The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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

/ The Business Master (3rd Edition) / The Business Master (3rd Edition).iso / files / datation / tabs / tabs_v21.exe / TABSDOC.TXT < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1991-05-31 | 89.5 KB | 2,377 lines

Introduction ________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for buying TABS, The Address Book Solution, from GSF Software & Solutions. TABS is a general purpose address list management tool. TABS includes many features, such as: - Unlimited capacity. Some programs limit you to a few hundred entries. TABS allows you to enter as many records as will fit on your diskette or hard disk drive. You may also use as many individual data files as you wish. - RAM Resident. TABS will always be there, waiting for the moment you need to lookup an address or telephone number. There is no need to waste time leaving your current application to lookup a phone number - just pop up TABS. - A dBASE III compatible file structure which is accessible by many other PC applications. In addition, a 'Comma-Delimited ASCII' file import and export routine is built in to transfer data between your other programs and TABS. Since this ASCII file format is compatible with most PC database and word processing software, you may easily transfer or mail-merge the information located in your address book file. - A quick search routine to locate information instantly, using the Name, Company name, or Telephone number fields. - An approximate search mode helps you find information when you 'just can't quite remember how you entered it'. - Instantly copying a name and address to your word processor - no need to rekey. - When printing, viewing, or transferring information, you may 'Filter' the information to your exact needs. Print (view or transfer) only what you want. - Directing output to either a printer or a file (to further enhance using a word processor). - Sorting on up to 9 fields. You decide how you want to view your information. - 30 Categories available for customization to your own individual needs. - 3 Output Formats - Rotary Cards (Index Cards or Labels), a standard Listing, as well as a Book format (which will fit neatly in your shirt pocket or purse). - A Mail Merge function to create special form letters, or Rotary cards (Index Cards or Labels) in whatever format you desire. - Free technical support. - No need to rekey your existing data. Special conversion services are available. Your TABS user's manual contains the information you need to put TABS to work. If possible, please read the entire manual before using TABS. You'll then be ready to use TABS' advanced features described in the remaining sections. If you are in a hurry, read Chapter 1 - Getting Started, and use the F1 key to give you context sensitive help whenever you need it. You may then read the manual later. Conventions Keystrokes you must enter are printed in a bold format. All menu selections are located between the < > symbols. System Requirements Requires PC/MS-DOS 2.0 or higher operating system. Requires an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible with at least 256K RAM. The program actually consumes approximately 150-160K. TABS may be run from floppy diskette drives, but a hard disk is strongly recommended. Your PC should contain a file called CONFIG.SYS in the root directory of your hard disk, or your floppy system diskette. Among other things, this file should contain the following two lines: FILES=20 BUFFERS=20 If your CONFIG.SYS file lists these two lines with numbers higher than '20', it is not necessary to change them. The '20' is a minimum requirement. If you do not have a CONFIG.SYS file, a sample has been included on the TABS program disk. Please refer to your DOS manual for further assistance. A printer connected to a parallel port (LPT1 or LPT2) is required to print out the information you enter. The printer must be capable of printing in condensed/compressed mode (15-17 chars/inch) when printing in the Book format. If your printer does not meet these requirements, you may still be able to print your data by doing the following: Output the Labels, Book, or Listing to a file. Then use your word processor to print out the file, enhancing the information if you wish. Compatibility with Other Programs TABS may be used as a memory-resident (TSR) application (which allows it to be popped up over your word processor, spreadsheet, etc.). While the majority of PC/MS-DOS software will work fine with TABS, a few cautions should be heeded. 1. Many PC/MS-DOS applications (Lotus 123, dBASE, etc.) allow you to temporarily 'EXIT' to DOS, or run other PC applications from within their program. DO NOT start TABS in this manner. Always start TABS from DOS directly, rather than through another program. 2. Various keyboard macro programs (Superkey, Prokey, etc.) may conflict with TABS. As a general rule, load TABS after you load your keyboard macro software program. Some experimentation with the loading order may be necessary. 3. If you use a program called Sidekick, please be sure to follow its instructions to load it AFTER other RAM resident software, such as TABS. In other words, load or start TABS BEFORE you load Sidekick. 4. Although TABS may be popped up over most other applications, it will not work properly if you attempt to invoke it over a program that is in graphics mode (paint programs, graphing programs, etc.). TABS will issue a beep to acknowledge your attempt to do so, but will not pop up on the screen. 5. TABS is generally incompatible with the multitasking program called Desqview. 6. If you use the DOS PRINT command, you should install it BEFORE loading TABS. If you experience any other compatibility problems, please call Tech Support for assistance. One more note: Unusual characters may be displayed on the screen at times. This is not a problem, but rather the way the program handles certain display adaptors. The underlying data is NOT being destroyed. Conversion Service You may already have an address or telephone listing in a file on your PC. If you do not want to rekey all of the information, give us a call at (716) 283-3804. For a small fee, GSF Software & Solutions will convert your file(s) to the format compatible with TABS. Please call for instructions before sending your file. We can convert information from almost any PC based word processor, database, or spreadsheet program. Contents ________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Getting Started .................................... 1 Backing up the TABS software .................. 1 Installing the program ........................ 1 Starting / Stopping TABS ...................... 2 Getting Help .................................. 2 Selecting Menu Items .......................... 3 2 Adding New Information ............................. 4 3 Editing / Changing Existing Information ............ 6 Editing a record .............................. 6 Locating a record ............................. 6 Searching (Quick and Approximate methods) ..... 6 Setting up a Filter ........................... 7 Deleting / Undeleting Information ............. 7 Copying an Address into your PC application ... 7 4 Category Descriptions .............................. 8 5 Printing ........................................... 9 Settings ...................................... 9 Categories to include .................... 9 Filtering information .................... 9 Sort Order ............................... 9 What to print ............................ 9 Where to print ........................... 10 Output Type ................................... 10 Book Format .............................. 11 Rotary / Index Cards or Labels ........... 11 Standard Listing ......................... 12 Print Merge ................................... 13 6 Deleting ........................................... 15 Permanently Deleting information .............. 15 Undeleting information ........................ 15 7 Reindexing for Quick Search ........................ 16 8 Selecting / Creating Another Data File ............. 17 9 Transfer ........................................... 18 Import ........................................ 18 File structure ........................... 18 Field order .............................. 19 Export ........................................ 19 File structure ........................... 20 10 Setting Up a Filter ................................ 21 List of Data File field names ................. 21 Functions ..................................... 22 Arithmetic ............................... 22 Character / Text ......................... 23 Date ..................................... 26 Miscellaneous ............................ 27 Customer Support ................................... 28 Print Output Examples .......................... Appendix A Section 1 Getting Started ________________________________________________________________________________ This section will explain how to: Back Up The Address Book Solution Software Disk Install the program Start and Stop the program Get Help Select Menu Items Backing Up TABS Before you use The Address Book Solution, back up the product disk so you have a copy for everyday use. GSF Software & Solutions expressly authorizes you to make backup copies for your personal use. If your backups become damaged, you can make another set from the original TABS disk. The TABS disk is not copy-protected. This does not mean you can make unlimited copies of the program. TABS is protected by the copyright laws that pertain to computer software. Copies of the software may be made in accordance with the Shareware concept which allows individuals to try before buying the software. If you continue to use TABS, a copy must be registered for each PC using TABS. To back up TABS: 1. Start your computer as usual. 2. Insert the original TABS diskette in drive A. 3. Change to drive A, if necessary. To change to drive A, type A: at the DOS prompt and press Enter. 4. If you have only one diskette drive, make sure you have a blank, formatted diskette available, then type the command in the following step and follow the on-screen prompts to switch disks. If you have two diskette drives, put a blank, formatted diskette in drive B. 5. At the DOS A> prompt, type: COPY A:*.* B: (then press Enter) DOS copies all of the files from the TABS disk to the backup disk. 6. Label your backup disks with the product name, and the version number. If you do not have a hard disk, use your backup disks for your daily work. Installation For the most recent information and steps to follow for installing 'The Address Book Solution', please refer to the READ.ME file. To print the file, enter PRNTRDME at the DOS prompt. If this is the BBS version of TABS, it is not necessary to install the program - all files should already exist after processing the self-extracting file, TABS_GSF.EXE. Page 1 Starting/Stopping TABS Three batch files have been included. The one you use will be determined by the following: If you are using a version of DOS 2 (2.0, 2.1, 2.11, etc.) type TABSDOS2 to start TABS. If you are using a version of DOS 3 (3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, etc.) you may use either of the following depending on the display capabilities of your monitor and video controller. Type TABSFAST to start the program. If 'snow' occurs on your screen, use the command TABS from now on, instead of TABSFAST. For your convenience, these batch files may be edited just as any other batch file, to suit your individual needs. After a few opening screens, you will be asked for: - The name your data file. - The path or subdirectory where the data file is located. - The path or subdirectory where the program files are located. Allowing the selection of the data file and program file drive and paths separately may be convenient depending on the structure of your hard disk drive. In this way, you may store your data files in one area, and your program files in another, if you wish. - The paste delay speed, which determines how fast data is transferred to your foreground PC application. - The Hotkeys to use for the program. This allows you to change the default Hotkeys, in case they conflict with other PC applications you will be using. Enter any letter (A-Z) to be used with the ALT key to pop-up TABS, as well as a different letter to be used with the simple calendar display. To accept the defaults, press the ESCape key. If any program or data files are not found, a message will be displayed. If you are asked to Reindex, PLEASE DO SO from the Main Menu when you first pop-up the program. There are two ways to end program operation. The first, is to select <Q>uit from the Main Menu, then <Q>uit from the QUIT menu. This will not remove the program from memory. The second method is to select <R>emove From Memory from the QUIT menu. This will remove the program from memory, as long as it is the last program loaded. Also, if you wish to exit abruptly, without finishing the current process, or pause the current operation, you may hold down the ALT key and type the letter Q (Alt-Q) to Quit. You may then choose to exit or resume program operation at the point the program was paused. Help Context sensitive on line help is available from almost anywhere in the program. Press the F1 function key to display information about your options whenever you need some assistance. Page 2 Selecting Menu Items All menu selections are made by pressing the key located within the < > symbols. For example, from the Main Menu, press A to <A>dd a record, or E to <E>dit an existing record. To move from field to field in the Add or Edit modes, you may use the Return/Enter key, or the cursor keys (up, down, right, left arrows, delete key, insert key, etc.). The status of the insert key is displayed at the bottom right corner of most screens. The letters INS shows that the insert key is on, whereas OVER signifies the insert key is off (OVERstrike). The program has been designed to be easy to use. If you wish, you may jump right in, using the help screens to guide you along. Although most of the program operations are self explanatory (with help from the Help screens), the Print Selection, Filter, and Transfer routines may require more explanation than the help screens contain. Please refer to the appropriate chapter for further information on these and other operations you need assistance with. Page 3 Section 2 Adding ________________________________________________________________________________ Adding A New Record 1. Select <A>dd from the Main Menu. 2. Enter the information you desire on the entry screen. A few fields deserve special mention: Title Titles such as Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Dr. etc. may be entered here. The title is kept separate from the name, to allow flexibility in including/excluding an individual's title in the printed output. This is also useful when mail-merging data with your word processor. For example, you may wish to have 'Mr. John Smith' included in the address, but the salutation to be in the form of 'Dear John'. Company If you have no use for the company field, you may wish to use it as part of an address in certain instances. For example, a membership roster may include all individuals separately in the data file. Rather than create an additional entry for each family, you may select any family member, and enter the address heading (Mr. & Mrs. John Smith and Family) in the Company field, and later filter only those records containing data in the Company field (CONAME > " "). Refer to the chapter on Filtering records for further assistance. Last Updated This field contains the date the record was last changed (or in this case, Added). It is based upon the internal date of your PC clock. When adding records, you may type over the default date. This field is useful when filtering only those records that have been updated on or after a certain date. Please refer to your DOS manual for further information on the internal clock and updating the date using the DOS DATE command. Birthdate and Date 2 These fields may be used to store a birthdate, or any other dates you desire. Code The Code field may be used to store any special code you desire. For example, a credit rating of AAA, or a group number of 1A, etc. Use this field for special instances when you need to select individuals that span various categories, rather than creating a new category. Numeric and Decimal Both of these fields may contain numeric data only. The Decimal field allows two decimal places for entry (as you already may have assumed). Use these fields any time you need to store numeric data, such as a credit limit, a policy number, etc. Page 4 Category Enter the number corresponding to the Category you wish this record to be referenced by. Rather than allowing multiple categories for a given record as some programs do, we have chosen to allow only one Category per record. This allows you to use the <C>arry option to carry the data to another record, associate it with a different category, and possibly enter different information along with it. Also note that the Category is always carried forward to the next screen, but may be changed if desired. 3. When you get to the Category field, a window containing a list of the current Categories will pop-up. Use the arrow cursor keys to view the Category descriptions. Press <C> when you wish to enter a Category number, then enter the number associated with the desired category. Press Enter. 4. At this point, the Add menu will appear. Enter one of the following: <C>arry - Add Adds the data to the file, and also carries ALL data to the next screen, which saves typing time. <A>dd - NO Carry Adds the data to the file, and returns you to a blank data entry screen. <E>dit Allows you to change information before it is added. If you catch a mistake after the record is Added, you must then go through <E>dit to change the record. Add mode is for Adding new records only. ANY changes to records after they are Added must be accomplished through the <E>dit routine. <D>elete Deletes the current screen of data, in case as you are typing, you decide not to Add the current record on the screen. <Q>uit <Q>uitting leaves the Add mode, and returns you to the Main Menu. Selecting <Q>uit will NOT save the current screen of information. Therefore, select <Q>uit only when you don't want to save the current screen. Note: At any point while adding a record, you may press the ESCape key to bring up the Add menu, or you may press the Enter key to move through each of the remaining fields. Page 5 Section 3 Edit ________________________________________________________________________________ Edit Options Editing a record 1. Select <E>dit from the Main Menu. 2. If you are unfamiliar with the Edit Menu, press <M>enu to view the Edit options. 3. Locate the desired record by selecting <T>op, ottom, <N>ext, or revious to view the first, last, next, or previous record, respectively, in the data file. You may also select <S>earch (explained below) or <F>ilter (refer to the chapter on the Filter routine) to locate the desired record. Once the record is located, press <E>dit to change any information you are currently viewing. At any time, you may press the ESCape key, at which time you will be asked whether to accept your changes, or return you to the previous information. Searching for a record Selecting <S>earch will allow you to locate a record almost instantaneously using one of the following: A. Last Name, or Last and First names B. Company Name C. Phone Number 1 D. Phone Number 2 The program is originally set for using the Last and First names. To change the quick search field, and the order in which you view the records sequentially in the Edit mode, refer to the <R>eindex chapter. <R>eindex allows you to select which of the above you wish to use for the quick search mode. When the <S>earch screen appears, enter the requested information, then press Enter. If the record exists as you have entered, it will be displayed on the screen. You may then select <E>dit if you wish to make changes, or select any other Edit Menu choice. If the record is not located, you will be asked to either <T>ry again, use the <A>pproximate Search mode (if you have used A or B above as the quick search or index field), or <Q>uit Searching. If you select <T>ry again, please reenter the search criteria, then press Enter as you have done previously. If you are using method "A" above, you may enter only the last name if you wish, which will locate the first record containing the last name entered, or you may enter both the last and first names. If the <A>pproximate Search mode is selected, the first record containing the information you have entered will be located. This mode is very useful when you are not sure of how an entry was originally keyed in. For example, if the name Jonathan Marrow was originally entered, and you tried to search for John Morrow, the entry would not be found. In this case, change the first name to JO and the last name to RROW. If the located record is not the one you desire, press the letter L to <L>ocate the next record that contains the search criteria. Continue <L>ocating records until the desired record is found. If you are using Company Page 6 (method B), and can't remember if it was 'Advanced Logic Company' or 'Advanced Computer Logic Co.' or 'Advanced Logics', enter only 'Advanced'. This will locate the first record containing 'Advanced'. Use <L>ocate as previously mentioned to <L>ocate the next record that contains 'Advanced', until the desired record is found. The <A>pproximate Search mode requires more time to locate the record than the normal quick-search mode, but it is very useful when the exact spelling of the search field is unavailable. Filtering records Select <F>ilter while in the Edit mode to filter records (please refer to the chapter on the Filter command). When you are finished viewing the filtered records, you must remove or eliminate the filter by selecting <R>emove filter while in the Edit mode. You will then be able to view all records in the data file. A filter is cancelled by either selecting <R>emove Filter, or automatically when you exit the Edit mode, and return to the Main Menu. Deleting a record To mark a record for deletion, press <D> while viewing the record you wish to delete. '*DELETED*' will then appear in the upper right corner of the screen. To Undelete or Recall a record, press <D> again, and the '*DELETED*' message will be removed. It is important to note here that when you select <D>elete from within the Edit mode, you are not actually eliminating the data, but rather, only marking it for deletion later on. It is only when you select <D>elete from the Main Menu that all records marked for deletion (those records that display '*DELETED*') are permanently deleted. Copying an Address into your foreground application This option helps you save entry time by automatically coping a name and address into your word processor or other application, to save entry time. Select <C>opy to pop-up the Copy screen. Place in numerical order, the fields you wish to copy, placing a 0 (zero) next to those fields you do not want copied. When asked if the information is okay, press <Y>es to copy the information, <N>o to change the order, or <Q>uit to return to the Edit mode without copying any information. Page 7 Section 4 Category Descriptions ________________________________________________________________________________ TABS has 30 categories to associate with your entries. The association is created when Adding or Editing a record. It is important to note that it is the category number that is associated with a record, not the actual description. For example, lets say category 1 is 'Business Associates', and the description of category 2 is 'Golf Partners'. If you were to switch these two category descriptions, the individuals listing category 1 will still contain a number 1 in the category field on the Edit screen. The same for the records previously containing category number 2. The difference is that now, the associated descriptions are confusing. You may still be thinking 1 for 'Business Associates', where category 1 is now 'Golf Partners'. Be cautious when changing category descriptions. It may be necessary to edit the individual records to change the individual category numbers when changing the category descriptions, so as not to cause confusion later. A filter may be useful for this process (for example, CATEG = 1). Adding or Changing Category Descriptions Select the <C>ategory option from the Main Menu. A screen listing all of the current Category numbers and their respective descriptions will appear. Type your additions or changes. When finished, press the ESCape key. Select <Y>es to save your changes, <N>o to continue making changes, or <Q>uit to exit the Category screen, which will NOT save any changes, but will restore the Categories to their previous descriptions. In addition, the category file must exist in the same drive and path in which the main data and index files exist. For example, if you select or create another data file which is in a different subdirectory or drive than the data file you are currently in, a category file must also exist there. If not, a message will let you know. You must then copy over (through DOS) the 'CATEGORY.DBF' file you desire to the drive or subdirectory you wish. This allows you to keep separate category descriptions for different data files, as long as they are kept on different diskettes, or in different subdirectories on a hard disk. Page 8 Section 5 Printing ________________________________________________________________________________ If your printer is capable of printing proportionally spaced characters, please do not select it when printing in the listing or book formats. This is especially true for laser printers. Select a character font or size that will allow you to fit the information on your page, but do not use a proportional font. Settings In order to output information, you must select: - Which categories (1-30) to include - The sort order (how you wish the records to print) - What fields you wish to print - The output destination (printer or file) In addition, you may also set up a Filter, to work along with the categories you have selected to print. Selecting which categories to include: 1. Choose <C>ategories from Print-Settings menu. 2. Select <A>ll to print all categories, <S>pecific to print only selected categories, or <Q>uit to return to the settings menu. If you select <S>pecific, place any character (for example, an X) next to all categories you wish to print. All categories with a blank space next to them will NOT be printed. When finished, select <Y>es to accept your selections, <N>o to change them, or <Q>uit. NOTE: For a record to be printed, it must match the filter (if one has been set), as well as be one of the categories selected above. Filtering records to print Select <F>ilter from the Print-Settings menu to set up a filter. Please refer to the chapter on Filtering records for more information. Print Sort Order and What to Print You may select as many fields as you wish to print. In addition, you may sort the output using any combination of up to 9 fields. For instance, you may want to print address labels, sorting by name within category within State. 1. Select <O>rder from the Print-Settings menu. 2. In the PRINT column, place a character (such as an X) next to each field you desire to print (this is not necessary when Merging data). Only those fields without a blank space next to them will be printed. The complete field will be printed for all formats (except as noted below for listings). If you are printing a listing, you may want to change field widths in order to fit an entire record on one line of the paper. Enter the number of characters you wish to print for each field under the # PRINT POS column. The total number of print positions will be displayed at the bottom of the column. You may then Page 9 make further adjustments before printing. 3. Any combination of up to 9 fields may be used for sorting. All sorting is done in ascending order. In the ORDER column, place in numerical order the fields you wish the sort to be based upon. For example, if you wish to sort by NAME, within Phone Number 1 AREA CODE, within STATE, within CATEGORY, place a 1 in the ORDER column across from CATEGORY, place a 2 in the ORDER column across from STATE, place a 3 in the ORDER column across from Phone 1, and place a 4 in the ORDER column across from NAME. You may also change the number of significant positions used for each selected sort field by entering a number in the # SORT POS column, across from the fields you have included in your sort. The total number of sort positions at the bottom of the column must not exceed 100. NOTE: It is not necessary to print a field in order to include it in your sort. In other words, you may select fields for sorting independently from fields you select to print. 4. When finished with the above selections, press the ESCape key. Select <Y>es if you wish to continue, <N>o to make further changes, or <Q>uit. When <Y>es is selected, you will be prompted to Sort (Yes or No) at this time. You must select <Y>es to continue. If you select <N>o, you will return to the 'Order and Included Information' screen. Where to Print You may output your information to the printer, or to a disk file (to edit or enhance the information if you wish, using a word processor). 1. Select <D>estination from the Print-Settings menu. 2. Select one of the following: A. rinter Then enter PRN, LPT1, or LPT2 for the parallel printer port to use. If you are not sure of which port to use, enter PRN (the default). B. <F>ile Enter the drive/path where the output file is to be located, as well as the file name. NOTE: A file name extension of .PRN is automatically added to the file name you have entered. Therefore, you will be unable to type an extension or a period as part of the file name. Output type You may output the selected information in one of the following formats: Book Rotary / Index cards or Labels Listing In addition, Mail Merge is available to merge your data into a format that you create. Page 10 Please follow the instructions below corresponding to the format you desire. In addition, please make sure the printer is in a pitch or font capable of printing the information you have selected. Book Format This output format will print the information you selected above, in a format suitable to fit in a shirt pocket, or purse. The size is approximately 3 1/2 by 5 inches when finished. Remember to select the condensed print mode on your printer before continuing. If your printer does not have a button or switch to select condensed/compressed mode, please refer to your printer or BASIC manual for assistance. Please make sure that the above settings have been made before continuing, specifically, the categories to print, the order and fields to print, and the output destination. 1. Align the paper, turn the printer on, and set the printer to condensed mode. If your printer does not have a button or switch to select condensed/compressed mode, please refer to your printer or BASIC manual for assistance. 2. Select ook from the Print Menu. At this point, the program will set up the output format, and calculate the number of pages that will be printed, based upon the information you have selected to print. 3. If the number of pages calculated to print will produce a book that is too thick, select <Q>uit, and deselect fields from the Print- Settings-Order screen. Remember, changing the # PRINT POS column has no effect on the Book Format. If you wish to continue and print the book, select rint. 4. You may now enter up to six lines of text to be printed on the cover of the book. 5. If the destination is a file that already exists, you will be asked to either <A>dd to the bottom of the file, <R>eplace it, or <Q>uit. If you select Quit, you may return to Settings-Destination and select another Destination, leaving all other settings unchanged if you wish. 6. At this point, the page numbers being printed will appear on the screen as they are printed. 7. When the book has finished printing, cut at the dotted or dashed lines, place the pages in order, staple, and fold. 8. Select <Q>uit to return to the Main Menu, select another format to print using your current settings, or change the settings and then print another format. Rotary / Index Cards or Labels You may output the information in the familiar Rotary Card, Index Card, or Label formats. Cards or Labels up to 6 across may be printed. Please make sure that the above settings have been made before continuing, specifically, the categories to print, the order and fields to print, and the output destination. 1. Turn on the printer and load the Cards or Labels. If you wish to set any print attributes (compressed, letter quality, etc.), please do so at this time. 2. Select <C>ard / Label from the Print Menu. Page 11 3. Enter the dimensions: A. Number of Cards or Labels across (from 1 - 6) B. Width in characters of the Card or Label (based upon the characters/inch set for the printer and the width in inches of the Card or Label, usually 4" X 10 chars/inch = 40 characters) C. Height of the Card or Label (based upon lines/inch set for the printer, usually 6 lines/inch X 1.5" = 9 lines) D. Number of lines between each Card or Label (usually 1 line) E. Number of spaces before the leftmost Card or Label (this is the left margin for each line, not for each Card or Label). F. Number of spaces between the Cards or Labels (if more than 1 Card or Label across is selected in part A above). 4. After the dimensions have been entered, you are given four choices. You may print a <T>est pattern before actually printing the labels (to make sure the print alignment is correct), Change <S>ettings in A through F above, begin rinting, or <Q>uit. Printing the actual data does not begin until rint is selected. In this way, you may continue to output a <T>est Pattern and Change <S>ettings as many times as you wish, before actually printing. When the Test Pattern alignment is correct, select rint. Select rint again from the following screen to begin printing your data, or select <C>ancel to quit without printing. 5. If the destination is a file that already exists, you will be asked to either <A>dd to the bottom of the file, <R>eplace it, or <Q>uit. If you select Quit, you may return to Settings-Destination and select another Destination, leaving all other settings unchanged if you wish. The number of Cards or Labels printed will be displayed on the screen as they are printed. If you have selected more information than there are lines on the card, the excess will not be printed. Listing A listing in row/column format may also be printed. The listing will print the selected information across a page, each row representing a record in the data file, each column representing the fields selected to print from the data file. Please make sure that the above settings have been made before continuing, specifically, the categories to print, the order and fields to print, and the output destination. 1. Select <L>isting from the Print Menu. 2. Enter the page format: A. Number of lines in the Top Margin B. Number of lines in the Bottom Margin C. Total number of lines per page based upon page length and number of lines / inch (usually 11 inches X 6 lines/inch = 66). D. Number of blank spaces you wish to print between each column. This will help produce a more readable report. 3. If the page format is correct, enter <Y>es, and select rint from the next screen to start printing the Listing. If the information is not correct, select <N>o. If you wish to quit, select <Y>es at the page format screen, and <C>ancel from the following screen when it appears. 4. If the destination is a file that already exists, you will be asked to either <A>dd to the bottom of the file, <R>eplace it, or <Q>uit. If you select Quit, you may return to Settings-Destination and select another Destination, leaving all other settings unchanged if Page 12 you wish. The screen will display the number of records printed. Print Merge <M>erge will output information into whatever format is desired, using an ASCII text file for the format. This may be used for printing Cards/Labels/Listings in any format (in addition to the built in formats), or for creating form letters. Before merging a file, the categories to print, order, and destination must first be set up (Note: It is not necessary to select any print fields under the PRINT heading of the sort order screen, since the ASCII text file includes the fields you wish to print. Also, the # PRINT POSitions is irrelevant.). To <M>erge an ASCII text file: 1. Create the file using an editor or word processor. The file MUST be saved in ASCII text format, rather than a proprietary format. 2. Pop up TABS, and select <M>erge from the Print menu. 3. Select either rint to continue, or <C>ancel to quit. 4. Enter the Drive, Path & File name of the ASCII text file. 5. If the file exists, enter the page length of the paper (usually either 66 or 84 lines), and the number of spaces to indent (if any). Respond <Y>es to start, <N>o to change this information, or <Q>uit to return to the Print Menu. If the destination is a FILE and it already exists, you will be asked to <A>dd to it, <R>eplace it, or <Q>uit printing. The number of records output will be displayed as they are printed. Following is a text file example, and the list of the fields and their associated numbers to use in the ASCII text file. Place an asterisk on both sides of the field number to represent where the data should be placed (i.e. Dear *1* will place the first name where the *1* is). DO NOT leave any blank space between the two asterisks (i.e. *12 *), for the field will NOT be printed. Example: *25* *4* Mrs. Deborah Jones Note: If there is no *8* MLW Corporation information (such *9* 2313 Union Avenue as line 2 here), *10*, *11* *12* Albany, NY 12208 the line will not be printed. Dear *26*, Dear Mrs. Jones, List of fields and their associated numbers (to be included within asterisks): Field # Description Field # Description 1 First Name 5 Phone 1 2 Last Name 6 Phone 2 3 Title 7 Phone 2 Extension 4 Company 8 Address Line 1 Page 13 List of merge fields & associated numbers (continued) Field # Description Field # Description 9 Address Line 2 17 Category Number 10 City 18 Birth Date 11 State 19 Miscellaneous Date 12 Zip Code 20 Miscellaneous Code 13 Zip+4 Extension 21 Integer Number 14 Note 1 22 Decimal Number 15 Note 2 23 Updated Date 16 Note 3 Additional fields / formats: 24 Category Description 25 Title, First & Last Name 26 Title & Last name 27 Zip + Zip+4 Extension 28 Phone 2 W/Extension Note: Fields 25 and 26 above will make 'best guess' substitutions when applicable. For example, if you wish to print the Title & Last name only (format 26), the first name will be printed if there is no title. In this way, if the title is blank, you will not be left with 'Dear Jones', but rather 'Dear William Jones'. As previously mentioned, TABS makes a 'best guess', and therefore the actual information printed in these formats may not be what is expected if any of the individual fields are empty. Merge does NOT wrap text on a line. Therefore, it is up to you to anticipate the width of the data being merged, and allow enough room in lines of the text file(s). In addition, most of the fields are 'trimmed' - blank spaces at either end of a field are not printed. This eliminates the 'white space' surrounding data that many merge routines leave. Page 14 Section 6 Deleting ________________________________________________________________________________ Deleting Records As mentioned previously in the Edit - Delete section, when you <D>elete a record, it is not actually eliminated, but rather only marked for deletion. This is done for two reasons: A. The actual deleting process takes almost as long to totally delete one record as it does to delete several records at a time. B. Deleting at a separate time allows you time to undelete (Recall) the information before it is permanently removed. When you press the <D>elete key from within the Edit mode, you only mark (or tag) the record for deletion. You are basically saying that you wish to delete this record later on when the actual Delete (or Pack) routine is run. You may then undelete a record by again pressing the <D>elete key. In addition, you may want to print a listing of all records that are going to be deleted before you actually perform this operation (set up a filter as: DELETED() ). In this way, you will have a hard-copy printout of all deleted records for future reference. To permanently Delete all records marked for deletion: 1. Select <D>elete from the Main Menu. 2. Select <D>elete again from the following menu. The total number of records marked for deletion will be calculated, and will then appear on the screen. 3. If you do not want to continue, select <Q>uit from the following screen. If you do wish to continue, select <D>elete. You will be asked one final time if you are sure. Select <Y>es to remove all records marked for deletion, or <N>o to cancel the Delete operation. The status of the delete routine will be displayed on the screen. The Index file will automatically be updated to reflect the records being deleted. When finished, you will then be asked to press any key to continue. Doing so will return you to the Main Menu. To Recall or undelete all records marked for deletion: 1. Select <D>elete from the Main Menu. 2. Select <R>ecall (undelete) from the following menu. The total number of records marked for deletion will be calculated, and will then be displayed on the screen. 3. If you do not want to continue, select <Q>uit from the following screen. If you do wish to continue, select <R>ecall again. At this point, all records that you have tagged for deletion will be untagged. There is no need for the program to reindex the file, since the number of records has not changed, only the deletion status of certain records has been changed. When finished, you will be asked to press any key to continue. Doing so will return you to the Main Menu. Note: If no records have been tagged for deletion, a message will appear stating this. Pressing a key will then return you to the Main Menu. Page 15 Section 7 Reindexing for Quick Search ________________________________________________________________________________ At this point, a little discussion of how most database applications operate may help you understand the Indexing concept. As you Add records to a database, they are usually not added at the place where they would be found sequentially. Instead, they are added (appended is the usual database term) at the end of the database file. For example, lets say you want to keep an alphabetized list of names (including address and telephone number) on a sheet of paper (not on cards). You would probably just type them in last name-first name order. How would you add a new name into the list? Would you type it all over again, inserting the name where it belonged ? Maybe you would, if the list was not very long. What if there were 5000 names. As you can see, you wouldn't want to type this list all over again each time a new name was added. Indexing solves this problem. Indexing creates a separate list of only the key information; the piece of information you would normally use to find the complete data. Instead of reading through page after page of continuous names, addresses and phone numbers, the index says 'Locate George Smith in the Index, then go to the page and line his address is on'. This is similar to an index in the back of a text book. Rather than looking for a page or line to find the data, the Index tells the database program where the requested information may be found. What would you rather do - read an entire book to find one word, or refer to the index in the back to find it quickly? This may be a basic example, but it should give you some idea of how indexing operates. Each data file has its own index file associated with it, which allows you to select a different index method for each of your files. This program allows you four different ways to view and locate your data quickly. A. By an individual's <N>ame B. By <C>ompany name C. By Phone Number <1> D. By Phone Number <2> If you will be primarily locating information based upon an individual's name, use <N>ame as the index field. If you would rather locate by Company name, use the <C>ompany field. The Phone 1 and 2 fields may also be used in those instances when a customer or order is usually found by referencing one of the phone numbers. In this case, select either Phone <1> or Phone <2>. At any time while in Edit, you may set up a Filter to locate records based upon information in other fields, in addition to those above. The above is used specifically for the Quick Search routine, which allows almost instantaneous location of the desired record. Page 16 Section 8 Selecting / Creating another Data File ________________________________________________________________________________ Rather than limit you to only one data file, TABS allows you to use as many as you wish (limited only by disk capacity). This allows you to store information in separate files when necessary. For example, you may wish to keep a separate file for each sales person, rather than use special codes to refer to each sales person in the same data file. In addition, each file may contain as may records as you wish (again, limited only by disk capacity). If you will be using diskettes to store your data files, the following chart may be helpful. Diskette Type Approximate Number of Records 360K DS DD 5 1/4 or 3 1/2 600 1.2M DS High Density 5 1/4 2000 720K DS DD 3 1/2 1200 1.44M DS High Density 3 1/2 2400 To create or select another data file: 1. Choose <S>elect Database from the Main Menu. 2. Select one of the following: A. <C>reate Another Database file 1. Enter the Drive/Path where the new file is to be created. 2. Enter the file name (up to 8 characters - an extension of .DBF will automatically be added). 3. If the file currently exists, you will be asked to either <R>eplace it, or <Q>uit. 4. If you wish to use this file as your active file, you must choose <S>elect Database again, then continue with section B below. B. <S>elect a file that already exists 1. Enter the Drive/Path where the data file is located. 2. A list of all database files (files containing an extension of .DBF) will be displayed on the screen. Press any key to continue. 3. Enter the name of the data file you wish to make the active file. 4. If the data file doesn't exist (for example, you may have misspelled the file name), you will be asked to press <Q>uit to leave the selection routine, or press any other key to return to number 1 above, and begin the selection process again. 5. If the index file does not exist, you will be asked to <R>eindex from the Main Menu when it appears. YOU MUST SELECT <R>EINDEX FROM THE MAIN MENU WHEN IT APPEARS IF PROMPTED TO DO SO. In addition, since the program requires the Category data file (called CATEGORY.DBF) to be in the same location (drive/path) as the active data file, you may need to copy it to this location. Use the DOS COPY command to do so. This will be unnecessary if all of the data files are located in the same drive/path. C. <Q>uit Returns you to the Main Menu, leaving the previous data file as the active data file. Page 17 Section 9 Transfer ________________________________________________________________________________ TABS uses a dBASE III compatible file structure. If your program supports a direct transfer from a dBASE file, the following export routine may not be necessary. Use the transfer routine of your other application to transfer the TABS information into your other application. If you wish to transfer information into TABS, you must use the following import routine. Transfer allows you to import or export information between a TABS data file and a text file. Import transfers records from a text file into your data file. Export transfers records from your data file to a text file. It is important to note that this transfer does not remove the existing records, but rather it only duplicates the information into the output file. In addition, the text file imported from must be in a special format, called Comma Delimited ASCII, which is a format that is compatible with most PC programs. To transfer data: 1. Select <T>ransfer from the Main Menu. 2. Select one of the following: A. mport The following contains a general discussion of Comma-Delimited ASCII Text file format. If you are unfamiliar with this format or process, please refer to your BASIC, DOS, or other PC manual for further explanation, or call our Tech Support number. 1. Select either <C>ontinue or <Q>uit from the following screen. 2. If you <C>ontinue, enter the drive, path and file name of the comma-delimited ASCII file you wish to import into the currently active data file. 3. If the file does not exist, a message will be displayed on the screen. You will then be returned to the Main Menu. If the file does exist, importing will begin. The number of records imported will be incremented and displayed on the screen as records are imported. Following is an example of the structure/format (called Comma- Delimited ASCII Text) the import file must use. "Greg","Fisher","Mr.","GSF Software & Solutions", "( ) - ","(716)283-3804"," ","Suite 391", "3380 Sheridan Drive","Amherst","NY","14226"," ", "Note line 1","Note line 2","Note line 3",30, 19890101,19890516," ",0,0.00,19890420 The information in your ASCII file should be in the following order. ALL fields should be separated by a comma. In addition, each record should end with a carriage return/line feed (CHR 13 and CHR 10). If there is no data for a particular field, you must NOT skip the field, but rather, represent it with the required comma (,) where the field should be. Date fields must be in the above format, century-year followed by a two-character month, followed by a two character day, not in the familiar "MM/DD/YY" format. Page 18 Field # Import file order: Example 1 First Name "Greg", 2 Last Name "Fisher", 3 Title "Mr.", 4 Company "GSF Software & Solutions", 5 Phone Number 1 "( ) - ", 6 Phone Number 2 "(716)283-3804", 7 Extension " ", 8 Address Line 1 "Suite 391", 9 Address Line 2 "3380 Sheridan Drive", 10 City "Amherst", 11 State Abbreviation "NY", 12 Zip Code "14226", 13 Zip +4 extension " ", 14 Note Line 1 "Note Line 1", 15 Note Line 2 "Note Line 2", 16 Note Line 3 "Note Line 3", 17 Category 30, 18 Birthdate 19890101, 19 Date 2 19890516, 20 Code " ", 21 Numeric 0, 22 Decimal 0.00, 23 Updated Date 19890420 (a CR and LF must be here CHR(13) and CHR(10)) As a precaution, backup your data file(s) before importing information from an ASCII file. If the ASCII file is not in the correct format and causes errors in the data file, you may then copy your original data file back to replace the data file you imported to. As a second alternative, you may also go into the Edit mode, and delete all the imported records that are incorrect due to an error in the ASCII file. B. <E>xport If your word processor or other PC application accepts dBASE III files, you may not need to export data. Instead, use the field names listed in the filter section for mail-merging or converting to your PC application. 1. Select either <C>ontinue or <Q>uit from the following screen. 2. If you <C>ontinue, you may then enter the Drive and Path for the export file. 3. Enter the actual file name of the export file (an extension of .PRN will automatically be added). 4. If the destination is a file that already exists, you will be asked to either <A>dd to the bottom of the file, <R>eplace it, or <Q>uit. If you select Quit, you will be returned to the Main Menu. 5. If you wish to filter only certain records, select <Y>es when the filter screen appears, and refer to the chapter on Filtering data. If you wish to export the entire file, select <N>o. Two messages will be displayed on the screen as data is exported. READING will be displayed when the data file is being used, and WRITING will be displayed when information is output to the export file. Page 19 An example of the ASCII file export creates follows: "Greg","Fisher","Mr.","GSF Software & Solutions", "( ) - ","(716)283-3804"," ","Suite 391", "3380 Sheridan Drive","Amherst","NY","14226"," ", "Note line 1","Note line 2","Note line 3",30, 19890101,19890516," ",0,0.00,19890420 The information from the data file is exported in the same order as is listed above in the import section. Each field is separated by a comma. A quotation mark is included at the beginning and end of each text field, whereas numeric information (including dates) does not include quotation marks. Each record ends with a carriage return/line feed (CHR 13 and CHR 10). This is the usual format used by most PC applications that import/export Comma-Delimited ASCII text files. Most word processors that support this format for mail-merge will ask for the field number associated with the actual field you wish to merge. Refer to the numbers listed above in the import section for the numbers associated with each field. Remember, if your application supports dBASE III files directly, the Export to ASCII process may be unnecessary. Use the field names listed in the Filter section instead. Page 20 Section 10 Filter ________________________________________________________________________________ Filtering records allows you to view, print, or transfer records based upon selected information. For example, you may wish to view only those records: Updated since 10/15/89: UPDATED >= CTOD("10/15/89") Located in NY, MA, or FL: STATE$'NYMAFL' With a $5000 credit limit: NUMREAL = 5000.00 (if you have entered the credit limit into the NUMREAL (Decimal) field) Birthdate in October: MONTH(BDATE) = 10 Depending on your criteria, a filter may be simple, or very complicated. A thorough understanding of the following information is not required for setting up simple filters such as the above, but it may be helpful for complicated filtering such as: 'Select all records in NY State which have a credit rating of AAA, with a credit limit of $5000:' For this example, you would type the following: STATE = 'NY' .AND. MISCCHAR = 'AAA' .AND. NUMREAL = 5000 The filter line is 70 characters in length. If the filter you enter "doesn't make sense" (is not logical or correct as typed) a message will be displayed. You may then <T>ry Again, or <Q>uit. Following is a list of field names that may be used when filtering, as well as its type (Character-Text, Date, or Numeric). In addition, these field names may also be used for mail-merge when the application supports dBASE III files. Field Name Type Description Examples FNAME C First Name Greg LNAME C Last Name Fisher TITLE C Title Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Dr., etc. CONAME C Company GSF Software & Solutions PHONE1 C Phone Number 1 ( ) - PHONE2 C Phone Number 2 (716)283-3804 EXT2 C Extension 9999 ADDL1 C Address Line 1 Suite 391 ADDL2 C Address Line 2 3380 Sheridan Drive CITY C City Amherst STATE C Abbreviation NY, MA, NJ, CA, etc. ZIP C Zip Code 14226, A1Q5K8 Page 21 Field Name Type Description Examples ZIP_EXT C Zip+4 extension 9999 NOTE1 C Note Line 1 Note Line 1 NOTE2 C Note Line 2 Call Back at 2:30 NOTE3 C Note Line 3 Anniversary 7/21 CATEG N Category 30, 1, 15, 22, etc. BDATE D Birthdate 11/21/89 MISCDATE D Date 2 05/16/89 MISCCHAR C Code AAA, A1, 12D, etc. NUMINT N Numeric 125, 345213, 89, etc. NUMREAL N Decimal 375.00, 450000.50, etc. UPDATED D Last Updated Date 04/20/89 The field type is included since each type has various functions associated with it, as well as certain formats. For example, to compare Character data, you must surround the text with quotation marks or apostrophes (LNAME = "Fisher"). Numeric data requires no special format (NUMINT >= 125). Character to date comparisons must be of the same type. For example, to compare a date to a character string: UPDATED >= CTOD("10/15/89"). The CTOD is the Character TO Date function. Various operators that may be used to set up a filter: + Addition - Subtraction / Division * Multiplication > Greater than >= Greater than or equal to < Less than <= Less than or equal to = Equal <> Not equal .AND. Logical and .OR. Logical or .NOT. Logical not $ Determine if one string of text can be found in another Please refer to the following function examples as to how the above operators may be used. Arithmetic Functions ABS() - Absolute Value If you entered a decimal number, but can't remember if you entered it as a positive or negative number, try the following: ABS(NUMREAL) = 55.67 This will locate all records that contain either 55.67 or -55.67 in the NUMREAL (Decimal) field. MAX(numeric field 1,numeric field 2) Maximum of two numbers. MAX(NUMINT,NUMREAL) > 100 Page 22 This will locate all records where either the NUMINT (Numeric) or NUMREAL (Decimal) field contains a value greater than 100. The above filter could also be represented by: NUMINT > 100 .OR. NUMREAL > 100 MIN(numeric field 1, numeric field 2) Minimum of two numbers. Uses the same format as MAX. ROUND(numeric field, number of decimal positions) Rounds a number to a given number of decimal places. ROUND(NUMREAL,0) >= 100 This will locate all records where the rounded NUMREAL (Decimal) field is greater than or equal to 100. The numbers 99.5, 99.89 will match this criteria, whereas 99.49, 80.00 will not. Character or Text String Functions LOWER() / UPPER() Converts all characters to lower case, or upper case, respectively. LOWER(LNAME) = 'smith' UPPER(LNAME) = 'SMITH' It is best to use one of these when comparing a text character field (such as FNAME, LNAME, CONAME, NOTE1, etc.), so that 'Smith', 'smith', 'SmITh', and 'SMITH' will all be chosen. If upper or lower case conversion is not used, you will probably not locate the information you desire. $ Compares two character strings, to determine if what is on the left side of $ may be found in the field on the right hand side.' 'ADVANCED'$UPPER(CONAME) This will set the filter to all records that contain ADVANCED, advanced, Advanced, etc. anywhere in the company name. The $ function can be very useful in locating a record containing specific information in a note field. For example, to filter all records that contain the word 'Important' in one of the note fields, type the following: 'IMPORTANT'$UPPER(NOTE1+NOTE2+NOTE3) This function may also be beneficial when trying to view all records that contain a date in one of the note lines. For example, if you wanted to view (print or transfer) any record that contains the date "06/30/89" in one of the note fields, you would type: Page 23 "06/30/89"$(NOTE1+NOTE2+NOTE3) Note: It is not necessary here to convert "06/30/89" to a Date type field since it is being compared to a text field (the note fields), not an actual date field (such as UPDATED, BDATE, etc.). If you were to compare it to a date, you would convert it using the CTOD function (refer to the date functions below). LEFT(field, # of leftmost characters) Returns the leftmost characters. LEFT(FNAME,2) = 'Do' will filter all records whose first name begins with 'Do': Doug, Dorothy. DOUG will not be filtered since it does not begin with 'Do', but rather 'DO'. To select names regardless of their case, combine the LEFT function with the UPPER function: UPPER(LEFT(FNAME,2)) = 'DO' RIGHT(field, # of rightmost characters) Returns the rightmost characters. UPPER(RIGHT(RTRIM(LNAME))) = 'OU' will filter only those individuals whose last name ends with 'OU', or 'ou'. The RTRIM function (described below) is used to eliminate all blank characters at the end of the last name. SUBSTR(field, start position, number of characters) Returns a substring of a field. SUBSTR(MISCCHAR,3,1) = 'A' will set the filter to include only those records that contain 'A' as the 3rd character of the MISCCHAR (Code) field. SUBSTR(PHONE1,2,3) = '716' will set the filter to include only those records containing an area code of '716' in the first phone number field. The format of the phone fields is (716)999-9999. The area code starts at the 2nd position, and is 3 characters in length. LTRIM() Removes leading blanks. The last names of 'Miller' and ' Miller' do not match. Therefore, to filter all last names of Miller, use: UPPER(LTRIM(LNAME)) = 'MILLER' Page 24 RTRIM() Removes blanks at the end of a field. The opposite of LTRIM. ISLOWER() Used to locate all records that begin with a lower-case character. ISLOWER(FNAME) .OR. ISLOWER(LNAME) will filter all records whose first OR last names begin with a lower-case character. This filter would be helpful when you desire to locate all records with improper capitalization, if your entries were supposed to begin with a capital letter. ISUPPER() The opposite of ISLOWER. STRing(field, number of digits, number of decimal places) Converts a numeric type field to a character type. STR(NUMINT,6,0)$' 123 355 700' will filter only those records containing 123, 355, or 700 in the NUMINT (Numeric) field. What if you can't remember the exact number in the NUMREAL (Decimal) field; maybe it was 118 or 118.95 or 318.50. The only part you are confident of is the 18. Enter the following for a filter: '18'$STR(NUMREAL,10,2) VALue() Converts a character expression to a number. For example, since the MISCCHAR (Code) field is a character type of field, any information may be stored there. If you have entered numbers in this field, they must be converted to a numeric type before using them as numbers. For example: MISCCHAR = "150" (with quotes) VAL(MISCCHAR) = 150 (without quotes) both mean the same thing. Page 25 Date Functions DATE() Returns the current system date according to the internal clock of your computer. UPDATED <=DATE() .AND. UPDATED >= CTOD("02/14/89") will filter all records that have been updated or added (based upon the UPDATED field) between February 14, 1989 and today, inclusive. The second comparison contains the CTOD function, which converts "02/14/89" to a date, whereas the first comparison needs no conversion since both sides of the equation are of Date type. Please refer to your DOS manual if you are not sure of the Date on the internal clock of your PC. DAY(date) Returns the day of the month as a number. DAY(MISCDATE) = 15 would filter all records that contain any month and year with the 15th day in the MISCDATE (Date 2) field. Or if you wish to select all records that contain 10, 14, or 18 for the MISCDATE day, type: STR(DAY(MISCDATE),3,0)$" 10 14 18" No date in the field will produce a 0 (Zero). MONTH(date) Returns the month number of a date. MONTH(UPDATED) = 6 will filter only those records containing a June date in the UPDATED (Last Updated) field. No date in the field will produce a 0 (Zero). DOW Returns a number (1-7) that represents the day of the week (Sunday is 1, Monday is 2, etc.). This may be used when trying to filter only those records that were updated on Monday, ANY Monday. For example: DOW(UPDATED) = 2 will filter only those records whose UPDATED (Last Updated) field contains a date that occurs on a Monday. Page 26 YEAR(date) Returns a number representing the year of a date field. YEAR(BDATE) = 1989 will filter all records containing a BDATE in 1989. This would be useful when printing a birthday list. You would probably also want to select the Birthdate field as your main sort (sort 1) for printing. Miscellaneous Functions DELETED() Useful when wishing to view only those records that are marked for deletion. DELETED() Or for when you want to print only those records that are NOT deleted, type: .NOT. DELETED() RECNO() Returns the record number associated with a record. This may be very helpful when trying various routines (such as export) to select only a certain number of records. RECNO <= 20 will filter only the first 20 records. As discussed in the Indexing section, this may or may not be the first 20 records in the order of which you view them, but rather, will be the first 20 records entered into the data file. Page 27 Customer Support ________________________________________________________________________________ If you experience any problems that you have been unable to resolve through the use of this manual, or if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at: GSF Software & Solutions 3380 Sheridan Drive, Suite 391 Amherst, NY 14226 (716) 283-3804 If we are not available to answer your call, please leave a message. Calls are usually returned within twenty four hours, and are usually returned collect. When leaving a message, please be as specific as possible. This will help us in responding to your request in an accurate and timely manner. Before calling, please have the following information available (if possible): 1. Type of computer and printer you are working with. 2. Total system RAM (Type CHKDSK at the DOS prompt). 3. Names of any memory resident programs present while using TABS (including DOS commands such as PRINT, MODE, ASSIGN, etc.) 4. Version of DOS you are using (Type VER at the DOS prompt). 5. Contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files (located in the root directory of your boot diskette or hard disk drive). We appreciate your comments, and look forward to incorporating your suggestions into future updates. Page 28 Appendix A Print Output Examples Page 29 Book layout ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . (Back Cover) (Front Cover) . . . ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ . . . The Address Book Solution Book for . . (C) GSF Software & Solutions, 1989 . . Suite #391 Robert Galvano . . 3380 Sheridan Drive . . Amherst, NY 14226 Printed 03/31/90 . . (716) 283-3804 . . . . (Up to 6 lines may . ~~~ be printed on the ~~~ ~~~ front cover above) ~~~ . . . . ______________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . Ms. Mary Ann Brennan...............(518)874-2298 | This book layout was . E.S. Computer Supplies....(518)872-8412 X:8412 | sorted in name order . P.O. Box 161 | only. ALL fields were . 1211 Main Street | selected for printing on . Albany NY 12303 | the Print-Setting-Order . Call Mary before the end of June to | screen. The order of . double check the status of order A23411. | information printed in . | this layout is as . AAA 10 2000.00 1 | follows: . | . Mr. Greg S. Fisher.................(716)283-3804 | Name . GSF Software & Solutions | Phone 1 . Suite 391 | Co Name Phone 2 w/ext . 3380 Sheridan Drive | Address Line 1 . Amherst NY 14226 | Address LIne 2 . Send in your check & registration form. | City ST Zip & Zip+4 . Also, list suggestions for future | Note Line 1 . updates to The Address Book Solution. | Note Line 2 . 1 | Note Line 3 . | DOB Dt2 Cd Num Dec Cat . Mr. Robert Galvano.................(717)234-9811 | . Exotic Cars, USA. | . Two Car Plaza | The entire Name and . Boston MA 01331 | Company Name fields may . 2 | not be printed, due to . | the Phone Numbers. . | 1 ______________________________________________________________________________ Page 30 Card / Label layout | Ms. Mary Ann Brennan 1 | The format for the Rotary / Index E.S. Computer Supplies | Cards or Labels is: P.O. Box 161 | 1211 Main Street | Name Category Albany NY 12303 | Company Name P1(518)874-2298 P2(518)872-8412 X:8412 | Address Line 1 Call Mary before the end of June to | Address Line 2 double check the status of order A23411. | City ST Zip - Zip+4 AAA 10 2000.00 | Phone 1 Phone 2 w/Ext. | Note Line 1 ---------------------------------------- | Note Line 2 Mr. Greg S. Fisher 1 | Note Line 3 GSF Software & Solutions | Bdate Date 2 Code Num Dec Suite 391 | 3380 Sheridan Drive | The listing at the left was Amherst NY 14226 | sorted on the Name field only. P1(716)283-3804 | ALL fields were selected to Send in your check & registration form. | print, to show each fields' Also, list suggestions for future | location on an index card. The updates to The Address Book Solution. | total number of lines that can be | printed (if all information is ---------------------------------------- | selected and filled in) is 10 Mr. Robert Galvano 2 | lines. Exotic Cars, USA. | Two Car Plaza | If there is no information for a Boston MA 01331 | line, (or if it is not selected P1(717)234-9811 | to print) a blank line is NOT | produced, but rather the next | non-blank line is printed. For | example, if you were printing | names and addresses only, you | would include both address lines. ---------------------------------------- | If the second address line was Mr. Peter Smith 3 | blank, a blank line would not JJ Business Forms, Inc. | be printed, but rather the next 2311 Providence Place | line (City, State & Zip Code) Austin TX 43252 | would be printed. P1(817)932-5211 | Call Pete on Mondays before 10:00, | before he gets too involved with his day | If there are not enough lines for 11/08/52 07/18/88 | the selected information (i.e. if | you select all fields, but the | label height is only 6 lines), ---------------------------------------- | only the lines that will fit on | the label will be printed. The | remaining lines for that label | will not be printed. Page 31 Listing layout The following listing was sorted in Name order. Only six fields were requested (as an example of a telephone list). Field Width Name 17 Company 24 Phone 1 13 Phone 2 W/Extension 20 Category 2 If this listing was printed on a narrow carriage printer (8 1/2 inch width), the printer should first be set to use the condensed print mode, or else the information will 'wrap' to the next line, rather then be listed in columnar format. Brennan, Mary Ann E.S. Computer Supplies (518)874-2298 (518)872-8412 X:8412 1 Fisher, Greg S. GSF Software & Solutions (716)283-3804 1 Galvano, Robert Exotic Cars, USA. (717)234-9811 2 Smith, Peter JJ Business Forms, Inc. (817)932-5211 3 Page 32