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Inserting help text for a form field

Hello there...

I have inherited, and been asked to improve upon, a form created by someone no longer on the job. This form contains a couple of drop-down fields from which users can select the proper value, about 15 or 20 to choose from. The definitions of those values are printed at the bottom of the page. However, when completing the form, there is a free-style text box that can expand if enough text is input, which causes those definitions to roll to a 2nd page. As many of these as we print, we could cut our paper usage on these almost in 1/2 if I could figure out a way to have those code definitions appear as "help text" when a user hovers the mouse over the field.

I found a dialogue box in which I can enter help text, but only the first two or three definitions fit before it runs out of room.

Not a programmer...don't even play one on TV...but am fairly good at figuring things out, especially when pointed in the right direction. I need some plain English language that will help me go that way. :-)

I know there is a drop-down option in the developer ribbon, and pretty sure that's what the former creator used. But I also see drop-down options under the Legacy and ActiveX controls. Is the issue that one of these other types of controls would serve my purpose better?

Thanks for any and all input!!

Michael Rhodes

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You can't really suppress that message. The most you can do is reduce it to "Click to follow hyperlink", but that depends on whether the user has unchecked Word's "Use CTRL_CLICK to follow hyperlink" option.
Cheers
Paul Edstein
(Fmr MS MVP - Word)

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That's not what I described...

Your dropdown formfield will probably have an internal bookmark name such as 'Dropdown1'. You can see this by right-clicking on the dropdown and checking its properties. If it doesn't have a bookmark name, give it one that's not used elsewhere.

Next to the dropdown, insert your graphic (if that's what you want to use), then select your graphic and choose Insert>Hyperlink. In the Insert_Hyperlink dialogue, choose the 'Dropdown1' bookmark from the 'Place in this Document' button as the destination.

As indicated in my previous post, pressing Alt-F9 will expose the field codes to give you more control over how the 'Screen Tip' text is laid out, so press that and, where your hyperlink is, you'll see:
{ HYPERLINK  \l "Dropdown1"}

Edit this so you end up with:

{ HYPERLINK  \l "Dropdown1" \o "AA - Select this if you are using the Automated Actions

TNT - Select this if you are traveling to an explosive part of the world

IIS - Select this if you have purchased Income Integration Software

MA - Select this if you need your momma" }

Cheers
Paul Edstein
(Fmr MS MVP - Word)

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Last updated October 1, 2021 Views 1,447 Applies to: