IMailMergeDataSourceRootGetDataSource Method

The Aspose.Words mail merge engine invokes this method when it encounters a beginning of a top-level mail merge region.

Namespace:  Aspose.Words.MailMerging
Assembly:  Aspose.Words (in Aspose.Words.dll) Version: 20.3
Syntax
IMailMergeDataSource GetDataSource(
	string tableName
)

Parameters

tableName
Type: SystemString
The name of the mail merge region as specified in the template document. Case-insensitive.

Return Value

Type: IMailMergeDataSource
A data source object that will provide access to the data records of the specified table.
Remarks

When the Aspose.Words mail merge engines populates a document with data and encounters MERGEFIELD TableStart:TableName, it invokes GetDataSource(String) on this object. Your implementation needs to return a new data source object. Aspose.Words will use the returned data source to populate the mail merge region.

If a data source (table) with the specified name does not exist, your implementation should return null.

Examples
Performs mail merge from a custom data source with master-detail data.
public void CustomDataSourceRoot()
{
    // Create a document with two mail merge regions named "Washington" and "Seattle"
    Document doc = CreateSourceDocumentWithMailMergeRegions(new string[] { "Washington", "Seattle" });

    // Create two data sources
    EmployeeList employeesWashingtonBranch = new EmployeeList();
    employeesWashingtonBranch.Add(new Employee("John Doe", "Sales"));
    employeesWashingtonBranch.Add(new Employee("Jane Doe", "Management"));

    EmployeeList employeesSeattleBranch = new EmployeeList();
    employeesSeattleBranch.Add(new Employee("John Cardholder", "Management"));
    employeesSeattleBranch.Add(new Employee("Joe Bloggs", "Sales"));

    // Register our data sources by name in a data source root
    DataSourceRoot sourceRoot = new DataSourceRoot();
    sourceRoot.RegisterSource("Washington", new EmployeeListMailMergeSource(employeesWashingtonBranch));
    sourceRoot.RegisterSource("Seattle", new EmployeeListMailMergeSource(employeesSeattleBranch));

    // Since we have consecutive mail merge regions, we would normally have to perform two mail merges
    // However, one mail merge source data root call every relevant data source and merge automatically 
    doc.MailMerge.ExecuteWithRegions(sourceRoot);

    doc.Save(ArtifactsDir + "MailMergeCustom.CustomDataSourceRoot.docx");
}

/// <summary>
/// Create document that contains consecutive mail merge regions, with names designated by the input array,
/// for a data table of employees.
/// </summary>
private static Document CreateSourceDocumentWithMailMergeRegions(string[] regions)
{
    Document doc = new Document();
    DocumentBuilder builder = new DocumentBuilder(doc);

    foreach (string s in regions)
    {
        builder.Writeln("\n" + s + " branch: ");
        builder.InsertField(" MERGEFIELD TableStart:" + s);
        builder.InsertField(" MERGEFIELD FullName");
        builder.Write(", ");
        builder.InsertField(" MERGEFIELD Department");
        builder.InsertField(" MERGEFIELD TableEnd:" + s);
    }

    return doc;
}

/// <summary>
/// An example of a "data entity" class in your application.
/// </summary>
private class Employee
{
    public Employee(string aFullName, string aDepartment)
    {
        FullName = aFullName;
        Department = aDepartment;
    }

    public string FullName { get; }
    public string Department { get; }
}

/// <summary>
/// An example of a typed collection that contains your "data" objects.
/// </summary>
private class EmployeeList : ArrayList
{
    public new Employee this[int index]
    {
        get { return (Employee)base[index]; }
        set { base[index] = value; }
    }
}

/// <summary>
/// Data source root that can be passed directly into a mail merge which can register and contain many child data sources.
/// These sources must all implement IMailMergeDataSource, and are registered and differentiated by a name
/// which corresponds to a mail merge region that will read the respective data.
/// </summary>
private class DataSourceRoot : IMailMergeDataSourceRoot
{
    public IMailMergeDataSource GetDataSource(string tableName)
    {
        EmployeeListMailMergeSource source = mSources[tableName];
        source.Reset();
        return mSources[tableName];
    }

    public void RegisterSource(string sourceName, EmployeeListMailMergeSource source)
    {
        mSources.Add(sourceName, source);
    }

    private readonly Dictionary<string, EmployeeListMailMergeSource> mSources = new Dictionary<string, EmployeeListMailMergeSource>();
}

/// <summary>
/// Custom mail merge data source.
/// </summary>
private class EmployeeListMailMergeSource : IMailMergeDataSource
{
    public EmployeeListMailMergeSource(EmployeeList employees)
    {
        mEmployees = employees;
        mRecordIndex = -1;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// A standard implementation for moving to a next record in a collection.
    /// </summary>
    public bool MoveNext()
    {
        if (!IsEof)
            mRecordIndex++;

        return (!IsEof);
    }

    private bool IsEof
    {
        get { return (mRecordIndex >= mEmployees.Count); }
    }

    public void Reset()
    {
        mRecordIndex = -1;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The name of the data source. Used by Aspose.Words only when executing mail merge with repeatable regions.
    /// </summary>
    public string TableName
    {
        get { return "Employees"; }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Aspose.Words calls this method to get a value for every data field.
    /// </summary>
    public bool GetValue(string fieldName, out object fieldValue)
    {
        switch (fieldName)
        {
            case "FullName":
                fieldValue = mEmployees[mRecordIndex].FullName;
                return true;
            case "Department":
                fieldValue = mEmployees[mRecordIndex].Department;
                return true;
            default:
                // A field with this name was not found, 
                // return false to the Aspose.Words mail merge engine
                fieldValue = null;
                return false;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Child data sources are for nested mail merges.
    /// </summary>
    public IMailMergeDataSource GetChildDataSource(string tableName)
    {
        throw new System.NotImplementedException();
    }

    private readonly EmployeeList mEmployees;
    private int mRecordIndex;
}
See Also