Learn to Create a Microsoft Office Word Form

Learn to Create a Microsoft Office Word Form

Learn to Create a Microsoft Office Word Form : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.

If you need a custom form, there is no reason to hire someone to create one for you. Creating a form using Microsoft Word can be fairly simple. Creating your own template allows you to specify the fields your form requires and decide which fields a user can edit. This article walks you through how to create a form using Microsoft Office Word 2003, but many of the steps are the same in other versions.

1. First, create a Word template. On the New Document taskbar, choose File, New, then choose On my computer under the Templates heading. Make sure Blank Document under the General tab is selected, and press OK.
2. The easiest way to make a form is to use the Forms toolbar. To access it, choose View, Toolbars, then choose the Forms toolbar.
3. To create a field for typing, click the first button, Text Form Field. This inserts a text field into your form. Click the fourth button, Form Field Options. This opens a dialog box that allows you to set default text and the length of the field.
4. To create a checkbox field, click the second button, Check Box Form Field. Click the fourth button, Form Field Options, to set the size and default value.
5. To create a drop-down menu field, click the third button, Drop-Down Form Field. Click the Form Field Options button to add the items you wish to include in the drop-down menu.
6. You may wish to add a table. You can do this by clicking the Draw Table or Insert Table button. If you click Draw Table, a table toolbar will pop up with more options. You may also add a frame by clicking the Insert Frame button and drawing it with your mouse. You can add these tables or frames before or after you create your fields. The Form Field Shading button toggles form shading on and off to help you control the look of your template.
7. The Reset Form Fields button resets your fields to their original settings. The Protect Form button locks your template so it cannot be edited unless you unlock it.

After you have created the form just the way you want it, you can simply attach it to an email or publish it to a website. The MS Word 2003 Help Guide is an excellent resource, particularly if you are using a different version of Word. It can be accessed through your Help menu.