Hi, First, thanks a lot for this good and usefull software ! Two years ago we completely switched from Microsoft Office 2003 to LibreOffice in the school I work for : that was not easy for users, but tey mostly understood the benefits of free (libre) software. Now it is adopted by everybody, except our secretary who needs more specific tasks, such as printing mail labels. I had a talk with him to understand what problems he is facing and I saw on the Internet that he is not alone... Problems I list here are from the most important to the less annoying. I hope it is understandable : 1. When you finish your label document (choosing format, choosing database and fields, synchronizing contents, using mailing assistant to merge addresses, save the resulting file), you obtain a sheet where you can only modify the first label, but not the others. This is the biggest problem, because in real life there is almost always one label you need to modify manually. 2. After choosing format, database and fields, you cannot have an overview of the merge result, the only choice is to print or to save : you can not correct you mistake directly. Maybe add a "Merging overview" button to the "Synchronize labels" ? 2bis. After choosing format, database and fields, you have to launch the Mailing Assistant and skip most of the steps to save the merged file. This step is very confusing. Why not just had a "Merge and save" button in the "Synchronize labels" toolbox ? 3. When you create a new mail label sheets, you can not add a new database. You have to create a writer document, add the database, and then only go in File -> New -> Labels. It is not really intuitive. I know these problems are far from being the only ones, but I think making mail labels creation easier would be really usefull for many companies. Thanks again everybody for the time and work.
Hi Yvan, thanks for your report - I'll try to give a brief reply! (In reply to yvan.masson from comment #0) > First, thanks a lot for this good and usefull software ! :) > 1. When you finish your label document (choosing format, choosing database > and fields, synchronizing contents, using mailing assistant to merge > addresses, save the resulting file), you obtain a sheet where you can only > modify the first label, but not the others. This is the biggest problem, > because in real life there is almost always one label you need to modify > manually. When creating, at the latest tab check Synchronise. That gives a toolbar to "update links" so that after changing the first, the others get changed too. > 2. After choosing format, database and fields, you cannot have an overview > of the merge result, the only choice is to print or to save : you can not > correct you mistake directly. Maybe add a "Merging overview" button to the > "Synchronize labels" ? I've no real opinion on this. Isn't it that this is offered by the steps in the Wizard? > 2bis. After choosing format, database and fields, you have to launch the > Mailing Assistant and skip most of the steps to save the merged file. This > step is very confusing. Why not just had a "Merge and save" button in the > "Synchronize labels" toolbox ? Yep I recognise that. I always jump to step 8. > 3. When you create a new mail label sheets, you can not add a new database. > You have to create a writer document, add the database, and then only go in > File -> New -> Labels. It is not really intuitive. The menu Edit > Change datasource should do that? I think you will have given proper instructions to the users :) Pls do ask for user-support if anything is not clear. For example there is a group of users with a great variety of skills that can offer help with questions: http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/community-support/ I think your 2bis is really worth an issue for an enhancement. Could you be so kind to rewrite this issues summary or create a new one? Cheers, Cor
Thanks for your answer ! I think I have to clarify: >> 1. When you finish your label document (choosing format, choosing database >> and fields, synchronizing contents, using mailing assistant to merge >> addresses, save the resulting file), you obtain a sheet where you can only >> modify the first label, but not the others. This is the biggest problem, >> because in real life there is almost always one label you need to modify >> manually. > When creating, at the latest tab check Synchronise. > That gives a toolbar to "update links" so that after changing the first, > the others get changed too. The problem is not synchronization. The problem is if you need to manually edit SPECIFIC labels and not all the sheet: you can't do it before merging, and you can't even do it after merging. >> 2. After choosing format, database and fields, you cannot have an overview >> of the merge result, the only choice is to print or to save : you can not >> correct you mistake directly. Maybe add a "Merging overview" button to the >> "Synchronize labels" ? > I've no real opinion on this. > Isn't it that this is offered by the steps in the Wizard? Yes, indeed, you can view the merge in step 6 of the assistant. But if you agree on 2bis, you won't use the assistant anymore, so you also need a way to have an overview. >> 3. When you create a new mail label sheets, you can not add a new database. >> You have to create a writer document, add the database, and then only go in >> File -> New -> Labels. It is not really intuitive. > The menu Edit > Change datasource should do that? 3. Yes, you can do that, but I think it would be better to also include an "Add data source" button directly in the mail labels' first window. I suppose it would not be difficult to add, but it would be far more intuitive. As you suggested, I will ask on http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/community-support/ if I have time. I can also create a new specific bug report if you think is the good way to do, but I would prefer before to agree with you and others on what should be improved and what should stay like that : this will permit to do better "specific" bug reports. Thanks for reading, Yvan
(In reply to yvan.masson from comment #2) > Thanks for your answer ! I think I have to clarify: OK, clear. So it's about the desire to have a combination of bests of two work flows ;) > As you suggested, I will ask on > http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/community-support/ if I have time. > I can also create a new specific bug report if you think is the good way to > do, but I would prefer before to agree with you and others on what should be > improved and what should stay like that : this will permit to do better > "specific" bug reports. Chicken and egg problem ;) I know there is some (...) work ongoing to improve some (...) things on mail merge. Since you have ideas, maybe you're willing to make contact and see what the status is and help with finding out best possible solutions? (Still I don't know the status there..) Cheers, Cor
I assume you are right : it can be better to join the current talk / work on mail merge. Could you guide me a bit ? I really don't how I can make contact with people working on this...
Hi Yvan, (In reply to yvan.masson from comment #4) > Could you guide me a bit ? I really don't how I can make contact with people > working on this... Sorry that this got lost in the pile.. See bug 56355. Jan-Marek Glogowski (comment 18 for example) works on this. You can of course also do a query for mail merge https://bugs.freedesktop.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&component=Writer&list_id=489537&product=LibreOffice&query_format=advanced&short_desc=mail%20merge&short_desc_type=allwordssubstr and see what is in there ;) Thanks for your interest in this! Cor
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