jeeves
01-15-2005, 09:43 AM
Backround info to question:
So I get to customize our current setup at work to accomodate an automated mail merge in an upgraded version of one of our apps.
This application is a contact database that exports contact data to a csv file to be used as the merge data field for Word. We have this functioning properly for our current version of the application, but it's due for an "upgrade" this year, and the base user population will be getting a web version of the app, with what has turned out to be limited functionality. The version in production allowed us to edit what fields were exported, in what order, and how they were named.
So basically the upgraded application's exported fields do not match the existing fields in our automated merge set up. After much discussion with the vendor, it turns out that this is the way their app is coded and they will not change it for us. Well, they may develop a new function altogether, but for a price.
Any tips... I need to change the fieldnames in the CSV file before running the merge in Word. I'm hoping to address this as part of the existing code in Word, rather than within Excel in the CSV since a new CSV file will be created every time the contact information is exported. Most of the fieldnames are close, i.e. "addr_line_3" instead of "address_3".
Ideas?
Note: it is not feasible for me to change the fields in our template suite to match those in the exported data file.
So I get to customize our current setup at work to accomodate an automated mail merge in an upgraded version of one of our apps.
This application is a contact database that exports contact data to a csv file to be used as the merge data field for Word. We have this functioning properly for our current version of the application, but it's due for an "upgrade" this year, and the base user population will be getting a web version of the app, with what has turned out to be limited functionality. The version in production allowed us to edit what fields were exported, in what order, and how they were named.
So basically the upgraded application's exported fields do not match the existing fields in our automated merge set up. After much discussion with the vendor, it turns out that this is the way their app is coded and they will not change it for us. Well, they may develop a new function altogether, but for a price.
Any tips... I need to change the fieldnames in the CSV file before running the merge in Word. I'm hoping to address this as part of the existing code in Word, rather than within Excel in the CSV since a new CSV file will be created every time the contact information is exported. Most of the fieldnames are close, i.e. "addr_line_3" instead of "address_3".
Ideas?
Note: it is not feasible for me to change the fields in our template suite to match those in the exported data file.