Color coding the check in a check box

Anonymous
2015-10-27T19:14:43+00:00

Is there a way to color code the marking in a checkbox so that if someone marks certain checkboxes, they will stand out in color? For example, I have checkboxes for "Yes", "No", and "NA". If "No" is checked, I want it to appear in red to make it easy to find the ones checked "No". Is there a way to make the "X" that appears in the checkbox to appear in a chosen color? I do not want an unmarked checkbox to be a different color, only the "No" ones that are checked.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-10-28T18:56:51+00:00

    I hadn't considered that possibility, but some people will be using the form on tablets or smart phones, so multiple checkboxes is easier for them than a dropdown list. However, there are some other places that a dropdown list might be convenient, so I thank you for reminding me of that.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-10-28T18:52:44+00:00

    Thank you. I am familiar with macro programming, but this form is being used by multiple people, some who are not very computer literate, so I was hoping there was a way to do it without requiring a macro. I guess I will go the macro route.

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  4. Paul Edstein 82,496 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-10-27T23:06:19+00:00

    Is there a way to color code the marking in a checkbox so that if someone marks certain checkboxes, they will stand out in color? For example, I have checkboxes for "Yes", "No", and "NA".               

    Since checkboxes can only have a checked/unchecked state, I assume you're using different checkboxes for your "Yes", "No", and "NA" responses. Unless you use a macro to make these choices mutually exclusive, you could end up with any combination being checked/unchecked (i.e. none checked, one checked, any two checked or all three checked). A simple dropdown with "Yes", "No", and "NA" choices, however, could achieve the same result without a macro.

    As for the conditional formatting, that depends on the kind of checkbox you're using - formfield, ActiveX or content control. The code for each kind of checkbox is quite different from the code for the others. Additionally, if you're using multiple checkboxes, there would have to be a means for the code to tell them apart (e.g. each one is in a different column in a table)

    If you decide to use dropdown content controls, the code for however many of them you have in your document could be as simple as:

    Private Sub Document_ContentControlOnExit(ByVal CCtrl As ContentControl, Cancel As Boolean)

    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

    With CCtrl

      If .Type <> wdContentControlDropdownList Then Exit Sub

      With .Range

        Select Case .Text

          Case "No": .Shading.ForegroundPatternColor = wdColorPink

          Case Else: .Shading.ForegroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic

        End Select

      End With

    End With

    Application.ScreenUpdating = True

    End Sub

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  5. John Korchok 237.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-10-27T22:05:23+00:00

    You would need to use a macro to make this change. I'm assuming you're using Content Control checkboxes. I don't know if you're familiar with macro programming, but here's a page from Microsoft that shows the object property to change: Word 2013 Content Control Object Model

    If you're using ActiveX or Legacy checkboxes, you can still change the color, but the macro would set different properties, since those are different types of objects.

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