From time to time I get asked to do a mail merge, for example to print off labels, or to print envelopes. I am asked to do this because of activity within voluntary clubs and organisations.
On previous occasions I had to resort to using old software using Appleworks on a machine running Snow Leopard. It worked, though was slow, but did produce a membership file suitable for printing. I made a note that if the membership changed relatively slowly, rather than repeat the tedioius process, it would probably be easier to delete or add entries to the print file.
As it happened, this was based on an assumption which turned out to be incorrect. One such organisation engaged in a campaign to attract more members, so instead of a mere handful of changes fo a file, many changes would have been required.
I tried to follow the same procedure as previously - I still have the machine running Snow Leopard. However, this time it virtually ground to a halt when running the program, and finally appears to have given up the struggle. I don't know why - maybe there has been an "update" to the system which I didn't expect (or want) so that the program just doesn't work any more.
"Obviously" people will flood in and suggest other ways of doing this task, but I thought of that. Previously I spent hours trying to do this using methods and documentation supplied by Microsoft (using Word and a data source), Apple (using Pages and an automated script), Open Office etc. None of them worked - either because the software didn't work properly, or the instructions were incorrect or imprecise. Yesterday I repeated this very painful exercise, with exactly the same negative outcome.
I was at the point (as on the previous occasion) of thinking I might have to write a program, or use some other arcane way to get this job done. One way, which I think might have actually worked, was to use Excel, and to get the required text format into a column of cells, and then to increase the row height for each row, so that when printed each name and address would be on a new page, and thus suitable for printing on envelopes.
Finally, though, I hit upon an unexpected solution, which did 98% of the job. This was to use Contacts in MacOS. The method is to create a new Group in Contacts (which could be deleted later on if required once the job is done). Then import the data - which in this case comes via an Excel spreadsheet file - suitably massaged. If the data is exported from Excel in CSV format, it can be imported into Apple Contacts with relative ease. Then Print the whole group data set, and select Custom for the print/paper format. Initially the paper was set to DL (a paper size I'd not been aware of), but with the Custom option and selecting International paper sizes, the C5 size for our envelopes was chosen. Saving the print output as a PDF file gave something which more or less worked.
After another hour or so of issues with the laser printer (which jammed, due to the envelopes) we got the job done. Ideally I'd have liked the addresses in a slightly different location on the envelopes, but by then I'd already lost the will to live several times over in one afternoon.
This may well be one area where the software from Microsoft does actually work - if run on a Windows PC - but it certainly does not deliver on MacOS. Oh - and one more area of incompatibility - the suggestion to use Contacts only works on computers running MacOS. It does not work on data held on iPads using iOS. We checked.
So, because software which had been working really rather well over a decade ago had gradually failed due to "improvements" and upgrades, we spent a nearly fruitless afternoon, and it seems a miracle that we actually achieved a result. I doubt that the companies concerned, with their interest in making profits, are in any way concerned about the way in which changes to software and hardware are impacting on end users.
On previous occasions I had to resort to using old software using Appleworks on a machine running Snow Leopard. It worked, though was slow, but did produce a membership file suitable for printing. I made a note that if the membership changed relatively slowly, rather than repeat the tedioius process, it would probably be easier to delete or add entries to the print file.
As it happened, this was based on an assumption which turned out to be incorrect. One such organisation engaged in a campaign to attract more members, so instead of a mere handful of changes fo a file, many changes would have been required.
I tried to follow the same procedure as previously - I still have the machine running Snow Leopard. However, this time it virtually ground to a halt when running the program, and finally appears to have given up the struggle. I don't know why - maybe there has been an "update" to the system which I didn't expect (or want) so that the program just doesn't work any more.
"Obviously" people will flood in and suggest other ways of doing this task, but I thought of that. Previously I spent hours trying to do this using methods and documentation supplied by Microsoft (using Word and a data source), Apple (using Pages and an automated script), Open Office etc. None of them worked - either because the software didn't work properly, or the instructions were incorrect or imprecise. Yesterday I repeated this very painful exercise, with exactly the same negative outcome.
I was at the point (as on the previous occasion) of thinking I might have to write a program, or use some other arcane way to get this job done. One way, which I think might have actually worked, was to use Excel, and to get the required text format into a column of cells, and then to increase the row height for each row, so that when printed each name and address would be on a new page, and thus suitable for printing on envelopes.
Finally, though, I hit upon an unexpected solution, which did 98% of the job. This was to use Contacts in MacOS. The method is to create a new Group in Contacts (which could be deleted later on if required once the job is done). Then import the data - which in this case comes via an Excel spreadsheet file - suitably massaged. If the data is exported from Excel in CSV format, it can be imported into Apple Contacts with relative ease. Then Print the whole group data set, and select Custom for the print/paper format. Initially the paper was set to DL (a paper size I'd not been aware of), but with the Custom option and selecting International paper sizes, the C5 size for our envelopes was chosen. Saving the print output as a PDF file gave something which more or less worked.
After another hour or so of issues with the laser printer (which jammed, due to the envelopes) we got the job done. Ideally I'd have liked the addresses in a slightly different location on the envelopes, but by then I'd already lost the will to live several times over in one afternoon.
This may well be one area where the software from Microsoft does actually work - if run on a Windows PC - but it certainly does not deliver on MacOS. Oh - and one more area of incompatibility - the suggestion to use Contacts only works on computers running MacOS. It does not work on data held on iPads using iOS. We checked.
So, because software which had been working really rather well over a decade ago had gradually failed due to "improvements" and upgrades, we spent a nearly fruitless afternoon, and it seems a miracle that we actually achieved a result. I doubt that the companies concerned, with their interest in making profits, are in any way concerned about the way in which changes to software and hardware are impacting on end users.