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1991-10-22
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PLAIN VANILLA LABELS
Version 3.11
O P E R A T I N G M A N U A L
ROSEWOOD SOFTWARE
135-10 Livonia Place
Scarborough, Ontario M1E 4W6
Canada
(416) 284-6119 CompuServe 70461,2507
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
(C) Copyright 1991
by
Rosewood Software and Bert Christensen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
ENTER LABEL DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Indexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
MODIFY LABEL DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
PRINT LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
VIEW LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SELECT LABEL FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SEARCH FOR LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
UTILITIES MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
EXIT PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
UTILITIES MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SOFTKEY SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SCREEN COLORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
DOS FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
ADD LABEL FILE DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CHANGE LABEL FILE DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
EXIT TO MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
EXPORT OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
COMMAND LINE SWITCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CUSTOMER SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SHAREWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
REGISTRATION INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS OMBUDSPERSON . . . . 11
2
OVERVIEW
Plain Vanilla Labels is a program to print simple labels. It is
designed to print a single label (with or without saving it to a
file) or hundreds of labels for major mailings. It uses standard
5 line, 15/16 inch by 3 1/2 inch tractor-feed labels. Plain
Vanilla Labels is easy to learn and easy to use. It will work on
virtually any printer attached to a MS-DOS computer using DOS
2.11 or higher. It has a built-in editor and user-configurable
softkeys to make entering label data easy. Plain Vanilla Labels
will maintain up to ten different label lists (data files). Each
label entry can be indexed at any point on any line on the label.
All labels in a file can be printed, labels can be individually
selected or they can be selected from any common string within
the labels. Any part of the label can be blocked off for comments
which are visible to the user but are not printed on the label.
INSTALLATION
The easiest way to install Plain Vanilla Labels is to copy the
file PVL.EXE to a floppy disk or to a directory on your hard
drive ("VANILLA" might be a good directory name). If you want to
try the sample labels included, copy PVLABELS.DAT to the same
directory. Make this directory or disk the current or logged
directory and type "PVL" (no quotes) to enter the program. Your
CONFIG.SYS file should have an entry, "FILES=15" and, optionally
another entry, "BUFFERS=15". If you put the directory which has
the Plain Vanilla Labels program, "PVL.EXE" in your "PATH" entry
in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. "PVL" can then be called from any
directory on your computer. Please see your DOS manual or your
personal computer guru if the previous sentences makes no sense
to you.
MAIN MENU
ENTER LABEL DATA (1)
The Plain Vanilla Labels editor will accept up to five lines of
text with a maximum of thirty five characters and spaces on each
line. Use the editing keys (arrow keys, Del, Ins, Home, End, etc)
to place your text where you want it. You may leave entire lines
blank such as the first and fifth for three line addresses. The
entering of label data can be aborted at any time by pressing the
Esc key. When you have finished entering text for the label, you
will be given the option of printing it without saving, saving
and entering another label or saving and returning to the Main
Menu.
3
Indexing
Labels are indexed alphabetically on the first non space
characters of the first line with text or by the use of the
circumflex character, "^" which is usually SHIFT-6 on the
keyboard. Labels will be indexed on the letters immediately
following the circumflex. For example, you might want a label
with "Alan Young" on it but you would like to have the label
indexed as "Young, Alan". To do this enter the label as
"Alan^Young". The label index will then show, "Young^Alan" but
the label will be printed as "Alan Young". This "circumflex"
method of indexing will work in any position on any line.
Comments
All or any part of any line can be blocked out for a "hidden"
comment. These comments will be visible to you the user when
working with the program but will not be printed on the label. To
enter a comment type a left square bracket "[" at any position in
any line. You may enter any comments you wish after the "[" and
the rest of that line will not be printed on labels but will be
visible when viewing labels in the program. A "[" will have to
entered on each line that you wish to have comments. This feature
could be used to keep birthdays, anniversaries or other
information. For example, a search for "June" would bring up a
list of all persons with June birthdays. Or the comment space
could be used to store credit information etc. You can probably
find more creative uses for this feature.
MODIFY LABEL DATA (2)
To choose a label to modify use either number 2 on the Main Menu,
"Modify Label Data" which will give a sorted list of the indexed
line for all labels, or use number 6 , "Search for Label Data"
which will search labels by the string which you enter. After
choosing the label to modify, you can change it using the editing
keys or delete it by entering "ZZZZ" (no quotes) in the first
four spaces of the first line. Use <Del> or blank spaces to get
rid of unwanted characters.
PRINT LABELS (3)
Plain Vanilla Labels prints using the standard output to your
printer or to a disk text file. Please see "Export Options" below
for a description of the print to disk feature. The program is
not printer specific. You can print in any font that you can
select from the front panel of your printer. In addition, most
BBSs have a selection of utilities to set various brands of
printers for italics, double strike, etc. You can run one of
these for your brand of printer before using Plain Vanilla Labels
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or, you can run the printer program from within the "DOS
Functions" selection on the Utilities Menu. Plain Vanilla Labels
does not initialize the printer which means that if you get
strange results, try turning the printer off and then on again
because the last program may have left the printer set up for
special printing. You will be given a chance to print all the
labels in a file or to select labels to print from a list of the
indexed labels, or to select labels from a search string which
you enter. All other aspects of printing labels should be self-
evident from the prompts on the screen.
VIEW LABELS (4)
Labels on file can be viewed on the screen or printed in list
form on 8 1/2 X 11 paper. Labels which have been entered using
the circumflex "^" character will be listed in order of their
indexed order. That is "Alan^Young" will be listed with the Y's
and not the A's. Comments following the comment character "["
will be shown on the screen and printed in the list. Except for
the label number in the top right of each displayed label and the
comments, the display is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)
in the printed labels.
SELECT LABEL FILE (5)
Plain Vanilla Labels can store up to ten different lists or files
of label data. When first run, the program has one list called
"GENERAL". To change from one list to another, press <5> from the
Main Menu. You will be shown a list of file descriptions.
Initially all except number 1 will be empty. Press the number of
the file description that you wish to use. Most screens in the
program will show the name and number of the list that you are
currently working in. To change file descriptions go to "Change
Label File Descriptions", or to add a new description go to the
"Add Label File Descriptions" on the Utilities Menu. Please note
that you cannot select a label file until it has a file
description.
SEARCH FOR LABELS (6)
Plain Vanilla Labels contains a powerful search capability. You
will be prompted to enter a "String to Search for". The search
will look for matches on any line of each label. After entering
the string (a string is just a letter or a word or several words)
the program will search for an exact match (except that upper
case and lower case are treated as equal). If you wish to find
all your labels with "CA" for "California" enter "<space> <ca>
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<space>". If you don't have the spaces before and after the
search string you will get "caper", "Canada", etc. After the
first "find" you will be prompted to <M> modify the label, to <P>
add it to the print queue (a list of label numbers to be
printed), <C> add all finds to the print queue, <S> a new search
with a new search string, or to <Esc> to the Main Menu. At the
end of the search, you can begin a new search for a different
string or end searching. If there are labels in the print queue
you will be prompted to print them to the printer or to a disk
file or to return to the Main Menu. If you wish to browse the
entire list a label at a time, press the "Enter" key in response
to the "String to search for" prompt and the labels will be shown
in record number order.
UTILITIES MENU (7)
This will transfer you to the Utilities Menu described below.
EXIT PROGRAM (8)
This will close Plain Vanilla Labels and return you to DOS.
PLEASE DO REMEMBER TO KEEP A BACK-UP OF YOUR DATA.
UTILITIES MENU
SOFTKEY SETTINGS (1)
Softkeys, F1 to F10 can be assigned strings of characters to a
maximum of fifteen letters or numbers. The first five characters
for each softkey will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Pressing the appropriate softkey will enter the string just as if
it had been typed by you, letter by letter. Handy if most of
your labels have "Saskatchewan" in them. Each label file has its
own unique set of softkeys.
SCREEN COLORS (2)
You can customize the colors to whatever pleases you. When first
starting up the program you will be asked whether you have a Mono
or a Colour monitor. To change the default colors follow the
prompts. If you get everything all confused you can choose to
restore the default colors. The background colour is the colour
of the screen and the foreground colour is the colour of the
printing on the screen.
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DOS FUNCTIONS (3)
This is also known as "shelling to DOS". You can check a
directory listing, run a printer enhancement program etc. Please
do not tamper with the program's data ".DAT" files. Enter <EXIT>
to return to Plain Vanilla Labels. Please return to the same
directory that you were in before using this feature.
ADD LABEL FILE DESCRIPTION (4)
Plain Vanilla Labels can store up to ten different lists or files
of label data. When first run, the program has one list called
"GENERAL". If you wish to have more lists press <4> from the
Utilities Menu. You will be shown a list of file descriptions.
Initially all except number 1 will be empty. To add or change
file descriptions including the first one, press the number you
wish to add or change and enter the file description. File
descriptions can be up to twenty characters in length (these
names are not used as the actual file names so there is no need
to adhere to DOS filename rules). To change from one list to
another, go to number 5 on the Main Menu. Label data is stored in
up to 10 different files, depending on the number of lists that
you have activated. The first list is in the file "PVLABELS.DAT";
the others are in "PVLABE02.DAT" to "PVLABE10.DAT" (this seeming
discrepancy is to insure that files from version 1.xx will be
compatible with version 2.xx).
CHANGE LABEL FILE DESCRIPTIONS (5)
This is the same as number 4 above.
EXIT TO MAIN MENU (6)
Pressing <6>, <X> or <Esc> will return you to the Main Menu.
EXPORT OPTIONS
Plain Vanilla Labels has two methods of exporting data for use in
other programs. The first is to "print" the labels to a disk file
instead of to the printer. The result is an ASCII or plain text
file which can be used by many programs including WordPerfect and
Lotus 123. Each time that you print labels, you will be asked
whether you want the data to be sent to your printer or to a disk
file. If you choose a disk file you will be prompted for a file
name with up to 8 characters with NO punctuation. The program
will add the file extension ".TXT". So, if you chose the file
name "MYFILE" the program will store the text file in
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"MYFILE.TXT". This file can be used by text editors, most word
processors and many other programs. If you choose a file name
which already exists, you will be prompted to use another name or
to write over the existing file. You can disable the "print to
disk" option by entering <PVL NF> (do not use the angle brackets)
when you start the program. If you never export data, disabling
this option will save one keystroke every time you print labels.
The other method of exporting data involves using the actual data
files as outlined next. Label data are stored in up to 10 data
files, "PVLABExx.DAT". These files are fixed length random access
files which means that the data are stored in a continuous stream
of bytes with no delimiters between each field or each record.
Many programs can import such files for their own use but you
must know the exact length of each field. In Plain Vanilla Labels
there are 6 fields per record. The first field is a 2 byte
integer which is the record number. The remaining 5 fields are
all 35 bytes each representing the 5 lines of 35 characters in
each label.
COMMAND LINE SWITCHES
A command line switch is an addition to the command used to start
a program. To start Plain Vanilla Labels in the standard manner,
simply type <PVL> without the angle brackets. In addition, there
are four switches which can be added to the command line:
NF (no file) will disable the export function as outlined
above.
NC (no check) will disable the screen which asks that you
be sure your printer is turned on.
NT (no test) will disable the screen which asks if you wish
to print a test label.
NA (no advance) will disable the screen which asks if you
wish to advance the labels by one inch.
You may choose to use none of these switches, some of them, or
all of them. There must be a space between each one. If you
choose to use all of the switches, your command line would be as
follows: <PVL NF NC NT NA>.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
If you have problems or questions, please phone (416) 284-6119
anytime or leave a message on CompuServe. CompuServe ID is
70461,2507. The latest version of Plain Vanilla Labels can be
found in the IBM Applications Forum of CompuServe.
8
CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS
Rosewood Software is vitally interested in your comments and
suggestions, or your ideas for new programs. If you like Plain
Vanilla Labels but would like customized changes for your
specific application, please contact us. Hearing from you, the
user helps us to provide you with a better product.
SHAREWARE
The only way that you can be assured of a continuing supply of
low-cost, quality software for almost any purpose, is to support
Shareware. Shareware is non-shrink-wrapped, low cost software
that you try at your own convenience. Shareware is used by
everyone from individuals to the largest multinational
corporations. Shareware, as a marketing concept, trusts you, the
user, to buy it if you like it. If you like Plain Vanilla Labels,
and if you use it, please send your registration fee today. For
your convenience, there is an order form (ORDER.FRM) which you
can print from your Plain Vanilla Labels distribution disk.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Plain Vanilla Labels is not in any way free software. If you have
tried Plain Vanilla Labels and have decided that it suits your
purposes, please register. Continued use of Plain Vanilla Labels
beyond a trial period is an infringement of copyright laws.
Registered users will receive notices of major updates and of any
new products which may be introduced by Rosewood Software as well
as a code which will remove all exhortations to register in the
program.
Registration costs $10 with the latest version mailed to you.
Ontario residents please add 8% Ontario Retail Sales Tax.
Canadian Goods and Services Tax (GST) is included. Write for
information on quantity purchases.
When ordering, please print and use the file "ORDER.FRM", which
was included on your distribution disk, or simply include your
name, address, company name, and your telephone number, along
with a cheque or money order to:
Rosewood Software
135-10 Livonia Place
Scarborough, Ontario M1E 4W6
(416) 284-6119 CompuServe 70461,2507
Member of the Association of Shareware Professionals <ASP>
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Cheques in Canadian dollars must be drawn on Canadian banks.
Cheques from other countries must be written in the currency of
that country. For example, a cheque drawn on a US bank must be in
US (not Canadian) funds.
Thank you for supporting Rosewood Software and Shareware.
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
Rosewood Software makes no warranty of any kind, express or
implied, including without limitation, any warranties of
merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Rosewood
Software shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct,
indirect, special, or consequential, arising from a failure of
this program to operate in the manner desired by the user.
Rosewood Software shall not be liable for any damage to data or
property which may be caused directly or indirectly by use of the
program.
IN NO EVENT WILL ROSEWOOD SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES,
INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE
THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
LICENSE
Plain Vanilla Labels is Copyright (C) 1991 by Rosewood Software
and Bert Christensen.
Plain Vanilla Labels is distributed under the user-supported
Shareware concept. Non-registered users of Plain Vanilla Labels
are granted a limited license to use Plain Vanilla Labels for a
trial period not to exceed 90 days in order to determine its
suitability for their purposes. Any use of non-registered copies
of Plain Vanilla Labels beyond this trial period is forbidden.
Registering a copy of Plain Vanilla Labels allows a user to make
as many copies of Plain Vanilla Labels as desired, and to use it
on various machines, but the same registered copy of Plain
Vanilla Labels may not be in use on more than one machine at the
same time.
No user may modify Plain Vanilla Labels in any way, including but
not limited to decompiling, disassembling, or otherwise reverse
engineering the program.
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All users are granted a license to copy Plain Vanilla Labels for
the trial use of others, subject to the above restrictions and
also the following:
Plain Vanilla Labels must be copied in absolutely un-
modified form, including all program files and complete
documentation;
No licensee may accept or request a charge or other
payment for Plain Vanilla Labels except for a disk
handling charge of up to $12.
Operators of electronic bulletin board systems may post Plain
Vanilla Labels for downloading by their users only as long as the
above conditions are met.
Distributors of public domain or user-supported software may
distribute copies of Plain Vanilla Labels subject to the above
conditions only after obtaining written permission from Rosewood
Software. All not-for-profit organizations or vendor members of
the Association of Shareware Professionals are exempt from this
restriction. In any case, no charge may be made for a disk
containing Plain Vanilla Labels except for a disk handling charge
of up to $12.
ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS OMBUDSPERSON
Rosewood Software is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsperson
can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsperson at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI
49442-9427 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to
ASP Ombudsperson 70007,3536.
THANK YOU FOR USING PLAIN VANILLA LABELS!
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