INCLUDEPICTURE Field support in mail merge engine

Aspose.Words Product Family
1

Dear Aspose Team,

we would like to replace pictures in a word template with dynamically generated images.

I tried to use IFieldMergingCallback.imageFieldMerging() like it is descripted here:
https://docs.aspose.com/words/java/insert-checkboxes-text-input-or-images-mail-merge/

But I dont know how to insert such image fields in Word itself.

If I uses Word’s insert image function (link to file) the image tag’s name is “INCLUDEIMAGE”. In your example the name is “Image:”

On mailmerge execution the imageFieldMerging() method is never called.

So how can I insert such image fields?

It is possible to show a preview image in such fields?

Thank you very much! Cheers

Jens Boeckel

Abacus Research AG
Switzerland

2

Hi Jens,

Thanks for your inquiry. In reference to the mentioned example, event handler IFieldMergingCallback.imageFieldMerging() , used to insert pictures dynamically from data base, has been set in start of mailMergeImageFromBlob() method . You can amend the solution according to you need i.e. data source and template field names.

// Set up the event handler for image fields.
doc.getMailMerge().setFieldMergingCallback(new HandleMergeImageFieldFromBlob());

To can use mail merge wizard to create MS Word template or insert a mail merge field using Ctrl+f9 and update the field properties according to you need.

Secondly, you can set image size while inserting image to the fields. Please check following link, it would be helpful in acomplashing mail merge.

How to Execute Mail Merge with Regions

Hopefully it will fullfil your purpose. If still you have any confusion then please share your sample code and template. So we will have a closer look into and suggest you accordingly.

Please feel free to contact us for any further assitance.

Best Regards,

3

Dear Tilal,

thank you very much. Could you provide the precise field code of a mergefield with a preview image?

I would to know how to define a mergefield containing the data of a picture

Thanks!
Cheers
Jens Boeckel
-------------------------------
Abacus Research AG
Switzerland

4

Dear Jens,
Please find attached mail merge template. Hopefully it will server your purpose.
Please let us know for any further assitance. We are always glad to help you.
Best Regards,

5

Hi Tilal,

thanks a lot. Its there no way to show already in the template a image at the mergefield?

In your example here:
https://docs.aspose.com/words/java/insert-checkboxes-text-input-or-images-mail-merge/
you describe the possibility to read the byte[] from the ImageFieldMergingArgs.getFieldValue() argument given at imageFieldMerging(). But in all my tests the value is null.

So I ask what to do so that getFieldValue() will not return null

Thanks again!

Cheers,

Jens Boeckel
------------------------------
Abacus Research AG
Switzerland

6

Hi Jens,

Thanks for your inquiry. You can add a null value condition to avoid this issue as shown in following code snippet. Secondly please verify that your database contains that referenced image field i.e. PhotoBLOB . Moreover, please check following link related to image mail merging.

https://forum.aspose.com/t/57593

public void imageFieldMerging(ImageFieldMergingArgs e) throws Exception {
    if (e.getFieldValue() != null) {
        // The field value is a byte array, just cast it and create a stream on it.
        ByteArrayInputStream imageStream = new ByteArrayInputStream((byte[]) e.getFieldValue());
        // Now the mail merge engine will retrieve the image from the stream.
        e.setImageStream(imageStream);
    }
}

Hopefully it will fulfill your requirement. Please feel free to contact us for any further assistance.

Best Regards,

7

Hi Tilal,

I think we talk of two different subjects. I dont talk of the execution moment when my code is running. I talk of the template designing moment:

Our users can create their own templates with our prorgam. So we create a RTF file for using it as datasource of the template, so the user can select mergefields from der mergefield-dialog in Word. That’s all running.

Now we would like to have a possibility for our users that they can insert a mergefield from the mailmerge-fields list in Word and they will see at that moment an dummy image at the position where the mergefield was inserted.

Offtopic: If I understand correctly the following steps are execute at the moment of executing mailmerge:

  1. Document.getMailMerge().execute*() is called with a map of fields<–>values
    These values conatains i.e the image data or any another datasource providing the
    requested values

  2. fieldMerging(FieldMergingArgs args) is called for additional logic for each single found
    field

  3. imageFieldMerging(ImageFieldMergingArgs args) is called for every found Image:XXX
    MergeField. ImageFieldMergingArgs.getFieldValue() contains the data set in step 1

Is that correct?

Thank you again very much!
Kind regards

Jens Boeckel
------------------------------
Abacus Research AG
Switzerland

8

Hi Jens,
Sorry for the inconvenience. Could you please share some more details/sample code for generating that dummy image template. So we will have close look into it and suggest you accordingly.
Secondly, about mail merging execution your understating is correct.
Please feel free to contact us for any further assistance.
Best Regards,

9

Hi Talil,

no problem.

here some code how we set the datasource to the word document with aspose

MailMergeSettings mmSettings = asposeDocument.getMailMergeSettings();
mmSettings.setDataSource(dataSourceFileName);
mmSettings.setMainDocumentType(MailMergeMainDocumentType.FORM_LETTERS);
mmSettings.setDataType(MailMergeDataType.TEXT_FILE);
mmSettings.setLinkToQuery(true);
mmSettings.setViewMergedData(true);
mmSettings.setQuery("SELECT * FROM " + mmSettings.getDataSource());

as attachment you’ll find a sample datasource rtf document in which the field IMAGE_DOUBLEDOT_AnyImage should be the image field where the image data should be displayed.
In our code we transform these fields with DOUBLEDOT to fields with ‘:’ before performing mailmerge. This is done with TableStart: and TableEnd: as well.

Thank you again!
Kind regards,

Jens Boeckel
------------------------------
Abacus Research AG
Switzerland

10

Hi Jense,
Please accept my apology for the inconvenience faced. In reference to template building for preview, Ms Word supports INCLUDEPICTURE field for image. Whereas, currently Aspose.Words supports only IMAGE field in its mail merging feature. I have linked your request with a similar issue logged in our bug tracking system, WORDSNET-6715. The issue logged for INCLUDEPICTURE mail merge request in Aspose.Words. You will be notified as soon as it is resolved.
Best Regards,

11

Hi Jens,

Thanks for your inquiry.

I think there is some confusion of what the actual issue is here. It sounds more like you are asking for a feature of Microsoft Word and not Aspose.Words. Note that Aspose.Words is a class library which is completely separate from Microsoft Word and does not provide any UI at all.

You stated you want use a datasource for mail merge in Microsoft Word and have the user able to insert a field from this list and see a preview of the document. I think this isn’t directly possible through Microsoft Word, but you may be able to achieve this through the use of a background macro. For instance you would need to write a macro that detects when a merge field is inserted and inserts a default image at the same image. This sounds a bit difficult.

Also it may be useful to learn how images are really inserted during mail merge in Microsoft Word. The following site describes this well. You can see that there isn’t really any native support for previewing merged images in Microsoft Word.

When it comes to merging images during processing with Aspose.Words it sounds like you replace the Image_DOUBLEDOT_ImageName with a colon which turns it into a “Image” field recognized by Aspose.Words. This sounds like it will work perfectly fine, please let us know if you are having trouble with this and if so please attach your code and template here for testing.

Therefore I am closing the linked issue opened by Tilal as there is no problem. Please let us know if you have any further clarification.

Thanks,