Output Access record to Word Template

[Dan Henry]

I have a template that is dictated by our company for standard reports.
rather than re-create the template now (and next time they revise it) as an
access report, I want to put a button in my access forms that allows users
to create a word document, populated by the data in that record, using the
standard word template.

Is mail merge the right thing for this? It didn't seem to be taking me down
the right road when I first tried it. What I really want is a word document
based on a single record of access data on an ad hoc basis.

Can I just create a few MSWord fields in the template to be placeholders for
the access fields, and then issue a VB command to dump from Access to Word?

Thanks,

 

[Peter R. Fletcher]

If the data for the Report can reasonably easily be produced by means
of a single Query and the report does not make much use of sorting and
grouping, you may be able to convert the template into a merge
template, but mail merge generally only works easily and well for the
purposes for which it is intended - form letters and related
situations, where one, usually not very complex, document is to be
produced for each record (of many) in the source Query. It sounds as
if it should work for you, too, if your report is based on a single
record - you should just need to have a merge field for every field in
the record and a way of identifying the record you want to display
(which can usually be done by seting up selection criteria in Word.

If you want to do it all from Access, I would use Word Automation to
write to a different sort of Word template. This would not be a Mail
Merge Template - it would have named Bookmarks at the target locations
for each of the fields in the Access Record, since it is easy to use
Automation to replace a Bookmark with text of your choice.

I have a template that is dictated by our company for standard reports.
rather than re-create the template now (and next time they revise it) as an
access report, I want to put a button in my access forms that allows users
to create a word document, populated by the data in that record, using the
standard word template.

Is mail merge the right thing for this? It didn't seem to be taking me down
the right road when I first tried it. What I really want is a word document
based on a single record of access data on an ad hoc basis.

Can I just create a few MSWord fields in the template to be placeholders for
the access fields, and then issue a VB command to dump from Access to Word?

Thanks,

Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher

 

[Peter R. Fletcher]

If the data for the Report can reasonably easily be produced by means
of a single Query and the report does not make much use of sorting and
grouping, you may be able to convert the template into a merge
template, but mail merge generally only works easily and well for the
purposes for which it is intended - form letters and related
situations, where one, usually not very complex, document is to be
produced for each record (of many) in the source Query. It sounds as
if it should work for you, too, if your report is based on a single
record - you should just need to have a merge field for every field in
the record and a way of identifying the record you want to display
(which can usually be done by seting up selection criteria in Word.

If you want to do it all from Access, I would use Word Automation to
write to a different sort of Word template. This would not be a Mail
Merge Template - it would have named Bookmarks at the target locations
for each of the fields in the Access Record, since it is easy to use
Automation to replace a Bookmark with text of your choice.

I have a template that is dictated by our company for standard reports.
rather than re-create the template now (and next time they revise it) as an
access report, I want to put a button in my access forms that allows users
to create a word document, populated by the data in that record, using the
standard word template.

Is mail merge the right thing for this? It didn't seem to be taking me down
the right road when I first tried it. What I really want is a word document
based on a single record of access data on an ad hoc basis.

Can I just create a few MSWord fields in the template to be placeholders for
the access fields, and then issue a VB command to dump from Access to Word?

Thanks,

Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher

 

[Guest]

With Word Automation, is it possible to insert an Access report where a
bookmark has been placed within the Word template? I know it is possible to
create a table in the Word template from an Access query (as I was able to
do), but I am wondering if you can use bookmarks as placeholders for reports
generated from Access. I am attempting to build a template for an annual
report that would be constructed in a Word-based template and populated with
various reports/graphs from Access. I am particularly concerned about the
ability to create the graphs in the Word template, if it is not possible to
automatically insert the Access graph report into the Word template at the
specified bookmark location.

Thanks,

Victor