Type an (equal sign) to start the formula. Select the cell in which you want the combined data. To combine text from multiple cells into one cell, use the & (ampersand) operator.
![]() In older versions of Excel, these “numbers” could not be used in calculations. Although these codes are identical to those used in the Custom Number formatting feature of Excel, they are rarely seen by most Excel users.For example, the formulas TEXT(B3, “$#,#0.00”) and TEXT(C5, “M/dd/yy”) convert number and date data into textual data (in this case, “$12,345.67” and “12/01/10”).(Tip: It is a good idea to format the cells containing these formulas in a different style, say, italic, or some unusual color to remind you that these numbers are simply text. The downside is that you need to know certain formatting codes. Modify the Excel SpreadsheetThe first way is to avoid the problem: In the Excel worksheet, insert a column with a formula that converts the Excel numbers or dates into a text format that is exactly the same as what you would want to appear in your Mail Merge document.To do this, you need to use Excel’s TEXT function, which enables you to convert a number or date into its equivalent text formatted exactly the way you desire. For example, a sales result in Excel appears as 100 but in Word it suddenly becomes 99.99999999996!Fortunately, there are no less than three different ways to get Mail Merge numbers to appear the way they should. As an extra bonus, they can also be used in the “Numeric Switches” in Word Mail-Merge Fields described in the next section.Unfortunately, there is a slight difference between the way these codes work in Excel and Word in Microsoft Office 2013. Thus, the code “00000” will ensure that the leading zero is not truncated from New Jersey postal zip codes.These codes for numbers, dates, and times can be used in the TEXT function or in Excel’s Custom number formats. The “#” placeholder will be replaced by a digit only if it is not a leading or trailing zero. A key thing to remember is that both “0” and “#” act as placeholders for digits, but “0” will force leading or trailing zeros to appear. Format Codes for Excel’s TEXT FunctionA collection of the most commonly used codes is presented at the right. Formatting options such as font, size, and color do not make the trip. Just remember that these cells may look like they contain numbers, but they cannot be used in SUM or AVERAGE functions. Also, Excel has an additional code, “MMMMM”, which returns a single letter abbreviation for the month (e.g., “J, F, M, A, …”).Supplementing a spreadsheet table with a few columns featuring TEXT functions is a simple and direct approach. But Word is not so smart, and you must use the capitalized letter to refer to months. In almost all cases, Excel is smart enough to figure out which units you are talking about. The ROUND function will truncate trailing zeros The ROUND function will not preserve the dollar sign or the thousands separator (comma) In many cases, the ROUND() function will work well with Mail Merge, but you may want to steer clear of it because of the following reasons: The advantage is that the rounded number is not text and can still be used for further calculations. As its name implies, Excel’s ROUND() function will permanently round a number up or down to the number of decimal places you specify. Handle with Care: The ROUND FunctionInstead of the TEXT() function, some users prefer to use the ROUND() function to trim off extra decimal places. Use a “Numeric Switch” in WordThe second way to cajole Mail Merge into displaying numbers from Excel correctly is to modify the Word document. Well, there is something we can do in Word: 2. But let’s say that you can’t or don’t want to change your Excel spreadsheet. For example, instead of displaying 1.0014, Mail Merge showed 1.0013.Okay. For example, a Mail Merge document occasionally shows 4 decimal places when the ROUND function had specified 2 or 3.In rare cases, the ROUND function causes Mail Merge to show a slightly different number. Best software sampler for macYou should now see the actual field code for that field, which is designated by curly braces as in Good question. Then right-click a Mail-Merge field (such as «Donation») and choose the Toggle Field Code option. Be sure the Preview Results button is toggled off so that you can see the Mail-Merge fields. Open the Mail Merge document and click the Mailings tab at the top of the window. (The merge fields basically tell the Word document which column in the Excel table has the desired data.) To apply a format to a field, you must include a numeric switch (formerly called a picture switch) in the field’s field code.The first thing you have to do is to see the actual field code. Word Merge Multiple Groups Of Cells Update The Field(Why? Again, you will have to ask Microsoft.)The numeric switches in merge fields work well, but I find the process very difficult to remember. If you are using the Mail-Merge Wizard, you may have to go back a step and return to see the effect of your changes. On one occasion I had to do this 2 or 3 times. You either have to update the field (right-click it and choose Update Field), or click the button Mailings > Preview Results. It is a simple two-step process, and the first step — enabling Word to open a file via DDE — has to be done only once.[ Warning: Does DDE work in Office 2016 or 2019? Dynamic Data Exchange is an old technology, and it looks like Microsoft is in the process of pulling the plug on it. That sounds a little daunting, but if you are smart enough to do Mail Merge, then DDE can a piece of cake. At the very least, they require you to remember format codes that, while similar, are used in very different ways.A much more elegant and simple solution is to have Word link to the Excel workbook via a DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) link rather than the usual, presumably non-dynamic, linking process. Use a DDE LinkThe above approaches are relatively simple, but if you have more than a few fields that require formatting, they can drive you into early retirement. Fortunately, for some users there is another way: 3. ]To set up Word for DDE links, do the following: But, beware: It may not work all the time. If you do this, and have some patience, you should be able to get it to work. As usual for Excel data sources, the table must begin on the first row of the first worksheet in the workbook file. The only side effect of the above is that every time you open a non-Word file with Word, the program will give you a chance to change your mind. From now on, your copy of Word can open up many different types of files, and can open these by different avenues, including DDE. Check the box labeled Confirm file format conversion on open.That’s all for the first step, and you never have to do it again.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorTony ArchivesCategories |