# Form Fields > Insert text, check box, combo box, drop-down and date form fields in VB6, open FormFieldDialog, read what users entered and protect the rest of the form. - **Product:** TX Text Control ActiveX - **Section:** Documentation - **Kind:** Topic - **Path:** TX Text Control ActiveX > Document Editor > Form Fields - **5575 words** - **Web URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/form-fields/ - **LLMs URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/form-fields/llms.txt - **LLMs-Full URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/form-fields/llms-full.txt --- Form fields are the places of a `TXTextControl` document that the user fills in, while the rest of an application form, order form or questionnaire stays as it is. There are five kinds: a text box, a check box, a combo box, a drop-down list and a date the user picks from a date control. They arrived in TX Text Control ActiveX 28.0, and version 31.0 added a built-in dialog box for their settings. Read on to insert each kind of form field in Visual Basic 6, change its settings, read what the user entered, react to changes and protect the rest of the document. The code follows the *TXWords* sample, whose **Insert** and **Format** menus create and edit form fields. ### Form Field Types Each kind of form field has its own insert method and a field type that the [FieldType](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtype-property/llms-full.txt) property returns: | Form field | Inserted with | FieldType | What the user does | |---|---|---|---| | Text form field | [FormTextFieldInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formtextfieldinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | `txFieldFormText` (16) | Types text. An empty field keeps a width, so the user sees where to type. | | Check box | [FormCheckBoxInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formcheckboxinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | `txFieldCheckBox` (14) | Checks or unchecks it. The field's text is one character for the checked and one for the unchecked state, and the user can't edit it. | | Combo box | [FormComboBoxInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formcomboboxinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | `txFieldComboBox` (15) | Selects an item from a list, or edits the text. | | Drop-down list | [FormDropDownListInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formdropdownlistinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | `txFieldComboBox` (15) | Selects an item from a list. The text can't be edited. | | Date field | [FormDateFieldInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formdatefieldinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | `txFieldDate` (17) | Selects a date in a date control or enters it as text. | A combo box and a drop-down list have the same field type. They differ in the [FieldChangeable](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldchangeable-property/llms-full.txt) property, which is True for a combo box. ![A form in the TXWords demo document whose shaded form fields hold a name, a phone number, a date of birth and a state.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/form-fields-document.3a9439ba.webp) ### How Form Fields Relate to Marked Text Fields A form field is a marked text field of a special type. *Marked text fields* are ranges of text that your code addresses by a number, the field identifier; [Marked Text Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/llms-full.txt) explains them. So everything that works with field identifiers works with form fields, too: - **The current field.** Each insert method sets the [FieldCurrent](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldcurrent-property/llms-full.txt) property to the identifier of the new form field, and each form field event sets it to the identifier of the changed field. - **The Field members.** [FieldText](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtext-property/llms-full.txt), [FieldDelete](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fielddelete-method/llms-full.txt), [FieldNext](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldnext-method/llms-full.txt), [FieldAtInputPos](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldatinputpos-property/llms-full.txt) and the other `Field...` members work with the identifier of a form field. What sets a form field apart is how it comes into being and the data it carries: - **Only the insert methods create it.** For the four form field types, `FieldType` is read only. You can't turn a standard marked text field into a form field by setting its type; you insert the form field with its `Form...Insert` method. - **It has members of its own.** The items of a list, the date, the date format, the check box characters and the width of an empty field are set with the `FormField...` properties, not with [FieldTypeData](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtypedata-property/llms-full.txt). - **It has events of its own.** Four `Form...` events report that the user changed the check state, the date, the selected item or the text. A Microsoft Word form field, such as *FORMTEXT*, is loaded as a TX Text Control form field or as a marked text field of the type `txFieldMSWord`, depending on how you load the document. [Load and Save Forms](#load-and-save-forms) shows the setting, and [Using Microsoft Word Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/microsoft-word/llms-full.txt) wraps the `txFieldMSWord` variant in a Visual Basic class. ### Insert Form Fields Form fields are inserted at the current input position, the position of the caret. In TXWords, the **Insert** menu has a **Form Field** submenu with the items **Text**, **Check Box**, **Combo Box**, **Drop-Down List** and **Date**. Each item calls one insert method with empty contents: ```vbscript Private Sub mnuInsert_FormField_Text_Click() TXTextControl1.FormTextFieldInsert "" End Sub Private Sub mnuInsert_FormField_CheckBox_Click() TXTextControl1.FormCheckBoxInsert False End Sub Private Sub mnuInsert_FormField_ComboBox_Click() TXTextControl1.FormComboBoxInsert "", "", False End Sub Private Sub mnuInsert_FormField_DropDownList_Click() TXTextControl1.FormDropDownListInsert "", -1, False End Sub Private Sub mnuInsert_FormField_Date_Click() TXTextControl1.FormDateFieldInsert Nothing, False End Sub ``` TXWords enables the **Form Field** submenu only when the input position isn't inside another field, that is, when [FieldAtInputPos](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldatinputpos-property/llms-full.txt) returns zero. ![The Form Field submenu of the TXWords Insert menu with the items Text, Check Box, Combo Box, Drop-Down List and Date.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/insert-form-field-menu.f5d70196.webp) The parameters of the insert methods also set the initial contents. Each of the following statements inserts one field with contents at the current input position; in an application, each one runs when the caret is where the field belongs, for example from a menu item as in TXWords. Widths are in *twips*, 1/1440 inch; [Text Formatting and Views](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/viewing/#measure-in-twips) explains the unit. ```vbscript Dim sizes As String sizes = "Small" & vbTab & "Medium" & vbTab & "Large" ' A text field that is 2 inches wide while it is empty TXTextControl1.FormTextFieldInsert "", 2880 ' A check box that is checked, with the default characters TXTextControl1.FormCheckBoxInsert True ' A combo box with three items and the text "Medium" TXTextControl1.FormComboBoxInsert "Medium", sizes, False ' A drop-down list with the first item selected TXTextControl1.FormDropDownListInsert sizes, 0, False ' A date field with today's date TXTextControl1.FormDateFieldInsert Date, False ``` The code works as follows: - [FormTextFieldInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formtextfieldinsert-method/llms-full.txt) takes the text of the field and, optionally, its width when it is empty. Without the width, an empty field is 2000 twips wide. - [FormCheckBoxInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formcheckboxinsert-method/llms-full.txt) takes the initial check state. Two optional parameters are the Unicode character codes of the checked and the unchecked symbol; the defaults are `&H2612` and `&H2610`. - [FormComboBoxInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formcomboboxinsert-method/llms-full.txt) takes the text of the combo box, its items separated by TAB characters (`vbTab`) and whether the drop-down arrow is shown right after insertion. - [FormDropDownListInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formdropdownlistinsert-method/llms-full.txt) takes the items, the zero-based index of the selected item (-1 for none) and whether the drop-down arrow is shown right after insertion. - [FormDateFieldInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formdatefieldinsert-method/llms-full.txt) takes the date, here today's date from the Visual Basic `Date` function, and whether the date control is shown right after insertion. When the first parameter holds no date, the date field is empty. An optional fourth parameter is the date format; without it, the format depends on the language of the field's text. Each insert method returns True when the field could be inserted and False otherwise, and sets `FieldCurrent` to the identifier of the new field. To keep the identifier, read `FieldCurrent` right after the call: ```vbscript Dim nameFieldId As Integer If TXTextControl1.FormTextFieldInsert("", 2880) Then nameFieldId = TXTextControl1.FieldCurrent End If ``` ### Change the Settings of a Form Field The `FormField...` properties take the field identifier as a parameter and change the data of an existing form field at run time: | To change | Set | Applies to | |---|---|---| | The list items, separated by TAB characters | [FormFieldItems](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielditems-property/llms-full.txt) | combo box, drop-down list | | The width, in twips, of an empty field | [FormFieldEmptyWidth](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfieldemptywidth-property/llms-full.txt) | text form field, combo box, drop-down list, date field | | The checked and unchecked symbols | [FormFieldCheckedChar](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfieldcheckedchar-property/llms-full.txt), [FormFieldUncheckedChar](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielduncheckedchar-property/llms-full.txt) | check box | | The date | [FormFieldDate](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielddate-property/llms-full.txt) | date field | | The date format | [FormFieldDateFormat](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielddateformat-property/llms-full.txt) | date field | Two read-only properties list the values that fit a field. [FormFieldCheckedChars](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfieldcheckedchars-property/llms-full.txt) and [FormFieldUncheckedChars](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielduncheckedchars-property/llms-full.txt) return the characters that can show a check box's state; they depend on the check box's font. [FormFieldDateFormats](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielddateformats-property/llms-full.txt) returns the date formats, as Day, Month and Year Format Picture strings separated by TAB characters; they depend on the locale of the field's text. The following code gives a drop-down list new items and formats a date field with the first format its locale offers: ```vbscript Dim formats() As String ' Replace the items of a drop-down list TXTextControl1.FormFieldItems(sizeFieldId) = "S" & vbTab & "M" & vbTab & "L" & vbTab & "XL" ' Use the first date format the date field offers formats = Split(TXTextControl1.FormFieldDateFormats(dateFieldId), vbTab) TXTextControl1.FormFieldDateFormat(dateFieldId) = formats(0) ``` `sizeFieldId` and `dateFieldId` hold the identifiers of a drop-down list and a date field, read from `FieldCurrent` after they were inserted. An empty string as `FormFieldDateFormat` restores the default format of the field's language. #### Open the Form Field Dialog Box The [FormFieldDialog](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielddialog-method/llms-full.txt) method opens a built-in dialog box with the settings of a check box, combo box, text form field or date field. TXWords opens it from **Format** > **Form Field** > **Properties...** for the field at the input position: ```vbscript Private Sub mnuFormat_FormFields_Properties_Click() Dim fieldId As Integer fieldId = TXTextControl1.FieldAtInputPos TXTextControl1.FormFieldDialog fieldId End Sub ``` ![The built-in Form Field Properties dialog box of TXTextControl for a text form field, with its name, ID, default width and descriptive text.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/form-field-properties.bd4a2602.webp) `FormFieldDialog` returns True when the user changed one or more settings and closed the dialog box with **OK**, and False when the user clicked **Cancel**. TXWords enables the **Form Field** submenu only when `FieldAtInputPos` returns a field whose `FieldType` is `txFieldCheckBox`, `txFieldComboBox`, `txFieldDate` or `txFieldFormText`. #### Delete a Form Field A form field is deleted like any marked text field, with [FieldDelete](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fielddelete-method/llms-full.txt). With True, the field and its text are deleted; with False, the text stays as plain text. TXWords deletes the field with its text from **Format** > **Form Field** > **Delete Field**. The following code first makes the field at the input position the current field: ```vbscript TXTextControl1.FieldCurrent = TXTextControl1.FieldAtInputPos TXTextControl1.FieldDelete True ``` ![The Form Field submenu of the TXWords Format menu with the items Delete Field and Properties.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/format-form-field-menu.033e1f5b.webp) ### Read What the User Entered When the user has filled in the form, your code reads each field by its identifier: - **Text form fields, combo boxes and drop-down lists.** [FieldText](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtext-property/llms-full.txt) returns the text of the current field. For a combo box and a drop-down list, this is the text of the selected item, or the text the user typed into the combo box. - **Check boxes.** The text of a check box is either the checked or the unchecked character. Compare `FieldText` with the character that [FormFieldCheckedChar](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfieldcheckedchar-property/llms-full.txt) returns. - **Date fields.** [FormFieldDate](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielddate-property/llms-full.txt) returns the date. [FieldNext](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldnext-method/llms-full.txt) enumerates the fields of a document. Its second parameter selects field types: `&H40000` check boxes, `&H80000` combo boxes and drop-down lists, `&H100000` text form fields and `&H200000` date fields. Their sum, `&H3C0000`, returns all form fields. The following procedure prints the value of every form field to the Immediate window: ```vbscript Private Sub ListFormFields() Dim fieldId As Integer fieldId = TXTextControl1.FieldNext(0, &H3C0000) Do While fieldId <> 0 TXTextControl1.FieldCurrent = fieldId Select Case TXTextControl1.FieldType(fieldId) Case txFieldCheckBox Debug.Print fieldId, (TXTextControl1.FieldText = _ ChrW(TXTextControl1.FormFieldCheckedChar(fieldId))) Case txFieldDate Debug.Print fieldId, TXTextControl1.FormFieldDate(fieldId) Case Else Debug.Print fieldId, TXTextControl1.FieldText End Select fieldId = TXTextControl1.FieldNext(fieldId, &H3C0000) Loop End Sub ``` The code works as follows: - `FieldNext` with 0 returns the first form field, and with an identifier the form field after it. It returns 0 when there is none, which ends the loop. - `FieldCurrent` makes each form field the current field, which `FieldText` needs. - [FieldType](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtype-property/llms-full.txt) tells the kinds apart. For a check box, the comparison prints True when the box is checked. ### Respond to Changes Four events report that the user changed a form field. Each passes the identifier of the field and sets `FieldCurrent` to it: | Event | Occurs when | |---|---| | [FormFieldTextChanged](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfieldtextchanged-event/llms-full.txt) | the text of a text form field has been changed | | [FormCheckStateChanged](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formcheckstatechanged-event/llms-full.txt) | the check state of a check box has been changed | | [FormSelectedItemChanged](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formselecteditemchanged-event/llms-full.txt) | the selected item of a combo box or drop-down list has been changed | | [FormDateChanged](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formdatechanged-event/llms-full.txt) | the date of a date field has been changed | Because the event sets `FieldCurrent`, `FieldText` reads the changed field directly in the handler: ```vbscript Private Sub TXTextControl1_FormSelectedItemChanged(ByVal FieldId As Integer) Debug.Print "Field " & FieldId & " now shows " & TXTextControl1.FieldText End Sub Private Sub TXTextControl1_FormDateChanged(ByVal FieldId As Integer) Debug.Print "Field " & FieldId & " now holds " & TXTextControl1.FormFieldDate(FieldId) End Sub ``` ### Let Users Fill In a Protected Form To let the user fill in the fields and change nothing else, protect the document: set the [EditMode](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/editmode-property/llms-full.txt) property to 1, **Protected**, or 3, **Password Protected**. What the user may still do is set by the [DocumentPermissions](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/documentpermissions-property/llms-full.txt) property, and its setting `txAllowEditingFormFields` (2048) allows editing form fields: ```vbscript TXTextControl1.DocumentPermissions = txAllowEditingFormFields TXTextControl1.EditMode = 1 ``` The values of `DocumentPermissions` can be added, for example `txAllowEditingFormFields + txAllowPrinting`. TXWords switches the setting on and off with **Edit** > **Permissions** > **Allow Filling in Form Fields**. [Document Protection](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/protection/llms-full.txt) covers the edit modes, the other permissions and editable regions. ### Load and Save Forms Form fields are saved and loaded with the TX Text Control format and with the Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) and RTF formats. Form fields of documents created in Microsoft Word are loaded depending on two attributes of the [LoadSaveAttribute](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/loadsaveattribute-property/llms-full.txt) property, which apply to the Word and RTF formats: - **`txLoadMSWordFields`** converts Word fields into marked text fields of the type `txFieldMSWord`, which you read with `FieldTypeData`. [Special Types of Marked Text Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/special-types/#import-microsoft-word-form-fields) describes this for Word form fields. - **`txLoadFormFields`** converts Word form fields into TX Text Control form fields and overrides `txLoadMSWordFields`. When both are True, check boxes, text form fields, combo boxes, drop-down lists and date fields become TX Text Control form fields, and all other Word fields become `txFieldMSWord` fields. The following code loads a Word form so that its form fields can be read with the members on this page: ```vbscript TXTextControl1.LoadSaveAttribute(txLoadMSWordFields) = True TXTextControl1.LoadSaveAttribute(txLoadFormFields) = True TXTextControl1.Load "c:\order-form.docx", 0, 13, False ``` The format value 13 is the Microsoft Word format (.docx) of the [Load](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/load-method/llms-full.txt) method. [Working with Files](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/load-save/llms-full.txt) covers loading and saving in general. Since version 34.0, a form field can also have a descriptive text, which [FieldDescriptiveText](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fielddescriptivetext-property/llms-full.txt) sets for the current field. ### Key Members | Member | Description | |---|---| | [FormTextFieldInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formtextfieldinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | Inserts a text form field at the input position. | | [FormCheckBoxInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formcheckboxinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | Inserts a check box at the input position. | | [FormComboBoxInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formcomboboxinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | Inserts a combo box at the input position. | | [FormDropDownListInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formdropdownlistinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | Inserts a drop-down list at the input position. | | [FormDateFieldInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formdatefieldinsert-method/llms-full.txt) | Inserts a date field at the input position. | | [FormFieldDialog](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielddialog-method/llms-full.txt) | Opens the built-in dialog box with the settings of a form field. | | [FormFieldItems](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielditems-property/llms-full.txt) | Sets or returns the items of a combo box or drop-down list. | | [FormFieldDate](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/formfielddate-property/llms-full.txt) | Sets or returns the date of a date field. | | [FieldCurrent](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldcurrent-property/llms-full.txt) | Sets or returns the current field, which the insert methods and form field events set. | | [FieldText](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtext-property/llms-full.txt) | Returns or sets the text of the current field. | | [FieldNext](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldnext-method/llms-full.txt) | Enumerates fields, filtered by field type. | | [DocumentPermissions](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/documentpermissions-property/llms-full.txt) | Allows editing form fields in a protected document with `txAllowEditingFormFields`. | The programming category [Form Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/categories/form-fields/llms-full.txt) lists all members for form fields. ### Related Pages - [Marked Text Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/llms-full.txt): the field identifiers and `Field...` members that form fields share. - [Special Types of Marked Text Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/special-types/llms-full.txt): the other field types and the import of Word fields as `txFieldMSWord` fields. - [Using Microsoft Word Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/microsoft-word/llms-full.txt): a Visual Basic class for the Word FORMTEXT field. - [Signature Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/signature-fields/llms-full.txt): fields that receive a signature image and a digital signature. - [Document Protection](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/protection/llms-full.txt): edit modes, permissions and editable regions. - [A Word Processor](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/word-processor/llms-full.txt): the TXWords sample and its menus. --- ## Nearby - **Previous:** [Tables of Contents](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/tables-of-contents/llms-full.txt) - **Next:** [Signature Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/signature-fields/llms-full.txt)