[PersonWithAQuestion]

My data source is an excel spreadsheet. The date column is formatted to
display November 11, 2009 but when I merge with my main document (Word
document), it displays the date as 11/11/2009 in merged document. What do I
need to do to keep the date displayed as November 11, 2009 after merge occurs?

Thank you.

[macropod[_2_]]

Hi PersonWithAQuestion,

To get the date format you want, you can add a formatting picture switch. In Word:
.. select the mergefield;
.. press Shift-F9 to expose the field coding. It should look something like {MERGEFIELD MyDate} where 'MyDate' is your mergefield's
name;
.. delete anything appearing after the mergefield's name and add '\@ "MMMM d, yyyy"' to the field, as in {MERGEFIELD MyDate \@ "MMMM
d, yyyy"}. With this switch your date will come out as November 11, 2009'. Other possible date formatting switches include:
. \@ "dddd MMMM d, yyyy";
. \@ "ddd MMMM d, yyyy";
. \@ "d MMM yyyy";
. \@ "dd/MMM/yyyy";
. \@ "d-MM-yy";
Note: Note: you can swap the d, M, y expressions around, but you must use uppercase 'M's for months.
.. position the cursor anywhere in this field and press F9 to update it;
.. run your mailmerge.


--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]


"PersonWithAQuestion" wrote in message
...
My data source is an excel spreadsheet. The date column is formatted to
display November 11, 2009 but when I merge with my main document (Word
document), it displays the date as 11/11/2009 in merged document. What do I
need to do to keep the date displayed as November 11, 2009 after merge occurs?

Thank you.