mail merge question

[Ramorr]

I want to start up an alumini database for my organisation.

The access database will contain details of each person that we will use to mail merge address details onto a cover letter in MS Word. No problem.

The trickier bit is that we would like to be able to send details of what a contacts friends are up to. That is on every record there is a field with a list of names. I was hoping there was a way to link this list of names to a word file containing a paragraph of what all the alumini are currently up to. Then we could somehow mailmerge the relevent paragraphs of a contacts friends onto the cover letter. I have no idea how to do this.

Did that make sense? Can anyone help?

thanks

 

[jeremie_ingram]

-You state "a contacts friends". Is there a min or max amt to this? Can one person have 20 friends and someone else have only 2? Can someone have none? If so, you might be better off creating this letter in an Access Report rather than word.
-You also stated that there would be a field containing the freinds data. This would create an unneccssarley large database. We can create a single table for all of the alum information, then another table to contain the linking friends relationships. How are these friendships established in the data sense. Did these people give you thier friend information? Does everyone who is claimed by an individual as a friend reciprocate the friendship? In other words, is this a dual flow in a dabase relationship, or can it possible be one sided (Jeff likes Bill, but Bill didnt say he likes Jeff).

 

[rockman]

Having a list of names in a single field will probably be too unwieldy to accomplish what you want.

No doubt each alumni has a unique ID in your current database.
Create a table with the following structure:

tblAlumniFriends
fldDummyID ' (autonumber)
fldAlumniID ' contains alumni's ID number
fldFriendID ' contains a friend's ID number

Create a new record for each friend.
This way you have an unlimited number of friends for a particular alumni.

Use a subform on your form to display all fldFriendID's for a particular AlumniID. Easiest data entry is to have a combobox display names while the actual value (bound column) is the ID number.

When it comes to mail merge, cycle through all fldFriendID's for a particular AlumniID, grabbing the fldWhatsNew from the tblAlumni based on the fldFriendID.

HTH,
Jeff

 

[Ramorr]

Thanks guys, trying to do rockman's suggestion (sounded simpler).

Use a subform on your form to display all fldFriendID's for a particular AlumniID. Easiest data entry is to have a combobox display names while the actual value (bound column) is the ID number.

Could you explain how to do this in a "for idiot" way.

Thanks

 

[rockman]

This will be by memory, but should get you started:

Create a form that only has a combobox on it. Set the record source of the form to tblAlumniFriends (see first post). Let the combobox rowsource be a query on your table tblAlumni that has field 1 = fldAlumniID and field 2 = fldName. Set the column count of the combobox to 2 and the column widths to 0";3". Make the size of this form exactly equal to the size of the combobox. Set the form default display as "continuous form". Name this form frmSubFriends.

On your frmAlumni, create a subform called subFriends. Set the source object to frmSubFriends, link child/master to fldAlumniID.

I think this should do the trick.

HTH,
Jeff

 

[rockman]

Omitted: The combobox (cmbFriend) control source = fldFriendID