Field Codes

[SteveFromHull]

I have a document full of IF logic and various bits of formatting. With
Field Codes viewable the document looks and reads fine. When I run a merge
on the document to populate various fields, the formatting is all messed up
in one section. When I open the template document and hide the field codes I
can see the messy formatting but cannot change it. When I try, it just won't
save the changes.

Can anyone help?

When I hide the field codes, what I see (the bit that's all messed up) looks
like the text from my 'then' condition. However, when I view the document
with field codes the 'then' condition text looks fine. Can anyone tell me
what I should be seeing when I take away the field codes view?

Thanks in anticipation.
Steve

 

[Robert M. Franz (RMF)]

Hi Steve

I have a document full of IF logic and various bits of formatting. With
Field Codes viewable the document looks and reads fine. When I run a merge
on the document

so we're talking about a Mailmerge document (letter type), correct?

to populate various fields, the formatting is all messed up
in one section.

"Section" is a special term in Word (a document contains of a collection
of sections, at least 1. They are separated by section breaks. Is this
what you are talking about, or rather a "region" somewhere in the file?

When I open the template document and hide the field codes I
can see the messy formatting but cannot change it. When I try, it just won't
save the changes.

Can anyone help?

When I hide the field codes, what I see (the bit that's all messed up) looks
like the text from my 'then' condition. However, when I view the document
with field codes the 'then' condition text looks fine. Can anyone tell me
what I should be seeing when I take away the field codes view?

Can be tricky to work out. Most probably, this results due to a mixture
of style based and direct formatting. Make sure that all formatting is
strictly style based. If all else fails, look up the CHARFORMAT field
switch and add it to all your MERGE fields to force a certain formatting.

HTH
Robert

 

[SteveFromHull]

Thanks Robert,

Sorry, just to clarify...

The document is s mailmerge letter and I was referring to a region within
the field.

I have since done some playing around with the field code and removed the
'\*' from the MERGFORMAT sections. It now appears to work fine and does
remember the correct formatting (based on what I see if I unhide the field
codes)! However, reading the various help files I would have thought this
would have removed the formatting?

If I put it back again and do Alt+F9 to hide the code, the formatting all
goes wrong again and the same pulls through when I run the merge. I have
copied the document contents to a fresh templete in case there was some
corruption but the problem follows me.

 

[Robert M. Franz (RMF)]

Hi Steve

The document is s mailmerge letter and I was referring to a region within
the field.
OK


I have since done some playing around with the field code and removed the
'\*' from the MERGFORMAT sections. It now appears to work fine and does
remember the correct formatting (based on what I see if I unhide the field
codes)! However, reading the various help files I would have thought this
would have removed the formatting?

The help files can of various "helpfulness", happens to all of us
indeed! ;-)

Strictly speaking, the MERGEFORMAT or CHARFORMAT only make sense to Word
after the \*. So please try again also deleting the MERGEFORMAT itself,
(you will likely see the same result). MERGEFORMAT is intended to keep
the formatting of the field through a field update. CHARFORMAT forces
the formatting of the first letter of the field itself to the whole
field output. Word itselfs frequently inserts the MERGEFORMAT switches
itself, trying to help the user. You've just encountered a case where it
didn't quite work. CHARFORMAT can be a way to force the formatting, and
I don't think Word itself ever inserts that on its own. But you as a
user can do so. [But it's probably not necessary in your case, good.]

HTH
Robert