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PHONE PROGRAM Copyright (c) 1988 - 1991 by VISION COMPUTING INC. Author: Jeff Morris Welcome to PHONE Version 2.20 ***************************************************************** * PHONE IS A SHAREWARE PROGRAM. * * PLEASE SEE REGISTRATION INFORMATION ON THE LAST PAGE. * ***************************************************************** Note: If you have a previous Version of PHONE, first read the note under the heading: "UPDATING PREVIOUS VERSIONS" INDEX Index ........................................................ 1 List of Files ................................................ 3 Deleting temporary files ..................................... 3 Updating Previous Versions ................................... 4 Installation ................................................. 4 Getting Started .............................................. 5 Network Compatibility ........................................ 5 Main Menu .................................................... 6 Display by Company ........................................... 6 Display by Name .............................................. 6 Add New Records .............................................. 6 Correct Existing Records ..................................... 6 Delete Records ............................................... 7 Entering Notes in a Record ................................... 8 Utility Menu ................................................. 9 Copy Files to Back-up Disk ................................... 9 Reindex Database Files ....................................... 9 Change Label Codes ........................................... 10 Change Record Tags ........................................... 10 Change Company Name .......................................... 10 Change Screen Colors ......................................... 10 Add a Note to Multiple Records ............................... 10 Import/Export Database File .................................. 11 Disable Changes Toggle ....................................... 13 Page 1 Add/Delete Country Codes ..................................... 14 Post Office Record Updating .................................. 14 Postal bar code printing ..................................... 16 Print Menu ................................................... 17 Print Full Report ............................................ 17 Print Labels ................................................. 17 Print zip code summary ....................................... 18 Change Default Printer ....................................... 18 Tagging records .............................................. 18 Set up Menu .................................................. 19 Error checking for codes ..................................... 19 Special Keys ................................................. 20 State Abbreviations .......................................... 20 Contacting the Author ........................................ 20 Setting up your Computer ..................................... 21 Maximum Number of Records .................................... 21 Maximum Size of Notes File ................................... 21 Run Time Errors .............................................. 22 System Files check ........................................... 23 Shareware Information/License ................................ 24 Registration Info ............................................ 26 Page 2 ***************************************************************** * LIST OF FILES * ***************************************************************** The following files are part of PHONE: 1) README ......... Start up information and instructions 2) INSTALL.BAT .... Use this to install, or update PHONE 3) PHONE.CHG ...... List of changes made on various versions 4) COMPNAME.DBF ... This holds your company name 5) PCODES.DBF ..... This holds the various printer commands 6) PHONE.DBF ...... This database file holds all your records 7) PHONE.DBT ...... This file holds the notes for each record 8) PHONE.DOC ...... The file you are now reading 9) PHONE.EXE ...... This is the executeable PHONE program 10) REGISTER.ME .... This file holds the registration form 11) COLORS.MEM ..... This holds user picked screen colors 12) DEFAULT.MEM .... This holds the default screen colors 13) PHONE.NTX ...... This index file is sorted by company 14) PHONELBL.NTX ... This index file is sorted by label code 15) PHONEZIP.NTX ... This index file is sorted by zip code 16) PNAME.NTX ...... This index file is sorted by name 17) COUNTRY.DBF .... This database file holds user country codes 18) REPLY.COM ...... This is used by Install.bat If any of the files are missing, please advise the party you received the PHONE program from that it is not an authorized version of PHONE, and contact Vision Computing for a replacement. NOTE: Phone220.exe is a self extracting file that holds all the PHONE files in a compressed format. NOTE: You may occasionally see a stray temporary index file in your PHONE directory. While temporary files are normally deleted, an untimely exit from an indexing routine caused by things like a power loss, may leave these files on your disk. They will have names that include numbers, such as M123456.NTX. If you do ever see any of these files in your directory, you can safely delete them with the DOS delete command. (DEL M123456.NTX) BE SURE NOT TO EVER DELETE ANY OF THE SYSTEM FILES NAMED ABOVE! (Numbers 1-18) Page 3 ***************************************************************** * UPDATING PREVIOUS VERSIONS * ***************************************************************** The database file structure of this version is different than some older versions. Registered users have been sent update notices. A record base from some older versions will not work properly with this version. If you have records you want to save which were accumulated in an earlier version, you can do so by installing this version, and choosing the updating option on the install program. If you have the new version of PHONE on a floppy disk, put it in your disk drive and type: INSTALL. If you downloaded the new PHONE program from a BBS, unzip the files to a directory other than where your current PHONE files are, and from that other directory, type: INSTALL. You can also unzip the files to a floppy disk, and run install from there. DON'T unzip the files to your old PHONE directory. NOTE: If you simply copy the new files into your existing Directory without running the install program, your existing records will be overwritten. ***************************************************************** * INSTALLATION * ***************************************************************** An INSTALL.BAT file is included with the PHONE program. The file will run the PHONE program in the install mode, and install into a directory of your choice. New users can choose a default directory (C:\PHONE), or enter any valid name you choose. If the Directory doesn't exist, PHONE will create it. It would be preferable to choose a new directory, because if you install it in an existing directory on your computer, there may be file name conflicts with programs already there, and cause either program problems running. The install program will allow users of previous versions to update to this version, and save their existing records. When updating from a previous version, the install program will first check your existing PHONE database file structure. If it differs from the current version, your records will be copied to a new database file. For files with many existing records, this may take awhile, so be patient. After your files are updated, PHONE will check your existing index files, and if necessary, re-index them. Page 4 ***************************************************************** * GETTING STARTED * ***************************************************************** To start the program type: PHONE and hit the Return (Enter) Key. The first step you should take is to enter the name you want the menus and reports to display. To do this, go to the Set-up Menu, which is choice # 9 in the main menu. Choose "Change Company Name" Enter your correct name. You can change this any time you want to. Next, go to the print menu and use option #4 to change the printer setup to your default printer. This can also be changed at any time. If you don't like the screen colors, and you have a color card installed in your computer, go to the Utility menu and use option #5 to choose your own screen colors. ***************************************************************** * NETWORK COMPATIBILITY * ***************************************************************** PHONE has been written for network use, and should work on most networks, as well as stand alone. Certain functions will attempt to lock an individual record (for example - while you are editing a record), while other functions will attempt to lock the entire file (for example - when you choose to reindex). Other functions, such as display, allow shared use. If another station is already using the record (or file) when a function you choose requires a lock, you will get a message on the top line of your screen saying "Waiting for access to network file - attempt # 1". It will attempt to access the file every few seconds, and if denied, change the attempt number to keep you informed of how many times access has been attempted. This message will automatically go away and resume your place in the program when the other station is done with the operation they were performing in the PHONE program. If you don't want to wait, you can try pressing the ESC key when the message appears. If the operation you were working on could be interrupted, you will be returned to the menu. If interrupting the operation would cause the files to get corrupted, you will not be allowed to Escape and must wait for the other user to complete their task. If you are not operating this program on a network, you will never get the "Waiting for access..." message. PHONE has been tested extensively on our in house NOVELL network, as well as other network systems at user sites. Please let us know if you experience any problems operating PHONE on your network system. Page 5 ***************************************************************** * MAIN MENU * ***************************************************************** 1) DISPLAY - COMPANY ORDER ... This option will allow to to display a record by entering the name of a company which is in the files. You can enter the full name, or as few letters of the name as you like. For example, to find "XYZ Vending Company" you can enter the full name, just "XYZ", or even just "x". It will go to the first record in the files matching your input. If it isn't the one you were looking for, you can page up or down through the records. You can type in upper, lower, or mixed case. The program searches for matching characters, regardless of case. You will be given an option to print a record after you have displayed it. By pressing F2 instead of entering a company name, you will go directly to the first Company, in alphabetical order, in your files. F3 will take you to the last Company. Note: any records with a blank Company name will be at the top of the file, listed before any non blank records. 2) DISPLAY - NAME ORDER ... If you want to look up a record by name, use this option. It searches the "NAME" field. If you want to find "John Smith" but don't remember the name of the company he works at, this option is for you. Also use this option if the record you seek has a name, but no Company. F2 and F3 also work for name as described above, except you will go to the first or last name, alphabetically, in your files. 3) ADD NEW RECORDS ... You will first be asked to enter a name and company. You can leave the Company field blank if you want to enter a personal name without a company. Either the name OR the company fields can be blank if you wish, but not both. If you enter the exact name and company of a record already in your files, you will be asked if you want to enter a duplicate record. There may be times when you may want to enter the same information more than once, such as a company that has more than one location. Note: PHONE will check for characters, regardless of case. If you enter "JOHN SMITH" in the name field, and "XYZ Vending" in the company field, PHONE will advise you it is a duplicate if "John Smith" at "XYZ VENDING" is in your files. Name and company must both match exactly for PHONE to warn you of a duplicate record being entered. 4) EDIT ONE RECORD ... To correct/update information on a record already in the files. Page 6 Note: The number of records in your database file, which is shown on each of the above 4 menus, includes deleted records. To remove deleted records, use the reindex option in the Utility menu. 5) EDIT ALL RECORDS ... Allows editing all fields in all records. You can also delete records while editing full file. 6) DELETE RECORDS ... To delete a record from your files. Note: A deleted record will be marked as deleted and not be able to be seen, but will remain in your files. To physically remove deleted records from your files (and save disk space) use the reindex option in the Utility menu. 7) UTILITY MENU ... See below. 8) PRINT MENU ... See below. 9) SET UP ... See below. 0) EXIT ... To exit the PHONE Program and return to DOS or your menu system. You will be asked if you want to quit, and given the option to return to the menu, in case you hadn't intended to leave the PHONE program. NOTE: The add, change, and delete options can be disabled, using the Disable changes option in the Utility menu. NOTE: When adding or changing a record, if only one address line is used, it will be stored in the second field, regardless of where you entered it. This is because the second address field is used by PHONE when exporting your records to a file for Post Office updating of your records. Always use the second line for the address you want as a mailing address. For example, if you have a street address and a PO box, put the PO box in the second address field if that is where you want the mail to be delivered to. The Post Office will deliver the mail to the address right above the City. Example 1. Example 2. ----------------------- ----------------------- John Smith John Smith XYZ Vending Co. XYZ Vending Co. PO Box 34 123 Main Street 123 Main Street PO Box 34 Yourtown, XX 99999-9999 Yourtown, XX 99999-9999 Example 1 will get delivered to 123 Main Street, and Example 2 will get delivered to PO Box 34. Page 7 ***************************************************************** * NOTES * ***************************************************************** When adding or editing a record, you can make the notes section as long as you like. When you get to the last line in the display window, it will just scroll the top line up to allow you to enter more than one screen full of notes. When displaying a record that contains a note, F2 can be pressed to view notes in full screen mode, and the up and down arrow keys can be used to view a note that is longer than what is currently shown on the screen. To save a note when entering a new record, or save changes to a note when editing a record, you must press Ctrl-W (hold down the control key and press W). If you press the ESC key, any changes you have made will be lost. The following editing keys can be used while entering a note: ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Key Purpose ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Uparrow or Ctrl-E Move up one line Dnarrow or Ctrl-X Move down one line Leftarrow or Ctrl-S Move left one character Rightarrow or Ctrl-D Move right one character Ctrl-Leftarrow or Ctrl-A Move left one word Ctrl-Rightarrow or Ctrl-F Move right one word Home Beginning of current line End End of current line Ctrl-Home Beginning of current window Ctrl-End End of current window PgUp Previous edit window PgDn Next edit window Ctrl-PgUp Beginning of memo Ctrl-PgDn End of memo Return Move to beginning of next line Delete Delete character at cursor Backspace Delete character to left of cursor Tab Insert tab character or spaces Printable characters Insert character Ctrl-Y Delete the current line Ctrl-T Delete word right Ctrl-B Reformat paragraph Insert or Ctrl-V Toggle insert mode Ctrl-W Finish editing with save Esc Abort edit and return original To add a note to all records, or a selected group of records, use option #7 in Utility Menu. You will be able to type a new note which will be appended to existing notes for all records, or selected records based on label code, zip code, or just to records that you have tagged. Page 8 ***************************************************************** * UTILITY MENU * ***************************************************************** 1) COPY FILES TO BACK-UP DISK ... We strongly suggest regular backing up of your files. After you add, delete, or change a number of records, you should use this option so that your floppy disk back-up remains current. The first time you are backing up, put a blank, formatted floppy disk in Drive A:. You will get a message saying the disk in Drive A: is not the PHONE back-up disk. This is a precaution to keep you from copying the phone files to the wrong disk. The program will give you the option to create a new back-up disk if you don't have one, or can't locate yours. This only backs up your Database files, not the PHONE program itself, so keep your original copy of the Phone program in a safe place. If your files get too big for a Double Density (360K) disk, you will be prompted to use a high density disk. If your system doesn't use high density disks, and your files are too big to fit on a 360K disk, you won't be able to back up your files on disks. In that case, you should consider upgrading your computer to a high density disk drive, or a tape back-up system. IF YOU NEED TO COPY YOUR FILES FROM YOUR BACK-UP DISK back to your hard drive, insert your back-up disk in Drive A:. Be sure you are in the Directory where your PHONE files are, and issue the following commands at your hard drive DOS Prompt: COPY A:*.DBF * after it is done, type the next line COPY A:*.MEM * after it is done, type the next line COPY A:*.DBT You can substitute B for A above if you prefer to work in drive B. After the files are copied to your hard Drive, you MUST go to the Utility menu and use option # 2 to reindex the files. 2) REINDEX DATABASE FILES ... If you ever copy your files from your back-up disk back to your hard drive, you MUST use this option for the PHONE program to run correctly. Also, your index files may occasionally become corrupt do to a number of reasons, such as a power surge while the files are open. If you ever get a message that says something like "Index files corrupt" use this option. You will be given two choices. You can reindex only, or remove deleted records and then reindex. If changes are disabled, only the first option will be allowed. Reindexing only is faster, while removing deleted records reduces the size of your Database, Index, and Memo files, which will reduce the disk space taken up by PHONE. Page 9 3) CHANGE LABEL CODES ... Use this option to change one group of label codes to another code. Blanks are permitted. For example, you can change all blank codes in your records to H7, or all H7 codes to blank. This option can be handy if you want to only print labels for part of the records in one of your codes. If you have 200 records with code H1, and you only want labels for 50 of them, use option #5 in the main menu to change the code for the 50 records to a unique code. Lets use T1 for an example. Then print all labels for code T1. You can then use this change code option to change all T1 codes back to H1. 4) CHANGE RECORD TAGS ... This allows you the choice to tag all records, untag all records, or reverse tags on/off for all records. 5) CHANGE SCREEN COLORS ... Note: The PHONE program must detect a color card installed in your computer for you to use this option. You will be allowed to choose background and foreground colors and shown a sample of the way the colors will look. When you are done choosing your colors, press ESC. You will be given an option to save your choices. If you save them, then they will be used automatically every time you use the PHONE program. You can also change back to the default colors any time you may want to. Another option given is to choose a mono screen. While this may be used by anyone who may prefer black and white display, the main purpose is for those computers that have a color card installed but have a mono monitor. In that case the PHONE program will be fooled into thinking color is available, and try to display in color, which will give unsatisfactory results. Choose the mono option and save your choice to correct this problem. 6) ADD A NOTE TO MULTIPLE RECORDS ... This will allow you to type a note which you want to add to a group of records. The new note you type can be entered on a new line at the end of the existing notes you have for each record, or can continue on the same line ( your choice ). You can choose to add the note to all records, selected records based on a label code, selected records based on a zip code range, or to tagged records only. Note: This can be very handy, for example, if you want to send something to selected records, and make a note of doing so in each of those records. To do so, first untag all records, then tag the ones you want, then print out labels for all tagged records. Then you can use this option to add a note to all tagged records. Page 10 7) IMPORT/EXPORT DATABASE FILE ... Choices for this option are: 1) Export PHONE.DBF You are given the option of exporting the full PHONE database, or just the fields required by the Post Office. Files are exported as a System Data Format ASCII text file. Records are fixed length, separated by a CR/LF. Fields are fixed length with no separator. The Post Office option is used to copy selected fields from your records to a SDF (System Data Format) file, which will be named PHONE.TXT and put in the directory you use PHONE from. This file can be copied to a floppy disk and given to the Post Office, who will, as of the writing of this manual, update your records at no charge. The update will include correcting your address, and supplying the 9 digit zip code for each record. To copy PHONE.TXT to a floppy disk, from the DOS Prompt in the Directory where PHONE is located, type: COPY PHONE.TXT A: (or B: instead of A: if you use the B Drive). See the heading Post Office Record Updating for more information. NOTE: After using this you should disable changes to your records until you copy the corrected file back. Otherwise, any changes you make will be overwritten when you do copy the file back. Changes are disabled by using the disable changes option in the Utility menu. Page 11 2) Import SDF PHONE File to PHONE.DBF This is used to update your PHONE database file with the changes made by the Post Office to the SDF file you supplied them. You will be first advised that your existing records will be overwritten, and given the option to abort. If you choose to continue, you will be asked for the Path and file name to import. The file name is the name of the file the POST OFFICE RETURNED TO YOU. It may be different than the file name you supplied to the Post Office, which is PHONE.TXT. If the file is on a floppy disk, the path is simply A: (or B:). If the Post Office returned a corrected file called PHONE.ZIP to you, enter: A:PHONE.ZIP (or B:PHONE.ZIP). If you don't know the name, press ESC to exit, and come back when you know it. If the file name you enter has the read only attribute set, it can't be used that way, and the PHONE program will give you an option of changing it for you. If you have room on the current drive, PHONE will first save your existing records to files called OLDPHONE.DBF and OLDPHONE.DBT. This is in the unlikely event you have a problem updating, and want to restore your old records. IF the number of records in your existing file do not match the number of records in the file you are using to update, PHONE will advise you it is aborting the update. This can happen if you don't disable changes, and you have added or deleted records since creating the SDF file. 2) Import SDF PHONE File to PHONE.DBF Continued.... While correcting existing records from your updated file, PHONE checks to be sure the company name in your existing record match's the company name from the update file, as it corrects each address. If the company name doesn't match you will be given the option of changing your existing record and continuing, not changing your existing record and continuing, or aborting. While this is mostly a precaution to be sure you are using the correct file, and your records are in the correct order, we have found that the Post Office will sometimes change a company name slightly when updating, such as changing: A & B Co. to: A AND B CO. If you get a company that doesn't match, and decide to abort, your old records will be automatically restored. Page 12 3) Restore PHONE Database from Oldphone This option is to be used only if you have a problem with your records after using the option above to update. A possible reason for that would be if you lost power during the update. This will only work if the 2 files, OLDPHONE.DBF and OLDPHONE.DBT are in the current Directory. 4) Exit This will just return you to the Utility menu. 8) DISABLE CHANGES TOGGLE ... Choices for this option are: 1) Allow changes This is to turn off the disable changes option. You will need to know a password to use this option. This is so that in a network environment, someone doesn't use this to allow changes, when someone else has sent your records to the Post Office for updating. 2) Disable changes This will turn off the add/change/delete options in the main menu, as well as the Utility menu option which allows you to remove deleted records and reindex. The primary purpose of this option is to keep any changes from occurring to certain fields in your database file while your records are out getting updated. You will still be able to use the display and print options, and you can still make changes allowed in the Utility menu, such as switching tags or label codes on records. You can also still reindex only, should it be necessary due to corrupted indexes. You will need a password to use this option. 3) Change password The standard password PHONE comes with is: VISION You can change it with this option. Once you change it you must use your new password with any of these three options. This is to allow a network supervisor to lock out changes, while still allowing display and printing. NOTE: Passwords are encrypted on disk, so they can't be read correctly with a disk editor utility program. 4) Exit This will return you to the Utility menu. Page 13 9) ADD/DELETE COUNTRY CODES ... This will allow you to add or delete country codes. Be sure not to delete any codes that you may have used in any of your records. You can enter a new code using any combination of letters and numbers in the 2 spaces. You then enter the full name of the country. When you print a label, or a report, the PHONE program will expand the code to the full name. It is done this way to both save disk space (23 bytes per record), and make entering data quicker. Note: There is not an option to change a country code. To do that, simply delete it, and re-enter a new code with the correct information you want. 0) EXIT THIS MENU ... This will return you to the main menu. ***************************************************************** * POST OFFICE RECORD UPDATING * ***************************************************************** As of the writing of this manual, the Post Office will update your records for you at no charge. The update consists of: 1. Standardized spelling and format of delivery address field 2. Standardized spelling and format of city and state fields 3. Validated/corrected 5-digit zip code 4. Supplying zip+4 codes For example: You supply to Post Office Post Office returns to you MR. & MRS. JOHN A. SAMPLE MR & MRS JOHN A SAMPLE 5505 SUNSETTE APARTMENT 230 5505 W SUNSET BLVD # 230 HOLLYWOODE CALIF. 90082 HOLLYWOOD CA 90028-8521 This process is beneficial to both you and the Post Office, and is highly recommended before sending out a mailing. The form you need is called: DISKETTE PROCESSING REQUEST FORM. If your local Post Office doesn't have one, you can call the National Address Information Center at 1-800-238-3150, or write them at: DISKETTE PROCESSING SERVICES NATIONAL ADDRESS INFORMATION CENTER 6060 PRIMACY PKY STE 101 MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001 Page 14 Information you will need to fill out the form is as follows: INPUT FIELDS (Field Length) (Beginning Position) Personal Name 32 1 Secondary Address 32 33 Delivery Address 32 65 City 21 97 State 2 118 ZIP Code 10 120 OUTPUT FIELDS ZIP + 4 code 10 120 State (Abbrev.) 2 118 Other information you will need is: Record Length: 131 Input File Name: PHONE.TXT Number of Records: You can get this by going to the display menu. On the top right hand screen, the number of records in your database file will be displayed. Note: This total includes deleted records, so you should first use the reindex option in the Utility menu, and choose to remove deleted records. You can leave the display menu by pressing ESC. Page 15 ***************************************************************** * POST OFFICE BAR CODE PRINTING * ***************************************************************** The first step involved in printing postnet bar codes is to register PHONE. This is a special function available only to registered users. For those that use bar codes and 9 digit zip codes, the very modest registration cost of PHONE will be repaid many times in postage savings. As of the release of Version 2.20 of PHONE, the U.S. Post Office was in the process of changing their bar code readers to what is known as wide area readers. This allows the Post Office to read bar codes from any where on the envelope, not just a specific spot in the lower right hand corner as in the past. This allows bar codes to be printed on the label. Postnet is the term the Post Office uses for their bar code format. Use of Postnet bar codes allow the mail to travel faster and more accurately, and the USPO offers discounts to mailers who bar code their own mail. A nine digit postnet bar code consists of 52 bars. There is one framing bar at each end, each number in the code is made up of 5 bars, and there is a 5 bar check code, which totals the sum of the numbers as a check to be sure the machine has read the code correctly. (1 + (5 x 9) + 5 + 1) = 52 bars. A five digit code consists of 32 bars. (1 + (5 x 5) + 5 + 1) Bars are either full size or half size, and each number (0-9) is made up of a unique combination of 5 half or full size bars. For the curious who want to examine a bar code, the following shows the breakdown by number. │││ ││ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ ││ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││││ --1-- --3-- --5-- --7-- --9-- --0-- --2-- --4-- --6-- --8-- check /|\ /|\ |.................These are framing bars................| (You may need to toggle the graphics switch on your printer to have this example print properly. - see your manual if need be.) As you can see, number 1 is made up of 3 short bars and 2 long bars. Number 2 consists of 2 short, 1 long, 1 short, 1 long; etc. In this example, the check bar is the same as number 5. That is determined by adding the 9 digits, (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9 = 45) then adding a number to that to make the total a multiple of 10. So, 45 + 5 = 50, which means the last digit should be a five. If your zip code was 08096-1708, your check digit would be #1 Many times a company is assigned it's own 9 digit number. (08096-1708 belongs to Morris Graphics Inc. Woodbury, NJ) Page 16 ***************************************************************** * PRINT MENU * ***************************************************************** When you attempt to perform a printing option, the PHONE program checks to see if your printer is on line and ready. If it isn't ready, you will be given the opportunity to set it up, or return to the menu. Whenever the PHONE program is printing, you can press ESC, and will be given the option to abandon your print job, or continue with printing. 1) PRINT REPORT ... You will first be given the option of printing all records, selected label codes, selected zip codes, tagged records only, or a selected State. If you choose to print all the records in you file, you will be advised of approximately how many pages it will take, and given the option of printing the report or not. You will be given a choice to print the report in Company order, Label code order, or Zip code order. You should set up your printer with standard 9 1/2 wide by 11 deep continuous paper. (8 1/2 x 11 detached). 2) PRINT LABELS ... This option prints labels on standard 3 1/2 x 15/16 pin feed labels, You will be given a few options. You can print labels for all records, selected zip codes, selected label codes, tagged records only, or a selected state. You will also be given the option to print 1 - 99 sets of labels. For example, you can print 2 sets of labels with all zip codes from 08001 to 08099, 40 sets of labels for all records in NY State, 9 sets of labels for all records with label code F6, 2 sets of labels for all tagged records, etc. If you are printing more than one set of labels, each record will print in total before the next record. In other words, 4 of the first record, then 4 of the second record, etc. You will be given a choice to print labels in Company order, Label code order, or Zip code order. You can print labels one across, or two across. If you pick 2 across, you will be given the option of adjusting the starting position of the second column of labels, after a test pattern. If needed, Vision Computing can supply labels. Contact us for information. Page 17 3) PRINT ZIP CODE SUMMARY ... This is mostly used for bulk mail preparation. It will give you a list of every zip code in your files, and the number of records for each zip code. It also will give you a total of zip codes that have more than 10 identical 5 digit codes, and a total of that have more than 10 - 3 digit matches, AFTER subtracting 5 digit matches of 10 or more. It will also total the number of 9 digit codes in your files. This information will assist you in filling out the Post Office bulk mail forms, and may be useful in your marketing. 4) CHANGE DEFAULT PRINTER ... This will give you a list of printers to choose from and allow you to pick one, which will become your default printer every time you use PHONE. You can change your printer as often as you like. If your printer is not shown, try an Epson model, as many printers emulate the Epson command codes. If you have trouble printing correctly, send a copy of your printer command codes from your printer manual to VISION COMPUTING INC. along with a note describing the problem. You will be sent an update (no charge) that will work with your printer. 5) EXIT THIS MENU ... This will return you to the main menu. Note: To print full information contained in one record, including notes, use the Main Menu choice # 1 or # 2 to first display the record, then you will be given an option to print it if you want. ***************************************************************** * TAGGING RECORDS * ***************************************************************** To tag a record, enter "Y" in the tagged field. This can be done when first entering the information in the add a record menu, or at any other time by using the correct a record menu. Groups of records can be tagged by using an option in the Utility menu, which will allow tagging all records, untagging all records, or reversing the tags on/off for all records. Tagging a record is used for two purposes. The first is for printing. Options allowed in printing of a report, or of labels, allow the printing of only records that have been tagged. The second use of tagging records is for entering a note into all records which you have tagged. This is also done from the Utility menu. Page 18 ***************************************************************** * SET UP MENU * ***************************************************************** 1) ZIP CODE FIELD ... This will allow you to change the way data can be entered in the zip code field. Choosing this option from the Set up menu will give you another window which allows you to choose to enter zip codes as 99999-9999 which will ONLY allow numbers, or as XXXXXXXXXX which will allow any characters. The numbers only option is much quicker to use when entering United States zip codes, while the other option is necessary for entering zip codes in most other countries. 2) CHANGE COMPANY NAME ... This will allow you to enter the name you would like to see displayed in the various PHONE menu screens, and will be printed on the full reports. 3) DEFAULT COUNTRY CODE ... Use this option to tell the PHONE program the country code you use the most. That code will be automatically entered in the country code field when adding a new record, and save data entry time. It can be over written to enter whatever code you like when entering a new record. 4) EXIT ... This will return you to the main menu. ***************************************************************** * ERROR CHECKING FOR CODES * ***************************************************************** When entering a new record, or editing an existing record, the PHONE program has some checks which should help avoid incorrect data entry. If you enter a state abbreviation that isn't a valid United States State, you will be advised, and given the opportunity to change it. You can also leave the code the way you entered it if you want to. Note however, if you have set up zip code field to accept any character, and leave state field blank, the PHONE program will not give you the warning message. This is to avoid getting the warning when you are entering address' other than USE, and leave the state field blank intentionally. If you enter a country code that isn't in your country database file, you will be advised, and given the opportunity to change it, or leave it as you entered it. If you leave an invalid code, be sure to later go to the Utility menu and add the code to your country database, so it will expand the way you want it to when printing. Page 19 ***************************************************************** * SPECIAL KEYS * ***************************************************************** F1 - TO display a HELP screen in many areas of PHONE. F6 - For System Information. It will display information about your computer such as memory, disk drive space, computer type, DOS Version being used, math co-processor, mouse, graphics card, and more. You can print by pressing F8. F9 - TO display a list of State abbreviations. F10 - To display the date and time (from your computer). ALT-S - To display serial number and who PHONE is registered to, hold down the ALT key and press S. ESC - In most areas of PHONE, you can Escape the operation you are in and return to the menu by pressing the Escape key. Other KEYS, such as F2 & F3, exhibit special behavior depending on where you are in PHONE. For example, F2 will display the first record while PHONE is waiting for input on the display screen, but is used to display your notes in full screen mode after a record has been displayed. ***************************************************************** * CONTACTING THE AUTHOR * ***************************************************************** If you have any questions about the PHONE program, you can leave mail to the author, Jeff Morris on CompuServe. His ID # is 75470,3072. If you use Prodigy, his ID # is RBWG42A, or fax a note to 609-853-5787. You can also call 609-853-7022 (day time). We encourage your feedback even if you have not yet registered your copy of PHONE. Page 20 ***************************************************************** * SETTING UP YOUR COMPUTER * ***************************************************************** Your CONFIG.SYS file should contain the following two lines: FILES=31 (or larger number, just be sure it is an odd number) BUFFERS=8 If these values are set lower, or not included in your CONFIG.SYS file, which is located in the root directory of your boot drive (normally C:\> ) the PHONE program may not run correctly. The CONFIG.SYS file can be edited with any text editor to change, or add, these two lines. ***************************************************************** * MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RECORDS * ***************************************************************** The PHONE program allows you to enter up to a billion records. ***************************************************************** * MAXIMUM SIZE OF NOTES * ***************************************************************** There is a limit on the total size of your notes file, which is 32MB. That is approximately enough room for a page of notes for each of 32,000 records. If you think you may exceed this limit, please let us know. Page 21 ***************************************************************** * RUN TIME ERRORS * ***************************************************************** If the PHONE program ever quits unexpectedly, it will generally show an error message in a box on your screen. It will also write the error information to a file in your current directory called CLIPn.err, where n is a number. If you need to contact VISION COMPUTING, please print out this file first. If you think it is a bug in the program, please send us a print out of this file. The most common error you may experience has to do with index corruption. If you get a message that has the name of a file with an .ntx extension, that means there is an index problem. This is normally caused by a power loss on your computer while an index file was open. You can correct the problem by going to the Utility menu, and using the re-indexing option. Some other possible error codes, which DOS sends to the PHONE program are listed below, with their cause, and possible solution. filename(2) - This means the file name listed before the (2) could not be located in the current Directory. The file is necessary to run the PHONE program, and must be copied to the Directory before using PHONE again. filename(4) - This means there are too many open files. This is caused by not having the FILES=31 line in your CONFIG.SYS when you booted up your computer. Use a text editor to add, or correct that line in your CONFIG.SYS file and reboot your computer before using PHONE again. filename(5) - This means access denied on the filename listed. If you changed any of the PHONE files to read only, you must remove the read only attribute on the file. (example: attrib -r filename.ext). This could also come from your Network if you do not have proper rights for all files. See your network administrator for more information about your Network rights. This message can also occur if an attempt is made to open more files than your network file server is configured to allow for all users. That number will need to be increased by your network administrator. Page 22 ????????(8) - This is caused by insufficient memory. You may have too many TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs loaded in your computer from your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files. You must modify these files to remove some of your programs, and reboot your computer before running PHONE again. There are various other possible errors, which come from DOS, or from CLIPPER, the programming language used to write PHONE. If you experience any errors you cannot correct, if errors occur on a regular basis, or your computer locks up any time while using the PHONE program, please contact us at Vision Computing. Writing down any error messages will be extremely helpful in determining a solution to your problem. Also, giving us as much information as possible about your computer and it's set-up will be very helpful in our diagnosing the problem. This would include the contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, the type of computer, the type of printer, monitor, any additional devices such as a mouse, modem, scanner, etc. A listing of the files, including dates and sizes in your PHONE directory would also be of value. If you report a problem to us that turns out to be a problem with the PHONE program, we will send you an updated, fixed version at no charge, and allow you to update to the next version at no charge. ***************************************************************** * SYSTEM FILES CHECK * ***************************************************************** When starting up, PHONE checks to be sure all your database files are in the current directory. If one or more can not be found, PHONE will advise you, and return you to DOS. You will need to move all the database files into the same directory that PHONE.EXE is in. If the files are missing, you can re-install PHONE. Next, PHONE checks if all your index files are in the current directory. If one or more is missing, you will be given the option to allow PHONE to rebuild your index files for you. Page 23 ***************************************************************** * USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE AND LICENSE TERMS * ***************************************************************** Welcome to user supported software (commonly referred to as "SHAREWARE"). User supported software allows you to try software before you buy, and when you do buy, to pay much less than for commercially developed software. This is true because there are no costs for advertising, sales staffs, fancy packaging and distribution costs. Just good software, not glossy packaging. Pay only after you have tried it, and decide to continue to use it. Your registration of PHONE will provide funds to allow for further development of this and other SHAREWARE programs by the author. Additionally, by registering with us you will be notified of new updates/versions. PHONE, as with all shareware, depends entirely upon your support for it's existence. PHONE is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. It is copyright 1989 - 1991 by Vision Computing Inc. All rights are reserved. ***************************************************************** You are specifically granted the right to use PHONE on a trial basis. If you continue to use it, you must register your copy by sending $ 26.00 plus $ 4.00 shipping/handling to: Vision Computing Inc. 660 North Broad Street Woodbury, NJ 08096-1607 You will be sent the latest Version, which will allow bar code printing, and won't display the closing shareware message. You will also be allowed to upgrade to newer versions at a reduced price. In addition, you will be sent a printed manual. ***************************************************************** You are encouraged to share PHONE with others and to distribute copies on computerized bulletin board systems. However you may not: 1) Charge for, or otherwise sell, lease or rent this program. This also prohibits bundling of this program with some other product or service, without our written permission. 2) Modify the program or its documentation in any way. 3) Distribute the program without all files listed above. 4) Distribute this program as part of a promotion for any commercial venture or as an inducement to purchase some product or service, without the author's written permission. (If you are interested in a joint venture, or volume distribution, let us know.) Page 24 You MAY, however, charge a REASONABLE fee to cover your costs (diskette, postage, etc.) for the actual distribution of this program. In this case, it must be made clear to the person receiving PHONE that a registration fee is still required of all users of PHONE. Warranty: This program is being provided "AS IS". It is up to the user to determine the suitability of this program for his or her purposes. The user takes all responsibility for any direct, indirect or consequential damages. Support: Please report all bugs, difficulties or improvements desired. We plan to provide new versions of PHONE as new features/improvements are developed. Registered users will be notified of the availability of major updates. PHONE was developed using CLIPPER, a professional application development system by NANTUCKET. CLIPPER and NANTUCKET are registered trademarks of Nantucket Corporation. Page 25 ***************************************************************** * REGISTRATION INFORMATION * ***************************************************************** A file called REGISTER.ME was included with the files for the PHONE program. That file can be printed out, and used for an invoice/registration form. To print the file, from the DOS prompt in the PHONE directory, type: COPY REGISTER.ME PRN The PHONE program will also print the file for you by pressing "P" at the closing screen, on the shareware version. A WORD ABOUT SHAREWARE: If you have received the PHONE program from a Shareware disk distribution company, you paid a small fee to the company which covers the cost of copying the disk and shipping it to you. NO PORTION of that fee goes to the author of the program, and that fee does not allow you to use the PHONE program past your initial evaluation time, which is limited to a maximum of 60 days. This limit is trustware! Nothing in the PHONE program will prevent you from using it past the evaluation period. Whether you received the PHONE program from a friend, a BBS, or a disk distribution company, if you continue to use it past the evaluation time, you MUST send in your registration fee. You will feel better about using the program. (Knowing you did the right thing) We encourage the wide distribution of the PHONE program. That is what shareware is all about, and we hope you will give a copy of PHONE to others, and upload to any BBS systems that you call. However, please keep in mind that only the shareware version can be given to others. Thank You, Jeff Morris Vision Computing Inc. Page 26