Magnum One/Magnum One (Mid-American Digital) (Disc Manufacturing).iso/d17/lm40.arc/MANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1989-04-13 | 30KB | 655 lines

                           Label Master - Version 4.0
           Copyright (c) 1985-1989 RKS Associates. All Rights Reserved.
             RKS Associates, 3820 N. Dittmar Rd., Arlington, VA 22207


PC Magazine selected Label Master as its top Editor's Choice in a 1987
review of 25 mailing list managers:

  "Label Master is a slick shareware product whose vendor obviously knows
  what it takes to make software easy to use and highly utilitarian...
  It is one of those programs that needs no manual. It is immediately
  understandable and does its job quickly and neatly."

Jim Seymour wrote in a February 8, 1988 column:

  "Label Master does what it is supposed to do superbly... Though a lot
  of programs claim to be so easy you'll never open the manual, this one
  really is...

The October 1988 issue of PC Computing Magazine said:

  "Software doesn't get much easier to use than Label Master...Label
  Master's main menu layout is hard to beat for simplicity and economy;
  it gets you where you want to go in a keystroke...Label Master makes
  the job easier and more convenient than any of the other reasonably
  priced mailing list managers on the market."

NEW VERSION 4.0

The best now gets better.  The above reviews were of Label Master,
version 3.  The program you have here is the new version 4.

New features:

    - new screens throughout program for increased ease of use.
    - memo field for attaching extended comments to records.
    - country field for USA, Canada, Australia, England, etc.
    - new state/province field to accommodate international addresses.
    - larger phone field to accomodate international numbers.
    - full search and replace capability on all fields.
    - full screen records browsing.
    - state/province/zip look-up table is now user-editable.
    - pop-up help system.  On-line help throughout program.
    - pop-up appointment calendar.
    - pop-up digital clock.
    - records filter to allow selection of any sub-set of records.
    - word processor to create and mailmerge letters.
    - auto city/state entry.
    - many additional improvements throughout the entire program.

LICENSE STATEMENT

Shareware testers - Label Master is protected by U.S. Copyright law, and
is NOT public domain software.  You are hereby granted a limited license
to make an evaluation copy for trial use on a private, non-commercial
basis for the express purpose of determining whether Label Master is
suitable for your needs.

At the end of this trial period, not to exceed 30 days, you should either
register your copy or discontinue using Label Master.

Registered owners - registered owners are licensed to use their
registered copy on a single machine and to make archival copies for the
sole purpose of backing up the program.  Label Master may be moved from
one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of
it being used at one location while it is being used at another.


REGISTRATION:

You may register by sending in the form below with a check for $35.

BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION:

- registered owners will receive a licensed copy of the most recent
  version of Label Master.

- notification of future upgrades of Label Master, available at a reduced
  rate.

- technical support for any problems or questions.

- a clear conscience.

HOW TO REGISTER

Complete the form at the end of this MANUAL.DOC file, and send it to us
along with your $35 registration fee.

USER GROUPS / SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTORS / ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARDS

PC user groups, shareware distributors, and electronic bulletin board
operators are welcome to add Label Master to their libraries. We would
appreciate notification that you have added Label Master 4.0 to your
library.

If you have received Label Master through a user group, a shareware
distributor, or an electronic bulletin board, please remember that any
diskette fee you paid DOES NOT constitute licensing the software, and you
are still obligated to register if you decide to use Label Master.

DISCLAIMER

Label Master is licensed without any warranty of merchantability, fitness
of particular purpose, performance, or otherwise; all warranties are
disclaimed.  By using Label Master, you agree that Robert K. Summers, aka
RKS Associates, will not be liable to you or any third party for any use
of (or inability to use) this software, or for any damages (direct or
indirect) whatsoever, even if Robert K. Summers or his agents are
apprised of the possibility of such damages occuring.  In no event shall
Robert K. Summers be liable for any loss of profit or any other
commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental,
consequential or other damages.  The entire risk related to the quality
and performance of the program is on you.


                              SOME QUESTIONS

What is Label Master?

Label Master is a very powerful, yet easy to use mail management program.
With it, you can create a file of names and addresses, edit the file,
search for specific records or browse through the file, and print labels
in any of several formats.  You can also use Label Master to dial any
telephone number in any record in its file.

What equipment do I need?

Label Master is designed to work on any IBM PC/XT/AT/386 or compatible
computer, with a monochrome or color monitor, and a hard disk.  It
requires 384K of working memory.  Label Master works with any dot matrix
or laser jet printer.  If you want to use its automatic telephone dialing
capability, you will need a Hayes or Hayes-compatible modem.

Label Master works best on a hard disk system, or on a floppy disk system
with 3 1/2 inch drives or high density 5 1/4 inch drives.  Because of the
size of the program, it will not fit on a dual floppy disk system using
360K disk drives.

How many addresses can Label Master store?

You can keep as many records as you have room for on a fixed hard disk.


*************************************************************************
                             - VERY IMPORTANT -


                               CONFIG.SYS FILE

DOS uses the CONFIG.SYS file to set certain defaults for your computer.
It MUST be in the root directory of your fixed disk. If you do not
already have a CONFIG.SYS file you MUST create one that has these two
lines, and place it in your root directory:

                               FILES=20
                               BUFFERS=16

If you already use a CONFIG.SYS file that does not include settings for
files and buffers, you MUST add the two lines above to the file.  You
can do it with any text editor.  If your CONFIG.SYS file already contains
settings for files and buffers greater than these, you can leave them as
they are.

*************************************************************************


                            STARTING LABEL MASTER

Type LM at the DOS prompt of the LM directory to start Label Master.

In most cases, Label Master will be able to detect whether you have a
color or monochrome monitor.  If you have a monochrome monitor and the
Label Master screens appear to have a bright, washed out look, type
LM M to start Label Master.  The extra M tells Label Master to use
monochrome, not color.


                               WORKING WITH RECORDS

You may select any main menu option by pressing the first letter of
the option, or by placing the lite-bar over the option and pressing
the Enter key.

Note: you may press the Esc key at any place in the program to leave the
present screen or operation and return to the previous screen or
operation.  For example, if you are in the middle of editing a previously
entered record and decide to abort editing, just press the Esc key and
you will be returned to the main menu with the original record unchanged.

Add: Select this option to add new records.  Label Master will ask three
questions:

  - Carry data forward to next record?  N
  - Print each record when entered?     N
  - Enter date in the Notes field?      Y

Answer Y or N to each question, or Press PgDn to accept the defaults.

If you want to repeat information from one record to the next, answer Y
to the first question.  This can save lots of time if you are adding
records from the same zip code, the same city, or the same company.

If you want to print records as you enter them, answer Y to the second
question.  This is useful when you are entering many records and want to
later compare what was actually entered into Label Master against the
source documents.  It is a good error checking feature when entering
large numbers of records.

If you want to have new records dated as you enter them, answer Y to the
third question.

Complete the blank record with the name and address data.

Note that the Zip Code field comes immediately after Street, and before
City and State.  This may seem odd at first, but you will soon see why we
do it this way.  Label Master keys off the Zip Code field to use the
records you have already entered as a look-up table.  If it finds that
you have already entered a record with the same Zip Code as the record
you are currently entering, Label Master will pull the City, State, and
Country data from that record into the record you are currently entering.
It happens instantly.  Once you enter a City, State, and Country for a
particular zip code, you will NEVER have to enter it again.  You will
love this labor saving feature.

The Notes field can be used for any information you want, but if you want
to code your records this is the place to do it. There are as many ways
to code your records as there are reasons to code them.  You will
probably work out your own coding schemes, but here are some examples.
Keep in mind that the Notes field has room for 30 characters, so you are
not limited to one-character codes.  If you want to keep business and
personal records in the same file, but separate, you could enter a P in
the Notes field for Personal, and B for Business.

If you want to keep the records of job applicants and employees in the
same file, you could code applicants with A and Employees with E. The
important thing about any coding scheme is that the codes be unique.

Used in conjunction with the F10 filter option, Notes field coding can be
a powerful tool.

Edit: Select this option to edit any record.  Press PgDn to save your
changes.

Find: Select this option to display a record.  Enter search criteria and
press PgDn to search.

Label Master will display the first record matching the search criteria.
For example, if you enter SMITH in the Last Name field, Label Master will
find the first Smith in the file.  If you enter CA in the State field,
and nothing else, Label Master will display the first California record
in the file.  If you enter SMITH in the Last Name field and CA in the
State field, Label Master will display the first Smith in California.

Zap: Select this option to delete the current record.  Select this option
to display the next record.  If you zap (delete) a record, the data is
gone forever. Be sure you really want to delete a record before you do
so.

Note: if you check the record count (F7) before and after zapping a
record, you will not see the record count change.  This is because Label
Master has erased the data but kept the blank record.  When you add a new
record, Label Master reuses any blank records before adding a new one.

Next: Select this option to display the next record.

Previous: Select this option to display the previous record.

Dial: Select this option to automatically dial the phone number of the
displayed record.  (Select option 4 on the Services menu to set your
modem parameters.)  You may never hand-dial a phone again.

Labels: Select this option to print mailing labels.  You will be
presented with the following menu:


           ITEM                     SETTING      RANGE

   Set labels across to............   :1:    1 to 4 labels across
   Set label width to..............   :3.5:  2.5 to 4.5 inches
   Set lines per label to..........   : 5:   5 to 99 lines per label
   Set left margin to..............   : 0:   0 to 70 spaces

   Print Regular/Condensed style...   :R:    R = Regular     C = Condensed
   Print by Last name/Zip code.....   :Z:    L = Last name   Z = Zip code
   Print Whole list/Select list....   :S:    W = Whole       S = Select

   Print Phone Number..............   :N:    Y = Yes         N = No
   Print Notes.....................   :N:    T = Top         N = No
                                             B = Bottom
   Laser Jet / Dot Matrix Printer     :D:    L = Laser Jet   D = Dot Matrix
   Pause after each page...........   :N:    Y = Yes         N = No


The choices are pretty much self-explanatory.  Basically, you can print
on any size labels, from 1 to 4 across.  Choose Select List for special
options such as printing within zip code ranges, or making multiple
labels from the same record.  Please experiment and you will soon see
that you can print just about any combination of records you want.

Remember, label printing, like everything else, obeys the filter
condition.  If you want to print labels for only those people who live in
Virginia (VA), whose first name is Oscar, and who have a 6 in their phone
number (a crazy example to show you can set the filter for anything you
want), just set the filter this way and print your labels.

For laser jets, we recommend you use labels designed specifically for
laser jet use.  Avery produces a very good selection of mailing labels
for both dot matrix and laser jet printers.

Both kinds of mailing labels are available from most good computer and
office supply stores, or by mail order from quality mail order companies
such as Moore Business Products or NEBS (New England Business Service).

The Moore Business Products number is 1-800-323-6230.

The NEBS number is 1-800-225-9550.

There are many laser jet and dot matrix printers on the market.
Label Master was developed and tested using the industry standard Epson
dot matrix printers and Hewlett Packard Laser Jet Series II printer.  If
you encounter printing problems, check your printer manual to see if your
printer has an Epson, or HP, emulation mode. Chances are, it does.

Services: Select this option to display a list of important utilities.

A - Reindex files - Label Master uses automatically maintained files
called indexes to keep your records in order by last name and zip code.
Power outages, power surges, brownouts (voltage reductions), or other
power-related problems affecting your system can adversely affect these
index files without your knowing it. If your records ever seem to be out
of sequence, just use this feature to rebuild the index files.  You can
always reindex your records just for the heck of it.

B - Change records file - You can use this feature to keep separate small
mailing lists on floppy disks.  If you want to keep a separate mailing
list on a floppy disk, just place a formatted disk in drive A or B, enter
the drive letter (A or B) when prompted, and Label Master will
automatically create the necessary files on the floppy disk.  You can
keep almost 1000 records this way on a seperate floppy disk.  If you
wanted to, you could be working with three mailing lists at the same
time, one on your hard disk, one on a floppy in drive A, and one on a
floppy in drive B, switching between them with this Change Records File
feature.

C - Check State/Zip codes - use this feature to display or print a list
of records with erroneous state/zip codes.  When you select this feature,
Label Master checks to see if the entry in the state/province field of
each record (e.g. VA, NY, PA, etc.) appears in the state/province look-up
table.  If it does, Label Master then checks to see if the zip code entry
for the record falls within the range of zip codes for that state or
province.  If either one of these checks fails, Label Master reports an
error.

Label Master comes complete with state/territory/zip code data for the
United States, and province/territory/postal code data for Canada.

Use the main menu View option to add state/province data for other
countries if you desire.

D - Set modem - If you have a modem on your system, use this feature to
properly configure your modem.  Your modem must be properly configured
for the autodialing feature to work properly.

E - Print hardcopy list - Use this feature to print a hardcopy list of
your records.  You can print by last name, zip code, or grouped by
organization.  You can print on a regular or long carriage printer, in
regular or condensed mode.

Note: On the Labels menu, you tell Label Master whether you are working
with a laser jet or dot matrix printer.  Label Master will automatically
switch to laser jet or dot matrix mode for your hardcopy printout based
on what you tell it on the Labels menu.

F - Export records - Use this feature to create an ASCII text file of
your records.  You have the choice of surrounding your field data with
quotation marks, or not.  If you are creating this ASCII text file so you
can use the records with a word processor for mail merge, we suggest you
use quotation marks.  Your fields will be delimited by both commas and
quotation marks, making it much easier for your word processor to "grab"
the ASCII records.  Note: Label Master has its own built-in letter writer
& mailmerge feature.  See Option M, below.

G - Import records - Use this feature to import records in ASCII or dBASE
format.  In the case of dBASEIII/IV records, the field names must match
Label Master's field names.  In the case an ASCII text file, the records
must consist of eleven fields, in exactly the same order as Label Master's
fields, and delimited by commas or quotation marks.

Label Master's file structure:

      Field Name  Field Type   Width

      LNAME       character    30           ** Label Master also has
      FNAME       character    30              a memo field which is
      TITLE       character    30              not affected by import
      ORG         character    30              and export operations.
      STREET      character    30
      ZIP         character    10
      CITY        character    30
      STATE       character     4
      COUNTRY     character    30
      PHONE       character    30
      NOTES       character    30

Note: RKS Associates provides a records conversion service.  If you are
having trouble importing existing records, and want to avoid the expense
of retyping, please send us a note explaining your needs. Include a
floppy disk with a sample of your records so we can see what is involved.
We will give you a price quote.  We have converted hundreds of thousands
of records from a wide variety of formats.

H - Find duplicate records - Use this feature to find duplicates by last
name or street address.  The street address field is 30 characters long.
Label Master allows you to select the number of leading characters you
want to compare on.  This is very important.  To a computer, "101 Elm
Street" is different than "101 Elm St.".  With Label Master you can
compare on the first 7 characters in this case and get a match.
Experiment.  You will find the best number to compare on for your
situation.

I - Search and replace - Use this feature to find and replace any text
in any field.

J - Pack memo file - Any memos you create with the F2 option are stored
in the NAMEFILE.DBT file on your disk.  Because of the way this file
stores your memos, some dead space can accumulate over time.  If you use
the F2 option to attach memos to your records, you should periodically
use this feature to "pack", or reduce the size of, the memo file on the
disk. This will assure that NAMEFILE.DBT takes up the minimum amount of
space on your disk.

K - Delete set of records - Use this feature to delete a group of
records.

L - Write letter/mailmerge - This is a mini word processor and mailmerge
feature.  Use this feature to create a short letter, embed field names in
the letter, and send the letter to the person in the currently displayed
record, or to everyone on your mailing list. This feature, like all
others, obeys the filter condition, so you can send the letter to any
selected sub-set of persons on your list.

To use this feature, your letter/memo file must end in .TXT.  When you
select this feature, Label Master will display a list of all files
already in the Label Master directory which end in .TXT.  The first file
in the list will be called NEW FILE.  Place the lite-bar over the file
you want to edit, and press Enter.

If you want to create a new file, select NEW FILE.  Label Master will
prompt you for the name you want to give the file.  Give the file a .TXT
extension.  If you forget, Label Master will automatically put a .TXT
extension on the file for you.

Note: If you wish to create your own letterhead, create a file called
letrhead.txt and type your letterhead text into it.  If this letrhead.txt
file exists, and you are creating a new file, Label Master will ask you
if you want to insert the letterhead text in your new file.  This
convenient feature saves you the trouble of typing your letterhead every
time you create a new document.

When the file is displayed, create or modify your letter/memo as usual.
Press Alt-H for complete on-line help.

When ready to insert mail-merge fields, put your cursor where you want
the contents of a selected field to appear in your document. Then, press
f2 to display a list of field names. Select a field by placing the lite
bar over the field name and press Enter. The field name will be placed
where your cursor is.  Repeat this procedure for any other fields you
want to insert in your document.

Press Alt-Q to quit and save your document. Press Alt-X or Esc to abort.
If you press Alt-Q, the next screen will ask you whether you want to
print the document for the current record shown on the screen, or for all
records in your mailing list.  This feature, like all others, will obey
whatever filter condition you may have established.

Here is what a typical letter might look like:

<<FNAME>> <<LNAME>>
<<STREET>>
<<CITY>>, <<STATE>> <<ZIP>>

Dear Mr. <<LNAME>>,

Thank you for ordering our lastest model whizbang gizmos.

Sincerely,


John Q. Adams

Note: The size of the letter/memo file is limited by the amount of
available memory you have.

M - Set country - Use this feature to select the country attributes you
want to work with.  At present, this feature controls the display and
printing of dates.  The default country is United States.  As other
country-specific features are added to Label Master in the future, they
will be automatically invoked with this feature.

N - Set date - Use this feature to set the correct date if your system
date is wrong.

O - Set time - Use this feature to set the correct time is your system
time is wrong.

Note: A new date or time will remain in effect until your computer is
turned off.  See your computer manual for information on permanently
correcting the system date and time for your particular computer.

P - Coffee break game - This is the four by four square puzzle you had
when you were a kid. Play it only when you have a lot of time to kill,
because it's tough! Fifteen of the squares are filled with the numbers 1-
15, and it is up to the player to arrange these in order like so:

                           1   2   3   4
                           5   6   7   8
                           9  10  11  12
                          13  14  15

To move, type in the number of the piece you wish to move.  The program
will not allow you to cheat.  Good luck - this can be exasperatingly
difficult!

The puzzle will keep track of the lowest winning score.  If you are
shrewd enough to top it, you will be asked to enter your initials for the
next player to be jealous of.

View: Select this option to browse through the records of the main
records database, the states/provinces database, and the notepad
database.

For the main records database, this option, like all others, obeys the
filter condition. (see function key F10 - set filter on/off, below).
You cannot add or change records in your main records database in View
mode.  Use the PgUp, PgDn, Home, End, Ctrl-PgUp,Ctrl-PgDn, and arrow keys
to move around in view mode.  Press Esc or Enter to leave view mode and
return to the main menu.

You also have access to the State/Zip Code and Notepad look-up tables.
You can add or change these records.

To edit a record in View mode, select the record/field you want to edit,
press the Enter key to enter the field, edit what you want, and press the
Enter key to exit the field. Press the Esc key to exit View mode and
return to the main menu.

The states/provinces look-up table is the database Label Master uses to
check the accuracy of the State/Zip code combinations in your records
when you use option 3 on the Services menu.  You can add records to this
look-up table if you have addresses in other countries.  Just select the
States option in View mode, go to the bottom of the list, and add
records.  Label Master comes complete with state/territory/zip code data
for the United States, and province/territory/postal code data for Canada.

Use the Notepad database to record anything you want.  We put it here so
you could have a convenient place to keep a record of any codes you might
be using in the Notes field, but you can use it for anything you want.


                                FUNCTION KEYS

F1 function key - at any point in the program you can press F1 to
display context sensitive help messages.

F2 function key - use this feature to edit the text in the memo field of
the current record.  You may enter any text you want.  We suggest you
keep your comments short, however, since disk space used for memos means
less space available for records.  Press Ctrl-W to save any changes.
Press Esc to exit without saving changes.

F3 function key - Use this feature to toggle between last name and zip
code order.  A small arrow appears beside the Last Name or Zip Code field
heading to indicate the currently selected order.

F4 function key - use this feature to toggle a digital clock on and off
in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

F5 function key - use this feature to display a pop-up appointment
calendar. Press Esc to make it disappear.

F6 function key - Use this feature to print the displayed record.  One
good use is to address a single envelope.

F7 function key - use this feature to display your record count.
Remember that everything obeys the filter.  With a filter set, this
feature will tell you how many records you have that meet the filter
condition.

F8 function key - go immediately to the first record.

F9 function key - go immediately to the last record.

F10 function key - this is one of your most powerful features. Use this
feature if you want to work with a selected sub-set of your records.
This feature allows you to filter your master file so that LM can work
with any sub-set of the file you want.

You may filter records IN or OUT.  For example, if you want to work with
only New York records, select Filter IN, and enter "NY" in the State
field of the filter criteria screen.  Press the PgDn key and you will be
working with only that subset of records. If you want to exclude New York
records, select Filter OUT, and enter "NY" in the State field of the
filter criteria screen.  Experiment, and you will soon get the hang of
it.

When you set a filter condition, a "filter on" reminder message will
appear to remind you.  When you clear the filter, (press F10 again) the
message disappears.

When you set a filter condition, EVERYTHING YOU DO conforms to the
filter, including printing labels.


                            IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE

Please make regular backup copies of your records to protect against
accidental erasures or system malfunction. Your records are in the file
called NAMEFILE.DBF.  Memo field data is in the file called NAMEFILE.DBT.
These two files must be backed up at the same time. There are many
options available for saving and restoring copies of your records. You
may want to consult the DOS manual that accompanies your computer.  WE
ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOSS OF DATA.

Should you ever need to restore backed-up files, please reindex your
records (Services Menu) after restoring.



                               LABEL MASTER 4.0

------------------------------ REGISTRATION FORM -------------------------


Please register my copy of Label Master 4.0.  My check for $35 is
enclosed.

TO:                           FROM:

RKS Associates                Name: __________________________________
3820 N. Dittmar Rd.
Arlington VA 22207       (Company): __________________________________

                           (Title): __________________________________

                           Address: __________________________________
Today's
date: ___________       City,State: __________________________________
                                                              Zip Code
                      Phone Number: _________________________


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