Filopto provides a simple to use Wizard from which the user can select key information from the database and merge it into a word processing merge file. When you enter the Correspondence/Marketing screen, you are presented with a management screen from which you can manage the various documents you created (examples of documents are included in the Forms directory of Filopto).
This manager allows you to segment your documents by various categories and time intervals. Several buttons are also included from which you can create, delete, modify correspondence profiles as well as execute saved profiles.
Execute mail merge
Edit mail profile
Copy mail profile
Delete mail profile
A Correspondence profile is a series of settings which are to be used in the creation of a document. They include, for example, the query (data) to be used to populate the various merge fields in your document, the document to be used, and the word processor to be used.
Creating a Correspondence Profile
The first step is to identify the mail merge profile you are creating. You do this by selecting the New button. In the first wizard screen, enter the various information such as the Profile Title, the Profile Category in which you wish to save the profile (Note: you can create your own categories by entering a new name in this field), and provide a Profile Description of what this profile is going to do. Optionally, you can select to classify the profile in the various time lists available (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, etc.). To advance in the Wizard click the Next button.
The next screen will ask you to define which type of Merge profile you wish to create ; Microsoft Word or for an E-mail? Once selected choose the next option to proceed to the next screen.
The next step is to select the data you wish to merge. To assist you in this task, we have linked the Select/Build the query for the mail merge profile button (1) to the "Ask a Question " module to formulate your query and retrieve the data from the Filopto database. (See Ask A Question for more information.)
The execute query button 
(yellow lightning bolt - see (2) on screen shot below) will allow you to see the data selected in the sample query result grid (3). For advanced users you can directly type in the query you wish to execute in the Query dialogue box located to the left of the execute query button. When you execute the query the data to be used in the mail merge will be displayed in the query result grid (3). Once the data you wish to use is properly selected by the query entered click on the next button to continue.
The next screen presented is the Select Fields screen from which you can select the items you wish to merge from your query results into the mail merge template.
The following screen is to select the word processor to use and identify the Template/Merge document to use from your word processor. The Merge Wizard supports Microsoft Word software.
Once completed, Save the profile for future use by clicking on the Finish button. This action will store in the Filopto database your profile settings for future use.
To Execute/Run a Mail Merge
Select the profile you wish to use and select the Execute Mail Merge button. By pressing the Execute Mail Merge button, your word processor will automatically start and merge the data into the selected template/merge file.
Hint: When designing your Word merge template, note that the data file produced by Filopto in the merge process is called "WordData .dat" for Microsoft Word located in the users Filopto application directory. This may be important when using advanced features of your word processors, since for example, Word embeds the directory of the data file into the merge document. If it cannot locate the data file specified in the merge template, it will ask for the Data file to be used. The Data files to be used are located in the directory specified by the user. To eliminate this prompt, simply store your test data for the merge template in the Filopto directory.
We strongly suggest that you review the "How to create a merge document" help file in your Word processor.
