How do I mail merge to EMAIL from MS Word AND add a pdf attachment

[Lily@Insight]

I have an SQL database that is queried. I use these queries to mail merge in
word - with the output going to Outlook - so that each individual email is
sent to the individual for whom it's intended. The only problem is that I
want to also include a PDF attachment.

Is this at all possible? Or am I dreaming???

 

[Doug Robbins]

See the article "Mail Merge to E-mail with Attachments" at

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MailMerge/MergeWithAttachments.htm


--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

The article refers to a "clickyes" utility at express.com. I couldn't find
this utility at their site. Additionally, I see in another post on the same
subject matter that someone had problems after installing that utility. They,
like me are using Office 2003. Is the utility still available, and is it okay
to use/run with Office 2003 and the mail merge/email with attachments
process? Or will it mess up the process like described in "Email merge, how
do I work around the security feature?", posted by Jaloway.

 

[Mmiller]

Just tried to follow instructions you wrote "Mail Merge to E-mail with
Attachments.
I created the macro, but it was my first. I simply copied and pasted the
info from your articleinto the visual basic editor so as to avoid typos, then
added the macro to the tool bar. But I get following error message when I run
the macro:
Compile Error:
User-defined type not defined.
Then the macro editor is opened and the following is highlighted:
(The middle line is highlighted - I've included a line before and after to
identify)

Dim bStarted As Boolean

Dim oOutlookApp As Outlook.Application

Dim oItem As Outlook.MailItem
Since I've copied and pasted, I don't know how it is in the macro. I think
it may have been in the course of when and where to run the macro. I had no
trouble creating the directory merge, and then using it as the source for my
data in the email merge. But I have tried running this macro at every step in
the process of creating the email merge and I get the same error message. The
end resut is an email merge that does exactly as it should - but there is
only a reference to the attachment in the email - no real attachment.

 

[Doug Robbins]

The Express Click Yes is now available from
http://www.contextmagic.com/express-clickyes/

Almost certainly the error that you are getting is because you did not set
the reference to the Outlook Object Library as it mentions that you must do
in the Preparations part of the article.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

Thanks Doug.
Did that- but had the wrong one checked. Got that fixed and yes, the macro
performs without any error message. But the whole process is still not
working right.
If I hit the macro key before the very last step of merging the document
with electronic mail, then the resulting merge has none of the email message
I created in the body of the document. The body of the email is completely
blank. In addition to the field for the attachment, I also chose a name field
when creating/executing this mail merge. None of the manually created message
or the field information showed up. If I wait and hit the macro key after the
last step of merging to electronic mail, then the office program/merge
creates the emails as it would without the macro. The email has all the body
elements, but only a drive path, file name reference to the attachment. No
actual attachment. Hitting the macro after this step has a whole new set of
emails generated again, but they are like the first scenario -blank. Only the
address and subject line are carrying over. Can you identify what I've done
wrong or left out?
I'm trying hard!

 

[Doug Robbins]

Re-read the instructions. They say quite clearly that the merge must be
executed to a new document and they do not say anything amount merging to
electronic mail.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

I guess not clearly enough for the disabled because I'm missing where I'm
making my mistake. Please bear with me as I try to find the mistake with your
help.
The directory type mail merge document was created in a separate document,
saved and closed. I then opened a new blank document to create the mail merge
I wanted to send out. I chose mail merge/email messages - following the set
up instructions that word gives and using the directory type mail merge file
created earlier as my data source. (I even tried using the original data
source; my excel spreadsheet, and then identifying the file created by the
catalogue type mail merge at the point the dialog box opened up after running
the macro, but that came up with the same results- no body in the email
message.) I thought this was what you meant when you said "execute the mail
merge that you want to send out" in your instructions. I'm sure the
instructions are accurate. But I am not able to identify at exactly what
point I am failing to understand/follow them correctly. If it is clear to
you, will you please specify?
By the way, I was incorrect - when I run the macro at either point in the
process, the very first email will have the drive\path\filename reference to
the attachment - but no attachment. This first email will also have the hand
written and information along with the poplulated info from the placeholders.
But none of the subsequent emails have anything.

Thanks!

 

[Doug Robbins]

Use a formletter not an email message type main document

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

Progress!!
But not 100% right. The attachment is now in the email(s). Yey! But the
other problem still exists. The fields/placeholder entries and the manually
entered text I created in the body of the form letter only appear in the very
first email and not in any of the subsequent emails the program publishes. If
you can help me determine what I'm doing wrong on that point I'm set. And
thanks so much in advance!
BTW - I've tried using both the directory type document as my data source
and the excel file (where the info came from to create the directory doc).
Both scenarios produce an attachment now with the form letter - but neither
produce the missing information past the first email.

 

[Doug Robbins]

I don't understand what you are doing here

This first email will also have the hand
written and information along with the poplulated info from the
placeholders.
But none of the subsequent emails have anything.

What "hand written information"?

What do you mean by "placeholders"? Are they the mergefields?

This failure has nothing to do with the macro, you fix up the mailmerge so
that it produces the formletters as you want them.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

For example, if the mass email was to produce 25 emails, the first email
generated will be complete. It will have the attachment, the email address,
the subject line and the body.
The body: manually written info such as, "dear" and then using a placeholder
(merge fields?) for the info to be populated by the data source. (I didn't
manually write it, the merge generates the verbiage) I saw it referred to as
a placeholder in some instructions online but an example of what I'm talking
about looks like: <<name>> Then more manually entered info in the body such
as; "The attached document contains....blah, blah....Sincerely...etc"

As I said, the first email generated would be complete - containing all
elements as it should. But the next 24 would only have the email address and
subject lines. Info I think is generated by the macro. But no body elements
whatsoever.

The problem appears to have something to do with running the macro because I
can run a mail merge - (Ive tried both a form letter or an email merge) and
not run the macro and all info/results are produced as they should be in the
initial and subsequent letters/emails.

I can't get the attachments included in the mass email without running the
macro, but at this point I can't get multiple emails (complete) when I do run
the macro.

 

[Doug Robbins]

You have not executed the merge to a new document that contains a section
for each record in the data source.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

I need you to be more specific please.
The instructions in your article contain two different merges.
1.Do you mean the directory type mail merge?
If so, then I did complete the last step in Outlook's and your
article's instructions that merged the information to a new document. That
new document did create a table that had all the elements from the data
source that I planned to use in the mass email, including, but not limted to
the email address and the attachment. This new document containing the table
was saved and selected later, as instructed when the file open dialog appears
after running the macro.
2. If you mean the "form letter" merge as you called it earlier, you will
have to elaborate. There are no references to a new document in the article
(at the form letter merge state) and Outlook only allows you to merge to a
printer as the final step in the merge process. You'll have to detail how to
do this.
3.Additional question - When creating the form letter merge, at the step
where I am to select the recipients, do I point to the original data source,
or to the document with the table created from my directory type mail merge?
(that used the original data source to create the table) As we proceed, I
need to clarify which one is expected to be used.
As I've mentioned earlier, I've tried it both ways, with both resulting in
attachments being produced, but both leaving out essential information in all
but the first email produced.
Thank in advance.

 

[Doug Robbins]

It is the formletter mailmerge that must be executed to a new document.

While the macro uses Outlook, ALL of the merging is being done from Word and
Word DOES allow you to merge to a new document with the Form Letter in
exactly the same way that you merged to a new document with the directory
type mailmerge.

The article says

"Then execute the mail merge that you want to send out by email with the
attachments and with the result of execution of that mail merge on the
screen"

If the result is going to be on the screen, the only way that it can get
there is if the merge is executed to a new document.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

I found it - but for the benefit of anyone else that may read this post let
me mention how/where.
The directory merge specifically said "merge to" and then gave "new
document" as an option. None of the 6 steps in this merge say that. The last
step, #6 (See below) said to merge to a printer - or to edit the individual
letters. If you click on "edit individual letters", and choose "all" when
asked, Word then merges the letter to a new document as needed. Running the
macro at this point gets the necessary results.
We have success!! I'm sure you are as glad as I am.
Thanks!


Step one - starting document
Step two - select recipients
Step three - write your letter
Step four - preview your letters (you can scroll through each one that will
be created.
Step five - complete the merge
Step six - merge - and the choices listed are printer or edit your
individual letters.

 

[Mmiller]

A new question on the same item:
The attachment I've chosen to create is too large as a pdf. There are
several pictures within a flyer. I can save the created art/flyer as a jpeg
and the file size is ideal. But when I try all these same instructions, but
have a jpeg instead of a pdf file, it doesn't work. I know the subject of
this discussion specifies adding a pdf file, but the article you wrote and
refer to in this thread doesn't appear to specify that the attachments that
can be sent are limited to pdf's. Do I need to do something different for a
jpeg?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Doug Robbins]

You are the only one that is talking about .pdf's as attachments. The
method will send any file as an attachment AS LONG AS THE PATH AND FILENAME
ARE CORRECT.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Mmiller]

The original subject line of the thread specifies adding a pdf
attachment-that is why I made mention of it.
Regardless of that - I right clicked on the file, chose properties and
copied and then pasted the path and file name to eliminate a mistake.
Granted, what can be copied under properties only identifies everything BUT
the the very last part; the actual name of the file and its extension. But I
clicked on the file once and copied the name - then pasted it to the end of
the first cut/paste. (I did add a back slash between the two) I don't see how
I could have done it wrong all that being said. Do you???
It didn't work - but the same method for a pdf did. Got any ideas?

 

[Mmiller]

Doug;
I just copied the file to C:/"file name.ext"
Created the new directory etc...
I did this to make sure identifying the path/file would be correct.
Still didn't work with a jpeg.