What are Word content controls and how to use them

If you work with Word documents daily, sooner or later you'll encounter the content controls And if no one has explained them to you, they might seem strange or even annoying. However, when used correctly, they are one of Word's most powerful features for creating forms, corporate templates, repetitive reports, or legal documents that can't be altered lightly.

In the following lines we will see What exactly are Word content controls, what are they used for, what types are there, and how can you get the most out of them?both from the user interface and from a more technical point of view and programming (VBA and XML). The idea is that, when you finish reading, you will understand not only how to insert them, but also how they behave "internally" and why they appear in so many professional scenarios.

What are content controls in Word and what are they used for?

Content controls are special areas within the document that act as information containersEach control can be configured to only accept a certain type of content (text, date, image, list, etc.), to prevent deletion, to have an identifying title, or to be connected to external XML data.

In practice, these controls allow define structured regions in a Word templateEach region has its own internal identifier, making it easy for a plugin or macro to automatically read and write data to those specific locations. This approach goes far beyond traditional form fields: it not only prompts the user for data but also transforms the document into something akin to a data capture application.

Thanks to them you can, for example, block a paragraph with legal clauses To prevent modification, place a box where the user only needs to write a name and a date, or define a billing table where each cell is filled with data from an XML file attached to the document.

Another key advantage is that content controls allow offer visual clues to userPlaceholder text, titles that describe what to write, drop-down lists that limit valid options, calendars to choose a date without formatting errors, etc. All of this reduces errors and gives corporate documents a consistent appearance.

Word places all these controls on the tab Programmer (or Developer)which is usually hidden. To see it, you have to go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon y check the box ProgrammerOnce you've done that, you'll find the group in that tab. controls, from which their properties are inserted and configured.

Typical scenarios where content controls are used

In professional environments, content controls are used to Ensure that documents are filled out and modified only where appropriateSome clear examples that are frequently repeated:

A law firm can create contract templates in which certain parts (the clauses) are left protected by group controls or blocked textWhile variable data (person's name, dates, amounts) is handled with text controls or drop-down lists. This way, the legal aspects are not accidentally altered, but the document can be securely customized.

In a company that prepares commercial proposals, the cover page of each offer can come from a template that only allows Edit the project title, author, and dateThe rest of the cover design (logos, standard texts, structure) remains intact thanks to protected content controls.

In billing or administration departments it is common to generate invoices and delivery notes with predefined zones for customer data, amounts, and dates. This data can be linked to a internal XML store oa excel dataso that an add-in updates the controls with information from the database without having to rewrite the document each time.

They are also frequently used in educational and administrative contexts for downloadable forms that can be filled out on screen or printedThe user clearly sees which fields to complete, and the form designer can decide which parts are untouchable and which can be modified.

How to view and use the Developer tab to insert controls

Before you begin inserting content controls, it is essential Show the Programmer/Developer tab in the ribbonIf you still can't see it, here are the basic steps:

Enter the menu File > Options and go to the section Customize RibbonIn the list of main tabs, check the box and confirm with AcceptFrom that moment on, the new tab will be visible in the ribbon.

Within that tab you will find the group controls, with icons for different types of control: rich text, plain text, combo box, drop-down list, Insert an image in Word, checkbox, date picker, creation block, group, etc. For insert oneYou just need to place the cursor at the desired point in the document and click on the corresponding button.

If a control is already inserted and you want to change its settings, select it and press [button name]. Properties within that same group. From there you can Define the title, placeholder text, whether it can be deleted, and the type of content allowed. and other specific options depending on the type of control.

The user interface is the quickest way to work with content controls, but this entire system is supported by a powerful object model (ContentControl, ContentControls, etc.) which allows you to manipulate them with macros in Word, and for a XML data store which makes it possible to link the content to specific XML nodes.

Types of content controls and what each one allows

Word incorporates several types of content controls, each designed to a specific format and behaviorInternally, they are distinguished by enumeration. WdContentControlTypeIn summary, these are the main ones:

the controls of rich text They allow the user to enter formatted content (bold, italics, lists, etc.). They are perfect when the person filling out the document needs minimal formatting of the text, for example, in descriptions or long paragraphs.

the controls of plain text They are used when you only want to store plain text, without styling. Their properties include a very interesting option: Allow cart returnsIf enabled, the user can create multiple paragraphs within the control; if disabled, all content is kept on a single line, which is useful for data such as names, codes, or references.

The control of image It reserves an area for the user to insert a photo or graphic by clicking on it. This is very practical in templates where logos, product photos, or employee images need to be inserted without disrupting the overall document design.

the controls of combo box y drop down list They present the user with a set of closed options. The difference is that the combo box allows also write your own value (in addition to choosing from the list), while the drop-down list forces the selection of one of the available items. The items are managed from the Properties from the control panel, where you can add them, modify them, delete them, and change their order.

El date picker It opens a calendar so the user can choose a specific date. Its properties allow you to adjust the display format (for example, 01/05/2025, May 1, 2025, etc.) and how the date is stored internally. This prevents common errors from entering dates in different formats.

The control of checkbox It displays a checkbox that can be checked or unchecked. It's ideal for forms with yes/no questions, condition acceptances, or additional option selections. In the object model, the checkboxes can be changed. Symbols of marking and unmarking to adapt them to the style of the document.

The control of building block It allows the user to choose from a series of predefined content blocks (for example, different cover page templates, standard paragraphs, signatures, etc.). It leverages Word's building block gallery and is very useful for templates that include several variations of the same section.

the controls of group They are used to define entire regions (which can include text, tables, images, and other controls) that are treated as a protected block. They are used, for example, to prevent the user from modifying entire sections of a document, such as a corporate header or a complete contractual clause.

In more recent versions, such as Word 2013 and later, in addition to the above types, the following is incorporated: content control of repeating sectiondesigned to repeat content blocks as many times as necessary, maintaining the structure and, optionally, the XML linking.

Content controls improvements in Word 2013: appearance, color, and repetition

With Word 2013, Microsoft took a significant leap in this area, introducing several improvements that made the controls more flexible and visually configurableThree aspects stand out from the rest: the display modes, the ability to assign color to each control, and the new repeat section control.

With regards to appearanceA content control can be displayed in three different ways. The first is the classic selection rectangleThis is what was already seen in Word 2007 and 2010: a kind of box around the content. When the control is not in focus, it's barely noticeable, but when you hover the mouse over it, it appears shaded, and when you select it, a frame with the title appears (if one is defined).

The second mode is the start and end tagsInstead of a full box, the control is identified by small labels that are always visible, regardless of whether it is selected or not. The control's title is not displayed in this mode, although contextual buttons (such as the drop-down list button) appear when you hover over them.

The third mode is noneIn this configuration, the control shows no visual indication of its presence beyond the content itself. This is a useful option when you want to leverage the data structure offered by content controls (for example, for XML binding), but without giving the user the feeling of working with forms.

Another improvement is the possibility of assign a color to each individual controlFrom the content control properties dialog box, you can choose a specific color, which helps to distinguish, for example, required fields, read-only fields, or data that will be automatically populated from an XML store.

These same appearance and color options can be manipulated by code using Word's object model, using properties such as Appearance (based on the WdContentControlAppearance enumeration) and Colour (WdColor). This allows you to create macros that uniformly adjust the display of all controls in a document.

The third major breakthrough was the content control of repeating sectionThis control surrounds entire paragraphs or table rows and allows you to duplicate that section as many times as needed. Each time the user clicks the "+" button or uses the context menu, a new section element is created, with all the internal controls ready to be filled.

In addition, each section can be assigned a specific title Through the content control properties, you can decide whether users have permission to add and remove sections. In scenarios such as product listings, books, participants, or invoice items, this type of control greatly simplifies the design of repetitive documents.

Linking content controls with XML data

One of the most powerful features of content controls is their ability to link its content to nodes of a custom XML store within the documentThis makes the Word file something like a "visual shell" of a set of structured data.

In modern versions, including Word 2013, you can assign a XML mapping This applies to both plain text controls and rich text controls, as well as building blocks. The link is typically established using the method XMLMapping.SetMapping, indicating an XPath path that points to the corresponding data node in the custom XML embedded in the document.

When the control is mapped, the content it displays is based on the value of the XML node. If a plugin or macro updates the XML, Word automatically refreshes what the user seesThis is very useful when generating documents from business applications that store data in XML format or when reports synchronized with a central data source are needed.

In the case of repeating section controls, XML linking becomes even more interesting. Each repeated element can correspond to a node within a collection of XML nodes, and Word internally manages "absolute" or "relative" relationships based on the XPath path. This way, when replicating a section, the internal controls are reassigned to their corresponding XML node.

It is worth noting, however, that If a mapped repeating section control is inserted and then sections that are not linked to XML are editedThese changes may be lost when the document is reopened, as Word rebuilds sections based on the data store. To avoid this, the recommendation is to lock the repeating section control and only allow users to edit the internal controls that are mapped.

Finally, if you want to link a repeating section to a table, it is advisable first create the table and then insert the repeating section control around the rowsIf done the other way around, it can be difficult to select only the table to encapsulate it correctly.

Word object model for content controls

Behind everything we see in the interface is a set of VBA objects that allow Create, search, and modify content controls programmaticallyThe main objective is ContentControl, which represents an individual control within the document.

All controls are grouped into the collection ContentControlsaccessible from objects such as Document, Range o SelectionIn addition to traversing the collection, methods such as SelectContentControlsByTitle o SelectContentControlsByTag to obtain only the controls that share the same title or the same label, which is very practical when automating templates.

For list controls (combo box and drop-down list), the model introduces the objects ContentControlListEntries y ContentControlListEntryThe first is the collection of all the items in a control's list; the second represents an individual item. This allows you to add options, change their text, their associated value, or remove them programmatically.

Not all members of the ContentControl object apply to all control types. For example, properties such as DateDisplayFormat, DateDisplayLocale or DateStorageFormat They only make sense in date controls; DropdownListEntries It is specific to lists and combo boxes; MultiLine It is used in plain text; and methods such as Ungroup They are only suitable for group controls. Attempting to use them in other types of controls will result in errors.

Word 2013 added new properties such as Appearance y Colour to manage the display, and properties linked to the repeating section, such as AllowInsertDeleteSection y RepeatingSectionItemTitleNew objects were also introduced, such as RepeatingSectionItem (a specific repeated element) and RepeatingSectionItemColl (collection of elements), with methods to insert and delete elements from the repetition section from code.

In addition to properties and methods, the object model exposes events related to the content control lifecycleThese events, which are triggered at the Document object level, allow you to, for example, validate what the user types, prevent certain controls from being deleted, or react when a new one is created.

Create and configure content controls from VBA

If you're interested in automating the creation of templates or forms, VBA offers everything you need to Insert content controls and configure their properties without having to do it one by one by hand. The basic pattern consists of using the method Add from the ContentControls collection.

For example, to add a date picker to the active document, you can create a ContentControl of the type wdContentControlDate and set its initial text to the current date. Similarly, you can create a plain text control and assign it a descriptive title that the user will see when selected, such as "Enter your name."

Another common operation is define placeholder textThis allows you to display a guide text to the user ("Select your favorite animal," "Click to insert an image," etc.) that disappears when they start typing. In VBA, this is handled with methods such as SetPlaceholderTextwhich work the same for both text controls and lists.

In list controls, items can be added programmatically using the collection DropdownListEntriesJust call Add for each option you want to include. This is especially useful if the options come from another data source or if you want to generate different lists depending on the type of document.

Finally, with the new capabilities of Word 2013 and later, you can also Create repeat section controls from code, link them to specific XML nodes, define section titles, and even insert new sections before or after an existing one using methods such as InsertRepeatingSectionItemBefore o InsertRepeatingSectionItemAfterAll of this opens the door to highly dynamic documents adapted to each context.

Understanding how content controls work, the different types available, their display options, their relationship with XML, and the object model that supports them makes it much easier. decide when it suits you to use them and how to configure them so that other users only have to fill in the correct fields without break the document structureThis combination of protected parts, fillable fields, and repeatable sections makes Word a much more powerful tool than it seems at first glance when we only use it as a traditional word processor.