of MS Word. Thanks so much for watching my videos! Hope you have a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Hi Sharon, Your video is very easy to follow however I am trying save a contract to a template and I was hoping you could explain how to do this as it is in letter form vs a form. Your help in this matter is GREATLY appreciated as I have over 200 contracts to do. Thank you in advance.
Hi Donna! I have a video that might be helpful for you as it shows how to save your document as a template file type: th-cam.com/video/gzTu46-Z5h0/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps with your project! Thanks so much for watching my videos!
This is so helpful! Thank you so much. I have a question that probably next-level training but I would love to hear your suggestions! My employer wants me to take a bunch of forms (about 30 pages) and make them online forms - which you have shown me how to do. BUT they want the content of the forms to be saved somewhere accessible and manipulative (for example, a spreadsheet of all of the email addresses or snail-mail addresses collected - which could then be used to make mailing labels etc). Is there a relatively easy way to do that? And thank you again!
Hi Becky! So glad you found this video helpful! There are ways you can extract and save the data from a completed form. I'm working on a video for that and hope to have it out soon. Hopefully it will be in time to help you out. Thanks for the great question! Take care!
Love your videos. Would you please let me know why you would use Content Controls versus Legacy Tools? Also, can you copy and past content control form fields as you can with the Legacy tool controls? Lastly, do you have a practice document to follow along with?
Legacy Tools is not available in Word 365 - she doesn't mention that b/c she either does not know, or she does not want to restrict the viewing of her vids. These content creators usually do not respond to technical quandaries, only applause and praise! Word 365 Content Controls also relies on VBA vs Legacy Tools "Properties" - which makes using the 'new' content controls very difficult. Only MS would downgrade their SW and call it a new version.
Hi, I am a home inspector and we all use software like Palm-Tech and HomeGauge to do our inspection reports. But, the software companies are going to a monthly fee of $50-$90 to use the software. I want to make my own forms with drop down boxes and such for my report writing. Which of your lessons should I buy to do this. I have Microsoft 365 home version.
Hello! Thanks for reaching out to me. I have a course available on TH-cam on how to create fillable forms in Microsoft Word using M365 version: th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuNzAyHVMYrPOS7itBm5gWVs.html There are several lessons in the course that show you how to do different things with your forms. You also get two versions of the template forms as well as a course workbook you can refer to. I do also have a free playlist on my Channel on fillable forms that includes Word, PDF, Excel, and online forms videos. I hope this helps you out! Good luck with your forms, I know you can create something that will work for you and then you won't have to pay the software license fees. Take care!
I am making a form for an abstract template that will be published in a scientific periodical. Our publisher wants specific fonts and sizes. Which is easy with the RTF content field. But. I also need users to be able to use bold/underline/italics. How do I restrict the font and size, while letting a user use bold/underline/italics for specific portions of the text? If they copy and paste from another document will the formatting shift to the new box’s style, or remain the same as the original document?
Hi Sharon, I really liked how you explain the how-tos. I was wondering if there's a way to create a fillable document that won't move after restricting the editing. If you can explain this, I would appreciate it so much, and I'm sure there are others who will benefit from it.
Hi Debbie! This is a great suggestion, thank you! I do have a video you may find helpful that shows how to create your form within a table template so that the form fields have more controlled "expanding" th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps you out. Thanks for watching my videos!
hi Sharon, im not sure if this is possible but i thought you'd be the person to ask. i have a Microsoft surface laptop and i have followed your videos so far with making fillable forms but i would like to have a spot for a signature when restricted. can you help me??
Hi Sharon, I just posted one question minutes ago. 2 more questions if you could help please: 1) How do I make user select only one checkbox out of a group of 3? 2) How do I limit user to fill up text in a cell of a table without expanding the cell when the box is full? Thanks a million.
Hello. Thank you for your videos. I find them very helpful. I created a locked word template using Legacy tools with auto populate and formulas however some of the users are using Apple devices and they are unable to fill in their data in the form. I am going to try using Content Control. Any suggestions?
Thank you for making this video, very informative. I’m trying to make customized cards (I have 10 per page) & I want to fill in a persons name & have repeat that name on all the other cards on that page, how would I do that? Thanks in advance.
Hello! I have a video you may find helpful if you create your document using Legacy Tool form fields: th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html this is one way you can repeat a name in other pages or parts of your document. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Great info, by any chance can you make a video how to link a custom made property from the document panel to a drop-down list content control, when i click the panel control property (list) automatically the list for content control changes to what i picked before. Cheers.
Hi Joseph! Legacy Tools have been around a long time and they are very easy to work with and allows you to create calculating form fields, set format defaults and other things I find useful. Content Controls are the newer form fields available in Word and have things like a Date Picker field and Combo-box which are newer features compared to Legacy Tools. The main thing is not to mix and match the two otherwise your users will have issues after you restrict the form. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos! If you want to see more of what you can do with Legacy Tools, there are several videos in my Creating Fillable Forms playlist you might find helpful: th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuOe1LfFMNExEabkRkB5ehcv.html
@@SharonSmith Hi Sharon, thanks very much for taking the time to answer my question. I've got one more. I am hoping to create my own channel by this coming Sunday. I'm looking into it now. I won't say too much about what it has to do with (call it paranoia if you wish). However, once I have got it up and running, would you be against the idea of me putting down one or two of your 'links below' as where people can find out how to fill in forms? Please don't get me wrong, my channel will not be in any way competition to your own.
Hi Joseph! That is great news, good luck with launching your Channel! You are more than welcome to share my video links anywhere. Thanks again for watching my videos. I wish you the best of luck!
Sharon, great tutorial on form creating. Can I add multiple email addresses in the coding for a submit button? If so, what does that look like in the coding that you provide to copy and paste?
is there more a user friendly way to fill in data than filling it by going through the whole page, like using VBA which i don't know how to use? would u make a tutorial for that plz?!
Hi. I've seen a couple of your fillable forms on words video, it's pretty straight forward. They're done quite well. However, i wonder if you had a guide they show how to replicate values from dropdown results selected from a parent box. Let's say i had 3 pages of fillable form. Each page they're one section that need users to input the company name. It's frustrating for users to keep inputting the same name over and over again. So i wondered if i get user to select the company name from a dropdown list in page 1, it'll automatically bring over that value to the other 2 pages and fill it with that company name. I hope that it's for content control instead of legacy dropdown . Because i did the legacy dropdown and it had an issue of requiring users to tab out to allow those values to replicate over. I would like it to seamlessly replicate over when users switch to other forms to input without tabbing over.
How do you prevent the rich text entry from affecting the positioning of the next data field. I need to limit the data entry capabilities to protect the sheet layout.... ta
THANK YOU...BUT HOW DOES THE PERSON KNOW THEY CAN FILL IT IN? (EMPLOYMENT FIELD) INSTEAD OF DROP-DOWN BOX UNLESS IT SAYS "OTHER"? I WOULDNT KNOW. DOES A NEWER VERSION HAVE THAT CAPABILITY?
Hey Sharon! I have to make a form where the client can enter their logo in the header so that it can appear in every page of the form. Image content control doesn't seem to work in the header though. Any workaround or tips for this?
Any idea why I don’t get the normal Content Control Properties box when I click on Properties to populate my combo box entries? Instead of the normal box like yours I’m getting a Properties 2-column table that lists all of the properties individually, i.e. Autosize, Autotab, Backcolor, Backstyle, etc.
Hi,Sharon, thanks for the v good video but I have a question about the combobox or drop list in the word form, I fill the list with items such as "GT 1, Pratika MPS" etc. When I choose any of it from the combobox and once inserted, the letters get flipped from right to left so Pratika MPS become SPM akitarP. Only on some computers while others working fine, I checked the computer language settings and the settings of the combobox and word default options, all seem fine but never managed to fix it, any thoughts?
Hello Ali! I have not been able to recreate this issue of the Word form field reversing the entered text unexpectedly. Have you tried deleting the field all together and re-creating it? If I come across a solution to this, I'll be sure to do a video on it. Good luck with your form. Thanks for watching my videos!
Thank you for getting straight to the point and no extra filler talk! You explain everything so well and made it simple for me to create a quick form for work!
Thank you Sharon! you are the only one that has illustrated a simple easy sense to application of the Word tools to create a fillable form!
Thank you so much David! I have some more videos coming up that I'm working on that may be of help too. Many of them inspired by my viewer's questions on creating fillable forms. I'm so glad you found it helpful. Thanks for taking time to leave a comment, and thank you for watching the video. Take care!
This is EXACTLY what I need to know to create my Incident Reports for my Company. I can not THANK YOU Enough!!! Yes, you are very clear & helpful & very nice to listen to while learning. I will be watching all of your videos this week & next to get this project completed. Thanks a million!!
Hi Sarah! I'm so glad to hear you found my videos helpful! I have another video using legacy tool form fields where I use an Incident Report form as an example that you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/GgV0SKF0o_U/w-d-xo.html Good luck with building your forms and thanks so much for watching!
Thank you sharon, I am a EMS Instructor in Iowa and need to create a document that my students can fill out. You make it look very easy and I really liked your video on this. Look forward to seeing more. Dave Rogis, CCP / EMS-I Clinton Community College EMT Program
Hi David! Thank you for your kind words, I'm very glad you found this video helpful. I created a playlist on my channel for Creating Fillable Forms so my new related videos will be easier to find. You can access the playlist here: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html Hope you find them all helpful. Thanks for the important work you do! Take care.
Thank you so much! I could clearly understand this video. You are an angel from digital heaven.
Oh, thank you very much! So glad you found this video helpful! Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a comment. Much appreciated!
Sharon you are one of thee best. Good communicator and easy to understand.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you find my videos helpful. Thanks for watching!
I love how your simple step-by-step instructions and your enlarged screen which helped me follow your tutorial with ease. I watched part 1 also but forgot to like it because I was so anxious to see this one, lol! Thank you!
Thank you so much for the great feedback! I'm very glad you found my videos helpful. I have a playlist of videos related to filling in forms that you may find useful: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html
Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it. Take care!
Thank you. The instructions with the visuals are very helpful. I really appreciate how clear your instructions are.
Thanks so much! I appreciate your feedback. Thanks for watching a taking time to leave a nice comment! Glad you found my videos helpful!
Thank you Sharon for explaining so calmly and clearly. You make learning easy! 🙂
You are very welcome! I'm glad you find my videos helpful! Thanks so much for watching!
Hey Sharon, you make it look so easy, you're my "Go to Girl" for anything to do with MS, keep up the good work, take care & stay safe honey.
Thanks so much for watching my videos, Lawrence! So glad to hear you find them helpful. Take care!
Lovely and clear. As an IT Trainer, I like to see how my colleagues in the industry do things, as often, folk do things differently. :-)
Thank you so much! Very glad to hear you found my videos helpful, that is my goal! Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a nice comment. Best of luck!
Your videos are so clear. Thank you so much. I have had to mix the legacy with the new ones because do all the new elements would not tab through from check box to text. I also had to put in hints for the end user to know what to do. I imagine for the combo box there would have to be something that tells them they could either select or enter their own info. I look forward to more on fillable forms. Thanks again!!
That is great! I’m so glad my videos are helping! Take care!
Now, I just need you to sit next to me for this form I am making LOL... enunciation, presentation, everything done so well. Thanks for the education.
Haha! Thanks Darin! Glad you found it helpful. Thanks so much for watching!
I love you, Sharon. I watch and learnt from your videos. Thanks for sharing these.
You are very welcome!! Thank you for watching my videos! 🙂
Thank you very much Sharon! Your videos are tremendously useful. Only one question: which are the criteria to use Legacy Tools or Content Control form fields?
Stayed all the way until the whistling stopped lol that was a great video! Thank you so much. This will enhance my work tremendously. Watching from New Zealand.
Hi Dominique! I'm so glad you found this video helpful and it is great to hear it will help you with your work! Glad you found my channel all the way from New Zealand! Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment! Take care!
Thank you so much!! I watch/used both the Legacy video and this one. I really appreciate your assistance!
You are very welcome, glad to help! Thanks for watching my videos!
is this video for MS Word MAC or for for PCs . the first one was Word Mac. I cant see this under developer on my MacBook
Hi Sharon,! Your video saved me a ton of time. I am having an issue with the my document though. My form is meant to collect prescription information for open enrollment. I want people to be able to tab through the various fields as they fill in their information. When tabbing, the line area only gets bigger, it does not move to the next column or the next line. I did use the Rich Text option vs the Plan Text option when setting up my rows and columns. Both are not allowing for tabbing through the document. Is there something that I'm missing?
That ending was beautiful, youre so talented!
Haha! Thank you for watching till the end 🎼
Very helpful video. Really appreciated the short format and relevant detail. Got two forms done thanks to you!
That is awesome Alexanne! So glad you found my videos helpful. Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a nice comment. Take care!
Thank you for helping me look smarter than I am!
Glad to help!! 😊 Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon - can you please confirm that the only way to tab through the form fields (vs. clicking on each one to fill it out) is by using the Legacy Tools?
Or, does using the Plain Text fields (rather than Rich Text) allow you to tab through? If it does allow you to, does that include the drop-down and date picker fields as well?
Basically, I'm trying to create a form that will allow the user to tab through the form to complete the necessary fields. I like the Content Control fields because they allow me to "title" the field so the user knows what to put in that field.
Thanks for a great video and your help!
Hello! Users should be able to tab through the content control form fields (plain text, date picker, etc.) except for the Rich Text. The Rich Text content control form field lets users hit return and tab within the form field so they can't tab to the next form field if you use that particular one. But you should be good to go with the others. I recommend testing your form thoroughly to ensure it works how you want it to for your users. Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Excellent video. I'm making a QA checklist for reviewing easement exhibits.
Great! I'm so glad to hear you found my video helpful! Be sure to check out the other videos in the creating forms playlist, you may find some other tips that will help you out: th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuOe1LfFMNExEabkRkB5ehcv.html Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a kind comment. I really appreciate it!
Hi Sharon,
I just discovered these videos and they are very clear and precise thankyou. Please keep up the good work as it is really appreciated.
Ques:- I have created a fillable word form using content controls. But i cannot change tab order between controls, despite looking everywhere over the past two days. Do you have a video that covers this please?
Also is it possible to make a tab order in a multi column table to go from top to bottom in a column rather then left column and then right column?
Thanks in advance.
hello Sharon and thank you for sharing your skill and information on forms. I do have a question, though. If I am creating a form that my users will retreive from the cloud and then send to me, what is to prevent from them saving what they wrote so that the next user sees that instead of a blank form. One other question...is their a limit to the number of text characters when using form fields? For example if they are answering a question that requires a lengthy answer do I need to make any adjustments to the placement of the controls?
Hello! Instead of saving as a document file type, be sure and save your form as a template (.dotx file type). Users can make a copy of the template for their responses, and this won't affect the original form. This ensures that each user starts with a clean form. To my knowledge there is no limit to a user's input on a legacy text form fields. You can set a max character limit in the form field properties if needed. Be sure and communicate any special instructions on the form. Here is another video you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/GgV0SKF0o_U/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much! Sharon, Could you please tell us how we can use {REF....} for a Header (Automatic title)!
Hello Sami! You can accomplish this by creating a new Character Style and applying that to your form field and then in your header, you can insert a STYLEREF instead of a REF and it will auto populate in the header from the form field. I'll work on a video showing how to do this. Thanks so much for watching!
Sharon, great two videos on fillable forms. I am creating a form where I need employees to add text on a line. I currently have lines on my form that I did with tab stops but I cannot figure out how to get it where the person is able to actually type text over it. We are talking about 3-4 lines with each section that I need to have text available for. When I do the content control it just pushes the lines to the side so I am at a loss.
Your video really helped! I have a MSWORD document (developer) that is fillable, I also want to make the header fillable. Do you have a video on that? Or know if its even possible?
Great lesson Sharon! I have a question for anyone how may know. Is there a way to reference a content control combo box and text field at the bottom form; i know how do to it with the legacy controls but have not been able to find away to do it with the Active X controls. Thanks
Hi Sharon have just viewed this and is great, although I want to also create a form where text I enter in one place is also duplicated in multiple areas throughout the form i.e. enter a clients name once and it duplicated automatically throughout the rest of the form?
Hi James! Yes, you can repeat form fields if you use Legacy form fields. Here is a video on how to do that: th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html I also have a video that shows a way to repeat form fields in a Header or Footer if that is also needed: th-cam.com/video/qh9XM-TWOuE/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Thank you I watched two of your videos regarding this matter. I felt they were the best I’ve seen so far. I’m not an expert but looked pretty good to me. Do you recommend any simple database programs that I could use to gather my orders together in my business. I looked through your videos but I didn’t see one that you offered.
Hi Thomas! Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm very glad to hear you found my videos helpful. Not knowing exactly what you need to accomplish, you could do something simple like keeping your database in MS Excel. Or you can look into QuickBooks, or GoDaddy Bookkeeping, or FreshBooks.com if you need something like that for your business. I have an affiliate link for FreshBooks if you are interested: freshbooks.com/pricing (as a disclaimer, I would earn a small commission if you click this link and make a purchase). Hope this helps! Thanks again for watching my videos!
Great intro...thank you for the overview in the beginning...very helpful.
Glad to help! Thanks for watching!
Wow double thanks again I just watch the part two. Of fillable forms I’m pretty sure I can do it now.
Hi Thomas - yes of course you can! Here is the creating fillable forms playlist that you can refer to if needed, hope you find it helpful! Thanks so much for watching: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html
Very good tutorial. I was wondering if you could change the “help text” in a text box. Right now it says “Click or tap here to enter text.” I would like to customize that text but can’t find how.
Hi Max - here is a video that may help you. One thing we review in this video is how to update placeholder text on content control form fields. Hope this helps: th-cam.com/video/gBb2QFKclRc/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Recommendation: Show your viewers how to insert the developer Tab. Usually the developer tab is not active.
Hi Charles! Great recommendation! I started including these instructions on the descriptions of all the videos in my Creating Fillable Forms playlist so viewers would have this info:
TIP: To ensure the Developer tab is visible in MS Word so you can insert form fields, follow these steps:
1) Right Click on the Ribbon area and select "Customize Ribbon"
2) The Customize Ribbon and Keyboard Shortcuts window opens
3) On the right hand side under "Customize the Ribbon - Main Tab" ensure the "Developer" checkbox is selected, then click OK.
But I realize not everyone reads the video descriptions so I'll likely do a quick tutorial on how to enable the Developer tab. Thanks for watching my videos and for your feedback. I appreciate it!
@@SharonSmithNow, I feel silly because I'm a teacher and I'm guilty of not doing what I tell them to do, "Read the directions". haha Anyway, thanks for the downloads you provided. They are helpful templates. Take care and be safe.
No worries at all! So glad you found all the downloads helpful. You take care and be safe as well. Thanks for watching!
Hello Sharon,
Thank you for the wonderful videos. Can you please explain if it is possible to create multiple choice questions in word using the checkbox legacy tool?
Hi Ruhee, yes you can design your document to include checkboxes with various labels to create the ability for users to select a multiple choice option. Here is a video on Legacy Tool form fields. I hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching my videos!
Sharon, this video was so helpful. I do have a question is there a way that on the document a pop up window can ask the questions then pull the information into the text vs the person clicking the gray boxes?
Thanks for this video. How do we format the form to not show the text that's in the form fields or grey boxes that don't need to be filled in when we are ready to print?
Hi Carlos! Are you referring to the form field placeholder text? If so, you can hide that. Here is a video that shows how: th-cam.com/video/vagwP5Jsv7k/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
@@SharonSmith - Thanks! That worked! Now, we're having issues when we email a fillable form that has "Restricted Editing". We have the "Editing Restrictions" set to allow people to fill forms but it's not allowing them to do so when they download the form from the email. They can't click in areas of the form that we want them to fill out.The only thing it's allowing them to do is select dates on the form. What do we do to fix that?
Hi Sharon. This is a great video! Is there a way to have a drop down menu where you can select more than one answer?
Hi Marcia! So glad you found this video helpful. Unfortunately MS Word does not have a multi-select drop-down option. You may want to look into another solution like MS InfoPath or SurveyMonkey if you need an online tool. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos. I appreciate it.
Brilliant. I'm really appreciative of your generosity. Where's your donations link? I'm thinking about forms that have tables. How can we restrict or allow editing in individual cells of some tables? Quite a challenge I imagine.
Hello Russell! Thanks so much, I'm so glad you found my videos helpful. I have a video that shows how to insert form fields within a table with borders. Here is a link to that video: th-cam.com/video/GgV0SKF0o_U/w-d-xo.html
In addition to this video, another viewer had a question on how to ensure the table width did not change when users filled in the form, so here are some additional instructions that you may find helpful if you are building a table template for your form:
Highlight your table and right click to select “Table Properties.” When the Table Properties window comes up, on the first tab (Table) click the “Options” button near the bottom right. The Options menu pops up, and go ahead and UN-check the box that says “Automatically resize to fit contents” then click OK and OK. This should effectively “lock” your table so that a user can type unlimited into your text form field and their contents will expand down and not over horizontally (messing up the width of your other columns).
I truly appreciate you watching and sharing my videos! If you ever want to donate, here is my channel donation link: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AJJ6SXERNDMYA&source=url Thank you!! Take care!
Your videos are very easy to learn from. Do you have a video training for creating help text in a fillable form and still be able to tab from field to field? The help text would appear when the user hovers over or tabs to the form fields?
Hi DeAnna! I'm so glad to hear you find my videos helpful! I don't currently have a video on this topic but it is a great suggestion. I'll work on one. Thanks for watching my videos!
Hi DeAnna! I now have a video on this topic: th-cam.com/video/gBb2QFKclRc/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Thank you Sharon! Just what I was looking for and can't wait to try it - I've subscribed and love your lessons and teaching style.
Hi Malcolm! So glad to hear it. Thank you for the kind words and for taking time to leave a comment. Hope you find my other videos helpful as well. I have a playlist for various topics on creating fillable forms: th-cam.com/video/YktZ3B-tyqs/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
Thank you for replying, Sharon. I’m attempting to create a rather complex fire risk assessment for so as you can imagine, lots of ‘if answer yes, do this. If answer no provide a list of solutions. I also need to like to returned solutions to an Action Table that will be at the end of the report. Do you know if this is possible? I could send you a section of a report if it helps to make sense. Thanks again. Love your videos.
Great videos in terms of information, but just as importantly, great presentation skill! Thank you.
Thank you so much, Carol! That is great to hear. I'm glad you found my videos helpful. Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon, thanks again for your helpful videos! I have a problem: I created a fillable form in word with Content Control form fields. I need to insert an image content control in the header and footer of the page to allow the customer to insert their letterhead but I can't. I believe that Word does not allow the insertion of form fields in the header and footer of the page. Is it correct? How can I solve it?
Sharon, I am trying to set up some legal documents to repeat information throughout the document. Is there a way to have the format of the text that is being repeated be different depending on where it is being repeated. In other words, if it is bold in the first paragraph it seems to be bold throughout the document, which is not my goal. Thank you so much for your help on this.
Hi Marie! Yes, you can use REF fields to repeat what a user fills in from a bookmarked form field and then apply different formatting to that REF field by inserting a field switch. Have you watched my video on repeating form fields to auto-populate? th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html You can watch this video and add a field switch after the REF code. For example, if your bookmarked form field was labeled "Text1" then here is how you would use the field switch: {REF Text1 \*MERGEFORMAT}. If the MergeFormat switch doesn't give you your desired result, you can use the \*Charformat switch instead and apply whatever formatting you want to appear there to the letter R in REF. I will work on a video for this to show people how to do it. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching my videos.
Hello Sharon,
Thank you for sharing this video. I do have an issue with the value of dropdown menus not being shown. Essentially I am trying to have a dropdown with Display Names :
Anger 01, Anger 02, Anger 03.
Based on selection of any of these the value of a full sentence appears that is unique to the selection. Is there a video where you explain how to do this?
Thank you,
Michael
Your videos have been very helpful. I appreciate it!
Glad to help, Adam! Thanks so much for watching!
Do you have a video or can you point me to any information that shows how to allow full paragraphs as choices when using the drop down list or combo box? It only allows you to add about a sentence, but I need to have full paragraphs to choose from. Thank you!
Hi Beth, while there are limitations on the number of characters you can use to create a drop-down list selection item, you can link text to appear based on a drop-down list selection. I'm not sure if this would work for your document, but you can see how this works in this video: th-cam.com/video/UEHeTuv5tG0/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon your tutorial for form filling was fantastic thank you. Could I ask a question please, I have completed my form and added boxes but it the person who is filling in the form enters a lot of text it widens the box and it goes onto another page. Can I stop this happening as my form is quite large and full and if any extra lines are used by the person filling the form it drops onto another page and I don't want that to happen. Thank you Terry
Hi Terry! Thank you, glad you found this video helpful. If you are using Legacy Tools form fields then when you double-click to open properties, you can set a maximum limit (that includes characters and spacing). If you are using content control form fields, then there is not an easy way to limit the characters. I would recommend opening the properties and then check the box that allows you to open the New Styles button and then you can set the font size a bit smaller. This may help out. Hope this helps!
I had created a form before watching this video. I had both legacy and the other control X fields. I did that because I could not set the field length limits with the new controls. Can the non-legacy controls have their limits set?
Hi! I appreciate this video so much! Thank you, but can I ask in what format do I have to save the file so others can use it? Please let me know!
If I have a file with 5 separate documents, can I set to auto populate needed info from one doc to another? Do you have a video addressing this. I need to share different documents with different employees.
Just what I needed....thank you
You are very welcome, Pam! So glad you found this video helpful Thanks for the kind words and for watching and taking time to leave a comment!
Hi Sharon, I watched your other two videos on Legacy Fillable Forms and Auto-Populate with Fillable Forms but couldn't get it to work on a newer version of Word. Is there an up-to-date version of the Auto-Populate With Fillable Forms if we use Content Control Form Fields instead of Legacy Fillable, or the same method of displaying the form content applies to both fillable forms?
Sharon only replies to applause and praise - not difficult and important questions about her videos. But I will answer (and turn off monetezation): Word 365 DOES NOT support Legacy Forms Properties, meaning you cant do the types of things you could in the past: text format conversion.......CALCULATIONS, unless you write VBA in the new - and improved "Content Controls" Oh Joy ----
Your video is always nice and helpful !
Thank you, Linda! Glad you found my videos helpful. Thanks for watching!
Great video. Is there a way to add multiple titles in a combo/drop down box all at once? instead of 1 at a time? Having many titles I want a quicker way to add them in my drop down. Thanks!
Hi Leisa! As far as I know, there is not an easy way to do this without a VBA macro. If I come across a way to do it more quickly, I'll let you know. Thanks so much for watching my videos! Take care!
Hi Sharon, Is there a way to restrict editing on a few things in a document and enter text freely in other parts of the document. And is there an option instead of the Gray box just the clear or white background?
Hi Brian! Yes, you can restrict editing on just parts of your document - here is a video that shows how to do that: th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html Also, here is a video that shows how to hide placeholder text if you are using content control fields and also shows how to hide gray shading if you are using legacy form fields: th-cam.com/video/vagwP5Jsv7k/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
@@SharonSmith Thank you so much! I have learned so much with your videos. Your a great teacher!
Thank you Sharon for your great video. Is there a way to insert numbers into a check box? I'm doing a questionnaire which will be emailed out and in one question I'm asking participants to rank something from 1 to 6, if that makes sense. I've tried drawing a text box but looks terrible.
Hi Lorna! One thing you can do is to create a Table in your document (Go to Insert - Table and select the number of rows and columns you want) then you can place checkboxes within your table. Here is a video that shows how to do this: th-cam.com/video/ooh-J16pYe4/w-d-xo.html (the middle of the video shows a ranking type scenario that might be similar to what you need to create). I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Hi Sharon, your videos are Fabby & helping me create my fillable forms as I go. Just a question, I am trying to add a transparent signature to a Microsoft Word Macro-Enable Document which is protected & it wouldn't let me copy & paste! what is the best & easiest way to sign a fillable form and send by email to be signed by a manager? thanks for all your help.
Hello! Thank you and I'm so glad you have found my videos helpful. In order to add an image (like a digital signature) to a document, you would have to Stop protection on the document (under the Restrict Editing area of the Developer tab). I have a video on Digital Signatures that you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/qKQT5HW4kxY/w-d-xo.html Alternatively, there is a Photo Content Control form field if you are using content controls to create your form that you could use and your manager could upload an image file of their signature. Otherwise, you may need to consider using a digital signature software solution. I hope this helps! Thanks again for watching!
@@SharonSmith Hi Sharon, thanks for your prompt reply much appreciated. This helps me a lot, I will use the Photo content which will work perfect for what we want to do. Many thanks
Hi again Sharon, I have tried to add a picture content control form field but it will still not let me add a signature! could you possible do a video showing how this can be do on a protected form in developer, I seem to be struggling with this. thanks very much for your help and support. kindest regards.
Hi there - I have another video that might help you. Here is one on creating a digital signature image file (a transparent .png file type) that should be able to be uploaded to a picture content control form field on a protected form: th-cam.com/video/qKQT5HW4kxY/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps! Thanks again for watching!
Thanks again Sharon, I will let you know how I get on. have a lovely day.
Sharon how do you decide when to use legacy tools or content controls?
Hi Georgios! If you just need a few simple form fields like text box, check box or drop-down, then I think using Legacy Tools is good (they are compatible with lower versions of Word) and they are easy to format and work with. Content Control form fields are newer and offer more options like the date picker and combo-box so if you need that, I recommend using all Content Control form fields. The key is to only use one or the other in your document to avoid issues for your end users. Hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment. I appreciate it! Take care.
I need to do an attendance form for one time purpose. Some columns use drop down. Seem I can’t copy the design. Do I need to insert the design row by row?
Thanks so much! This was an easy video to follow.
Hi Anthony! Glad you found my video helpful. Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a comment, much appreciated!
very helpful videos - one question stays for me: is it possible to insert radio buttons or do I have to take a list field to ensure that only one option is selected? thx
Is there a way to keep the entered data from scrolling the additional data on to the next line?
Great tutorial simple and to the point. Thank you!
So glad you liked it and found it helpful! Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it. Take care!
Happy New Year Sharon! Thank you so very much for creating this amazing instructional series!! For years I hated Word because I didn't realize it could be such a useful tool. Your instructional videos have improved my understanding of the broad range of capabilities within this product. Word and I are on our way to becoming besties...kindest regards :-)
Oh, thank you so much, Brooks! I really appreciate this feedback and so glad to hear my videos have helped you out and given you a better understanding of the capabilities of MS Word. Thanks so much for watching my videos! Hope you have a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Hi Sharon, what version of Word are you using? My Content Control properties box does not have all the options that yours has.
Hi Daffnie, I use MS Office 365 (so the latest version). Hope this helps! Thanks for watching my videos!
Hi Sharon, Your video is very easy to follow however I am trying save a contract to a template and I was hoping you could explain how to do this as it is in letter form vs a form. Your help in this matter is GREATLY appreciated as I have over 200 contracts to do. Thank you in advance.
Hi Donna! I have a video that might be helpful for you as it shows how to save your document as a template file type: th-cam.com/video/gzTu46-Z5h0/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps with your project! Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Hi you should show how to make the table how did you adjust it
This is so helpful! Thank you so much. I have a question that probably next-level training but I would love to hear your suggestions! My employer wants me to take a bunch of forms (about 30 pages) and make them online forms - which you have shown me how to do. BUT they want the content of the forms to be saved somewhere accessible and manipulative (for example, a spreadsheet of all of the email addresses or snail-mail addresses collected - which could then be used to make mailing labels etc). Is there a relatively easy way to do that? And thank you again!
Hi Becky! So glad you found this video helpful! There are ways you can extract and save the data from a completed form. I'm working on a video for that and hope to have it out soon. Hopefully it will be in time to help you out. Thanks for the great question! Take care!
Love your videos. Would you please let me know why you would use Content Controls versus Legacy Tools? Also, can you copy and past content control form fields as you can with the Legacy tool controls? Lastly, do you have a practice document to follow along with?
Legacy Tools is not available in Word 365 - she doesn't mention that b/c she either does not know, or she does not want to restrict the viewing of her vids. These content creators usually do not respond to technical quandaries, only applause and praise! Word 365 Content Controls also relies on VBA vs Legacy Tools "Properties" - which makes using the 'new' content controls very difficult. Only MS would downgrade their SW and call it a new version.
Hi, I am a home inspector and we all use software like Palm-Tech and HomeGauge to do our inspection reports. But, the software companies are going to a monthly fee of $50-$90 to use the software. I want to make my own forms with drop down boxes and such for my report writing. Which of your lessons should I buy to do this. I have Microsoft 365 home version.
Hello! Thanks for reaching out to me. I have a course available on TH-cam on how to create fillable forms in Microsoft Word using M365 version: th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuNzAyHVMYrPOS7itBm5gWVs.html There are several lessons in the course that show you how to do different things with your forms. You also get two versions of the template forms as well as a course workbook you can refer to. I do also have a free playlist on my Channel on fillable forms that includes Word, PDF, Excel, and online forms videos. I hope this helps you out! Good luck with your forms, I know you can create something that will work for you and then you won't have to pay the software license fees. Take care!
I am making a form for an abstract template that will be published in a scientific periodical. Our publisher wants specific fonts and sizes. Which is easy with the RTF content field. But. I also need users to be able to use bold/underline/italics.
How do I restrict the font and size, while letting a user use bold/underline/italics for specific portions of the text?
If they copy and paste from another document will the formatting shift to the new box’s style, or remain the same as the original document?
great video. was really helpful. I am loving all your videos and would be watching them all one by one to apply smart automation in my work.
That is great to hear! I’m so glad you are watching my Channel. Hope you find all the videos helpful! Take care!
I have a drop down menu with the days of the weeks and I want to allow the user to select multiple days...is there a way to set that up?
Hi Sharon, I really liked how you explain the how-tos. I was wondering if there's a way to create a fillable document that won't move after restricting the editing. If you can explain this, I would appreciate it so much, and I'm sure there are others who will benefit from it.
Hi Debbie! This is a great suggestion, thank you! I do have a video you may find helpful that shows how to create your form within a table template so that the form fields have more controlled "expanding" th-cam.com/video/Xsh6Tk6xJB8/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps you out. Thanks for watching my videos!
@@SharonSmith Thank you so much. I'll watch it.
Very easy to understand thank you so much
Thank you Penny! So glad you found my videos helpful! Thanks for watching!
hi Sharon, im not sure if this is possible but i thought you'd be the person to ask. i have a Microsoft surface laptop and i have followed your videos so far with making fillable forms but i would like to have a spot for a signature when restricted. can you help me??
Great and clearly explain tutorials. Just a quick question. If i need to restrict the number of words in a particular text box, how can i do it?
Nice presentation!
Thank you, Michalis! Also, thank you for subscribing to my Channel and for watching my videos. I really appreciate it!
Well, You have made my day. Thanks a lot!!
Thank you Tarek! Glad to hear it. Thanks so much for watching and taking time to leave a comment!
you are such a life saver. Thank you.
Glad to help! Thanks for watching!
Hi Sharon,
I just posted one question minutes ago. 2 more questions if you could help please:
1) How do I make user select only one checkbox out of a group of 3?
2) How do I limit user to fill up text in a cell of a table without expanding the cell when the box is full?
Thanks a million.
Hello. Thank you for your videos. I find them very helpful. I created a locked word template using Legacy tools with auto populate and formulas however some of the users are using Apple devices and they are unable to fill in their data in the form. I am going to try using Content Control. Any suggestions?
Hi Sharon,
While using combo box drop down, I need two cloumns one is display & other is Value how to do both at a time
Thank you for making this video, very informative. I’m trying to make customized cards (I have 10 per page) & I want to fill in a persons name & have repeat that name on all the other cards on that page, how would I do that? Thanks in advance.
Hello! I have a video you may find helpful if you create your document using Legacy Tool form fields: th-cam.com/video/VOPVaXRjScI/w-d-xo.html this is one way you can repeat a name in other pages or parts of your document. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
@@SharonSmith Thank you for the information however I just tried inserting Quick Parts Keywords & it seems to work.
Great info, by any chance can you make a video how to link a custom made property from the document panel to a drop-down list content control, when i click the panel control property (list) automatically the list for content control changes to what i picked before. Cheers.
Thanks for watching my videos! I'll look in to this topic. Take care!
Hi Sharon, great video. What is the difference between a legacy and a content form field? Sorry if you have previously gone over this.
Hi Joseph! Legacy Tools have been around a long time and they are very easy to work with and allows you to create calculating form fields, set format defaults and other things I find useful. Content Controls are the newer form fields available in Word and have things like a Date Picker field and Combo-box which are newer features compared to Legacy Tools. The main thing is not to mix and match the two otherwise your users will have issues after you restrict the form. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching my videos! If you want to see more of what you can do with Legacy Tools, there are several videos in my Creating Fillable Forms playlist you might find helpful: th-cam.com/play/PLb80efKTbWuOe1LfFMNExEabkRkB5ehcv.html
@@SharonSmith Hi Sharon, thanks very much for taking the time to answer my question. I've got one more.
I am hoping to create my own channel by this coming Sunday. I'm looking into it now. I won't say too much about what it has to do with (call it paranoia if you wish). However, once I have got it up and running, would you be against the idea of me putting down one or two of your 'links below' as where people can find out how to fill in forms?
Please don't get me wrong, my channel will not be in any way competition to your own.
Hi Joseph! That is great news, good luck with launching your Channel! You are more than welcome to share my video links anywhere. Thanks again for watching my videos. I wish you the best of luck!
Sharon, great tutorial on form creating. Can I add multiple email addresses in the coding for a submit button? If so, what does that look like in the coding that you provide to copy and paste?
Can I make a drop down in word where multiple options can be checked?
Hi Sharon,
how to hide default placeholder text like "Click or tap to enter a date." in a Date Picker Content Control or "Plain Text Content Control"
is there more a user friendly way to fill in data than filling it by going through the whole page, like using VBA which i don't know how to use? would u make a tutorial for that plz?!
I learned a lot from your video. thank you.
I'm glad you found my video helpful! Thanks for watching!
Hi. I've seen a couple of your fillable forms on words video, it's pretty straight forward. They're done quite well.
However, i wonder if you had a guide they show how to replicate values from dropdown results selected from a parent box. Let's say i had 3 pages of fillable form. Each page they're one section that need users to input the company name. It's frustrating for users to keep inputting the same name over and over again.
So i wondered if i get user to select the company name from a dropdown list in page 1, it'll automatically bring over that value to the other 2 pages and fill it with that company name. I hope that it's for content control instead of legacy dropdown . Because i did the legacy dropdown and it had an issue of requiring users to tab out to allow those values to replicate over. I would like it to seamlessly replicate over when users switch to other forms to input without tabbing over.
How do you prevent the rich text entry from affecting the positioning of the next data field. I need to limit the data entry capabilities to protect the sheet layout.... ta
THANK YOU...BUT HOW DOES THE PERSON KNOW THEY CAN FILL IT IN? (EMPLOYMENT FIELD) INSTEAD OF DROP-DOWN BOX UNLESS IT SAYS "OTHER"? I WOULDNT KNOW. DOES A NEWER VERSION HAVE THAT CAPABILITY?
Hey Sharon!
I have to make a form where the client can enter their logo in the header so that it can appear in every page of the form. Image content control doesn't seem to work in the header though. Any workaround or tips for this?
Any idea why I don’t get the normal Content Control Properties box when I click on Properties to populate my combo box entries? Instead of the normal box like yours I’m getting a Properties 2-column table that lists all of the properties individually, i.e. Autosize, Autotab, Backcolor, Backstyle, etc.
Hi,Sharon, thanks for the v good video but I have a question about the combobox or drop list in the word form, I fill the list with items such as "GT 1, Pratika MPS" etc.
When I choose any of it from the combobox and once inserted, the letters get flipped from right to left so Pratika MPS become SPM akitarP.
Only on some computers while others working fine, I checked the computer language settings and the settings of the combobox and word default options, all seem fine but never managed to fix it, any thoughts?
Hello Ali! I have not been able to recreate this issue of the Word form field reversing the entered text unexpectedly. Have you tried deleting the field all together and re-creating it? If I come across a solution to this, I'll be sure to do a video on it. Good luck with your form. Thanks for watching my videos!