Using HTML file as data source for Mail Merge

[thenin]

Hello
Have a problem here and I have not found anything about this on MS Office
Support site.

We use a generated HTML file as a datasource for the Mail Merge from our
application.

The problem arizes when the number of Merge Fields defined in the HTML file
exceeds 63(!).

After I open the datasource in Merge Document I can see only first 63 Merge
Fields in the 'Insert Merge Field' dialog. And the 63rd merge field name is
composed of the names of merge fields which come after the 62th field(!)

However when I use the comma-separated file or an SQL datasource I do not
experience any problems - I have tried with datasources with more than 100
fields.

Do you happen to know what the problem may be?

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

I think that you are probably running up against the limitation that Word
has on the number of columns in a table. For that reason, data sources
created through the mailmerge wizard in Word XP and later are saved as .mdb
(Access) files where the limit is 256 fields.

--
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

 

[David]

Doug,

I have a related question to "thenin". Basically, I am researching the
process to utilize the data on an html page in IE and perform a mail merge to
a word document to create a letter.
I did find one article in the KB
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;301656#XSLTH3133121122120121120120
but was wondering if there are alternate or newer solutions which have been
developed.

thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Sorry, that is not something with which I have any experience. I suggest
that you start a new thread as that will be more likely to attract attention
from others who may be able to help you.

--
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

 

[thenin]

Hi
Yeah, I know about the limit of 256. But why in this case I only get 63 of
them? And why only with an HTML data source?
It is fine with other data source types.