protect mail merge record template so others may 'save as' & use

[John@ParkerCollege]

I have created a mail merge record that I want secured as a template.
Different users may open the template in 'read only' and then 'save as' so
they may then enter their personal data for merging with a standard form
letter.

I have the form letter protected and it will allow opening as 'read only'
and then be used by the individual

When 'save as' the mail merge record the protection goes with it and will
not allow the individual to enter their data in the new file.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi John,

You're using terminology a bit differently than the "standard", so I'm having
some problems following exactly what the problem is. You also don't mention
the version of Word involved, making it more difficult to guess.

1. a mail merge "record" is one data entry (like one person's address).

2. "records" are stored in a "data source". A data source can be a table in a
Word document, an Excel workbook, an Access database table or query, a
delimited text file, or any other kind of database.

3. the data source is linked to the mail merge "main document", where merge
fields are inserted. The mail merge is then executed, either to the printer
or a new document.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying you've created a data source as
a Template. And you've set the "read-only" flag for this file. did you do so
in Tools/Options/Save?

And you want to find some way of turning that off for documents created from
the template? This could only be done using a macro, but that would trigger
the macro security.

I have created a mail merge record that I want secured as a template.
Different users may open the template in 'read only' and then 'save as' so
they may then enter their personal data for merging with a standard form
letter.

I have the form letter protected and it will allow opening as 'read only'
and then be used by the individual

When 'save as' the mail merge record the protection goes with it and will
not allow the individual to enter their data in the new file.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

It sounds to me as if the user is trying to accomplish the same thing you
can do in WordPerfect by setting up a separate file for a specific record
and then merging just that record to the mail merge main document (for
example, to insert inside address, salutation, and other variable data into
a letter). My husband still creates "form" (but not multiple) letters this
way. In Word we would usually do this with a UserForm, form fields, ASK or
FILLIN fields, etc., in a template to create a new document.