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Advanced Word 97 - MailMerge It Together

Decision Four – Are You Ready to Merge! You've finished the list of names and the form, and now you are ready to finish the task by merging them together.

  Select the Mail Merge Helper, and then, MERGE. You will get the Merge Options screen. Do you want to merge to a new document, to the printer, or to Electronic Mail.

Do you want to print blank lines if the field is empty or not? Do you want to print all the records, or just select ones? You can select Query Options and set up a criteria of records to print (like only those in a certain zip code, or state).

Once the selections are made, select MERGE, and the personalized documents are created in a new window. Creating in a new window allows for proofreading the documents before you print. This is especially useful when this is the first time you have used the data source so you can make corrections and remerge, if necessary.

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Checking and previewing a merged document before printing After you create a data source and a main document, you can check for errors – for example, a merge field that contains a character that is not valid.

You can also preview the main document merged with information from a specific data record. If you want to examine all of the resulting merged documents before printing, you can merge them to a single new document.
To check a merged document before printing

 

 

 With the insertion point in the main document, click the Check For Errors button on the Mail Merge toolbar.

    In the Checking And Reporting Errors dialog box, do one of the following: Simulate the merge and report errors in a new document; Complete the merge, pausing to report each error as it occurs; Complete the merge without pausing. Report errors in a new document.

  1. To complete merging the documents and have Word report any merge field errors each time it finds one, choose the OK button.
  2. To specify how Word should report the errors, select an option, and then choose the OK button.
    3.

Word identifies any merge fields used in the main document that do not match names of data fields in the data source.
To view a merged document before printing With the main document in the active window, click the View Merged Data button on the Mail Merge toolbar.

Word displays information from the first data record in place of the merge fields in the main document text. To view information from other data records, click one of arrow buttons on the Mail Merge toolbar, or type a record number in the Go To Record box.
To merge to a new document With the insertion point in the main document, click the Merge To New Document button on the Mail Merge toolbar.

Word places all the resulting merged documents in a single new document. The merged documents are placed in separate sections, which are indicated by section breaks (double dotted lines).

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Need to add an Additional Field in the Data File Adding another field to an existing data file is a multi-step process.
  1. First have the data source fill-in form on the screen, and select View Source.
  2. You will see the data in the form of a table.
  3. Decide where to add the new column, and move your cursor to the top of the column that will move over when the new column is added. The cursor should change to a black arrow pointing down.
  4. Select TABLE, INSERT COLUMN.
  5. Add the name of the new column. Our new field is called RecLetter.
  6. Go ahead and put today's date by each person receiving the letter.
  7. Change back to the data form by selecting the first Icon in the toolbar for Merge, called Data Form. It is the icon with a picture of a table with a pencil.

You should be able to see the new data field in the Data Form.

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Direct questions regarding this site to the University of North Texas Computing Center Helpdesk. We can be reached by e-mail at helpdesk@unt.edu , or by phone at 940.565.2324.   Hours:  Sunday 1pm-midnight, Monday-Thursday 8am-midnight, Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.

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