How to create newspaper columns in a table?

[shannon]

I am using an Avery template to create a mail merge document. Using the
Avery template forces the document to appear as a table to fit the Avery
format. I want to create newspaper style columns within the template in
order to have data listed side by side in two columns so that the data wraps
to the next line. As typical with mail merge the data pulled from my
database will change from 4 lines to 20 lines so I like the columns because
it will balance out the rows depending on how much data is merged from
database.

How can I create newspaper style columns (or an alternative) in order to
have the data balance in two columns within a table.

Any assistance is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

The illogical part of this seems to be the "Avery format". I would suggest
that you should be using a Catalog (or in Word XP and later it is called a
Directory) type mailmerge main document in which you have the mergefields in
the cells of a one row table in the mailmerge main 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

 

[shannon]

I guess I used incorrect wording. I am using the mail merge feature, which
shows up as a one row table in order to print onto index cards, in order to
print onto index cards I am using the Avery format option within "labels".

That being said, within the one row table, how do I create newspaper style
columns with the mergefields? That way my data will wrap from one column to
the next depending on the amount of data that fills the mergefields.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Sorry, it still doesn't make sense to me. You can put tables inside
columns, but not the otherway around.

If what you mean is that you want the data from one record to overflow from
one label to the next label, that can't be done.

Please try and explain more clearly exactly what it is that you want to do.
What Avery template is it that you are wanting to use?

--
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

 

[shannon]

bottom line, I can't put newspaper style columns into a table?

Can you advise any other alternative to create something similar inside a
one row table?

I am using mailmerge to create 3x5 Index Cards on Avery #5388 paper. There
is a large difference in the amount of data I am importing for each index
card, there may be 20 items on one card and on the next card only be 4 items.
The great thing about mailmerge is that those fields will just disappear if
there is no data from my database. However, I want to use the newspaper
style columns to make my data look even in two columns, side by side, on the
3x5 index card.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

You do realise, don't you that "newspaper style columns" do not
automatically balance the amount of text in each column. Unless a column
break is forced by the insertion of a column break, the text snakes down the
left-most column until it is full and the excess is then inserted, starting
at the top of the next column to the right.

I assume from what you are saying that there are 20 merge fields in your
data source and if all 20 of them contain data, you would like 10 on the
left half (I am assuming that you want two columns, and ten on the right
half of the index card.) You can get that by splitting the table cell that
represents to index card into two and then inserting the first ten merge
fields in the left hand cell and the next 10 in the right hand cell.

However, if only the first 12 say merge fields contain data, there is no
automatic way of having the first six pieces of data inserted into the left
hand cell and the next six into the right cell.

Maybe the nearest way that you may be able to get what you are after is to
insert two linked text boxes into the index card and insert the merge fields
into them. I am not sure however, if say, there is no data in the 2 through
10 merge fields, the 11th through 20 will move to fill up the excess space
in the first textbox. If they do, then you can manually select the first
text box and drag its bottom border upwards to balance the amount of data in
the two text boxes.

You are going to have to do that for each cell that represents and index
card after executing 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