mail merge cut off or truncating 255 word limit

[jim]

here is a good solution ms word 2003 (and probably works for other versions)
for mail merges using an excel database (just an excel spreadsheet with your
merge information)

in microsoft word 2003, with any document open, go to tools, options

click the general tab

check "confirm conversion at open"

exit microsoft word

restart microsoft word

connect your merge document to your database (excel spreadsheet/ms word
document with table)

when you do this, it will ask you to "Confirm Data Source"--choose MS Excel
Spreadsheets via DDE

it will now show all of the information in the spreadsheet.

why microsoft doesn't make this the default is beyond me. it has taken me 5
years to figure this out and i consider myself a pretty knowledgable user.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

See http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk/t0003.htm for a more complete picture.

The DDE nethod works fine for a lot of people but does not cope with
everything.

What I would say is that the ODBC driver and OLE DB provider have always
needed fixing (and still need fixing) so that they behave consistently no
matter what data and formatting are in the sheet. Then we really could leave
the DDE method behind.