Tabbing to columns in a table using mail merge fields

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Mike - 29 Jun 2006 19:43 GMT

I have a table in a Word template that contains a mail merge field in the
first cell. The data for the field contains a name, date and amount, each
piece of data separated by a tab (ASCII 9). This was done in the hopes that
the tab would move the cursor to the next cell in the table so the date and
amount would be placed in cells two and three respectively. This doesn't
seem to work. Can anyone suggest how I might accomplish tabbing to the next
cell via data in the mail merge field? Thanks.

Mike

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Doug Robbins - Word MVP - 29 Jun 2006 20:18 GMT

If your data source contains just the one field with the name, date and
amount in that field, there is now way that you can split the mergefield in
the mailmerge main document over three cells.

As you have used tabs to separate the data in the datasource however, it is
a simple matter to convert that into a three column table (using Convert to
Text to Table from the Tables menu and selecting the Tab as the separator).
Then if you add appropriate field names in the the first row cells of each
column, you can merge each individual piece of data into the configuration
that you are after.

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Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

>I have a table in a Word template that contains a mail merge field in the
> first cell. The data for the field contains a name, date and amount, each
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Mike

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Mike - 30 Jun 2006 15:37 GMT

The data source can contain up to ten rows worth of data. It can change each
time. Also, there is no user interaction with the document. A process
initiates the creation of a Word document via a plugin, the data for the
merged fields is inserted and the document is printed in the background.

> If your data source contains just the one field with the name, date and
> amount in that field, there is now way that you can split the mergefield in
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> >
> > Mike

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Doug Robbins - Word MVP - 30 Jun 2006 18:29 GMT

There is nothing that you can do as part of the merge process. You will
have to do it in the data source.

Signature

Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

> The data source can contain up to ten rows worth of data. It can change
> each
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
>> >
>> > Mike

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