Session 11 - Forms, Forms, Forms and some other stuff

Word 2013

Creating forms in Word 2013 - "Let me count the ways".

There are a gazillion ways to create Forms using Word. If you are creating the form and then printing it so that it can be filled out later (offline), any of these methods will work. If you are creating the form to be filled out in Word, then you may need to think about which method you use.

When we created forms in Access and Excel, their whole purpose was to get data accurately into a table or spreadsheet. The form was just used as a front-end data entry module. In Word, the purpose is different - yes it is about getting the information so it can be entered somewhere, but it is not as an automated process.

For these exercises, I will be created a sign up form for membership to the Mysty River Regional Library Service. I will need to capture the following information:

First name & Last Name
Residential Address (address lines X2, Suburb, Postcode)
Postal address (if different)
Date of Birth
Home Phone Number
Mobile Number
Email address
Preferred method of contact (Home phone, mobile or email)
Parent/Guardian details if under 18

I am sure there is more, but this will do for our exercise.

Method 1: Tabs and Underlines

This is Form creation at its most basic.

Using TABS to help with lining up and underlines to show where the information is to go, you can create a simple, but functional form.

And this is what it looks like in Print Preview:

Whilst this is perfect to be printed and completed using a good old fashioned pen, it is much harder to use this to enter online in Word because as soon as you start to type in the details, you lose your pretty formatting.

Method 2 - TABS and leaders

Using the same document, you can use dot leaders to show where the text is to go rather than underlines. Whilst still fiddly, you don't lose the formatting quite as easily once you start putting in the information.

I have added a few extra TAB stops so that there is a gap between the leader and the next form information.

With a bit of tweaking, removing the underscores and adding the extra TAB characters, the dot leaders are set.

and the top section looks like this:

Shows document With paragraph marks

Shows document Without paragraph marks

Method 3 - Tables

One of Word's best features is the ability to create a table of any shape and/or size. You can use tables to create a form that will work well printed and/or filled out online.

I use the Draw Table feature of Word, which is fun and visual.

And the Print Preview:

This looks great printed and can be filled out on screen as you do not lose the table formatting once you start to type into it.

Method 4 - Developer Tools

You can use the developer tools in a table, like method 3, or using TABS and lines as per method 1 and 2.

I have used the table from the previous example (with a few tweaks just for fun).

To add Controls, you need to have the Developer Ribbon available. If it is not currently displayed then you need to go to File / Options and tick the Show Developer tab in the Customise Ribbon section.

Within the Developer TAB, you will see the Controls section. These are the tools we need to complete this form template.

I am going to add some plain text fields to my table form. If you go into Design Mode, you can use the Properties box to add some extra options to your controls.

The above are all plain Text controls. For the next field, I want  to use a checkbox with a tick as the character for the item being checked.

This is the properties box for the Date control:

You can also use the properties to include further instructions if necessary.

Saving your Form

When creating Forms, regardless of what method you use, the best way to save them is as a Template. Why? Because it is!! If you save it as a Template, when it is opened it is treated as a new document and you will be asked to save it with a new name when the time comes and you WON'T OVERWRITE YOUR BEAUTIFUL FORM!

Using your form

To use your form, open Word and select your Template.

Complete the details and Save if required.

Class Activity 1

Using each of the methods above, create a membership form for your chosen library or the Mysty River Regional Library Service.

Test each form for usability.

PDF Forms

Word forms are great if the person filling out the form has Word. This is not always the case and it is usual that documents that are sent over the Internet, via email or downloaded from a website, are in PDF format.

The best tool to create PDF files and PDF forms is Adobe Acrobat Pro. This is not the free version. The free Acrobat Reader allows you to open and read PDF files and open and fill out PDF Forms.

Alternatives

There are plenty of free PDF readers and creators, including the free Adobe Reader, but not many tools that allow you to create PDF forms.

Downloadable (Cheap or free)



http://www.wondershare.com/pdf/create-fillable-pdf-forms.html

https://www.pdfill.com/pdf_form_maker.html

This is a link to a list that was last updated in January.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/best-free-pdf-tools.htm



Online

PDFescape
This is a free online tool that I came up with that came close to doing the job. There is a premium option as well, but the free version will work with PDF files up to 10mb.

http://www.pdfescape.com

I started by creating a PDF from my basic table template. (Save As)

You can create a PDF from scratch, but I find it easier to create a basic document in Word and save it.

Use the tools to add fields to the page.

When you have finished, choose Save and Download.

The green shows where fields have been added. You can save and download the form once you are happy with it.

I saved the above form and opened it up in the standard Windows 8 reader, where I was able to fill in the form.

Class Activity 2

Using your previous example, Create a PDF Fillable Form. Save and Test your form.

Acrobat Reader

While we are on the topic of PDF files and Adobe Acrobat, do you use the tools available to read and annotate PDF documents?

Acrobat Reader, as well as all of the other PDF readers, including those for mobile devices, allow you to read, highlight and annotate PDF documents.

Class Activity 3

Load a PDF document into Acrobat Reader. Try out some of the commenting/Annotation tools.