Mail Merge

Hi,

I have designed my clients site using WA Extensions which has been great and thanks for the support so far.

My client needs to be able to once he has filtered the search results be able to do 2 things:

1.Send a mass email i assume using Universial Email to all the records that have an email address from the filtered results.
2.Merge the addresses etc to a word doc template to send out letters to his customers.

Could anyone help with this please?

Many thanks

Hi Mr H,

With regard to the mail-merge part of your query, the most direct way for your client to do this would be to declare the MySql Database as the ODBC data source for the merge.

Your client will need to have the mySql ODBC data source driver installed on his machine, and configure and name an instance for a connection to your mySql database. His hosting provider/mySql will need to allow a remote connection to this database.

On the machine that will be doing the mail-merging you (he) would need to go to the Control Panel and select 'Administrative Tools'. From the window that opens, double-click 'Data Sources (ODBC)'. In the next window that opens, under the first (User DSN) tab, click the 'Add' button.

Scroll down to near the bottom and select 'MySQL ODBC 5.1 Driver', and then follow through with the specific configuration of the required connection to the MySql database that contains your data.

If MySQL ODBC 5.1 Driver isn't listed, then you will need to download and install the MySql ODBC driver installer from: 5.1.html

In step 3 of the mail-merge process (assuming you are using Microsoft Word) you wouls choose 'Use an existing List' and then 'Browse', - select '+Connect to New Data Source.odc', then 'ODBC DSN', and finally select the MySql connection you created earlier.

You then have the option to choose your database table, and sort/select required data to include.

thanks neilo, yeah i was worried you would say that re merging word docs.

i have done this in past with access database and excel however the users will not all be able to do this and i dont think i will be able to set this up on every possible machine they will use.

what i was hoping was a way simlar to sugar crm or vtiger where you could upload doc templates and using the records from the database populate the letters from the web to print off?? anyone any views on this and the other query i have?

thank you all again for the support (superb!!)

anyone know of a way to do this merge with documents?

thanks again

I'm not sure that any of our extensions would be able to assist your with creating those documents.

However, in regard to your first question, you should be able to accomplish this using Universal Email and basically you will use the Search record set that was created when you create the email body of your email.

Originally Said By: Dani Chankhour

  I'm not sure that any of our extensions would be able to assist your with creating those documents.

However, in regard to your first question, you should be able to accomplish this using Universal Email and basically you will use the Search record set that was created when you create the email body of your email.  

how would you select all the email address from the results and send the email to them?

thanks

If you have UE4, then you can just click the To.. button which will open the Select Data Bindings window, and you can then select the record set and the email address column.

If you are using UE3, then it is the same idea but you click the To tab and click the + button and then check the record set option.

ok thanks Dani, i will have a play with that. not really used UE yet to be honest.

does it just send a generic email to the clients in a bcc? also can it put in the first name and last name in the email i.e.

Dear <FIRSTNAme> <LASTNAME>,
..............

Many thanks

BCC recipients will get the same version as the TO and CC recipients, but you can add database or form information to customize the email body however you want.