h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Gill
I hope you can save me again. I have a internet programme that I can export info into Excel from it. If I export a list of names, can I then run labels from the word mail merge area? I haven't needed to use mailmerge before as we have a seperate database for mail, so have no idea how it works.

How do Icelesley.

Yes you sure can, but as you've sussed, you have to use Word as your labels package.
Excel will not perform mail merge.

This link explains the process clearly enough:

http://www.mrexcel.com/archive/Office/14163.html

& If you open Excel, click on Help, and on the Index tab; type in Mail Merge
It gives you clearer instructions

The data has to be in a consistent list format (probably get that from your data source), but it explains that part in point number one).

Without seeing your data, I think it's fairly straight forward ..... but I would.

It's one of those things that takes a little confidence to set up, but is easier than it looks, once you get your fields sorted.

There's a very detailed tutorial here too that works:

http://mistupid.com/technical/mailmerge/

PS. If your list comes in as annoying CAPITAL LETTERS, I have an excel macro that runs at the press of a button & converts your capitals to normal writing, if that helps down the road.

Also on Microsoft, we have these instructions.
I was trying to recreate the situation as a test, but my Excel is running into converter issues,---- ever since loading a converter software for pdf formats grrr.

Hopefully you can follow the instructions successfully.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP052037601033.aspx


Print labels by using Excel data in a Word mail merge
Applies to: Microsoft Office Excel 2003

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By creating a mail merge in Word, and then linking to a list in Excel, you can turn worksheet data such as the addresses of your customers into printable mailing labels.

1. In Microsoft Excel, set up the data to use in the mail merge.

ShowHow?
1. Make sure the data is in list (list: A series of rows that contains related data or a series of rows that you designate to function as a datasheet by using the Create List command.) format: each column has a label in the first row and contains similar facts, and there are no blank rows or columns within the list. You'll use the column labels to specify what data goes where in the mail merge.
2. Make sure the column labels clearly identify the type of data in the column; this helps you select the right data as you construct the mail merge. For example, labels such as First Name, Last Name, Address, and City are better than Column 1, Column 2, Column 3, and Column 4.
3. Make sure you have a separate column for each element that you want to include in the mail merge. For example, if you're creating form letters and want to use each recipient's first name in the body of the letter, make sure you have a column that contains first names, rather than a single column with both first and last names. If you want to refer to each recipient by title and last name, such as Mr. Smith, you can use a single column containing both titles and last names, or use one column for title and another for last name.
4. To make the list easy to find when you select it for the mail merge, give it 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.):

ShowHow?
1. Select the entire list.
2. On the Insert menu, point to Name, and then click Define.
3. Type a name for the list.
4. Click Add, and then click Close.
2. Save and close the workbook that contains the data.
3. Switch to Microsoft Word.
4. On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Mail Merge Wizard.
5. In the first two steps of the Mail Merge Wizard, select the document type and start the document. If you're creating mailing labels, click Labels in Step 1, and then click Label options in Step 2 to select the size and type of labels to print.

For more information about these steps, see Word Help.
6. In the third step, under Select recipients, click Use an existing list, and then click Browse.
7. In the Look in list, click the folder in which you saved the workbook with your data, click the workbook, and then click Open.
8. In the Select Table dialog box, locate and click your list. Make sure the First row of data contains column headers check box is selected, and then click OK.
9. In the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, click any column labels in your data that correspond to the Word identifiers on the left. This step makes inserting your data in the form documents easier. For more information about matching fields, see Word Help.
10. If you want to include only selected recipients in the mail merge, click Edit recipient list and select the recipients you want.
11. Use the rest of the wizard steps to write, add recipient information, preview, personalize, save, and print or e-mail your documents. For information about these steps, see Word Help.

Notes

* While Word has your workbook open to create the mail merge, you can't open the workbook in Excel. If you need to see the data and its column labels, go to Step 3 or 5 of the wizard and click Edit recipient list.
* You can continue to use mail merges with Excel data that you created in earlier versions of Word. To open and use these mail merges in Word 2002 or later, you'll need to install Microsoft Query. Query is no longer required to create new mail merges in Word 2002 or later.

Many Thanks again Gill, I will have a play around.

Sorry I can't play a little more with the scenario for you,
then give you easy instructions.
but I can't get round these errors just yet until I fix the conflicts I'm getting (between excel and word docs).

But it's worth learning this mail merge.

The difficulty obviously is with the 4 crossovers between internet ..into excel.. into word & then over to a merge add on.
It does work though. Catch you later, maybe on chatterbox - I pop in once a flood. Ciao.