automating split of Microsoft Word mail merge documents

[hrose-macgirl]

I have some archived documents which are results of mail merges.
Typically, the admin in the office prints each document (containing
sometimes hundreds of letters) and then saves the entire file for
posterity.

We'd now like to be able to access each letter file individually. I'm
looking for a solution that will let me split a (mail merge) document
into a bunch of separate documents and either prompt me for the
starting name or assign a default starting name followed by some
incrementing numbers/characters.

In the end I will have to rename the documents (based on the recipient
of the letter) and PDF them, but that's another step entirely.

I found this web reference:
http://www.gmayor.com/individual_merge_letters.htm

which is handy, but generates compile-time errors. I've read enough to
realize that VB on Windows is not the same as what's on the Mac.

For what it's worth, I'm on Office 2004 on a Mac running OS 10.4
(Tiger), although any solution also needs to work under OS 10.3
(Panther).

Can someone offer any suggestions on how I can accomplish this?

thanks!

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Huh. That's a good question.

The VBA looks to me like it should work on a Mac, but I don't actually know
all that much about it. You can go into the VB Editor and run Debug |
Compile Normal on the macro, and look up the error codes in Help. I will
try to ask whether the macro ought to work.

You might prefer to write an applescript to do this--that macro should serve
as somewhat of a model for the applescript in Word 2004 (but the applescript
will only work in Word 2004, probably not earlier versions). On the other
hand, since you will need to rename and PDF the letters, you will want to
learn applescript anyhow.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

If still around--
I think there are some slightly different versions of the macro here:
<http://groups-beta.google.com/group/microsoft.public.word.newusers/browse_f
rm/thread/dd59b44251eb4161/836f185236a2e747#836f185236a2e747>