User Defined Letters

[stefanshotton]

Im looking for a way that users can write their own template letters that mail merge with data from filemaker, the native mail merge in filemaker involves giving access to layouts and would im sure confuse the end user.

Just wondering if there is a better way of doing this, even if using an external program in windows to merge.

Thought about exporting all tables and then a scripted import into word or similar and provide user merge field codes?

[Genx]

Mail Merge

.. see if the above topic solves your problem..

.. see lower for the file, the one in the topic is rared and not likely to work...

genx

[Ender]

alfgenx, can you repost your file in .sit or .zip format? Some of us have trouble with .rar archives.

[Lee Smith]

Hi ender,

You are not the only one that has had problems with this format. I just relayed this to Stephen, and he has removed the .rar format from the available uploading formats.

Lee

[Genx]

.. old file and i cant seem to get to it either, it was just a basic mail merge example using the substitute function, merge codes and a related TO where you would choose a letter name or ID number or what not from a list and the calculation field would change accordingly... i.e. it was referring to the related tables main field

substitute(substitute(letters::body

, i dont have time right now so could someone chuck together an example file for the guy?

cheers genx

[stefanshotton]

Sounds exactly wht i need! anyone got the example in .zip format.

thanks

stefan

[Ender]

You might check out the discussions in these threads.

The basic substitute() method:

 

Implementing a structure to manage the merge letters:

A custom function that allows field names to be used in the merge text without specifing them in the calc:

For that last one, you'd need FM7 Developer or FM8 Advanced to add the custom function to your file, but the demo is still useful for showing a possible structure for merge letter management.

[Genx]

.. i dug up a copy of the file it uses "the basic substitute() method.

mailmerge.zip