I would like to have my application act as a MailMergeDataSource for MS Word.
Is this possible? I assume I would have to implement some of the
MailMerge... interfaces from the Office typelib. However, I'd like to know
if this is possible before I start doing it.

Thanks,
Kelly Leahy

Unfortunately Mailmerge doesn't work that way. You can't implement anything
like a "MailMergeDataSource interface"

Word opens its data sources in one of 4 ways:
a. using a converter (either a built-in one such as the one it uses to read
..doc and .txt files, or an external one)
b. using DDE. However, this mechanism is hardcoded and restricted to
getting data from Exce, Access (and arguably from MS Query)
c. using ODBC
d. using OLEDB

Depending on what you need, you could also consider avoiding the built-in
merge and "rolling your own"- I think that's what the GoldMine contact
management system does.

In other words, you can
a. get your application to generate data in a format that Word knows how to
use. If your application uses data manager that comes with its own ODBC
driver or OLEDB provider, use that. Otherwise, using ADOX and ADO to
generate a .mdb may be your best bet as long as you don't need more than 255
columns and large/multiline text fields
b. implement and distribute a text converter. This requires that you create
a WIN32 DLL (not a COM DLL)
c. implement an ODBC driver
d. implement an OLEDB provider (and you can't use MS's Simple Provider kit
to do it, because it lacks at least one of the interfaces Word expects).

That's on WIndows, anyway. If you need to work with Mac, it's either
"generate something Word already understands", or "provide an ODBC driver" I
think.

Peter Jamieson


"Kelly Leahy" wrote in message
...
I would like to have my application act as a MailMergeDataSource for MS
Word.
Is this possible? I assume I would have to implement some of the
MailMerge... interfaces from the Office typelib. However, I'd like to
know
if this is possible before I start doing it.

Thanks,
Kelly Leahy

Thanks Peter,

I had the feeling that this wasn't possible, I just wanted to make sure
before I gave up hope completely. Back to using CSV, I suppose.

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Unfortunately Mailmerge doesn't work that way. You can't implement anything
like a "MailMergeDataSource interface"

Word opens its data sources in one of 4 ways:
a. using a converter (either a built-in one such as the one it uses to read
..doc and .txt files, or an external one)
b. using DDE. However, this mechanism is hardcoded and restricted to
getting data from Exce, Access (and arguably from MS Query)
c. using ODBC
d. using OLEDB

Depending on what you need, you could also consider avoiding the built-in
merge and "rolling your own"- I think that's what the GoldMine contact
management system does.

In other words, you can
a. get your application to generate data in a format that Word knows how to
use. If your application uses data manager that comes with its own ODBC
driver or OLEDB provider, use that. Otherwise, using ADOX and ADO to
generate a .mdb may be your best bet as long as you don't need more than 255
columns and large/multiline text fields
b. implement and distribute a text converter. This requires that you create
a WIN32 DLL (not a COM DLL)
c. implement an ODBC driver
d. implement an OLEDB provider (and you can't use MS's Simple Provider kit
to do it, because it lacks at least one of the interfaces Word expects).

That's on WIndows, anyway. If you need to work with Mac, it's either
"generate something Word already understands", or "provide an ODBC driver" I
think.

Peter Jamieson


"Kelly Leahy" wrote in message
...
I would like to have my application act as a MailMergeDataSource for MS
Word.
Is this possible? I assume I would have to implement some of the
MailMerge... interfaces from the Office typelib. However, I'd like to
know
if this is possible before I start doing it.

Thanks,
Kelly Leahy