A fill-in field will create a "blank" in a document template that can be filled in by a user. The difference between a fill-in field and a form field is that a fill-in field will prompt the user for input when the user starts a new document with the template. If you have multiple fill-in fields in a document, each prompt will appear and pause for user input, then the document will appear with all fields filled in.
To create a fill-in field
- Position the insertion point where you want the text that will be entered by the user to appear.
- Choose Insert → Field.
- In the Field names list, choose Fill-in.
- In the Field Properties Prompt box, enter the text you want to appear to prompt the user for input.
- Optionally, enter default text.
- Click OK.
- You will be prompted once by the Fill-in field. Enter a response. While it does not matter what you enter, if you have configured default text, you should enter that same text.
- Click OK.
After inserting one or more fill-in fields, you treat the document like other Word forms.
- Save the form as a template. Choose File ? Save As and, from the Save as type list, select Document template.
- Use the form by choosing File ? New and starting a new document based on the template.
- When a new document is started using the form template, you will be prompted by each fill-in field in the document.
There are some important distinctions between fill-in fields and form fields:
- There are several types of form fields: text box, check box, and drop-down list. Form fields can also include formatting and calculations. A fill-in field is only text.
- Fill-in fields prompt the user prior to fully opening the document. A user must navigate to each form field.
- Form fields require that the document (or at least the portion of the document with form fields) is protected. Documents with fill-in fields do not have to be protected, although you may choose to do so for other reasons.
Like form fields, you can bookmark a fill-in field and then insert a reference to the bookmark elsewhere in the document, allowing you to automate document creation.
