Mail Merge

[Terry Holland]

I am re-writing a vb6 application that uses automation to mail-merge into MS
Word templates (there are approx 200 legacy 2002 templates)

The new version of the app is going to be an asp.net application running on
the company intranet.

I am aware that having word installed on the web/app server is not an option
recommended or supported by MS, so I am looking for solutions that will
enable me to utilise the existinf word templates.

Could someone advise me on the feasability of having my server based code
creating xml docs that could be used as the datasource for a word mailmerge
template. I have heard a little of MSOpenXML for office 2007 documents and
am wondering if it would be possible to build an word doc using this
technology, without the need for Office to be installed on server.

I invite a discussion around this topic in the hope that I will pick the
best solution after taking into account he following considerations
1) all users will have MS Word installed on their PC (currently 2003)
2) we want ot be able to utilise the exising 200 MS Word mail-merge templates
3) user want to be able to create new mail-merge templates within a familiar
envoronment ie MS Word

I look forward to responses

 

[Cindy M.]

Could someone advise me on the feasability of having my server based code

creating xml docs that could be used as the datasource for a word mailmerge
template. I have heard a little of MSOpenXML for office 2007 documents and
am wondering if it would be possible to build an word doc using this
technology, without the need for Office to be installed on server.

Mmmm. You can't use an XML document directly as the data source (we're talking
about Word mail merge, here, as done in the UI or via automation). I'm not
sure that's what you're asking, but I just want to cover that point...

I think an XML version of the Word document would be a good approach. Question
is: are you going to be able to (easily) convert all these existing (200?)
files to either the Word 2003 XML or the Word 2007 OpenXML file format?

Once you've done that, all you really need to do is work with the XML file in
memory. Locate the tags that indicate mail merge, write the data in, remove
all mail merge tags, then save it out as a different file (or send it to the
user, or whatever).

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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