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

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your input. I initially suggested Content Controls, but the lack of automatic updating seemed to be a deal-breaker for him. So I switched to suggesting Form Fields, because they could force updates.

John,

Filling in forms or No Changes either will work with content controls.  That said, I would not use the former.

I read through this post with amusement.  Afterwards I discovered that what for a long time for me has been clear as a bell, is apparently clear as mud to some others.

Davyd, the Repeating Data page is fairly long as it is :-(. The first six sections were published prior to the release of Word 2007 and the introduction of content controls.  Since all of the methods in section 1 through 6 are functionally similar, I never saw a need (other than mentioning that fact) to change those sections.  I have just completed a change to section 2 based on this post.

There continues to be debate about what is the best method to create a form/repeat data.  I suppose the first consideration in that debate is NOT what you the form designer is working with, but what the form users will be working with!

While a userform is near perfect to the designer, it is daunting to the novice.  With it you can easily validate data entered by the user (e.g., ensure SSN is 9 digits and formatted XXX-XX-XXXX), but if the user does not or is not permitted to use macros it is useless to him or her.  While content controls are near magical (but not perfect) they are useless if your from user is working with Word 2003. 

Are your users poor spellers or, like me a careless typist?  If so then with using formfields, not only what they type incorrectly may go unnoticed, everywhere it is repeated will be unnoticed as well.

Davyd mentions he is using Word 2013.  In my opinion, if he and his users have access to Word 2010 or higher (I exclude Word 2007 because of the missing checkbox content control, a "protected" content control  form is superior to a protected formfield form.

While it would still be functional, by "protected" content control form, I do not mean "Editing Restrictions - Filling In Forms"  

In this type of form, the "best" way to repeat data is by mapping (binding the content control data) to a document CustomXMLPart.  In this way a change to any like titled content control updates the XML data and all like titled controls mapped to that node.

The easiest way (IMHO) to that is download, extract and load my Content Control Tools Add-In: http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/word_tip_pages/content_control_tools.html

1. Open a new document.

2. Add all the content controls.  Title all the ones you want to repeat the same data with the same title e.g., if you need TenantName repeated 10 times then create 10 CCs titled "TenantName {copy and paste works wonderfully).

3. Click the Add-Ins tab.
4. Click The Content Control Tools control
5. Click the InstaMap tab

6. Click "InStaMap Content Controls"

7. Set editing restrictions (optional)

    a. Developer>Restrict Editing

    b. Editing Restrictions>Check Allow only this type of editing in the document.

    c. Set the dropdown to No Changes (Read only)

    d. Click on Yes, Start Enforcing Protection////