WD: INCLUDETEXT or DATABASE Fields in Mail Merge Main Documents Do Not Update Correctly (330554)

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

The INCLUDETEXT or DATABASE fields in a mail merge main document may update differently than expected.

For example, you may experience either of the following behaviors:

The INCLUDETEXT or DATABASE fields do not update when you scroll through the records by using the Next and Previous commands on the Mail Merge toolbar. You must manually update the field for each record navigation.

-or-
The INCLUDETEXT or DATABASE fields are never updated. Each form letter contains the same text information regardless of how it is viewed, updated, or printed.

CAUSE

This issue may occur if you have applied any of the following Word updates:

Word 2002 Update: October 16, 2002
Word 2000 Update: October 16, 2002
Word 97 for Windows Patch

This issue occurs because the Word update changes the default behavior of some fields in Word documents.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, edit the FieldCalcSecurityLevel registry value to modify the default behavior of the INCLUDETEXT or DATABASE field.

For information about how to edit the FieldCalcSecurityLevel registry value, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

330079 WD: How the Behavior of the Word Fields Changes After You Install the Word Update

You can configure the FieldCalcSecurityLevel value as follows:

Level 0: Word reverts to the previous field behavior.
Level 1: Word does not update the INCLUDETEXT or DATABASE fields when you scroll through the records by using the Next and Previous commands on the Mail Merge toolbar. You must manually update each record navigation.

NOTE: To manually update a field, select the field that you want, and then press F9 (or right-click the field, and then click Update Field).
Level 2: Word never recalculates INCLUDETEXT or DATABASE fields. Each form letter contains the same text information regardless of how it is viewed, updated, or printed.

MORE INFORMATION

Mail merge main documents frequently contain mail merge fields embedded in INCLUDETEXT fields. These fields are used to change large parts of the form letter contents for each record. The following are examples of mail merge fields embedded in INCLUDETEXT fields:

  {if {Mergefield Amount_Owed} >= "0"  {INCLUDETEXT  c:\\moneyowed.txt}}}

-and-

{Includetext  {mergefield TextFile}}

For additional information about how to use the INCLUDETEXT field, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

299837 WD2000: How to Merge a Single Data Source to Multiple Letters with IncludeText

212041 WD: Using IncludeText and Link Fields with Word

211786 WD2000: How to Use AutoText Entries to Merge a Single Data Source to Multiple Letters