How To Create A Membership Directory In Word

Introduction

This tutorial walks you through the steps to print your directory using a CSV file and a mail merge in Word 2016. This is a complex tutorial which utilizes advanced features within Word 2016. In order to try to make this accessible, each step has been documented as thoroughly as possible with screenshots. If you have any questions please ask in the support forums.

Take a moment to review the requirements before proceeding.

The Step by Step section lists the steps from a high level perspective. Each individual step is a link to the detailed steps you must follow to complete the step. After you complete the detailed steps, return to the Step by Step section and click the link to go to the next set of steps.

Requirements

Microsoft Word 2016
CSV file exported from your directory.

Step by Step

These are the high level steps you must follow. Each step is linked to the section in the tutorial which breaks down the step into much more detail.

Export the directory as a CSV file.
Create the Mail Merge document.
Process the Mail Merge.
Print the completed merged document.

Export Directory

Navigate to the Connections : Tools admin page and then click the Export tab.

Tools : Export Tab
Scroll to the bottom of the page.
Click the Export button in the Export All section.

Tools : Export All
Be patient while the directory is being exported to a CSV file. After the export has completed you will be prompted to save the file.

Export Progress
When prompted to save the file, save it to your Desktop.
Proceed to the Create Mail Merge Document step.

Create Mail Merge Document

Open Word and create new blank document.

Create New Document
First click the Mailings tab.

Mailings Tab
Next click the Start Mail Merge button.

Start Mail Merge
- To create a final document where it is one entry per page choose the Letters option from the dropdown.
- To create a final document where the entries flow one right after another choose the Directory option from the dropdown.
Now click the Select Recipients button and then click the Use an Existing List… option.

Select Recipients
Select the CSV file you exported from Connections.
In the popup, choose the Other Encoding option and then choose Unicode (UTF-8) from the encoding options.

Choose File Encoding
Click the Match Fields button and then map the Word fields to the fields within the exported CSV file. The available fields in the CSV file will depend entirely on the data that exists in your directory. The screenshot shows just an example of the mapping. Yours may differ. This step is optional as it is not strictly required in order to complete the mail merge. That said, it is recommended so you can use the Address Block Merge Field.

Match Fields Button

Match Fields – 1

Match Fields – 2

Match Fields – 3
Type in your static text. Static text is the text which will be common for every entry. Examples of static text are labels such as "Address", "Home Phone" and "Cell Phone".
Now you can start inserting you merge fields. Merge fields will be replaced with the data from the CSV file when you complete the mail merge.
To insert a merge field click the Insert Merge Field button and choose the desired field from the drop down. Before you insert a merge field you should place your cursor where you want the merge field to be placed. Repeat this step as many times as necessary to insert all your desired merge fields.
- If you wish to insert the logo or photo from the directory entry you will need to follow the steps outlined in the Insert Image Merge Field section.
This step is optional. By default Word will create one page for each record in the CSV file when processing the mail merge. This can lead to a lot of unused space in the final document. Although it is possible to control the number of records per page that is outside the scope of this tutorial. What is more easily achievable is to have the records flow on the page one right after another. To do this insert a Text Wrapping break after all the other mail merge fields.

Insert Image Merge Field

Inserting an Image Merge Field is tricky when the source file is a remote URL like those within the CSV file.

Click the Insert tab.
Next click the Quick Parts button and choose the Field… option from the dropdown. This will open the Field popup panel.

Quick Parts
Choose the IncludePicture option from the Please choose a field option list.

Quick Parts Field Options
In the Field properties section you will find a text input for the Filename or URL. What you enter in this field is not important since it will be replaced in a following step. For now, simply enter "IMAGE".

IncludePicture Filename
In the Field options section check the Resize Horizontally from source and Resize Vertically from source options. Uncheck all the remaining options.

IncludePicture Properties
Click the OK button to insert the merge field. You should end up with a box with a red X and warning text saying the image can not be found. This is ok and expected, do not panic. If instead you see something like this { INCLUDEPICTURE "IMAGE" \x \y } that is ok too. This just means you are already in the Field Codes view mode in which you will need to be in order to complete the next steps.

Linked Image Cannot Be Displayed Error
Enter the Field Codes view by hitting ALT + F9. You should see { INCLUDEPICTURE "IMAGE" \x \y } where you inserted the Image Merge Field.
Click the Mailings tab.
Use your mouse to select the IMAGE text from within the quotes. Do not select the quotes as they are important.

Select the IMAGE text from within the field code.
Now click the Insert Merge Field button and choose either the Photo_URL or Logo_URL from the drop down. Which one you choose depends on which image you want to be inserted. If you select Photo_URL the IMAGE text will be replaced with { MERGEFIELD Photo_URL }. The entire image merge field should look like this { INCLUDEPICTURE "{ MERGEFIELD Photo_URL }" \x \y }.

Insert Frame

First you must enable the Developer tab if it is not visible.

To insert a Frame follow these steps:

Click the Developer tab.

Tools : Export Tab
Click the Toolbox icon.

Developer Toolbox Button
In the Legacy Forms section, click the Insert Frame option.

Insert Frame Button
The mouse cursor will change from the arrow to a cross.
Click and drag where you want the frame to be placed within the page.

Draw Frame
After you draw the frame, double click the right mouse button within the frame you just drew. This will select all the contents within the frame.

Draw Frame
Click the Layout tab.

Layouts Tab
Change the Indent and Spacing values to all be 0 (zero).

Change Indent and Spacing values to 0.
(optional) Click the Home tab and click the Text Center Alignment button. Important, the frame content should still be selected for the text alignment to be properly applied.

Text Alignment

Text Alignment Centered
Left click on the Frame Anchor.

Left click on the Frame anchor.
Click the Format Frame… option from the left click menu list.

Format Frame
In the popup choose the desired Text wrapping.

Frame Text Wrapping
In the Size section set the Width option to Exactly and then size the desired image width; eg. 3″.

Frame Width
Now set the Image Height to Auto, leaving the dimension blank.

Frame Height
Click the OK button.
Left click on the Frame Anchor.
Click the Borders and Shading… option from the left click menu list.

Borders and Shading
In the pop choose the desired border options.

Borders and Shading Properties
Click the Options button.
Set the values on the popup for Top/Left/Bottom/Right to 0 (zero).

Borders and Shading Options
Insert the Image Merge Field within the Frame as covered in the Insert Image Merge Field section.

Insert Image Field within Frame

Insert Text Wrapping Break

Click the Layout tab.
Next click the Breaks button.
Now click the Text Wrapping button from the dropdown.
After you click the Text Wrapping button, hit the Enter key at least once. This is an important step because the feature does not seem to work correctly unless it is followed by a paragraph return. That is what is inserted when you hit the Return key in Word. With the Hidden Formatting Symbols toggled on the last three characters should be the Text Wrapping Break followed by two paragraph break symbols as shown in the screenshot.

Finish & Merge

To complete the mail merge, click the Finish & Merge button and select the Edit Individual Documents… option from the dropdown.
Choose the All option from the popup and then click the OK button. This will create a new document with a page for each entry from the CSV file. To have the entries flow one right after another versus one per page, see the Tips and Tricks sections.
If you have inserted images which the sources are the URLs from the CSV file they will appear to be incorrect. Do not panic. This is just a quirk in Word. To correct this select the entire documents contents with the CTRL + A keyboard shortcut and then refresh the merge using the F9 keyboard shortcut. This will force Word to update all the image merge fields. If you have a lot of images Word may appear to have stopped responding. This is normal and should be expected. Be patient.
Finally, save your document.

Print

Congratulations! If you have reach this step you have successfully completed the mail merge. That was the most difficult part of this tutorial. Finally, you can print the final mail merged document.

First click the File tab.
Next click the Print option.
Choose you Printer and change its settings as desired.
Finally click the Print button.

Tips and Tricks

Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL + A :: Select All
F9 :: Refresh Mail Merge
ALT + F9 :: Toggle Merge Field Codes View

Toggle Hidden Formatting Symbols

Toggling the hidden formatting symbols while creating your mail merge document can be extremely helpful in seeing if you have properly inserted the Text Wrapping Break. Here is how you toggle them on and off.

Click the Home tab.
Now click the ¶ button. This will display the hidden formatting symbols.
Clicking the button again will hide them.

Toggle Merge Field Codes

Toggling the mail merge field codes while creating your mail merge document can be extremely helpful in formatting your mail merge document. Also, it is required if you plan on inserting the entry photo or logo. To learn more about this see the Insert Image Merge Field section.

Toggle their visibility by hitting the ALT + F9 keys. Using that keyboard shortcut once will display the merge field codes. Using the keyboard shortcode again will hide them.

Enable Developer Tab

Follow these steps to enable the Developer Ribbon Tab.

Click the File tab.
Click the Options button.
In the Options popup click the Customize Ribbon panel.
Under the Customize Ribbon section, check the Developer option.
Click the OK button.
This will add a new Developer tab in the Word Ribbon between the View and Help Ribbon tabs.

Troubleshooting

Image Size

The photos in the merged document will probably be the wrong size.

To provide a little more control of the image size you can place the image within a Frame. See the Insert Frame section for step by step instructions. You will be able to define the width of the Frame and the height of the image will be scaled proportionally to fit the width.

Do not attempt to change the picture in the Mail Merge document. Such as scale and cropping. If you do so, the change will appear to work but Word will change the image back as soon as you complete the mail merge. This is the correct behaviour, Word will reset the image to its original size. There are two workarounds:

After you complete the Mail Merge you can correct each image.
You can place the image within a Frame which will allow you to define a width and the height will scale proportionally to fit. This is covered step by step in the Insert Image Frame section.

Image Rotation

The photos in the merged document may be turned horizontally rather than vertically. Unfortunately the only solution is to correct the incorrectly oriented images after you have completed the merge.

Missing Images

You may notice in your finished merge document that some of the images are missing, with a red X box in their place. That is what Word does if during the merge when an image does not exist. Unfortunately the only solution is to delete these after you have completed the merge.

FAQs

None so far :)