Save Sort order in Word 2007?

[JonathanK]

I am currently using Word 2007 and Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager.

I have created a Word 2007 mail merge file that is pulling the contacts from
Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager.

The problem that I am having is that the latest contacts I have entered into
Outlook always display at the bottom of the contact list. Each time I try to
find a contact, I have to perform the same sort again.

I am performing the following steps:

- Open document that contains the saved mail merge.

- Select from business contacts

- Data from your database will be placed in the document.

- Go to Mailings and select Recipients

- Select from outlook contacts

- Choose Business Contacts

Word then populates list of contacts, with the last contacts entered into
Outlook at the bottom. (entered into Outlook AFTER the mailmerge document I
open was created).

Every time I enter the document I have to do the following to get all
contacts in alphabetical order:

- Click Sort (by last name, first name, address)

The contacts then are sorted and displayed in the correct order.
- Select OK.

When I close Word 2007, it asks if I want to save the changes. I choose
‘YES’.

When I go back into Word 2007, I have to repeat the above process to get the
contacts in the sort order…

By saving the changes to the merge document, shouldn't the sort be saving as
well?

It's annoying to have to do this each time I want to print an envelope...

Thanks!

 

[Peter Jamieson]

When you open the Word document, do you see a message that shows some or
all of an SQL statement? If so, what can you see?

e.g. here I can see the following:

SELECT * FROM `Business Contacts` ORDER BY `Last` ASC, `First` ASC,
`Address` ASC


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[JonathanK]

Peter,

Thanks for the reply. I am not at that computer right now, but I believe
that I HAVE seen the SQL statement showing with the order by correctly.

That's one reason I'm so confused as to why I would have to sort every time.

As a matter of fact, if I bring up the contact list in Outlook, sort them,
and then select the one(s) I need, and then go back into the contact list
again, I must sort them again (even if I do not exit word).

Thanks again.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Hi JonathanK,

Thanks for the reply. I am not at that computer right now, but I believe
that I HAVE seen the SQL statement showing with the order by correctly.

OK. Probably worth checking when you have a chance. I wondered if the
original data source did not have the sort specified - in some
circumstances, Word will not replace the original data source when you
save the document, in which case you would always be opening the mail
merge main document with an unsorted data source.

However, that did not seem to be the case here (I'm using Word 2007 SP1)

One thing I thought might be happening in this case is as follows:
a. when you connect to an Outlook Contacts folder in this way, Word
always prompts for the name of the contacts folder/address book name.
b. As far as I know, Word has to issue a new "OpenDataSource" in that case
c. in previous versions of Word, the old connection would be broken
and any filter/sort criteria would be lost. Then the new connection
would be made.

However, AFAICS in Word 2007 this no longer happens, at least not on the
system I am using here.

I can only make one suggestion right now - try:
a. opening the document
b. changing the mail merge main document type to "Normal Word
Document" (i.e., not a Mail Merge Main document). You should expect to
lose the sort/filter).
c. reconnect to the contacts folder
d. apply the sort
e. save the document
f. open and see what happens.

As a matter of fact, if I bring up the contact list in Outlook, sort them,
and then select the one(s) I need, and then go back into the contact list
again, I must sort them again (even if I do not exit word).

FWIW, I wouldn't expect the sequence in Outlook and the "unsorted
sequence" in Word to be the same - although they /might be/, your sorted
sequence in Outlook may be a view on an underlying sequence which you
never see - perhaps sequence the items were created or another sequence
altogether. When you connect to the data source in this way, Word uses
the Access Jet/ACE Outlook provider which may get records in another
sequence altogether.

You may know that there is another way to connect to Outlook data, i.e.
to start from the Outlook Contacts folder and use Outlook->Tools->Mail
Merge... However, in that case, Outlook creates a temp. file to contain
copies of the records, so I'm not sure you would get them in the
sequence you want in that scenario either.

I'll have another look here but can't offer anything else at the moment...


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk