Microsoft Word 2003 - Mail Merge

What's New

New features in Word include:

A Mail Merge Wizard to assist the user in creating a merge document for letters, e-mail messages, envelope labels, or a directory. The term directory refers to address lists that can be saved along with your mailings.
A short cut menu Mail Merge located on the Task Pane to access the Mail Merge Wizard.
A new Mail Merge Toolbar that displays all available merge tools in your work area.

Mail Merge Wizard

Open the Mail Merge Wizard by clicking on the menu Tools | Letters and Mailings | Mail Merge Wizard. This will open the Merge Wizard in the Task Pane in the right hand side of your Word window. The wizard uses six easy steps to generate a merge document. Notice that when you make a selection in the Wizard pane the next level reflects your choices and may require making additional choices.

Special Mention: Notice that when you make a selection in the Wizard's Task Pane the next level reflects your choices and may require making additional choices.

Step 1
Select document type - The five different document types are letters, E-mail messages, envelopes, labels, or a Directory. Click on the button Next after making a selection.

Setp 2
Select starting document - In the second step the user decides on whether to use the current document, an existing template, or another document for the working file.

Current document - allows the user to enter text immediately in the present document.

Special Note: Word allows the recycling and editing of past form letters. Simply open the desired document before starting the Word Mail Merge Wizard and attach the data source if prompted.
Starting from a template - Word provides ten different mail merge templated to choose from, each can be edited to meet your needs.
Starting from an exisiting document - this option provides a list of existing documents to choose from in the Start from Existing section.

Step 3
Select recipients - In third step the user is required to select a Data Source from an existing list or to create a new one. Data sources are any Word, Excel, or Access file that contains information to use in the Mail Merge. If you opt to use an existing source click on the Browse link and select the appropriate source file. Click on the OK button.

This will open the Mail Merge Recipient dialog box pictured on the right.

In the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box you edit recipient’s information or search for specific fields.

How to...

Sort - click on the column heading.

Remove a recipient without deleting them - remove the checkmark in front of the name.

Select All - all recipients are included in the data source.

Clear All - all recipients are deselected in the data source.

Refresh - the ability to refresh your recipient list as changes were made.

Find - a search function used to find a specific recipient.

Edit– click on an existing record and then the Edit button, edit the existing information when the Address dialog box opens.

AddNewRecord (Entry) – click on an existing record and then the Edit button, when the Address dialog box opens click on the New Entry button. Add the new information.

Validate– requires a third party source to check the validity of the data.

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