Trouble with Text Form Field and Cell Width

[TheContractorsGroup]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Processor: Intel Hi All!

First I'd like to say, and I'm not trying to butter you guys up, I love you guys! ;-) I have been coming here for help for several years now and you guys have been able to help me every single time. Thank you so much!

While I don't have the knowledge or expertise with WORD to come in here and answer other people's questions, I can tell you that the fact that you all help me like you do allows me to move forward and help people that I'm working with on these forms. So again, thank you!

And now to my latest trouble...

I'm on Macintosh 10.5.8 using WORD for Mac version 12.2.4

I create fill-in-able forms for others (both Mac and PC users) to use.

I use a table and certain cells in the table get "Text Form Fields".

After entering the "Text Form Fields", I then Protect the document and save it, and then users of the form can TAB in and out of each cell that has a "Text Form Field" to fill in the document, without having to TAB in and out of every single cell, thank you to the Protect feature. =)

Sometimes a cell, that needs a "Text Form Field", is narrower than the length of the "Text Form Field".

Prior to WORD 2008, when this happened I would go to Table > Table Properties > Row - then checkmark "Specify Height", enter a height in the box, then select "Exactly" in the drop-down menu for "Row Height Is:".

When I would do this, then the width of the cell would not expand and the height of the row would stay the same, instead the "Text Form Field" would "shrink" if you will to fit the width and height of the cell.

Now however, since upgrading to WORD 2008, even though I follow the same steps I outlined above, when I enter the "Text Form Field" in a cell that is narrower than the length of the "Text Form Field", the width of the cell expands to fit the "Text Form Field". The height of the row stays where it should, but the width of the cell expands.

This cell expansion causes the layout of the rest of the table/form to shift.

How can I stop this from happening? How can I make the cell maintain the width that I originally made it, and get the "Text Form Field" to "shrink" to the width of the cell?

Thank you SO MUCH for your help!

Have a great night!
Diane

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Diane:

First I'd like to say, and I'm not trying to butter you guys up, I love you
guys! ;-)

That's OK, flattery will get you everywhere in here

While I don't have the knowledge or expertise with WORD to come in here and
answer other people's questions,

You do. We both know you do!

Now however, since upgrading to WORD 2008, even though I follow the same steps
I outlined above, when I enter the "Text Form Field" in a cell that is
narrower than the length of the "Text Form Field", the width of the cell
expands to fit the "Text Form Field". The height of the row stays where it
should, but the width of the cell expands.

This cell expansion causes the layout of the rest of the table/form to shift.

How can I stop this from happening? How can I make the cell maintain the
width that I originally made it, and get the "Text Form Field" to "shrink" to
the width of the cell?

Table Properties>Options and disable "Automatically resize to fit contents".

Have a great night!

Settle! It's early morning!

Cheers

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[TheContractorsGroup]

Hi John!

Hi Diane:
>
> On 13/04/10 3:10 PM, in article (e-mail address removed)2ac0,
> "[email protected]"
> wrote:
>
>
> That's OK, flattery will get you everywhere in here

Just so long as you know that it's not empty flattery, your help is absolutely top-notch, as is your caring! =)

>
>
> You do. We both know you do!

I had to chuckle here... The solution you gave me for my problem was SO simple and yet I couldn't figure it out and yet you still encourage me to believe that I can answer other people's questions. You are definitely a huge asset to this community and I hope that at least as many good things come your way as you send out to others. =)

>
> Table Properties>Options and disable "Automatically resize to fit contents".

And of course it worked! You really are the best and I can't tell begin to express how much I appreciate you solving my problems for me! =)

>
> Settle! It's early morning!

I know... If the snoring weren't so bad I might be in bed, but why lay there and listen to that when I can sit here and get something done... ;-)

Thank you again so much John! =)

> Cheers

Here's cheers right back 'atcha!
Diane

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Diane:

I had to chuckle here... The solution you gave me for my problem was SO
simple and yet I couldn't figure it out and yet you still encourage me to
believe that I can answer other people's questions.

When I started, I had to look up the answer to nearly every answer. Then I
got to the point where I knew most of the answers.

Then I got old and had to start looking them all up again...

But the worst of it is when I look up the answer and discover that *I* wrote
it. That's when you KNOW you're over the hump...

I know... If the snoring weren't so bad I might be in bed, but why lay there
and listen to that when I can sit here and get something done... ;-)

Snoring is the sweetest sound in the world ‹ ask any widow...

Be good!

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]