WD: How to Format the Fax Number Field When You Merge to Fax (155314)

MORE INFORMATION

In order to fax from Word during a mail merge, the fax number needs to be formatted correctly or the fax may not be delivered.

When faxing in Word, the data source can come from a variety of programs. This article will discuss two types of data sources: databases and the Personal Address Book from Microsoft Exchange.

Databases

Word can access data from several different data sources, such as Word documents, Microsoft Excel worksheets/workbooks, Microsoft Access databases, and comma-delimited or tab-delimited text files. When you merge a document with any of these databases, the fax merge field should be formatted in any one of the following ways:

   9, (XXX) ###-####
   9, XXX-###-####
   9, XXX#######
   [FAX:9,XXX-###-####]
				

In these examples, "9," is used at the beginning of the number (in some offices you must dial 9 first and wait for a dial tone in order to access an outside line). The "9" can be omitted if you do not need to dial 9 to access an outside line. "XXX" is optional if the fax numbers are local and do not require an area code.

Personal Address Book

There are several types of address book entries in the Personal Address Book. The three entries you are most likely to use for a fax number in a mail merge are

• Fax
• Other Address
• Personal Distribution List

To format these entries, use the method appropriate for the type of entry you are using.

Method 1: If you use the Fax entry to create the address:

The fax information should be entered in the format (<area code>)<space><fax number>, as in the following example: The hyphen is optional.

Method 2: If you use the Other Address entry to create an address:

Use the following fields on the New-Address tab:

   Display Name:   John Doe
   E-mail address: [FAX: 9,XXX-###-####]
   E-mail type:    FAX
				

NOTE: When you reopen the properties for this type of address, the "New- Address" tab will now read "FAX-Address." The actual Fax Number field from the "Phone Numbers" tab will not be used by Word with this method. See the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more information on fields not available in Word. Method 3: If you use a Personal Distribution List:

Ensure that the entries used (that is, Fax or Other Address) comply with Methods 1 and 2.