MailMerge Datasource setup

Aspose.Words Product Family
1

I am looking to create a new document, and I would like to automatically setup the mailmerge source so the use can go in a create the form and add mailmerge fields without having to setup the “recipents” in the word doc to get the available fields to appear. Is there a way to either add the fields or setup the datasource for the mailmerge automatically?

Thanks,

Ronnie

2

Hi

Thanks for your inquiry.

You can insert mergefield into the document using Aspose.Words.

https://docs.aspose.com/words/java/working-with-fields/

What kind of data source would you like to edit? Is this database table or some kind of xml document?

You can also perform mail merge using Aspose.Words. See the following link for more information:

https://docs.aspose.com/words/java/mail-merge-and-reporting/

Best regards.

3

Not really dynamically inserting the file or actually performing the mail merge. Rather setting up the document for the user so that he or she does not have to configure the file for mailmerge and select the datasource to enable the “Insert Mail Merge Field” option. Currently when a user sets up a document that have to select a flat file to get a listing of all merge fields available so they can design the document. I would like to remove the step of them having to choose the datasource and automatically set it up for them so they can just start adding merge fields.

Thanks,
Ronnie

4

Hi

Thanks for addition information. No, unfortunately there is no way to achieve this using Aspose.Words.

There is issue #5170 in our defect database.

Issue #5170 – Make it possible to specify MailMergeDataSource for a document.

Best regards.

5

Excellent. Is there an estimate on when this functionality will be available?

Thanks,
Ronnie

6

Hi

Thanks for your inquiry. Unfortunately I can’t provide you any estimate at the moment.

Best regards.

7

We need a solution for this problem, too.

I found another problem: If a document with setted datasurce (a cvs file) is opened with ASPOSE.Word and saved, the setted datasource is gone.

It would be great if there is any way to open and save a word file with datasource without loosing the datasource.

It is there any possibility that these problems are solved before 2009?

Kind regards,

Jens Böckel
ABACUS Research AG
Bussiness-Software
Switzerland

8

Hi

Thanks for your inquiry. I created new issue #6392 in our defect database. Currently I can’t tell you whether the issues will be fixed before 2009. I will consult with our developers and provide you more information.

Best regards.

9

Hi,

is there any update?

Thanks a lot!

Kind regards,
Jens Böckel
------------------
ABACUS Research AG
Switzerland
www.abacus.ch

10

Hi

Thanks for your request. Unfortunately this issue is still unresolved.

Best regards.

11

Hi,

is this issue still unresolved in Java?

Thanks a lot!

Kind regards,
Jens Böckel
------------------
ABACUS Research AG
Switzerland
www.abacus.ch

12

Hi

Thanks for your inquiry. Unfortunately, this feature is still not supported. You will be notified as soon as it is implemented.

Best regards.

13

To Jens:

  1. Do you just want the mail merge data source preserved when you open/save a document in Aspose.Words?
  2. Preserving in which formats is most important?
  3. Do you want to programmatically set or access the mail merge data source?
  4. Do you want Aspose.Words to use this data source when performing mail merge?
  5. Do you want anything else?
  6. Do you want this in Aspose.Words for .NET or Java?
  7. What is the minimum set of features that you can live with from the list above?
14

To Ronnie:

If I understand you correctly, you want to do the following:

  1. Using Aspose.Words, programmatically specify mail merge data source and fields for a document.
  2. When the user opens the document in MS Word and starts inserting mail merge fields into the document, the user will be able to select the fields because the data source is configured properly in the document.

Please let me know if that is correct or not.

Sorry we did not have time to work on this feature for so long. I do not know at this stage if this is possible or feasible for us to do.

Usually, we expect that the users will just use the Insert / Field menu in MS Word, select MERGEFIELD and type the name of the data field (not select it from a list).

It is interesting to note that MS Word mail merge allows only for “simple and plain” mail merges such as letters, contracts or mailing labels. Yet Aspose.Words provides support for mail merge regions and allows for special syntax in the mail merge field names, for example MERGEFIELD TableStart:TableName, MERGEFIELD TableEnd:TableName, MERGEFIELD Image:FieldName etc. The list of these “extensions” will grow and it will never be possible to show such fields in the list for the user using the standard MS Word mail merge data source. So do you just want to use the simple merge fields?

15

Roman,

I only want to provide all possible Fields to the user. In our templates we use just 50 % of the Fields.
We all know, nobody reads manuals. If the user can see a list of all fields in the doc, it’s easyer for him to customize the template.

to your questions:

  1. Do you just want the mail merge data source preserved when you open/save a document in Aspose.Words?
    I don’t need.

  2. Preserving in which formats is most important?
    RTF

  3. Do you want to programmatically set or access the mail merge data source?
    Set the Datasource only

  4. Do you want Aspose.Words to use this data source when performing mail merge?
    no, Aspose.Words works fine

  5. Do you want anything else?
    no

  6. Do you want this in Aspose.Words for .NET or Java?
    .Net

  7. What is the minimum set of features that you can live with from the list above?
    Set the Datasource for RTF - files

Klaus Mueller

16

Hey Romank,

thank you for the reply!

We need the following features as minimum:

  1. DataSource should be preserved on open/save of an document in Aspose.Words

  2. Preserving formats should be first .doc but .docx would be nice, too.

  3. Programmatically setting the mail merge datasource. In first place file datasources are needed.

  4. Using the data source when performing mail merge would be nice, but we don’t need that.

  5. No I don’t know of anything else.

6.Only for Java.

Kind regards
Jens

17

To Klaus and Jens,

Thanks for your replies. What you require looks very reasonable and I agree it should be added to Aspose.Words.

I will add this info to the feature requests, but at this stage I cannot promise a speedy delivery. Will try to do in 2010, that’s the best I can give at this stage. We have a very long list of required features to fulfill.

18

Correct. I am looking to set the datasource so when someone opens the file via the “normal” word interface they can add these predetermined fields. I am ok if the special fields are not available from this screen.

Thanks,
Ronnie

19

The issues you have found earlier (filed as 6392;5170) have been fixed in this update.

This message was posted using Notification2Forum from Downloads module by aspose.notifier.
20

Hi romank, alexey

thank you for your great work. Setting the datasource to a word document is working nicely.

There is a minor problem, I do not know if that is an aspose bug or simple a Microsoft Word Bug.

I set a csv file as datasource to a word document with aspose.words in Java. But if the document is opened with Word, if the system-folder-setting “Hide extension of known file types” is enabled, Word does not regnonize the csv file anymore. But if I switch of the setting then Word does regnonize the csv without any modification of the word document nor on the csv file.
When I tried to reproduce the behaviour by setting the csv datasource in Microsoft Word itself, I have not any chance: The csv file was regnonized everytime as datasource by Word. Nor matter the “hide” switch is en- or disabled.

Do you have any glue?

Thank you very much! Kind regards
Jens Boeckel
----------------------
Abacus Research AG
St. Gallen
Switzerland