Forum Discussion
How to create an editable dropdown list with more than 256 characters in Microsoft Word?
We've tried the following in Microsoft Word however, it did not meet our goal of being able to display more than 256 characters in the dropdown and edit it. We need something that works without issue with Legacy controls and restricted editing.
Combo box however, the dropdown list is limited to 256 characters
Quick Parts however, when sharing the document with other users, they cannot see the dropdown or quick parts
Legacy form dropdown and display the text output using {IF{REF bookmark}}="exact value""text output" however the text output is not editable.
If we use a check box, is it possible to hide other options once we check an option?
3 Replies
Quick Parts are but one type of Building Block.
They can have many more than 256 characters but cannot be stored in a document but only in a template.
Where can Building Blocks be stored?
Why legacy form controls?
See Building Blocks Gallery Content Control.
This can have the property that once it is used the list disappears, leaving only the choice made.
What do you mean by an "editable dropdown list?"
Do you want the user to be able to edit the list? Or edit what it produces?
I think I what @NinoP1005 is meaning is the same issue I am having.
I have some code which clicking the short display name returns the (different) value after clicking off of the list but it’s limited to 50 characters (256 using combo) however one of the values I want to display is 600ish characters long
Is there a way of getting the dropdown to return the long text whether directly or indirectly? It needs to be able to be customised by the end user.
It is generally best to create a new question to get the best answers.
How to Ask Questions In this Forum (to get the best and quickest answers)
I will try though.
Content Control or Legacy Form Field? (Hint: you want Content Control, the Building Blocks Gallery Content Control.)
Directly or Indirectly? Directly means that when the user picks something, it is displayed right there, in place of the dropdown. A Content Control can be set to simply convert to the choice, which will be editable. The Content Control wrapper then disappears, leaving the text. Indirectly means that the choice influences text elsewhere, perhaps with different content. For the same content, you would use a Mapped Content Control.
Different content would require vba. Link "Conditional Content" to a List Selection
Customizable by the end user? Customizable how?
Do you want the End User to be able to change what is in the dropdown list?
Do you want the End User to be able to change what is in the document after a choice is made?
