Open Office will not connect to registered database for mail merge

Sorry, not sure how to add the screenshot

I have also just realised that it is merging all the records into the master label, i.e. there does not seem to be a 'next record' command being set up.

All advice gratefully received.

Hi

There is no way to add attachments in Launchpad Answers - the feature has been requested.

To mail merge labels, you need File > New > Labels. On the Labels tab, select your address data base from the drop down list under Database, then the Table, then each field in turn, and use the arrow to insert it into the Label text box.

However, if your database is not in the list, you need to register your data base first. There are many ways to do this. Perhaps the easiest way is to go into Tools > Mail Merge Wizard and when you get to the Insert Address block dialog, take Select Different Address List > Add and find your database file. When it is in list, it is registered and you can back out of the Mail Merge Wizard.

When you have your labels set up, click the New Document button. Then do File > Print and click Yes for 'Do you want to print a form letter'. You will then get a dialog to select records and the type of output. I always select 'File' for the Output so it produces a document in label sheet format.

Hope this helps.

Tony

PS: If this answers you question, please mark it as Solved.

Thank you very much for your help.

Things have improved in that I am now printing (or saving to file that is) sheets of labels and not getting the 'Data Source not found' message.

However, there is still a problem in that the first label on every page updates to the next record, but all the OTHER labels on ALL the sheets have the first database details (I am using an Avery template with 14 labels per sheet - database has 152 entries) so the first page has all the labels the same, the second page has the second record in the top left label but all the others as per the first sheet, etc.

I am still a bit stuck.

Thanks in anticipation

Nigel

Hi

This is strange behaviour. I always use the method I described and do not have any problems.

When you get to the final Mail Merge dialog, are you using any options other than output to File (e.g. any type of record selection or Filtering)?

Have you looked at the database records to make sure that they are OK? Are you using the content of a single Table, or are you using a Query?

Just for the record, which versions of OOo and Ubuntu are you using?

Tony

Hi Tony,

Thanks again for your help.

I am using 9.04 plus the OO suite that came with it - 3.0.1. No filters or queries, one table and as far as I know the database entires were good (but see later comment).

I have redone the database from the original EvolutionExport .csv file that was pasted into a Spreadsheet, modified and then pasted into a Database Table. I changed the column headers in the spreadsheet to be less than 10 characters to avoid the rather cryptic auto conversion of Database. I also added this time the Unique Data Identifier (if I remember the term correctly), i.e. the automatic sequential numbering of each data line in the table, which was not there before.

For info, I originally tried using the EvolutionLocal direct database link from OO to Evolution to create the labels. This had some problems, the first being that it took me two days to find and install this feature - should it not be implemented as part of the original installation? The other apparent problem is that all the data I had entered was not offered for inclusion in the labels, e.g. entered titles such as 'Mr and Mrs'. So I gave up with this and went down the export/convert route.

Back to the original subject, I have used this new database and I now have been successful in creating 152 almost perfect Christmas Card labels.

The remaining problem is that I cannot work out how to suppress empty lines generated by for example an empty 'Address2' cell in the table.

Could you advise me on how to do this?

Many thanks again,

Regards,

Nigel

Tony,

Thank you for all your help - I will investigate the blank line problem and raise another question as required.

Thanks again,

Nigel

Thanks Tony Pursell, that solved my question.