Insert variable hyperlinks with variable displayed text in mail merge

Question

Hello,

I need to do a merge mail with some hundred recipients but I have a problem that I could not solve by searching in different platforms for a solution:

I need to insert variable hyperlinks to the document displaying a variable text for each recipient. I am using an excel document to insert the data.

Example:

Displayed Text: Ticketcode1

Hyperlink: www.123.de

I do know some basic stuff about macros, etc  but nothing too deep... It would be so nice if anyone can help me with this shortly!

Thanks a lot! :)

Answer 1

Hi Paul,

I haven't tried it, but the method in the following link supposedly allows you to have variable display text for each record:

http://help.lockergnome.com/office/Active-hyperlinks-mail-merge--ftopict1007679.html

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Hope this helps.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP,
Email: dkr[atsymbol]mvps[dot]org
Posted via the Community Bridge

"macropod [MVP]" wrote

You can't have variable display text for mailmerge hyperlinks, but you can have a constant display text with variable hyerlink destinations.

Answer 2

I am having a problem with Word 2010 and Outlook 2010 using the mail merge the way you discuss.  When the merge occurs, every email has the same hyperlink (the first record)

example:  the CLICK HERE all link to www.keysurvey.com/1001

If I manually merge one record at a time, and on each record press F9, it updates this field and then I can send the email.  How do I do a merge of 90+ records where each time Word attempts to send a record it updates the field.  So that email 1 goes out with survey 1001, and email 2 goes out with survey 1002...    It doesn't pull the merge field for each email automatically.

The technique described is for merging to documents, where you can update the fields after merging. As I don't use Outlook, I can't say how you'd get around the inability to do that, except for noting that plain text emails can have the links, without the 'click here' prompt, by using the relevant mergefields without embedding them in hyperlink fields.

Answer 3

Paul Edstein,

I am having a problem with Word 2010 and Outlook 2010 using the mail merge the way you discuss.  When the merge occurs, every email has the same hyperlink (the first record)

example:  the CLICK HERE all link to www.keysurvey.com/1001

If I manually merge one record at a time, and on each record press F9, it updates this field and then I can send the email.  How do I do a merge of 90+ records where each time Word attempts to send a record it updates the field.  So that email 1 goes out with survey 1001, and email 2 goes out with survey 1002...    It doesn't pull the merge field for each email automatically.

Thanks,

Rob

Answer 4

Perhaps you should check whether all the hyperlinks point to the correct destinations. In my testing I found that, unless you intend for all hyperlinks to point to the same destination, only the first one will be correct.

I tested the first 100 out of 700 links and they all pointed to the right (and different) destination, so I'm positive, that the rest will, too.

Answer 5

As for macropod: In Word 2010 it works without a problem if you do as is said in the description and after merging to a new document prest ctrl-a to select everything and then update with F9 the hyperlink changes to the one matching the displayed text!

Perhaps you should check whether all the hyperlinks point to the correct destinations. In my testing I found that, unless you intend for all hyperlinks to point to the same destination, only the first one will be correct.