The FILLIN field prompts you to enter text. Your response is printed in place of the field.

Note To insert your response in more than one location, use an ASK field.

Word prompts you for a response each time you update the FILLIN field, such as when you press F9 or step through the records in a mail merge. When you create a new document that is based on a template (a .dotm or .dotx file) and that contains FILLIN fields, Word prompts you for a response at each FILLIN field.

Syntax

{ FILLIN ["Prompt "] [Optional switches ] }

Note To see the field codes in a main document, press ALT+F9. To see field results again, press ALT+F9 a second time.

showProperties

"Prompt"

Text that is displayed in the dialog box - for example, "Enter the client's name:"

showOptional switches

\d "Default"

Specifies a default response if you type nothing in the prompt dialog box. The field { FILLIN "Enter typist's initials:" \d "tds" } inserts "tds" if no response is entered.

If you don't specify a default response, Word uses the last response that was entered. To specify a blank entry as the default, type empty quotation marks after the switch. For example, type \d "".

\o

Prompts just one time during a mail merge instead of each time a new data record is merged. The same response is inserted in each resulting merged document.

Example

fillin field in action

callout 1 The document includes a postscript that consists of a FILLIN field. The prompt for the FILLIN field is Type a personal message here.

callout 2 The FILLIN field is updated with the text that the user typed in response to the prompt.

Instructions

You can use the FILLIN field in a document or as part of a mail merge.

showTo use the FILLIN field in a document

  1. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Quick Parts, and then click Field.

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  2. In the Field names list, select Fill-in.
  3. In the Prompt box, type the question you want answered.
  4. If you want a predefined response, select the Default response to prompt check box, and type the text.
  5. If you want the same response to apply to all the records in a mail merge, select the Prompt before merging bookmark text check box. Otherwise, Word will prompt you for a response with each record.
  6. Click OK.

showTo use the FILLIN field as part of a mail merge

While you are setting up the mail merge, do the following:

  1. On the Mailings tab, in the Write & Insert Fields group, click Rules, and then click Fill-in.

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  2. In the Prompt box, type the question you want answered.
  3. If you want a predefined response, type the response in the Default fill-in text box.
  4. If you want the same response to apply to all the records in the merge, select the Ask once check box. Otherwise, Word will prompt you for a response with each record.

See also: