Mergefield

[Andy]

Microsoft Word 2002
When setting up labels I am inserting additional fields
using the Insert Merge Field (database field) option.
After inserting my info in the Address Block the
formatting is not correct and I end up with fields on the
wrong line.When I try to edit it Word either does not
suppress blank lines if info is not in the field, or info
is removed completely. Is there anyplace to go to find
rules for editing the Address Block. All Word help says
is to place the cursor where you want info and insert.
Pleas Help
Thank You

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Two things to note about the ADDRESSBLOCK field are that
a. the available "fieldnames" and layout rules are not documented publicly
by MS as far as I know
b. manual editing is discouraged, probably at least in part because if you
then use the "official" method to edit the field content, any manual editing
is discarded.

That said, the basic rules seem to be roughly as follows.
a. any text, including the results of nested fields, outside <<>> is
displayed as is, unless it is /between/ fields on the first line (title
etc.) - and perhaps in other locations - in which case it is discarded.
b. on the first line (and possibly elsewhere where <<>> fields are next to
each other) each non-blank pair of fields will have at least one space
between them
c. otherwise, a <<_NAMED_>> field can have the format
<<textbefore_NAMED_textafter>>. If the _NAMED_ part is blank or unmapped,
none of the stuff between the <<>> is inserted (so, for example, a paragraph
mark after _ and before >> is not inserted). If the _NAMED_ part is
non-blank, everything between the <<>> is inserted.