Sending mail merge from gmail

A mail merge from Gmail! That's a great idea. While Gmail doesn't have a built-in mail merge feature, you can still achieve this using a combination of Google Sheets, Google Apps Script, and Gmail. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you send a mail merge from Gmail:

Prerequisites:

1. A Google Sheets document with your data (e.g., names, email addresses, and messages)
2. A Gmail account
3. Basic knowledge of Google Sheets and Google Apps Script

Step 1: Prepare your data in Google Sheets

Create a new Google Sheet or open an existing one. Set up your data in the following format:

Step 2: Create a Google Apps Script

In your Google Sheet, go to Tools > Script editor. This will open the Google Apps Script editor.

Step 3: Write the script

In the script editor, paste the following code:

function sendMailMerge() {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var dataRange = sheet.getDataRange();
  var data = dataRange.getValues();
  var subject = "Mail Merge Test";
  var body = "Hello {{Name}},\n\n{{Message}}";

  for (var i = 1; i < data.length; i++) {
    var row = data[i];
    var name = row[0];
    var email = row[1];
    var message = row[2];

    var bodyText = body.replace("{{Name}}", name).replace("{{Message}}", message);
    MailApp.sendEmail(email, subject, bodyText);
  }
}

This script will loop through each row in your sheet, replace the placeholders ({{Name}} and {{Message}}) with the actual values, and send an email to each recipient using Gmail.

Step 4: Run the script

Save the script by clicking the floppy disk icon or pressing Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on a Mac). Then, click the "Run" button or press F5 to execute the script.

Step 5: Send the mail merge

The script will send an email to each recipient in your sheet. You can test the script by running it and checking your Gmail inbox for the sent emails.

Tips and Variations:

• You can customize the script to use different placeholders or add more complex logic to the email body.
• If you have a large dataset, consider using a more efficient data structure, such as an array of objects, to improve performance.
• You can also use this script as a starting point to integrate with other Google Apps, such as Google Forms or Google Drive.

That's it! With these steps, you should be able to send a mail merge from Gmail using Google Sheets and Google Apps Script.