home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Gold Medal Software 3
/
Gold Medal Software - Volume 3 (Gold Medal) (1994).iso
/
database
/
ddf606a.arj
/
HELPDOC.EXE
/
PRNLLL.HLP
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-03-05
|
36KB
|
720 lines
╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ Printing Labels, Letters and Lists │
╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
In order to print, a database must first be selected. See "Getting
Started" in the on-line documentation. A Filter and/or Index may also
be set. See "Creating a Filter" and "Creating/Selecting Index Files"
in the on-line documentation.
To start, select "Print Labels/Letters/Lists" in the main menu. A
sub-menu will then appear with selections A through N. Some are not
always available depending on the template type specified with
selection "C) Select Template Type: XXXXXX".
A) Template: nnnnnnnn cc/ttt
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will allow you to edit the name of the template. The
"nnnnnnnn" is the name of the template that can be edited. Two or
more templates can have the same name. The "cc" represents the
current template number. The "ttt" represents the total number of
templates available. To move from one template to another press
<PgUp>, <PgDn> or <Alt-L>.
What is a Template?
Templates allow you to custom design your printout. Field macros are
placed in templates to represent field data when printing. A template
can contain your own text such as "See inside for special offer!",
macros such as {LAST} for "last name" which represents field content
from fields in your record(s), printer macros for enhancing text and
special macros for other purposes. These macros are sometimes
referred to as merge codes. Macros are explained in more detail later
in this section.
B) Edit/Add/Delete Templates
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will present another sub-menu allowing you to select
"Edit", "Add", "Delete", or "Import".
A) Edit ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will allow you to edit the current template. The
editing commands are the same as for memo fields. See "Edit Memo
Fields" in "Editing and Adding Records" in the on-line
documentation. Instruction for "Filling in a Template" will
follow later in this section.
B) Add ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will add a blank template record. A template
record consists of the template settings (explained later in this
section) and the template itself. Also when adding a new template
the current template is copied over to the new one. This would be
useful if you wanted to make another template simular to an
existing one but did not want to re-type it all. Simply go to
that template before executing this command.
C) Delete ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will delete the current template. Before deleting,
you will be asked "Are you sure?" to safe-guard against
accidental erasure.
D) Import ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will present a list of files from the current
directory. They are sorted on file name extension. Selecting any
file will replace the current template with the file. The
selected file must be less than 64,000 bytes in size and not
currently in use. If you are upgrading from DDLabel, you can
import the LBL (label), LTR (letter), and LST (master list) files
(templates) eliminating the need to retype them into the new
templates. If a template is imported, it only needs to be
imported one time and not every time it is selected.
C) Select Template Type: XXXXXX
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection allows you to select the type of template you wish it
to be. The three choices are Letter, Label, or List. Selections "E"
through "L" will change depending on the type of template.
D) Labels across
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label templates. You can answer 1
to 9 to print up to 9 labels across.
E) Spaces between labels
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label templates if printing more
than 1 label across. This defines the number of spaces between each
label. The actual width in inches will depend on the pitch your
printer is set at i.e. if your printer is set to pica you will be
printing 10 characters per inch (cpi).
F) Label width in spaces
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label templates. This defines the
width in spaces of the labels being used. The label width is going to
vary depending on the pitch or cpi (characters per inch) used. If the
label being used is 3 1/2 inches wide, the label width in spaces will
be as follows:
USING THIS PITCH CHARACTERS PER 3.5 INCHES
Pica (10 cpi) 10 X 3.5 = 35
Elite (12 cpi) 12 X 3.5 = 42
Condensed (17 cpi) 17 X 3.5 = 59.5 (60)
G) Lines per label
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label templates. This defines the
number of lines to make each label.
Example: If you are using 1" or 15/16" high labels, this should be
set to 6 regardless of how many printable lines are in the template.
This is assuming that your printer is set to printing 6 lines per
inch which is the default setting for most printers.
If you specify a number less than the number of printable lines in
the template file you will be notified that this setting "Must be at
least ----> X", where X is the number of printable lines in the
template. This does not include the non-printable lines in the
beginning of the template that are preceded with the "*" character or
are left blank.
IMPORTANT: Laser labels are NOT the same as copier labels. Laser
labels have a top and bottom margin of approximately 1/2". This is
because laser printers can only print 10" on a page. Copy labels use
the full 11" on a page.
The maximum allowable number of printable lines in a label template
is 20 if printing 2 or more labels across. This should impose no
problem since a label over 20 lines is rare. To go over 20 lines per
label, print only 1 across.
G) Lines per record
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for List templates and works the same
as it does for labels.
H) Sheet Feeder? (Y/N)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label and List templates. If you
are using a single sheet feed printer such as a laser printer as
apposed to a continuous forms printer, select Yes for this option.
You can use this feature on continuous paper if you would like to
customize your printout.
I) Skip lines top of page
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only if answering Yes to "Sheet Feeder?".
One purpose of this would be to properly align a sheet of labels to
start printing on the right line.
J) Labels per page
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label templates and only if
answering Yes to "Sheet Feeder?". This command is needed to properly
eject the page after printing the specified number of labels. If you
are using, for example, 2-across by 10 down labels (20 labels per
page) then this number should be set to 20 to use all 20 labels on
the page.
J) Records per page
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for List templates and only if
answering Yes to "Sheet Feeder?". If, for example, your master list
template uses three lines per record and your paper is 8 1/2" x 11"
(66 lines) then this could be set to 20 and still have 3 lines at the
top and bottom of each page.
K) 1 or X for each record
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label templates and only if
printing more than 1 label across. The X is the number of labels
being printed across. This command will print one row of labels from
the same record with the next row of labels from the next record and
so on with each row of labels (up to 9-across) all being the same
record.
L) Print All/Part of Database
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will allow you to print all or part of the records in
the database. If the record pointer is at the beginning of the file,
all records will be printed. If the record pointer is somewhere
between the beginning and the end of the database, only the records
from that position to the end of the database will be printed.
The "Start at first record" selection in the next sub-menu will allow
you to move the record pointer to the first record in the database if
iit is not already there.
Filters are often used while printing to be able to print only the
records meeting the specifications set forth in the Filter. See
"Creating a Filter" in the on-line documentation.
Index files are often used while printing to be able to print the
records in the order of the Controlling Index file. If, for example,
the Controlling Index file was indexed on "last name", the records
will be printed in order of "last name". See "Creating/Selecting
Index Files" in the on-line documentation.
Prior to printing labels with this command, the next command should
be used first to assure proper alignment of the labels or fields
before printing the database. A good test would be to print 3 rows of
labels or 3 records if printing a master list or 1 letter if printing
letters.
M) Print Only Current Record
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will allow you to print more than 1 label, letter, or
list entry for any one record. Enter the "Quantity to print" and
press <Enter>.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Before the printing begins, another sub-menu will appear with the
following commands:
A) Print Labels/Letters/Lists
B) Zip Bulk Labels
C) Zip+4 Bulk Labels
D) Carrier Route Bulk Labels
E) Set Printer
F) Start at first record
G) Print every Nth record
H) Pause every Nth record
I) Display count? (Y/N)
A) Print Labels/Letters/Lists
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Make this selection when ready to start printing. If you want to
print Bulk labels, see the next three selections in this sub-menu.
Select this command after first verifying the other selections in
this sub-menu from E) to I).
If printing a Master List, a "header" will print on the first page
stating the name of the database and Today's date. You may also want
to note any Filter that was set or index file that was active at the
time the list was printed.
B) Zip Bulk Labels
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will appear only for Label templates if the database
is indexed on the zip code as the primary index key and "1 or X for
each record" is set to 1.
If you have a field assigned as the carrier route field and the
secondary index field is the carrier route field, you will be asked
if you want to include qualifying carrier route records and/or
non-qualifying carrier route records in the mailing.
If your zip code field length is 10 or 12 characters in length, you
will be asked if you want to include records with a 9 or 11 digit zip
code.
You will also be asked if you want to:
A) Sort for 3rd Class
B) Sort for 2nd Class
The only difference between 3rd class and 2nd class is that 3rd class
is sorted in groups of 10 or more qualifying pieces and 2nd class is
sorted in groups of 6 or more qualifying pieces.
Qualifying 5-digit pieces are printed first. The "|" character will
be printed on the right margin of the first three lines of a label
whenever the zip code changes.
After all qualifying 5-digit pieces are printed, qualifying 3-digit
pieces are printed. These are comprised of all the records that did
not qualify as a 5-digit zip code but do qualify as a 3-digit zip
code (first 3 digits of the zip code are the same). For these labels,
the "*" is printed at the right margin of the first three lines of
the label whenever the first 3 digits of the zip code changes.
After all qualifying 3-digit pieces are printed, qualifying State
pieces are printed. These are comprised of all the records that did
not qualify for 5-digit or 3-digit but do qualify for a State. For
these labels, the "#" is printed at the right margin of the first
three lines of the label whenever the State changes.
After all qualifying State pieces are printed, Mixed State pieces are
printed. These are comprised of all the records that did not qualify
as 5-digit, 3-digit, or State. No character is printed in the right
margin of these labels.
The "right margin" mentioned above is the label width i.e. if the
label width in spaces is set to 35, the zip code or state change
character (|, *, or #) will be printed in the 35th column on the
label. Below is a sample with the "|" printed in the 35th column.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Mrs. Jane Smith | │
│ 123 Main Street | │
│ Anytown, ST 77777 | │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
The quantities of labels for each zip code is given in the Zip Code
Report along with totals on 3-digit zip codes and states.
C) Zip+4 Bulk Labels
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection works the same as the "Zip Bulk Labels" above except
that only records with a zip+4 zip code will be printed. The assigned
zip code field will need to be 10 or 12 characters in length.
If the assigned zip code is 12 characters in length or you have
another 2 character field assigned as the Delivery Point field, you
are asked if you want to include records with 9 digit zip codes.
You will also be asked if you want to:
A) Sort for 3rd Class
B) Sort for 2nd Class
The only difference between 3rd class and 2nd class is that 3rd class
is sorted in groups of 10 or more qualifying pieces and 2nd class is
sorted in groups of 6 or more qualifying pieces.
If you have a field assigned as the carrier route field and the
secondary index field is the assigned carrier route field, you will
be asked if you want to include qualifying carrier route records
and/or non-qualifying carrier route records in the mailing.
D) Carrier Route Bulk Labels
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection is different from the Zip and Zip+4 Bulk Labels
selections in that only records with a carrier route are included.
The secondary index field must be the assigned carrier route field.
You will be asked if you want to include non-qualifying carrier route
records in the mailing.
Qualifying carrier route pieces are printed first. These are
comprised of 10 or more records from any zip code with the same
carrier route. The "|" character will be printed on the right margin
of the 2nd and 3rd lines of a label whenever the route changes.
If you answered Yes to printing non-qualifying carrier route records,
they will be prined after all qualifying carrier route pieces are
printed. For these labels, the "*" is printed at the right margin of
the 2nd and 3rd lines of the label whenever the first 3 digits of the
zip code changes.
E) Set Printer
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If a printer has been installed, this selection will allow you to set
your printer before printing Labels, Letters or Lists. See "General
Setup" in the on-line documentation for instruction on installing and
selecting printer. These same printer commands could be put in your
templates as printer macros, however this is not recommended for some
printer commands. For example, the code for setting the printer to
landscape mode (laser printers only) would only need to be set once
before printing. Unless the printing type or style needs to be
changed from one line to the next, it is best to use this command to
set the printer instead of using printer macros in the template.
After selecting a printer command the following box will open:
Direct output to: ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
See Appendix B in the on-line documentation for further instruction
in what to enter in this box. This is put in the appendix because the
instuctions are the same for three other locations in this program.
F) Start at first record
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection can be made only if you selected "Print All/Part of
Database" from the prior sub-memu, and only if the record pointer is
not at the beginning of the file. If this prompt is currently No, the
printing will begin with the current record and work forward to the
end of the database. If the answer to this is Yes, the printing will
begin with the first logical record in the database. Once the answer
is changed to Yes, the record pointer will be located to the top of
the file (first logical record in database) and will not be able to
be moved back without going back to "Edit/Add Records".
G) Print every Nth record
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection can be made only if you selected "Print All/Part of
Database" from the prior sub-memu. This will allow you to print every
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.. This would allow you to do a test mailing
before a complete mailing.
H) Pause every Nth record
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will pause the printing process after every Nth record
is printed. After pausing, simply press any key to continue. This is
repeated until all records in the database have been printed.
I) Display count? (Y/N)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If you answer Yes, "Printing xxx of yyy" will be displayed on the
screen where xxx is the number of records printed and yyy is the
total to be printed. This will keep you informed of where you are in
the printing process. It is optional in case you don't want the
program to take the time to count the records before printing. If you
are sending the output to a text file, there is no way of knowing
where you are in the printing process without using this feature.
Direct output to: ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
This box will will appear before printing with selections A) to D).
See Appendix B in the on-line documentation for further instruction
in what to enter in this box. This is put in the appendix because the
instuctions are the same for three other locations in this program.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Printing Postcards and Envelopes on a Laser Printer
There are three settings needed to print postcards and envelopes
besides answering Yes to the Sheet Feeder option:
1) "Labels per page" must be set to 1.
2) "Skip lines top of page" should be set to about 22. The special
macro, {@SKIPx}, set at 22 may instead be used in the template.
3) {@MARGINx} should be set to about 50 for a legal size envelope and
70 for a 3 1/2" x 5" postcard.
These settings depend on the envelope(s) or postcard(s) being fed
length-wise into the printer, centered, and the printer is in
landscape mode.
Also, if you are printing more envelopes or postcards than your laser
will take at one time, you will want to use "Pause every Nth records"
to reload your laser after printing a certain number of records.
Filling in a Template ───────────────────────────────────────────────
Provided with DDFile is a sample template. It can be viewed and/or
edited by selecting "Edit/Add/Delete Templates" and then "Edit".
Notice that the field names are bound by the left ({) and right (})
curly braces. These are referred to as Field Macros. They must be
spelled correctly or you will get an error message saying the macro
is not valid. The macros in this template match the fields in the
SAMPLE.DBF database file.
If a Macro is on a line by itself in a template and the field content
that the Macro represents is empty, that line will be ignored in the
printout. This eliminates blank lines in labels. If the field content
is empty and the Field Macro is not on a line by itself, only the
Field Macro will be ignored. The rest of the line will be printed.
<Alt-F>ield Macros ─────────────────────────────────────────────
Field macros are the names of the fields enclosed in the left
({) and right (}) curly braces. The names of the fields may be
displayed by pressing <Alt-F>. Selecting any field will type out
the field enclosed in the left and right curly braces at the
current cursor location.
Most of your fields will have extra spaces at the end of the
field. If you want these spaces truncated (cut-off), place an
asterisk (*) after the left curly brace i.e. {*FIRST}. Note that
this will only work on character type fields. Another character
you could use instead of the "*" is the "$". This will truncate
any blank spaces off the field plus eliminate a trailing space
for separation if the field is empty.
The following example output assume that the FIRST and LAST
fields are 20 characters in length
{FIRST} {MI} {LAST} = John J Jones
{*FIRST} {MI} {LAST} = John J Jones
{$FIRST}{$MI}{$LAST} = John J Jones
If the middle initial field is empty:
{*FIRST} {MI} {LAST} = John Jones
{$FIRST}{$MI}{$LAST} = John Jones
The last example eliminates the space after the middle initial.
Note that there are no spaces between the macros using the "$".
Date Fields
───────────
When printing a date field, you can insert an "!" at the end of
the date field macro to convert 01/01/93 to January 1, 1993. If
the date field is REC_DATE the field macro would be {REC_DATE!}.
If the date field is empty nothing will be printed.
<Alt-S>pecial Macros ───────────────────────────────────────────
Special macros are described below. They may be displayed on the
screen by pressing <Alt-S>. Selecting any macro will type out
the macro enclosed in the left and right curly braces at the
current cursor location.
The last macro in this list, {>macro}, is not included in the
displayable list of special macros.
{@RECORD#} ... Record number of the current record.
{@LDATE} ..... Today's LONG date, example: November 19, 1986
{@SDATE} ..... Today's SHORT date, example: 11/19/86
{@EJECT} ..... Sends a form feed to the printer.
{@PAUSE} ..... Pauses printing until any key is pressed.
{@MARGINx} ... Sets printer margin to x spaces.
{@SKIPx} ..... Skips x lines. (Use for single envelopes,
postcards, top margins, etc.)
{@WAITx} ..... This determines how fast to print. By default
there is a 1 second pause after every 10 records
are printed before looking to see if <Alt-Q> was
pressed. Using this macro will allow you to
change this setting to print much faster by
simply replacing the x with a larger number. This
macro does not work in the Shareware version.
{@IF} ........ This macro is explained in the sample form
letter.
{@ELSE} ...... This macro works ONLY in conjunction with the
{IF} macro.
{@STATE} ..... To use this macro, a 2-character field will need
to be assigned as the "State". See "General
Setup" in the on-line documentation. This macro
will print the name of the state represented by
it's 2-character acronym i.e. AZ = Arizona.
{@CR} ........ To use this macro, you must be printing "Carrier
Route Bulk Labels". This macro will print two
stars and the carrier route field at the right
margin of the label: "** CR22". The CR22 is the
field content. If you preceded this with "CAR-RT
SORT", the first line of the printed label would
contain: "CAR-RT SORT ** CR22"
{@BARCODE} ... This macro will print a POSTNET bar code from the
zip code. The zip code must be either 10 or 12
characters in length and must be assigned as the
"Zip Code" field. If the zip code field length is
10 then another "character type" field with a
length of 2 must be assigned as the Delivery
Point field. Also, a bar code printer must be
selected from the "General Setup" sub-menu. See
"Field Assignment" under "General Setup" in the
on-line documentation.
The extra 2 digits in the zip code come from the
last 2 numbers in the street address. Doctor Data
Software runs a multi-user 24 hour BBS for "File
Updating" and other services. File Updating will
insert Zip+4+2 plus Carrier Route plus Address
Standardization. Call us for more information.
Note that if using a laser jet (or compatible)
printer, the barcode takes 2 lines instead of
only one. If you place this macro above the
label, leave a blank line under it. If you place
this macro under the label, allow for one
additional line in the "Lines per label" setting
than is actually in the template.
{@BARCODE1} .. This macro will print a POSTNET bar code from the
zip code as above except in landscape mode. This
is for use on laser jet printers only.
{>macro} ..... The word "macro" needs to be replaced by one of
the Field macros. This will cause the field data
to be printed flush against the right margin of
the label. The right margin is the label width in
spaces.
<Alt-P>rinter Macros ───────────────────────────────────────────
Printer macros may be displayed on the screen by pressing
<Alt-P> while editing a template. Selecting any macro will type
out the macro enclosed in the left and right curly braces at the
current cursor location. If you have not installed a printer and
then selected it you will first need to do this with the
"General Setup" command in the main menu. See "General Setup" in
the on-line documentation.
Note: If you have two or more printers and two or more printer
drivers installed, be sure not to mix up the printer codes from
one driver with the printer codes from the other driver. This
can cause unpredictable results when printing since most
printers have different printer codes. It is best to make a note
of the printer name at the top of the template.
Sample Templates ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The first line(s) of a template can contain notes and comments useful
in keeping a record of the date mailed, quantity mailed, what the
Filter was set to, etc.. See the sample "Form Letter" template below.
These notes and comments may appear only in the beginning of a
template and must be preceded with a "*" as the first character on
the line. Any blank lines in the beginning of a template will also be
ignored. To skip lines, use the {@SKIPx} special macro.
The top left corner of the template should be placed at the top left
corner of the screen following any comment lines. There should be no
left margin in the template. A left margin can be set with the
{@MARGINx} macro.
It is important that the {@EJECT} macro is placed on the last line of
a form letter template in order to be sure the next page is properly
started.
Sometimes when printing Form Letters, the 2nd letter and others
following it will NOT start printing in the same place the first
letter was started. To prevent this, advance the paper manually to
the top of page and then reset the printer by turning it off and back
on or do a form feed from the top of the next page.
In viewing these sample templates, remember that the field macros
used are those from the provided SAMPLE.DBF database file. Because
DDFile allows you to change names of fields, delete fields, and add
other fields, you will want to verify a fields existence with
<Alt-F>ields.
SAMPLE "Form Letter" TEMPLATE:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ * (First line in letter file)
│ * DATE : FILTER :
│ * # MAILED : INDEX :
│ * (The following line will be ignored because it is in the
│ * beginning of the letter and blank.)
│ * START OF LETTER (The following line will also be ignored.)
│ * Printer margin is set to 10 and Top margin is set to 5.
│
│ {@MARGIN10}{@SKIP5} {@LDATE}
│
│ {*FIRST} {LAST}
│ {COMPANY}
│ {ADD1}
│ {ADD2}
│ {*CITY} {ST} {ZIP}
│
│ {@IF}Dear {*FIRST},
│ {@ELSE}To whom it may concern,
│
│ This is the body of the letter. The above {@IF} and {@ELSE}
│ macros work in that if the macro immediately following the
│ {@IF} macro is NOT empty, that line is used and the next
│ line with the {@ELSE} macro is ignored. In other words, the
│ {FIRST} macro is valid and used ONLY if the "first name"
│ field is NOT empty. If the "first name" field is empty,
│ the {FIRST} macro is empty and therefore the entire line
│ will be ignored and the next line with the {@ELSE} macro will
│ be used instead.
│
│ Macros may be used within the body to further personalize
│ the letter such as:
│
│ Welcome {@STATE} friends...
│
│ Sincerely,
│ {@EJECT}
│
SAMPLE "Label" TEMPLATE:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ CAR-RT SORT ** {@CR}
│ {*FIRST} {*LAST} {ACCOUNT}
│ {ADD1}
│ {ADD2}
│ {*CITY} {ST} {ZIP}
│ {TITLE}
│
The first line of the above template is an example of how to use a
Carrier Route Sort field. Notice that "CAR-RT SORT" is not a
macro. Other text can be inserted into templates such as "See
inside for special offer!" and even printer macros to enhance text.
SAMPLE "Master List" TEMPLATE:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ {@RECORD#} {FIRST} {LAST} {COMPANY}
│ {ADD1} {ADD2} {CITY} {STATE} {ZIP}
│
Master lists are usually printed and used for looking up records
without accessing the database. Usually you would index it on company
name, zip code or last name.
