Calculating Form Fields

In other WordTips you've learned how you can set up your form fields so that they perform calculations and display the results. When you print your form, Word updates the fields so that the results of the calculations are displayed in the form. What if you don't want to wait until printing in order to view the results?

Fortunately, Word provides a way you can do this. Make sure you follow these steps:

1. Make sure the Forms toolbar is displayed.
2. Unprotect your form so that you can change the options for each field.
3. Select a form field used in a calculation in a different field.
4. Click on the Form Field Options tool on the Forms toolbar. Word displays the Options dialog box for the field. (Click here to see a related figure.)
5. Make sure the Calculate on Exit check box is selected.
6. Click on OK.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for each of the other fields used in your calculations.
8. Protect the form again.

You can now use the form as normal. Whenever you press Tab to move between forms, and you leave a field used in a calculation, Word recalculates all the fields in the form. The result is that your calculated fields are always updated, as desired. In reality, not every possible field is updated in your form; see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=157463 for more information. (This Knowledge Base article is for Word 97, but is still applicable to later versions of Word.) You can rest assured that all your form fields are updated, however.