directory doesn't merge records w/o next record field

[VMHulme]

In creating a customized directory, Word2003 stops responding whenever I try
to merge or even View Merged Data unless I have the <<Next Record>> field
after the first record. Of course it then only merges every other record.
How can I fix this without being restricted to Word's "Address Block"?

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

If you are actually using a Directory type mailmerge main document, and you
are actually executing the merge to a new document (which is the only
possible destination) then, in that new document, you will get one set of
data for each record in the data source arranged in the configuration in
which you have the mergefields in the Directory type mailmerge main
document.

I suspect that you are not actually executing the merge.

I also suggest that you turn on the display of the mailmerge toolbar by
selecting Toolbars from the View menu and checking the Mailmerge item. Then
use the button towards the right hand end of the toolbar to execute the
merge to a new document.

--
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

 

[VMHulme]

I set up the main document as a directory before entering any data, opened
the data source (an Excel database), selected all recipients, inserted the
merge fields (not an address block), formatted the merge fields (italic,
bold, etc.), applied a picture switch to two fields (so the phone numbers
would look like phone numbers), checked it for errors (there were none), and
attempted to merge to a new document - all from the mail merge toolbar.
But when I attempt to merge to a new document the cursor changes to an
hourglass and even three hours later I still don't have a new document. If I
put in the <<next record>> field, it merges every other record into a new
document immediately.
Does anyone know if this could be cause by a compatibility or update
problem? I'm running Windows 2000 Pro and MS Office 2003.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

I have never run into that sort of problem before and would be very
surprised if it is a Windows 2K/Word 2003 compatibility issue. What I would
try however is to select Options form the Tools menu in Word and then on the
General tab, check the "Confirm conversions at open" item. Then when you
attach the data source to the mail merge main document, you will be
presented with a dialog in which you can select the way in which the
connection to the data source is made. Try the DDE option and see if that
makes a difference.

--
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

 

[VMHulme]

I found the cause of the problem! There cannot be any spaces in the merge
field option "text to be inserted before" . When I edit the merge field to
automatically include the text "Ph:<space>" then merge to a new document -
the merge locks up Word, so I had to delete the <space>. I didn't even know
there was a <space> there when I entered it! I had to start from scratch
and merge to a new document every time I made any minor change to the main
document, but eventually I did find that this one little invisible space was
causing Word to stop responding when merging.