I have the thread on my watch list.

I do something similar for production of my client documents. A draft is
prepared as a mail merge. However, I don't actually perform the merge. I
create a new merge document based on the template. I then attach it to my
database and call up the client record. Using the merge toolbar, I have the
actual data display in the document. Then I use a macro that locks all the
merge fields. I save the document in the client folder and make whatever
changes might be appropriate. At that point I am done with the merge on that
document. As I said, this is an unusual implementation of mailmerge because
I am only producing a single document at a time, not multiples for multiple
clients. I collect the common information specific to the case in an Excel
spreadsheet.

This requires that I insert the information into the spreadsheet before
preparing any documents for the client that use this method. Not all
information is needed for each document and it does work with incomplete
information.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/ which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"DBD" wrote in message
...
Charles,

I really appreciate your thoughts on my post. In answer to your question,
I
think the best thing would be for the document to remain as it were when
created. Although the info we put in and I want to be pulled from a
"master"
location or file is not something that changes. Our headers have the
client
name, project name, and project location. the tables that I would also
want
to be distributed or pulled from the master have more client info that
usually doesn't change, and finally the footer has our assigned job
number
so I am not talking about a whole lot of information, it is just tedious
when
setting up jobs for the first time as each .dot file will have to be
opened
and edited and then re-saved.


After reading both of yours and Jack's I will be taking some time to begin
researching the info you provided and attempting to learn about these
features, but I must admit that they are pushing my envelope of comfort,
however this is a good thing... never stop learning. Like I told Jack if
you
don't mind subscribing to this thread as it may be a day or so before I
get
time to play with this, and I would really appreciate your additional
comments when I have questions.

Thanks again and Best Regards.

David


"Charles Kenyon" wrote:

Yes. This is possible, but it isn't easy.

Some preliminary questions.
Once a _document_ is created and saved, do you want the document to
update
with the new information next time it is opened?. (I am an attorney, so
my
answer to this in "no." I want a new document created from one of my form
templates to have the new info; I want historical documents to be the way
they were when the document was created.)

Are you comfortable with using AutoText?
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/ which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.


"DBD" wrote in message
...
We use Word 2002 and create standard office and client correspondence
forms
for each project, job, client. etc. And the process of setting up
.dot
files for every form we use on a job is tedious, and I want to find a
way
to
automate this if possible, i.e. enter it in one place and have the
other
documents pull the info from the fields where the info has been entered
entered.

We insert mulitple lines of project specific information in the Header,
Footer and in a tables that are in the the body of documents found on
every
piece of correspondence that we issue for a project. So when setting
up a
new job we have an employee go in and edit our standard .dot file to
make
a
project specific .dot file that is then opened and used to create the
documents for the necessary project correpondence. The problem is that
we
use about 20 forms currently and are developing more as we need them so
each
on has to be opened, unprotected, the info copied or typed into the
appropriate locations, the form protected again, then saved as a .dot
file
for users to begin using. Setting up a job takes a while even using
copy
paste, I want to help our business manager out who is usually asked to
do
this task, as she has other more important responsibilities like
(payroll,
billing and accounting) other than "data entry".

Is there some way we can enter all the info in once in a "master"
specific
project information word docment that then is referenced using fields
or
ODBC
or something from every other document, or put another way can the
individual
documents "farm" data from the master .dot file containing all the
project's
information?

It seems like everytime I post a question here I get great and
knowledgable
replies for the most part so I am sure this can be done, however I am
afraid
it may be outside my abilities, possibly using VBA or some other code
writing
which I am not skilled in.

Any help would be appreciated, but if there is a way to do it without
VBA
that would be ideal.

Thank you.

David