OpenOffice.org OpenOffice - 3.0 Quick Start Guide download pdf (Page 281)

Using data sources in OOo documents

Data can be placed into Writer and Calc documents from the tables in

the data source window. In Writer, values from individual fields can be

inserted. Or, a complete table can be created in the Writer document.

One common way to use a data source is to perform a mail merge.

Tip

Selecting Tools > Mail Merge Wizard or clicking on the Mail

Merge icon (a small paper-and-envelope icon on the View Data

Source pane) launches the Mail Merge wizard which steps

through creating a mail merge document. This is discussed in

Chapter 11 (“Using Mail Merge”) in the Writer Guide.

Writer documents

To insert a field from a table opened in the data source window into a

Writer document , click on the field name (the gray square at the top of

the field list) and, with the left mouse button held down, drag the field

onto the document. In a Writer document, it will appear as <FIELD>

(where FIELD is the name of the field you dragged).

For example: enter the cost of meals and who paid for them on a

certain date of a vacation. Make a sentence of this data: “On (date),

our breakfast cost (amount) paid by (name), our lunch cost (amount)

paid by (name), and our supper cost (amount) paid by (name). Write

the words of the sentence with the exception of the words in

parentheses. Use the correct field names in the place of the words in

parentheses.

1) Replacing (data)

• Begin the sentence by typing the word

• Click the field name Data in the data source window and drag

it to the right of the word

• The sentence becomes: On <Date>. If you have Field shadings

turned on (View > Field shading), <Date> has a gray

background. Otherwise it does not.

2) Replacing first (amount)

• Continue typing after <Date>:

our breakfast cost

• Click the Breakfast field name and drag it to the right of what

you have just typed.

• Make sure you have the proper spacing between the field

names and the words before and after them.

• Results so far: On <Date> our breakfast cost <Breakfast>,

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OpenOffice.org OpenOffice - 3.0 Quick Start Guide Page 281