17.14.10 dataType

This element specifies the type of external data source to be connected to via the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) system (such as a spreadsheet or database), or the alternative method of data access if the Dynamic Data Exchange system is not used. This setting is purely a suggestion of the data source access mechanism which shall be used, and can be ignored in favor of an alternative mechanism if one is present.

[Example: Consider the following WordprocessingML fragment for a mail merge source or merged document:

<w:dataType w:val="odbc" />

The dataType element’s val attribute is equal to odbc, specifying that the given merged WordprocessingML document has been connected to an external data source via ODBC. end example]

Attributes

val (Value)

Specifies the exact type of external data source to which a given merged WordprocessingML document is to be connected.

[Example: Consider the following WordprocessingML fragment for a mail merge document.

  <w:dataType w:val="database" />

The val attribute is equal to database, specifying that the given WordprocessingML document has been connected to a database via the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) system. end example]

The possible values for this attribute are defined by the ST_MailMergeDataType simple type (17.18.52).

[Note: The W3C XML Schema definition of this element’s content model (CT_MailMergeDataType) is located in A.1. end note]