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Address List Manager Version 4.42 by Jack Hudgions Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction............................................... 1 1.1 General Information................................... 1 1.2 Color and Key Usage................................... 1 1.3 File Organization..................................... 2 1.4 Automatic File Loading................................ 3 1.5 Running Address List Manager.......................... 3 2.0 The Full-Screen Editor..................................... 3 2.1 Editing and Command Keys.............................. 4 3.0 File Operations............................................ 6 3.1 Loading and Saving.................................... 7 4.0 Printing................................................... 8 4.1 Output Formatting..................................... 9 4.2 Print Settings........................................ 9 4.3 Label Suggestions..................................... 11 4.4 Envelope Suggestions.................................. 11 4.5 General Print Settings Suggestions.................... 12 5.0 Defaults................................................... 12 5.1 Suggestions for Setup Files........................... 13 6.0 Miscellaneous Main Menu Functions.......................... 14 6.1 Sorting............................................... 14 6.2 Clearing the Current File............................. 14 6.3 DOS Shell............................................. 14 6.4 Quitting ALM.......................................... 15 Appendix A: ALM Disk File Names and Directories................. 15 Appendix B: Command Line Switches............................... 16 Appendix C: Program File Identification......................... 17 Appendix D: Distribution and Registration....................... 17 Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 1 1.0 Introduction Address List Manager (ALM) is a specialized database program designed for maintaining mailing lists and printing envelopes and labels. Its features include an easy-to-use editor, versatile customization, superior print formatting and comprehensive error handling. ALM will accommodate lists of up to 2400 records, and can use any size envelope or any size label in a one, two, three or four across configuration. 1.1 General Information ALM will run on any IBM PC or compatible with at least 256K of memory and DOS 2.10 or higher. 576K of memory is required to hold a full 2400-record file. If you want to print envelopes, you printer must be capable of handling some type of envelope, either single or continuous form. Before using ALM, it is good to have at least a fundamental knowledge of the basic operation of your computer and of DOS file structure, such as directories, paths and naming conventions. If you need more information, consult your computer and DOS manuals. Scan through the instructions at least once fully before you run the program. Be sure to keep them handy until you become an experienced user. That shouldn't take long, since ALM is designed to be easy to learn and use. 1.2 Color and Key Usage Both color and key usage are consistent throughout the program and in these instructions. Key names are shown in initial capitals, such as Escape, Insert, Delete, etc. The letter keys are shown in capitals. When you see two keys separated by a hyphen, such as Alt-E, Alt-A, etc., it means to hold down the first key then press the second. General information and prompts for typed input are yellow; user- typed input is green. The standard editing keys, referred to in the instructions and used in single-line input (print settings, file names, etc.) are: Backspace, Delete, Alt-E (erase), and the left and right arrow keys. The operation of these keys and of the many additional keys available only in the full screen editor is described in the editor section. Pressing Enter tells ALM to accept the input (on some computers, this key is labelled as Return, or with a large arrow). You may also press Escape to exit the command (on some computers, this key is labelled as Esc). Prompts for a single key press are white on red. The available keys are always listed on the screen. Case is not significant. You may also press Escape to exit the command. Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 2 Warning and error messages are red, and menus are yellow on blue. Menu options may be selected either by highlighting the desired option using the arrow keys and pressing Enter, or by pressing the number key that corresponds to the desired option. You may also press Escape to exit the menu. 1.3 File Organization Files are broken into two types, return address files and regular files. They are stored separately in memory, and are loaded from and saved to disk separately. Consult the file operations section for a detailed discussion of saving and loading disk files. A regular file contains your address list. The regular file in memory is called the current file. The current file may contain up to 2400 individual records, provided your computer has sufficient memory. A return address file contains your return address as its only record. The return address in memory is called the current return address. Each individual record in your files consists of eight entry fields. The fields are named Title, First Name, Last Name, Extra Line, Street, City, State and Zip Code. The maximum lengths of the fields are determined by the address line width. The width may be set to match the label or envelope size and type style you are using (check the section on print settings for more information). The default address line width is 37 characters, making the maximum field lengths as follows: Title/First Name/Last Name: The total combined length of these three fields is either the address line width or 38 (whichever is less), minus room for spaces between the fields if you type in more than one of them. When you move into one of these fields, what you have already typed in the other two determines the maximum length of the current field. Extra Line, Street: The address line width (default = 37). City: 15 less than the address line width (default = 22). State: 2. Input in this field is automatically capitalized. Zip Code: 10. The fields do not have to be used for exactly what they are named. For example, the Last Name field could be used for a company name and the Zip Code field could be used for a country name. Consult the section on printing for the way the fields are printed. Before beginning to create a mailing list, you might want to run one of the alignment tests to determine the correct address line width Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 3 for the labels or envelopes you will be using. Consult the printing section for details. An additional type of file used in ALM is the setup file. A setup file stores your customized print settings, key definitions, etc., so you don't have to re-enter them every time you run the program. See the section on defaults for more information. 1.4 Automatic File Loading As a convenience, ALM can automatically load files at startup, eliminating the need to load them manually. Your return address and setup files automatically load when you start ALM if they are named RETURN.ALM and ALMSETUP.DAT respectively and are in the current drive and directory (or are otherwise specified with the /R and /S switches). You may automatically load a regular file at startup by giving its name after the /F switch. Consult the appendix on switches for full information. 1.5 Running Address List Manager ALM requires no installation. Simply copy the ALM.EXE file to a working disk. Hard disk users will probably want to create a separate directory for ALM.EXE and all ALM-related files. To run ALM, type ALM at the DOS prompt. If you are using setup or return address files or automatically loading a regular file, make sure the files are in the current directory unless you specify another directory with the /S, /R or /F switches. Consult the appendix on switches for details on these and other switches that affect ALM's operation. The main menu screen is the starting point in Address List Manager. It offers eight different options, all of which are described fully in the sections that follow. 2.0 The Full-Screen Editor The full screen editor (Main menu option 2) is where you type information into the fields of the current file and return address. The editor screen is divided into three parts. Near the top is the status line. The status line displays the record number currently being displayed (called the current record), the number of records already entered, the number of empty records that could be used, the maximum length of the field in which the cursor is located (called the current field), and the cursor position within the current field. If the current record number is greater than the number of records already entered, the current record has not yet been entered. If the number of empty records drops to zero, no new records may be added to Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 4 the current file. The status line changes to indicate when you are editing your return address, and to show the starting position of the search when you are entering search criteria. Immediately below the status line is the instruction line. Various instructions and prompts appear here. Occupying most of the screen is the actual entry area. The names of the eight entry fields are printed on the left side, and their current contents (if any) are printed immediately to the right. Fill dots show where you have typed nothing. The dots may be eliminated if desired using the Defaults menu. The bottom of the screen gives a brief summary of the most frequently used command keys, and at the very bottom are the first four letters of the definitions of all twelve function keys (twelve definitions are always displayed even if your computer has only ten function keys). 2.1 Editing and Command Keys When you begin editing, your cursor is placed at the beginning of the first field. A summary of the available editing and command keys is given below. Arrow Keys: You may use the up and down arrow keys to move into any desired field. You may move around in a field by using the left and right arrow keys. You cannot move beyond the maximum allowed length of a field. Tab: Tab works exactly like the down arrow key, and Shift-Tab works exactly like the up arrow key. Backspace: Moves the cursor one space to the left, erases any character that was in that space, and moves any remaining characters right of the cursor one space to the left. Delete: Works similarly, except that the cursor remains in the same location. The character under the cursor is deleted, and any characters to the right of the cursor are moved left. Home: Moves the cursor to the start of the current field. End: Moves the cursor to one space beyond last character typed in the current field. Insert: Toggles between overtype and insert modes. The size of the cursor indicates the status of insert. An underline cursor means that insert is off, and a box-shaped cursor means that insert is on. In overtype mode (when insert is off), typing a character replaces anything already typed in that position. This is the default. In insert mode, previously entered characters are shifted to the right to make room for the new character. ALM will not let you insert a letter if the field is full. Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 5 Enter: Tells ALM to accept the current record, return address or search criteria as entered. You must confirm that the record is OK before proceeding. If you press N, you return to editing where you left off. If you press Y, the record is entered as typed. In the regular editor, you advance to the next record. If you are editing your return address, you return to the regular file editor. If you are in search, searching begins. Escape: Exits the editor and returns you to the Main menu, or returns to the regular file editor if you are in search or the return address editor. If you have edited the current record or return address, you are prompted for confirmation first. Alt-E: Erases the current field from the screen. The record does not change in memory. Alt-C: Clears the entire current record on the screen. The record does not change in memory. Alt-R: Restores the current record on the screen to the way it currently exists in memory. In search or the return address editor, Alt-R re-displays any previously entered search criteria or your current return address. Alt-R is not active if you have nothing entered in memory to re-display. Alt-D: Deletes the current record. You are first prompted for confirmation. Deleting a record causes it to no longer be displayed, saved or printed but leaves it in memory, thus the number of empty records does not change. This allows you to un-delete a record later if desired. Alt-U: Un-deletes a previously deleted record. The most recently deleted record will be inserted as the current record and the current record and any additional records will be shifted upward. You may continue to press Alt-U to un-delete up to the last 127 deletions. You may un-delete records even if the status line shows zero empty records. Pressing Alt-U has no effect if you have made no deletions, or if you exceed 127 un-deletions. Alt-A: Used for adding new records to a file. It moves you to the first empty record, provided all records are not filled. Alt-J: Allows you to jump to any previously entered record. You are prompted to select the desired record number. Type any valid record number and press Enter. You may use the standard editing keys, and may press Escape to return to the editor. PgUp,PgDn: Scans through the records, up and down one at a time. If you have edited the current record and press Alt-U, Alt-A, PgUp or PgDn, ALM asks if you want to keep the changes to the current record. This same prompt occurs after you enter a valid record number Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 6 when using Alt-J. After you press Y or N, the selected action is performed. Alt-S: Enters search mode. You must have at least one record entered to enter search. If you previously entered any search criteria, it will be printed on the screen. You may press Alt-C to clear the old search criteria if desired, and you may press Escape to return to the editor. Type the desired search criteria and press Enter to begin searching. ALM finds the first record that matches your criteria, or displays a message if no match is found. The search begins with the record number shown on the status line. Matches to your search criteria are detected as follows: 1. A blank field in the search criteria matches anything. 2. Anything to the right of your criteria is ignored. As an example, if you type "Mr" as search criteria, all of the following will match: "Mr" "Mrs." and "Mr. & Mrs." 3. Searches are case-sensitive; "A" does not match "a." Searching is faster if you type something in either the Last Name or Zip Code fields, since these are the first fields ALM compares in searching. Ctrl-R: Enters the return address editor, where you may inspect and edit your return address. Your current return address, if one exists, is displayed. Editing is done exactly as in the regular file editor. Press Enter to to accept the address as entered, or Escape to return to the regular editor without any changes. If you make changes, remember to save your new return address to disk (check the section on File Operations for details). Alt-1: Selects the current field as the primary sort field (shown by the bright asterisk to the left of the field name). If the selected field is already the secondary sort field, the sort fields are swapped. The sort fields may also be changed from the Defaults menu (consult the Defaults section for details). Alt-2: Same as Alt-1, but selects the secondary sort field (shown by the darker asterisk). Alt-H: Displays the help screen, which briefly summarizes all the editing and command keys. Function Keys: The function keys provide a shortcut way of typing frequently used items. Each function key may take the place of up to 15 individual keystrokes. The keys are pre-defined with words often used in addresses. They may be changed as desired from the Defaults menu (consult the Defaults section for details, including a list of the default definitions). 3.0 File Operations Selecting main menu option 1 brings up the File Operations menu. File operations transfer data between memory and disk. Records that Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 7 you type into the current file and current return address are stored only in the computer's memory. In order to be able to retrieve them later, they must be saved to disk. You may save your files any time you wish. It is a good idea when entering a large amount of data to save your work frequently, so you won't lose everything you've typed in the event of a power failure. The File Operations menu allows you to load or save a return address or regular file, as well as clear the current file. Return address files and regular files are handled independently. Saving or loading one does not affect the other. You can load in a disk file at any time, either combining it with data already in memory, or replacing data currently in memory. If you are loading a regular file and have records entered in the current file, the disk file is added onto the end of the current file (memory permitting) unless you first clear the current file. You may clear the current file from either the Main or File Operations menu. Loading a return address file replaces the current return address. You can save either the complete current file or any portion of it. If you select the Save part of file option (option 3), you first choose the range to save. The method used is the same as is used when selecting the print range, except that the save range is cleared each time you save a file. Check the printing section for details. 3.1 Loading and Saving All load and save operations work essentially the same, including those involving setup files (which are accessed through the Defaults menu). You begin by selecting the directory to be accessed. Enter any valid directory, using the standard editing keys. ALM displays a listing of all of the files in the selected directory that have the default extension (Consult the appendix on disk file names for more information on directories and default extensions). Shown in the listing are the base file name (without the extension) and each file's size. If there are more than 40 files, the display pauses each time the screen fills. A status line at the top of the screen indicates the default extension, number of files in the directory with the default extension and the number of bytes free on the disk. Just below the status line is the directory being accessed. After the file listing is displayed, type the desired name and press Enter to begin saving or loading. You may also press Escape to return to the directory selection line if you want to choose a different directory. If you are saving a file and use a file name that already exists, you must confirm that you want to overwrite the existing file. This prevents you from accidentally using the same name twice, and losing the previous contents of the file. Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 8 If the disk operation is not successful, an error message tells you what went wrong. Correct the error, and press any key to restart the process (remember, you may press Escape to return to the menu). 4.0 Printing Your mailing list is of little use until you print it onto your labels or envelopes. Selecting Main menu option 3 displays the Print menu, which offers seven options. If you do not want to print the entire current file, choose option 1 and select the range of records you want to print. Use the left and right arrow keys to scan through the records one at a time, or the up and down arrow keys to scan through 10 per cent of the available range at a time. Press Home to move to the lowest possible record number, or End to move to the highest record number. When you have located the desired record, select it by pressing Enter. You may also press Escape to return to the menu. A list of keys used is shown at the bottom of the screen. Once you have chosen a print range, it remains in effect until you change it. If the number of records is decreased, the range is adjusted accordingly. After selecting the print range, if you have a return address entered you choose if you want to print return addresses. If you press Y, ALM prints your current return address on each envelope, or prints a return address label for each destination address label. Before printing your actual labels or envelopes, you may want to choose Print menu option 2 or 3 to test the label or envelope positioning in the printer. The test prints sample text in all four printable lines in both the return and destination address position on an envelope or in one full row of labels. It fills each line to the maximum address line width, and advances to the top of the next label, or performs your selected action after printing an envelope. This lets you judge both vertical and horizontal label or envelope positioning. You may repeat the process as often as needed until you get the alignment correct. If you use the test carefully, all your actual labels or envelopes will be perfectly aligned. In addition to checking the alignment of your labels or envelopes prior to printing, this test is useful for determining the correct print settings for a particular size of label or envelope. Print menu options 4 and 5 print the selected range of records in the current file, or the entire current file if you have not chosen a range. Return addresses also are printed unless you have no return address entered or have selected not to print return addresses. To interrupt printing in progress, press Escape. You then have the option of continuing on where printing was halted, or of terminating Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 9 printing. Printing may not stop until some time after you press Escape if your printer has a large buffer. 4.1 Output Formatting Your addresses display and print in the following format: [Title] [First Name] [Last Name] [Extra Line] [Street] [City], [State] [Zip Code] ALM inserts spaces between adjacent fields on the same line (Title/First Name/Last Name and City/State/Zip Code) only as required, so spaces won't appear where they are not wanted. For example, if you type "Mr." in the Title field and "Smith" in the Last Name field, it prints as "Mr. Smith." You can also type a company name in the Last Name field (leaving the Title and First Name blank), and it will not be preceded by spaces in the printout. A comma is inserted after the City field if it is not blank unless both the State and Zip Code fields are blank. If the Title, First Name and Last Name fields are all blank, printing begins on the second line. If the Extra Line or Street fields are blank, the next lower line that is not blank is printed. This way, there no blank lines will appear within your addresses. If you do experience blank lines or extra spaces in your addresses, you probably have accidentally typed some spaces in one of the fields you intend to be blank. Go back to the editor, and press Alt-E in the appropriate fields to make sure they are empty. Using the editor fill dots helps eliminate this problem. Check the Defaults section for more information on fill dots. If the printing does not fit properly on your labels or envelopes, select Print menu option 6 to bring up the Print Settings menu. Use of this menu is described fully in the following section. Print menu option 7 (or Escape) returns you to the Main menu. 4.2 Print Settings The Print Settings menu (Print menu option 6 or Defaults menu option 1) allows you to customize ALM's output to match the labels or envelopes you are using. You can send a string of control codes to your printer, or even change the print output device. Your chosen settings can then be saved in a setup file using the Defaults menu (consult the Defaults section for complete information). The Print Settings menu offers seven options. You may use the standard editing keys when entering information, or press Escape any Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 10 time to return to the Print Settings menu. The following options are available: Option 1: Address line width. The address line width controls how many characters are printed across on your labels or envelopes horizontally. It is used by the editor to control the maximum lengths of the entry fields. You can specify any line width between 20 and 40 characters. The default is 37. Option 2: Label settings. These settings control the print layout when you are printing labels. The number of lines per label selects the distance between the tops of your labels. You may choose from 4 to 99 lines per label. The default is 6. The number of labels across may be 1, 2, 3 or 4. The default is 2. You also must select a tab position for each label you are printing across, which should correspond to its starting column position. You can select any column position up to 255, but you must allow enough space for each label to be printed based on your selected address line width and number of labels across, along with any tab positions you have already entered. The default tab positions are 1, 44, 87 and 130. Option 3: Envelope settings. These settings control the print layout when you are printing envelopes. The number of lines between addresses selects the vertical position of the destination address. The first four lines are reserved for the return address, regardless of the actual number of lines it occupies. You may enter any value from 0 to 99 lines; the default is 7. The tab positions select the horizontal positions of the return and destination addresses. You may enter any tab position from 1 to 255 for each address. The default tab positions are 1 and 40. The remaining settings are Yes/No action options. The form feed option sends a form feed to eject each envelope after it is printed, and the pause option stops printing between envelopes to allow you to load another envelope. The default for both is Y. Option 4: Printer setup string. This is an optional string of up to 50 control characters that ALM will send to your printer before printing. These control characters can be used to change such things as the type style, letter spacing, line spacing, etc. The exact capabilities vary from printer to printer. Consult your printer manual for the desired control codes for your printer. They must be entered one character at a time by ASCII code number. All ASCII code numbers (0-255) are allowed except code 26. Press Enter on a blank line to terminate the string, or Escape to return to the Defaults menu without changing the setup string. There is no default printer setup string. Option 5: Print output device. ALM's printed output normally goes to parallel printer port 1, but may be directed using DOS standard device names to any of the parallel printer ports (LPT1: LPT2: LPT3:), to the screen (SCRN:) or to a disk file. To use a disk file, simply type the desired file name as the print output device. You may precede the file name with a drive and directory name. For example, to send Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 11 ALM's output to the file OUTPUT.TXT in the ADDRESS directory of drive C, type C:\ADDRESS\OUTPUT.TXT as the print output device. You might want use a disk file for output if you don't have access to or don't want to use a printer while you are running ALM, or if you want to use some type of print enhancement program on ALM's output. If the device you select is not valid, an error message will be displayed when you attempt to print. The default output device is LPT1:. Option 6 (or Escape): Return to previous menu. Takes you back to either the Print or Defaults menu. 4.3 Label Suggestions ALM's standard default label print settings are designed for two- across 3-13/16 x 15/16 inch labels, printed at 10 characters per inch horizontally and 6 lines per inch vertically. These labels are especially easy to use, since their carrier is the same width as standard 80-column paper. Other popular widths include 3-1/2 and 2-1/2 inches. If you are not sure how many characters will fit across your labels, try measuring the labels. Divide the width by the character width on your printer that you plan to use for printing your labels. The default character width on nearly all printers is 1/10 inch (10 characters per inch), and many are capable of other widths. To calculate the starting column position(s) for your labels, measure the distance from the left edge of the first column on your printer to the left edge of each of your labels. If possible, it is best to position your labels so that the left edge of the leftmost label is aligned with the first column on your printer. For the vertical spacing, measure the distance between the tops of your labels. Divide this distance by the line spacing on your printer. The default spacing for most printers is 1/6 inch (6 lines per inch), and most are capable of many other settings. 4.4 Envelope Suggestions ALM's standard default envelope print settings are designed for large-size (4-1/8 x 9-1/2) envelopes, printed at 10 characters per inch horizontally and 6 lines per inch vertically. Many other envelope sizes are commonly used. The table below gives suggested settings for some popular sizes. Envelope Size Type size(cpi) Lines between addresses Tab setting 3-5/8 x 6-1/2 10 6 25 3-5/8 x 6-1/2 12 6 35 3-7/8 x 7-1/2 10 7 30 3-7/8 x 7-1/2 12 7 40 4-1/8 x 9-1/2 10 7 40 4-1/8 x 9-1/2 12 7 50 Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 12 The tab setting listed in the table is for the destination address. The return address tab position for all sizes is 1, assuming that you load your envelopes so that their left edge is aligned with column 1 on your printer. The form feed option should be used unless you want to manually adjust each envelope to the top of form position. If you do not select form feed option, be sure to select the pause option so you'll have a chance to load a new envelope. If you are using continuous form envelopes, the form feed may not advance the correct distance to the top of the next envelope. You may have to set the correct distance by placing the appropriate control code in your setup string. Your printer manual will give the correct code for setting the form feed distance on your printer. The pause between envelopes option should be used unless you are using continuous form envelopes and the form feed option to advance to the next envelope, or a sheet feeder to automatically load your envelopes. 4.5 General Print Settings Suggestions When you have selected your print settings, return to the Print menu and give them a try using the appropriate print alignment test. You may want to use regular paper to avoid wasting labels or envelopes. When you find the correct settings, save them in your setup file for future retrieval. Consult the defaults section for details. 5.0 Defaults Selecting Main menu option 6 displays the Defaults menu. The Defaults menu is your key to customizing ALM. It not only lets you modify program defaults, but also allows you to create a setup file that automatically sets the defaults the way you want them every time ALM is run. When you run ALM, it looks for the file ALMSETUP.DAT or the alternate setup file name you give using the /S switch on the command line. If the file is found, its contents are loaded and used. If the file is not found, it is ignored and the standard default settings are used. The Defaults menu offers eight options. You may use the standard editing keys when entering information, and may press Escape any time to return to the Defaults menu. The following options are available: Option 1: Print options menu. Allows you to set ALM's print settings to correspond to the labels or envelopes you are using. Consult the section on the Print options menu for complete details. Option 2: Sort fields. Your selection changes both the default and current sort fields. Since the sort fields can always be changed Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 13 within the editor, it only makes sense to use the Defaults menu if you intend to save them in a setup file. The default primary sort field is Last Name, and the default secondary sort field is First Name. Option 3: Function key definitions. Each function key may be defined to any string of up to 15 characters. Twelve definitions are always displayed, even if your computer has only ten function keys. The default function key definitions are: F1: Mr. F5: Inc. F9: Drive F2: Ms. F6: Street F10: Lane F3: Mrs. F7: Road F11: Attn F4: Corporation F8: Avenue F12: c/o Option 4: Editor fill dots. By default, ALM fills spaces in which you have typed nothing with a dot. Without the dots, these untyped spaces are identical to typed spaces. You may accidentally type spaces in a field you intend to be blank, which causes extra spaces or extra lines in your printout. Fill dots also eliminate the possibility of part of a field not being read by the editor, since the editor only reads up to the first untyped position in each field. Fill dots make this position easily visible on the screen. The default for displaying fill dots is Y. Option 5: Save defaults to setup file. Stores the current defaults in a disk file. Remember, if you use a name other than ALMSETUP.DAT or a drive or directory other than those current when ALM is run, you will have to use the /S switch when you run the program in order to automatically load the setup file. Option 6: Load new setup file. Loads a previously created setup file, changing the current defaults to those specified in the file. Loading or saving setup files is handled exactly the same as regular and return address files. Consult the File Operations section for complete information. Option 7: Restore standard defaults. Changes all current defaults to their standard settings (those used when no setup file has been loaded). You are prompted for confirmation first. Option 8 (or Escape): Return to main menu. Takes you back to the program when you are finished setting the defaults. 5.1 Suggestions for Setup Files You can create as many setup files as you wish. It is a good idea to have a setup file for all the different size labels, envelopes or type styles that you use. Simply give each setup file a unique name, then specify the appropriate file name with the /S switch when you start ALM, or load the desired file using the Defaults menu. Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 14 6.0 Miscellaneous Main Menu Functions The Remaining Main menu selections access various functions. They are described in the sections that follow. 6.1 Sorting You will probably want the records in your files to be in a particular order. Main menu option 4, ALM's fast sorting routine, will sort the current file using the currently selected primary and secondary sort fields. The primary sort field determines the basic order of the sorted records. The secondary sort fields are used when primary sort fields are identical. 6.2 Clearing the Current File When you select the Clear file option from the Main menu (option 5) or the File Operations menu (option 6), you will erase all records in the file currently in memory. Records that have been deleted can no longer be un-deleted. You are prompted for confirmation before the file is cleared. Clearing the current file does not clear your current return address. 6.3 DOS Shell Main menu option 7, the DOS shell option, lets you return to DOS, leaving ALM in memory. You may do anything you would ordinarily do in DOS, such as changing directories, formatting disks or even running another program. To return to ALM, enter the EXIT command. Since ALM is still in memory, you will have less memory available than you normally would, so some programs may not run. It is possible to force ALM to use less memory than it ordinarily would in order to save enough room to run another program. This requires use of the /M switch at startup. Consult the section on switches for details. Though you may run any another program while in DOS, it is not wise to load any memory-resident programs. They can behave unpredictably at times, and can even occasionally overwrite ALM. Load memory-resident programs before you run ALM. It is also a good idea to check the operation of any program you plan to run using the DOS shell before you have any important data entered in ALM. Unforeseen memory conflicts could lock up your computer and lose your data. If you have data entered and want to run an untested program, save your current file to disk first. In order to be able to exit to DOS, ALM must be able to locate the command processor file, usually called COMMAND.COM. DOS expects to find this file where it was when you booted the computer, typically in drive A for floppy disk users and drive C for hard disk users. If the Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 15 file is not found, an error message shows the name and expected location of the file. Press any key to return to the menu. For floppy disk users, it is possible to ease this operation by copying the command processor file to a RAM disk, then setting the COMSPEC environment variable to COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM. Consult your DOS manual for more information. Though ALM tries to save enough memory to allow the DOS shell operation, there may be circumstances where there is not enough memory. If this happens, you will see an error message. Press any key to return to the main menu. 6.4 Quitting ALM When you select Quit (Main menu option 8 or Escape), you will exit from ALM and return to DOS. Any data in the current file will be lost, so be sure to save the current file to disk if you want to retrieve it at a later time. You are prompted for confirmation before the program terminates. Appendix A: ALM Disk File Names and Directories In ALM, disk file names are governed by the usual DOS rules. A file name consists of a base name of up to eight characters, plus an optional extension of up to three characters. The extension is separated from the base file name with a period. Like DOS, ALM always converts file names to uppercase, regardless of how they are typed. By default, files created with ALM are given the appropriate default extension based on the type of file if you simply omit the extension when you type the file name. This allows you to use only the base name, without worrying about the extension. The defaults are .ALM for regular and return address files and .DAT for setup files. Though use of the default extensions is highly recommended, you may use any extension you wish. If you want to use a file that has no extension, type a period at the end of the file name. Keep in mind that files with nonstandard extensions will not appear in ALM's file listing. ALM can access any subdirectory on any disk drive. All you need to do is type the deisred path when ALM prompts you to enter a directory. A path consists of a drive letter, followed by a colon, then a list of directory names, each preceded by a backslash. If you omit any part of the path, whatever is current is assumed. As a special convenience for users of previous versions of ALM, if you enter a single letter as the directory, it is assumed to be a drive letter. ALM stores separate paths for each type of file it uses. The default path is the current path at startup, unless you specify a path using the /F, /R or /S switches. Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 16 Your DOS manual contains a complete explanation of file names, paths and subdirectories. Appendix B: Command Line Switches Command line switches affect the way ALM operates. They are typed on the command line following the program name. Switches may be typed in upper or lower case, and each must be preceded by a forward slash. If you use multiple switches, they may be typed in any order. Spaces are not required between switches, but may be used if desired. /D (Display mode change): ALM has two different methods for displaying the main menu, entry form and help screens. The proper mode for your computer is selected automatically, depending on the type of display adapter it has. In the fast mode, chosen for and usable only on adapters that have enough video memory to hold four pages of text at a time, the entire screens appear at once. In the slow mode, selected for adapters with less video memory but usable on all systems, the screens appear one line at a time. The /D switch overrides ALM's selection, and switches to the opposite mode. It is provided for experimentation and for those rare instances when the automatic selection is incorrect. /B (Black and white): Suppresses color from the composite output of the Color/Graphics Adapter (CGA). It may make text appear sharper when ALM is run on a machine with a composite monochrome monitor connected to a CGA. /T (Tandy): This switch should be used if you run ALM on a Tandy 1000 computer with a 90-key keyboard, in order to access function keys 11 and 12. /M [number] (Save memory): Saves [number] kilobytes of memory for other uses. Ordinarily, ALM saves 32 kilobytes of memory and uses the rest to hold as many records as possible, up to a maximum of 2400 records. The /M switch allows you to reserve enough memory to run another program while ALM is loaded using the DOS shell operation. Using a number larger than 32 will probably decrease the number of records available in ALM, and using a smaller number will increase the number of records (to a maximum of 2400). Using a very small number will probably not allow enough memory for the DOS shell operation. The minimum number of kilobytes you may save is 2; the maximum depends on the amount of memory in your system. If you specify a number smaller than 2, 2 kilobytes are saved. If you specify a number that is too large, ALM will not run. /Q (Quiet mode): Suppresses the negative response tone normally heard when you press an inactive key. /F [filename] (regular file load): Tells ALM to load [filename] at startup. Any file name may be used, including a complete path name. If you omit the extension, .ALM is assumed. Address List Manager 4.42 Instructions Page 17 /R [filename] (alternate return address file): Tells ALM to load [filename] as a return address file instead of the default file name, RETURN.ALM. Any file name may be used, including a complete path name. If you omit the extension, .ALM is assumed. /S [filename] (alternate setup file): Tells ALM to load [filename] as a setup file instead of the default file name, ALMSETUP.DAT. Any file name may be used, including a complete path name. If you omit the extension, .DAT is assumed. For the above three switches, if you supply a path only, terminated by a backslash, it becomes the default directory for the corresponding type of file. The following are some examples of switch usage. The first example runs ALM on a Tandy machine, saves 128 kilobytes of memory for other uses, and loads the regular file CLIENTS.ALM, which is located in the ADDRESS directory of the disk in drive C: ALM /T /M 128 /F C:\ADDRESS\CLIENTS The next example runs ALM on a machine with a composite monochrome monitor, eliminates the negative response tone, and loads the setup file ENVELOPE.DAT, which is in the current drive and directory and the return address file BUSINESS.ALM, which is in the ALM directory of the current drive: ALM /B /Q /S ENVELOPE /R \ALM\BUSINESS The final example runs ALM, changes the default display mode, reserves only 5 kilobytes of memory, and makes the ADDRESS directory on the current drive the default directory for regular files: ALM /D /M 5 /F ADDRESS\ Appendix C: Program File Identification The program file, ALM.EXE, has the following attributes: Size: 63367 bytes Date: 12-04-90 Time: 11:01pm Appendix D: Distributon and Registration Address List Manager (including its documentation) is Copyright (c)1990 by Jack Hudgions. It may be copied freely, as long as it is not altered in any way and full documentation (ALM.DOC) is included. Address List Manager is user-supported software. If you find ALM useful, encourage further development by registering. For only $10, you'll be entitled to free support and notification of updates. Direct all registration payments, questions, comments and suggestions to: Jack Hudgions 2324 Killarney Way Tallahassee, FL 30308-3151 (GE Mail address: J.HUDGIONS)