Why are my merge tags not pulling in data?

Through editing of your letters, at times the tag format to pull in your data can be broken. By clicking alt+F9, you can check for unexpected tag formatting errors in letter templates in Microsoft Word. When finished click alt+F9 again to review your letter template from a client perspective.

You can also right click on the tag and if you have grayed-out options for the fields highlighted below to be sure that your tag has not lost the appropriate formatting.

The picture below will show you what a functioning tag should look like after highlighting and right clicking. 

If the tag appears as it did prior to clicking alt+F9, it may be broken. Tip: You should see double arrows at the beginning and end of the tag itself.

An indicator to know that your merge tags are not working is by previewing a letter and the tags will not reflect any information and may show as blank, as seen in the example below:

When a letter generates correctly it will include the homeowner tags, as seen below:

You can Inspect your document for possible errors by going to File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document

You will want to click Inspect

After the Document is Inspected you will want to click Remove All from any results with an "!" error

If the inspection does not fix the document you can also fix a broken tag by simply deleting it from your document and use your Template Manager to add it back.

FAQ

Q: My letter template is displaying information, but I can't see any merge tag that would be pulling it in. Why is this happening?
A: Merge tags can sometimes be hidden in letter templates due to formatting issues. Press Alt+F9 to reveal any hidden merge tags in the document. Once visible, delete the unwanted merge tag, save the document and re-upload the edited letter template to resolve the issue.

Q: I created a new letter template by copying and pasting from another template, but the merge tags aren't pulling in data. Why is this happening?
A: When you copy and paste merge tags between letter templates, they may not function properly. To resolve this, remove the merge tags from your new letter template and re-insert them using the Merge Tags button in Settings > Letter Templates.

Q: Why aren't merge tags working in my document path to name files correctly?
A: Merge tags are not supported in document paths and cannot be used for file naming.
 

Q: My valid merge tag is still not pulling data, why is this happening?
A: This typically occurs when using a custom merge tag created from Association > Additional Info or Homeowners > Homeowner Profile > Additional Info has no Data entered within.

Custom merge tag names are formatted as Group + Field. To resolve this:

1. Identify which Additional Info screen contains the merge tag
2. Check if Data has been entered for that Field
3. If no Data exists, enter the appropriate information within so the merge tag functions correctly

Example: Association > Additional Info contains the Group "Assessments" and the Field "Assessment Frequency". The custom merge tag for this would be named "Assessments Assessment Frequency."

Note: Custom merge tags can only be created after the corresponding custom fields and groups are created in Settings > Custom Info. For Association > Additional Info custom merge tags, set up Association Info Group and Association Info Fields. For Homeowners > Homeowner Profile > Additional Info custom merge tags, set up Homeowner Info Group and Homeowner Info Fields.

For more information on the Additional Info screens, review our Association > Additional Info and Homeowners > Additional Info articles.