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Re: Word forms and Screen Readers

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From: Cliff Tyllick
Date: May 22, 2015 1:56PM

A couple of additions to Mike's info:

' The first is a trivial difference: Much to my surprise, I discovered yesterday that the character limit for the field Word calls StatusText is 138, not 128, characters. Also, the character limit for the HelpText field is 255 characters, not 256.

' When the document is unlocked, it is impossible to put focus into the form fields in the same sense as in a locked form. You can select the field as you would a character and edit its properties, including placeholder text, but you cannot populate it with input. If you select the field and enter characters, whatever you type will replace the field. If the recipient of the form retrieves the data programmatically—for example, with a script, or even by reading the locked form with JAWS—they won't be able to retrieve the information you entered.

You might or might not break the form layout by filling it out this way. That depends on whether the person who built the form knew what they were doing:
' If they used table cells or tab stops to position the input fields, then the completed form should look fine.
' But if they did what far too many people do and fill the gap from each field to the next label with spaces and underscore characters, then they won't like the looks of what they get.

Which, all things considered, is probably what they deserve for not learning how to use Word as a third-millennium word processor rather than an electronic version of a 25-pound manual typewriter.

Cliff Tyllick
Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services

Sent from my iPhone
Although its spellcheck often saves me, all goofs in sent messages are its fault.

> On May 21, 2015, at 4:23 PM, Krack, Joseph@DOR < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> Thank you Mike! That was very helpful.
>
> Joe
>
>