Help creating a form

[Patrick C. Simonds]

I am trying to create a form which can be printed and sent to a client to be
filled in (which is easy), I would also like to fill this form in by using
VBA (that was relatively easy to figure out, with help from this group).

My problem is placing the information on the form. I tried drawing text
boxes (Insert - TextBox) on to the form, but could find no way to identify
the TextBox( shape) number so that I could reference it using VBA. Then I
tried using AcxiveX TextBoxes. That worked because I was able to reference
them directly and place my text into the box with VBA, and was also to
reference them in the UserForm Initialize, so that I could populate the
UserForm if I had to come back later to complete the form.

My problem with the ActiveX TextBoxes is that,

1. When I view the document on the computer, even though I set the
TextBox to be transparent, it would block what was behind the TextBox. I
could live with this because what was back there was just the line shape
that I had included on the form for when it was manually filled in, and to
give the form a better appearance when the completed form was printed.

2. Even thought I set the TextBox to be transparent, when ever I would
print the document some (not all) TextBoxes would behave as if they were
opaque blocking the line that was behind them making the printed form look
very unprofessional.

I did try adjusting the height of the TextBox and place it just above the
line (giving up decenders below the line) but the TextBox seems to place
space before and after the text (like a top and bottom margin) so as I would
change the height of the TextBox it would cut off the text.

I just do not know where to go to from here.

 

[Jean-Guy Marcil]

Patrick C. Simonds was telling us:
Patrick C. Simonds nous racontait que :

I am trying to create a form which can be printed and sent to a
client to be filled in (which is easy), I would also like to fill

Would this client fill this form by hand, or on the computer, as a protected
form?
Even if the client does not need to fill it in on the computer, you could
protect the form, right?
In that case, why not use FormFields instead of ActiveX controls, which, as
you have discovered are really iffy in Word? Also, it is possible that your
client's machine blocks the ActiveX control and treat them as a threat,
creating a whole new set of problems.

If I were you I would use FormFields or DOCPROPERTY fields, depending on the
number of fields you need. Less then 20 can be managed easily with
DOCPROPERTY fields.

Tell us more and we can help you convert your form to something that does
not use ActiveX Controls.

this form in by using VBA (that was relatively easy to figure out,
with help from this group).

--

Salut!
_______________________________________
Jean-Guy Marcil - Word MVP
(e-mail address removed)
Word MVP site: http://www.word.mvps.org

 

[Patrick C. Simonds]

This form will be filled in both by hand (when it is mailed to the client)
and on the computer by an employee who is talking to the client. It is a
multi section (page form) which we want the ability to fill in random order.
That is why I am using VBA (dialogboxes) to fill in the form.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Probably best to just setup the form as a table (to provide the spaces for
filling in by hand) and in the cells insert DocVariable fields then have
your userform (what you refer to as vba dialog boxes) set the value of the
various document variables, all of which you would initially set to a value
of " " so that you do not get an error message when the fields are updated
by printing the blank form.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP