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A D D R E S S C O N T R O L L E R VERSION 7.3 By: ROBERT F. KEBER JR (407) 969-3635 336 Swain Boulavard, Greenacres City, Florida 33463 COPYRIGHT 88-89-90. All Rights Reserved "SHAREWARE PROGRAM" Address Controller is a "Shareware" program. It is also protected under the "Copyright Laws" of the United States Of America. The term "Shareware" means that we provide you with a fully functioning sample of the program, so that you may see how it works with all of your equipment, and to evaluate the quality of the program prior to purchasing it. If you use this software for more than just a few weeks, you are under an obligation to send in the registration fee and become a Registered User. By using this software, the User implies his/her acceptance of these terms and conditions. Registration will get you the latest version of this program, all the "Support" programs, Customer Support, and free "Major" Updates for up to one year after purchase. To Register this program, print out the enclosed file called "REGISTER.DOC", which is simply an order form. If you are unable to print the order form, then just read it on your screen and send us the equivelant information with the registration fee. "PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS" WHAT IS ADDRESS CONTROLLER ADDRESS CONTROLLER is a full featured and powerful address list program. It will organize, and completely control, small to mid-sized address and phone lists, and yet still remain very simple to operate. ADDRESS CONTROLLER gives the user the ability to do all of the most common routines that most people want in an address list program. * Enter, change or delete addresses easily. * Includes a large field for comments about each address. * Stores TWO telephone & extension numbers for each address. * "Browse" through address lists. * "Search For" or "Find" any address. * "Edit" or "Print" an address in "Browse" or "Search" mode. * Sort address lists at the touch of a button. * Print "Index" or "Rolodex" cards. * Print addresses on envelopes or large shipping labels. * Print mailing labels in 1, 2, or 3 across formats. * Print multiple labels to the same address. * Print labels selectively with discrimination on any field. * Print a NAME & PHONE directory book. * Print a NAME & ADDRESS directory book. * Print a NAME/ADDRESS/PHONE/ID# directory book. * Print a NAME/ADDRESS/PHONE/ID#/COMMENT directory book. * Send "printed output" to a "disk file" instead of a printer. * "LOCK" repetitious entries into any field (Zip, City, etc.). * Issues each address an identification number. * Find, edit, delete or print addresses by identification number. * Merge two or more address lists into one master list. * Extract smaller address lists from a master list. * Extract addresses by Zip Code, State, City, Area Code, etc.. * Convert address lists to/from Random or Sequential files. * Delete, Copy, Rename or Backup any file. * Gives Sorted "Pop-Up" Window Directories of disk files. * Works with files on different drives and directories. * Temporary "quick" exit back to System (Shell). * "Menu Driven" with extensive "On Screen" help. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS * IBM PC/XT/AT or Compatible computer. * Minimum of 300k RAM memory - 640k Recommended * At least one disk drive - Hard drive recommended * DOS or MS-DOS Versions 3.0 or higher. * Monitor - Monochrome or Color. * Printer - Dot Matrix type, Epson or IBM compatible. SETTING UP YOUR DRIVES FLOPPY DISK DRIVES If you only have floppy drives, start up your computer using your normal BOOT UP disk. Once you get the screen prompt " A:> ", place this program into Drive A: and enter the following..... A:ADDRESS .....and ADDRESS CONTROLLER will load and run. HARD DRIVES Boot Up in your normal manner. Create a subdirectory for Address Controller on your hard drive with the command "MD C:\AC". Once this is done, make "C:\AC" your default directory with the command "CD C:\AC". Then place your Address Controller disk in drive A: and copy all the files to the new Address Controller subdirectory with the command "COPY A:*.*". Once all of this is done, to run ADDRESS CONTROLLER from ANY drive or directory, just enter the command "C:\AC\ADDRESS". If you have ADDRESS.EXE in your "PATH" or in your default directory, just enter "ADDRESS". UPDATING ADDRESS FILES FROM EARLIER VERSIONS OF ADDRESS CONTROLLER The Address Controller programs have been so drastically improved that the older address lists created with Address Controller versions PRIOR to Version 5.0 are NOT compatible with the newer versions. For that reason, we have produced a support file named "OLDSTYLE.EXE" which will convert older address lists into a format compatible with our newer versions. "OLDSTYLE.EXE" is shipped to all registered users. To run the conversion routine, place the Address Controller disk in drive "A" and enter the command "A:OLDSTYLE". The program has extensive "on screen" help, and simply requires that the operator supply the name of the old input file to be converted, as well as a NEW name for the converted and updated output file. NEVER try to name the new "output" file with the same name as the older "input" file. Once a file has been converted, it CAN NOT be converted back to it's original state. For this reason we strongly suggest that if you use this routine on your older files, that you DO NOT DELETE THE ORIGINAL OLDER VERSIONS until you are absolutely positive that all is well with the new, converted version. DO NOT run this program using Version 5.0 (or newer) files as the INPUT files, for this can produce a corrupted address file that will be unusable with ANY version of Address Controller. If you accidentally try to use a Version 5.0 (or newer) file as input, the program will detect this and give a warning message that says the input file is either corrupt, or the wrong version, or is not an Address Controller file. But, for the possibility of trying to save at least some of a corrupted file, you may ignore the warning and continue with the conversion. If you have never used Address Controller before this version, then you have no need for "OLDSTYLE.EXE" and should simply store it away on a backup disk out of harms way where it will never be run out of curiosity or by accident. There is no need to leave a copy of "OLDSTYLE.EXE" on your hard drive because you will only need to run it one time for each "OLDER" address file, and then will never have a use for it again. But, if left on your hard drive, it is possible that months or years from now, someone could run OLDSTYLE out of curiosity and destroy your good address files in the process. An ounce of caution is worth a pound of cure. GETTING STARTED To better understand these instructions, and the operation of Address Controller, we suggest that you "run" the program as you read these pages. This will give you a better grasp of exactly what we're talking about, as you will see the objects of our instructions on your screen right in front of you (and it's more enjoyable than "just" reading). After you run "ADDRESS", the first screen that will appear will be the opening screen. It should have your registered serial number displayed near the bottom right of the screen. Please include your serial number in "ANY" and "ALL" correspondence, or have it ready to give to our representative during phone calls. WE CANNOT OFFER SUPPORT TO ANYONE WITHOUT THIS SERIAL NUMBER SELECT OR CREATE AN ADDRESS FILE: The next screen is the "Choose a File" screen. There are several methods for choosing or creating an Address File (also called "Work File"). TO USE THE DEFAULT FILE: If you just hit the "ENTER" key, a default file called "ADDRESS.RAN" will be selected or created in which your address list may be stored. TO SELECT AN EXISTING FILE: Or, if you wish to select a "Work File" that already exists in your default drive and directory, just hit the "F2" function key. When "F2" is pressed, a "Window" appears on the screen which contains a sorted list of all the available address files. To choose one of the files in the window, use your Up/Down Arrow keys to move the highlighted "bar" to the file which you want to use, and then hit your "Enter" key. To exit from the window without choosing a file, hit the "Escape" Key. TO CREATE A NEW FILE: However, you do have the option of creating or editing a disk file with any name you wish (up to eight characters in length) by simply entering the name in the space provided on the screen. Any file name which you type in will have an extension name of ".RAN" automatically appended to it to designate it as a "RANDOM" file. You may also specify to use or create a file on a different disk drive or directory by simply adding that information to the beginning of the file name. (eg: "C:\LETTERS\LISTS\MYLIST.RAN") The next screen is simply to insure that you entered the correct file name on the previous screen, and to avoid creating files on the disks with names entered in error. If the file name is correct, then just hit "Y" (for Yes), or just hit "ENTER" which always means the same as "YES". If the name is not correct, then just enter "N" (for NO). The previous screen will reappear, allowing you to enter the file name once again. Once you get past the third screen, the MAIN MENU screen will appear. On the menu you will see listed all of the various choices at your disposal. If you chose to create a brand new file, at this point your new file is empty because you haven't entered any addresses yet. As a result, if you try most of the menu selections, you will only get an "Uh..Oh" sound and a message saying that your work file is empty. But after you have entered a few addresses, all of those menu choices will work just fine. So the first thing you have to do with an "empty file" is choose menu selection "A" and enter some new addresses into the empty work file (enter more than just one address for practice). But read the next few paragraphs before attempting this. DATA ENTRY KEYBOARD CONTROLS If you wish to skip a field and leave it blank, just hit the "ENTER" or "Down Arrow" key. When you are finished making an entry, and it hasn't completely filled up the entire field, hit the "ENTER" or "Down Arrow" to move on to the next field. If you should completely fill up a field with data, the cursor will automatically move into the next field for you, without hitting any key. ADDRESS CONTROLLER will prevent you from moving the cursor beyond either end of any field. You must therefore make sure that all entries fit in the space provided, abbreviating if necessary. Commas (,) and quotes (") will cause problems with processing of the address file. Therefore those two keys will not work while making entries. Usually an extra space or dash can replace a comma, and a single or double apostrophe (' '') can replace a quote mark. If you notice that you made a mistake in a previous field, just hit the "<" (less than), "Left Arrow" or "Up Arrow" key to move back to that field to correct your error. After you have entered the data in the last field, a message will appear on the screen asking if your entries are all correct. If you just hit the "Y" or "ENTER" keys (meaning "YES") your new address will be saved onto the disk. If you type "N" (for "NO") the cursor will be moved back to the "CATEGORY" field so that you may make the necessary corrections. The "Page Down" key will always move the cursor to the last field on the screen ("Comment"), and the "Page Up" key will move the cursor back to the first ("Category") field. MAKING CORRECTIONS When making corrections, if the first few fields are correct and your error is in the ZIP CODE field (for example), then just hit the "ENTER" or "Down Arrow" key on all of the correct fields. The entries already made in those fields will not be changed and the cursor will simply move from field to field until you reach the one where the correction is needed. Corrections are made to entries in much the same manner that most Word Processing programs use. "CTRL + Y" will "Erase" an entire field entry. This means that to delete the whole field entry, hold down your "Control" key and then depress the "Y" key (it's just like typing a capital "Y", but using the "Control" key instead of the "Shift" key). The "Delete" and "Backspace" keys "Erase or Delete" field characters. The "Left" and "Right" arrow keys will move the cursor to the left or right within the field. The "End" and "Home" keys will move the cursor to either end of the field entry. "Insertion" of characters in the middle of an existing entry is accomplished by moving the cursor (with the arrow keys) to the spot where you want to insert one or more characters, and then typing the characters to be inserted. QUESTIONS WITH YES OR NO ANSWERS Many times throughout the program you will be asked questions by the computer, usually to be answered by a "Y" for "YES" or "N" for "NO". However, to make things a little easier for you in every case (except one), simply hitting "ENTER" is the same as entering "Y". The notable exception to this rule is when the program asks if you "wish to delete this address". In this case (the only case), hitting the "ENTER" key will be the same as "N". This was necessary to prevent you from accidentally deleting an address if you hit "ENTER" once too often. Fn KEYS As you progress through the program and all the different screens appear, you will notice that across the bottom of most screens are three Fn Key definitions. The "F1" key will always take you back to the main menu again. The "F2" key will activate a "Pop-Up" Window containing a sorted information directory of ALL the files in your default directory. The "F10" key will exit (or QUIT) from the ADDRESS CONTROLLER program. MAIN MENU SELECTION "A" ADD NEW ADDRESSES The address entry screen consists of fifteen separate categories to receive your entries. Each of the "blanks" to be filled in is usually referred to as a "FIELD". ID NUMBER FIELD When you begin to add a new address, you will notice that the first field (ID number) is already filled in for you with a number. Each new address you enter will automatically be given a unique ID number. The ID number is called a "KEY", and it can be used as the fastest way to display, edit, delete or print any particular address. In such cases, you just enter the proper ID number, and the address that was assigned that number will be quickly found and put on the screen. The ID number is assigned in rotation on a first come, first served basis, and it is incremented by one digit with each new address entered. The assigned number is actually the record's position in the work file (plus 1000). In other words, the very first record in your file will have the lowest ID number, which will be 1001. The highest number that can be assigned is 9999, which sets the capacity of this program to a maximum of 8999 entries per file (with no limit on the number of files). Note: While each file can hold up to 8,999 records, the "Sorting" routine will only sort files up to 8,100 records in length. We recommend that you do not exceed 8,100 records per file. If you have a need for a larger number of entries than 8,999 then break your address list into several categories and enter each list into it's own separate file. In other words, create files containing certain Zip Codes, States or Names starting with A,B,C (examples: 10010.RAN, A.RAN, B.RAN, C.RAN, NJ.RAN, NY.RAN, etc.). The assigned ID numbers start at 1000 to allow for uniform spacing on printouts, and to simplify the programming of mathematical calculations with an equal number of digits for every ID number. The use of ID numbers is very handy if you do large First Class mailouts to thousands of addresses. With every large mailout, there will be a certain percentage of the addresses that are inaccurate or obsolete. If you have this program put the ID number on each address label during printing, then correcting those addresses is an easy task when the Post Office returns the "bad" letters to you. ADDRESS CONTROLLER also has two routines for printing a list of all the the ID numbers for the addresses. Later, when you sort your file, all records in the file will be given new ID numbers to reflect their new alphabetical position in the file. As a result of this, when doing a large "mailout", you should use a little thought and caution. Sort your address list "before" printing your mailing labels. Then print your labels "with" the ID numbers (and make a backup of your sorted mailout file). DO NOT resort that address list again until all of the letters with bad addresses have been returned to you by the Post Office, and ALL of the corrections to that address list have been made. Otherwise, the ID numbers in your list will be changed, making the ID numbers on the labels useless. CATEGORY FIELD: The second field on the address form is labeled "CATEGORY". It is a three character field, and is meant to be used by you to designate the category of the address that you are currently entering. You can set up any code that suits your needs. Examples; "CUS" for customers, "ADV" for advertising addresses, "PAL" for friends, "REL" for relatives, "EMP" for employees, and so on. Or you could MERGE several different address lists into one large "Master" list. By coding all of the entries in each separate list with the same, unique, Category code you would still know which list each address originated from. It would then be a simple task to extract any unique CATEGORY at will, and recreate the original smaller file. The CATEGORY CODE will be placed at the beginning of each ID number when printing labels, and will appear to be a part of the ID number. Example; CUS2314 is the way the ID number could appear on the printout of an address label if you used "CUS" as your CATEGORY CODE. TITLE FIELD: The third field on the address form is the Title field. This field is meant to receive entries such as "Mr., Mrs., Ms., Doctor" and so on. By separating these titles from other parts of an individual's name, the sorting routine can give a much more accurate sort by simply ignoring the entries in the title field. BUSINESS OR LAST NAME FIELD: The fifth field on the address form is for entering a company's full name, and this is why we have allowed 30 spaces in this field. Many firms or government agencies have very long names. However, in the case of entering a person's name, just enter their LAST name and any extension in this blank. The individual's first name and middle initial can be entered into the previous (fourth) field on the form, which is reserved for first names. Example: If you have to enter a name such as... Doctor James P. Jones Jr. MD ...you would enter "Doctor" in the Title field, "James P." in the First Name field, and "Jones Jr. MD" in the "Business Name" field. This is important because the sorting routine will be sorting your address list primarily by the information in the "Business Name" field. So, to do a sort where people are listed in proper alphabetical order by their last name, this method of entry is necessary (a secondary sort is also done on the first name field). When printing mailing labels, the names will be put back together in their proper order again. It is not necessary to add any extra spacebars at the end of titles or first names, as the program will insert spaces when needed. But even if you do, ADDRESS CONTROLLER will still print the name correctly. We should caution you about one thing, while on the subject of the three NAME fields. The Last/Company Name field has 30 spaces, the First Name field has 20, and the Title field has 13. If you fill up all three fields with characters, the total combined length of the name will be 63 characters (an unrealistically long length). While all of those characters will be saved on the disk, and displayed on the screen, only the first 30 will appear on any printouts (for reasons of spacing on labels or paper). Because of this, it's best to keep your "TITLE" and "FIRST NAME" entries as reasonably short as possible. To help you avoid making "Name" entries that are too long, the program will put a warning message on the screen if the combined name entries exceed 30 characters. You then have the options of ignoring the message and storing the address on disk, or changing the entries to bring the name lengths within tolerance of the "print out" specifications. ATTENTION FIELD: This 30 character field can be used for "ATTENTION OF" information, or can be used as part of a two line street address. Examples: BIG BUSINESS CORP. Mr. Sam Jones Ms. Mary J. Smith ATTN: PURCHASING DEPT. Apartment C-24 123 Cornsilk Way 1177 Big Bucks Drive 1177 Side Street Corn, KA 55555 Big City, TX 99999 Smalltown, RI 11111 If the "ATTN" field is left "BLANK", then the address will be printed in only three lines instead of four. But there won't be a blank space where "ATTN" would normally fit. All information listed below "ATTN" will move up a line to fill the empty space, as in the last example. The "blank" space from "ATTN" will then be printed as the fourth line of the address to maintain proper line spacing. STREET ADDRESS FIELD: Self Explanatory. This field is 30 characters in length. CITY OR TOWN FIELD: This field is 20 characters long. The names of MOST cities will fit in the space provided. In cases of the rare exceptions, abbreviation will be necessary. Example: NORTH PALM BEACH SHORES = N PALM BCH SHRS The sensible abbreviating of city names usually creates no problem for the Post Office as long as your Zip Codes are correct. Most Zip Code directories will have a section showing the proper abbreviations for the most common names of streets, cities and towns. Note: The Post Office can usually use "optical scanners" to read your addresses and automate the delivery of your mail if you use a "plain" type style (no seriffs, proportional spacing, or anything fancy). Also use ALL "Capital Letters", and keep your printer ribbon new and dark. This is one way in which "you" can help to speed up the delivery of your own mail. ZIP CODE FIELD: The ZIP CODE field has room for the nine digit Zip Codes and space has been provided for a space or dash between the two groups of numbers. If you only have a five digit code, then just enter the five numbers and hit "ENTER". To speed up mail delivery, use nine digit Zips whenever possible. TELEPHONE FIELDS: The two TELEPHONE fields have room for the area code in brackets, a space, and the number. This field is "Right Justified" so that the phone number will be saved on the disk in the proper blanks even though you may not have typed them in their proper spaces. As an example, if you simply entered "555- 1212", it will be saved in the file (and printed out) as.... "(---) 555-1212" TELEPHONE EXT FIELDS The two "Extension" fields can be used for telephone extension numbers. But, if you don't need to use telephone extension numbers, these fields can also be used to designate the category of the associated telephone number. In such cases, just make entries such as "HOME", "WORK", "MAIN", "SALES", "SERVC", "PARTS", "PURCH", etc., in those fields. COMMENT FIELD The last field is the "COMMENT:" field. This can be used for such things as stating, the specialty of a doctor, account numbers, the name of your contact at this firm, names of spouses or children, birthdays, and so on. It can be a very useful field. MAIN MENU SELECTION "B" EDIT OR DELETE AN ADDRESS To use this menu selection you will need to know the ID number of the address you wish to change or delete. If you have printed out the Address/Phone/ID list for this workfile, you can find the number for your address on that list. Or if you have a returned letter with the ID number listed on the mailing label, it's easy to look it up on the letter. But if you don't have either of these choices at your disposal, then go back to the main menu (F1 key + "ENTER"), and choose the menu selection for either "BROWSE" or "SEARCH". Both the "Browse" and "Search" functions are explained later on in this text. If you choose menu selection "B", with the intention of deleting an address, there is something you should know. If you enter "Y" to the screen query about deleting this address, the program will erase all of the data in that particular address, but the record, and ID number will still exist (filled up with blank spaces), and the "Company Name" field will be marked as deleted with the message "RECORD DELETED". These "DELETED" blank records will remain in place until you "SORT" your address list. During the Address Controller sorting routine, all deleted records (and records with a "blank" last name field) will be removed from your address list (and all ID numbers will be changed). After making the corrections to an address, you may either hit the "ENTER" key on all of the correct fields until you reach the last field on the form, or simply hit the "PAGE DOWN" key to let the program know that you are finished making corrections. WHEN FINISHED DELETING RECORDS - MAKE A BACKUP COPY MAIN MENU SELECTION "C" BROWSE THROUGH THE ADDRESSES "Browsing" lets you skim through your addresses quickly with the use of your "UP ARROW", "DOWN ARROW", "PAGE UP", "PAGE DOWN", "HOME" and "END" keys. If you have your address list in sorted order, using this method makes finding any address quick and easy. The "UP ARROW" and "DOWN ARROW" keys will move up or down through your address list one (1) record at a time. The "PAGE UP" or "PAGE DOWN" keys will move up or down through your address list twenty five (25) records at a time. The "END" key will instantly move to the end of your address list, while the "HOME" key will bring you back to the beginning. Once you have found the correct address, you can then "EDIT" that address by pressing the "E" key (Short for EDIT). Editing is accomplished in the same exact manner as selection "B: EDIT" from the main menu. You also have the option of "PRINTING" any address while in "BROWSE", by simply hitting the "P" key (Short for PRINT). This feature will offer you the option of "indenting" or "tabbing" the printed address up to 40 spaces to the right of the printer's left margin. The address will be printed in a 10 Pitch (10 characters per inch) type size. This will allow you to do mailouts to manually selected addresses. Simply put a roll of labels (1 wide) in your printer, and then "pick & choose" which addresses are to be printed as you Browse through the address list. Or, if you have a printer into which you can put an envelope or large shipping label, you can print selected addresses directly on the envelope or shipping label. Printing labels in this manner is also very handy for printing multiple labels to the same address when shipping several packages to the same destination. When finished with the editing or printing of the selected address, ADDRESS CONTROLLER will then return you to the "BROWSE" mode of operation. If you are trying to find a recently entered address while in "BROWSE" mode, and you haven't sorted the file since the entry was made, you will always find the newest entries at the "END" of the file in unsorted order. Just use the "END" key to get to the end of the file. Then, using the "UP ARROW" key, you can move backwards through the records from the end of the file until you find the record you are looking for. IF ANY CHANGES WERE MADE - MAKE A BACKUP COPY MAIN MENU SELECTION "D" SWITCH TO ANOTHER WORKFILE This selection simply takes you back to the second screen, to allow you to edit or create an "address list" workfile with a different name. MAIN MENU SELECTION "E" PRINTING MENU When choosing this selection you will leave the "Main Menu" and switch to the "Printing Menu". The various selections available from the print menu are explained later on in this text. MAIN MENU SELECTION "F" FILE CONVERSION MENU When choosing this selection you will leave the "Main Menu" and switch to the "File Conversion Menu". The various selections available from the File Conversion Menu are explained later on in this text. MAIN MENU SELECTION "G" SEARCH FOR (or find) AN ADDRESS When you pick this menu selection, you will leave the main menu and be presented with a screen listing most of the address fields, and a request to "pick one". The field which you pick should be the field that would normally contain the information that you wish to search for (an example of this screen can be found on page "vii"). If you want to search for an address, and the only information that you have at your disposal is a last name, then pick selection #3 (Last name field) as the field to be screened or searched. After you pick the field to be screened, you will be asked to provide a "Key String". That simply means you should enter exactly what you want the program to search for. In the case of a last name search, you would enter the "last name" as the "Key String". When entering a "Key String", it is NOT necessary to provide an exact match with "capitalization". You may make your entry any way you wish, using both upper and lower case characters. The program will automatically convert all data to capital letters (upper case) before making the comparison. If you are not sure of the correct spelling of a name, but are pretty sure that it starts with a "POS", then just enter "POS". Every address entry that has a last name field beginning with "POS" will be found and displayed for you (Post Office, Posten, Possem, Possey, etc.). Only entries which begin with the "Key String" will be selected and displayed. In the above example, "U. S. Post Office" would NOT be selected. When a matching record is found, it will be displayed on the screen. At the bottom of the same screen you are offered four options, "SEARCH, EDIT, PRINT or QUIT". If the displayed address is not the one you wanted, then hit "S" to continue the search for the next matching record. You may continue to search over and over until the end of the address list is reached. When the correct address is found, if you wish to edit (change) or delete the entry, just hit "E", and you will instantly be switched into the "EDIT" mode. The use of the editing commands were explained toward the beginning of this text under "Main Menu Selection B:". If you wish to print the address, then hit "P", and the address can be printed on paper, a mailing label, envelope or shipping label. The printing will be in a 10 pitch type size. Hitting the "Q" (for "Quit"), or your "F1" key, will exit from the search mode and return you to the "Main Menu". MAIN MENU SELECTION "H" SORT, RENUMBER & KILL DELETED RECORDS This selection will sort your workfile into alphabetical and numerical order, creating a duplicate copy of the original workfile which is automatically named "SORTED.RAN". If the sorting is done on your default drive and directory, ADDRESS CONTROLLER will then ask if you wish to replace your unsorted work file with "SORTED.RAN". If you answer "Y" (or 'ENTER') it will make the changes to your files and then delete "SORTED.RAN" (make a backup copy first). If you answer "N" (for NO) it will leave your original list as it was, and leave "SORTED.RAN" on your disk as well. The sorting routine will take a varied amount of time, depending on the length of your address list, how badly scrambled the list is, the speed of your drives, and the memory speed of your computer. Several things are being done to your address list while the sorting progresses. All "DELETED RECORDS" are being permanently removed from the file. Also all records with a "BLANK" last name field are removed from the file. And finally, all records in the file are given NEW ID NUMBERS to reflect their new positions in the workfile. IMPORTANT: The maximum size address list that this program can sort is limited to 8,100 records. For address lists that are too large to sort, either convert them to a sequential file and use another separate sorting program to perform the sort, or break them into two or more smaller lists with the "file extraction" routine and sort each separately. If you get an "out of memory" message during a sort, remember that any "Memory Resident" programs and unnecessary device drivers that are present will take up valuable space in the memory. If you don't have any memory resident programs loaded (and still run out of memory), then you are trying to do too much with too little RAM memory. See your computer dealer about increasing your computer's memory capacity. MAIN MENU SELECTION "I" LOCKING CONSTANTS IN FIELDS This selection allows the user to "Lock" any repetitious entry into any field. This is a great time and error saver when entering many addresses with the same city, state, zip code, Category code, and so on. By "locking" all of these repetitious entries into their respective fields, each new address entry will already have those fields filled in for the operator as he/she adds new records. When typing up a list of business addresses for an advertisement list, you can "lock" something like "Attn: Purchasing Department" into the "ATTN:" field (saving 28 error free key strokes per address). The "Constant" is a great time (and error) saver for those who use this program to generate large mailing lists from City Directories or telephone books. Constants that have been locked into fields present no problem if you wish to overwrite or change them. Simply edit the "Constant" data the same as any other field entry. MAIN MENU SELECTION "S" SHELL TO SYSTEM This selection allows the user to temporarily exit from ADDRESS CONTROLLER to perform some other task in the "SYSTEM" mode. Tasks such as formatting a disk, making backups, and so on. During this process, ADDRESS CONTROLLER is still present in your computer's memory, and has not been unloaded. For this reason it is NOT recommended that the user try to run other large and complicated programs while in the "SHELL" mode. To return to ADDRESS CONTROLLER from the SHELL MODE, simply type the command "EXIT" from the system prompt. MAIN MENU SELECTION "U" UTILITIES MENU This menu selection will instantly move you from the "Main Menu" screen into the "Utility Menu" screen. To return to the "Main Menu", simply hit your "F1" key (as is noted on the bottom of your screen). MAIN MENU SELECTION "X" EXIT FROM PROGRAM Selection "X" or hitting the "F-10" key have the same effect. Both of these selections will close any files that are open, reset all variables, and EXIT from the ADDRESS CONTROLLER program. UTILITY MENU SELECTION "A" MAKE A COPY OF ANY DISK FILE This selection allows you to copy (or make a backup) of any file in your default directory. Just answer the screen questions, giving the "Name" of the file to be copied, and the drive and path for the destination of the copy. Example: If you have an address file (MY.RAN) in your default directory on drive C: that you wished to "Backup" onto drive A:, enter the following; File To Be Copied: MY.RAN Destination (Path Only): A: Or, if you have "MY.RAN" on drive A: and wish to copy it to your default driectory on drive C:, enter the following; File To Be Copied: A:MY.RAN Destination (Path Only): <no entry - just hit Enter> This routine will NOT accept "Wild Card" entries, or allow you to "Copy & Rename" as the system "COPY" command does. If you have a need for such commands, then use the "Shell" command from the main menu, and then use the system "COPY" command. This routine will only allow copying "From" and "To" your "default" drive and directory. UTILITY MENU SELECTION "B" ERASE A DISK FILE This selection allows you to erase or delete any program or file on any disk or directory. We gently remind you that a certain amount of caution and thought should be exercised BEFORE deleting any files. UTILITY MENU SELECTION "C" RENAME A DISK FILE This selection allows you to "Rename" a file. If the routine is successful, you will hear the "Tweet" sound and be returned to the Main Menu. If there was a problem, you will hear the "Uh..Oh" sound and a warning message will appear on the screen. You can double check the file names by hitting the "F2" key at any time to get the "File Directory Window". THE PRINTING MENU PRINT ONE SINGLE ADDRESS This selection is intended for users who have the ability to put an envelope into their printer. In such cases, the program can then print the selected address directly onto your envelope without the use of a label or a typewriter. Address ID Number is required for this selection. To print an address without knowing the ID number, use Main Menu selection "C" (BROWSE). This feature is also useful when you have a need for several address labels to the same address for the shipping of several separate packages. PRINTING TO A DISK FILE The next six Print Menu Selections (B,C,D,E,F,G) have a special feature attached to them. Each of them gives the User the option of sending the output intended for the printer to a "Disk File" instead. Each of the six disk files that this feature can create will have a different first name, but with a common extension name of ".LST" (short for "LIST"). LABEL.LST ADDPHONE.LST PHONE.LST COMPLETE.LST ADDRESS.LST CARD.LST This feature can be a real time and money saver in several ways, starting with the fact that it will only take a fraction of the normal printing time to print a disk file. The User can then use the DOS or MS-DOS file called "PRINT.COM" to print the file "in the background". Printing the file in this manner will free up the computer to do other tasks at the same time as the file is being printed. In other words, YOUR COMPUTER CAN DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE, and NOT make you sit around waiting until the printing is finished. See your DOS or MS-DOS manual for instructions on how to use "PRINT.COM". But even if you don't have "PRINT.COM" you (or anyone else) can still print these files with the command "COPY PHONE.LST LPT1:". Using this method won't print "in the background" as PRINT.COM does, but it WILL print the file without any need for the Address Controller program to be present. Another benefit is that you can run these printing routines on a computer with NO PRINTER, and then send a disk containing the output files to another computer (with a printer) for printing at a later time. Or, in the case of one printer being shared between several computers, it is usually faster to send the printer a disk file to be added to the "PRINT QUEUE" than to sit around idly waiting for "your turn up at bat". Another benefit! You can send the print files by telephone modem to other Users, or mail them a floppy disk instead of many heavy pages of printed material, saving postage, paper and printing time. They can then print out the file themselves, using the same commands we explained above. And finally, you can sell or share the address lists created by Address Controller with other computer Users without allowing them to have access to your registered copy of this program. This is very useful for members and officers of Clubs, Churchs, etc., where extra copies of address and phone lists (or sets of mailing labels, Rolodex, etc.) are always in demand. In such cases, "You" can keep the master "RAN" list with Address Controller for editing/updating, and give the "LST" file to the secretary. The Secretary can then print as many copies of the list as needed, without any need for access to Address Controller. This option (print to file or printer) will appear on the screen on each of the next six menu selections. You can choose which way the output goes by entering either an "F" (for file) or a "P" (for printer). PRINTING OF MAILING LABELS Print Menu Selection "B" prints your mailing labels. The size of the labels that you use is very important. This program was designed for use with 2 1/2 inch by 15/16 inch labels. We chose this size of label for our program because (in a 3 across format) they will fit in most of the smaller 80 column printers. If you use this size of label (and position them in your printer properly) you should have no problems. However, (while not recommended) it is possible to use a variety of label lengths when using the one across or two across type of labels. But the user is strictly limited to 15/16 of an inch in depth to maintain proper line spacing. But, we suggest that you use the proper size labels for the best overall performance, and again, it is recommended that you SORT your workfile BEFORE proceeding with this menu selection. After confirmation of the correct workfile for printout, you will be asked if you wish to print ALL of the address in the current workfile. If you answer "Y", you will proceed directly to the printing part of the program, and a label will be printed for "every" address in the file. Answering "NO" will allow you to choose to print groups of labels from whatever category you want. Example: Only print labels for records from one "State", or one "City", or for one "Zip Code" (or any range of Zip Codes), or for all "Names" starting with "A" (or A to F), and so on. We routinely receive questions from Users asking why Address Controller won't "Sort" by Zip Code. In our opinion, this feature (and the "File Extraction" feature) eliminates any need for that, because (in a sense) that's pretty much what these routines are capable of doing (among many other things). When you answer "NO" to the "Print ALL" question, you will be presented with the "Discrimination" menu. This menu allows you to set up the category for the group of labels you wish to print. ================================================================= ADDRESS SELECTION BY DISCRIMINATION #1 = ID NUMBER #7 = STREET #2 = CATEGORY #8 = CITY OF TOWN #3 = COMPANY NAME #9 = STATE #4 = FIRST NAME #10 = ZIP CODE #5 = TITLE #11 = TELEPHONE (1st) #6 = ATTENTION #13 = TELEPHONE (2nd) #15 = COMMENT Enter The NUMBER Of The Discriminating Field: 10 Enter The LOWEST Field Value To Be Accepted: 33460 Enter The HIGHEST Field Value To Be Accepted: 33469 ================================================================= For instance, suppose you just wanted to print addresses that had a Category Code of "100". First you would choose selection #2 (Category field) as the discriminating field. Then you would enter "100" for the lowest value you wish to print, and then "100" (again) for the highest value you wish to print. If you wanted to print only the addresses with LAST NAMES that started with an "F", then you would choose selection #3 (Last Name Field) as the discriminating field, and enter "F" for both the high and low value questions. To print all addresses with last names starting with "A" through "F", then enter "A" for the low value and "F" for the high value. In the example listed in the above display, all addresses with Zip Codes ranging from "33460" through "33469" will be selected. Before starting to print any of the address labels, the program will ask if you want to print some TEST LABELS. The purpose of this is to help you obtain proper label alignment in your printer. You may keep printing TEST LABELS over and over, and adjusting your printer and labels both left and right, and up and down, until the printing on the labels is centered and acceptable to you. PRINT NAME & PHONE DIRECTORY This selection will produce a directory containing only the three Name fields, both Telephone Number fields, and both Telephone Extension fields. (Names & Telephone Numbers - NO Addresses) The print out will have one record per line and be in 10 pitch type. Enough space has been provided that, with proper paper placement in the printer, there is room to use a report cover or binder without covering up the ends of the records. ================================================================= TEST FILE - NAME & PHONE LIST PRINTED 09-26-1988 PAGE # 1 ================================================================= AMES, MR. JACK (111) 111-1111 HOME# (444) 444-1698 Work# K. B. M. Company (911) 222-2222 Main# (911) 222-2228 Parts COLBY, MISS CAROL J. (333) 333-3333 HOME# (---) 333-4325 WORK# Jackel, Dr Joe Hyde (---) 444-4444 Offic -------------------- BIG BUCKS CORPORATION (555) 555-5555 MAIN# (---) 555-5551 PURCH ================================================================= PRINT NAME & ADDRESS DIRECTORY This selection will produce a directory containing only the complete names and addresses of record entries. The print will have one record per line and be in condensed print mode. Again, space has been provided for use of a binder or report cover. (Names & Addresses - NO Telephone Numbers) ================================================================= TEST FILE - NAME & ADDRESS LIST UPDATED 11-15-1989 PAGE # 1 ================================================================= BIG BUCKS CORP. PURCH DEPT, MAIN ST., NUGGET, TX 22222 JONES, DOCTOR JIM SUITE #2, WORTH AVE, PALM BEACH, FL 33480 SMITH, MR. HAROLD APT # 33-A, FOURTH ST, NOME, PA 55555 SMITH, MR. ROBERT 8 PARK ST, ATLANTA, GA 11111 ================================================================= PRINT NAME/ADDRESS/PHONE DIRECTORY This selection will produce a directory containing full names, complete addresses, all telephone numbers and extension numbers, and the customer ID# and Category code. The printout will be in condensed print mode, and use three lines per address. ================================================================= SAMP FILE - ADDRESS & PHONE LIST PRINTED 11-15-1989 PAGE # 1 ================================================================= BIG BUCKS CORP PURCH DEPT, MAIN ST, NUGGET, TX 22222 ID# A1002 111-0000 EXT1: MAIN# (111) 111-0042 EXT2: PURCH ================================================================= JONES, DR. JIM SUITE #2, WORTH AVE, PALM BEACH, FL 33480 ID# A1003 333-1212 EXT1: OFFIC EXT2: ================================================================= SMITH, MR. ROBERT APT #12, 8 PARK ST, ATLANTA, GA 11111 ID# A1001 555-1212 EXT1: HOME# (444) 999-0000 EXT2: WORK# ================================================================= PRINT COMPLETE DATA DIRECTORY This selection will produce a directory containing ALL of the information entered on each address entry in the file. The printout will be in condensed print mode, and use four lines per address entry. The output will look much like the one above, except that it will have an extra line of text for the comment field. PRINT INDEX & ROLODEX CARDS This selection will print either Index or Rolodex cards. The cards must be of the "continuous form" type (attached to each other like computer paper) in a "one across" format. This program was written for specific sizes of cards. The Rolodex card size should be 2 1/6 inches by 4 inches, while the Index card size should be 3 X 5 inches. Use of any other sized cards will cause printout problems. Again, you will be presented with an opportunity to print TEST cards to line up your printed output before the printing of the file begins. Finally, it is strongly suggested that you SORT your address list BEFORE you proceed with the printing of these cards (unless you don't mind "manually" sorting the cards by hand "after" the printing is completed). FILE CONVERSION MENU MERGE TWO FILES INTO ONE This menu selection will take any two different workfiles and merge them together into a third workfile. Once this is done, it is strongly suggested that the newly created merged file be sorted. EXTRACT A SMALL FILE FROM A LARGE FILE This menu selection works very much like the printing of labels with "discrimination", except that it creates a separate work file containing only the desired addresses instead of printing labels. This feature allows file separation by Zip Code, City Names, States, all names starting with "A" (or "A" through "F"), and so on. With this capability, the user can take several different address lists, give each entry in each separate list the same Category code (but different unique codes for each separate list), and then MERGE them all together into one large list for easier management. In other words, if you have several different address lists, personal list, business list and club member list, you would proceed as follows. Select the first list (Personal) and EDIT or BROWSE through the entire list, changing all the CATEGORY CODES to "PER" for personal. Then do the same with your business list, setting the CATEGORY CODE to "BUS" for Business. Again, do the same thing with your Club member list, setting the CATEGORY CODE to "CLB" for Club Member. Now you can MERGE and SORT all three lists together into one large list for easier management. Then, at any time, the user can extract and recreate the original smaller files, or print labels for any one of the lists through use of this discrimination technique on the Category field. CONVERTING TO A SEQUENTIAL FILE There are many different ways to store data in a disk file. Each different method is best suited for different types of applications. The two most common methods are generally referred to as "RANDOM" and "SEQUENTIAL" files. The address lists which you create with Address Controller are "RANDOM" files. This menu selection allows you to transform your Random workfile into a different kind of disk file, called a "Comma Delineated Sequential File". The new file will have all non essential characters removed from all the fields. All converted files will automatically be given a file name extension of ".SEQ" to designate them as Sequential files. Once converted, this new file can be more easily adapted for use with the "Mail Merge" capabilities of some popular Word Processing programs, or be "Imported" into several other well known business programs. This new file can be more easily read (and edited) by most good word processing programs. However, if you use a word processor to edit or change your records, NEVER change or delete any of the ID numbers. To do so may make the address list incompatible with ADDRESS CONTROLLER, or at the very least, will make various operations unreliable and unpredictable. But there are times when using a Word Processor can be the easiest and fastest way to update a mailing list. Example: The "Find & Replace" feature found in most good Word Processors can make the updating of recently changed Postal Zip Codes and Telephone Area Codes much easier and faster than editing each address by hand. But, NEVER delete any of the commas inserted into each record as they are "delineators" and are used to separate each field from the other. There MUST be 14 commas present in each record (no more,... no less). A totally "blank" record will simply contain a string of 14 commas. Another benefit of the Sequential ASCII file is that it will be much smaller in size than the original workfile. This helps make backing up large address lists on small floppy disks a bit easier for the user. It will also cut the amount of time for telephone transfers by about 50%. There is still another reason for this routine. The ADDRESS CONTROLLER "SORTING" routine will only handle up to 8,100 address entries. By converting larger work files to a Sequential file, the user can then use another, independent and separate sorting program to handle these very large sorts (SuperSort, SortF, etc.). CONVERTING TO A RANDOM WORK FILE This selection simply converts the Sequential files back into a working Random file again. Caution is emphasized! MAKE SURE that you have a BACKUP of your current workfile BEFORE using this menu selection. Because during this conversion, the first thing the program does is ERASE your default workfile. Once that happens, it's too late to find out that there is something wrong with the Sequential file that is being converted. There are extensive "On Screen" warnings to this effect before deletion takes place. CONVERTING MAILING LISTS FROM OTHER PROGRAMS Conversion of lists created by other programs should only be attempted by experienced programmers (on backup copies of files). Write a program that will perform the following conversions with your brand-X address list. ** Convert Data to Sequential file (filename.SEQ). ** 15 comma delineated fields - No COMMAS or QUOTES in any text. ** Install incremented ID numbers beginning with "1001" ** FIELD #1 = LAST OR COMPANY NAMES (Max Length = 30) ** FIELD #2 = FIRST NAMES (Max Length = 20) ** FIELD #3 = TITLE (Max Length = 13) ** FIELD #4 = ID number (Fixed Length = 4) ** FIELD #5 = CATEGORY (Max Length = 3) ** FIELD #6 = ATTN. OF: (Max Length = 30) ** FIELD #7 = STREET ADDRESS (Max Length = 30) ** FIELD #8 = CITY OR TOWN (Max Length = 20) ** FIELD #9 = STATE (Max Length = 2) ** FIELD #10= ZIP CODE (Max length = 10) ** FIELD #11= TELEPHONE #1 (Max Length = 14) ** FIELD #12= EXT1 (Max Length = 5) ** FIELD #13= TELEPHONE #2 (Max Length = 14) ** FIELD #14= EXT2 (Max Length = 5) ** FIELD #15= COMMENT (Max Length = 67) SAMPLE FILE CONVERSION PROGRAM If your old address list is saved in a DBASE III+ database file such as "ADDRESS.DBF", registered users can receive another set of programs to help convert address files to/from DBASE III+ files at no additional charge. The following is a sample program (written in BASIC) for converting an address list file created by some other program (not by Address Controller). We will assume the input file ("WIERD.DAT") is also a "comma delineated" sequential file, but containing only seven fields out of a total of ten fields that we want to have in an Address Controller file. "WIERD.DAT" FILE STRUCTURE FIELD #1: DATE *FIELD #6: CITY FIELD #2: 10 DIGIT ACCOUNT NUMBER *FIELD #7: STATE *FIELD #3: FIRST NAME *FIELD #8: ZIP *FIELD #4: LAST NAME *FIELD #9: PHONE *FIELD #5: STREET ADDRESS FIELD 10: INDEX CODE (Fields with "*" are the fields we need for Address Controller) "SAMPLE FILE CONVERSION SOURCE CODE - ENTRY LEVEL BASIC" 10 DEFINT A-Z 20 DIM A$(15) W$(15) 30 ID = 1000 ' Setup for ID numbering beginning at 1000 40 OPEN "I", #1, "WIERD.DAT" 'Open 2 files for input & output 50 OPEN "O", #2, "ADDRESS.SEQ" 60 IF EOF(1) THEN CLOSE: SYSTEM ' Quit at end of Input file 70 ID = ID + 1 'Set new ID number value 80 FOR X =1 TO 10 'Get data from WIERD.DAT record. 90 INPUT #1, W$(X) 100 NEXT X 110 'Arrange data in field order & set maximum field lengths. 120 R$(1) = LEFT$(W$(4),30) ' Last name 130 R$(2) = LEFT$(W$(3),20) ' 1st name 140 R$(4) = RIGHT$(STR$(ID),4) ' ID number 150 R$(7) = LEFT$(W$(5),30) ' street 160 R$(8) = LEFT$(W$(6),20) ' city 170 R$(9) = LEFT$(W$(7),2) ' state 180 R$(10) = LEFT$(W$(8),10) ' zip code 190 R$(11) = LEFT$(W$(9),14) ' Telephone #1 200 R$(5) = "CAT" 'Replace CAT with any CATEGORY code you want. 210 R$(15) = "Converted WIERD.DAT" 'Put your own COMMENT there. 220 FOR X = 1 TO 14 'save newly gathered data in ADDRESS.SEQ 230 PRINT #2, R$(X) + ","; 'This sets up the fields 240 NEXT X 250 PRINT #2,R$(15) 260 FOR X = 1 TO 15 ' clear both sets of variables 270 W$(X) = "" 280 R$(X) = "" 290 NEXT X 300 GOTO 60 ' go get the next WIERD.DAT record The above sample source code would gather SEVEN fields of information from WIERD.DAT and place them into ADDRESS.SEQ. In addition, the ID field would be automatically filled in, and the CATEGORY and COMMENT fields would be filled with any other information you decided to put in them. When the above program is done making "ADDRESS.SEQ", then run Address Controller and CONVERT "ADDRESS.SEQ" to "ADDRESS.RAN". You may then use "ADDRESS.RAN" the same as any other work file that you created by typing it yourself. "DBASE" is a trademark of the Ashton-Tate Corporation. "MS-DOS" is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. "ROLODEX" is a trademark of the Rolodex Corporation. "EPSON" is a trademark of the Epson Corporation. "DOS" & "IBM" are trademarks of the IBM Corporation.