How do I place a merge data field in a specific location on a labe

[BreezyKen]

I have created a custom label 3/4" x 1-5/8 in Word 2003.. I am using
mailmerge and I need to place three mergedata fields from an Excel
spreadsheet on the bottom line of the label, irregardless of how many text
lines appear before it. (The number of lines may vary.) I have tried the {
ADVANCE \y xx } option, where xx is the offset to the last line in points,
but it does not work. The { ADVANCE \x xx } option works as expected by
offsetting the next field a fixed offset to the right on the label, so I
think I am inserting the command field correctly. The one and only line of
text on the label prints on the center line of the label no matter what
offset I use with the ADVANCE command. Can anyone suggest what might be
wrong?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Unfortunately ADVANCE \y doesn't work in tables: Word 2003 Help says

"Microsoft Word ignores the \y switch if you specify a location outside the
page margins or use the switch in tables, text boxes, footnotes, endnotes,
annotations, headers, or footers."

What I would do in this case is modify the table so that you can place your
bottom line: for each table row:
a. use Table|Split to create two rows.
b. adjust the row heights using e.g. Table|Table Properties.
c. (obviously) insert your "ordinary" fields in the upper cells, and your
special field in the lower cells.

Have a good look around Table Properties to make sure you are fixing row
height etc. as necessary.

After that, Propagate labels probably won't work how you might hope, so you
can either Propagate labels and then clear out all the additional rubbish it
inserts, or copy your fields and text manually, ensuring that there is a {
NEXT } field (<<Next reocrd>>) at the top of each /label/ except the first.

Peter Jamieson