If you are familiar with the VBA programming language, you can write the code for a macro yourself. If you aren’t a programmer or you want to get a start on a macro you are writing, you can record the steps you want a macro to perform. Word generates the code for you, and you can then run the macro when you need it.

Before you record a macro, it’s helpful to rehearse. Follow the steps you want to capture in the macro so that you are sure of their order and any prerequisites. For example, if you are searching for a particular character in a text string, does that character always appear in the same place? If not, how does that affect how you navigate to or select text you want to work with? Will it make your macro more efficient if you move to the start of the line or the start of the next paragraph when the macro’s work is complete? If you expect to use this macro in other documents, apply the steps again in a different context in another part of the document and see whether you observe any variations you should account for. For macros that involve more than a few steps, you might want to list the steps for reference.

You should also refresh your knowledge of how to select text and navigate a document with the keyboard. You cannot use the mouse to select text or reposition the cursor when you record a macro. You can, however, use the mouse to issue commands on the ribbon or to select options in a dialog box.

In the Record Macro dialog box, you specify several properties for a macro prior to recording it:

The Record Macro dialog box lets you assign the macro to a custom keyboard shortcut or to a button you can add to the Quick Access Toolbar. You do not have to make such an assignment, but doing so makes the macro more accessible if you plan to use it repeatedly.

If you choose to assign a macro to the keyboard, Word opens the Customize Keyboard dialog box. The Save Changes In list specifies where to store the keyboard shortcut. In most cases, you should choose the setting here that matches your choice in the Record Macro dialog box. In other words, if you are saving the macro in Normal.dotm, also save the keyboard shortcut in Normal.dotm.

You use the Press New Shortcut Key box to enter the sequence of keys you want to use. You need to press the Ctrl key or the Alt key plus the key you want to use. You can add the Shift key to the Ctrl or Alt key combination for a larger number of choices. Word displays the text “Currently assigned to:” when you enter a key combination. You might need to experiment with different combinations to find one that is not assigned to another function (Word assigns certain functions to keystrokes by default—Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I for formatting, for example), or you can override the current assignment with your own. Be sure to click Assign in the Customize Keyboard dialog box before you click Close.

When you click OK in the Record Macro dialog box (or click Close in the Customize Keyboard dialog box), you are recording. The cursor looks like a cassette tape to confirm this. Follow the steps you want to save in this macro. You can pause and resume recording if you need to. When you finish the steps, click Stop Recording in the Code group.

You can run a macro in several different ways:

If you expect to run a macro only infrequently, using the Run button in the Macros dialog box is a simple approach. Click Macros in the Code group to open this dialog box, which lists each macro contained in the active templates and document. Click the macro you want to run, and then click Run.

If you assigned the macro to the keyboard when you recorded the macro, position the cursor where you want to start running the macro, and then press the key combination you assigned.

Word provides four basic options related to macro security. You set these options in the Trust Center, which you can open by clicking Macro Security in the Code group.

These settings control the level of macro security in documents that you receive in e-mail, for example, or that you might download from the Internet. As the text that accompanies the last of these options indicates, enabling all macros is not recommended because macros might contain code written with malicious intent. You might use this option on a computer that only you have access to—one dedicated for testing, for example, or that you use under circumstances that you control to a high degree.

The third option, Disable All Macros Except Digitally Signed Macros, lets you work with macros that are provided by trusted publishers. If a document contains a macro that is not from a trusted publisher, Word displays a security warning that lets you enable the macros.

If you keep the default choice, Disable All Macros With Notification, you need to enable content before you can run a macro. Word displays a security warning in the Message bar indicating that macros (or active content) have been disabled. If you know that the macros come from a source you trust, click Enable Content to gain access to the macros. When you enable macros, the document becomes a trusted document.

In documents that contain macros, you can also enable the macros by switching to Backstage view and clicking Enable Content in the Security Warning area of the Info tab. This approach provides some additional options. Choose the option Enable All Content to always enable the document’s active content, which makes the document a trusted document. If you choose Enable Content, Advanced Options, Word displays a Security Options dialog box. Select the option Enable Content For This Session to activate macros while you have the document open. The next time you open the document, you will need to enable content again.

You can define a macro that runs automatically when you open a document or when you create a document that’s based on a template. To do this, you need to name the macro AutoOpen (in the first case) or AutoNew, and you must save the macro in a macro-enabled document, using the .docm (for documents) or .dotm (for templates) file name extension.

For example, you might want to display a document in a particular view and at a certain zoom percentage each time you open it. In the Record Macro dialog box, name the macro AutoOpen, and then switch to the view and zoom settings you want to use as you record the macro.

You can test your macro by making a small edit to the document (for example, type your name or something similar). Now switch to a different view, change the zoom setting, and then save and close the document. Open it again, and you’ll see that the document is restored to the settings you specified in the macro.

In addition to AutoOpen, you can use the following Auto macros in Word:

In the section 5.3 Create Forms later in this chapter, you will learn about the types of form controls you can use in Word 2010. One of the controls you can add to a document is a command button (a type of ActiveX control), which is included in the group of legacy controls you can find in the Controls group on the Developer tab. You can assign a macro to a command button that runs when you click the button.

For the most part, ActiveX controls need to be programmed to carry out their function. However, if you want to assign a macro to a command button and are unfamiliar with VBA, record the macro first. You can then refer to the macro by its name when you set up the command button.

To display the legacy tools in the Controls group, click the icon in the bottom-right corner. Click the command button icon, and Word adds a button to the document. Right-click the button, and then click View Code, which opens the Visual Basic editor with a click event procedure set up for the button.

To associate a macro with the command button, type the macro’s name between Private Sub CommandButton1_Click() and End Sub. Use this approach if you want to assign a macro you recorded to the command button. Notice in the previous screen shot that the names of two macros appear (UpdateSalesNumber and PrintReport). A command button is a convenient way to run more than one macro with a single click. When you set up the command button, type the name of each macro you want to run in the order you want to run them.

You can also copy code from a macro you recorded (or wrote) and paste the code between these lines. Of course, you can write the macro code yourself if you know enough about VBA.

Sub NumListStyle()
'
' NumListStyle Macro
'
'
    Selection.Style = ActiveDocument.Styles("Num List")
    Selection.TypeText Text:=vbTab
    Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
    With Selection.Find
        .Text = "."
        .Replacement.Text = ""
        .Forward = True
        .Wrap = wdFindContinue
        .Format = False
        .MatchCase = False
        .MatchWholeWord = False
        .MatchWildcards = False
        .MatchSoundsLike = False
        .MatchAllWordForms = False
    End With
    Selection.Find.Execute
    Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
    Selection.TypeText Text:=vbTab
End Sub

One of the most convenient ways to run a macro is to add a button for that macro to the Quick Access Toolbar. You can assign the macro to a button when you first record it (see Using the Macro Recorder earlier in this chapter) or customize the Quick Access Toolbar later by using the Word Options dialog box.

On the Customize The Quick Access Toolbar page, open the Choose Commands From list and select Macros. In the list of macros, select the one you want to add to the Quick Access Toolbar and then click Add. In the Customize Quick Access Toolbar list, select For All Documents if you want the button to appear on the Quick Access Toolbar for all documents you work on. You can also select the current document if you want to use the macro within that scope.

To rename the button or to change the icon associated with it, select it in the list of commands on the Quick Access Toolbar and then click Modify. Use the Modify Button dialog box to change the display name and to choose an icon. The display name appears in a ScreenTip when you point to the button with the mouse.

Although you can create a form for a single document, most forms are saved as a Word template so that they can be used more than once. Start with a blank template for a form you plan to design from scratch, or use one of the form templates available from Office.com as a starting point.

To keep content controls aligned in a form, you can use a table, although this is not a requirement. Click Design Mode in the Controls group on the Developer tab before you start adding controls to your form. Design mode lets you see the tags that identify the content controls and lets you arrange and edit the content controls you add to the form.

Here’s a quick rundown on the controls you can add to a form. Word displays a ScreenTip that identifies each control:

You can add legacy controls available through the Controls group to your form if you are designing a form that will be used on computers on which earlier versions of Word are installed. The legacy controls available include those for a text box, a check box, and a drop-down list.

You can also add one of many ActiveX controls to a form. For example, you can add a command button to a form and then assign a macro to the command button. To take full advantage of ActiveX controls on a form, you should know how to program the controls with VBA.

Here’s an example of a conference registration form that’s being designed. The form uses (among other controls) plain text controls to gather personal information (name, address, city, and the like), date-picker controls for the arrival and departure dates, a combo box to list dietary preferences, a rich text control for the special requests area, and check boxes that users select to show which events they plan to attend.

Each control you add to a form has a set of properties. The most basic properties are Title and Tag. You can also choose how to format the contents of a control and set options for whether the control can be deleted and whether its content can be edited. Other properties depend on the type of control you are working with. For example, for a plain text control, you can set an option to allow multiple paragraphs. (If you keep the check box for this option clear, users can enter only a single paragraph in the control.) The date-picker control has a fairly extensive set of properties, including the date format, the locale, and the calendar type.

A title appears on the control to better identify it. The tag you define helps you locate a control and is involved if you link your form to a data source. Tags appear on either end of a control when you work in Design mode.

To open the Content Control Properties dialog box for a control, select the control and then click Properties in the Controls group.

The following sections provide more information on specific control properties.

Building a List

If you are using a combo box or list box content control, the Content Control Properties dialog box includes fields that you use to define list items. In the dialog box, click Add to begin, and then specify the display name and value for the first list item in the Add Choice dialog box. By default, Word enters what you type in the Display Name box in the Value box (or vice versa, if you type a value first). You can change the value to be different (a numerical value to match the sequence of choices, for example). After you build the list, use the Modify, Remove, Move Up, and Move Down buttons to refine the list as you need to.

• To lock a control

  1. Select the content control, and then click Properties in the Controls group.

  2. In the Content Control Properties dialog box, in the Locking area, select one or both of the options that apply:

     • Content Control Cannot Be Deleted

     • Contents Cannot Be Edited

  3. Click OK.

• To format a control

  1. Select the content control, and then click Properties in the Controls group.

  2. In the Content Controls Properties dialog box, select the Use a style to format contents check box.

  3. Choose a style from the Style list, or click New Style and then define the attributes of the style in the Create New Style From Formatting dialog box.

  4. Click OK in the Create New Style From Formatting dialog box, and then click OK in the Content Controls Properties dialog box.

• To define a list

  1. Select the content control, and then click Properties in the Controls group.

  2. In the Drop-Down List Properties area, click Add, and then use the Add Choice dialog box to define the first item for the list. Repeat this step to define each item required in the list.

  3. Select options for other properties, and then click OK.

Content controls include a simple text statement that tells users what to do with the control. For example, text controls indicate “Click here to enter text,” and the date-picker control prompts users with “Click here to enter a date.” You can change this text so that it provides precise instructions and helps users work with a form more efficiently. Adding directions like this can also simplify a form. For example, with the addition of an introductory sentence, the contact information required in the reservation form under development can be reduced to a single column.

Changing the text is a simple operation. Click Design Mode in the Controls group on the Developer tab. Select the control whose text you want to change, select the text it contains, and then type the new text.

An XML schema describes the structure of an XML document. A schema can, for example, define the elements required in an XML document, an element’s attributes, and the default values for elements and attributes. When you associate an XML schema with a Word document that contains content controls, you can create a relationship between the control and an XML element defined in the schema. The relationships you create can serve as the basis for linking the form to a database. For example, users could enter data in a Word form that is attached to an XML schema, and then that data could be imported into a database table that is based on the same schema or on a compatible one.

To set up this process, you first need to attach a schema to your form in Word. You can do this by clicking Schema in the XML group on the Developer tab. In the Templates And Add-Ins dialog box, click Add Schema, and then select the schema you want to apply. In the Schema Settings dialog box, you can add an alias for the schema if you want to. By assigning an alias, you can shorten the text string required to refer to the schema.

When you click OK in the Templates And Add-Ins dialog box, Word displays the XML Structure task pane. Before you assign specific elements to a content control, you need to add the root element to the document and any parent elements defined in the schema. To add the root element, select the entire document and then select the root element in the area at the bottom of the XML Structure task pane.

To associate an element with a content control, right-click the control, point to Apply XML Element on the menu that appears, and then choose the element you want to use. (Or you can select the control and then select the element you want to associate with it in the XML Structure task pane.)

As you can with other types of documents, you can restrict the types of changes users can make to a form. After you have designed a form and set properties for the controls it contains, use the Restrict Editing command on the Developer tab to display the Restrict Formatting And Editing pane.

Choose the option to limit formatting if you want to maintain the look and feel of the form. Select the Editing Restrictions check box, and then choose Filling In Forms from the list. This option sets up the form so that users can edit controls as you designated, but users cannot change the design of the form or alter the text in titles or other labels.

Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection to apply your restrictions. You then need to define a password to protect the document.

When a user bases a new document on the form template you’ve designed, he or she can fill in the required fields but cannot perform other types of edits. If a user clicks Restrict Editing, the task pane that Word displays describes this situation and presents the user with a Stop Protection button. To unlock the form and do work other than fill in its fields, a user must click Stop Protection and then type the password defined earlier.

As mentioned earlier in the section Designing a Form, you can use legacy form fields in addition to the Word 2010 content controls. You can add these fields from the Controls group or by adding the Form Field button to a custom group you create on the ribbon.

In the Form Field dialog box, which Word displays when you click the Form Field button, you first select the type of form field you want to add to the form in Word. The choices are Text, Check Box, and Drop-Down. After you make your choice, click Options.

Here is a summary of the options you can set for each type of form field:

The Options dialog box for each type of form field includes the Add Help Text button. The Form Field Help Text dialog box contains two tabs: Status Bar and Help Key (F1). You can select AutoText entry and then choose an item from the list provided by Word, or select Type Your Own and then type the help text you want users to see on the status bar or in the Help window when a user presses F1.

Form fields do not become active unless you follow the steps outlined in the previous section (Locking and Unlocking a Form) to apply editing restrictions for the form. When editing restrictions are enforced, you cannot change the properties of a form field. You must stop protection (by entering the specified password) before you can make any adjustments.

To remove a form field, remove protection from the form if necessary, select the field, and then press Delete.