MS Word Mail Merge Format Switches

There are several formats you can enforce on your merge fields to have them display the way you want them to. In order to do this you need to add a “switch” to the field.

• For example imagine this is an inserted merge field: <<Name>>.
• Right click on the field.
• From here, choose Toggle Field Codes.
• The field will now display as { MERGEFIELD Name }
• The switch should be placed after “Name” but before the curly bracket }.
• For example: { MERGEFIELD Name \* Caps } This will make the first letter of the name appear as a capitol letter, no matter how it exists in the original data source.

\* - Formats
Specifies number formats, capitalization, and character formatting; prevents changes to the format of the field results when a field is updated.

\* Caps – First letter of each word appear as a capitol letter
Example: the rain in Spain => The Rain In Spain

\* FirstCap – The first letter of only the first word appears as a capitol letter
Example: the rain in Spain => The rain in spain

\* Upper – All the letters are capitalized
Example: the rain in Spain => THE RAIN IN SPAIN

\* Lower – All the letters are lower cased
Example: the rain in Spain => the rain in spain

\* alphabetic – Shows letters instead of numbers

• Example: 12345 => abcde
• If you type the code in all caps (ALPHABETIC) the results will be in capitol letters instead.
• Example: 12345 => ABCDE

\* Arabic – Shows numbers in the cardinal format (1, 2, 3).
Example: ii => 2

\* CardText – Shows the cardinal text, formatted in lowercase letters unless you add a format switch to specify a different capitalization.
Example: 342 => three hundred forty two

\* DollarText – Shows the cardinal text, inserts "and" at the decimal place and displays the first two decimals (rounded) as arabic numerators over 100. The result is formatted in lowercase letters unless you add a format switch to specify a different capitalization.
Example: 345.22 => three hundred forty five and 22/100

\* Hex – Shows the hexadecimal numbers. For example,
Example: 458 => 1CA

\* OrdText – Shows the ordinal text, the result is formatted in lowercase letters unless you add a format switch to specify a different capitalization.
Example: 21st => twenty-first

\* Ordinal – Shows the ordinal Arabic text.
Example: 21 => 21st
\* roman – Shows the roman numerals, the result has the same case as the word "roman" in the field code.
Examples: (roman) 16 => xvi
(ROMAN) 16 => XVI

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\# - Numeric Picture
Specifies the display of a numeric result, including the number of decimal places and the use of currency symbols. This switch is called a "picture" switch because you use symbols to represent the format of the field result.

0 – (zero) Specifies the requisite numeric places to display in the result. If the result does not include a digit in that place, Word displays a 0 (zero).
Examples:\# 0.00
0 => 0.00 12 => 12.00 1.2567 => 1.26

# – Specifies the number of spaces to display.
Examples: \# $###
0 => $ 0 12 => $ 12 125.67 => $125.67

x – This will drop the digit to the left of the place holder. If the place holder is to the right of the decimal point. Word will round the results to that place.
Examples: \# x##
123456 => 456 4983 => 983
\# 0.00x
1.23456 => 1.23 .4983 => 0.50

. – (decimal point) Determines the decimal point position.
Example: \# $###.00
0 => $ .00 12 => $ 12.00 1.2567 => $ 1.26

, – (comma, digit grouping symbol) This shows word where to separates a series of three digits.
Example: \# #,###,###
1000 => 1,000 1234567 => 1,234,567 1234.5 => 1,234

- – (minus sign) Adds a minus sign to a negative result, or adds a space if the result is positive or 0 (zero).
Example: \# -$##.00
0 => $ 0.00 -12 => -$12.00 -1.2567 => -$ 1.26

+ – (plus sign) Adds a plus sign to a positive result, a minus sign to a negative result, or a space if the result is 0 (zero).
Example: \# +$##.00
0 => $ 0.00 -12 => -$12.00 1.2567 => +$ 1.26

$, *, and so on – Includes the specified character in the result.
Example: \# “##%”
0 => 0% .12 => 12% 1.2567 => 126%

"positive; negative" – Specifies different number formats for positive and negative results.
Example: \# “$#.00;-$#.00”
10 => $10.00 -12 => -$12.00 1.2567 =>$ 1.27

"positive; negative; zero" – Specifies different number formats for positive, negative and zero results.
Example: \# “$#.00;($#.00);$0”
0 => $0 -12 => (-$12.00) 1.2567 =>$ 1.27

‘text’ – Adds text to the result. Enclose the text in single quotation marks.
Example: \# “$##.00 ‘tax’ ”
0 => $ 0.00 tax 12 => $12.00 tax 1.2567 => 1.26 tax

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\@ Date-Time Picture
Sets the format for fields that have a date or time result.

Date Examples: 2/1/02 8/30/02

\@ "ddd, MMM dd" Fri, Feb 01 Fri, Aug 30
\@ "MMMM d" February 1 August 30
\@ "dddd" Friday Friday
\@ "MMM" Feb Aug
\@ "M/d/yy" 2/1/02 8/30/02
\@ "MM/dd/yy" 02/01/02 08/30/02

Time Examples: 1:05 PM 11:12 am

\@ "h AM/PM" => 1 PM 11 AM
\@ "h am/pm"=> 1 pm 11am
\@ "h A/P" => 1 P 11A
\@ "h a/p" => 1 p 11a
\@ "HH:mm” => 13:05 11:12

Other Examples: 2/1/02, 1:05pm 8/30/02, 11:12am

\@ "M/d h:mm" 2/1 1:05 8/30 11:12
\@ "h:mm am/pm, dddd" 1:05 pm, Friday 11:12 am, Friday
\@ "dd-MMM ‘payday’" 01-Feb payday 30-Aug payday
\@ "MMM d" \* Ordinal Feb 1st Aug 30th