Leading the way in Microsoft Office Development

Controlling the Tab order

The default tab order for your form fields is from left to right and down starting with the form field closest to the top of the page.

You can change the tab order for your form fields by using an On Exit macro.

Where "FormField2" is the bookmark name of next form field in the tab order.

Using Fonts

When applying font formatting to your forms always use a font that will be available on all the computers that will use the form.

If you use a font that is not available on a particular computer Windows will automatically substitute it for another font.

Always try and use the standard fonts: Arial, Times New Roman etc.

Advanced Calculations

It is possible to create complex calculations into a text form field but you need to be aware of the order of operation.

If you are in any doubt always use parentheses to make the order explicit.

It is possible to link this text field to a bookmark that you have previously created in the document.

Using ActiveX Controls

You can also add ActiveX controls from the Control Toolbox toolbar to your forms.

This will allow you to insert command buttons and other controls.

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If you are using additional ActiveX controls then the forms should not be used for the web.

Not all browsers recognise these ActiveX controls.

Using Outlook

Outlook has its own form generating capability and may be worth considering if you need good email support.

InfoPath

InfoPath is a more advanced type of form generation that enables users to create custom forms that save data in XMl format.

This makes it very easy for the data to be added to a database and used in other applications.

InfoPath is an alternative for people who use forms extensively and save them electronically.