Can't edit text boxes in protected form

[patmoore]

I was directed to this Forum in my search for solutions to this problem:

I need to create a two-page form in Word 2000, which will be filled in by various users using Word. There are basically four sections. The first and third sections are just fill-in-the-blanks. No problem. The second section is a text box for the user's discussion/comments and is linked to another text box on a second page (which is the fourth section) which is used only when the user's comments are too lengthy to fit into the text box on the first page and "spill over".

The company for which I am doing this is very firm on wanting to keep the layout as they have been using it on paper for years. They are also requiring that the form be made "idiot-proof" (their terminology), in other words, protected so the users cannot change the size or location of the fields to be filled in, the headers/footers, etc. Therein lies the problem. The linked text boxes become inaccessible the moment I protect the form.

Anyone know a way around this? (The company does not want the users to be able to unprotect the form, which is an obvious solution.)

 

[wmohiy]

why don't you insert the text form field that will allow you to write in it when the form is locked

 

[patmoore]

Re text form field - can I have this text form field flow over into a second field on page 2? This is my major challenge. The company I'm doing this for wants the discussion to flow into a separate text area on page 2 if it won't fit into the space allowed in the middle of page 1.