Gmail Merge. Step 1: Writing the actual e mail

Transcription

1 Gmail Merge Step 1: Writing the actual e mail 1. Open Gmail. 2. Click Compose. 3. Paste the e mail being sent to the population or students, etc. 4. To personalize the message, create keys like <<first name>>, <<Person>> that will match your Excel file (as seen below). 5. Enter a subject for the message. 6. Click the Save Now button.

2 Step 2: Working with Excel on Gmail 1. From Gmail, open Drive or Documents 2. If this is your first time opening Google Docs, you may be asked to upgrade to Google Drive. If so, follow the instructions to upgrade to Google Drive. 3. Once you have upgraded, you should be taken to a page that looks something like this:

3 4. We need to upload your Excel file into this program. If you haven t yet done so, put the data for the merge into an Excel file before you continue. 5. Now we are ready to upload your Excel file. Click the CREATE button on the upper left side as seen below: 6. After clicking the button, you should see the following options: 7. Click Spreadsheet and you should see the following:

4 8. With all your data in an Excel file, you need to upload it to Google for it the merge. To get started click File on the upper left side (as shown above). 9. You should then see the following: 10. Now click Import, and the following should appear:

5 11. Click Choose file and search for your Excel file. Once you find your file you will return this page as seen on step 10. There should now be a bright blue Import button at the bottom, which indicates that your file is ready to be imported. Click the Import button once. 12. At this point you should see the following on your screen: 13. Click the Open now button as circled above. 14. Now you should be able to see your entire Excel file. 15. You can now set up the merge.

6 Step 3: Merge Set up 1. At this point you should be looking at your Excel file through Google Drive as illustrated below: 2. Now click Tools 3. Within Tools, click Script Gallery as illustrated above. 4. A box should appear as seen below:

7 5. On this screen, click search box and type the following: yet another mail merge and click search. 6. Now you should see this screen:

8 If yet another mail merge is not found, you can use the Kaushik Mail Merge. It works just the same as yet another mail merge, except for the special characters that you use in your template document to designate column names from your spreadsheet. Instead of <<First Name>> (for instance), specify it it like this: $%First Name%.

9 7. Click Install as illustrated above. 8. The following screen should appear: 9. Click Authorize (Why? you are giving permission for a merge to run using your e mail address) 10. You should now be taken to another page that looks like this:

10 11. Click Grant Access (Why? You are letting Google use the e mails for the merge) 12. You should see the following: 13. Click the Close button. 14. You should return to the previous page, as seen below: 15. Click Close as illustrated above.

11 16. Now you are ready to merge your e mail with your document file. Step 4: Merge 1. Now that you ve installed the merge option, you should able to see a new field within your tool bar named Mail Merge (see below). If you don t see the Mail Merge within your tool bar or have error messages, re do Step Now you can send out your merge. Click Mail Merge, and you should see the following: 3. Now click Standard Merge

12 Note: If you get an error such as: Oops Script function startingpageforstandardmerge could not be found Write down the name of the missing function (e.g., startingpageforstandardmerge) and click OK. Go back to Tools and select Script manager. Find the name of the missing function; right click it and select Reload. Go back to Tools > Script Gallery and re install the script. Continue as usual.

13 4. The following dialog box will pop up: 5. Before moving forward, please ensure that the e mail/draft/template you are using for this merge has been saved as a draft within Gmail (see step 1; page 1). Also make sure that your keys (e.g. <<first name>> etc.) all match up with your draft e mail. NOTE: If they don t match up the merge will not work. 6. Pick the column which contains your recipients, as seen below:

14 7. Once you select your recipients, the following will automatically show up (perhaps after a delay). 8. Select the e mail (template) that you will use for this merge. (This is the draft saved during step one.) Once you select your template, you should see the following:

15 9. You ll notice that your template/draft has been selected as the e mail that will be used for this merge. 10. If you would like to add a name, you can optionally change it under My Name. If not, recipients will only see the e mail address, as seen in the example above. 11. Once you are ready, click Send Mails NOTE: Once you click this button the merge will be complete. 12. You ve completed a merge. To verify that your merge has been successfully sent, look at your file. You should see the following: NOTE: Your sent box won t have a copy of these e mails being sent 13. Google will create a new column which will give you the date and time of the e mail merge, as seen above. If the e mail didn t go through, you ll see an error.