Outlook 2003, mail merge

B

Bob Tyrka

I wish to do a postal mail merge using Word and the addresses in my Outlook
Contacts. Outlook Express is my default email and my Contact address book
has nothing but names from my OE address book. How do I compile the
addresses so that I can mail merge?
 
R

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]

You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default Contacts
manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook. OE cannot be part of this
picture if you want to use mail merge.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address book, only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number, would
that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses of the
Contacts?
 
R

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]

The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses. That's
what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't merging to
the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder. You only need the
address book _service_ (not the view). The address book service is the
transport for the merge.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word indicate,
but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault. How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?

Russ Valentine said:
The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder. You
only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address book
service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address book,
only Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address
book. Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge
unless there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses of
the Contacts?
 
R

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]

Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word indicate,
but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault. How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?

Russ Valentine said:
The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder. You
only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address book
service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've tried
a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an
address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up
in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot use the address book
for mail merge unless there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses of
the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

Yes, I spent close to an hour wandering thru them without success.

Russ Valentine said:
Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word indicate,
but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault. How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?

Russ Valentine said:
The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder.
You only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address
book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've tried
a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an
address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up
in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot use the address book
for mail merge unless there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses of
the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

And you would be much more helpful than merely asking the obvious question
if you were to point me in the direction of the appropriate URL.

Russ Valentine said:
Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word indicate,
but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault. How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?

Russ Valentine said:
The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder.
You only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address
book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've tried
a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an
address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up
in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot use the address book
for mail merge unless there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses of
the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had consulted Help.

Russ Valentine said:
Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word indicate,
but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault. How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?

Russ Valentine said:
The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder.
You only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address
book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've tried
a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an
address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up
in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot use the address book
for mail merge unless there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses of
the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
R

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]

But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having. We
can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had consulted
Help.

Russ Valentine said:
Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault.
How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word
mail merge?

The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder.
You only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address
book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've
tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book
without success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and
create an address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax
number show up in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot use
the address book for mail merge unless there is one of those
associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses of
the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address book, only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your posts
seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful technique in
responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my question,
which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?"


Russ Valentine said:
But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having. We
can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had consulted
Help.

Russ Valentine said:
Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault.
How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word
mail merge?

The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder.
You only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address
book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've
tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book
without success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and
create an address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax
number show up in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot use
the address book for mail merge unless there is one of those
associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses
of the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
R

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]

You have posted no information. I already explained that what you see in the
Outlook Address Book is normal and has nothing to do with why you can't
"extract" the postal address. I can post instructions on how to do a mail
merge until I am blue in the face, but until you state why you can't follow
them or why you can't use the postal address no one can help you. You are
still requiring us to read your mind.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address book,
only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your posts
seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful technique in
responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my question,
which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?"


Russ Valentine said:
But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having. We
can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had consulted
Help.

Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault.
How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word
mail merge?

The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You aren't
merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts Folder.
You only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The address
book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've
tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book
without success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and
create an address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax
number show up in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot use
the address book for mail merge unless there is one of those
associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax number,
would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street addresses
of the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

As I have repeatedly stated to you there is nothing in the Outlook Address
Book, despite the fact that I have many Contacts in Personal Folders. How do
I get to use the postal addresses in my Contacts in a Mail Merge?

"I can post instructions on how to do a mail merge until I am blue in the
face"--why don't you try that instead of being insulting and dismissive, as
exemplified in the following?

"You are still requiring us to read your mind."

If that's an editorial "we" instead of what seems to be a royal "we" perhaps
you have some people available to you who can understand my English?

Russ Valentine said:
You have posted no information. I already explained that what you see in
the Outlook Address Book is normal and has nothing to do with why you
can't "extract" the postal address. I can post instructions on how to do a
mail merge until I am blue in the face, but until you state why you can't
follow them or why you can't use the postal address no one can help you.
You are still requiring us to read your mind.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address book,
only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your posts
seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful technique in
responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my
question, which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?"


Russ Valentine said:
But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having.
We can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail
merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had consulted
Help.

Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault.
How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word
mail merge?

The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic addresses.
That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail merge. You
aren't merging to the address book. You are merging to your Contacts
Folder. You only need the address book _service_ (not the view). The
address book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've
tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book
without success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and
create an address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax
number show up in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot
use the address book for mail merge unless there is one of those
associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax
number, would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street
addresses of the Contacts?


You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
R

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]

There are countless ways to do mail merges and there is no way for anyone to
know which method will suit your needs best. That's why there are Help files
and online sites to document all those methods so you can use the one that
works best for you. That's why I pointed you in that direction. Trying to
anticipate which method might work best for you and spoon-feed you every
step you might need is way beyond the scope of a newsgroup reply.
I do not understand why you remain fixated on the Outlook Address Book when
it is not in play. I do not understand why you cannot relay which of the
mail merge methods you tried and what isn't working for you. It is not being
dismissive to state you are requiring us to read your mind. It is simply the
truth. No one can help you in a newsgroup when you don't clarify your
question or provide the necessary troubleshooting information.
To add to the problem, you are now posting conflicting information. Now you
claim that "there is nothing in the Outlook Address Book." Previously you
claimed it contained only electronic addresses, which of course is all it
should contain.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
As I have repeatedly stated to you there is nothing in the Outlook Address
Book, despite the fact that I have many Contacts in Personal Folders. How
do I get to use the postal addresses in my Contacts in a Mail Merge?

"I can post instructions on how to do a mail merge until I am blue in the
face"--why don't you try that instead of being insulting and dismissive,
as exemplified in the following?

"You are still requiring us to read your mind."

If that's an editorial "we" instead of what seems to be a royal "we"
perhaps you have some people available to you who can understand my
English?

Russ Valentine said:
You have posted no information. I already explained that what you see in
the Outlook Address Book is normal and has nothing to do with why you
can't "extract" the postal address. I can post instructions on how to do
a mail merge until I am blue in the face, but until you state why you
can't follow them or why you can't use the postal address no one can help
you. You are still requiring us to read your mind.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address book,
only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address
book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your
posts seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful technique
in responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my
question, which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail merge?"


But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having.
We can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail
merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had consulted
Help.

Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at fault.
How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a
Word mail merge?

The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic
addresses. That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail
merge. You aren't merging to the address book. You are merging to
your Contacts Folder. You only need the address book _service_ (not
the view). The address book service is the transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've
tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book
without success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and
create an address book, only Contacts with an email address or Fax
number show up in the address book. Does that mean that I cannot
use the address book for mail merge unless there is one of those
associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax
number, would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street
addresses of the Contacts?


message You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

There is some semantic confusion in Outlook. Outlook Address Book applies
to what shows up on the Outlook toolbar; it also refers to an address book
within the Outlook Address Book. The subsidiary address book I have that
has content in it but which is of no value to my purposes, is the one
labeled Contacts. The one labeled Outlook Address Book has nothing in it.

If there truly are countless ways to do mail merges then obviously all of
our efforts are for naught. The method I am looking for, however, which I
believe I clearly stated previously, is one that can extract mailing
addresses from Contacts and apply them to a letter or envelope in Word.

Is there such a method? Word insists there is. Some parts of Outlook Help
indicate there is. But first I must, it would seem to me, gain access to
the mailing addresses, and I have found nothing in the several hours I've
devoted to this, that shows me how to do that.


Russ Valentine said:
There are countless ways to do mail merges and there is no way for anyone
to know which method will suit your needs best. That's why there are Help
files and online sites to document all those methods so you can use the
one that works best for you. That's why I pointed you in that direction.
Trying to anticipate which method might work best for you and spoon-feed
you every step you might need is way beyond the scope of a newsgroup
reply.
I do not understand why you remain fixated on the Outlook Address Book
when it is not in play. I do not understand why you cannot relay which of
the mail merge methods you tried and what isn't working for you. It is not
being dismissive to state you are requiring us to read your mind. It is
simply the truth. No one can help you in a newsgroup when you don't
clarify your question or provide the necessary troubleshooting
information.
To add to the problem, you are now posting conflicting information. Now
you claim that "there is nothing in the Outlook Address Book." Previously
you claimed it contained only electronic addresses, which of course is all
it should contain.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
As I have repeatedly stated to you there is nothing in the Outlook
Address Book, despite the fact that I have many Contacts in Personal
Folders. How do I get to use the postal addresses in my Contacts in a
Mail Merge?

"I can post instructions on how to do a mail merge until I am blue in the
face"--why don't you try that instead of being insulting and dismissive,
as exemplified in the following?

"You are still requiring us to read your mind."

If that's an editorial "we" instead of what seems to be a royal "we"
perhaps you have some people available to you who can understand my
English?

Russ Valentine said:
You have posted no information. I already explained that what you see in
the Outlook Address Book is normal and has nothing to do with why you
can't "extract" the postal address. I can post instructions on how to do
a mail merge until I am blue in the face, but until you state why you
can't follow them or why you can't use the postal address no one can
help you. You are still requiring us to read your mind.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were
having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address book,
only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address
book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your
posts seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful technique
in responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my
question, which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail
merge?"


But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were having.
We can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail
merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had consulted
Help.

Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at
fault. How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use
in a Word mail merge?

The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic
addresses. That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail
merge. You aren't merging to the address book. You are merging to
your Contacts Folder. You only need the address book _service_
(not the view). The address book service is the transport for the
merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However, I've
tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address book
without success. When I go to Properties of a contact folder and
create an address book, only Contacts with an email address or
Fax number show up in the address book. Does that mean that I
cannot use the address book for mail merge unless there is one of
those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax
number, would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the street
addresses of the Contacts?


message
You must make Outlook your default mail program and your default
Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in Outlook.
 
R

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]

There is no address book in Outlook. The address book interface is just
another view of your Contacts Folder. All Contact data resides in Contacts
Folders. A mail merge uses the information in your Contacts Folder. All
postal address elements are available as merge fields when you construct
your merge, including derived fields such as "Mailing Address."
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
There is some semantic confusion in Outlook. Outlook Address Book applies
to what shows up on the Outlook toolbar; it also refers to an address book
within the Outlook Address Book. The subsidiary address book I have that
has content in it but which is of no value to my purposes, is the one
labeled Contacts. The one labeled Outlook Address Book has nothing in it.

If there truly are countless ways to do mail merges then obviously all of
our efforts are for naught. The method I am looking for, however, which I
believe I clearly stated previously, is one that can extract mailing
addresses from Contacts and apply them to a letter or envelope in Word.

Is there such a method? Word insists there is. Some parts of Outlook
Help indicate there is. But first I must, it would seem to me, gain
access to the mailing addresses, and I have found nothing in the several
hours I've devoted to this, that shows me how to do that.


Russ Valentine said:
There are countless ways to do mail merges and there is no way for anyone
to know which method will suit your needs best. That's why there are Help
files and online sites to document all those methods so you can use the
one that works best for you. That's why I pointed you in that direction.
Trying to anticipate which method might work best for you and spoon-feed
you every step you might need is way beyond the scope of a newsgroup
reply.
I do not understand why you remain fixated on the Outlook Address Book
when it is not in play. I do not understand why you cannot relay which of
the mail merge methods you tried and what isn't working for you. It is
not being dismissive to state you are requiring us to read your mind. It
is simply the truth. No one can help you in a newsgroup when you don't
clarify your question or provide the necessary troubleshooting
information.
To add to the problem, you are now posting conflicting information. Now
you claim that "there is nothing in the Outlook Address Book." Previously
you claimed it contained only electronic addresses, which of course is
all it should contain.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
As I have repeatedly stated to you there is nothing in the Outlook
Address Book, despite the fact that I have many Contacts in Personal
Folders. How do I get to use the postal addresses in my Contacts in a
Mail Merge?

"I can post instructions on how to do a mail merge until I am blue in
the face"--why don't you try that instead of being insulting and
dismissive, as exemplified in the following?

"You are still requiring us to read your mind."

If that's an editorial "we" instead of what seems to be a royal "we"
perhaps you have some people available to you who can understand my
English?

You have posted no information. I already explained that what you see
in the Outlook Address Book is normal and has nothing to do with why
you can't "extract" the postal address. I can post instructions on how
to do a mail merge until I am blue in the face, but until you state why
you can't follow them or why you can't use the postal address no one
can help you. You are still requiring us to read your mind.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were
having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address
book, only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address
book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge
unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your
posts seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful
technique in responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my
question, which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail
merge?"


But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were
having. We can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail
merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had
consulted Help.

Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at
fault. How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use
in a Word mail merge?

message The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic
addresses. That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail
merge. You aren't merging to the address book. You are merging to
your Contacts Folder. You only need the address book _service_
(not the view). The address book service is the transport for the
merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However,
I've tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address
book without success. When I go to Properties of a contact
folder and create an address book, only Contacts with an email
address or Fax number show up in the address book. Does that
mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax
number, would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the
street addresses of the Contacts?


message
You must make Outlook your default mail program and your
default Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in
Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

Thank you. That's a good first step toward my objective. I looked all over
Outlook, including in Tools, for the Mail Merge, and could not find it. The
Mail Merge pane in Word 2000: Tools, Mail Merge, Options, Get Data Neither
Create Data Source, Open Data Source, or Address Book led me to the
addresses in Outlook Contacts. What do I need to do to find my Outlook
Contacts so that I can create a Data Source?

Russ Valentine said:
There is no address book in Outlook. The address book interface is just
another view of your Contacts Folder. All Contact data resides in Contacts
Folders. A mail merge uses the information in your Contacts Folder. All
postal address elements are available as merge fields when you construct
your merge, including derived fields such as "Mailing Address."
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
There is some semantic confusion in Outlook. Outlook Address Book
applies to what shows up on the Outlook toolbar; it also refers to an
address book within the Outlook Address Book. The subsidiary address
book I have that has content in it but which is of no value to my
purposes, is the one labeled Contacts. The one labeled Outlook Address
Book has nothing in it.

If there truly are countless ways to do mail merges then obviously all of
our efforts are for naught. The method I am looking for, however, which
I believe I clearly stated previously, is one that can extract mailing
addresses from Contacts and apply them to a letter or envelope in Word.

Is there such a method? Word insists there is. Some parts of Outlook
Help indicate there is. But first I must, it would seem to me, gain
access to the mailing addresses, and I have found nothing in the several
hours I've devoted to this, that shows me how to do that.


Russ Valentine said:
There are countless ways to do mail merges and there is no way for
anyone to know which method will suit your needs best. That's why there
are Help files and online sites to document all those methods so you can
use the one that works best for you. That's why I pointed you in that
direction. Trying to anticipate which method might work best for you and
spoon-feed you every step you might need is way beyond the scope of a
newsgroup reply.
I do not understand why you remain fixated on the Outlook Address Book
when it is not in play. I do not understand why you cannot relay which
of the mail merge methods you tried and what isn't working for you. It
is not being dismissive to state you are requiring us to read your mind.
It is simply the truth. No one can help you in a newsgroup when you
don't clarify your question or provide the necessary troubleshooting
information.
To add to the problem, you are now posting conflicting information. Now
you claim that "there is nothing in the Outlook Address Book."
Previously you claimed it contained only electronic addresses, which of
course is all it should contain.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
As I have repeatedly stated to you there is nothing in the Outlook
Address Book, despite the fact that I have many Contacts in Personal
Folders. How do I get to use the postal addresses in my Contacts in a
Mail Merge?

"I can post instructions on how to do a mail merge until I am blue in
the face"--why don't you try that instead of being insulting and
dismissive, as exemplified in the following?

"You are still requiring us to read your mind."

If that's an editorial "we" instead of what seems to be a royal "we"
perhaps you have some people available to you who can understand my
English?

You have posted no information. I already explained that what you see
in the Outlook Address Book is normal and has nothing to do with why
you can't "extract" the postal address. I can post instructions on how
to do a mail merge until I am blue in the face, but until you state
why you can't follow them or why you can't use the postal address no
one can help you. You are still requiring us to read your mind.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were
having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address
book, only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address
book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge
unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your
posts seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful
technique in responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my
question, which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail
merge?"


But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were
having. We can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail
merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had
consulted Help.

Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at
fault. How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for
use in a Word mail merge?

message
The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic
addresses. That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail
merge. You aren't merging to the address book. You are merging
to your Contacts Folder. You only need the address book
_service_ (not the view). The address book service is the
transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However,
I've tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the address
book without success. When I go to Properties of a contact
folder and create an address book, only Contacts with an email
address or Fax number show up in the address book. Does that
mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge unless
there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax
number, would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the
street addresses of the Contacts?


message
You must make Outlook your default mail program and your
default Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in
Outlook.
 
B

Bob Tyrka

I just discovered that Outlook 2003 will not do a Mail Merge with my Word
2000. I can't afford the ninety plus dollars for a Word 2003 that I don't
otherwise need. I have Outlook 98. Will that allow a Mail Merge with my
Word 2000?

Bob Tyrka said:
Thank you. That's a good first step toward my objective. I looked all
over Outlook, including in Tools, for the Mail Merge, and could not find
it. The Mail Merge pane in Word 2000: Tools, Mail Merge, Options, Get
Data Neither Create Data Source, Open Data Source, or Address Book led me
to the addresses in Outlook Contacts. What do I need to do to find my
Outlook Contacts so that I can create a Data Source?

Russ Valentine said:
There is no address book in Outlook. The address book interface is just
another view of your Contacts Folder. All Contact data resides in
Contacts Folders. A mail merge uses the information in your Contacts
Folder. All postal address elements are available as merge fields when
you construct your merge, including derived fields such as "Mailing
Address."
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Bob Tyrka said:
There is some semantic confusion in Outlook. Outlook Address Book
applies to what shows up on the Outlook toolbar; it also refers to an
address book within the Outlook Address Book. The subsidiary address
book I have that has content in it but which is of no value to my
purposes, is the one labeled Contacts. The one labeled Outlook Address
Book has nothing in it.

If there truly are countless ways to do mail merges then obviously all
of our efforts are for naught. The method I am looking for, however,
which I believe I clearly stated previously, is one that can extract
mailing addresses from Contacts and apply them to a letter or envelope
in Word.

Is there such a method? Word insists there is. Some parts of Outlook
Help indicate there is. But first I must, it would seem to me, gain
access to the mailing addresses, and I have found nothing in the several
hours I've devoted to this, that shows me how to do that.


There are countless ways to do mail merges and there is no way for
anyone to know which method will suit your needs best. That's why there
are Help files and online sites to document all those methods so you
can use the one that works best for you. That's why I pointed you in
that direction. Trying to anticipate which method might work best for
you and spoon-feed you every step you might need is way beyond the
scope of a newsgroup reply.
I do not understand why you remain fixated on the Outlook Address Book
when it is not in play. I do not understand why you cannot relay which
of the mail merge methods you tried and what isn't working for you. It
is not being dismissive to state you are requiring us to read your
mind. It is simply the truth. No one can help you in a newsgroup when
you don't clarify your question or provide the necessary
troubleshooting information.
To add to the problem, you are now posting conflicting information. Now
you claim that "there is nothing in the Outlook Address Book."
Previously you claimed it contained only electronic addresses, which of
course is all it should contain.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
As I have repeatedly stated to you there is nothing in the Outlook
Address Book, despite the fact that I have many Contacts in Personal
Folders. How do I get to use the postal addresses in my Contacts in a
Mail Merge?

"I can post instructions on how to do a mail merge until I am blue in
the face"--why don't you try that instead of being insulting and
dismissive, as exemplified in the following?

"You are still requiring us to read your mind."

If that's an editorial "we" instead of what seems to be a royal "we"
perhaps you have some people available to you who can understand my
English?

You have posted no information. I already explained that what you see
in the Outlook Address Book is normal and has nothing to do with why
you can't "extract" the postal address. I can post instructions on
how to do a mail merge until I am blue in the face, but until you
state why you can't follow them or why you can't use the postal
address no one can help you. You are still requiring us to read your
mind.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were
having."

NOT TRUE! I wrote, "I've tried a
number of ways to get the addresses to the address book without
success.
When I go to Properties of a contact folder and create an address
book, only
Contacts with an email address or Fax number show up in the address
book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail merge
unless
there is one of those associations?"

You shot back, "We can't read minds you know."

I've never known sarcasm, which from my reading of a number of your
posts seems to be a common response of yours, to be a helpful
technique in responding to someone's quandary.

The site you referred me to re Outlook 2003 was of no help to my
question, which you did not answer: "How can I
extract the postal addresses from Outlook for use in a Word mail
merge?"


But you did not state what you tried and what trouble you were
having. We can't read minds you know.
Simple searches will turn up lots of places you can research mail
merges:
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
BTW, I mentioned in my previous post (see below) that I had
consulted Help.

message Did you read the Help files? It's all there.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
That seems to be different from what both Outlook Help and Word
indicate, but my unfamiliarity with the terminology may be at
fault. How can I extract the postal addresses from Outlook for
use in a Word mail merge?

message
The Outlook Address Book Service only displays electronic
addresses. That's what it's for. That has no bearing on a mail
merge. You aren't merging to the address book. You are merging
to your Contacts Folder. You only need the address book
_service_ (not the view). The address book service is the
transport for the merge.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Thanks. I've made Outlook my default mail program. However,
I've tried a number of ways to get the addresses to the
address book without success. When I go to Properties of a
contact folder and create an address book, only Contacts with
an email address or Fax number show up in the address book.
Does that mean that I cannot use the address book for mail
merge unless there is one of those associations?

If so, if I were to create a fictitious email address or fax
number, would that allow me to access, for mail merge, the
street addresses of the Contacts?


message
You must make Outlook your default mail program and your
default Contacts manager. You must store your Contacts in
Outlook.
 
B

Brian Tillman

Bob Tyrka said:
I just discovered that Outlook 2003 will not do a Mail Merge with my
Word 2000. I can't afford the ninety plus dollars for a Word 2003
that I don't otherwise need. I have Outlook 98. Will that allow a
Mail Merge with my Word 2000?

I believe the only version of Outlook that doesn't require the same version
or Word is Outlook 2000. I believe Outlook 2000 would allow Word 97/98 as
well as Word 2000, but it should be easy enough to test, since all it will
cost you to do so is time.
 

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