Word/Entourage mail merge

[KJ]

Not sure if this is a Word issue or an Entourage issue so I'm leaving
my question in both forums. I need to mail something to about half of
the contacts in my Entourage address book. The process is initiated
from Word. Problem is, I can't figure out, in Entourage, how to mark
the appropriate contacts so that Word will identify them once I begin
the mail merge. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who can help me out
here.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Not sure if this is a Word issue or an Entourage issue so I'm leaving
my question in both forums.

Appropriate enough in this case, but then you need to post in the same
message so that replies go to both places. However, even if I waste my time
looking for your answer when you already received it in Entourage, I just
learned a new trick.

I need to mail something to about half of
the contacts in my Entourage address book. The process is initiated
from Word. Problem is, I can't figure out, in Entourage, how to mark
the appropriate contacts so that Word will identify them once I begin
the mail merge. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who can help me out
here.

Well, you didn't state your versions (Always State Your Version!), but
perhaps this will help.

I've not tried this myself, but after a Help odyssey, did, and I think that
if you click on Query Options in the Word 2004 Data Merge Manager, it looks
as though you can tell it to use only a certain category, or you can list
the complete records and check off individuals. I didn't go any farther than
that, let us know how it works.

DM

PS. The Help Odyssey:

Started with the Word Help topic "Distribute merged form letters as e-mail
messages" (which does not come up in the list when searching "merge to
email", argh), suggests that the email address needs to be a field in the
data source.
"3. On the To pop-up menu, click the field that contains the e-mail address
in your data source."

Okay, sounds easy.

The Entourage Help Topic "About using the Address Book in a Word Data
Merge", says :
"When you use the Address Book to create a merged document, you can specify
which contacts and which contact information you want to use."
And then says:
"For more information about using your Address Book in a Word data merge,
see Word Help."

But Word Help contains *nothing* about it, that I could find.

Aha! Having messed about with the Data Merge Manager and discovered Query
Options was the key, I put Query Options into Help and get the topic:
"Select specific records from the Office Address Book" Now I do see that
this topic appears in a search for Address Book, I just had no idea it had
to do with Data Merge. That topic does not appear to be logically linked
from any of the Data Merge topics, either.

I'll be complaining. "Select specific records from the Office Address Book"
needs to be linked *at least* from "Distribute merged form letters as e-mail
messages", and the title ought to be denote Data Merge.

 

[KJ]

Options Query worked like a charm. Thanks all.

Appropriate enough in this case, but then you need to post in the same
message so that replies go to both places. However, even if I waste my time
looking for your answer when you already received it in Entourage, I just
learned a new trick.
Well, you didn't state your versions (Always State Your Version!), but
perhaps this will help.

I've not tried this myself, but after a Help odyssey, did, and I think that
if you click on Query Options in the Word 2004 Data Merge Manager, it looks
as though you can tell it to use only a certain category, or you can list
the complete records and check off individuals. I didn't go any farther than
that, let us know how it works.

DM

PS. The Help Odyssey:

Started with the Word Help topic "Distribute merged form letters as e-mail
messages" (which does not come up in the list when searching "merge to
email", argh), suggests that the email address needs to be a field in the
data source.
"3. On the To pop-up menu, click the field that contains the e-mail address
in your data source."

Okay, sounds easy.

The Entourage Help Topic "About using the Address Book in a Word Data
Merge", says :
"When you use the Address Book to create a merged document, you can specify
which contacts and which contact information you want to use."
And then says:
"For more information about using your Address Book in a Word data merge,
see Word Help."

But Word Help contains *nothing* about it, that I could find.

Aha! Having messed about with the Data Merge Manager and discovered Query
Options was the key, I put Query Options into Help and get the topic:
"Select specific records from the Office Address Book" Now I do see that
this topic appears in a search for Address Book, I just had no idea it had
to do with Data Merge. That topic does not appear to be logically linked
from any of the Data Merge topics, either.

I'll be complaining. "Select specific records from the Office Address Book"
needs to be linked *at least* from "Distribute merged form letters as e-mail
messages", and the title ought to be denote Data Merge.
--
Daiya Mitchell, MVP Mac/Word
Word FAQ: http://www.word.mvps.org/
MacWord Tips: <http://www.word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/>
What's an MVP? A volunteer! Read the FAQ:

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Thanks for confirming.
DM