Eagerly awaited - for a LO working mail merge from the newly released 3.4.1
Before I did this test, I completely cleaned 3.3.3 using revo-uninstaller to ensure a completely new install.
The 1st thing I did was to view existing mail merge data files from 3.3.3 - they were still all screwed up as before. I therefore deleted them, so at to not cause further confusion and start again from new. However, I could not find a way of deleting the old files from the internal list (there is no remove button), once I looked at them.
I started from fresh, I created a standard 2 name data base for Mr Smith & Mr Blogs.
I did this with ease. Now when the MM came to the part that places the data on the letter (6. Edit Document), a few strange things happened, the address line 2, the County and Company names were not present, the post code came before the town name and the title "Mr" is on a separate line to his name.
This is where you have a learn a new "game" called shuffle and add the field names. So you go back to "3. Insert Address Block", go into edit mode and play with the arrows and create a standard address pattern (which you would have thought would be the default). I considered that this could this be deliberate (because they are so bad) - so as to force you to look and make your own? However, you will only have to do this once, as LO remembers this layout for the next time.
Then Create Salutation (tick the boxes), >Adjust layout (I did not use this), > then Edit document
In Edit Document the Field Names are deposited on your letter for the 1st time, the next thing you notice is the weird Spacing between the address lines, you cannot adjust this in the document directly (its frozen), so you have to go to the Edit Document's:- "Edit Document" > (right click)> Edit Paragraph style> indents & spacing > Below Paragraph > set to 0.00cm - This puts it back to the letter default.
Then Personalise Document (this prints all your letters) - this is where you now can see (WYSIWYG) for the 1st time, the full document that will be printed and you realise that there are no spaces or comma's between the fields hence the 1st line looks like MrJohnSmith.
To resolve this, you have to go back to Edit Document to put in spaces (and comma's). I could find no way of doing this at making / inserting address block stage, so you will always need to do this on each new mail merge.
I saved and Exited
I then realised that there were no name(s) after the salutation Dear ......, so I went back and tried unsuccessfully to insert it again, the moment you go from Edit Document (where the Dear Mr Smith exists) to Personalise Document, it disappears ( a Bug me thinks). As a work around, whilst in Edit mode, I copied & pasted the name, this (the name) stayed when I went on to Personalise Document (annoying but it worked). So I would suggest don't use "Create Salutation, make your own, by copying & pasting from the main Address block.
Also, on testing, other previously known bugs:-
As long as you do not click the "Insert address block" on the 2nd time around (leave it greyed out), then it does not insert a 2nd address block AND the links stay in place.
Having exited again, I then edited the data base file (*.csv) by adding a new name (a 3rd name in my case), in the spread sheet format *.csv (it takes a while to find this file and remember to read it in "tab" format). Re- started the mail merge - and it Worked!! - 3 names. So names & addresses can now be entered with ease and without having to open mail merge and mass data can now be pasted into the *csv file - if you so desire!
Summary:-
Other than a few minor niggles and only the one (easy to get around) "bug", that I could find, it's getting there, but most importantly :- its usable.
John B
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