Classic Computer Magazine Archive ANTIC VOL. 7, NO. 2 / JUNE 1988

P. S. Envelope Maker

Automate your "Print Shop" envelopes

By STANLEY HARRISON

With this short programming patch, P.S. Envelope Maker (December 1987), which prints out envelopes sized for Print Shop cards, automatically inserts addresses from mailing lists including Mighty Mailer (September 1987). The complete BASIC program works on 8-bit Atari computers with at least 48K memory and a disk drive

I tend to use Broderbund's Print Shop software to create lots of greeting cards for sending to friends and relatives. So I have personally gotten plenty of use from Todd Thedeff's clever P.S. Envelope Maker (Antic, December 1987) which prints cut-out diagrams of pre-addressed envelopes just the correct size for Print Shop cards.

P.S. Envelope maker works on any dot-matrix printer compatible with Print Shop. It prints a mailing address and return address on each envelope. However, in the original program, you must type the new address every time you want to make a change.

Because I send a lot of computer-made cards, I maintain a mailing list of my usual addressees. I was interested in taking up Antic's offer to print the "first good programming patch enabling the envelope maker to use mailing fists from ASCII text files ... including Mighty Mailer (September 1987)."

My P.S. Envelope Mailer patch gives the original program the option of either using ASCII disk file mailing fists or typed-in individual addresses. It can also switch between fists like Mighty Mailer, which leave a blank line between labels, or plainer ASCII text files that don't have any blank fine breaks.

You'll be prompted to type the number of lines in your current batch of labels. Each label in the file must have the same number of lines and, as in the original PS. Envelope Maker, the maximum number of lines is four. And when you print a list of mailing addresses from disk, you will not be able to change the return address.

I also corrected a minor glitch I found in the original program. After the first run through PS. Envelope Maker, if the user wants to change to different addresses the program generates a DATA LIST EXHAUSTED error at line 620. This is fixed by the RESTORE 210 command in my patch.

GETTING STARTED

Type in Listing 1, PATCH. LST, checking it with TYPO II. You'll need to store PATCH.LST on your disk without the TYPO II program, so LIST a copy to disk using the command:

LIST "D:PATCH.LST",0,31000

To merge the patch with the original PS. Envelope Maker, first LOAD "D:ENVELOPE.BAS" (from Antic, (December 1987) and then ENTER "D: PATCH.LST". Remember to SAVE the modified program before you RUN it.

Antic Disk owners will find a copy of the completely patched program on the monthly disk under the filename ENVELOPE.BAS.

HOW TO USE

When RUN, the patched program asks if you want to use the default return address, displayed in the center of the screen.

Type [Y] and press the [RETURN] key to answer [Y]es for the current return address, or type [N]o [RETURN] to type a different one. You'll be given four lines in which to type your return address.

The program's default return address is stored in DATA statements in lines 210-235. If you want the program to use a different default return address, LIST these lines and substitute your new return address. Be sure to type this information in inverse video mode. Finally, remember to SAVE your modified program before you RUN it.

NOTE: If you only have a three-line return address, delete line 235.

Next, the program will ask whether you want to type the mailing addresses from the [K]eyboard or read them from a [D]isk file. Type [D] and take your mailing list disk, place it in drive 1 and press [RETURN].

The program will display a disk directory and ask you to type the name of your address file. At the next prompt, the program will ask whether you're using 3-line or 4-line addresses. Type a [3] or a [4].

Now just sit back as the program prints your envelopes. One by one, the program will display each address onscreen, ask you if it's correct, then print it out.


Stanley Harrison is a section manager for an agrochemicals manufacturer in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has been programming the Atari since 1982 and this is his first appearance in Antic.

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Listing 1: PATCH.LST Download / View

On Disk: ENVELOPX.BAS Download