Let’s make mailing labels for our customer file. If you have created the customer file, “cust”, and have entered customer data in it (Lessons 2 - 9), proceed with this lesson as written.
If you haven’t done everything in Lessons 2 - 9, use the customer file name “fpcust” in step "1." below. Since “fpcust” is complete and is included in your filePro Plus soft-ware, you won’t have to define the output formats, “label” and “report”, as instructed in this lesson. Instead, when asked for output format names, select the existing output formats, “label” and “report”, display the screens, and just read the instructions in the lesson.
1. From the main menu, select option “3 - Define Output”. For the file name, type or select:
cust (or fpcust)
For the output format name, select “[NEW]”, then type:
label
From the Define Output Formats menu, select option “2 - A Mailing Label”.
2. With the page format settings displayed, move the cursor to the “Number of Forms Across Page ”setting and press <2> then <ENTER>. Then move to “Remove unwanted blank lines:” and press <Y>. A “Yes" answer here tells filePro Plus to delete from the printed output any line that contains only field references to blank fields. A good example of this would be a mailing label that contained a person’s name on one line followed by a company name on the next line. For records without a company name, filePro Plus would “push up” the rest of the label, rather than leave a blank company name.
At the “Alignment check needed” prompt, press <Y>. Before printing labels with actual names and addresses on them, filePro Plus will print a label with all the fields filled in with Xs. This is to help you to check and adjust the alignment of the label paper in your printer. filePro Plus will print as many of these alignment labels as necessary until you are satisfied with the alignment. Then, you can tell filePro Plus to print the real labels. Press <ESC> to save the set-tings.
3. The next screen is for specifying how to sort the output. If you were going to do a bulk mailing with these labels, you might want them sorted by zip code (field 7). If you are going to send out invoices to them, you would probably have both the invoices and the labels sorted by customer number within each zip code.
For this tutorial, let’s sort them as discussed above, by zip code then by customer number.
Specify field 7 (zip code) for the first sort field. Press <RETURN> three times then use field 1 (customer number) for the second sort field and press <ESC>.
4. The next screen is used to layout the fields that will make up the mailing label. Position the fields as shown below.
Figure 26-1 - Customer Label
Note the use of the “push left” indicator (<)‘ to move the contents of fields 3 (last name), 6 (state), 7 (zip) to the left. Each will move to within one space of the contents of the field to the left, thereby removing any excess spaces.
Information about this indicator and others, as well as other useful information, can be accessed by pressing <F1O> for Help.
5. When finished, press <ESC> to save the format.
6. Before we leave Define Output, let’s define another format, the customer report.
Press <S> to select a format. Highlight “[NEW]” and press <RETURN>. For the format name, type:
report
Press <RETURN>.
The Customer Report
1. For the output format name, select “[NEW]”’ press <RETURN>, and then type:
report
2. For the kind of output, select option “1 - Report”.
3. The settings are OK. Press <ESC> to save the settings.
4. For the field to sort the records on, press <2> (last name) in the “Sort Field:” entry area. Then press <RETURN> four times and now press <3> (first name) in the second “Sort Field:” entry area. Finally, press <ESC> to save the sort criteria.
In formatting the printed report, we will be using both lines of the data area. The Customer Report format is shown in Figure 26-2.
Figure 26-2. Customer Report Format
5. To add or delete entire blank lines for editing purposes, turn on “Grow Mode”
by pressing <F8>, then <G> and use <F3> for adding a line, and <F4> for deleting a line.
6. Turn “Grow Mode” off by again pressing <F8> then <G> for Toggle Grow mode.
Note the use of the system-maintained field, “@DT” & “@PN”. @DT is the current date in the format of: Jan 1, 1992. @PN is the page number. See your Quick Reference Card for a complete list of system-maintained fields available during output.
7. Save the report format by pressing <ESC>. Press <X> to return to the main menu.
Printing out the report and labels
An interesting feature to note here is that you can temporarily change the record sorting and selecting criteria of your output formats just before you print them.
1. From the main menu, select option “D - Request Output.
For the file name, type or select: cust (or fpcust).
For the output format name, type or select:
report ‘1
At the prompt, “Enter Index (O-9,A-H):”, you can override the sort fields you selected in the Define Output program.
2. Press <RETURN> for no index.
The sort field screen will show you the default sort field you selected in the Define Output program. Press <ESC> to accept the sort criteria shown.
At the prompt, “Select All Records”, press <Y>. Typing “N” here will take you to the extended selection screen where you can select records using as many as 72 field criteria, as well as relational and Boolean operators. You can also save the set of criteria (“selection set”) under a name for later recall and use.
Printing customer mailing labels
Except for the alignment check, the procedure and options are the same for the customer mailing labels.
Using a selection set, you could select just customers in a certain state, city, or zip, or customers with last names that begin with a range of characters, or those whose customer numbers fall within a certain range.
Between sorting by index, sorting by other fields, and selecting by multiple criteria and relationships, one report format can be used for many different reports.
1. From the main menu, select option “D - Request Output”. For the file name, type or select:
cust
For the format name, type or select:
label
For the index, press <RETURN>.
For the sort field, use the default; press <ESC>.
At the select all records prompt, press <Y>.
2. The alignment labels (2 across) are printed. The prompt, “Is This Alignment Correct (Y/N)” appears. If you press <N> for the alignment labels are printed again. When you press <Y>, the actual labels will be printed, and you will be returned to the main menu.
The procedure for printing the product report is the same as for the customer report. When you are in the Request Output program, try changing the sort selection criteria so that the product records are listed by price, then, by quantity sold, and, finally, by quantity on hand.