DOCUMENT:Q181577 13-MAY-2002 [word97] TITLE :WD97: Text Form Fields Not Retained During Mail Merge PRODUCT :Word 97 for Windows PROD/VER:WINDOWS:97 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbdta kbdtacode kbmacroexample word97 ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Word 97 for Windows ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTOMS ======== A mail merge main document that contains form fields retains the drop-down and check box form fields, but text form fields are not present in the merge result. CAUSE ===== Word unlinks the text form fields during the mail merge. Word does not unlink display form fields, such as the drop-down and the check box form fields. This behavior is by design. WORKAROUND ========== Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact a Microsoft Certified Partner or the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about Microsoft Certified Partners, please visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/partner/referral/ For more information about the support options that are available and about how to contact Microsoft, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS NOTE: Do not perform a mail merge as usual in Microsoft Word. Instead, run the following two macros from your mail merge main document. The following macros will: 1. Replace text form fields in the main mail merge document with placeholders while preserving the contents of the form fields. 2. Merge to a new document. 3. Replace the placeholders with text form fields and restore the contents of the form fields. 4. Restore the main mail merge document to its original content prior to running the macro. NOTE: The following two macros work in conjunction with one another, and both macros must be created in the same Visual Basic for Applications project. Create the first macro: Sub PreserveMailMergeFormFields() Dim fFieldText() As String Dim iCount As Integer Dim fField As FormField Dim sWindowMain, sWindowMerge As String On Error GoTo ErrHandler ' Store Main merge document window name. sWindowMain = ActiveWindow.Caption ' Because the document contains form fields, it should be protected so, ' unprotect document. If ActiveDocument.ProtectionType <> wdNoProtection Then ActiveDocument.Unprotect End If ' Loop through all text form fields in the main mail merge document. For Each aField In ActiveDocument.FormFields ' If the form field is a text form field... If aField.Type = wdFieldFormTextInput Then ' Redim array to hold contents of text field. ReDim Preserve fFieldText(1, iCount + 1) ' Place content and name of field into array. fFieldText(0, iCount) = aField.Result fFieldText(1, iCount) = aField.Name ' Select the form field. aField.Select ' Replace it with placeholder text. Selection.TypeText "<" & fFieldText(1, iCount) _ & "PlaceHolder>" ' Increment icount iCount = iCount + 1 End If Next aField ' Perform mail merge to new document. ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Destination = wdSendToNewDocument ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Execute ' Find and Replace placeholders with form fields. doFindReplace iCount, fField, fFieldText() ' Protect the merged document. ActiveDocument.Protect Password:="", NoReset:=True, Type:= _ WdAllowOnlyFormFields ' Get name of final merged document. sWindowMerge = ActiveWindow.Caption ' Reactivate the main merge document. Windows(sWindowMain).Activate ' Find and replace placeholders with form fields. doFindReplace iCount, fField, fFieldText() ' Reprotect the main mail merge document. ActiveDocument.Protect Password:="", NoReset:=True, Type:= _ WdAllowOnlyFormFields ' Switch back to the merged document. Windows(sWindowMerge).Activate ErrHandler: End Sub Create the second macro: Sub doFindReplace(iCount As Integer, fField As FormField, _ fFieldText() As String) ' Go to top of document. Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory ' Initialize Find. Selection.Find.ClearFormatting With Selection.Find .Forward = True .Wrap = wdFindContinue .Format = False .MatchCase = False .MatchWholeWord = False .MatchWildcards = False .MatchSoundsLike = False .MatchAllWordForms = False ' Loop form fields count. For i = 0 To iCount ' Execute the find. Do While .Execute (FindText:="<" & fFieldText(1, i) _ & "PlaceHolder>") = True ' Replace the placeholder with the form field. Set fField = Selection.FormFields.Add _ (Range:=Selection.Range, Type:=wdFieldFormTextInput) ' Restore form field contents and bookmark name. fField.Result = fFieldText(0, i) fField.Name = fFieldText(1, i) Loop ' Go to top of document for next find. Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory Next End With End Sub For more information about how to use the sample code in this article, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q173707 OFF97: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles MORE INFORMATION ================ Some fields, such as the Next and FillIn fields, require input either from the data document or from you to continue processing the merge. In this case, Word places the results in the merged document. However, fields that obtain information from document statistics, such as the Numpages field, may be inappropriate for a merged document. As a result they are not retained in the merge result. The following table lists which fields are not unlinked and which fields are unlinked during a Word mail merge. Fields that are Fields that are not unlinked unlinked ------------------------------------------------- = (Formula) Ask Advance Author AutoNum AutoText AutoNumLgl AutoTextList AutoNumOut Comments BarCode Compare Date CreateDate EQ Database FormCheckbox DocProperty FormDropDown DocVariable GotoButton EditTime IncludePicture FileName IncludeText FileSize Link FillIn MacroButton Hyperlink NoteRef If Page Index PageRef Info Print Keyword PrintDate LastSavedBy Private ListNum RD Mergefield Section MergeRec SectionPages MergeSeq Symbol Next TA NextIf TC NumChars Time NumPages NumWords Quote Ref RevNum SaveDate Seq Set SkipIf StyleRef Subject Template Title TOA TOC UserAddress UserInitials UserName REFERENCES ========== For additional information about other Visual Basic for Application programming resources, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q163435 VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for Applications Additional query words: text form mail merge mailmerge lost stripped removed disappear print merging display field formfield drop down dropdown ====================================================================== Keywords : kbdta kbdtacode kbmacroexample word97 Technology : kbWordSearch kbWord97 kbWord97Search kbZNotKeyword2 Version : WINDOWS:97 Issue type : kbprb Solution Type : kbpending ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2002.