Merge Windows

The various windows of the merge features are described via the links that follow:

Merge Letter Window

The Merge Letter window is used to adjust the settings of a letter merge prior to the merge.

Duplicates
One per ticket (or data set selected)	A Patron will receive an email or letter for each line in the list. If there are duplicate names in the list, consider using another option. The merge result will vary, depending on what you select.
One per patron - ticket (or selected data set) data ignored	All duplicate names will be removed so only one letter or email is merged. Data in ticket (or selected data set) is is cleared and appears as blank fields.when using this option to manage duplicates.
One per household - ticket (or selected data set) data ignored	All duplicate names will be removed so only one letter or email is merged. Data in ticket (or selected data set) is is cleared and appears as blank fields.when using this option to manage duplicates.
Consolidate tickets (or selected data set) by Patron	Each record appears in table fields. Indicates the order of data records in a table when merged. The FIRST record in the sort order appears in the non-table fields area -unless- those fields outside the table are marked as consolidated and you are totalling, averaging or using minimum or maximum. In that case, the field will appear 'orange' and will be consolidated according to the total, average, maximum or minimum.
Consolidate tickets (or selected data set) by Household	Each record appears in table fields. Indicates the order of data records in a table when merged. The FIRST record in the sort order appears in the non-table fields area -unless- those fields outside the table are marked as consolidated and you are totalling, averaging or using minimum or maximum. In that case, the field will appear 'orange' and will be consolidated according to the total, average, maximum or minimum.

Routing
Print Letters	This radio button when selected marks all letters as to be printed in the status column.
Email Letters Using	Allows the selection of a patron email "Type". For example, it allows selecting the "work" email for a specific Form Letter Merge.
If no email address - Ignore Letters	This radio button becomes active if the "Email Letters" button is chosen. If there is no e-mail address attached to the patron record, then the letter will be ignored.
If no email address - Print Letter	This radio button becomes active if the "Email Letters" button is chosen. If there is no e-mail address attached to the patron record, then the letter will be printed.

Unsubscribe
Mail List #	Enter a mail list that will be used to track unsubscribes from people receiving the eblast. It is not applicable to printed letters.

	This button will open the selected letter in a preview window so that it can be customized before sending to the patron. This window is similar to the Form Letter window in the features it supports.
	This button will remove the selected letters from the merge process. This can be used if there are patrons who should not be receiving the letter without changing the merge criteria.
	This button will print or email the selected letters immediately based on the setting in the status column.
	This button will remove any customization or unique characters in the selected recipient letter in the list. This action will only apply to those letters which are highlighted.
Status	An icon of the current status of the letter. There is a legend at the bottom of the window with a description of each icon.
Patron #	The patron record number of the patron the letter is being sent to.
First Name	The first name of the patron.
Last Name	The last name of the patron.
Phone/Email/Website	The phone number, email, and website for the patron are displayed here if available.
Company	The name of the company associated with the patron if available.
Letter Name	The name of the letter currently being sent to the patron.
Context Menu	The context menu is opened by right-clicking on a letter in the window. This menu allows a number of actions to be performed. Click here for more information about the Context menu.
	Closes the Merge Letter window without completing the letter merge. This does not apply to any letters that have been sent using the Send/Print Immediately button.
	Opens the Merge Parameters window to allow completion of the final step of the Merge process. Click here for more information on the Merge Parameters window.

Note: if you are able to consolidate data on the letter, you can change the sort order of the data within a list in the letter by adding one or more sort options to the letter.

Merge Parameters Window

The Merge Parameters window is the final step in the Form Letter Merge process. This window is used to determine when the letters are either printed or emailed.

Printing Form Letters
Print Now	When this radio button is selected, all letters will be printed immediately.
Print Later	When this radio button is selected, all letters will be added to the To Do list to be printed later. For more information on printing from the To Do list, click here.
Print on/at	When this box is checked, the letters will be printed at the date and time set in the field. This is for automating the printing process during a later time such as after-hours. Remember that a user must be logged in for the letters to print. If selected, you can specify a date that the letter is due: if the date is left blank, the letter is marked for future printing, but right away. Any notification of unsent letters should pick these up quickly. if the date is provided, then TM will warn you after that date that the letter is due for printing.
Print to PDF	This option will merge each letter into a separate file and place them in a folder of your choice. Use this option if you want a letter - such as a donation receipt letter - for emailing the patron, while also maintaining a file-based copy that you can keep for yourself. You will need to provide a folder into which the letters will be merged. After the merge, the files will look like the list below. The name of the file consists of: The name of the letter The patron who the letter is for The record number of the merged letter inside TM - in case you merge many letters for the same patron at one time
Mark Printed	This is designed to allow the form letter to be added to the patron record for tracking. You might do this if you used a print-house/graphic arts company to print, merge, and mail letters or brochures to patrons in large numbers. Merging and not printing against the same set of patrons would result in a letter on the patron record that is marked printed, yet it is never actually printed. This can be used for tracking and subsequent building of mail lists for customers that do not respond.
Emailing Form Letters
Send using <User> address	This radio button will contain the e-mail address of the user currently creating the batch. When selected, all e-mails will be sent using the user's e-mail address.
Send using <Organization> address	This radio button will containt the e-mail address of the company. When selected, all e-mails will be sent using the organization's e-mail address.
Send Now	When this radio button is selected, all letters will be emailed immediately. Based on the setting of the Merge Letter window, patrons without e-mail addresses may also begin printing.
Send Later	When this radio button is selected, all letters will be added to the To Do list to be emailed later. For more information on emailing from the To Do list, click here.
Send on/at	When this box is checked, the letters will be emailed at the date and time set in the field. This is for automating the emailing process during a later time such as after-hours. Remember that a Web Sales Listener must be logged in for the letters to be emailed.
	Opens the mini-calendar for selecting a later date to email the letters.
Batch Size	When the Send on/at feature is enabled, a batch size can be set in this field to limit the number of emails sent per hour. This is useful if the organization's ISP has a limit on the number of emails that can be sent per hour. Theatre Manager will take the total eblasts being sent and divide them into 10 minute groups. You can set a default in Company Preferences->Web Listener tab or you can enter it each time you do an eblast.
	Closes the Merge Parameter window without completing the merge.
	Continues the Merge process based on the parameters set.

Using the Context Menu during a Merge

The Context Menu is available by right-clicking in the Merge Letter window. This menu gives the user access to additional operations that can be performed prior to the merge.

Preferences	Allows access to window Preference options.
Change Action	Allows access to the Action sub-menu. See below for more information on this menu.
Change Letter	Will display a sub-menu of all letters available in the system. Allows for changing the letter being sent to the selected patron.
Customize Letter	Allows the selected letter to be customized. A letter is customized to an individual patron and will not affect other patrons in the same merge.
Preview	Previews the selected letter with all fields filled. The letter can also be customized from this view.
Remove	Removes the letter from the merge operation.
Print/Email now	Immediately prints or emails the letter based on the icon in the status column of the Merge Letter window.
Patron	Opens the patron record of the selected letter recipient.

Change Action Menu

Default	Leaves the status of the letter as the default action in the Merge Letter window.
Print	Changes the status of the letter in the Merge Letter window as marked for printing.
Email	Changes the status of the letter in the Merge Letter window as marked for emailing.

Previewing a Form Letter

The preview window allows most of the features of the Form Letter window and is designed to quickly preview and/or customize a letter specific to the patron prior to sending it out.

Parts of the Form Letter Preview Window

	Saves the custom changes to the merged Form Letter specific to the patron.
	Reverts to the last saved version of the letter.
	Prints the current Form Letter. Click here for more information on printing Form Letters.
	Checks the spelling of the current letter.
	Exports the letter as an RTF document to be opened in another application. Click here for more information on exporting a Form Letter.
Formatting Pallette	The fomatting pallette allows easy access to many common word processing functions. For more information on this feature, click here.
Context Menu	The Context Menu, also known as the right-click menu allows for adding new fields and making other adjustments to the letter. For more information about using this menu, click here.