Phone number formatting

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Merrick - 27 Apr 2008 06:26 GMT

I'm doing a mail merge (creating letters) with data from an excel file. In
the excel file, one column is formatted as 'Special' and 'Phone number'. The
data entered into that column was 10 digits and it shows in excel as phone
number format - ie: (xxx) xxx-xxxx . This is how I need it.
When I merge that field into the document, it comes across as xxxxxxxxxx
(without the parenthesis and dashes). How can I fix it so that the phone
numbers come across in the same format as they show in excel?

Another issue (dunno if related or not...): When I do the merge, I get a
small pop-up which I don't know what it's for... it's a small pop-up with an
area where I can enter data (dunno what it's looking for) and there's an 'ok'
and a 'cancel' button. Closing the pop-up (clicking the 'X') does not
work... I have to hit 'ok' or 'cancel' exactly 100 times (note: the data
source excel file contains exactly 50 records). What is this text entry
pop-up looking for? How can I get it to stop?

All help is greatly appreciated!

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Merrick - 27 Apr 2008 06:30 GMT

Note: I am running Office 2007.

> I'm doing a mail merge (creating letters) with data from an excel file. In
> the excel file, one column is formatted as 'Special' and 'Phone number'. The
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> All help is greatly appreciated!

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Graham Mayor - 27 Apr 2008 08:34 GMT

The phone number is easy enough. Toggle the display in your merge source
document (ALT+F9) and the field in question will look something like

{ Mergefield PhoneNumber }
add a formatting switch to the field thus
{ Mergefield PhoneNumber \# "(000)' '000'-'0000" }

See also http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm

Toggling the display may also reveal in your document an Ask field (or two)
that is the probable cause of the mysterious prompt. You can get it to stop
by either removing it (or them) - in which case there is likley to be an
associated REF field which will then produce an error, or by using a switch
to make it prompt only at the start of the merge, but it would be a good
idea to locate the field(s) before deciding what to do with it. I take it
that you didn't create this merge document?

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

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> I'm doing a mail merge (creating letters) with data from an excel
> file. In the excel file, one column is formatted as 'Special' and
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> All help is greatly appreciated!

Reply to this Message

Merrick - 27 Apr 2008 08:59 GMT

Graham, THANK YOU! Re: the format of the fax numbers... now perfect with
your formatting fix. Re: Ask field(s) - yes, there was one Ask field which I
removed (I dunno how it got there, shouldn't be there, and yes- it was me
that created the document. I now have to hit 'ok' or 'cancel' 50 times (50
record excel spreadsheet) and there are no more Ask fields. Can it be
something else?
Thanks sooo much!
Merrick

> The phone number is easy enough. Toggle the display in your merge source
> document (ALT+F9) and the field in question will look something like
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> >
> > All help is greatly appreciated!

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Merrick - 27 Apr 2008 09:06 GMT

Wait... I got it! There's a 'fillin' field. Here's the line:

To: { MERGEFIELD DocTitle } {MERGEFIELD DocName }{SET docname {FILLIN } }

Since the DocName is from the spreadsheet, can I safely just remove SET
docname {FILLIN } ?

> Graham, THANK YOU! Re: the format of the fax numbers... now perfect with
> your formatting fix. Re: Ask field(s) - yes, there was one Ask field which I
[quoted text clipped - 42 lines]
> > >
> > > All help is greatly appreciated!

Reply to this Message

Graham Mayor - 27 Apr 2008 09:25 GMT

If you are not using the FILLIN field then yes it can be removed.

Signature

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

> Wait... I got it! There's a 'fillin' field. Here's the line:
>
[quoted text clipped - 60 lines]
>>>>
>>>> All help is greatly appreciated!

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