Address, Postcode and Bank solutions
TRANSFERRING ADDRESSES
Transferring Addresses to Other Programs
Looking Up and Searching for addresses is only useful if the data can be easily transferred to other programs - like word processors, spreadsheets or databases. Postcode offers a choice of powerful ways to transfer data easily to almost any Windows program where it will be used:
Robot
This is the simplest way to transfer an address to your program, as you simply type a postcode into almost any Windows application, Robot does the rest. See Using The Robot for more details.
One of the most basic ways to transfer data is to use the Windows
Clipboard.
Simply find the address you require, select it from the Results
List, then select the Edit menu Copy option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+C).
The selected address is copied to the clipboard, using the current settings
and it is then available for pasting into your chosen program.
Move to your chosen application, then paste the address into position. Pasting
will usually be carried out in your application by using an Edit menu Paste
option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+V) - but consult your application's documentation
for further details.
Although this method requires almost no setting up - and may well be all
you need for simple word-processing - there are more powerful methods of
transferring addresses, which give you much more control of the process -
including the format of the address.
The format of the address placed on the Clipboard can be adjusted using many
of the Insert Settings, and Line
Squeeze features- see below.
The Label Tab provides
a quick way of dragging addresses and barcodes to other Windows programs
- like Microsoft Word.
To drag a barcode or address, simply hold down a [Shift] key, then click
and hold down the LEFT mouse button on either the barcode or the address
box of the Label Tab. Keep the mouse button down whilst dragging onto the
target program (like Word), then release the mouse button to drop a copy
of the barcode or address into that program.
Please note: The Barcode is a graphical image and you should ensure that your target program is able to receive and use graphical data, before dragging it there. The Royal Mail barcode is subject to a fairly strict specification of size and layout. You should ensure that your target program is set up to print the barcode to this specification.
Postcode can pass address information to almost any Windows programs
by simulating the typing of keystrokes into that program. You have
full control over the order in which fields are typed into your program,
and Postcode includes a very powerful keystroke 'macro' language which
enables Postcode to control everything that happens during Insert -
including the precise position of where each field will be typed.
A special Insert menu is provided to carry out the insert process, and when
Postcode starts up, it examines all the other programs currently running,
and provides an entry in this menu for each one, along with a menu hot key
1-9 and A-Z.
If your application was started after Postcode was loaded, it will
be necessary to refresh the Insert menu by selecting Insert Refresh
(shortcut key [F5]). Note that it would be unhelpful to type addresses
into some types of Windows programs (eg Windows Explorer!) - and Postcode
tries to ignore many of these.
To Insert an address, first select it from the Results
List, then choose the target program from the Insert menu - and the address
will be typed in according to the current Postcode settings.
Use the Edit menu "Editable Results" option if you wish
to be able to change data other than adding property and organisation
on the Results Tab before inserting it into other applications. This
menu setting is stored with the current settings file. If "Editable
Results" is not checked, you cannot enter a new search request
in the Results Tab. In this case if you type in any of the Results
Tab boxes you will be returned to the appropriate box on the Search
Tab.
Once you have carried out the first Insert, Postcode remembers your target
program, and makes a new entry at the top of the Insert menu - with a shortcut
key [F2]. This means that future addresses can be inserted into this program
simply by selecting an address, then pressing [F2].
For even faster Insert of addresses, once the first Insert has been completed,
simply double-click an address in the Results
List (this feature is not available if DDE is in use - see below).
The behaviour of Postcode during Insert is controlled by settings for each
application. Please see the section below that describes how to
use the Wizard to configure Insert for your application.
Insert and Robot Settings Wizard
When Postcode is first installed, it should Insert into most common programs - like Word or Excel - correctly. Postcode has a very powerful keystroke 'macro' language, which can be made to control your target program, and the precise position of where the data will be typed.
To configure an application to work with Postcode, select the 'Insert / Robot Setup' option from the File menu.
Show AFD Robot How
This is the simplest mode to configure AFD Postcode to work with your application. Simply ensure your application is ready to accept the address and then click the 'Show AFD Robot How' button. You will then be prompted to type a sample address into your application and AFD Robot will learn from you to ensure that this is the last time you have to manually type an address into your application.
Tell AFD Robot How
This mode will guide you
through step-by-step to get your application working, you select your
application and tell AFD Postcode the keystrokes needed to move between
fields and the fields that you wish to Insert.
Advanced Setup
Should you
have more advanced requirements, you can fully configure all the
settings yourself using the Advanced Setup option - you may well find it
easiest to teach or tell AFD Postcode how to insert the address first and then use Advanced Setup to modify
the settings if required.
When you select this option you will be presented with a fictitious address which you should type into your application exactly as it is shown.
Please note that you should use the keyboard wherever possible to move between fields as this is the most reliable. If you wish to ensure that Robot moves to the first field for you then you should use any shortcut to move to that field before typing the first field. Robot will also record any mouse clicks you use, so if you are unable to use the keyboard to move to a field and your application does not have a scrollable window you can use the mouse if needed. You should click the 'Done' button as soon as you have completed entering the address to ensure that keystrokes unrelated to the address are not picked up. If you do not wish to use a field, e.g. county, then simply don't type it. If you make a mistake, clear out the address in your application and click the 'Start Again' button to start again.
Customising Fields
Should you wish to customise the field list, e.g. to add the
Mailsort code field, then simply click the 'Customise Field List' button
you will then be presented with the following dialog to select the
fields to transfer:
Under the 'Available Fields' caption there are options to view the Standard or Special fields. This changes the list displayed below. You can mix and match these fields by adding fields from either one to the 'Fields To Use' list. The standard fields are the normal Postcode fields including the current County option. The special fields are more advanced fields including the raw PAF style dependant thoroughfare and thoroughfare fields (this is the street split into two fields if there are two street names in the address), etc., the rest of the county field types, and the outcode and incode portions of the postcode (the part before and after the space respectively). These are useful for applications that store addresses in such formats.
You can easily transfer fields to and from the 'Fields To Use' list by using the arrow buttons between the two lists. These are used as follows:
 |
Include all fields |
| Include the selected field(s) (from the 'Available Fields' List) | |
| Remove the selected field(s) (from the 'Fields To Use' List) | |
| Exclude all fields |
To change the order that fields are inserted into your application, simply select a field and use the up and down arrows to the right of the 'Fields To Use' fields list to move the selected field up or down the list. Repeat this until you have positioned all fields in the order that you wish them to be inserted. You can also simply type them in a different order when typing the address in your application and Postcode will automatically re-order them for you.
Completing the Process
Once you have typed the address and clicked the Done button, you
will be presented with the following final options to complete the
setup:
Robot needs to know what to do in the case that an address has gaps missing, e.g. an address which does not have a locality present. In most cases you will leave this as the default 'Leave blank lines' setting. However, in some cases you may wish to remove the blank lines, by moving the each address field up to fill the gaps, e.g. with a Word Processor. You might alternatively wish to only remove blank lines between a range of fields such as the Street down to the Town, but you have a fixed Postcode field so you always want that to remain in the same place.
Once you are happy with this you can click the Finish button and your setting will be saved and you can now use Insert and Robot with your application. Simply type a postcode into your application to see it work! If the result isn't as expected you can re-run the Wizard to set it up again.
Once you select to 'Tell AFD Robot How', you can use the Back and Next buttons on each screen to go through the setup process.
The steps of the wizard are as follows:
Here you select the window title of your application. This is used by Postcode to identify the application so that both Insert and Robot can use these settings when asked to insert into your application. The window title is the text that appears in the main blue window title bar of your application. This text should always be in the window title, and so should not necessarily be the complete title. For example, you might find Word has a title bar of 'Document 1 - Microsoft Word', however when you save your file it could, for example, change to 'MyDoc.doc - Microsoft Word'. Therefore by setting the Application Window Title to 'Microsoft Word' you will ensure that Postcode can always recognise your application. If your application is running when you run the Wizard you should find your application title is listed in the drop down list box provided. Postcode will attempt to remove known document titles leaving only the application name, however if it has not you should alter the title yourself.
The options provided below allow you to specify a name for your application if desired. Normally you can leave the first option to 'Use the application window title above to identify these settings' as the Application Window Title will be the name of the application. However in some cases the windows title text might be obscure so you might prefer to choose to enter a more friendly application name. This name doesn't affect the Insert or Robot process itself, however it might be useful to specify a name for the application so that you will easily recognise it should you need to manually alter settings with the advanced setup.
From this screen you can configure a number of different options for your application:
The options given are as follows:
Your application is most like a...
This enables the Wizard to work out the most likely set of options for your application, making the subsequent steps of the wizard easier. You simply take the application type that most closely matches your application. If none of these are that close, then just take the one which seems closest, as you can always customise the setup anyway to match your application. The application categories supplied are as follows:
- Wordprocessor / Envelope Label: This is an application like Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, were the address is entered down the page with each address line (e.g. Street, Locality, Town, etc.) on a new line. Or any application you are using to print a label for an envelope or the address portion of an envelope itself. The address is transferred down the label with each field on a new line.
- Database / Form Entry: This refers to an application like Microsoft Access where fields in a table or form are used to enter the address. Or any application with separate boxes were you would enter each address field. TAB is used to move between the fields..
- Spreadsheet: This is an application like Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3, were the address is entered in columns for each address field and TAB is used to move between the fields.
Keystrokes to move between each field or line in your application
This setting specifies the keystrokes to be used to move between fields in your application. The default will be dependant on the type of application you selected as being most like the one you are setting up now. In most cases this won't need to be changed.To change or enter keystrokes in either text box you can make use of Postcode's powerful keyboard Macro language. Simply click the button labelled '...' to the right of the appropriate text box to be presented with an easy to use dialogue for specifying the keystrokes:
Clicking on any item in the list of possible keystrokes will add the selected item to the keystrokes to use text box. You can also type any normal keyboard key, for example letters, numbers in that box yourself. When you have entered the relevant keystroke's you can press OK to update the text field in the Wizard.
If you need to press a key with the Alt, Ctrl or Shift keys also pressed down you can check the boxes for this in the Wizard dialog, or alternatively you can select the symbols for this from the end of the keystrokes list on the keystrokes dialogue to apply them to the following keystroke.
To specify repeating keys, use the form {key number}. You must put a space between key and number. For example, {LEFT 4} means press the Left Arrow key 4 times; {TAB 3} means press the Tab key 3 times.
If you need more complex settings, such as different keystrokes between different fields, or need to use a mouse click because no key shortcut is available to move to a particular field, then this can be altered from the Advanced Setup once you have completed the Wizard.
Use with Robot
This specifies if your application is going to be used with Robot or not. Regardless of this setting, your settings will work with Insert, which is where you lookup the address in Postcode, select it and then select the application from the Insert menu to insert the address (or press F2 to insert into the last used application again). Robot functionality allows you to type the postcode directly into your application and then insert the full address without having to use Postcode directly first. This option is enabled by default, if you have no need for Robot functionality or if you are entering postcodes in your application and not wanting Robot triggered when you do so then you can opt not to use Robot with your application.Use with Robot Fast Find
This specifies if your application is going to to be used with Robot Fast Find or not. Robot Fast Find enables you to enter address details to be looked up directly from your application when you do not have the postcode. For example typing #Commercial Street, Birmingham# into your application will give you the four postcodes for that address to choose from. You can then choose the correct one and insert it into your application. Please note that as Postcode does not contain property data there is no way of knowing which postcode is the correct one for your address, but if it could help choose between possibilities where a postcode is hard to read on a handwritten note, and some streets do only have a single postcode. You can also lookup a postcode this way, e.g. #B1 1AA#, which could be useful should you need to enter postcodes without looking them up sometimes so the normal robot functionality is not suitable for you. In that case you can say no to 'Use with Robot' but yes to 'Use with Robot Fast Find' - that way Robot would only be triggered when you enter the postcode surrounded by the # symbol.Use without prompting where possible
Normally when you type a Postcode in your application, Robot will prompt you before inserting the address back into your application. However, if you would prefer Robot to do this automatically wherever possible, you can select this option and you will only be prompted if there is more than one possible street address for the postcode you enter.How many fields or lines are there for address entry?
This specifies how many fields (boxes) or lines there are for address entry into your application. If you are inserting into a Wordprocessor, an envelope label, or other free text application you should leave this as unlimited unless the address has to fit into a certain number of fields. If you have enough fields to cover all lines of the address that you will be inserting, then again it can be left as unlimited. Should you have a limited number of lines for address entry, for example because you are inserting into an existing application or database that you can't modify to fit the address, then specifying this will enable Postcode to ensure the address fits in the number of fields that your application has.On this screen you can specify the fields that you wish to be inserted into your application when you use Insert or Robot. The default fields are those from Street through to Postcode, the address data provided by Postcode. If you specified less than 5 fields for address entry on the previous screen, the Postal County will not be included as it is not a required address field. You can add and remove any fields you require and if you have specified that you have less fields then you have mapped Postcode will attempt to fit them all in. You may wish to map Organisation and Property if your application has those fields as while Postcode does not contain that data you can enter it in Postcode yourself of comma separate it with the postcode with Robot (e.g. entering AFD Software Ltd,IM8 1RF).
Standard/Special Fields
Under the 'Available Fields' caption there are options to view the Standard or Special fields. This changes the list displayed below. You can mix and match these fields by adding fields from either one to the 'Fields To Use' list. The standard fields are the normal Postcode fields including the current County option. The special fields are more advanced fields including the raw PAF style dependant thoroughfare and thoroughfare fields (this is the street split into two fields if there are two street names in the address), etc., the rest of the county field types, and the outcode and incode portions of the postcode (the part before and after the space respectively). These are useful for applications that store addresses in such formats.Transferring fields to/from the 'Fields To Use' List
You can easily transfer fields to and from the 'Fields To Use' list by using the arrow buttons between the two lists. These are used as follows:
Include all fields Include the selected field(s) (from the 'Available Fields' List) Remove the selected field(s) (from the 'Fields To Use' List) Exclude all fields Changing the Order that Fields are Inserted
To change the order that fields are inserted into your application, simply select a field and use the up and down arrows to the right of the 'Fields To Use' fields list to move the selected field up or down the list. Repeat this until you have positioned all fields in the order that you wish them to be inserted.After the fields to transfer stage you will be informed that you have completed the setup of the application and Postcode is ready to store your settings for your application. Clicking on the Finish button will save your settings and you can now start to use Postcode with your application using Insert (select your application from the Insert menu once you have located the address to insert in Postcode), or Robot (type the postcode directly into your application).
Should you wish to review any of your settings before saving them, use the Back button to navigate back through the previous Wizard screens.
If you need to modify the settings for your application, or you find it doesn't quite work as you require it to, then simply select 'Insert / Robot Settings' from the File menu again, but this time select 'Advanced Setup' to modify your settings. Full details of the Advanced Setup is given in the section below.
Insert and Robot Advanced Setup
For speed of setup, it is recommended that the Insert and Robot Wizard is used first to configure an application for use with the Insert and Robot features of Postcode. If you need to change anything with your settings or you have more advanced requirements, either due to how you wish the address to be inserted or because of the way the application is laid out, you can then use the Advanced Setup to modify your settings accordingly and use more advanced features that the Wizard may not include. You can also setup an application for scratch if desired using the Advanced Setup.
To configure an application to work with Postcode using the Advanced Setup elect the 'Insert / Robot Setup' option from the File menu. Then on the first Wizard screen select the 'Advanced Setup' button. The Advanced Setup screen will then appear:
Selecting your Application
The first thing to do is to select the application settings that you wish to modify. At the top left of this screen the 'Application' drop-down lists all the application settings present. You can use this to select the application you wish to modify. If you wish to add a New application without using the Wizard you can use the 'New' button to do this. The 'Remove' button can be used to delete a setting if required. If you do select the New button the following dialogue will appear:
Here you select the window title of your application. This is used by Postcode to identify the application so that both Insert and Robot can use these settings when asked to insert into your application. The window title is the text that appears in the main blue window title bar of your application. This text should always be in the window title, and so should not necessarily be the complete title. For example, you might find Word has a title bar of 'Document 1 - Microsoft Word', however when you save your file it could, for example, change to 'MyDoc.doc - Microsoft Word'. Therefore by setting the Application Window Title to 'Microsoft Word' you will ensure that Postcode can always recognise your application. If your application is running when you press the New button you should find your application title is listed in the drop down list box provided. Postcode will attempt to remove known document titles leaving only the application name, however if it has not you should alter the title yourself.
The options provided below allow you to specify a name for your application if desired. Normally you can leave the first option to 'Use the application window title above to identify these settings' as the Application Window Title will be the name of the application. However in some cases the windows title text might be obscure so you might prefer to choose to enter a more friendly application name. This name doesn't affect the Insert or Robot process itself, however it might be useful to specify a name for the application so that you will easily recognise it when altering the application settings.
The last item allows you to select existing settings to use as a starting point. You can choose not to use any (select, '(None)', the first item from the drop down list), but it is usually easier to use something as a starting point rather than starting from a blank set of settings. You should therefore use one from the most similar application listed.
Changing Field Mappings
Field Mappings are shown in the light yellow boxes under the heading 'Fields'. You can drag and drop fields from the 'Postcode Fields' list on the right to this list. Items can also be dragged off the list back to the 'Postcode Fields' list if you wish to remove them. Multiple Postcode fields can be dragged to a single Field in your application if required.Above the Postcode Field's List you will see there are options to display Standard or Special fields. This option changes the list displayed below. You can mix and match these fields by adding fields from either one to the 'Fields To Use' list. The standard fields are the normal Postcode fields including the current County option. The special fields are more advanced fields including the raw PAF style dependant thoroughfare and thoroughfare fields (this is the street split into two fields if there are two street names in the address), etc., the rest of the county field types, and the outcode and incode portions of the postcode (the part before and after the space respectively). These are useful for applications that store addresses in such formats.
Before and After Keystrokes/Mouse Clicks
To the left and right of each field respectively, you can specify the keystrokes that are required before and/or after the Field has been entered into the application. If a keyboard shortcut or keystroke is not available to move a particular field, you can also configure AFD Postcode to use a mouse click instead as long as the window is not scrollable - e.g. a website where the position to click might vary. Prior to the first field you may wish to enter any Before keystrokes or a mouse click that is needed to take you to the first field in the application to start inserting from,. This is especially useful if the application may not be in the correct field when Insert is used or if the postcode is not going to be entered in the first address field with Robot.The keystrokes are specified using our fully flexible macro language. To easily select keystrokes to use for this, click the '...' button next to the Before or After field you are entering keystrokes for. The following dialog will then be displayed:
Clicking on any item in the list of possible keystrokes will add the selected item to the keystrokes to use text box. You can also type any normal keyboard key, for example letters, numbers in that box yourself. When you have entered the relevant keystroke's you can press OK to update the text field on the Advanced Setup screen.
If you need to press a key with the Alt, Ctrl or Shift keys also pressed down you can select the symbols for this from the end of the keystrokes list on the keystrokes dialogue to apply them to the keystroke following the symbol.
To specify repeating keys, use the form {key number}. You must put a space between key and number. For example, {LEFT 4} means press the Left Arrow key 4 times; {TAB 3} means press the Tab key 3 times.
Should you need to use a mouse click instead, simply select the 'Mouse Click' option:
From here you can click the 'Set A New Position' button and then click in the field in your application that you wish to move to and AFD Postcode will record this for you. It is advisable to click in the middle of the field rather then near the edge.
Specifying Upper Case Fields
For most address fields (but not for data expected always in capital letters - like Postcodes), Postcode will attempt to provide properly capitalised fields.If you prefer for one or more fields to be inserted only in Capital Letters, check the Case check box to the right of the After keystrokes box for the field(s) that you wish to Insert that field in upper case. A Royal Mail approved address prints the Town field in this format - though many typists prefer not to use this format when typing letters.
Line Squeeze
The 'Line Squeeze' option at the top of the dialogue applies to all fields mapped. If this option is enabled, Postcode will not insert any blank lines in the address (i.e. not even the Before or After keystrokes will be used). This is useful for inserting the address for things such as labels where blank lines aren't desirable. For formatted address entry, e.g. into a database, it is better not to use this functionality as address consistency can be more important.Should you wish to squeeze groups of fields, for example you have a fixed Town and Postcode field but you wish to squeeze together the fields above that, then you can check the 'Squeeze' option to the left of the yellow field mappings text field for the consecutive fields that you wish to squeeze together. However many fields are mapped in the space to the right of those in the Squeeze group will be inserted into the number of fields that have Squeeze checked.
Additional Options
More advanced settings to allow complete flexibility over the way Insert and Robot work which you may require can be found by pressing the 'Additional Options' button at the top right of the Advanced Setup screen. This will present you with the following dialogue:
Window Titles Associated with this Application
Normally only a single window title will be associated with an Application. This is the one you specified when you added the application using the Wizard or the New button on the Advanced Setup screen. In some cases however, such as that shown above which is the WP setting used for multiple word processors, you may wish to have multiple window titles associated with a single application setting. These can be added by using the 'Add' button from this screen. The Edit and Remove buttons also allow you to Edit and Remove window titles as required.Settings for the Selected Window Title
These settings allow you to specify options for each window title associated with this application. Where there is only one window title these are the application settings, however when multiple titles exist such as that shown above, you can specify differing settings for each title if desired. The settings given here are as follows:
Use with Robot
This specifies if your application is going to be used with Robot or not. Regardless of this setting, your settings will work with Insert, which is where you lookup the address in Postcode, select it and then select the application from the Insert menu to insert the address (or press F2 to insert into the last used application again). Robot functionality allows you to type the postcode directly into your application and then insert the full address without having to use Postcode directly first. This option is enabled by default, if you have no need for Robot functionality or if you are entering postcodes in your application and not wanting Robot triggered when you do so then you can opt not to use Robot with your application.Use with Robot Fast Find
This specifies if your application is going to to be used with Robot Fast Find or not. Robot Fast Find enables you to enter address details to be looked up directly from your application when you do not have the postcode. For example typing #Commercial Street, Birmingham# into your application will give you the four postcodes for that address to choose from. You can then choose the correct one and insert it into your application. Please note that as Postcode does not contain property data there is no way of knowing which postcode is the correct one for your address, but if it could help choose between possibilities where a postcode is hard to read on a handwritten note, and some streets do only have a single postcode. You can also lookup a postcode this way, e.g. #B1 1AA#, which could be useful should you need to enter postcodes without looking them up sometimes so the normal robot functionality is not suitable for you. In that case you can say no to 'Use with Robot' but yes to 'Use with Robot Fast Find' - that way Robot would only be triggered when you enter the postcode surrounded by the # symbol. You can also change the # symbol to one more suitable for your application or convenient for you if desired.Use Robot without prompting where possible
Normally when you type a Postcode in your application, Robot will prompt you before inserting the address back into your application. However, if you would prefer Robot to do this automatically wherever possible, you can select this option and you will only be prompted if there is more than one possible street address for the postcode you enter.Settings for the Selected Application
These settings cover the whole application, regardless of if multiple window titles are selected. They are advanced options that you may wish to use to customise the way Postcode inserts data into your application. The settings given here are as follows:
Split Fields at Commas for this application
This option is useful with fields that have been squeezed. It will separate fields which have comma's in them (e.g. a dependant street like 'Newhall Court, George Street') onto two separate lines. You may prefer this for labels or for entry into your application. We don't generally recommend this feature as it means your address will not be in such a consistent format (for example the second street in one address could be in the same place as a locality in another).Use separate settings for Insert and Robot
If enabled this option will separate the settings for Insert and Robot for this application. Normally the settings that Postcode will use for both Insert and Robot are the same for the same application. However if you need to have differing settings for each one you can do this, simply by selecting this option. When you click OK and go back to the Advanced Setup screen you will then see an option at the bottom left of that screen to switch between the settings for Insert and Robot for the application. They will default to being the same but as you make changes to one it will not affect the other.Enable Field Length Limits
This option is designed for applications with small field lengths. It allows you to specify the maximum length of each field you wish to Insert. If the field exceeds this length then Postcode will automatically use the most common abbreviations to try and reduce it's length to minimise truncation of the field. When you enable this option and click OK to go back to the Advanced Setup screen you will see a Length box has been added to specify this length for each field. A value of 0 means the field will be unlimited in length, otherwise you can specify the number of characters that the field can take.Default Application Settings
These settings do not affect the application settings currently being modified, but tell Postcode what to use if no settings has been specified for a particular application that is used, they are also the settings used for determining display options in Postcode itself where needed. You can select the Default settings from the drop-down here. You can also specify if these settings will be used as the default for Inserting, if this is not enabled then Postcode will not Insert into any application that does not have settings specified for it. The setting to use the default when using Robot Fast Find also allows Robot Fast Find to be used with any application by using these default settings.
Postcode can pass information to and from another Windows program through Dynamic Data Exchange - even if the application has no programming or 'macro' language. Before DDE can operate properly, you must tell Postcode about the program you wish to have a DDE 'conversation' with - using the DDE Tab on the Postcode Property window.
To set the DDE Properties, launch the Postcode Properties window from the File menu Properties option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+R).
The first two settings - Application and Topic tell Postcode about the program you wish to establish a DDE conversation with - and the information should be provided in the documentation of that program. You will see that when Postcode is installed, it is set up for use with Symantec's ACT v3 contact manager program.
Postcode offers 12 fields of data available for a DDE conversation - and these are listed in the list box. For each field which you require, select the field, check-mark the 'Enable for DDE' checkbox, and provide the DDE 'Item Name' for that field.
Note: The 'Item Name' is the name recognised by your program for the Postcode field - e.g. the 'Postcode' field may be known as 'ZipCode' to your program and your program's documentation should provide the 'Item Name' for you.
Once you have established the DDE settings, you can start a DDE conversation by loading your program, then selecting the View menu Icon for DDE option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+D). This launches a special icon-sized Postcode DDE window, which can be positioned so that it appears to be a tool-bar button on your chosen DDE program. To move the button, click and hold down the RIGHT mouse button, then drag the DDE Icon into position before releasing the mouse button. Postcode will remember this position the next time the DDE Icon is used.
To read data FROM your chosen program, simply enter the data in the required fields within that program, then click the DDE Icon with the LEFT mouse button. Postcode will examine the data provided by your program and look up the address for you. For more complex searches, consider using 'Cut & Paste' or 'Drag & Drop' to instruct Postcode what you wish to search for.
Once Postcode has listed results of a Lookup or Search (whether the data was 'collected' from your program using DDE or typed directly into Postcode), you can transfer an address back to your program by double-clicking its entry in the Results List. Using this technique along with your program's Insert New Record facility will also allow you to transfer many addresses from Postcode to your program, and so build up a mailing list.
You can also use Iconised DDE Mode from the View menu, which works by taking the postcode or search you entered (Please Note: you will need to enter a $ in the postcode field of your application to specify a reverse search) and silently inserting back the first address record into the fields configured for DDE.
Application Programming Interface (API)
Full access to all the data within Postcode is available to programmers
through the API. This means that for developers - and even for users
of programs like Microsoft Access, etc, postcode lookups can be entirely
automatic and invisible.
Using the API will require programming ability - but AFD supply fully working
examples (with free source code showing how this can be done) in a variety
of popular programming languages - like Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, Delphi
and C/C++.
For more details, see the section on the Postcode
API
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