MS Office / Word / Outlook mail merge

[Clive Long]

Hi all,

I have known about mail merge for yonks but never used it

Situation. A friend (that's 3 now) has her contacts in Outlook. We have successfully used the MS-Word Mail merge wizard to create a document template with fields to receive data from a filtered outlook contact list. The result can only be output to a printer. We want to produce separate word documents and send as an email attachments. I have used PDF995 as a cheap Adobe Acrobat to generate file output. However, the printer driver produces a single PDF file whereas I really want a separate file for each resulting document. Can I get the mail merge wizard to produce separate files?

Further, are there any third party outlook add-ins that allow one to produce multiple outlook messages directly rather than using ms-word as the target for the mail merge? I am guessing that mail merge is a function of word so this approach is not viable?

Clive

[mooncalf]

When I had to do this I wrote some vb code (you can probably do it in vba in word, not sure) - I looped through the database, did the mailmerge for the record and attached attached it to an email using the MAPI control.

[ducasi]

Do I hear a whoosh???

[LMC]

<<<< streaks through thread >>>>

[WittyBird]

Which version of Word is this?

With Word 2003 you can just do a mail merge then return to the document. You can then print each page individually to the Printer (Print Specific page).

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by wittybird

Which version of Word is this?

With Word 2003 you can just do a mail merge then return to the document. You can then print each page individually to the Printer (Print Specific page).

Erm.....he doesn't want to print - he wants to attach individual docs to emails.


(It's the only part of this thread I understood.....)

[WittyBird]

Originally Posted by Aleks

Erm.....he doesn't want to print - he wants to attach individual docs to emails.


(It's the only part of this thread I understood.....)

Clarification point....

The way I understood this was that the documents are created in Word and then printed to a PDF printer. (which is a virtual printer for example Instead of coming out on paper, it is "printed" to a PDF file. )

Therefore the fact that the mail merge results are in a single document isn't a problem - you just "print" to the PDF printer one page at a time and then attach each file separately.

Does that make it clearer?

[Clive Long]

Originally Posted by wittybird

The way I understood this was that the documents are created in Word

Yes

Originally Posted by wittybird

and then printed to a PDF printer. (which is a virtual printer for example Instead of coming out on paper, it is "printed" to a PDF file. )

Yes

Originally Posted by wittybird

Therefore the fact that the mail merge results are in a single document isn't a problem - you just "print" to the PDF printer one page at a time and then attach each file separately.

You mean Print Page 1, then print page 2, then print page 3, etc. ???
Painful when you are doing this for 500 contacts - unless you mean some other way of printing to PDF995 that results in separate file per contact.

And what's with the ??

Originally Posted by wittybird

Does that make it clearer?

Yes, but I don't think I yet have a solution - unless I missed something

CRL

[Clive Long]

Originally Posted by mooncalf

When I had to do this I wrote some vb code (you can probably do it in vba in word, not sure) - I looped through the database, did the mailmerge for the record and attached attached it to an email using the MAPI control.

Unfortunately this may be the only way - surely what I am trying to do isn't very novel or sophisticated?

CRL

[WittyBird]

Originally Posted by Clive Long

Unfortunately this may be the only way - surely what I am trying to do isn't very novel or sophisticated?

CRL

Ok first of all if you ask for help you need to state all the facts
500 contacts makes it a lot more complex.
The solution you are using isn't really cut out for that number of documents.

I would be looking at some kind of script. The contacts would have to be exported out in to an Excel file or comma delimited file for the script to read. The script would then carry out the mail merge in to Word using a macro or other script language, this would then call each page, create the PDF and then attach the pdf to an email message - probably sent out via a command line emailer such as "The Blat".

Inmac/PCWB do something similar with their quotes - key in the information at one end and the client gets an email with the attachment at the other.

Depending on how often this task has to be carried out will depend on whether it is worth getting an Office developer to create something for you.

[Minnie M]

Originally Posted by Clive Long

Hi all,

I have known about mail merge for yonks but never used it

Situation. A friend (that's 3 now) has her contacts in Outlook. We have successfully used the MS-Word Mail merge wizard to create a document template with fields to receive data from a filtered outlook contact list. The result can only be output to a printer. We want to produce separate word documents and send as an email attachments. I have used PDF995 as a cheap Adobe Acrobat to generate file output. However, the printer driver produces a single PDF file whereas I really want a separate file for each resulting document. Can I get the mail merge wizard to produce separate files?

Further, are there any third party outlook add-ins that allow one to produce multiple outlook messages directly rather than using ms-word as the target for the mail merge? I am guessing that mail merge is a function of word so this approach is not viable?

Clive

Does it have to be an attachment - would be much easier if the document was part of the email

[DavidY]

Clive,

I dunno about the PDF one - but there do seem to be ways to mail merge emails so that they're personalised.

This article may help, for instance:
http://www.pcplus.co.uk/tutorials/de...bsectionid=785

My version of Word (Word 2003) appears have an option to allow me to Merge to email.

David

[Clive Long]

Originally Posted by Minnie M

Does it have to be an attachment - would be much easier if the document was part of the email

Agreed that would be a preferable option to me - that was my last question on the original posting.

However, I indicated I had found the Mail Merge function as being dependent on MS-Word - which I is why I am exploring that route.

Talk of VB and scripts does not fill my heart with joy

CRL

[Clive Long]

Originally Posted by wittybird

Ok first of all if you ask for help you need to state all the facts
<< snip useful ideas >>

Think on this, oh small but perfectly formed one.

Confuscious he say,

"If one is in search of enlightment, how is one to know which are the relevant facts?"

[Minnie M]

Originally Posted by Clive Long

Agreed that would be a preferable option to me - that was my last question on the original posting.

However, I indicated I had found the Mail Merge function as being dependent on MS-Word - which I is why I am exploring that route.

Talk of VB and scripts does not fill my heart with joy

CRL

i send regular batch emails via outlook using an email list from either excel or access. you need to have the salutation etc in the excel or access file with the email address in the same line and there is a series of commands to apply that will send personalised email to Dear so and so. The actual document needs to be copied into the body of the text.
So...
copy the document you want to send into a new email file.
Click on the icon on the far left which has a new page and envelope image and select 'email messages'
Then click on the icon to the right of this which is a rectangle with lots of dots on it - this prompts you to select a source file, which is the access or excel file with the names and emails addresses..
One of the icons further along allows you to put in a Dear so and so field
you then have t0 go to an icon much further along which says 'merge to email' if you float your mouse over it. This gives you the option of putting a subject heading for the email. Click OK and it will send personlised emails to everyone on your mailing list.
Hope this helps - may not be exaactly what you are looking for but this is what i do to send press releases to hundreds of people and make them think it is personal.

Signed: Jack Gocher (Minnie's son)

[Clive Long]

Originally Posted by Minnie M

i send regular batch emails via outlook using an email list from either excel or access. you need to have the salutation etc in the excel or access file with the email address in the same line and there is a series of commands to apply that will send personalised email to Dear so and so. The actual document needs to be copied into the body of the text.
<< snipped good stuff >>
Signed: Jack Gocher (Minnie's son)

Thanks Jack

Sounds more up my street - not knocking the "script crew", I just don't have the skills to play that game.

We'll explore your suggestion this weekend and let you know what happens.

Clive

[WittyBird]

Originally Posted by Clive Long

Think on this, oh small but perfectly formed one.

Well thank you Oh smart one

Originally Posted by Clive Long

Confuscious he say,

"If one is in search of enlightment, how is one to know which are the relevant facts?"

who was it that said ' Man play with fire get burnt '

[Minnie M]

Originally Posted by Clive Long

Thanks Jack

Sounds more up my street - not knocking the "script crew", I just don't have the skills to play that game.

We'll explore your suggestion this weekend and let you know what happens.

Clive

good luck - it is straightforward as long as you click the right buttons. Minnie's away for the weekend but i am happy for her to PM my email address if you want any more help.