Chapter 12
Mail Merge
askSam Concepts in this Chapter:
• Creating Mail Merge Letters
• Viewing Mail Merge Letters
• Printing Mail Merge Letters
• Editing Mail Merge Letters
• Deleting Mail Merge Letters
What Is Mail Merge?
Mail Merge allows you to choose a group of addresses (or other data) and merge it into a letter. For each address, a letter is printed. In this way, Mail Merge automates the creation of customized letters.
NOTES:
1. Although the Mail Merge function is primarily used for merging addresses into letters, it can be used to merge selected fields from any type of Documents.
2. It is also possible to export your addresses as a text delimited file (CSV) and merge them with your word processor. (See the chapter on Importing and Exporting for details.)
askSam's mail merge feature provides a simple way to use askSam's powerful selection capabilities to merge data with a letter.
Creating Mail Merge Letters
1. Choose TOOLS -> MAIL MERGE.
The Mail Merge Dialog Box will appear.
2. Enter a name for your Mail Merge Report and choose the CREATE button.
A new Mail Merge Document is created. You switch to the Mail Merge Editor.
When you switch to the Mail Merge Editor, you'll notice the following changes:
· The Mail Merge menu replaces the Document menu.
· The Search Line is replaced by the Mail Merge toolbar
· The Field List will appear. The Field List displays a list of the fields in your file.
3. Type your Letter. Drag fields from the Field List and place them in the appropriate positions. (Field names can also be typed directly into the Letter).
NOTE: You can also use the Windows' Clipboard to paste a Letter from another askSam file or another application.
4. After completing your letter, choose MAIL MERGE -> SELECT
DOCUMENTS to determine which Documents (addresses) are merged into your Mail Merge Document. You can choose either:
COMMAND DESCRIPTION
ALL All Documents are merged with your letter.
SEARCH Lets you select which Documents are merged with the letter by entering a search request.
STORED SEARCH Lets you select which Documents are merged with the letter by choosing a stored search request. The Mail Merge Document uses this stored request to select the Documents that are merged.
5. Choose MAIL MERGE -> SORT to set how the Mail Merge Documents will be
sorted
6. When your letter is complete, you can either preview it or print it by choosing: MAIL MERGE ->
PREVEIW or MAIL MERGE -> PRINT.
7. Choose MAIL MERGE -> CLOSE to exit the Mail Merge Editor.
Previewing A Mail Merge Letter
To view your Mail Merge letters before you print them:
1. Choose TOOLS -> MAIL MERGE
The Mail Merge Dialog Box will appear.
2. Select the name of the letter you wish to preview.
3. Choose the PREVIEW button to view the letters.
NOTE: It may take a considerable amount of time to output all the letters to your screen. Often, it makes more sense to enter a temporary search and preview only several letters. You can modify the search, by editing the Mail Merge letter and choosing MAIL MERGE -> SELECT
DOCUMENTS.
Printing A Mail Merge Letter
Once you have created a Mail Merge letter, you can print it. To Print a Mail Merge letter:
1. Choose TOOLS -> MAIL MERGE.
The Mail Merge Dialog Box will appear.
2. Choose the name of the letter you wish to print.
3. Choose the PRINT button to print the letters.
Editing A Mail Merge Letter
To modify either the content of your Mail Merge letter, the Sort order, or the Documents (addresses) that are merged into the letter:
1. Choose TOOLS -> MAIL MERGE
The Mail Merge Dialog Box will appear.
2. Choose the name of the letter you wish to edit.
3. Choose the EDIT button.
You switch to the Mail Merge Editor, and the Mail Merge letter you selected is opened.
NOTES:
1. If you only have a few letters that you repeatedly send to various customers, you will want to have a Mail Merge Report for each letter.
2. If you have many different letters that you only occasionally merge with addresses, it may be better to store these letters in a separate askSam database of letters and paste them into a Merge Report in your address database when needed.
Deleting A Mail Merge Letter
To Delete a Mail Merge Letter:
1. Choose TOOLS -> MAIL MERGE.
The Mail Merge Dialog Box will appear.
2. Select the Mail Merge Letter you want to delete.
3. Choose the Delete Button.
A message will appear asking you to confirm your decision.
4. Choose YES.
Your letter will be deleted.
NOTE: After deleting a letter, you should pack your file. Packing compresses and optimizes the file.
The Mail Merge Menu
When you enter the Mail Merge Editor, the Mail Merge menu replaces the Document menu. The Mail Merge menu contains the following commands:
COMMAND FUNCTION
ADD Adds a new Mail Merge letter.
ADD OTHER Adds a new Mail Merge letter, a duplicate of the current letter, a new Entry Form, or a new report.
CLOSE Closes the Mail Merge Editor and returns you to the first Data Document in your file.
DELETE Deletes the current letter.
VIEW DELETED MAIL Lists deleted Mail Merge letters, and lets you undelete them. MERGE Letters are permanently deleted from a file when you pack.
SELECT DOCUMENTS Determines which Documents (addresses) are selected and merged with your letter.
SORT Defines how the Mail Merge letters will be sorted.
PREVIEW Previews the current letter with the merged data.
PRINT Prints the current letter with the merged data.
INSERT FIELD Inserts a field at the current cursor position.
SHOW Inserts the Show command at the current cursor position. The Show command outputs a text passage based on its proximity to a word or phrase. For example: Show all sentences containing the word “impeachment”.
IF STATEMENT Defines conditional logic for your Mail Merge. The IF statements sets up the logic and opens appropriate windows.
PROPERTIES Displays the Mail Merge Properties Dialog Box. The Mail Merge Properties Dialog lets you rename and define settings for your letter.
Mail Merge Properties
The Mail Merge Properties are a subset of the Report Properties. See the description of Report Properties in the chapter on Reports.
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