Each ActiveX control element has a Properties sheet associated with it. This enables you to format the appearance, behavior, font, data, etc. of the ActiveX control elements.

How to open the Properties sheet

The properties sheet of an ActiveX control element can only be opened in Design Mode. Let us understand this with an example. Now, try to insert the Text Box ActiveX control into your document.

To insert a text box

On the Ribbon menu, under the tab Developer, within the group Controls, click the Legacy Tools icon. A drop-down list appears.

To switch to Design Mode

Select Text Box (ActiveX Control) element from the list. A text box is inserted at the cursor position. By default, the text box is in Design Mode. You can switch it on and off by clicking the Design Mode icon on the Ribbon.

In Design Mode, you can view the Properties icon (just beneath it) enabled. Click this icon to view the Properties sheet.

(Alternatively, in Design Mode, you can right-click the Text box and select option Properties.)

Properties Sheet

Once the Properties sheet is opened, you can see a list of properties of the Text box element under the tab Alphabetic. The same properties are also available under the tab Categorized, but grouped under various headings.

To change a property, click the adjacent cell. Similarly, you can modify all other properties listed.

In Design Mode, you can use the resize handles of the text box to adjust its size.

You can move the text box to the right or left in a line by placing the mouse cursor just in front of the text box and then pressing the TAB and “TAB+SHIFT” keys respectively.