Mail Merge

[david.paton]

I have a contact details database and my manager wants to be able to send out letters to all the radio stations, for instance. I have a form that I have check boxes on that relate to each category of the entries in the database.

I wanted to be able to select what check boxes, or business types I would like to send the mail out to and to have the addresses and contact details from the database put into multiple word documents using a mail merge. What would be the best way to do this, considering I don't have a lot of programming knowledge?

 

[Big Pat]

I would use a query, based on the check-boxes, to return the addresses I wanted. E.g. if you have check-boxes for Rock, Pop, Jazz etc. or maybe Local, National, then your query should limit the results it returns from the Contacts table to those records where the box is ticked. Put "True" or -1 on the criteria line in the query design window.

Work on the query until you are happy with the results it displays i.e. it has all the records you want and shows the columns that you need. Save that query.

Back in Word, start your mail merge, navigate through the wizard and select that query as your data source.

 

[david.paton]

I have a form with the check boxes on it but those categories are recorded in a field called Business_Description but are you saying I need to have separate yes/no fields for each business description?

I wanted to have the form with the check boxes just look at the Business_Description field and filter the results based on the check boxes selected compared to the descriptions entered in the fields. Is this a bad way to do it?

I am not sure how to filter based on the check boxes selected on a form?

 

[david.paton]

I have another idea, what about if I added some code into the got focus event on each check box, where when selected, would write the corresponding value to the Business_Description field?

How would I do this?

 

[Big Pat]

Sorry, when you said you had check-boxes relating to each category, I assumed your fields were Yes/No. Is Business_Description a text field, with a combo box for data-entry? If so, I would use the same combo box on your mail-merge form and have the query return results based on the choice selected there.

I'm not sure why you would want check-boxes to write a value elsewhere. To be honest I'd be out of my depth at that point but it seems overly complicated. Basing it on a combox box with the same avlues as your Categories would keep it simpler. In my book anyway.

 

[david.paton]

Here is a copy of the database I am using. Sorry, can't explain much about it now as I am in a hurry but you can see what I am trying to do.

Thanks,
Dave