Creating a mail merge in Writer

    From The Document Foundation Wiki

    TDF LibreOffice Document Liberation Project Community Blogs Weblate Nextcloud Redmine Ask LibreOffice Donate

    Other languages:

    Foreword

    The video "Erstellen eines Serienbriefs" links to this page here, which contains further information.

    Basis of this video is the exercise "Erstellen eines Serienbriefs" by Ellen Pape.

    See Übungsaufgaben (in German).

    There under "Writer-Übungen Teil 2".

    The exercise consists of three documents:

    • Aufgabe_Serienbrief (ODT)
    • Beispieladressen (ODS)
    • Beispielbrief" (ODT)

    This description here refers to the version LibreOffice 5.2.

    Link to the Video

    Link to the Video in (German [DE]):

    Erstellen eines Serienbriefs in Writer – LibreOffice 5.2

    Connect to data source

    Sample Addresses

    This description explains how to create a mail merge.

    The "Calc" file "Sample Addresses" is used as data source for the Writer file "Example letter".

    For this we open Writer.

    We select the menu command: Edit ▸ Exchange Database.

    In this dialog the data corresponding to the current document assigned data source (left) and the data sources available in the system (right) are displayed.

    If the file "Example addresses" is not included, we search for the file via Browse….

    We click on the "+" -character in front of this file and select the "Example addresses" table.

    Then we click on Set.

    Now we have created a connection between Writer and this File (Data source).

    "Beispielbrief_5-2"

    Create the serial letter

    We now need a letter, which we make into a serial letter, for this we open the Beispielbrief 5-2.odt.

    We open via the menu Tools ▸ Serial Letter Assistant.

    Original document

    At "1st source document", we select "Use current document" and click Next.

    Select document type

    At "Select 2nd document type", we select "Letter" and click on Next.

    Insert address block

    At "Insert 3rd address block", we select our "Example addresses" via "Select other address list…" and click OK.

    We click on Assign Fields….

    We assign the fields and click on OK.

    In our example, the field assignments correspond to this table: 

    Anrede = Anrede
Vorname = Vorname
Name = Nachname
Adresszeile 1 = Straße
PLZ = PLZ
Stadt = Wohnort
alle anderen = [Keine]

    Below at "3.4" we see if all address fields are available.

    Output document

    Create letter salutation

    "Create 4th letter salutation", we select or enter accordingly.

    We click on Next.

    Adjust layout

    At "5. adjust layout", we define the position of the address field.

    We take over the data.

    We click on Finish.

    Save source document

    The Output document (mail merge pattern) save via File ▸ Save.

    Further procedure via the "Mail merge" toolbar

    The further control or the process is done via the toolbar "Serial Letter".

    Prepare document

    The output document (mail merge sample) contains the address fields and the resulting triple salutation and now shows the Salutation possibilities (!) for the individual documents.

    Please leave it like this!

    Personalize document

    "Serial Letter" toolbar

    Via the toolbar "Serial Letter" Edit individual document… we get the individual serial letters in a new window.

    In the individual document we can now make corrections if necessary.

    If all individual mail merges are as we want them to be, we can save the complete mail merge document as usual with File ▸ Save or File ▸ Save as… and enter a document name (e.g. "Mail merge -finished-").

    Save, print, send

    Via the toolbar "Serial Letter" we can also "Save mail merge document", "Print mail merge document", "Send e-mail messages".

    To save the mail merge document we click Save Mail Merge Document and enter a document name (e.g. "Mail Merge -finished-") and click Save.

    Alternatively, we click "Print Mail Merge Document" or "Send Email".

    Further Informations

    Mail Merge in Writer - Version 7.2

    Mail Merge in Writer - Version 7.2

    Work files

    See Übungsaufgaben, there under Writer-Übungen Teil 2 (Writer Exercises).

    The exercise consists of three documents (in German [DE]):

    • Aufgabe_Serienbrief (ODT)
    • Beispieladressen (ODS)
    • Beispielbrief" (ODT)

    And "Beispielbrief_5.2" (Exercise letter).

    Documentation / Manuals

    Here you will find the Documentation / Manuals:

    Documentation / Manuals

    Any questions?

    For questions on this topic go to:

    Ask.LibreOffice

    Get Involved

    Join us today and help us to make it even better!

    Get Involved

    LibreOffice is Free Software and is made available free of charge.

    Your donation, which is purely optional, supports our worldwide community.

    If you like the software, please consider a Donation.

    Retrieved from "https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/index.php?title=Videos/Creating_a_mail_merge_in_Writer&oldid=650355"