ISRS Communications Module
Troubleshooting Guide
Symptom
Causes
Solution
When I attempt to run communications from ISRS,
I get a message that says, “Failed to perform Mail
merge! Please check path(s) for word processor /
macro and try again.”
The system cannot find your WINWORD.EXE file
because it has been moved from its original
location or the Path for the Word Processor has
been mistyped.
When I run my letters from the communications
module, it opens word to a blank document and
goes no further.
If the process is opening Word to a blank
document, the failure is with the Macro. One of
these items needs attention:
1. The computer has a Macro Virus and all the
macros are missing.
2. You have upgraded this computer to a
newer version of word and have inadvertently
removed the macros.
3. The path for the document or the document
name in the macros is mistyped.
4. The path/macro in ISRS is naming a macro
that is not created.
This is a function of the Text File and the
connection between the Text File and the
Document. Typically this indicates that the
document is attached to the wrong text file or to a
text file that is not located in the location you
specified in ISRS on the User Mail Merge Set Up
screen.
Search on your computer for the location of the
WINWORD.EXE file. Once you know that
location, go to the User Mail Merge Set Up Screen
in ISRS (CM0110UG) and enter the correct path for
the word processor in the appropriate line. You must
be logged into ISRS as the Communications USER.
Use the Troubleshooting Macros flowchart to
trouble shoot macro problems.
When I run my letters from the communications
module, the wrong names print on the letter.
When I attempt to run communications from ISRS,
it stalls in ISRS and just says “Spawning for Word
Processor.”
This happens because ISRS perceives that your
word processing program is already running on
your computer.
1.
Go to the User Mail Merge Set Up screen
and take note of the “Path for the Data
Source File”
2. Open your document in Word and for
Office 97, 98, 2000 click on Tools/Mail
Merge; for Office XP click on
Tools/Letters and Mailings/Mail Merge
Wizard.
3. Take note of the text file that is attached to
the document. Make sure it is the text file
that is located where you indicated in the
“Path for the Data source File”
Make sure that Microsoft Word is completely closed
on the machine. It cannot be minimized, it must be
closed.
If it appears to be closed, check to make sure that the
application is not installed on the start up menu. If it
is installed in the start up menu, ISRS will perceive
it to be running. You will need to remove it from
there.
When I run my labels from the Communications
Module in ISRS, it does not automatically close
word and take me back to ISRS like it does for the
letters.
This happens because a line of code is missing in
the Label macro.
Sometimes when I print letters, I don’t get all of
them. Some student letters don’t print.
Typically this happens with prospective students
when there is a Stop Communications Date on the
Prospective Student record.
The Stop Communication Date can be populated
manually by someone in admissions when a
prospective student requests to be removed from
the mailing list. It can also be set when the student
applies and the system recognizes that there are
Prospective Communications still in place on that
student’s record.
This is usually caused by a problem with the
Preferred Address Type code. It is the Preferred
Address Type that tells the ISRS communications
module which address to use to send information to
the student.
The address for the student is missing from my
letter.
After they upgraded my computer to a new version
of Microsoft Office, none of my letters will print
Depending on what the symptoms are when “none
of my letters print,” the problem could be attributed
to one of two things.
1. If the process opens word to a blank document,
then it is possible that the Normal.dot file
containing the macros was removed during the
upgrade.
To fix your macro
1. Open Word (you do not need to have a
document open).
2. Click on Tools/Macro/Macros
3. Find the label macro in the list of macros
(usually called label.main)
4. Click once to highlight
5. Click on the Edit button
6. Microsoft Visual Basic will open with your
macro.
7. The macro should be 8 lines long.
8. After the line WordBasic.FileCloseAll you
should have a line that says,
WordBasic.FileExit
9. If this WordBasic.FileExit line is missing,
simply type it in.
10. Save your changes.
In ISRS go to PA0001UG and retrieve the student.
In the lower left of the screen, check to see if the
Stop Communication Date field is populated.
If you still want to generate a prospective student
letter for this student, you can remove the Stop
Communication Date, store and run the letter.
For Prospective Students, the preferred address type
is set on screen PA0001UG.
For Applicants, the preferred address type is set on
screen ST1000UG.
For Admitted students, the preferred address type is
set on screen ST1101UG.
Check to see what type of communication you are
dealing with – Prospective, Applicant or Admitted –
then check to see what the preferred address type is
and make sure that the student has that type of
address in his record.
1. If the NORMAL.DOT file was not attended
to prior to the upgrade and no back up copy
of this file exists, the user will have to
recreate Macros for all of her/his letters. If
a back up copy of the NORMAL.DOT is
available, you can simply replace the empty
file with this back up copy.
When I run my letters, Word opens and then the
Macro opens with the line,
“WordBasic.MailMergetoPrinter” highlighted.
2. If the process opens the document in word but
stalls and displays Visual Basic with the line
WordBasic.MailMergetoPrinter highlighted, then it
is a Microsoft issue in which during upgrades from
one version to another of Word, the connection
between the text file and the document gets broken
and needs to be reconnected.
This is a Microsoft issue in which during upgrades
from one version to another of Word, the
connection between the text file and the document
gets broken and needs to be reconnected.
2.
If the upgrade caused the text file to
become disconnected from the letter, the
user will need to open each letter in Word
and reconnect the text file to the document.
If the upgrade caused the text file to become
disconnected from the letter, the user will need
to open each letter in Word and reconnect the
text file to the document.