Though I do recommend you let people know their tag names need to be one word no spaces etc or else the error on switching views appears : ‘/’ is an unexpected token. The expected token is ‘=’. Line 2, position ##.

Please fix XML error before switching views: ‘/’ is an unexpected token. The expected token is ‘=’. Line 2, position 12.

If I change that token and then try to switch to bind view again, I get another error telling me to change something else. After I changer everything per the error screens, then I can switch to bind view, but none of my tags show up.

Any suggestions??

I’m having an issue thoiugh, in that I’ve created a template form to be filled out for many different sets of information. Each document made from the template, however, references to the content control fields in the original template rather than their own data fields… is there a way to break the link so that each new document only references its own data?

Thanks so much for your help to get this sorted out, your instructions are fantastic. Now, do you have any idea how to make the shading show on the content control fields? I’ve tried going to Options/Advanced/Field Shading/Always but it doesn’t seem to work. If I select Form Field Shading under the Legacy tools it only effects the legacy form fields, not the content controls. Any ideas?!! I work with people who can’t handle it if they’re not spoon fed!

Thanks heaps

GP

Just getting Syntax errors when trying the above solution..

A solution to this also would be great.

I use ActiveX Dropdown list. I want the selected list to be displayed again in other section on the same page. For example the Dropdown list is having Student,Teacher,Admin and I choose Student. I want the work Student to appear again automatically on the same page (maybe in otther column)

Thanking you in advance
Nizam

Great information. Do you know if it is possible to map a drop-down menu to values entered in the form?

Ultimately, I’d like to be able to map the values in the form to SharePoint or vice-versa via the Information Document Panel, although I’m not sure if this is possible. I know I could use InfoPath, but we like the flexibility that Word gives us.

-Damon

Thank you so much to anybody that can help!

Thanks so much for your post, i have successfully created a bunched of content controls in my Word template.

However i have got this message, whenever i reopen my Word file: The Document Information Panel was unable to load. The document will continue to open. For more information, contact your system administrator.”

And when i try to use the funtion ‘locate the content controls in actrual word document’ in the Content Control Tookit, i also got this error message “Unhandeled exception has occurred in your application. If you click Continue, the application will ignore this erroe and attempt to continue. If you click Quit, the application will close immediately. Call was rejected by callee. (Exception from HRESULT: 0×80010001 (RPC_E_CALL_REJECTED)).”

Do you have any idea how to get rid of these error messages?

Thanks so much for time and help as always.

Tina
@ Amsterdam

– sorry apparently the form edited out the “xml” braces and everything between them on my first post.

thanks for the info.

I’m trying to use this feature to create a page for 80 address labels (based on Avery template 5167). I can insert one text field, but I can’t copy and paste it. The ‘copy’ button is grayed out when I right-click on the content control. (Am I supposed to manually enter 80 times ‘insert form field’ and then click properties and type in the same tag????)

There has got to be a simpler way than this that works for address labels and the like that have large numbers of repeating fields.

Thanks!

You say it is no longer possible to simply select the form control, bookmark it, and reference it later. What makes you think that?

I have never used the ContentControl toolkit. I looks like a lot of work. I used and Word Template Add-In to map content controls:

http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/ContentControl_Variable_Bookmark_and_Document_Property_Tools_Add_In.htm

Googling it, I see others have the same problem.

Many thanks & Cheers John P.

I am testing with only one user’s initials

I have entered data

But the dropdown list shows empty. What am I missing?

Thanks

Mark Kolar

Mark Kolar

Thank you. I was going nuts trying to figure out how to make the fields repeating. Your instructions were clearly written with good illustrations. My only regret is that I didn’t discover your site sooner.

Jane Hall

I have the same problem as Peter has. But I can’t seem to find the namespace thing. I don’t know where to look for it. Is there a possibilitie that someone can give some more info about it?

I would be thankfull allready.

Greetings Martin

Alabama AL
Alaska AK
Arizona AZ
Arkansas AR

Create a text controls titled “AB”

Use this code:

Option Explicit
Dim i As Long
Private Type ListData
pAbr As String
End Type

Private Sub Document_ContentControlOnExit(ByVal CC As ContentControl, Cancel As Boolean)
Dim tData As ListData
Select Case CC.Title
Case “State”
tData = GetData(CC)
With ActiveDocument.SelectContentControlsByTitle(“AB”).Item(1)
.LockContents = False
.Range.Text = tData.pAbr
.LockContents = True
End With
End Select
End Sub
Private Function GetData(ByRef oCCPassed) As ListData
For i = 1 To oCCPassed.DropdownListEntries.Count
If oCCPassed.Range.Text = oCCPassed.DropdownListEntries(i).Text Then
GetData.pAbr = oCCPassed.DropdownListEntries(i).Value
Exit For
End If
Next i
End Function

This is a simplified example. You could define lots of data about each state in the value field in the form of a string and delimiter. For example Abbreviatatin, Capital, Land Area etc. and have a CC for each in the document:

Option Explicit
Dim i As Long
Private Type ListData
pPostal As String
pCapital As String
pArea As String
End Type
Private Sub Document_ContentControlOnExit(ByVal CC As ContentControl, Cancel As Boolean)
If Application.Version < "14.0" Then Main.SetDeveloperTabActive
Dim tData As ListData
Select Case CC.Tag
Case Is = "State"
tData = GetData(CC)
With ActiveDocument
With .SelectContentControlsByTitle("AB").Item(1)
.LockContents = False
.Range.Text = tData.pPostal
.LockContents = True
End With
With .SelectContentControlsByTitle("Capital").Item(1)
.LockContents = False
.Range.Text = tData.pCapital
.LockContents = True
End With
With .SelectContentControlsByTitle("Land Area").Item(1)
.LockContents = False
.Range.Text = tData.pArea
.LockContents = True
End With
End With
End Select
End Sub
Private Function GetData(ByRef oCCPassed) As ListData
Dim arrData() As String
For i = 1 To oCCPassed.DropdownListEntries.Count
If oCCPassed.Range.Text = oCCPassed.DropdownListEntries(i).Text Then
arrData() = Split(oCCPassed.DropdownListEntries(i).Value, "|")
Exit For
End If
Next i
On Error GoTo Err_NoPick
GetData.pPostal = arrData(0)
GetData.pCapital = arrData(1)
GetData.pArea = arrData(2)
Exit Function
Err_NoPick:
GetData.pPostal = ""
GetData.pCapital = ""
GetData.pArea = ""
End Function

I need to take this one step further, though.

I desperately need to create a content control that is conditionally BASED ON — not IDENTICAL TO — another.

For example, if I create a control from which the uses selects a state by its full name, I need another control that contains its abbreviation (based on the state selected).

if StateName=”Alabama”
StateCode=”AL”
if StateName=”Arizona”
StateCode=”AZ”
etc.

Any ideas?

Thanks for this fantastic guide!

I stumbled upon an alternative approach which makes things a lot simpler – once you’ve created the first Content Control and linked it to an XML tag, you can go back to Word, save the Control as a Quick Part. Then, every time you insert the Quick Part elsewhere in the doc, it is automatically linked – so you don’t need to go back to the Toolkit to link manually.

Thanks again, you’ve given our doc management a great boost – wouldn’t have got started without your tutorial!
Malcolm Ferguson

THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!

Happy New Year!!