Using General Switch w/Fields

[Becky]

I created a Lease document (calling it this for ease of
understanding only) w/fields from an Access database
using Word in Windows 98. Now we are using Windows XP
Professional. I used a general switch on a field to get
initial caps--\* CardText \* Caps. It always worked in
the past when I did a merge of the lease with Access;
however, now the switch is not working. It will work if
the field is a direct merge; however, in this case, in
the lease I use an Include statement--if field meets this
criteria, give me this "doc--sentence"; if it meets
another criteria, give me a different "doc--sentence". I
put the switch not only in the original "docs" but also
in the lease. The "docs" are actually each a separate
document (file). What is the problem, and is there a way
around it?

 

[Cindy Meister -WordMVP-]

Hi Becky,

You problem description is incomplete. Let's start with the
version of Word/Access we're dealing with?

Please show us an example of the field code in question (be
careful to NOT make any typos, as this would only distract
from the problem - we can't be sure what are typos and what
are not).

I created a Lease document (calling it this for ease of
understanding only) w/fields from an Access database
using Word in Windows 98. Now we are using Windows XP
Professional. I used a general switch on a field to get
initial caps--\* CardText \* Caps. It always worked in
the past when I did a merge of the lease with Access;
however, now the switch is not working. It will work if
the field is a direct merge; however, in this case, in
the lease I use an Include statement--if field meets this
criteria, give me this "doc--sentence"; if it meets
another criteria, give me a different "doc--sentence". I
put the switch not only in the original "docs" but also
in the lease. The "docs" are actually each a separate
document (file). What is the problem, and is there a way
around it?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jan
24 2003)
http://www.mvps.org/word

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any
follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[Becky]

-----Original Message-----
Hi Becky,

You problem description is incomplete. Let's start with the
version of Word/Access we're dealing with?

Please show us an example of the field code in question (be
careful to NOT make any typos, as this would only distract
from the problem - we can't be sure what are typos and what
are not).


Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jan
24 2003)
http://www.mvps.org/word

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any
follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e- mail


The database was created pre-Access 2000 (we have had so

many upgrades, I can't remember back to the exact
version). Currently using Access 2000 (using Office XP
2000). First I'll give you how the statement reads in the
lease, then the actual segment (paragraph) indicating the
fields it uses from the database.
{IF { MERGE PER } = "month" "{INCLUDETEXT
\\Segments\\seg056.doc }{INCLUDETEXT
\\Segments\\seg046.doc}" "{INCLUDETEXT
\\Segments\\seg079.doc}" } --- end of statement
Segment "seg046.doc" is just a straight text paragraph;
no fields used in it
Segment "seg056.doc" reads: Lessee shall pay to Lessor
as basic rent, in advance, the sum of { MERGEFIELD RATE
\* CardText \* Caps} and No/100 Dollars ({MERGEFIELD RATE
\# $###}) per {MERGEFIELD PER }, commencing on the
date ...
Segment "seg079.doc" reads: Lessee shall pay to Lessor
as basic rent, in advance, the sum of { MERGEFIELD RATE
\* CardText \* Caps} and No/100 Dollars ({MERGEFIELD RATE
\# $###}) per {MERGEFIELD PER }, commencing ..., plus all
taxes ...
Field explanations:
RATE: Data type = currency; Format = currency; Decimal
places = 0; Required = No; Indexed = No
PER: Data type = text; Field size = 255; Required = No;
Allow zero length = No; Indexed = No; Unicode compression
= Yes; IME mode = No control; IME sentence mode = None
When I have a doc that doesn't have the Include
statement, just the MERGEFIELD command, using, say,
seg056.doc, it system returns the dollar amount written
out in Initial Caps, which is what I want. All of this
used to work pre XP; now, it won't work with the Include
statements.

 

[Cindy Meister -WordMVP-]

Hi Becky,

Thanks for the more detailed information. You still haven't
described (that I saw) HOW it's not working.

Anyway, I set up a quick test, based on your description,
and as far as I can see it does work.

The database was created pre-Access 2000 (we have had so
many upgrades, I can't remember back to the exact
version). Currently using Access 2000 (using Office XP
2000).

This could be a factor, I suppose... Anyway, here are some
things to try in order to narrow down what the cause might
be:

1) Set up a new database in Access, using the format of the
problem database (probably Access 2000, still?). Define a
couple of fields, one of which should be currency. Set up a
new "IncludeText" document and a new merge document. Does
the same behavior occur here, or do you get the expected
result?

2) Have you any idea which connection method you're using
for this mail merge? And which one you used in previous
versions of Office? If not, is what you're seeing occurring
in a document you've linked to the data source in Office
XP, or is this a document that's come forward from an
earlier version?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update
Jan 24 2003)
http://www.mvps.org/word

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any
follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[Becky]

-----Original Message-----
Hi Becky,

Thanks for the more detailed information. You still haven't
described (that I saw) HOW it's not working.

Anyway, I set up a quick test, based on your description,
and as far as I can see it does work.

This could be a factor, I suppose... Anyway, here are some
things to try in order to narrow down what the cause might
be:

1) Set up a new database in Access, using the format of the
problem database (probably Access 2000, still?). Define a
couple of fields, one of which should be currency. Set up a
new "IncludeText" document and a new merge document. Does
the same behavior occur here, or do you get the expected
result?

2) Have you any idea which connection method you're using
for this mail merge? And which one you used in previous
versions of Office? If not, is what you're seeing occurring
in a document you've linked to the data source in Office
XP, or is this a document that's come forward from an
earlier version?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update
Jan 24 2003)
http://www.mvps.org/word

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any
follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e- mail


.
Thank you for your suggestion. I will do a test. The

actual problem is that I have a currency amount in my
database. When I have it merge into a lease document, I
have to have it read in written form, in addition to its
numeric form (e.g., in the data base, the entry reads
350; when it gets merged in the doc, it has to
read "Three Hundred Fifty" ..., and "($350)"). Instead,
the written amount is showing up in all lower case
instead of Initial Caps ("three hundred fifty"). If I do
a direct merge between the database and the doc (no
include statements), the system will give me "Three
Hundred Fifty", which is correct. However, with the
include statement, its as if I've programmed one to many
requests and it ignores the formatting. Also, both the
database and doc were created in older editions of Word
and Access. I'm sorry I can't be any more clearer; it
seems that ever since the company switched us to Office
XP, I've had nothing but problems with my database and
the docs that have to merge with it (some problems I've
been able to figure out; others, your newsgroup has
helped me with). I appreciate your efforts. Thanks
again

 

[Cindy Meister -WordMVP-]

Hi Becky,

(e.g., in the data base, the entry reads
350; when it gets merged in the doc, it has to
read "Three Hundred Fifty" ..., and "($350)"). Instead,
the written amount is showing up in all lower case
instead of Initial Caps ("three hundred fifty").

OK, I can confirm that I did get the initial caps in my
test. So Word 2002 can do it, it's just a question of
what's "getting in the way" at your end.

Also, both the
database and doc were created in older editions of Word
and Access.

OK, then the tests I outlined might yield some information
that will point us to a solution. It sounds to me like the
DDE connection method the older documents probably used to
link to the data may not be "fast" enough to update the
IncludeText...

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update
Jan 24 2003)
http://www.mvps.org/word

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any
follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail