csv file no longer works with Word 2003

[Martha]

Although I can't trace when it happened, when I open a .csv data source for
mail merge (I have Word 2003, sp1), it thinks it's a txt file and no matter
which option I click, it won't work. I now have to open excel, convert csv to
xls, and then it works fine. Is there a setting that will let my WORD know
that csv is ok to use directly? It's worked beautifully before.

 

[Doug Robbins]

From the Tools menu, select Options and then on the General tab, check the
box against the Confirm conversions at open item. Then when you attach the
data source to the mailmerge main document, you will be presented with a
number of options for the method of connection and one of them may overcome
your problem.

--
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

 

[Martha]

Doug, Thanks for the suggestion, but I have been doing that - will try
clicking some other options to see if it makes a difference. I KNOW my Word
has changed for there is an option about connecting with "outside data
sources" that is new. I really suspect in adding some new features, old
features either got broken, or eliminated. Hopefully they'll fix it. Martha

 

[Larry Cohen via OfficeKB.com]

I have also seen this problem with various versions of Word.
Opening the data source in Excel is not really a good solution because
Excel will "guess" at some columns and change them (for example zip numbers
may lose leading zero) and strange things can happen with currency numbers.
I have found a solution that appears to work.
Find the csv file. Rename it so that the extension is .txt.
Then using the mail merge wizard, change the file types to all, and find
the .txt file. Word may give you options concerning the separator, but it
should then accept the file.

 

[Martha]

Thanks - I had thought excel was superior to .txt. I will use .txt in the
future. Martha