Mac 6.0 and Word 2003 compatibility - mail merge

[Martha]

I am supporting an organization that has both PCs and Macs, and we are using
Word and Excel. We have some tricky name/address data, and I've created a
mail merge that successfully figures out the right "first line" in an address
- depending of title or not, spouse or not, etc. However, when I send to
someone with a Mac, it ignores all the conditional (IF) formatting that I
created. I"ve tried going into the Mac and doing the same type of coding,
but I"m not very adept at it for it has a slightly different interface and I
can find the "edit field" function. Nor can I find a way to "propagate
labels", as I have in the PC. Are there conventions I can use when coding in
the PC such that the Mac will recognize them and perform the same?

Thanks...

Martha

 

[Clive Huggan]

Hello Martha,

I'm answering this with -- sorry -- a response that won't help you much, but
as a possible explanation of why nobody has responded.

Your question:

Are there conventions I can use when coding in
the PC such that the Mac will recognize them and perform the same?

is in practice:

Are there conventions I can use when coding in the current version
of Word for the PC such that Word from 10 years ago will recognize
them and perform the same?

Word 6.0 was issued -- when? -- a decade ago, or thereabouts. It was the
first version ported from the Windows environment after Microsoft stopped
the independent "from the ground up" Mac-based product line which had
existed since the Mac was the platform on which Word version 1 was first
developed (I have vague memories of it!).

So version 6.0 was "very early days" for the present product line of Word on
the Mac. It was therefore rather primordial compared with Word 98, 2001, X
and 2004.

It seems unlikely that anyone around here has Word 6 installed to check back
for you.

It may be of small consolation, but most (all??) of the mail merge
characteristics of Word 2003 are the same as for Word 2004. I use them often
between the two platforms, and they are excellent.

If anyone comes along who *does* have Word 6 to answer your question in
detail, I'll be glad to have wasted my time getting back to you with what,
admittedly, is about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike!

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is at least 7 hours different from the US and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
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[Martha]

Thanks - I realize I've worded my question wrong. I'm talking about the
latest PC Word and the latest MAC word - guess it's not 6.0. I"ll repost,
clarifying up the confusion. Thanks!
Martha