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formatting dates



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 7th, 2009, 09:32 PM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
wiersma7
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 19
Default formatting dates

I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was imported
from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However, they imported as
I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to show. How can I format
these dates in my table to reflect only the Birth Date? (rather than going
through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7

  #2  
Old February 7th, 2009, 10:49 PM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
Suzanne S. Barnhill
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 31,786
Default formatting dates

If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric picture
switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively, you can
link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will preserve the native
Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was imported
from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However, they imported as
I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to show. How can I format
these dates in my table to reflect only the Birth Date? (rather than going
through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7



  #3  
Old February 9th, 2009, 12:35 AM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
wiersma7
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 19
Default formatting dates

The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I understand the
premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm not sure how
to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the switch as a field to the
spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't seem to work. I guess I'm asking if
you can simplify it for me. I would like to change the format of 01/01/09 to
January 1. (btw - I do know how to do it in Excel )

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the text:
'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric picture
switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively, you can
link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will preserve the native
Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was imported
from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However, they imported
as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to show. How can I
format these dates in my table to reflect only the Birth Date? (rather
than going through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7




  #4  
Old February 9th, 2009, 01:56 AM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
Suzanne S. Barnhill
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 31,786
Default formatting dates

You press Alt+F9 to display the field code of your merge field (such as
«BdayA1», which will show { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }) and add the switch to that
field.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I understand the
premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm not sure
how to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the switch as a field to
the spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't seem to work. I guess I'm
asking if you can simplify it for me. I would like to change the format of
01/01/09 to January 1. (btw - I do know how to do it in Excel )

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the text:
'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric picture
switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively, you can
link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will preserve the native
Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was
imported from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However, they
imported as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to show. How
can I format these dates in my table to reflect only the Birth Date?
(rather than going through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7







  #5  
Old February 9th, 2009, 07:15 AM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
Graham Mayor
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18,297
Default formatting dates

Specifically { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 \@ "MMMM d" }
Press F9 to update the field and ALT+F9 to toggle the display back again.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
You press Alt+F9 to display the field code of your merge field (such
as «BdayA1», which will show { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }) and add the
switch to that field.


"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I understand
the premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm not
sure how to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the switch as a
field to the spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't seem to work. I
guess I'm asking if you can simplify it for me. I would like to
change the format of 01/01/09 to January 1. (btw - I do know how to
do it in Excel ) Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to
only print the
text: 'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric
picture switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively,
you can link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will
preserve the native Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was
imported from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'.
However, they imported as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want
the years to show. How can I format these dates in my table to
reflect only the Birth Date? (rather than going through each
record) Thanks,
wiersma7



  #6  
Old February 9th, 2009, 05:29 PM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
wiersma7
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 19
Default formatting dates

Yay! It makes sense now. Thanks so much!

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the text:
'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»






Thanks so much for all of your help!
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
You press Alt+F9 to display the field code of your merge field (such as
«BdayA1», which will show { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }) and add the switch to
that field.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I understand the
premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm not sure
how to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the switch as a field to
the spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't seem to work. I guess I'm
asking if you can simplify it for me. I would like to change the format
of 01/01/09 to January 1. (btw - I do know how to do it in Excel )

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the text:
'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric picture
switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively, you
can link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will preserve the
native Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was
imported from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However, they
imported as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to show.
How can I format these dates in my table to reflect only the Birth Date?
(rather than going through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7








  #7  
Old February 9th, 2009, 07:14 PM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
Suzanne S. Barnhill
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 31,786
Default formatting dates

Yes, you need an IF field for this. Although Word makes it relatively easy
to insert IF fields in merge documents (using the Insert Word Field button),
it makes it quite difficult to actually insert merge fields in them, so it's
usually easier to create them from scratch.

1. Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a field, which will be represented by two braces
around two spaces, with the insertion point in the center.

2. Between the braces type IF, then use the keyboard and the Insert Merge
Field button to create the following field:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } = "" "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

Alternatively, you can use:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

The first tells Word, if the data field is blank, to insert nothing,
otherwise to insert the merge data. The second tells Word to insert the
merge data if the data field is not blank.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
Yay! It makes sense now. Thanks so much!

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the text:
'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»






Thanks so much for all of your help!
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
You press Alt+F9 to display the field code of your merge field (such as
«BdayA1», which will show { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }) and add the switch to
that field.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I understand the
premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm not sure
how to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the switch as a field to
the spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't seem to work. I guess I'm
asking if you can simplify it for me. I would like to change the format
of 01/01/09 to January 1. (btw - I do know how to do it in Excel )

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the
text: 'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric
picture switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively, you
can link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will preserve the
native Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was
imported from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However,
they imported as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to
show. How can I format these dates in my table to reflect only the
Birth Date? (rather than going through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7











  #8  
Old February 10th, 2009, 02:38 AM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
wiersma7
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 19
Default formatting dates

Actually I want to do this with a non merged cell content. I have 'Kid1' as
a merged field all the way through 'Kid7". That is the largest number of
children in a family of the church. Most families, however, have 1 - 4
children. I need to have the label 'Birthday:' before each birth date of
each child (as well as the adults). What I want to happen is:

1. If I have no data or the adult does not want his/her birthdate
published, I do not want the label 'Birthdate:' to appear before
an empty cell/field.

2. I do not want the label 'Birthdate:' to appear when there is no child
name/birthday field info.

For instance: my table has 3 columns:
John Birthdate: January 1
Sally Birthdate: February 1
Kid3 Birthdate:
Kid4 Birthdate:
Kid5 Birthdate:
Kid6 Birthdate:
Kid7 Birthdate:

The Kid3 - 7 fields will be blank because they only have 2 kids. The
Birthday fields will be blank for same reason. The text/label 'Birthdate:'
however is static. I need the label/text to disappear.

I tried putting { IF { MERGEFIELD BdaykK3 } = "" ""} in the 'Birthdate:'
cell, but all I get is MERGEFIELD.

Is this a possibility or am I going to have to do it manually? (really need
a database, I know - but not in budget right now).
Thanks for even taking the time to figure out what I just typed
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Yes, you need an IF field for this. Although Word makes it relatively easy
to insert IF fields in merge documents (using the Insert Word Field
button), it makes it quite difficult to actually insert merge fields in
them, so it's usually easier to create them from scratch.

1. Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a field, which will be represented by two
braces around two spaces, with the insertion point in the center.

2. Between the braces type IF, then use the keyboard and the Insert Merge
Field button to create the following field:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } = "" "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

Alternatively, you can use:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

The first tells Word, if the data field is blank, to insert nothing,
otherwise to insert the merge data. The second tells Word to insert the
merge data if the data field is not blank.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
Yay! It makes sense now. Thanks so much!

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the text:
'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»






Thanks so much for all of your help!
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
You press Alt+F9 to display the field code of your merge field (such as
«BdayA1», which will show { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }) and add the switch to
that field.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I understand the
premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm not
sure how to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the switch as a
field to the spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't seem to work. I
guess I'm asking if you can simplify it for me. I would like to change
the format of 01/01/09 to January 1. (btw - I do know how to do it in
Excel )

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the
text: 'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric
picture switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively, you
can link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will preserve the
native Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was
imported from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However,
they imported as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to
show. How can I format these dates in my table to reflect only the
Birth Date? (rather than going through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7












  #9  
Old February 10th, 2009, 03:20 AM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
Suzanne S. Barnhill
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 31,786
Default formatting dates

Okay, in this case you want these fields across the table (the numbers are
the cells):

1. { IF { MERGEFIELD Kid1 } "" { MERGEFIELD Kid1 } }

2. { IF { MERGEFIELD Kid1 } "" "Birthdate:" }

3. { IF { MERGEFIELD Kid1 } "" { MERGEFIELD BdaykK1 } }

It sounds as if you may not need the IF fields in (1) and (3), but you
definitely would for (2). You would then repeat these three cells for each
Kid row. Each field (pair of braces) must be inserted using Ctrl+F9 with the
exception that you can use the Insert Merge Fields button to insert the
merge fields if you like.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
Actually I want to do this with a non merged cell content. I have 'Kid1'
as a merged field all the way through 'Kid7". That is the largest number
of children in a family of the church. Most families, however, have 1 - 4
children. I need to have the label 'Birthday:' before each birth date of
each child (as well as the adults). What I want to happen is:

1. If I have no data or the adult does not want his/her birthdate
published, I do not want the label 'Birthdate:' to appear
before an empty cell/field.

2. I do not want the label 'Birthdate:' to appear when there is no
child name/birthday field info.

For instance: my table has 3 columns:
John Birthdate: January 1
Sally Birthdate: February 1
Kid3 Birthdate:
Kid4 Birthdate:
Kid5 Birthdate:
Kid6 Birthdate:
Kid7 Birthdate:

The Kid3 - 7 fields will be blank because they only have 2 kids. The
Birthday fields will be blank for same reason. The text/label 'Birthdate:'
however is static. I need the label/text to disappear.

I tried putting { IF { MERGEFIELD BdaykK3 } = "" ""} in the 'Birthdate:'
cell, but all I get is MERGEFIELD.

Is this a possibility or am I going to have to do it manually? (really
need a database, I know - but not in budget right now).
Thanks for even taking the time to figure out what I just typed
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Yes, you need an IF field for this. Although Word makes it relatively
easy to insert IF fields in merge documents (using the Insert Word Field
button), it makes it quite difficult to actually insert merge fields in
them, so it's usually easier to create them from scratch.

1. Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a field, which will be represented by two
braces around two spaces, with the insertion point in the center.

2. Between the braces type IF, then use the keyboard and the Insert Merge
Field button to create the following field:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } = "" "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

Alternatively, you can use:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

The first tells Word, if the data field is blank, to insert nothing,
otherwise to insert the merge data. The second tells Word to insert the
merge data if the data field is not blank.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
Yay! It makes sense now. Thanks so much!

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the
text:
'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»






Thanks so much for all of your help!
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
You press Alt+F9 to display the field code of your merge field (such as
«BdayA1», which will show { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }) and add the switch to
that field.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I understand the
premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm not
sure how to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the switch as a
field to the spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't seem to work. I
guess I'm asking if you can simplify it for me. I would like to change
the format of 01/01/09 to January 1. (btw - I do know how to do it in
Excel )

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the
text: 'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric
picture switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm). Alternatively, you
can link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE DB, which will preserve
the native Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table was
imported from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'. However,
they imported as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't want the years to
show. How can I format these dates in my table to reflect only the
Birth Date? (rather than going through each record)
Thanks,
wiersma7















  #10  
Old February 10th, 2009, 09:05 AM posted to microsoft.public.word.tables
Graham Mayor
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18,297
Default formatting dates

You haven't said how you know whether the adults want their birthdate
withheld, but essentially that second column should have a series of
conditional fields. The following will insert the text Birthdate : in the
second column when the birthday field is not empty. Obviously nothing is
printed in columns one or two when the fields in them are empty.

Column 2
{IF {Mergefield Adult1Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Adult2Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Kid1Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Kid2Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Kid3Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Kid4Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Kid5Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Kid6Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}
{IF {Mergefield Kid7Bday} "" "Birthdate: "}

If however you have a second field that logs whether the adult birthdays,
though present in the data, are to be withheld then you need for the first
two rows in

Column 2
{ IF{ Mergefield Adult1Bday } "" "{ IF{ Mergefield Adult1HideBday } = "
" "Birthdate: " "" }" ""}
{ IF{ Mergefield Adult2Bday } "" "{ IF{ Mergefield Adult2HideBday } = "
" "Birthdate: " "" }" ""}

Column 3
{ IF{ Mergefield Adult1HideBday } " " "{ Mergefield Adult1Bday }" }
{ IF{ Mergefield Adult2HideBday } " " "{ Mergefield Adult2Bday }" }

All fieldnames should reflect the actual field names. The { Mergefield
Adult1HideBday } and { Mergefield Adult2HideBday } are expected to have no
content when the adult does not mind the birthdate being shown - change the
condition as appropriate. Spaces and quotes are as shown. The bracket pairs
{} are all placed with CTRL+F9


--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Wiersma7 wrote:
Actually I want to do this with a non merged cell content. I have
'Kid1' as a merged field all the way through 'Kid7". That is the
largest number of children in a family of the church. Most families,
however, have 1 - 4 children. I need to have the label 'Birthday:'
before each birth date of each child (as well as the adults). What I
want to happen is:
1. If I have no data or the adult does not want his/her birthdate
published, I do not want the label 'Birthdate:' to appear
before an empty cell/field.

2. I do not want the label 'Birthdate:' to appear when there is no
child name/birthday field info.

For instance: my table has 3 columns:
John Birthdate: January 1
Sally Birthdate: February 1
Kid3 Birthdate:
Kid4 Birthdate:
Kid5 Birthdate:
Kid6 Birthdate:
Kid7 Birthdate:

The Kid3 - 7 fields will be blank because they only have 2 kids. The
Birthday fields will be blank for same reason. The text/label
'Birthdate:' however is static. I need the label/text to disappear.

I tried putting { IF { MERGEFIELD BdaykK3 } = "" ""} in the
'Birthdate:' cell, but all I get is MERGEFIELD.

Is this a possibility or am I going to have to do it manually?
(really need a database, I know - but not in budget right now).
Thanks for even taking the time to figure out what I just typed
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Yes, you need an IF field for this. Although Word makes it
relatively easy to insert IF fields in merge documents (using the
Insert Word Field button), it makes it quite difficult to actually
insert merge fields in them, so it's usually easier to create them
from scratch. 1. Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a field, which will be
represented by two
braces around two spaces, with the insertion point in the center.

2. Between the braces type IF, then use the keyboard and the Insert
Merge Field button to create the following field:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } = "" "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

Alternatively, you can use:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 } "" "{ MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }" }

The first tells Word, if the data field is blank, to insert nothing,
otherwise to insert the merge data. The second tells Word to insert
the merge data if the data field is not blank.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
Yay! It makes sense now. Thanks so much!

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print the
text: 'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for my
church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»






Thanks so much for all of your help!
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
You press Alt+F9 to display the field code of your merge field
(such as «BdayA1», which will show { MERGEFIELD BdayA1 }) and add
the switch to that field.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
The table has merge fields from an Excel spreadsheet. I
understand the premise of what the [below address: http:
//www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm] is about - but I'm
not sure how to incorporate that into my table. Do I add the
switch as a field to the spreadsheet? To the table? That doesn't
seem to work. I guess I'm asking if you can simplify it for me. I
would like to change the format of 01/01/09 to January 1. (btw -
I do know how to do it in Excel )

Also, is there way to have a conditional rule (?) to only print
the text: 'Birthday:' if there is a date in the date field?
Below is the simple table (obviously I'm making a directory - for
my church):

«Adult1»
Birthday:
«BdayA1»

Cell:
«CellA1»

Email:
«EmailA1»

Anniversary:
«Anniversary»





Thanks very much for your help so far,
wiersma7


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
If the table was created via a mail merge, you can add a numeric
picture switch to the merge field to constrain the display (see
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm).
Alternatively, you can link to Excel using DDE instead of OLE
DB, which will preserve the native Excel formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Wiersma7" wrote in message
...
I have a table that has birthday dates. The info in the table
was imported from Excel with the dates formatted as 'mmmm dd'.
However, they imported as I entered them: mm/dd/yy. I don't
want the years to show. How can I format these dates in my
table to reflect only the Birth Date? (rather than going
through each record) Thanks,
wiersma7



 




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