Sal Soghoian

Q: Pages 5.5 Mail and Data Merge

Pages 5.5 includes new scripting support for locating and replacing text placeholders. In addition, text placeholders can be "tagged" in the application interface, with script identifiers by selecting the text placeholder to tag and entering its "script tag" in the the new Script Tag field available at the bottom of the More tab in the format sidebar. With this new ability, scripts can replace the text placeholders in a document with data from other sources, including Numbers spreadsheets.

 

But you don't have to write scripts to take advantage of this new feature!

 

To make it easy for non-scripters to perform Mail merges, and other automated data merging tasks, there is a free application, the Pages Data Merge application, available at: http://iworkautomation.com/pages/script-tags-data-merge.html

 

Watch the movie, follow the instructions, and give it a try!

Posted on Oct 17, 2014 2:43 PM

Close

Q: Pages 5.5 Mail and Data Merge

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

first Previous Page 9 of 11 last Next
  • by GlennFleishman,

    GlennFleishman GlennFleishman Jun 11, 2015 5:57 PM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2015 5:57 PM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Hi, Sal! There's no way to save the field assignments to placeholder to load later for the same spreadsheet range or for a different one with the same fields?

  • by Renardos,

    Renardos Renardos Jun 16, 2015 11:08 AM in response to GlennFleishman
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 11:08 AM in response to GlennFleishman

    I am also very interested in this feature. I use Pages Data Merge and I must reconfigure correspondence every day.

    For now I used Automator for acceleration process.

  • by Sal Soghoian,

    Sal Soghoian Sal Soghoian Jun 16, 2015 12:57 PM in response to GlennFleishman
    Level 2 (176 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 12:57 PM in response to GlennFleishman

    Hi Glenn!

     

    Currently the application does not incorporate a document model and therefore does not save any settings or data sets. When it runs, it holds the source data in memory and performs the tasks indicated by the user choices. Without re-writing the application from scratch to include a document object, I may be able to save the settings and pairings as a property list that could be selected and used with the same source data. Such an approach would not save the source data, only the settings. But that may be useful for those that often run a merge against the same spreadsheet.

     

    As with most things, finding the time to add new features is challenging but I will explore and see if it can be done.

     

    Thank you for your continuing contribution to the Mac community!

     

    -- SAL

  • by xstevex13,

    xstevex13 xstevex13 Jun 20, 2015 10:31 PM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 20, 2015 10:31 PM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Screen Shot 2015-06-21 at 1.28.47 AM.png

    Please Help, I keep getting this.

  • by Sal Soghoian,

    Sal Soghoian Sal Soghoian Jun 20, 2015 11:30 PM in response to xstevex13
    Level 2 (176 points)
    Jun 20, 2015 11:30 PM in response to xstevex13

    Interesting. Something in your system is interfering with the communication between the Data Merge application and Numbers. The Data Merge app is checking to see if there is an open Numbers document and is getting an error saying that the front document doesn't understand the "exists" verb used to check its existence.

     

    Here's what I recommend. Restart the computer, that will flush any dictionary caches. After the reboot, open the Pages document. Open the Numbers document. Launch the Data Merge application and try again. Let us know what happens.

     

    Thanks.

     

    Also, which version of the OS and iWork apps are you using?

  • by xstevex13,

    xstevex13 xstevex13 Jun 21, 2015 8:27 AM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 21, 2015 8:27 AM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Screen Shot 2015-06-21 at 11.25.04 AM.png

    WORKED!!! Thank you so much! If there is anything I can do to add value to your cause please don't hesitate!

  • by Sal Soghoian,

    Sal Soghoian Sal Soghoian Jun 21, 2015 10:05 PM in response to xstevex13
    Level 2 (176 points)
    Jun 21, 2015 10:05 PM in response to xstevex13

    Sometimes it just takes starting over ;-)

     

    I'm pleased you've found this automation tool to be useful.

     

    Cheers,


    Sal

  • by mousewife,

    mousewife mousewife Jun 29, 2015 10:28 AM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 29, 2015 10:28 AM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Were you able to create a label workaround? I got the letters to merge great but don't know how I can create labels.

     

    Great app!

     

    Lisa

  • by HeroicU,

    HeroicU HeroicU Jul 31, 2015 9:23 AM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 31, 2015 9:23 AM in response to Sal Soghoian

    I am trying to create a merged document using the Pages Data Merge application.  I am getting the Read Error Message as shown in:

    chongfrommiriNov 6, 2014 7:22 PM Re: Pages 5.5 Mail and Data Merge

    Re: Pages 5.5 Mail and Data Mergein response to Sal Soghoian

     

    However, the Pages Data Merge icon is showing in my applications bar.

     

    I tried what a later post said about restarting the computer, creating a new pages document, etc., but I am still getting the same error message.  I am using Pages 5.5.3, Yosemite 10.10.4, and Numbers 3.5.3.  All docs were created in those versions of the software.

     

    So, any idea about what I can do to correct this problem?  This seems like a great work around for a feature that I think should exist in Pages, given how many of us need to produce standardized letters to our members/clients/contacts.

     

    Thanks for any assistance you can provide,

    Carol

  • by realestate_investor,

    realestate_investor realestate_investor Aug 10, 2015 10:47 PM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 10, 2015 10:47 PM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Hello everyone! This is what I get when using a csv file.  I have lists up to 500 names and addresses and can only export them as csv files.  I've came up empty handed trying to figure out how to use a csv file with this software. 

     

    Would love any feedback possible.  Thank You.

     

    Terry

     

     

    Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 10.43.53 PM.png

  • by sbossman1,

    sbossman1 sbossman1 Sep 29, 2015 3:09 PM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 29, 2015 3:09 PM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Hello-

     

    I'm hoping you can help me.  I'm attempting to merge data from a "numbers" document to a "pages" template document, and I keep getting the following error ... even after multiple reinstalls of Pages Data Merge.  Any thoughts?  I REALLY need this to work.

     

    Fullscreen_9_29_15__5_08_PM.jpg

     

    Scott

  • by frazze65,

    frazze65 frazze65 Oct 18, 2015 6:47 AM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 18, 2015 6:47 AM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Hello Sal,

    and a big cheer for your lovely piece of software!

     

    About this added feature of yours - when will it be available? I'm thinking of this name badge/label feature implemented by multiple merges on the same page.

     

    All the best,

    Olof

  • by Bocapilot,

    Bocapilot Bocapilot Oct 18, 2015 2:46 PM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 18, 2015 2:46 PM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Sal,

    Great piece of software or script. Very clever workaround. I am having trouble with the email attachment feature. Using the "latest Yosemite and pages and numbers, I get the documents I want with the placeholders working fine. The documents pop up on the screen and look great. The problem is they don't seem to get emailed. They get put into the drafts folder in mail and then I have to highlight each one individually and send them one at a time. I check the bottom where it says to send them immediately in the merge app but this is what happens.

    I am trying to send out a school newsletter to 60 roomparents and doing a group email to them gets blocked by gmail as spam. This seems to work but I have to manually send each email. Am I doing something wrong?

     

    Thanks for your help and support, you are doing a great job with this workaround. I just wish we didn't need it to keep using pages,etc.

     

    Sheldon Hills

  • by Beverly Darnall,

    Beverly Darnall Beverly Darnall Nov 12, 2015 3:30 PM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 12, 2015 3:30 PM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Hello Sal.

    Love this new productivity for merging files. 

    Seems to work fine if I am choosing adjacent rows in a Numbers spreadsheet, but when I choose non-adjacent rows, I get an error message.

    Is that to be expected?

    Thanks for your great work.

  • by Orangejos,

    Orangejos Orangejos Nov 16, 2015 2:03 PM in response to Sal Soghoian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 16, 2015 2:03 PM in response to Sal Soghoian

    Hello,

     

    Thanks for the info on Pages data Merge.

    I just tried to use it, it worked well.

     

    Still, it remains a problem, i can't save the assigned placeholder tags... I mean the configuration i would like to use again and again each day at my work...

    The save as button is in grey, and I can't save the configuration.

    So that means each time i need to merge data i have to assigned the same place holder tab.

     

    Could you help me with this problem ?

     

    Thanks a lot.

     

    Orangejos

first Previous Page 9 of 11 last Next