Issue 48059 - Ability to execute mailing from data view window without the wizard
Summary: Ability to execute mailing from data view window without the wizard
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: Writer
Classification: Application
Component: ui (show other issues)
Version: 680m95
Hardware: All All
: P3 Trivial with 37 votes (vote)
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: AOO issues mailing list
QA Contact:
URL:
Keywords: oooqa
: 59276 72049 (view as issue list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2005-04-24 14:50 UTC by sgautier.ooo
Modified: 2013-02-07 21:50 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

See Also:
Issue Type: ENHANCEMENT
Latest Confirmation in: ---
Developer Difficulty: ---


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Description sgautier.ooo 2005-04-24 14:50:51 UTC
Hi, 
Some of our users have requested to not use the wizard to mail merged datas in
letters. I thought the icône in data view (F4) toolbars was the right one, but
no, the wizard openened.
So I've found this good old dialog window in the Document tool bar :)
So could it be possible to have this dialog back when hiting the mail merge
button in the data view ?
Would it be possible to get the new functionnality to have the mail merged in
only one file using this old dialog window ? 

Please see my discussion with Frank in the dev@dba archive list :
http://dba.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgId=1945043
Thanks and kind regards - Sophie
Comment 1 michael.ruess 2005-04-24 17:46:51 UTC
Reassigned to HI.
Comment 2 lohmaier 2005-04-25 22:49:59 UTC
This is somewhat related to issue 36372

Easy to fix. Just link the icon to the old functionality or add the old
functionality to the toolbar-configuration

Please consider for OOo 2.0
Comment 3 h.ilter 2005-05-23 16:17:39 UTC
HI->CJ: We should think about a intuitive shortway.
Comment 4 lohmaier 2005-05-24 19:44:59 UTC
What is more intuitive than the method used for years prior to version 2.0?
Comment 5 lohmaier 2005-12-17 19:08:09 UTC
*** Issue 59276 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Comment 6 g.marxen 2006-03-31 09:48:45 UTC
In the tool bar "Table Data" there is a Button [Mail Merge...], that 
calls the Mail Merge Wizzard. 

If you click on [Add...] you can add (for documents) a button named 
[Mail Merge] (without ..., but same icon). 

You can link the functionality of "direct" mail merge (without wizzard) 
to this button as it is already done with the button [Mail Merge], you 
can have in the standard tool bar. 

When restoring the old function, please let it be possible to use the 
marked records in "Table Data". 

Filters work, but you have to mark the records once again in the 
Mail Merge dialog. The option "Marked Records" (or so) is inactiv in 
SO 8 PP2.

G. Marxen
Comment 7 fchauvat 2006-09-18 17:10:29 UTC
Hi,

I've voted many times for this issue 'cause it's really important for us to
have, in addition to the mailing wizard, the 'old' way (Ooo version 1.1.5).
 
We're often making big mailings ( 100000 personalized documents or more,
selection of adresses by range of zip code with a named parameter sql request)
and it's not possible to use the mailing wizard for that ( poor performances and
sometimes crashes when to many letters)

If you ask to 'print' the letter, you've the question to do a mailing ... but,
it opens a new window which is to small, no resizable, no 'preview data in
fields' option, you have to redo selection or sort already made in the data view
(F4)....

Ok, there's a workaround .... we have both version 1.1.5 and 2.0.3 on the
workstation with often need to do big mailing. But, for me it's not a solution
... only a workaround.

As already said by cloph in a previous message :

What is more intuitive than the method used for years prior to version 2.0?

Thanks for all your work !!!!
Comment 8 mbayer 2006-10-23 22:12:12 UTC
While it is true that one can add a keyboard shortcut for the "classic" form
letter printing (AKA mail merge) with Tools - Costomize... - Keyboard -
Category: Documents - Function: Mail Merge, and an icon to a toolbar with Tools
- Costomize... - Toolbars - Add... - Category: Documents - Commands: Mail Merge,
this surely is poor usability: I would expect to find the correspondent icon at
least in the Visible Buttons menu of the Standard or Table Data toolbar.

So, to bypass the mailmerge wizard, you can costomize the toolbars, which
requires to know exactly what you are looking for, or to call File - Print...,
and to answer the question "Do you want to print a form letter?" with yes, which
requires to know exactly what you are doing. Either way is not very "intuitive". 

Furthermore, as issue 65071 describes, there is no way to recover the mail merge
question in the printing dialogue, if you erraneously checked the "Don't show
this warning again" option.

My vote for having an entry for the "classic" form letter printing AKA mail
merge in the menu by default (File menu, near Print?), and having a
correspondent icon in the toolbar (Standard or Table Data?), even if the icon
were not visible by default.
Comment 9 fchauvat 2007-02-03 19:25:05 UTC
Hi,

To summarize imho a good idea is :

- Open a letter ( a new one or an already used one with merge fields)
- Open data view / data beamer by pressing F4 (don't know name in english OOo
version, I use french one) and choose the datasource.
- If not previously done in the letter, drag merge fields in the letter
- Use button to filter, order etc... the data source.
- If you want use the button to preview the data in fields.
- Click a merge button, choose printer, individuals files or single file, and
start the merging process with the previously selected / filtered / sorted data
source.

I really think you have to redo this kind of merging approach beside the merge
wizard. I say 'redo' because it's the way used for OOo 1.1.x. It's important for
medium / big companies which doing mail merge on a regular basis. For this kind
of job, we prepare document/letter the first time .... and the next times we
need speed and efficiency as describes above.

Issue 66614 seems to wish the same thing !

Comment 10 lohmaier 2007-03-13 14:09:40 UTC
*** Issue 72049 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Comment 11 Mathias_Bauer 2007-05-17 18:52:37 UTC
Christian, would you mind to comment on this issue. Two years are gone now since
you have got it assigned to you. Of course "I don't care, go ahead" would
suffice also.
Comment 12 mbayer 2007-05-17 20:27:04 UTC
If you intend to solve this by adding the icon for the "classic" form letter
printing (AKA old mail merge) to the Table Data toolbar, note that the icon
labelled "Mail Merge" (not "Mail Merge...") does not work here as expected
(issue 70770).
Comment 13 sgautier.ooo 2007-08-03 11:27:22 UTC
Hi, 
Could you please set a target for this issue ? thanks - Sophie
Comment 14 fchauvat 2007-09-20 14:14:22 UTC
Hello,

Me again about this issue, because it's really important for us ( and I really
think for many other company users)...

What we want :

1) I open my form letter
2) I press F4 to have the "Data Sources" window
3) At this time, the data source "associated" with the form letter is selected
4) I enter parameters ( if data source is a parameterized query)
5) Possibily, I sort the rows, or select some of them with Ctrl-Clic
6) I press on a "simple mail merge button" which open the mail merge printing
dialog ( choosing  ouput (file or printer), records (all or selected) and the
printer ) and .... that's all folks ;-)
7) In case of parameterized query ( zip code or country selection for example),
I press on refresh button, enter new parameter, and go back to step 6 to print a
new mailing.

It was the mechanism in version 1.x ...
In version 2.x ... step 6 is impossible ... You must choose between the useful ,
but sloooow ( and incompatible with parameterized queries), "mailing wizard", or
the standard print dialog which offer a possibility of mail merge in case of
form letter.

In version 2.3 ... there is a little improvment with "print button" because  now
the mail merge window is resizable , but :
- too many click (print button , dialog box "your document contains address
database ...").
- you've to choose every time the data source ( association between form letter
and data source isn't saved).
- you've to resize the window (initial size is too small) each time
- no way to use the "data to fields" button for a "preview" 
- in case of parameterized query, you must restart from "step 0" (print button)
each time instead of "refresh" button.

I'm really fan of OOo team work ... but I'm sad on this particular problem
because I think you're really near the good solution since 2.0 version ... but
I'm always waiting for this last step.

The mailing wizard is good for small "one shot" mail merge but for most
systematic mail merge works, I deeply think that the 1.x mechanism was more
efficient. And efficiency is critical is all company / business...
Comment 15 fchauvat 2008-06-03 18:09:48 UTC
Hi,

Always nothing new about this issue ? 
Is it a really complicated thing to do ?
Perhaps in 3.0 ?

Thanks !
Comment 16 fchauvat 2008-07-08 14:55:14 UTC
Hello,
 
Is it possible to add the word "MailMerge" to the summary of this issue. It will
be more convenient to find it while searching issues about mailmerge (mailing or
"publipostage" are often use in french to talk about mailmerge , but for english
reader I think mailmerge is a more understandable word.)

Thanks ...
Comment 17 fchauvat 2010-10-29 14:27:01 UTC
After a loonng time ... no real improvment in v3.3 rc....

One good thing :
 When using the print button and accept mail-merge ... filter and sort done
before with "F4" are saved .... but only if merge fields are linked with tables
in datasource.

If merge fields are linked to query, when using "print button" you've to select
the datasource ( while it is automatically selected is datasource is a table ...)

Pretty annoying ....