another mail merge question

[dynamiktk]

I'm not even sure exactly where the problem is. I'm trying to recreate
a form letter that we used to have where when no matter how many
characters or no characters were entered into the data source, when the
merge occurred, lines would generate to fill in the spaces that weren't
replaced by information and uniformly adjust to fit flush with the
right margin. We think it's a certain macro that was in place but even
that is a whole new can of worms. Any ideas?

 

[Cindy M.]

I'm not even sure exactly where the problem is. I'm trying to recreate

a form letter that we used to have where when no matter how many
characters or no characters were entered into the data source, when the
merge occurred, lines would generate to fill in the spaces that weren't
replaced by information and uniformly adjust to fit flush with the
right margin. We think it's a certain macro that was in place but even
that is a whole new can of worms.

You don't really give us a lot to go on, not even the versions of Word
that are involved...

Do you still have that form letter? Under which version of Word was it
used? And which version do you have now?

By "lines would generate" do you mean underscores?

Is it possible that there was a right-align TAB set at the right margin,
with underscore "leaders" (see the Format/Tabs dialog box), and that a
TAB character was just before the mergefield? This would give the effect
you describe...

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[dynamiktk]

Thanks for the suggestion, it's microsoft word 2002, and i don't have
the original form, it was accidentally deleted. The old form was used
in 2002 as well. Yes the lines were underscores. I tried what you
suggested with the TABs and the underscore leader, hopefully I was
doing it the way you intended, but I still am not seeing results. I
set the right-align tab at the 7" mark and tried setting left-align
tabs right before the merge-field. As far as the underscore leader, I
went to format/tabs and i could see that my tabs were recognized in the
tab-stop position box, i clicked option 4 at the bottom which has an
underscore right beside it and hit "set," then "ok" and nothing
happened. Am I doing something wrong or do you have any other
suggestions? Thanks so much!

 

[Cindy M.]

Thanks for the suggestion, it's microsoft word 2002, and i don't have

the original form, it was accidentally deleted. The old form was used
in 2002 as well. Yes the lines were underscores. I tried what you
suggested with the TABs and the underscore leader, hopefully I was
doing it the way you intended, but I still am not seeing results. I
set the right-align tab at the 7" mark and tried setting left-align
tabs right before the merge-field. As far as the underscore leader, I
went to format/tabs and i could see that my tabs were recognized in the
tab-stop position box, i clicked option 4 at the bottom which has an
underscore right beside it and hit "set," then "ok" and nothing
happened. Am I doing something wrong or do you have any other
suggestions?

For testing purposes, start with a new document.

1. Press Enter a couple of times (to get some "breathing space")

2. Format/Tabs

3. In the Tab stop postion box, type 7 in

4. Click Right for the Alignment

5. Choose option 4 (underscore) as the Leader

6. Click Set. Click OK

In this paragraph you now have single tab stop. Press TAB. You should now
have a line across the page to the 7" position from the margin. Now
connect to the data source and insert the merge field at this position.
Select the merge field and apply Underline formatting.

The alternate approach is to place the form field in a table cell with a
bottom border.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[dynamiktk]

thank you thank you thank you, it's working!!!!

For testing purposes, start with a new document.

1. Press Enter a couple of times (to get some "breathing space")

2. Format/Tabs

3. In the Tab stop postion box, type 7 in

4. Click Right for the Alignment

5. Choose option 4 (underscore) as the Leader

6. Click Set. Click OK

In this paragraph you now have single tab stop. Press TAB. You should now
have a line across the page to the 7" position from the margin. Now
connect to the data source and insert the merge field at this position.
Select the merge field and apply Underline formatting.

The alternate approach is to place the form field in a table cell with a
bottom border.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)


This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[Cindy M.]

it's working!!!!<Whew>! Glad to hear it

Cindy Meister