Creating a form field to be filled out by a user and populate through out the document

Anonymous
2015-03-01T18:08:02+00:00

I know this is simple but I cannot figure it out.

Working in

|Office 2013

 |Microsoft Office Word

 |Office for Windows 8.1

Please don't reference Greg Massey, I can't understand anything there and his tutorials seem completely out of whack with Word 2013.

I am building a contract where field are repeated several times, (FirstName, LastName, Address, etc.)

I want to create a field in the contract that populated throughout the document with these variable from the first field I population:

I want to enter the information each time from a template directly on the template. When a user would get to the template the first page might have something like this. There they would fill in the variables in italics

This contract is for FirstName LastName at ThisAddress, ThisCity, ThisZipCode

Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here. 

Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here.  Static content continues here. 

Then one of the variable above is needed again.  If it was entered above, it would automatically populate the fields filled in above.

FirstName LastName promises to pay $1 for services.

All Service are performed in ZipCode

I know you can do this with bookmarks, but when I did that, and then wanted to CHANGE the variable to make a contract with another person, I had to recreate the bookmark and all referenced fields on the whole thing from an original bookmark again.  I want to make this once, and the use just enters the basic information one time and it autopopulates the rest of the doc.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2015-03-02T05:53:50+00:00

It is NOT to the default text that you create the cross reference, but to the bookmark that is assigned to the FormField.  

It is a good idea to assign a meaningful bookmark name to the formfield and in the example below, I have used TenantName as the bookmark as well as setting that as the default text.   Note that I have also checked the Calculate on Exit box

Then, after setting cross references to the Text of the Bookmark and Protecting the document for Filling in Forms, when I enter "Bill Smith" into the FormField

and then press the tab key, this will be the result

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John Korchok 236.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2015-03-02T14:44:28+00:00

Hi Davyd,

Legacy Form Fields will not relay the information until you protect the document for Filling in forms.

  1. Developer>Restrict Editing
  2. Editing Restrictions>Check Allow only this type of editing in the document.
  3. Set the dropdown to Filling in forms
  4. Click on Yes, Start Enforcing Protection
  5. Save your document.

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  1. John Korchok 236.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-03-02T01:05:47+00:00

    Hi Davyd,

    With form Fields, you need to use Filling in forms as your protection method, not No change (Read only).

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  2. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-03-02T01:22:24+00:00

    You are either not reading it all, or are failing to understand or follow the instructions.

    For another resource, see:

    http://www.mousetrax.com/techpage.html#autoforms

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  3. Charles Kenyon 171K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-03-02T02:45:53+00:00

    Doug, thanks.  I went through that before I posted and it doesn't have anything I could use.  The screen shots look like they are from a much older version of word.  I cannot find any of the controls he is talking about.

    The fist thing it says to do "Click View>Toolbars>Forms".

    I cannot find that in the VIEW ribbon.  I am not sure what form field in 2013 works the same as the one he is talking about.

    That's the part I cannot get.  If I could make that simple form field, I already have the REF part working,  Just not when the original form field changes.

    Greg's page is the most comprehensive page on the topic. It started with earlier versions but has much on content controls. It is the GO TO source.

    I suspect you already know that the controls referred to are on the Developer Tab

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