Sorry Linda - trying to be too brief. I don't think it's possible to make simple fields mandatory in the way describe, have never seen anything that makes it possible to insist on something being completed. That's an Access sort of feature isn't it? I guess Dian's way of creating Word forms would be better for that. If you bring up the Forms toolbar and play with the Text Form Field Options it ought to offer the sort of criteria that your student needs. It certainly is possible to limit the field size in the way you describe. It's also possible to "add help text" which might cover the instructional element that I guess would be useful too. I have to say it's not something I use often, Dian is the guru on this (as ever!) Sorry not to be more help on this. Anne -----Original Message----- From: mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Linda F. Johnson Sent: 18 May 2006 19:51 To: mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mso] Re: Form field validation in Word? You lost me Anne. Are you saying yes, you can make fields mandatory and yes, you can stop them from putting something in the field you don't want? The student wants to make the form so they MUST fill in every box...and in some boxes they cannot put more than a certain amount. Is this possible in Word like it is in Excel (data validation) or does it require VBA? Linda F. Johnson Linda's Computer Stop Author, MOS: Excel 2003 Study Guide, published by John Wiley and Sons http://personal-computer-tutor.com -----Original Message----- From: mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Anne Robson Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 2:44 PM To: mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mso] Re: Form field validation in Word? Depends on how compulsory it would need to be. I frequently use field boxes in Word templates which automatically load when the new doc is created, no VBA, dead simple. It's obviously possible to leave the fields empty but that takes as much effort (almost) as filling in the required info! Anne ************************************************************* You are receiving this mail because you subscribed to mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or MicrosoftOffice@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To send mail to the group, simply address it to mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To Unsubscribe from this group, visit the group's homepage and use the dropdown menu at the top. This will allow you to unsubscribe your email address or change your email settings to digest or vacation (no mail). //www.freelists.org/webpage/mso To be able to use the files section for sharing files with the group, send a request to mso-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and you will be sent an invitation with instructions. Once you are a member of the files group, you can go here to upload/download files: http://www.smartgroups.com/vault/msofiles If you are using Outlook and you see a lot of unnecessary code in your email messages, read these instructions that explain why and how to fix it: http://personal-computer-tutor.com/abc3/v28/greg28.htm ************************************************************* -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.6.0/341 - Release Date: 16/05/2006 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.6.0/341 - Release Date: 16/05/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.6.0/341 - Release Date: 16/05/2006 ************************************************************* You are receiving this mail because you subscribed to mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or MicrosoftOffice@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To send mail to the group, simply address it to mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To Unsubscribe from this group, visit the group's homepage and use the dropdown menu at the top. This will allow you to unsubscribe your email address or change your email settings to digest or vacation (no mail). //www.freelists.org/webpage/mso To be able to use the files section for sharing files with the group, send a request to mso-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and you will be sent an invitation with instructions. Once you are a member of the files group, you can go here to upload/download files: http://www.smartgroups.com/vault/msofiles If you are using Outlook and you see a lot of unnecessary code in your email messages, read these instructions that explain why and how to fix it: http://personal-computer-tutor.com/abc3/v28/greg28.htm *************************************************************