# 📄 B07 Word Notification Template Guide (English)

> **Companion tutorial**: B7 *Mail Merge at Scale with AI*
> **Purpose**: Describes the Word template structure and MERGEFIELD placeholders.
> **No `.docx` included** — follow the steps below to build your own template in Word.

---

## 1. Template body (English version)

Open Word → New blank document → paste the text below. Write the placeholders as plain text (e.g. `{Name}`) first; replace them with real MERGEFIELDs in the next step.

```
                              ADMISSION NOTICE

Dear «Name»,

    Congratulations on your admission to the «Major» program and on receiving
the «ScholarshipLevel» Scholarship!

«Congratulations»  (AI-generated personalized sentence)

    Please bring this notice and your original ID to the Admissions Office
before September 1, 2026 to complete registration. For questions, contact us
at «Email» or call our admissions hotline at +1-555-xxx-xxxx.

    Best wishes for your success in «Major»!


                                    «IssueDate»
                                    Office of Admissions
```

> **Format tips**: Center the title in bold, indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5", right-align the signature block. Use Word's *Format → Paragraph* dialog.

---

## 2. Replace text placeholders with MERGEFIELDs (4 steps)

### Step 1 — Choose the Letters type

Ribbon → **Mailings** → **Start Mail Merge** → **Letters** (not *Directory* or *Labels*).

> ⚠️ **Letters vs Directory**: The *Letters* type inserts a **section break** between records, which is what the export macro relies on. *Directory* and *Labels* do not, so the export script would produce a single PDF.

### Step 2 — Connect the data source

**Mailings** → **Select Recipients** → **Use an Existing List** → pick `数据源_sample.csv` from this folder → choose the worksheet (CSV usually has only `Sheet1`) → keep the default Include/Exclude settings.

### Step 3 — Insert six MERGEFIELDs

Place the cursor where `«Name»` is, then **Mailings** → **Insert Merge Field** → **Name**. Repeat for the other five fields: **Major / ScholarshipLevel / Email / IssueDate / Congratulations**. After insertion, the text `{Name}` becomes **«Name»** (the field code view with chevrons).

### Step 4 — Preview and finish the merge

- **Preview Results**: **Mailings → Preview Results**, click the arrows to step through each record and confirm fields are populated.
- **Finish & Merge**: **Mailings → Finish & Merge → Edit Individual Documents** → **All** → OK.
- Word creates a **new document** with the six letters concatenated, separated by section breaks. **Keep this new document open** — the export macro will read it next.

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## 3. Field reference (must match CSV headers exactly)

| # | Field (MERGEFIELD) | Meaning | Example |
|---|--------------------|---------|---------|
| 1 | `Name`             | Recipient name | Alice Chen |
| 2 | `Major`            | Program of study | Computer Science |
| 3 | `ScholarshipLevel` | First / Second / Third | First |
| 4 | `Email`            | Contact e-mail | alice@example.com |
| 5 | `IssueDate`        | Issue date | 2026-08-15 |
| 6 | `Congratulations`  | AI-generated personal note | Alice, congratulations on… |

---

## 4. Build your own data source (don't just reuse the sample)

Create a table with the six columns above. Common pitfalls:

- **First row is the header** — no merged cells, no odd symbols, no leading/trailing spaces.
- Header text must **match the field names exactly** (case-insensitive).
- For the `Congratulations` column, paste the AI-generated text line by line. Use **Alt + Enter** for in-cell line breaks — pressing Enter would jump to the next row and break the alignment.