Information insertion into word

Peter B

I am publishing a report of different types of products. Currently I just use word to insert all the relevant information. The template is standard, which includes 3 labels, one for country of origin, one for product name and finally one for description. Often a picture exists beside. Each label has a specific font and indentation.

I was wondering is it possible to use some macro / database type functionality to create the information similar to microsoft access using forms and output it to a word document. Using that word document I could make any necessary changes which may exist. All I want is for it to keep this standard (tabled) template for each entry and to be able to adjust it if necessary in Word.

Thanks

Mods - feel free to move if necessary

Fibonacci

Could you use Access's report functionality?

If all the data is in a 'database', access could produce a 'report' similar to the one you described above. As far as I know, this report can be produced (or at least exported) as a word doc.

ressem

Can you clarify why this can't be done with word's mail merge, connected to a datasource.

Peter B

Have started using mail merge. Sort of getting my head aroung it. Using it's catalog function. However when displaying the information I would like an individual heading over each catagory. This is a field I didn't mention in the first post.

The main problem is with mail merge I cannot look at the next entry, or previous entry. This means I cannot say, if catagory is the same as previous catagory, do not insert catagory heading, if not insert catagory heading.

Hope I explained this ok.

Any help?

Not too sure about Access's report functionality, need exactly the same template as I had previous.

stevenmu

Words mail merge feature will do most of it, I don't think it'll handle a picture though.

RicardoSmith

Don't really understand what you are trying to achieve. But I think what you want is a Word document that contains all this data. Then you want a data entry form to input new data to the word document.

If thats the question then, Yes you can build a form in Word using the VBA editor F11 and then using VBA code it to use as a data input form.

However unless you have a strong business case for not using a database, I wouldn't recomemend word for this. It gets flaky with large documents. I suggest you use a database like MySQL and output a report from it.

I've done a fair bit of VBA in Word, so if you need a hand, or some linkes to VBA sites/forums send me a PM.