The format of an input file is simple and straight forward. The following is an example:
John Doe
123 Main St.
City of DownUnder, AU 9999
.
Susan Smith
Label Products, Inc.
1000 Broadway Blvd.
Space City, DD 00001
.
A period "." must be placed at the beginning of a new line
after completing data input for each label.
By default, LNAME prepares the output for USC-UCC standard label form (1083), which is 32 characters wide and 11 lines long per label, and 3 labels across. The optional -f <form> can be used to overcome the default label format. A directory of preset label formats can be listed by specifying the -l parameter alone. If a desired form is not available, the user can define one, like the following:
# Standard label size (32 char x 6 lines, 3 columns)
width = 32, lines = 6, columns = 3
# other alignments
hgap = 4, vgap = 1, offset = 4
A line that starts with # is treated as a comment. Various parameters can be set by specifying the variable name, like width, and assign it to the a value, like 32. The above form file defines the following:
- Each label has maximum width of 32 characters (width=32).
- Each label has maximum lines of 6 (lines=6).
- Format for 3 labels across (columns=3).
- Set horizontal gap between labels to be 4 characters (hgap=4).
- Set vertical gap between labels to be 1 line (vgap=1).
- Set data offset to be 4 characters from the left (offset=4).
You may also use the : or a space in the place of =. In other words, you can use any one of the variations:
width:32 width 32 or width = 32.
Also, you may use a semicolon in place of a comma.
There is a naming convention for such file. Each form definition file must have the extension .lbl and must be in the current directory in order for it to be recognized by LNAME. For example, the above definition may be placed in a file called myform.lbl. To format labels from an input file labels.in and save the formatted output to labels.out using myform.lbl, type:
LNAME -f myform labels.in labels.out
LNAME will search for myform from a set of preset forms. If such form does not exist, it will then search in user's current directory.
Many people prefer to print mailing list labels with a "To:" attached to the first line, and the rest of the lines must align properly. The user may create the following form:
# Standard label size (32 char x 6 lines, 3 columns) with "To:"
lines:6; width:32
columns:2
# other alignments
hgap:4; vgap:1; offset:0
# format definition for each of the 6 lines in a label
format for line 1 is " To: %s"
format for line 2 is " %s"
format for line 3 is " %s"
format for line 4 is " %s"
format for line 5 is " %s"
format for line 6 is " %s"
If the sample input data file on page 1 is used, along with the above form, this is the result:
----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | To: John Doe | | To: Susan Smith | | 123 Main St. | | Label Products, Inc. | | City of DownUnder, AU 9999 | | 1000 Broadway Blvd. | | | | Space City, DD 00001 | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------
The string %s is substituted with the input data. Thus by default, each line has the format of "%s". If "To:" is desired to be added to the first line, like to above example, then the format for the first line can be defined as "To: %s".
Customized printing of labels can also be done. Initial string of escape sequences can be sent via the initial string command:
initial string = "^[B"
where ^[B could be an escape sequence to enable bold printing on a particular printer.
Another useful parameter is initial fill. Before printing labels on a line printer, the operator often needs to re-adjust the printer. By printing the dimensions of the label forms, the printer can be adjusted properly before printing the first valid label. To fill ten rows of labels initially, the following parameter is specified in the form definition:
initial fill = 10
Finally, if you need a quick reminder about the program parameters, a brief command usage can be reviewed by specifying the -h parameter alone.
All .lbl files in LIBDIR are predefined label form definitions. A listing can be obtained by specifying the -l parameter.
Line xxxx: Line too long (x) - Truncated
Length of the input data at line xxxx is longer than the maximum defined width of x. The rest of the input on that line is truncated.
Line xxxx: Line too long after formatting (x) - Truncated
The length of the formatted string at line xxxx is longer than the maximum width permitted, which is x.
Line xxxx: Lines Exceeded Limit (x) - Ignoring the Rest
Number of lines per label is greater than the maximum of x lines.
LNAME : Cannot read form: form
The form you specified with -f is not found. The file name must have the extension .lbl.
LNAME : Error reading form: form
User defined form has improper syntax, which resulted in parsing errors. Various parsing errors are also displayed.
LNAME : Too many arguments
Too many arguments specified. A brief program usage is displayed.
LNAME : Cannot Open Directory: dir
Cannot list preset forms because the directory containing form files does not exist.
Joe S. Chen, Consultant, UNIX, VMS, and TOPS-20
Phones: (213) 743-5363, (213) 743-5935
University Computing Services, University of Southern California
UUCP: {sdcrdcf, uscvax}!oberon!wasat!joec
ARPA: joec@wasat.usc.edu, joec@ecla.usc.edu