Word Mail Merge Template Workflow
Use this skill for repeatable Word document assembly: letters, contracts, HR forms, invoices, reports, and other templates that combine structured data with DOCX formatting.
Workflow
- Clarify the template model: classic mail merge fields, content controls, bookmarks, custom document properties, placeholder text, or a custom DOCX assembly pipeline.
- Identify the data source and shape: CSV, Excel, JSON, database rows, one-record-per-document, repeated tables, optional clauses, images, or signatures.
- Preserve the template. Work from a clean master copy and generate outputs into a separate folder.
- Choose the safest fill strategy:
- Use Word mail merge when the user needs Word-native merge behavior.
- Use content controls for structured templates that should remain editable.
- Use direct OOXML or a templating library for repeated sections, conditionals, and package-level control.
- Protect formatting by replacing field values inside existing runs where possible. Avoid rebuilding paragraphs unless the template is simple.
- Handle edge cases explicitly: missing data, long values, date/number formatting, optional sections, blank rows, page breaks, headers/footers, and tracked changes.
- Validate generated documents by checking field completion, formatting, page count, section breaks, table rows, filenames, and any required PDF export.
Common Fix Patterns
- Fields left unresolved: distinguish display text from field-code instructions and update fields in Word when needed.
- Formatting changes after merge: replace within runs or content controls rather than replacing whole paragraphs.
- Repeated rows or clauses: model repeats as tables or block-level OOXML, not simple string replacement.
- Data formatting: normalize dates, currency, line breaks, and locale-specific values before merge.
- Auditability: keep a manifest of source record IDs and output filenames for batch runs.
Outputs
Provide:
- A clear template/data mapping.
- A safe generation workflow or implementation.
- A validation checklist for batch output quality.
- Notes about which steps require Word desktop field updates or PDF export.
Read references/requirement-plan.md only when the demand-agent evidence is needed.