Re: [libreoffice-users][windows] Review on 3.4.1 Mail Merge

John,

You've written two posts by hitting "Reply to:" on another email that's about another subject 
(About the Delete Key on OS X).  While that's an easy way to make sure you get the list address 
without typing it in, it means your new posts, on totally different topics, are rolled up into this 
thread about the Delete Key.

That creates a few problems: 1) Those dealing with the thread on Delete Keys are frustrated because 
that discussion is now taken over by two other topics and it's harder to follow the discussion, and 
2) People that are potentially interested in your topics have a good chance of never seeing them 
because they're folded up in a topic about Delete Keys and OS X.  People that may have answers to 
your questions may never see your posts because they'll be filed under the other topic, so they may 
see that topic, decide it doesn't apply to them, and delete the entire thread, including your posts.

You can avoid this by not starting new threads by using the "Reply to:" function and just changing 
the title -- email programs look at data other than the subject to determine topic threads.



Hal

On Jul 3, 2011, at 11:10 AM, John B wrote:

> Eagerly awaited - for a LO working mail merge from the newly released 3.4.1
>
> Before I did this test, I completely cleaned 3.3.3 using revo-uninstaller to ensure a completely 
> new install.
>
> The 1st thing I did was to view existing mail merge data files from 3.3.3 - they were still all 
> screwed up as before. I therefore deleted them, so at to not cause further confusion and start 
> again from new. However, I could not find a way of deleting the old files from the internal list 
> (there is no remove button), once I looked at them.
>
> I started from fresh, I created a standard 2 name data base for Mr Smith & Mr Blogs.
>
> I did this with ease. Now when the MM came to the part that places the data on the letter (6. 
> Edit Document), a few strange things happened, the address line 2, the County and Company names 
> were not present,  the post code came before the town name and the title "Mr" is on a separate 
> line to his name.
>
> This is where you have a learn a new "game" called shuffle and add the field names. So you go 
> back to "3. Insert Address Block", go into edit mode and play with the arrows and create a 
> standard address pattern (which you would have thought would be the default).  I considered that 
> this could this be deliberate (because they are so bad)  - so as to force you to look and make 
> your own? However, you will only have to do this once, as LO remembers this layout for the next 
> time.
>
> Then Create Salutation (tick the boxes), >Adjust layout (I did not use this), > then Edit document
>
> In Edit Document the Field Names are deposited on your letter for the 1st time, the next thing 
> you notice is the weird Spacing between the address lines, you cannot adjust this in the document 
> directly (its frozen),   so you have to go to the Edit Document's:-  "Edit Document" > (right 
> click)> Edit Paragraph style> indents & spacing > Below Paragraph >  set to 0.00cm - This puts it 
> back to the letter default.
>
> Then Personalise Document  (this prints all your letters) - this is where you now can see 
> (WYSIWYG) for the 1st time, the full document that will be printed and you realise that there are 
> no spaces or comma's between the fields hence the 1st line looks like MrJohnSmith.
>
> To resolve this, you have to go back to Edit Document to put in spaces (and comma's). I could 
> find no way of doing this at making / inserting address block stage, so you will always need to 
> do  this on each new mail merge.
>
> I saved and Exited
>
> I then realised that there were no name(s) after the salutation  Dear ......, so I went back and 
> tried  unsuccessfully to insert it again, the moment you go from Edit Document (where the Dear Mr 
> Smith exists) to Personalise Document, it disappears ( a Bug me thinks). As a work around, whilst 
> in Edit mode, I copied & pasted the name, this (the name) stayed when I went on to Personalise 
> Document (annoying but it worked). So I would suggest don't use "Create Salutation, make your 
> own, by copying & pasting from the main Address block.
>
> Also, on testing,  other previously known bugs:-
>
> As long as you do not click the "Insert address block" on the 2nd time around (leave it greyed 
> out), then it does not insert a 2nd address block AND the links stay in place.
>
> Having exited again, I then edited the data base file (*.csv) by adding a new name (a 3rd name in 
> my case),  in the spread sheet format *.csv (it takes a while to find this file and remember to 
> read it in "tab" format). Re- started the mail merge - and it Worked!! - 3 names. So names & 
> addresses can now be entered with ease and without having to open mail merge and  mass data can 
> now be pasted into the *csv file - if you so desire!
>
> Summary:-
>
> Other than a few minor niggles and only the one (easy to get around) "bug", that I could find, 
> it's getting there, but most importantly :- its usable.
>
> John B
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