Wiki source for MailMergesinOpenOffice
==Mail Merges in Open Office==
**This page may be out of date** - unverified as of April 2017.
After importing and saving spreadsheet from admin or DonorPerfect, register the file as a data source:
From within any Openoffice.org document, or from the OpenOffice.org Welcome screen, choose File > Wizards > Address Data Source.
The choices on the first page of the wizard vary with your operating system. Select the appropriate type of external address book. In this example, it is Other external data source. Click Next.
On the next page of the Wizard, click the Settings button.
In the Data Source Properties page, select the Database type "Spreadsheet"
In the next dialog box, click Browse and navigate to the spreadsheet that contains the address information. Select the spreadsheet and click Open to return to this dialog box. At this time you may wish to test that the connection has been correctly established by clicking on the Test Connection button (sometimes database connection doesn't establish if the spreadsheet is saved as a CSV file.)
Click Finish.
On the following page, click Next. Because this is a spreadsheet, do not click Field Assignment.
Because this is a spreadsheet, do not click Field Assignment.
Name the file in the Location field. The default is ...\Addresses.odb; but you may replace Addresses with another name if you are working with multiple spreadsheets. Also, change the name for the "Address book name" field. It is easiest to give both the Location field and Address book name the same title. For PCT mailings, reference the group and mailing type. Ex: ...\GroupAintro.odb
Click Finish. The data source is now registered.
**Merging Labels**
I.Choose File > New > Labels.
II.On the Options tab, ensure that the Synchronize contents checkbox is selected.
III.On the Labels tab, select the Database and Table.
IV.Select the Brand of labels to be used, and then select the Type of label.
V.For mailings to candidates, type "Candidate" in the label field since this will proceed every name on the mailing labels.
VI.Click the dropdown arrow under Database field. Select the first field to be used in the label. Click the left arrow button to move this field to the Label text area. Alternate instructions: Select the database you want to use (the one you just created through the open office wizard). Click the left arrow button to move this field to the Label text area. From the table drop down select the specific table from your database/spreadsheet you want to use. Usually there will only be one option unless you have multiple sheets in your spreadsheet.
6. In the Database Field drop down you will see the options with the types of information you’ll need in your label (name, address, city, state, zip, etc) Once you’ve highlighted the field you want to add, clicklabel. Click the left arrow button to move this field to the Label text area.
VII.Continue adding fields and inserting desired punctuation, spaces, and line breaks until the label is composed. Be sure to insert a comma between "city" and "state" because this will not auto insert.
VIII.Click New Document. You now have a new, single-page
document containing a series of frames, one for each label of the
selected type and filled with the data source address fields that you selected.
IX.Choose File > Print.
Click Yes
X.Select "file" in the Mail Merge dialog box and save as a single document to the appropriate folder.
12. Print labels out on plain paper first if you have questions about the formatting being correct and fitting in the lable.
**Merging letters**
Open the appropriate letter template for your mailing (state template, presidential template, media letter template, thank you letter, etc.)
Display the registered data sources: View > Data sources (or press F4).
Find the data source that you wish to use for the form letter. This will be the data source you registered from a spreadsheet
Expand the Tables folder, and select Sheet1. The address data file is displayed.
Now create or modify the form letter by typing in the text, punctuation, line breaks, and so on that will be present in all of the letters. Be sure to edit the [Date] field at this time.
To add the mail-merge fields where needed (such as names and addresses), click in the field heading and drag it to the appropriate point in the letter. There will already by merge field placeholders. You will need to delete and replace each of these with the click/drag method. Proper merge fields will be highlighted gray.
Choose File > Print and respond with Yes in the message box.
Select File (not print) in the output section of the Mail Merge dialog box, instead of using the default Printer selection. This changes the dialog box to display the Save merged document section.
Save as a single document.
From here you can open up the file and check to make sure everything merged correctly and edit if necessary before printing.
Zip code problems with mail merges
1. Save copy of spreadsheet as a CSV file
2. Highlight the column containing zip codes
3. Go to "format cell"
4. Click the numbers tab and select "text"
This will allow you to insert proceeding zeros in zip codes for states that only have 4 digit zips. When this column is formatted as numbers it will assume the preceeding zeros are unnecessary and automatically remove them.
**This page may be out of date** - unverified as of April 2017.
After importing and saving spreadsheet from admin or DonorPerfect, register the file as a data source:
From within any Openoffice.org document, or from the OpenOffice.org Welcome screen, choose File > Wizards > Address Data Source.
The choices on the first page of the wizard vary with your operating system. Select the appropriate type of external address book. In this example, it is Other external data source. Click Next.
On the next page of the Wizard, click the Settings button.
In the Data Source Properties page, select the Database type "Spreadsheet"
In the next dialog box, click Browse and navigate to the spreadsheet that contains the address information. Select the spreadsheet and click Open to return to this dialog box. At this time you may wish to test that the connection has been correctly established by clicking on the Test Connection button (sometimes database connection doesn't establish if the spreadsheet is saved as a CSV file.)
Click Finish.
On the following page, click Next. Because this is a spreadsheet, do not click Field Assignment.
Because this is a spreadsheet, do not click Field Assignment.
Name the file in the Location field. The default is ...\Addresses.odb; but you may replace Addresses with another name if you are working with multiple spreadsheets. Also, change the name for the "Address book name" field. It is easiest to give both the Location field and Address book name the same title. For PCT mailings, reference the group and mailing type. Ex: ...\GroupAintro.odb
Click Finish. The data source is now registered.
**Merging Labels**
I.Choose File > New > Labels.
II.On the Options tab, ensure that the Synchronize contents checkbox is selected.
III.On the Labels tab, select the Database and Table.
IV.Select the Brand of labels to be used, and then select the Type of label.
V.For mailings to candidates, type "Candidate" in the label field since this will proceed every name on the mailing labels.
VI.Click the dropdown arrow under Database field. Select the first field to be used in the label. Click the left arrow button to move this field to the Label text area. Alternate instructions: Select the database you want to use (the one you just created through the open office wizard). Click the left arrow button to move this field to the Label text area. From the table drop down select the specific table from your database/spreadsheet you want to use. Usually there will only be one option unless you have multiple sheets in your spreadsheet.
6. In the Database Field drop down you will see the options with the types of information you’ll need in your label (name, address, city, state, zip, etc) Once you’ve highlighted the field you want to add, clicklabel. Click the left arrow button to move this field to the Label text area.
VII.Continue adding fields and inserting desired punctuation, spaces, and line breaks until the label is composed. Be sure to insert a comma between "city" and "state" because this will not auto insert.
VIII.Click New Document. You now have a new, single-page
document containing a series of frames, one for each label of the
selected type and filled with the data source address fields that you selected.
IX.Choose File > Print.
Click Yes
X.Select "file" in the Mail Merge dialog box and save as a single document to the appropriate folder.
12. Print labels out on plain paper first if you have questions about the formatting being correct and fitting in the lable.
**Merging letters**
Open the appropriate letter template for your mailing (state template, presidential template, media letter template, thank you letter, etc.)
Display the registered data sources: View > Data sources (or press F4).
Find the data source that you wish to use for the form letter. This will be the data source you registered from a spreadsheet
Expand the Tables folder, and select Sheet1. The address data file is displayed.
Now create or modify the form letter by typing in the text, punctuation, line breaks, and so on that will be present in all of the letters. Be sure to edit the [Date] field at this time.
To add the mail-merge fields where needed (such as names and addresses), click in the field heading and drag it to the appropriate point in the letter. There will already by merge field placeholders. You will need to delete and replace each of these with the click/drag method. Proper merge fields will be highlighted gray.
Choose File > Print and respond with Yes in the message box.
Select File (not print) in the output section of the Mail Merge dialog box, instead of using the default Printer selection. This changes the dialog box to display the Save merged document section.
Save as a single document.
From here you can open up the file and check to make sure everything merged correctly and edit if necessary before printing.
Zip code problems with mail merges
1. Save copy of spreadsheet as a CSV file
2. Highlight the column containing zip codes
3. Go to "format cell"
4. Click the numbers tab and select "text"
This will allow you to insert proceeding zeros in zip codes for states that only have 4 digit zips. When this column is formatted as numbers it will assume the preceeding zeros are unnecessary and automatically remove them.
