Mail Merge Hell

[Lexisch]

I've been doing mail merge for over 25 years. I understand using Excel as a
secondary file.

We've had nothing but problems since upgrading to 2003. The sql feature, of
word changing the formatting of how time and dates from excel to the merged
file. I type the data in one way, and Word changes it.

I had a time field where I had a start - end time in one cell, and Word
decided to change the formatting...so I did a switch, which of course, made
the 2nd time not show up.

Is there a way to get out of this? More than half my company is ready to go
back to 2002. Mail merge is the life's blood of the place.

 

[Doug Robbins]

I am not aware of any differences between XP (2002) and 2003. There were
however major differences between 2000 and XP

You may be able to overcome your problems by selection Options from the
Tools menu and then on the General tab, checking the box against the
"Confirm conversions at open" item. When you do that, when you attach the
data source, you will be given a number of options for the method by which
the connection should be made. Try the DDE option.

Also see the "Dates: day/month reversed" item under the "Connection methods"
topic of the "Mail merge in Word 2002" section of fellow MVP Cindy
Meister's website at
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister/MergFram.htm

and "Formatting Word fields with switches" on fellow MVP Graham Mayor's
website at

http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm

though from the sound of it, you may be familiar with the latter topic.

--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Graham Mayor]

http://www.gmayor.com/mail_merge_labels_with_word_xp.htm should help you
get back to methods with which you are familiar.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Doug Robbins]

Back to Word for DOS 1.0 maybe; Back to 2002?

--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Lexisch]

Doug

I did make the switch from 2k to 2003, but the new company that I went to
work for, half the people were using 2002, but I think it was more in
departments that used excel.

The confirm on opening seems to work for the majority of what we want with
the DDE.

The one thing that I'm noticing when I choose DDE, is that it won't ask me
which spreadsheet I want to use for the secondary file.

I'm glad to have guys like you available for answers.

Lexi

 

[Lexisch]

Graham

Thanks. The links you gave me, I think, will help to make the staff happier.

Lexi