convert mailmerge field from text to number

[Frank]

I have a mailmerge field that is defined in the database as text, but I want
to use numeric formatting (the field will always contain a number string).
How do I convert the data type in the mailmerge field so that the numeric
formatting will apply?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

In many cases, if it looks like a number, Word will treat it like a number,
e.g. if you try

{ MERGEFIELD mynumbertext \#0.00 }

or whatever, it may work. If not, try wrapping the MERGEFIELD field up in an
{ = } field, e.g.

{ ={ MERGEFIELD mynumbertext } \#0.00 }

If neither of those works for you, which version of Word, which database,
and are your numbers simple whole numbers (1), whole numbers with decimal
points (1.2), oe what? You may have trouble with things like "1,234.56" and
"1E-2" in your data source.