Zoho Writer Mail Merge Field Settings Guide

How to control field rendering through merge field type settings

Overview

Zoho Writer's merge fields type make the data source value appear as formatted text, numbers, dates, checkboxes, images, hyperlinks, maps, chart or watermark. This flexibility allows users to design automated proposals, invoices, and reports with rich formatting and logic.

For example, an URL from the data source like ${Payment_URL} with value as https://pay.example.com/invoice/12345, when set as a Link type merge field, appears as a clickable link like Pay Now—ideal for emails. If the field type is set to QR Code, it appears as a scannable code, useful for printed documents.

Steps

Set Merge Field Type

1. Go to Automate Tab --> Click Settings next to Manage Fields.

In the following pop up, configure field type as required.

Set Merge Field Format

Field formatting lets you display the value in bold, italics, UPPERCASE, lowercase, and more. Just select the field like regular text and apply the desired format.
  1. Select the merge field you wish to apply the formatting to.
  2. Click the hamburger menu -> Format.
  3. Select your desired formatting option such as Font Style, Font Size, Text Case, Alignment, and more.

Merge Field Types For Reference

Zoho Writer supports various merge field types to dynamically populate your documents during a mail merge. These include:

Supported field types Description Possible Values in the data source Rendered as Notes

Plain Text The value of the field is placed as a string in the document. “test” “test” Select the field in the document and format the text using the editor.
Multi-line Text Text spanning multiple lines is handled as multi-line data “test
input”
“test
input”
Checkbox The checkbox appears checked or unchecked depending on the data source value. TRUE  | true  | Yes | 1 for checked 
FALSE | false | No | 0 for unchecked
☑ | ☐
Image Image fields in the data source are merged directly into the document as image elements URL of the image src  You can set aspect ratio and size for the image in the editor.
Link The URL in the data source is placed as a clickable link in the document. http://zoho.com/writer http://zoho.com/writer Click on the value column to create dynamic links with other merge fields.
Rich text HTML values of the data source are rendered in the document.
Number Numeric values can be placed in the document. 100.234 100
100.23
Click "Format" column to set the desired format for the numbers.
Email | Phone An email id or a phone number can be inserted in the document. director@catsye.com
044 6744 7000
director@catsye.com
044 6744 7000
Date The value of the field is represented as a formatted date in the document. 24/04/2020 24/04/2020
or
24 April 2020
Refer help to learn how to configure the date fields.
Image List Comma separated image URLs can be placed horizontally or vertically as an image list. [imageurl1,imageurl2,imageurl3]
List A comma separated value in the data source can be added as it is or as a vertical bullet list. item 1, item 2, item 3
Comma separated list: item 1, item 2, item 3
or
Vertical list:
  • item 1
  • item 2
  • item 3
Embed The URL value in the data source is embedded in the document as an iframe. http://mysite.com/profile/ UserID  Click on the value column to make the URL dynamic by placing merge fields in the URL.
Barcode The value can be merged as a Barcode based on the selected code.
QR Code A high-quality QR code can be added based on the specific field value.
QR code data can be a plain text, a web link, a text message, an email, or a business card.
Map Convert addresses and location latitude or longitude in the data source to an embeddable map of the location post merge. 10 Downing Street, Westminster,London,SW1A  When the merged document is printed, the embedded Google Maps link is converted to an embedded image.
AutoNumber
Autonumber automatically increments for each record


Ex Generating invoices with multiple line items per customer with each row having serial number automatically assigned

Next Record field

The Next Record field tells Zoho Writer to pull data from the next row in your data source. For example, fields before it use the current record, while those after use the next one. It's especially useful when repeating identical sections for multiple records

To insert Next Record

  • Position the cursor at the desired location
  • In the Manage fields section under Advanced fields , click on Next Record.

Troubleshooting

Issue : Is there a way to render Rich text or HTML content from a field properly during merge?
Solution :  Set the Merge Field Type to rich text to render the merge field value as rich text

Related Articles / Videos

  1. How to shorten merge field names
  2. How to group and aggregate data in merge
  3. How to suppress blank lines or empty rows or table in merge
  4. How to insert current date, document meta or unique number to document in merge
  5. How to upload images in Work Drive and use URL in Image Merge

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