Automate Filling Out Multiple Forms in Microsoft Word

I have no experience with any of the behind-the-scenes in Word, so
bear with me.

I'm working for a patent office, and there is one particularly time-
consuming task that I think should be automated--trouble is, I'm not
sure how. For every new application, we have to fill out sixteen
forms, and they all ask the a lot of the same information over and
over again (For example, every single form asks for the inventor's
name. Two forms want another law firm's docket number. Etc.).
Normally, we create one document where we type all of this out
correctly the first time, check for spelling errors, and then spend
the next hour and a half tediously copy-pasting and correctly
formatting the text into each form.

This is stupid. Surely it can be automated, can't it?

I tried simply recording a macro where I copy-pasted from the one new
document I created into each form, but this never did work. I think
it counted characters, actually, which is no good--inventors, for
example, will have names that could be three characters long or
twelve.

What I'd really like is to be able to fill out all the information
once--inventor's name, docket number, filing date, etc. and have
Microsoft Word automatically put the information in the correct space
on each form and format it.

Oh, one other catch--sometimes, we have to file a form with missing
parts. This isn't a huge deal, it just means that we don't fill out
three of the forms right away. Is there any way I can sometimes tell
the computer, "Okay, here's all the information... now stick it into
form X, Y, and Z." or "Here's your info, now just do forms X and Y."

Ultimately, the goal is to only have to type the information ONCE,
select the forms I want it to use, and then with a single click, have
it produce all the forms as they should be. This would save a huge
amount of time increase accuracy tremendously (if you type the name in
wrong once, then you know it's wrong on all the forms--on the other
hand, this should be easy to correct).

I know it sounds like a tall order... can anyone point me in the right
direction?

Thanks.

I agree you can set things up with automation. Enter data in once and apply
in multiple locations.
These links will get you started.
<http://word.mvps.org/>
<http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Repeating_Data.htm>
<http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Aa140183(office.10).aspx>


> I have no experience with any of the behind-the-scenes in Word, so
> bear with me.
>
> I'm working for a patent office, and there is one particularly time-
> consuming task that I think should be automated--trouble is, I'm not
> sure how. For every new application, we have to fill out sixteen
> forms, and they all ask the a lot of the same information over and
> over again (For example, every single form asks for the inventor's
> name. Two forms want another law firm's docket number. Etc.).
> Normally, we create one document where we type all of this out
> correctly the first time, check for spelling errors, and then spend
> the next hour and a half tediously copy-pasting and correctly
> formatting the text into each form.
>
> This is stupid. Surely it can be automated, can't it?
>
> I tried simply recording a macro where I copy-pasted from the one new
> document I created into each form, but this never did work. I think
> it counted characters, actually, which is no good--inventors, for
> example, will have names that could be three characters long or
> twelve.
>
> What I'd really like is to be able to fill out all the information
> once--inventor's name, docket number, filing date, etc. and have
> Microsoft Word automatically put the information in the correct space
> on each form and format it.
>
> Oh, one other catch--sometimes, we have to file a form with missing
> parts. This isn't a huge deal, it just means that we don't fill out
> three of the forms right away. Is there any way I can sometimes tell
> the computer, "Okay, here's all the information... now stick it into
> form X, Y, and Z." or "Here's your info, now just do forms X and Y."
>
> Ultimately, the goal is to only have to type the information ONCE,
> select the forms I want it to use, and then with a single click, have
> it produce all the forms as they should be. This would save a huge
> amount of time increase accuracy tremendously (if you type the name in
> wrong once, then you know it's wrong on all the forms--on the other
> hand, this should be easy to correct).
>
> I know it sounds like a tall order... can anyone point me in the right
> direction?
>
> Thanks.
>

--
Russ

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