In this article I will explain the Skip Record If Rule used in Mail Merge.

What is it?

The Skip Record If Rule compares the value of a field with a certain value. If the comparison returns true, the current record will not be merged.

Example:
Consider the recipient list below:

Lets say we don’t want the recipients who work for “Google inc” to be merged. We would insert a Skip Record If Rule which compares the recipients Company Name field with the text “Google inc.”. If it matches then that record will be skipped:

As it can be seen from the figure above the first recipient was not merged.

Note: The result of the Skip Record If Rule will only be apparent after the merger has taken place.

How to?

Step 1:
Create the main layout for your document. Create a Recipient List. And Insert any Fields the document may need:

• Word Mail Merge, Address Block
• Word Mailings Greeting Line (Mail Merge) 
• Word Insert Merge Field (Mail Merge)

Step 2: 
Click anywhere in the document.

Step 3:
Click on the Rules button on the Mailings Ribbon. Select the Skip Record If Field:

Step 4:
On the window that opens there are 3 parts:

Field Name:
The field that will be used for the comparison:

Note: The fields were defined when creating the Recipient List.

Comparison:
The method used to compare the field with:

Compare to:
The value to compare the field with:

In the figure above the Company Name is being compared to the text string “Google inc”.

Step 5:
Start the merger:

Result:


You can download the sample file for this article from the link below:

• Skip Record If.Zip

See also:

• Word, Mail Merge
• Word, Mail Merge Recipient List
• Microsoft Office Support, Field Codes: Skip If Field

If you need assistance with your code, or you are looking for a VBA programmer to hire feel free to contact me. Also please visit my website  www.software-solutions-online.com