Re: Ms Word mail merge and JAWS
- From: "Dave Carlson" <dgcarlson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:40:15 -0800
Jerry,
Thanks very much for this. I've been long confused with the whole mail merge
concept.
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Berrier" <jerry.berrier@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 20, 2009 15:27
Subject: RE: Ms Word mail merge and JAWS
Here are notes I made when struggling with Mailmerge; I hope they make some
sense and can help somebody:
My notes:
After selecting the data source, Check the box just after data source to
select all.
Click refresh
Put column headers on the spreadsheet for easy matching.
Change the font of the finished document to 10 point.
Labels don't always show up with JFW.
Don't use control-p for print. Use the print link on the labels document.
Word Help
Word Home
>
Mail merge
Create and print mailing labels for an address list in Excel
Show All Show All
If you want to send a mass mailing to an address list that you maintain in a
Microsoft Office Excel
worksheet (worksheet: The primary document that you use in Excel to store
and work with data. Also called a spreadsheet. A worksheet consists of cells
that
are organized into columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a
workbook.),
you can use a Microsoft Office Word mail merge. The mail merge process
creates a sheet of mailing labels that you can print, and each label on the
sheet
contains an address from the list.
To create and print the mailing labels, you must first prepare the worksheet
data in Excel and then use Word to configure, organize, review, and print
the
mailing labels.
Tip If Microsoft Office Access is installed on your computer, you can
instead export your address list from Excel to Access and then use Access to
create
and print mailing labels. For more information, see
Exchange (copy, import, export) data between Excel and Access
and
Create mailing labels in Access.
What do you want to do?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
list of 1 items
Step 1: Prepare the worksheet data in Excel for the mail merge
list end
list of 1 items
Step 2: Configure the labels for the mail merge in Word
list end
list of 1 items
Step 3: Link the worksheet data to the labels in the mail merge
list end
list of 1 items
Step 4: Define the list of recipients that you want to include on the
labels
list end
list of 1 items
Step 5: Populate the labels with placeholders for address information
list end
list of 1 items
Step 6: Preview and print the labels
list end
list of 1 items
Step 7: Save the labels for future use
list end
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Step 1: Prepare the worksheet data in Excel for the mail merge
In Excel, your address list must match the tabular structure that mail merge
requires.
list of 3 items
1. On a worksheet, do the following to arrange the address list:
list of 3 items nesting level 1
Use column headers that clearly identify the type of data that each column
contains. Tip For example, use column headers such as First Name, Last
Name,
Address, and City instead of Column 1, Column 2, Column 3, and Column 4.
Use a separate column for each element that you want to include in the
mail merge. Tip You can also use the mail merge to create form letters
that address
each recipient by their first name, if you store first and last names in
separate columns. You can also add a separate column for a title, such as
Mr.
or Ms.
Include only rows and columns that contain data. Do not include blank rows
or columns in the address list, because the list of labels that is created
might not be complete beyond the blank rows and columns when you set up the
labels for the mail merge in Word.
list end nesting level 1
2. To help locate and select the address list during the mail merge, do the
following to define a
name (name: A word or string of characters that represents a cell, range of
cells, formula, or constant value. Use easy-to-understand names, such as
Products,
to refer to hard to understand ranges, such as Sales!C20:C30.)
for the address list:
list of 3 items nesting level 1
1. On the worksheet, select the whole address list, including the cells that
contain column headers.
2. On the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, click Define Name.
Excel Ribbon Image
3. In the Name box, type a name for the address list, such as Holiday_Cards,
and then click OK. Tip The first character of a name must be a letter, and
you cannot use a space between words. Instead of a space, use an underscore
character (_).
list end nesting level 1
3. Save and close the workbook.
list end
Top of Page
Top of Page
Step 2: Configure the labels for the mail merge in Word
You configure the layout of the labels just once, for all the labels in the
mail merge. In a mail merge, the document that you configure for the layout
is referred to as the main document for labels (or label main document). In
this document, you can also configure any content that you want repeated on
each label, such as a company logo or your return address on shipping
labels.
Chances are that you already have a package of label sheets from one of the
label sheet suppliers such as Avery, AOne, or Formtec. Each label sheet is a
certain size and contains a certain number of labels with specific
dimensions.
To configure the label main document, you match its dimensions with the
dimensions of the labels on the worksheets that you plan to use.
list of 5 items
1. Start Word. By default, a blank document opens. Leave it open. If you
close it, the commands in the next step are not available.
2. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click Start Mail
Merge.
Word Ribbon Image
3. Click Labels.
4. In the Label Options dialog box, you have several choices to make.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Label Options dialog box
Callout 1
The type of printer that you are using to print the labels.
Callout 2
The supplier that produced your label sheets.
Callout 3
The number that corresponds to the product number listed on your package of
label sheets.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Show The product number for my label sheets does not match any one of the
choices in the Label Options dialog box.
5. After you select the label options that you want, click OK.Word creates a
document that uses a table to lay out the labels. If you do not see lines
separating
the labels in the layout, click the Layout tab under Table Tools, and then
in the Table group, click View Gridlines.
list end
Interrupt and resume a mail merge
If you need to interrupt your work on a mail merge, you can save the label
main document as you would any other document and resume the merge later.
Word
retains the data source and field information in the document that you save.
If you were using the Mail Merge task pane when you stopped working on the
merge, Word returns to your place in the task pane when you resume the
merge.
list of 3 items
1. When you are ready to resume the merge, open the label main document that
you saved.Word displays a message box that asks you to confirm that you want
to open the document and run an SQL command (the SQL command connects Word
to your Excel source file).
2. Click Yes to connect to your Excel source file and retrieve your address
list. The text of your label main document, along with any fields that you
inserted,
appears.
3. Click the Mailings tab, and resume your work.
list end
Top of Page
Top of Page
Step 3: Link the worksheet data to the labels in the mail merge
To merge the address information into your labels, you must connect the
labels to the worksheet that contains your address list.
list of 5 items
1. If this is the first time that you have ever connected to a worksheet, do
the following:
list of 4 items nesting level 1
1. Click the Microsoft Office Button
Button image
, and then click Word Options.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Scroll to the General section, and select the Confirm file format
conversion on open check box.
4. Click OK.
list end nesting level 1
2. With the mail merge main document open, in the Start Mail Merge group on
the Mailings tab, click Select Recipients, and then click Use Existing List.
Word Ribbon Image
3. Locate the Excel worksheet in the Select Data Source dialog box, and
double-click it.
4. In the Confirm Data Source dialog box, click MS Excel Worksheets via DDE
(*.xls), and then click OK. Note If you do not see MS Excel Worksheets via
DDE (*.xls) in the list, select the Show all check box.
5. In the Microsoft Office Excel dialog box, for Named or cell range, select
the cell range or worksheet that contains the information that you want to
merge, and then click OK.
list end
Note The labels are now connected to the worksheet data, but the sheet of
labels is still blank. If needed, you can define the list of recipients as
described in step 4, or you can start populating the labels with
placeholders for the address information, as described in step 5.
Top of Page
Top of Page
Step 4: Define the list of recipients that you want to include on the labels
Word generates a label for each address in your mailing list. If you want to
generate labels for only certain addresses in your mailing list, you can
choose
which addresses (records) to include.
To narrow the list of recipients or to use a subset of the records in your
data file, do the following:
list of 2 items
1. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click Edit Recipient
List.
Word Ribbon Image
2. In the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, do one of the following:
list of 3 items nesting level 1
Select individual records This method is most useful if the list is
short. Select the check boxes next to the recipients that you want to
include, and
clear the check boxes next to the recipients that you want to
exclude. Tip If you know that you want to include only a few records in
your merge, you
can clear the check box in the header row and then select only those records
that you want. Similarly, if you want to include most of the list, select
the check box in the header row, and then clear the check boxes for the
records that you do not want to include.
Sort records Click the heading of the column that you want to sort by.
Word sorts the list in ascending alphabetical order (from A to Z). Click the
column
heading again to sort the list in descending alphabetical order (Z to A).To
specify more advanced sorting options, click Sort under Refine recipient
list
and select your sorting preferences on the Sort Records tab in the Filter
and Sort dialog box. For example, you can specify that recipient addresses
must
be alphabetized by last name within each postal code, and that postal codes
are listed in numeric order.
Filter records This method is useful if the list contains records that
you do not want to see or include in the merge. After you filter the list,
you
can select or clear the check boxes to include or exclude specific
records.To filter records, do the following:
list of 3 items nesting level 2
1. Under Refine recipient list, click Filter.
2. On the Filter Records tab in the Filter and Sort dialog box, select the
criteria that you want to use to filter your records.For example, to
generate
labels only for addresses in Australia, click Country or Region in the Field
list, Equal to in the Comparison list, and Australia in the Compare to list.
3. To further refine the filter, click And or Or, and then select more
criteria.For example, to generate labels only for businesses in Munich, you
specify
records whose City field contains Munich and whose Company Name field is not
blank. If you use Or instead of And in this filter, your mail merge includes
all Munich addresses in addition to all addresses that include a company
name, regardless of city.
list end nesting level 2
list end nesting level 1
list end
Note If you have installed address validation software on your computer,
you can click Validate addresses in the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box to
validate your recipients' addresses.
Top of Page
Top of Page
Step 5: Populate the labels with placeholders for address information
When you perform the mail merge, the mail merge fields are filled with
information from your address list.
After you connect your labels to your address list, you are ready to add
placeholders that indicate where the addresses will appear on each label.
You can
also type text that you want repeated on each label, such as a company logo
or your return address on a shipping label.
The placeholders for the addresses are called mail merge fields. Mail merge
fields in Word correspond to the column headers in the data file that you
choose.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Data file with columns (categories) and rows (records)
Callout 1
Columns in a data file represent categories of information. Mail merge
fields that you add to the labels are placeholders for these categories.
Callout 2
Rows in a data file represent records of information. Word generates a
label for each record when you perform a mail merge.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
By putting a mail merge field in the original label that you configured in
the label main document, you indicate that you want a certain category of
information,
such as name or address, to appear in that location.
Fields inserted into Word document
Note When you insert a mail merge field into the label main document, the
field name is always surrounded by chevrons (+ ;). These chevrons do not
show
up on the final labels they just help you distinguish the fields in the
label main document from the regular text.
What happens when you merge
When you perform the mail merge, information from the first row in the data
file replaces the fields in the first label. Then, information from the
second
row in the data file replaces the fields in the second label, and so on.
Merging information from data file into label
Working with fields: Examples
When you design labels, you can link any column heading from your data file
to a field in a label.
For example, suppose you have a subscriber list to your newsletter, and your
data file includes a column, called ExpireDate, that stores the date that
each
subscription expires. If you insert an +ExpireDate; field in the label main
document before you run the merge, that information is added to each mailing
label.
You can combine fields and separate them with punctuation marks. For
example, to create an address, you can configure the fields in the label
main document
as follows:
+First Name; +Last Name;
+Street Address;
+City;, +State; +Postal code;
For combinations that you use frequently, like address blocks and greeting
lines, Word provides composite fields that group a number of fields
together.
For example, the Address Block field is a combination of several fields,
including first name, last name, street address, city, and postal code.
Elements in Address Block field
You can customize the content in each of these composite fields. For
example, in the address, you may want to select a formal name format (Mr.
Roger Harui).
In the greeting, you might prefer to use "To" instead of "Dear."
Map the mail merge fields to your data file
To make sure that Word can find a column in your data file that corresponds
to every address element, you might need to map the mail merge fields in
Word
to the columns in your data file.
To map the fields, click Match Fields in the Write & Insert Fields group on
the Mailings tab.
Word Ribbon Image
The Match Fields dialog box appears.
Match Fields dialog box
The elements of an address are listed on the left. Column headings from your
data file are listed on the right.
Word searches for the column that best matches each element. As the graphic
illustrates, Word automatically matched the data file's Surname column to
Last
Name, but Word was unable to match other elements, such as First Name.
In the list on the right, you can select the column from your data file that
matches the element on the left. In the graphic, the Name column is now
matched
with First Name. It is okay that Courtesy Title, Unique Identifier, and
Middle Name are not matched, because the mail merge label does not need to
use
every field. If you add a field that does not contain data from your data
file, it will appear in the merged document as an empty placeholder
usually
a blank line or an empty block of space.
Match Fields dialog box
Type the content and add the fields
list of 4 items
1. In the original label that you configured in the label main document,
click where you want to insert the field.
2. Use the Write & Insert Fields group on the Mailings tab.
Word Ribbon Image
3. Add any of the following:
Show Address Block with name, address, and other information
Show Individual fields
Show Custom fields from Microsoft Office Outlook contacts
4. After you finish setting up the first label the way you want it, in the
Write & Insert Fields group, click Update Labels.Word replicates the layout
of
the first label to all the other labels.
list end
Notes
list of 2 items
You cannot type merge field characters (++ ;;) manually or use the Symbol
command on the Insert menu in Word. You must use mail merge.
If the merge fields appear inside braces, such as { MERGEFIELD City },
Word is displaying
field codes (field code: Placeholder text that shows where specified
information from your data source will appear; the elements in a field that
generate
a field's result. The field code includes the field characters, field type,
and instructions.)
instead of
field results (field results: Text or graphics inserted in a document when
Microsoft Word carries out a field's instructions. When you print the
document
or hide field codes, the field results replace the field codes.).
This doesn't affect the mail merge, but if you want to display the results
instead, right-click the field code, and then click Toggle Field Codes.
list end
Format the merged data
Database and spreadsheet programs, such as Access and Excel, store the
information that you type in cells as raw data. Formatting, such as fonts
and colors,
that you apply in Access or Excel is not stored with the raw data. When you
merge information from a data file into a Word document, you are merging the
raw data without the applied formatting.
To format the data in the document, select the mail merge field and format
it, just as you would format any text. Make sure that the selection includes
the chevron characters (+ ;) that surround the field.
Top of Page
Top of Page
Step 6: Preview and print the labels
After you have added the fields to the original label that you configured in
the label main document, you are ready to preview the mail merge results.
After
you are satisfied with the preview, you complete the mail merge and print
the labels. You can then save the label main document for future use.
Preview the mail merge
You can preview your labels and make changes before you actually complete
the mail merge.
To preview, do any of the following in the Preview Results group of the
Mailings tab:
Word Ribbon Image
list of 3 items
Click Preview Results.
Page through each label by clicking the Next Record and Previous Record
buttons in the Preview Results group on the Mailings tab.
Preview a specific label document by clicking Find Recipient.
list end
Note Click Edit Recipient List in the Start Mail Merge group on the
Mailings tab to open the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, where you can
filter the
list or remove recipients from the merge if you see records that you do not
want to include.
Word Ribbon Image
Note Word uses a table to lay out a sheet of labels on the page. As you
page through the labels, the active record is displayed in the first cell of
the table, with the following records displayed in subsequent cells.
Complete the mail merge
To print the labels, do the following:
list of 2 items
1. On the Mailings tab, in the Finish group, click Finish & Merge, and then
click Print Documents.
Word Ribbon Image
2. Choose whether to print the whole set of labels, only the label that is
currently visible, or a specific subset of the labels.
list end
To change individual labels, do the following:
list of 2 items
1. On the Mailings tab, in the Finish group, click Finish & Merge, and then
click Edit Individual Documents.
Word Ribbon Image
2. Choose whether you want to edit the whole set of labels, only the label
that is currently visible, or a specific subset of the labels. Word saves
the
labels that you want to edit to a separate file.
list end
Top of Page
Top of Page
Step 7: Save the labels for future use
Remember that the merged labels that you save are separate from the original
label that you configured in the label main document. It is a good idea to
save the label main document itself if you plan to use it for another mail
merge.
When you save the label main document, you also save its connection to the
data file. The next time that you open the label main document, Word will
prompt
you to choose whether or not to merge the information from the data file
into the label main document again.
list of 2 items
If you click Yes, the document opens with the information from the first
record that was merged in.
If you click No, Word breaks the connection between the label main
document and the data file, reformats the label main document as a standard
Word document,
and replaces the fields with the unique information from the first record.
list end
Top of Page
Top of Page
Related Office Online discussions
Read related questions and answers from other Microsoft Office customers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
list of 9 items
How do I fix loosing 1st digit in zip code in mail merge?
How do I input zeroes in a zip code for a mail merge?
How do I condense several cells to make address labels?
Can I re-number the row numbers?
Has anyone ever managed to do it??
How do I use Excel to create labels?
Is excel mailing list exportable to Outlook Contacts?
Does anyone have a template for printing L7160 address labels?
Printing address lables from spreadsheet?
list end
See Also
list of 6 items
Create and print labels for a mass mailing
Create mailing labels in Access
Define and use names in formulas
Demo: Combine the contents of multiple cells into 1 cell
Demo: Merge a range of cells into a single cell
Use mail merge to create and print letters and other documents
list end
Was this information helpful?
Yes
No
I don't know
Jerry Berrier
Access Technology Consultant
108 Bumble Bee Circle
Shrewsbury, MA, 01545
Voice calls and Text (SMS): (508) 735-4420
E-mail: jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://www.birdblind.org
-----Original Message-----
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of michael
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 1:26 PM
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Ms Word mail merge and JAWS
yes use the jaws cursor or turn the virtual cursor off.
Charles wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> I am learning how to use the mail merge wizard in Word 7. There are
> some areas where JAWS will not speak what is on the screen when I use
> the up and down arrows. For example in the greeting line when
> choosing Dear or To, these words are not spoken. Is this a JAWS
> settings issue or do I just need to use the JAWS cursor to read my
> choices.
>
> I would also like to know the JAWS command for reading font attributes
> in a document such as bold and under line.
>
> Your assistance is greatly appreciated,
> Marge Coe
--
JFW related links:
JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/
Scripting mailing list:
http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com
JFW List instructions:
To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to
jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw
Alternative archives located at:
http://n2.nabble.com/JAWS-for-Windows-f2145279.html
If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the
way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the
list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
--
JFW related links:
JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/
Scripting mailing list:
http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com
JFW List instructions:
To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to
jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw
Alternative archives located at:
http://n2.nabble.com/JAWS-for-Windows-f2145279.html
If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the
way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the
list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
--
JFW related links:
JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/
Scripting mailing list:
http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com
JFW List instructions:
To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to
jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw
Alternative archives located at:
http://n2.nabble.com/JAWS-for-Windows-f2145279.html
If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the
way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the
list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Other related posts:
