How to make a Print Template
In order to create personalized letters in Sumac, you need to create a template.
The first step is to draft the text. It is just a text file so there is no need for special formatting. Select the whole document and copy it to the clipboard.
Next, locate the Mail Merge Codes needed for your template. Mail Merge Codes are available in the various lists in Sumac including Contacts and Donations under Mailing.
The top part of this window contains some basic instructions. This section can be collapsed by clicking the caret symbol at the top if it is not needed.
Paste the text from your clipboard into the white area at the top. To personalize your letter, replace any text with merge codes using the Record Type and the Field drop-down menus.
For example, replace the mailing address with the merge code <<d_Contact_Mail_Address>> by selecting the Donation in the Record Type dropdown and Donor Mail Address in the Field dropdown.
Next, change the salutation. Highlight the salutation text in your letter, then go to the contact drop-down and pick Virtual Letter Salutation.
Using the virtual salutation means that if there is no salutation in the contact’s record, Sumac will create an appropriate salutation for the contact.
We can also tell Sumac to insert a donation amount and a donation date. Highlight the donation amount and go to the donation dropdown. In our example we'll select “Total Amount”.
Then highlight the date, go to the donation dropdown, and select When Received.
If you want to change the date of the letter to reflect the date you prepare it, insert the current date from the Miscellaneous menu. Sumac inserts the formula that generates the current date in a merged document.
Next, test the template to make sure that it generates the letter you want.
Choose a contact and select the appropriate Testing Context. The Testing Context drop-down menu tells Sumac which list window you will be in when you do the Mail Merge so that the preview is more realistic. Because we are testing a template that will be used from the Donations area, we need to change the context to Donations.
Click the Test button.
The Test button uses real Contact information but creates test data for all other record types, like donations. Don't be alarmed if donation amounts, for example, look wrong.
Now you have a working template. You can insert this text into any word processing or html template, then format it as you like. For example, if you want the amount of the donation to be bold, select the total amount formula. Make sure you include the angle brackets, otherwise the formatting will not be applied correctly in the merged documents.
Make sure that you save the template in .docx or .rtf format! For print letter templates, Sumac accepts only .docx or .rtf file formats.