Multiple records per document

[peterkp]

Hi. I have a problem getting multiple records to appear on the same sheet in a mail merge. I've tried suggestions from this and other threads and the problem seems to be half fixed but not fully!



I want to produce an A5 sheet, so my main document is in A4 landscape orientation with two records per page. If it works correctly, page 1 will contain records 1 and 2, page 2 will contain records 3 and 4, and so on.

But what I get (no matter where I insert one or more <<Next record>> fields) is that page 1 contains records 1 and 2 (correct), but page 2 contains records 2 and 3 (not correct). In other words the records are updating across my column break but not my page break.

[macropod]

All you need for that is a label merge. Simply set your page up with a 1-row * 2-column table. Do all the required layout for the first cell, then click the 'update labels' button to propagate the layout. Once you've done that, finish the merge.

[peterkp]

Sorry but I’m completely lost with that reply.

This is my step-by-step:
1. Open a new document.
2. From the Mailings tab, select Start Mail Merge, then Labels…
3. A dialog box opens, and I don’t know what to do. I presume I am to select one option out of hundreds, being the option that will produce the mock layout of 2 A5 labels on an A4 landscape page. Which one? I experimented with a few options and only got an error dialog that told me the label size was too big for the page.

Where to from here?

[macropod]

Originally Posted by peterkp

3. A dialog box opens, and I don’t know what to do.

Simply dismiss the dialogue box. You can design your own table layout before or after.

[peterkp]

But then how do you ever set up the label merge? It seems to me that "dismiss the dialogue box" = "exit out of the mail merge process before you've even started."

"You can design your layout before..." OK, so I've created a single page A4 landscape oriented document. I've inserted a single row, 2 cell table and resized the cells to approx. A5 size. I've linked the document to my data source. I've inserted the <<Name>> field into each cell to test if I've got it correct. I click on the Mailings tab. What now? I can see the 'Upgrade Labels' button, but it's grayed out, so I don't have a label merge yet. And when I try as before I get the same barrier dialog.

Sorry, I feel I am missing something pretty basic but have no idea what it is...

[macropod]

If the button is greyed out, the only possibilities are:
1. you haven't connected to a data source;
2. you're not using a label merge;
3. your document doesn't have a table.

[peterkp]

Well it's (2). But that was my earlier point. I started the process of setting up the Label merge. I came to the first dialog box. I didn't understand it, and in particular when I chose options to try things out, got an error message about wrong sizes. You said I could dismiss it, but that's dismissing the whole label merge process. So it seems to me I can't dismiss it.

[macropod]

If you cancel out of the label options dialogue, that doesn't affect the mailmerge type - it remains a label type.

[peterkp]

Ahh, that's helpful. I see now that when I "click and cancel", the Label Merge option remains selected.

So now I have an accessible Update Labels button, and when I click it the first page changes from:
Name1 - Name1
to:
Name1 - Name2
(which is correct)

But then when I scroll through the records I find the second page shows:
Name2 - Name3
instead of:
Name3 - Name4

Which is still the basic problem I had with my OP.

[macropod]

Did you use the 'Update Labels' button, or did you just copy & paste the first cell?

[peterkp]

I think my order of steps was:
1. Insert <<Name>> into cell 1 using the Insert Merge Field button
2. Insert <<Name>> into cell 2 (using the Insert Merge Field button)
3. Click Update Labels.

[macropod]

Please read post #2.

[peterkp]

You say "do the layout for the first table." There's only one table. Do you mean table or cell?

[macropod]

Sorry, for the first cell. No matter. Position the insertion point at the start of the second cell, then click Rules>Next Record.

[peterkp]

No worries. I do in fact already have a Next record field. When I toggle the Preview Button this is what I see:

In cell 1 - <<Name>>
In cell 2 - <<Next Record>><<Name>>

Is that correct? Should there be a second Next Record?