Kexi/Integration/Mail Merge: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:41, 7 April 2023

Note

Issue https://invent.kde.org/office/kexi/-/issues/110

Note

Needs updates

Objectives

Mail merge is a software function describing the production of multiple (and potentially large numbers of) documents from a single template form and a structured data source.

The objective is to add support of Mail Merge feature to Calligra. It should be visible in Words with some optional visibility in Kexi.

Solutions

From [1]: Mail merge is tightly coupled to variables. What we want is a variable that is an end of record marker after which the variable-database will be able to go to the next record of a mail-merge database.
ODF specs for variables: 7.4. Variable Fields[2]

Scope

Support ODT/Words templates
- Document is generated based on the template duplicated N times
MS formats supported thanks to the way how filter chains work (i.e. documents are imported into ODF anyway)
Data source based on CSV, ODS and Kexi database (???)
- The idea behind offering CSV dialog directly is to avoid forcing the user to take extra steps (CSV -> Sheets -> Mailmerge, or CSV -> Kexi -> Mailmerge)

Maybe in scope

Noninteractive mailmerge (based on specification once defined by user: data+template+options)

Out of scope

Support for ODS/Sheets, and other calligra apps
Direct support without loading/importing documents within Words
Integration with Kexi GUI to get in-Kexi functionality (e.g. ability of selecting tables/queries and bind them to a ODT template)
Support for big data sources: we do not always have to generate full documents. For 100 records applied to a 10-pages-long template we have a resulting 1000-pages document with highly redundant contents. A sequential printout (100x) of the same document with updated variables can be created instead if all what user wants is printing, not saving the generated document.
Using Kexi’s CSV importer: it’s powerful but it needs to be merged into common Calligra libs first, then Mailmerge can use it almost “for free”

Who?

(early, unofficial proposals)

Smit Patel - main development
- Declared availability: May 7-Sep 16, 25 hours a week
Mentors: jstaniek, boemann(?)
Consulting: boemann (Words maintainer)

When?

Design prior to/during GSoC 2013 [3]
Implementation: during GSoC 2013:
- Apr 9-21: Official discussions with the student(s)
- Apr 22-May 3: Application
- May 27-Sep 16: Development
- July 29: Mid-term evaluation
- Sep 27: Final evaluation

Deliverables

UX
- IN PROGRESS: Research on the existing UX solutions (Libre, MS, Apple, etc.)
Software architecture
- IN PROGRESS: Detailed research on related ODF functionality and how to use it
TODO: Implementation
TODO: Fundamental unit tests

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-''[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_merge Mail merge] is a software function describing the production of multiple (and potentially large numbers of) documents from a single template form and a structured data source.''
+{{Note|Issue https://invent.kde.org/office/kexi/-/issues/110}}
+{{Note|Needs updates}}
+__TOC__
+==Objectives==
+''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_merge Mail merge] is a software function describing the production of multiple (and potentially large numbers of) documents from a single template form and a structured data source.''
+The objective is to add support of Mail Merge feature to Calligra. It should be visible in Words with some optional visibility in Kexi.
 ==Solutions==
@@ Line 23: / Line 31: @@
 ==Who?==
-(declarations)
+(early, unofficial proposals)
 *Smit Patel - main development
+**Declared availability: May 7-Sep 16, 25 hours a week
 *Mentors: jstaniek, boemann(?)
 *Consulting: boemann (Words maintainer)
@@ Line 36: / Line 46: @@
 **July 29: Mid-term evaluation
 **Sep 27: Final evaluation
-*Smit Patel’s declared availability: May 7-Sep 16, 25 hours a week
 ==Deliverables==