Java (482)
Word allows you to create forms that other people can use to enter information. Fillable forms are used for a variety of purposes. Human resources use forms to collect employee and consultant information. Marketing departments use forms to survey customer satisfaction with their products and services. Organizations use forms to register members, students, or clients. Some of the tools you will use when creating a form include:
- Content Controls: The areas where users input information in a form.
- Tables: Tables are used in forms to align text and form fields, and to create borders and boxes.
- Protection: Allows users to populate fields but not to make changes to the rest of the document.
Content controls in Word are containers for content that let users build structured documents. A structured document controls where content appears within the document. There are basically ten types of content controls available in Word 2013. This article focuses on how to create a fillable form in Word consisting of the following seven common content controls using Spire.Doc for Java.
| Content Control | Description |
| Plain Text | A text field limited to plain text, so no formatting can be included. |
| Rich Text | A text field that can contain formatted text or other items, such as tables, pictures, or other content controls. |
| Picture | Accepts a single picture. |
| Drop-Down List | A drop-down list displays a predefined list of items for the user to choose from. |
| Combo Box | A combo box enables users to select a predefined value in a list or type their own value in the text box of the control. |
| Check Box | A check box provides a graphical widget that allows the user to make a binary choice: yes (checked) or no (not checked). |
| Date Picker | Contains a calendar control from which the user can select a date. |
Install Spire.Doc for Java
First of all, you're required to add the Spire.Doc.jar file as a dependency in your Java program. The JAR file can be downloaded from this link. If you use Maven, you can easily import the JAR file in your application by adding the following code to your project's pom.xml file.
<repositories>
<repository>
<id>com.e-iceblue</id>
<name>e-iceblue</name>
<url>https://repo.e-iceblue.com/nexus/content/groups/public/</url>
</repository>
</repositories>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>e-iceblue</groupId>
<artifactId>spire.doc</artifactId>
<version>14.4.0</version>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
Create a Fillable Form in Word in Java
The StructureDocumentTagInline class provided by Spire.Doc for Java is used to create structured document tags for inline-level structures (DrawingML object, fields, etc.) in a paragraph. The SDTProperties property and the SDTContent property under this class shall be used to specify the properties and content of the current structured document tag. The following are the detailed steps to create a fillable form with content controls in Word.
- Create a Document object.
- Add a section using Document.addSection() method.
- Add a table using Section.addTable() method.
- Add a paragraph to a specific table cell using TableCell.addParagraph() method.
- Create an instance of StructureDocumentTagInline class, and add it to the paragraph as a child object using Paragraph.getChildObjects().add() method.
- Specify the properties and content of the structured document tag using the methods under the SDTProperties property and the SDTContent property of the StructureDocumentTagInline object. The type of the structured document tag is set through SDTProperties.setSDTType() method.
- Prevent users from editing content outside form fields using Document.protect() method.
- Save the document using Document.saveToFile() method.
- Java
import com.spire.doc.*;
import com.spire.doc.documents.*;
import com.spire.doc.fields.DocPicture;
import com.spire.doc.fields.TextRange;
import java.util.Date;
public class CreateFillableForm {
public static void main(String[] args) {
//Create a Document object
Document doc = new Document();
//Add a section
Section section = doc.addSection();
//add a table
Table table = section.addTable(true);
table.resetCells(7, 2);
//Add text to the cells of the first column
Paragraph paragraph = table.getRows().get(0).getCells().get(0).addParagraph();
paragraph.appendText("Plain Text Content Control");
paragraph = table.getRows().get(1).getCells().get(0).addParagraph();
paragraph.appendText("Rich Text Content Control");
paragraph = table.getRows().get(2).getCells().get(0).addParagraph();
paragraph.appendText("Picture Content Control");
paragraph = table.getRows().get(3).getCells().get(0).addParagraph();
paragraph.appendText("Drop-Down List Content Control");
paragraph = table.getRows().get(4).getCells().get(0).addParagraph();
paragraph.appendText("Check Box Content Control");
paragraph = table.getRows().get(5).getCells().get(0).addParagraph();
paragraph.appendText("Combo box Content Control");
paragraph = table.getRows().get(6).getCells().get(0).addParagraph();
paragraph.appendText("Date Picker Content Control");
//Add a plain text content control to the cell (0,1)
paragraph = table.getRows().get(0).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
StructureDocumentTagInline sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Text);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setAlias("Plain Text");
sdt.getSDTProperties().setTag("Plain Text");
sdt.getSDTProperties().isShowingPlaceHolder(true);
SdtText text = new SdtText(true);
text.isMultiline(false);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(text);
TextRange tr = new TextRange(doc);
tr.setText("Click or tap here to enter text.");
sdt.getSDTContent().getChildObjects().add(tr);
//Add a rich text content control to the cell (1,1)
paragraph = table.getRows().get(1).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Rich_Text);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setAlias("Rich Text");
sdt.getSDTProperties().setTag("Rich Text");
sdt.getSDTProperties().isShowingPlaceHolder(true);
text = new SdtText(true);
text.isMultiline(false);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(text);
tr = new TextRange(doc);
tr.setText("Click or tap here to enter text.");
sdt.getSDTContent().getChildObjects().add(tr);
//Add a picture content control to the cell (2,1)
paragraph = table.getRows().get(2).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Picture);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setAlias("Picture");
sdt.getSDTProperties().setTag("Picture");
SdtPicture sdtPicture = new SdtPicture();
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(sdtPicture);
DocPicture pic = new DocPicture(doc);
pic.loadImage("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\ChooseImage.png");
sdt.getSDTContent().getChildObjects().add(pic);
//Add a dropdown list content control to the cell(3,1)
paragraph = table.getRows().get(3).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Drop_Down_List);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setAlias("Dropdown List");
sdt.getSDTProperties().setTag("Dropdown List");
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
SdtDropDownList sddl = new SdtDropDownList();
sddl.getListItems().add(new SdtListItem("Choose an item.", "1"));
sddl.getListItems().add(new SdtListItem("Item 2", "2"));
sddl.getListItems().add(new SdtListItem("Item 3", "3"));
sddl.getListItems().add(new SdtListItem("Item 4", "4"));
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(sddl);
tr = new TextRange(doc);
tr.setText(sddl.getListItems().get(0).getDisplayText());
sdt.getSDTContent().getChildObjects().add(tr);
//Add two check box content controls to the cell (4,1)
paragraph = table.getRows().get(4).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Check_Box);
SdtCheckBox scb = new SdtCheckBox();
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(scb);
tr = new TextRange(doc);
sdt.getChildObjects().add(tr);
scb.setChecked(false);
paragraph.appendText(" Option 1");
paragraph = table.getRows().get(4).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Check_Box);
scb = new SdtCheckBox();
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(scb);
tr = new TextRange(doc);
sdt.getChildObjects().add(tr);
scb.setChecked(false);
paragraph.appendText(" Option 2");
//Add a combo box content control to the cell (5,1)
paragraph = table.getRows().get(5).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Combo_Box);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setAlias("Combo Box");
sdt.getSDTProperties().setTag("Combo Box");
SdtComboBox cb = new SdtComboBox();
cb.getListItems().add(new SdtListItem("Choose an item."));
cb.getListItems().add(new SdtListItem("Item 2"));
cb.getListItems().add(new SdtListItem("Item 3"));
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(cb);
tr = new TextRange(doc);
tr.setText(cb.getListItems().get(0).getDisplayText());
sdt.getSDTContent().getChildObjects().add(tr);
//Add a date picker content control to the cell (6,1)
paragraph = table.getRows().get(6).getCells().get(1).addParagraph();
sdt = new StructureDocumentTagInline(doc);
paragraph.getChildObjects().add(sdt);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setSDTType(SdtType.Date_Picker);
sdt.getSDTProperties().setAlias("Date Picker");
sdt.getSDTProperties().setTag("Date Picker");
SdtDate date = new SdtDate();
date.setCalendarType(CalendarType.Default);
date.setDateFormat("yyyy.MM.dd");
date.setFullDate(new Date());
sdt.getSDTProperties().setControlProperties(date);
tr = new TextRange(doc);
tr.setText("Click or tap to enter a date.");
sdt.getSDTContent().getChildObjects().add(tr);
//Allow users to edit the form fields only
doc.protect(ProtectionType.Allow_Only_Form_Fields, "permission-psd");
//Save to file
doc.saveToFile("output/WordForm.docx", FileFormat.Docx_2013);
}
}
Apply for a Temporary License
If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.
A text box is an element you can insert and position anywhere in a document. MS Word provides several pre-formatted text boxes, and you can also create custom text boxes with unique appearances to grab the reader's attention. In this article, you will learn how to programmatically insert or remove a text box in a Word document using Spire.Doc for Java.
Install Spire.Doc for Java
First, you're required to add the Spire.Doc.jar file as a dependency in your Java program. The JAR file can be downloaded from this link. If you use Maven, you can easily import the JAR file in your application by adding the following code to your project's pom.xml file.
<repositories>
<repository>
<id>com.e-iceblue</id>
<name>e-iceblue</name>
<url>https://repo.e-iceblue.com/nexus/content/groups/public/</url>
</repository>
</repositories>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>e-iceblue</groupId>
<artifactId>spire.doc</artifactId>
<version>14.4.0</version>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
Insert a Text Box in a Word Document
Spire.Doc for Java provides the Paragraph.appendTextBox(float width, float height) method to insert a text box in a specified paragraph. The detailed steps are as follows.
- Create a Document instance, and then load a sample Word document using Document.loadFromFile() method.
- Get the first section using Document.getSections().get() method, and then add a paragraph to the section using Section.addParagraph() method.
- Add a text box to the paragraph using Paragraph.appendTextBox(float width, float height) method.
- Get the format of the text box using TextBox.getFormat() method, and then set the text box's wrapping type, position, border color and fill color using the methods under TextBoxFormat Class.
- Add a paragraph to the text box using TextBox.getBody().addParagraph() method, and then insert an image to the paragraph using Paragraph.appendPicture() method.
- Insert text to the text box using Paragraph.appendText() method, and then set the text font.
- Save the document to another file using Document.saveToFile() method.
- Java
import com.spire.doc.*;
import com.spire.doc.documents.*;
import com.spire.doc.fields.DocPicture;
import com.spire.doc.fields.TextBox;
import com.spire.doc.fields.TextRange;
import java.awt.*;
public class InsertTextbox {
public static void main(String[] args) {
//Create a Document instance
Document doc = new Document();
//Load a Word document
doc.loadFromFile("E:\\Files\\Ralph.docx");
//Append a text box and set its wrapping style
TextBox tb = doc.getSections().get(0).addParagraph().appendTextBox(120f, 320f);
tb.getFormat().setTextWrappingStyle(TextWrappingStyle.Square);
//Set the position of text box
tb.getFormat().setHorizontalOrigin(HorizontalOrigin.Right_Margin_Area);
tb.getFormat().setHorizontalPosition(-100f);
tb.getFormat().setVerticalOrigin(VerticalOrigin.Page);
tb.getFormat().setVerticalPosition(130f);
//Set the border color and fill color of the text box
tb.getFormat().setLineColor(Color.BLUE);
tb.getFormat().setFillColor(new Color(203,234,253) );
//Insert an image to text box as a paragraph
Paragraph para = tb.getBody().addParagraph();
DocPicture picture = para.appendPicture("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\Ralph.jpg");
//Set alignment for the paragraph
para.getFormat().setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Center);
//Set the size of the inserted image
picture.setHeight(90f);
picture.setWidth(90f);
//Insert text to text box as the second paragraph
para = tb.getBody().addParagraph();
TextRange textRange = para.appendText("Emerson is truly the center of the American transcendental movement, "
+"setting out most of its ideas and values in a little book, Nature, published in 1836, "
+"that represented at least ten years of intense study in philosophy, religion, and literature.");
//Set alignment for the paragraph
para.getFormat().setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Center);
//Set the text font
textRange.getCharacterFormat().setFontName("Times New Roman");
textRange.getCharacterFormat().setFontSize(12f);
textRange.getCharacterFormat().setItalic(true);
//Save to file
doc.saveToFile("InsertTextBox.docx", FileFormat.Docx_2013);
}
}
Remove a Text Box from a Word Document
Spire.Doc for Java provides the Document.getTextBoxes().removeAt() method to delete a specified text box by index. If you want to delete all text boxes from the Word document, you can use the Document.getTextBoxes().clear() method. The below example shows how to remove the first text box from a Word document.
- Create a Document instance.
- Load a sample Word document using Document.loadFromFile() method.
- Remove the first text box using Document.getTextBoxes().removeAt() method.
- Save the document to another file using Document.saveToFile() method.
- Java
import com.spire.doc.Document;
import com.spire.doc.FileFormat;
public class DeleteTextbox {
public static void main(String[] args) {
//Create a Document instance
Document doc = new Document();
//Load a Word document
doc.loadFromFile("E:\\Files\\TextBox.docx");
//Remove text box by index
doc.getTextBoxes().removeAt(0);
//Remove all text boxes
//doc.getTextBoxes().clear();
//Save to file
doc.saveToFile("RemoveTextbox.docx", FileFormat.Docx);
}
}
Apply for a Temporary License
If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.
In MS Word, WordArt is used to insert text with special effects such as shadows, outlines, colors, gradients, and 3D effects. It can be helpful when creating stylish headlines or highlighting specific content. In this article, you will learn how to programmatically insert WordArt in a Word document using Spire.Doc for Java.
Install Spire.Doc for Java
First of all, you're required to add the Spire.Doc.jar file as a dependency in your Java program. The JAR file can be downloaded from this link. If you use Maven, you can easily import the JAR file in your application by adding the following code to your project's pom.xml file.
<repositories>
<repository>
<id>com.e-iceblue</id>
<name>e-iceblue</name>
<url>https://repo.e-iceblue.com/nexus/content/groups/public/</url>
</repository>
</repositories>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>e-iceblue</groupId>
<artifactId>spire.doc</artifactId>
<version>14.4.0</version>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
Insert WordArt in Word
The ShapeType enumeration provided by Spire.Doc for Java defines a variety of WordArt shape types whose names begin with "Text". In order to create a WordArt in Word, you need to initialize an instance of ShapeObject and specify the WordArt type and text content. The detailed steps are as follows:
- Create a Document instance.
- Add a section to the document using Document.addSection() method, and then add a paragraph to the section using Section.addParagraph() method.
- Append a shape to the paragraph and specify the shape size and type using Paragraph.appendShape(float width, float height, ShapeType shapeType) method.
- Set the position of the shape using ShapeObject.setVerticalPosition() and ShapeObject.setHorizontalPosition() methods.
- Set the text of WordArt using ShapeObject.getWordArt().setText() method.
- Set the fill color and stroke color of WordArt using ShapeObject.setFillColor() and ShapeObject.setStrokeColor() methods.
- Save the document to another file using Document.saveToFile() method.
- Java
import com.spire.doc.*;
import com.spire.doc.documents.*;
import com.spire.doc.fields.ShapeObject;
import java.awt.*;
public class WordArt{
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
//Create a Document instance
Document doc = new Document();
//Add a section
Section section = doc.addSection();
//Add a paragraph.
Paragraph paragraph = section.addParagraph();
//Add a shape to the paragraph and specify the shape size and type
ShapeObject shape = paragraph.appendShape(400, 150, ShapeType.Text_Deflate_Bottom);
//Set the position of the shape
shape.setVerticalPosition(60);
shape.setHorizontalPosition(60);
//set the text of WordArt
shape.getWordArt().setText("Create WordArt in Word");
// Set the fill color and stroke color of WordArt
shape.setFillColor(Color.CYAN);
shape.setStrokeColor(Color.BLUE);
//save the document to file.
doc.saveToFile("WordArt.docx", FileFormat.Docx_2013);
}
}
Apply for a Temporary License
If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.
