I have a few questions about Merge in Word 2010:

Background: The data file is a name/address database in an Excel spreadsheet. For each record the street address is in four separate columns as follows: One column has the street number, next column has street direction (North, South, etc.), next column has street name, next column has suite number. (Example: 123 N Main Street Suite 200.) For most records the street direction column is empty and for most records the suite number column is empty.

The entire database (about 200 records) will be merged into a Word document. Not a letter, not labels, just a regular Word document with one record appearing after another in the following layout (shown using Word merge field codes):

<<Category>>
<<Name>>
<<Number>> <<Direction>> <<Street>> <<Suite>>
<<Phone>>
<<Web>>

1. How do I tell it not to include the space between <<Direction>> <<Street>> if the <<Direction>> field for that record is empty?

2. Excel stores phone numbers in this format: (123) 456-7890. When I do the merge the phone numbers appear as: 1234567890. How do I get it to either keep the Excel format or add dashes: 123-456-7890?

3. In the Excel database Web addresses are stored as a hyperlink. When I do the merge I get the web address but it’s plain text, not a hyperlink. How do I make it merge as a hyperlink?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Peter

1: You can use a mergefield switch to conditionally insert the space when the field has data. See: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/wo...005186172.aspx

2: You can use a numeric picture switch to control the output format. To do this:
• select the field;
• press Shift-F9 to reveal the field coding. It should look something like {MERGEFIELD MyData};
• edit the field so that you get {MERGEFIELD MyData \# "(000) 000-0000"};
• position the cursor anywhere in this field and press F9 to update it.

3: You need to embed the mergefield in a hyperlink field. However, if you don't follow the steps below, the hyperlinks will all show the first record’s address as the 'Text to display' text. Here's how you can do get a mailmerge to display your preferred default 'Text to display' text instead:
1. Disregarding mergefield issues for the moment, insert a hyperlink into the document in the normal way, choosing whatever 'Click Here' text you want in the 'Text to display' box.
2. Select the inserted hyperlink and press Shift-F9 to expose its field code.
3. Replace everything in the field after 'HYPERLINK' with your mergefield.
4. Select the field and press F9 to update the display.

In Word 2007 & later, you can make the display text variable also, by following these additional steps:
5. Position the cursor anywhere within the display text.
6. Insert a mergefield pointing to whatever data field you want to use for the display text (this could even be the same field as used at step 3 above).
7. Delete all of the previous display text either side of your last-inserted mergefield (note that this field will likely have updated already).
8. Execute the merge.
9. After merging to a new document, use Ctrl-A, F9 to update all fields. Without this, the mergefield hover text won’t update to the correct targets.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]