WD97: Text Form Fields Not Retained During Mail Merge

• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

A mail merge main document that contains form fields retains the drop-down and check box form fields, but text form fields are not present in the merge result.

CAUSE

Word unlinks the text form fields during the mail merge. Word does not unlink display form fields, such as the drop-down and the check box form fields. This behavior is by design.

WORKAROUND

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1. Replace text form fields in the main mail merge document with placeholders while preserving the contents of the form fields.



2. Merge to a new document.



3. Replace the placeholders with text form fields and restore the contents of the form fields.



4. Restore the main mail merge document to its original content prior to running the macro.

Sub PreserveMailMergeFormFields()

   Dim fFieldText() As String
   Dim iCount As Integer
   Dim fField As FormField
   Dim sWindowMain, sWindowMerge As String

   On Error GoTo ErrHandler

   ' Store Main merge document window name.
   sWindowMain = ActiveWindow.Caption

   ' Because the document contains form fields, it should be protected so,
   ' unprotect document.
   If ActiveDocument.ProtectionType <> wdNoProtection Then
      ActiveDocument.Unprotect
   End If

   ' Loop through all text form fields in the main mail merge document.
   For Each aField In ActiveDocument.FormFields

      ' If the form field is a text form field...
      If aField.Type = wdFieldFormTextInput Then

         ' Redim array to hold contents of text field.
         ReDim Preserve fFieldText(1, iCount + 1)

         ' Place content and name of field into array.
         fFieldText(0, iCount) = aField.Result
         fFieldText(1, iCount) = aField.Name

         ' Select the form field.
         aField.Select

         ' Replace it with placeholder text.
         Selection.TypeText "<" & fFieldText(1, iCount) _
            & "PlaceHolder>"

         ' Increment icount
         iCount = iCount + 1

      End If

   Next aField

   ' Perform mail merge to new document.
   ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Destination = wdSendToNewDocument
   ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Execute

   ' Find and Replace placeholders with form fields.
   doFindReplace iCount, fField, fFieldText()

   ' Protect the merged document.
   ActiveDocument.Protect Password:="", NoReset:=True, Type:= _
      WdAllowOnlyFormFields

   ' Get name of final merged document.
   sWindowMerge = ActiveWindow.Caption

   ' Reactivate the main merge document.
   Windows(sWindowMain).Activate

   ' Find and replace placeholders with form fields.
   doFindReplace iCount, fField, fFieldText()

   ' Reprotect the main mail merge document.
   ActiveDocument.Protect Password:="", NoReset:=True, Type:= _
      WdAllowOnlyFormFields

   ' Switch back to the merged document.
   Windows(sWindowMerge).Activate

   ErrHandler:

End Sub 

Sub doFindReplace(iCount As Integer, fField As FormField, _
   fFieldText() As String)

   ' Go to top of document.
   Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory

   ' Initialize Find.
   Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
   With Selection.Find
   .Forward = True
   .Wrap = wdFindContinue
   .Format = False
   .MatchCase = False
   .MatchWholeWord = False
   .MatchWildcards = False
   .MatchSoundsLike = False
   .MatchAllWordForms = False

      ' Loop form fields count.
      For i = 0 To iCount

         ' Execute the find.
         Do While .Execute (FindText:="<" & fFieldText(1, i) _
            & "PlaceHolder>") = True

            ' Replace the placeholder with the form field.
            Set fField = Selection.FormFields.Add _
               (Range:=Selection.Range, Type:=wdFieldFormTextInput)

            ' Restore form field contents and bookmark name.
            fField.Result = fFieldText(0, i)
            fField.Name = fFieldText(1, i)

         Loop

         ' Go to top of document for next find.
         Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory

      Next

   End With

End Sub 

Q173707 OFF97: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

MORE INFORMATION

Some fields, such as the Next and FillIn fields, require input either from the data document or from you to continue processing the merge. In this case, Word places the results in the merged document. However, fields that obtain information from document statistics, such as the Numpages field, may be inappropriate for a merged document. As a result they are not retained in the merge result.

The following table lists which fields are not unlinked and which fields are unlinked during a Word mail merge.

   Fields that are          Fields that are
   not unlinked             unlinked
   -------------------------------------------------

   = (Formula)              Ask
   Advance                  Author
   AutoNum                  AutoText
   AutoNumLgl               AutoTextList
   AutoNumOut               Comments
   BarCode                  Compare
   Date                     CreateDate
   EQ                       Database
   FormCheckbox             DocProperty
   FormDropDown             DocVariable
   GotoButton               EditTime
   IncludePicture           FileName
   IncludeText              FileSize
   Link                     FillIn
   MacroButton              Hyperlink
   NoteRef                  If
   Page                     Index
   PageRef                  Info
   Print                    Keyword
   PrintDate                LastSavedBy
   Private                  ListNum
   RD                       Mergefield
   Section                  MergeRec
   SectionPages             MergeSeq
   Symbol                   Next
   TA                       NextIf
   TC                       NumChars
   Time                     NumPages
                            NumWords
                            Quote
                            Ref
                            RevNum
                            SaveDate
                            Seq
                            Set
                            SkipIf
                            StyleRef
                            Subject
                            Template
                            Title
                            TOA
                            TOC
                            UserAddress
                            UserInitials
                            UserName 

REFERENCES

For additional information about other Visual Basic for Application programming resources, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q163435 VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for Applications

Additional query words: text form mail merge mailmerge lost stripped removed disappear print merging display field formfield drop down dropdown

Keywords : kbdta kbdtacode kbmacroexample word97
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb