How to suppress blank rows, columns, lines and empty tables in generated documents
Overview
Merge Preferences helps prevent blank lines or placeholders from appearing in the final document when a data field is empty avoiding awkward gaps or broken formatting caused by missing dat or empty value in merge fields. While merging, datasets might contain null values which would add an unwanted blank line or space in the merged document. Merge Preferences help you suppress blank rows, columns, lines and empty tables.
Steps
Below are the steps to set your merge preference:
- Go to Settings next to Manage Fields.
- Choose Merge Preferences.
- In the pop up that follows, choose what not to show after the document merge is run.
Troubleshooting Tip
Rows Not Suppressed During Merge When Static Text Exists
The row suppression (empty row removal) merge preference works only when the entire row is completely empty. If a row contains any static text, labels, or fixed values, it will not be considered an empty row and therefore will not be suppressed.
Example
Name | Email | Remarks |
<<Name>> | <<Email>> | N/A |
If
Name and Email are empty but "N/A" exists in the Remarks column, the row will not be suppressed.Workaround
To suppress rows that contain static values, use Row Conditions based on the relevant merge field. This approach allows rows to be hidden even when static text is present.