Registering a Data Source

Apache OpenOffice 4.1 Writer Guide

Chapter 11: Using Mail Merge

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• What is Mail Merge?
• Creating the Data Source
• Registering a Data Source
• Creating a Form Letter
  • Editing Merged Documents
• Printing Mailing Labels
  • Preparing for Printing
  • Removing Blank Lines from Labels
  • Printing
  • Editing a Saved File of Mailing Labels
• Printing Envelopes
  • Setting up Envelopes for Printing
  • Merging and Printing the Envelopes
  • Creating an Envelope Template
• Using the Mail Merge Wizard to Create a Form Letter
  • Step 1: Select Starting Document
  • Step 2: Select Document Type
  • Step 3: Insert Address Block
    • Selecting the Data Source (address list)
    • Selecting the Address Block
    • Matching the Fields
  • Step 4: Create Salutation
  • Step 5: Adjust Layout
  • Step 6: Edit Document and Insert Extra Fields
  • Step 7: Personalize Documents
  • Step 8: Save, Print or Send

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Registering a Data Source

For a data source to be directly accessible from within a Writer document, it must first be registered as described below. You only need to do this once. Having done so, the data source is available to all documents in OpenOffice.

1. From within any OpenOffice document, or from the OpenOffice Start Center, choose File → Wizards → Address Data Source.
2. The choices on the first page of the wizard vary with your operating system. Select the appropriate type of external address book. In this example, it is Other external data source. Click  Next .

Figure 2: Select type of external address book

3. On the next page of the Wizard, click the  Settings  button.

Figure 3: Starting the Settings part of the Wizard

4. In the Data Source Properties tab, select the Database type. In our example, it is Spreadsheet. Click  Next .

Figure 4: Selecting the database type

5. In the next dialog box, click Browse and navigate to the spreadsheet that contains the address information. Select the spreadsheet and click Open to return to this dialog box. At this time you may wish to test that the connection has been correctly established by clicking on the  Test Connection  button.

Figure 5: Selecting the spreadsheet document

6. Click Finish.
7. On the following page, click  Next . Because this is a spreadsheet, do not click Field Assignment.

Figure 6: Because this is a spreadsheet, do not click Field Assignment

8. Name the file in the Location field. The default is …\Addresses.odb; but you may replace Addresses with any other name if you wish. You may also change the name in the “Address book name” field. In our example, the name “Points” was used for both.

Figure 7: Name the .odb file and the address book

9. Click Finish. The data source is now registered.