How to Make an Interactive Document From Word

1. To ensure you can view the Developer tab, click the "Microsoft Office" button. Click "Word Options" button and then ensuring you are viewing the Popular page by clicking the "Popular" link. Click the "Show Developer tab in the Ribbon" check box. Click the "OK" button and then click the Developer tab in the menu bar.
2. In the Controls group, click to add a control. For example, to add a drop-down list, click the "Drop-Down List" control. In the Controls group, click the "Properties" option.
3. Specify a title, such as Menu. Click the "Add" button and add a choice in the "Display Name" box such as Agree. This is displayed as the Value as well. Next, add another choice, such as Disagree.
4. Change the instructional text of the control but clicking "Design Mode" option in the Controls group. Edit the placeholder text (for example, change "Choose an item" to "Select an option.")
5. In the Protect group, click the "Protect Document" option. Click the "Restrict Formatting and Editing" option.
6. Select the "Allow only this type of editing in the document" check box under Editing Restrictions and then select the "Filling in forms" option in the editing restrictions drop-down list.
7. Click the "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection" button.
8. Optionally, assign a password so that people who know the password can edit the document. Specify a password this is difficult to decipher.
9. Click the "OK" button.
10. Save your file.
11. Distribute your interactive document to gather information such as input about business processes, get feedback about meetings you have organized, provide a standard template for others to fill out information such as event registration or expense reporting.
12. Automate your interactive documents by adding macros, actions that recorded in Visual Basic for Applications. For example, if your document contains a check box asking a "Yes or No" question and the user selects Yes, an exit macro can activate other related fields, providing more information.
13. Analyze your results. Open a user completed document. If you used legacy forms, such as the Check Box Form Fields, you can save the file as a text file. Click the "Microsoft Office" button. Click "Word Options" button and then click the "Advanced" link. Click the "Save form data as delimited text file" check box. Click the "OK" button. Click the "Microsoft Office" button. Click the "Save Copy As" link and choose Plain Text as the "Save as Type" for the the file. Select a text encoding option, typically the "Windows (Default)" option and click the "OK" button. Your data is saved in a comma-delimited text file you can use for analysis using Excel or another database application.