Textboxes in Mailmerge?

[zSplash]

Please excuse my ignorance -- mailmerge is completely new to me. So, if I
am trying to create a form that uses mailmerge to get fields from a data
source. Then, once the mailmerge has completed, I want to be able to
manually fill-in fields (i.e., textboxes, dropdown boxes in a non-mailmerge
form on a protected doc). Other than using "fill-in" fields (whose clunky
boxes are nerve-wracking), how can I incorporate text boxes in a mailmerge?

That is, in a regular document, I'd put in textboxes, and then protect the
document. As the user tabs through the document, he can replace the
textboxes with whatever he wants. Is there something similar in mailmerge??

TIA

 

[zSplash]

I think I should have referred to "formfields" instead of "textboxes" in my
first post.

So, I use mailmerge to get fields from a data source. Then, once the
mailmerge has completed, I want to be able to manually fill-in fields
(i.e., formfields). Other than using "fill-in" fields (whose clunky
boxes are nerve-wracking), how can I incorporate
formfields in a mailmerge?

That is, in a regular document, I'd put in formfields, and then protect the
document. As the user tabs through the document, he can enter whatever
he wants in the formfields.

I have coded to do this using bookmarks, but is there something better?

TIA

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Completing a mailmerge automatically gets rid of fields. The way I use
formfields and mailmerge together is to not complete the merge. I display
the merge on screen, protect the document for forms, and fill in the
formfields. I freeze the mergefields if I want to save the document. This
works for dealing with one record at a time, which is how I use mailmerge.
If you want to actually do a merge of many records, and have the same
information in your formfields for all records, I would recommend using my
method, freezing the formfields but not the mergefields and then performing
the merge.

Fill-in fields are designed for mailmerge. They let you vary your input for
each record. You are right, they are clunky.

Another method would be to put the paragraphs with your formfields in
AutoText (assuming no merge fields in said paragraphs). Then perform your
merge and after the merge, insert your formfields and protect the document.
Still very clunky.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[zSplash]

Thanks, Charles. I guess I'm just too ignorant -- what do you mean by "not
complete the merge" or "freeze the mergefields..." or "freeze the formfields
but not the mergefields and then performing the merge"?

st.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

You can freeze or lock fields with their current results so that they won't
change even if the data is changed or disconnected. With the form
unprotected, right-click on the fields involved and lock them individually.
(This can be done with a macro but I'm doubt you are up to writing it. You
could get help in the vba beginners group. You would want to lock only
mergefields or only formfields.)

To get merge results into a document with active formfields, you set up the
merge and preview the results on screen using the <ABC> button on the merge
toolbar. At this point, you haven't "performed the merge" but you have a
document that looks like you have. At that point you could lock the merge
fields and save your result document. Then, independent of mailmerge, you
protect it for forms and fill in your formfields. This is the method I use,
but I am only preparing documents based on a single record.

If, on the other hand, you are doing merges of multiple records but the
information in the formfields will be the same for all of the records, you
could lock your primary merge document for forms, fill in the form fields,
unlock the form and lock the formfields and then actually run a merge for
the multiple records. I suspect that using ASK or fill-in fields would be
more productive, though, especially if your formfield info changes for
different records.

Probably clear as mud. Sorry, but I've got to get back to my paying work.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi ZSplash,

This problem, and way to work around it, is described in the KB article

WD2000: Text Form Fields Are Not Retained During Mail Merge
http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=211308

Please excuse my ignorance -- mailmerge is completely new to me. So, if I
am trying to create a form that uses mailmerge to get fields from a data
source. Then, once the mailmerge has completed, I want to be able to
manually fill-in fields (i.e., textboxes, dropdown boxes in a non-mailmerge
form on a protected doc). Other than using "fill-in" fields (whose clunky
boxes are nerve-wracking), how can I incorporate text boxes in a mailmerge?

That is, in a regular document, I'd put in textboxes, and then protect the
document. As the user tabs through the document, he can replace the
textboxes with whatever he wants. Is there something similar in mailmerge??

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

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