Start at the beginning

We use the “Mail Merge” (“Mail Merge”) function to create “Documents”, whose information is extracted from a table.
To do ” Mail Merge” we should have three “Documents”:
A “Master document”: this is the letter (for example) we send to several members, including a header and content. This remains the same for each member.
A “Data file”: This is the file that contains the data in a “Document” to be merged. For example, the list of names and addresses you want to use for mailing.
A “Merged document”: this, is the “Document” that is the result of the combination of the main “Document” and the data file.

The only information that changes for each merged “Document” is the data you get from the data file.
For example,
We have a letter with our logo on top, beneath it, the greetings “Dear” and below that the content of our letter.

To make our letter more customizable, we can give the title and add the name after the word “Dear”, for the member. The information we get from a previously created table containing all our members.
To review these two “Documents” together, we use the “Mail Merge”(“Mail Merge”) function.
a
To start “MailMerge” in the 2003 and XP versions, choose “Tools” (“Tools”) – “Letters and Mailings” (“Letters and Mailings”) – “Mail Merge” (“Mail Merge Wizard …”) in the menu bar.
This opens the “Merge Wizard” (“Mail Merge Wizard”) in the “Task Pane”.
This wizard consists of six windows. In each window we answer a question, and click “Next” (“Next”) below the “Task Pane” to go to the next step.
We repeat this step for each window.

To start “MailMerge” in 2000 and ’97 versions we choose “Tools” (“Tools”) – “Mail Merge” (“Mail Merge”) in the menu bar.
This starts the dialog box “Mail Merge Helper” (“Mail Merge Helper”).

Mail Merge 2003 and XP

Mail Merge 2003 and XP

Using “Mail Merge” (2003 and XP)

In the first screen of the wizard we choose what type of “Document” we will work with.
In this example we send letters to our members, so we opt for “Letters” (“Letters”) and click “Next” (“Next”)

In the second panel it will ask us about the format of our letters.
We choose “Use the current document” (“Use the current document”)

In the third window it asks us to select the addresses.
We choose “Use an existing list” (“Use existing list”).
And we click on “Browse” (“Browse”) to browse for our table with our addresses.
(We have the option of a table from “Word”, ‘Excel”, “Access” or whichever we use).

We select our table and click “Open”
In the dialog that appears, we can select the different members, but since we want to write to everyone, we click OK.

In the fourth window in the “Task pane” click “More Items” (“More items”)
In the dialog “Insert Merge Field” that appears, we select each field that we want to insert and click on “Insert” (“Insert”)

In the next step we click “Next: Preview your letters” (“Next: Preview your letters”).
We now see an example of our letter in which the name is inserted for the first member from the table.
By clicking on the ‘<<‘ and ‘>>’ buttons in the “Task Pane”, we can navigate to different letters (ie members).

We click on “Next: Complete the merge” (“Next: Complete the merge”).
Click “Print” if you want to “Print” the letters

“Mail Merge” (2000 and ’97)

Select “Tools” – “Mail Merge” in the menu bar.
Click the “Create” button.
Choose from the “Form Letters” list
Select “Active Window” or “New window”.

The next step is our chart showing the information we want to select.
Click the “Get Data” button in the “Data Source” section of the dialog box.
We have several options from which we select our “Data Source”.
We have already created our table, so we select “Open Data Source …”.
Navigate to the already created table, and click “Open”.
A dialog appears which mentions that “Word” cannot find fields that are joined.
Click on “Edit” (“Edit”) in the “Main Document” section from the dialog.
This gives a blank “Document”.
Type the content of the letter.
If you wish you to view a field from our table, select “Insert Merge Field” from the “Mail Merge” toolbar and select the fields you want to insert from the dropdown menu.
When you add a “combined field” in your letter, this field appears in quotation marks. In this way we can distinguish between normal text and a merged field.
Once we have finished our letter, and the merging of the fields from our table, we only need to put the data together.
Click on “Merge” in the dialog.
In the dropdown menu select “New Document”.
In the “Merge” dialog box that appears, select the option you want in the “When merging records”.
And click “Merge”.
That’s it.

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