This setting is switched on by default in Word 2007 - i.e. it should
already be working. However, you can check by
a. going to Word Office Button->Word options->Customize
b. Select "All commands" in the "Choose Commands From" dropdown
c. Locate "Mail Merge Helper" in the list and add it to the Quick
Access Toolbar (QAT) column on the right
d. Click OK. The old Mail Merge Helper icon should now appear in the QAT
e. click that button, then click the Merge... button near the big 3.
"Don't print blank lines when data fields are empty" should be selected.
If it isn't, I would be surprised, but choose the other option and try
again.
All that said, Word's behaviour with respect to removal of blank lines
has changeed in the last few versions. In essence, blank lines are not
removed if the mergefield fields are nested inside any other kind of
field, such as IF or INCLUDETEXT. There is some other wrinkle to do with
a difference between previewing/printing/merging to a new document but I
forget what it is off the top of my head.
Also, if you have decided to use the ADDRESSBLOCK field in Word 2007 (it
didn't exist in Word 2000) then you may also run into problems in this area.
If yu can't get Word 2007 to do what you want, you may have to resort to
the technique of wrapping all the fields/lines you want to disappear
when blank inside an IF field, e.g.
{ IF "{ MERGEFIELD fielda }" = "" "" "
{ MERGEFIELD myfielda }"
}{ IF "{ MERGEFIELD fieldb }" = "" "" "
{ MERGEFIELD myfieldb }"
}
(where all the {} are the special field braces yu can enter using ctrl-F9)
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk