PRB: "Wrong Version of Word Is Running. Mail Merge Cancelled"

ID: Q113804

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, version 2.6

SYMPTOMS

FoxPro version 2.6 contains a Mail Merge Wizard that allows data to be output in a variety of formats. If Microsoft Word version 6.0 for Windows is running, is first in the MS-DOS search path, or is the only version of Word available and Microsoft Word version 2.0 for Windows is chosen as the output format, the mail merge will be cancelled with the following error message:

   The wrong version of Microsoft Word is running. Mail Merge cancelled.

NOTE: This error will also occur if the file sent to Word is empty.

RESOLUTION

To avoid this problem, do one of the following:

• If a delimited file is required, choose Word for MS-DOS or Other as the word processor. This will create an output file of ASCII-delimited data. You must then manually start the desired version of Word and begin the mail merge in order to use this file.

  -or-

• If both Word version 6.0 for Windows and Word version 2.0 for Windows are installed on the same computer, start the desired version of Word before starting the Mail Merge Wizard.

  -or-

• If Word version 2.0 is the only version available, do not select Word version 6.0 as the output format from the Mail Merge Wizard.

MORE INFORMATION

The Mail Merge Wizard initiates a DDE session with Word and verifies which version of Word is running.

The mail merge function was enhanced significantly in Word version 6.0 to allow use of the Windows ODBC drivers. The ODBC drivers allow Word to directly access data from a FoxPro table and allow access to memo field data. Word version 2.0, however, requires that the data be copied to an ASCII-delimited file prior to the merge and does not allow the use of memo field data.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Start Word version 6.0 for Windows.

2. Start the FoxPro Mail Merge Wizard.

3. Select any data table.

4. Select Word version 2.0 for Windows as the word processor.

5. Choose Finish to skip to step 5, and then choose Finish again.

The error should now occur.