Word forms are useful for creating surveys, quizzes, applications, and other documents that require user input. However, you may want to export or import the data from these forms to other applications or formats for analysis, reporting, or sharing. In this article, you will learn how to do that using different methods and tools.
One of the simplest ways to export data from Word forms is to save them as plain text files. This will preserve the field names and values, but not the formatting or layout. To do this, open the Word form, go to File > Save As, and choose Text Only (*.txt) as the file type. You can then open the text file in any text editor or import it into other applications that support text files, such as Excel, Access, or Google Sheets.
Another way to export data from Word forms is to use a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro that can copy the field values to a new Excel workbook. This will allow you to manipulate and analyze the data in Excel more easily. To do this, you need to enable the Developer tab in Word, create a new macro, and insert the code that can loop through the fields and paste them into Excel cells. You can find examples of such code online or customize your own. Then, you can run the macro from the Developer tab or assign it to a button on the form.
If you want to export data from Word forms to other formats, such as PDF, XML, CSV, or HTML, you may need to use third-party software that can handle these conversions. There are many options available online, some of which are free and some of which are paid. You will need to check the features, compatibility, and security of these software before using them. Some examples of such software are PDFelement, Docparser, and Formstack.
Additionally, if you save to PDF and you have Adobe Acrobat, you are able to export and convert a PDF file to other formats. This includes Word doc but also PowerPoint, Excel, Rich Text Format, and PNG. This function is especially useful if you have find yourself often needing to correct or redact information on converted documents. You are able to edit or add additional information and data without compromising the overall formatting on the overall document. Which format you will convert to, however, will ultimately depend on your goal and the information you need to add or remove.
To import data from other applications or formats into Word forms, you can create a data source that can link the fields to external data. A data source can be a text file, an Excel workbook, an Access database, or an Outlook contact list. To create a data source, go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Normal Word Document, then go to Select Recipients > Use an Existing List, and browse for the file that contains the data. Then, you can insert the fields into the form using Mailings > Insert Merge Field.
This is tool has several uses. It can create lists using any data point in your excel sheet, or it can bee used to print labels, or directly to envelopes for large mailings. For mailings a return address can be added as well.
Another way to import data into Word forms is to use bookmarks and references. Bookmarks are placeholders that you can insert into the form to mark the locations where you want to insert data. References are formulas that you can insert into the form to refer to the bookmarks and display the data. To use bookmarks and references, go to Insert > Bookmark, and name the bookmark. Then, go to Insert > Quick Parts > Field, and choose Ref as the field name and the bookmark name as the field code.
A more advanced way to import data into Word forms is to use content controls. Content controls are interactive elements that you can insert into the form to display data from various sources, such as XML files, SharePoint lists, or web services. To use content controls, you need to enable the Developer tab in Word, go to Controls > Properties, and configure the data binding settings for each content control. You can also use VBA macros or custom XML parts to manipulate the data in the content controls.