Monday, October 15, 2012

Forming Up Your Genealogy--Part 21--Ribbon Custom Tab

The last bit of information you need about using buttons on the Forms tab is in reference to the Properties button you added to the Text Group. You can use the same Properties button with each type of fillable field that you added (text, check box, or combo selection). After you add a field, you can click the Properties button on the ribbon and the Properties dialog associated with the fillable field type will appear. You can do the same task by right-clicking in the field and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu. It's all a matter of how you like to work.

In formal documentation, the display of different Properties dialogs based on a fillable field type is referred to as being context sensitive. Lots of the functionality in Word 2007/2010 is context sensitive, which is one of the things that makes users crazy...tabs and buttons appear and disappear...if you don't know why it will make you nuts.

You can use a Word fillable form as is. However, if you plan to publish it to the web, you'll need to convert the form to a PDF. The next bit of info you'll need is what to do in Adobe Acrobat to get a fillable form as a PDF. So stay tuned...in case you have that friend who has access to a copy of Acrobat.

Also, Pattie uses a product named pdf995. I'll have to see if you can convert fillable forms with it also. If yes, this solution is free or at best $9.95 for a download copy. I'll keep you posted.

As always, if you have questions, please post them. I'll be happy to try and help.

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