Merge field syntax problem

[Resource Dragon]

I am trying to insert a mail-merge field and I can't find the correct syntax.

This is what I've got so far and it doesn't work.

    With wrdDoc
.Content.InsertAfter Format(MyDate, "dddd, d MMMM yyyy")
    .Content.InsertParagraphAfter
    .Content.InsertAfter "Dear "
    End With

        ActiveDocument.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Type:=wdFieldMergeField _
        , Text:=" MERGEFIELD First"

(The code works up to the "End with", it's the next line that is the problem.)

I would be very grateful if someone knows the correct syntax. I've tried some other versions of this, also unsuccessfully.

[westconn1]

is the document already a mailmerge object?

try recording a macro to generate some sample code

[Resource Dragon]

No, wrdDoc is a new, blank document until the code populates it, based on choices the user has made. (The code lives in an excel file, and opens word and outlook.)

I've tried recording a macro in Word, to insert fields and I get:

ActiveDocument.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Type:=wdFieldMergeField, Text:="""First"""

which doesn't work when I use it in the context above.

[westconn1]

first you must make it into a merge document and set the datasource, you can not add merge fields to a standard document

[Resource Dragon]

Dear Pete

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "make it into a merge document", if I'm looking at Word 2007 I've got options like template & macro-enabled (or I can have a regular document). Am I barking up the wrong tree here?

The code does link wrdDoc to a data source: here is the extended version of the code. (One problem that I can see with what I have done is that I've set "myContacts" but I haven't referred to them in the subsequent code. Here is the more complete version of the code I have written to date.

Sub CreateNewWordDoc()
MyDate = Date
  Set wrdApp = CreateObject("Word.Application")
    wrdApp.Visible = True
    Set wrdDoc = wrdApp.Documents.Add ' create a new document
    
    Set OutApp = GetObject(, "Outlook.Application")
    Set myNameSpace = OutApp.GetNamespace("MAPI")
    Set myFolder = myNameSpace.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderContacts)
    
    Set myContacts = myFolder.Items
       
    With wrdDoc
.Content.InsertAfter Format(MyDate, "dddd, d MMMM yyyy")
    .Content.InsertParagraphAfter
    .Content.InsertAfter "Dear "
    End With
        ActiveDocument.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Type:=wdFieldMergeField _
        , Text:=" MERGEFIELD First"
With wrdDoc
    .Content.InsertParagraphAfter
    .Content.InsertAfter "This a test, please ignore."
file_name = "Test Merge " & Format(Date, "yyyy") & ".doc"
If Dir(ActiveWorkbook.Path & "\MyNewWordDoc.doc") <> "" Then
        Kill ActiveWorkbook.Path & "\MyNewWordDoc.doc"
        End If
        .SaveAs (ActiveWorkbook.Path & "\" & file_name)
  End With

Thank you

The Dragon

[westconn1]

in word, try recording a macro of the steps to create a mailmerge document and setting the datasource, you can then incorporate some of that into your code

wrddoc.mailmerge.createdatasource Name, PasswordDocument, WritePasswordDocument, HeaderRecord, MSQuery, SQLStatement, SQLStatement1, Connection, LinkToSource

[Resource Dragon]

I recorded a macro in Word, and this is what I got:

Sub Macro1()
'
    ActiveDocument.MailMerge.MainDocumentType = wdFormLetters
    Selection.TypeText Text:="Dear "
    WordBasic.MailMergeUseOutlookContacts
    ActiveDocument.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Type:=wdFieldMergeField _
        , Text:="""First"""
    Selection.TypeParagraph
    Selection.TypeText Text:="Test only."
End Sub

(The document that this produces looks like:

Dear «First»
Test only.

BTW, this code was recorded in Word 2007, I know that "WordBasic" is anachronistic but that's what I got.

I've also been going back to Word, to see what the Word help has to say, and the code looks quite different again.

[westconn1]

you should not need to use the old word basic, there is vba code to do all, just some hard to find

UseAddressBook Method


Selects the address book that's used as the data source for a mail merge operation.

Syntax

expression.UseAddressBook(Type)

expression Required. An expression that returns a MailMerge object.

Type Required String. The address book to be used as the mail merge data source. The string corresponds to the application's file extension, as specified in the registry (for example, "olk" for Outlook, "scd" for Schedule+, or "pab" for the Personal Address Book).

[Resource Dragon]

You’ve lost me. Which expression returns a MailMerge object? If I try using, say, wrdDoc as a MailMerge object, VBA complains that the object or method is not recognised.