combine form and catalog

[Kristina]

I am trying to build a booklet using data from an excel file for a training
program. I would like it to be: title, TOC, one page for each class and a
listing of the classes included in a registration form. So the merge data
would be going to both the "class section" and the registration form. So I
want a page break after each class page but I don't want to repeat the title
and TOC. Then I need to repeat some of the data later on where I have the
list. Is this possible? I really don't want to to make three separate
files!

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

I would think that you are going to need two separate mail merges. One a
formletter type to create the class pages, which you will merge to a new
document and then, after executing the merge, you will have to add the table
of contects. The for the registration form, which I am assuming will
contain a list of the classes, you will need to use a Catalog or Directory
type mailmerge, probably adding some of the elements that comprise the form
after executing that merge to a new document. The other list that you are
talking about may need to be yet another merge.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Kristina]

I was able to work around the issue by creating three separate files - one
for the class list (registration form), one for the class descriptions
section and one for the title and TOC. As a final step I copied and pasted
into one doc and updated the TOC. Since I am trying to automate this so that
other people in my dept can do this easily I'd like to eliminate as many
steps as possible. Do I need to assume that only one mail merge can be done
per file?

Also - any idea on how to get text to appear only once? I know that you can
do it through a report in Access but like I said I'm trying to uncomplicate
the process!

Thanks for the info!

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Your assumption of one merge per "main document" file is correct. The
document produced by executing such a merge will no longer have any merge
fields in it, nor does it have any connection to a data source.

As far as the text appearing more than once is concerned, I am not sure
where that is happening, but if it is in the document produced by execution
of a catalog or directory type mail merge, that is what happens as
everything in such a mail merge main document is repeated for every record
in the data source. For ways to work around that, See the "Group Multiple
items for a single condition" item on fellow MVP Cindy Meister's website at:

http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister/mergfaq1.htm#DBPic

Or take a look at the following Knowledge Base Article

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;211303

http://www.knowhow.com/Guides/CompoundMerges/CompoundMerge.htm

None of this information however is taking you towards your aim of reducing
the steps involved. The only way to do that would be by "rolling-your-own"
application, using Visual Basic or a combination of Visual Basic and
mailmerge for a part of it.


--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP