Word Document Properties

Part II: Learning the Ropes 
12_046500 ch07.qxp 12/5/06 5:35 PM Page 156

---

To begin this example, you need to add a few references that VBA doesn’t pro-
vide. Use the Tools
➪
References command to display the References dialog 
box. Select the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Extensibility 5.3 and
Microsoft Windows Common Controls (any version is fine) libraries, as shown
in Figure 7-1. Make sure that you also have selected the other references shown.
Anyone who has used VBA for a while will notice that the version numbers 
of the libraries in Figure 7-1 are for Office 2007. However, the interesting fact
is that the Visual Basic Editor didn’t require any changes to use the new
libraries. The editor automatically used the updated libraries when I loaded
this code from the previous edition of this book for updating.
The easiest way to design a form is by using the IDE. In the upcoming “Using
the Basic Controls” section of this chapter, you see this traditional method of
form design in action. A form that you design using these tools is static —
you decide how it looks during the design phase of your program.
Considering the form layout
The way that you design your form is important. When you use a well-designed
form, you feel good about the program. A form with a good layout is easy to
use and understand. Here are some design elements that you should con-
sider for your form (all of which appear in examples in this chapter):
Flow:
The controls on a form should naturally flow from one element to
the next. For example, you should place the fields on the form so that
someone performing a task, such as typing an address, types the name
first, the company second, the address third, and so forth. Make sure
that the tab order follows the flow you provide. You can change the tab
order by choosing View
➪
Tab Order.
Figure 7-1:
Adding
these
references
can make 
it easy 
to create
your own
dynamic
forms.
157