Re: [libreoffice-users] Re: Field names not being retained

Yes, you're right.

I've also found that the fields can be "reset" so the data is purged 
from the fields by Edit > Exchange Database.
I've also found that if the fields are changed in the original (now new) 
CSV file then this seems to be what's required:

First delete the old database file registration:

Tools > Options > Base > Databases > Select > Delete 
(/home/username/path/to/db/DB.odb) > Yes > OK


File > New > Database > Connect Existing > Text > 
(/home/username/path/to/CSVfile/) > Select > CSV > Next > Register > 
Finish > DB.odb


where DB is the filename you choose, and path is your desired path 
(obviously?).

Here is what appears to be a nice tutorial on how to mail merge. 
https://beginlinux.com/blog/2013/03/mailmerge-on-openoffice-and-libreoffice/
I can't vouch for it as I didn't really read it, I simply grabbed one 
piece of info out of the middle, but the pictures look accurate based on 
the 3 seconds I spent looking at them.

Maybe this will help someone else and maybe someone will incorporate 
some of this info. into the help files.  This represents hours of trial 
& error and research and painful head banging, hair ripping, teeth 
gnashing and cussing and screaming.

- Andrew

On 03/17/14 11:40, Mark Bourne wrote:
> A wrote:
> > Interestingly, the field names seem to have changed seemingly for the
> > better.  Whereas before it was inserting things something like
> > filename.databasename.sheetname.fieldname, now I get "fieldname".
> >
> > Unfortunately, after running the mailmerge, it seems to have made the
> > values in the first record (I only have one record currently) a
> > permanent part of the fields.  For example in the fieldname "street
> > name", it has "Elm St", where it should instead simply have "street
> > name" making my .odt file useless as a mail merge document, so I'll have
> > to go through it for the fifth time and change all the fields yet again.
>
> Are you sure they're not still fields? I think after the mailmerge 
> runs, the fields end up showing data from one of the entries rather 
> than the field name, but if you re-run mailmerge they do still work as 
> fields. You can see the field codes rather than the final data by 
> setting Tools > Options > LibreOffice Writer > View > Field Codes.
>
> This then shows the full databasename.tablename.fieldname code, which 
> from your previous comment may not be completely ideal, but at least 
> you can check that they are still fields and not static text. Also, 
> fields are shown with a grey background, although I'm not sure if 
> that's another option I've set some time in the past.
>
> Mark.


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