databases

[trishff]

I'm simply trying to create a database for family and friends' addresses for my Christmas cards, to then print address labels.
I thought I'd worked out how to make the database, but I can't now seem to find the info I've typed in - when I open the file there is either a writer doc with about 8 letters typed on it, or I get something with a list of things down the side eg table, form and I can't seem to do anything with it.
I've tried to use 'help' but just haven't got anywhere.
Could someone, who has patience to cope with a novice, please guide me?

[pluby]

What kind of file did you save this "database of people" in? There are many different types of file formats like .odt, .doc, .xls, .odb and the type of file that you are trying to opening will help us figure out what the next steps are.

Edit: if the people are in the Mac OS X Address Book, let us know as that has simpler steps for using them.

Patrick

[trishff]

I think it was .odt or maybe odb, but it is probably best to start again. I wonder now if I did actually save it.

In my Mac OS X Address Book I have people's names and email addresses, but no postal addresses. I don't know if that is of some use.

[pluby]

[trishff]

I used a 'wizard' and ended up with one which is 'family addresses.odb' and another which is 'family addresses.odb.lck' though I wasn't aware of creating two files.

[trishff]

PS I can't find the info I typed in in either file.

[pluby]

[trishff]

Thank you!! Yes I've now found the data. Could you possibly now guide me on how to put it into 'address labels'? Or tell me where to find that info.
Many thanks

[pluby]

I have not done this for a while but I can at least get you started:

1. Open a new Writer document by selecting the File :: New :: Text Document window.

2. In the new Writer document, select the Tools :: Mail Merge Wizard and in the dialog that appears, select one of the 4 document options and press the Next button. Select Letter or E-Mail from the next set of options and press the Next button again.

3. At this point, there will be a Select Address List button. Press that and in the dialog that appears, press the Add button. In the File Open dialog that appears, select your .odb and press the Open button and press the OK in the previous dialog.

After that, the wizard should help guide you through placement of the database fields in your document.

Patrick

[Lorinda]

Unless you have a label document already corrected, I think you want File>New>Labels. In the dialog you should be able to select your database and the specific table you need.

Be sure to print the resulting document on plain paper first. Sometimes the margins don't work quite right, and you can end up wasting a page of labels.

Lorinda

[trishff]

Sorry but I'm still having trouble with this.

I'm almost there. I'm using the 'help' details for Printing address labels, but I can't seem to get more than one address selected at a time and put into the labels.

It says to use the shift or ctrl key in the usual way to select several records at the same time, but all I've succeeded in doing with that is to copy loads of the data into the database again, so I actually have 27 different addresses, but the database now has about 103 because of all the copies, and I can't find a way of deleting the additional ones without doing it one at a time.

So, any advice on how to select all the data and put it into the labels;
and advice on how to select 60 or so records and delete them would be good.

Thanks

Trish

[Lorinda]

Can you spell out the steps you are using? There are a couple of ways to go about this and I don't want to confuse things more.

Lorinda

[trishff]

This is the 'help' that I'm using.

1.Choose File - New - Labels to open the Labels dialog.
2.Select the format of the label sheets you want to print on. Remember to mark Synchronize contents on the Options tab.
3.Click New Document.
4.When you see the label document, open the data source view by choosing View - Data Sources.
5.In the data source view, select your address data source table.
6.Drag the data fields needed for the Address individually into the top left label. For example, click on the column header NAME and, keeping the mouse button depressed, drag it into the label. This inserts a field. Put the fields in order to complete the address in the first label at top left.
7.Place the cursor at the last text position (after the last field) in the first label.
8.Choose Insert - Fields - Other, and go to the Database tab.
9.Select the type Next record, click on Insert and then on Close.
10.You can now synchronize the labels. Click on the Synchronize Labels button in the small window.
11.In the data source view, select the records for which you would like address stickers, by clicking on the row headers to the left. Use the Shift or Ctrl key in the usual way to select several records at the same time.
12.On the Table Data bar, click the Data to Fields icon.
13.You can then save and/or print the label document.

I have got as far as 11, and that is where I get stuck each time. I can't seem to use the shift or ctrl key to select more than one of the records.

However, I then did discover that I could click on the top left corner box in the data table headings, and that would select all the addresses. However when I then click 'data to fields', it put in the first 21 records (ie one page worth) but didn't produce more pages with the remainder of the addresses.

So at present I need to discover how to select several records at once, (and delete lots too) and how to get it to continue on to new pages of labels.

Thanks for your help

Trish

[Lorinda]

Trish:

Try the Command key rather than Ctrl, although shift should be working. Are you clicking

Lorinda on the little grey boxes to the left of the record?

In terms of only having one page, have you tried selecting Print and then clicking on Preview? Do you see more than one page there?

Sometimes there is a glitch when the second page won't come up. I don't remember the solution at the moment. But a work around if you can't get the second page is to print out the first 21 labels and then go through the proces gain, selecting the rest of the labels.
I"m afraid I won't be able to help again for several days. I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing another attack of labrynthitis--an inner ear infection--which makes me very dizzy. Looking at a computer screen makes it worse, so I'm going to have to limit myself ot essential functions only. Having asked you for more information, though I felt I owed you an answer. Fortunately I'm a good touch typist, so I can type with my eyes closed!

[James3359]

Lorinda, how awful for you. Hope it clears up soon.

There was a thread here about multiple pages of labels. Essentially you have to use mail merge. The poster on the thread had, I think, made the situation more complicated for him/herself by disabling the mail merge prompt.