How to create a Word Combo box that has more than 25 items from a Microsoft Access Database

In Microsoft Office Word 2003 and in earlier verions, point to Macro on the Tools menu, and then click Visual Basic Editor.

In Word 2007, click the Developer tab, and then click Visual Basic Editor

In the Project window, select your TemplateProject.

NOTE: If the Project window does not appear, click Project Explorer on the View menu.

On the Insert menu, click UserForm. A new UserForm and the Controls Toolbox should appear. Right-click inside the UserForm, and then click View Code on the shortcut menu. Add the following code to the Initialize event:

Option Explicit
'Define Variables

Private Sub UserForm_Initialize()

Dim dbDatabase As Database
Dim rsNorthwind As Recordset
Dim i As Integer
Dim aResults()

' This code activates the Database connection. Change 
' the path to reflect your database.
Set dbDatabase = OpenDatabase("C:\My Documents\NorthWind.mdb")

' This code opens the Customers table.  Change the Table 
' to reflect the desired table.
Set rsNorthwind = dbDatabase.OpenRecordset("Customers", dbOpenSnapshot)

i = 0

   With rsNorthwind
   ' This code populates the combo box with the values 
   ' in the CompanyName field.

      Do Until .EOF
         ComboBox1.AddItem (i)
         ComboBox1.Column(0, i) = .Fields("CompanyName")
         .MoveNext
         i = i + 1
      Loop

   End With
End Sub

On the Tools menu, click References.

Click Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library.

Click OK to close the References dialog box.

Close the code window.

Right-click the UserForm, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu. On the Alphabetic tab, rename (Name) to frmcombo, and then rename Caption to Microsoft Word. Close the UserForm Properties window.

On the Controls tab of the toolbox, select ComboBox and place it on your UserForm. Right-click the ComboBox control, and then click View Code on the shortcut menu. Change the ComboBox code to:

Private Sub ComboBox1_Change()
   ActiveDocument.FormFields("Text1").Result = ComboBox1.Value
End Sub

NOTE: Text1 is the Bookmark name of the text form field that you insert into your template in step 2 of the "Create the Text Form Field" procedure of this article.

Close the code window.

On the Controls tab of the toolbox, select CommandButton and place it on your user form as a Close button. Right-click CommandButton, and then click View Code on the shortcut menu. Change the CommandButton code to:

Private Sub Cmdclose_Click()
   End
End Sub

Close the code window.

Right-click CommandButton, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu. On the Alphabetic tab, rename (Name) to Cmdclose, and then rename Caption to Close. Close the CommandButton Properties window.

In the Project window, select your TemplateProject.

On the Insert menu, click Module. A blank module code sheet appears.

Type in the following code:

Sub gocombobox()
   frmcombo.Show
End Sub

In your template, on the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Forms.

Position your insertion point where you want the result of the drop-down list inserted. On the Forms toolbar, click Text Form Field (the first button on the left). The Text Form Field is inserted into your template as gray shading.

NOTE: If you see the {FORMTEXT} field, press ALT+F9 to turn the field codes off.

Right-click the Text Form Field, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu.

In the Text Form Field Options dialog box, under the Run macro on section, select the gocombobox macro from the Entry: named combo box.


NOTE: Make sure the Bookmark name of your text form field is the same as the one you specified in step 9 of the "Create the UserForm Combo Box" procedure earlier in this article.

On the Forms toolbar, click Protect Form.

Save and close your template.