How to create an if...then...else rule for mail merge
In Microsoft Word, you can create an IF...THEN...ELSE
rule for mail merge using the IF
field and the THEN
and ELSE
keywords. Here's a step-by-step guide:
Prerequisites:
- Your data source (e.g., Excel spreadsheet, Access database, or CSV file) should be set up and linked to your Word document.
- You should have a basic understanding of mail merge and its syntax.
Creating the IF...THEN...ELSE rule:
- Open your Word document and go to the location where you want to insert the rule.
- Type
IF
followed by a condition (e.g.,IF { MERGEFIELD Company } = "ABC"
). - Use the
THEN
keyword to specify what to do if the condition is true (e.g.,THEN "This is an ABC company"
). - Use the
ELSE
keyword to specify what to do if the condition is false (e.g.,ELSE "This is not an ABC company"
). - Close the
IF
field by typingFI
(without the quotes).
Here's an example:
IF { MERGEFIELD Company } = "ABC" THEN "This is an ABC company" ELSE "This is not an ABC company" FI
How it works:
When you run the mail merge, Word will evaluate the condition specified in the IF
field. If the condition is true, it will insert the text specified in the THEN
clause. If the condition is false, it will insert the text specified in the ELSE
clause.
Tips and variations:
- You can use multiple conditions by using the
AND
orOR
operators. For example:IF { MERGEFIELD Company } = "ABC" AND { MERGEFIELD Industry } = "Tech" THEN...
- You can use nested
IF
statements by using theIF
field multiple times. For example:IF { MERGEFIELD Company } = "ABC" THEN IF { MERGEFIELD Industry } = "Tech" THEN...
- You can use the
IF
field in combination with other mail merge fields, such asMERGEFIELD
orLOOKUP
.