Software of the Month Club

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Software of the Month Club - Holiday 1996 / Software of the Month Club - Holiday 1996.iso / pc / dos / ql / qlabels.txt < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1995-04-30 | 49.1 KB | 1,366 lines

Q_LABELS 2.0 ───────────────────────────── for IBM PC and Compatible Personal Computers User's Guide Voice: (618) 995-2208 CompuServe: 73621,151 Internet: 73621,151@CompuServe.Com Copyrights and Trademarks ───────────────────────── The Q_LABELS 20 software is licensed property of TDF Software, Inc. and is copyright 1993, 1994, 1995 by TDF Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Q_LABELS User Guide, copyright 1994, 1995 by TDF Software, Inc. IBM and AT are registered trademarks, and PC, PC/XT, PC/2, and PC-DOS are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS, Microsoft, Microsoft Mouse, and Microsoft Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Laserjet 4 is a trademark of Hewlett- Packard. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. The Q_LABELS 20 software, User's Guide, or portions thereof may not be reproduced in any form at all without the written permission of TDF Software, Inc. Direct all correspondence concerning the Q_LABELS 2.0 software and User's Guide to TDF Software, Inc., RR 1 Box 74, Goreville, Il 62939-9608 USA. Technical Support ───────────────── Registered customers receive free technical support for one year, notices of product updates and new product announcements. We offer phone support that is best used for getting you up and running. In depth support is provided via CompuServe and other online services, as described below. We don't recommend written correspondence because of the lengthy time delays. If you have physical disabilities that affect your ability to communicate with us, please mention your preferred method of responding. Online Support ────────────── CompuServe Address: 73621,151 Internet Address: 73621.151@COMPUSERVE.COM Phone Support (618) 995-2208 i Acknowledgements ──────────────── Many people have helped to mold Q_LABELS throughout its development process. Without their help this product would not have been possible. TDF Software is especially grateful all of those who gave their time, advice, and support for Q_LABELS. To all of those who helped during the beta testing, thank you. Your job may be the least known but its value is priceless. A very special thanks goes to my wife, Vera, who has the patience of a saint. Q_LABELS Legal Information ────────────────────────── The Q_LABELS software and User's Guide (documentation) are licensed properties of TDF Software. Use of this software indicates your acceptance of the following LICENSE STATEMENT, DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY, Disk Duplication Agreement, and CHOICE OF LAW. Disclaimer of Warranty ────────────────────── We have made every effort to bring you an effective tool for creating labels. However, you must be aware that Q_LABELS is sold as is, without any warranty of any kind. USERS OF Q_LABELS MUST ACCEPT THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: Q_LABELS IS SUPPLIED AS IS. TDF SOFTWARE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. TDF SOFTWARE ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OR MISUSE OF Q_LABELS. GOOD DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURE DICTATES THAT ANY PROGRAM BE THOROUGHLY TESTED WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING Q_LABELS. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE. Choice of Law ───────────── THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS AND SHALL INURE TO THE BENEFIT OF TDF SOFTWARE, INC. AND ANY SUCCESSORS, ADMINISTRATORS, HEIRS AND ASSIGNS. ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT BY EITHER PARTY AGAINST THE OTHER ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE BROUGHT ONLY IN A STATE OR FEDERAL COURT OF COMPETENT ii JURISDICTION LOCATED IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS. THE PARTIES HEREBY CONSENT TO IN PERSONAM JURISDICTION OF SAID COURTS. License Statement ───────────────── Q_LABELS is licensed for the exclusive use of the original purchaser for use on one computer only. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Disk Duplication Agreement ─────────────────────────── This software is not copy protected. TDF Software authorizes you to make backup copies of the software for your archives only for the sole purpose of protecting your investment from loss. Documentation Additions ─────────────────────── Any changes to the program that occur after this manual was sent to the printer will be included in the on disk file ADDENDUM.DOC. You Can Help Us ─────────────── We have spent several thousand hours preparing this software and have provided it to you at a very reasonable price. For your convenience, the disk you have received is not copy protected in any way. Our license is very liberal in allowing you to make backup copies to protect your investment. Your honesty in not providing copies to others will help us to stay in business and give you even better software in the future. iii Table of Contents Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i Legal Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ii Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Command Line Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Q_LABELS System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Concept and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Using Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Using a mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 What can I do from the Main Menu? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Changing Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Configuring Your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Designing Custom Label Sizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Changing the Colors & Wallpaper . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Naming Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Navigating the Label Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Overview of keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Your First Label can be as easy as. . . . . . . . . . .13 Setting up the label form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Creating a New Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Adding records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Indexing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Deleting records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Undeleting records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Previewing the label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Printing a label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Printing to envelopes & post cards. . . . . . . . . . .16 Repeating Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Searching For a Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Choosing Records From a List. . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Using The Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Backing Up Your Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 The Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 POSTNET Barcode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Using the Post Card and Index Card Forms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Card Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 iv Getting Started Minimum System Requirements ─────────────────────────── In order to install and operate Q_LABELS successfully, you need An IBM PC or 100 percent compatible personal computer with a hard disk drive. 512K of RAM (1M of EMM memory recommended) MS-DOS (or PC-DOS) version 3.20 or later Printers supported: most dot matrix; Laserjet 4 (tm) and compatible laser printers. Almost any monitor Installation ──────────── First of all, make an exact backup copy of your Q_LABELS disk and store the original disk in a safe place. You can use the DOS DISKCOPY command or a utility such as our KOPYIT program. Automatic Installation ────────────────────── Substitute the floppy disk drive letter in the following command from which you are installing the Q_LABELS program. Type only the commands that are in bold. From the DOS prompt type the commands: A: [press ENTER]. INSTALL [press ENTER]. Follow the prompts during installation. INSTALL will copy the file QLABELS.EXE to a directory of your choice. This file is in compressed form and actually contains several different files. Simply copying the program files to your hard drive is not enough. They must be expanded. Your CONFIG.SYS file must have the command files=20 for Q_LABELS to operate correctly. INSTALL will check your CONFIG.SYS file and prompt you if any changes are needed. If you answer Yes then INSTALL will make the changes for you. INSTALL will not make any changes to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and will only change the CONFIG.SYS file if you let it. 1 Manual Installation ─────────────────── You can manually install the program by copying the QLABELS.EXE file to a directory of your choice and expand it's files by typing it's name and pressing enter. Once the files are expanded, erase the file QLABELS.EXE. It's no longer needed. You must also have the line files=20 in your CONFIG.SYS for Q_LABELS to be able to use it's database features. The number 20 can be any number higher but not lower. If you are unsure of how to do this then consult your DOS users manual or let INSTALL do it for you. Once Q_LABELS is successfully installed on your computer, change to your new directory and type QL (press ENTER) to start the program. Command Line Options ──────────────────── A command line option is used when you need a program to perform in a particular manner. To use a command line option type QL, a space and the option. /M Starts Q_LABELS in monochrome mode The Q_LABELS System ─────────────────── Supports the use of a Microsoft or compatible mouse. Allows you to design and print labels in 12 predefined and 20 user defined sizes. Prints a five, nine, or the new 11 digit POSTNET (Postal Numeric Encoding Technique) barcode. Design and print single or tractor feed Post Cards (3½"x 5½") on dot matrix printers. Design and print single or tractor feed Index Cards (4" x 6") on dot matrix printers. Print your labels & return address onto legal or regular size envelopes, post cards, & index cards. Includes an optional advertisement or special greeting line that prints on legal size envelopes. Prints to LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3 - supports several printers but will print like DOS if necessary. Create as many databases as you need. Each database can hold more than a million records. The size is only limited by your hard disk capacity. 2 Samples of several barcodes were sent to the United States Postal Service, St. Louis Division Business Center on Sept 21, 1994. These were printed on an IBM PS/1 printer and received a 100% readability approval. Concept and Definitions ─────────────────────── The bar at the top of the menu which contains the menu items File, Labels +, etc. is called the menu bar. The other boxes are called pull down menus. Every menu item has one letter that is highlighted (a different color from the rest). A menu item followed by the sideways triangle () opens another menu. A menu item followed by three dots (...) opens a dialogue box. A menu item followed by nothing starts that feature. Using Keys ─────────── If you want to activate an item in the menu bar, press the Alt key + the highlighted letter of that item and the appropriate pull down menu will be activated. Activating an item in a pull down menu is done by pressing the highlighted letter. Pressing the Up or Down arrow keys will move the lightbar to different menu items, press the Enter key to activate that item. Pressing the Right or Left arrow keys will move to the pull down menu under another menu bar item. Using a mouse ───────────── Move the mouse (point) to any item, menu bar or pull down menu, and mouse click (press the left mouse button once) to activate that menu item. When selecting from a list, double click (press the mouse button two times) on that item. What can I do from the Main Menu? ───────────────────────────────── Use the arrow keys to move the light bar around the menu and press ENTER to select the highlighted item. Pressing the highlighted letter from any pull down menu also executes that item. Press the F1 key while on a selection to see a help message. File Help Brief help is available by pressing the F1 key while highlighting any menu item. Pressing the Enter key while on this option will present another menu with several areas that you can choose from to view detailed help. Choose from the following menu item list. ASCII Chart Custom Labels Index Cards 3 Labels Main Menu Printer Setup Post Cards DPBC Windows ZIP Codes About Shows an About box with the copyright notice. Your name or company name will be branded into this box also. Edit Return... A dialogue box from which you can edit or create a return address for printing onto envelopes, post cards, or index cards. Changing Drives... The default drive is the drive letter from which you started Q_LABELS. Usually this is C or possibly D drive. Selecting this option lets you change the default drive letter to another disk drive, such as one of your floppy disk drives. All of the files will be read and written to this new drive. Q_LABELS is disk intensive. It's database functions read and write to disk a lot. Although you can use a floppy disk for your databases, it is not recommended. The time to read and write will be considerably slower. exit QL... Selecting this and pressing the ENTER key will show you a Quit Now prompt. Press Y to exit the program or N to continue. Pressing the Esc key from anywhere on the main menu or the label form will also bring up the Quit Now prompt. Labels + Label Form This selection takes you to the label form where you can type, save, print a label, preview what your label should look like before printing, and change any single line to another "style" of print; bold, condensed, italics, or d o u b l e w i d e . Open label Database... Previously saved database files can be selected from this file dialogue box. After choosing a file you will be taken into the label form. 4 Delete label Database... Erase any database files you do not need. You will be presented with file box containing all of your saved label files. Highlight the ones you wish to erase and press ENTER. Files erased with this procedure can not be recovered by Q_LABELS. Free Form Labels Create Custom Labels... Creates a custom label up to 6" wide, 2½" high and from 1 to 3 across. Delete Custom Label File... Erases any custom label files you have created. Index Cards Index Card Form A form for imputing data onto an index card. Dot matrix printers only. Open Index Card File... Opens any previously saved index card file for editing or printing. Delete Index Card File... Erases any saved Index Card file from disk. Post Cards Post Card Form A form for imputing data to print onto a post card. Dot matrix printers only. Open Post Card File... Opens any previously saved post card file for editing or printing. Delete Post Card File... Erases any post card file from disk. Tools Colors This pull down menu opens another that contains the items of the program for which the colors can be changed. The items are: Menu Body... Menu Top Left Border.. 5 Menu Bottom Right Border... Menu Highlighted Letter... Lightbar Highlighted Letter... Lightbar... Main Screen Body... Help Windows... Input Forms... Form Windows... Buttons Prompt Hot Button Prompt Not Hot Button Forms Hot Buttons Forms Not Hot Buttons Preset Colors Apple Blue Berry Classic Black Default Colors Lime Newspaper Sea Bright Blue & White Bright Yellow Change Wallpaper Select a new main screen background character. Save Desktop Saves to a disk file the information for your desktop and all colors. Select Printer Choose from several printersin a list that best immolates your printer. Select Printer Port Choose the correct printer port for your printer. The default is LPT1. Test Label Helps you align the labels in your printer. (dot matrix only) Reset Printer Sets your printer to it's default settings. This is the same as turning the printer off and back on. Calculator A simple to use pop-up calculator. 6 Calendar A pop-up calendar. This calendar will also pop-up while in the label or card forms, allowing you to insert a date directly into your text. QL Info Information about your computer system. Welcome Msg Off When you first start Q_LABELS a welcome message appear. Selecting this item lets you choose to disable this message. Password Set Password Remove Password Configuring Your Printer ──────────────────────── From the Main Menu select Tools, Select Printer. You will be presented a list of printers. Use the arrow keys to scroll up or down through the list and when your printer is highlighted, press the enter key. You will now be shown a list of fonts. Choose one and press enter. A disk file will be created that contains the information needed for your printer. Q_LABELS will read this file every time you start the program. If you ever need to change printer drivers in the future, then repeat this procedure. The number of printers supported by Q_LABELS is being increased as the program is updated. If you do not see your printer in the list, check your printer manual a see if it emulates EPSON or IBM, then select the EPSON or IBM Proprinter driver from the list. If your using a laser printer that supports Laserjet 4 imulation then select the Brother HL-665 driver. Setting the printer port can be done from the Tools menu by choosing Select Printer Port. From the dialogue box that pops up choose from LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3. Use the arrow keys to move the radio button to the port your printer is connected to and press enter. The default port is LPT1. You must select a printer before using this option. Designing Custom Label Sizes ──────────────────────────── If a defined label size you need is not available from the print menu, you can use this routine to design up to 20 custom sizes. All label data is edited and printed from the label form which can accept up to 60 characters across and up to 14 7 lines of text. Use up to these maximum values when designing your labels to print. Using the maximum of 60 characters and 14 lines would create a label 6" wide by 2½" high. When you use the Create Label Definitions option from the main menu you will first be presented with a list of twenty files from which to choose. These files will hold the values you will enter. If any file has already been used it will have a check (√) beside it. After selecting a file, you will be presented with a form that will accept your values. There are six steps to designing your own labels. Step 1 The first option will be for a description of the new label. You must enter a description. This is what will show up in the print menu! Step 2 The next item will be the width of your label. This will be the maximum number of characters that your label can hold and is based on 10 characters per inch. I.E. if your label is 2 1/2~ wide then enter a 25 here (2.5 x 10). Step 3 Next enter the maximum number of lines that your label could print. A 15/16~ high label can print 5 lines, a 1" can print 6 lines. Even if you don't plan to type text in all of the lines, make sure you enter the maximum number that could print. This will keep the spacing between labels correct. Step 4 Enter the number of lines (vertically) between labels, most generally this will be a 1 but if your labels are touching each other use 0 here. Step 5 You can design labels up to three across on a page. Now enter the number of labels across that you will be using. Step 6 This last value is expressed in tenths of an inch and is the number of spaces (horizontally) between labels. Enter a whole number from 1 to 10 here. When you have done all of this, mouse click the Done button. You will be prompted to save your new label. Move the light bar to Yes or to No and press the enter key (or click on the appropriate button with your mouse). You will now be able to use this new label definition to print with from the label form. 8 NOTE: If you use double-wide printing on labels with more than 1 across, keep the width of your designed label in even numbers. The total number of labels across (times) the width, plus the total number of spaces between labels can not be more than the actual width of your paper. When printing labels that are more than 1 across, the number of labels to print (in the label form) refers to each row of labels. If you have three across then each row of will print the same information. If you are printing on a laser printer then double-wide will also be extra high. Allow an extra line above and below. Changing Colors ─────────────── From the Tools menu select Colors and a menu of items will be shown. Choose any of these items and the color selector will pop up. Use the arrow keys to move the small window to the color combination you want and press the enter key to set the colors. As you move the window through the different colors, the area marked text text, etc will change to the colors that are in the small window. If you have a VGA or better monitor you can press the spacebar to change the colors to a bright color set. If your screen blinks then use only the normal colors. If you are using a mouse then simply double click on the colors you want. Repeat this for every item of the program for which you wish to change colors. The area of the program you are changing is listed at the top of this form. If you want to use these colors the next time you start Q_LABELS then you must choose Save Desktop from the menu. File Labels + Index Cards Post Cards Tools ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░┌───[■]───────────Menu Body & Text──────────────────┐░░░ ░░░│ ┌─┬─┬──────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ ░░░│ │ │*│■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ │░░░ ░░░│ │ └─┘■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ Done █ │░░░ ░░░│ │ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │░░░ ░░░│ │ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ Cancel █ │░░░ ░░░│ │ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │░░░ ░░░│ │ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ │░░░ ░░░│ │ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ │░░░ ░░░│ │ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ │ │░░░ ░░░│ └──────────────────────────────────┘ │░░░ ░░░│ │░░░ ░░░│ [ ] Spacebar to Toggle On Bright Colors │░░░ ░░░│ │░░░ ░░░│ ┌────────┐ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ │░░░ ░░░│ │ Item │ text text text text text text text │░░░ ░░░│ │ Item │ text text text text text text text │░░░ ░░░│ │ Item │ text text text text text text text │░░░ ░░░│ └────────┘ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │░░░ ░░░└───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘░░░ 9 The menu also contains some preset colors that you can use. Simply select one of these and press enter. Choose Save Desktop. Changing the Wallpaper ────────────────────── The wallpaper is the ASCII character that makes up the main menu desktop. The default character is ASCII # 177 (▒). From the Tools menu choose Wallpaper and a pick list will be made available. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to scroll this list until you find another character you like. Press the enter key to change the background character. When you have found one you want to keep, choose Save Desktop to make it permanent. Naming Files ──────────── DOS will only accept certain characters for filenames. For a complete listing check your DOS reference manual. If you enter an illegal character DOS will report an error to this program. To be safe follow these rules: A filename can be up to 8 characters long. You can use the letters A to Z and/or the numbers 0 to 9. Other acceptable characters are $ % ~ ^ _ - ! # @ {} () & An extension will be added to all filenames. Do not try to add one! An extension of a filename is the period followed by up to three letters. Example: MYDATA.DBF The .DBF is a database extension and is what will be added for you. All you would need to do is type in MYDATA. Do not use or end your filename with a period, this character is part of the extension. All databases will have three files, MYDATA.DBF, MYDATA.GDX & MYDATA.INF. The .DBF file will contain the database records, the .GDX file is the index file that Q_LABELS uses to sort the database and the .INF file contains the label size, field to sort on, etc. This can be changed at any time while in the label input form. See Setting up the label form. If you are saving a file from the Post card form an extension of .PCD will be added. From the Index card form an extension of .ICD will be added. These two files are saved in an encrypted ASCII format and are not 10 readable by other programs. This is for your security as anyone who looks inside one of these files will only see garbage. Navigating the Label Form ───────────────────────── The label form consists of 16 fields from which you can enter text to be printed or saved as a record in a database file. When you enter the label form press the F4 key to begin edit mode. This will position you in the first field (ZIP code field). You do not have to use any fields (lines) that you do not want. If you want your database sorted in some sort of logical sequence then you should use the ZIP code field or the last name field. You can navigate the different fields by using the enter key or the UP/Down arrow keys. Other keys to move through the fields are the tab (moves down) and the shift+tab (moves up). Q_LABELS does not require that you choose a label size and create a database for only that size. You can create a database of information and print to almost any size label. Only the information that can fit on a particular size label will print. Overview of keys used in the label form ─────────────────────────────────────── F1 Press this key at any time for help. F2 Save or add the current record to the database. F3 Previews the current label size with your text in it. F4 Edit the label record. You are now in edit mode. F5 Add mode. This positions you in the label form and erases the current contents (screen only). After editing, choose Save (F2) to make your changes permanent. This will add a new record to the database. F7 Opens the Print Dialogue Box. F8 This allows you to print your label directly onto index, post cards or envelopes. A form will pop up for you to set the options. Do not print to post/index cards with a laser. 11 F9 Cancels edit mode. Unless you have saved the record no changes made will be permanent. F10 Creates a new database. You will be prompted for a file name. Alt+B Backup. Backs up the current open database to a floppy disk drive specified by you. You will be prompted for the disk drive letter. Alt+I Index. Pressing this key combination allows you to re-index or completely rebuild the database. You must do one or the other after making any changes. This is how Q_LABELS keeps track of your records. Choosing to rebuild will make any deleted records permanent. Indexing only marks the deleted records but does not remove them. Alt+K A chart listing all of the keys needed in the label form. Alt+O Toggles the ruler On/Off. Alt+P Quick Print. Prints the current record (one time) with the settings in the print dialogue box. Alt+R Repeats the text into the current field that was in the same field from the previous record. This can save time when several records must contain some of the same information. Alt+S Search. Choose Find or Repeat. Alt+X Escape to the main menu. Alt+D Deletes the current record from the database. Deleted records are marked as inactive in the index file and are not shown. They are only permanently erased when you rebuild the database. 12 Ctrl+E Erases the contents of any line that the cursor is on (screen only). Changes are permanent until you choose save. Alt+U Allows you to restore any deleted records. Ctrl+F3 Allows you to select a record from a list. Use the Up, Down (Arrow keys), Page Up, Page Down, Home, or End keys to move to different records. When you have highlighted the record you need, press the Enter key to make that the active record for printing or editing. Press the Esc key to close the list. Shift+F3 Displays the pop-up calendar. Page Up Go to the previous record in the database. Page Down Go to the next record in the database. Ctrl+Page Up Go to the first record in the database. Ctrl+Page Down Go to the last record in the database. Insert Toggle from insert mode (default) to overwrite mode. Overwrite (Typeover) mode replaces the current character with the new one typed. Your First Label can be as easy as ────────────────────────────────── Type QL and press the Enter key. [starts the program] Use arrow keys to highlight Labels + [top of main menu] Light bar will be on Label Form [first choice] Press Enter [enter label form] Press F4 [begin edit mode] Type in up to five lines of text. Press Alt + P [prints the label] 13 Setting up the label form ───────────────────────── The label form has its own default (normal) settings, such as the size of the label, how many labels to print, which field to sort on, and whether or not to print barcodes. When you create a database this information is saved in a separate file and is used every time you open that particular database. Once you have a database open you can change its default settings temporarily or even permanently. Press the F7 key to bring up the print form and using the tab key or mouse select an option to change. If this is to be a permanent change then choose save. If it is temporary then choose quit. You can change these options as often as needed. The default settings are: Label Size = 3 1/2" x 15" by 1 across Barcode Option = Yes Index Option = Last name field Number to Print = 1 Creating a New Database ─────────────────────── Use the following four steps to create a new database. Press the F10 key and follow the prompts. You will need to tell Q_LABELS what to name the database and on which field to sort. See Naming Files. Press F5 key or click on the Add button. This clears the input form and prepares to add the first record. Type in the first record. Press the F2 key or click on the Save button. Answer Yes to the prompt and this will add the record to the database. Adding records Repeat steps 2,3 & 4. The database and Index files will be created at this time. When you have added all the records for this session that you need you must re-index the database so that Q_LABELS knows where all of the records are. Do this by pressing the Alt+I keys and choosing Index from the prompt. 14 Indexing your database ────────────────────── When Q_LABELS creates your database it also creates an index file in which it stores a list of the records in a sorted order. Your records can be sorted on the zip code field or on the last name field. The last name field will sort everything alphabetically. The zip code field will be sorted in order of lowest to highest number. This is perfect for mailing lists and actually helps the U.S.P.S. move your mail faster. You can force Q_LABELS to re-index the database by pressing the keys Alt+I and choosing Index from the prompt. This should be done after any records have been changed or added (before ending the current session) and after changing the field on which to index. The Index prompt will offer you three choices: Index, Rebuild, and Cancel. Index will create a new index file using the database as is. Rebuild will create a new database and index file and will remove any records that have been deleted. Once you choose to Rebuild you will not be able to restore any previously deleted records. Deleting records ──────────────── Press the Alt+D keys and choose Yes from the prompt to mark a record for deletion. This record will not be available for use but can still be restored if needed. Once you choose the Rebuild option this record will be erased permanently. Undeleting records ────────────────── Press the keys Alt+U and a list of deleted records (if any) will be displayed. Use the arrow keys to highlight a record and press the spacebar, the enter key, the capital letter T, or click on the Tag button to mark (tag) the record for restoring. Once you have marked all of the records you wish to restore press the letter D or click on the Undelete button and the records will be restored to the database. Press the Esc key at any time to quit this function without doing anything. Previewing the label before printing ──────────────────────────────────── Press the F3 key for a preview of what your label, post cards, or index cards should look like when printed. If you have a VGA or better monitor the special print styles will also show. The special styles can alter where your label actually prints and the viewer is mainly intended as a help aid. 15 Printing a label ───────────────── Press the F7 key to bring up the print dialogue box. This box contains the settings you will be using for printing. Label size, number of labels (same record), print current record, print all records in the database, print a POSTNET barcode (see barcodes below), and Save are all selected here. To temporarily use any of these options, press F7, change the option and choose Print, Print all, or Tag. If you wish to change the label size and/or other options, then after choosing them, select the Save button. These options will be save to file and will be the default options every time you open a particular database. This creates the *.INI file. The Tag button lets you tag (mark) records and will print each record the number of times that is set in this box. Press the spacebar to pause printing. You will be prompted to continue or cancel. Printing to envelopes & post cards ────────────────────────────────── You can print your label directory onto envelopes, post cards, and index cards. Press the F8 key or mouse click on the Env + button to bring up a dialogue box. From this box choose Env or Cards. Another dialogue box will appear from which you set the options for printing. At this point you can choose to print the label only or the label and your return address. If you are using legal size envelopes you can print the special greeting line. Printing to post cards is only supported with a dot matrix printer. Repeating Text ────────────── When you are entering records and some of them will contain the same data this feature can be a real time saver. Q_LABELS remembers what was in the previous record in each field. Press the Alt+R keys and the information from the previous record in the field that the cursor is in will be repeated into the current record. Searching For a Record ────────────────────── Press the keys Alt+S to bring up the Search prompt. If you choose Find you will be prompted to enter the text for which you are searching. It has to be text that is in the indexed field. If you have indexed on the ZIP code field then you must enter all or part of a Zip code. If your index is on the last name field then enter all or part of a last name. Press the enter key to begin the search. If found then this record will become the active record. Once you have entered text for the search, you can choose Repeat to find any other text that meets the same requirements. 16 Choosing Records From a List ──────────────────────────── You can choose the current record from a list of active records. Press the Ctrl+F3 keys and the active records will be shown in a list. Scroll the list with the arrow keys and when you have the record you need highlighted, press the enter key. This will now be the active record. Using The Calendar ────────────────── The pop-up calendar can be useful for entering any date directly onto a label. Press the Shift+F3 keys to bring up the calendar. Use the arrow keys to move to different dates, the Page Up & Page Down keys to change months, and the Ctrl+Page UP and Ctrl+Page Down keys to change the years. When you are in an active field of the database record that can accept a date, press the enter key to insert the date at the cursor location. The only field that can not accept a date is the Zip code field. You must be in edit mode before the calendar will work. Backing Up Your Database ──────────────────────── It is a good rule of thumb in computing to make a backup of all your important data. You must first have a database open and be in the label form. Place a floppy disk in the drive you are going to save your data. Press the keys Alt+B and from the prompt choose A or B for the floppy disk drive letter. The backup will be automatic from this point. What Were Those Keys Again ────────────────────────── While in the label form, press the keys Alt+K for a brief description and a list of the keys used in the form. What's The Ruler For? ───────────────────── The ruler is a visual aid to help you determine how many characters to type on a line. If you are mainly going to be using one size label then you won't want to be typing more on a line that can be printed. Toggle the ruler on or off by pressing the keys Alt+O. POSTNET Barcode ─────────────── Your printer must be able to print graphics before you can print a barcode. A barcode is a series of tall and short bars. These bars represent a sequence of digits that are created from your ZIP code. Q_LABELS can print a five, nine, and an eleven (DPBC) POSTNET barcode. With the postal service 17 using new automated sorting equipment, it is important that you use your ZIP on all of your mailings. Unless you mail large mailings, you do not need to be concerned with using the eleven (DPBC) digit ZIP. If you do use large mailings then you can reduce your postage rates by applying for a bulk mail permit from the U.S.P.S.. Ask them for a copy of the section of the Domestic Mail Manual titled Barcoded Mailpieces. This will give you all of the information you need for using the DPBC (Delivery Point Bar Code). Using the Post Card and Index Card Forms ──────────────────────────────────────── The post card form and the index card form are identical in function. The same keys that apply to one apply to the other. You can create and print from 1 to 99 cards at a time. When you first enter the forms you will be positioned on the first line ready to edit an existing record (if you opened one from the main menu) or create a new one. The data saved for these cards are individual encrypted files. They have been encrypted and can only be used by the Q_LABELS program. Enter text in these forms like any text editor. You do not have to save your data to print a card. This form was not designed to print to a laser printer. Index and Post Card Keys ──────────────────────── F1 Press this key for help. F2 This option will let you save your card to a file. See Naming Files. F3 Preview the card. F7 Print the card, you enter the number of cards you want printed. Alt+X Return to the main menu. 18 Glossary ───────────────────────────────────────── active A window or dialogue box that is currently in use. alphanumeric Composed of letters or numerals or both. application Software designed to carry out a certain kind of action. Sometimes called a program. arrow keys The up, down, left, and right arrow keys on the keyboard that control cursor movement. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standard format for representing characters on a computer. The extended ASCII character set contains 256 characters. A DOS text file is usually in ASCII format. back up To save copies of files for safekeeping. You can back up any database file as you work on it to protect your work in case of computer or power failure. button A small box with text in it that activates an option when selected. byte The amount of space needed to store a single character. 1024 bytes equals one kilobyte (K). check box A small box in a dialogue box that represents an option. Clicking an empty check box selects the option. click To press and release a mouse button once, usually the left button. close To exit a dialogue box or window. command An instruction given to a computer to carry out a particular action. CUA Common User Access. A set of terminology, keystrokes, and commands designed by IBM to provide standardization among applications. Q_LABELS is CUA compliant. compressed file A file in a special format to conserve disk space. Q_LABELS is shipped with compressed files. You must expand the files to be able to use them. current directory The directory you are using. cursor A symbol (usually a blinking horizontal bar) that designates the current position on the screen. 19 default A preset setting or action that takes effect unless specifically changed. dialogue box A way of communicating with the program. A dialogue box displays messages and warnings, and lets you select options. directory An index of the names of a group of files and subdirectories. The root directory is the main directory of a disk and all other directories branch from the root. DOS Disk Operating System. Software that oversees disk, video, and keyboard activity. A computer needs a disk operating system to function. DOS prompt A set of characters, such as C:\>, from which you can enter DOS commands. DPBC Delivery Point Bar Code. Used by the postal service. encrypted file A file whose information has been altered, allowing only the application that created it to use it. file Information stored on disk under a single name. file extension The three-letter suffix following the period in a filename. All filenames created and used by Q_LABELS will have an extension. file format The arrangement and organization of the information in a file. The application which creates the file will determine it's format. The database files created by this application use a dBase type format. The files created in the index card and post card forms are DOS text files which have been encrypted and can only be read by Q_LABELS. function keys A group of keys, labeled F1, F2, etc, which can be used by themselves or with Alt, Ctrl, or Shift keys to provide access to certain features. help A feature that gives you information and instructions on using an program. kilobyte (K) 1024 bytes of information or storage space. list box A box that displays a list of choices. If the list is too long to display all choices, it will have a scroll bar, so that you can view additional items. 20 megabyte (M) 1024 kilobytes (1,048,576 bytes) of information or storage space. memory A computer's temporary data storage area. See RAM or ROM. menu A list of options from which you can select a particular function or command. menu bar The area at the top of the screen containing headings for pull-down menu items. parallel printer A printer that accepts information by way of a parallel interface. path The address that tells a computer where to locate a directory or file on a disk. A path includes the drive, root directory, and any subdirectory names. port A connection device between the computer and another component. POSTNET bar code A series of tall and short bars, used by the postal service that represent your ZIP code. program Software designed for a certain use. RAM Random Access Memory. The working space or memory for the program you are using. RAM is erased when the power is turned off. ROM Read Only Memory. The part of the computer's main memory that contains the basic program that run the computer. ROM cannot be erased. text file A file saved in ASCII file format. It contains text, spaces, and returns, but no formatting codes. ZIP code Zone Improvement Plan. A series of digits that represent your address. ZIP+4 is a registered trademark of the U.S. Postal Service. 21