Mail Merge Automation Repository

What is this repository?

This repository contains scripts to demonstrate the process of automated generation of personalized documents using the mail merge functionality. It includes a script for generating random test data (data_fetcher.py) and a main script (main.py) that performs the mail merge using a provided Word document template.

You could change the implementation of the data_fetcher.py script to fetch data from a database or other data source that will suit your needs. The main script will remain almost the same (you might need to delete/remove the print statements).

Note: I'm not sure, but you might need to parse datetime objects to string before using them on the Word document. Not sure about that...

Required Packages

Before running the scripts, ensure you have the following packages installed:

• python-docx: for reading, writing, and creating Word documents.

You can install itusing pip:

pip install -r requirements.txt

How to Use

1. Prepare Your Template:

   • Create a Word document template with the necessary merge fields and save it in the ./templates/ directory. The fields should correspond to the data you wish to merge (e.g., firstname, lastname).

2. Generate Random Data (Optional):

   • Run the random_data_generator.py script to generate test data for the mail merge. You can modify this script to include additional fields or different sample data.

3. Perform the Mail Merge:

   • Run the mail_merge_script.py script. This script reads your template and the generated data to create personalized documents for each entry in the data set.

4. Check the Results:

   • The merged documents will be saved in the ./merged_documents/ directory. Each document will be named using a combination of a unique identifier and the recipient's name for easy identification.

Important Gotchas

• Template Fields: Ensure that the field names in your Word document template exactly match the keys in your data source. Mismatches will result in fields not being properly replaced.
• Document Format: The template must be a Word document (.docx). Other formats are not supported by the python-docx and mailmerge packages.
• Output Directory: The script assumes an ./merged_documents/ directory for output. If it doesn't exist, the script will attempt to create it, but you should ensure you have the necessary permissions.
• Encoding Issues: Be mindful of character encoding. If your data contains special or non-ASCII characters, ensure your environment and the Word document handle them correctly.
• Dependencies: Always work in a virtual environment and ensure you've installed all required dependencies before running the scripts.

Contributing

Feel free to fork this repository and contribute by submitting a pull request. We appreciate your input in improving this mail merge automation demo tool!

References

• The sample template was downloaded from here: https://support.redtailtechnology.com/s/article/Sample-Mail-Merge-Letter-Templates