Creating Forms in Microsoft Word 2007
From record keeping to assignments to student assessment, forms can be created and used in the classroom in a variety of ways! Before we get started let’s make sure we have two essential tools at our finger tips: 1) the Developer Tab, 2) the Lock feature of forms on the Quick Access toolbar.
1. The Developer tab
Open a new MS Word document. Select the Developertab on the top menu bar.
If this tab is not visible, select the office button and on the bottom of the menu that appears, select Word Options and in the menu that appears, select Popular and then select the checkbox for Show Developer tab in the Ribbon. Click OK.
2. The Lock feature on the Quick Access Toolbar
If the Lock feature is not visible on the Quick Access toolbar, select the office button and select Word Options. In the left column, select Customize and the following menu will appear (shown on the next page).
In the Choose commands from box, click on the arrow and select All Commands and then scroll down to find the Lock feature. Click Add. Click OK.
Now that we have the essential forms tools at our fingertips, let’s take a look at a few other forms features that we will be using to create a form.
On the Developer tab, in the Control section, select the Legacy Tools icon.
The Legacy Forms bar will appear. This has the icons for text form field, drop-down menu, and checkbox. To insert one of these form fields into the document, simply click on the desired icon. The form field will appear where your cursor is. You can copy it or move it to another location in the document if needed.
To create the drop-down choices
After selecting the drop-down form field icon, right click on the box that appears, and select Properties.
A dialogue box will open up. Type in the answers, one at a time, in the Drop-down item box. Each time, click the Add button to place it in the Items in drop-down list box. Use the arrows on the dialogue box to move the answers up and down the drop-down menu to the desired position. Click OK.
To lock the document
The document must be locked for the form to become active. To start, make sure that the Design Mode button in the Developer tab is not selected. To lock the document, go to the Developer Tab Protect Document Restrict Formatting and Editing.
A dialogue box will appear on the right hand side. In the Editing restrictions section, select the checkbox for Allow only this type of editing in the document and Filling in forms. Click the button for Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
A dialogue box will prompt for a password, if the document needs password protection. This is optional, but using a password would be ideal for forms being completed by students, so that they are unable to go in and make changes to the document except for completing the form in the designated areas. Type in a password and click OK.
Save your form as a template and you’re ready to go!
Loudoun County Public Schools Assistive Technology Team, revised 3/12