The Main Document

Component 2: The Main Document

Preparing the Main Document

Picture of the Main Document (before the Merge)

Look carefully at the picture below. It is a Mail Merge Main Document ready for the Merge process.

Do you recognize in the picture the red First and Last field codes?
These field codes correspond to the column headings in your Excel® spreadsheet.

When you designated your Data Source you added column headings. These column headings are now referenced directly by the Word® Mail Merge process.

Order Is Not Important!

Do you see now why the order of the columns in your Data Source was not important? You can mix up the columns within the document, you can repeat them, you can even choose to not use some of them.

Easy Rules to Remember

Any existing document can be turned into a Mail Merge Main Document. You can use different Data Sources with your Main Document.

The only restriction is that your Main Document's imbedded field code names must match the column headings in your Data Source. Refer to the print you made of the first page of your Data Source.

Ready to create the Main Document?

To insert the field codes you need, open the Word document you want to use as your Main Document for Mail Merge.

Look again at the letter from Ed McMahon in the previous picture. In the next picture the field codes for "First" and "Last" name will have been deleted. We are going to re-insert those field codes.

Insert Field Codes

Relax!
Just follow the pictures that follow the explanations.

From the Toolbar, Click on the pull-down menu "Insert"

Click on "Field"

After you do this the "Field" dialog box will appear

So far, so good. Again, follow the picture coming up next.

Under the first (left-hand) selection box "Categories"

Click on "Mail Merge"

Under the second (right-hand) selection box "Field names", Click on "MergeField."

Under the first two columns you will see a section labeled "Field Codes"

"MERGEFIELD" will be displayed in the box.

Position your cursor's insertion point "I" next to the displayed "MERGEFIELD"

Depress the space bar key one time: MERGEFIELD will have a blank space after it.

Insert "First" Name Field Code

Now look at the printout you made of your Data Source. We want the "First" name to print in the address portion.

Key in "First" (without the quotes)

This is why the column headings must match exactly to the inserted field. If you make a typo, the Mail Merge will have problems understanding what you want replaced in the field. If you key the wrong column heading the replacement will not be what you expected.

Remember: Here is a trick you may find helpful. If you left your Data Source Excel® spreadsheet open, enlarge it now and just copy and paste the column header information into the field code rather than typing it in.

Click on "OK"

The "Insert/MergeField" box will disappear and your new MergeField code will be imbedded into your Main Document.

Insert "Last" Name Field Code

You still need to add the "Last" name.

Repeat the previous steps for "First" name EXCEPT

Before you key in "Last" make sure you add an additional blank space before the "Last" MergeField code.

You would do this normally while typing anyway to format the name as:

Marilyn Lambard = "First" (blank space here) "Last"

Key in "Last" (without the quotes)

Continue inserting MergeField Codes where you want information form your Data Source replaced.

Done? Save your Main Document

Save the document as a meaningful name that you can easily find for reuse.

Think of your Main Document as a template.

Leave the Main Document open after saving.

Great Job!

Stick with us, you're almost there!

All that's left now is the fun part - the actual Merge.