Mail Merge in Word 2002 (XP)!

When they made Word XP, Microsoft took one of their best features and made it impossible to use: The Mail Merge Wizard. Although the basic steps are all accounted for, they seem obscured by the items that are new with XP.

Here are the steps you need to take to get through a Word XP mail merge without missing anything:

Merge a Letter Already Created
Open your mail merge letter or a blank document.

Go to Tools-->Letters and Mailings-->Mail merge wizard.

You are now on Step 1 of the Mail merge wizard. Choose Letters at the top and hit Next: Select Document at the bottom.

You are now on Step 2 of the Mail merge wizard. Choose Current document at the top and hit Next: Select Recipients at the bottom.

You are now on Step 3 of the Mail merge wizard. Choose Use an existing list at the top. Hit the Browse button to get your list, making sure you change the Files of type to the type of file in which your data resides. Hit Ok. You may also need to choose which spreadsheet, table, or query you want to get your data from, depending on the type of file. Hit Ok. Now your data list comes up. All of the records in your data should be check marked. If you only want to choose certain records, uncheck the others. At the bottom, choose Next: Write your letter.

You are now on Step 4 of the Mail merge wizard. Write your letter if necessary. On the task pane at right, choose More. (More is generally used in software to describe items that might be seldom used. In this case, this is where we find the mail merge fields that we always use.) Insert your merge fields in the appropriate places in your letter. If you want to repeat a merge field, for instance, a person’s name, throughout the letter, insert the merge field at each location you want it to appear. Hit Next: Preview your letters.

You are now on Step 5 of the Mail merge wizard. You can use the left and right arrows on the task pane to see what your merged letters will look like. Hit Next: Complete the merge.

You are now on Step 6 of the Mail merge wizard. At this point, you have the option to Print your letters or to Edit individual letters. If you’re familiar with previous versions of Word’s mail merge, you should hit Edit individual letters, then choose All. This gives you a document that contains all your merged letters—which is what we’re used to from previous versions. We all know that when printing a bunch of documents, we could easily choose the wrong tray, the wrong paper could be in the tray, or some error could occur. We suggest saving this file and THEN printing it, especially if it contains more than a few letters. You can easily delete the file after you’ve successfully printed it.

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Use Excel 2002 charts for what-if analysis!

Although you likely use charts most often to analyze existing data, you can also use them to project hypothetical results. Just as changing the source data in a worksheet cell adjusts the graphical representation shown in the chart, manually moving charted data points adjusts the underlying data. To see this firsthand, enter the headings 2001 and 2002 in cells B1 and C1. Then, in the range A2:A5, enter the row headings North, South, East, and West. Finally, enter some random numbers in range B2:C5 to complete the sample data.

At this point, select the data range and click the Chart Wizard button. When the Wizard opens, click the Finish button to generate a standard column chart. Then, click on one of the columns, which will select the entire data series. Wait a moment, so as not to accidentally double-click, and then click on the column again. Now only the column you clicked on is selected. Click and drag the sizing handle found on the column's top edge up or down. As you do so, a label appears to show the value that the resized column represents. When you release the mouse button, you'll see that the related value in the worksheet cell has changed accordingly.

Note that although I used a column chart in this example, you can apply this technique to other chart types as well.

Create a custom format in Access 2002!

You may be familiar with built-in AutoFormats through the form and report creation wizards. AutoFormats are saved collections of attribute settings for such elements as fonts, colors and object borders, and picture property settings. If you find yourself repetitively making the same formatting changes to form and report controls, you can save time by saving your formatting preferences as a custom AutoFormat.

To create your AutoFormat, open a form that uses your desired default attributes in Design view. Then, select Format | AutoFormat from the menu bar. When the AutoFormat dialog box appears, click the Customize button. The subsequently displayed Customize AutoFormat dialog box is where you manage your system's AutoFormats. You can create a new format, incorporate the changes you've made into whatever AutoFormat was selected in the AutoFormat dialog box when you clicked the Customize button, or delete the selected AutoFormat.

Select the Create A New AutoFormat Based On The Form (form name) option button and click OK. You'll then be given the opportunity to specify a name for the new AutoFormat. To later apply an AutoFormat to a form or report you're designing, simply redisplay the AutoFormat dialog box, choose the correct AutoFormat and click OK.

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