Suppress Blank Lines in a mail merge

Anonymous
2010-09-17T14:37:31+00:00

Using Word 2007, I am creating a mail merge. Some addresses have one line, some have two (Suite number, etc.) I want to suppress the second address field only if it is blank, so there are no blank lines in the document after I perform the merge. In older versions of Word, I remember a check box for "suppress blank fields" but I can't seem to find that in 2007.

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2010-09-17T14:59:46+00:00

In general, blank lines are automatically suppressed, but only if they end in a paragraph break, not a line break. Consequently, the default is not a solution for me and perhaps not for you, either. So you have to use an IF field. Assuming your two address lines are the merge fields Address1 and Address2, you'd have something like this.

{ MERGEFIELD Address1 }<line break>

{ IF { MERGEFIELD Address2 } = "" "" "{MERGEFIELD ADDRESS2}<line break>" }

The way that will actually appear in your document is:

{ MERGEFIELD Address1 }

{ IF { MERGEFIELD Address2 } = "" "" "{MERGEFIELD ADDRESS2}

" }

By putting the line break inside the FalseText quotes, you ensure that thereis a line break only if the line contains text; otherwise, there will be no line.

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-05-03T17:41:10+00:00

    HERE IS HOW YOU DO IT .... in 2010

    It's amazing some of you "masters of the program" missed this one...

    1. Right Click the code that represents the field that you want to collapse when blank
    2. Click "Edit Field"
    3. Clickl "Field Codes"

    4 Click "Options"

    1. Click "Field Specific Switches" tab

    6 Click " \F"

    1. Click OK then OK

    Proceed with the rest of the mail merge process....

    www.brightinsight.com

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-11-15T15:40:37+00:00

    Yes it works just as well. Create the labels in the usual way, selecting your data source. Then click in the first label and click "Address Block". This field you then copy to each label. When you "Preview Results" you will see your address data without the blank lines on each label.

    John

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-09-09T20:29:17+00:00

    I've been using Mail Merge in Word 2003 for years.

    This occurs when making Labels to stick on envelopes for mailing.

    If you Merge it with an Excel File which contains a list of addresses (one column being "Address 1" and another "Address 2") -- some people will not have any data in the column "Address 2".

    So it will/should merge like this Example:

    Bob Smith

    123 Main Street

    Smallville, NY 12345

    Others WILL have data in the "Address 2" column and it will merge like this:

    Mary Jones

    Pennville Village

    321 Oak Lane

    Smallville, NY 12345

    However, Word 2010 will Merge the first example WITHOUT suppressing the blank field (empty line) so it shows up like this after being merged:

    Bob Smith

    123 Main Street

    Smallville, NY 12345

    You are right, I had to "revert" back to Word 2003 for this to Merge correctly - which is ridiculous - WHY install Word 2010 if you have to "revert" back to a previous version for something to work CORRECTLY? Why not simply have an option (check box) that says "suppress blank fields"?

    The whole "DEFAULT" to "html spacing" is ridiculous throughout all of Word 2010! 

    I'm not setting up a webpage - I'm typing a business letter/important documents. 

    If I WANT an extra line inserted, I'll INSERT one.

    Had my company not recently installed Word 2010 on our computers, I would have stuck to Word 2003.

    Don't get me wrong – I'm not opposed to changing things to make them better, more efficient.  What I don't understand is they change them to a point where you have to learn everything all over again!

    I've been using Word & Excel for years and know hundreds of tricks and short cuts – but because everything is so different and in different places, I have to re-learn how to do it or figure out WHERE it is!  I have enough work as it is for my job – besides having to re-learn everything again for Microsoft! (unless Microsoft wants to cut me a paycheck!)

    Things/short-cuts that made me more productive, are now in different places, and I have become less productive.

    I just don't get it.  Making things easier – yes; but changing them so I don't recognize it anymore?

    The Toolbars were great – everything I needed was right there in front of me…now I find myself searching among the tabs of the ribbon just to find basic things….yes, I know I can "customize" the ribbon, but that only puts more tabs up there.

    I'm working harder using something that supposedly was going to make things "better".

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-01-27T15:21:59+00:00

    instead of suppressing a line for blank field, i work the opposite way, creating a line if the field is not blank

    go to:

    mailings -> rules -> if/then

    if (address2) is not blank then

    in first box, hit the enter key to make a line

    in the second box, nothing

    then when you get back to the word doc, press F9 to see merge codes, and insert address2 field on the blank line created.

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