Okay--I think I found the problem. When I opened one of my .odt documents and hovered over one of the fields, LO didn't seem to recognize it as a field. After going back to Insert > Fields > Other and manually reinserting the fields, the mail merge works correctly. I was hoping I wouldn't have to reinsert all of the fields, but I guess I just might have to bite the bullet and do that once and be done with it. Thanks again for all of your help!
----- Jeff Prater On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 9:58 PM, Jeff Prater <[email protected]>wrote: > Yes--that does work. However, I already have a bunch of .odt documents > mapped with the fields from the .ods spreadsheets. I don't want to have to > delete all of the existing fields and reinsert them. I was hoping this > would just "work." > > Also, is there any way to not have LO "cache" (if that's the right > word--that seems like what it's doing behind the scenes) data source? In > Lotus Symphony, I would simply browse to to the .ods spreadsheet and it > would import the most current data. It seems LO creates a local database > and stores all the spreadsheet data in it, making it impossible to easily > update the spreadsheet and create a new merge. > > > ----- > Jeff Prater > > > On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 6:36 PM, Alex McMurchy < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Not sure if I've missed the point here - >> >> Create a spreadsheet .ods file with 3 columns each column headed - col1, >> col2, col3 >> Add two rows populating respective columns my first row contained 1, 2, 3 >> and the 2nd row a, b ,c so I had a spreadsheet .ods file that looked like >> this - >> >> col1 col2 col3 >> 1 2 3 >> a b c >> >> >> Create a writer .odt file >> add the bespoke fields >> Insert -> Fields -> Other >> Push the "Add Database File Browse" button. >> Navigate to the .ods file >> Push the open button >> The spreadhsst .ods file should then be added to the "Database Selection" >> pane. >> Select the fields you want added to the writer .odt file positioning them >> as approprate >> save the document >> >> Start the Mail Merge Wizard >> Select the Starting Document i.e. the .odt file created above >> Move directly to the "Select Save, Print or Send" dialog >> Select the "Save Merged Document" Radio Button >> Select the "Save as a Single Document" Radio Button >> Push the "Save Documents" Button >> Save the merged document >> >> >> >> Does this get you close to where you want to be? >> >> Alex >> >> >> >> On Wednesday 19 Mar 2014 17:03:18 Jeff Prater wrote: >> > That's the problem. Whenever I attempt to do the mail merge, it doesn't >> > list any of the custom fields in my document. It only list "canned" >> fields. >> > I don't see how I can match my existing fields within this interface. >> > >> > [image: Inline image 2][image: Inline image 1] >> > >> > >> > ----- >> > Jeff Prater >> > >> > >> > On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 4:43 PM, Don C. Myers <[email protected] >> >wrote: >> > >> > > Hi, >> > > I did my database in OO about 10 years ago, maybe more. I haven't >> fiddled >> > > with the fields since then, but they were custom fields. I moved to >> LO as >> > > soon as it was released. I use mail merge extensively, and had no >> problems >> > > having custom named fields working to pull the data from. So there >> should >> > > still be someway to do it. >> > > Don >> > > >> > > >> > > On 03/19/2014 04:12 PM, Jeff Prater wrote: >> > > >> > >> Yeah--I guess I could do that. But I already have all these fields >> > >> created. >> > >> I have probably 50+ documents where I would need to make these manual >> > >> changes. Plus, the spreadsheets get updated regularly and I don't >> want to >> > >> have to reimport/reattach the spreadsheet all the time. I guess I'll >> have >> > >> to stick with Lotus Symphony. :( >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> ----- >> > >> Jeff Prater >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 3:22 PM, Steve Edmonds >> > >> <[email protected]>wrote: >> > >> >> > >> On 2014-03-20 07:12, Jeff Prater wrote: >> > >>> >> > >>> At my job we currently use Lotus Symphony and we use the Open >> Document >> > >>>> format exclusively. We're currently in the process of migrating to >> > >>>> LibreOffice 4.2. We have a lot of documents we use with the mail >> merge >> > >>>> feature. All of the data sources are from spreadsheets. In >> Symphony, the >> > >>>> spreadsheet column names are automatically mapped to the field >> names in >> > >>>> the >> > >>>> text document. In LO, however, it seems it only wants to default to >> > >>>> "standard" mail merge fields (first name, last name, address line >> 1, >> > >>>> city, >> > >>>> state, zip, etc.). I would have to remap every field to match LO's >> field >> > >>>> naming convention. I don't want to have to do that. How can I make >> this >> > >>>> more like Symphony's mail merge functionality where LO matches the >> > >>>> column >> > >>>> name with the field name? I'm not merging letters--I'm merging data >> > >>>> from a >> > >>>> spreadsheet using custom column names (like AmountPosted, JobID, >> > >>>> DateCreated, DateCompleted, etc.). Thanks! >> > >>>> >> > >>>> ----- >> > >>>> Jeff Prater >> > >>>> >> > >>>> Hi. >> > >>>> >> > >>> I merge spread sheet data into documents that a printed >> (certificates). I >> > >>> started by creating the certificate in writer, just as I want it to >> look >> > >>> with dummy information. Then to replace the dummy information from a >> > >>> spread >> > >>> sheet I Insert>Field>Other (ctl-F2). Select the database tab, mail >> merge >> > >>> fields and under the right pane Add database file - Browse. I >> locate my >> > >>> spread sheet which will appear in the right pane and allow you to >> select >> > >>> the field you want. >> > >>> Note that this copies the sheet to an odb file and inserts from that >> > >>> file. >> > >>> If you update your spread sheet the odb file is not automatically >> > >>> updated. >> > >>> Steve >> > >>> >> > >>> >> > >>> -- >> > >>> To unsubscribe e-mail to: [email protected] >> > >>> Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to- >> > >>> unsubscribe/ >> > >>> Posting guidelines + more: >> http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette >> > >>> List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ >> > >>> All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot >> be >> > >>> deleted >> > >>> >> > >>> >> > >>> >> > > -- >> > > >> > > *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* >> > > Don C. Myers >> > > Manager, Farm and Rural Property Division >> > > e-PRO Certified by the National Association of Realtors >> > > Don's Cell Phone: 814-571-9518, Don's Home Phone: 814-422-8111 >> > > Don's E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >> > > *RE/MAX Centre Realty >> > > **1375 Martin Street, State College, PA 16803* >> > > Office Phone: 814-231-8200 Fax: 814-231-8220 >> > > Visit the Farm and Rural Property Division web site at _ >> > > www.CentralPaRuralProperty.com < >> http://www.CentralPaRuralProperty.com/> _ >> > > Visit the RE/MAX Centre Realty main web site at _ >> > > www.StateCollegeHomeSales.com <http://www.statecollegehomesales.com/> >> _ >> > > View Don's Farm Web Site at www.myersfarm.com < >> http://www.myersfarm.com/> >> > > *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > -- >> > > To unsubscribe e-mail to: [email protected] >> > > Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to- >> > > unsubscribe/ >> > > Posting guidelines + more: >> http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette >> > > List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ >> > > All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be >> > > deleted >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> >> -- >> To unsubscribe e-mail to: [email protected] >> Problems? >> http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/ >> Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette >> List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ >> All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be >> deleted >> >> > -- To unsubscribe e-mail to: [email protected] Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/ Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted
