Thirteen documents become one document

[johnthebaptist]

Running Office Standard 2007 on Vista Home Basic.

I have a total of thirteen records. Using the Merge Wizard everything works
fine until the last step: "edit individual records," which I wanted to do.

This being my second time around with 13 documents becoming one, I wanted to
save the form letter and the data source as separate files. Again I have
ended up with my form letter unconnected to the data source and showing one
merged document. Trying to open the data source results in unreadable code.

The dialog box resulting from clicking "edit individual documents" [ALL -
CURRENT RECORD - FROM X TO Y] for me is dangerous. Choosing anything but ALL
seems to delete all records from the data source except the one(s) selected.

Where I am going wrong?

[I submitted this question "successfully" yesterday, but searching for
"thirteen" today doesn't find it. What's up?]

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

If you want to make changes to the letter created for each record, execute
the merge to a new document and then modify each of the letters in that
document.

If you want to create individual files for each record, see the "Individual
Merge Letters" item on fellow MVP Graham Mayor's website at:

http://www.gmayor.com/individual_merge_letters.htm

If you are using Word XP or later, the "Add-in to Merge Letters to Separate
Files" that I have written and that can be downloaded from that site will
allow you to create each letter as a separate file with a filename taken
from a field in the data source with a minimum of fuss.


--
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

 

[johnthebaptist]

Thanks, Doug.

If you want to make changes to the letter created for each record,

To me this means changes to the common text of the letter and not to the
text addressed to a particular recipient. For this Word recommends changing
the original form letter.

execute the merge to a new document and then modify each of the letters in that
document.

"Document" here means the COLLECTION of my thirteen letters, not to be
confused with each letter as a "document" as I tend to do.

My problem is this. Using the Merge Wizard, after I "edit indivdual
letters" at the end of mail merge I end up with only one merged letter, no
unmerged form letter, and no readable data source as separate files.

Wait a minute! It suddenly occurs to me that the "edit individual letters"
step is not the end of the mail merge process. The final step after that may
be to click the "Complete the Merge" button. This hopefully would give me
both the unmerged form letter and the data source as separate files. What do
you think?

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

You must complete the merge. If you want to modify the individual letters,
you should complete the merge by executing it to a new document and then
modify the individual letters in that document. It would be less confusing
if the "Edit individual letters" step in the process was changed to "Review
individual letters"

--
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