Q: how can i paste a column of email addresses from an excel spreadsheet into a Mail message To: window

kbacon wrote:

 

I added the action and it opens a new mail message but I still have to issue the paste command manually. Is this the expected behavior?

Yes. 

Just click and hold the anchor and drag:

Aha!

Many thanks!

...which is why "Ignore this actions input" should be selected.

I write Filemaker databases, and would recommend you consider scripting an emial app (script) in your Filemaker app. it's really not difficult, and it completely circumvents any more stupidity brought on by Apple's "expert" actions....

just create a script to mail, choose as "multiple emails (one for each record), and fill out a message.

You can quite easily arrange for it to personalize each and every message, include specific data for each email, custom information, or even calculate statements based upon OTHER factors in that record (ie., If record has account activity NOT updated in 90 days, or say "account is restricted"), you could send a specific paragraph in the email with it..

These sort of actions on filemaker will take you a few hours to build the first time, but willl save your staff MANY HOURS every week!

Unfortunately, as Apple continues to move towards a mind-numbed OS design, issues like this will continue to develop, hence the importance of finding ways around trusting the OS to do what it should. It's the same problem which made Microsoft into the "establishment" OS rather than the most sought-after OS, but I seriously doubt Apple is going to be forward thinking enough to prevent going down the same path.

When I tried to paste

=A1&","   it didn't work in Excel for Mac 2011 with Mavericks OS.

I had to put a space between the A1 cell reference and the &

So, =A1 &","   worked

Once you do this, the formula is in B1.  Just select b1, hit copy then select b2 through the end of the list in A and paste.

Then select b1 through the bottom of the list, copy and paste into the bcc: line of your group email.

You might have to remove the trailing comma on the last entry..

Tony, I'm trying to copy a large email list held in Excel and paste it into :bcc.  Your script did the deal.  I had to adjust it a bit as I was starting off in cell P2.

Once the first cell takes it's just a matter of copying the first cell that's had a comma added and navigating to other cells with the arrow keys and then doing a paste.

Thanks again.  You save my bacon.

Sorry, but I have to comment that the change is mind-numbingly stupid from my perspective.  What was a simple task has now morphed into creating two columns for each one (one to keep the hyperlink function for individual mailings, one in plain text with the comma for mass mailings) with no apparent improvement.  Admittedly I am not a computer wizard, but I do get around and this seems to have no benefit, but looks rather like an oversight. Helpful tips from others are definitely appreciated, as always, but having to write 'script, create workarounds, etc. seems to be a drift away from Apple's strength:  it just works.  Now it looks like we are entering the Microsoft realm.  Oh, joy!

OK, that was complaining, but it felt good.

absolutely agree Rick! It used to just "work"! I did and do mass emailings a few times per week. I shouldn't have to write scripts, workarounds, etc ... It was much simpler for me to just make a second column of addresses with the comma added. Took a couple of minutes... but is stupid that Apple took that functionality away!

Rickeye wrote:

 

.... but looks rather like an oversight.

Yes, agreed.  This workaround is just that, until Apple fixes what looks like a bug.

Someone on this forum (and darn I cannot find the answer again) suggested added a column beside the email address, put a comma into each cell - copy works just tickey boo for this - and then choose both columns when you are pasting into your to, cc or bcc box in mail.  I tried this, it took only a few minutes to add the column to my spreadsheet and it works like a charm.  I am so grateful to the person who came up with this solution.  I was most frustrated when my usual copy and paste did not work.  I LOVE this forum.  Thanks to all who make our lives so much easier.

A single email address copied from an Excel file will cut and paste to MAIL and be recognized. If the same Excel file is opened in Numbers, copying multiple emails addresses to MAIL does work the same as prior to Mavericks. This is still and extra step but simpler for me than adding an extra column to the Excel file with =A1&","

Worked for me as well. I guesss that is one way to get people to switch from Excel to Numbers ...