Text input fields

users
#1

Hi.
I have been given a document to edit. (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nIlAPA4b7NyWw55glHZ6mn97dnZPtydr)
This has grey regions (fields) to indicate where the user should enter data (not the check boxes) that don't show when printed.

I am wanting to insert more of these but can't seem to locate the item within LO and would appreciate a hit as to the location in the menus.
I suppose, while I am asking, which menu has the check boxes.
TIA, steve

#2

Hi Steve,

I am wanting to insert more of these but can't seem to locate the item
within LO and would appreciate a hit as to the location in the menus.
I suppose, while I am asking, which menu has the check boxes.

Are you looking for
View > Toolbars > Form Controls ?

Regards

Robert

#3

None of the form controls I see there are like in the document, they also don't seem to act like the form controls.
(unless I have not noticed some form control)
Steve

#4

Hi Steve,

None of the form controls I see there are like in the document, they
also don't seem to act like the form controls.

You have been asked for checkboxes. This checkboxes are at
View > Toolbars > Form Controls

You could start from this Toolbar another Toolbar for formcontrols like
tablecontrol. But there aren't different checkboxes.

There are no other formcontrols available for LO. Seems the document
isn't created with LO. Don't know who LO creates this kind of boxes,
which only would show a "X" when clicking with the mouse and without any
macro behind and without any form-function.

Regards

Robert

#5

Hi Steve,

tested a little bit more. Seems it is displayed a field like
View → Field Shadings
Could be it works with
Insert → Field → More Fields

Regards

Robert

#6

Hi Steve,

this is not something I do but it seems to me that (in LOW 5.1.6.2) if
you open the Form Controls toolbar - View > Toolbars > Forms Controls
Click on the Design Mode icon, click on the Insert Text box icon and
create a text box. Select this text box and click on the icon which has
a picture of tools (spanner, screwdriver ...) and this opens a dialog
box which has the possibility of setting a background colour for the
text box.

Maybe, in this area you'll find what you're looking for.
hth

Philip

#7

Hi Steve,

Aren't these just placeholders, available via:

Insert > Field > More Fields > Functions > Placeholder

I see also that under Insert > Field > More Fields >Bookmarks, a number
of bookmarks appear to have been created.

Alex

#8

Hi Steve,

Hi.
I have been given a document to edit.
(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nIlAPA4b7NyWw55glHZ6mn97dnZPtydr)
This has grey regions (fields) to indicate where the user should enter
data (not the check boxes) that don't show when printed.

I am wanting to insert more of these but can't seem to locate the item
within LO and would appreciate a hit as to the location in the menus.
I suppose, while I am asking, which menu has the check boxes.
TIA, steve

The document was converted from a Word document. In the file itself you find a lot of elements <field:fieldmark> and <field:fielmark-start>. Those are generated by the conversion. They do not exist in strict ODF but are only possible in "extended ODF". There exists no UI to generate such fields.

Such field can be content of a bookmark in Word, so that the value can be referenced later. The import of those fields do not work, see https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=107274.
The "Date" field top left seems to be of that kind, because I see a bookmark "text21" in the navigator, which is connected to that field.

In LibreOffice you can use input fields or -for onetime use- placeholder. They are in Input > Fields > More fields..., tab Functions. But the handling for the user is not as easy as in Word, especially traversing by tab is missing. The advantage is, that the width adapts to the content and the style adapts to the surrounding style. For a checkbox you might copy one from the existing document.

Or you use a form as Robert has suggested. You need not have a database to use form controls.

Kind regards
Regina

#9

Thanks all for the clarification and suggestions.
It seems strange that the conversion from MS Word retains objects that can be used in writer but that can't be created in LO (other than copy/paste) or are not converted to LO objects. I suppose that internally these objects are handled and function is good and it just awaits a developer to add the interface for the user at some point.
The place holder field seems a simple option to indicate a place to type some information.
Thanks, steve