Re: Mail Merge Table keeps Resorting itself

Word has a list of name/address field names that it recognises
and presents columns with those names in a sequence that it
chooses. To avoid that, you really have to consider naming your columns so
that
a. Word does not "recognise" any of the names
b. Word gets the sequence you want

Off the top of my head I can't tell you whether Word will also resequence
field names that it does not recognise (perhaps using ANSI character
sequence or some such) but the safest way to do it is
a. give each column name a numeric prefix (e.g. 01, 02, 03 etc.)
b. add a human readable field name after that, e.g. so you have 01name,
02myfield, 03city, etc.


--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Jayne" <Jayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:816FE99B-99E7-4A2A-9D0A-8475A2258608@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sorry if im not explaining myself clearly. Let me try again, The main doc is
just a word doc letter set up with merge fields, the data base is just a
basic table in word (with addresses etc). I open the main doc (letter) then
select Tools / Letters & Mailings / Mail Merge which opens up a step by step
process. When I reach the Select Recipients stage I hit Browse and grab the
word table which opens a window and shows the recipients, you can then tick
or untick the ones you want to include in the mail out. However when the
window opens it shows the address first then the name, but the table is not
set up that way, it is set up with the name first then the address which
makes it easier to select or unselect recipients. I know you can drag the
information to resort it but it keeps going back. It doesnt affect the
letters they still merge ok it is just annoying and doing my head in trying
to work out why it is doing it.

Thanks for your help
Jayne

"macropod" wrote:

Hi Jayne,

I take it it's your mailmerge main document that 'switches it around' - you didn't actually say.

Are you opening this from a Word template (ie *.dot file), or from the same mailmerge main document (ie *.doc file) each time? If
its a template, you need to specifically open the template and change that - only then will documents created by opening the
template be correct. I don't know of any reason for fields in a document to change order of their own accord, unless there's a macro
inserting/rearranging them for you.

--
Cheers
macropod
[MVP - Microsoft Word]


"Jayne" <Jayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:E2325EA6-882D-4199-AED7-B313F9A38881@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Thanks but yes I save all changes when I put it in the correct order, > however
> it just switches it around again then next time I use the doc. The > mail
> merge doc is a letter in word and the source doc is a basic table in > word.
> It is very frustrating. How do I check the settings in the program?
>
> Jayne
>
> "macropod" wrote:
>
>> Hi Jayne,
>>
>> If the problem is with your your mailmerge main document, after >> switching the fields around in that document, did you save the
>> changes?
>>
>> If the problem is with your your mailmerge source file, after >> switching the fields around in that file, did you save the changes?
>> Bear in mind too that, if the source file is being refreshed from >> somewhere else (eg a DB), then its the program that creates the
>> source file that's the problem.
>>
>> -- >> Cheers
>> macropod
>> [MVP - Microsoft Word]
>>
>>
>> "Jayne" <Jayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message >> news:FC4125CF-EB07-4B76-9F3C-FC55745E31E3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > Can anyone help? I dont know why the table in word (data Base) keeps
>> > switching the first and second entries around when I bring it over >> > to the
>> > merge document. It is frustrating. I can drag it back into the >> > correct
>> > position but then it goes back again.
>>
>>



.

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