Say hello to an improved way to merge documents!

Say hello to an improved way to merge documents!

Automating all your documents from start to finish is now easier than ever with Writer's new merge tools.
 
If you haven't seen it yet, you can read the main announcement here.
Here is the full list of the features we've rolled out:

1. Dynamic Table Headers and repeated blocks
After listening to our latest user feedback, we knew these two features were a must-have.

Subform creation
Subforms are field groups that mostly denote choices, transactions, and other activities registered under a single record. With Writer, you can now create such field groups within a record that, when merged, will dynamically grow based on the records in your data source.  
 
For example: Say you want to keep track of the products purchased by a certain customer. In this case, "Customer" is a record, and "the products they purchased" are recorded as a subform under their name.
 
Subforms can be mapped to a related subform in a data source, like Zoho Creator, Zoho CRM, and more.
 


Repeating blocks
You can now repeat blocks as a paragraph, a table row, a table cell, or a table column. For instance, if you're listing the names of books, their authors and descriptions, you can just use the Repeat option of your choice, select the merge fields that carry those details, and insert it into the document.

The selected blocks with all the information you need would then automatically be repeated for each book in your data source.




2. New field types
You can now choose from a variety of different field types to up your template-creation game.

Same field, different configurations 
In case you would want the settings of a field to be different in one or a few places alone, we added a new "change for this instance" option. This way, you can tweak format, output type, and other value settings for a particular instance of a field without affecting other parts of the document where the same field is used.



Repeated blocks? Auto-number it!
If you're working with repeated blocks using the repeat field or subform fields, you can assign auto-increment serial numbers by simply inserting the new "Auto-number" field before them.
  


Embed fields to make documents more interactive
Here's something to make your templates more personalized for each of your recipients: You can now add unique, interactive elements for each of them using an Embed field. This makes it easier to add map locations for each of your records or add contextual video links to guide them.
 


Placeholder images in templates
You can now apply custom placeholder images to image fields in Writer based on the type of document you're working with.
 
In addition to giving your template designers better layout control over the template, placeholder images also let the user know the type of image to be inserted or attached.




3. Tools to format those field types
What's the point of so many different field types if you can't adjust them to your liking? That's exactly what we did.

Shortened field names
There could be fields in your data source whose names are way too long, making your templates look untidy or unclear. Long field names could also denote that your content might look drastically different if the values those fields have are usually much shorter.
 
To tackle this, we're introducing a provision in which you can shorten the names of fields in your merged documents.




Formula that output!
Know that feeling when you have everything ready and merged in your output document except for the final cost of your products? That's why we've introduced formulas in merge fields: so you no longer have to calculate your figures manually. You can now use formulas to calculate your merged output using the desired functions.



Personalized date formats
Certain documents require dates to be written in a certain format. For instance, formal letters require the date to be written in full with the day, month, followed by a comma and the year. With Writer's new update, you can now change the format of the merged date to suit your purpose.




Display past or future dates
The date field provides an easy way to display the current date, but what about when you want to display a past or future date?
For instance, if you're sending renewal reminders and the renewal date is 3 months from the subscription date, you can simply add "3" in the months option or add the number of days for the interval in the days field, and Writer will automatically calculate and enter the renewal date in the field. Similarly, you can do the same to enter dates that are even prior to the subscription date.
  


Rich text
The fields in your data source may carry links, or even have different styles. Merge fields in Writer are now enabled with rich text to retain the style and  format of the fields from your data source after merge.




Number and currency field formatting
Just like how you can change the format of date fields, you can also do the same with number and currency fields. Legal documents, for instance, require values to be presented in the correct decimal and currency format. In such cases, all you have to do is simply change the format of the merged values by using the number formatting option.




4. Other handy merge upgrades
We didn't just stop there. Here are three more upgrades we think will enhance the way you work with your documents pre- and post-merge.

Customize merge docs with sign settings
Create sign-ready, customized documents for specific clients that your colleagues can check, change a few things if needed, and then send for sign immediately with the configuration you've set for them. This gives you that final layer of review and confirmation before sending out a contract to clients.
 


Detailed merge reports
Now, stay on top of your merged emails by tracking when they have been viewed or read by your recipients and how they are interacting with your links.


Lastly, the automation panel gets a new look!
That's right. Based on what some of you told us, we've improved the automation panel by making it easier for you to access "Prepare" and "Run Merge" steps distinctly from the panel at any time.


That's all for now. Let us know what you think of these updates in the comments below.

Read the main announcement here.

Happy merging!

    • Sticky Posts

    • Easily perform calculations using dates with the new DATEDIF function

      Hey Zoho Writer users! We've enhanced Zoho Writer's formula capabilities with the new DATEDIF function. This allows you to calculate the difference between dates in days, months, and years. Function syntax: =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit) Inputs:

    • Date-based conditions and filters

      Configure conditions with date  Hi everyone! We are excited to announce that you can now compare and filter data with date-based conditions. This update lets you compare date fields in a document to a reference date and display a text or value if the

    • Introducing group by, aggregation, and repeating regions in mail merge templates

      Display data exactly the way you want and highlight key insights with Zoho Writer's enhanced merge templates. We've supercharged Zoho Writer's merge templates with the capability to dynamically group, aggregate, and repeat data as blocks. You can now

    • Say hello to an improved way to merge documents!

      Automating all your documents from start to finish is now easier than ever with Writer's new merge tools.   If you haven't seen it yet, you can read the main announcement here. Here is the full list of the features we've rolled out: 1. Dynamic Table Headers

    • Introducing Org Fonts in Zoho Writer

      Hey Zoho Writer users! We're excited to share that you can now add custom fonts (from web fonts with publicly accessible URLs) using Zoho Writer's Org Fonts. This option allows all users across your organization to use the custom font without the hassle

    • Recent Topics

    • Kaizen# 204 - Answering Your Questions | Perform Field Updates before Blueprint transition via Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. One of the questions we received through your Kaizen feedback was: “How can I update fields before Blueprint transition and how to prevent a transition based on a condition using Client Script?”

    • Create online meetings for Booking Pages with Zoho Meetings and Zoom

      Greetings, We hope you're all doing well. We're excited to share some recent enhancements to Bigin's Booking Pages. As you know, Booking Pages let you create public pages to share your availability so that your customers can easily book time slots with

    • Filters in audit logs

      Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a few recent enhancements we've made to Bigin. We'll go over each one in detail. Previously, there were no filters available to narrow down data in audit logs. Now, we've introduced

    • Enhanced help options in Bigin

      Greetings, We're excited to introduce a new enhancement to Bigin's Help section: a comprehensive Help Options panel that brings together all your support resources in a single, well-organized space. Previously, the Need Help? menu provided only a limited

    • Zoho FSM API Developer Needed

      Hi, I’m looking for a developer with experience using Zoho FSM APIs. Scope: Connect WordPress website booking form to Zoho FSM Check availability (date, time, region) Create Work Orders + Service Appointments automatically Notify both customer and scheduler

    • Revenue Management: #4 What if there are uncertainties in project or service delivery?

      Our previous post taught us how Zoho Billing makes life easy for businesses with its automated revenue recognition rule. However, certain businesses have more challenges that an automated system cannot handle, and there are certain situations where automated

    • This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com

      Bom dia, estou tentando colocar o número 11 94287-6695 e esta com erro "This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com" pode me ajudar, por favor?

    • Feature Request: Ability to Set a Custom List View as Default for All Users

      Dear Zoho CRM Support Team, We would like to request a new feature in Zoho CRM regarding List Views. Currently, each user has to manually select or favorite a custom list view in order to make it their default. However, as administrators, we would like

    • Items Serial Tracking Issue

      We enabled Zoho Items inventory tracking then disabled it after some time now we want to enable it again When I check the missing serial number reports I see one item But I cant see any option to Add the serial numbers Where and how to add the serial

    • Composite Services and Account Tracking

      I am looking to garner support/request the ability to make composite services. A quick search in the forums brings up multiple requests for this feature. I fail to see why an item is mandatory while services are optional. I also would like to see the

    • Zoho Payroll integration with Zoho Books - unable to match multiple bank feeds to one wage payment

      For one employee's wage, I make two partial payments. Those bank feed transactions come into Zoho Books via bank integration. I make one pay-run for the month in Zoho Payroll and that comes into Zoho Books via the Zoho integration. Zoho Books doesn't let me match multiple bank feed transactions against a single wage item. Please fix urgently. I can't complete my books because of this.

    • Add Checkbox Selection & Bulk Actions to Delivery Challans Module

      Hi Zoho Team, I’ve noticed that in the Sales Orders module, there are checkboxes beside each entry that allow users to select multiple records for bulk actions such as print, email, or delete. However, in the Delivery Challans module, this option appears

    • Can't be able to check-in in laptop

      even after giving location access still i can't be able to check-in in laptop.

    • Compensation Cess on Coal ₹400 per tonne. ?????

      The compensation cess rate varies by the type of product. And the cess is calculated based on the value of the product without GST. Coal, for example, comes with a cess of ₹400 per tonne. That means that if you sell 2 tonnes of coal that have a value

    • 7 month over zoho book purchase but still not immpliments Golive

      7 month over zoho book purchase but still not immpliments Golive one problems zoho team short out then other problems come still very poor mangments and immliments team . struggling with the templates in ZOHO Books. Especially with the placement of some

    • Average Costing / Weighted Average Costing

      Hello fellow maadirs. I understand Zoho Books uses FIFO method of dealing with inventory costing, but do you guys have any plans to introduce average costing? We indians need average costing. It's part of our culture. Please. I beg thee. Thanks.

    • SMS to customers from within Bigin

      Hi All, Is there anyone else crying out for Bigin SMS capability to send an SMS to customers directly from the Bigin interface? We have inbuilt telephony already with call recordings which works well. What's lacking is the ability to send and receive

    • How to update/remove file in zoho creator widgets using javascript API

      Hi Team, I have developed a widget which allows inserting and updating records I have file upload field with multiple file upload. Now while doing insert form record, I am using uploadFile API to upload files for that record. I am using updateRecord API

    • Parent & Member Accounts (batch updating / inheritance)

      Hello, I find the Parent Account functionality very useful for creating custom views and reports, but was wondering if I can also carry out batch editing on all members (aka children) of a Parent Account at the same time. Alternatively, can I set members to automatically inherit the values of the parent? For example: We have a chain of supermarkets that buy our products. These supermarkets are all members of a Parent Account in our CRM. We release a new product and all of the member stores wish to

    • Edit Legend of Chart

      I would like to edit the legend of the chart. Every time I enable the legend, I get a very unhelpful (1), and when I try to type to change to what I would desire, nothing happens, which is very frustrating. I've gone through your online tutorials and nowhere can I find a legend settings button. This seems a simple fix, where can edit the legend? Thanks.

    • Extended timeouts for APIs beyond 40secs for to accomodate LLMs

      A 40 second max response time for API calls is fine when connecting to most services, however is unsuitable when dealing with LLMs (ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini) where the response timing is very uncertain. Is there any way to increase this? It would be great

    • Deletion of Zoho Account

      To whom it may concern, Good day, My account has been created incorrectly in Zoho and I am not able to join my Company's Zoho account - attached screenshot for your kind reference Alphatronmarine - Portal Kindly advise procedure to delete this current

    • Workflow for deposit to bank account

      Hello, Is it possible to make a workflow when a deposit is made to your bank account which is coupled to Zoho books? I want Zoho to sent an email each time a deposit is made to our bank account via a workflow. Regards, Steven

    • Marking Retainer invoice paid through Deluge

      Hey Everyone, We have a scenario where we are collecting deposit payments on our website. Now, in zoho books, we need to create a retainer invoice and mark it as paid automatically using deluge just like we can mark normal invoices as paid. I have tried

    • Export Invoices to XML file

      Namaste! ZOHO suite of Apps is awesome and we as Partner, would like to use and implement the app´s from the Financial suite like ZOHO Invoice, but, in Portugal, we can only use certified Invoice Software and for this reason, we need to develop/customize on top of ZOHO Invoice to create an XML file with specific information and after this, go to the government and certified the software. As soon as we have for example, ZOHO CRM integrated with ZOHO Invoice up and running, our business opportunities

    • Create a new record in custom module vi custom button

      I have zoho books premium plan . I have 2 custom modules in zoho books. 1. Goods Receipt 2. Delivery Order, I need to select multiple records from Goods Receipt and create a new Delivery order from these multiple records. (like multilple sales order into

    • Profile date settings

      At present I have "EEE, MMMM dd, yyyy" but this takes an exessive amount of column space, we should be able to input our own format. I would like to use "EEE, MMM dd, yy" - a much shorter version of the above but with the same abbreviated info, requiring

    • Delivery Method Field in Sales Order Module

      In Books and in Sales orders, the "Delivery Method" field seems to allow for anything to be entered and it seems to store those entries for future use.  When you chose to convert a sales order to a purchase order, the related field is now called "Shipment

    • Editing / Removing stages for pipeline

      Hello, I'm trying to create a new pipeline. I created a new stage and made an error when entering the probability. How can I edit fields in stages that I created? Can I delete these stages from "Add Stages" list?

    • Dynamically Filter User Lookup in CRM Subform

      We have a subform called Pricing Calculator in the Zoho CRM Opportunity module and need some assistance. Current Setup: First column: Picklist (Level) Second column: User Lookup field When a Level is selected, we want the User lookup to display only users

    • change time zone

      can't seem to figure out how to change the time zone of the project

    • Bigin iOS app update: Built-in telephony and RingCentral support

      Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce Built-In Telephony and RingCentral support in the latest iOS version(v1.11.13) of the Bigin mobile app. Once the integration is completed on the Bigin desktop site(bigin.zoho.com), you can choose the Built-In

    • Add Image or Update Image API - for Items Module

      I am trying to add new Items to Zoho Inventory from Zoho Creator. I achieved this using Zoho Inventory Create Item API, but how to add or update the item image from Zoho Creator to Zoho Inventory Item Module?

    • Introducing Booking Pages—a topping for your Calendar Scheduling needs!

      Greetings, We're here with a new topping for Bigin! Let's dive into the details. What does this topping do? Scheduling appointments with customers is one of the most common challenges small businesses face on a daily basis, as it often involves frequent

    • Debugging `try` blocks : Tip

      I find it annoying that if one line inside a `try` block has an error, the Deluge arser points the beginning of the block to the location of the error. BUT, if you temporarily comment out the initial `try {`  The parser goes through the whole block and

    • [Product Update] TimeSheets module is now renamed as Time Logs in Zoho Projects.

      Dear Zoho Analytics customers, As part of the ongoing enhancements in Zoho Projects, the Timesheets module has been renamed to Time Logs. However, the module name will continue to be displayed as Timesheets in Zoho Analytics until the relevant APIs are

    • Use approval workflow comments in record scripts

      Greetings, i'm running an approval workflow for my records, during approval/rejection there is a step where comments are entered. i want to add there comments to the record and to use them in various deluge scripts like sending emails and so on.  how

    • ZOHO Store

      Not able to make a payment We are using Zoho One, and we are from India. The payment currency, which shows for us, is in USD. But the system says we can choose Country/Region India if it shows INR only. Attaching screenshots for more info.

    • Support Migration into Aliases in Zoho Mail

      Hello Zoho Mail Team, How are you? We are in the process of migrating some of our users from Google Workspace (Gmail and Google Drive) to Zoho. During this process, we noticed that Zoho Mail currently only supports migration into a primary mailbox and

    • API for Z Workdrive Flow Make-Integromat ?

      We are zoho workdrive fans Also we would like to have an api to work with Zoho Flow or with Make better known by its old name INTEGROMAT Is it planned and when? 3 months -6 months or more?

    • Next Page