One Response for "How do you program a word template that prompts you for info?"

1. dick_bee_bad November 6th, 2009 at 7:47 pm 1

   This is what you want. Do not forget, but I am sure that you would have to mailmerge what you are doing to get it to do what you want it to do. This is gotten from the same place that I have gotten it from, the “Help” part of “Word” (based on Word 2000).

   Field codes: Fillin field
   { FILLIN ["Prompt "] [Switches ] }

   Prompts you to enter text. Your response is printed in place of the field. To insert your response in more than one location, use an ASK field.

   The prompt is displayed each time the FILLIN field is updated. If the FILLIN field is in a mail merge main document, the prompt is displayed each time a new data record is merged unless you use the \o switch.

   When a new document is created based on a template containing FILLIN fields, the fields are updated automatically.

   Instruction Explanation
   “Prompt ” Text displayed in the dialog box, for example, “Enter the client’s name:”
   Switches
   \d “Default ” Specifies a default response if you type nothing in the prompt dialog box. The field
   { FILLIN “Enter typist’s initials:” \d “tds” }
   inserts “tds” if no response is entered.
   If you don’t specify a default response, Word uses the last response entered. To specify a blank entry as the default, type empty quotation marks after the switch, for example, type \d “”

   \o Prompts just once during a mail merge instead of each time a new data record is merged. The same response is inserted in each resulting merged document.

   Examples
   For examples of using ASK and FILLIN fields in a mail merge main document, click .

   Examples of ASK and FILLIN fields
   ASK and FILLIN fields display prompts so that you can add personal notes to clients or add other information that is not suitable to store in a data source. The prompt can be displayed each time a new data record is merged with the main document so that you can enter unique information for each resulting form letter or other merged document.

   Insert a FILLIN field in the main document where you want to print your response to the prompt. An ASK field, on the other hand, uses a bookmark name to represent your response. To have Word print your response to an ASK field prompt, insert a bookmark field in the main document. You can insert the bookmark in multiple locations or use it in other fields, such as IF fields or = (Formula) fields. Insert the bookmark anywhere after the ASK field.

   Example 1
   This FILLIN field helps you fill in the correct information by displaying the patient name from the current data record; for example, “Please enter the appointment time for Patrick Martin.” Insert an ASK or FILLIN field in the main document, and then insert the merge field in the field codes.

   { FILLIN “Please enter the appointment time for { MERGEFIELD PatientName }:”}

   Example 2
   The first ASK field includes the field switch \o, which is inserted if you select the Ask once check box in the Insert Word Field dialog box. The number you enter for CurrentRate is used in all of the resulting merged documents. The second prompt is displayed for each merged data record.

   { ASK CurrentRate “Enter the current lending rate:” \o }
   { ASK LoanRate “Enter the current loan rate for { MERGEFIELD ClientName }:” }
   { IF CurrentRate < LoanRate “You may want to consider refinancing your loan.” ” ” }

   Insert the ASK fields, and then insert the IF field in the main document. In the Insert Word Field dialog box, click a name in the Field name box as a temporary placeholder, and leave the Compare to box empty. In the IF field codes, replace the merge field with the CurrentRate bookmark. Type the name of the second bookmark between the quotation marks after the “