Office 365: Adding Content Controls to Word Documents

In today’s Ask the Admin, I’ll show you how to add content controls to your documents in Word 2016.

Using a form in a Word document may seem like a feature that’s only useful for creating questionnaires, but Word content controls such as text fields, checkboxes and drop-down menus can also be used in collaboration scenarios where you want to share a document but guide colleagues on where they should provide input.

When used alongside the ability to restrict editing in a document, as I demonstrated a couple of weeks ago on Petri in An Office 365 Tip on Restricting Editing in Word 2016, Word content controls are especially useful in ensuring that only specific parts of a document can be modified.

Before you can add Word content controls to a document, you need to enable the Developer tab in the ribbon.

• Open Word 2016.
• Switch to the File tab on the ribbon and click Options on the left.
• In the Options dialog box, click Customize Ribbon on the left.
• Make sure that Main Tabs is selected in the menu on the right below Customize the Ribbon.
• Check Developer in the last of tabs and then click OK.

You should now see the Developer tab on the ribbon, and now you’re ready to add form controls to Word documents.

Content controls

Unlike the old Active X controls used with VBA, content controls in newer versions of Word aren’t a security risk and are compatible with Open XML Automation. Let’s look at the available content controls on the Developer tab.

• Switch to the Developer tab on the ribbon.
• In the Controls section of the Developer tab, you’ll see that the first two controls are for adding plain and rich text fields. Position the cursor in the document in the place where you’d like to add the control, and then click the Rich Text Content Control icon on the ribbon.

• A new control will appear in the document. You can optionally click or tap in the control and add some default text.
• Make sure the new Word content control is selected by clicking the small tab attached to the control’s border – when selected the control will turn grey – and then click Properties in the Controls section of the Developer tab.

• In the Content Control Properties dialog, enter a title for the control in the Title: field. This text will appear in the tab attached to the control in the Word document and is for giving the user guidance as to what information the control requires.
• The Tag field is optional, but if you intend to access the information collected programmatically, this is how the control is located and identified within the document.
• Additionally, you can restrict formatting options, such as the text color, style, and whether the Word content control is removed after editing.
• If you don’t want users to be able to delete the Word content control, check Content control cannot be deleted below Locking.
• Click OK to finish editing the control’s properties.

I’m not going to detail every control available in Word in this article, as they’re quite self-explanatory to use, but let’s have a look at one more. The key to controlling the input information is to set restrictions in the Properties for each Word content control you add to a document.

• Place the cursor in the document and add the Date Picker Content Control by clicking the icon in the Controls section of the Developer tab.
• Along with the title, tag and formatting restrictions available in the Rick Text Content Control, you’ll see under Date Picker Properties options for allowing you to control how the date is formatted in the document.

• After adding title and tag information to the control as required, select the display format that you’d like to be used in your document and then click OK.

Once you’re done adding controls, you can save the document as a standard Word file or template, or add further editing restrictions to ensure users can’t edit text or other content elements not contained in a  Word content control.

FAQs

What are the advanced customization options for Word content control beyond basic formatting?

Word content control offers advanced customization through XML mapping, custom validation rules, and dynamic content binding. Users can create conditional formatting rules, implement cascading controls, and integrate with external data sources for enhanced document automation.

Can Word content control be used with SharePoint integration?

Yes, Word content control seamlessly integrates with SharePoint, allowing for automated form processing, document workflows, and centralized content management. This enables teams to create standardized templates with controlled input fields that sync directly with SharePoint libraries.

How does Word content control handle multilingual document requirements?

Word content control supports multilingual functionality by allowing language-specific input restrictions, localized date formats, and right-to-left text direction. Content controls can be configured to enforce language-specific validation rules and formatting.

What security features are available in Word content control for sensitive documents?

Word content control includes encryption options, digital signature integration, and permission-based access controls. Administrators can implement content control restrictions that prevent unauthorized modifications while maintaining document integrity.

Can Word content control be used in combination with mail merge features?

Word content control supports mail merge functionality, allowing users to create dynamic templates with controlled input fields that can pull data from external sources. This enables automated document generation while maintaining content control restrictions.