Mailmerge problem with different mailmerge fields

Aspose.Words Product Family
1

I want to create a mailmerge from a word template dotx file. I call the function document.MailMerge.Execute(fieldNames, values) and I save the result as pdf file. But in the resulting pdf only half of the fields are replaced. If I call this method twice all fields are replaced. I found another topic where someone wrote not to call this method more than once. I made an investigation on the word document and I saw that there are two diffent kinds of mergefields. Some are shown as {mergefield fieldname } and others are shown as { seriendruckfeld fieldname }. Only one of the group will be replaced by one call of the execute funtion. If I call the method a second time on the same document the second group of mergefields will be replaced. How can I ensure, that all mergefields will be replaced with the first call of the execute method? If I use MS Word Mailmerge function all fields are replaced with only one call.

2

@bruns

It seems that you are encountering an issue with the mail merge functionality in Aspose.Words, where only a subset of merge fields is being replaced in the output document. This behavior may be due to the presence of different types of merge fields in your Word template, specifically {MERGEFIELD fieldname} and {seriendruckfeld fieldname}.

When you call the Execute method, it appears that it only processes one type of merge field per call. This is why you see that calling the method a second time replaces the remaining fields. To ensure that all merge fields are replaced in a single call, you can try the following approaches:

  1. Use a Data Source that Covers All Fields: Make sure that your data source includes all the fields you want to merge. If you are using an array of field names and values, ensure that both types of merge fields are included in this array.

  2. Implement a Custom Mail Merge Callback: You can create a custom callback by implementing the IFieldMergingCallback interface. This allows you to handle the merging of fields manually, which can give you more control over how each field is processed. Here’s a simple example:

    public class CustomFieldMergingCallback : IFieldMergingCallback
{
    public void FieldMerging(FieldMergingArgs e)
    {
        // Custom logic to handle different types of merge fields
        if (e.FieldName.StartsWith("YourFieldPrefix"))
        {
            e.Text = "Your custom value"; // Set the value for the field
        }
    }

    public void ImageFieldMerging(ImageFieldMergingArgs e)
    {
        // Handle image fields if necessary
    }
}

    You would then set this callback before executing the mail merge:

    Document doc = new Document("YourTemplate.docx");
doc.MailMerge.FieldMergingCallback = new CustomFieldMergingCallback();
doc.MailMerge.Execute(fieldNames, values);

  3. Check for Field Codes: Ensure that the field codes in your Word document are correctly formatted and that there are no issues with the merge field names. Sometimes, discrepancies in naming can lead to fields not being recognized.

  4. Use the ExecuteWithRegions Method: If your data is structured in a way that allows for regions, consider using the ExecuteWithRegions method, which can handle more complex data structures and may help in merging all fields in one go.

By following these suggestions, you should be able to achieve a complete merge of all fields in a single call. If the problem persists, consider reviewing the documentation for more details on mail merge operations and the specific requirements for your data source.

Sources:
[1]: Mail Merge and Reporting in C#|Aspose.Words for .NET
[2]: MailMerge.Execute | Aspose.Words for .NET

3

@bruns Could you please attach your input and output documents here for testing? We will check the issue and provide you more information.

4

Thank you for your answer.

  1. I am including all field names and values
  2. I have tested the custom mail merge callback. But the callback is only called for some of the fields. This does not help
  3. this may be a problem. I have called doc.MailMerge.GetFieldNames() and I get a strange result. The list contains multiples times “SERIENDRUCKFELD” and all other fields names which have the mergefield in the word document.
  4. I do not have any regions. I called doc.MailMerge.GetRegionsHierarchy(). The result is 0 regions.

I will provide the template, but before I have to remove some customer specific data.

5

@bruns Thank you for additional information. We will wait for your problematic template.