Address, Postcode and Bank solutions
THE BANKFINDER ROBOT
ROBOT Technology is protected by Patent No GB2369699.
AFD BankFinder contains AFD Robot technology (Patent GB 2369699) which will automatically detect the typing of a postcode or sort code in most Windows applications, and insert the elements of the bank record you require.
BankFinder allows you to enable or disable Robot entirely - but you can also choose, separately for each application you use, whether to enable Robot at all - and if so, whether to operate normally or in "Quiet" mode.
In "Normal" mode, when Robot detects that you have typed a postcode or sort code it will show a window, and allow you to choose whether to insert the details for that sort code or postcode into your application
In "Quiet" mode Robot will only prompt you if the postcode or sort code you typed may indicate more than one bank record. Many sort codes and postcodes only have one record associated with them - in which case Quiet mode allows Robot to operate entirely invisibly and automatically. A number of sort codes and postcodes have more than one record - and Robot must ask you which of the possible records to use.
Robot also supports a "Fast Find" mode where it can search for addresses in the same way as the 'Find' field on the main BankFinder window by typing a sequence such as #Natwest, Birmingham# into your application. This also supports validating account numbers, e.g. #773317,25657377#, and card numbers #6439401101618939396#. Alternatively if you are not using quiet mode and type any known postcode (e.g. B26 3JW) into your application you can then use Fast Find direct from the Robot window to find the address you require.
When BankFinder is first installed, Robot is enabled. To turn this feature off across all applications, simply de-select the 'Enable BankFinder Robot' option on the General tab from the BankFinder Main Window's File - Properties menu option.
You can also choose if the System Tray Icon is displayed from here.
The Startup options 'Normal', and 'Minimised' and 'Robot Only' allow you to specify how BankFinder starts. If you mainly use the Robot you may wish for BankFinder to be minimised, so you can easily bring it up when required, or to simply have the Robot on it's own running - you can Restore BankFinder from the Robot System Tray icon as needed.
Robot is the simplest way to get a complete address into your application - Start AFD BankFinder, switch to the program you wish to insert the address into and type in a postcode or sort code. Robot will prompt you to check that you really do wish to add the record and, on clicking Insert, inserts the record for you - right back into the application you're using! If the address is not as expected you can enter another postcode or fast find into the 'Find' box and click Lookup to find the right address.
For example:
Your Action If you type normal text If you type a sort code or postcode If you type a sort code or postcode with property information Robot's Action Robot ignores what you typed - and the text appears just as you typed it. Robot detects the sort code or postcode - and converts it into a bank record - displaying the parts you configure it to. Robot detects the sort code or postcode - and looks it up along with the additional information you specify and converts it into a bank record. What you would
see without Robot:Dear Sir,
Following our meeting
301366 New Street, B2 4JU What you would see
with Robot:Dear Sir,
Following our meeting
301366
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc
PO Box 6000
BIRMINGHAM
B1 1BZ
0121 6235364401118
HSBC Bank Plc
PO Box 68
BIRMINGHAM
B2 4JU
To use the Fast Find mode simply type a search such as #Natwest, Birmingham# into your application and Robot will operate in the same way as shown above.
When you install AFD BankFinder, settings for the following applications are installed automatically to insert the sort code and address - and you will normally find that Robot works just as you require without any changes or configuration at all:
- dBase
- Lotus 1-2-3
- Lotus AmiPro
- Lotus Approach
- Lotus WordPro
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Works
- Notepad
- Paradox
- Quattro Pro
- WordPad
- WordPerfect
There is also a settings file called 'Full' which can be used to insert all Bank fields into a Word Processor.
Robot is fully configurable and it is easy to modify the way it behaves for an application already supported - or to create new settings for other applications.
The behaviour of Robot is controlled by associating a group of settings with your application. For most common applications Robot will work without any additional configuration. If Robot detects a postcode has been typed into an application that it does not recognise then you will be prompted to teach Robot how to type an example address so that it can learn from you and therefore complete the address automatically in the future.
You can check the 'Don't ask me about this window again' option if you do not want Robot to prompt you about this window when you type a postcode in again - e.g. if you do not wish to use Robot with that window. For more information on the process of teaching Robot how to insert the address see the Show AFD Robot How section of this manual.
Alternatively you can provide settings to tell Robot how the address information is passed to your application (e.g. order of fields, keystrokes to send between fields). For full details of this, please refer to the Tell AFD Robot How section of this manual.
For more advanced configuration, please also see the Insert and Robot Advanced Setup section.
By default BankFinder displays a System Tray icon for Robot (near the clock at the bottom right of your screen. This indicates if Robot is enabled and gives you quick access to disable the Robot or configure it's options.
Toggling Robot On/Off
Clicking the icon will toggle Robot On and Off (enable and disable it). You will see a green circle when it is on (as shown above) and this will change to red when it is off.Setting Options
By right clicking the icon you will be presented with a small pop-up menu allowing you to enable/disable the Robot, remove the icon from the Sys Tray (see Enabling Robot for how to re-instate the icon from the BankFinder main screen), or Restore/Hide the main form is you wish to toggle between using the Robot alone. You can also gain quick access to the properties and settings for Robot which are described above.
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