I thought this would be the easiest thing imaginable, and I'm getting nowhere. I want to be able to hit a button and send an email with merge fields filled in. The Send Mail script allows you to set the "To" to the email field from the database, but I don't seem to be able have the body of the email made up of a combination of text and fields from the database. Can anyone explain where I'm going wrong?

I've failed to find a good book for learning how to script in Filemaker. Any suggestions.

Merge fields are only a rendering feature of the layout, while what you wish to is to define either should be made via the send as .pdf feature via a genuine rendered layout ...or have a custom function that understands your mergefields and subtitute them in the process of the issuing of the e-mail.

Here comes this CF in handy:

http://edoshin.skeletonkey.com/2005/11/merge_expressio.html

...instead of building the entire string with quoted text bites and then the fields sandwiched in between.

--sd