confusion with merge and field codes

[BluRay]

Hey,

I will like to know the difference between merge and field codes. Or are they same?

Also help me to understand this questions:
-- Save this document showing the merge and field codes as (Filename) in a format that keeps the merge code information.

How do i save "in a format that keeps the merge code information".

Also, in another question it says to print the document showing merge and field codes. I have attached two .pdf documents. Please tell me which is the correct one.

[macropod]

Hi BluRay,

Mergefields a simply a kind of Word field. Another kind of field is a formfield. Then there are date fields, calculation (formula) fields and many others.

The two PDFs look to me to be different representations of the same fields. Pressing Alt-F9 toggles between the two displays.

If you save a mailmerge main document (which is what your PDFs represent), the mergefield information will be preserved. When you execute a merge to a new document, the new document has the merged data instead of the mergefields. The mailmerge main document is unaffected by this and you can save the new document if you want. Don't give it the same name as the mailmerge main document, or you risk losing the latter.

[BluRay]

Thanks macro, please check whether I am correct or not.

«Company» is one of the fields it my document. It is only a field and does not say anything about code. After I press Alt+F9, { MERGEFIELD Company } is shown instead and this shows the field/merge code.

Alt+F9 helps me to toggle between the two displays-- one shows the fields, other shows the codes. Right?

And when asked to print the document showing the field codes, all the placeholders will be shown in { MERGEFIELD Company } sort of way. Right?

please say "Yes" if I am correct.

[macropod]

Originally Posted by BluRay

Alt+F9 helps me to toggle between the two displays-- one shows the fields, other shows the codes. Right?

Nearly - you're simply toggling between two representations of the fields: one shows the field value; the other shows the field code. For a mergefield, you can see the value from the data source by previewing the results.

And when asked to print the document showing the field codes, all the placeholders will be shown in { MERGEFIELD Company } sort of way. Right?

Not unless you print the document with the 'Print field codes instead of their values' option checked. Without that, the printout will show «Company».

[BluRay]

Originally Posted by macropod

'Print field codes instead of their values'

when I first did mail merge it took me an hour to figure this out.

anyways, thanks bro for your assistance

[macropod]

Originally Posted by BluRay

when I first did mail merge it took me an hour to figure this out.

When you execute the mailmerge, there should be no mergefields remaining in the document, so you can't toggle their display. All there should be in their stead are the data inserted from the data source.