What's simpler than mail merge?

Question

I have a Pages '09 document which will be used again and again by multiple people. Rather than make them perform a find and replace for each string like, "<%FirstName%>, <%LastName%>, <%Email%>" I wish I could attach a form to the file so that when someone openned it they would have to populate a few text fields one time and upon submition the find and replace would happen for all the various placeholder texts.
The mail merge feature would be great if I needed a form letter but I don't. The benefit of mail merge would be creating several copies of a pages document populated by the data from rows a numbers file. I don't want to have to teach people how to change the data in a numbers file and make sure that they have it in the proper location on their machine.
Does anyone know of a simple way to do this? I've looked at several applescript options but the find and replace scripts seem to only apply to body text. My document has body text, text boxes, tables and other types of text that I need replaced.
Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Even if they are complicated. I'm comfortable trying to figure out Applescript or Automator if those are the only option but I definitely need a push in the right direction.
Thanks.
Pete

Answer 1

Here is the edited script.
--[SCRIPT open_a_Pages_custom_template_and_fill_fields]
Enregistrer le script en tant que Script ou Application : open_a_Pages_custom_template_and_fill_fields.xxx
déplacer le fichier ainsi créé dans le dossier
<VolumeDeDémarrage>:Users:<votreCompte>:Library:Scripts:
Aller au menu Scripts, choisir “open_a_Pages_custom_template_and_fill_fields”
--=====
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 or an Application : open_a_Pages_custom_template_and_fill_fields.xxx
Move the newly created file into the folder:
<startup Volume>:Users:<yourAccount>:Library:Scripts:
Go to the Scripts Menu, choose “open_a_Pages_custom_template_and_fill_fields”
--=====
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)
2011/04/29 -- modified at 23:00:06 according to OP's request
--=====
true = open a predefined custom template
false = open the custom template selected thru Choose From List
property use_predefined_template : true
Edit this property to fit your needs. You may change the strings or their number.
The unique requirement is to keep the first two and the last two characters.
property field_names : {"<%Error Title%>", "<%Error Type%>", "<%Unit ID%>"} --
--=====
on run
          my activateGUIscripting()
  run script do_your_duty
  --my do_your_duty()
end run
--=====
script do_your_duty
  --on do_your_duty()
          local templates_loc, myTemplates_loc, chemin_des_modeles, le_modele, mon_modele
          local nb_chiffres, entire_contents, indx, chemin_de_mes_modeles, noms_de_mes_modeles, le_conteneur, i, un_element, le_titre, mon_choix
          set field_values to {}
          repeat with i from 1 to count of field_names
                    set field_name to item i of field_names
                    set le_prompt to "Enter the string to fill the field " & field_name
                    set maybe to text returned of (display dialog le_prompt default answer (text 3 thru -3 of field_name))
                    copy maybe to end of field_values
          end repeat
Grab the localized names of the templates folders *)
          tell application "Pages"
                    my close_palettes()
                    set templates_loc to localized string "Templates"
                    set myTemplates_loc to localized string "My Templates"
          end tell -- to application a
Define the path to the folder storing custom templates *)
          set chemin_des_modeles to "" & (path to library folder from user domain) & "Application Support:iWork:Pages:" & templates_loc & ":" & myTemplates_loc & ":"
          if use_predefined_template then
Here, use a predefined custom template
                    set le_modele to "merge_in_it.template" --<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
                    set mon_modele to chemin_des_modeles & le_modele
          else
Here, use a Choose from list dialog to define the template to use
                    set nb_chiffres to 3 (* 
2 = allow 99 templates
3 = allow 999 templates *)
Grab the list of every items stored in the folder *)
                    tell application "Finder"
                              set entire_contents to entire contents of folder chemin_des_modeles
                    end tell
Build two lists. One contain the path to every custom templates.
The other contain the names of these templates and the names of subfolders *)
                    set indx to 1
                    set chemin_de_mes_modeles to {}
                    set noms_de_mes_modeles to {}
                    set le_conteneur to ""
                    tell application "System Events"
                              repeat with i from 1 to count of entire_contents
                                        set un_element to item i of entire_contents as text
                                        try
                                                  if type identifier of disk item un_element is in {"com.apple.iwork.Pages.template", "com.apple.iwork.Pages.sfftemplate"} then
                                                            if name of container of disk item un_element is not le_conteneur then
                                                                      set le_conteneur to name of container of disk item un_element
                                                                      copy (text 1 thru nb_chiffres of "---") & space & le_conteneur to end of noms_de_mes_modeles
                                                            end if
                                                            copy un_element to end of chemin_de_mes_modeles
                                                            copy text -nb_chiffres thru -1 of ("00" & indx) & space & name of disk item un_element to end of noms_de_mes_modeles
                                                            set indx to indx + 1
                                                  end if
                                        end try
                              end repeat
                    end tell
                    if my parleAnglais() then
                              set le_titre to "Pages’s custom templates"
                    else
                              set le_titre to "Modèles personnalisés de Pages"
                    end if
Choose the template to use.
If you select a subfolder name, the script beep and ask one more time *)
                    repeat
                              set mon_choix to choose from list noms_de_mes_modeles with title le_titre
                              if mon_choix is false then error number -128
                              try
                                        set mon_choix to text 1 thru nb_chiffres of (item 1 of mon_choix) as integer
                                        exit repeat
                              on error
                                        beep 1
                              end try
                    end repeat
                    set mon_modele to (item mon_choix of chemin_de_mes_modeles)
          end if
Create a new document from the selected template *)
          tell application "Pages"
  open file mon_modele
                    tell document 1
                    end tell
                    repeat with i from 1 to count of field_names
                              my Rechercher_Remplacer(item i of field_names, item i of field_values)
                    end repeat
          end tell -- Pages
  --end do_your_duty
end script
--=====
on parleAnglais()
          local z
          try
                    tell application "Pages" to set z to localized string "Cancel"
          on error
                    set z to "Cancel"
          end try
          return (z is not "Annuler")
end parleAnglais
--=====
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
--=====
on Rechercher_Remplacer(avant, |après|)
          local nom_du_dialog
          tell application "Pages" to activate
          tell application "System Events" to tell application process "Pages"
  keystroke "f" using {command down}
                    set nom_du_dialog to title of window 1
                    tell window nom_du_dialog to tell (first UI element whose role is "AXTabGroup")
                              set value of first text area of first scroll area to avant
                              set value of first text area of last scroll area to |après|
                              if (count of checkbox) = 0 then
Simple dialog *)
                                        set {X_bouton, Y_bouton} to position of last button
                              else
Advanced dialog *)
                                        set {X_bouton, Y_bouton} to position of button -3
                              end if
                    end tell -- window nom_du_dialog…
                    click at {X_bouton + 5, Y_bouton + 5}
  keystroke "w" using {command down} -- Close the dialog
          end tell -- System Events…
          return
end Rechercher_Remplacer
--=====
on close_palettes()
          local w, buttonX, buttonY, buttonW, buttonH
          tell application "Pages" to activate
          tell application "System Events" to tell application process "Pages"
                    set frontmost to true
                    repeat with w from (count of windows) to 1 by -1
                              tell window w
                                        if (subrole is not "AXStandardWindow") then
                                                  tell first button to set {{buttonX, buttonY}, {buttonW, buttonH}} to {position, size}
                                                  click button 1 at {buttonX + (buttonW div 2), buttonY + (buttonH div 2)}
                                        end if
                              end tell
                    end repeat
          end tell
end close_palettes
--=====
--[/SCRIPT]
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) vendredi 29 avril 2011 23:01:47
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