4.12 Merging Document

4.12.1 Basic Concept of merging documents

Within a word processor there may be a number of ancillary programs, which can be used in conduction with word-processed documents to enhance the standard facilities. One such facility is the Merging documents. With this facility it is possible to produce a standard letter into which the name and address and other details of a number of people in turn are merged with the text of the letter and a series of individual letters are printed. Each recipient of the latter receives an original print. Even one can print Labels and envelopes or catalogs by using mail-merge feature of MS-Word.

Mail-merge is the printing of a bunch of a similar documents by merging the information I one document, called the main or master document, with what is essentially a database of variable information in a second document, called the data source.

Word is equipped with Mail Merge Helper to create guide the user through organizing the address data, merging it into a generic document and printing the resulting personalized documents.

4.12.2 Create a master document?

A master document is a document that contains a set of related documents. Use a master document to organize and maintain a long document by dividing it into smaller, more manageable subdocuments. For example, use a master document to organize chapters of a book. In a workgroup, store a master document on a network to share ownership of a document by dividing it into individual subdocuments that can be worked on simultaneously by different users.

Creating a master document and subdocuments

To create a master document, you start with an outline in outline view and then designate headings in the outline as subdocuments. When you save the master document, Word assigns names to each subdocument based on the text you use in the outline headings. You can also convert an existing document to a master document and then divide it into subdocuments, or you can add existing documents to a master document to make them subdocuments. 

Working with a master document

In a master document, you can quickly change the top-level structure of the document by adding, removing, combining, splitting, renaming, and rearranging subdocuments. You can also create a table of contents, index, cross-references, and headers and footers for all of the subdocuments. The master document's template applies to all the subdocuments, so the entire document has a consistent design. Printing a master document is a fast way to print all the subdocuments without opening them individually.

You use outline view to work with a master document. By default, all subdocuments are hidden when you open a master document, but you can expand or collapse subdocuments or switch in or out of normal view to show or hide detail.

Working with subdocuments

In a subdocument, you can work just as you would work in any other Word document — add, remove, and edit text and graphics; check spelling; print part of the document; and so on. To work with the contents of a subdocument, open it from the master document. When subdocuments are collapsed in the master document, each subdocument appears as a hyperlink. When you click the hyperlink, Word displays the subdocument in a separate document window.