How to do a mail merge in openoffice

Mail merge is a powerful feature in OpenOffice that allows you to combine a main document with a data source, such as a spreadsheet or a database, to create multiple versions of the document with unique information. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do a mail merge in OpenOffice:

Prerequisites:

• OpenOffice version 3.4 or later
• A data source (e.g., a spreadsheet, a database, or a text file) containing the information you want to merge into your document
• A main document (e.g., a word processing document, a presentation, or a spreadsheet) that you want to merge with the data source

Step 1: Prepare your data source

• Create a data source with the information you want to merge into your document. This can be a spreadsheet, a database, or a text file.
• Make sure the data source has a header row or column that contains the field names (e.g., "Name", "Address", "Phone Number", etc.).

Step 2: Create a new document

• Open OpenOffice and create a new document (e.g., a word processing document, a presentation, or a spreadsheet).
• This will be your main document that you'll merge with the data source.

Step 3: Set up the mail merge

• Go to "Tools" > "Mail Merge" (or press Ctrl + Shift + M).
• In the "Mail Merge" dialog box, select the data source you created in Step 1.
• Choose the type of data source (e.g., "Spreadsheet", "Database", or "Text file").
• Click "Next" to proceed.

Step 4: Select the fields to merge

• In the "Select Fields" dialog box, select the fields from the data source that you want to merge into your document.
• You can select multiple fields by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on each field.
• Click "Next" to proceed.

Step 5: Insert the merge fields

• In your main document, place the cursor where you want to insert the merge fields.
• Go to "Insert" > "Fields" > "Merge Field" (or press Ctrl + Shift + F).
• Select the field you want to insert from the list of available fields.
• Repeat this process for each field you want to merge.

Step 6: Preview and edit the merge

• Click "Preview" to see how the merge will look with the data from your data source.
• You can edit the merge fields by clicking on them and typing in new values.
• You can also use the "Edit" button to edit the data source itself.

Step 7: Create the merged documents

• Click "Create" to create the merged documents.
• OpenOffice will create a new document for each record in your data source, with the merge fields filled in with the corresponding data.

Tips and Variations:

• You can use the "Conditional Formatting" feature to format the merge fields based on conditions in the data source.
• You can use the "Data Validation" feature to validate the data in the merge fields.
• You can also use the "Mail Merge" feature to merge data into other types of documents, such as presentations or spreadsheets.