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What Mailing List? Mailing List Management & Printing Software for MS-DOS computers Shareware Edition User's Guide Written by Angel Babudro P.O. Box 132 Paonia, CO 81428 (c) Copyright 1990-1994 by Angel Babudro All rights reserved What Mailing List? __________________ CONTENTS I. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. COPYRIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 III. LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 IV. TECHNICAL SUPPORT (HOW TO REACH ME) . . . . . . . . . . 2 Support & Updates from Bulletin Boards . . . . . . . . 3 V. ORDERING METHODS AND REGISTRATION FEES . . . . . . . . 4 A. Benefits of Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 B. How To Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 C. Pricing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 INVOICE & REGISTRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 VII. WHAT DOES THIS SOFTWARE DO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 VIII. HOW TO READ THIS MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 IX. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 A. Practical File Size Limitations . . . . . . . . . 10 B. Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 C. Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 D. Using With MS Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 E. Using With 4DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 X. USING What Mailing List? FOR THE FIRST TIME . . . . . 12 A. Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 B. Updating To a Newer Release . . . . . . . . . . . 13 C. Choosing a Directory for WML . . . . . . . . . . . 14 D. Using an LCD or Monochrome Monitor with a Colour Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 E. Specifying a Data Drive and/or Directory . . . . . 15 F. Using the Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 G. Status Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 XI. MANAGING & PRINTING YOUR FILES . . . . . . . . . . . 16 A. Creating a New File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 B. Opening an Existing File . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 C. Saving/Closing a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 D. Deleting a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 E. Changing a File's Name & Description . . . . . . . 18 -i- What Mailing List? __________________ F. Transferring Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 G. Making Back-up Copies of Your Files . . . . . . . 19 H. Restoring Files from a Back-up Copy . . . . . . . 20 I. Formatting Floppy Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 J. Fixing Damaged Index Files (Re-Indexing) . . . . . 20 K. Removing Records Which Are Marked for Deletion (Packing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 L. Importing Data from Other Software . . . . . . . . 21 1. Importing ASCII files (21) _____________________ 2. Importing WML files (22) ___________________ 3. Importing dBase/DBF files (23) _________________________ 4. Importing Dr. Data Label files (24) ______________________________ M. Exporting Data to Other Applications . . . . . . . 24 1. ASCII, comma-delimited (25) ______________________ 2. ASCII, fixed field length (25) _________________________ 3. Ventura Publisher (25) _________________ 4. WordPerfect Merge (25) _________________ 5. Microsoft Word Merge (26) ____________________ N. Querying & Selecting Entries to Print . . . . . . 26 1. Selecting entries to be printed (26) _______________________________ 2. Acting upon selected entries (27) ____________________________ 3. Query examples (27) ______________ O. Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 1. 11-digit Zip Codes (28) __________________ 2. Other Post Office considerations (29) ________________________________ 3. Group List (29) __________ 4. Envelopes (30) _________ 5. Labels (31) ______ 6. Phone Book (31) __________ 7. Zip/Postal Code Distribution List (32) _________________________________ XII. DATA ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 A. Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 1. Special keys and key combinations (33) _________________________________ 2. Function keys (F-keys) (33) ______________________ 3. Alt key combinations (33) ____________________ 4. Using filters (33) _____________ 5. Getting help (F1/Help) (34) ______________________ 6. Locating an entry (F2/Find) (35) ___________________________ 7. Grouping entries together (F3/Group) (35) ____________________________________ 8. Adding new records (36) __________________ 9. Changing existing records (37) _________________________ 10. Using the Delete/Omit/Bad Address flags (37) _______________________________________ 11. Using Smart Zip (38) _______________ 12. Macros & Key Words (38) __________________ B. Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 C. Abbreviations (Macros) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 -ii- What Mailing List? __________________ XIII. INDICES & FILTERS: CONTROLLING THE SORTING SEQUENCE AND VIEWING OF ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 A. Changing the Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 B. Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 1. Setting a filter (42) ________________ 2. Clearing a filter (42) _________________ XIV. PREFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 A. Setting Your Return Addresses . . . . . . . . . . 42 B. Setting Envelope Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 C. Selecting Continuous (Dot Matrix) Label Types . . 43 D. Other Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 1. Back-up & Restore method (44) ________________________ 2. Mailing to various countries (Country setting) ______________________________________________ (44) 3. Directory Display Format (45) ________________________ 4. Alert Tone (45) __________ 5. Automatic 11-digit Zip (45) ______________________ 6. Incomplete Addresses (46) ____________________ 7. File Import (46) ___________ 8. Capitalize City Field (46) _____________________ E. Defining Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 1. PCL (laser & deskjet) printer soft fonts (47) ________________________________________ 2. Scalable fonts (47) ______________ 3. Post Office considerations (48) __________________________ F. Duplicate Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 XV. HELP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 XVI. PROBLEMS AND ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 XVII. FILES WHICH MAKE UP THE PACKAGE . . . . . . . . . . . 51 -iii- What Mailing List? __________________ I. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY WML IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THOSE CONCERNING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NEITHER ANGEL BABUDRO NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS SOFTWARE EVEN IF ANGEL BABUDRO HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE WML, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING WML BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. Some States do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you. This agreement shall be governed by the State of Colorado and shall inure to the benefit of Angel Babudro and any successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a State or Federal Court of competent jurisdiction located in Delta County, Colorado. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts. II. COPYRIGHT WML is copyright (c) 1990-1994 by Angel Babudro, all rights reserved. You may only use and/or distribute WML under the License terms below. III. LICENSE The following terms and conditions apply to the use and/or distribution of What Mailing List?: __________________ 1. WML is being distributed as Shareware; it is not free. You are granted a limited license to use WML for an evaluation period of up to 60 days, to determine if it suits your needs. Any other use of WML or use past this period requires registration. 2. You may keep as many backup copies of WML as you wish. The Registered Edition is limited to simultaneous use on the -1- What Mailing List? __________________ number of computers indicated on the Use License. The Unregistered Edition may be used on any number of computers for the purpose of evaluation as specified in paragraph (1). 3. All files originally distributed as part of the package (including this notice) must be included without modification. The complete list of files can be found in the PACKING.LST file which is part of this package. The Registered Edition CONFIG.WDT files and files ending in SFP or SFL are NOT to be distributed. 4. Individual users may freely copy this disk and share it with friends, family, and acquaintances. Non-profit groups (including user groups and BBSs) may distribute copies of this disk. A fee of no more than $5 may be charged to cover disk copying costs. If the files on this disk have dates more than a year old please contact the author for a free update to the current version. 5. Disk distributors and dealers must have written permission before selling copies of this software. When you contact me you will receive a free copy of the latest version and you will be placed on my mailing list to receive updates as they are released. Disk distributors may charge no more than $10 per disk for copies of this software. If, as a distributor, you supply copies to other resellers, the end price to the user may not exceed $10. 6. You must obtain written permission prior to distribution as part of any "bundled" packages (e.g., CD-ROM, placing on new computer systems, etc.). Such permission is often granted; the author is a nice guy - please write to him with your ideas. 7. If the software is packaged for retail sale the packaging must explain that the software is Shareware, that the purchaser is receiving a trial version, and that use beyond the trial period requires registration with the author. 8. You must immediately stop selling/distributing copies of this software upon notice from the author. IV. TECHNICAL SUPPORT (HOW TO REACH ME) If you have questions or need help, just send a note to me through the mail or a BBS listed below. Registered users, those intending to register within 30 days, vendors, and BBS sysops may contact me via telephone as well. Sysops and shareware vendors please see VENDOR.DOC for concise distribution information. -2- What Mailing List? __________________ Mail Angel Babudro, "Organic Computer Wizardry", Box 132, Paonia, CO 81428 USA Phone (303) 527-6756 Tue-Fri 10am-6pm Mountain Time I am normally available by phone during the hours stated above. If you get the answering machine please leave a message. Unregistered users must call back later - I am happy to answer your questions but I cannot afford to pay for a return call. Support & Updates from Bulletin Boards My software packages are "free" downloads on the BBSs listed below - you need not subscribe to download my shareware (although other files or functions may require subscription). You may send questions or comments to me on The Researcher's BBS and Expanding Horizons - address your comments to "Angelo Babudro" (I use "Angelo" to avoid gender confusion, and I'm used to both names anyway). Scan for the file name WML*.* to locate the latest version. West Coast Researcher's BBS (CA) USR Dual (805) 949-8151 Enter "J;136" to join the OrganicSftwr conference then use "F" to list files and "E" to post messages for me. Over 4 gigabytes of files on-line; anything you want is here. Messages can be sent to this board for me via FidoNet 1:102/1310. Expanding Horizons (CO) 14.4k V.32 (303) 241-2847 This is my local BBS. Enter "F;17" to view the list of my software. Enter "E Angelo Babudro" to leave messages for me. The sysops are very nice folks and give 45 minutes on the first call. Midwest Rusty 'n Edie's BBS (Ohio), six phone numbers: HST 16.8 (216) 726-1804 Hayes 28.8 (216) 726-3642 Hayes V-series (216) 726-3610 2400/V32/ZyXEL 19.2 (216) 726-2620 USR HST Turbo 21 (216) 726-3628 CompuCom Speed (216) 726-3584 East Coast Excalibur (Central NY) USR Dual (315) 736-3792 FREQ (File REQuest) from this board via RBBS address A:954/401, FIDO address 1:26501, or ICN address 91:315/101. WhiTech BBS (NC) ZyXEL 14.4 V32b/V42b (910) 944-1165 File Request (FREQ) via Fido address 1:3636/2. -3- What Mailing List? __________________ Software Creations (MA) - over 120 lines. Home of Night Owl CD-ROM. USR Courier 2400 MNP5 (508) 365-2359 USR Dual Standard 14.4k (508) 368-7036 USR HST/Dual Std 16.8k (508) 365-2032 USR Dual Std v.32Terbo (508) 368-6604 V. ORDERING METHODS AND REGISTRATION FEES Years of effort have gone into this software in the hopes that many people will be willing to pay for a small part of the development. Kindly remember that if you use this software past the 60-day trial period you are honour-bound to pay the registration fee. Besides, there are several benefits to registration! A. Benefits of Registration The Shareware (unregistered) version of WML is fully functional so that you may try all of its features and know exactly for what you are paying. However, until you register your copy WML will continue to remind you that you are required to pay the registration fee or discontinue use of the software. Once the 60-day evaluation period expires, WML will become a little more persistent about "reminding" you: the delay of the closing screen will increase by 0.1 seconds with each use, up to a maximum of 9 seconds. Thus, you must put up with a little more discomfort each time you use the software past the 60-day evaluation period without paying, but it will always continue to be fully functional. When you register you have the following benefits: - You get the latest version direct from the author with automated installation, free PCL soft fonts, and bonus Shareware and Freeware. - You get a complete introductory course in using computers for business which includes sections on hardware, software, and DOS, in addition to WML. - Telephone support - you can talk to the software author who can help you right away and is committed to making the software work well for you. - Updates are free - get them from a local BBS or vendor. As new features are added, WML's price is sometimes adjusted to reflect the dramatic increase in its value to users. By registering now, you pay the current (low) price and are entitled to the higher-priced features. -4- What Mailing List? __________________ - You can subscribe to receive updates & upgrades as soon as they are released so you will always have the latest features and enhancements. - The Shareware License display and Unregistered Edition delay go away. - It rewards the author for thousands of hours of software development done without pay and from which you are deriving benefit. It's the right thing to do and will surely come back to you in blessings & good karma. B. How To Order Send cash, check, or money order in U.S. funds; Canadian cheques or foreign cash are also acceptable. No Purchase Orders please; instead use the invoice (below) and, since you are and have been using the Unregistered Edition, consider it the case that you are paying for delivered merchandise. If you prefer to use a credit card, you can order WML from Public (software) Library with your MC, Visa, AmEx, or Discover card by calling 800-242-4PsL (from overseas: 713-524-6394) or by FAX to 713-524-6398 or by CompuServe to 71355,470. THESE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERING ONLY. I CANNOT be reached at those numbers. To contact me for information about dealer pricing, volume discounts, site licensing, the status of shipment of the product, the latest version number, or for technical information, call 303-527-6756 or write me at PO Box 132, Paonia, CO USA 81428. With Shareware you try the software before buying it; therefore, product returns are not allowed. When ordering from PsL ask for product #10800. C. Pricing Use License with Disk, Manual, and Computer Course -- $69. License to use one copy of WML along with the latest Registered Edition on disk with automated installation, the latest version of this documentation on disk, PCL soft fonts, notification of major updates, and a printed 3-ring- bound manual. The manual contains an introductory course in computers plus a complete guide to using WML. The course covers computer components (hardware), DOS & software basics, etc. Companion course disks are also provided. This course is for the newcomer and covers all the topics necessary to understand and maintain your computer. Manuals are printed on tree-free paper (50% hemp/50% cereal straw). -5- What Mailing List? __________________ U.S. Zip Codes - $10. With this, WML will know the city & state for virtually any US zip. Requires 5Mb hard disk space. Wholesale & OEM -- If you want to bundle WML with your own special product or service (such as a special mailing list) and resell it, please write to me with your idea. Site License -- If your firm has multiple computers on which WML will be installed you may opt to purchase a Use License (above) plus a site license. With a site license you are provided with a disk for each computer but just one printed manual which may be photo-copied (although additional copies may be purchased). Use the Help/Site License option on the WML menu to print a Site License form. Free Updates -- When you register I will send you a "key" which will work with future releases. You can download updates from a bulletin board or otherwise obtain an update and it will recognize your registration "key".1 Updates Though the Mail -- An update disk with the latest versions of all my shareware costs $7.00 (add shipping outside the continental U.S.). Updates are released every 1-8 weeks. Update Subscription -- You can subscribe to receive updates automatically through the mail. In return you agree to send $4 plus shipping within 15 days. There is no time commitment; either party may cancel at any time with written notice. Prices & specifications are subject to change without notice. Vendors & sysops please see VENDOR.DOC & SYSOP.DOC. Give & Receive Support - Register the Shareware you use ____________________ 1 Be sure to delete CONFIG.WDT from copies you share with BBSs and others. Not only does it contain all the settings on your system and certain pieces of your data, it also contains your registration key and your name. -6- What Mailing List? __________________ INVOICE & REGISTRATION Credit card orders see "How To Order" above REMIT TO: FROM: Angel Babudro Name___________________________ "Organic Computer Wizardry" PO Box 132 Company________________________ Paonia, CO 81428 USA Address________________________ _______________________________ Phone__________________________ Use License Disk, manual, & computer course ($69) _______ Complete U.S. zip codes (5Mb) ($10) _______ Shipping & Continental U.S.A. - add $3 Handling Canada, AK, HI, VI, PR - add $5 Outside U.S.A. & Canada - add $9 _______ *** T O T A L = $________ Update Subscription: Send updates every 1-4 months and bill me $7 plus shipping. I will send payment within 15 days or return the disk to cancel this service. Yes or No_______ Disk size [__] 3½" [__] 5¼" Drive density [__] Low (DD) required [__] High (HD) ok FDFORMAT/FDREAD [__] FDFORMAT extended densities okay Printer make(s) & model(s)______________________________________ Which version are you using now? (see Help/About screen)________ I got my copy from _____________________________________________ I saw a review in_______________________________________________ Upon receipt of this paid invoice the latest Registered Edition disk and any options ordered above will be sent. Mail with your cash, cheque, money order in U.S. funds; Canadians may send Cdn$. Put comments on back. Allow 1-4 weeks for the latest version to land on your doorstep. Thank you for registering! -7- What Mailing List? __________________ VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the Bulletin Board sysops who have provided so much helpful feedback, especially Skip Taylor of The Researcher's BBS (CA), Mike Halley of the Vietnam Vets BBS (IN), and Tom McElvy of Pleasure Communications (VA). I am also grateful for all of the WML users who have also provided a wealth of helpful comments. VII. WHAT DOES THIS SOFTWARE DO? What Mailing List? provides a simple and flexible way to __________________ easily manage and print mailing lists. WML has the tools to track relatively small amounts of information - hundreds or perhaps a few thousand names - although there is no limit to the number of files and a theoretical limit of 5.5 million entries per file. You'll need a faster computer and a new hard disk before any of that becomes a problem. WML is perfect for those times when you want a good-looking envelope or label, or maybe a hundred, but not fifty thousand. Software that is made to handle huge lists tends to be horribly complicated to use. WML is different. I use WML regularly as I develop it: when I need an envelope I print it on my laser, and when I need a few labels I switch to the dot matrix printer. It's very fast and easy for me, and I hope you find WML just as easy and fast to use. Learning WML can probably be done as you are using it, with little or no help from this manual. Keep an eye on the bottom of the screen since that is where I list special function keys. If you use a mouse, many of these commands can be accessed with the mouse as well. Many of my clients' greatest fear is losing data, so I'd like you to know that I use WML almost every day and my information is safe, plus WML will always warn you before it erases or abandons information so you can't lose anything without knowing about it first. Guarantees are impossible to make (actually, they're easy to make but impossible to keep), but I ____ can say that WML is as "safe" as any other high quality PC software product. I've never lost a byte of information nor have I heard of anyone else who has. -8- What Mailing List? __________________ VIII. HOW TO READ THIS MANUAL This shareware manual is intended for people with some knowledge of computers, DOS, and data bases. A detailed manual containing an introductory computer course and coverage of more advanced topics is provided with the Registered Edition. Check the System Requirements section (below) before you begin. Next, read the Using What Mailing List? for the First ______________________________________ Time section. If you are an advanced user this is probably all ____ you will need to read before using WML, otherwise I suggest you read all of this section. The rest of the manual is a reference guide, each menu item of WML being described separately. Once you have WML "up and running" use the manual to refer to specific things you want more information about. For example, if you want to understand how Groups are used, look up "Groups" in the Table of Contents and check that section. Any trademarks I happen to mention here are, of course, property of their respective owners. IX. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS The bare minimum you will need is: 1. Any IBM-PC-compatible with a 720k floppy or better 2. At least 400k of free RAM 3. MS/PC-DOS 3.1 or higher, 4dos, or DR-DOS I recommend you have: 1. An 80286 or faster computer 2. A hard disk with at least one megabyte of free space and an access time below 30ms 3. 512k or more available expanded or extended memory 4. A hard disk cache WML has been tested and found to work properly with the following Disk Operating Systems (DOS) and command interpreters: * PC-DOS 3.32 * MS-DOS 5.0, 6.2, and 6.22 ____________________ 2 PC-DOS or MS-DOS version 3.1 or later should work fine. Except for file locking, previous versions should also work fine. However, WML has only been tested with the versions listed above, so I cannot guarantee the performance with other DOSs. If you are using an older DOS, I recommend upgrading to one of the versions listed above. -9- What Mailing List? __________________ * 4DOS 4.0 & 5.0 * DR-DOS 6 * OS/2 2.1 You will need 500-950k of disk space for the programme files, depending on which optional files you decide to keep on your disk, plus space for the files you will create. You may keep the data files and programme files in different directories or on different disks, so floppy disk use is possible (although extremely slow). WML will detect whether you have a monochrome or colour card installed, but it cannot detect what type of monitor you have. If you have a monochrome (black & white) monitor and the screen is difficult to read, try starting with the "/M" switch (for "M"onochrome) like so: "WML /M". A. Practical File Size Limitations Although WML has a theoretical limit of 5.5 million names ___________ per mailing list file, you would need a super-computer or a lot of time to manage it. The number of names you can manage within a single disk file depends on the speed of your computer. Here are my ideas of what you can reasonably expect from different computer systems: Computer Type Practical File Size Limit _____________ _________________________ PC/XT (4.77MHz) 300 entries per file 286/12 1,000 entries per file 386dx/20 1,700 entries per file 386dx/40 2,300 entries per file 486dx/33 4,000 entries per file 586 (Pentium)/66 6,000 entries per file If you are a patient person, you may feel comfortable with going well over these guidelines, and vice versa for impatient people. I'm also taking into account that people running a 486 expect faster response than people using XTs; I think that WML would locate a name in a 3,000-entry file on a 486dx/33 faster than it would in a 25-entry file on a PC/XT - an 8088 is slow compared to a 486 no matter what it's doing. You can store millions of entries by creating hundreds of files, however, certain features such as duplicate checking will only work within a single file. -10- What Mailing List? __________________ B. Printers WML supports two types of printers -- a laser printer and a dot matrix printer on LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3. The laser printer must be a PCL 1-5 printer (compatible with H-P LaserJet I, II, or III). WML has been tested on Panasonic 4450 (H-P LaserJet I- compatible) and H-P LaserJet III & IV laser printers. I'm sure there are some lasers which could be better supported, so let me know if you own one of them. PCL 5 laser owners will be happy to know that they can use the scalable fonts. If your printer is not on the list check in your printer's manual for its compatibility. Most dot matrix printers are compatible with Epson or IBM, so try these if you can't find a proper match. If you have trouble, send me a note with your printer model & the problem. C. Networks With version 2.1 I have placed file "locks" to allow WML to be used on networks which use the DOS SHARE utility. LANtastic uses SHARE as do the majority of networks. OS/2 does not use SHARE but has a method which is similar and works with WML. Network users: Please share your experiences with me. One WML user has a Novell 3.11 network and has problems only when using a station running MS-DOS 6.22 and DoubleSpace (I am working with him on resolving this problem). If you tell me about any problems you have I will work with you to correct them. I have designed WML to allow one station to open a particular mailing list (.WML) file. The configuration, abbreviation, group, and zip codes files may be shared by more than one station unless they are being updated (in which case you will see a message in a window and you may try the operation again, after the other user has completed her/his update). A future plan (which will happen sooner if I get requests for it) is to use record locking (versus locking the whole file) so that more than one station can share a file as long as they work on different records within the file. This will take a fair amount of programming time and coordination with someone who is willing to test and report to me on the results. Any takers? -11- What Mailing List? __________________ D. Using With MS Windows WML can be run as a DOS application under Windows 3.1 although it is not a Windows application (in other words, it runs the same in DOS or Windows and you cannot use any of Windows' features with WML, such as the clip-board). If you don't use Windows or use it only occasionally (as I do), then use WML from DOS since it will work faster without Windows' overhead. If you normally have Windows loaded, however, then go ahead and set up an icon for WML. To do this, highlight or create a group, then use File/New to create a program item and define it as C:\WML\WML.EXE (or whatever directory you are using) and set the data directory to C:\WML or some other, as you desire. You may also use Windows' File Manager's "Associate" feature to connect ".WML" files with the WML programme. If you do this you can double-click on a WML data file and Windows will automatically launch WML using that data file. E. Using With 4DOS WML has been tested with 4DOS versions 4.0 and 5.0. WML uses the standard 4DOS "DESCRIPT.ION" file to store, update, and access long file descriptions. If you use 4DOS, when you issue the DIR command you will see the file descriptions that you entered for your WML files. Likewise, if you use the 4DOS DESCRIBE command to change the description of a WML file, the new description will be used by WML. X. USING What Mailing List? FOR THE FIRST TIME A. Quick Start If you received WML on disk you will have already used the INSTALL programme to install it on your hard disk or high- capacity floppy. Likewise, if you received WML from a BBS you have already expanded the archive in which WML came. So you should already have done these steps: 1. Created a directory for WML (or specified one in the INSTALL programme), such as C:\WML 2. If you got WML from a BBS you should have changed to that directory (e.g., CD \WML) and then expanded the archive, placing all the files in that directory. Once WML is installed on your hard disk here are the steps needed to begin using it right away: -12- What Mailing List? __________________ 1. Type "WML" at the DOS prompt. 2. Press "P" to open the Preferences menu. 3. Go down the list and fill in each preference window as necessary. You can operate WML without setting any preferences, however, WML may not operate in a way which best suits you. For example, if you work in a quiet office and don't want error tones you can turn them off on the Preferences/Other screen. 4. Use File/New to create a file. All mailing list entries must be placed within a file, so you must open or create a file before entering data. NOTE WML may be started from any disk or directory. The configuration, group, abbreviation, and zip code files will be accessed from whatever directory contains WML.EXE (e.g., C:\WML). The mailing list files will be created and opened in the current directory. So if you go to floppy drive A: and then start WML, mailing list files will be opened and/or created on drive A: Before you can start entering addresses you will need to create at least one mailing list file. Do this by selecting the "New" option under "File" (described below). Before you can print anything you will have to set your Preferences, at the very least defining your printer(s). Before you print anything on a laser printer you may want to try a test (especially with laser labels which are expensive). I suggest you run a set of labels on a sheet of paper then hold the paper and the labels together up to a light to see if things line up. When you print laser labels WML will let you adjust the label definition including the top and left margin, if necessary. Any changes you make will be saved for the future. B. Updating To a Newer Release If you download WML from a bulletin board (BBS) or get a copy from a friend or shareware vendor, just over-write the old files with the new ones - as you extract an archive you will be prompted for each file to be over-written; using DOS COPY the files will be over-written without prompting. The new version will recognize your registration "key" in your CONFIG.WDT file (which is not distributed with the Unregistered Edition). If you can't find WML on a bulletin board in your area, ask a sysop about FREQing it from the BBS networks listed in the "Technical Support (How To Reach Me)" section or send for a floppy disk update (see "Updates" section above). -13- What Mailing List? __________________ C. Choosing a Directory for WML It is a good idea to install WML in its own directory under the root. Giving each software package its own directory keeps things organized and can improve file access speed. Besides this, the root directory is typically limited to 128 files, whereas a subdirectory can contain any number of files. You might use "C:\WML" (or any valid drive letter), or maybe put all of your business programmes under an "\APPS" directory and thus use "\APPS\WML". You may organize things further by placing your data files and programme files in separate directories, however, this is only a good idea if you plan to have a large number (perhaps hundreds) of list files. You may also want to keep your data files in a different directory if you commonly import & export data. For example, you might keep your WML files with some dBase files to & from which you swap information. Let's say you put WML.EXE and all of its files in a directory C:\WML. To start WML from the DOS prompt just go your data directory (for example, "CD \LISTS\BUSINESS") then type "C:\WML\WML" and press ENTER. If you want to keep your data files in the same directory as the programme, that makes it even simpler: Just go to that directory (e.g., "CD \WML") then type "WML" -- you don't need to type the path name because you are in the proper directory already. Highlight "Preferences" and press <Enter> (or press the letter "P", or point & click with your mouse) -- you will see a list of choices. Select each item by pressing the highlighted letter or by highlighting it using the arrow keys and pressing <Enter>. After you are done setting your preferences, press ESC to close the Preferences menu then press "F" for the File menu. If no files are on disk, the only option available will be "New" and "Exit". Press "N" and type a name for your mailing list file. In a couple of seconds the list will be created and you'll be ready to go. That's all there is to it! D. Using an LCD or Monochrome Monitor with a Colour Card If you have a monochrome (Black & White) monitor connected to a colour adapter card or a laptop or notebook computer with an LCD screen, you will see shades of grey instead of colours. This may not be very readable. You can force WML to run in monochrome mode by using the "/M" switch like so: -14- What Mailing List? __________________ WML /M You may want to put the "/M" in WML.BAT using a text editor. There are a few screens which do not "listen" to the /M switch -- it's a low priority, but I am working to fix this. E. Specifying a Data Drive and/or Directory Normally, WML will use the default disk drive and directory for data files. However, you may specify a disk drive, directory, and/or file name on the command line when you start WML. The syntax is: WML [d:[\pathname\[filename]]] Examples: WML B: starts WML and uses drive B: for data files. WML C:\DATA\ starts WML and uses C:\DATA\ for data files. WML C:\DATA starts WML; if the file C:\DATA.WML exists it will be opened for use, otherwise the directory C:\DATA\ will be used for data files. WML C:\DATA\MYFILE.WML starts WML using the data directory C:\DATA\ and opens the file MYFILE.WML. F. Using the Menus WML uses CUA-style pull-down menus, which is the standard used by QuickBASIC, Macintosh, and Windows. Basically, there is a horizontal menu of choices -- File, Data Entry, etc. Under each of the horizontal choices is a menu of functions pertaining to that item -- it is a two-dimensional menu, in other words. The last item of the left-most menu is always Exit, to end the programme or the sub-menu you are on. There are two ways to select an item from the main menu: 1. Press the letter which is highlighted in the option description 2. Use the Up/Down/Right/Left arrows to highlight the option you want then press <Enter> (a.k.a. RETURN or CR). -15- What Mailing List? __________________ Some menus do not have highlighted options. On these menus you must use the arrow keys to highlight your choice then press <Enter>. If you want to cancel an operation you selected, just press the Esc ("Escape") key. G. Status Line At the top of your screen is WML's title followed by the WML file you have open (if any). At the bottom of the screen is a bar which looks like this: Total|Selected|Bad/Omit|Pack|Index|01-01-1980 From left to right the items are: 1. Total records in the open file 2. Total records selected for printing 3. Total records bad or excluded from mailings 4. The word |Pack| if there are entries to be erased 5. Selected indexing method (name, company, address, or zip). 6. To-day's date (so far as the computer knows). If you have a filter chosen, this will be replaced with "Filter" followed by: * "Sel" for Selected records only, * "Del" for Deleted records only, or * "SelDel" for both. If the filter message is bright the selection is unchanged, otherwise changes have occurred. For example, suppose you have set the filter to "Selected Only" then cleared the selection status of a record. The filter message would change to dim since the filter is no longer accurate. XI. MANAGING & PRINTING YOUR FILES The "File" menu contains options to use and manage your files and to print entries from these files. Here is a summary of the choices under the File menu: New - Create a new mailing list file Open - Open an existing mailing list file Close - Close the open file Delete - Erase a file from the disk Change - Rename a file and/or change its description Back-up - Make a back-up copy of data files Restore - Restore data files from a back-up copy -16- What Mailing List? __________________ Format Floppies - Format floppy disks (for back-up use) Index - Change the order in which entries are displayed and printed or specify which entries you would like displayed (called "filtering") Pack - Remove entries which are flagged to be deleted Import - Bring data into the open file from another file format Export - Send data to a different file format Print/Select/Query - Menu of ways to print your list, choose which entries are to be printed or otherwise operated upon, and search the file Exit - End WML and return to DOS Many of these options cannot be used at certain times (e.g., if you have an empty mailing list file the Print option is useless so WML won't let you use it). Valid options have a bright white letter; non-valid ones are "gray" with no highlighted letter. A. Creating a New File Up to 250 files can be managed by What Mailing List?. When __________________ you choose this option you will be asked to enter a name and description for the new file. The name will be checked for proper DOS syntax and you will be warned if the file name you entered already exists. If everything is okay your new file will be created and opened for use. B. Opening an Existing File Just like using a filing cabinet, you have to open a file before you can see what's in it. File/Open let's you open a file which has been previously created. After you select this option you will be presented with a list of the WML files in the current directory. Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the file you wish to use, then press <Enter>. Note that entries will be displayed and printed in the order indicated on the bottom status line. To change the sort order use the Index menu. C. Saving/Closing a File WML saves your information every time you change something. If you enter information and press the Esc key or click on a "Cancel" button with your mouse a message will warn you about -17- What Mailing List? __________________ losing any changes you have made. The only danger comes with a power outage or anything else that causes WML to end improperly (e.g., the reset button or Ctrl-Alt-Del are used). However, even in this case the only thing you would have to do is re-index the file -- no information would be lost. Just the same, it's always safest to Close a file when you will be away from your computer for a while. That way if anything happens while you are away your information is saved. The other use for Close is when you want to delete the open file. The Delete function (below) will not let you delete an open file, so you must close it first. D. Deleting a File WML contains all the tools you need to manage your mailing list files. The File/Delete function gives you a convenient way to remove files from your disk. When you select this option you will get the same file list you see with the "Open" option.3 Highlight a file and press <Enter>, and the computer will read the name back to you (to be sure you picked the right one) and ask for permission to continue. If you press <Enter> (or click on "Ok") then the file will be erased from the disk (along with it's indices) and will no longer appear on lists. E. Changing a File's Name & Description The File/Change option let's you enter a new DOS file name and/or a new description for any unopened mailing list file. Once you choose this option you will see the file list. Choose a file and the file name window will pop open. Change anything you like and select "Ok" to save it. F. Transferring Files To move a particular file between computers (say, a laptop and desktop) you will need to copy more than just the data file for proper operation. A complete set of data consists of: 1. The data file (ending in WML) 2. The index files (ending in IX*) 3. The group definitions (files matching GROUPS.*) ____________________ 3 The list will not contain the name of the open file (if any), only the files which are "put away." -18- What Mailing List? __________________ You can re-create the index files if you do not copy them, but it is usually faster to copy them. If the GROUPS files are missing you will not be able to select records by group nor will you be able to change or view the group settings. The easiest way to be sure you have it all is to copy all of your data files using the Back-up option under the File menu. Alternately, you can use the DOS copy command to copy the files in the three points above. To demonstrate, let's say you have several mailing list files and you only want to put one of them on a 3.5" floppy to use on your laptop. Let's call the list MYLIST and assume that your 3.5" disk drive is B: 1. Go to your WML directory (e.g., CD \WML) 2. COPY MYLIST.* B: to copy the data & index files 3. COPY GROUPS.* B: to copy the group files G. Making Back-up Copies of Your Files Your computer is a machine and one day it will probably break down. File/Back-up protects your information by copying it to another disk. On the Preferences/Other screen you should have indicated how you want to perform back-ups -- using the DOS COPY command, ARJ, LHARC, or PKZIP (the default is DOS COPY). You must have a formatted floppy disk ready. You can use the same back-up disk over and over again (the new copy will over-write the old one), but it is a good idea to alternate at least three back-up copies. When the work you've done since your last back-up becomes too much to lose, it's time to make another back-up. Using compression software packs more information in less space (so you can use fewer floppy disks) but requires more memory (RAM). Use |Help/About| to see your free DOS memory. ARJ 2.30 needs at least 242k free LHARC 2.13 needs at least 189k free PKZip 1.1 needs at least 119k free So, then, you select File/Back-up and a summary window pops up and the system pauses for you to enter the back-up destination (which is typically a floppy disk drive, such as A:, but you may decide to back-up to another hard disk, a network drive, etc.). All WML data files will then be backed-up to the destination disk and directory using the method shown in the window. -19- What Mailing List? __________________ See also the section on choosing a back-up method under Preferences. H. Restoring Files from a Back-up Copy If you ever need to recover data files from a floppy disk you made using the Back-up command (above), just place the floppy disk in its drive, if applicable, and select File/Restore. The method used to restore the files will be the one specified on the Preferences/Back-up window. The system will pause for you to enter the source drive -- the one you used when backing-up, which is typically a floppy disk drive, but may be another hard disk, a network drive, etc. All WML data files will then be restored from the back-up copy to the WML directory. Please see also the section of choosing a back-up method under Preferences. I. Formatting Floppy Disks This option is for those times when you have decided to make a back-up copy of your data but don't have a formatted disk handy or want to re-format a disk to check for any bad spots. File/Format Floppies lets you format a floppy disk to your computer's standard density without exiting WML. By "standard density" I mean that if you have a high density drive you can only format high density disks (in other words, WML doesn't pass any parameters to DOS FORMAT). There is an exception to this: If you have What Floppy Format? (WFF.EXE) available ___________________ somewhere in your DOS search path, WML will automatically access it for formatting floppy disks so you can format any kind of disk using FDFORMAT. (You will receive a complimentary copy of the latest version of WFF with your WML registration. FDFORMAT is a Freeware product by another author and can be found on my support BBSs.) J. Fixing Damaged Index Files (Re-Indexing) Sometimes a data base's index files can be damaged. This can typically happen with a power outage, Ctrl-Alt-Del while in WML, etc. File/Re-Index allows you to re-build the indices for a mailing list. Just open a file then select this option; everything is automatic. -20- What Mailing List? __________________ K. Removing Records Which Are Marked for Deletion (Packing) File/Pack is used to remove deleted records from the mailing list data base which is currently in use. Entries which are marked for deletion remain in a mailing list file the file is Packed. This can be handy if you accidentally mark a record for deletion because you can "un-mark" it; or you could use this feature to mark all the records you want to delete then review the records on the screen before actually packing the file. L. Importing Data from Other Software File/Import allows you to read data from other files to become a part of the mailing list file you are using (the Open file, shown at the top of the screen). Once you select import, you will be shown a menu of file types: - ASCII - What Mailing List? 2.x file - DBF file Highlight the type of file you would like to import and press <Enter>. Descriptions of each file type follow. 1. Importing ASCII files _____________________ An ASCII file must have commas delimiting each field and one record per line (i.e., CR/LF or ASCII 13 10 terminates a record). WML automatically detects NAD and WML ASCII files and you can define the layout for any ASCII file. Once you have specified the ASCII file to import, WML will show you two windows: 1) on the right, a window with the names of each WML field, and 2) on the left, a window showing the input file's fields which are assigned to the highlighted WML field (initially "None"). Use the arrow keys to highlight a WML field then press the F3 key. A window showing the data from the first record of the file will open, with each field on a separate line. Just highlight the field which belongs to the WML field and press the <SpaceBar> - an arrow will appear indicating that the field is chosen. You may continue to choose as many fields as you like; fields will be added together with a space in-between. Of course, the input -21- What Mailing List? __________________ data may be truncated (cut) if a WML field is shorter than the data coming in. Once you have defined just how WML should import the ASCII file you may wish to save the set-up in case you ever want to import this type of file again. Just press the F7 key and enter a name for the definition. After you have saved definitions you can restore them from disk using the F5 key. When you press F5 WML will ask for a directory name (unless you have a reason to do otherwise, just press <Enter> to use WML's home directory). After you press <Enter> or click on "Ok" you will see a list of available definition files (if any). Highlight the one you want and press <Enter>. To view the definition of each WML field just press the up and down arrow keys and watch the contents of the window on the left - it will change to reflect the definition of each field. To clear the definition for a field press F3 to bring up the list of input fields (you will see arrows highlighting the chosen fields) and press the <Esc> key. Alternately you may highlight each input field and press the <SpaceBar> to toggle the arrow on & off. To begin importing, press the F9 key. 2. Importing WML files ___________________ This option is handy for consolidating several files into one. Just select File/Import/WML and you will see the file list box. Choose a file, then choose whether to import all of the records or just those which are selected for printing, and away it goes. As usual, you will see a progress graph and the record number count on the bottom status line will be updated. This is a handy way to separate a group of entries which have grown too large. For example, let's say you had a list of clients grouped by occupation and one occupation became so large that you wanted to put them in a separate file. You could select all of the records with that particular group for printing. Then, create a new file and import the selected records. Back in your old file you can delete all of the selected records. Now you have a new file with just the records you want in it. -22- What Mailing List? __________________ 3. Importing dBase/DBF files _________________________ WML's DBF import can handle any file made by dBase III, FoxBase, dB XL, dB Fast, QuickSilver, Clipper, or any other dBase clone. Many information organizers (including other mailing list managers) use the DBF file format. Chances are, if the file ends in DBF you can import it into WML. When you select this option from the menus you will be asked to enter a file specification and "*.DBF" will be the default answer. Type the name of the DBF file you want to import or use the DOS wildcards to scan a file list. For example, you might type "C:\DBASE\*.DBF" to see a list of files in that directory or you might type the whole file name something like, "C:\DBASE\MYFILE.DBF". Once the DBF file is established you will see two windows with field names. On the right are the WML field names. On the left are some or all of the DBF field names for the file to be imported. Once you have specified the DBF file to import, WML will show you two windows: 1) on the right, a window with the names of each WML field, and 2) on the left, a window showing the input file's fields which are assigned to the highlighted WML field (initially "None"). Use the arrow keys to highlight a WML field then press the F3 key. A window showing the list of input fields will open. Just highlight the input field which belongs to the WML field and press the <SpaceBar> - an arrow will appear indicating that the input field is chosen. You may continue to choose as many fields as you like - they will be added together with a space in-between. Of course, the input data may be truncated (cut) if a WML field is shorter than the data coming in. Once you have defined just how WML should import the DBF file you may wish to save the set-up in case you ever want to import this type of file again. Just press the F7 key and enter a name for the definition. Unless you have reason to do otherwise, there is no need to enter a drive or path name. After you have saved definitions you can restore them from disk using the F5 key. When you press F5 WML will ask for a directory name (unless you have a reason to do otherwise, just press ENTER to use WML's home directory). -23- What Mailing List? __________________ After you press ENTER or click on "Ok" you will see a list of available definition files (if any). Highlight the one you want and press ENTER. To view the definition of each WML field just press the up and down arrow keys and watch the contents of the window on the left - it will change to reflect the definition of each field. To clear the definition for a field press F3 to bring up the list of input fields (you will see arrows highlighting the chosen fields) and press the <Esc> key. Alternately you may highlight each input field and press the <SpaceBar> to toggle the arrow on & off. To begin importing press the F9 key. 4. Importing Dr. Data Label files ______________________________ If you have been using the competing (and inferior!) mailing list package, Dr. Data Label, you can easily import your mailing lists into WML. DDLabel, as well as many other mailing list packages, uses a dBase-compatible file structure. To import these files just select the dBase DBF file import option and enter the path to your DDLabel files (e.g., C:\DDLABEL\*.DBF, or you may enter the entire file name such as C:\DDLABEL\MYFILE.DBF). Once you have entered the file name correctly and you see the import definition screen, just press the F5 (Load) key. WML will ask you for the name of your import definition; enter the name DDLABEL. That's all there is to it. Just press the F9 key to begin importing. For a more detailed description of the options on the dBase/DBF import screen refer to the preceding section, "Importing dBase/DBF Files." M. Exporting Data to Other Applications File/Export allows you to write data to a file in a different format. Once you select export, you will be shown a menu of file types: - ASCII, comma-delimited - ASCII, fixed field lengths - ASCII, Ventura Publisher - Microsoft Word merge -24- What Mailing List? __________________ - WordPerfect 4 merge file Highlight the type of file you would like to import and press <Enter>. Next you will be asked whether you would like to export all of the entries in the file, just the domestic entries (U.S. or Canada, depending on your country setting), or just the entries which are selected for printing. Highlight your choice and press <Enter> and the export file will be created. 1. ASCII, comma-delimited ______________________ This creates an ASCII file with fields trimmed of trailing blanks, quotation marks around strings, and commas between each field. Carriage return & line feed codes (dec. 13 and 10) end each record. 2. ASCII, fixed field length _________________________ This creates an ASCII file with full length fields, including trailing blanks. Carriage return & line feed codes (dec. 13 and 10) end each record. It is my understanding that this format may be used for having your list checked by the post office - I am checking into this and will quickly correct if I am mistaken. Note: If your country setting is "USA only" then the State field will be a length of two, otherwise it will be a length of 15. 3. Ventura Publisher _________________ This is an ASCII text file with a "TXT" extension. Each line of the data begins with an "at" sign (@), the name of the field, a space, an equal sign (=), another space, and then the data. For example: @NAME = ABC Company @ADDRESS_1 = 123 Main Street Lines are double-spaced in the file since this is how VP determines end-of-paragraph. 4. WordPerfect Merge _________________ First you will be asked for a file name for the exported data. Enter the full file name you wish to use, including drive and path if necessary. Once you finish with this function you will have an ASCII file which -25- What Mailing List? __________________ contains WordPerfect's merge codes. To prepare the file for use, start WordPerfect and import the ASCII file (Ctrl- F5, 1, 2). This is all you need do for WordPerfect 4.2 through 5.0. If you are using version 5.1 you will have to create a "header" line at the top of the file which identifies each of the fields by a name. 5. Microsoft Word Merge ____________________ Just like with the WordPerfect Merge file, this option will make you an ASCII file which is in Word's merge format. I don't use Word regularly, but I believe there is no special preparation needed to use the file. The most you might need to do is import the file and save it. N. Querying & Selecting Entries to Print Choosing this option under the File menu brings forth a whole new pull-down menu which lets you select or clear the records you wish to print and print labels/envelopes/etc. Under the Print sub-menu are options to print and exit back to the top menu. Before printing you must first select the records to be printed, so I'll go through the select/query options first then the printing options later. 1. Selecting entries to be printed _______________________________ Notice that the second item on the status line at the bottom of your screen shows the number of entries which are selected to print. This number will change as you use the options on this sub-menu. "All" lets you mark or un-mark all records in the data base. "Group" lets you select or clear records according to the groups to which they belong. "Date/New" will mark or un-mark records which have never been printed (i.e., the number of last mail date = 0); "Date/by Date" will select or clear records based on a specific date you provide. "Individual/All" will allow you to scan the entire data base, marking and un-marking records one at a time; "Individual/Selected" will allow you to scan only those records which are currently selected. City/State/Zip options let you select or clear options based on exact matches in these fields. -26- What Mailing List? __________________ 2. Acting upon selected entries ____________________________ The "Action" sub-menu lets you perform actions on the selected records. Once you have selected records you can reset the group settings for the records, flag them as deleted, or clear the delete flag. The Group function replaces existing group definitions with the new definition(s). 3. Query examples ______________ WML's Query may seem limited at first glance, but it is actually quite comprehensive. At the time of this writing I found myself thinking that WML couldn't do a certain type of query and then realizing that it could, so I think some examples are in order. Let's say you have two groups defined in a mailing list: Team A and Team B. Of the entries on file, some are part of Team A, some Team B, and some are both. Now, let's say you want to send a mailing to all Team A members. First you may want to choose All/Clear to clear any existing selection, then you would choose Groups/Select and flag the group Team A in the Groups Window. For another mailing you want to include all members of Team B who are not members of Team A. First, clear any existing selection. Second, use Groups/Select to flag all members of Team B. Finally, use Groups/Clear to clear all members of Team A from the selection. For another mailing you may want to include all members of Team A who have not yet received a mailing. Use the Date/New option to select these. Or you can use Date/by Date to select members who last received a mailing on a certain date. Whatever you need to do, chances are WML will do it. If you can't figure out how to get what you want, please let me know! O. Printing Note: You must define at least one printer and its fonts on the Preferences/Printer screen before you can select any printing options. The U.S. Post Offices prefer 10 to 14 point Helvetica type (a.k.a. Swiss or Univers) or -27- What Mailing List? __________________ another sans serif font (which means that it has no __________ tops or bases. Times Roman & Dutch are serif fonts). The post office also has a hard time with italic type. Some or all of the printing options on the "Print" sub- menu may be "grayed-out" and unavailable for use depending on certain conditions. For example, if you have not selected any entries for printing then all of the options except for "Group List" and "Exit" will be gray and you will not be able to select them. Note: The number of records which are selected for printing appears on the status line at the bottom of the screen. Here is an overview of the sequence of events for printing: Print Menu | Group List Phone Book Envelopes Labels Zip Dist | | | | | ------------------W h i c h P r i n t e r ?---------------- | | | | | Print Print Select Select Print return label address type | | Print Print | | + Update Times Mailed and Last Mail Date 1. 11-digit Zip Codes __________________ The USPS's latest thing is an 11-digit zip code which pinpoints the delivery location for an item. The 11-digit zip is made up of a 9-digit zip plus two extra digits and a check-digit.4 These two extra digits are normally the last two digits of the street address or Box, but there may be exceptions, the reasons for which are known to the USPS. My guess is that there are very few, if any, exceptions at ____________________ 4 The 12th digit of the extended zip code is calculated from the other 11 zip code digits and is used by OCR equipment to verify the accuracy of what they read. -28- What Mailing List? __________________ this point, but the Post Office doesn't want to make a guarantee in case things change.5 If the 9-digit zip is known but the extra two digits are not known, WML will use the last two digits of the address.6 On a bulk mailing, if this turns out to be incorrect you will never know because bulk mailings are not returned for bad addresses, but the post office tells me that it won't have any effect beyond being undeliverable (e.g., it won't affect your standing with the post office or anything like that). The way to get the exact 11-digit zip codes for your mailing list is to submit them to the post office or a third-party service on disk and get zip code and address corrections. WML will very soon be able to make a disk to submit and read correction from disk - coming soon! 2. Other Post Office considerations ________________________________ One common thing you should know about addressing envelopes: the U.S. post office delivers to the address line which is just above the zip code. If you have two address lines (such as, "123 Anywhere Street" and "P.O. Box 17") the post office will send it to Box 17. Some areas (such as Paonia, Colorado) do not provide USPS to-your-door delivery, so you may need two addresses: one for the USPS and one for UPS or some other carrier. 3. Group List __________ The Group List option lets you print a list of the groups you have defined. If you have two printers defined you will be asked to choose the one to use. Group List only appears if you have defined groups, and does not update the times mailed or last mail date. ____________________ 5 See USPS Publication 25, "Designing Business Letter Mail." 6 You can disable this feature on the Preferences/Other Settings screen. -29- What Mailing List? __________________ 4. Envelopes _________ If you defined two printers on the Preferences/Printers screen you will first be asked on which printer you want to print the envelopes. Next, you will be given a menu of return addresses to print on the envelopes. Select "None" if you do not want any return address to be printed or use the arrow keys to highlight the one you want and press <Enter> to select it. When printing on a PCL laser printer, any soft fonts you defined (on the Preferences/Printers screen) will be downloaded before printing. Note: If you are using an impact printer and have set the "Pause" field to "yes" then you will be prompted to load each envelope and press <Enter> before the data is sent to the printer. All dot matrix printers, with a few rare exceptions, have a sensor switch which detects when the paper has run out. Some dot matrix printers, especially older models, stop printing when the paper moves past the sensor, rather than printing to the bottom of the form. With envelopes this is a problem since the form is very short (typically about 4.5-inches long) and you want to print the return address about 2-inches from the bottom. If your printer has this problem with single-fed envelopes, one trick you can try is to put a business card or other piece of paper against the sensor so it will print to the bottom of the envelope. This defeats the paper-out sensor, though, so it's up to you to make sure everything is okay. After all envelope data has been sent to your printer WML will ask if you want to update the Times Mailed and Last Mail Date for the records printed. Answer by pressing the <Enter> key for "Yes" or the Esc key for "No." Answering "Yes" will change the Last Mail Date of the selected entries to today's date and the Number of Times Mailed field will be incremented by one. A laser printer tip -- if the print density is uneven try changing the left or top offsets (on the Preferences/Define Envelopes screen) so all of the return address is on a constant thickness of paper. Laser printers have trouble printing on uneven surfaces. You might also try using a different brand of envelope. As far -30- What Mailing List? __________________ as national brands go I have found that Meade recycled- fibre "security" envelopes work very well, but the Stuart Hall ones do not (too thick); Nobility recycled envelopes have a flat sealing edge which is perfect for lasers. During envelope printing you can press Esc to cancel printing. POSTNET (POSTal Numeric Encoding Technique) bar codes can automatically be printed on envelopes and labels for entries within the U.S. To print bar codes use the Preferences/Laser Labels and Preferences/Continuous Labels screens and select the Bar Codes line (you will see a check mark to the right of the line). 5. Labels ______ If you defined two printers on the Preferences/Printers screen you will first be asked on which printer you want to print the labels. For laser labels, you will be asked for the specifications of your label sheet -- the number of labels across and inches (vertically) between labels. For impact printer labels, you will be given the menu of label types from which to choose the one you are using. Note: During label printing you can press Esc to cancel printing. You can change the left offset for impact printers on the Preferences/Label Types screen. Some impact printers, such as the NEC P5300, have the paper sensor a few inches from the left margin. If you use a narrow strip of labels, such as the common 3.5 x 15/16 labels, the printer will not "see" the labels and will, therefore, not print. This is where the left offset comes in handy. You can set a left offset of, say, 1.5 inches, then load your labels 1.5-inches from the left margin. 6. Phone Book __________ You can print the phone book on your dot matrix or laser printer. A 12cpi to 17cpi mono-spaced (fixed) font will work best for the phone book, although the entries themselves work quite well with proportional fonts. If you -31- What Mailing List? __________________ use a proportional font for the titles you will find that the index at the top right of the page "floats." Short of figuring out how to do width tables, this was the best I could come up with. So just use Courier 12 or something like that. Experiment to find the best method to print the phone book on your equipment. The phone book will only include records which have been selected for printing, and does not ask to update the Times Mailed and Last Mail Date. Entries without a phone number will just show the name & address (no trailing dots after the name). 7. Zip/Postal Code Distribution List _________________________________ Here is a useful report for people who do bulk mailings. It shows each of the zip codes included in the open file's Selected records along with a count of the total number of entries in that zip/postal code. U.S. zip codes are classified by the 5-digit zip even if the entry has a 9-digit zip. When you print your bulk mailing, just bring this report with you to the Post Office. It is my understanding that they will use the report rather than count each envelope bundle by hand. The Zip/Postal Code Distribution does not update the times mailed or last mail date since it does not print any entries. XII. DATA ENTRY This menu lets you enter data into a mailing list or define groups and abbreviations. A. Names This is the main data entry screen of WML since it is where you enter and change your mailing list information. You can only use this function when you have a mailing list file opened for use. When you choose Names a window will open which has room for all of the information for a single entry. If the open file has any entries the window will be filled with the first entry on file. If the file is empty, a blank form will be displayed. -32- What Mailing List? __________________ As you move through a mailing list file, a file position indicator on the right side of the screen will change to show you the displayed record's position in the file. When you are entering a new record the indicator turns yellow (or bright white on a monochrome monitor) and is positioned at the bottom. 1. Special keys and key combinations _________________________________ While on the Names screen there are several special keys (such as PgDn) and key combinations (such as ^PgDn) shown at the bottom of the screen. PgDn Move forward (down) through the file. If you press PgDn on the last record on file, What Mailing List? will beep. PgUp Move backward (up) through the file. If you press PgUp on the first record on file, What Mailing List? will beep. ^PgDn "Control-PageDown" -- hold down the key marked Ctrl and press the PgDn key. This tells WML to begin adding new records. ^Home "Control-Home" -- moves to the first entry on file. Hold down the Ctrl key then press the Home key. ^End "Control-End" -- moves to the last entry on file. Hold down the Ctrl key then press the End key. 2. Function keys (F-keys) ______________________ On the bottom of the screen you will see several function keys defined. Function keys are labelled "F1" through "F10" along the left side of your keyboard, or "F1" through "F12" along the top of your keyboard. 3. Alt key combinations ____________________ On the right-hand side of the window you will notice four toggles: Delete, Bad, Omit, and Select. The first letter of each option is highlighted to indicate the Alt- key combination to use. Example: To toggle the delete flag hold down the <Alt> key (like you would the <Shift> key) and press the letter "D". 4. Using filters _____________ If you have selected one or more filters from the Index menu the entries you see will be only those included in the -33- What Mailing List? __________________ filter at the time the filter was set. The Names screen will begin with the first entry with the filter criteria (e.g., the first deleted record on file may actually be the fifth record). When records within a filtered set of records change, those records remain within the filtered set of records. To illustrate, if you have the filter set to show you only those records which are selected for printing, then you go to the Names screen and change the Select flag for a record. Since this record is no longer selected for printing it doesn't "belong" in the filtered set of records any more, but WML leaves it there so you can review the changes you have made to the records which were originally filtered. To reset a filter (e.g., using the above example, to eliminate the records which were changed from the filtered set), just toggle the filter setting OFF then back ON again. As you use the PgUp and PgDn keys the display will jump to the next or previous entry with the filter criteria. The F2 (Find) key will display only those selections included in the filter. Note: I decided that filters are more useful if they do not change dynamically. That is, if you have the filter set to Selected records then you Clear (or un-select) a record, that record will still be in the filtered list until you reset the index or filter options. Think of it this way: if you are reviewing a bunch of records you had marked for printing to make a final decision, it would be really a pain if, every time you changed a Select status flag, entries disappeared from your review list so you couldn't see which ones you had Cleared from being printed. If you want to reset the filtered list after changing many records, just go to the Index menu and turn the filter off and back on. 5. Getting help (F1/Help) ______________________ When you see the "F1/Help" message at the bottom left of your screen if means there is context-sensitive help available for the field on which the cursor is sitting. Whether or not the message is displayed you can press the -34- What Mailing List? __________________ "F1" key for help. If there is no specific help for the item you are on you will get the Help Index. In the State/Province field pressing F1 brings up a list of U.S. State and Canadian Province names from which you may browse and select one. The abbreviation for the selected State or Province will be placed in the record. 6. Locating an entry (F2/Find) ___________________________ Use this function key to navigate through your mailing list. F2/Find opens a window showing all of the entries on file, one line per entry. You can browse through the list to jump directly to the entry you want. You will notice new function keys at the bottom of the screen while the Find function is active. You can press a letter or number to go directly to the index-key entry beginning with that letter or number (if you are using the Zip index press a "9" to jump to the first entry with a "9" zip code; if you are using the Company Name index you could press "K" to jump to the first company beginning with "K")7. Use the arrow and PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys to move around the list. Press <Enter> to use the entry which is highlighted. 7. Grouping entries together (F3/Group) ____________________________________ F3 opens a window showing all of the groups defined with arrows next to ones to which this record belongs. You define groups by using the Data Entry/Groups screen (defined below). Basically, just highlight a group and press <Enter>; the arrow will appear and disappear (toggle) next to it -- an arrow means that the entry belongs to this group. When you press the F3/Group key a window appears showing the groups defined. Inside the window all of the group descriptions for this mailing list file are displayed (up to 255 groups). You can move through the list using ____________________ 7 The index is determined by the setting of the Index menu. If the index is set to Address, then the entries will be sorted by whatever is in the first address line -- starting with blanks, then numbers, then letters. The current index is displayed on the status line at the bottom of the screen. -35- What Mailing List? __________________ the up/down arrow keys, the PgUp/PgDn keys, or by pressing the first letter of the group description you wish to find. When a group is highlighted, press <Enter> to select it or clear the selection. Selected groups have an arrow to the left of them. When a group is Selected for an entry, it means that this person or business is a part of that group. For example, if you have a group called "Christmas List" you can Select this group for all people you want to be on your Christmas list. 8. Adding new records __________________ When you first use the Names screen on a new (empty) file, WML will automatically place you in Add mode. Once the file has information, however, you are initially placed in Edit mode (i.e., existing information is displayed for you to view and/or change). To add a new record to the file just press ^PgDn (hold down the Ctrl key then press the PgDn key). This places ____ ____ you in Add mode. You will see a blank data entry form and the file position indicator will go to the bottom and turn yellow (or bright white on a monochrome monitor). While adding new records What Mailing List? checks for duplicate names and addresses. If you have duplicate checking enabled (on the Preferences menu) you will see an information window telling you about any duplicates and asking permission to continue. An entry must contain something unique in personal and company name. You can't enter two records with the same personal names and company name. The only time I can think that you might need to enter a duplicate is if the same person & company has two offices. I may figure out a way around this soon... When you are finished entering new addresses you can change modes in one of three ways: 1. Press ESC on a blank form to return to the menu (if you press ESC and have changed any information on the screen you will be given a message and an opportunity to save it -- don't worry) 2. Press PgUp to move "up" to the existing records in the file (i.e., switch to "change" mode) 3. Press F2 (Find) to locate an existing record To abandon new information (i.e., if you have started entering something on the screen and decide you don't want -36- What Mailing List? __________________ to save it), press the Esc key before you finish the ______ screen. 9. Changing existing records _________________________ While an existing record is displayed you can change information, mark it for deletion, exclude it from being printed, or mark it as being a bad address. You can use your mouse to go to the field you want to change or use the arrow keys to move around. After you have made changes just press F7 (Save), or press Esc (Cancel) to abandon any changes you made. 10. Using the Delete/Omit/Bad Address flags _______________________________________ On the right side of the Names data entry window you will notice four lines which have square brackets [ ] to the left of them. These are called flags (since they flag _____ a condition) or toggles (since they act like toggle _______ switches, being turned on and off). If there is a check- mark ( ) inside the brackets then this item is selected, otherwise it is not. For example, if a check-mark is next to the "Delete" flag then this record is marked for deletion and will be removed from the file the next time it is Packed. You can set the toggles either with a mouse or the keyboard. To use a mouse just place the mouse cursor anywhere on the item you want to change and press the left button. The check-mark will turn on and off as you click on the option. To use the keyboard just hold down the Alt key and press the highlighted letter of the flag you wish to toggle (e.g., "D" for the Delete flag). The Delete toggle indicates whether a record is to be removed from the file the next time the File/Pack option is used. The Bad Address toggle indicates that the entry is a bad address and should not be printed. Likewise, Exclude indicates an entry which should not be included in print- outs. Records marked Bad or Exclude cannot be selected for printing. The Select flag indicates whether the entry is selected for printing. Only those entries which are selected for printing will print. -37- What Mailing List? __________________ 11. Using Smart Zip _______________ Smart Zip is a feature which automatically enters the City and/or State/Province for a given zip code or postal code. The State or Province will always be filled in for you. If the exact zip/postal code is on file8 the city will also be filled in. If the city is not on file you will be asked to enter it; the next time you type that zip/postal code the city and state/province will be filled in automatically. Some areas of the U.S. have more than one city served by a post office. For example, my post office (81428) serves three towns (Paonia, Bowie, and Somerset). If a zip code has more than one city a window will pop open after you enter the zip code in which all the available cities are listed. Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the one you want and press ENTER to select it. 12. Macros & Key Words __________________ Some mailing list packages use function key (F-key) macros to save you typing and let you define "key words" for entries. What Mailing List? does all this, too, but in __________________ a slightly different way. The use of macros can be simulated using WML's Abbreviations (described below). A simple 1-5 letter abbreviation can expand to whatever you need. For example, you can define an abbreviation "POB" which expands to the full text, "P.O. Box" or even "Post Office Box." Note: Abbreviations are used on the address, comments, and city fields (although the city is usually automatically filled in via Smart Zip). "Key words" are usually one or more short fields in which you can put short key words (like "PRO" for "Prospects", "XMAS" for "Christmas List", etc.). WML gives you two flexible ways of accomplishing this same goal without cluttering the screen with extra fields: ____________________ 8 For U.S. addresses only the first 5 digits of the zip code are used to identify the City and State. -38- What Mailing List? __________________ 1. Define group names into which your entries fit (such as "Service companies," "Christmas list," etc.). While entering a new name or viewing an existing entry just press the F3 key to pop-up the Groups window. An entry can belong to none or as many as 20 groups. When you want to print your Christmas list just use Print/Select/Query (under the "File" menu, described above): Under the "Groups" menu choose the "Select" option. You will see the familiar pop-up window showing all group definitions. Select as many groups as you want then press F7. All entries in those group(s) are now selected to print. 2. Place key words or phrases in the comment lines. Let's say you had a customer list and in the comment lines you liked to keep track of which computer equipment your client's owned. You might put things like XT, AT, 386, Laser, Tape, VGA, DTP, etc. in your comments. When you want to mail a notice to all of your desktop publishing clients ("DTP" people), just use Print/Select/Query (under the "File" menu, described above): Under the "Phrase" menu choose the "Select by phrase in comment" option; enter the key "DTP" and press <Enter>. All entries with "DTP" somewhere in the comments are now selected to print. B. Groups The idea behind this section of WML is to let you define group names to which entries may belong. For example, in your business you may want to distinguish people by whether they are current customers or prospects, or whether they are customers for Product A, Product B, or Service Contract. For example, John Jones and Arthur Smith have service contracts with you; Acme Drywall and Frank Smith purchased Product A from you. If you want to send a mailing to all people who have service contracts, you can ask WML to select (for printing) those entries which belong to group "Service Contact". You may define and change up to 255 group descriptions. Grouping entries together makes it easy to select just the people you want for mailings. Other examples of common group types are business types (automative, general retail, attorney, etc.), and region definitions (northwest, west, southwest, etc.). Note: Groups are an optional part of each record. An entry may belong to no groups at all, or it may belong to a maximum of 20 groups. -39- What Mailing List? __________________ Using the Data Entry/Groups screen is easy: Use the Up and Down Arrows to highlight an existing group definition then press the <Enter> key to change the text (e.g., you may have misspelled a word and want to correct it or you may find a better way to describe a certain group). Press the Ins (Insert) key to add a new group definition to the list. Press the Del (Delete) key to delete (erase) a group definition. Note: When you tag a mailing list entry as belonging to a particular group, WML remembers the record number of the group rather than the descriptive text. So if you change the description of a group all entries in all of your mailing lists will still belong to that group. If you delete a group, any entries which were part of that group will remember the record number; unless you open & re-index your files (which will remove any invalid group references), when you define a new group your old mailing list entries will "belong" to that group. For example, if you have a "Christmas List" group and you delete it then add a new group called "Black List", all of your "Christmas List" entries will now belong to the "Black List" group. The reason for this is that it could be a very slow process to have WML search through every mailing list file to remove a group codes from all files -- if you had many large mailing lists it could take minutes or hours to delete a group code. To avoid this potential problem, use the File/Re-index option on each of your files which contain definitions for a group you delete. C. Abbreviations (Macros) This handy feature lets you define abbreviations to be used in entering your data. This is the same concept as a macro. Abbreviations will be used on the address, city, and comment lines of entries. Use Ins/Del to insert and delete abbreviations, or use the Up/Down arrows to highlight and change existing abbreviations. An abbreviation entry consists of an abbreviation and the full text for the abbreviation. For example, an abbreviation might be "LA" and the full text "Los Angeles." Any time you put "LA" on the city, first address line, or any of the comment lines it will be expanded to say "Los Angeles." -40- What Mailing List? __________________ XIII. INDICES & FILTERS: CONTROLLING THE SORTING SEQUENCE AND VIEWING OF ENTRIES This menu lets you change the order in which the entries in your mailing list are displayed and printed. There are four indexing options and two filter options from which to choose: 1. by Name -- will sort entries by Surname plus First Name plus a portion of the Company Name. 2. by Company Name -- will sort entries by Company Name plus Surname plus a portion of the First Name. 3. by Address -- will sort entries by the first address line plus a portion of Surname plus a portion of First Name plus a portion of Company Name. 4. by Zip/Postal code -- will sort entries by zip/postal code plus a portion of Address. 5. Filtered to include Selected records only. This option, when activated (a dot appears to the left), allows only the records which are selected for printing to be displayed and modified. To state the reverse, any records which are not selected for printing will seem to be gone -- they will not show up on the screen nor on the F2 (Find) window. 6. Filtered to include Deleted records only. When activated (a dot appears to the left), only records which are marked for deletion will show up on the Names data entry screen, including the F2 (Find) window. A. Changing the Index The active index has a dot to the left of it. To select a different index and/or to clear any filters (on the bottom section of the Index menu), just highlight or press the first letter of the index you would like to use. Only one index can be active at a time. When you select an index it immediately becomes active; there is no need to re-index your files or perform any other process. You can instantly switch between the indices because WML maintains all four indiex files simultaneously. B. Filters A filter is a way of limiting what you see, just like a camera filter. This makes it easier to review certain entries, especially in very large mailing lists. -41- What Mailing List? __________________ 1. Setting a filter ________________ Let's say you selected all records in Group A for printing and then wanted to browse that list, eliminating a few here and there to reach a goal of 75 mailings. Just use the Index menu to set the "Selected filter" ON (a dot will appear to the left when it is ON). You will see a bar graph as the open file is filtered (on smaller files it may fly by so quickly you'll barely know it was there). Now, when you go to the Data Entry/Names screen you will see the first record on file which is selected for printing (which may not necessarily be the first actual record on file). Pressing the PgUp and PgDn keys will move you around with the filtered list. If you press the F2 (Find) key, the window will contain only the filtered list. It may seem as if the other records are gone, but a quick look at the status line at bottom of the screen will tell you that the number of records in your file has not changed. 2. Clearing a filter _________________ To clear a filter just select it again from the Index menu. Filters are toggles -- select once to turn ON, again to turn OFF, again to turn ON, etc. etc. XIV. PREFERENCES The Preferences menu contains options which help you customize the operation of WML and set necessary parameters, such as the type(s) of printer(s) you have. Preferences are in two groupings on the menu, separated by a horizontal line. The upper options are screens; the bottom two options are toggles (i.e., they are either "on" or "off"). A dot next to any of the bottom three toggles indicates that it is "on." Please check each Preferences screen before making full use of WML, otherwise something might seem wrong with the software whereas it is due to the set of conditions under which WML is operating. A. Setting Your Return Addresses You can set up to two return addresses which you would like to print on laser envelopes. Each address may contain up to four lines, and can include punctuation, even quotation marks and commas. -42- What Mailing List? __________________ When you are finished with this screen you can click on "Ok" to save the information and exit, "Cancel" to ignore any changes and exit, or use the keyboard keys F7 to Save or Esc to cancel. B. Setting Envelope Size I expect that most folks, like me, tend to use the same kind of envelope time and again, and it's probably a #10 "business" envelope. So I decided to keep this screen simple and just have a single definition for an envelope which can be changed from time to time, if necessary. There are just three numbers to fill in: The width of the envelope (left to right), the length (top to bottom), and the left margin for the return address. Enter fractions of an inch as decimal figures (e.g., 1/2 is .5, 1/8 is .125, etc.). The left margin adjustment can be negative or positive. A negative number will move the return address to the left, a positive number will move it to the right. C. Selecting Continuous (Dot Matrix) Label Types WML is pre-configured for a few common label types, such as the ever-popular 1-across 3½-inch by 15/16-inch labels which are commonly sold in boxes of 5,000. There are several blank, undefined label types which you can set up yourself. In addition, you can even change the pre-defined labels to whatever you need. First you will see the menu of label choices. Highlight the one you want to change and press <Enter>. A window will open showing the name of the label and all of the measurements. Type a short name (such as "Mailing", "Shipping", "Disk", etc.) to indicate the type of label. Enter the width of the actual label (i.e., how much room there is upon which to print), the vertical distance from the top of one label to the top of the next, the horizontal distance from the left side of one label to the left side of the next, and the number of labels across. You can use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move between lines, or point and click with a mouse. When you are finished click on "Ok" to save or "Cancel" to abandon any changes, or use the keyboard keys F7 to Save or Esc to cancel. -43- What Mailing List? __________________ D. Other Settings 1. Back-up & Restore method ________________________ Under the File menu are options which allow you to back-up and restore your data to/from other disks for safety. These operations will use the DOS COPY command unless you use this option to change it. You will see a menu of four choices of methods to use when backing-up and restoring: DOS COPY (the default), ARJ, LHARC, or PKZIP. In order to use ARJ, LHARC, or PKZIP compression software you must have the compression programme available in your DOS PATH. In addition, you will also need enough free memory (RAM) to run both WML and the compression software. 2. Mailing to various countries (Country setting) ______________________________________________ WML has been designed to validate data differently for U.S., Canadian, and other (International) addresses. By using the proper country setting you will have the following abilities and features: The "U.S.A Only" setting will only allow numerical zip codes in the format #####-######, telephone numbers in the format (###) ###-####, dates in the format MM/DD/YYYY, and state two-letter abbreviations. If you enter a full State name (properly spelled, of course) WML will find its abbreviation for you. The "Canada Only" setting allows postal codes only in the format A#A #A# (where A is a letter and # is a number), telephone numbers as (###) ###-####, dates in the format DD-MM-YYYY, and province abbreviations. If you enter a full province name WML will find its abbreviation for you. The "U.S.A and Canada" and "Canada and U.S.A." settings accept data in either of the formats mentioned above. Dates are presented in the format "## AAA ####". For example, "17 Sep 1992". The "International" setting does the least "work" for you: it does not format zip codes or telephone numbers and does not look up state/province abbreviations. Everything you enter is treated as literal information. Dates are displayed in yyyy-mm-dd format. -44- What Mailing List? __________________ 3. Directory Display Format ________________________ Some of the options under the File menu, such as Open and Erase, display files on your disk. You can choose one of three ways to display these files: 1. The DOS file name followed by the size, date, and description 2. The DOS file name only 3. The description (long name) followed by the DOS file name, size, and date. WML sorts the files from left to right, so format #1 and #2 will be in the same order, but #3 will be sorted according to the descriptions of each file. 4. Alert Tone __________ When some type of error or warning message is displayed on the screen, you reach the end of a field, press a wrong letter in a menu, etc., WML can alert you with one of three sounds or you may select "No sound" for silent operation. 5. Automatic 11-digit Zip ______________________ If this feature is enabled then WML will figure out the extended zip code for any address which has a 9-digit zip. According to the USPS this is normally accurate but there may be exceptions. When an envelope is pre-bar-coded it seems to me that it goes coast-to-coast a day faster. If you are doing ordinary first class mailings having a bad bar code would take away that one day advantage and maybe even add a day for them to correct it. If you are doing a bulk mailing, an improper bar code is grounds for trash- canning your mail - you'll never know about it (so you can't correct the mistake), but it isn't otherwise a problem. Of course, it is best if your mailing list is entirely accurate. This is almost entirely impossible with large lists, but you can get closer to that goal using the post office and third-party vendors who can correct your lists and provide the full 11-digit zip. Ask your postmaster for information about submitting a disk for free updating by the post office. The Post Office will verify a given mailing list file only once - after that you will have to go to the C.A.S. -45- What Mailing List? __________________ who provide the service for a fee. If your mailing list consists of local addresses, the Post Office's one-time free service will probably be all you'll ever need. If you get your list verified then a year later you go after a new market and create a new list, this new list is eligible for the PO's free one-time service. I'm really impressed that such an excellent service is free of charge and that it is beneficial to all parties. 6. Incomplete Addresses ____________________ The setting of this option determines whether incomplete addresses will be printed. An incomplete address is one which is missing the street, city, state/province, or zip/postal code. If this field is set to "Print" then all Selected entries will print. If set to "Don't print" then Selected entries which have incomplete address information will not be printed. 7. File Import ___________ This field determines how duplicate entries will be handled when importing from another file. There are three settings for this field: Ignore duplicates, Include duplicates, and Ask each time. "Ignore duplicates" will not import entries which duplicate an entry in the open file. "Include duplicates" will import all entries (i.e., duplicate checking is skipped). "Ask each time" will pop open a window and ask whether or not to import the entry if a duplicate is found. 8. Capitalize City Field _____________________ The setting of this field determines how city names will be entered from the keyboard on the Data Entry/Names screen. There are three settings: All upper case, Capitalize, and Leave as typed. "All upper case" will accept only upper case letters for the city name. "Capitalize" will capitalize each word of the city name, regardless of how you enter it (e.g., "LOS ANGELES" will change to "Los Angeles" and "McLean city" will change to "Mclean City"). "Leave as typed" will leave the name as you enter it. -46- What Mailing List? __________________ E. Defining Printers WML can use two printers, a laser and a dot matrix. The laser can be used to print envelopes and laser labels. The dot matrix can be used to print continuous labels. Either printer can be used to print group lists and phone books. Until you define your printer(s) and font(s) there will be a flashing message at the bottom of the screen and you will not be able to use the File/Print option. The Printer definition window shows the current settings. Use the arrow keys to move around, and press the F3 key to change anything. For example, to set your dot matrix printer move the cursor to that line then press F3 and a menu of choices will appear. Highlight your printer (or one compatible with it) and press <Enter>. Then move down to the font definition and press F3 again. Highlight your font selection and press <Enter>. When you are finished, highlight the "Ok" button and press <Enter>. Alternately, you can press F7 to save the screen and exit. 1. PCL (laser & deskjet) printer soft fonts ________________________________________ You will need landscape (SFL) fonts for envelopes and portrait (SFP) fonts for everything else. You decide which fonts to use once -- on the Preferences/Printers screen -- and, from then on, WML automatically uses these choices. Consider an example: When you set the font for the envelope return address you may choose any of your printer's built-in fonts or a soft font. If you select the first item in the font list, "Select a soft font," you will first be asked for the drive and/or path containing the files. The last directory you used will be the default. After you enter a correct path you will be shown a list of the landscape soft font files (*.SFL) in that directory. Use the arrow keys and PgUp/PgDn keys to move around, highlight the one you want, and press <Enter>. The soft font file name will now be shown on the screen. 2. Scalable fonts ______________ A scalable font is a single font (e.g., CG Times, Helvetica, etc.) which can be printed in practically any size. I have yet to see how a scalable soft font works and ____ I have no idea how one would work with WML (try it and see) (then tell me!). -47- What Mailing List? __________________ Printers like the H-P LaserJet III and IV have scalable fonts built in. This means you can pick a font, such as Univers, and print in practically any size you want. When you select a scalable font WML will prompt you for the pitch (cpi) or the point size, depending on whether it is a fixed-pitch or proportionally-spaced font. In general numbers between 8 and 14 work best. My favourite font for both my laser and dot matrix is a Helvetica-type (sans serif) font at 12cpi or 12 points. 3. Post Office considerations __________________________ The USPS uses OCR (optical code recognition) equipment to automatically read machine-printed envelopes. When it works properly it can speed your mail through faster and on bulk mailings it saves money. For laser printers, a font size of 8 to 18 points must be used; 10 to 12 points is recommended. It is also recommended that you use Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica, Swiss, or Univers (a sans- serif soft font is provided with the Registered Edition of WML). On dot matrix printers use a 10cpi or 12cpi font. F. Duplicate Checking WML can check for duplicate personal names, company names, and/or addresses while you are entering information. Just select any or all of these flags - a dot to the left of the item means that it is "On." You can toggle them on and off as desired; their setting will be saved. Duplicate checking helps avoid duplicate entries which have different personal names or ones which have identical addresses but a different name. The drawback is that dup checking can slow your computer down, so if you are working on a very large mailing list or a very slow computer you might want to try turning some or all of the duplicate checking options OFF to increase speed. XV. HELP The Help menu has three options: Index, About, and Settings. Help/About gives you some information about your memory and how to reach me. -48- What Mailing List? __________________ Help/Index gives you a list of help topics from which you may choose. This is like a brief on-line manual. To use it just highlight a topic and press <Enter> -- a helpful window of information will appear. Help/Settings shows you some of the important Preferences settings on a single screen so you can review them. XVI. PROBLEMS AND ERROR MESSAGES WML tries to handle most problems without any attention from you, however, there are times when an error happens which WML is unable to handle. There are three types of errors which you may experience: 1. Condition error - this is a problem due to an operating condition. Examples of this type of error are if a printer is off-line when you try to print, if duplicate checking is turned "on" and a duplicate entry is found, or if a file is locked by another user on a network. WML will report the condition in a window and, once you press ENTER or click the "Ok" button WML will continue operating. 2. File error - these problems cause an error screen to appear which suggests a possible solution to the problem and, if you can't fix it, my address and phone number is shown so you can contact me. A common reason for this error is that an index file contains a bad entry (perhaps due to a power outage). The most common solution to these problems is to re-index your files (File/re-Index). 3. Programme error - this is a mistake of mine and will cause the programme to abruptly end with a one-line error message and a message like "Press any key to return to system." Report these errors to me right away, please. Just like other large software packages, WML contains hundreds of thousands of instructions and the bigger it gets the more likely it is that a "bug" will creep in there somewhere. These errors get top priority and are usually fixed and a new version released within a day. If anything happens that you don't understand, or if you can't get WML to do what you want, I would appreciate knowing -49- What Mailing List? __________________ about this so I can fix the software or update the documentation as necessary. Most software of any significance has "bugs" which are errors of logic in the programme. PC-DOS, MS-DOS, and Windows all have "bugs" which can cause problems. As WML goes through its evolution, bugs are removed; as new features are added new bugs sometimes find their way into the software. I place great emphasis on keeping data safe and know of no person who has ever lost data due to a problem in WML. However, problems with DOS or computer equipment may cause data to be lost in rare circumstances. If any of your data seems to be missing exit to PC-DOS (or MS-DOS) and type "CHKDSK d: /F" (without the quotation marks and replacing "d:" with the drive on which you store your WML files, such as "C:"). If you are using MS-DOS version 6 or later, use the command "SCANDISK d:" (without the quotation marks and replacing "d:" with the drive on which you store your WML files) since it performs a more thorough test. These commands will check your disk for any problems pertaining to the files on them. The SCANDISK utility can also perform a surface scan which tests the entire disk to be sure all areas of it are usable. If CHKDSK or SCANDISK find any errors they will be reported to you and you will be asked for input on correcting the errors. CHKDSK only knows how to clear any errors and turn "orphan" data into new files. By "orphan" data I mean data which is on your hard disk but for which DOS has lost the information about the file to which it belongs. Normally this data is not usable or requires tremendous effort to make it usable again. I suggest you do not create files from this data unless you have lost a tremendous amount of data which would be very difficult to re- enter or the data is irreplaceable. Beyond this point you will require the help of someone who knows how to recover damaged files. Contact me if you cannot find a local consultant to perform this service for you. SCANDISK is able to identify bad sections of your disk and attempt to move data to safe areas. If the area is badly damaged the attempt to move data may not be entirely successful. If SCANDISK tells you it has found problems on your disk I suggest you let it fix them. If your data is irreplaceable or would take a tremendous amount of effort to re-enter, then I recommend that you get the help of a consultant. At the very least make a complete back-up copy of your data files (or the entire hard disk) so that you can attempt to restore information in case files are so badly damaged that information becomes lost. -50- What Mailing List? __________________ In most cases you will find that no data is missing and all you need to do is re-index your files for the "missing" entries to re-appear. To re-build the index files just select the Re- index option on the File menu. XVII. FILES WHICH MAKE UP THE PACKAGE What Mailing List? is made up of the following files: __________________ WML.EXE The executable file WML.HLP The help file WML.TXT * The ASCII text file of this document WML.WP * The WordPerfect file of this document (so you can format it for your printer) POSTAL.DAT U.S. and Canadian zip/postal code ranges file PRINTER.DAT Printer definition file DDLABEL.WID * Import definition for Dr. Data Label files READ.ME * A text file of late-breaking news. Read this first. ORDER.FRM Order form for all of my software VENDOR.DOC * Information file for BBS Sysops & Shareware distributors/disk vendors SYSOP.DOC * Special deals for BBS sysops & co-sysops These are the files which are provided with the unregistered package. Files marked with an asterisk (*) are not required to run WML so they may be erased if disk space is a premium (such as if you are using WML on a floppy disk system). When you run WML for the first time it will create the following files in the same directory as the EXE programme file: CONFIG.WDT Your preferences and certain historical information (such as last back-up date) ABBREVS.WDT Abbreviations you define ABBREVS.IX Index for abbreviations GROUPS.WDT Groups you define GROUPS.IX Index for groups The Registered Edition contains extra files which are for use by the registered owner only. So if you share WML with friends and BBSs, please ERASE these Registered Edition files from the copies you share: *.SFP Portrait PCL soft fonts *.SFL Landscape PCL soft fonts CONFIG.WDT Registration key & configuration info -51- What Mailing List? __________________ INDEX 4DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 12 Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Adding new entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ASCII Files Importing data from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Bar codes Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Bulletin Boards Obtaining updates & upgrades from . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Changing a File's Name & Description . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Changing existing records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 City Capitalization preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Coding entries See Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Country setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 U.S.A. and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 U.S.A. only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Creating a New File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Credit card Registering using . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 DBase/DBF files Importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Deleting a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Deleting records Removing records which are marked for deletion . . . . . 21 Directory Choosing a Directory for WML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dr. Data Label Files Importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 DR-DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Duplicate checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Envelopes Defining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Erasing a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 ASCII, comma-delimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 ASCII, fixed field length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 MS Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Ventura Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 WordPerfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 File name Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 -52- What Mailing List? __________________ Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 41 Clearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 39 Defining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Printing a group list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Help Accessing help for a function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Importing ASCII (text) files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Data from other software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 dBase (DBF) files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Dr. Data Label files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 WML files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Index Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 International mailings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Key words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Labels Defining continuous (dot matrix) label types . . . . . . 43 Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Menus Using . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Monochrome (/M) switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 14 MS-DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Networks Using WML with . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Opening an Existing File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 OS/2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Packing a file Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 PC-DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Phone book Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Printers Defining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 47 Laser printer soft fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Selecting entries to be printed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 U.S.P.S. considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Return addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Saving/Closing a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 -53- What Mailing List? __________________ Scalable fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Smart Zip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Soft fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Sorting sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Update Subscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7 Updating to a newer release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Windows Using WML with . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Zip codes 11-digit zip codes (U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 45 -54-