Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Valid Numbers in Form Fields.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 23, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365
Becki has a form that she created in Word, using legacy form fields. The values entered by users need to be numbers. However, the form field allows users to enter things such as a digit, a space, and another digit, which is not a valid number. Becki wonders how she can ensure that a user enters valid numbers in a form field.
The trick is in how you configure the properties of the form field. With the document unprotected, right-click the form field and choose Properties from the resulting Context menu. Excel displays the Field Options dialog box for the form field. (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1. The Field Options dialog box for a form field.
You want to make sure the Type drop-down list is set to Number, and you should use the Number Format drop-down list to choose 0. (This means that the field will only accept straight numbers.). Click OK to close the Text Field Options dialog box.
When you set the field properties in this manner, the user isn't precluded from entering a digit, a space, and another digit, but when the field is exited the space between the digits is removed automatically.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8693) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Valid Numbers in Form Fields.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
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