Update a mailmerge file

users
#1

Is there a way to dynamically set up a Calc->Base->Writer mail merge so
that changes in Calc can be pushed through to Writer? I don't see how to do
it.

I've made a fairly complex mail merge file (some 25 fields).

I added another 50ish items to the spreadsheet thinking I could refresh the
mail merge file and output. half or so of these fields aren't just text but
calculations or aggregations of other fields. For me this is easy in
spreadsheet, not so easy to build a query or form to do the same thing in
Base.

#2

Hi Michael,

Is there a way to dynamically set up a Calc->Base->Writer mail merge so
that changes in Calc can be pushed through to Writer? I don't see how to do
it.

Not dynamically, but some hints:
You have to open the Base file before opening Calc.
Wehen opening Calc you see it is write protected. Remove the protection
by the button, which is offered.
After you have input data refresh the tables in Base.
Then all data will be available in Base and also in Writer.

Regards

Robert

#3

Hi Robert,

Thank you! Your hint worked, except 'refresh' had no effect, But the 2nd
option on the arrow-circle button on the toolbar 'rebuild' did the job. I
suspect thats because I had edited the source spreadsheet while Base was
not open and added an empty first row to make it an index or key field
attempting to follow some only-slightly-related youtube videos.

But for anyone else following, here's the slightly amended suggestion:
1. Open the Base file used by the Writer merge file
2. (With Base still open, but not as an action from within Base, just using
a file manager) Open the source Calc file, Make your edits and save.
3. With Base still open, open the table related to the merge, and on the
toolbar select "rebuild".
4. Save the Base file.
4A. Close all LibreOffice files. (**)
5. Open the Writer merge file, and your changes should be present.

(**) --- I use a Linux OS ... I've found that this close all office files
step is required in Linux, but not always in Windows. Or more specifically,
I find that when I follow youtube videos about LibreOffice made from
Windows, including 'close all Libreoffice' as a step after making updates
elsewhere seems to make stuff work that just doesn't work for me like it
does in the video.

#4

Hi Michael,

But for anyone else following, here's the slightly amended suggestion:
1. Open the Base file used by the Writer merge file
2. (With Base still open, but not as an action from within Base, just using
a file manager) Open the source Calc file, Make your edits and save.

You don't need to save them at this moment.
Rows, which appear in the table of Base, will be changed by "Refresh" in
the table (Data → Refresh).
New Rows won't appear directly in the table. Close the table and go to
View → Refresh Tables. Now new Rows will be shown.

3. With Base still open, open the table related to the merge, and on the
toolbar select "rebuild".
4. Save the Base file.

Also you don't need to save the Base file. Nothing has been changed.
Base file will only connect from Calc to Writer. Or did there appear the
littel star in the Save symbol?

4A. Close all LibreOffice files. (**)
5. Open the Writer merge file, and your changes should be present.

(**) --- I use a Linux OS ... I've found that this close all office files
step is required in Linux, but not always in Windows. Or more specifically,
I find that when I follow youtube videos about LibreOffice made from
Windows, including 'close all Libreoffice' as a step after making updates
elsewhere seems to make stuff work that just doesn't work for me like it
does in the video.

I'm using Linux (OpenSUSE 15.2) also. I haven't closed any file for
this. You only have t press "Refresh" for the table of the database in
the database browser of Writer.

Regards

Robert

#5

(unrelated to your last comment.)

I looked in the latest Writer manual, and there is no "updating the source"
instruction for mail merge chapter. Considering "open Base first" is not
exactly intuitive for making changes in Calc and seeing them in Writer...
it possibly might be very helpful to somehow capture this in the next
version of the Writer manual.

(Related to your last comments)

When changes in Calc directly didn't show up in the data table view in
Writer, I had tried 'refreshing' in Base many times before this email, and
expected the table view to show my new #1 item either at the top or bottom
of the base table. Following the steps I listed, "Rebuild" shows the new
column and the new data in Base, and that data also now shows in the Writer
data preview table.

I was noticing that when I edited the calc file, it seemed to break the
link in Writer and suddenly preview didn't work. It took
exiting LibreOffice completely then restarting writer before the data table
links again, but it always matched the table view in Base, not my new data
in Calc. I associated this (unproven) with Linux swap management or
something similar, but I've really got no understanding why my system
(ubuntu based) has a latency between updates in calc and views in Writer
merge data preview, only that saving and quitting the program completely
seems to eliminate the lack of cross-updates.

#6

Wkipedia english does not mention libre/openoffice in "Mail merge" at all, the german Version at least openoffice for "Serienbrief". Could someone more apt than I make an addendum?

Have a good tiem with LO

Walther

(unrelated to your last comment.)

I looked in the latest Writer manual, and there is no "updating the source"
instruction for mail merge chapter. Considering "open Base first" is not
exactly intuitive for making changes in Calc and seeing them in Writer...
it possibly might be very helpful to somehow capture this in the next
version of the Writer manual.

(Related to your last comments)

When changes in Calc directly didn't show up in the data table view in
Writer, I had tried 'refreshing' in Base many times before this email, and
expected the table view to show my new #1 item either at the top or bottom
of the base table. Following the steps I listed, "Rebuild" shows the new
column and the new data in Base, and that data also now shows in the Writer
data preview table.

I was noticing that when I edited the calc file, it seemed to break the
link in Writer and suddenly preview didn't work. It took
exiting LibreOffice completely then restarting writer before the data table
links again, but it always matched the table view in Base, not my new data
in Calc. I associated this (unproven) with Linux swap management or
something similar, but I've really got no understanding why my system
(ubuntu based) has a latency between updates in calc and views in Writer
merge data preview, only that saving and quitting the program completely
seems to eliminate the lack of cross-updates.

> Hi Michael,
> >
> > But for anyone else following, here's the slightly amended suggestion:
> > 1. Open the Base file used by the Writer merge file
> > 2. (With Base still open, but not as an action from within Base, just
> using
> > a file manager) Open the source Calc file, Make your edits and save.
>
> You don't need to save them at this moment.
> Rows, which appear in the table of Base, will be changed by "Refresh" in
> the table (Data → Refresh).
> New Rows won't appear directly in the table. Close the table and go to
> View → Refresh Tables. Now new Rows will be shown.
>
> > 3. With Base still open, open the table related to the merge, and on the
> > toolbar select "rebuild".
> > 4. Save the Base file.
>
> Also you don't need to save the Base file. Nothing has been changed.
> Base file will only connect from Calc to Writer. Or did there appear the
> littel star in the Save symbol?
>
> > 4A. Close all LibreOffice files. (**)
> > 5. Open the Writer merge file, and your changes should be present.
> >
> > (**) --- I use a Linux OS ... I've found that this close all office files
> > step is required in Linux, but not always in Windows. Or more
> specifically,
> > I find that when I follow youtube videos about LibreOffice made from
> > Windows, including 'close all Libreoffice' as a step after making updates
> > elsewhere seems to make stuff work that just doesn't work for me like it
> > does in the video.
>
> I'm using Linux (OpenSUSE 15.2) also. I haven't closed any file for
> this. You only have t press "Refresh" for the table of the database in
> the database browser of Writer.
>
> Regards
>
> Robert
> --
> Homepage: https://www.familiegrosskopf.de/robert
>
>
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