CMPT 109   			INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER APPLICATIONS



				Lab: MAIL MERGE


1.  First create a new processing document.  That means, open MS Word,  choose File,  New.


2.  Now we have to create the form letter.  Go to the Tools Menu, and select Mail Merge.


3.  When the Mail Merger Helper Dialog Box appears,  click on the Main Document, and select
 Create Form Letters.  Choose Active Window for the Word document to work with.


4. To select your database,  still in the Mail Merger Helper Dialog Box, choose GET DATA, and 
Open Data Source.  Ask to display the list of files of type MS Access  (for the database) and 
choose the database. In our case we are going to use the database  STATES.MDB, that can be found
 in the directory : G:\FILES\FACULTY\Gutierre. Choose the Table, in our case use  State  as your
table. Click OK


5.  Then you will be told that Word had not found merge fields in your document. So you should 
Edit Main Document (choose that button).  You will type your letter as usual, but in the
appropriate place, where you want the different values of the field of the database to appear, 
click on the INSERT MERGE FIELD button of the Mail Merge Toolbar.  Pick the right field, and a 
placeholder for that field will be inserted  (This represent the value that will change with 
each record).


6.  Repeat the insertion process, at the appropriate places, with all the entities that must be 
merged.


7. You may sort your database table, or filter it with queries  before you perform the actual 
merging.


8.  In order to actually merge the form letter with the values on the records of the database, 
you should select the Mail Merger Helper Dialog Box (from thr Tools Menu)  and select the button 
for Merge.  It will open another dialog box, in which you should select again the new Merge
 button.  At this moment you will have as many letters as records, on a new document call Form 
Letters1.  
 

9.  The next step would be to print all the letters (PLEASE DON'T DO IT).  In a normal situation,
after you had printed your letters, you will exit the Form Letter environment, where all the 
letters are in a document, without saving it.  But in our case, you will close the Form Letter 
environment.  You will return to the document that contains the inserted fields.  


10. Now you could save this document, A:states.doc. All the information needed to create the merged
letters will be in that document. That is why you don't need to save all the merged letters, unless
the database will not be accessible for a future merger.




Example of the document used for mail merge:


To the governor of the State of  «State_Name»

I was glad to hear that I had received a scholarship to attend the state university of
 «Abbreviation».  Your state «State_Name», has always attracted me because of the population of 
«Population» habitants, and because its area, «Area» sq. miles.

Another thing that I have always admired is the unemployment rate of «Unemployment_Rate» of that 
state, and the income per capita «Per_Capita_Income» that it has.

I am positive that I will enjoy spending my college days at this beautiful state of «State_Name».

Sincerely yours

"Your name"

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