Mail merge running in circles Andre7266 10/23/2008 3:40:13 PM I am using Word 2003 SP3. When I open a mail merge document, I get the message "Opening this document will run the following SQL command...Select * from C:\test\Test data.txt......Data from your database will be placed in the document. Do you want to continue?...I click Yes and get the message Test Data.doc is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find its data source C:\...\test data.txt. Two boxes are then displayed....Find Data Source and Options. I step thru Find Data Source to locate the data file again. I highlight the correct file and click OK and the error message returns along with the two boxes above. The only way out of this cycle is to click on options and disable everything and start over. Even if I recreate the document, the next time I run mailmerge, I run into this same problem. Does anyone have a solution??????????? Thanks

Re: Mail merge running in circles "Peter Jamieson" <pjj[ at ]KillmapSpjjnet.demon.co.uk> 10/23/2008 5:24:36 PM OK, broadly speaking I do not get this here with a simple .txt data file. 1. If you create a very simple plain text file with 2 columns, tab-separated, a header column and a couple of data rows, then create a completely new mail merge main document, do you get the same problem? (e.g. k t 1 text1 2 text2 ) 2. If that works, but starting with a new mail merge main document and connecting to "test data.txt" does not, maybe the problem is related to the content. print activedocument.mailmerge.datasource.name. Is "test data.txt" definitely a plain text file? How many columns (fields) does it have, how many rows, and what are the field and record delimiters? -- Peter Jamieson http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk "Andre7266" <Andre7266[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:113D4201-5021-4E34-B594-AA0F0D637EA9[ at ]microsoft.com... [Quoted Text] >I am using Word 2003 SP3. When I open a mail merge document, I get the > message "Opening this document will run the following SQL command...Select > * > from C:\test\Test data.txt......Data from your database will be placed in > the > document. Do you want to continue?...I click Yes and get the message Test > Data.doc is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find its data source > C:\...\test data.txt. Two boxes are then displayed....Find Data Source and > Options. I step thru Find Data Source to locate the data file again. I > highlight the correct file and click OK and the error message returns > along > with the two boxes above. The only way out of this cycle is to click on > options and disable everything and start over. Even if I recreate the > document, the next time I run mailmerge, I run into this same problem. > Does > anyone have a solution??????????? Thanks

Re: Mail merge running in circles Andre7266 10/23/2008 5:51:02 PM It is even more bothersome than that. In one office with 2 desktop machines, these mail merge letters are working fine. In 2 other offices with a total of 8 machines, I cannot get around this error. It is a plain text file, 18 columns, name and address info mostly. All machines are running the same level of word with same service packs on Windows XP. I cannot figure out why those 2 machines and my laptop run all these letters fine and the other 8 will not. The .txt file has 18 columns, tab delimited. Could be anywhere from 1 to 100 records for these letters. "Peter Jamieson" wrote: [Quoted Text] > OK, broadly speaking I do not get this here with a simple .txt data file. > > 1. If you create a very simple plain text file with 2 columns, > tab-separated, a header column and a couple of data rows, then create a > completely new mail merge main document, do you get the same problem? > > (e.g. > > k t > 1 text1 > 2 text2 > > ) > > 2. If that works, but starting with a new mail merge main document and > connecting to "test data.txt" does not, maybe the problem is related to the > content. > print activedocument.mailmerge.datasource.name. Is "test data.txt" > definitely a plain text file? How many columns (fields) does it have, how > many rows, and what are the field and record delimiters? > > -- > Peter Jamieson > http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk > > "Andre7266" <Andre7266[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:113D4201-5021-4E34-B594-AA0F0D637EA9[ at ]microsoft.com... > >I am using Word 2003 SP3. When I open a mail merge document, I get the > > message "Opening this document will run the following SQL command...Select > > * > > from C:\test\Test data.txt......Data from your database will be placed in > > the > > document. Do you want to continue?...I click Yes and get the message Test > > Data.doc is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find its data source > > C:\...\test data.txt. Two boxes are then displayed....Find Data Source and > > Options. I step thru Find Data Source to locate the data file again. I > > highlight the correct file and click OK and the error message returns > > along > > with the two boxes above. The only way out of this cycle is to click on > > options and disable everything and start over. Even if I recreate the > > document, the next time I run mailmerge, I run into this same problem. > > Does > > anyone have a solution??????????? Thanks > >

Re: Mail merge running in circles Andre7266 10/23/2008 6:10:01 PM I just ran a simple test with a text file with 2 columns, first name and last name with 4 records. The mail merge ran fine!!! ??? Another note - I copied the letters and text files that were running fine in office 1 and brought them to office 2 & 3.. and they did not run. But..the simple test is probably more significant. This is beginning to feel like something is wrong with my input files??? "Peter Jamieson" wrote: [Quoted Text] > OK, broadly speaking I do not get this here with a simple .txt data file. > > 1. If you create a very simple plain text file with 2 columns, > tab-separated, a header column and a couple of data rows, then create a > completely new mail merge main document, do you get the same problem? > > (e.g. > > k t > 1 text1 > 2 text2 > > ) > > 2. If that works, but starting with a new mail merge main document and > connecting to "test data.txt" does not, maybe the problem is related to the > content. > print activedocument.mailmerge.datasource.name. Is "test data.txt" > definitely a plain text file? How many columns (fields) does it have, how > many rows, and what are the field and record delimiters? > > -- > Peter Jamieson > http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk > > "Andre7266" <Andre7266[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:113D4201-5021-4E34-B594-AA0F0D637EA9[ at ]microsoft.com... > >I am using Word 2003 SP3. When I open a mail merge document, I get the > > message "Opening this document will run the following SQL command...Select > > * > > from C:\test\Test data.txt......Data from your database will be placed in > > the > > document. Do you want to continue?...I click Yes and get the message Test > > Data.doc is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find its data source > > C:\...\test data.txt. Two boxes are then displayed....Find Data Source and > > Options. I step thru Find Data Source to locate the data file again. I > > highlight the correct file and click OK and the error message returns > > along > > with the two boxes above. The only way out of this cycle is to click on > > options and disable everything and start over. Even if I recreate the > > document, the next time I run mailmerge, I run into this same problem. > > Does > > anyone have a solution??????????? Thanks > >

Re: Mail merge running in circles "Peter Jamieson" <pjj[ at ]KillmapSpjjnet.demon.co.uk> 10/23/2008 6:38:03 PM [Quoted Text] > But..the simple test is probably more significant. This is beginning to > feel > like something is wrong with my input files??? My view on the evidence I have is that it's more likely something about the configuration in offices 2 & 3, particularly if everything was working OK until recently. At the moment I would guess that there could be some difference to do with the access permissions to the folders containing the mail merge data source in those offices. -- Peter Jamieson http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk "Andre7266" <Andre7266[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:5DAEA5E5-7DB9-491A-9D16-C54EC695D8CF[ at ]microsoft.com... >I just ran a simple test with a text file with 2 columns, first name and >last > name with 4 records. The mail merge ran fine!!! ??? > Another note - I copied the letters and text files that were running fine > in > office 1 and brought them to office 2 & 3.. and they did not run. > > But..the simple test is probably more significant. This is beginning to > feel > like something is wrong with my input files??? > > "Peter Jamieson" wrote: > >> OK, broadly speaking I do not get this here with a simple .txt data file. >> >> 1. If you create a very simple plain text file with 2 columns, >> tab-separated, a header column and a couple of data rows, then create a >> completely new mail merge main document, do you get the same problem? >> >> (e.g. >> >> k t >> 1 text1 >> 2 text2 >> >> ) >> >> 2. If that works, but starting with a new mail merge main document and >> connecting to "test data.txt" does not, maybe the problem is related to >> the >> content. >> print activedocument.mailmerge.datasource.name. Is "test data.txt" >> definitely a plain text file? How many columns (fields) does it have, how >> many rows, and what are the field and record delimiters? >> >> -- >> Peter Jamieson >> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk >> >> "Andre7266" <Andre7266[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:113D4201-5021-4E34-B594-AA0F0D637EA9[ at ]microsoft.com... >> >I am using Word 2003 SP3. When I open a mail merge document, I get the >> > message "Opening this document will run the following SQL >> > command...Select >> > * >> > from C:\test\Test data.txt......Data from your database will be placed >> > in >> > the >> > document. Do you want to continue?...I click Yes and get the message >> > Test >> > Data.doc is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find its data >> > source >> > C:\...\test data.txt. Two boxes are then displayed....Find Data Source >> > and >> > Options. I step thru Find Data Source to locate the data file again. I >> > highlight the correct file and click OK and the error message returns >> > along >> > with the two boxes above. The only way out of this cycle is to click on >> > options and disable everything and start over. Even if I recreate the >> > document, the next time I run mailmerge, I run into this same problem. >> > Does >> > anyone have a solution??????????? Thanks >> >>