Enable the Developer TabIn order to create fillable forms, you will need to start by enabling the developer tab by clicking on the “File” drop-down menu and then choose “Options.” Open the “Customize Ribbon” tab and select the “Main Tabs” option under “Customize the Ribbon.”Now you will need to select the “Developer” box and press “OK.”Once you have done this, you will notice that an additional menu has been added to the top of the screen with several new developer options.To Template, or Not to Template?There are two main options to get started with your form creation. Option one is easy to use if you can find a template that suits your needs.
If you’re into printing out and filling in your checklists, here’s a 1-page Microsoft Word checklist template. It’s easily customizable, and shouldn’t be much trouble to edit inside Word if you want to include more or fewer boxes / pages. Showing the Developer Tab. The tools that you will need to add form controls to your template can be found in the Developer tab which is hidden by default. To show the Developer tab, click 'File'. Then click 'Options'. In the Word Options window, Click on 'Customize Ribbon' in the left-hand sidebar. Under Customize the Ribbon, in the list under Main Tabs, select the Developer check box, and then click OK. Step 2: Open a template or a document on which to base the form To save time, start with a form template.
To find templates, Click on the “File” menu, select “New.” You will see many premade templates available for download. Simply click on “Forms” and look through the selection of templates to find one that suits your needs.When you have found your template, just download it and edit the form as needed.Since that is the easy way and you may not be able to find a template that fits your needs, we will discuss the best way to create forms from scratch. Begin by navigating to the template options again, but instead of selecting a pre-made form, select “My Templates.”Now you will need to click the “Templates” check-circle and then press “OK” to create a blank template. Lastly, press “Ctrl + S” to save the document. We will call it, “Form Template 1”.
Populate the FormNow that you have a blank template, you are ready to start adding information to the form. The form we will create in this example is a simple form to collect information about people who fill them out. First, you will need to enter the basic questions. For this tutorial, we will try to get the following information:. Name ( Plain Text Response). Age ( Drop-Down List). D.O.B.
( Date Response). Sex ( Check Box). Zip Code ( Plain Text Response).
Phone Number ( Plain Text Response). Favorite Primary Color and why: ( Combo Box). Best Pizza Toppings ( Check Box and Plain Text Response).
What is your dream job and why? Limit your answer to 200 words ( Rich Text Response). What type of vehicle do you drive?
( Plain Text Response)Click on the “Developer” tab which you added earlier and under the “Controls” section, choose “Design Mode” to begin creating different control options. If you want to see what it looks like in action, remember to deselect the “Design Mode” option. Text SectionsFor any answers that require a text based answer, you can add text sections.
You will do this by selecting the Rich Text Content Control (allows users to edit formatting) or the Plain Text Content Control (only allows plain text without formatting) option.Let’s enable a rich text response for question 9, and then a plain text response for question 1, 5, 6, and 10.Remember that you can edit the text in the content control boxes to match the questions by clicking in them and typing as seen in the image above. Add a Date Selection OptionIf you need to add dates, you can add the “Date Picker Content Control.” Let’s Use this and add it to question 3.Insert a Drop-Down List with OptionsFor questions that only allow one answer such as numbers (question 2), a drop-down list is handy.
We will add simple list and populate it with age ranges. You will need to add the content control box, right-click on it, and select the “Properties” option. Next, click on add to add age ranges.When you are done, it should look something like this (Design Mode Disabled).Alternatively, you can add a “Combo Box,” which will allow you to add any options you want, as well as allow users to enter additional text if needed. Let’s add a combo box to question 7.
Since it is a combo box, users will be able to select an option and type why they like the color.Add Check BoxesFor the fourth question, we will add check box options. You will first enter your options (male and female). Now you can add the check box content control after each option.Repeat the process for any other questions that require one or more options. We will add check boxes to question 8 as well.
We will also add a plain text response box for any toppings not listed.Wrapping UpThe completed blank form should look like the images below depending on whether you have design mode enabled or disabled. Design Mode EnabledDesign Mode DisabledCongratulations, you have just learned the basics of creating interactive forms. Feel free to our completed sample form if needed. You can send the DOTX file to people and when they open it, it will automatically open up a normal word document that they can fill out and send to you since the template is automatically applied.Image Credit: on Flickr.