W - W.P. Facility

This option allows you to design a page layout to include details from database records. This is typically used for printing letters etc.A complete page is printed for each database record processed. With options to output data for mail merge into Microsoft Word this option is of limited use nowadays due to presentation concerns with the lack of formatting options available within this option.

When defining the document you set ‘Parameter 1’ as the database number to be used and ‘Parameter 2’ is the filename that will hold the definition.

The document is presented as a series of lined items where you can type in the text as required.Three special ‘command’ characters are used for specifying what items are to be requested at run-time, printed from the database, or formatting characters to be sent.

Requesting Keyboard Data – command words preceded by an ! allow the system to prompt for text to replace that value on all documents. Say, for example, you have a command ‘!TODAYS-DATE’ imbedded in the document, the system will then pause at the start of the run and ask for the data that is to replace this text on all documents – i.e. the date to be printed.The ‘!’ must always be preceded by a space (unless at column 1 of a line) otherwise the command is interpreted as text and you should leave no spaces in the text being replaced.

Inserting Data Item Values – command words preceded by a $ allow for replacement of the text with an equivalently named item in the database. Say you are printing address details then if the fields are NAME, ADD1, ADD2, etc.then you would enter $NAME, $ADD1, $ADD2, and so on. When printed on the document these text entries are updated with the values from the current record. (Note you can use the data item number also – i.e. $2 will be replaced with the content of field 2).

In addition to the $ symbol the % symbol can be used which has some different effects. If used for a numeric data item then leading spaces are printed (with the $ sign they are not), but if used with a text item then any trailing spaces at the end of the text are omitted. Finally if used with a table item or constant item then $ will print the table/constant number whereas % will print the table description / constant value.

Sending Control Characters – the final option allows use of the & character to send ASCII printer commands to output some limited formatting. You need to know your Printer control codes (and some printers will no longer have these).As an example the ASCII codes sent to some Epson printers to output subsequent text in bold would be &27&69 separating each individual code with the ampersand character.

Once the letter layout is complete then press <ESC> to begin the process of saving the layout.

The first additional parameter asks for the order which documents are to be printed.

Set the sequence type to ‘1’ for record number order or ‘2’ for prime index order. If set the sequence type to ‘3’ you can define your own sequence by selecting the data items to sort on and whether the sort is processed in ascending or descending sequence.

Allow Re-Edit At Run Time – set to allow the operator to change the letter at run-time.

Specify Selection Criteria

Allow Search to Change at Runtime

Save Any Selection Changes

Set if wish to process letters on a selective basis plus whether any run-time changes are allowed to the criteria and whether any such changes are saved for default next time.

Once these settings are confirmed you are asked to save the definition.