Word 5.x: Print Merge Fails or Cannot Insert DATA Statement

• Microsoft Word for Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.1

SYMPTOMS

If your print merge data document contains a blank field or if a field contains "and", "or", or "not" (such as "City and State" or "City not State"), any of the following problems may occur in Word for the Macintosh:

1. After you use the Word Print Merge Helper to attach a data document to a main document, Word does not insert a DATA statement in your main document. Furthermore, the data field names do not appear in the Insert Field Name box on the Print Merge Helper bar.

   -or-

2. When you insert a DATA statement in your main document from the Insert Keyword box on the Print Merge Helper bar, the following error message occurs:

         Duplicate Field name in data document.
   

   If this message appears more than once, press COMMAND+PERIOD to cancel the message.

   -or-

3. The print merge operation fails and no error message appears to explain the failure. When this happens, another document may flash briefly on the screen, and then Word returns to the main print merge document.

RESOLUTION

Your data document cannot contain blank field names in Word version 5.0, but Microsoft corrected this problem in Word version 5.1. If you have Word version 5.0 and want to use data documents with blank field names, you must upgrade to Word version 5.1.

To obtain new or updated Microsoft products, call Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. If you are outside the United States, contact the Microsoft subsidiary for your area. To locate your subsidiary, call Microsoft International Customer Service at (425) 936-8661.

MORE INFORMATION

In Word version 4.0, your data document can contain blank fields and fields that contain "and", "or", or "not". As a result, the problems described in this article usually occur when you use a data document you created for a Word version 4.0 print merge.

Beginning with Word version 5.0, "if", "and", "or", and "not" are defined as logical operators for use in conditional statements. This new functionality conflicts with their use as part of data field names.

For more information on reserved words, see page 607 of the "User's Guide" for Microsoft Word versions 5.0 and 5.1.

REFERENCES

"User's Guide," versions 5.0, 5.1, page 607