adding an attachment

[Mindy]

Hi, I'm trying to add an attachment to a mass email. I'm slowly
understanding and I'm following the steps on
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MailMerge/MergeWithAttachments.htm but I'm not
understanding this part.

You will need to create a separate Catalogue (or in Word 2002 and later,
Directory) type mail merge main document which creates a word document
containing a table in each row of which would be data from the data source
that contains the email address in the first column and the
Drive:\Path\Filename of each attachment in the second and any subsequent
columns, one attachment per cell. That is:

<<EmailAddress>> <<Attachment1>> <<Attachment2>>

I understand how to type the main mail merge document, but I'm not
understanding where or how to create the table with the email address and the
attachment. Could someone please help me?

Thanks,
Mindy

 

[Peter Jamieson]

I understand how to type the main mail merge document, but I'm not

understanding where or how to create the table with the email address and the
attachment. Could someone please help me?

First, just a reminder that this is a completely separate mail merge main
document.

Create it as a Catalog(ue)/Directory merge depending on the version of Word.

Set the data source to be something which contains one record for each
e-mail address and contains the names of the files to be attached. If you do
not have such a data source already, it may be just as easy to create this
table of e-mail addreses and pathnames manually in Word.

Suppose you just have 1 attachment for each recipient. Then create a 1-row,
2-column table in Word using the Table menu.

In the first cell, insert the MERGEFIELD field for the e-mail address. You
can either do this by selecting from the dropdown list or dialog box on the
merge toolbar (depends on the Word version), using the Wizard in WOrd
2002/3, or, manually - e.g., if the relevant field name is "email", use
ctrl-F9 to insert the special field code braces {}, then type MERGEFIELD
email
between them to give you

{ MERGEFIELD email }

In the second cell, insert the MERGEFIELD filed for the attachment pathname.

Do not put anything else in the mail merge main document.

Then perform the merge. The result should be a new document containing a
WOrd table where each row has an e-mail address and an attachment pathname.

If you have 2 attachments per recipient, you'll need a 1-row, 3-column table
instead.

If this still doesn't help, try to let us know which bit you don't
understand.

 

[Doug Robbins]

The mailmerge datasource that you are using to prepare the mailmerge letters
to which you want to attach the files, needs to have a field for the email
address of each person and fields for each of the attachments that you want
to issue and in those fields for attachments you must have the EXACT path
and filename of each attachment.

You should use the same data source for producing both the letter that is
going to be emailed and the catalog (or directory) type mailmerge document
that will be used by the macro as then you are guaranteed that the right
attachment will go with each letter when they are emailed out.

--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mindy]

Hi, I think I'm understanding this but I'm having trouble understanding how
to insert the <<EmailAddress>> <<Attachment>>. I can get to "arrange your
directory" but how do I insert the <<EmailAddress>> and <<Attachment>>?
Also can the email be a Word document and the attachments be PDF files? If
someone can help me with this, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Mindy

 

[Doug Robbins]

The <<EmailAddress>> is the field in your data source that contains the
email addresses. It is mandatory that your datasource must contain such a
field.

The <<Attachment>> represents the field in your data source that contains
the path and the filename of the attachments. If the attachment differs for
each recipient, the path and filename for each recipient will also have to
be contained in the data source. If the same attachment is to be sent to
all recipients, then the path and filename can be entered directly into the
catalog or directory mailmerge main documents. You will need a separate
column for each attachment if there are multiple attachments to be sent to
each person.

The body of the email messages that are sent will be the content of the
formletters that are created by executing the formletter type mail merge and
the document created by that mailmerge must be the active document when the
macro is run.

Any type of file can be attached to the email message.
--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mindy]

At what step would I make the table?

First, just a reminder that this is a completely separate mail merge main
document.

Create it as a Catalog(ue)/Directory merge depending on the version of Word.

Set the data source to be something which contains one record for each
e-mail address and contains the names of the files to be attached. If you do
not have such a data source already, it may be just as easy to create this
table of e-mail addreses and pathnames manually in Word.

Suppose you just have 1 attachment for each recipient. Then create a 1-row,
2-column table in Word using the Table menu.

In the first cell, insert the MERGEFIELD field for the e-mail address. You
can either do this by selecting from the dropdown list or dialog box on the
merge toolbar (depends on the Word version), using the Wizard in WOrd
2002/3, or, manually - e.g., if the relevant field name is "email", use
ctrl-F9 to insert the special field code braces {}, then type MERGEFIELD
email
between them to give you

{ MERGEFIELD email }

In the second cell, insert the MERGEFIELD filed for the attachment pathname.

Do not put anything else in the mail merge main document.

Then perform the merge. The result should be a new document containing a
WOrd table where each row has an e-mail address and an attachment pathname.

If you have 2 attachments per recipient, you'll need a 1-row, 3-column table
instead.

If this still doesn't help, try to let us know which bit you don't
understand.

 

[Mindy]

I about got it but I cannot figure out how to "hook" the table up to letter.
Is there anyway we could email back and forth to hopefully get this solved
asap?

 

[Mindy]

Hello, I just have this figured out. I made a table with three columns
<<email address>> <<filename>><<filename>> but when I click "to new document"
I get this error "the mail merge could not be completed because the document
does not contain any mail merge fields." Could someone please help me?
Thanks, Mindy

 

[Doug Robbins]

Please read my response to your post of 9//19/2004. I have explained the
process to you in quite some detail.
--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Can I draw your attention to this bit of my text:

------------------------
In the first cell, insert the MERGEFIELD field for the e-mail address. You
can either do this by selecting from the dropdown list or dialog box on the
merge toolbar (depends on the Word version), using the Wizard in WOrd
2002/3, or, manually - e.g., if the relevant field name is "email", use
ctrl-F9 to insert the special field code braces {}, then type MERGEFIELD
email
between them to give you

{ MERGEFIELD email }

 

[Mindy]

I'm so sorry to keep asking questions but I created a table and put
MERGEFIELD {MERGEFIELD Email} but I keep getting this error > I get this
error "the mail merge could not be completed because the document does not
contain any mail merge fields."

 

[Peter Jamieson]

OK, the name after MERGEFIELD needs to match the name in your data source -
e.g., if you are using "email address" you need

{ MERGEFIELD "email address" }

If you press Alt-F9, do you then see something looking like <<email
address>> ?

 

[Mindy]

OK I think I'm making some progress. I got the email address figure out.
now I'm working on the attachment mergefield. I have it set to FileName but
I don't know how to get the file as an attachments.

Mindy

 

[Doug Robbins]

Here is a copy of my response to one of your other posts. I believe that it
explains as clearly as I can how to do this.

The <<EmailAddress>> is the field in your data source that contains the
email addresses. It is mandatory that your datasource must contain such a
field.

The <<Attachment>> represents the field in your data source that contains
the path and the filename of the attachments. If the attachment differs for
each recipient, the path and filename for each recipient will also have to
be contained in the data source. If the same attachment is to be sent to
all recipients, then the path and filename can be entered directly into the
catalog or directory mailmerge main documents. You will need a separate
column for each attachment if there are multiple attachments to be sent to
each person.

The body of the email messages that are sent will be the content of the
formletters that are created by executing the formletter type mail merge and
the document created by that mailmerge must be the active document when the
macro is run.

Any type of file can be attached to the email message.
--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

Hi, I think I'm understanding this but I'm having trouble understanding
how
to insert the <<EmailAddress>> <<Attachment>>. I can get to "arrange
your
directory" but how do I insert the <<EmailAddress>> and <<Attachment>>?
Also can the email be a Word document and the attachments be PDF files?
If
someone can help me with this, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Mindy

--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP