Creating and Editing Letter Templates in Microsoft Word
The following instructions refer to Word 97. If you are using an earlier version of Word, please consult Word's own on-line help for further information.
A letter template contains the layout and text of the letter type and information about which fields are present and their position. All automatically generated letters of that type are based on this template, but the fields will be replaced by the actual data for the appropriate client.
When you create a letter using the Create New Letter wizard, the final step requires you to design the letter in Word, if you wish to generate letters of this type automatically.
If you choose to modify an existing letter, you use Microsoft Word to edit the template.
The text of the letter can be entered and formatted using Word as normal. However, at the point where you want an item of client data to appear on the letter, you will need to insert the appropriate field.
Example
If you wanted the appropriate client's Correspondence Name to appear at a certain place in your letter, you must position the cursor at that place and insert the Correspondence Name field.
Inserting a Field
To insert a field, select the Insert Merge Field button, shown above. A list of all available fields will be displayed. Available fields are those which you selected in the Create New Letter wizard or in the Fields page of the Properties window.
Click on the field name with the select mouse button to insert it at the cursor position. The field will appear on the document as shown below.
When you use the Letter Generator to generate letters of this type, the field <<CorresName>> will be replaced by the actual correspondence name of the appropriate client. 'Dear' is normal text and will be displayed as it appears here on all generated letters.
When you have finished designing or editing the letter template, select Save from the Word File menu then select Exit and return to Control Centre. The letter should now be available in the Select Letter window. When you save the letter in Word, DO NOT change the filename of the template (.dot) file.
Note about UTRs in Custom Letters: If you insert a UTR field in a custom letter, Word will add '.00' to the end of the code. To remedy this, do the following:
- Right click on the field and select Toggle field codes
- Replace the text 'MERGEFIELD UTReference' with 'MERGEFIELD \########## UTReference'