Import Documents from Excel and Insert Link

In Word documents, it is possible to import from and even connect with other Windows programs.
In this example we link and copy a file from Excel into a Word file

• Open the Excel file that should be linked to Word
• Open the Word file where you want to insert the Excel file
• Resize the windows of both programs so that you get an overview of both documents

 

• In Excel, select the full report (from cell B7 to cell E11)
• Click on Edit in the menu bar
• Click ‘Copy’
• In Word, click on the position where you want to insert the Excel file
• Click on “Edit” option in the Word menu bar.
• Click ‘Paste Special’

A dialog box appears:

• Click on the ‘Paste Link’ option in the ‘Paste Special’  dialog box
• Select the “Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object” in the ‘As’ box.
• Click OK

The copied part of Excel appears in the Word document.
Now when we make any changes in the Excel document, the changes immediately reflect in the Word document as well, thanks to the link.
Even a change in the Format in Excel gets updated in the linked Word file.

Merge Letters (personalize) with a database

In Word 97, we can merge our letters with a database, eg Access’97 dBase or any database that we created in Word’97 itself, it will make our letters more personal.
For clarity:
A database is a collection of data that is bound together (Records)
A record contains the details of a person, and is composed of various fields.
A row in our table is a record, every cell in our table is a Field
In our example we link the letters with a database that we created in Word’97.
Creating a database in Word’97 is not difficult:

• Merge a number of columns (in our case 7) and a number of rows (depending on the number of persons)  in a table (see Les 15).
• The first row (or record) of our table contains the field names: Salutation, Title, Surname, FirstName, Address, Postcode and Location.
• In the following rows we type all our customers names
• The last record is filled in our database
• In the “File” menu choose “Save”
• Enter a name eg: “Notaries addresses.doc”

Our content for each letter and customer, with the exception of the consignee, is the same. It is already created and saved under the name “Notaries letter.doc”:

Now we will merger our “Notaries letter.doc” letter with our database “Notaries addresses.doc”:

• Open letter
• Click on “Tools”
• Select “Mail Merge”

A dialog box appears

• Click on “Create”
• Choose “Form Letters”  from the list box
• Select “Active Window”
• The dialog reappears
• Click on “Get Data”

• Choose “Open Data Source”

• An open window from which we can select our database appears.

If you are in Access database in dBase or wherever, click on the arrow next to “File type” and select the type of file

• Select the file
• Click on “Open”

A dialog box appears which states that Word’97 is not able to find fields that are merged.

• Click “Edit Main Document”

Meanwhile, the “Merge” toolbar appears:

• Place the cursor after “To:” in our letter
• Click on the “Insert Merge Field” button in the “Merge”  toolbar

You can see all field names from our database

• Choose “Title”
  you will see the “Title” appear in our letter
• Press the spacebar on your keyboard
• Click again on the “Insert Merge Field”  button
• Choose “Surname”
• Again and press the spacebar
• Then click the button “Insert Merge Field”
• Select “FirstName”
• Place the cursor where you want the address
• Click on the “Insert Merge Field”  button
• Select “Address”
• Place the cursor where you want the place the postcode
• Click on the “Insert Merge Field”  button
• Select “Postcode” and press the spacebar
• and finally we will add in the City

You can perform the same actions anywhere in the letter where you would want to add a field name

The final step

• Click on “Tools”
• Click “Mail Merge”

We get the dialog back on our screens

• Step 3 click on “Merge”

The “Merge” dialog box appears

• Here you have several options in settings:

Merge to a new document or printer, some or all the records etc.

• Pick your choice. We choose “New Document” and all records
• Click on “Merge”
• We get all our personalized letters on our screen
• Slide the slider down to check

 

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