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(TM) PC-DESK Calendar/Reminder...Address File...Letter Processor Automatic Letter Writer with Mail Merge...Calculator Automatic Phone Dialer...On-screen Clock...Telephone Directory Prints:Mailing Labels, Envelopes, Letters, Memos, Repetitive Labels Software Studios, Inc. 8516 Sugarbush Court Annandale, Virginia 22003 (703) 978-3524 (C) 1985, Wade B. Dowdle, Software Studios, Inc., Annandale, Virginia !! -2- PC-DESK is brought to you under the FREEWARE concept. You are welcome to make back-up copies and to pass copies on to associates. If the program is beneficial and you use it more than three times, send $25 to: Software Studios, Inc. 8516 Sugarbush Court Annandale, Virginia 22003 This fee will register you as the owner of the software and will entitle you to: 1) FREE telephone support on the operation and use of the program; 2) FREE up-dates of PC-DESK when they become available; and 3) information on how to eliminate the bothersome sign-on screen. In addition, your registration will encourage more good software to be made available through FREEWARE. You can register by phone using your MasterCard or Visa by dialing (703) 978-2339. !! -3- INDEX Quick Rules.........................4 Making Copies.......................5 Main Menu...........................6 Entering Addresses..................7 Printing............................9 Display/Search.....................11 Word Processor.....................13 Sort/Select........................14 Calendar...........................15 Calculator.........................16 Hints on Capabilities..............17 Troubleshooting....................18 Tutorial...........................19 !! -4- QUICK RULES PC-DESK maintains a very large array of names, addresses and associated data, instantly available for up-dating, sorting, selecting, or printing. At system sign-on, you may select a data file to work with. Each data file can contain up to 200 names and addresses and you can have as many data files as your disk can contain. Always keep the PC-DESK diskette in "A" drive during operation of the program. Do not place a write-protect tab on the diskette. At any time, you can switch from one data file to another from the Main Menu, simply by using the <N>ew File option. The data file you were using is automatically re-filed (after you are given the option of renaming it). If you rename a file, the content is actually copied into a second file, with the first file remaining on disk. Thus, you can "clone" files indefinately or to the limit of your disk space. PC-DESK is entirely menu-driven with no commands to memorize. All operational options are presented and, in most cases, require the mere pressing of the designated key (without ENTER). You can always return to the Main Menu from any sub-Menu by pressing <R> or in some cases <ESC>ape. Printing operations can be stopped by turning off your printer. Most common input errors have been anticipated and you should be able to recover from an error with a diagnostic message. Editing of all input is easy, so an error can be conveniently corrected. To exit PC-DESK, always use the <E>xit Program option from the Main Menu. To get started right away, FIRST MAKE A BACK-UP COPY, THEN: 1) From system start-up, enter the DATE and TIME, as PC-DESK uses this information. 2) From the DOS A> prompt, type DESK <ENTER> 3) After receiving the FREEWARE message and pressing a key two DATA FILES will be displayed, SAMPLE.DAT and BLANK.DAT If you wish to experiment with data or follow the tutorial on page 19, type SAMPLE <ENTER>. Note that no extention is required. 4) The above procedure will bring you to the Main Menu from which everything else is self-explanatory or is covered in detail in other sections of this documentation. File extentions are not required, or allowed, except when using the PC-DESK word processor where you MUST use file extentions. !! -5- MAKING COPIES Making back-up copies of PC-DESK is advisable. First, things go wrong. Files get over written, files get deleted. Make copies. Secondly, make a copy for a friend. You are encouraged to copy and distribute PC-DESK. Eventhough it is Copywrited and PC-DESK is a Registered Trade Mark, it is not in the public domain. FREEWARE is a recognized method of publishing, dependent on the good will of program recipients to be fair in registering their copy. You also help by passing copies out to other people. TO MAKE COPIES place a blank diskette in "B" drive, your DOS diskette in "A" Drive. Type FORMAT/S B: <ENTER> After some disk spinning, the DOS A> prompt will return, with a message "FORMAT COMPLETE XXXXXX Bytes Free" "FORMAT ANOTHER Y/N?" Type N Remove your DOS disk from "A" drive. Insert PC-DESK in "A" drive. Type COPY A:*.* B: <ENTER> The computer will then copy all PC-DESK files to your blank Disk in Drive B. Remove the PC-Desk from "B" Drive, put a label on it and use it as your working copy. !! -6- MAIN MENU The options on the Main Menu are: 1 Enter Addresses 2 Display Addresses 3 Sort/Select Addresses 4 Search/Alter 5 Print Menu 6 Word Processor 7 Calendar/Reminder 8 Calculator <E>xit Program <N>ew File Each option will be discussed in detail in other sections of this documentation. To enter an option, simply press the corrosponding key. It is not necessary to press <ENTER>. Remember, with the election of any option, it is possible to change your mind and return to the Main Menu. Most options have sub-menus where other options will be listed before any action is taken. Enter Addresses, Word Processor, Calendar, and Calculator options go directly to their respective functions. Exit Program and New File also have optional returns. Displayed on the upper left corner is today's date and on the right is the time. Both are taken from your input at system start-up. The date in particular is very important, as this is the date that will appear on any printed documents requiring a date. If it is incorrect, restart the system and enter the correct information. ALWAYS EXIT THE PROGRAM USING THE <E>XIT PROGRAM OPTION, otherwise the data you have input, or the changes you have made, will not be copied out as the new version of the data. !! -7- ENTERING ADDRESSES To enter data, select option "1" from the Main Menu. There are fifteen data fields to each record. Forteen data fields are available for your input and the fifteenth, the Record Number, is automatically assigned by PC-DESK. You may skip over any data field that you wish to remain blank simply by pressing <ENTER>. You may correct any field before pressing enter by using the backspace-erase key and entering the correct information. If you have pressed enter and you wish to make a change, continue to enter the rest of the data fields, and you will be prompted "Is the Above Correct?" Responding with and "N" to this prompt will allow you to re-cycle through the fields to correct any input errors. An "*" in the first position of any field will blank the rest of that field. For ideal appearance, data should be entered in upper and lower case. Press <ESC>ape at any time to terminate input. FIRST NAME AND INITIAL should be entered, prefaced by any formal title such as "Dr.", "Mrs.", or "Mr." The data field, TITLE, refers to position within a firm. LAST NAME should be entered followed by any subsequent title, such as "Esq.", "Phd.", or "CAE". SALUTATION is the form of address you wish to have entered on a letter. Familiar form of Mr. Robert Doe might have a Salutation of "Bob" so that a letter would be addresses "Dear Bob:" It is not necessary to enter the "Dear" or the colon. Another benefit is that the record may also be searched and found by using, "Bob Doe" or "Mr. Robert Doe". TITLE refers to the individual's title within the company. COMPANY, ADDRESS, CITY=STATE, and ZIP CODE are self-explanatory. Enter the Zip Code only once, in its proper field. RECORD TYPE is any designation you select by which you will later wish to group address records. You might, for example, type all your friends as FRI, all clients as CLI, or simply keep groups as list "A", "B", "C", etc. SUB-TYPE is a sub-set of Record Type and, again, can be anything you designate. Most applications will require only one Record Type and Sub-Type may be left blank. However, you may use it, for example, to categorize sub types "1", "2","3", etc. so that you can later select Type "A" with Sub-Type "1". EXPIRATION DATE can be any date you choose it to be. A Birthday, for example, or a Renewal Date. Enter this date in the form: MM-DD-YY, with dashes separating the two digit Month, Day, and Year. Later, you may wish to use this date in the body of a letter, or you may wish to search for all records within a certain date range. !! -8- VARIABLE is any text that you wish to use in the body of a "form letter". It may be an amount due, for example, in a collection letter, or it might be text to be dropped into the letter where appropriate. NOTES are your private remarks about this record. It might be the last time this company was contacted, for example, or the response to your last call. Following input of all data fields, you will be prompted "Is the Above Correct" By responding "N", you will re-cycle through each field with an opportunity to alter or amend the record. You will then be prompted "<A>nother or <C>lose?" To enter another address, type "A". "C" will return you to the Main Menu. The templates provided for each data field (shaded areas) are only guidelines. Data may exceed the length of the templates up to 255 characters for each field. You should be aware, however, that the fields exceeding the template will overflow on labels and letters and on screens when displayed. PC-DESK is designed for about 200 full records with data in each field. If you use less data in each field, you can enter more records. Too, operations such as searching and sorting will be proportionately faster. !! -9- PRINTING All printing fuctions, except two, are grouped under the Print Menu option. Group letters, memos, mailing labels, envelope printing, and printing of the Telephone Directory are available under the print menu. The two exceptions, printing of individual letters (one at a time) and individual envelopes are performed from options on the displayed record. PC-DESK distingusihes between letters and memos. Letters have the Date, Salutation, Address, and (optionally) letterhead added to the text to form a letter. Memos are printed exactly as input with nothing added. Letters have an extension ".LTR", Memos have an extention ".MEM". When printing letters, mailing labels, or envelopes, you will be asked in a sub-menu if you wish to use ALL addresses or SELECTED addresses. PC-DESK assumes that if you wish to use a sub-set of all records you have already selected the records (using option 3 Sort/Select Addresses from the Main Menu). In addition, PC-DESK assumes that you have already set up your letterhead (using option 6 Set-up Letterhead from the Print Menu) prior to using a letterhead or return address. TO PRINT LETTERS, first select the addresses you wish to send letters to (Option 3 from Main Menu). Secondly, write the text of the letter using the Word Processor and save the letter with the ".LTR" extension. Thirdly, select Print Menu (option 5) from the Main Menu and Print Letters/Memos (option 1) from the Print Menu. Select rint Letters when asked if it is a Letter or Memo. Next Designate the Name of the letter to be printed (do not use an extention here). If you are using continuous forms to print letters, they will print uninterrupted, one right after the other. The Single Sheet option will stop between letters so you can load another sheet of letterhead. You may choose to print letterhead or omit the letterhead (if printed, position paper about 1/2" from top, if not printed position paper about 1-1/2" from top where the first line, the date, will be printed). Lastly, you will be asked in which column to begin printing--this is your left-hand margin. Ten spaces equal one inch, which is common. You must recall, however, if the total length of your longest line in the letter plus the margin will exceed 80. If so, the line will print from column one. !! -10- Finally, align paper and press any key. To stop a print run, turn your printer off and wait until PC-DESK cycles back to the Main Menu. TO PRINT A MEMO write the memo on the Word Processor, save it with the extention ".MEM". Select the Print Letters/Memos option from the Print Menu. Designate the Name of the Memo to be printed (without extention), designate the left-hand margin, align paper in the printer and hit any key. At the end of printing, you will be asked if you wish to print the memo again, or return to the Main Menu. TO PRINT ENVELOPES, pre-select addressees using Sort/Select from the Main Menu. Select Print Envelopes option from the Print Menu. Respond to the Return Address option. Load envelope into printer with the first print line just below the upper left-hand corner (if return address option was chosen) or with the print head positioned about the center of the envelope if the return address option was not chosen. Press any key to begin. If the continuous form option was not chosen, PC-DESK will stop between envelopes to permit loading the next envelope. TO PRINT REPETITIVE STICKERS or labels with the same text, choose the Repetitive Sticker option from the Print Menu. You will be prompted for five lines of approximately 35 characters each (or whatever will print on your size labels). Line one, if you use a dot matrix printer, will be expanded, double width. You will be prompted if the above is correct. Responding "N" will recycle through label text input. You will be prompted for the number of labels you wish. Enter a Zero to end and return to the Main Menu. Set up labels so the first line to be printed will appear in column 1, at the top of your 1" label (PC-DESK only accommodates 1" continuous labels, one up). TO PRINT A TELEPHONE DIRECTORY, select the Telephone Directory option from the Print Menu. PC-DESK will automatically select only those records with a name and telephone number for inclusion in the Directory. It will automatically alphabetize the list and print it out in one continuous column. Use continuous paper if your list will exceed 50 names. TO PRINT ADDRESS LABELS, select the Labels option from the Print Menu. Load 1" continuous labels (one across only) with the first print line to appear in the upper left-hand corner, column 1. Press <S> to print a sample label to help align the labels. Then press any key to begin. To stop a print run, turn your printer off and wait for PC-DESK to cycle back to the Main Menu. !! -11- TO SET UP LETTERHEAD AND RETURN ADDRESS, select the Print Menu option from the Main Menu, and the Set-Up Letterhead option from there. The same information is used for letterhead and for return addresses. You will be prompted if you are using a Dot-matrix printer (if so, your letterhead prints differently). You will then be prompted line-by-line for your Company, Street Address, City-State-Zip Code, and Telephone Number. Then you will be asked if the above is correct. "N" will recycle through input, "Y" will file the information away. You need to set up your letterhead but one time unless you change printers or move to a new address. DISPLAY/SEARCH Finding a particular record within PC-DESK is easy. There are at least four ways to access any record. First, you can use the Display option (option 2 on the Main Menu) and ask to display all records. An abreviated list, in groups of 20 records will be displayed in record number order. If you spot the record you wish to retrieve, simply place the cursor on the number and press enter. You may "page" foward or backward through the display 20 records at a time. Secondly, you can search for a record by record number, individual's name, or company name by using option four (Search/Alter) from the Main Menu. Lastly, you can scroll foward or backward from another record's display until you find the one you want. OPTIONS FROM THE DISPLAYED RECORD include <A>lter, <D>elete, <E>nter a New Number, <S>earch by Name, <N>ote, <C>all, rint an Envelope, <M>ail a Letter, scroll <+>Foward or <->Back, and <T>ransfer this record to another File. !! -12- <A>lter will cycle through the record, field by field, so you can enter new data or correct errors. Any field that you wish to blank out, enter <*> as the first and only character. Any field that you wish unchanged, press enter to go on to the next field. Be aware that in correcting information, ONLY THAT INFORMATION TO THE LEFT OF THE CURSOR IS ENTERED AS A CORRECTION. So that, if you are correcting the middle letter within a field, move the cursor to the end of the text after making the correction and before pressing enter. <D>elete will remove the record permanently from your database. <E>nter a New Number will open a window so you can search for another record by record number. <S>earch by Name will open a window and prompt you for the individual's name to search for. <N>ote will place the cursor on the Note field where you can write a note on the record or overwrite the information that is there. <C>all will automatically dial the phone number in the Telephone field, if your system is equipped with a Hayes or similar modem and a telephone set. Since the Telephone field can be up to 255 characters in length, you can pre-code MCI or Execunet numbers as a phone number prefix. Also, you can use Hayes commands, such as comma for a pause to wait for an outside line. If your modem has a speaker, you can hear as the number is dialed. Pick up the phone set once the number rings and press "S" to turn the speaker off, "!" to hang up. rint an Envelope will prompt you if you want a return address and will print the name and address of the current record through your printer onto an appropriate place on an envelope. Neat! <M>ail a Letter will prompt you for the letter to be sent, letterhead, left margin, and will print the letter with the name of the current record merged. <T>ransfer this record to another file will prompt you for the file name to transfer the record to and, if such a file does not exits, it will create one. Using this technique, you can create new data files and sort your database into discrete files. <+>Foward will display the next record. <->Back will display the preceding record. <ESC>ape will return to the main menu or to the abreviated listing. !! -13- Word Processor (Letter Processor) A full-featured word processor would consume enormous program space and is beyond the scope of PC-DESK. However, the letter processor provided is adequate to the task. To access the Word Processor, select option 6 from the Main Menu. You are immediately placed into the word processor "Edit" mode, where you can input text. The "Command Menu" lies behind the word processor and can be accessed at any time by using <ESC>ape. The word processor is a 100 line by 80 column, full screen editor. Cursor movements, inserts, deletes, page up, page down, and several other functions work just like on any word processor. It does not have word-wrap, margin settings, tabs, and block movements. Text is stored in ASCII code, so it is compatible with most other word processors. Therefore, you can retrieve and edit letters written on the PC-DESK word processor with, say, VolksWriter. Similarly, you can copy letters written by other word processors to the PC-DESK disk and use them as standard letters. (Just remember to use the extention ".LTR" for letter and ".MEM" for Memo.) The Command Menu of the Word Processor allows you to 1) Edit, 2) Save a File to Disk, 3) Load a File from Disk, 4) Clear, 5) Print Text, and <R>eturn to Main Menu. REMEMBER TO USE EXTENSIONS FOR LETTERS ("LTR") AND MEMOS("MEM") WHEN LOADING A FILE FROM DISK OR SAVING A FILE TO DISK. This is the only time you can use a filename extention and also the only time you MUST. !! -14- SORT/SELECT RECORDS You have total control over your records. You can arrange them in several orders, select them into groups and sub-groups. Easily! You can sort records in four orders. By Zip Code, Alphabetically by Last Name, Alphabetically by Company, and by Record Number. TO SORT RECORDS select the Sort/Select Addresses option from the Main Menu. Then, you have the option of choosing the sort key from Record Number, Zip Code, Company, or Name. Simply press the appropriate function key and the rest is automatic. Sort is a compute-intensive operation. PC-DESK uses an advanced Quicksort which is fast. It will display the work that is being done in terms of Number of Comparisons and Number of Swaps to let you know what is going on. Also, PC-DESK will give you its estimate of the number of minutes it will take, eventhough its hard to guess what order the file is in. The sort procedure is non-destructive. That is, you can sort first, say, by Name and then sort by Zip Code to arrive at a list that is Alphabetical within Zip Code order. TO SELECT RECORDS, select option five from the Main Menu. You will be presented with a selection template. The easiest way of thinking of the selection process is to say to yourself "I Want only...Records with Types _______ and ______ and _______. This allows for three types to be included. Any selector left blank will draw off all records with a blank record type. If you wish all Record Types, leave all Type Selectors blank. Similarly, you can choose Record Sub-Types. You can also select Records with Expiration Dates between __________ and _________ by entering the MM-DD-YY in the appropriate place. A TEMPLATE WITH ALL SELECTORS LEFT BLANK WILL SELECT ALL RECORDS. You will be prompted if the Above Is What You Want. A "N" response !! -15- will recycle through the template. "Y" will begin the selection process, "R" will terminate the selection process and return to the main menu. Selected records are automatically copied out to a temporary scratch pad where they are available for letters, envelopes or labels. You can pre-view the selected records before printing by using the Display option from the Main Menu. The temporary scratch pad remains as a file until it is written over by another selection. CALENDAR/REMINDER Your PC-DESK is equipped with a novel and useful calendar/reminder. The calendar is a perpetual calendar and accurately displays even leap years. When you select the Calendar option from the Main Menu, you enter into the current month, with the cursor positioned at the current date. If there are reminders for any of the dates in that month, the date will appear in reverse, highlighted background. To access a reminder, place the cursor on any date with a highlighted background and the reminders for that date will appear in the upper right hand corner, accompanied by a brief chime. To enter a reminder for any date, place the cursor on that date and simply type the reminder. Up to 25 characters per reminder may be entered, up to five reminders per date. To erase the reminders for a particular date, place the cursor on that date and display the reminders. Press <*> and the reminders will disappear, deleted. You may page foward or backward one month at a time by using the <+> and <-> keys respectively. Reminders do not have a year designator. So, reminders, such as holidays and birthdays, remain year after year and do not have to be re-entered. When you sign on to PC-DESK the file of reminders is checked to see if you have a reminder for that date. If so, the calendar is called immediately, and your reminders are displayed. You must always have one reminder in the file at all times, otherwise the system will not start. To exit the Calendar, press the <ESC>ape key. Your reminder file will be updated automatically and you will be returned to the Main Menu. !! -16- CALCULATOR PC-DESK is equipped with a full function, printing, double precision calculator with memory display and nine decimal place settings.(Eat your heart out, SideKick!) To access the Calculator, use option eight from the Main Menu. Here a 13-line template will appear, with a "Total" line at the bottom below a bar. The cursor will appear in the first input position of the first line. Your keypad has automatically been toggled to "Numbers". To operate the calculator, enter a number, press <ENTER>. Then enter the second number, the operand and press enter. The total automatically appears at bottom. The operand may be entered before or after the number. If no operand is entered, the last operand used is assumed. If there is no previous operand, addition is assumed. Use <+> for addition, <-> for subtraction, <*> for multiplication, and </> for division. To repeat the previous entry, simply press enter. To enter the total into Memory, press "M" and enter. To recall the sum in Memory, use RM <ENTER> To subtract the current Total from Memory, enter <S> <ENTER> To toggle your printer on, enter "P". To toggle printer off, enter "P". To set decimal places (1 to 9), enter <D1 to 9> <Enter>. To clear, enter <C>. To Clear an entry, enter <CE>. To return to the Main Menu, enter <R>. PC-DESK Calculator works without exponentiation up to 99 Trillion. It works without overflow to (we don't know)! It is double precision, so decimal places are accurate up to 32. !! -17- HINTS ON OPERATION AND CAPABILITIES PC-DESK is a powerful program and offers a significant gain in personal productivity. Sixty-five to seventy-five percent of the letters written by the average person are "stock" or standard letters, addressed to a limited clientele. Thus, PC-DESK was designed to fill the role of being a work-a-day tool. Although most letters are standard, they need not be "form" or "computer" letters or detectable as such. PC-DESK permits up to four variables to be imbedded within the text of a letter (Name, Company, Expiration date, and a free Variable), offering sufficient opportunities for customization. Furthermore, these variables can be used in several places within the text. In addition, each letter is individually typed, dated, and addressed, and should increase reader responsiveness accordingly. Although PC-DESK does labels, it is much prefered to have it print addresses directly onto envelopes. In addition to the bother of setting-up labels and getting them to print correctly, peeling the labels off and adhearing them to envelopes, one saves the certain identification of "Junk Mail" that a label implies. With a little practice, envelope addressing is actually faster when hand-fed. PC-DESK is also ideal for that one-time, single page cover letter. First write the text on the Word Processor and save it under "COVER.LTR"--a file that is used over and over for one-time letters. Then input the name and address information, call the record back up and press <M> to print the letter and then to print the envelope. Bingo! Its in the mail. !! -18- TROUBLESHOOTING Most errors that can be anticipated in input and operation have been trapped. However, no program can be totally bullet proof. Therefore, if you experience difficulties, here are some things you might check. PC-DESK WILL NOT BOOT, receiving DOS diagnostic message "Program too Large": Check to make sure you're running under DOS 2.0 or higher. PC-DESK will not work on DOS 1.1 Also, it could be that your disk was copied on a system using DOS 1.1. CHECK YOUR DIRECTORY OF FILES the following files must ALL be present on one disk drive for PC-DESK to function: DESK.EXE DESK2 DESK4.EXE DESK5.EXE DESK6 DESK7 DESK8.EXE DESK9.EXE DESK10.EXE DESK11.EXE DESK12.EXE *.DAT *.LTR *.MEM *Files marked can have any filename, but must have at least one file with the shown extention. PRINTER DOSN'T PRINT OR PRINTS GARBAGE:First check printer set-up, PC-DESK does not detect PRINTER OFF, OFF LINE or OUT OF PAPER conditions, or other defects. Test printer with another program that sends straight ASCII codes down the tube. PC-DESK is EPSON/IBM compatible and has not been tested with all makes and models. Thus, there are probably some printers that simply are incompatible. In which case, it is not compatible with a host of other things. Better to change printers. MISCELLANEOUS QUIRKS AND BUGS: Try for a "repeatable error" after a restart of the system. If a software bug exists, we would appreciate hearing about it. Call us at (703) 978-2339 to report bugs and errors. If, however, you just need help and you are not a registered owner, you are welcome to write. Finally, you can get phone help and you can register by phone using your MasterCard or Visa by calling (703) 978-2339. !! -19- TUTORIAL Start your system with DOS. Enter the Date and Time. Place PC-DESK in "A" Drive and type DESK. At the FREEWARE message, press the "P" option to receive a printed copy of this documentation. Load your printer with paper, aligning the first print position about 1" from the top and press any key to begin. It is important to get the documentation as early as possible, because the documentation file will soon be deleted. When prompted "Which Data File would you like to use Today?" enter SAMPLE <RETURN>. You will then see the Main Menu. This is the central point of the program from which all other functions are accomplished. This is "Home base". Let's look at the 25 files in SAMPLE. Press option 2, DISPLAY ADDRESSES (no enter required). You will see an abreviated listing of the first 20 records in the SAMPLE database with the cursor positioned on the first record. Press "+" to page foward to the next group of records. Move the cursor down to record 24 and press <ENTER>. This will recall the actual record number 24. At the bottom are a group of functions that you can accomplish simply by pressing the appropriate key. See page 11 for an explanation of the data fields and the functions. Lets assume that this firm owes our firm $49,500.00 and we are writing a collection letter. We want to put the amount due into the VARIABLE field and the payment deadline into the EXPIRATION DATE field. Press "A" for ALTER. The cursor will appear in the FIRST NAME field. Press enter to skip over fields until you come to the VARIABLE field. Type in "$49,500.00". Skip to the EXPIRATION DATE field and type "12-30-85" with dashes seperating the Month, Day, and Year. The data you have entered appears in highlight. Now press enter to skip past the Notes field and once more until the cursor disappears. You are now back in the COMMAND MODE, the screen will re-write and the two data fields amended appear in normal intensity. We have already prepared a standard collection letter called COLLECT.LTR. To print a letter, Press the <M>ail a Letter option. PC-DESK will display all the letters on file, among which should be COLLECT. You will be prompted for which letter you wish to use. Enter COLLECT (no extention). You will then go through a series of prompts asking about printing parameters. Choose the <S>ingle Sheet option, rint Letterhead option, and use 10 as the left-hand column. !! -20- You are now ready to print. Turn your printer on, insert paper with the first print line to appear about 1/2" down and press the space bar. The printer will now print the complete letter with letterhead, date, name, address, salutation, body of the letter with the four variables in position. (Later, you'll want to load COLLECT.LTR on the Word Processor to see how it was formatted for each variable). You have now been returned to the COMMAND MODE at record number 24. Next you have to have an envelope to send the letter in. Press the rint Envelope option and answer "Y" when prompted if you wish a return address. Load a legal-size, number 10 envelope with the upper left-hand corner positioned at print column 1, just below the top of the envelope. Press the space bar and your envelope will print with the return address and the addressee information in the appropriate place. You have now written your first letter with PC-DESK. Easy wasn't it? Group letters are handled through the print menu and will print continuously for all names that have been selected. This procedure is covered in detail in other sections of this manual. You are now back at the COMMAND MODE at record 24. Press the <N>ote option. The cursor will appear in the NOTES field. Type "Sent Collection Letter MM-DD-YY <ENTER>. Next, lets leave a reminder to follow up on this collection effort. Return to the Main Menu by pressing <ESC>ape two times. Select the Calendar/Reminder option. This will enter the Calendar section at today's date. Use the plus sign (or minus sign) to page foward (or backward) one month at a time until you come to December. Position the cursor on 30 and type "Follow-up Record 24"<ENTER>. Several things will now happen. The message will appear under TODAY'S REMINDERS in the upper right of the screen, the Calendar page will be re-written with the 30th appearing in highlight, and you'll hear a chime announcing a Reminder. Move the cursor up one position to the 23rd and the messages will disappear. You can enter up to five messages per day, with up to 24 characters each. When you log onto PC-DESK on December 30th, you will be directed immediately to the calendar and this message will appear automatically accompanied by the chimes. Press <ESC>ape key to return to the Main Menu. Note that your Reminders are automatically copied out to disk and saved. !! -21- As an exercise, you should now sort your database (using the Sort/Select option from the Main Menu). Press 6, to evoke the Sort/Select Menu. First, sort by Zip Code by pressing the appropriate key. Sort ALL records. Nothing further is required. The sort program will keep you informed of the number of Comparisons and the Number of Swaps taking place and the approximate time required to sort the file. It will return you to the Main Menu when completed. Now, Display all files using option 2, to ascertain that your file is, indeed, in Zip Code order. You may repeat the above process to order your file alphabetically by Name and alphabetically by Company. Now, return to the Main Menu. Press the Word Processor key to evoke the Word Processor. You are now in the input mode. The Command Menu lies behind and can be accessed with <ESC>ape Key. Press <ESC>. Press the "Load a File from Disk" key. Type COLLECT.LTR to load a file. When you have been returned to the Command Menu, Press 1, Edit, to edit the file. Here you will see the format of the variables mentioned earlier. Anywhere you wish to use the Company Name, type *CO If you wish to use the information in the Salutation field, type *NA Where you wish to include the information in the Expiration Field, use *DA The Variable field from each record can be accessed by *VA. Note that you want to be sure that each record to be printed has the variable information that you are requesting in the text of the letter. Otherwise, the letter will print with no information at all, which will not make sense. Press <ESC> to return to the Command Menu and "R" to return to the Main Menu. This ends our brief tutorial of PC-DESK. The other features are explained in detail throughout this manual. There are many features of PC-DESK laying in wait in the nooks and crannies of the program that are both interesting and powerful. You can do us a favor by 1) registering your program (the $25 fee covers the cost of developing this program and entitles you to updates and user support); 2) duplicate this program and pass it along to at least four friends and associates; 3) drop us a card or letter letting us know of your experience and recommendations for improvements in the program. !!