Microsoft KB Archive/187985

= WD97: How to Code the ENTER Key to Move to Next Field in Protected Form =

Article ID: 187985

Article Last Modified on 1/23/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q187985





SUMMARY
This article contains four Visual Basic for Applications macros that you can use to emulate the Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows functionality of the ENTER key for moving between form fields in protected documents.

In Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows, if you press the ENTER key in a document protected for forms, the insertion point moves to the next form field. By contrast, in later versions of Word, the ENTER key does not move to the next form field but instead inserts a paragraph mark, just as it would in an unprotected document. This allows you to enter multiple lines of text into a text form field.



MORE INFORMATION
Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements.

What follows are the four Visual Basic for Applications macros that you can use together to emulate the Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows functionality of the ENTER key in new protected form field documents based on a template.

For this code to work as written, the template should not be protected.

The first macro moves the insertion point to the next form field. The second macro assigns the first macro to the ENTER key. The third macro adds an AutoOpen macro to the ENTER key. The fourth macro removes the assigned macro to the ENTER key, restoring the default functionality of the ENTER key.

First Macro: Moves the Insertion Point to the Next Form Field
This macro moves the insertion point to the next form field. If the current form field is the last one in the document, it moves the insertion point to the first form field.

This macro uses the Bookmarks collection to retrieve the name of the current form field. The name of each form field is also the name of a bookmark inserted for the form field. If you have any other bookmarks in your document, you may have to add more code here to handle potential errors. The macro also assumes that all form fields in the documents allow user input. If this is not the case in your document, you will have to add additional code in your macro.

The macro checks whether the current section is protected or unprotected, and then either moves to the next form field (in a protected section) or inserts a paragraph mark (in an unprotected section). This functionality is necessary for documents that contain both sections that are protected for form input and for unprotected sections. Sub EnterKeyMacro ' Check whether the document is protected for forms ' and whether the protection is active. If ActiveDocument.ProtectionType = wdAllowOnlyFormFields And _ Selection.Sections(1).ProtectedForForms = True Then ' Retrieve the bookmark of the current selection. ' This is equivalent to the name of the form field. myformfield = Selection.Bookmarks(1).Name ' Go to the next form field if the current form field ' is not the last one in the document. If ActiveDocument.FormFields(myformfield).Name <> _ ActiveDocument.FormFields(ActiveDocument.FormFields.Count) _ .Name Then ActiveDocument.FormFields(myformfield).Next.Select Else ' If the current form field is the last one, ' go to the first form field in the document. ActiveDocument.FormFields(1).Select End If     Else ' If the document is not protected for forms, ' insert a tab stop character. Selection.TypeText Chr(13) End If  End Sub

Second Macro: Assigns the EnterkeyMacro Macro to the ENTER Key
This macro attaches the EnterKeyMacro macro to the ENTER key, thereby reprogramming the function of the key when it is used in protected document form fields. When you use this macro in a custom template, name it "AutoNew" (without the quotation marks). This will change the functionality of the ENTER key in all new form documents based on the template. Sub AutoNew ' Do Not protect the template containing these macros. CustomizationContext = ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate ' Bind the ENTER key to the EnterKeyMacro. KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKeyReturn), _ KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryMacro, Command:="EnterKeyMacro" ' Reprotect the document with Forms protection. ActiveDocument.Protect Type:=wdAllowOnlyFormFields, NoReset:=True End Sub

Third Macro: Adds an AutoOpen Macro to the ENTER Key
Add an AutoOpen macro with the following code. This ensures that the key functionality will continue when you open a document based on the form template in the future. Sub AutoOpen ' This macro will reassign the ENTER key when you open an existing ' Word form fields document. CustomizationContext = ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate ' Bind the Enter key to the EnterKeyMacro. KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKeyReturn), _ KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryMacro, Command:="EnterKeyMacro" End Sub NOTE: Running these macros may disable some functions, such as AutoCorrect and AutoText, and may affect other features that depend on the ENTER key for proper operation. You need to run the forth macro to restore the default functionality of the ENTER key or restart Microsoft Word.

Fourth Macro: Removes the Command Assigned to the ENTER Key
This macro restores the default functionality of the ENTER key. When you use this macro in a custom template, name it AutoClose. Sub AutoClose CustomizationContext = ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate FindKey(KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKeyReturn)).Disable ' Disables prompt to save template changes. Templates(1).Save End Sub NOTE: The CustomizationContext property sets the location where the keyboard customization is to be saved, in this case the template attached to the active document.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

173707 OFF97: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

