How to Mail Merge w/ Table (2003 SP3)

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I’m trying to set up the simplest mail merge ever…and of course Microsoft stands in my way. For data, I have 2 fields, Name and Address. I’ve put them in a table with headings. This used to be a very simple way to create merge fields that I could set up in the primary document. I’m confused with the sidebar/wizard oriented instructions rather than the document-based process of previous versions. I never used to get questions about delimiters, records, and fields. I’m determined to learn how to set it up even though I’d surely finish my present work more quickly by cutting & pasting.

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It is easiest to start with the main document on the screen. Go to the Tools menu and select Letters and Mailings. Click on Mail Merge. The Mail Merge task pane will come up and guide you through the process. You will be asked what type of document you are preparing. You will be asked if you wish to use the active document (the one currently displayed on the screen) or a new main document. When you are finished this step, you will be asked to select the recipients of the letters by browsing to the file containing their names and addresses. Place the cursor where you want to enter data and choose the field you want to enter by either clicking on the Insert Merge Field icon or following the directions in the Mail Merge task pane.

The only process that is not intuitive is when doing labels. When you are finished adding merge fields to the first label, you must press the Propagate Labels icon on the Mail Merge toolbar in order to have the merge fields in the first label copied to all of the labels.

While it is not necessary, it is useful to add one icon to the Mail Merge Toolbar – Insert Merge Field. You can then click on this icon and select each field to be entered. This is easier than using the menus in the Task Pane. You add this icon by going to Tools, Customize and select the Commands tab. Select Mail Merge in the Categories list on the left side of the window and then drag the Insert Merge Field (which is on the right hand side) to any convenient place on the Mail Merge toolbar.

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Thanks Red,

The direction you describe is the one I’m having problems with. Perhaps the error messages I’m encountering are not common. I’m attaching screen shots and hope there’s specific help for that.

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I see my own problem, I had hard returns above the table. I’ve forgotten that Word needs the table to be the very first thing in the document.

However, I’m unclear on how to add my data through the wizard. The boilerplate options (address block, greeting) don’t apply to my data. I’m sure missing the classic way to do this, though it involved toggling between documents.

Editorial comment: This wizard is not intuitive, which would be “if you are a thinking person, you can reason your way through this, because it is set up logically.” It is insistent, demanding that I think a certain way.

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Using the Mail Merge Toolbar, and Insert Merge Field, my merge works fine. I’m still befuddled! by how the wizard is supposed to be helpful. It doesn’t ask where to place the merge fields and it doesn’t offer my own chosen field names as merge fields.

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I prefer using the toolbar button I inserted rather than the Mail Merge Task Pane. (This is the way it was done in Word 2000 and prior versions.) For certain things the task pane is easier but the process is different than prior versions. There is definitely a learning curve.

Fred

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Don’t you mean Task PAIN?

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