[SLUG] Mailmerge, debate

[Martin Webb]

john at johnallsopp.co.uk wrote:
>> john at johnallsopp.co.uk wrote:
>>     
>>> I'm trying to do a mailmerge of a letter with data in a spreadsheet.
>>> Open Office 2.0 Writer is so difficult to use I haven't managed it.
>>> Well, I kinda have but not in the format I want, and now it just
>>> crashes.
>>>       
>> The Mail Merge Wizard also works OK (you can put an -ish after that,
>> if
>> you want), but it's a very unsophisticated beast, and you have to do
>> everything in a prescribed manner.  (Don't expect it to do anything
>> but
>> put in some kind of salutation and an address block.  That's all it
>> does.  That's all it's designed to do.  I think half the problem with
>> it
>> is that one has higher expectations.)  For a start, I could only get
>> the
>> salutation to work satisfactorily if the Calc Spreadsheet was set up
>> "right", and included a field called Gender, with entries like M and
>> F,
>> or male and female.  The Address Block seems to work OK more or less
>> whatever you do.
>> The Wizard seems as limited and naff as the manual method, illustrated
>> in previous postings, is versatile and powerful - but it does work, if
>> you do exactly what it expects.
>> For my money, use the manual method every time.  It's cool.
>>     
>
> I'm looking forward to trying it. If it works, all is forgiven. I must
> admit it's thrown me, I really just expected it to work. I didn't read
> the manual for that though, did you, or did you chance upon your
> method?
Both - trial and error, mostly error, and poking around for tutorials, 
howtos, etc.  The essential seems to be in setting up the database 
exactly the way the Wizard expects to find it, and that's best done by 
using the same headings - Gender seems to be a must, but it's probably 
get-roundable, with more trial and lots more error.  Anyway, don't 
bother with the Wizard.  Use the manual method.

Martin