Set up a mailmerge in your word processor

If you have to send a mailshot to lots of people, it's easy to personalize each letter using your word processor's mailmerge function. Dennis Jarrett explains how it all works. 

What is a mailmerge?
Mailmerge is the term word processing folk use to describe the way a standard letter can be customized by the insertion of variable stuff like names and addresses. So you can send a letter to thousands of people and convince them that you hand-crafted it yourself. It's a three-stage process: you have to set up a template, create a list and print or save the document.

Creating a template
If you're going to produce letters, this means writing the standard letter with markers or codes in it to indicate where personalized stuff like names and addresses will be inserted. Of course, it doesn't have to be a letter; it could be anything you want to customize. The material you merge into a letter, or any other document, can range from basics, like the recipient's address, to personalized details, like a nickname in the salutation. 

Setting up a contact list
The merge codes in the template tell your WP where information needs to be inserted. The source of this information is a list containing the variables needed to produce a finished document. This is a simple database file: each record contains enough merge information to fill the gaps in a single letter. Some WPs will let you use information that's already in a database format. Or you can fire up your database and dump the information you need into a text file that any WP can use.

It can be tricky getting database output to match with the merge codes in your letter, though. It's often easier to create the merge file by using your WP; that way it'll be easier to keep track of things. You end up with a word-processed document that looks like a list or a table. Then you tell the WP to start the merge, give it the names of the template letter and the data file, and sit back. When the merge is done, you'll have a new document file containing all your merged letters. Now on with the demonstration - first up is WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS. 

Merging in WordPerfect 
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The essence of merging in WordPerfect is the fact that merge fields are numbered rather than labelled. Or to be specific, they aren't numbered; the information is inserted in the order in which it appears in the data file (which WordPerfect helpfully prefers to call the secondary file). So the first item in the list of names and addresses is identified by WordPerfect as field 1, the next is field 2, and so on until WordPerfect hits an End of Record marker. This means one line of the record file corresponds to one field. If you can keep the data file simple it's not too difficult to follow, provided you keep track of which line you're on and whether you need a blank line for a field that doesn't contain any data for that person.

In the data file, type the information for one field, then press F9. That inserts the {END FIELD} marker and puts you at the start of the next line. Continue entering fields, pressing F9 by itself if there's nothing to be inserted. When you reach the end of the record, press Shift+F9, 2 and you'll get the {END RECORD} mark with the double dashed lines as a separator. When scrolling through the file afterwards, you can detect which field of the record you're in by checking out the bottom left corner of the screen.

Next you need to produce the primary file, the template that will receive the inserts. First prepare your letter, then position the cursor where you want a merge item. Press Shift+F9 then 1, and type in the number of the field. WordPerfect will automatically include a {FIELD} code before the number and a terminating squiggle after. When you're ready to merge, use Ctrl+F9, 1. You'll be asked to specify the primary and secondary files; and the result should be a multi-page document containing letters for all the people in your list . Then you just need to save or print them in the normal way.

WordPerfect 6 for dos
WordPerfect 6 for DOS is a major improvement over WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS, largely because WordPerfect 6 for DOS has a Windows-style interface. In both products the whole merge process is more specific, more graphic and generally less intimidating. For a start, they talk about 'form files' and 'data files', which is marginally more meaningful than primary and secondaries. What's more there are masses of clever controls available to make your merges more complicated. And whoopee! - you can use names for the merge fields.

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WordPerfect 6 isn't merge perfect, though. You select Merge from the Tools menu, then Define or Run. But when you choose Define, you have to decide if you're defining your letter or your data. And if you're doing data, you have to nominate text or table formats. The text format is the old-style sequence of fields with end-of-field and end-of-record markers; the table is the way you use field names - each column is headed by a merge label, each row is a single record.

Creating data is easier in the table format, but you'll still need some trial and error to get it right. Getting sensible column widths can take a while, for a start; even though that has nothing to do with the merge itself, it makes life a lot easier if you have a comprehensible and usable data list.

Performing the merge is simple. You specify the template and the data files, tell WordPerfect whether merge codes should be visible and what to do with blank lines. You can automatically generate an envelope at this point and you can include several selection criteria based on the content of specified fields

Mailmerging in Ami Pro
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Step 1: start with a new document and select File/Merge Select, create or edit a data file. This produces the Selet Merge Data file dialog box. The Merge Data File is the list of variables and we're creating a new one, so click on New. In the Create Data File dialog box you type the names of the data fileds appearing in your letter.

After you've entered all the field names, click on OK. Ami Pro will display the field names on a blank page with extra characters seperating the fields. This is overlaid by the Data File dialog box. Here you add records to your data file. Enter your first name and address, select Add and then move on to the next one. When you're done, select Close and Yes to save the file.

You'll be asked for a style to save with it (go for the default) click on OK, then Yes to use the current document as the merge document. Ami displays the Select Merge Data File dialog box. Select the data file you want - here it's NAMES.SAM. You'll see the Insert Merge Field dialog box. Click on a field name, put the cursor anywhere in your document and click again and the field will be inserted.

When you're done, click on Continue Merge Note and you'll be back at the Welcome message with Merge and Print already selected. Click on OK and you'll get a set of options. For mailmerge pros you get a conditional merge option, where the merge will go ahead only if the fields fit the criteria you specify. For example you could just print letters off for all your customers in Bolton.

Mail merging in Word 6 for Windows
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Word has an option in the Tools menu called Mail Merge Helper. Select it, click on Create and you'll get four choices of documents (letter, labels, envelopes and catalogue) although you can pick Form Letter and organize the document yourself. If you've already produced a form letter, you can start off with it on-screen. You should see a line of mailmerge command icons added to the toolbar.

Go back to the Mail Merge Helper dialog box when you're ready - you can use the Tools menu, or there's a quick-access icon button. Click on Get Data. The Create Data Source dialog box is where you name the merge fields. Word suggests a starter set and you can add or delete from that list. The arrows allow you to change the sequence by moving field names up or down

Up to now you don't need merge codes in your templates or any data in your information file. To build the data file from scratch, click on Edit Data Source and you'll see this form to complete. Now add merge fields to the form letter - click on the Insert Merge Field button and a list of field names appears: click on the one you want, then click on the document where you want the information inserted.

Back to the mail merge helper and it's time to perform the merge. The results can be pritned or displayed on-screen: there are several other options on offer including a useful error check. And here's the finished result.