How to Use FoxPro Data in an MS Word for Mac Print Merge

ID: Q113177

2.50b 3.00b MACINTOSH

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Macintosh, version 3.0b
Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, version 2.5b

SUMMARY

In order to use a FoxPro for Macintosh database file in a Microsoft Word version 5.1 for Macintosh print merge, the database file must be copied to a text file and then modified in Word.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Word for Macintosh cannot use a .DBF format file in a print merge. The following changes need to be made to the data in order for the print merge to work.

NOTE: The following steps are for use with Word 5.1 for Macintosh. For other versions of Word, modify them accordingly.

1. In FoxPro, USE the database.

2. In the Command window, issue one of the following commands in order to

   copy the database to a text file:

     COPY TO test.txt TYPE DELIMITED WITH TAB

     -or-

     COPY TO test.txt TYPE DELIMITED

   NOTE: Other clauses of the COPY TO command, such as FIELDS and FOR, can
   be used to limit the number of records or fields copied to the text
   file. A scope clause (such as ALL, NEXT, RECORD, or REST) can also be
   used.

3. In Word, open the text file TEST.TXT. Make sure you open the file in

   Text format, not Text With Layout format.

4. Insert a new line at the top of the text file, and then type field

   names, one for each field in the database copied to the text file.
   Separate the field names with tabs if the TYPE DELIMITED WITH TAB
   clause was used in the COPY TO command. Use commas if the TYPE DELIMITED
   clause was used.

5. Select (highlight) one of the hollow box characters that appear at the

   end of each record in the text file. Copy this character to the
   Clipboard by choosing Copy from the Edit menu or by pressing COMMAND+C.

6. Move the insertion point (the flashing bar) to the beginning of the text

   file. From the Edit menu, choose Replace, or press COMMAND+H.

   The Replace dialog box will appear.

7. In the Find What box, press COMMAND+V to paste in the hollow box

   character that you copied in step 5. In the Replace With box, type "^p"
   (without the quotation marks), or choose Paragraph Mark from the Special
   list box.

8. Choose the Replace All button. Once all the hollow box characters have

   been replaced with paragraph marks, the text file can be used as a data
   file for a print merge.

Two Word error messages that you may encounter are listed below:

The "Duplicate Field name in data document" error message can occur if the field names referred to in step 4 above are not entered, and there is duplicate data in the file. State abbreviations commonly cause this error.
The "Data record too long" error message can occur if the hollow box characters are not replaced with paragraph marks. Word does not recognize the character that FoxPro puts at the end of each line as the end of a data record.

REFERENCES

FoxPro for Macintosh "Language Reference," version 2.5, pages 270-275

For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q110539
   TITLE     : PRFOX: COPY TO DELIMITED Creates File with No Carriage
               Returns

Additional reference words: vFoxMac 3.00b FoxMac 2.50b printmerge errmsg err msg macword KBCategory: KBSubcategory:

Keywords          : kberrmsg
Version           : 2.50b 3.00b
Platform          : MACINTOSH

Last Reviewed: May 21, 1998