Mail Merge Variables

You can personalize your mail merge documents by placing variables within the text of the document. Then, when you merge the document for a patient, parent, dentist, or other professional, the variables are replaced with information specific to that person.

Click to OpenAdd Variables to Mail Merge Documents

  1. Create or Edit a Document - Open your Letter Library to add merge tools to a new or existing document. See "Letter Library" for details.

  2. Position Your Cursor - Place your cursor in the document where you want the information to print.

  3. Click to OpenOpen Variable Menu - Open the Add-Ins menu (if needed). Choose the Select Fields option to open a window of variable categories, most of which have subcategories.

  4. Click to OpenChoose Variable - Click a tab at the top of the window, and select the category, and subcategory if needed, for the type of information you want to insert. Then select the variable you want to use and click Insert (or, double-click the variable name). (You can also use the Search field to find the variable to use.) Most variable names are self-explanatory. Certain variables have additional requirements, such as treatment findings variables and patient images. See the links at the bottom of this article for additional information about these variables.

    Keep Window Open Option - If you will be adding multiple variables in succession, you might want to enable the Keep Window Open option at the bottom of the variables window. If the option is disabled, the window closes as soon as you insert a variable.

  5. Click to OpenReview & Edit the Variable Code - Once you have properly inserted a variable, it appears in the text of your document. (If you do not see the codes, press Alt+F9 on your keyboard.) You can copy and paste the code, andedit the code to change it into another variable, but be careful - spelling counts!

  6. Save & Exit - Click the X in the upper right corner of the document window. As you exit, you have the opportunity to save the document.

Click to OpenMore Information

Toggle Merge Code Display - When creating and editing word processing documents with mail merge codes (such as variables and conditional statements), it is helpful and sometimes necessary to be able to see the codes. During regular daily use, however, you may wish to have them off. While different versions of Word have different ways of accessing this setting, an easy way to toggle the merge code display, regardless of your version of Word, is to press Alt+F9 on your keyboard.

Treatment Findings Variables - You can insert both the short and long descriptions of your patients' treatment findings and patient etc. information from the Findings page of the patient folder into your mail merge documents, and print them in either list or paragraph form. See "Mail Merge Findings Variables" for details.

Patient Image Variables - You can add variables that will insert VP Imaging or Edge Imaging patient images into your mail merge documents. See "Mail Merge Tool: Patient Images" for details.

Tooth Chart Variables - Include the Tooth Chart variable the Extraction Request variable, and/or the TAD variables,in mail merge document to automatically include those details in the letter. The variables are found in the Treatment section of the Merge Variables list. See "Patient Tooth Chart" for details.

Electronic Signatures - If you have installed one or more e-Pad devices at your workstations, you may want to include an electronic signature in your mail merge documents. This is especially useful for Truth-In-Lending and Contract documents, as the electronic signature will be archived in the correspondence history along with the merged document. See "Mail Merge Tool: Electronic Signature" for details.