WD97: Data Is Lost When You Type Information Through a Data Form (178937)

For a Microsoft Word 2000 version of this article, see 192734.
For a Microsoft Word 98 version of this article, see 192735.

SYMPTOMS

When you type information by using the data form of your mail-merge data source, some field information may be lost.

NOTE: This problem has been reported to occur when there are nine or more data fields in the data form.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if you use the UP ARROW key or DOWN ARROW key to move between fields in the data form.

NOTE: This problem does not occur in earlier versions of Word because the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys move the insertion point to the left or right, respectively, within the field rather than moving it to a different field in the data form.

WORKAROUND

Use the TAB or ENTER key to move from one field to the next, or use the mouse to click between fields.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

You can display data records in the Data Form dialog box in one of the following ways.

From the Mail Merge Helper Dialog Box

If you are working in the Mail Merge Helper dialog box, click Edit (next to Get Data), and then click the data source you want.

From a Mail-Merge Main Document

If you are working in a mail-merge main document, click Edit Data Source on the Mail Merge toolbar.

From a Word Data Source Displayed in the Document Window

If a Word data source is displayed in a document window, click Data Form on the Database toolbar.

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

141922 WD97: How to Start a Mail Merge