Letter Templates: Adding Mail Merge Fields in Adobe Acrobat

PDF letter templates can automatically populate patient and practice details using mail merge fields, in the same way as templates created directly in MediRecords. Setting up these fields is done in Adobe Acrobat Pro, before the completed template is uploaded into MediRecords. This article walks through preparing a PDF as a fillable form and adding the text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons and signatures it needs, using the mail merge fields provided by MediRecords.

Contents:

1. Video Tutorial
2. What You Will Need
3. Preparing Your PDF as a Form
4. Adding Form Fields and Mail Merge
   • Text Fields With a Mail Merge Field
   • Text Fields Without a Mail Merge Field
   • Multi-Line Text Fields
   • Checkboxes
   • Radio Buttons
   • Signatures and Images
5. Known Display Limitations
6. Uploading Your Completed Template

Video Tutorial

What You Will Need

Editing a PDF to add mail merge fields requires Adobe Acrobat Pro. The form editing tools used in this article are not available in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Adobe provides its own detailed guide to creating fillable forms, which covers the same Prepare Form workflow used below: Create a Fillable Form in Adobe Acrobat. The video on that page follows the same steps shown here, but you will still need to use the MediRecords mail merge fields described in this article for the completed template to work correctly in the MediRecords Care App.

Preparing Your PDF as a Form

1. Open your PDF letter template in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

2. Select View More. 

   

   
    

3. Select Prepare a Form, then Create Form. 

   

   
    

4. Adobe will attempt to automatically detect existing fields in the document.

   Note: If fields are detected, Adobe will create form components for them automatically. If none are detected, you will need to add each form component manually, as covered below.

Adding Form Fields and Mail Merge

Once your document is in form editing view, the available form components (text field, checkbox, radio button, and others) appear on the left-hand panel. Add a component by selecting it, then clicking where it should appear on the document.
 

Text Fields With a Mail Merge Field

Where a field on your PDF corresponds to a MediRecords mail merge field, for example a patient's title, family name, or given name, follow these steps for each one:

1. In MediRecords, locate the relevant mail merge field under its category (for example, Patient for patient details, or Current User for the details of the practitioner using the template). See What is a Mail Merge Field for a full list of categories.
2. Copy the mail merge field.

3. In Adobe, double-click the text field on your PDF to open its properties. 

   

   
    

4. Paste the mail merge field into the Name field in the properties window, and it'll populate the field within the form. You can also double click the field in the right-hand list, and paste the mail merge field over the top of the original. 
   
    

Note: Double-check the spelling and that any curly brackets are complete and correctly placed. A missing or incorrect bracket will prevent the mail merge from populating.

Repeat this process for every mail merge field on the template.

Text Fields Without a Mail Merge Field

Where there is no corresponding MediRecords mail merge field, for example a free-text field like a heading or reference number, remove the existing field on the PDF and add a new Text Field in its place. This allows the person using the template to type the information in directly, rather than having it populated automatically.

Multi-Line Text Fields

For larger fields that will hold several lines of text, add a text field as above, then:

1. Right-click the field and select Properties.
2. Open the Options tab.

3. Select Multi-line. 

   

   
    

Note: Text fields do not enable multi-line by default, so this must be set manually for any field expected to hold more than one line of text.

Checkboxes

Where the PDF requires a checkbox, add a Checkbox field from the left-hand panel. Set the checkbox's Export Value to Yes under its properties.

Radio Buttons

Where only one option should be selectable from a set of choices, use a Radio Button field for each option. Radio buttons added one after another in the same area are automatically grouped together, so a user can only select one at a time within that group.

Signatures and Images

To allow a signature to be added to the template, add an Image Field rather than a mail merge field.

Known Display Limitations

A small number of mail merge fields do not display correctly when used on a PDF letter template:

Uploading Your Completed Template

Once all fields have been added and the PDF is saved, upload it to your Letter Templates resources in MediRecords. See Uploading a PDF Template for the full steps.

Further Reading

• Letter Templates
• Adobe: Create a Fillable Form in Adobe Acrobat