Trying to convert a printed form to an editable Word form

[Philip Herlihy]

Like a lot of "experienced" Word users, I've probably only scratched the
surface. Need this to work with 2003 and 2007.

I have a printed form which I've scanned and sharpened in PhotoShop.
I've set this as the background to a new Word document (which I'll save
as a template if it works!). So far, so good.

Now I want to make it possible/easy for users to type as though on the
dotted lines. I've been experimenting with Text form fields, and have
found I need to put them in a Frame to get the positioning ok. I've
only the vaguest notion of what a Frame is!

Seems ok, but am I going about this the right way? Is there an easier
solution? Any problems I haven't foreseen?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Phil, London

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Like a lot of "experienced" Word users, I've probably only scratched the
surface. Need this to work with 2003 and 2007.

I have a printed form which I've scanned and sharpened in PhotoShop.
I've set this as the background to a new Word document (which I'll save
as a template if it works!). So far, so good.

Now I want to make it possible/easy for users to type as though on the
dotted lines. I've been experimenting with Text form fields, and have
found I need to put them in a Frame to get the positioning ok. I've
only the vaguest notion of what a Frame is!

Seems ok, but am I going about this the right way? Is there an easier
solution? Any problems I haven't foreseen?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Phil, London

Spoke too soon. I had one field nicely placed, but when I try to create
further ones Word is running rings round me. What I'm trying to do is
use a blank page with only fields, precisely sized and lined-up with the
underlying dotted lines and check-boxes on what is now a background
image. I can see that if I'd designed the whole thing from scratch in
Word the fields would naturally become part of the document structure,
but this is an "official" form and they are unlikely to accept anything
other than an exact replica - hence the wish to use it as a background
image.

I have found that if I create frames first, and then insert a text field
into the frame, that seems to work, but (I haven't quite figured this
yet) there seems to be a tendency for my fields to leap around the page,
and I've been unable to copy and paste fields to duplicate them as I
could, for example, if I was designing an Access form.

I've also found that this seems to be much easier in Adobe Acrobat (paid
version) so I'll probably get the first version done in that. Same goes
for Serif's PagePlus. Problem with that route is that the users will
have only Acrobat Reader, which doesn't allow you to save the field
contents, except as unformatted text, although it's possible to use a
PDF "pseudo printer" generator, like TinyPDF, to print from Acrobat
Reader via TinyPDF to get a "filled" read-only copy.

I'd still like to know how to do this in Word - or is this just the
wrong application?

Phil

 

[Jay Freedman]

Spoke too soon. I had one field nicely placed, but when I try to create
further ones Word is running rings round me. What I'm trying to do is
use a blank page with only fields, precisely sized and lined-up with the
underlying dotted lines and check-boxes on what is now a background
image. I can see that if I'd designed the whole thing from scratch in
Word the fields would naturally become part of the document structure,
but this is an "official" form and they are unlikely to accept anything
other than an exact replica - hence the wish to use it as a background
image.

I have found that if I create frames first, and then insert a text field
into the frame, that seems to work, but (I haven't quite figured this
yet) there seems to be a tendency for my fields to leap around the page,
and I've been unable to copy and paste fields to duplicate them as I
could, for example, if I was designing an Access form.

I've also found that this seems to be much easier in Adobe Acrobat (paid
version) so I'll probably get the first version done in that. Same goes
for Serif's PagePlus. Problem with that route is that the users will
have only Acrobat Reader, which doesn't allow you to save the field
contents, except as unformatted text, although it's possible to use a
PDF "pseudo printer" generator, like TinyPDF, to print from Acrobat
Reader via TinyPDF to get a "filled" read-only copy.

I'd still like to know how to do this in Word - or is this just the
wrong application?

Phil

Instead of frames, make a table and size its columns and rows so that each field
has a cell to itself. This is one of the few reasonable uses of the "table
drawing" tools (on the Tables toolbar in 2003 or the Table Tools > Design tab of
the ribbon in 2007).

With the whole table selected, turn off the table borders. Also set AutoFit to
Fixed Column Width, and in the Table Properties > Rows dialog set each row to an
Exact measurement to prevent entries in the fields from expanding the cells and
moving the following fields.

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Instead of frames, make a table and size its columns and rows so that each field
has a cell to itself. This is one of the few reasonable uses of the "table
drawing" tools (on the Tables toolbar in 2003 or the Table Tools > Design tab of
the ribbon in 2007).

With the whole table selected, turn off the table borders. Also set AutoFit to
Fixed Column Width, and in the Table Properties > Rows dialog set each row to an
Exact measurement to prevent entries in the fields from expanding the cells and
moving the following fields.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

Thanks - I'd never have thought of that! Will this work even if the
underlying scanned image is irregular in layout? I want the user to be
able to tab between fields easily, and have the typed text appear on the
various "dotted lines".

Phil

 

[Jay Freedman]

Philip Herlihy wrote:
Like a lot of "experienced" Word users, I've probably only scratched the
surface. Need this to work with 2003 and 2007.

I have a printed form which I've scanned and sharpened in PhotoShop.
I've set this as the background to a new Word document (which I'll save
as a template if it works!). So far, so good.
[snip]
Phil

Instead of frames, make a table and size its columns and rows so that each field
has a cell to itself. This is one of the few reasonable uses of the "table
drawing" tools (on the Tables toolbar in 2003 or the Table Tools > Design tab of
the ribbon in 2007).

With the whole table selected, turn off the table borders. Also set AutoFit to
Fixed Column Width, and in the Table Properties > Rows dialog set each row to an
Exact measurement to prevent entries in the fields from expanding the cells and
moving the following fields.

Thanks - I'd never have thought of that! Will this work even if the
underlying scanned image is irregular in layout? I want the user to be
able to tab between fields easily, and have the typed text appear on the
various "dotted lines".

Phil

It depends on just how irregular the layout is. There's no requirement that
every table cell contain a form field; some of them can be just 'spacers'. You
can torture a table's cell measurements quite a bit before it rebels. <g> For
the most part you should be able to get what you need by splitting or merging
cells and dragging their borders.

The one thing you don't want to do is make the table float (by dragging the
table itself or by setting the table's wrapping in the Table Properties dialog
to Around) -- that will just get you back to the random placement waltz. If you
accidentally float the table, open the Table Properties dialog and reset the
wrapping to None.

Once the form document is protected for forms entry, the tab and Shift+tab keys
will go from field to field (ignoring empty table cells, because they're
protected) from left to right and then down to the next row. If you need to
change that order, see
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/SetTabOrder.htm, but be aware that it
requires a macro, which can be a problem if you're distributing the form to
other computers.

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Philip Herlihy wrote:
Like a lot of "experienced" Word users, I've probably only scratched the
surface. Need this to work with 2003 and 2007.

I have a printed form which I've scanned and sharpened in PhotoShop.
I've set this as the background to a new Word document (which I'll save
as a template if it works!). So far, so good.
[snip]
Phil
Instead of frames, make a table and size its columns and rows so that each field
has a cell to itself. This is one of the few reasonable uses of the "table
drawing" tools (on the Tables toolbar in 2003 or the Table Tools > Design tab of
the ribbon in 2007).

With the whole table selected, turn off the table borders. Also set AutoFit to
Fixed Column Width, and in the Table Properties > Rows dialog set each row to an
Exact measurement to prevent entries in the fields from expanding the cells and
moving the following fields.

Thanks - I'd never have thought of that! Will this work even if the
underlying scanned image is irregular in layout? I want the user to be
able to tab between fields easily, and have the typed text appear on the
various "dotted lines".

Phil

It depends on just how irregular the layout is. There's no requirement that
every table cell contain a form field; some of them can be just 'spacers'. You
can torture a table's cell measurements quite a bit before it rebels. <g> For
the most part you should be able to get what you need by splitting or merging
cells and dragging their borders.

The one thing you don't want to do is make the table float (by dragging the
table itself or by setting the table's wrapping in the Table Properties dialog
to Around) -- that will just get you back to the random placement waltz. If you
accidentally float the table, open the Table Properties dialog and reset the
wrapping to None.

Once the form document is protected for forms entry, the tab and Shift+tab keys
will go from field to field (ignoring empty table cells, because they're
protected) from left to right and then down to the next row. If you need to
change that order, see
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/SetTabOrder.htm, but be aware that it
requires a macro, which can be a problem if you're distributing the form to
other computers.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

Thanks, Jay - you've hit on the issue that was concerning me: how to
skip "spacer" fields. That does seem a viable approach, although I
would need to use the macros to follow the irregular logic of the form's
workflow. It is a pretty irregular form (when you try to envisage it as
a table) - the fields are just dotted lines placed wherever the
questions happened to end (although I've seen worse). I think it would
be a great deal of work to get a table structure to fit. That made the
idea of using frames more attractive initially, although your phrase
"random placement waltz" perfectly captures what was going on!

I did persist last night with experiments with an elderly Acrobat (Pro)
and the latest version of Serif's PagePlus, and the latter has given
good results for this form. I could open the PDF (from the scanner)
directly, and I can create and adjust fields exactly as I need them, and
set properties (e.g. borders, transparency) easily. The resulting form
behaves beautifully and intuitively, but the downside is that the
information can't be saved as an editable package if users have only
Acrobat Reader (they all have Word).

I'm still wondering if frames (or something equivalent) might still be
the best option for this form. What's the trick to avoid the "waltz"?

I must say I've learned to respect and appreciate enormously the corps
of MVPs, and I'm very grateful for your help!

Phil

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You skip the "spacer" cells automatically when filling out the form; once
you have inserted text form fields as required and protected the form, then
Tab will take you to the next form field, skipping all the empty cells.

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

Jay Freedman wrote:
Philip Herlihy wrote:
Like a lot of "experienced" Word users, I've probably only scratched
the surface. Need this to work with 2003 and 2007.

I have a printed form which I've scanned and sharpened in PhotoShop.
I've set this as the background to a new Word document (which I'll
save as a template if it works!). So far, so good.
[snip]
Phil
Instead of frames, make a table and size its columns and rows so that
each field
has a cell to itself. This is one of the few reasonable uses of the
"table
drawing" tools (on the Tables toolbar in 2003 or the Table Tools >
Design tab of
the ribbon in 2007).

With the whole table selected, turn off the table borders. Also set
AutoFit to
Fixed Column Width, and in the Table Properties > Rows dialog set each
row to an
Exact measurement to prevent entries in the fields from expanding the
cells and
moving the following fields.
Thanks - I'd never have thought of that! Will this work even if the
underlying scanned image is irregular in layout? I want the user to be
able to tab between fields easily, and have the typed text appear on the
various "dotted lines".

Phil

It depends on just how irregular the layout is. There's no requirement
that
every table cell contain a form field; some of them can be just
'spacers'. You
can torture a table's cell measurements quite a bit before it rebels. <g>
For
the most part you should be able to get what you need by splitting or
merging
cells and dragging their borders.

The one thing you don't want to do is make the table float (by dragging
the
table itself or by setting the table's wrapping in the Table Properties
dialog
to Around) -- that will just get you back to the random placement waltz.
If you
accidentally float the table, open the Table Properties dialog and reset
the
wrapping to None.

Once the form document is protected for forms entry, the tab and
Shift+tab keys
will go from field to field (ignoring empty table cells, because they're
protected) from left to right and then down to the next row. If you need
to
change that order, see
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/SetTabOrder.htm, but be aware
that it
requires a macro, which can be a problem if you're distributing the form
to
other computers.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so all may benefit.

Thanks, Jay - you've hit on the issue that was concerning me: how to skip
"spacer" fields. That does seem a viable approach, although I would need
to use the macros to follow the irregular logic of the form's workflow.
It is a pretty irregular form (when you try to envisage it as a table) -
the fields are just dotted lines placed wherever the questions happened to
end (although I've seen worse). I think it would be a great deal of work
to get a table structure to fit. That made the idea of using frames more
attractive initially, although your phrase "random placement waltz"
perfectly captures what was going on!

I did persist last night with experiments with an elderly Acrobat (Pro)
and the latest version of Serif's PagePlus, and the latter has given good
results for this form. I could open the PDF (from the scanner) directly,
and I can create and adjust fields exactly as I need them, and set
properties (e.g. borders, transparency) easily. The resulting form
behaves beautifully and intuitively, but the downside is that the
information can't be saved as an editable package if users have only
Acrobat Reader (they all have Word).

I'm still wondering if frames (or something equivalent) might still be the
best option for this form. What's the trick to avoid the "waltz"?

I must say I've learned to respect and appreciate enormously the corps of
MVPs, and I'm very grateful for your help!

Phil

 

[Jay Freedman]

I'm still wondering if frames (or something equivalent) might still be
the best option for this form. What's the trick to avoid the "waltz"?

I'm not sure there is any trick that will avoid the "waltz" entirely, but these
precautions seem to help:

- Be aware of where the anchor point of each frame is. In Tools > Options >
View, turn on the option to show object anchors. When nonprinting characters are
displayed and the cursor is in a frame, the anchor icon will appear in the left
margin next to the paragraph that is the anchor for that frame.

- Try to minimize the number of frames anchored to any one paragraph.

- Try to keep the anchors located in the same order as the frames appear on the
page. I.e., if a frame appears low on the page, don't anchor it in one of the
top paragraphs.

- After inserting a frame, right-click its edge and choose Format Frame. Set the
horizontal and vertical positions relative to Page or Margin, not relative to
Paragraph. Uncheck "Move with text" and check "Lock anchor". (When "Move with
text" is checked, if the anchor paragraph moves because of editing, the frame
also moves. If "Lock anchor" is checked, it's no longer possible to change the
anchor position by dragging the anchor icon, which is usually a mistake.)

Good luck with whatever approach you take!

 

[Philip Herlihy]

You skip the "spacer" cells automatically when filling out the form; once
you have inserted text form fields as required and protected the form, then
Tab will take you to the next form field, skipping all the empty cells.

Thanks - I got that!

Phil

 

[Philip Herlihy]

I'm not sure there is any trick that will avoid the "waltz" entirely, but these
precautions seem to help:

- Be aware of where the anchor point of each frame is. In Tools > Options >
View, turn on the option to show object anchors. When nonprinting characters are
displayed and the cursor is in a frame, the anchor icon will appear in the left
margin next to the paragraph that is the anchor for that frame.

- Try to minimize the number of frames anchored to any one paragraph.

- Try to keep the anchors located in the same order as the frames appear on the
page. I.e., if a frame appears low on the page, don't anchor it in one of the
top paragraphs.

- After inserting a frame, right-click its edge and choose Format Frame. Set the
horizontal and vertical positions relative to Page or Margin, not relative to
Paragraph. Uncheck "Move with text" and check "Lock anchor". (When "Move with
text" is checked, if the anchor paragraph moves because of editing, the frame
also moves. If "Lock anchor" is checked, it's no longer possible to change the
anchor position by dragging the anchor icon, which is usually a mistake.)

Good luck with whatever approach you take!

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

That's probably what I missed. I'd set the form's image as a
background, and I was trying to add frames without any paragraphs (or
anything else!) on the page. I guess from what you say I'd need to
insert a series of blank paragraphs just to anchor the frames - although
I take your point about locking them relative to the page.

Thanks - I'll try this!

Phil

 

[Philip Herlihy]

That's probably what I missed. I'd set the form's image as a
background, and I was trying to add frames without any paragraphs (or
anything else!) on the page. I guess from what you say I'd need to
insert a series of blank paragraphs just to anchor the frames - although
I take your point about locking them relative to the page.

Thanks - I'll try this!

Phil

Yup, that worked. It's quite a bit more laborious (there are 68 fields
in this form) than it was using PagePlus, but the advantage is that the
completed forms can be saved by the user. Thanks for the pointers (how
do you get to know all this?).

For the record, here's the note I made in my journal:

To create an editable form in Word 2003, based on a scanned image of a
paper form, set the scanned image as the page background and set
appropriate scaling. For each field, insert a frame, then set its
properties to be relative to page (not paragraph), uncheck "Move with
text" and check "Lock Anchor". Remove frame's borders. Style frame's
"paragraph" so as to remove space above, and, with focus inside frame,
insert a text field. Fine-tune size and position. Tab order is set by
creating OnExit macros. Finally, protect document. The resulting
document can be saved or printed, and will be indistinguishable from a
typed paper form.

Phil

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

FWIW, the tab order of *frames* is also set by the order of the paragraphs
to which they're anchored. You could simplify this by inserting an empty
paragraph to correspond to each form field you plan to use. Temporarily
number the empty paragraphs. Then create your frames anchored to those
paragraphs (regardless of where placed) according to the order in which you
want the form fields filled, setting the position of the frames relative to
the page as required. When it all looks right, remove the numbering from the
paragraphs.

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

 

[Philip Herlihy]

FWIW, the tab order of *frames* is also set by the order of the paragraphs
to which they're anchored. You could simplify this by inserting an empty
paragraph to correspond to each form field you plan to use. Temporarily
number the empty paragraphs. Then create your frames anchored to those
paragraphs (regardless of where placed) according to the order in which you
want the form fields filled, setting the position of the frames relative to
the page as required. When it all looks right, remove the numbering from the
paragraphs.

That's really neat!

Phil