Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 124403
form letter print dialog: Pages range related to target document instead of source document.
Last modified: 2014-03-13 08:56:04 UTC
Until the new (combined) printing dialogue was introduced in OO, there was the possibility to select pages for mail merge. For example and several reasons the user could print only the first page which contains address and the salutation, the rest of the document with no personalised text will be printed out only once and then copied. Now you can select pages or a range of pages only of the merged document. I don't know if this has a useful reason and practice ...
ui seems the better component then printing
Sorry, but the issue is not completely clear to me. Please allow me to ask some questions: - You are talking about 'the new (combined) printing dialogue' in relation to the mail merge wizard. -- Did you mean the standard printing dialogue or a special one in the mail merge wizard? -- As we did not introduce a 'new (combined) printing dialogue' for 4.1.0. Which former printing dialogue did you mean? In which version had the former printing dialogue been replaced by the 'new (combined) one'? - You set keyword 'regression' and give as version '4.1.0-beta'. Has the described behavior been introduced in '4.1.0-beta' from your point of view? Or does former released versions 4.0.1, 4.0.0, 3.4.1, 3.4.0, 3.3.0, ... also show the described behavior. Currently, I can not confirm this issue --> setting status to 'UNCONFIRMED' until it has been confirmed.
I don't say anything about the mail merge wizard. I don't use it. In versions earlier 3.2(?) there was a split between "Print" and "Print Mail Merge". If one selected "Print Mail Merge" the first step was to select the pages (of the unmerged document) to print. Only selected pages were merged. Now you can only select "Print" an then the question is "document" or "mail merge". And always *all* pages are merged.
Can't say about "Print Mail Merge" - OpenOffice.org 2.4.3 complains about missing JRE for some reason... Indeed, no possibility to select pages with AOO410m14(Build:9760) - Rev. 1573601 2014-03-03 17:47:48 (Mo, 03 Mrz 2014) Win 7 PS What reason for having personal and constant text together?
> PS What reason for having personal and constant text together? - One letter is *one* letter. - Secretary wrote, boss don't want to read more than one document. - page numbering. outline numbering. numbering. Should user control implemented features by himself? - many other ... Greetings. mroe
(In reply to mroe from comment #3) > I don't say anything about the mail merge wizard. I don't use it. > > In versions earlier 3.2(?) there was a split between "Print" and "Print Mail > Merge". If one selected "Print Mail Merge" the first step was to select the > pages (of the unmerged document) to print. Only selected pages were merged. > What is an 'unmerged document'? > Now you can only select "Print" an then the question is "document" or "mail > merge". And always *all* pages are merged. Somehow I am blind: - In OOo 2.2.0 I do not find the function "Print Mail Merge" - In AOO 4.0.0 when I choose "Print" (Menu File - Print) I did not see the 'question document or mail merge' Can somebody help me please?
(In reply to Oliver-Rainer Wittmann from comment #6) > - In AOO 4.0.0 when I choose "Print" (Menu File - Print) I did not see the > 'question document or mail merge' I assume author means: "Your document contains address database fields. Do you want to print a form letter?" Yes -> Mail Merge dialog (no possibility to select pages) No -> Print dialog (can select pages under Range and copies)
Because I am discussing about mail merge, I presumed that the document has address database fields. I havn't old version installed. Thus I can't look for the right english entry. Sorry for that. Could be that in the file menu was "print" (Drucken...) and "mail merge" (Seriendruck).
Thx for the help. (In reply to Edwin Sharp from comment #7) > (In reply to Oliver-Rainer Wittmann from comment #6) > > - In AOO 4.0.0 when I choose "Print" (Menu File - Print) I did not see the > > 'question document or mail merge' > > I assume author means: > "Your document contains address database fields. Do you want to print a form > letter?" > Yes -> Mail Merge dialog (no possibility to select pages) > No -> Print dialog (can select pages under Range and copies) I can reproduce this. But in case 'Yes' the Print dialog opens and I can select the pages to be printed after I had confirmed the Mail Merge dialog. (In reply to mroe from comment #8) > Because I am discussing about mail merge, I presumed that the document has > address database fields. > I havn't old version installed. Thus I can't look for the right english > entry. Sorry for that. Could be that in the file menu was "print" > (Drucken...) and "mail merge" (Seriendruck). I searched for an menu entry like 'mail merge' in OOo 2.2.0, OOo 3.0.0 and OOo 3.2.0. I only found the one which starts the Mail Merge Wizard (Menu Tools - Mail Merge Wizard). Function 'Print' in OOo 3.0.0 provides the same question as in recent version, the same Mail Merge dialog as in recent version and is followed by the former Print dialog which allows the selection of pages to be printed as the recent Print dialog. Thus, I still could not observe the defect that a certain functionality got lost.
(In reply to Oliver-Rainer Wittmann from comment #9) > Thx for the help. > I can reproduce this. But in case 'Yes' the Print dialog opens and I can > select the pages to be printed after I had confirmed the Mail Merge dialog. True for Output=Printer, not for Output=File. Imagine a starting document with two pages. First page with salutation and other record specific details. Second page with plain constant text. When print dialog after mail merge dialog: Range and copies - Pages=1,3,5,7,... When print dialog before mail merge dialog: Range and copies - Pages=1.
Created attachment 82850 [details] mail merge example for OO2 (dbase) Sorry for the confusion. ;-( There was 2 steps in the development: - first (OOo2?) men entries print and mail merge (form letter) print was combined - second (OOo3.x) the print preview was introduced Before the second step, a mail merge (form letter) was printed by File -> Print ... => "Your document contains address database fields. Do you want to print a form letter?" -> [Yes] Now the window "Mail Merge" opens where you could select the records to merge into the letter. After [OK] you saw the "normal" Print window, where the Print range selects the pages of the _original_ document. Hope, with the sample documents and the description it would be clear. Thank you!
I don't see anything clear here, after reading all text I still am not sure whether I understand reporter's intention. So back to UNCONFIRMED Unfortunately database in test kit does not work for me without more adaptions. @mroe: Unfortunately information came in very small pieces, and your descriptions are much too general like 'in old times there was the possibility to do this or that. We need a precise description what you want to do with your test kit and a detailed step by step instruction (every key press and every mouse click) how you try. Do I understand you correctly, your goal is something like to print only pages 1+2 of mergedoc_with_num_dbase.odt for 3 recipients in testdbase.odb? But that works fine for me. Please contribute a description like: 0. Associate database from testcase to AOO 1. Open mergedoc_with_num_dbase.odt 2. Menu 'File -> Print' 3. In dialog 'Want to print form letter: Yes' and so on 6 do this and that Expected: see page selector (or so) Actual: only see ... (see screenshot)
Sorry. In comment 11 https://issues.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=124403#c11 there all steps yo need to reproduce. The last one is: > After [OK] you saw the "normal" Print window, where the Print range selects the pages of the _original_ document. Select: Pages [ 1 ]. That will print _only_ page 1 of the document for *all* selected recipients in "Mail merge". This is not possible furthermore since OOo3.x. It seems, Edwin understand the problem. > @mroe: Unfortunately information came in very small pieces Sorry for my english. correction: first (OOo2?) men entries -> first (OOo2?) menu entries > Unfortunately database in test kit does not work for me without more adaptions. Sorry, now I see that OOo2 saved the path to the DBase data as absolute and not as relative path. So you have to select the path manually. :-( You can also use the example files from https://issues.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=124404 But look at comment 4: https://issues.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=124403#c4
Well, I think I have got it. I compared proceeding OOo 3.1.1 and AOo 4.1.0, a) User scenario: User has all 50 Pages of 40 letters of correspondence in 1 document.odt. Now he wants to send the new letter on page 51 to 4 recipients. So he has to print a form letter only page 51 to 4 records of the database (b) My test comparing * OOo 3.1.1, "old" print dialog without preview * AOo 4.1.0, new print dialog with print preview for details see spreadsheet StepByStep.ods in attached test kit. (c) Summary of my result: (c1) In OOo 3.1.1 Pages range entry in Print dialog for form letter print is related to source document. Page or pages listed in 'Print Range - Pages' will be printed for each recipient (c2) In OOo 4.1.0 'Pages Range' entry in Print dialog for form letter print is related to TARGET document. In user scenario shows "1 - 203", 203 is 50 pages source document multiplied with 4 recipients + 3 automatically inserted blank pages. (d) My test With a simple 3 pages document with Bibliography database as "address source"tried to do a print of source document page 2 to 2 recipients. (d1) With 3.1.1 that is simple, in form letter Print I simply type "2" into source document related 'Print Range - Pages', and Page 2 of source document will be printed for each recipient. (d2) With 4.1.0 that is difficult. Into Target document related 'Print Range -Pages' U have to type 2,6: * "2," Page 2 of target document for first recipient * "6": Because in target document all source pages will be printed, for recipient 1 4 pages will be created, 1-3 source document + blank page automatically inserted. So page 2 source document for second recipient will be target document page 6 (d3) d2 is unreasonable (e) Problem appeared with new print dialog with print preview, if I remember correctly that has been introduced with OOo 3.3.0 (f) I am pretty sure that I already submitted an enhancement request for a similar problem in Mail Merge Wizard, I will search for it. @mroe: Do my comments describe your problem?
Created attachment 82851 [details] Test kit See comment above how to use, Source documents are identical copies
@mroe: I read your Comment 11 after I had submitted my Comment 12. I think the core of your comment "That will print _only_ page 1 of the document for *all* selected recipients in "Mail merge"." is that what I describe as the problem some more detailed in Comment 12
f): Can't find enhancement request, so CONFIRMED for now (g) I think that has ever been a problem in Mail Merge. Theree I can select "Documents" for printout (related to records), but not pages. So currently no solution for reporter's problem. And also not for mine, I work as per comment 12 (a), so that I can't do mail merge (= form letters) directly from my default source document; I always have to create a separate mail merge source document only containing the contents / pages I need for mail merge print or mail merge e-mail.