how to create a fill in the blank document that can be used by others

Hi Linda,

Insert Text Boxes for others to type their information. This will not create a locked form; they will be able to edit evrything.

Regards,

Ian.

The others need to have Pages to being able to use the document.

Hi Linda,

I created this in Pages. Type Name: in the body of a Pages Word Processing ducument, then add a Text Box.

Then File > Export > Word

Then open the Word document in Pages:

I don't have Word to try it, but Export > Word and then open again in Pages works.

Pages and Word are not fully compatible. Give it a try. Send the Word version to a friend who has Word and see if they can type into the Text Box.

Regards,

Ian

Just to add to Yellowboxes suggestion:

select "Type to enter Text" > Menu > Format > Advanced > Define as placeholder text

so that when you click in it you select and replace it with whatever you type.

This works in Pages, not sure about Word.

You do not seem to be taking into account whatever the recipients may have installed on their computers. PC users will be totally unable to use a .pages document and exporting and reimporting to/from Word will rapidly break down.

For forms that are platform agnostic, it is best to make your form in Pages and print it to pdf then edit the pdf to be a form. That actually makes it better than a dumb virtual piece of paper, because the pdf form can submit the data to a database of your choosing.

Peter

PC users will be totally unable to use a .pages document

Now that Apple has made the iWork for iCloud beta available for users with an iCloud account, even PC users can open & edit iWork documents.

Hi Peter,

select "Type to enter Text" > Menu > Format > Advanced > Define as placeholder text

Placeholder text became ordinary text on export and reopen.

Regards,

Ian.

Thanks Ian

So we have established that Word does not have placeholder text.

Peter

Peggy wrote:

PC users will be totally unable to use a .pages document

Now that Apple has made the iWork for iCloud beta available for users with an iCloud account, even PC users can open & edit iWork documents.

Let's hope that it isn't just Pages for iOS or as plagued with similar problems.

Peter

It is not as full-featured as the Mac versions, more like the iOS versions. Still, it's a way to access & edit files on a computer without iWork.

Hi Linda,

I will try this.

I tried too.

I started with a blank Page Layout document in Pages (File > New From Template Chooser... > Page Layout > Blank > Blank Canvas.

I added four Text Boxes to that blank canvas:

In my example, the Text Boxes all have black outlines for clarity in that screen shot (select the Text Boxes, then in Inspector > Graphic > Stroke > Line and set the line style, colour and width).

Then File > Print...

and on the bottom left of the Print dialogue:

Save with a suitable document name in a convenient location.

Then open that PDF in Preview and type the word DoubleClick in each user field:

Double clicking will select that "word" and it will act as the Place Holder Text that Peter referred to. The user can begin typing to replace that "word".

Please be aware that this PDF is not a locked form with fields that users can enter data. Here, I show how to select (and possibly vandalise) the Name box:

It all depends upon how well you can trust your users!

Regards,

Ian.