Mail merging macro

[matt]

IS it possible to set up a macro that will at the press of one button, do the email merge to a specific email template. I do a great deal of mail merging to the same few email templates and it would be great to be able to do it with the press of one button instead of going through the whole process. Any clues ?

[GLComputing]

You should have a look at the Profiles section in MergeMaster!

[matt]

Thansk for that mike. Had a look at it, but its not really what I need. I am happy with the features of the internal ACT mail merge, I just want to execute a mail merge to a specific email templte at the click of one button. As opposed of going through the whole process of selecting the email template file, entering in the subject line etc.

[GLComputing]

Not an option in ACT!...

the profiles section in MergeMaster! has a template, a group/company/lookup/current contact setting, subject, etc all linked to make it easy to to this

[matt]

I am not really keen to externalise the merge process, which it looks like you have to do with MergeMaster. We use ACT to administer subscription to an online news service we publish so when we get a new readers / subscriber we send them an email with their login details. Bascially a mail merge into an email temple with their user name and password. We then do another mail merge for their tax invoice. Again something that would be great to have automated in some way, but certainly not a massive time waster, just annoyingly repetitive.

[Rockstar1]

Matt: I think I have an idea what you want... I thought Mail Merge would do it but it's mostly I guess for several at once. 1st: Create a new template/letter, through Write>New Letter/Email Template; then save it. Go to Act and right click in the gray of your toolbar at the top of the screen; here you will be check or activate "Custom Commands". Then right click again and click on "Customize...". From here go to the tab that says "Custom Commands"  And Click on "New" In "Command Name" you jus give it a name and in "Tooltip Text" that is just what pops up when you go over the icon with your mouse. Then in "Command Line" you click browse and you'll notice it's looking for "EXE" files, but you can click the dropdown and show all files; navigate to the folder where you made your letter/email template and select the one you want. After that click "Add Command" (it's the same as saving). After this you'll have an icon in the top of your screen in it's own toolbar or you can drag it next to let's say the save icon or print screen icon. So; now you can just click this icon when you're in a contact and it will generate the letter/email. I suppose you or someone technical can figure out how to make it an email template; although there is an option to generate email (from template) in the "Write" dropdown. But for the sake of less; just click the icon; it will generate your letter/email and from word or Act whichever you use; you can then Send to : Email. But this Command Line; since it looks for Exe's could be pretty handy for maybe a macro to go through the whole email merge maybe even sending out the email without pressing anything but that icon. Hope this helps. I use that Custom Commands toolbar to generate all my most used letters. Click once and then just print or email.

Oh yeah; forgot to mention of course when you make the letter the fields with the information you want to send the client can be placed in there; (just supposing you don't have an idea).

Message Edited by Rockstar1 on 04-10-2008 03:50 PM

[matt]

Thanks for that Rockstar1, will try that on Monday.

[mvpulsts]

I just saw this  on the website, not sure if it's really thre or not, i havent tried it.

Have a look at the Durkin toolit for Act from Durkin Computing.  There is an email template button feature built into it which i tested out lest year. This places a button next to the email field of each contact with a enu to access templates youve set up.

Matt

Edit:  Ive just tried downloading it. cant seem to find it. sorry.

Message Edited by mvpulsts on 04-13-2008 09:39 PM

Message Edited by mvpulsts on 04-13-2008 09:45 PM

[matt]

Thanks for that RockStar1. Yep it works well for anything I want to print, but for my emails it only gets 1/2 the job done. I like to have the template in the email body, not as an attachement. When you send the email from Word, it goes as an attachment and not in the main body. Also the email is not tracked in ACT via the history, another handy part. But I think I am halfway there, so many thanks for the assist.