GiSOFT ADDRESS 1.1.5 Helpfile
© 1999-2000 GiSOFT development. All rights reserved. Other product and company names herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
This little freeware address manager is completely file compatible with other database packages and address managers : new users of ADDRESS will not have to re-enter all their addresses that they keep (up till now) in another program. People that decide to stop using ADDRESS will be able to use the addresses file in their new application. The only file format supported by almost all database programs is the comma delimited format. This is a pure ASCII text format, where the fields are separated by comma's. This format is very portable indeed, as you can use it on DOS machines, Macs and even most hand held computers (like the Psion Series 3). Other advantages of this format are the high speed at which it can be sorted without need for space-hungry index files, and its robustness and compactness.
ADDRESS also has a "quick and dirty" way to send an E-Mail to someone from within the program, without having to start up the user's Outlook application.
ADDRESS is small, fast (100% pure, solid and efficient 32-bit code), intuitive, user friendly, robust, and capable of working with an extremely large number of records, while keeping memory usage low.
If you are upgrading from an older version of ADDRESS, follow these simple steps:
Don't worry if Uninstall cannot remove all the files: this is perfectly normal, as it keeps the database file (and any backup that you might have made) intact.
If you install the new version in the same directory as the previous version, it will find your database and backup files there, which are never removed by uninstall. If you install in another directory, you will have to move address.fil and address.bak to the new location.
If you are installing ADDRESS for the first time, then simply run the provided Setup utility and follow the on-screen instructions.
Important multi-user notice: If you are planning to run ADDRESS on a network, you must install the program to a shared network drive on a common server. If you are upgrading from an earlier single-user version, you should also copy address.fil and address.bak onto this shared device. Note that your settings (modem settings and other preferences) are stored locally and only apply to YOUR copy of ADDRESS, not to all the users on the network.
If you start the program for the very first time, it will find no database. Add at least one record, as the program cannot work without a database: Click the ADD button. You will notice that the cursor appears on the NAME field. Type a name here, and when you're done, press TAB to move to the next field, where you can type the address. To go back, use SHIFT-TAB. Of course, you can use the mouse too, but you'll agree TAB works faster. You don't have to fill in all the fields. In fact, the only field that must be filled in, is the NAME field. So if you're ready, you can either press ENTER to save the new record, ESC to abort, or move to the SAVE button with the TAB key or the mouse.
Comma-delimited File Compatibility
If you have an existing database with addresses, export it in your current program to comma delimited format (usually found under File, Save As). Specify the name ADDRESS.FIL and make sure 14 fields are exported in the right order : so first the NAME field, then the ADDRESS 1 field, ADDRESS 2 and so on. When you're done, copy this file to the directory where ADDRESS was installed, and restart the program.
If you ever decide to stop using ADDRESS, you will be able to import the comma-delimited file in your new application. If the new program doesn't support this, maybe the planned "upgrade" isn't such a good idea after all:-)
If you have trouble converting your existing addresses database, GiSOFT comes to the rescue: we'll be glad to write a convertor for your specific situation. This service is not free, the charged fee depends on how much time we put into writing your convertor, but never exceeds 20 US$.
The main window is devided in four parts:
On the left, you find all the fields of the record that is selected in the List that's on the right. At the bottom are the operating buttons. At the top, you find the pull down menu system.
There are also some fields that have small symbols: these are NAME, the four PHONE fields, the E-MAIL field, the URL field and the first NOTES field. These symbols can only be clicked if the fields next to them contain any data (the mouse pointer changes if you selected the fancy mouse pointers). Clicking one of those symbols will trigger some action, depending on what sort of symbol was clicked. If a PHONE symbol was clicked the program will dial the phone number via your modem. If an ENVELOPE symbol was clicked, the program will start up the MailEd mail editor. If you clicked the envelope symbol next to the NAME, the MailEd mail editor will use the NAME field (only of any use if the person's name is in your Outlook phonebook). If you clicked the envelope symbol next to the E-MAIL address, then the program will use the E-MAIL field in the To: field. If you click the "happy face" symbol next to the URL field, Internet Explorer will open with the URL in the edit box. If the Notes symbol is clicked, you can attach a NotePad text document to the record. (Note that this symbol gets underlined when a Notepad textfile is attached to the current record).
Most functions can be accessed by clicking the corresponding buttons in the lower part of the screen. Here's a complete description of those buttons and the MainScreen shortcut keys:
Note: The pull-down menu system has some extra options that are not available from the main screen. These functions are put out of the way, because they are not needed regularly. They include the Setup window, the About screen (with a useful System Info button), the deleting of one or all attached Notepad text files, and so on.
The options panel can be found under the Extra menu, or by pressing CTRL-O.
This List is always sorted alphabetically. It is the most important tool to access the database file. The List can be navigated in a number of ways. First, there's the standard keys UP/DOWN etc, and the scroll bar if there are more records in the file than can be listed. There 's also support for the wheel mouse. If you want to access a record of which the NAME field starts (for example) with a D, just press D and the List will highlight the first record that starts with a D. If you press D again it will show you the second (if any) record that starts with a D, and so on.
To dial the first telephone number of a record, press ENTER or double-click the entry in the list.
To remove a record, you can use the DELETE key.
To add a record, you can click the right mouse button.
Tip: if you find that the list acts rather slowly, right-click on an empty space on your desktop. Next, select Properties and Effects, and switch of (unselect) the option "Animate windows, menus and lists".
To send an E-Mail, click on the symbols next to the "E-MAIL" or "NAME" fields to bring up the MailEd editor window. It depends on what symbol you click, what will be used on the To: line. Edit the Subject line, and enter your message text in the larger Edit window. Select QUIT when you're ready. If there is any text in the editor window, you will be prompted to send the mail. You need to have a copy of Outlook installed, but Outlook does not have to be running.
ADDRESS directly auto-launches Internet Explorer when the URL symbol (happy face) is clicked. This requires IE version 3.x (or up) to be instaled. Consult the documentation that came with Internet Explorer for information on how to use this excellent piece of software. Note that you can have several instances of the browser open at the same time, for example one with this Help Document, and another with your friend's Home Page. These browser instances will NOT be closed if you close the main program.
This program is released as freeware. This means that you may distribute it any way you like as long as you keep the original ZIP archive complete. You will never have to pay me anything if you keep using the program. There is no expiration date. Future versions will allways be freeware as well.
If you have a DOS (huh?) based computer, and you want to use the same file on that machine, EMail me and I will send you ADDRESS for DOS, free of any charge. This program is fully compatible with the comma delimited file, and even uses the same 14 fields.
By installing the software on your system, you accept the terms of use. These are:
Contact us for FREE User Support
The easiest way to freely receive the latest versions of ADDRESS is to contact GiSOFT via E-Mail. This way, we'll also be able to keep you informed about other programs we publish. We'd also like to hear from you if you have any suggestions for future versions, or if you experience some problem. Enjoy the program and pass it on to friends and relatives!
GiSOFT productions
E-Mail address : vosg@realsoftware.be