How to auto-populate Word Document from Excel

Hello 1234Pete, Thanks for contacting us, Yes, you can use Mail Merge in Microsoft Word to auto-populate a Word document from an Excel spreadsheet. Here's how: In Excel, make sure your data is organized into columns with headers, such as "Client Number", "Name", "Email", and "Phone". Save your Excel spreadsheet and close it. Open a new Word document and create a template with the placeholders for the data you want to insert, such as <

Hi,

Thank you for your response. I was able to get everything working up until the "Update Labels". From the template and "Finish & Merge" it made a new document with the filled in fields. When I overwrote the client number, the "Update Labels" stayed greyed out. Changing any of the fields still kept it greyed out. What do I need to do so that the document can be updated?

Thank you!

Peter

Mail Merge is the "poor man's" method and the best way is to make use of a UserForm.

See the following pages of Greg Maxey's website

http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Create_and_employ_a_UserForm.htm

http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Populate_UserForm_ListBox.htm

Hi,

Thank you for your response. I was able to get everything working up until the "Update Labels". From the template and "Finish & Merge" it made a new document with the filled in fields. When I overwrote the client number, the "Update Labels" stayed greyed out. Changing any of the fields still kept it greyed out. What do I need to do so that the document can be updated?

Thank you!

Peter

Doug has more expertise than just about anyone answering questions here. There is certainly no one who has more expertise.

I agree that UserForms are both powerful and flexible and would meet your needs. The links he gave you lay everything out.

That said, I've been using the Mail Merge method for more than 30 years to successfully prepare draft documents for clients.

If you do Finish and Merge you have a plain document that no longer has any reference to the data. What was filled in during the merge.

My primary merge document is a template, not a document. From that template, a new document is created. That new document is also a primary merge document. I attach the data source and identify the record. There is a macro in the template to do this.

Then I preview for that record. I make changes to the document adding and deleting information.

I run a macro that locks all of the merge fields and changes that document from being a merge document and save it.

If I need to make changes that involve the data source, I re-run the first macro that (1) unlocks the merge fields, re-attaches the data source, and again has me identify the appropriate record. I am back to the preview part at this point.

I would be happy to share my macros.

I developed this method prior to using UserForms much. It stretches what Mail Merge is intended to do.

Both methods involve vba programming.

Doug may be correct in characterizing this as the "poor man's method."

I am happy with my method. I've trained multiple secretaries and assistants in my office to use it.