Merge Templates Overview

Use Merge Templates Configuration to add merge templates to Vision.

Merge templates contain merge codes that determine the Info Center data to be retrieved when you produce merged documents. Merge templates also contain the formatting for merged documents.

You use the Merge feature in Info Centers and Custom Proposals to select one or more Info Center records and merge templates to produce a merged document or proposal. For example, you could create a simple list from the Employee Info Center that contains an employee’s name and hire date. In Custom Proposals, you can integrate your proposal text into any format that you want. For example, you could create employee resumes with a merge template based on information from the Employee Info Center.

Summary of How Merge Templates and the Merge Process Work

1. You create your own merge templates with Microsoft Word (.rtf files) or Adobe InDesign (.indt files). InDesign gives you more flexibility with formatting and structuring the merged document. Each merge template applies to a specific Info Center.
2. In Vision Configuration > General > Merge Templates, you add merge template files to Vision.
   • For merge templates that are created in Word: You create the .rtf merge template file in Word before you add the file’s contents to Vision.
   • For merge templates that are created in InDesign: You create the .indt merge template file in InDesign from within Merge Templates Configuration at the same time that you add the merge template to Vision.
3. A system administrator can assign specific merge templates to each security role, so that users have access to only the templates that they need to use.
4. To generate a merged document:
   • In an Info Center — Click Merge on the Info Center toolbar to select one or more Info Center records (such as one or more employees), and then select the merge template to use.
   • In Custom Proposals — Click Sections on the Custom Proposals form toolbar to create different sections of a custom proposal, and select a merge template to use for each section. On the tabs on the Custom Proposals form that are created for each section, add the Info Center records to include in the custom proposal. Then click Merge on the Custom Proposals toolbar to generate the merged document.

You can create merge templates and produce merged documents for all of the Info Centers except the Accounts, Units, and user-defined Info Centers.