Amal Nagm

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Create a SmartArt graphic

A SmartArt graphic is a visual representation of your information that you can quickly and easily create, choosing from among many different layouts, to effectively communicate your message or ideas

Most content that is created by using 2007 Microsoft Office system programs is textual, even though the use of illustrations improves understanding and memory and encourages action. Creating designer-quality illustrations can be challenging, especially if you are not a professional designer or you cannot afford to hire a professional designer. If you use earlier versions of Microsoft Office, you can spend a lot of time getting shapes to be the same size and to be aligned properly, getting your text to look right, and manually formatting the shapes to match the document's overall style, instead of focusing on your content. With the new 2007 Office release feature called SmartArt graphics, and other new features such as themes (theme: A combination of theme colors, theme fonts, and theme effects. A theme may be applied to a file as a single selection.), you can create designer-quality illustrations with only a few clicks of your mouse.
You can create a SmartArt graphic in Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2007, or in an e-mail message in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. Although you cannot create a SmartArt graphic in other 2007 Office release programs, you can copy and paste SmartArt graphics as images into those programs.

Applies only to Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007

Because Office PowerPoint 2007 presentations often contain slides with bulleted lists, you can quickly convert slide text to a SmartArt graphic. In addition, you can add animation to your SmartArt graphic in Office PowerPoint 2007 presentations.
When you create a SmartArt graphic, you are prompted to choose a type of SmartArt graphic, such as Process, Hierarchy, Cycle, or Relationship. A type is similar to a category of SmartArt graphic, and each type contains several different layouts. After you choose a layout, it is easy to change the layout for your SmartArt graphic. Most of your text and other content, colors, styles, effects, and text formatting are automatically carried over to the new layout.
When you select a layout, placeholder text (such as [Text]) is displayed, so that you can see how your SmartArt graphic looks. Placeholder text is not printed, nor is it displayed during a slide show. However, the shapes are always displayed and printed, unless youdelete them. You can replace the placeholder text with your own content.
As you add and edit your content in the Text pane, your SmartArt graphic is automatically updated — shapes are added or removed as needed.
You can also add and remove shapes in your SmartArt graphic to adjust the structure of the layout. For example, even though the Basic Process layout appears with three shapes, your process may need only two shapes, or it may need five shapes. As you add or remove shapes and edit your text, the arrangement of the shapes and the amount of text within those shapes is updated automatically — maintaining the original design and border of the layout for your SmartArt graphic.
To quickly add a designer-quality look and polish to your SmartArt graphic, apply a SmartArt Style to it.

What to consider when you create a SmartArt graphic

Before you create your SmartArt graphic, visualize what type and layout are best for displaying your data. What do you want to convey with your SmartArt graphic? Do you want a certain look? Since you can quickly and easily switch layouts, try different layouts (across types) until you find the one that best illustrates your message. Your graphic should be clear and easy to follow. Experiment with different types by using the table below as a starting point. The table is intended to help you get started and is not an exhaustive list.

Purpose of graphic	Graphic type
Show non-sequential information	List
Show steps in a process or timeline	Process
Show a continual process	Cycle
Show a decision tree	Hierarchy
Create an organization chart	Hierarchy
Illustrate connections	Relationship
Show how parts relate to a whole	Matrix
Show proportional relationships with the largest component on the top or bottom	Pyramid

Also, consider the amount of text that you have, because the amount of text often determines the layout that you use and how many shapes you need in the layout. In general, SmartArt graphics are most effective when the number of shapes and the amount of text are limited to key points. Larger amounts of text can distract from the visual appeal of your SmartArt graphic and make it harder to convey your message visually. However, some layouts, such as Trapezoid List in the List type, work well with larger amounts of text.
Some layouts for SmartArt graphics contain a fixed number of shapes. For example, the Counterbalance Arrows layout in the Relationship type is designed to show two opposing ideas or concepts. Only two shapes can contain text, and the layout cannot be changed to display more ideas or concepts.

If you need to convey more than two ideas, switch to another layout that has more than two shapes for text, such as the Basic Pyramid layout in the Pyramid type. Keep in mind that changing layouts or types can alter the meaning of your information. For example, a layout with arrows pointing to the right, such as Basic Process in the Process type, has a different meaning from a SmartArt graphic with arrows going in a circle, such as Continuous Cycle in the Cycle type.

Create a SmartArt graphic

1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click SmartArt.
   
   
2. In the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box, click the type and layout that you want.
   
3. Enter your text by doing one of the following:
   
   
   
   • Click in a shape in your SmartArt graphic, and then type your text.
     
   • Click [Text] in the Text pane, and then type or paste your text.
     
   • Copy text from another program, click [Text], and then paste into the Text pane.
   If the Text pane is not visible
   
   
   
   
   1. Click your SmartArt graphic.
      
   2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the Create Graphic group, click Text Pane.
   
   
   
   

Change the colors of an entire SmartArt graphic

You can apply color variations that are derived from the theme colors (theme colors: A set of colors that is used in a file. Theme colors, theme fonts, and theme effects compose a theme.) to the shapes in your SmartArt graphic.

1. Click your SmartArt graphic.
   
2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the SmartArt Styles group, click Change Colors.
   
   
3. Click the color variation that you want.

Apply a SmartArt Style to a SmartArt graphic

A SmartArt Style is a combination of various effects, such as line style, bevel, or 3-D, that you can apply to the shapes in your SmartArt graphic to create a unique and professionally designed look.

1. Click your SmartArt graphic.
   
2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the SmartArt Styles group, click the SmartArt Style that you want. To see more SmartArt Styles, click the More button .
   

watermark and background Word 2007

You can add text watermarks, such as Draft or Confidential, to your document. Microsoft Office Word 2007 provides galleries of ready-made watermarks, or you can create your own custom watermark, such as a company logo. Or you can add a background color or picture to your document.

Watermarks are text or pictures that appear behind document text. They often add interest or identify the document status, such as marking a document as a Draft. You can see watermarks in Print Layout view and Full Screen Reading view or in a printed document.

If you use a picture, you can lighten it, or wash it out, so that it doesn't interfere with document text. If you use text, you can select from built-in phrases or type in your own text.
A background or a page color is primarily used in a Web browser to create a more interesting background for online viewing. You can also display backgrounds in Web Layout and most other views, except Draft view and Outline view.
You can use gradients, patterns, pictures, solid colors, or textures for backgrounds. Gradients, patterns, pictures, and textures are tiled or repeated to fill the page. When you save a document as a Web page, the textures and gradients are saved as JPEG (JPEG: A graphics file format (.jpg extension in Microsoft Windows) supported by many Web browsers that was developed for compressing and storing photographic images. It's best used for graphics with many colors, such as scanned photos.) files and the patterns are saved as GIF (GIF: A graphics file format (.gif extension in Windows) used to display indexed-color graphics on the World Wide Web. It supports up to 256 colors and uses lossless compression, meaning that no image data is lost when the file is compressed.) files.

Add a watermark or a background

Add a text watermark to document

1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark.
   
2. Do one of the following:
   • Click a predesigned watermark, such as Confidential or Urgent, in the gallery of watermarks.
   • Click Custom Watermark, click Text watermark and then select or type the text that you want. You can also format the text.
3. To view a watermark as it will appear on the printed page, use Print Layout view.

Add a background color or texture to a Web page or an online document

1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Page Color.
   
2. Do any of the following:
   • Click the color that you want under Theme Colors or Standard Colors.
   • Click Fill Effects to change or add special effects, such as gradients, textures, or patterns. Note Select the color that you want before you apply a gradient or pattern.
     

Turn a picture into a background or watermark

1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark.
   
2. Click Printed Watermark.
3. Click Picture watermark, and then click Select Picture.
4. Select the picture that you want, and then click Insert.
5. Select a percentage under Scale to insert the picture at a particular size
6. Select the Washout check box to lighten the picture so that it doesn't interfere with text. The picture that you selected is applied as a watermark to the entire document.
   

Add a watermark only to selected pages

1. In Draft view, replace the page breaks surrounding the pages to which you want to add watermarks with section breaks. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click Breaks, and then click Next Page under Section Breaks.
   
   Note When you insert a cover page in a document, it has a separate header so that you don't need to create a separate section for it if you're creating sections to add a watermark only to selected pages.
   
2. Switch to Print Layout view.
3. Double-click the document header area on the page where you want the watermark to appear. This opens the header. Microsoft Office Word places watermarks in the header even though they don't appear in the header.
   
4. Under Header & Footer Tools, on the Design tab, in the Navigation group, click Link to Previous so that the headers are no longer linked.
   
5. Double-click the document header area on the first page where you don't want the watermark to appear — for example, the first page of document text — and then repeat step 4.
6. Click the page where you want the watermark to appear.
7. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark and select the watermark that you want.
   

Change a watermark or a background

Change a watermark

1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark.
   
2. Do one of the following:
   • Choose a different predesigned watermark, such as Confidential or Urgent, from the gallery of watermarks.
   • To change pictures, click Printed Watermark, and then click Select Picture.
     
   • To change picture settings, click Printed Watermark, and then select or clear the options Picture watermark.
   • To change text, click Printed Watermark, and then select a different built-in phrase or type in your own phrase.
   • To change text settings, click Printed Watermark, and then select or clear the options that you want under Text watermark.

Change a document background

1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Page Color.
   
2. Do one of the following:
   • Click the new color that you want under Theme Colors or Standard Colors.
   • Click Fill Effects to change or add special effects, such as gradients, textures, or patterns. Note Select the color that you want before you apply a gradient or pattern.
     

Remove a watermark or a background

Remove a watermark

1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark.
   
2. Click Remove Watermark.

Remove a background

1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Page Color.
   
2. Click No Color.

Change the Normal template

Change the Normal template (Normal.dotm )

The Normal.dotm template opens whenever you start Microsoft Office Word 2007, and it includes default styles and customizations that determine the basic look of a document.

Any changes that you make to Normal.dotm will be applied to documents that you create in the future.

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Open.
2. Do one of the following:
   • In Windows Vista: Click Templates, and then double-click the Normal.dotm file to open it.
     
   • In Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003: Click Templates next to File name.
     If no templates are listed in the Open dialog box, click the arrow next to the Files of type box, and then click All Word Templates.
     
3. To be certain that you're working in the default template, check to see that Normal.dotm appears in the Word title bar.
4. Make any changes that you want to the fonts, margins, spacing, and other settings. You can use the same commands and features that you use to change a document — but remember that any changes that you make to Normal.dotm will be applied to documents that you create in the future.
5. When you have finished, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Save.

Post to your Blog with Word 2007

For many people, blogging has become a big part of the way they share their experiences with the world. A blog (short for weblog) gives individuals the power of publishing without relying on media outlet channels or traditional print publications. Everyone with something to say has the ability to say it on the Web. All they need is the necessary server space and the right software to post the blog content online.
In the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Word has become that software. Now bloggers can create blog posts from within Microsoft Office Word 2007 with a few simple clicks of the mouse. This article shows you how you can create blog posts with Office Word 2007 and post them to the blogging account you've created.

Starting a new Blog post

1. Start Word 2007.
2. Click the Microsoft Office Button. Then click New.
3. In the New Document window, click New Blog Post (see Figure 1).
   Figure 1 Choose New Blog Post in the New Document window to start the process of creating a blog entry.
   
   
4. The Blog Post window opens, and a popup dialog box asks you to register your blog account. If you already have a blog account with one of the blogging service provides (such as Windows Live Spaces, Blogger, or other services, as shown in Figure 2), you can select the service to enter the information for that account.
   Figure 2 Word asks you to register your blog account so that the program will know where to send your blog entry when you're finished.
   
   
5. For now, click Register Later and you are returned to the Blog Post window as shown in Figure 3. Note For more information about registering your blog account, see Help with blogging in Word.
   
   Figure 3 The Blog Post window includes tools used just for blogging.
   
   

Entering text

Inserting a Web link

As mentioned earlier, blogs wouldn't be blogs without the links—they would be static Web pages. To add a hyperlink to your blog post, follow these steps:

1. Highlight the section to which you want to add the link.
2. Click the Insert tab. The Ribbon changes to include groups for Tables, Illustrations, Links, Text, and Symbols (see Figure 5).
   

   Figure 5 Add a link by clicking the Insert tab and choosing Hyperlink.
3. Click Hyperlinks. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box appears.
4. In the Address box, type the URL to which you want to link the selected text.
5. Click OK to save the link. The text will appear underlined in a blue font, indicating that it is now a hyperlink. If you want to ensure that you typed the link correctly, position the pointer over the link. The URL will appear in a pop-up box above the link so that you can double-check the link.

Adding a category to your post

Categorizing your blog post helps search engines locate what you're blogging about and also gives your regular readers a way to find all posts related to a specific topic. To add a category to your post, click the Insert Category tool in the Blog group of the Blog Post tab. The Category field appears above the body text of your post. Click the arrow to see the list of categories (see Figure 6). Click the one you want to apply to the post you created.

Figure 6 You can add categories to your post to help readers—and search engines—find it easily.

Note The categories that appear depend on the categories created to work with your blog program. Some programs provide ready-made categories; others enable you to set up and use categories of your own.

What will you Blog about?

The content of your blog will depend largely on your purpose. If you're just blogging for fun, to keep family apprised of all the happenings in your part of the world, or to share your interest or expertise in a particular topic, the posts will probably include stories, events, photos, and more. If you are blogging to build your expertise in a particular area, you may want to include all the latest news stories on your area of interest. If you are hoping to inspire others to join your nonprofit organization in serving others, you might include stories of those who have been helped by your organization in the past. If you want to get the word out about your candidacy, share your passion for movies, or share your philosophy with the rest of the world, you may include links, stories, photos, resources, and engaging bits of information in the areas you want to highlight.

Here are some questions to consider as you plan the content for your blog:

• Who is your "typical reader"? Getting a clear picture of that person—and that person's expectations—can help you connect with your reader right from the start.
• What age is he or she? Knowing the general demographics of your typical reader will be helpful. Chances are that, because blogging is a kind of "real voice" medium, you may connect most easily with those close to your own age level. But many people have a knack for speaking to everyone at once. Know the interests, energy level, and passions of the audience you are addressing.
• What is he or she most interested in? Is your reader fascinated with technology, passionate about the environment, concerned about the political climate, or focusing on her newborn? Thinking about what your reader may be fascinated by right now will help you develop a sense for what others will find interesting on your blog.
• What do I want the person to do after reading my blog? If you want the person to come back, subscribe to your newsletter, try your product, sign up for your mailing list, or write to their congressperson, be sure you say so directly somewhere in the body of your blog.
• Are there any limitations on your subject matter? If you are writing a corporate blog, there may be definite guidelines for the type of content you can include. Additionally, you need to consider the fact that public blogs can be read by virtually everyone, which means you may have children as well as adults reading what you write (including your mother and grandmother!). Think through any limitations—and any ramifications of your posting—before you post.

Adding a picture to your post

Most blog posts include a heading and supporting text. Some blog posts include photos as well. You can add photos to your Word blog post by following these steps:

1. Click to position the pointer at the place you want to add the picture.
2. Click the Insert tab and then click Picture in the Illustrations group.
3. In the Insert Picture dialog box, navigate to the folder storing the picture you want to include. Select the picture and click Insert (see Figure 7).

Figure 7 Choose the picture you want to include in your post by selecting it in the Insert Picture dialog box.

Once you add the picture to the post, the contextual Picture Tools appear in the Ribbon (see Figure 8). You can use the tools to do any (or all) of the following things:

Figure 8 The contextual Picture Tools give you what you need to modify, enhance, size, and position the image in your blog post.

• Resize the image. The picture is inserted at the cursor position at a default size. You can resize the image by clicking any one of the handles around the outer edge of the object and dragging to resize it. You can also use the options in the Size group to crop the image or resize it to meet precise measurement requirements.
• Edit the image. Word includes a number of picture adjustment tools you can use to improve the look of the image. While the image is selected in the document, choose any of the tools in the Adjust group of the contextual Picture Tools to modify the image before posting.
• Add special effects to the image. The Picture Styles group enables you to apply one of the preset picture styles (including border settings, shape, and shadowing features) to the image. You can create a drop-shadow for the image; apply 3-D effects; change the shape, color, or thickness of the border; and more.
• Control text placement. When the image is added to the post, the text automatically moves to the bottom of the image. You can change the way the text flows around the picture by using the commands in the Arrange group. The Position command enables you to control where in the post the image appears; the Text Wrapping command gives you choices about how the text flows around the text.

Automatically summarize a document in Word 2007

AutoSummarize identifies the key points in a document. AutoSummarize works best on well-structured documents, such as reports, articles, and scientific papers.
Important Before you can use AutoSummarize in Microsoft Office Word 2007, you need to add AutoSummary Tools to the Quick Access Toolbar.

How AutoSummarize works

Add AutoSummary Tools to the Quick Access Toolbar

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.
2. Click Customize.
3. In the list under Choose commands from, click All Commands.
4. Scroll through the list of commands until you see AutoSummary Tools.
5. Click AutoSummary Tools, and then click Add.

Automatically summarize a document

1. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click AutoSummary Tools, and then click AutoSummarize.
2. Select the type of summary that you want.
   
3. In the Percent of original box, type or select the level of detail to include in the summary. Select a higher percentage of the original document to include more detail.
4. If you don't want AutoSummarize to replace your existing keywords and comments in the document properties, clear the Update document statistics check box.

• To cancel a summary in progress, press ESC.
• After you create your summary, review it to make sure it covers your document's key points. Keep in mind that the summary text is a rough draft, and you will probably need to fine-tune it.

Make a checklist in Word

If you just need a checklist that you can print, you canmake a list where each item has a check box that you can check off on paper. You can also create a list of check boxes and check off items electronically by opening the document in Word.

Make a checklist to print

• If your document does not already contain several different kinds of bullets, you can make a bulleted list by using a custom bullet format.
• If your document already contains several bullet formats, you can prevent altering the existing bullets by placing the new list in a table.

Create a bulleted list with custom bullets

1. Type your list of items.
2. Select the list.
3. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the arrow next to Bullets.
   
4. Click Define New Bullet.
5. Click Symbol.
6. In the Font box, click a symbol font that is installed on your computer, such as Wingdings.
7. Scroll through the list of available symbols, and then double-click the box symbol that you want to use, such as an open box () or a three-dimensional box ().

Create a table to prevent altering the existing bullets

Step 1: Create a table

1. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table.
   
2. Click Insert Table.
3. In the Number of columns box, enter 2.
4. In the Number of rows box, enter the number of rows that you want. You need one row for each item in your list.
5. Click OK.

Step 2: Insert the check boxes and text

1. Click the top left cell.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click Symbol, and then click More Symbols.
   
3. Click the Symbols tab.
4. In the Font box, click a symbol font that is installed on your computer, such as Wingdings.
5. Scroll through the list of available symbols, and then double-click the box symbol that you want to use, such as an open box () or a three-dimensional box ().
6. Click Close.
7. Click the next cell where you want to insert a box, and then press CTRL+Y to insert another box.
8. After you insert a box for each item that you want, click the top right cell and type the text for the first item. Repeat this step for each item in the list.

Step 3: Refine the layout

1. Right-click the table, point to AutoFit, and then click AutoFit to Contents.
2. Right-click the table, click Table Properties, and then click the Table tab.
3. Click Options, and in the Left and Right boxes, enter a number that will provide a little bit of space between the check box and the text, such as .02 inches, and then click OK.
4. On the Table tab, click Borders and Shading, and then click the Borders tab.
5. Under Setting, click None, and then click OK. Note After you remove the border lines, you may still see gray border lines. These are the table gridlines, and they do not show when the document is printed. If you don't want to see them at all, you can hide them by clicking View Gridlines in the Table group on the Layout tab under Table Tools.
   
   

Make a checklist that you can check off in Word

Step 1: Create a table

1. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table.
   
2. In the Number of columns box, enter 2.
3. In the Number of rows box, enter the number of rows that you want. You need one row for each item in your list.

Step 2: Insert the check boxes and text

Show the Developer tab

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.
2. Click Popular.
3. Select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box. Note The Ribbon is a component of the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface.
   

Add the check boxes

1. Click the top left cell in the table that you inserted.
2. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Legacy Tools.
3. Under Legacy Forms, click Check Box Form Field . Note If the check box has a gray background, click Legacy Tools in the Controls group, and then click Form Field Shading to remove the gray shading.
   
4. Click the next cell where you want to insert a check box, and then press CTRL+Y to insert another check box.
5. After you insert a check box for each item that you want, click the top right cell and type the text for the first item. Repeat this step for each item in the list.

Step 3: Refine the layout

1. Right-click the table, point to AutoFit, and then click AutoFit to Contents.
2. Right-click the table, click Table Properties, and then click the Table tab.
3. Click Options, and in the Left and Right boxes, enter a number that will provide a little bit of space between the check box and the text, such as .02 inches, and then click OK.
4. On the Table tab, click Borders and Shading, and then click the Borders tab.
5. Under Setting, click None, and then click OK. Note After you remove the border lines, you may still see gray lines. These are the table gridlines, and they do not show when the document is printed. To hide the table gridlines on the screen, click the Layout tab under Table Tools, and in the Table group, click View Gridlines.
   

Step 4: Lock the form

Lock the form

1. Make sure that you are not in design mode by clicking Design Mode in the Controls group on the Developer tab.
   
2. On the Developer tab, in the Protect group, click Protect Document, and then click Restrict Formatting and Editing.
3. In the Protect Document task pane, under Editing restrictions, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box.
4. In the list of editing restrictions, select Filling in forms.
5. Under Start enforcement, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
6. To assign a password to the document so that only reviewers who know the password can remove the protection, type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password. Important If you choose not to use a password, all reviewers can change your editing restrictions.
   

Unlock the form

1. On the Developer tab, in the Protect group, click Protect Document, and then click Restrict Formatting and Editing.
2. In the Protect Document task pane, click Stop Protection.

Create forms that users complete in Word 2007

You can create a form in Microsoft Office Word 2007 by starting with a template and adding content controls, including text boxes, date pickers, and drop-down lists. Other people can use Office Word 2007 to fill out the form on their computer. In an advanced scenario, any content controls that you add to a form can also be linked to data.
You can also create a form by starting with a sample template. Many are available on the Microsoft Office Online Web site.
Note You can print a form that was created by using content controls in Office Word 2007, but the boxes around the content controls will not be printed.

Create a form

Step 1: Set up Word for creating forms

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.
2. Click Popular.
3. Select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box, and then click OK. Note The Ribbon is a component of the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface.
   

Step 2: Open a template or a document on which to base the form

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click New.
2. Under Templates, click My templates.
3. Double-click Normal, and then click Template or Document under Create New.
4. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Save As.
5. In the Save As dialog box, give the new template or document a file name, and then click Save.

Step 3: Add content controls to the form

Insert a text control where users can enter text

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click the Rich Text control or the Text control .

Insert a text fill-in field

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Legacy Tools.
2. Click Text Form Field.
3. In the Controls group, click Design Mode, and then do any of the following:
   • To add a line under the field, select the field, and then click Underline in the Font group on the Home tab.
   • To limit the amount of information a person can type in the field, set a maximum width by selecting the field, clicking Properties in the Controls group, and entering a value under Maximum length.
   • To make the field look as long as its maximum length, add instructional text by clicking Properties in the Controls group, and typing text, such as Type your first name here, under Default text.

Insert a drop-down list that restricts available choices to those you specify

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click the Drop-Down List control .
2. Select the content control, and then on the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Properties.
   
3. To create a list of choices, under Drop-Down List Properties, click Add.
4. Type a choice in the Display Name box, such as Yes, No, or Maybe. Repeat this step until all of the choices are in the drop-down list.
   

Insert a check box

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Legacy Tools.
2. Click Check Box Form Field.
3. Type a space, and then type a label for the check box.
4. To remove the shading from the check box, click Legacy Tools, and then click Shading.

Step 4: Set or change properties for content controls

1. Right-click the content control that you want to change.
2. Click Properties, and change the properties that you want.

Step 5: Add instructional text to the form

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Design 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. If you want the content control to disappear when someone types in their own content to replace your instructions in a Rich Text control or a Text control, click Properties in the Controls group, and then select the Remove content control when contents are edited check box.
5. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Design Mode to turn off the design feature and save the instructional text.

Add protection to a form and prepare it for distribution

Protect parts of a form

1. Open the form that you want to protect.
2. Select the content control or the group of controls to which you want to restrict changes. To group several controls, select the controls by pressing SHIFT and clicking each control that you want to group. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Group, and then click Group.
   
3. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Properties.
   
4. In the Content Control Properties dialog box, under Locking, do either of the following:
   • Select the Content control cannot be deleted check box, which allows the content of the control to be edited but the control itself cannot be deleted from the template or a document that is based on the template.
   • Select the Contents cannot be edited check box, which allows you to delete the control but does not allow you to edit the content in the control. Note This option is not available for all controls.
     

Prepare a form to be filled out

1. Open the form that you want to lock so that it can be filled out.
2. On the Developer tab, in the Protect group, click Protect Document, and then click Restrict Formatting and Editing.
   
3. In the Protect Document task pane, under Editing restrictions, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box.
4. In the list of editing restrictions, select Filling in forms.
5. Under Start enforcement, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
6. To assign a password to the document so that only reviewers who know the password can remove the protection, type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password. Important If you choose not to use a password, anyone can change your editing restrictions.
   
   Use strong passwords that combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Weak passwords don't mix these elements. Strong password: Y6dh!et5. Weak password: House27. Passwords should be 8 or more characters in length. A pass phrase that uses 14 or more characters is better. For more information