mail-merge presentation · web viewmail merge within microsoft word 5. letter/email message. 5....

BEAVER SOFTWARE SYSTEMS LTD_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Open Accounting Software for Independent Schools

Mail Merge

©Beaver Software Systems Ltd32 Glencairn Drive, London W5 1RT

Phone 020 8566 7131 Fax 020 8566 7133 E-Mail: [email protected]

September 2010

Mail Merge

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................1

PROCESS...............................................................................................................................................................1

CREATING THE EXPORT FILE.......................................................................................................................2

MAIL MERGE WITHIN MICROSOFT WORD..............................................................................................5

Letter/Email Message......................................................................................................................................5

STEPS TO CREATE A LETTER / EMAIL MESSAGE...................................................................................5

Appendix A - Fixing Decimal Places.......................................................................................................................7

Contents Beaver Software Systems Ltd.

Mail Merge

Introduction

This document describes the process of producing reminder letters or emails from the OASIS FEES Module, utilising the Microsoft Word mail merge facility. The FEES module produces an export file (containing mail merge fields), which can then be used as a basis for mail merge within Microsoft Word.

Process Using the Reminder Letter option within the OASIS FEES Ledger module, create an

export file (contains variable information to be merged with the standard letter within Microsoft Word).

Using the Microsoft Word mail merge facility create a letter and merge with the information in the export file created by the OASIS FEES module, to produce multiple reminder letters.

Form Letter

Merged Output (to different recipients)

The Data Source (Export file from FEES Module)

The result of the merge can be: a third document (reminder letters to all recipients), printed directly to the printer or emailed.

Page 1 Beaver Software Systems Ltd.

Title FirstName LastName Company

Mr. Tom Jones Cardiff Arms Park SchoolMrs. Ediwina Marsden Cavendish Primary School

Mrs. Melanie Bulger The John Lyon SchoolMr. Eddie Thomas Royal School Hapstead

Mr. Tim Allen Stanhope Primary School

Terry Jones100 Jones PlaceGreenfordMiddlesexUB6 8RP

15 November 1999

Mr. Tom JonesCardiff Arms Park School21 Hindes RoadCardiffCR1 2JP

Dear Mr. Jones,

This letter is to inform you that version 3.02 of the FEES program is available for downloading from our website as of 16 November 1999. Please update your copy as soon as possible.

If you have any problems downloading please give me a call on 0181 578 5321.

Yours sincerely,


15 November 1999

Mrs. Ediwina MarsdenCavendish Primary SchoolEdensor RoadChiswickW4

Dear Mrs. Marsden,

This letter is to inform you that version 1.1 of the PAYROLL program is available for downloading from our website as of 16 November 1999. Please update your copy as soon as possible.


Yours sincerely,


15 November 1999

Mrs. Melanie BulgerThe John Lyon SchoolMiddle RoadHarrowHA2

Dear Mrs. Bulger,



Yours sincerely,


15 November 1999

Mr. Eddie ThomasRoyal School Hapstead65 Rosslyn HillHampsteadNW3

Dear Mr. Thomas,

This letter is to inform you that version 1.1 of the PAYROLL program is available for downloading from our website as of 16 November 1999. Please update your copy as soon as possible.


Yours sincerely,


15 November 1999

Mr. Tim AllenStanhope Primary SchoolMansell RoadGreenfordUB6

Dear Mr. Allen,



Yours sincerely,

Terry Jones 100 Jones Place Greenford Middlesex UB6 8RP

15 November 1999

«Title» «FirstName» «LastName»«Company»«Address1»«City»«PostalCode»

Dear «Title» «LastName»,

This letter is to inform you that version «Version» of the «Program» program is available for downloading from our website as of 16 November 1999. Please update your copy as soon as possible.


Yours sincerely,

T Jones

FEES Module Select Export Format File Export File (fdebtor.exp)

Mail Merge

Creating the Export FileSelect ‘Reminder letter’ option from the Ledger module within the FEES system. The following screen is displayed:

To produce reminder letters, the normal process is to select the letter format and then click on the Print button to print the letter for the desired recipients. (Selection of recipients and printing of reminder letters is described in detail in the FEES Manual – Reminder Letters section).

Select the recipients as required and then instead of selecting the Letter format (optional) and clicking on the Print button, click on the Export button. The following screen is displayed:

A list of ‘export format files’ is displayed. If an export format file does not exist, then it needs to be created. The fields available for writing letters are described under User Defined Reports section within the FEES manual. An example of an export format file (REMINDER.DEX) is as follows:


Mail Merge

HEADER"Addressee","Address1","Address2","Address3","Address4","Address5","Date","Salutation","Surname","Forename","Total","EMail1""[Addressee]","[Address1]","[Address2]","[Address3]","[Address4]","[Address5]","[Date]","[Salutation]","[Surname]","[Forename]","[Total]","[EMail1]"

Select the desired export format file (e.g. reminder.dex). The format file contains variable fields (as described in the User Defined Section within the FEES Manual) that will be used to produce an export file containing the actual data (ready for merging). Click on the OK button to continue the process or cancel.The following screen is displayed:

A default name of fdebtor.exp is displayed as an output export filenameType in the new name if desiredClick on the OK button to produce the export file (containing details of selected recipients and other desired information as defined in the ‘export format file’)If the file already exists, the following screen is displayed:

Click on the Retype button to enter the filename again (back to the previous screen) or click on the Overwrite button to continue as normal (existing export file is overwritten)The following screen is displayed:

At this point an export file is created (in our case fdebtor.exp). NOTE: This file is created in the same folder as the export format file (most likely c:\oasis\data).


Mail Merge

We are now ready to create a reminder letter or email in Microsoft Word and merge it with the export file to produce reminder letters.


Mail Merge

Mail Merge within Microsoft WordOpen Microsoft Word as normal (i.e. Click on the Start button, select Programs from the list of items displayed, select Microsoft Word from the list of programs displayed).

Letter/Email Message

This is the reminder letter you are going to write to different recipients. It contains all the static information (such as sender name, address, date, main content of the letter etc) and changeable information (names and addresses of the recipients) known as merge fields. The changeable information is defined by inserting merge fields within this letter. The merge fields are created when a data source file is defined. A letter may look as follows with the merge fields:

Steps to create a Letter / Email Message

Select the Mailing ribbon

From the drop down arrow on Start Mail merge select Letters, Email Messages (or Labels). There will be no apparent change to the document.

Next click on the drop down arrow Select Recipients and select Use Existing List as the list is coming from Oasis.

Locate and click on the CSV file previously exported and located in the Oasis\Data directory/folder - Open.

To check the list you can now click on Edit Recipient List if you require to sort or fine tune the selection of addresses.


Mail Merge

Clicking on a column heading within this dialog box sorts the addresses accordingly. Clicking on a drop down arrow allows addresses to be filtered, for example to filter on those records containing an email address.

Once you have the addresses you require click OK.

Type the letter/email message in the normal way except where information from OASIS is required. Click the drop down arrow against Insert Merge Field to display the fields available from Oasis. click the field required and continue typing the letter or continue inserting fields until the letter is complete.

Once the letter is complete clicking Preview Results a completed letter/message will be displayed using the first address(es).

NOTE: Despite showing a specific address you are still on a template and any changes made to the displayed letter will affect ALL letters/messages.

If the letter/message/labels are correct click on the drop down arrow for Finish & Merge

Edit Individual Documents This will produce a separate letter for each recipient which can be reviewed and if necessary customised prior to printing. When prompted select All and OK.

Print Documents Sends the letters directly to the printer


Mail Merge

Send Email messages will bring up a dialog box.

Select the field from the exported file that contains the Email addresses for To.

Enter a Subject Line for example “Fees Owing” or “Reminder Letter”

Select All and OK

Appendix A - Fixing Decimal Places

How to restrict number of decimal places when merging using excel spreadsheet as data source which can produce upto 15 decimal places!

When in Word use ALT+F9 to view the merge fields. Immediately after the merge field, for example in the above notes the field Total would be affected, and before }, enter \# and the formatting you want to use, followed by x as below.

The formatting follows that used in custom formats throughout Microsoft where # is an optional number, 0 is a required number.

Note that there are no spaces or anything else after merge field and before \#

Example:

Total { MERGEFIELD Total\#£#,##0.00x}

If your merge field is surrounded by “”, then

Total { MERGEFIELD “Total”\#£#,##0.00x}
