Writing to Header and Footer while Changing Text Color

[txpmower]

Hi,
I just started coding in VBA on Monday and have run into some challenges.

I am trying to develop a Form in MS Word and one of the Form Fields is called "subject" and it has a drop down menu with a list of subjects

1. If any subject is selected from the drop down menu, I want to be able to write the selection to the header and footer
2. The font color of the item written to the header and footer would vary depending on the item selected.
3. The item written to the header and footer would be preceeded by the word "Subject:" in standard black font

This is the code snipet I have put together so far...any help and insight would be greatly appreciated.

'This subroutine sets the classification in the header
Sub SetHeadersFooters()
Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddsubject").Result
Case "MATH"
ActiveDocument.Unprotect Password:="mathematics"
For i = 1 To ActiveDocument.Sections.Count
With ActiveDocument.Sections(i)
.Headers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).Range.Text = "SUBJECT: MATHEMATICS"
.Footers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).Range.Text = "SUBJECT: MATHEMATICS"
Selection.Font.ColorIndex = wdRed
End With
Next
Case "ENGLISH"
ActiveDocument.Unprotect Password:="topics"
For i = 1 To ActiveDocument.Sections.Count
With ActiveDocument.Sections(i)
.Headers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).Range.Text = "SUBJECT: ENGLISH"
.Footers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).Range.Text = "SUBJECT: ENGLISH"
Selection.Font.ColorIndex = wdRed = wdBlue
End Select
End Sub

[gmayor]

You cannot use 'Selection' in this way to format the header footer as the header footer is not selected. You need to work with the range as you already began to do.
Using separate passwords depending on the content of the dropdown is fraught with problems. It relies on the user selecting only the dropdown entry that relates to the password, so in that case why have a dropdown at all - if you can only make one usable selection?. The following code has a common password (and reprotects the document with that password after processing the entry).
If you have the values in the dropdown that you want in the header and footer, there is no real need for the macro. You can use REF or STYLEREF fields instead and avoid the need for macros in a form which you are presumably going to distribute. However given that you are learning VBA, the following should work for you

Sub SetHeadersFooters()
Dim oRng As Range
Dim sPassword As String
Dim strHeading As String
Dim i As Long
    sPassword = "topics" 'Use a common password
    If Not ActiveDocument.ProtectionType = wdNoProtection Then
        ActiveDocument.Unprotect Password:=sPassword
    End If
    Select Case ActiveDocument.FormFields("ddsubject").Result
        Case "MATH": strHeading = "MATHEMATICS"
        Case "ENGLISH": strHeading = "ENGLISH"
    End Select

    For i = 1 To ActiveDocument.Sections.Count
        With ActiveDocument.Sections(i)
            'process the headers
            Set oRng = .Headers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).Range
            oRng.Text = "SUBJECT: "    'enter the common range text
            oRng.Collapse 0    'collapse the range to its end
            oRng.Text = strHeading    'add the variable text
            oRng.Font.ColorIndex = wdRed    'colour the variable text
            'Repeat for the footers
            Set oRng = .Footers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).Range
            oRng.Text = "SUBJECT: "
            oRng.Collapse 0
            oRng.Text = strHeading
            oRng.Font.ColorIndex = wdRed
        End With
    Next
    ActiveDocument.Protect wdAllowOnlyFormFields, Password:=sPassword
End Sub

[gmaxey]

What version of Word? Have you considered using content controls instead of Formfields?

Private Sub Document_ContentControlOnExit(ByVal ContentControl As ContentControl, Cancel As Boolean)
Dim oCC As ContentControl
Dim oRng As Word.Range
Dim strPW As String
  strPW = "topics"
  Select Case ContentControl.Title
    Case "Subject" 'The "Subject" Dropdown CC in document.
      If Not ActiveDocument.ProtectionType = wdNoProtection Then
        ActiveDocument.Unprotect Password:=strPW
      End If
      Set oCC = ActiveDocument.SelectContentControlsByTitle("HF Subject").Item(1) 'Richtext CC in Header
      Select Case True
        Case ContentControl.ShowingPlaceholderText:
          oCC.Range.Text = vbNullString
        Case ContentControl.Range.Text = "MATH"
          oCC.Range.Text = "Subject: MATH"
          Set oRng = oCC.Range
          oRng.Start = oRng.Start + 9
          oRng.Font.ColorIndex = wdRed
        Case ContentControl.Range.Text = "ENGLISH"
          oCC.Range.Text = "Subject: ENGLISH"
          Set oRng = oCC.Range
          oRng.Start = oRng.Start + 9
          oRng.Font.ColorIndex = wdBlue
        Case ContentControl.Range.Text = "SOCIAL STUDIES"
          oCC.Range.Text = "Subject: SOCIAL STUDIES"
          Set oRng = oCC.Range
          oRng.Start = oRng.Start + 9
          oRng.Font.ColorIndex = wdGreen
      End Select
      'Richtext CC in Footer
      ActiveDocument.SelectContentControlsByTitle("HF Subject").Item(2).Range.FormattedText = oCC.Range.FormattedText
      ActiveDocument.Protect wdAllowOnlyReading, , strPW
  End Select
lbl_Exit:
  Exit Sub
End Sub