Export Excel Data to Existing Word Form

[noveske]

I've been searching for this solution but was unable to find what I needed. I've come across pulling full tables or just something not close to what I need it to do. Linking would just update the boxes. I just assume saving the document would just copy the same link. So then it would just keep updating. Saving as PDF would be a solution for that. But I wasn't able to find one that would fill in an existing form. It would create a new one with generic format.

The Excel Macro-Enabled Template and Word Template will be in the same folder.

I am trying to enter data in Excel then have it fill in the boxes in Word. The Word document form is an existing one that needs to be filled in. Could be done actively or run once completed. Once completed it would just need to be saved as a Word document or PDF.

Would using RTF Controls be the best solution? I was hoping to find something similar to modify, but had no luck.

 

[Joe4]

Why wouldn't you just do a mail merge from Excel into Word?

 

[noveske]

Why wouldn't you just do a mail merge from Excel into Word?

Didn't know that was a thing. So Mail merge, Categories, Fields then. Seems easy enough. I'll give that a shot.

 

[noveske]

Would that mean everything would be done by column?
I'm stuck after adding fields to Word.

Everything is for mailing purposes and replicating for mass mailing.

Not seeing anything for just a basic copy to field.

 

[Joe4]

There are usually two parts of a mail merge:
1. A data source (can be an Excel file - each row is a different record to merge)
2. A Word template, holding the text and fields to merge into

You basically map the Excel fields to the Word template, and perform the merge.
If your Word document is 3 pages long, and you have 10 rows (records) in your Excel data source, you would end up with 30 pages (10 copies of your three page Word Document will all fields populated).

If you do a Google or YouTube search on "Excel - Word Mail Merge", you should be able to find tons of tutorials, documentations, and examples. So you can choose whichever medium is most beneficial to you for learning.

 

[noveske]

So I do have a Word template with the fields.
Then then the data source. I would need each row to merge to a field.
Where it doesn't utilize the first row for headers.
Headers/field names would go down in the column.

Really didn't find anything close.
This would be a report filled out when something happens. An isolated occurrence.
So I guess I'm seeing mail merge as all the incidents already happened or they are logged for the entire day ahead of time.
Then it's generated in mass and that's all I see tutorials, documentations and examples of.
Nothing close or beneficial unless I am just completely overlooking something.

Purpose was to just make it a form with blocks for people who somehow manage to mess up the Word Template. Not the actual Template, but once it opens, they manage to throw it off.

Perhaps I'm just bad at explaining what I'm trying to accomplish.

 

[Joe4]

Yeah, it is a little confusing as to what you are working with and what you are after.

If it was me, I would probably look at doing this all in Microsoft Access instead, where you can have Entry Forms and Reports, and they all tie nicely together.
Of course, you would have to create data tables and structure them properly, according to the Rule of Normalization, in order to allow you to do all that you want.
Not really a project for an Access newbie, but an experienced programmer.

 

[noveske]

Yeah, it is a little confusing as to what you are working with and what you are after.

If it was me, I would probably look at doing this all in Microsoft Access instead, where you can have Entry Forms and Reports, and they all tie nicely together.
Of course, you would have to create data tables and structure them properly, according to the Rule of Normalization, in order to allow you to do all that you want.
Not really a project for an Access newbie, but an experienced programmer.

The purpose of trying to make it into a fill-out form was to simplify it even more for people who had difficulty filling out the form in Word...

Introducing Access would be even worse.

So there's nothing to just copy Excel cells into tagged/labeled fields in Word without the use of Mail Merge?

 

[Joe4]

Introducing Access would be even worse.

On the contrary. I created Access databases for some of the least technical people I know. It is really easy to create entry forms in Access, and they deposit the data directly in your table automatically without having to do anything special.
Most of my users had NO idea that they were even using Access, it was that easy for them to use.

So there's nothing to just copy Excel cells into tagged/labeled fields in Word without the use of Mail Merge?

Mail Merge is the easiest way to send data from Excel to Word.
Perhaps there is a way to do it using VBA, but I think that would get very complex, probably way beyond my knowledge.

 

[noveske]

On the contrary. I created Access databases for some of the least technical people I know. It is really easy to create entry forms in Access, and they deposit the data directly in your table automatically without having to do anything special.
Most of my users had NO idea that they were even using Access, it was that easy for them to use.


Mail Merge is the easiest way to send data from Excel to Word.
Perhaps there is a way to do it using VBA, but I think that would get very complex, probably way beyond my knowledge.

Hmm. So that would be an Excel form, data to Access, then to Word?

Something so simple to be so complex.