WD2000: How to Create a Form That Updates Automatically (212190)

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In the example that follows, you create a form that contains a form field that causes a company's address to be inserted automatically when you quit a form field after you select a company name. The address is placed at a bookmark that is located in the protected section of the document.

How to Create the On-Exit Macro

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Sub DropDownAutoText1()

   Dim DropResult As String

   ' Get result of the form field.
   DropResult = ActiveDocument.FormFields("DropDown1").Result

   ' UnProtect the document.
   ActiveDocument.UnProtect

   With Selection

      ' Go to location to insert Autotext
      .GoTo What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="Mark1"

      ' Insert AutoText name chosen from dropdown list.
      .InsertAfter DropResult

      ' Insert the AutoText.
      .Range.InsertAutoText

   End With

   ' Re-Protect the document.
   If ActiveDocument.ProtectionType = wdNoProtection Then
      ActiveDocument.Protect Type:=wdAllowOnlyFormFields, NoReset:=True
   End If

End Sub 
				

How to Create the Drop-Down Form Field

Open a new document, and follow these steps to create a drop-down form field:

1. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Forms.
2. On the Forms toolbar, click Drop-Down Form Field (the third button).
3. Double-click the newly inserted form field. Enter an item name in the Drop-down Item box, and click the Add button. Use items (such as company names) to denote information (such as addresses) to be inserted into other places on the form.
4. Repeat step 3 for each item you need in the Drop-Down list. Then click OK.
5. Right-click the drop-down form field, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu that appears.
6. In the Drop-Down Form Field Options dialog box, under Run Macro On in the Exit box, select the macro you created in the How to Create the On-Exit Macro section of this article. Then click OK.

How to Create the AutoText Entries

Create the AutoText entries. Give each AutoText entry the same name that is used in the drop-down form field list. The content of the AutoText entry will be the company address.

For more information about creating AutoText entries, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type autotext in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

How to Place the Bookmark in the Form

Use the following procedure to insert a bookmark (in this example, name the bookmark Mark1) where you want the AutoText (address) to appear. To insert a bookmark, follow these steps:

1. On the Insert menu, click Bookmark.
2. Type Mark1 on the Bookmark name line.
3. Click Add.

NOTE: You will not be able to use bookmarks in headers, footers, annotations, footnotes, or endnotes, because the EditGoto command in the macro will not see these bookmarks, and they cannot be unprotected in your form.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: If you want the bookmark to be in an unprotected section, insert a continuous section break above and below the bookmark. By placing the bookmark in an unprotected section, you can change the text that is inserted at the bookmark without changing the associated form field that inserted the text or without unprotecting your form.

To insert a continuous section break, follow these steps:

1. Move the insertion point either above or below the bookmark.
2. On the Insert menu, click Break.
3. In the Break dialog box, click to select Continuous.
4. Click OK.

Repeat these steps as needed to place a continuous section break above and below your bookmark.

How to Protect the Form

To protect the form, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Protect document
2. In the Protect Document dialog box, click to select Forms.
   
   NOTE: If you inserted continuous section breaks in your form, and you want to protect certain sections of the form and leave other sections unprotected, follow these steps:
   1. In the Protect Document dialog box, click Sections.
   2. In the Section Protection dialog box, click to clear the section or sections that you do not want protected.
   3. Click OK to close the Section Protection dialog box.
3. Click OK to close the Protect Document dialog box.
4. Save and close your form.