 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussionsAccessExcelInfoPathOutlookPowerPointPublisherWordDirectoryUser Groups Related Topics Outlook ExpressInternet ExplorerWindowsMS Server ProductsMore Topics ... |
MS Office Forum / Word / Mailmerge and Fax / April 2005Merge Document and Fill in Form (Word 2000)
We are trying to modify a Performance Evaluation template form in Word 2000. The employee data is merged into the form from an excel spreadsheet. The mail merge process works fine but we are wondering if there is a way to do the following: 1. How do we make it possible for Manager and Employee to fill and sign the form electronically without having to print it out. This would minimize chances of it falling into the wrong hands. 2. Is it possible to make the text in the Employee Name: field either repeat in the footer of the document, or be automatically filled in as the name of the document. This is so as to distinguish the document from others. At this point we are unable to proceed without a solution to these issues. I appreciate any insights you may have. Thanks T0kein For point (1), can you please tell us more about how you see the process working - what is being produced? - at what point in the process do you envisage the manager and employee signing something? - what sort of electronic signature are you thinking of? For point (2), if the Employee name is coming from your mail merge data source, you should be able to insert an additional copy of the { MERGEFIELD "Employee Name" } field in the header/footer, at least if the merge is a "Letter" type merge. If the name is being provided by a FILLIN, you can try - changing the FILLIN to an ASK. In an ASK field you specify a bookmark name for the result of the ASK, then use a REF field such as { REF employee_name } to insert the results. - or nesting the FILLIN inside a SET, e.g. { SET employee_name "{ FILLIN "whatever" }" } and using { REF employee_name } to insert the results. If you want to name the output file using the employee name you will probably need to use some VBA - if you go to Google groups and search this newsgroup for Doug Robbins splitter you should find some VBA code that will help. Peter Jamieson > We are trying to modify a Performance Evaluation template > form in Word 2000. The employee data is merged into the [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > T0kein Peter, Thanks for your valuable suggestions. The current Performance Eval template doc in WD2000 needs to be modified so that we can encourage Managers and employees to fill it out online and preferably sign it online as well. Currently, the HR Dept gives a CD to each manager containing their employee evaluation files in separate documents and the managers have to print out the form to fill and sign before returing hard copy to HR. We are trying to change this process to make it more secure, expeditious and paperless. The data source with the employee data is in Excel. After the mail merge we want to have a Word document that prompts or asks the manager or employee for answers as they tab or go from field to field. They have a space for signature at the bottom of the document. We want them to sign the document electronically by importing their signature to that field programmatically. After they are done filling out the form, and importing their signature, the wizard should prompt them to click on Finish and the file is then saved using as the "Employee Name" as the name of the saved file. The "Employee Name" coming from the field at the top of the document. Also, we want the document to be locked when saved. That is what we want to do here. Any additional help would be very much appreciated. I will seach for Doug Robbins splitter and see if I can modify the VBA code. t0kein > For point (1), can you please tell us more about how you see the process > working [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > > > > T0kein OK, I can only really makle a few more points and ask a few more questions. e.g. I think you need to be sure that your approach will in fact be more secure than a more paper-based one. I can imagine that is OK for one of the people involved if each user has a well-protected set of personal folders on your network, but it's not so simple if two people have to sign, unless perhaps they carry their signature files on removable devices. How forgeable might these signatures, be, etc. Not my area, but either you already know how to do all that stuff or you need to talk to someone who understands the security and legal implications of using such signatures. It still isn't completely clear to me how the process will actually work. Will there be a single Excel file with the employee data relevant to each manager? In which case, is the manager going to do one merge at a time, selecting an employee, then going through the report with the employee at hand to agree and sign? Or is there one Excel file per employee? Why not pre-merge all the employee reports and just leave the manager with a form-filling exercise? Or do they need to be able to modify the text of the report? Wha privacy issues might there be? Although you don't actually say so, I get the impression that you are thinking of using an "online" form (i.e. using Word Form fields) for the form-filling part. But if you are generating that from a Merge, you need to consider how to do it, because form fields are not correctly preserved. There is sample code in the MS KB, or it might be that the form resides in a separate Word doc. and you piece together the report from the form+a file generated from the merge. However, my inclination would be to use a VBA userform on the grounds that a. you will get much more control b. it will be easier to do things such as let the manager specify an employee name or an EWxcel data source, or both, and do correct validation on the data c. it would probably also be easier to do stuff such as locate a signature, display a preview in the userform, and so on Just my 2 cents' worth, Peter Jamieson > Peter, > Thanks for your valuable suggestions. [quoted text clipped - 92 lines] >> > >> > T0kein Again, I thank you for your detailed questions and suggestions. Here are some answers to the questions you raised. There are basically two processes going on. 1.The mail merge process is performed by HR prior to sending the documents to the respective Managers. Hence my prior question regarding ways to repeat text fields on the final document. This way the Employee Name can be plced on each page (Header or Footer) to differentiate it from other pages when printed out. 2. The process we are having the most difficulty with is the form filling exercise. I need to clarify that the Manager receives a pre-merged document in Word for each employee and needs to fill it out. We want to create an automated way for the Manager to fill out the document, append his/her signature to it and send the document on its way. There will be secure access to the documents on the network for the Managers and HR. What I am not clear about is your suggestion of using a VBA userform. Wouldn't this mean having to redesign the form? Whereas all the Manager needs to do is fill out the remaining sections with their comments on the employee's performance. I wonder if it would be possible to use a process that includes a question-and-answer exchange without a re-designing and creating a new form. Thanks in advance for any comments you may have. T0kein >-----Original Message----- >OK, I can only really makle a few more points and ask a few more questions. [quoted text clipped - 134 lines] > >. > What I am not clear about is your suggestion of using a > VBA userform. Wouldn't this mean having to redesign the > form? Whereas all the Manager needs to do is fill out the > remaining sections with their comments on the employee's > performance. Yes, it would, but it wasn't clear to me what your starting point was and you've now clarified that. If you already have the form and it all works except for a couple of problems that need solving, I'd obviously stick with that. However, when it comes to appending the signature, you're probably going to need some VBA. You could probably do something like get the manager/employee to type the name of his/her signature file into a form field or FILLIN/ASK field, then use an INCLUDEPICTURE field with a nested bookmark/REF field to include the image. Peter Jamieson > Again, I thank you for your detailed questions and > suggestions. Here are some answers to the questions you [quoted text clipped - 238 lines] >> >>. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.