OOo Off the Wall: Fielding Questions, Part 4 - Mail Merges

Mail merges are a means of using fields to create multiple copies
of a document. They got their name because one of the
most common uses for the tool is to address letters to different
destinations. However, the same process can be used for other purposes
as well, such as personalizing a form letter. If you choose, you even could
use mail merges as a form of conditional text. Of all the uses fields
have in OpenOffice.org Writer, mail merges is one of the most
useful--and the most complicated.

In the version 2.0 beta, merges theoretically became simpler with
the addition of the Mail Merge Wizard to the Tools menu. In practice,
however, the wizard's usefulness is limited. It's designed specifically
for merges that address letters or, assuming that you have Java Mail
installed on your system, e-mails. Other merges still have to be done
manually or with the older wizards for faxes, labels or business cards.
Figure 1. The Mail Merge Wizard is a new feature in
version 2.0
Moreover, although you can puzzle through any of these wizards without
fully understanding merges, you can use them more efficiently if you
first try to do a few without a wizard. Working without the wizard
helps you understand the three parts needed for a mail merge and how
they work together.
The Parts of a Mail Merge
Mail merges require three separate documents:

• The data source: a database, a spreadsheet or a Mozilla or Thunderbird
  address book that contains various information. In version 2.0,
  OOo refers to all these types of documents as databases, but keeping
  the distinction between data sources in general and true databases seems
  less confusing.
• The source document: a Writer document with mail merge fields added from
  Insert > Fields > Other > Database. The mail merge fields are placeholders
  that indicate what fields from the data source are used. You can use
  other fields to signal how information from the source document should
  replace the mail merge fields.
• The target document(s): a Writer document(s) produced when the mail
  merge is used. The target document(s) replaces the mail merge fields
  with information from the data source. Target documents are sent to the
  printer or saved as files.

Before you begin a merge, all three of these items need to be set up.
Registering a Data Source
Before you can use a data source, you must register it with
OpenOffice.org. Prior to version 2.0, data sources were registered from
Tools > Data Sources. However, as of version 2.0, they are registered using
File > Tool > Database and a different interface.

In addition, in previous versions, the original data source file appears
to have been registered with OOo. In version 2.0, information from the
data source seems to be extracted from the source file to create a new
database using the new Base format (.odb) in your home directory.
Figure 2. In version 2.0, the Database Wizard replaces
the Tool > Database function.
To register a data source in version 2.0:

1. Select File > New > Database. The Database wizard
   opens.
2. Select the Connect to a New Database button. The Database Type drop-down
   field becomes available.
3. Select the type of data source from the Database Type
   field. Almost any sort of proprietary or open-source database can be used,
   providing that it has either ODBC or JDBC connectivity. You also can use
   Thunderbird or Mozilla address books, spreadsheets and text files. Both
   spreadsheet and text files can be formatted in any manner supported by Writer,
   including MS Office files.
   A text file, however, requires a consistently used de-limiter to designate
   rows and columns. It is worth using only if you don't have another way
   to record data.

   If you are unfamiliar with databases and have under 1,000 records,
   a Calc spreadsheet probably is the most useful type of data source.
   You can use a spreadsheet with more records, but be prepared for delays
   in opening and saving the file.

   Click the Next button to continue.

4. Enter the path to the data source. If it has a password, click the
   Password required box. Then click the Next button to
   continue.
5. Click the Yes, register the database for me button, followed by the
   Finish button.
6. Enter a name for the new database and then click the Save
   button.

The new database has been created and now is available for use.
Designing Mail Merge Source Documents
Writer includes separate tools for designing business cards, labels and
envelopes. These tools include functions that make doing a mail merge
easier and offer a specialized set of options. However, Writer also
includes a generic mail merge tool that can be used for other purposes. In
fact, many users prefer to use it instead of the envelope tool. Because
the generic tool can be set to use different envelope sizes, it is at
least an adequate substitute and many feel it is far less confusing
to use.
Whatever your purpose, to design a generic mail merge source document:
1. Format and write the source document.2. When ready to add the fields, do one of the
following:

• Select View > Data sources or press the F4
  key. The data source window opens. If the window blocks part of the source
  document that you need to see, select the Stick icon to dock it to the
  upper portion of the editing window.

Figure 3. The Data Source window
displays a registered data source in Writer's editing window.

• Select Insert > Fields > Other > Database > Mail merge
  fields.

Figure 4. The Mail Merge fields is
another way of showing a registered data source.3. Place the mouse cursor where you want the first
field to go.4. In the data source window or on the Database tab of the Fields
screen, select the database and the table to use. Remember that for
spreadsheets the table is the sheet. Similarly, for Mozilla address
books, the table is the Named address book [x-ref].5. Expand the tree view of the data source so that the individual fields
are visible.6. Select the field you want to add to the source document. A field is a
column, regardless of what type of data source.7. Drag the field into the source document with the mouse. A placeholder
field is created with the name of the field inside it.8. After the last field in a consecutive set--for example, after the last
line of an address--add a field from the Database tab of Insert > Fields > Others
to set the record in the database to be used next. In most cases, you probably want
Next Record. (See below for more details.)No matter which Database field you choose, notice that it is visible
only as a gray background. In most cases, it contains no information,
because it is simply an indicator and holds no specific
data.Figure 5. Placeholder fields in a
mail merge source document.9. Continue steps 6-8 until all the placeholder fields are
entered.
At this point, you either can save the source document for future use or
apply records and print it. If you save, remember that the source
document needs the data source or one with the same fields in order
to be used.
If you are going to be using the source document frequently, you may
want to save it as a template using File > Templates > Save.
Controlling Mail Merges with Database Fields
Database is a tab available from Insert > Fields > Others. The fields
on this tab all are related to mail merges. With the possible
exception of the Database name field, they are not designed for any
other use.

If you are designing labels or business cards, you can add the markers to
the first label or card and then select the Synchronize button to have the
fields added to all the other labels or cards. In any other mail merge,
you can use the database fields to control which records are used in
which order.

The Database tab fields are instructions about which record to use
next. They are easy to miss on the screen, because they show up as only the
gray background that indicates a field. Without them, however, a mail
merge fails.

The following table describes the mail merge fields that are available:
Field (Insert > Fields > Others > Database)PurposeComments/InstructionsAny recordAdds the record specified to the next group of mail merge
fields.Place the marker before the group of mail merge fields it applies
to. Records are numbered from the top of a data source table. If all items
on the table are selected, the header row is counted, so the first record
with data is 2. Use this field to control the order in which records are used in the
target document. If the condition is not true, then the previous record
is used instead.Database nameAdds the name of a data source. Mail merge fieldsAdds mail merge placeholders to set up a mail merge's source
document. During the merge, the placeholders are replaced by the record's entry
in each field. Fields are added at the current cursor position either by selecting
the Insert button or by dragging and dropping them from the Database
Selection pane into the document. When the Data Sources floating window
is open, you also can drag and drop column headers into a document to create mail merge
placeholders.Next recordsAdds a marker that signals the mail merge should add the next record
to the next group of mail merge fields.Place the marker at the end of each group of mail merge. If the
marker is not added or if the condition for the field is false, then the
contents of a group of mail merge fields is the same as the previous
one.Record numberAdds a marker that inserts the record number after each record in
the target document.Place the marker before any group of mail merge fields.
The field is blank until the mail merge is done.
Creating Target Documents for Mail Merges
Version 2.0 assumes that most users don't need anything other than
the wizard. If you want to do anything except the merges included in
the wizard, you need to add the tool to the menu. You can make this
addition from Tools > Customize > Menu. Select the Tool menu from the
drop-down list at the top of the page and then select the Add >
Documents > Mail Merge > Add.
Figure 6. You need to place the Mail
Merge tool into a menu before you can use it.
If you want to position the tool, use the up and down arrows on the
Tools > Customize > Menu. Placing it above the Mail Merge Wizard is a
useful place for it.
Figure 7. Select Mail Merge from the list of
available tools to add it to a menu.
When you are ready to run the mail merge, follow these steps:

1. If you are going to print to files, place the source document in a
separate folder. All the target documents go into the same folder,
making them easier to find later.

2. Select Tools > Mail Merge. The Mail Merge screen
opens.
Figure 8. The first step in a mail merge: selecting the source document.
3. Choose the source document from which to create the output documents. You
can choose the current document or a template, that is, another source
document.

After you choose, select the OK button to continue. The Mail Merge screen opens.
Essentially, this screen shows the data source window on the top and printing
options on the bottom.
Figure 9. The Main Window for the Mail Merge Tool
4. In the data source window, select the database, the table and the
database fields to use. Remember that for spreadsheets, the table is the
sheet and the database fields are the columns. Similarly, for Mozilla
address books, the table is the Named address book and the database
fields are the columns.

You can open a different data source from the one you used to design
the source documents. However, in order for you to use all the fields,
the data source must have all the fields that you added to the
labels.

5. Select the records to print. Do one of the
following:

• Select Records > All to print an envelope for each
  record.
• From the data source screen, select the records to add to the labels. For
  each record, select its row header. Press the Shift key to select all
  records between two that you select or the Ctrl key to select multiple
  records. Selected records have a checkmark in their row header. When you
  have selected at least one record, Record > Selected Records becomes
  available. Select it.
• Select Records > From to end a range of records that you want to
  print. To see what number each record has, look at the bottom of the
  data source table.

6. Select the output. You can choose either Printer or
File. Note that the File option produces a Writer file, not a postscript
file. One file is produced for each record.

7. If you want the output to be printed as series of single print jobs,
select the Single print jobs box. This option is useful when printing
to a shared printer. Merge documents are likely to be large, and single
print jobs give others a chance to print between your jobs.

8. If you are printing to a file, either enter the directory for the file
in the Path field or use the browsing button at the end of the
field to locate the directory in a file manager.

9. If you are printing to file, choose how files should be
named. Choices are:

• Database setting: files take their name from a database field. If one
  of the fields is a company or individual's name, this might be the
  best option.
• Manual setting: files begin with a base name that you enter, followed
  by a number corresponding to the record's position in the data
  source.

10. Select the OK button to print the individual copies of the merge
document. If you print to a file, you can print each individual file
later.
Conclusion
The basic Mail Merge tool is easy to use once you understand its
pre-prerequisites. Once you are comfortable with it, you may feel no
need to use the Mail Merge Wizard. In fact, you might want to follow
the steps given in this article to remove the Wizard from the Tool menu.

However, you also might decide that the Wizard is more convenient.
The Wizard's main advantage is that it centralizes the creation of form
letters, setting up the placeholder fields for addresses and salutations
and formatting the source document from a centralized window.

But no matter what interface you prefer, Writer's mail merge tool is
worth knowing. It's especially useful in office settings, although job
hunters and Christmas card writers might find it equally useful for home
use. In the past, the fact that mail merges were documented poorly
in the on-line help and differed from MS Word's arrangements seem to
have prevented many people from using them in Writer. However, between
improvements in the on-line help and the addition of the Wizard, Writer's
mail merge now has a chance to become a part of users' everyday tool kit.
Resources
"OOo Off the Wall:
Fielding Questions, Part 3"

"OOo Off the Wall:
Fielding Questions, Part 2 - Cross References and User Defined
Fields"

"OOo Off the Wall:
Fielding Questions, Part 1 - The Basics"