.ig     *     *        *      *        *       *         *
.ig
.ig                  This is a WordStar File 
.ig
.ig                If you don't have WordStar,
.ig              I'm sure you're not interested.
.ig        
.ig     *      *       *       *       *        *         *
.pn1
.he MailMerge Documentation In Brief                  Page #.
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                        M a i l M e r g e
                        -----------------


                         I n   B r i e f 




     Learnin� t� ru� MailMerg� isn'� quit� a� muc� fu� a� takin� �
you� operatin� syste� apar� -- bu� jus� a� difficult�  I� m� �
opinion� that'� becaus� i� wa� writte� abou� th� sam� tim� th� �
phras� "Use� Friendly� wa� coined�  So� instea� o� usin� thos� �
"intimidatin� compute� words,� the� mad� u� thei� own�  Tha� way� �
no one can figure out what's going on.  

     That'� th� wors� o� it�  Fac� is� it'� al� REA� easy�  (It'� �
ONLY a� application� program...fo� God'� sake!�  

     Here'� al� yo� hav� t� d� t� prin� � for� lette� fro� � �
mailing list: 

     Nam� you'r� For� Lette� o� Boile� Plat� a� .MI� typ� file�  �
You� mailin� lis� shoul� b� � .LS� typ� file�  Othe� type� �
probabl� work� bu� that'� th� wa� � learne� an� I'v� neve� trie� �
it any other way.  

     Put these Dot Commands at the top of your .MIL file.


     *    .DF B:FORMAT.LST
          .RV COMPANY,ADDRESS,CITYSTATE,ZIP


     The "Inside Address" Is formatted this way:

          &COMPANY/O&
          &ADDRESS/O&
          &CITYSTATE/O& &ZIP/O&


     Your "Greeting" goes like this:
     (Covers all sexes, too)

     Dear &MX/O& &LAST/O&: 


     Then� mak� u� � dat� file� I� shoul� b� calle� format.LS� �
(Matchin� th� nam� specifie� i� th� .D� statemen� yo� wrot� int� �
you� .MI� file)�  It'� reall� � BASI� sequentia� dat� file�  Bu� �
al� yo� reall� nee� t� kno� i� tha� every item i� th� fil� mus� ��
be separated by commas.  

     Two more rules: 

          I� yo� wan� t� ski� a� item� fil� it� spac� wit� � �
          comma. (ie. skipped names look like  ,,, ) 

          If you want a comma to print inside a phrase, you 
          must put the phrase in quotes.  (ie. "Los Angeles, CA")

               [Values for the variables used in the
                Greeting example are not found in the
                Mailing list (LST) File.               ]  



     Here's how a typical .LST file looks: 


"Th� Cod� Works� Inc.",P.O� Bo� 550,"Goleta� CA"� 93116
"Ecosoft, Inc.",P.O. Box 68602,"Indianapolis, IN", 46268
Lifeboat Associates,1651 Third Avenue,"New York, NY",10028
Manx Software Systems,P.O. Box 55,"Shrewsbury, NJ", 07701
Softwar� Toolworks,1447� Gloriett� Dr.,"Sherma� Oaks,CA",9142� 
Supersoft,P.O. Box 1628,"Champaign,IL",61820
tiny-C Associates,P.O. Box 269,Holmdel,NJ,07733
Telcon Systems,1155 Meridian Ave.,"San Jose,CA",95125 
"Whitesmiths,Ltd.","Parkwa� Towers,'B'",U� Rout� � �
So.,"Iselin,NJ",0883� 
"Dedicate� Micr� Systems� Inc.",P.O� Bo� 287,"Yate� �
Center,KS",66783


     ** Soft carriage returns are okay, but hard ones aren't.


     B� th� way� th� 'Os� w� pu� int� ou� variable� i� th� .MI� �
fil� wil� cove� u� whe� w� don'� hav� value� fo� ou� variables�  

     � � w� mak� sur� yo� hav� � cop� o� MAILMRGE.OV� available� �
Cal� WordStar� an� a� th� N� Fil� Menu� jus� typ�  � �  

     MailMerg� wil� signo� an� as� yo� fo� th� fil� yo� wis� t� �
merge�  Giv� i� you� Form� Boile� Plat� o� .MI� file�  It'l� d� �
the rest.  
  
                   *  *  *  MORE DOTS  *  *  *

     Here are a few more Dot Commands to master: 
  

     .D�  filenam� [CHANGE�        Define� th� Fil� th� dat� fil� �
                                   t� b� used�  CHANGE�  specifie�
                                   � dis� change.
�
     .R� variable1� variable2�     Rea� thes� Variables� variable1...      

     .RP [n]                       Repeat: 
                                   � time� o� (default� unti� dat� fil� 
                                   exhausted�  Par� o� D� statement� 
                                   Needed only if inserted document 
                                   is to be repeated. 


     .AV ["Prompt"], variable, [length] 

                                   As� Operato� fo� Variabl� Value.
                                   ie� "ge� � numbe� fro� th� operator� 
                                   (Compute� want� t� ge� high).
                                   Lik� BASIC'� "INPUT� Statement,
                                   bu� yo� giv� lengt� ("Field?").

     .D� [message�                 Coul� stan� fo� Dea� Moose� but             
                                   mean� Displa� Message�  Default
                                   is a blank line.
    
     .CS [message]                 Wipe windshield (Clear Screen) 
                                   and display message.

     .FI filename [CHANGE]         Gobble up the FIle filename.
                                   Don't know what the option
                                   is all about.  �



     There'� als� som� othe� stuf� abou� Print-Tim� formattin� �
whic� I'� sur� i� rea� important� bu� a� o� thi� writing� � don'� �
hav� th� damnedes� ide� about�  Se� Appendi� � (A-� thr� A-9� o� �
the WordStar Manual for mor� details.


� -- Do� Command� MUS� b� writte� int� th� FIRS� Colum� i� orde� �
     t� b� effective�  I� th� abov� examples� the� hav� bee� �
     indented so that they may be seen.  If they had been placed
     in the correct position, they would have caused changes in 
     the runtime behavior of the program, rather than been part
     of this text.  (Of course I could have stayed up all night
     and figured out a way around this, but hey, that's the way 
     MicroPro did it in their manual, too!) 


     I� anybod� figure� ou� anythin� els� abou� ho� thi� progra� �
operates, please add it on here.  I'm as curious as the rest.

                                                  6/25/84 db

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