I am an attorney creating merge pleadings for clients. What I am doing is inserting client information into practice management software, which then merges it into Word. For more complex information, I am using merge rules within word. I am looking for something similar to the "ASK" command, but in a drop down formula.

For example, the question is "What parenting should Father have?". The dropdown options I want to choose from are:
1. Reasonable parenting time to the parent who does not have custody according to the Maricopa County Parenting time Guidelines; OR


2. according to the attached Parenting Plan; OR
3. Supervised parenting time but only in the presence of another person; OR
4. No parenting time rights to Father

Whatever option I choose would be inserted into the document. Is there a way?

That would require a formfield, and formfields are not compatible with mailmerge.

However, you could use an ASK field that prompts you to input a number (1-4), coupled with a formula field to evaluate the response and display variable output accordingly.

Alternatively, you could have a field in your data source where the corresponding values are stored, for automatic evaluation as the mailmerge executes. The advantage of this approach is that the data are then more readily accessible for review/revision.

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

Macropod, would you be able to show me an example of the second and third options you mentioned?

See attached Demo.doc. It contains both a SET field that you might use if the data come from a field in your data source named 'Parenting Rights' and an ASK field that prompts the user for a choice. In either case, the same set of IF fields that follow these two would be used to generate the output. As it is, pressing Ctrl-A, then F9 will trigger the ASK field and inputting a number will cause the IF fields to do their thing.

Pressing Alt-F9 toggles the field code display on/off.


Note the the ASK field is limited in terms of what can be done to structure the questions, including an overall character limit, hence the amount of space padding within it.

Attached Files

Demo.doc (32.5 KB, 90 views)

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