Word Mail Merge for mobile devices

[Bluejay07]

Hello,

We have several Word mail merge 'template' files (we call them notices and saved as a regular Word document).
The files contain database mail merge fields.

We have a dos batch process that opens the notice template file and activates macros to connect to the datasource and populate the mail merge fields.
This process works great.

I added a new macro for emailing the file (either as an attachment or as the main text body of the message).
This process is working fine.

Here's the issue.
The word document was created on an 8.5 x 11 page.
When the mail merge is complete, the file is the same as the original file.
This is way to big for mobile devices.

What would I need to do so that the notice is mobile friendly and can be viewed on mobile devices, such as a phone?

Note: I have never programmed anything for mobile devices and my main development machine is Windows 7 with Office 2007.

Thanks.



If at first you don't succeed, then sky diving wasn't meant for you!

 

[SkipVought]

Hi,

"way to big for mobile devices"

...a definite maybe.

I have several Word files with 10 point font that I can read on my 2.4" x 4" iPhone 8, with my 78 year old eyes. Wouldn't want to read a lot of that, but it's doable.

You other option is to redo the page layout. But I don't know of any way to transform an 8.5 x 11 once you've sent it.

Or am I missing something?

Skip,
[sub]
Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance![/sub]
"The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible" A. Einstein

 

[Bluejay07]

Hi Skip,

Thanks for the response.
I wasn't sure if an 8.5 x 11 document could be converted (before emailing it).

I can certainly recreate the document in a new format/page layout.
I just don't know what to adjust (ex. page size, font size, etc.)

The current document is only one 8.5 x 11 page.
As long as I can place the merge fields and some text, it should be fine.


If at first you don't succeed, then sky diving wasn't meant for you!

 

[SkipVought]

I wasn't sure if an 8.5 x 11 document could be converted (before emailing it).

Yes! The MailMerge result is a Word Document.

Make appropriate changes to the MailMerge result in Layout. It may take several iterations of changing page size & font size at a minimum and viewing the results on a variety of mobile devices until you arrive at a satisfactory solution. I have had to do this for various outputs many many times over the past two and a half decades.

Skip,
[sub]
Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance![/sub]
"The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible" A. Einstein

 

[Bluejay07]

Thanks Skip.

That's what I thought I'd have to do.
I will modify the original template, perform the mail merge, and email the file and repeat until it looks good.

Thanks.


If at first you don't succeed, then sky diving wasn't meant for you!