This process involves generating an XML file from MSR that contains the necessary data fields, connecting that file to Word, and merging fields into the document.
Generate XML file
The XML file is basically a list of all the fields (name, birthdate, address, etc.) from an MSR object that you can use in your Word template.
In MSR, select the + icon in the top-right and choose ‘Generate XML for Template’.
Pick the object from dropdown that matches your document type (for example, Candidate or Contact). Make sure it matches the document type you created.
Click the clipboard icon to copy the XML.
Open Notepad (or your preferred editor) and paste the copied XML.
Go to File → Save As, name your file something like candidate_template.xml (the .xml part is important!), and change "Save as type" to All Files before saving.
Note: If you add custom fields or new managed fields in MSR and want to use them for document generation, regenerate the XML field list and then re-attach the updated XML file to your Word template via the XML Mapping Pane.
Add the XML File to Word
To add the created XML file, you need to enable the Developer tab in Word. This tab does not always show automatically; To add the tab go to File → Options → Customize Ribbon → under Main Tabs, tick Developer → OK. Once enabled, you’ll see the Developer tab on the ribbon.
Click it to open the Developer tools.
On the ribbon, open the Developer tab → click XML Mapping Pane (a panel opens on the right).
In the panel, open the Custom XML Part dropdown → click Add New Part.
Browse to your saved .xml file and open it.
From the dropdown, select the newly added XML (it appears at the bottom). The field names (API names) will display in the panel.
✅ Your Word document is now connected to MSR. Any field you see in the XML Mapping Pane can be inserted as a merge field.
Adding XML Tags
After adding your XML-file to the desired document you can use XML-tags to fill in information that differs between records. For example, you want to add the name, birthdate and address of a candidate to a document.
To add these tags, you need to look for the API-names of these fields within the XML Mapping
Right-click on the API-name and select 'Insert Content Control' > 'Plain_text'.
This field will automatically fill with the information that is recorded on the record page in MSR when the document is generated.
Label and Format Fields
Properly labeling fields ensures the template is easy to maintain and looks professional. You can label the XML tag as you wish.
Tip: Use the field’s API name as the label so anyone maintaining the template can quickly see which MSR fields are mapped. This also makes troubleshooting easier if a field changes.
To keep the document clean if a field is empty, go to Developer → Properties and enter a friendly Label. This prevents raw API names (like job_description__c) from appearing in the final document.
Enabling Line Breaks (Multiple Paragraphs)
Some fields in MSR contain text entered across multiple lines. for example, a bulleted job description. By default, Word collapses all of that into a single line when generating the document.
To preserve line breaks from MSR in your generated document:
Click on the content control field in your Word template.
Go to Developer → Properties.
Under Plain Text Properties, check "Allow carriage returns (multiple paragraphs)".
Checking this checkbox makes sure that all the 'enters' that are entered in the field within MSR are also added in the generated document.
Inserting a Picture Field
When mapping a field that contains an image (e.g. a profile photo), make sure you click on 'Picture', instead of 'Plain Text' after clicking on 'Insert Content Control'.
Repeaters with XML
If a candidate has multiple education records or work experiences, you need a repeater so all of them show up, not just the first one.
Create a table in Word with the fields you want (e.g., School Name, Degree, Start Date, End Date)
Add the XML tags into the table cells as described in Step 3
Right-click on the parent object (e.g., Education) in the XML Mapping Pane → select "Insert Content Control" → "Repeating"
Now when the document is generated, it will create a row for every education record, not just one.