Forming Up Your Genealogy--Part 6 Check Boxes

When you add check boxes, you are usually asking the person who is filling out your form to select one or more items from a list. In the example above, the user is being asked to click beside places in which they research.

Insert Check Box Form Fields

1. Add the text instructions: Click beside places in which you are researching.
2. Press Enter to create a new line.
3. Add the list from which you want the person who is filling out your form to select.
   (Add a few place names.)
   
4. Click before each item and insert the check box.
   --Click the Developer tab.
   --In the Controls group, click the Legacy Tools button.
   --Click the Check Box Form Field button. A small gray check box appears in your document.
   
5. Save your document.

Adjust Properties
Complete these instructions for each check box you add.

1. Right-click in the check box and a pop-up menu appears.
2. Select Properties. The Check Box Form Field Options dialog appears.
3. In Check box size, accept the default of Auto. For the most part, I haven't had a reason to select Exactly and start resizing the check box. However, you can see in the graphic that the size is based on points (each point = 1/72 of an inch). If you decide to use this option, it's easy enough to experiment.
4. In Default value, accept the default of Not checked. Again, I've never had a reason to select the checked option. The check box is added with an X in it. I'd have to test it, but I'm assuming that when the person filling out your form click the box, Word removes the X. The assumption with this type of list is that everything in the list applies except the items from which you remove the X.
5. Skip Run macro on fields. A macro is off topic for these posts.
6. Skip Field settings fields. We'll talk about bookmarks later.
7. Click OK.

We have one more type of form field to add. We'll do that in the next post. Then we'll talk about enforcing protection, which is what makes the form work.