mailmerge labels line spacing

[jsloan1223]

Hi, does anyone know how to make word 2007 sp1 default to SINGLE SPACING
(with no extra spacing of any kind) on mailmerge labels?

Everytime I try a new labels mailmerge, it adds extra space between the
lines. I have 40 users who do not appreciate having to change the style every
time they create labels. I have actually been asked this question twice
before lunch today.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

As far as I know the spacing in the labels is derived from the spacing of
the Normal paragraph style in the template from which the user originally
created the document - i.e., typically but not necessarily, normal.dotm.

So ways you could consider changing this include:
a. get the users to change the default spacing of the Normal style in their
normal.dotm template
b. create and distribute a new template with a Normal paragraph style that
has the spacing you/they want: users would have to select that template as
the starting point for their label merge
c. get the users to save the label layouts they use most, with the
line/paragraph spacing they want, either as templates to be used in the
usual way, or as .dotx files to be opened and "saved as" as necessary.
Either way, I would not save these files with the data source attached, or
the users will instead spend their time trying to deal with data sources
that no longer exist.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Use Shift+Enter instead of Enter to create each new line in the label
content. Then the 5.5pt space before will only apply to the first line of
the label and99.9% of the time will not cause a problem.

Alternatively, put the following macro in a template that you save in the
Word\Startup folder and it will run when the user propagates the label
setup, changing the spacebefore to 0 and also overcoming a problem that
occurs if the user is using a Tablet PC or a PC that has "tablet like"
functionality available.

Sub MailMergePropagateLabel()

Dim atable As Table
Dim i As Long, j As Long
Dim Source As Cell, target As Cell
Dim myrange As Range
Set atable = ActiveDocument.Tables(1)
Set Source = atable.Cell(1, 1)
Set myrange = Source.Range
myrange.ParagraphFormat.SpaceBefore = 0
myrange.Collapse wdCollapseStart
ActiveDocument.Fields.Add Range:=myrange, Text:="NEXT", _
PreserveFormatting:=False
Source.Range.Copy
For j = 2 To atable.Columns.Count
Set target = atable.Cell(1, j)
If target.Range.Fields.Count > 0 Then
target.Range.Paste
End If
Next j
For i = 2 To atable.Rows.Count
For j = 1 To atable.Columns.Count
Set target = atable.Cell(i, j)
If target.Range.Fields.Count > 0 Then
target.Range.Paste
End If
Next j
Next i
atable.Cell(1, 1).Range.Fields(1).Delete
End Sub


--
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

 

[jsloan1223]

I managed to get the macro created and saved, but I don't know how to put it
into a template that is saved in the word/startup folder. My templates are
stored in c:\docs and settings\username\application
data\microsoft\templates\*.dotm

Can I add it to the normal template (how?) so that it makes everything
always single spaced? (I already change the default line spacing when I
first install office 2007 onto their machines. If I can just copy my a
normal.dotm file onto their machines, that would be a fairly easy workaround.)

Jocelyn Sloan, Network+
Technology Coordinator
Diocese of Fargo
www.fargodiocese.org

Use Shift+Enter instead of Enter to create each new line in the label
content. Then the 5.5pt space before will only apply to the first line of
the label and99.9% of the time will not cause a problem.

Alternatively, put the following macro in a template that you save in the
Word\Startup folder and it will run when the user propagates the label
setup, changing the spacebefore to 0 and also overcoming a problem that
occurs if the user is using a Tablet PC or a PC that has "tablet like"
functionality available.

<snip>

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Assuming that you have the macro in a template (.dotm) other than the
Normal.dotm template, save it in C:\Documents and Settings\Applications
Data\Micorosoft\Word\Startup.

--
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

 

[jsloan1223]

okay maybe I don't know what I"m doing. I created a new template called
labelmacro.dotm and saved it in the startup folder as directed. I have the
macro available to me, and I have added it to my toolbar, but it does not
automatically apply itself to mailmerge labels.

Originally when I created the macro, it named it as
Normal.NewMacros.MailMergePropogateLabel

Where did I do something wrong? (and how do I fix it?)

Jocelyn

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

IF the name of the macro is Sub MailMergePropogateLabel(), it will run
automatically when you take the Propogate Label or Update Labels step of
setting up a label type mail merge main document. You do not need to add it
to a toolbar.

--
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

 

[jsloan1223]

Thanks Doug, I really appreciate your assistance.

Okay. So I created a new macro with the proper name. I have it in a template
named labelmacro.docm, which is currently in my startup folder. Can I simply
copy the labelmacro.docm onto other people's computers so that it will work
for them??

Jocelyn

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Just caught my eye that

Sub MailMergePropogateLabel()

should probably be

Sub MailMergePropagateLabel()

for the substitute routine to be used automatically.

Best,

 

[jsloan1223]

Hey Doug, I think Peter is correct, but since I copied the code from the
first message, it doesn't really make any difference, and I already had that
part correct. (for the untrained eyes: there is a misspelling a vs o in the
second msg from Doug, but it is correct in the first message taht lists the
code)

Can I just copy over my labelmacro.docm to other machines and voila it
magically works?

Jocelyn

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Actually, it was your naming the macro
Normal.NewMacros.MailMergePropogateLabel that introduced the spelling error.

However, to answer your question, if you copy the template into the
Word\Startup folder of the other machines, it will do its magic.

--
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