I'm trying to create a document that is to be used to record meeting minutes
and decisions according to a fairly tight format.

I have created and stored as AutoText two different multiline text groups
(that each contain form fields) that correspond to the two types of items
that come up routinely for decisions.  The idea is that the recorder can
simply insert an item (as AutoText) as the need arises and then use (mostly)
list selection to complete the information for that meeting item. Each
AutoText element has some style-based formatting in it for auto-numbering of
the items in the minutes and for font-color visibility.

I'm having two problems:

1.  Inserting the AutoText elements using the "Insert/AutoText ..."
drop-down menu, works, as does a click on the AutoText button on the tool
bar (when I include it), but when I record each of the two AutoText
insertions as a macro (for later assignment to a custom button to allow
simple a "click for element insertion") I find that all formatting is
stripped from the AutoText element that has been inserted.  I don't know
why, since the basic AutoText insert is OK, and all I did was record the
macro.  Any suggestions as to why this happens and how I can ensure that the
formatting is retained would be welcome.

2.  I need to allow users to add the two different AutoText elements as the
meeting proceeds, but want them to use the fields within each element after
it is inserted.  To allow the user to complete the form fields in each
AutoText element I need to protect the form, but then I find that the user
cannot insert the AutoText elements, as needed, for each new meeting item.
I'm thinking that I may be taking an entirely incorrect approach to what I'm
trying to do here.  Any ideas?

Many thanks for any help on this.

Allen Brown

If you autotextentry is stored in the normal template, use:

    normaltemplate.AutoTextEntries("asx").Insert _
                           where:=selection.Range,richtext:=true

if it's in another template use:

    Templates("C:\path\filename.dot").AutoTextEntries("asx").Insert _
                    where:=selection.Range,richtext:=true

If you want to do this with a macro, you need to unprotect the document
first, add the formfield and then reprotect the document:

    ActiveDocument.Unprotect
    Templates("C:\path\filename.dot").AutoTextEntries("asx").Insert _
                    Where:=Selection.Range,RichText:=True
    ActiveDocument.Protect Type:=wdAllowOnlyFormFields, _
                   noreset:=True

Hope this helps,
regards,
Astrid

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