Word confuses Form and ActiveX Controls?

[Jared L]

I have designed a form in Word 2002 using the Control Toolbox. I save it as
a normal document (not a template). The problem is that occassionally when
I open the document, I get an error: "Can't exit design mode because
Control [Some Control Name] can not be created." The Control Toolbar is
then visible with the design button depressed.

When I click on the control in question, the status line says, "Double-click
to edit Microsoft Forms 2.0 [Some Control Type]." The odd thing is that if
I keep clicking different controls, eventually the message in the Status Box
disappears.

If I close and open the document several times, eventually the document will
open without error.

I'm guessing that Word is treating the control in question as a Microsoft
Forms control and not an ActiveX control. In other words, as the type of
control you add with the Forms Toolbar and not the Control Toolbar. If that
is correct, how do you keep Word from confusing the two types of controls?
I don't want the end-user to see the error message and Control Toolbar when
he or she opens the file.



---Jared L

 

[Jean-Guy Marcil]

Jared L was telling us:
Jared L nous racontait que :

I have designed a form in Word 2002 using the Control Toolbox. I
save it as a normal document (not a template). The problem is that
occassionally when I open the document, I get an error: "Can't exit
design mode because Control [Some Control Name] can not be created." The
Control Toolbar is then visible with the design button depressed.

When I click on the control in question, the status line says,
"Double-click to edit Microsoft Forms 2.0 [Some Control Type]." The
odd thing is that if I keep clicking different controls, eventually
the message in the Status Box disappears.

If I close and open the document several times, eventually the
document will open without error.

I'm guessing that Word is treating the control in question as a
Microsoft Forms control and not an ActiveX control. In other words,
as the type of control you add with the Forms Toolbar and not the
Control Toolbar. If that is correct, how do you keep Word from
confusing the two types of controls? I don't want the end-user to see
the error message and Control Toolbar when he or she opens the file.

I think you will find that most people do not really use ActiveX controls in
Word because they are flaky and cause all kind of trouble. I believe they
are more reliable in Excel, at least, in Excel I have never had any problem
with them. Not so in Word.
Also, in later versions, there are anti-virus and/or registration issues
that complicate their use.

So, if it is a "Fill the form" type of document, you can do it with the form
toolbar, you do not need ActiveX.
If I am in a situation where I need a more complex UI, I use a UserForm.

What is it you are doing with ActiveX controls that you cannot do with a
formfield?

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

 

[Jared L]

I place ActiveX buttons on the document that the user can press to run vba
code. I like the ActiveX combo boxes which allow the user to either select
one of the given choices or type in their own choice. The ActiveX radio
buttons allow mutually-exclusive choices without extra programming or having
to place related ones in a single frame.

I like having the controls on the document rather than in a user form. That
allows the user to work at his or her leisure and/or save the data for
partially completed forms.

If there is no solution to my problem, I may try to combine form toolbar
controls with ActiveX controls. Maybe reducing the amount of ActiveX
controls may make the problem go away. ---Jared

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Jared,

Forms 2.0 controls are ActiveX controls; they're the same controls as in the
Control Toolbox. So the message is essentially telling you the ActiveX control
can't be created in the document.

In your second message you indicate that you've put quite a number of these in
a document, and that the solution may be to substitute "forms" controls for
some of them. I think this is an approach that could work.

An ActiveX control requires relatively quite a lot of resources (memory).
Similar to an embedded Powerpoint slide or Excel sheet, it needs to embed and
instantiate itself as the document is opened. If there are a lot of them, there
may simply not be enough available resources when the document is opened the
first time. The more you "play with it", the more resources Word can
accumulate, so that eventually it works.

I have designed a form in Word 2002 using the Control Toolbox. I save it as
a normal document (not a template). The problem is that occassionally when
I open the document, I get an error: "Can't exit design mode because
Control [Some Control Name] can not be created." The Control Toolbar is
then visible with the design button depressed.

When I click on the control in question, the status line says, "Double-click
to edit Microsoft Forms 2.0 [Some Control Type]." The odd thing is that if
I keep clicking different controls, eventually the message in the Status Box
disappears.

If I close and open the document several times, eventually the document will
open without error.

I'm guessing that Word is treating the control in question as a Microsoft
Forms control and not an ActiveX control. In other words, as the type of
control you add with the Forms Toolbar and not the Control Toolbar. If that
is correct, how do you keep Word from confusing the two types of controls?
I don't want the end-user to see the error message and Control Toolbar when
he or she opens the file.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Jared L]

Hi, Cindy,

Your explanation makes sense. I will try substituting much of the ActiveX
controls with "form" controls. Thanks.

---Jared L.

Hi Jared,

Forms 2.0 controls are ActiveX controls; they're the same controls as in
the
Control Toolbox. So the message is essentially telling you the ActiveX
control
can't be created in the document.

In your second message you indicate that you've put quite a number of
these in
a document, and that the solution may be to substitute "forms" controls
for
some of them. I think this is an approach that could work.

An ActiveX control requires relatively quite a lot of resources (memory).
Similar to an embedded Powerpoint slide or Excel sheet, it needs to embed
and
instantiate itself as the document is opened. If there are a lot of them,
there
may simply not be enough available resources when the document is opened
the
first time. The more you "play with it", the more resources Word can
accumulate, so that eventually it works.

I have designed a form in Word 2002 using the Control Toolbox. I save it
as
a normal document (not a template). The problem is that occassionally
when
I open the document, I get an error: "Can't exit design mode because
Control [Some Control Name] can not be created." The Control Toolbar is
then visible with the design button depressed.

When I click on the control in question, the status line says,
"Double-click
to edit Microsoft Forms 2.0 [Some Control Type]." The odd thing is that
if
I keep clicking different controls, eventually the message in the Status
Box
disappears.

If I close and open the document several times, eventually the document
will
open without error.

I'm guessing that Word is treating the control in question as a Microsoft
Forms control and not an ActiveX control. In other words, as the type of
control you add with the Forms Toolbar and not the Control Toolbar. If
that
is correct, how do you keep Word from confusing the two types of
controls?
I don't want the end-user to see the error message and Control Toolbar
when
he or she opens the file.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister


This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail