corrupted file b/c of symbols

X

XTina

I have attempted to create a registration form on word
several times. The form reads like a questionnaire and
hence has many areas that need a symbol (such as a hollow
circle or square) to be checked. After I enter about 20 or
so symbols, the file automatically corrupts. THe font
changes and the symbols change to parentheses. It is not
the normal.dot template. My helpdesk at the college
investigated and apparently it is a problem that Microsoft
is aware of but does not know how to fix (C'mon, Bill.).
My question - does anyone know of a way around this or
have any suggestions of how i can use several copies of
the same symbol without corrupting my file? I am about to
switch to Mac after all this...ARGH. Thanks in advance.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

I am unaware of any known problem of symbols causing document corruption.
Can you cite a KB article that describes this? You might want to use an EQ
\x field to create a check box as follows:

If you just need an empty box for users to check with a pen/pencil, you can
use one of several available font characters (such as the shadowed boxes in
Wingdings), or (my favorite) you can create a box using the EQ \x (box)
field. You'll find instructions for this in Word's Help under "Field codes:
EQ (Equation) field," but you can get the same effect by applying a border
to Text in the Borders and Shading dialog. What you want to put a border
around is some spaces, but the trick is that you can't use ordinary spaces:
at least one of them (the last) must be a nonbreak space. So type two or
three spaces and a nonbreak space, then apply a box border to it. You may
need to adjust the font size to make the box the size you want, but I find
this works very nicely.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
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