Creating Forms in Microsoft Word 2003

By Gail Van Landingham

If you want to create a form for users to complete, you have a lot of choices for tools. You can use Adobe® Acrobat® to create a PDF form, your favorite web page design tool to create an HTML form, or you can use Microsoft® Word. At our company, several teams use Word forms to track project details.

In Microsoft Word 2003, the form tools have changed from previous versions. Microsoft has added a few more steps when you protect (lock) a form.

The basic process includes the following steps:

Set up. Get your tools ready.
Add form fields. Create the form.
Lock it. This allows users to provide answers, not change your questions.
Test it. This is your chance to do a usability test.
Save it. You can save just the answers, not the questions.
Import it. Import the answers into another program, like a database or spreadsheet.

Set up your tools

Open a new Word document.
Turn on field shading so you can see your form fields.
Click Tools > Options > View tab.
Select Always in the Field shading box.
Display the Forms toolbar by clicking View > Toolbars > Forms.

Add form fields

Click in the document where you want to insert the form field.
On the Forms toolbar, do one of the following:
Click the Text form field button.
Click the Checkbox form field button.
Click the Drop-down form field button.

Lock the form

The quick and easy way

Press the Protect Form button on the Forms toolbar.

The long method - when you want to require a password

Click Tools > Protect Document.

In Editing restrictions:

Select the checkbox.
Select Filling in forms.

In Start enforcement, click the Yes button.

Word prompts you to enter a password.
Enter a password or leave it blank (no password).
Click OK.

Test the form

Do a small usability test. Give your form to a few friendly testers. Ask them to complete the fields and send the form back to you.

Your users can:

Type answers in the text field.
Click to select or clear the checkbox field.
Click to select one of the choices in the drop-down field.

Save the form data

Save the data as a CSV (comma-separated value) file.

Click Tools > Options > Save
Select Save data only for forms.
Word saves the file with a TXT extension. Each field ends in a comma.

Import the form data

Import the TXT file into a database or spreadsheet.

For more information

The Word MVP site

Get answers to many Word questions from the Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). Check out their site at:
www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/index.htm

An organization for forms design

The BFMA (Business Forms Management Association) has a mission to "address the educational and networking needs of forms designers and managers" (www.bfma.org).