Mail Merge and Clickable E-Mail Addresses

Question

I am setting up a mail merge document in Pages using merge fields from a Numbers document. All is working fine except for one thing. I would like the resulting document to have the e-mail addresses come out live so I could click on them and create an e-mail addressed to the people named on each page, with an appropriate subject line.
I have "Automatically detect e-mail and web addresses" selected, but they don't come out live. Even if I save to a PDF they aren't live. Using the Inspector if I go to Hyperlinks and choose Enable as Hyperlink, and Link to Email Message, it will do that, but it seems to want to create an e-mail addressed to me; I can't get it to address it to the person whose e-mail address it is. If I delete my name, it creates a link that simply opens a blank e-mail.
At this point I'm stuck! It seems like that should be the default behavior, but nothing I do gets it to happen! Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Peter

Answer 1

This simple script activates the merged links for you.
--[SCRIPT activatemergedhyperlinks]
Enregistrer le script en tant que Script : activatemergedhyperlinks.scpt
déplacer le fichier ainsi créé dans le dossier
<VolumeDeDémarrage>:Users:<votreCompte>:Library:Scripts:Applications:Pages:
Il vous faudra peut-être créer le dossier Pages et peut-être même le dossier Applications.
Exécuter le processus de fusion de données afin d’insérer les hyperliens dans le document Pages.
Aller au menu Scripts , choisir Pages puis choisir activatemergedhyperlinks
Le script retire les return de la fin des paragraphes commençant par "http"
puis il 'tape' un caractère return pour remplacer celui qui vient d'être ôté
et surtout activer l’hyperlien.
--=====
L’aide du Finder explique:
L’Utilitaire AppleScript permet d’activer le Menu des scripts :
Ouvrez l’Utilitaire AppleScript situé dans le dossier Applications/AppleScript.
Cochez la case "Afficher le menu des scripts dans la barre de menus".
Sous 10.6.x,
aller dans le panneau "Général" du dialogue Préférences de l’Éditeur Applescript
puis cocher la case "Afficher le menu des scripts dans la barre des menus".
--=====
Save the script as a Script: activatemergedhyperlinks.scpt
Move the newly created file into the folder:
<startup Volume>:Users:<yourAccount>:Library:Scripts:Applications:Pages:
Maybe you would have to create the folder Pages and even the folder Applications by yourself.
Apply the Merge process to insert Hyperlinks in thev document.
Go to the Scripts Menu, choose Pages, then choose "activatemergedhyperlinks".
The script removes the character return from end of paragraphs starting with "http"
then it 'type' a return character which will replace the removed one and activate the link.
--=====
The Finder’s Help explains:
To make the Script menu appear:
Open the AppleScript utility located in Applications/AppleScript.
Select the "Show Script Menu in menu bar" checkbox.
Under 10.6.x,
go to the General panel of AppleScript Editor’s Preferences dialog box
and check the “Show Script menu in menu bar” option.
--=====
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France)
2010/10/27
--=====
on run
my activateGUIscripting()
tell application "Pages" to tell document 1
set les_paragraphes to paragraphs
set indexde_la_fin_duparagraphe to 0
repeat with un_paragraphe in les_paragraphes
set indexde_la_fin_duparagraphe to indexde_la_fin_duparagraphe + (length of un_paragraphe)
if contents of un_paragraphe starts with "http" then
try
select character indexde_la_fin_duparagraphe of body text
my raccourci("Pages", "x", "c") (* Cut the return at end of paragraph *)
my raccourci("Pages", return, "") (* 'Type' a return to activate the hyperlink *)
end try
end if
end repeat
end tell
end run
--=====
on activateGUIscripting()
(* to be sure than GUI scripting will be active *)
tell application "System Events"
if not (UI elements enabled) then set (UI elements enabled) to true
end tell
end activateGUIscripting
--=====
This handler may be used to 'type' text, invisible characters if the third parameter is an empty string.
It may be used to 'type' keyboard raccourcis if the third parameter describe the required modifier keys.
I changed its name « shortcut » to « raccourci » to get rid of a name conflict in Smile.
on raccourci(a, t, d)
local k
tell application a to activate
tell application "System Events" to tell application process a
set frontmost to true
try
t * 1
if d is "" then
key code t
else if d is "c" then
key code t using {command down}
else if d is "a" then
key code t using {option down}
else if d is "k" then
key code t using {control down}
else if d is "s" then
key code t using {shift down}
else if d is in {"ac", "ca"} then
key code t using {command down, option down}
else if d is in {"as", "sa"} then
key code t using {shift down, option down}
else if d is in {"sc", "cs"} then
key code t using {command down, shift down}
else if d is in {"kc", "ck"} then
key code t using {command down, control down}
else if d is in {"ks", "sk"} then
key code t using {shift down, control down}
else if (d contains "c") and (d contains "s") and d contains "k" then
key code t using {command down, shift down, control down}
else if (d contains "c") and (d contains "s") and d contains "a" then
key code t using {command down, shift down, option down}
end if
on error
repeat with k in t
if d is "" then
keystroke (k as text)
else if d is "c" then
keystroke (k as text) using {command down}
else if d is "a" then
keystroke k using {option down}
else if d is "k" then
keystroke (k as text) using {control down}
else if d is "s" then
keystroke k using {shift down}
else if d is in {"ac", "ca"} then
keystroke (k as text) using {command down, option down}
else if d is in {"as", "sa"} then
keystroke (k as text) using {shift down, option down}
else if d is in {"sc", "cs"} then
keystroke (k as text) using {command down, shift down}
else if d is in {"kc", "ck"} then
keystroke (k as text) using {command down, control down}
else if d is in {"ks", "sk"} then
keystroke (k as text) using {shift down, control down}
else if (d contains "c") and (d contains "s") and d contains "k" then
keystroke (k as text) using {command down, shift down, control down}
else if (d contains "c") and (d contains "s") and d contains "a" then
keystroke (k as text) using {command down, shift down, option down}
end if
end repeat
end try
end tell
end raccourci
--=====
--[/SCRIPT]
CAUTION, it assumes that the links are paragraphs of their own:
starts as 1st char of a paragraph
ends just before a return character.
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) jeudi 28 octobre 2010 11:44:37