HOWTO: Automate Word 97 to Perform a Mail Merge Using Visual C++ and MFC

ID: Q220911

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Editions, versions 5.0, 6.0
  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SUMMARY

This article demonstrates how to create and manipulate a Word 97 document using Automation from Visual C++ and MFC.


MORE INFORMATION

This article parallels a Knowledge Base article that describes the same process using Visual Basic. For more information regarding Automation of Word from Visual Basic, please see the following article:

Q220607 HOWTO: Automate Word 97 from Visual Basic

Building the Automation Sample

  1. Follow steps 1 through 12 in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:


    2. Q178749 HOWTO: Create an Automation Project Using MFC and a Type Library

    NOTE: In step 9, select the Microsoft Word 8.0 Object Library. The default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSWord8.olb.

  2. Add the include statement for msword8.h in AutoProjectDlg.cpp after the include statement for stdafx.h:


    3. 
   #include "stdafx.h"
   #include "msword8.h"
  3. Add Automation code to the CAutoProjectDlg::OnRun() so that it appears as shown below:


    4. 
void CAutoProjectDlg::OnRun()
{
	_Application oWord;
	Documents oDocs;
	_Document oDoc;
	Selection oSelection;
	Paragraphs oParagraphs;
	Tables oTables;
	Table oTable;
	Range oRange;
	Columns oColumns;
	Column oColumn;
	Rows oRows;
	Row oRow;
	Cells oCells;
	Cell oCell; 
	Shading oShading;
	Hyperlinks oHyperlinks;
	MailMerge oMailMerge;
	MailMergeFields oMailMergeFields;
	COleVariant vtOptional((long)DISP_E_PARAMNOTFOUND,VT_ERROR),
		        vtTrue((short)TRUE),
				vtFalse((short)FALSE);
	CString StrToAdd;

	// Create an instance of Word
	if (!oWord.CreateDispatch("Word.Application")) {
		AfxMessageBox("Word failed to start!");
	} else {
	// Set the visible property
	oWord.SetVisible(TRUE);
	// Add a new document
	oDocs = oWord.GetDocuments();
	oDoc = oDocs.Add(vtOptional,vtOptional);

	CreateMailMergeDataFile(&oWord,&oDoc);
	// Add the address header
	StrToAdd = "State University\r\nElectrical Engineering " \ 
		       "Department";
	oSelection = oWord.GetSelection();
	oParagraphs = oSelection.GetParagraphs();
	oParagraphs.SetAlignment(1);  // 1 = wdAlignParagraphCenter  
	oSelection.TypeText(StrToAdd);

	InsertLines(&oSelection,4);

	oParagraphs.SetAlignment(0);  // 0 = wdAlignParagraphLeft
	oMailMerge = oDoc.GetMailMerge();
	oMailMergeFields = oMailMerge.GetFields();
	oMailMergeFields.Add(oSelection.GetRange(),"FirstName");
	oSelection.TypeText(" ");
	oMailMergeFields.Add(oSelection.GetRange(),"LastName");
	oSelection.TypeParagraph();
	oMailMergeFields.Add(oSelection.GetRange(),"Address");
	oSelection.TypeParagraph();
	oMailMergeFields.Add(oSelection.GetRange(),"CityStateZip");

	InsertLines(&oSelection,4);
	// Set the paragraph alignment to Right justified
	oParagraphs = oSelection.GetParagraphs();
	oParagraphs.SetAlignment(2);  // 2 = wdAlignParagraphRight
	// Insert the current date
	oSelection.InsertDateTime(COleVariant("dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy"),\ 
		 vtFalse,vtOptional);

	InsertLines(&oSelection,2);

	// Reset the justification to Justify
	oParagraphs = oSelection.GetParagraphs();
	oParagraphs.SetAlignment(3);  // 3 = wdAlignParagraphJustify

	oSelection.TypeText("Dear ");
	oMailMergeFields.Add(oSelection.GetRange(),"FirstName");
	oSelection.TypeText(",");

	InsertLines(&oSelection,2);

	// Add the body of the message
	StrToAdd = "Thank you for your recent request for next " \ 
	       "semester's class schedule for the Electrical " \ 
	       "Engineering Department.  Enclosed with this letter " \ 
	       "is a booklet containing all the classes offered " \ 
	       "next semester at State University.  Several new " \ 
	       "classes will be offered in the Electrical " \ 
   	       "Engineering Department next semester.  These " \ 
	       "classes are listed below.";
	oSelection.TypeText(StrToAdd);

	InsertLines(&oSelection,2);
	
	// Add a new table with 9 rows and 4 columns
	oRange = oSelection.GetRange();
	oTables = oDoc.GetTables();
	oTable = oTables.Add(oRange,9,4);

	// Set the width of each column
	oColumns = oTable.GetColumns();
	oColumn = oColumns.Item(1);
	oColumn.SetWidth(51.0,0);  // 0 = wdAdjustNone
	oColumn = oColumns.Item(2);
	oColumn.SetWidth(198.0,0);  // 0 = wdAdjustNone
	oColumn = oColumns.Item(3);
	oColumn.SetWidth(100.0,0);  // 0 = wdAdjustNone
	oColumn = oColumns.Item(4);
	oColumn.SetWidth(111.0,0);  // 0 = wdAdjustNone

	// Set the shading for row 1 to wdGray25
	oRows = oTable.GetRows();
	oRow = oRows.Item(1);
	oCells = oRow.GetCells();
	oShading = oCells.GetShading();
	oShading.SetBackgroundPatternColorIndex(16); // 16 = wdGray25

	// Turn on BOLD for the first row
	oRange = oRow.GetRange();
	oRange.SetBold(TRUE);

	// Set the alignment for cell (1,1) to center
	oCell = oTable.Cell(1,1);
	oRange = oCell.GetRange();
	oParagraphs = oRange.GetParagraphs();
	oParagraphs.SetAlignment(1);  // 1 = wdAlignParagraphCenter

	// Fill in the class schedule data
	FillRow(&oTable,1,"Class Number","Class Name",\ 
		"Class Time","Instructor");	
	FillRow(&oTable,2, "EE220", "Introduction to Electronics II", \ 
		"1:00-2:00 M,W,F", "Dr. Jensen");
	FillRow(&oTable,3, "EE230", "Electromagnetic Field Theory I", \ 
		"10:00-11:30 T,T", "Dr. Crump");
	FillRow(&oTable,4, "EE300", "Feedback Control Systems", \ 
		"9:00-10:00 M,W,F", "Dr. Murdy");
	FillRow(&oTable,5, "EE325", "Advanced Digital Design", \ 
		"9:00-10:30 T,T", "Dr. Alley");
	FillRow(&oTable,6, "EE350", "Advanced Communication Systems", \ 
		"9:00-10:30 T,T", "Dr. Taylor");
	FillRow(&oTable,7, "EE400", "Advanced Microwave Theory", \ 
		"1:00-2:30 T,T", "Dr. Lee");
	FillRow(&oTable,8, "EE450", "Plasma Theory", \ 
		"1:00-2:00 M,W,F", "Dr. Davis");
	FillRow(&oTable,9, "EE500", "Principles of VLSI Design", \ 
		"3:00-4:00 M,W,F", "Dr. Ellison");

	// Go to the end of the document
	oSelection.GoTo(COleVariant((short)3), // 3 = wdGoToLine
	COleVariant((short)-1),vtOptional,vtOptional);  // -1 = wdGoToLast

	InsertLines(&oSelection,2);

	// Add closing text
	StrToAdd = "For additional information regarding the " \ 
             "Department of Electrical Engineering, " \ 
             "you can visit our website at ";
	oSelection.TypeText(StrToAdd);

	// Add a hyperlink to the homepage
	oHyperlinks = oSelection.GetHyperlinks();
	oHyperlinks.Add(oSelection.GetRange(),\ 
		COleVariant("http://www.ee.stateu.tld"),vtOptional);

	// Finish adding closing text
	StrToAdd = ".  Thank you for your interest in the classes " \ 
             "offered in the Department of Electrical " \ 
             "Engineering.  If you have any other questions, " \ 
             "please feel free to give us a call at (999) " \ 
             "555-1212.\r\n\r\n" \ 
             "Sincerely,\r\n\r\n" \ 
             "Kathryn M. Hinsch\r\n" \ 
             "Department of Electrical Engineering\r\n";
	oSelection.TypeText(StrToAdd);

	// Perform mail merge
	oMailMerge.SetDestination(0); // 0 = wdSendToNewDocument
	oMailMerge.Execute(vtFalse);

	// Close the original form document
	oDoc.SetSaved(TRUE);
	oDoc.Close(vtFalse,vtOptional,vtOptional);
  
	}
}
  4. Insert the following code above in the code given in step 3:


    5. 
void InsertLines(Selection *pSelection, int NumLines)
{
	int iCount;

	// Insert NumLines blank lines
	for (iCount = 1; iCount <= NumLines; iCount++)
		pSelection->TypeParagraph();
}

void FillRow(Table *pTable,int Row, CString Text1, 
			 CString Text2, CString Text3, CString Text4)
{
	Cell oCell;
	Range oRange;

	// Insert data into the specific cell
	oCell = pTable->Cell(Row,1);
	oRange = oCell.GetRange();
	oRange.InsertAfter(Text1);
	oCell = pTable->Cell(Row,2);
	oRange = oCell.GetRange();
	oRange.InsertAfter(Text2);
	oCell = pTable->Cell(Row,3);
	oRange = oCell.GetRange();
	oRange.InsertAfter(Text3);
	oCell = pTable->Cell(Row,4);
	oRange = oCell.GetRange();
	oRange.InsertAfter(Text4);

}

void CreateMailMergeDataFile(_Application *pApp,_Document *pDoc)
{
  _Document oDataDoc;
  MailMerge oMailMerge;
  Documents oDocs;
  Tables oTables;
  Table oTable;
  Rows oRows;
  int iCount;
  COleVariant vtOptional((long)DISP_E_PARAMNOTFOUND,VT_ERROR),
				vtFalse((short)FALSE);
  
  // Create a data source at C:\DataDoc.doc containing the field data
  oMailMerge = pDoc->GetMailMerge();
  oMailMerge.CreateDataSource(COleVariant("C:\\DataDoc.doc"), \ 
        vtOptional,vtOptional, \ 
        COleVariant("FirstName, LastName, Address,CityStateZip"),\ 
        vtOptional, vtOptional,vtOptional,vtOptional,vtOptional);
  // Open the file to insert data
  oDocs = pApp->GetDocuments();
  oDataDoc = oDocs.Open(COleVariant("C:\\DataDoc.doc"), \ 
       vtOptional,vtOptional,vtOptional,vtOptional,\ 
       vtOptional,vtOptional,vtOptional,vtOptional,\ 
       vtOptional);
  oTables = oDataDoc.GetTables();
  oTable = oTables.Item(1);
  oRows = oTable.GetRows();
  for (iCount=1; iCount<=2; iCount++)  
    oRows.Add(vtOptional);

  // Fill in the data
  FillRow(&oTable, 2, "Steve", "DeBroux", \ 
        "4567 Main Street", "Buffalo, NY  98052");
  FillRow(&oTable, 3, "Jan", "Miksovsky", \ 
        "1234 5th Street", "Charlotte, NC  98765");
  FillRow(&oTable, 4, "Brian", "Valentine", \ 
        "12348 78th Street  Apt. 214", "Lubbock, TX  25874");
  // Save and close the file
  oDataDoc.Save();
  oDataDoc.Close(vtFalse,vtOptional,vtOptional);
}
  5. Compile and run your program. Click the Run button and Microsoft Word should start and display a sample letter.



REFERENCES

Notes for Automating Microsoft Word 2000

Some methods and properties have changed for Microsoft Word 2000. For additional information about using the sample code described in this article with the Microsoft Word 2000 type library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q224925 INFO: Type Libraries for Office 2000 Have Changed
For more information on Office Automation, please visit the Microsoft Office Development support site at:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/officedev/

© Microsoft Corporation 1999, All Rights Reserved.
Contributions by Mark Durrett, Microsoft Corporation

Keywords : kbAutomation kbMFC kbVC500 kbVC600 kbWord kbGrpDSO kbvc610
Version : WINDOWS:97; winnt:5.0,6.0
Platform : WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: November 4, 1999
© 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.