Mail merge (2000 SP2)

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As I am unable to search I would like to make the following enquiry.

With service pack 2 installed MS Word 2000 mailmerge to email has a security feature introduced I understand by MS after the Melissa bug scare. When the merge is taking place each & every message requires two mouse clicks to clear warnings before a message is created. It is no longer an automated process to produce the number of messages required by the database.

Does any one know of a work around?

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There’s no way to “fix” Word’s mail merge to e-mail feature (rendered “virtually unusuable” according to Slipstick); Microsoft only provides a way to disable the security for Outlook 2000 through Exchange Server. But there are workarounds that involve varying amounts of effort/cost.

One option is to automate Outlook using Visual Basic for Applications. As Wendell notes, by writing your code to use the Redemption library, you can bypass the security features. This gives you fine control, but it might be more work than you want to do.

Others have mentioned merging to numerous individual documents to be used as attachments. Not sure if this is appropriate for your scenario.

What seems easiest to me, but I’ve only done a rudimentary test, is to use Outlook Express as your mailer. At least with OE5.5, I don’t get any security warnings. However, the messages end up in OE’s Outbox (not Sent Items?) and the message headers have error messages in them on the receiving end:

X-Comment: Sending client does not conform to RFC822 minimum requirements
X-Comment: Date has been added by Maillennium[/list]Not sure which ISPs care, but perhaps it’s worth a test?

Addendum: You can make OE your default mailer (temporarily) from Internet Explorer’s Tools>Internet

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Thank you for your comments & suggestions. For the amount of messaging (40 messages maybe twice or three times a month) I need to do with a merge it hardly seems worth going to so much trouble. Other than being retired I could treat as a challenge; worth doing for the sake of it!

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(Edited by WendellB on 25-May-03 15:37. Added note about how redemption works)

I believe what you are looking for is known as Redemption – you can find the details about it at http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/%5B/url%5D.

Note that this requires recoding your mail merge as an Access Send Mail process using VBA – about the only other option is to remove and reinstall Office 2000 and not install SP2.

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Thanks – I’ll take a look.

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