Mediaboss Marketing

June 6, 2012, 12:01 AM PDT

Takeaway: User forms make data entry more efficient, reduce errors, and ensure consistency. This walk-through will show your users how easy it is to set up their own forms.

Input forms are a good way to guide users and control input. Most of the time, youll use them to generate routine forms, where the user supplies information to complete some process. This article will show your users how to create these input forms using content controls themselves removing you from the loop! Most input forms dont require any code or specialized knowledge beyond choosing the best control for the job.

Word 2007 introduced content controls, which replace form fields in earlier versions. Although you can use 2003 form fields to collect data, theyre a more complex tool and not interchangeable with content control behaviors. This article doesnt include instructions for using Word 2003 form fields.

The first step is always about design. Take a minute to consider the forms purpose and the type of information that will be entered. If the form is complex, you might want to sketch a quick design. This step wont take much time, and it will help you produce the right form the first time.

In this context, the term shell refers to the permanent labels and formats that wont change with usage. For instance, in this example, well work with the simple order form shown in Figure A. It contains a few descriptive labels and simple formatting.

Most of the time, youll want to save the shell as a template. After entering the descriptive labels and applying formatting, save the form as follows:

You dont have to save these forms as templates, but doing so is consistent with most usage conventions.

More here:
10 steps to creating a Word input form