Merging differences between .doc and .docx

Question

I've got a .doc file set up as a mail merge that works fine (it's a directory with columns). When I save it as a .docx, I get separate pages for each line instead of it creating the directory successfully as it did before.

I actually sort of figured out how to fix it, but I'm wondering if it's intentional or why it works this way.

I started over, using the wizard and set it up as a directory instead of inserting merge fields and it worked. So then I showed field codes (alt+F9) and noticed that by using the wizard it added quotes { MERGEFIELD "First_name" } vs. { MERGEFIELD First_name }

Why does it need the quotes in a .docx file but not a .doc file and why aren't the quotes automatically added when inserting merge fields versus using the wizard?

Answer 1

There is no difference between a directory merge using a doc format document or a docx format document, though the Word 2010 document converter may miss the document type if created in an earlier version. Ensure that the merge document type is directory

• which you can select from the Start Mail Merge button. If you are getting a separate page for each record, you have the document type set as Letters. If it is not sticking, change the document type to normal Word document then to directory again and re-add your data source.

Why the quotes? Adding quotes is good practice. They are added by the Insert Mergefield dropdown dialog, but not by the Insert Mergefield main dialog. It is a relatively inconsequential programming anomaly that will not affect your merge. Incidentally, it behaves exactly the same way in Word 2003 - the wizard inserts quotes the Insert Merge Field on the merge toolbar doesn't.

Answer 2

Okay, this is helpful ... I saw the quotes as being the only difference between the two, but I hadn't noticed it wasn't set up as a directory.

I think what happened is that every time I opened the .doc, it was having trouble connecting to the data source so ultimately I would disconnect and reconnect manually. When I disconnected it, it changed it to a normal Word doc instead of directory and I hadn't gone back to redefine it after reconnecting to the source data.

Thank you for preserving my sanity!