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Steps to Mail Merge in LibreOffice Writer

This document provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform a mail merge in LibreOffice Writer, starting from creating a new document to adjusting the layout and printing the letters. It details the process of selecting a starting document, inserting an address block, matching fields, creating salutations, and adjusting the layout. Finally, it explains how to print or save the merged letters for further editing.

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kamakhya.1409
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33 views

Steps to Mail Merge in LibreOffice Writer

This document provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform a mail merge in LibreOffice Writer, starting from creating a new document to adjusting the layout and printing the letters. It details the process of selecting a starting document, inserting an address block, matching fields, creating salutations, and adjusting the layout. Finally, it explains how to print or save the merged letters for further editing.

Uploaded by

kamakhya.1409
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Steps to Mail Merge in LibreOffice Writer

Open a new document with File > New > Text Document and choose Tools > Mail
Merge Wizard on the Menu bar.

Step 1: Select starting document


The Mail Merge Wizard gives several options for the starting document:
• Use the current document
• Create a new document
• Start from existing document
• Start from a template
• Start from a recently saved starting document

For the purposes of this example, we opened a new text document.

Select Use the current document and click Next.

Select starting document

Step 2: Select document type


The wizard can produce letters or email messages. In this example, we are producing
a letter. Select Letter and click Next.

Choose document type

Step 3: Insert address block


This is the most complex step in the wizard
1) Tell the wizard which data source to use. The data source must be an
existing file.
2) Select the address block to use in the document. This means choosing
which fields appear and how they look.
3) Make sure that the fields all match correctly. This is very important. For
example, the UK English version of the wizard has a field called <Surname>. If
your spreadsheet has a column called “Last Name”, you need to tell the wizard
that <Surname> and “Last Name” are equivalent. This is described in
“Matching the fields” below.
Insert address block

Selecting the data source (address list)


1) If the current address list, identified beneath
the Select Different Address List button in section 1 is not the one you wish
to use, click the button to open the Select Address List dialog for choosing a
data source.
Select address list dialog

If you have not already created the address list, you may click Create to do so
now. This step will allow you to create a .csv (Comma Separated Values) file
with a new list of address records. If you have an address list that is not
registered in LibreOffice, but which you wish to use, click Add and select the
file from the location in which it is saved.
In each of these cases a new data source (.odb file) will be created and
registered.
2) Select the address list and click OK to return to the Insert Address Block
dialog. We retain Addresses as our address book for this example. The wizard
can also exclude certain records; click Filter to choose them.

Selecting and optionally editing the address block


1) In section 2 select the address block to appear on the letter, define its
appearance, and choose the fields it contains. The main page gives two
choices. Click More to open the Select Address Block dialog for more choices.
2) The Select Address Block dialog displays the original two blocks plus other
choices for the format of the address block (you may need to scroll down to
see all of the choices). You can also optionally include or exclude the country
(for example, only include the country if it is not England) in the Address Block
Settings section. The formats provided are relatively common, but they might
not exactly match your preference. If this is the case, select the address block
that is closest to what you want and click Edit, which opens the Edit Address
Block dialog.
3) In the Edit Address Block dialog, you can add or delete address elements
using the arrow buttons between the boxes. To move elements around, use
the arrow buttons on the right. For example, to add an extra space between
the first and the last names, click <Last Name> and then click the Move
right arrow button on the right-hand side.

Select address block

Edit address block


4) Click OK to close the Edit Address Block dialog, then click OK on the
Select Address Block dialog to save your changes and return to the Mail
Merge Wizard.

Matching the fields


Finally, it is time to match the wizard’s fields with the spreadsheet fields, so that
items like <Surname> and “Last Name” match correctly.
1) Look at section 3 of the wizard. The box at the bottom displays one record
at a time, using the address block format you specified. Use the right and left
arrow buttons below that address box to step through the addresses, checking
that they display correctly. Do not assume that all the records display correctly,
just because one or two do.
2) If the addresses do not display correctly, click Match Fields.
The Match Fields dialog has three columns:
▪ Address elements are the terms the wizard uses for each
field, such as <First Name> and <Last Name>.
▪ Use the Matches to field column to select, for each address
element, the field from your data source that matches it.
▪ The Preview column shows what will be shown for this field
from the selected address block, so you can double-check that the
match is correct.
3) When you have matched all the fields, click OK to return to the Insert
Address Block dialog. Now, when you use the arrow buttons to look at all the
addresses, they should all look correct. If not, go back and change anything
you’re not happy with, before clicking Next to move to the next step.
Note that you will not be able to continue until you have correctly matched all
the fields in your chosen address block. If you see <not yet matched> in a field
position it indicates that the field in question is not correctly matched.
Match fields dialog

4) Notice the option for Suppress lines with empty fields. Using the Wizard,
you do not have to create your own conditional suppression fields, as you do
when using the manual form letter method described earlier in this chapter..
Step 4: Create salutation
It is possible to create just about any salutation you want in this step

Select This document should contain a salutation to enable the General


salutation list box. Some general texts are available in the list box, or you can enter
your own text. A preview pane displays your choice.

Select Insert personalized salutation to enable further salutation constructs.

You can, for example, use a different greeting for men and women. To do this, Writer
must have some way of knowing whether a person is male or female. In a
spreadsheet, you might have a column called Gender. In the section Address list field
indicating a female recipient, set the Field name to Gender and the Field value to F.
The Male salutation is then printed for all men and the Female salutation for all
women. Unfortunately, LibreOffice does not provide for other genders; however, you
can use a non-gendered salutation.

If you do not have such a column in your spreadsheet, or if you do not need to
distinguish between genders in the salutation, then you can leave the Field
name and Field value boxes empty and use the customized content of the Male list
box for the salutation to all recipients.

Create a salutation

As an example:
1) Click the New button alongside the Male list box. The Custom Salutation
(Male Recipients) dialog opens.
2) Select Salutation in the Salutation elements list on the right and drag it into
box 1 on the right.
3) In the Customize salutation box, select an appropriate greeting or type your
own text into the box. Edit it as needed.
4) Select and move First Name from the Salutation elements list into box 1,
using either the Add to salutation arrow button or by dragging it. Then click
the Move right arrow button on the right-hand side to add space between the
salutation and the first name.
5) Select and move Last Name from the Salutation elements list into box 1,
then click the Move right arrow button to add space between the first and the
last names.
6) Finally, move Punctuation Mark across and select the comma from the
choices in the Customize salutation box.
7) The construct is shown in the Preview box.
8) Carry out any final editing. Click OK.

This method allows you to use gender neutral titles such as Doctor (Dr) and
Reverend (Rev), or titles such as Ms, or omit titles.

Customizing the salutation

Step 5: Adjust layout


In Step 5: Adjust layout, you can adjust the position of the address block and
salutation on the page. You can place the address block anywhere on the page. The
salutation is always on the left, but you can move it up and down the page. Use the
buttons shown to move the elements.

Adjust layout
You now have a Writer document into which you can type the contents of the letter.
To merge the fields and print the letters, choose File > Print on the Menu bar. A
message pops up, asking if you want to print a form letter. Click Yes.

The Mail Merge dialog is now displayed, where you can optionally select records to
include or exclude (in the top section) and, in the Output section, choose to print the
letters immediately (Printer) or save them (File) for further editing or printing at a
later time.

If you choose File, you can then choose whether to save the output as a single
document (containing all of the letters) or save the letters as individual documents,
and you can specify the name, location, and format of the files. Click OK to save the
letters. You can now open the letters and edit them individually as you would edit
any other document.

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