Why Use Fields and Forms inWord Documents?

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A field is a kind of placeholder—a code inserted in your document that enables you to add variable data, launch another application, or ask for input from a user.

In its most basic sense, a field allows you to incorporate changeable data in your Word documents. For example, you might want to add information such as a product name, the number of pages in a document, or the current date. To do this, you insert field codes that tell Word to add text, graphics, page numbers, and other material to the document automatically. You can also use fields in your Word documents to do the following things:

• Calculate and display values in a document
• Add document information to headers and footers
• Prompt users to add more information during a mail merge operation
• Mark special items such as table of content entries, index entries, and more

A form is a Word document that helps you capture the data you need for your applications. The only difference between a traditional document and a form is the addition of data fields that allow you to gather information. Later in this chapter, you'll learn how to create and work with forms.