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H a m f e s t - - - - - - - A complete Hamfest mailing list maintenance program Designed, written and compiled by Don A. Gagnon WB8HQS Version 1.15 Released October 1989 *** ****** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ****** ********** ** ** ** ********** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** *** ** ** ** **** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ****** Ham Quality Software H a m f e s t - - - - - - - I n d e x --------- Index 2 Introduction 3 Registration 5 Main Menu 6 Edit/Add Entries 7 Duplicate check 9 Bulk Mail Sort 11 Delete Old Entries 12 Print Labels 13 Changes and Mods 15 Files & Structures 16 [2] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - I n t r o d u c t i o n ----------------------- Purpose: This program was designed to provide for easy updating and maintenance of general and vendor mailing lists. It was written on an IBM XT, and should run on any IBM clone. Choice of color or monochrome screen displays provide easy viewing on any monitor. Monochrome selection is especially useful for laptop computers. Configuration: HAMFEST was written using Clipper (compiled dBASE III+) and uses standard dBASE III+ data files and label format files. The indexes used are unique to Clipper, allowing faster operation. If desired, the data file (.DBF) and the label format files (.LBL) can be viewed and/or modified using dBASE III+ (see the section on changes and mods for more information). Please note that the structure of the data base file must not be modified. HAMFEST is an .EXE file, so that you do not need any other program (such as dBASE) to run it. Once HAMFEST has initially loaded, the program disk can be removed. Hard disk or floppy disks. It is highly recommended that you run HAMFEST on a hard disk system. While it will work on a 2 floppy PC, the speed increase by using a hard disk will be substantial. The only index (.NTX) file that will stay on disk is HF1, but keep in mind that HAMFEST periodically creates additional .NTX files for use in specific modules, then erases them when that module is finished. This means that you must have sufficient disk space to hold these indexs while they exist. It is suggested that you allow at minimum an amount of space equal to that used by the .DBF file. If you do not have enough "working" disk space, a runtime error will appear at the top of your screen. IMPORTANT NOTE: The original database file should always be kept on a separate archieve disk and should never be used as the working file. ALWAYS WORK WITH A COPY. [3] I n t r o d u c t i o n ----------------------- (continued) How the "last year attended" or Y field is used: HAMFEST is designed with a year field containing the year last attended by that person/vendor. You should designate attendees years by the numbers 0 through 9 signifying the last digit of that year. To keep track of who the vendors are (vendors being either actual companies or simply people who bought a table to sell their "stuff"), the vendors years are designated A through J, which tracks with 0-9. The letters S through Z can be used for special purposes as when you want to signify some other specific group. The routines in HAMFEST, when working with vendors, will use the letters A-J for the purpose of year designations. Deletions: In several modules of HAMFEST (such as Dupe Check or Delete old entries), you will be selecting records to be deleted from the database. Initially the program will mark specific records as "to be deleted", but will not actually delete them. Once this marking process is complete, you will be asked if you want those marked records to be deleted. If you answer yes to that question, you will always be queried "are you sure?" as a failsafe. Only if you answer YES to both of these questions will the records actually be deleted. Capitalization The Last Name, First Name, Address, City and State fields are to be all capital letters in accordance with U.S. Postal regulations. It does not matter whether upper or lower case letters are entered, because HAMFEST automatically capitalizes all inputs to these fields. [4] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - R e g i s t r a t i o n ----------------------- HAMFEST is a fully copyrighted program, owned in total by Don A. Gagnon, WB8HQS. It may be distributed freely as "shareware", in its original form, as long as no modifications or changes have been made to it. No guarantees or warranties as to its function, usability or completeness are made or implied. I take no responsibility for any consequences of its use. Now that the legality is out of the way, it should be stressed that HAMFEST has been thoroughly tested and debugged, and should provide error free service. It has been in use on a mailing list of over 4000 records, and has worked well. If you find HAMFEST meets your needs, a registration fee of $20.00 is requested. Those who register will be informed of future updates, and will have a clear conscience while using this program. To register, fill out the form below and mail to: HAM Quality Software Don A. Gagnon WB8HQS 2805 Nordholme Avenue Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805 Name ______________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________ City ________________________ State ___ Zip ______ Comments __________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ [5] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - M a i n M e n u ----------------- When running HAMFEST, you first see a title screen, and if you have a color graphics card installed in your PC, you will be asked if you want color or monochrome output. This is especially useful when using a laptop computer, as most have a CGA output, but only a monochrome LCD display. If you want a monochrome output, press -M- at the query to select monochrome. You will then be asked which drive your data (and label format) files are located on. It is highly recommended that all files be in the same directory (if you are using a hard disk) or in the case of a two floppy system, put your data/label files on one drive and your index files on the other. If you have selected drive C, you will also be asked for the appropriate path. The same inquiry will be made for the index files. Next comes the HAMFEST main menu, which will look like this: [1] Edit/Add entries [2] Duplicate Check [3] Bulk Mail sort [4] Delete old entries [5] Print labels [6] Exit program At the completion of each module, HAMFEST will return to this menu. Detailed descriptions of each of these choices is contained in the following pages. [6] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - E d i t / A d d e n t r i e s ------------------------------- HAMFEST first wants to know if it should update the index. If the only changes made to the database were made while in the Edit/Add module, then reindexing is not necessary. However, if any other modules had been used, or if you had done anything to the database file outside of HAMFEST (ie: with dBase III+), then you must update the index (reindex). Reindexing will take some time, depending upon your PC's operating speed and the size of the database. The main edit screen (where the new last name is entered) is next, where you are asked to input the last name of the person or vendor being added or updated in the database. Please enter the last name only (or the company name in the case of a vendor) at this time. Other optional functions available at this point are: END -- closes this module and returns you to the main selection menu. [F2] - repeats the most recently entered last name into the input blank. [F9] - brings up a help screen, which describes all available functions. Once a name is entered, the database is searched for all records with that same last name, and will display, for your review, all that are found. You can select either the one that matches, and view it in it entirety (in the edit mode), or select append mode to add a new record. If the last name was not found in the existing database, HAMFEST will go directly into the append mode. A vendors' company name (in the case of an actual company) should always be entered into the last name field. That way it is indexed properly, and will be found when the file is searched in the future. This is also essential when printing vendor mailing labels. [7] E d i t / A d d e n t r i e s ------------------------------- (continued) Editing: Your edit screen selections are as follows: M ----- Will put you in a full screen edit mode, in which you can edit any or all of the fields in the record you have selected. R ----- Will return to the Main Edit screen without modifying any fields in the selected record. year -- entering a year (0-9, A-J, S-Z) will update the year field only and return you to the Main Edit screen. Append: The append screen will allow you to input a new record. The last name which was entered but not found during the database search will automatically appear in the last name field. You will then be required to fill in the desired fields (pressing RETURN to skip a field). When complete, HAMFEST will take the information entered and create a new record in the database. If at any time while in the append mode, you decide you don't want to input a new record, press F6 to abort append mode and return to the Main Edit screen. You will hear two high tone beeps when a record is accepted into the database or two low tone beeps when no record is created (as when F6 is used). [8] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - D u p l i c a t e C h e c k ----------------------------- This routine will scan the database comparing several possible field combinations looking for duplicate entries. HAMFEST will first ask what fields you want compared, and will give you the following choices: [1] Last name + First name [2] Zip code + Address [3] Call In choice [2], the address comparison will only look at the first 8 characters of the address, thus still matching things like "street" and "st" at the end of the address field. HAMFEST will then search through the database record by record, comparing the selected fields. If two records are found which meet the "match" criteria, HAMFEST will beep twice (signifying a possible duplicate was found) and will display the entire contents of both records. At that point you are presented the following options: "SPACE BAR" --------- This will NOT mark either record for deletion and will continue on. "1" ----------------- Will mark record #1 (on the left) for deletion. "2" ----------------- Will mark record #2 (on the right) for deletion. "F7" ---------------- Will allow you to edit any field in record #1 (on the left). Once the edit is done, you will again be asked if you want to delete a record. "F8" ---------------- Will allow editing in the same manner as "F7" but on record #2 (on the right) "F10" --------------- Will pause the duplicate check, save the placesaving info to a memory file for continuation at a later date. [9] D u p l i c a t e C h e c k ----------------------------- (continued) F7/F8 editing can be useful in cases where both records are for the same person (example: one has a more complete address and the other lists a call). You can then edit one to make it as complete as possible, then mark the other for deletion. Upon editing a record, you will return to a point in the database one record before the just edited one, such that you will get to see the recently edited record again and make the deletion choice. Once a deletion choice is made, HAMFEST will continue through the remainder of the database in the same manner (unless you selected PAUSE). Remember that you are only MARKING the records for deletion, and they will not actually be deleted until you request so at the end of the dupe check routine. After the complete database has been checked, HAMFEST will informed you as to how many records were marked for deletion, and will ask if you want them deleted. If you select not to delete them at this time, the deletion "marks" on the selected records will be removed, and the database will be returned to its original state. If you choose to have them deleted (and answer YES to the "are you sure" query), then HAMFEST will delete those marked records and let you know when that process is complete. [10] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - B u l k M a i l S o r t ---------------------------- If you send your hamfest general flyer to more than about 150 people, you will likely want to take advantage of U.S. Postal Service Bulk Mail rates. You will see a substantial savings on postage costs. This routine will sort the records per the latest bulk mailing criteria, and will fill each records MGRP (mail group) and BUNDLE fields with the appropriate information, to allow you an easy method of separating the mail groups when making your trip to the post office. The Post Office requests that the mailing be divided as follows: Group breakdown 5 digit matching with quantity >=10 3 digit matching with quantity >=10 state matching with quantity >=10 all remaining are marked MISC Bundle breakdown 5 digit matching with quantity >=125 3 digit matching with quantity >=125 state matching with quantity >=125 This information will be printed on the top line of the mailing labels such that your flyers can be packaged and processed according to the bulk mail requirements. For the bulk mail sort quantities, you are asked if you want to do the vendors only, or everyone BUT the vendors. In most cases you'll want to run this twice to do both. (this will be done using the YEAR field). Labels will be sorted and marked as two separate groups, since you will most likely have two separate mailings, one going to the vendors only (with table and facilities info) and one to previous and prospective attendees. The mailing label printing routine will also separate the database into these same two groups at the time of printing. [11] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - D e l e t e O l d E n t r i e s ------------------------------------- This routine allows you to purge your database of people/vendors who have not attended in a number of years. This should only have to be run once a year, just prior to bulk mail sorting and mailing label printing. First you select the year which is to be deleted. Most hamfests keep a name on their list for 2 or 3 years after the last attendance. (ie: this is 1989, you may want to purge those records with the year field containing a 6, indicating that person last attended in 1986). HAMFEST will then ask if you want the corresponding vendor year (in this case F) deleted at the same time. In most cases, you will want to do both. Once these questions have been answered, HAMFEST will go through the entire database marking those records with the specified year (in this case either 6 or F) for deletion. Finally you will be asked if you want those records which are marked to be actually deleted. Answering YES to this question (and to the failsafe "are you sure?") will cause HAMFEST to go through the database deleting the marked records. Once completed, HAMFEST will tell you how many were deleted before returning to the main menu. [12] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - P r i n t L a b e l s ------------------------ This module of HAMFEST will print standard 3 1/2 inch by 7/8 inch mailing labels both for the vendors mailing and the general mailing. The labels can be either 1, 2 or 3 across the page. Each general mailing label will look like: WB8HQS MGRP:46805 BUNDLE:468O5 DON GAGNON 2805 NORDHOLME AVENUE FORT WAYNE IN 46805-1099 While each Vendor mailing label (which will probably have a blank first name field if it's an actual company), will look like: MGRP:46805 BUNDLE:46805 HAM Quality Software 2805 NORDHOLME AVENUE FORT WAYNE IN 46805-1099 The selections HAMFEST will require you to make are: (1). To print in order of [zip code] or [MGRP/BUNDLE]. (2). How many labels across the page: [1], [2] or [3]. (3). To print all of the general mailer labels, the first half of the general mailer labels (and print the second half at a later date) or the vendor mailing labels. If you decide to print the first half only at this time, your position in the database will be saved as a memory file and the next time you run this routine, HAMFEST will see that memory file and ask you if you wish to finish it. [13] P r i n t L a b e l s ------------------------ (continued) Each printing session will be started by printing five rows of asterisks for you to align the labels with. You may have to do this several times to finally get the proper alignment. Once the program is printing the actual labels, the only way to stop it before it is finished is to shut the printer off. This will cause a runtime error and halt execution of HAMFEST. At that point you will have to restart HAMFEST from the beginning. A note to experienced dBase users: If for some reason you have to stop the printing process before it is complete, I suggest the following procedure to finish up the job: 1. Rename the working HF.DBF file to something else like TEMP. (be sure you are working with a copy of the database, and not the original). 2. In dBase, [USE] TEMP, then [INDEX] on the same fields that you had selected earlier in "print labels". 3. Now [SET INDEX TO] the index file you just created. 4. Using [FIND], go to the last record for which a label was printed. 5. Use [COPY REST TO HF.DBF] to created HF.DBF which will contain all of the remaining records that still need labels printed. 6. Finally run HAMFEST again, but with this "new" HF.DBF on the disk. By selecting the label printing routine, you will now print the remaining labels. Be sure to erase this "temporary" HF.DBF when done, and replace it with a copy of the original one. [14] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - C h a n g e s a n d M o d i f i c a t i o n s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The main HAMFEST.EXE file cannot be modified in any way. It is a completely self-contained program, which has been compiled to machine code. You can however modify the database file and any of the label format files. The .DBF file can be used in dBase III+, but it should be much easier to anyone other than experienced dBASE users to use HAMFEST for all database updates. The label formats can be modified by using the "modify label HF1" (or HF2 through HF6) command from the Dbase dot prompt. If there appears to be enough need, I will include a Label Modification program in future issues of this program. This may prove useful by being able to adjust the left margin of the label to work with your particular printer setup. I have found that using a printer with non-adjustable tractor feeds (for page width) can be a problem, depending on how your tractor fed labels line up. You may have to find a unit that lets you adjust the tractor feed sprockets to the exact width of your page. [15] H a m f e s t - - - - - - - F i l e s a n d S t r u c t u r e s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The structure of the database file, HF.DBF is as follows: Field Name Field Type Width ------------ -------------- ----- FNAME Character 10 LNAME Character 25 ADDRESS Character 24 CITY Character 20 STATE Character 2 ZIP Character 5 ZIP_EXT Character 4 Y Character 1 CALL Character 6 MGRP Character 5 BUNDLE Character 5 COUNT Numeric 4 ----- 112 These are the files you should find on the distribution disk: File Name Size Purpose --------------- ------- -------------------------------------- HAMFEST.EXE 211178 Main program file HAMFEST.DOC 30201 This manual RUNFIRST.BAT 1542 Information batch file HF.DBF 642 The "seed" database HF1.NTX 2048 The index for the database HF1.LBL 1034 The 1 label wide general label format HF2.LBL 1034 The 2 label wide general label format HF3.LBL 1034 The 3 label wide general label format HF4.LBL 1034 The 1 label wide vendor label format HF5.LBL 1034 The 2 label wide vendor label format HF6.LBL 1034 The 3 label wide vendor label format If you see anything extra or missing, then you are not getting the original unmodified program. 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