How to Create Fillable Forms with Microsoft WordCreate fillable forms with options that you can send to people and have them fill out digitally. Whether you need a form for gathering information about people or if you are trying to take a survey to test out user response to software or a new product, MS Word has the solution for you.Enable the Developer TabIn order to create fillable forms, you will need to start by enabling the developer tab by clicking on the File drop-down menu and then choose Options. Open the Customize Ribbon tab and select the Main Tabs option under Customize the Ribbon.

Now you will need to select the Developer box and press OK.

Once you have done this, you will notice that an additional menu has been added to the top of the screen with several new developer options.

To Template, or Not to Template?There are two main options to get started with your form creation. Option one is easy to use if you can find a template that suits your needs. To find templates, Click on the File menu, select New. You will see many premade templates available for download. Simply click on Forms and look through the selection of templates to find one that suits your needs.

When you have found your template, just download it and edit the form as needed.The best way to create forms from scratch: Begin by navigating to the template options again, but instead of selecting a pre-made form, select My Templates.

Now you will need to click the Templates check-circle and then press OK to create a blank template. Lastly, press Ctrl + S to save the document. We will call it, Form Template 1.

Populate the FormNow that you have a blank template, you are ready to start adding information to the form. The form we will create in this example is a simple form to collect information about people who fill them out. First, you will need to enter the basic questions. For this tutorial, we will try to get the following information:1. Name (Plain Text Response)2. Age (Drop-Down List)3. D.O.B. (Date Response)4. Sex (Check Box)5. Zip Code (Plain Text Response)6. Phone Number (Plain Text Response)7. Favorite Primary Color and why: (Combo Box)8. Best Pizza Toppings (Check Box and Plain Text Response)9. What is your dream job and why? Limit your answer to 200 words (Rich Text Response)10. What type of vehicle do you drive? (Plain Text Response)Click on the Developer tab which you added earlier and under the Controls section, choose Design Mode to begin creating different control options. If you want to see what it looks like in action, remember to deselect the Design Mode option.Text SectionsFor any answers that require a text based answer, you can add text sections. You will do this by selecting the Rich Text Content Control (allows users to edit formatting) or the Plain Text Content Control (only allows plain text without formatting) option.Lets enable a rich text response for question 9, and then a plain text response for question 1, 5, 6, and 10.

Remember that you can edit the text in the content control boxes to match the questions by clicking in them and typing as seen in the image above.Add a Date Selection OptionIf you need to add dates, you can add the Date Picker Content Control. Lets Use this and add it to question 3.

Insert a Drop-Down List with OptionsFor questions that only allow one answer such as numbers (question 2), a drop-down list is handy. We will add simple list and populate it with age ranges. You will need to add the content control box, right-click on it, and select the Properties option. Next, click on add to add age ranges.

When you are done, it should look something like this (Design Mode Disabled).

Alternatively, you can add a Combo Box, which will allow you to add any options you want, as well as allow users to enter additional text if needed. Lets add a combo box to question 7. Since it is a combo box, users will be able to select an option and type why they like the color.

Add Check BoxesFor the fourth question, we will add check box options. You will first enter your options (male and female). Now you can add the check box content control after each option.

Repeat the process for any other questions that require one or more options. We will add check boxes to question 8 as well. We will also add a plain text response box for anytoppings not listed.

Wrapping UpThe completed blank form should look like the images below depending on whether you have design mode enabled or disabled.

Design Mode EnabledDesign Mode DisabledCongratulations, you have just learned the basics of creating interactive forms.

How to Create Fillable PDF Files

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_4867955_create-fillable-pdf-files.htmlInstructions1. Open your PDF form in Acrobat. Click on the "Form" tool, which is the icon that looks like a document on top of a dotted-line rectangle. It is located next to the "T" button.2. Type in a name for the field, for example, "First Name." This name is for your use only, and it primarily serves an organizational purpose.3. Select the field type for the fillable field. Make sure you select an appropriate field type for the type of question that you are asking. For example, if the field is "First name," then "Text" would be an appropriate field choice. On the other hand, if the field is "Gender," "Radio buttons" might be appropriate. Experiment with the different types of form fields to see what they do in action.4. Modify the behavior and appearance of the form. For example, you can remove borders via the "Appearance" tab, restrict the number of characters that can be typed into the form via the "Options" tab, or allow users to automatically make calculations with typed-in form information via the "Calculate" tab. Click "OK" to save the changes.5. Click on "File" and "Save As" to save your form. Distribute it to your users to allow them to fill it out and print it.Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_4867955_create-fillable-pdf-files.htmlHow To Save Fillable Form Data in PDFsFillable PDF forms are much more convenient than filling out pieces of paper by hand, but wouldnt it be nice to save the forms that youve filled out? Nothing would be worse than having to fill out the same boring paperwork twice!

Having a filled out copy of the form isnt just good for your records, its also useful if you notice a typo or small mistake after printing out the form. If you accidentally close Adobe Reader, then youll have to type in all that information again!Fortunately there is a free PDF viewing program that allows you fill out fillable forms and save the changes, to be edited later if need be: PDF-XChange Viewer.After you install PDF-XChange Viewer, open your fillable PDF form (right-click and choose Open With if PDF-XChange Viewer isnt the default for opening PDFs).

Fill out the form.

Click on File > Save, or just press Ctrl+S.

Close the file. If you open it again, you will see that your changes are still intact! In fact, even if you open this file with Adobe Reader, you will find that your changes are still there.

Thats all you need to do!We did run into a few cases where the filled out form didnt open quite right in Adobe Reader, even though it still looked fine in PDF-XChange Viewer. You should keep Adobe Reader around just to confirm that your filled out forms look right if you have to send them digitally.PDF-XChange Viewer is a great all-purpose PDF viewer, and the ability to save filled out PDF forms makes it even better!

Convert an existing form into a fillable PDF form with Adobe Acrobat XI

Easily convert forms to fillable PDF forms from paper or existing electronic files, such as Microsoft Word files. Automatically recognize and convert static fields to fillable ones with a form wizard.1. At the top right in Acrobat, click the Tools pane. 2. Open the Forms panel. Click Create.3. Select Existing Document and click Next. 4. Choose one of the following options.Use the current document or choose another file If using a different document, browse to the file and click Continue.Scan a paper form and convert it into a PDF fillable form Click Continue. Select the scanner and a color mode. Follow the instructions for your scanner to scan the form. After each page, Acrobat asks if the scan is complete or if you need to scan more pages.Acrobat analyzes the document and adds interactive form fields. Inspect the form fields list in the Fields panel. You use the form names when collecting and analyzing data, so make sure that each name is unique and descriptive. To change a field name, double click and type the desired name in the General tab. Click close.6. To edit fields, select the field and click Edit Fields in the Tasks panel. You can also add fields. 7. At the top of the Forms Editing toolbar, click Preview (This button toggles between Edit and Preview.) to display the form as a recipient will see it and to test form behavior. To return to editing mode, click Edit.8. When finished, at the top right in Acrobat, click the Close Form Editing button. Save your PDF form.

Tip: To learn how to create a form from scratch or template, see Create a form from scratch or a template in Acrobat XI Pro.

Tip: To distribute your form and analyze responses, see Distribute PDF forms and analyze responses with Acrobat XI Pro

www.adobe.com/products/acrobat

Create a fillable formTo create a form in Word that others can fill out, start with a template and add content controls. Content controls include things like check boxes, text boxes, date pickers, and drop-down lists. If youre familiar with databases, these content controls can even be linked to data.Creating a fillable form begins with six basic steps. Lets walk through them below.Step 1: Show the Developer tab1. Click theFiletab.2. ClickOptions.3. ClickCustomize Ribbon.4. UnderCustomize the Ribbon, in the list underMain Tabs,select theDevelopercheck box, and then clickOK.

Step 2: Open a template or a document on which to base the formTo save time, start with a form template. To start from scratch, start with a blank template. Start with a form template1. Click theFiletab.2. ClickNew.3. In theSearch online templatesbox, type the type of for you want to create and press ENTER.4. Click the form template that you want to use, and then clickCreate.Start with a blank template1. Click theFiletab.2. ClickNew.3. ClickBlank document.Step 3: Add content to the formOn theDevelopertab, clickDesign Mode, and then insert the controls that you want.

NOTEYou can print a form that was created using content controls, but the boxes around the content controls will not print.Insert a text control where users can enter textIn a rich text content control, users can format text as bold or italic, and they can type multiple paragraphs. If you want to limit what users add, insert the plain text content control.1. Click where you want to insert the control.2. On theDevelopertab, clickRich Text Content ControlorPlain Text Content Control.To set specific properties on the control, seeStep 4: Set or change properties for content controls.Insert a picture controlA picture control is often used for templates, but you can also add a picture control to a form.1. Click where you want to insert the control.2. On theDevelopertab, clickPicture Content Control.To set specific properties on the control, seeStep 4: Set or change properties for content controls.Insert a building block controlUse building block controls when you want people to choose a specific block of text. For example, building block controls are helpful if youre setting up a contract template, and you need to add different boilerplate text depending on the contracts specific requirements. You can create rich text content controls for each version of the boilerplate text, and then you can use a building block control as the container for the rich text content controls.You can also use a building block control in a form.1. Click where you want to insert the control.2. On theDevelopertab, in theControlsgroup, click a content control:

To set specific properties on the control, seeStep 4: Set or change properties for content controls.Insert a combo box or a drop-down listIn a combo box, users can select from a list of choices that you provide or they can type in their own information. In a drop-down list, users can only select from the list of choices.1. On theDevelopertab, clickCombo Box Content ControlorDrop-Down List Content Control.2. Select the content control, and then on theDevelopertab, clickProperties.3. To create a list of choices, clickAddunderDrop-Down List Properties.4. Type a choice in theDisplay Namebox, such asYes,No, orMaybe.Repeat this step until all of the choices are in the drop-down list.5. Fill in any other properties that you want.NOTE If you select theContents cannot be editedcheck box, users wont be able to click a choice.Insert a date picker1. Click where you want to insert the date picker control.2. On theDevelopertab, click theDate Picker Content Control.To set specific properties on the control, seeStep 4: Set or change properties for content controls.Insert a check box1. Click where you want to insert the check box control.2. On theDevelopertab, click theCheck Box Content Control.To set specific properties on the control, seeStep 4: Set or change properties for content controls.Step 4: Set or change properties for content controlsEach content control has properties that you can set or change. For example, the Date Picker control offers options for the format you want to use to display the date.1. Click the content control that you want to change.2. On theDevelopertab, clickProperties, and change the properties that you want.Step 5: Add instructional text to the formInstructional text can enhance the usability of the form you create and distribute. You can change the default instructional text in content controls.To customize the default instructional text for your form users, do the following:1. On theDevelopertab, clickDesign Mode.2. Click the content control where you want to revise the placeholder instructional text.3. Edit the placeholder text and format it any way you want.4. On theDevelopertab, clickDesign Modeto turn off the design feature and save the instructional text.NOTEDo not select theContents cannot be editedcheck box if you want form users to replace the instructional text with their own text.Step 6: Add protection to a formIf you want to limit how much others can edit or format a form, use theRestrict Editingcommand:1. Open the form that you want to lock or protect.2. ClickHome>Select>Select All, or press CTRL+A.3. ClickDeveloper>Restrict Editing.TIP If you want, you can test the form prior to distributing it. Open the form, fill it out as the user would, and then save a copy in a location that you want.