Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 15878
Create labels for multiple pages
Last modified: 2013-08-07 14:38:26 UTC
Because issues 8082, 11803, 13326, 15634, 15650 are closed I made this one. These issues all regard making labels for multiple pages at once in one document. Because I want to use OO for mailings I find this THE mayor drawback in Open Office. Unbelievable this issue was closed. From a user point of view this should work in the following way: 1 - select the label type (as in the current label template) 2 - select the datasource and required fields (as in the current label template) 3 - then select the required records or all 4 - generate all labels for multiple pages in one New document with th eklik of a button So no Next Record, No Synchronize Labels, and especially... no work arounds!
I work at a social service agency and also do some computer consulting work on the side. I have been pushing OOo since StarOffice 5.2 because it is an open product with a lot of potential and most of the people that I work with are poor or on a very tight technology budget. Most of the groups that I have worked with really like OOo, but they struggle with tasks that take a long time to accomplish in OOo, but were quick and simple in Microsoft Word. One such process is making mailing labels and merging them with data. Most of the users that I'm familiar with enjoy Microsoft Office's three step process. In order to help the developers of OOo to move toward a more responsive label making and mail merging process, I have offered my own thought about what, I believe, will make OOo better (although still unwieldly compared to Microsoft Word's process). Here go's 1. Click File -> New -> Labels 2. This brings up the labels creation box 3. Keep the "Labels" tab the same 4. Add the following to the "Options" tab a. Add a checkbox that will will automatically hide empty fields b. Add an "Advanced" button that will open the "Ctrl + F2" box and allow advanced users to tweak their label set-up c. Change the name of the Synchronize checkbox to something that explains that checking that box will make a page of identical labels for each record in the datasource d. Automatically add "<<nextrecord>>" to each field of each label 5. When the user clicks "OK" -- automatically add the data fields, hidden field modifiers, next record fields, and any additional options created under the "Advanced" option 6. Make it easier to go back and change the layout of the labels without having to edit each individual field and use the "Ctrl + F2" option. At the very least, add a button on one of the menus to open this dialogue and create a option to apply the changes to all of the labels on the template without making the labels revert back to printing an entire page of the same label (unless that's what the user wants). Now that the labels are created, it's time to do the mail merge 1. First, create a way to merge without having to open the data sources pane 2. Add a way to show populated labels before printing them so that users can see what they are getting before they print and waste paper or email 3. Add an option to the print to file selection to allow the user to either create a file for each label or to save the entire merge to a single file. And now the "Ctrl + F2" box This set of menus is way too hard for someone who is not a programmer to understand and use. It needs to be more visual and set up so that someone with no programming know-how can understand the options. To conclude The options above will make the label creation and mail merge processes more responsive to average users, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. It's great that OOo allows so much flexibility, but at the same time, it is also frustrating for users who are used to Microsoft Word's three step process. Ideally, OOo could develop a three step process, but it is beyond my grasp as a non-programmer to understand what, exactly, needs to be done. As the label making and mail merge interface make-over moves forward, I think three key points need to be made. First, simplify, simplify, simplify. Second, leave "Advanced Options" buttons for sophisticated and experienced users to retain the kind of control that the current interface offers. Last, use words and descriptions to explain the options and actions of the label making and mail merge processes that are not rooted in computer programming because the average office worker doesn't have a clue, and doesn't have a desire to understand, computer programming. They just need to create a few pages of labels to send out thank you letters, etc. As OOo evolves with user input, I hope that routine tasks will become quicker and simpler for basic office suite users. OOo is an excellent product, it just needs to interact more simply with the average user. I hope this helps, Vaughn L. Reid III vreid@spitfire.net
*** This issue has been confirmed by popular vote. ***
HI->BH: The description contains suggestions about the label dialog.
Change priority from 1 to 3. This will be a usefull change, and we hope we can integrate it into OOo 2.0. But this is a normal enhancement => priority 3.
Please put this back to priority 2 ! I have a client who has a basic version of M$ Office. When confronted with the prospect of modifying the mailing list in Excel and the doing a Mail Merge into Word he went for the simple dBase approach of OOo. However, they are no thinking of going back to Word (which would mean the removal of OOo and even more money to M$ coffers) because it is such a hassle going through their entire mailing list producing one sheet of lables at a time. I mentioned this when I first highlighted this issue (11803) and have kept them hanging in there so far, but I don't know how long I can keep them from migrating back to M$ :-( I don't know what the time scal for 2.0 is (1.1 --> 2.0 or 1.1, 1.2, 1.2a, 1.3, 1.4 etc.) but I would like to vote for this issue to be put in the very next release or beta.
I strongly object against making OOo GUI a 1:1 copy of MS Office. Please don't make it look the same but keep OOo GUI structure clean and straightforward! In particular the suggestion above repeatedly mentions something I'd like not to see spreading in OOo: Nested dialogs with the infamous MS Word "Advanced" or "More..." buttons. Whenever I'm forced to use MS Office the random choice of so called "advanced" functions almost drives me insane.
In my opinion, this should be a P2 and not a P3. To me, this qualifies as a defect because the behavior is not consistent with the rest of the mail merge functionality in OOo. This single issue prevents my entire office from converting over to OpenOffice.org. Without the ability to do multi-page labels, it makes the entire mail-merge function totally useless. With OOo, I can merge thousands of names into a form letter and print those just fine, but when I go to create mailing labels for those same form letters, I have to create dozens of inidividual mailing label sheets... which literally can take hours. OOo is a great product, but the mail merge needs to be consistent from documents to labels. To me, this is clearly a bug. I have to use MS Office until this is fixed. How this is considered a P3, I simply cannot understand. OOo does things like export to PDF and Flash. Yet it can't do simple multiple page mailing label merges? Not to rant... but I think the priorities are a little whacked. :-)
Im very very worried about the current status of this issue. This will be solved in 1.2 I hope? This is THE issue why I can't recommend OO too my business friends. My company is using OO with great pleasure but we still need Microsoft for this one. All professional companies have a marketing/sales departments who make labels for mailings.. Also HRM departments use this to make labels for mailings to employees. Please change it too a higher priority. If it's too much work making a whole new interface in 1.2 then just remove the One Page restriction in the current function.
My client had another word with me just last night about this issue. I think it is a shame and a real missed opportunity that this was not fixed in 1.1 This is not really an enhancement, to the end user this is a bug !
UPDATE 1.1: After installing OO 1.1 final release I can produce labels with mail merge but noticed that some mayor drawbacks still exist: - It is not possible to generate the labels in ONE document so this isuue will stay OPEN - We need a more user friendly way for user too make a spreadsheet a datasource, why not just select it and generate all the datasource stuff in the background and open all records. - The datasource refresh doesn't work with spreadsheet documents. I have to close and reopen openoffice to get the updated spreadsheet >> http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=9899
It is not possible to generate the labels in ONE document - this prevents a client of mine from switching their office from Microsoft Office to OOo. Thanks for your consideration.
Well, strike another loss up to lack of movemement on this one. I raised an original report of this some 9 months ago. So far I have managed to keep my primary OOo user hanging in by saying `but they will fix it sometime'. But now they've given up with me and OOo. They have been convinced to fork out much money on M$ Office with Access in order to get their mailings working. I had to sit there while being told things like `we need serious software that actually works'. In short this one issue has convinced them, and potentially everyone they speak to, that OOo simply isn't up to the job. As a GUI designer for some 20 years it came as no surprise to me that a seemingly insignificant and non mainstream part of the entire suite can so badly colour peoples views of the entire package. The only fortunate thing to come out of this is I will no longer have to rant about this issue. Therefore my last words on this, while understanding that you have many other priorities and problem reports, is FOR GOODNESS SAKE JUST FIX THE THING !!! and treat it as it is a DEFECT and not a enhancement !!!
I completely agree with the comments that fixing the 1-page limit for mailing label generation is a bug fix not an enhancement. However, I can also see that it might not get into the next release. So, may I suggest that this limitation be *clearly* documented in the User Docs? That would have saved me 2 frustrating hours of fiddling with my labels because my 2nd page of labels didn't get generated.
Summary: Enable creating labels for multiple pages at once in one document. Hello Oliver, please give approval for this evaluated OO.o 2.0 flagged issue. If you confirm with the target OO.o 2.0, then please keep it on your owner (or the owner of the concerning developer) for implementation. In case you want this issue for 'OOo Later', then please reset the target milestone. If you decline the issue finally, please set the resolution to 'Wontfix' (but do not close). In case of 'OOo Later' or 'Wontfix' please reset it on Bettina's owner. Thank you.
os->cj: Please incorporate this issue into the upcoming mail merge specicifation.
> os->cj: Please incorporate this issue into the upcoming mail merge specicifation. Has this reached any level of visibility yet !!! ?
In issue 20057 I found this http://specs.openoffice.org/writer/mail_merge/mailmerge_specification.sxw. Hopefully this will bring the solution....
Sadly not soon enough ! This morning yet another client who was converted to OOo is going back to M$ Access because they have had enough of printing 1 sheet at a time :-(
MailMerge, MailMerge, MailMerge ! Why didn't I see mail merge before !!! A little disconcerting but it seems to work. Moreover, my client has said they will wait for me to put OOo 1.1.2 onto their systems and see if it will "do until this all becomes a lot more friendly" ! Great stuff :-) Maybe the help stuff could be a little clearer in this regard.
according to http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=releases&msgNo=7690 this issue will be set to OOoLater