Word does not recognize fox free tables as a valid data source

[USMA99]

What do I need to do to allow Fox tables to be a data source in say a mail merge document in Word? Currently it is not among the listed valid choices within Word. Ideally, I'd like to have diverse machines with Office97/2000 running NT 4.0 and Win2000 be able to do this. Help in Word/Fox is not specific enough, pointing to an ODBC driver issue, (vfpodbc.dll?) an area in which I am unfamiliar.

Thank you for any input

 

[ramani]

Hi download from the following link.
Read the Readme.txt provided.
Edit and analyse the MERGE class provided by the author.
Hope this helps you. ramani :-9
(Subramanian.G)
FoxAcc
ramani_g@yahoo.com
LET KNOW IF THIS HELPED. ENOUGH EXPERTS ARE HERE TO HELP YOU OUT! BEST OF LUCK

 

[DEDMOD]

I think Ramani forgot to attach his link. Anyway, I'm sure you can use free tables. I just tested it on both Word '95 and Word 2002 and it work on both, though somewhat differently. You need to remember to click on Visual FoxPro table and not Visual FoxPro database when being asked what sort of connection you want. And you have to browse to find the directory. So far I've had to browse each time, but probably there's something I'm not doing right to make it remember where the table directory is.

If you still are having problems, please give details of what you're doing and we'll try to get things straight.

Dave Dardinger

 

[USMA99]

Yes, I have also been able to use free tables as a data source in Word. However, I have switched jobs and am trying to do the same thing in a new location. Somehow, I need to make Word "see" and understand the data format. I can choose the file, but it is not understood. Help points me toward ODBC drivers, but does not tell me exactly what to do. I do not want to run a VFP class, I want to alter the various machines throughout the building to be able to do merges using my Fox tables.
Thanks

 

[DEDMOD]

Well, I don't have Word 2000, so I'll tell you what I did for Word 2002, which hopefully will be similar. If it isn't I'll give you what to do in Word 95.

First you need an ODBC driver. They are easiest to create in Windows. In Windows 2000 do Start/Settings/control panel/Administrative tools/data sources/add. Now select the Visual FoxPro driver and click 'finish'. This will bring up a dialog box. Enter whatever name and description you want. Select the radio button for 'free table directory' and use browse at the bottom to find the directory with the table you want. Click ok twice and you're done.

Now in Word 2002 here's how you connect to that ODBC connection. Pull up the document you want the connection to be in and click on Tools/Letters and mailings/mail merge wizard. In step 3 of the wizard , 'select receipients', select browse under 'use an existing list'. This will bring up a window. Double click on 'Connect to a new data source'. In the next window select 'ODBC DSN' Click 'next' and this will bring up a list of data sources, including the one you created in the step above. select it, then the free table you want in the next box. Click 'finish' and you will be given an opportunity to sort your data however you want. Click ok and you're finally ready to insert your data into your document.

Actually it sounds more complicated than it is. For one thing, once the ODBC connection is created you can use it on any table in your free table directory. So you could use a fox program to create temporary tables in your directory and then print letters or whatever using them simply by selecting the appropriate table. As long as the document has the same names for the merge fields you can simply substitute a new file for the old one.

Hope this helps

Dave Dardinger