WD98: Letter Wizard Replaces Merge Field with AutoTextList

• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you create a mail merge main document and you answer yes when the Office Assistant asks you if you want help writing your letter, the merge field is replaced with an AutoTextList field. When you perform the merge, the AutoTextList field is replaced with the field name enclosed in chevrons (<<>>). For example, if your document contains the following,

   Dear {MergeField FirstName},

   {AutoTextList}

CAUSE

The Letter Wizard replaces "Dear" and the {MergeField FirstName} field with the {AutoTextList} field.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Replace the {AutoTextList} Field After Closing the Letter Wizard

To replace the {AutoTextList} field after closing the Letter Wizard, follow these steps:

1. Complete the letter with the help of the Office Assistant. (See the "More Information" section later in this article.)

2. On the Tools menu, click Preferences, and then click the View tab.

3. Click to select the Field Codes check box, and then click OK.

4. Delete the {AutoTextList} field.

5. Type your salutation, and then reinsert the {MergeField FirstName} field.

Method 2: Create the Main Document Before Attaching the Data Source

To create the main document before attaching the data source, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click New, and then click the Letters and Faxes tab.

2. Select the Letter Wizard, and then click OK.

3. The Office Assistant will prompt you to select an option. Click "Send letters to a mailing list."

   The Mail Merge Helper appears.

4. Click Get Data, click Open Data Source, select the document that contains your data, and then click Open.

5. Click Edit Main Document.

6. Select the {AutoTextList} field, and then press DELETE.

7. Click the Insert Merge Field button on the Mail Merge toolbar, and then click the merge field you want to use.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

To use the Office Assistant to help you write your letter, follow these steps:

1. Start a new Word document.

2. On the Tools menu, click Mail Merge.

3. In the Mail Merge Helper, click Create, and then click Form Letters.

4. Click New Main Document.

5. Click Get Data, click Open Data Source, select the file that contains your data, and then click Open.

6. Click Edit Main Document.

7. Type the salutation. For example, type "Dear" (without the quotation marks). Press the SPACEBAR.

8. Click the Insert Merge Field button on the Mail Merge toolbar, select the merge field you want to insert, type a comma, and then press ENTER.

   The Office Assistant appears.

9. Click "Get help with writing the letter" to run the Letter Wizard.