Can MSWord create a document that is mostly uneditable?

[Guest Lew]

I need to set up a form so it is mostly uneditable except for a few

blanks that a local user can fill in.

 

For a local condo assocation board, there are some forms that each

board member needs to send out occasionally to individuals in the

condos. These board members are not all that savvy about word

processors. When I initially sent the MSWord-based forms for them to

fill out and print on their own, they wreaked havoc with the

formatting.

 

I need to be able to give them a file that has a form letter with a

few blanks they can fill it, but without permitting them to do

anything to the basic form letter. What I need, I guess, is something

that would behave like a .pdf, but could have some blanks here and

there where they could fill in some info and then print it out.

 

Can MS Word do this?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

Lew

lwdrndn____@____msn.com (take out the underscores)

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Can MSWord create a document that is mostly uneditable?

 

 

"Lew" <lwsrndn@hotmail.com> wrote in message

news:1191781881.105896.150960@v3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

>I need to set up a form so it is mostly uneditable except for a few

> blanks that a local user can fill in.

>

> For a local condo assocation board, there are some forms that each

> board member needs to send out occasionally to individuals in the

> condos. These board members are not all that savvy about word

> processors. When I initially sent the MSWord-based forms for them to

> fill out and print on their own, they wreaked havoc with the

> formatting.

>

> I need to be able to give them a file that has a form letter with a

> few blanks they can fill it, but without permitting them to do

> anything to the basic form letter. What I need, I guess, is something

> that would behave like a .pdf, but could have some blanks here and

> there where they could fill in some info and then print it out.

>

> Can MS Word do this?

>

> Thanks for any info.

>

> Lew

> lwdrndn____@____msn.com (take out the underscores)

>

 

Best to ask the experts in a Word newsgroup.

[Guest Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Re: Can MSWord create a document that is mostly uneditable?

 

Lew <lwsrndn@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I need to set up a form so it is mostly uneditable except for a few

> blanks that a local user can fill in.

>

> For a local condo assocation board, there are some forms that each

> board member needs to send out occasionally to individuals in the

> condos. These board members are not all that savvy about word

> processors. When I initially sent the MSWord-based forms for them to

> fill out and print on their own, they wreaked havoc with the

> formatting.

>

> I need to be able to give them a file that has a form letter with a

> few blanks they can fill it, but without permitting them to do

> anything to the basic form letter. What I need, I guess, is something

> that would behave like a .pdf, but could have some blanks here and

> there where they could fill in some info and then print it out.

>

> Can MS Word do this?

>

> Thanks for any info.

>

> Lew

> lwdrndn____@____msn.com (take out the underscores)

 

No - this is what a PDF form is for.

[Guest Cooler Dude]

Re: Can MSWord create a document that is mostly uneditable?

 

Lew wrote:

> I need to set up a form so it is mostly uneditable except for a

> few blanks that a local user can fill in.

>

> For a local condo assocation board, there are some forms that

> each board member needs to send out occasionally to individuals

> in the condos. These board members are not all that savvy

> about word processors. When I initially sent the MSWord-based

> forms for them to fill out and print on their own, they wreaked

> havoc with the formatting.

>

> I need to be able to give them a file that has a form letter

> with a few blanks they can fill it, but without permitting them

> to do anything to the basic form letter. What I need, I guess,

> is something that would behave like a .pdf, but could have some

> blanks here and there where they could fill in some info and

> then print it out.

>

> Can MS Word do this?

>

> Thanks for any info.

>

> Lew

> lwdrndn____@____msn.com (take out the underscores)

 

Yes. To limit where users can enter data, use Form Fields (View

> Toolbars > Forms) and protect the finished document (Tools >

Protect Document > Forms and set a password). To prevent users

from changing the formatting, you can use "tables" within the

document and specify the height/width of each cell. It's a bit

fiddly but once it's done, you can be pretty certain that the

document won't get wrecked!

[Guest mhc]

Re: Can MSWord create a document that is mostly uneditable?

 

Lew wrote:

> I need to set up a form so it is mostly uneditable except for a few

> blanks that a local user can fill in.

>

> For a local condo assocation board, there are some forms that each

> board member needs to send out occasionally to individuals in the

> condos. These board members are not all that savvy about word

> processors. When I initially sent the MSWord-based forms for them to

> fill out and print on their own, they wreaked havoc with the

> formatting.

>

> I need to be able to give them a file that has a form letter with a

> few blanks they can fill it, but without permitting them to do

> anything to the basic form letter. What I need, I guess, is something

> that would behave like a .pdf, but could have some blanks here and

> there where they could fill in some info and then print it out.

>

> Can MS Word do this?

I more think your issue is that most people do not own Microsoft Word, and they

are using whatever word processing program they *DO* own (probably the one that

comes with MS-Works) to open the file you send. This is no doubt the cause of

the formatting issues you've seen.

 

Your solution is to stop sending files in Microsoft Word format. Others have

suggested PDF, which is a good suggestion. Another possible solution would be to

send the file in Rich Text Format (RTF), but I do not know whether RTF supports

what you want to do.