WD: Cannot Cancel "Invalid Merge Field" Error Loop (115247)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0
- Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0a
- Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0c
- Microsoft Word for Windows 95
- Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q115247 SYMPTOMS
The following "Invalid Merge Field" error message appears when a mail merge
is executed or checked for errors:
This merge field is used in the main document,
but it does not exist in the data source.
Choosing the Cancel button only cancels the error dialog box. There is no
direct way to stop the merge or check in progress.
CAUSE
The mail merge main document contains a MERGEFIELD with a field name that
does not match any of the field names in the data source header record.
This error most often occurs when a new data source is attached to a
main document and the spelling of a field name is changed. For
example, if a mailing list with the field "FirstName" is replaced by
a data source with the field name "Fname", the MERGEFIELD
<<FirstName>> is no longer valid in the main document.
This error can also occur when the original mail merge document has been
converted from Word 2.x for Windows and uses a comma- or tab-delimited data
source. For more information on how to correct the problems in this case,
query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
delimiters and invalid and merge and field
The "Invalid Merge Field" error will appear once for each record in the
data file if the incorrect field is not replaced or removed.
RESOLUTION
To interrupt the merge process, press the ESC key repeatedly while the
error message is displayed.
-or-
Choose the Remove Field option to remove the incorrect field from the
main document.
-or-
Choose the Replace Field option to replace the incorrect field with a
field that does exist in the data file.
| Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 8/16/2005 |
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| Keywords: | kbmerge kbprint KB115247 |
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