I am having trouble creating merge / label form and placing a shape in the textbox.
I used to use WP8 and am now training myself on Word 2003. I am trying to create a merge form that will work. I think I have solved the data file issue of locked files.


I am using A label form on plain paper. Doing this because I am making name tags and they are relatively short I can get 4-6 on a 8.5X11 page .
I place an Automatic Shape on the label. The shape has round corners and fills the top 2/3 of the label. I select a decorative line format for the shape boundary. I the put a text box on top of the shape, being careful not to cover the boundary lines. I then make the text box borders white so they are not seen on the finished form. Lastly, I enter the merge fields from the data file. The finished product looks like the attachment. (partial page only) The second attachment is the result of doing the merge. (partial page only)
Why are the data file fields not being merged ?( using an Excel file)

Attached Images

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	Capture1.jpg (29.1 KB, 9 views)

What you need to use is a label merge, with mergefields in the table. Overlaying the table, you can then position your transparent shape. Once you've got all the shapes positioned correctly, you can then change their layout to 'behind text', if you prefer, to facilitate future edits to the mergefields.

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

Before I got your answer I tries a simple label merge and even that did not produce a finished document. It was blank as the attachment in the first post.
Sooooo! I have to get a simple merge to work and then build on that.
You mentioned a table in your post. Do I place a table in the form document?
You also mentioned transparency. What is it and why do I do that?
I may need step by step to do this.
Also, how do I edit the form(doc). Every time I try to open it to make a change it runs a "SLQ" command and when I click on NO I get a page full of copies of the original label.I just want to edit the original to try to find the problem.
Bill

You can either do that or select an appropriate labels template from Mailings>Create>Labels.
When you create a shape, you can choose it's fill. Choose 'no fill'.
You can open the document and answer Yes to the SQL prompt before editing. If you answer No and save the document, the mailmerge will no longer function and you'll need to re-do the data source selection.

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

I think I have the merge process down. I was able to produce a finished product that met my expectations. Now I want to create a macro that will do wha is necessary to produce a finished product..In that regard I would attempt to use a data file (.mdb) that I could edit for particular recipients and use a pre-create master document, all this in the macro. So I need to study macro creation for this. Is there a list of macro and merge commands that I can read and use for the macro creation.
Bill

Without knowing exactly what you're trying to do, it's impossible to say what aspects of the vast VBA language you might need. Indeed, if all you need is to filter records, you don't even need a macro. It also sounds like you don't yet have your data source finalised. You refer to an mdb file, which implies using Access, but your data are apparently already in Excel. Is there a reason you can't use that?

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

To clarify what I am planning. Another person will be using the macro to do the necessary steps. It will be used only every month or so. So the user has time to forget some of the steps required. The first thing I would expect the maco to do is open the data file , whatever it might be, for editing. Then would like to pause it so editing an be done manually, the macro would then continue. It would open the master document, the merge fields would be placed within a label form and then a basic Autoshape with rounded corners would surround the merge fields along the label borders and the transparency of the Autoshape would be setr to 100%.The macro would then propagate the label definition and make a final document that can be printed. It would save the master document and close the data file.Then the macro would close, leaving behind a final document that can be printed if the user desires.
As I was typing the above text I thought that the master document AND the data file could be pre-created ,then the macro would only have to open them. The data file should still have a pause to allow the user to edit it.
Bill

You really shouldn't need macros for any of this - at most a page of instructions, some of which you'll need anyway. Trying to recreate the mailmerge main document programmatically every time it's needed merely create a maintenance nightmare; much better to have one saved that you only need to open to use.

Your Excel data file can be edited from within Excel, prior to the mailmerge. Or it can be edited at mailmerge time from the mailmerge main document, via Edit Recipient List. Without a great deal of coding, this part can't be done from a macro.

Provided you don't answer 'No' to the SQL prompt, the mailmerge main document (which you'd have saved as a read-only file with its completed table and all the autoshapes in place) will find its data source automatically and, after any necessary record editing/filtering is finished, all the user need to is click on Finish & Merge, then choose the destination.

PS: You refer to a 'master document'. In Word parlance, that's an entirely different thing from a mailmerge main document.

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

Paul,
You have convinced me. Some written instructions would do as well as a macro. Your wise consul is much appreciated.
Bill