Use the Mail Merge Wizard to Make Mass Mailings Easy

The Mail Merge feature in Word, which you can use to create many personalized letters from one standard letter, has always been a timesaver. But it was also tricky to learn and use, especially for new users. Not anymore! The new Mail Merge Wizard in Word version 2002 walks you through every step of the process. It helps you:

1.            Select the type of document: letter, label, envelope, or even e-mail message.

2.            Open or create a list of recipients, or choose individuals from your Outlook Contacts.

3.            Insert merge fields, such as name and address, into the document.

4.            Preview the document and remove any recipients before merging.

5.            Print the finished documents.

To access this new feature:

1.            On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and click Mail Merge Wizard.

2.            When the Mail Merge task pane appears, simply follow the instructions.

 82 Microsoft Word Tips and Tricks

View or Modify Formatting with the Task Pane


You can use the new Reveal Formatting task pane in Word 2002 to view a detailed description of any text in your document. You can also use it to modify or clear the formatting; compare the formatting of different selections, or to find blocks of text with similar formatting. Here's how to use it:


1.            Select the text you want to examine or reformat.

2.            From the Format menu, select Reveal Formatting.

3.            Do any of the following:

§                               To change any formatting properties, click one of the underlined commands from within the task pane, and then change any options you want in the dialog box that appears.

§                               To determine the formatting source, such as whether the formatting comes from a style, select the Distinguish style source check box.

§                               To show formatting marks, such as paragraph marks and tabs, select the Show all formatting marks check box.

§                               To format a text selection like the text that surrounds it, select the text. In the Selected text box, click the arrow, and then click Apply Formatting of Surrounding Text.

§                               To view a feature-by-feature comparison of your text selection with another block of text, select the Compare to another section check box and then select another block of text.

Editor's Note: You can also open the Reveal Formatting task pane by choosing What's This? on the Help menu or selecting text within your document and pressing SHIFT+F1.