Using If and related Fields

[Colin Higbie]

(Using Word XP)

If I click on Insert | Field, I can select If from the dialog that appears.
When I do, it gives me a line to enter my If condition, parameters, and
results. However, I cannot figure out how to select and insert Merge Fields
(e.g. Last Name) into this line. If I select any other options, it replaces
the If with that new option. If I just hit OK after selecting If, I get an
error message in my document saying, "Error! Missing test condition."

If I display all fields via Alt-F9, I can then manually insert the Merge Field
into the If Field, but this seems clumsy.

Is there an easier way to construct these nested Fields?

Thanks,
Colin

 

[Peter Jamieson]

If I click on Insert | Field, I can select If from the dialog that
appears.

When I do, it gives me a line to enter my If condition, parameters, and
results. However, I cannot figure out how to select and insert Merge Fields
(e.g. Last Name) into this line.

You're right, it isn't possible as the dialog box just allows plain text to
be entered, not the special field braces.

If you start from the "Insert Word Field" dropdown on the mailmerge toolbar
you can insert field braces using ctrl-F9 in the "Insert this text" and
"Otherwise insert this text" boxes and fill in the "MERGEFIELD fieldname"
parts, but there's no support for dragging and dropping merge fields or
anything else.

If I display all fields via Alt-F9, I can then manually insert the Merge Field
into the If Field,

Personally, this is the way I do it all the time because...

but this seems clumsy.

....I think it's simpler and more straghtforward than any of the other
methods, once you've got used to it. It's only my opinion, but picking stuff
from lists is great for simple operations but beyond a certain level of
complexity it's generally easier to learn to work with the "raw tools"