Word does not have a "parallel columns" feature. You must use a table. For a
catalog merge, you create a single table row, with one merge field in each
column. If you want the tabular material to be in two or more
newspaper-style columns, you can format the document for columns and then
place your single table row in the first column. The main thing to
understand about a catalog (directory) merge is that any text you include in
the document will be repeated for each record. This means that any headings
(including table headings) that may be needed must either be (a) in the
document header or (b) added after performing the merge.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
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"Joseph N." wrote in message
...
On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 20:58:55 GMT, Jezebel wrote:

Columns are not the way to go if you're trying to get things in
column1 to line up with things in column 2. Columns are not
tables; column 2 is a *continuation* of column 1, not an
independent range.

Since I respect your expertise from prior posts, I'll take your word for
it, but the columns you described are often called "serpentine,"
"newspaper," or "newsletter" columns. I had in mind "parallel" columns,
which are different. Maybe not the best way to go either, but different
nonetheless.

Beyond that, since you haven't explained what you're trying to
do, it's hard to be helpful.

Here's the idea:

I have a database that contains various information about a lot of
documents. It's a structured database, so the information is in fields.
The database is well-designed to interoperate with Word for the purpose of
exporting db data into Word documents. (I have created regular merges, but
never catalog merges (in Word, anyway), but I'm assuming it won't be too
difficult.) The end result should be multiple rows, each of which will have
the following information: a sequential number created in Word (i.e., does
not exist in the db); then about five variables from the db fields. Ideally
they would all fit across a portrait page, but if necessary one particular
field could go right below another particular field. Make sense? It would
look something like this:

1. Description of doc A Info_X_on_A Info_Y_on_A etc.
2. Description of doc B Info_X_on_B Info_Y on_B etc.

No doubt a table would be the best way to go, but there is no way to know
how many rows there will be from one project to another, and even one
project will change from time to time. So I need to dynamically generate
the number of records at the time of the merge, depending on the number of
records being merged.

Whadyathink?

--
JN

jbn 'won'oh'won'six'won' at fastmail.fm
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