About printed forms and forms for use in Word

You can create:

• A form that is printed and then filled in on paper. You can insert blanks for users to complete as well as check boxes that list choices, such as Yes and No.
• A form that users view and complete in Word. This form is distributed and collected by using e-mail or by posting it on a network location. You can use text fields, check boxes, and drop-down lists. You can compile data from this form and then analyze it in Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel.

  Some advantages to using forms that users complete in Word are that Word can automatically verify user input (such as an employee number), update other fields based on the input in an associated field (such as the city and region associated with a particular postal code), and offer Help messages to make the form easier to fill out.

When designing a form, you can sketch a layout first, or use an existing form as a guide. Many forms, such as contracts, consist solely of text, with form fields inserted throughout the document so users can provide specific information. Other forms are based on a grid, in which you can combine features such as:

• Tables to help you align text and form controls.

  Tables generally work well when you're creating a form with a simple layout. However, if the layout is more complex, you can insert several tables and separate them with blank paragraphs; use the Draw Table tool; or use nested tables.

• Text boxes. These are useful when you want to precisely position a block of text, a graphic, or a chart. You can then format the text box borders, background color, text color, and so on.
• Borders and shading. These can designate text areas to be filled in and generally help make key elements in the form attractive and easy to follow.

If you want to create more powerful forms, you can use the form controls in the Control Toolbox, which are Microsoft ActiveX controls.

To use these controls, a knowledge of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is recommended so that you can customize their behavior.

Note  The controls in the Control Toolbox do not function in many browsers, so it is recommended that you use them for forms that will be filled out in Microsoft Word, not for Web forms.