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-
File Express(tm) User's Guide
-----------------------------
L A B E L P R I N T I N G
-----------------------------
With File Express it is extremely easy to print labels. You may
print labels up to five across on label forms up to 14 inches wide.
Printing may be done in either regular or condensed print. (You
may also print "Quick Labels" while you are entering information
into your database or while editing records.)
Telling File Express the size of your labels and the spacing be-
tween each one is so easy and simple that you'll wonder why you
ever dreaded printing labels before.
To reach the Label Printing Section, press <6> while viewing the
Main Menu.
The first display on the screen will be the "Mailing Label Menu":
________________________________
| |
| 1 - Re-define LABEL SPACING |
| |
| 2 - Go to LABEL FORMAT LIST |
| |
| 3 - Design NEW LABEL |
| |
| 4 - Test LABEL POSITION |
|--------------------------------|
| |
| 5 - Go to REPORT GENERATOR |
| |
| 6 - RE-SORT Index |
| |
| 7 - Return to MAIN MENU |
| |
| 8 - QUIT all Processing |
|________________________________|
Selection _
From here, the first four selections have to do with printing
labels.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
SETTING LABEL SPACINGS
When you use File Express for the first time, the default values
are set to match a two-across label format of 3 1/2" x 15/16" -
labels that are commonly available on continuous tractor feed
paper.
If you are using single column labels, triple column labels, or
labels of a different size, then you must reset the size and
spacing values before you print. To do this press <1>, the fol-
lowing list will appear.
Set Label Sizes and Spacings
default
Number of Labels across Page 2
Horizontal Label Spacing 37
Vertical Label Spacing 6
Characters per line on Label 33
Printable lines per Label 4
Starting Tab Position 1
Press <ENTER> to use all default values
or
<R> to Reset the values
The values on the right are either File Express default values or
values read in from the Data Disk from a previous setup that was
saved. If these values are correct then all you have to do is
press <Enter> and you will be returned to the Mailing Label Menu.
If you would like to reset the values then press <R>. The screen
will clear and you will be asked:
"Print in <C>ondensed or <R>egular mode?"
With File Express you may print labels on forms up to 14 inches
wide in regular type (10 characters per inch) or in condensed mode
(about 17 characters per inch). Choose which type of printing you
want to use and press the corresponding first letter, either <C> or
<R>.
The next question to be asked will be:
default
"How may labels across the Page (1 to 5) _ (2)
The numbers in the first set of parenthesis, at the right of the
question, indicate the value range that will be accepted for an
answer to that particular question. The values in the successive
questions will be dependent upon the answers preceding them. The
default value at the far right of the question is pulled from the
standard default values that you saw in the previous screen. To
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
use the default value for any question, just press <Enter>. An-
swer by entering the number of label columns on your label forms.
After answering, File Express will draw some labels at the top of
the screen to assist you in answering the next questions.
The next question that File Express will ask you depends on your
answer to question one. If you indicated that you were using
label forms with two or more labels across the page then you
will be asked:
------------------------- -------------------------
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
------------------------- -------------------------
|--------------- ? ------------|
-------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-------------------------
default
"Spacing from one label to the next (max. xx) (37)"
As indicated by the picture above the questions, this is the dis-
tance, in character positions, from the beginning of one label
horizontally across to the beginning of the next label. This
amount can be determined by measuring the distance and multiply-
ing it by the number of characters per inch that you will be
printing in, usually either 10 or 17. If you don't have a
ruler handy then just take a good guess as to how far it is.
You will be given a chance to test the printer setup before you
actually print labels.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
After answering the above question, or if you are using single
column label forms, the next query will be:
--- ------------------------- -------------------------
| | | | |
| | | |
? | | | |
------------------------- -------------------------
|
|
--- -------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-------------------------
default
"Lines down from one Label to next (max. 66) (6)"
You are now to enter the number of line-feeds it would take to
move from the first row of one label to the first row of the
label below it.
Next question:
------------------------- -------------------------
| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | | |
| |----------?----------| | | |
| | | |
------------------------- -------------------------
-------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-------------------------
default
"Characters per line on each label (max. xx) (33)"
This is to be the number of characters that you want printed per
line on the labels. This does not necessarily mean that you
should answer with the maximum number that will fit on the label,
though. Your labels may be 40 characters wide, but if you want
to maintain a left and right margin you should subtract these
amounts from the maximum width to determine the width that you
want to use.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
Next question:
------------------------- -------------------------
|--- Line 1 | | |
| ? Line 2 | | |
|--- Line 3 | | |
------------------------- -------------------------
|------------------- ? --------|
-------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-------------------------
default
"Printable Lines per Label? (max. xx) (4)"
Enter the number of lines that can be printed on the label, again
excluding any top or bottom margins that you would like to pro-
vide.
Last question:
------------------------- -------------------------
| | | |
|- ? -| | | |
| | | |
------------------------- -------------------------
-------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-------------------------
default
"Tab position to first label (max xx) (1)"
Enter the number of spaces that the print head would have to move
to reach the first character of the first line on the first label.
When changing from regular computer paper to label pages it is a
good practice to not move the left tractor drive or paper guide.
Leave the left guide where it is and just move the right one in
or out to fit the page widths. This way you won't have to worry
if you have moved the starting print position as you switch back
and forth between paper and labels.
After answering the setup questions you will be asked:
Do you want to save these values as future "Default" values (Y/N)?
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
If you will always be using the label spacings that you have just
specified and don't want to have to re-enter them every time you
print labels, press <Y> in answer to the question. Your response
will then be saved on the Data disk in a file named "DEFAULT.VAL".
Each time you go to the Label Printing Section of File Express, it
will first look on the disk to see if "DEFAULT.VAL" is there and
if so will use it's values as the default values when printing the
Label Spacing screen. You then need only to press <Enter> to use
the saved setup values.
TEST PRINTER SETUP
"Would you like to test this setup on your Printer (Y,N)"
If this is the first time you have printed labels with File
Express, it would be a good idea to answer <Y> to this question
to make sure that you have answered all the setup questions cor-
rectly and to see if your labels will be printed as you envisioned
them.
To run the setup test, press the line-feed on your printer until
the print head is in position to print the first line of a label.
After pressing <Y> to the test question the message:
"When printer is ready, press any key"
will appear. When it is ready and "on line", press any key to
begin the test.
File Express will print two rows of labels full of slash marks
according to the spacing information you gave it. If during the
test it is obvious that you need to change some spacing values,
press <Esc> and you will be taken back to the Label Sizes and
Spacing section, where you may then change any incorrect values.
If the test is allowed to finish, you will be taken to the Label
Format List. From this point you may still press <Esc> to go
back to the Label Sizes and Spacing section to change any values.
LABEL FORMAT LIST
Press <2> from the Mailing Label Menu to view a list of any prev-
iously saved Label Layouts. If no formats have been saved before,
you will be taken to the "Define Label Layout" section. If there
are existing layouts on disk you will be asked to:
"Enter Label Layout to use or press <Enter> for new layout."
(or enter number of Layout, then press <End> to erase)
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
If you type in the name of an existing format and it will fit on
the currently defined label size, a label will be drawn on the
screen and filled in with the field names and text specified in
that layout. If the chosen format doesn't match your current
file structure or won't fit on the current label size then an
error message will be printed:
"Requested format doesn't fit on current label specs"
After choosing the desired format and having it shown on the
screen you are asked to:
"Press <Enter> to use this layout or <Esc> to go
back to the Label Layout List"
Pressing <Enter> causes File Express to use the format shown and
takes you to the "Record Choice Menu". Pressing <Esc> will again
display the list of label layouts that were saved on the current
Data disk.
If there are not any previously saved label layout formats on
your current Data disk or if you only press <Enter> from the Label
Layout List, you will be taken to the Define Label Layout section.
DESIGNING THE LABEL
To design a new label layout, press <3> from the Mailing Label
Menu.
You will be shown a list of the field numbers and names of the
current file. If the file contains more than twenty fields, then
you may use <PgUp> and <PgDn> to view all the field names. A
label is drawn on the screen to the sizes specified. The command
lines at the bottom of the screen read:
<M>anual or <A>utomatic spacing between fields on the same line?
File Express allows you to choose between the standard of one
blank space separating all fields on the same line of the label, or
specifically defining what, if anything, should separate the fields.
Choosing Automatic spacing means that File Express will insert one
blank space between each field that is printed on the same line of
a label.
Choosing Manual spacing means that you must specify what characters
(usually blanks or punctuation) are to separate each field on a line.
This is done by defining a Text field to be printed between each
field. For example, you would specify a text field containing one
space to go between a first and last name. You would specify a text
field containing a comma and a space to go between a city and state.
You would specify a text field of a period and two spaces to go
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
between a state abbreviation and the zip code. (For instructions
on how to specify a Text field see the "TEXT ON LABEL" section
following this section.)
After choosing the type of spacing to be used you will be asked for:
"Field number to print on Line 1"
<0>=REC.# <Enter>-next line <Crsr up>-erase line <^T>-text <End>-finished
You may now begin to design the layout of your labels. On each
line of the label you may print field contents, text lines, or
both. If you want to begin with a particular field, then type in
its number and press <Enter>. The name of the field will be
printed on the first line of the label, or at least as much of
the field name as will fit within the length of that field. You
will then be asked for:
"Next field on Line 1"
You may continue to enter various field numbers as long as they
will fit on the label line. You may even enter the same field
number more than once if you like.
If you select the number of a field that may not fit on the label
then File Express will tell you:
WARNING, field contents may print past end of label...Go ahead (Y/N)?
If you have a label size that is 33 characters wide, for example, and
you want to print a "FIRST NAME" field and a "LAST NAME" field with
a combined length that adds up to more than the 33 characters avail-
able, then the above warning message will appear when you enter the
number of the "LAST NAME" field. However, since File Express removes
all trailing blanks from all record fields, the combination of the
pair of fields will probably always fit on the label. If you feel
that this is the case then answer <Y>. The field name in question
will be printed on the current label line on the screen, or as much of
it as will fit, and an arrow will be placed at the right edge of the
label to indicate that there is a possibility of an overwrite at print
time. The current line indicator arrow on the left will then move to
the next line.
TEXT ON LABEL
If you want to enter a constant text line, one that will be print-
ed the same on each label, then press <^T> instead of a field num-
ber. You will then be asked to:
"Enter text"
A prompt line will appear on the current line of the label from
the current column position to the end of the label. You are
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
permitted to enter text characters from the cursor position to
the end of the line, if you wish. If, however, you do not use
the remainder of the current line, you may still enter field
numbers after the text, if they will fit.
When you have filled the current line or when you desire to move
to the next line of the label, just press <Enter> by itself and
the current line arrow will move to the next line, the command
line prompt will increment, and you are ready to indicate your
choices for line 2.
You can also get into the text mode by pressing the <Spacebar>
or the <.> (period) or the <,> (comma) keys. This makes it very
convenient when in manual spacing mode and you want to put a
space between fields or a comma and a space between a city and
state field.
RECORD NUMBERS ON LABELS
You may have the record number of each record printed on the labels.
To do this, select field number <0> when you are at the desired
location on the label.
CORRECTIONS
If you make a mistake or change your mind while designing the
label, you may back up using the <Cursor up> key. If you have
already specified one or more fields or text items on a particular
line, pressing <Cursor up> will erase that line and leave you at
it's beginning. If there is nothing on the current line yet, or
if you have just erased it by pressing the <Cursor up> key, then
the line directly above will be erased and you may then re-enter
that one. You may use <Cursor up> to move all the way back to
the top of the label if you wish.
When you have finished your layout of the label press <End> to
tell File Express that there will be no further additions to the
label.
SAVING LABEL LAYOUT
After you have finished the layout of the label you will be asked:
"Would you like to save this label layout (Y/N)?"
If you would like to save the design so that you can use it again
in the future, press <Y>. You will then be asked to type in the
name for the design, and the layout will be recorded on the data
drive.
Whenever a label format is saved to disk for future use, the size
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
of the label upon which the format was made will also be saved
with it. Thus, when you choose a format to view, subsequent to
printing labels, the current size and spacings will be changed to
the sizes saved with the label format.
From this point you will be taken to the "Record Choice Menu".
RECORD CHOICE MENU
After you have completed your specification of the label
format, or have chosen a previously saved format from the
Label Layout List, you will be presented with the "Record
Choice Menu":
1 - Print Labels from EVERY record in File
2 - Print Labels from SOME records in File
3 - Print Labels from ONE Record in File
4 - ... Redo the Label Layout
Selection ? _
USE EVERY RECORD
By pressing <1> from the Record Choice Menu you are telling File
Express that you would like to use every record within the cur-
rent file when printing your labels.
USE SOME RECORDS
If you would like to be selective in your choice of which records
to include on the labels, then press <2>. You will then be shown
the Field Name List with a prompt at the bottom:
"<G>reater than <L>ess than <E>qual to <N>ot equal to"
You may now make your first choice as to how you would like to
choose the records that are to be printed on the report.
After making your choice, the command line will change to:
"Select field number to pull records by"
You must now press the number of the field that you would like
to apply your selected comparison to. You will then be asked:
"Which <field name> would you like to choose records
<comparison>?"
You must now enter the name, value, etc. that you would like to
make the comparison with.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
MIXED CASE SEARCHS
Normally File Express will ignore the case of the comparisons
being done. Searching for "Smith" will bring up "SMITH" and
"smith" for instance. If you would like File Express to pay
attention to the case of the search information it looks at,
then press <Ctrl-Enter> instead of just <Enter> at the end of
typing in the comparison string.
EMBEDDED CASE COMPARISONS
If you are doing an "<E>qual to" comparison or a "<N>ot equal to"
comparison you may specify that the entire field be looked at.
To do this you add two peroids (..), in front of the comparison
string and two periods after the string. For example:
..Fishing..
After making your first comparison choice, the prompt line will
change to:
<A>- "And" Comparison <O>- "Or" Comparison <End> - Finished
With File Express you can do multiple comparisons when choosing
which records to use. To make an AND or OR comparison, press
either <A> or <O> from the above prompt. You will then again see
on the command line:
"<G>reater than <L>ess than <E>qual to <N>ot equal to"
You may now make your next choice for field number and comparison
value. Up to 10 comparisons can be made.
When you have finished, press <End> to tell File Express that
you are done and would like to print the report.
USE ONE RECORD
If you would like to print some labels from only one record within
your file, press <3>. You will then be asked:
"What Record Number would you like to print
Labels from (1 to max)?"
Enter the record number that you would like to work with. If
you can't remember the number that you wanted to use, you may
have to go back to the Main Menu and use the Search function to
locate the record, and then remember the record number when you
return to the Label Section.
To go back and redesign the layout for the labels, press <4>.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
MULTIPLE LABELS PER RECORD
After selecting option <1>,<2>, or <3> you will be asked:
"How many Labels would you like to Print of each Record?"
File Express allows you to print any number of labels, up to 999,
for each record. This way you don't have to re-run the label
printing process in order to get multiple labels. Enter the num-
ber of labels you would like per record and press <Enter>.
The next question asked will be:
Would you like all blank lines removed when labels are printed (Y/N)?"
If you would like to have any blank lines that would appear on a
label because of an empty field in a record, answer <Y> to this
question. You will now be asked:
"Continuous feed or Pause after each label row (C/P)?"
Choose <P> if you would like to have the printer pause after each
row of labels is printed. This is convenient if you want to put
the labels on the envelopes as they are printed or if you are
printing directly on the envelopes themselves. Press <C> if you
want to print all the labels continuously.
You will then be asked if your printer is ready. Make sure that
the print head is in position to print on the first line of a
label and that the printer is "on line". Then press any key to
proceed with the printing of the labels.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
You may stop the printing of labels at any point during the print-
out by pressing <Esc>. You may then restart it by pressing <Enter>
or completely abort the printing by pressing <Esc> a second time.
After the printing is completed, or if you press <Esc> twice, you
will be taken back to the "Mailing Label Menu".
To go back and design another label layout for the current file,
press <1>.
To go back and choose a previously saved label layout, press <2>.
To run the printer test, press <3>.
If you would like to go to another section of File Express from
here, press the corresponding number.
If you want to quit all processing, press <8>. You will be re-
turned to DOS.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
---------------------------------
F I L E M A I N T E N A N C E
---------------------------------
In the File Maintenance section you can take care of a range of
different housekeeping chores.
To reach this section, press <7> while viewing the Main Menu.
The screen will fill with the File Maintenance Menu:
-----------------------------------------
| |
| 1 - Change Field Name |
| |
| 2 - Change Field Data Type |
| |
| 3 - Rebuild Deleted Record Stack |
| |
| 4 - Change Calculated Fields |
| |
| 5 - Reset Printer Codes |
| |
| 6 - Merge multiple files into one |
| |
| 7 - Setup Quick Label format |
| |
| |
| |
-----------------------------------------
Selection _
Below is a description of each option:
CHANGING FIELD NAMES
To change the name of any field press <1>. A list of the current
field names will be displayed along with the prompt:
"Enter number of field to change"
Select the field name to change by entering the number of that
field. After doing this the following command will appear:
"Enter new field name"
You may change the field name to anything you like. You may even
change them to one of the KEY FIELD NAMES that are filled in with
the current time or date. (This may only be done, however, if the
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
length of the field is long enough to hold the entries. If not
then you will receive a warning message and the new name will be
rejected.)
Also, a field with a length of less than four may not be changed
to a dollar field. An appropriate warning will appear if at-
tempted.
Type in the new name, (up to 12 characters), and press <Enter>.
You will then be given the choice to:
"<S>ave changes <C>hange another <Esc> abort all changes"
To change another field name, press <C> and follow the same
process.
When you have made all the changes desired, press <S> to save the
new names on the diskette.
CHANGING FIELD DATA TYPES
If you decide to change the type of data allowed into a field,
press <2> while viewing the File Layout Updating Menu.
A list of the field names with the current data-type symbols will
be displayed along with the prompt:
"Enter number of field to change."
Type the number of the field you want to change. The old symbol
will disappear and you may then enter the symbol of the new data
type from the following list:
+ Positive decimal numbers
* Positive or negative whole numbers
# Positive or negative decimal numbers
$ Positive or negative dollar amounts
A Alphabetic characters only
N Numeric characters only (can't be added)
! Any characters
Fields with a length greater then 14 can't be changed to numeric.
Care must be taken when changing data types. After a change, any
information in the file can only be edited using the new data type.
After making the changes desired you are then given the choice to:
"<S>ave changes <C>hange another <Esc> Abort all changes"
To change another field name, press <C> and follow the same pro-
cess.
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
When you have made all the changes desired, press <S> to save the
new names on the diskette.
REBUILDING A NEW DELETED RECORD STACK
Whenever a record is deleted, File Express adds the record num-
ber to a Stack array in memory. When a new record is added, any
vacant record slots are reused. This is done to conserve disk
space. When you exit File Express in the normal manner by either
choosing option <9> from the Main Menu and then pressing <1> to
"End Session" or by Quitting from any of the Second Round Menus,
the current stack is saved on the Data Disk for future use under
the name of the database file with an extension of ".STK". If,
for some reason, you exit abnormally, (power failure, computer
failure etc.), you can cause File Express to reconstruct a new stack
by choosing option <3> from the File Maintenance Menu. File
Express will go through the entire index and check to see if there
are any empty record positions. After it is finished it will save
the new stack on the Data Disk, retain a copy in memory, and re-
port to you the number of empty slots found.
CHANGING CALC FIELDS
File Express provides a way to change the equation of a Calc Field
if desired. This may be necessary if, for example, the Tax Rate
changes and you are using it as part of a SALES TAX field.
To change a Calc Field, press <4>. The Change Calc module will be
loaded and you will be lead through the change procedure. This is
just the same as making any changes before saving a new database
format, (See DEFINE NEW DATABASE), except that you will only be
allowed to change the equations of Calc Fields - nothing else. If
you want a particular Calc Field to no longer be a Calc Field, you
may do this by answering "No" to the first question after indica-
ting the field to change. In this case the equation is removed
but the field remains numeric so as not to cause reference errors
in other Calc Fields that may access that field.
When you are through, press <S> to save the changed copy of the
equations.
Note: If, for example, the tax rate changes and you change your
equations accordingly and then have to go back to edit a pre-
tax-change record, you can turn off auto-recalc before the edit
so that the new tax rate isn't forced on the old tax rate record.
(Please see AUTO-RECALC in Add New Records section).
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
SET PRINTER DEFAULTS
Whenever you choose a data file to work with, File Express looks
on the Data Disk for a file called "PRINTER.SET". This file con-
tains the printer codes to cause condensed and regular type if your
printer supports them. The file comes with the codes for the IBM
dot matrix printer. This includes the new IBM color printer and
the Epson printer. If you have a different printer or would like
to override the present codes, press <5> from the File Maintenance
Menu.
Two boxes will be drawn, the upper box containing the current
page length value and the number of lines to be printed per page.
The lower box contains the necessary printer codes to cause con-
densed and regular printing.
The prompt below the box reads:
"Enter Number of line to change or <End> to Save"
Press <1> to change the current Page length. Enter the length
of your page in lines. This is the number of line feeds it would
take to move from the top of one page to the top of the next.
This option is currently only available for Epson and IBM
printers or printers that use the same page length codes.
Press <2> to change the lines per page value. Enter the number
of lines that you would like to have printed on each page before
skipping to the top of the next. This should be the page length
minus the desired top and bottom margins.
Press <3> to change the Condensed mode codes. Enter as many as
needed to cause your printer to print in condensed mode, then
press <End>. If your printer doesn't support condensed print then
just press <Enter> to blank out the current codes.
Press <4> to change the Regular print codes. Again, enter as many
as needed, then press <End>.
When you are through changing the codes, press <End> to save the
new values on the Data Disk for future use.
(Please see Registered User's Guide for complete description
and examples of specific printers)
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File Express(tm) User's Guide
MERGING FILES
You may specify up to ten different database files to be appended
to one another. Each file format is analyzed and any differences
are reported. If allowed to continue after reporting inconsis-
tancies, all database formats are converted to the format of the
current file.
To reach the Merge section of File Express, press <7> from the
File Maintenance menu. (The File Maintenance menu is reached by
pressing <7> from the Main Menu).
After the Merge section is loaded you will see a list of the data
files on the current data drive with a prompt at the bottom:
Enter Number of next file __
or Press <drive letter>-new directory <Q>-query progress
<End> - finished
What File Express would like you to do now is start choosing the
files that you would like to add to the end of the current file.
You may enter the number of one of the files shown on the screen
or you may change the directory listing to one of another disk
drive simply by pressing the letter of the new drive. For example,
if you are now looking at a directory listing of the database
files on drive B you can change to a directory listing of drive
A by pressing the letter "A".
Pressing <Q> will show you a list of the files you have selected
so far, with the current file shown as "Primary File".
When you select a file to be appended to the end of the current
file, File Express will analyze the format of the file to see
how it compares to the primary file (current file). If any diff-
erences are found they are reported to you and you are asked if
you would like to continue. File Express will check for differ-
ences in:
1 - Number of fields in each file
2 - Length of the fields in each file
3 - Differences in field names
4 - Differences in field types
5 - Differences in Calculated fields
For example, if you choose a file with more fields per record
than the primary file, File Express will report:
<primary filename> has fewer fields than <second filename>
Extra fields will be dropped
...Would you like to proceed with this file ? (Y or N)
In this case, if you elected to proceed by pressing <Y>, any
of the information in the extra fields of the second file would
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be discarded when it was added to the primary file.
File Express would then go on and analyze the rest of the format,
reporting any differences, and asking for permission to continue.
You may choose up to nine files to add to the primary file. These
files may be on different drives, but all must be available to
File Express while the merging is being done. After confirming
or rejecting each file selected, you will be asked to:
Enter Number of next file __
or Press <drive letter>-new directory <Q>-query progress
<End> - finished
Press <End> when you are through selecting files. After doing so
you will be asked to:
Enter new Name for resulting database file ________
Enter the name you would like to give the new database file. This
name should be different from any of those being added together.
After entering the file name you will be asked to:
Enter Drive Letter for new database _
You should now press the drive letter where you want the resulting
database file to be stored. Be sure there is enough room on the
disk.
File Express will now display a summary of the files that are to
be added together to form the new file.
After pressing any key (except <Esc>, which will take you to the
Search sub-menu) the merge will begin.
At the center of the screen will appear the blinking message:
Merging Files...Please wait
Below this will be shown the name of the file that is currently
being added to the new file. When all the files have been added
together File Express will tell you:
Merging of files is complete
<new filename> on drive X now contains Y records
You must now SORT the new file before you can use it
Press any key to continue
The newly created file will contain the sum total of all the
records from the appended files minus any deleted records that
File Express found while doing the merge.
Press any key to be taken to the Search sub-menu where you may
choose any of the options shown.
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QUICK LABELS
Whenever you are adding new information to your database file
or while you are editing what is already contained there, File
Express provides you with the opportunity to print a mailing label
for the record you are working on. These are called "Quick Labels".
Quick Labels may be printed for any record that is showing on the
screen...if you have defined a Quick Label format for the file
you are working on. The label is printed by pressing <Ctrl-L>.
To set up a Quick Label format you must indicate the fields that
you would like to have printed and where to put them on the label.
This is easily done.
To begin the layout process for your Quick Labels, press <7>
while viewing the File Maintenance Menu. You will be shown a
list of all the field names contained in the current database.
At the bottom of the screen will be the prompt:
__________________________________________________________
Enter label Format String (T=tab, F=field, CR=enter, S=space)
Example: T10 F2 F1 CR F3 Cr F4 F5 F6 CR CR CR
If this is the first time that you are specifying a Quick Label
format for this database then the input line will be blank. If
you have previously set up a format then the input line will
contain that format and the cursor will be placed at the beginning.
The first thing that is to be contained in the format string is how
many spaces to tab over when printing each line of the label. This is
done by typing a "T" immediately followed by the column number at
which to print. This tab position will be in effect for each line of
the label and should only be specified once, at the beginning of the
string. (See example on Command line).
Next in the format will be the field or fields to be printed on the
first line of the label. This is done by typing an "F" followed
by the number of the field you want to print. You may continue to
specify fields in this manner by putting at least one space between
each field. (See example on command line).
If you would like to print on the label the record number where the
information is kept, enter "F0" at any desired position on the label
layout.
When you want to move to the next line of the label type "CR" (which
stands for Carriage Return). You may then type in the field numbers
to be printed on the next line. When the labels are printed, all
trailing blanks are removed from the field information and all
adjacent fields are printed with one space between them. You may
increase the spacing between any two fields on the same line by
entering a spacing number. This is done by typing "S" followed by
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the number of spaces to be added before the next field is printed.
Continue to enter Field numbers, Carriage Returns, and Spaces until
you have finished your label layout. Finish up by adding as many
Carriage Returns as needed to move to the top of the next label.
There should be as many "CR"s in the format string as there are lines
from the top of one label to the top of the next.
When you have completed the format string, press <Enter>. File Express
will check through the format to make sure that everything is O.K.
and if so will save the format on your Data Disk under the name of the
database file with an extension of ".QLB". If there is a problem in
the format string you will hear a beep and a message will appear on the
screen:
Error in Quick Label String, please correct...press any key
After pressing a key, the cursor will be placed on the problem portion
of the format string and you may then make the corrections. The
problems that are caught are usually due to the entering of a field
number that is out of range or in not leaving at least one space after
the Tab or after each Field, Space, or Carriage Return.
Whenever you have just entered a new record and have come to the <S>ave
prompt, you may choose to print a Quick Label by pressing <Ctrl-L>.
You may also print Quick Labels when you have pulled up a record for
viewing or editing using the "Search" option of File Express. If you
want more than one label printed, just press <Ctrl-L> again for each
label desired.
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