Mail Merge problem with Word 2000

[dcw9996]

Hello to all. I've never used a service such as this before.
Hopefully i'll do this right .

I have Word2002 at home, and do not have any problems. At work we have
Word 2000 running on Win 2000 Pro. The problem I am having is with the
Mail Merge. Specifically, it is when I am trying to insert a merge
field in my form letter.

I have produced a form letter in Word. I also created an address list
in Excel to use as my data source. I have the Mail Merge toolbar
displayed. When I click on the "Insert Merge Field" button, I see only
two choices---<<NAME>> or <<AutoMergeField>>. I do not see the header
choices in my data source.

I have tried countless times to fix this, to no avail. Could someone
please tell me just what it is I'm doing wrong? I don't know if I have
to manually add fields to the "button" (if so, I don't know how) or if
I need to do something special to my Excel sheet to have Word recognise
it (again, I don't know how). About my data source--there are multiple
sheets in the workbook, but all but one have been hidden.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide.
Don

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

I have Word2002 at home, and do not have any problems. At work we have

Word 2000 running on Win 2000 Pro. The problem I am having is with the
Mail Merge. Specifically, it is when I am trying to insert a merge
field in my form letter.

Right... Word 2000 uses a different default connection method to Excel,
which is why you'll see disconcerting differences.

I have produced a form letter in Word. I also created an address list
in Excel to use as my data source. I have the Mail Merge toolbar
displayed. When I click on the "Insert Merge Field" button, I see only
two choices---<<NAME>> or <<AutoMergeField>>. I do not see the header
choices in my data source.

This usually means that that data in Excel does not start in cell A1 on
the first sheet in the workbook.

IF you apply a named range to the data source, then you can use ODBC to
pick it up from anywhere in the workbook. In order to use ODBC (instead
of Word 2000's default DDE): activate the Select Method checkbox in the
Open Data Source dialog box. You should get a list offering a number (up
to three) connection methods. Select ODBC.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

To add to what Cindy has said, you need to be sure there are no blank rows
between your heading row and the data record rows.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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[Don]

Cindy;
I will definately try that. I was also reading elsewhere that after
opening my data source, when I go back to my form letter, before
proceeding I should save my main doc first. This "binds" the data
source to the form letter. If this is true, I have not done that.

My spreadsheet starts with the header row in A1. But a couplre of the
names in the header row are written like this: Street_Address. Will
Word not recognise the underscore? Just wondering.

Thanks for your suggestions. I will try them out soon.

 

[Don]

Suzanne--I have made sure from the beginning that all rows/columns are
full.
Thank you.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Don,

I will definately try that. I was also reading elsewhere that after
opening my data source, when I go back to my form letter, before
proceeding I should save my main doc first. This "binds" the data
source to the form letter. If this is true, I have not done that.

My spreadsheet starts with the header row in A1. But a couplre of the
names in the header row are written like this: Street_Address. Will
Word not recognise the underscore? Just wondering.

the underscore shouldn't be a problem. But are you sure this is the
first sheet in the workbook?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Don]

Hi Don,

the underscore shouldn't be a problem. But are you sure this is the
first sheet in the workbook?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)


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Cindy,
It is the only sheet "displayed" in the workbook. All other sheets
have benn hidden. If all sheets were viewable, it would not be the
first. I think this may be a problem. I keep seeing "Aaron" displayed
in the mergefield <<NAME>>, when "Dr. Aaron Smith" is in the NAME
column on the sheet that is displayed.

I will give this another try. Thank you for taking the time to check
back.
Don

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Don,

It is the only sheet "displayed" in the workbook. All other sheets
have benn hidden. If all sheets were viewable, it would not be the
first. I think this may be a problem. I keep seeing "Aaron" displayed
in the mergefield <<NAME>>, when "Dr. Aaron Smith" is in the NAME
column on the sheet that is displayed.

Yep, that would do it

Problem is the old DDE technology was written to communicate with Excel
back in the days when it supported only one worksheet / workbook. If it's
not physically the first sheet, mail merge can't "see" it properly
through a DDE connection.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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