MAIL MERGE (started from Outlook) tries 2 merge using the WRONG d

[Paul B]

ARRRGGHH !!!! This problem REALLY has me stumped!!

I'm trying to do a mail merge (using Word), and I'm actually *starting* the
process from Outlook. The problem is - Outlook (or perhaps Word?) insists on
going out and grabbing the WRONG FILE, and then it gives me a couple of error
messages because this "wrong file" is supposedly "being used by another
process"!

I'm using Office 2007 on Vista Home Premium, including Word 2007 and Outlook
2007 with Business Contact Manager. Here's how the problem occurs:

**Step 1.** When trying to MAIL MERGE, in the "Mail Merge Contacts" dialog
box I use the Browse... button, go out and select for the merge an EXISTING
document file (350KB in size and named YYMM-LNAME##-PFNNOTES.DOC) in the
following directory:

C:\Users\Paul\Documents\T\m\admin\forms\1 TCABS business document
templates\300 Project File Name Notes

(BTW, please note this file path)


**Step 2.** Then I click "OK" to do the merge, but instead I get TWO error
messages:

FIRST error message (appears to come from Outlook):

"Word cannot open this document template."
(C:\...\2A Draft Client Feedback Form...)

(please note THIS path also)


SECOND error message (also appears to come from Outlook):

"the process cannot access the file because it is being used by
another process"


Anyways, after this happens I notice several things:

a)***here's what's REALLY strange*** If you look above, you'll see that the
FILE PATH that appears along with the "Word cannot open this document
template" method is DIFFERENT from the file path that I used to select the
merge file (which by the way is a DOC file; I don't know why the error
message refers to it as a TEMPLATE (i.e. DOT) file)

b) in the folder containing the .DOC file I wanted to use for the merge,
there is a new "hidden" file, only 162 bytes in size, named
~$MM-LNAME##-PFNNOTES. Is this some sort of temp file?

c) The Windows Task Manager tells me that WINWORD.EXE process is still
running at this point, so I "kill" it and then I'm able to delete the
~$MM-LNAME##-PFNNOTES file mentioned above - and try the mail merge all over
again, to no avail.

......
Well, I'm at my wit's end. I spent a LOT of time creating the mail merge
document and am really annoyed that I can't use it. Do you have any idea
what might be causing this problem? For any assistance you can provide,
THANK YOU kindly!

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

It could be something to do with the length of the path\filename. What
happens if you try with the file in a shorter path (make it really short for
a test).

Are there any macros or INCLUDETEXT fields in the mail merge main document
that could be trying to open the second file. Or perhaps that file is the
template from which the main document was created. Is that template
available on the machine on which you are trying to execute the merge? With
the mail merge main document open, from the Developer tab of the Ribbon,
select Document Template and change the attached template to the Normal
template and see if that makes any difference.

--
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

 

[Paul B]

HOORAY !!! Doug, THANK YOU !!

This isn't *exacty* what you suggested, but your ideas came close enough to
prompt me to try something...

I solved it by opening up a totally NEW document in Word (i.e. a "clean"
one, based only on the Normal template). Then, from the rogue file, I simply
selected all the contents and copied them over into the new document
(fortunately it copied over the Headers and Footers too!). Third, I saved
the new document. Fourth, I used IT for the mail merge instead of the rogue
file... and it WORKED !!!

I dunno HOW long it would have taken me to figure this out on my own. Doug,
may you be avalanched by Good Karma

Paul B

**********************

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

See? I told you these guys were good.