More Info On Directory Merge Please

[JohnB]

Hi. A search has given me some info on Directory Merge but I need more help.
The following was from Doug Robbins:

"Use a Directory type mailmerge main document in which you have a one row
table into the cells of which you insert the mergefields. If you have
nothing else in the document, when you execute the merge to a new document,
that document will contain a table with a row of data for each record in the
data source"

I have tried this and I don't get what Doug suggests. My source is an
XP/Access 2000 table and I'm merging to Word 2002. The table contains the
following records:

1 CPU
1 Hard Drive
1 Keyboard
2 MSWord

When I create a Catalogue/Directory merge (using "merge it with microsoft
word" from the Access table) and then merge to a new document I get:

1 CPU1 Hard drive1 Keyboard2 MS Word2


If I enter a carriage return after the second merge field, I do get them
forming into columns but not in a table. (i.e in a grid layout like an Excel
spreadsheet or an Access table).

Am I misunderstanding what is supposed to happen? Also, is it really the
case that you can't have anything else in the document? I was hoping to merge
to a document containing at least some text and ideally some text and a
second table. I can see what happens when you put some text in - is there no
way around this?

Thanks, JohnB

 

[Doug Robbins]

Are CPU, Hard Drive, Keyboard and MSWord, records or fields in the database?
What is the significance of the numbers 1,1,1 and 2 to the left of them?

Aside, from that, you may have a table in the document created by executing
the merge and not realise it. From the Tables menu, select Show Gridlines
and see if there are any which would indicate that the data is actually in a
table.

Why not just however use a Select Query in Access to display the data that
you want and then use the Publish it with Word item under the Tools menu in
Access to get it into Word.

--
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

 

[JohnB]

Hi Doug. Thanks for the reply and sorry if my post wasn't clear. When I said
"The table contains the following records:" I meant that "1 CPU" is a record
with "1" as field one and "CPU" as field 2 etc. This is really just a sample
that I'm using to see how to produce a merged Table.

Anyway, I've looked into your suggestion. In both the main or merged
document, when I click on Tables, I only see "Hide Gridlines". Even if I
deselect this and then select "Show Gridlines", no lines appear. Perhaps
there's some other global setting that I need to change.

In any case, this is all academic if I can't add either text or text and
other tables in the merge.

As for your last comment, I'm a bit confused. Yes, I know I could use a
query to supply the data and if I get it to work the way I want, I will
almost certainly be using a query in a real application. But, in this sample,
this would be no different than supplying it from the table. I would still
want to see the data in a Word Table and surely supplying records from a
query rather than an Access Table would not make any difference?

Thanks again for the help. JohnB

 

[Graham Mayor]

Complex merges in Word are difficult - you have two choices.
1. Create a one row table containing your data fields and directory merge to
a new document to which you can add the supplementary information eg from a
pre-prepared autotext entry
or
2. Investigate whether complex merges can be adapted for your application -
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister/mergfaq1.htm#ComplexMerg

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Doug Robbins]

Sorry, but I still do not have a picture of the structure of your table.

Question 1 - What are the field names?

Question 2 - What data is in each field for a typical record?

In the directory mailmerge main document, after you insert the table, but
before you do anything else, do you see the table?

If the text that you are talking about adding does not come from the records
in the datasource, it will have to be added after the merge has been
executed - otherwise, it will be repeated for each record in the datasource.
--
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

 

[JohnB]

Hi Doug. OK, here is the full picture. I am using a table from a sample
database, just to see if I can get a Directory merge working. The table is
called tblProducts and has three fields, ProductID, CategoryID and
ProductName. So the records look like this:

ProductID CategoryID ProductName
1 1 CPU
2 1 Hard drive
3 1 Keyboard
4 2 MS Word
5 2 MS Excel
6 2 MS Access
7 2 MS Powerpoint
8 3 Format Harddrive
9 3 Install software
10 3 Install Ram

I've decided just to use just the CategoryID and ProductName fields in the
merge.

As for seeing the table, no, I don't see it at any point. There is no
specific "insert the table" action that I can identify. I'm simply using the
"merge it with MS Word" steps to specify a Directory type merge. At what
point should the table appear - after I click on "Directory" at the "What
type of documents are you working on?" step? Anyway, if I as I say, if I
enter a return after the last merge field, the records do list in a table
format - just like the Access table, but with no grid lines. So something is
working - otherwise the records would appear one on each page.


Thanks, JohnB

 

[JohnB]

Thanks Graham.

I'll have a look at the site you mention. Could you expand a little on "from
a pre-prepared autotext entry". I can imagine doing a cut and paste from
another document into a merged document but I don't know what an autotext
entry is.

Thanks,JohnB

 

[Graham Mayor]

Autotext (and autocorrect) are methods of quickly inserting formatted
texts/tables/graphics etc into documents. Simply select the text and save as
either autotext or autocorrect. The only practical difference between them
is the method of insertion. Both are well covered in Word help.

This would seem a practical way of adding large blocks of text etc to your
merged documents.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Doug Robbins]

Hi John,

Ah, you creating the merge from Access. That explains why there is no
table.

You would need to start the Merge from Word. I would suggest that you
select Toolbars from the View menu and then check the Mailmerge toolbar item
to display the mailmerge toolbar. The first button on the left will allow
you to select the type of merge that you want to perform (directory in your
case), then using the second button, you navigate to and open the data
source (your Access table). Then, from the Tables menu in Word, or using
the icon on the toolbar, insert a table into the document and then insert
the mergefields into the cells of that table.

--
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

 

[JohnB]

Thanks Graham. I'll look into that. Doug has now sorted out my problem with
the table not appearing. Cheers,JohnB

 

[JohnB]

That got it Doug - works perfectly when done as you describe. Curious why it
doesn't work from the Access end - especially when it gives every indication
that it should do exactly the same. Thanks for sticking with this one. JohnB

 

[Doug Robbins]

Actually, having just tried it from the Access end, it does work exactly the
same way. In Step 2 of the wizard that appears, you need to add the table
to the document, and then in the "Arrange your directory" step, you insert
the fields into the cell of the table.

--
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

 

[JohnB]

Thanks Doug.

That's the problem with instructions that appear to be step-by-step, but
aren't - I would have expected to be told that I needed to insert the table.
Ah well, now I know.

Cheers, JohnB

 

[Doug Robbins]

Not eveyone wants a table <g>

--
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

 

[JohnB]

Ah yes. You got me there. Cheers, JohnB

Not eveyone wants a table <g>

--
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