The Advanced Rich Text Control in the R:BASE Report Designer includes the option to create Mail Merge reports.
This chapter will show you how to do the following:
•Generate a form letter with address information
•Edit a standard Rich Text document
•Use the Mail Merge feature of the Rich Text controls
Create a Report
1.Connect to a database that has a table which contains addresses
2.Create a new report, named MailMerge
3.Do not check the option for "Use Report Wizard"
Set the Page Layout
1.Select "File" > "Page Setup" from the Report Designer main menu bar.
2.Select the "Margins" tab.
3.Set all margins to 1.25.
4.Click the "OK" button to close the Page Setup dialog.
Modify/Remove the Report Bands
1.From the main menu bar, select "Report".
2.Within the submenu options, uncheck the Report Header option.
3.Within the submenu options, uncheck the Report Footer option.
4.Within the submenu options, uncheck the Page Header option.
5.Within the submenu options, uncheck the Page Footer option.
6.Right-click over the white space of the Detail band and select "Position..." from the speed menu
7.Set the "Height" to 4 and "Print Count" to 1. This will allow only one detail band to print per page, thus creating the effect of one form letter per page.
8.Select "Apply" and then the "OK" button to save the Position parameters.
The Advanced Rich Text Control
1.Place an Advanced Rich Text control (part of Standard Controls) in the Detail band.
2.Right-click over the Advanced Rich Text control and select the “Stretch” menu option. This will force the control to resize based on the size of the control contents.
3.Right-click over the Advanced Rich Text control and set the position and size as follows:
Left: 0
Top: 0
Width: 6
Height: 4
4.Select "Apply" and then the "OK" button to save the Position parameters.
The Advanced Rich Text control is positioned so that it fills the entire detail band. This allows us to use the margins of the report to control the positioning of the letter, as opposed to positioning the Advanced Rich Text control within the band. The height of 4 is arbitrary; it will simply allow us to read the entire contents of the letter while designing. When the report prints, the Advanced Rich Text control will calculate its height based on the length of the letter.
Enter the Body of the Letter into the Advanced Rich Text Control
1.Right-click over the Advanced Rich Text control and select the "Mail Merge" menu option.
2.Right-click over the Advanced Rich Text control and select the "Edit" menu option. The Advanced Rich Text Editor will be displayed.
3.Type or copy and paste the body of your mail merge document in the Advanced Rich Text Editor, leaving a few empty lines at the top for your customer name, address, etc.
Add Table Fields to the Letter
1.From within the Advanced Rich Text Editor, select "Insert" > "DB Label" from the menu bar. A list of columns from the table will be displayed. After each field is added, you will be prompted to add a "Format Mask", which is optional.
2.Select the appropriate address heading fields starting with the addressee first and last name. Each field must be added separately. Be sure to add the spaces between first name and last name fields.
3.Then press the "Enter" key to skip to the next line and add the company DB Label.
4.Press the "Enter" key and add the address DB Label(s).
5.Now, press the "Enter" key and add the city, state, and zip code DB Labels. Be sure to place a comma and a space between the city and state, and a space between the state and zip code.
6.Press the "Enter" key twice to create a blank line below the address fields.
7.Type "Dear", then a space, then insert the first name DB Label.
8.Type a comma and press the "Enter" twice, leaving a blank line between the letter greeting and the body added earlier.
9.Press the "OK" button to save your work and close the Advanced Rich Text Editor.
Preview the Report in Report Designer
1.Click on the "Preview" tab n the Report Designer to preview the report. If any changes are required make them now.
2.Save the report and close Report Designer.
3.At the R> Prompt, type:
PRINT MailMerge OPTION SCREEN|WINDOW_STATE MAXIMIZED
Notes:
•Use the Advanced Rich Text Editor to update the body of the letter, by right clicking over the Advanced Rich Text control and selecting the "Edit" menu option.
•Column fields are enclosed within less than (<)and greater than (>) characters.
•Variable fields are enclosed within braces {}.
•Use the "Insert" > "Variable Label" menu option to insert variable expressions or system variables, such as #DATE or #TIME.
•You can save the rich text as an external RTF file.
•Any Rich Text data created with your favorite word processor can easily be copied into the Advanced Rich Text Editor.
•To insert the field or variable, you may also use right-click in the body of the letter for speed menu options.
