Where Is The Text Box Gallery In Word

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Select the text box after adding it to your template. Add a text box from the Insert. Set the fill color to 'No Fill' and set the outline to 'no outline'. Set your Text Box to 'In Front Text'. This is allow you to place an image in an exact place regardless of new images or text that you add to your template. Shows two methods to save a Text Box as a building block in Microsoft Word. The first method only applies to Windows versions as of this writing.

But if you're looking for a basic form for personal use, follow the steps below.

When you hear about fillable forms, you probably think of Adobe and PDF documents. However, if you have Microsoft Office, you can achieve a similar result using MS Word.

1. Enable Developer Tab. Open Microsoft Word, then go to the File Tab > Options > Customize Ribbon > check the Developer Tab in the right column > Click OK.

A developer tab will populate. The Controls section has about eight different options that can be added to your Word document: Rich Text, Plain-Text, Picture, Building Block Gallery, Checkbox, Combo Box, Drop-Down List, and Date Picker.

2. Insert a Control. Click on the control and it will appear wherever your cursor was located.

In the example below are two plain-text boxes inserted into a simple table for first name and last name.

By default, each control has its own filler text. For a plain text control, it is ‘Click or tap here to enter text.’

3. Edit Filler Text. Customize the filler text for any control by clicking on Design Mode.

You’ll see blue placeholders appear around your place holder. Select the text and change it to whatever you like. Click on the

Design Mode button again to exit the mode.

4. Customize Content Controls. Highlight your new form field and then click on Properties, directly below the Design Mode button.

Here you can give the control a title, change the color, style the text and specify whether or not the control can be edited or deleted. At the very bottom are the control specific options, so if you have a plain text control set up, you can control how many lines you want to allow. That last option is useful if you need someone to type in a paragraph of text.

Plain-text control vs. rich text control

In a rich text control, you can change the font/color settings for each word individually, whereas the plain-text control will apply the formatting to all the text. Plain-text controls do allow bold, font changes or color changes.

Add a Drop Down List

If you need a drop down field added to your form go ahead and insert the drop down control. Highlight the field and again go to Properties to add your custom drop down options.

By default, the Display Name and Value will be the same, but you can change it if you like. There really is no reason to change the value unless you are writing Word macros and refer to the controls in code.

Hint: If your drop down field is not displaying make sure you are out of the Design Mode control.

Drop Down List vs. Combo Box

The only difference between the dropdown list control and the combo box control is that the latter allows the user to enter their own value.

Date Picker

The date picker control works just like any date picker you have probably used before. When you click on it, a calendar appears and you can simply click on the date to select it.

Picture Control allows the user to upload or insert an image file easily.

Bonus tip: Make sure you use tables to create well-organized forms.

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Lesson 15: Text Boxes and WordArt

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Introduction

You may want to insert a text box into your document to draw attention to specific text or have the ability to easily move text within a document. Text boxes are basically treated the same as shapes, so you can add the same types of effects to them and can even change their shape.

In this lesson, you will learn how to insert a text box and format it in various ways, including resizing and moving it, as well as changing the text box shape, color, and outline. You will also learn how to create and format WordArt.

Text boxes

Text boxes are useful for helping to organize your document. They are basically treated the same as shapes, so when you insert a text box you can format it by changing its fill color, outline color, and shape style, as well as create WordArt and add 3D effects.

To insert a text box:

  1. Select the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
  2. Click the Text Box command in the Text group. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. Select Draw Text Box.
    Creating a blank text box
  4. Click and drag on the document to create the text box.
  5. You can now start typing to create text inside the text box.

From the drop-down menu, you can also select one of the built-in text boxes that have predefined colors, fonts, positions, and sizes. If you choose this option, the text box will appear automatically so you will not need to click and drag to draw it.

A built-in text box

To move a text box:

  1. Click the text box.
  2. Hover the mouse over one of the edges of the text box. The mouse pointer becomes a cross with arrows on each end .
  3. Click and drag the text box to the desired location on the page.

To resize a text box:

  1. Click the text box.
  2. Click and drag one of the sizing handles on the corners or sides of the text box until it is the desired size.
    Resizing a text box

If you drag the sizing handles on any of the four corners, you will be able to change the height and width at the same time. The sizing handles on the top or bottom of the text box will only allow you to resize vertically, while the handles on the left and right sides will resize the text box horizontally.

Changing a text box's appearance

To change the text box shape:

Where Is The Text Box Gallery In Word
  1. Select the text box. A new Format tab appears with Drawing Tools.
  2. Go to the Format tab.
  3. Click the Edit Shape command.
  4. Click Change Shape to display a drop-down list.
    Choosing a different shape for the text box
  5. Select the desired shape from the list.

To choose a shape style:

Choosing a shape style allows you to apply a preset fill and outline color, and in some cases other effects such as beveling and shadow. You don't have to pick a style for your text box, but it can help you save time or experiment with different appearances.

  1. Select the text box. The Format tab appears.
  2. Select the Format tab.
  3. Click the More drop-down arrow in the Shape Styles group to display more style options.
  4. Hover your mouse over the styles to see a live preview.
  5. Select the desired style.

To change shape fill:

  1. Select the text box. The Format tab appears.
  2. Click the Format tab.
    Changing the fill color
  3. Click the Shape Fill command to display a drop-down menu.
  4. From the drop-down menu, you can select a color from the list, choose No Fill, or select More Fill Colors to use a color that's not on the list.

To change the shape outline:

  1. Select the text box. The Format tab appears.
  2. Click the Shape Outline command to display a drop-down list.
  3. Select a color from the list, choose No Outline, or select More Outline Colors to use a color that's not on the list.
  4. From the drop-down menu, you can change the outline color, weight (thickness), and whether it is a dashed line.

To change shadow effects:

  1. Select the text box. The Format tab appears.
  2. Select the Format tab.
  3. Click the Shape Effects command.
  4. Click Shadow.
  5. Move your mouse over the menu options to see a live preview in your document.
    Adding a shadow
  6. Click the desired option to select the shadow effect.

To choose a different shadow color for your shape, select Shadow Options from the drop-down menu, then click the Color button.

3D effects

Just like other types of shapes, text boxes can have 3D effects. There are two types of effects you can apply to your shapes to give them a 3D appearance: 3-D Rotation and Bevel. 3-D Rotation gives the appearance that you are viewing an object from a different angle, and it can be applied to any shape. Bevel adds thickness and a rounded edge to shapes; however, it doesn't work with every type of shape.

To use 3-D Rotation:

  1. Select the text box.
  2. Select the Format tab.
  3. Click Shape Effects from the Shape Styles group.
  4. Hover your mouse over 3-D Rotation. A drop-down menu will appear.
  5. Select the desired rotation preset from the drop-down menu. You can also click 3-D Rotation Options if you would prefer to type custom values.
    3-D Rotation Options
Where is the text box gallery in word document

To use bevel:

  1. Select the text box.
  2. Select the Format tab.
  3. Click Shape Effects from the Shape Styles group.
  4. Hover your mouse over Bevel. A drop-down menu will appear.
  5. Select the desired bevel preset from the drop-down menu. You can also click 3-D Options if you would prefer to type custom values.

If you click 3-D Options, you'll also be able to change the shape's Material to give it a metal, plastic, or translucent appearance, and you can choose the Lighting type to change how the shape is illuminated.

3-D Format Options

Creating WordArt

In addition to adding effects to a text box, you can add effects to the text inside the text box, which is known as WordArt. For the most part, the types of effects you can add are the same as the ones you can add to shapes or text boxes (shadow, bevel, etc.). However, you can also Transform the text to give it a wavy, slanted, or inflated look.

To apply a quick style to text:

A quick style will automatically apply several effects to your text at once. You can then refine the look of your text by adding or modifying text effects.

  1. Select the text box, or select some text inside of the text box. The Format tab will appear.
  2. Click the Format tab.
  3. Click the Quick Styles command in the WordArt Styles group. A drop-down menu will appear.
  4. Select the desired style preset to apply the style to your text.

After you have applied a quick style, you can still modify the font or font color from the Home tab if you want.

To convert regular text into WordArt:

Text Box Online

For text to be formatted as WordArt, it needs to be inside of a text box. However, there's a shortcut that allows you to convert text into WordArt even if it's not in a text box.

  1. Select the text you want to convert.
  2. Click the Insert tab.
  3. Click the WordArt command. The Quick Styles drop-down menu will appear.
    Converting text to WordArt
  4. Select the desired quick style.
  5. Word will automatically create a text box for your text and apply the style to the text.

Some effects, such as shadows, can be added from the Text Effects menu in the Home tab. When you add effects in this way, it will not place the text in a text box.

To add or modify text effects:

  1. Select the text box, or select some text inside of the text box. The Format tab will appear.
  2. Click the Format tab.
  3. Click the Text Effects command in the WordArt Styles group. A drop-down menu will appear, showing the different effect categories.
    The Text Effects command
  4. Hover over an effect category. A drop-down menu will appear. You can hover the mouse over the different presets to see a live preview.
  5. Select the desired effect preset. The effect will be applied to your text. If you want, you can combine several effects.
    The finished WordArt

Challenge!

  1. Create a new document.
  2. Insert a text box.
  3. Enter some text into the text box.
  4. Move the text box to the desired location.
  5. Change the outline of the text box to a different color.
  6. Change the fill color of the text box.
  7. Add some WordArt effects to the text.

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