Creating an Electronic Form Using Word 2010 Content Controls

To create a form in Word 2010, the form fields are on the Developer toolbar in the Controls group. Click the Legacy option’s dropdown to see form fields (Word 2003) and ActiveX controls.

If Word 2010’s Developer tab isn’t visible, do the following to display it:

1. Click the Quick Access Toolbar dropdown.
2. Choose More Commands.
3. In the left pane, click Customize Ribbon.
4. In the list to the right under Main Tabs, check Developer and click OK.

In the Controls group (on the Developer tab), you’ll see a number of other controls - some seem to duplicate the Legacy option’s controls. These new controls are content controls.

You can insert form controls directly into a document, but consider inserting them into a table instead. They’re a little easier to organize that way. For instance, There's a two-column, five-row table in the document shown below. In the left column, there are descriptive labels for the content controls. (Choose Table from the Insert menu/tab.) Here is where to enter the appropriate content controls into the right column. Specifically, enter two text fields, one date field, and two lists.

First, enter a text field for the class ID as follows:

1. Select the first cell in the right column (to the right of the label, Class).
2. Click Plain Text Content Control in the Controls group (on the Developer tab).

You can click Properties (in the Control group) to better define the control. For now, the default options are fine. Enter a second Plain Text Content Control for the instructor’s name. Next, add a Date Picker Content Control as follows:

1. Select the third cell in the right column and click Date Picker Content Control in the Controls group.
2. Click the Properties option in the Controls group, set the format to m/d/yy, and click OK.

At this point, you have three control.

Add a control that lets users choose an item from a list. Specifically, add a list of ratings so the students can score the instructor on preparation and content. Specifically, create a list of five possible scores, from very poor to excellent, as follows:

1. Select the fourth cell in the right column and click Drop Down List Content Control in the Controls group.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click Add.
4. Enter Very poor in the Display Name control.
5. Enter 1 in the Value control.
6. Click OK.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 to create the list shown below. When you’re done, click OK.

Repeat the above instructions to add another Drop Down List Content Control for the last cell in the right column. Or, simply copy it.

Once you’ve inserted all the content controls (or form fields), protect the document as follows:

1. Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document (or select only the table if you’re working in a larger document).
2. Choose Group from the Controls menu.
3. Click Restrict Editing in the Protect group.
4. Check 2. Editing restrictions.
5. From the dropdown, choose Filling In Forms.
6. Save the form, close it, and reopen it.

To use the form, press tab to select the first content control. Enter a class ID and press tab. Enter the instructor’s name and press tab. To enter a date, click the dropdown and click a date. Word will enter the date in the format you selected when you set the control’s properties. Press Tab to move to the next control.

The next two controls are list controls. Click the dropdown for each and select one of the list items.

Word content controls and form fields are good way to implement control and consistency when gathering information.