AFD Postcode® Plus provides a comprehensive link to the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF®) to unleash the power of the postcode. It can speed up the entry of address information into other programs, look up addresses (even if only badly spelled fragments are known) and provide a wealth of additional information linked to the postcode – like grid references, NHS and Ward codes, numbers of delivery points, multiple households, delivery point suffix (DPS) and Mailsort codes. It can also give a guide to the STD code for most postcodes.
If you have ‘grubby’ address data, or you don’t know a postcode, Postcode Plus helps by looking up an address – even from small fragments – even if you’re not sure of the spelling.
AFD Software provides many ways to incorporate its powerful fast addressing features with other programs. In DOS there is a command-line program which can be used to return address information to a file from the parameters passed to it which your program can then use, or you may use one of our examples to help you to program the features into your application. In Windows, the stand-alone AFD Postcode Plus program can be used for simple look-ups, or to squirt data into other programs. It can also provide Dynamic Data Exchange for other programs, or you can use our powerful Dynamic Link Library if your application has a suitable programming language.
AFD Postcode Plus has the facility to show the location of the selected address on a 1:200,000 scale map which includes facilities to move around the map, measure distances, zoom in and out, as well as the ability to transfer the map image which is being displayed to other applications. Postcode Plus also provides a nearest locator facility.
AFD Postcode Plus also includes ROBOT® technology which allows integration of Postcode Plus into other applications with no programming required and we don’t even need to recognise your application! Simply type the postcode and AFD Postcode Plus does the rest and brings back the full address with or without prompting!
The Occupancy field provided with Postcode Plus gives an indication of if a particular postcode contains residential properties, organisations, or a mixture of both. The Advanced Type field provides you an indication of the property types found on that Postcode (e.g. numbered, named etc.)
Download our evaluation installer here.
Postcode Plus is installed automatically by the installation program and all files are placed in the correct folders. Some information from your License Certificate will be required during installation, so you are advised to have this to hand:
Place the AFD Compact Disc in your drive then from the Task Bar, select Start – Run, then type d:\PCPLUS and click OK
… where ‘d:’ is the drive letter of your CD-Rom drive – usually D:
Follow the instructions and provide the information requested by the installation program.
The installation will create menu entries for Postcode Plus. These will include entries or icons for Postcode Plus, the Welcome program, and for various help and information documents and program examples.
The evaluation version of the program contains a restricted set of data, covering about a quarter of Birmingham postcodes only. You will find the two postcodes “B6 4AA” and “B11 1AA” especially useful as they appear in all versions of AFD Postcode and Postcode Plus. B6 4AA shows a large-user (single address) postcode with Street data but no Locality, B11 1AA has multiple addresses and both Street and Locality.
On new installations, Postcode Plus will operate in a special mode, giving full access to data, for about two weeks. To register and fully activate your copy of the program, run the Postcode Plus ‘Welcome’ program.
The evaluation version of the program contains only a limited set of data, and does not require registration.
A copy of the ‘Welcome’ program is supplied to simplify the process of Registration and activation of your program license. To register your copy of Postcode Plus, you will also need the information printed on the ‘License Certificate’ supplied with your program.
To register, run the ‘Welcome’ program:
From the Task Bar select Start – Programs – AFD Postcode Plus – Welcome
Select your required registration method and follow the instructions on screen to activate your software.
You can also register via a browser on another computer by visiting:
https://www.afd.co.uk/registrations
and simply transfer the information to/from this machine.
If you need personal assistance with the registration process, you may call our HelpDesk on 01624 811712, Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm (except holidays).
The AFD range of software is carefully designed to be easy to use, and trouble free. Every product goes through an intensive testing process on every operating system we support. It is a credit to the team who develop and maintain AFD products that they work “out of the box” in tens of thousands of installations, and we receive surprisingly few customer support requests.
Nevertheless, customers do occasionally have difficulties with new or complex installations, new programming projects – or as a result of system damage such as virus attacks: so AFD has provided a friendly, efficient Technical Support service to ensure that everyone can get the maximum benefit from their AFD system.
AFD Technical Support is a free, unlimited service for everyone who is evaluating or using our products. Our team will help you with any aspect of the installation, configuration, programming or use of any of the AFD range of software. We’ll even do our best to help and advise with difficulties you’re having with software not our own – so long as it relates to the use of an AFD product.
Unfortunately, we cannot help with other hardware or software products.
The HelpDesk is manned Monday – Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm each weekday except holidays:
We won’t waste your time and money in a hold system: if all our operators are busy you will be transferred to our purpose built call-handling system. Please leave a message giving as many details of your problem as possible, plus your name, telephone number and product serial number if you have one. One of our qualified engineers will aim to return your call within 15 minutes – but no later than within the hour at exceptionally busy times.
Address data is constantly changing as a result of property redevelopment, business moves and the increasing trend towards the automation of mail delivery. To ensure that you get the maximum benefit from your investment in AFD Postcode programs, you should ensure that the data you are using is as up-to-date as possible.
AFD have invested in state-of-the-art technology to provide you with the best possible address data within our programs. Taking Royal Mail data direct and converting it ready for release to our customers in just three days, means that AFD Data is often weeks and sometimes months more up-to-date than data from other sources.
Four data updates are issued each year – usually in January, April, July and October – subject to Royal Mail delivery.
Make sure that you place your order so that each optional data update is sent to you as soon as it is prepared – or join the POP scheme so that all costs of Data Licenses, Program and Data Updates are covered in one modest standing order payment and shipped automatically when available.
Postcode Plus is a very powerful address lookup system, and there are many different ways to harness it. Typically, Postcode Plus can help in the following ways:
From the Task Bar, select Start – Programs – AFD Postcode Plus – Postcode Plus
Postcode Plus will display an information splash screen, then the Postcode Plus Main Window will be loaded. If you have used any Command Line Options, these may have customised the way in which Postcode Plus will load.
Most Postcode Plus operations take place from the Main Window, and the method of operating the program will be familiar to Windows users, as the controls conform to Windows standards.
The Main Window consists of the following parts:
Use the menu to store and retrieve settings, print labels, change editing and viewing options, insert addresses into other programs, use advanced features of the Nearest Facility – or use the on-line Help system.
Most rapid address entry or address lookups can be carried out from this single box – enter your request, and click the Lookup Button.
The Tabs allow you to enter more complex search requests, view address data in different ways, or use the Nearest feature.
Address lookup and search results are displayed in the list. Click on a result to see more information on one of the Tabs.
At the ‘Find’ box you may enter a simple lookup request, yet powerful search facilities are available to you – so most address lookups can be done here.
Enter your lookup request, then click the Lookup button – use the shortcut key [Alt]+L – or simply press [Enter]. If your lookup request ends in a postcode this is detected, and AFD Postcode Plus will automatically carry out a lookup for you without the need to click Lookup.
Note that only the Lookup Button can be used with the Find Box – the Search Button is used with other searches on the Search Tab.
For the fastest results, with minimum typing, enter a postcode, with some information – such as an organisation name or building which makes it unique.
Entering a postcode such as:
'B6 7HS' Returns multiple businesses to look through
'Royal Mail, B6 4AA' Returns just one
AFD Fast Find also works when you don’t include the comma and deals with simple misspellings.
Clicking on the down arrow to the right of the Lookup box allows you to select any of your last 25 Lookups. After selecting one, make any modifications necessary, and then click on the Lookup button.
Where you are not sure of the postcode, Postcode Plus can easily find addresses from other delivery information – including Organisation Name, Property, Street Address and most STD Codes:
Valid entries include:
| Entry | Example |
|---|---|
| Postcode only | B6 7HS |
| Postcode with | Royal Mail, B6 4AA |
| Delivery information | Blyth Hall Farm,b462af |
| Organisation | Asda Asda, B14 7BW |
| Organisation & Town | Boots,Halesowen |
| Property | The Cottage, B46 3BL 28, B3 1PW |
| Property & Town | Alpha Tower, Birmingham |
| Street Address | 22 Suffolk Street |
| Street Address & Town | 41 High Street, SUTTON COLDFIELD |
| Street Address & Partial Postcode | 2 WALSALL ROAD,B42 |
| UDPRN (Unique Delivery Point Reference Number) | 00464355 |
Click the Lookup Button or press the [Enter] key and Postcode Plus will look up the request you’ve entered. You will see from the examples above, that Postcode Plus is quite tolerant of how spaces are used and whether capital or lower case letters are used.
Postcode Plus will detect postcodes or phone numbers which have been re-coded and will convert them to their replacement postcode or phone number before looking up and displaying the results.
For many address lookups, especially for common addresses, it will help to provide slightly more information, by including a comma, then (in order of preference) Post Town, Locality or County.
| Organisation | Pizza Hut,Bradford |
| Property | Abbey Mill, Hampshire |
| Street Address | 21 High Street, Bromley |
AFD’s Fast Find helps you find the correct address by attempting to spot simple typing errors in the address you enter as well as detecting non comma-separated fields and inserting the delimiters for you when carrying out the lookup. For example, the following lookups will all return results from the ‘Find’ box:
| Example | Notes |
|---|---|
| Royal Mail B6 4AA | Missing comma between Organisation name and Postcode |
| 4 b47lg | Missing comma between house number and Postcode |
| Comercil Street Birmingham | Missing comma between street name and town name and corrected spelling of ‘Commercial Street’. |
| Divad Street | Mis-spelt ‘David’. After looking for possible matches returns approximate matches. |
| BI ZAA | Mis-typed postcode. BI corrected to B1 and ZAA corrected to 2AA to lookup: B1 2AA |
Fast Find is optimised to ensure that the required match is not obscured by approximations. Therefore if an entry correctly matches an address or the address could be correct but not in PAF then non-exact matches will not be returned. If you cannot find the address you require you should check the spelling or, if taken over the phone, ask it to be spelt out to you if the postcode is unknown. Fast Find works to help reduce the amount of manual checking needed. Please note that Fast Find is always faster when the delimiters (commas are included in the find string specified).
Possible match types, shown in the Postcode Plus status bar, used by the Fast Find feature are as follows:
Postcode Plus contains support for alias localities. These are localities which are not part of the postal address but may be given as part of an address and so can be used to help find addresses were the postcode is unknown. For example a lookup of “Clay Lane, Gilbertstone’ will find Clay Lane in Birmingham which is in the Gilbertstone locality. Gilbertstone itself is not part of the correct address. It should be noted that these localities are only known to sector level, and so some address may be returned which are not in the locality searched for. As these alias localities are not part of the correct PAF address and the correct one for a particular address is not known they cannot be included as part of the address returned, however you can view all the localities in the same sector as the selected address by switching on the ‘Alias Localities’ option from the Postcode Plus ‘View’ menu.
For even better results, and faster performance, Postcode Plus has a series of special control codes which help with lookups and searches:
| Code | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| $ | $Meadow Foot Rd | ‘SOUNDS LIKE’ – used when spelling is uncertain. |
| *…* | *Nursing Home* | Search for fields containing the enclosed words, ignoring any spaces. |
| +…+ | +Nursing Home+ | Search for fields containing the enclosed words, obeying any spaces. |
| * | *Nursing Home | Search for fields ending in the words specified, ignoring any spaces. |
| + | +Nursing Home | Search for fields ending in the words specified, obeying any spaces. |
Postcode Plus is able to interpret most lookup requests correctly – and deliver the information you require without any special help. Some address information may, however, be ambiguous – and present in several different parts of addresses. To assist in these cases – and to speed up many lookups where Postcode Plus would otherwise have to find the address you are looking for by trial-and-error – a series of directive codes is provided.
| Directive | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| O= | O=Royal Bank | Forces lookup as an Organisation |
| P= | P=Gigg Lane | Forces lookup as a Property |
| S= | S=Jacoby Place | Forces lookup as a Street |
| L= | L=Aston | Forces lookup as a Locality |
| T= | T=Birmingham | Forces lookup as a Town |
The above examples, along with several others, are available from a special Examples List window, which displays when Postcode Plus is first run – or is available from the View menu (or by pressing [Ctrl]+X). To try out any example in the list, simply double-click it.
The examples help illustrate the types of lookups available in Postcode Plus – including most of the examples quoted in this section of the manual
The Edit menu offers a ‘Skip to Next Sector’ option. This suppresses the display of more than one record within each sector and can dramatically reduce the number of records to be examined in some types of Lookup or Search.
A ‘Postcode Sector’ is defined by the number just after the space in a postcode – thus ‘B11 1’ is one sector ‘B11 2’ the next.
You can drag text from other Windows programs – like Microsoft Word – and drop it onto the Find Box. Postcode Plus will automatically Lookup the text you dropped – which can be in any of the formats supported by the Find Box.
When Postcode Plus finds results for your lookup or search, it places them in the Results List at the bottom of the Main Window. Simply click an entry in the Results List to see full details of the record on the Results Tab.
Using the Results List
Double-Clicking a result in the Results List can automatically Insert an address or (if View Icon for DDE is check-marked) pass the address through DDE to another program.
Please note: In order for Auto-Insert to operate, it will be necessary for the first Insert to have been carried out from the Insert menu so that the target program for other Insert actions is established.
Lookups and Searches are limited to a set number of results. You can change this limit from the Edit – Search Quantity menu (or press [Ctrl]+Q). The search quantity is limited only by limits imposed by your operating system.
Postcode-only lookups are not constrained by the search quantity.
Changing the Search Quantity
To cancel a Lookup or Search simply click the Cancel button or press the [Esc] key. Note that Postcode Plus can only respond to a cancel instruction once its initialisation of the Lookup or Search action is completed – this may take a few seconds.
Although Postcode Plus can find most addresses using the Find Box and Lookup button, there are times when a more complex search is required – or where you wish to search on other fields. These are available on the Search Tab (shortcut key [Alt]+[1]).
Using the Search Tab
You may enter as many search parameters as you wish – and they will be used in combination – but beware! Most problems in finding addresses result from giving TOO MUCH information rather than too little. Try to use no more than two or three parameters until you are confident with the process.
Please note that the UDPRN (Unique Delivery Point Reference Number) field can only be searched on it’s own (not in conjunction with the other fields). This number is unique to an individual address and therefore there is no need to use any other search parameters with this field.
Note that the AFD Just Built™ field, which provides an indication that a property is likely to be a new build, contains the quarter number that the property came onto AFD Postcode Plus.. This number is expressed in the form XXYY where XX is the last two digits of the year and YY is the quarter number (1-4), e.g. 0604 means it was introduced in Q.4/06.
When you have entered your Search request, click the Search Button or use the shortcut key [Alt]+S.
Note that the Lookup Button and the shortcut key [Ctrl]+L only work with the Find Box – and cannot be used with Searches from the Search Tab.
Postcode Plus can easily lookup addresses within a set linear distance of a grid-reference point. To do this, you must supply at least three pieces of information – the Grid Easting, Northing, and a radial distance. Since few people will know a Grid Easting and Northing, the Lookup button (‘…’) next to Grid East can look up a postcode and return its Grid Easting and Northing (if any) to the Search Tab – so that you can then simply add a radial range in either kilometres or miles.
If a Grid Reference Easting & Northing is specified on the Search Tab, Postcode Plus will return the Linear distance from the reference point for each address record in the search.
Grid references are not available for some postcodes- especially PO boxes which are not geographic delivery points. No Grid references are currently available for Isle of Man or Channel Islands postcodes but in view of their small geographical area, nominal figures have been supplied for the Grid References to enable these to be plotted – and linear distances calculated.
You can also manually enter a grid reference or latitude and longitude values on the Search tab. Please note that grid references used must be on the British (not Irish) grid and latitude and longitude values must be in decimal format.
Click the Clear button at the base of the Main Window to clear all Search Fields, and any results – use Field-Clear (below) to clear just one or two fields.
To clear any individual field on the Search Tab, click the descriptive label to its left – eg to clear the ‘Organisation’ field, click the letters of the word ‘Organisation’ just to its left.
Enter the text you wish to search in the relevant Search text box, then click on the descriptive label to its left with the RIGHT mouse button to change the type of search. As you keep clicking, Postcode Plus cycles through the special search codes for you in the following order:
| Code | Action |
|---|---|
| (No Code) | Starts With ….. |
| $ | Sounds Like ….. |
| * | Ends With ….. |
| *….. * | Contains ….. (ignores spaces) |
| +….. + | Contains ….. (space dependent) |
As you select each of these, they will be shown in the message bar at the base of the Postcode Plus window.
To move text from one field to another – without re-typing it – hold down one of the [Shift] keys (usually marked with a hollow arrow pointing upwards). Then click and hold down the left mouse button on the field you wish to move (drag) text FROM – the cursor will turn into the shape of a hand with a pencil – now move to the field you wish to place the text in (keeping the mouse button down). Finally, release the mouse button to drop the text in the new field.
You can drag text from other Windows programs – like Microsoft Word – and drop it into the fields on the Search Tab.
The Edit menu offers a ‘Skip to Next Sector’ option. This suppresses the display of more than one record within each sector and can dramatically reduce the number of records to be examined in some types of Lookup or Search.
A ‘Postcode Sector’ is defined by the number just after the space in a postcode – thus ‘AB10 6’ is one sector ‘AB10 7’ the next.
Postcode Plus contains support for alias localities. These are localities which are not part of the postal address but may be given as part of an address and so can be used to help find addresses were the postcode is unknown. These can be included in a search by placing the locality name in the Locality search field. For example placing ‘Clay Lane’ in the Street field and ‘Gilbertstone’ in the locality field will find all addresses on the Street Clay Lane in Birmingham which is in the Gilbertstone locality. Gilbertstone itself is not part of the correct address. It should be noted that these localities are only known to sector level, and so some address may be returned which are not in the locality searched for. As these alias localities are not part of the correct PAF address and the correct one for a particular address is not known they cannot be included as part of the address returned, however you can view all the localities in the same sector as the selected address by switching on the ‘Alias Localities’ option from the Postcode Plus ‘View’ menu.
This tab is used to display the key parts of an address record found by Postcode Plus. It can be selected by clicking the tab – or use the [Alt]+2 keyboard shortcut.
Use the Edit menu “Editable Results” option if you wish to be able to change the data 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.
The county field displayed can be altered using the options on the Edit Menu. See Appendix G for more information regarding county options.
The fields containing non-address information (STD Code, Grid East and North, Mailsort and Latitude and Longitude) above can be customized to display any fields from the More Tab that you may wish to display. This allows you to easily view the information that you are interested in alongside the address. Simple click the down arrow to the right of the field name and you will be given a list of fields to choose from. For full details of each field, refer to the More Tab documentation.
To transfer any address field from the Results Tab to the equivalent field on the Search Tab, simply, click the descriptive label to its left – e.g. to transfer an ‘Organisation’ , click the letters of the word ‘Organisation’ just to its left.
You can drag text from the individual fields of the Results Tab and drop it into other Windows programs – like Microsoft Word.
Hold down one of the [Shift] keys (usually marked with a hollow arrow pointing upwards). Then click and hold down the left mouse button on the field you wish to move (drag) text FROM – the cursor will turn into a drag icon. Now move to the program you wish to place the text in (keeping the mouse button down). Finally, release the mouse button to drop the text in the new field.
It is possible to edit the data returned in the results field prior to insertion into your target application. Although this is not recommended it is available by using the Edit Menu Item “Editable Results”. By clicking this menu item you switch on editable results for the results tab and you can edit any field on that tab. If you set this feature to on it will remain on until you switch it off.
This tab is used to display less-commonly used Additional Information provided by Postcode Plus. It can be selected by clicking the tab – or use the [Alt]+[3] keyboard shortcut.
These fields are grouped into Tabs to organise the available data. If you have commonly used data items that you wish to see alongside the address you can configure Postcode Plus to display up to four of these fields on the Results Tab.
This tab includes the following data:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mailsort Code | The code is assigned by Royal Mail and used to sort mail for discounts. |
| TV Region | The TV Region (ISBA Region – not TV Company) the postcode falls into |
| Postcode Type | Indicates if this is a large or small user postcode. A large user postcode always contains a single organisation, a small user postcode is normally shared between a number of organisations and/or residential properties. |
| STD Code | An indication of the STD Code for the location that this postcode is in. Please note that STD Code boundaries do not follow address areas exactly and often multiple codes are found in the same area. Hence this is only an indication of the possible STD Code. |
| Households | Indicates the number of households sharing the same delivery point, e.g. if four flats within a house all share the same letter box this will be set to 4. |
| UDPRN | This is the Royal Mail Unique Delivery Point Reference Number assigned to an individual delivery point (address). Sometimes address details change, for example the postcode may change as the result of a recoding, or the building may be renamed, etc. The UDPRN for an address should stay constant when these changes occur. |
| AFD Just Built ™ | This provides an indication that a property is likely to be a new build. It contains the date that the property came onto AFD Postcode Plus. This number is expressed in the form YYYYMMDD, e.g. 20080614 means it was introduced On 14th June 2008. |
| Occupancy | This gives an indication of the type of occupants of properties found on the selected postcode. The possible values for this are as follows:
|
| Address Type | This gives an indication of the type of property level data you will need to capture to have the full address for properties on the selected postcode. The possible values for this are as follows:
|
Please refer to Appendix L for more information regarding the Occupancy and Address Type indicators in Postcode Plus.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grid East and North | A grid reference relating to the location of the postcode on the National Grid, or the Irish Grid for postcodes in Northern Ireland (starting BT). Please refer to Appendix C for more information regarding Grid References in Postcode Plus. |
| Distance | Specifies the Distance in Km or Miles from the specified grid reference when carrying out a radial search. |
| Latitude and Longitude | The corresponding latitude and longitude values for the given Grid Easting and Northing for this postcode. These are based on the WGS84 standard. |
| Urban/Rural Code | This is a code assigned to the output area for this postcode which indicates if it is in an area of mainly urban or rural properties and how sparsely populated those area’s are. Note that different codes are used for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Scottish codes are prefixed with an ‘S’ to distinguish them from those for England & Wales as they are both numeric. The possible codes are as follows: England & Wales A1 – Urban major conurbation: OA falls within a built-up area with a population of 10,000 or more and is assigned to the ‘major conurbation’ settlement category. The wider surrounding area is less sparsely populated; Scotland S1 – Large Urban Area: Settlement of over 125,000 people Northern Ireland A – Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area |
| Urban/Rural Name | This provides a description that corresponds to the urban rural code. |
| SOA Lower | Super Output Area Lower – Code useful for correlating data to statistical output from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). |
| SOA Middle | Super Output Area Middle – Code useful for correlating data to statistical output from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). |
| Sub Country | Indicates if the postcode falls within the boundary of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey |
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ward Code | Code identifying the electoral ward the postcode resides in |
| Ward Name | The name of the electoral ward the postcode resides in |
| Authority Code | Gives the code of the Local or Unitary Authority (which ever is relevant) this Postcode is contained in (Same as the start of the Ward Code) |
| Authority | Gives the name of the Local or Unitary Authority (which ever is relevant) this Postcode is contained in |
| EER Code | Provides the code of the European Electoral Region that this postcode falls into |
| EER Name | Provides the name of the European Electoral Region that this postcode falls into |
| LEA Code | Provides the code of the Local Education Authority that this postcode falls into |
| LEA Name | Provides the name of the Local Education Authority that this postcode falls into |
| Constituency Code | Code for the electoral Constituency the postcode falls into |
| Constituency | The electoral Constituency the postcode falls into |
| Devolved Constituency Code | Code for the Scottish Parliament Constituency the postcode falls into (where applicable) |
| Devolved Constituency | Name for the Scottish Parliament Constituency the postcode falls into (where applicable) |
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SHA Code | Strategic Health Authority Code. This is:
|
| SHA Area | Strategic Health Authority Name which corresponds to the SHA Code. |
| NHS Region Code | National Health Service Region Code (Regional Office – applies to England only). This is no longer in use by the NHS and the field will likely be removed. |
| NHS Region | National Health Service Region Name. This is no longer in use by the NHS and the field will likely be removed. |
| CCG Code | Clinical Commissioning Groups Code. This is:
|
| CCG Name | Clinical Commissioning Groups Name which corresponds to the CCG Code. |
Some of the fields on the this tab (e.g. the Grid reference fields) can also be used as part of a search (alone or in conjunction with the Search Tab). To include one of the Additional Information fields, simply enter the information, and click the check-box next to the field (or fields) you wish to use in searches.
You can drag text from the individual fields of the More Tab and drop it into other Windows programs – like Microsoft Word.
Hold down one of the [Shift] keys (usually marked with a hollow arrow pointing upwards). Then click and hold down the left mouse button on the field you wish to move (drag) text FROM – the cursor will turn into a dragging icon. Now move to the program you wish to place the text in (keeping the mouse button down). Finally, release the mouse button to drop the text in the new field.
This Tab (shortcut [Alt]+4) is used to display the selected address record in the form of an address label – ready to print with a barcode if you wish. You may even customise or add details to the label before printing. The box above the label address is used for typing an addressee name. You can drag the address and/or barcode to other Windows programs from this Tab.
Examples of label layouts are provided – use the drop-down combo box to choose a suitable format. You may adjust these, then use the Save button to store your changes – or add your own.
To create a new label layout, simply type a new name in the combo box, and then click the Save button. Tuning the label print to your own printer and labels or envelopes may require a bit of trial-and-error.
You may need to adjust the Bar Weight to suit your own printer. Typically, a 600 DPI laser will require a Bar Weight of 9, whilst the Smart Label printer requires a bar weight of 3.
Note that this Tab is designed for printing individual labels or envelopes – to print labels for larger selections of addresses – see the section on Printing Mailing Labels.
The Label Tab is also used to provide 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. A ‘dragging’ mouse cursor will appear. 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 graphics 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, but has been tested with Microsoft Word and a suitable printer. You should ensure that your target program and printer is set up to print the barcode to this specification.
The Map Tab (keyboard shortcut [Alt]+5) is used to display the approximate location of an address record on a 1:200,000 scale map for British, Channel Isles and Isle of Man addresses and a 1:500,000 scale map for Northern Irish addresses.
A postcode can be displayed on the on-screen map by clicking on the entry in the Results List underneath the Map Tab. The map will move with the location of that address at it’s centre.
Options are available from the ‘Map’ menu which is also accessible by right clicking on the map image.
Selecting ‘Detach’ from the ‘Map’ menu will open the Map in a separate resizable window, allowing a larger area of the map to be displayed at any one time (the UK outline map will be displayed on the Map tab). Selecting ‘Detach’ again will reattach it to the main window. All the functions available for the map on the main form also apply to the map when displayed in a detached window.
Simply holding down the left mouse button over the map image while dragging the mouse around, allows you to move around the map, the address selected will continue to be marked on the map itself, while it is visible. (Providing ‘Move or Crop’ is selected from the Map menu). You can only move around the map when you are viewing it full size (1:1).
Nearest locations from your Nearest database (see the Nearest tab) are displayed on the map as blue square boxes with a cross head through them. Moving your mouse over one of those locations will display a tool tip next to it showing it’s name. If you prefer not to see these locations displayed then deselect the ‘Display Nearest Locations’ option from the Map menu. Nearest distances are the linear distance between the two points so viewing the Nearest locations on the Map can help spot if the second nearest location might actually be quicker to get to when driving.
By default the Distance displayed underneath the map image on the Map tab is the distance from the point over which the mouse is placed to the selected address. To find the distance from any points visible on the map, or to draw out a series of lines to find a non-straight line distance to a location (e.g. following roads etc.) select the ‘Distance Measuring Line’ from the Map menu.
With this simply click the point at which you want the line to start and then click each subsequent point to measure out the distance. The accumulating distance is displayed below the Map image.
To finish drawing a line un-check the ‘Distance Measuring Line’ option from the Map menu or use the shortcut [Ctrl]+M. (Selecting it again will start a new line). Double-click on the Map to clear the line.
To return to the original mode in which you can move around the map, simply re-select ‘Move or Crop’ from the Map menu.
If you wish to view more detail on the map at one time, at the expense of seeing the detail you can select different view levels from the ‘Map’ menu. Zoom Levels 1:1 through to 1:5 are available. When the Map is not at it’s full size (1:1), the move function is not available due to the additional processing overheads needed to process the larger quantity of data.
Three methods are supplied for getting the Map images into other applications:
Simply hold down shift and the left mouse button and drag the map to any OLE Drag & Drop (bitmap image) supporting application such as Microsoft Word, Paint Shop Pro etc. The image is transferred as is displayed, so if you want the map zoomed out/in you can do this before transferring it and you can determine it’s size by detaching the window and resizing it as desired.
Select ‘Copy Map Image’ from the ‘Map’ menu to copy the currently displayed Map image to the clipboard ready to paste into any other Windows clipboard supporting (bitmap format). As with OLE Drag & Drop the image is transferred as it is displayed.
Programmers can get the data for Map images for a specified Grid Reference directly into their applications by using the AFD Utility DLL. See the API documentation for more details.
Please Note: You are licensed to use maps for each license of an AFD product you have on the desktop. You may not transfer map images to any third party or use them on the Internet. To gain licenses / access to data for other uses please contact Bartholomew directly on 01242 258 134 and mention AFD.
You can print maps to any printer setup in Windows using AFD Postcode Plus. Maps are printed in a standard format consisting of the address selected, a local map and a larger zoomed out map of the surrounding area. They are printed formatted for printing on A4 size paper in Portrait using the label settings from the Label tab. For more advanced printing use the methods above to transfer the image to another application for printing.
If you wish to see the location of a place on a miniature map of the British Isles, simply turn the detailed map off (Uncheck ‘Detailed Map’ from the ‘Map’ menu).
You can measure approximate distances using this map by using the distance line tool on this map.
No Grid References are available for postcodes in the Isle of Man (IM), Jersey (JE), or Guernsey (GY). Some other postcodes, such as PO Boxes, also do not have grid references available for them.
To allow these addresses to be shown on the Map, where no grid reference is available, Postcode Plus will use the grid reference for the centre of the locality or town that the address is in to allow it’s approximate position to be shown on the Map. These approximate values can also be used from Insert if selected from the Grid Reference options in Properties from the File menu. They are also accessible through the Utility DLL for developers.
See also the Appendix on Grid References.
The Nearest Tab (keyboard shortcut [Alt]+6) allows you to create and maintain lists of branch offices, regional centres or contacts, then quickly determine which contact point is nearest the postcode you enter into the Find Box.
The Nearest facility uses the Grid References supplied as part of Postcode Plus data, to calculate the approximate linear distances between postcodes.
Please note: These distances are ‘As the Crow Flies’, and will not be accurate travel distances. Most major expanses of water, mountain ranges, and other obstacles are taken account of to help ensure that the closest address is shown first. However, in some cases because of local road layouts or geography the ‘Nearest’ address may not be the easiest or most practical to reach – so others further down the ranked list may be more appropriate.
To use Nearest you must first either create a New Database or Select an existing one – see below.
If you wish to create a new database to start building a nearest list from scratch then select ‘New Database’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu. This will create a new Microsoft Access database ready for adding records.
If you wish to use a non-ODBC database that you created before or one built up using another program choose ‘Open Database’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu. This will prompt you to select the database that you wish to use.
For Access databases you will also be prompted to select the table you wish to use if more than one exists in your chosen database file.
Nearest will use the following fields if they exist in the selected database table:
*must exist in the table and must contain a value.
All fields must be of type ‘Text’ or equivalent.
For System Managers who have special requirements in linking or customising existing databases with the Postcode Nearest facility, our Help Desk will be pleased to provide further information.
If you wish to open a connection to an ODBC data source to which you have set up a Data Source Name (DSN) choose ‘Open ODBC Connection’ from the Nearest menu. You will be prompted to enter the DSN, authentication details (if required), and the SQL Query String to connect to the table.
Fields will be used in the same way as described in the above section.
To add records to the nearest table simply use the Search tab to search for the records you require. Select those you wish to add to the nearest database and then select ‘Add Records’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu to add them (or use the shortcut key [Ctrl] + A). Alternatively if you wish to add all the records in the results list to the nearest database use the ‘Add All Records’ menu item.
To find the nearest record to a postcode, enter the postcode in the ‘Lookup’ box. Results will be ranked in order of distance away from your postcode. The ‘Display Miles’ and ‘Display Kilometers’ options on the ‘Nearest’ menu can be used to determine the units used for the distance displayed for the results.
To update a record in the Nearest database, simply select the record from the list under the Nearest tab and then type into the fields on the tab itself. Once you are happy with your changes select ‘Save Record’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu or use the shortcut [Ctrl]+S to save your changes to the database.
System managers may disable the update facilities.
If you wish to remove records from the Nearest database, simply select the records you wish to delete from the list under the Nearest tab and then select ‘Delete Selected Records’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu or use the keyboard shortcut [Ctrl]+K.
System managers may disable the delete facility.
The Filter field of a database, if present, allows you to assign a value to each record for grouping. By selecting the ‘Filter’ option from the ‘Nearest’ menu ([CTRL]+F) you can enter a pattern to apply to the filter field to display only records matching that Filter.
For example, in a database of supermarkets with a filter field containing values such as “Groceries, Petrol, Clothing” a Filter field of “Petrol” will return only those stores which include a Petrol Station.
To allow multiple groupings various wildcard characters, character lists, and character ranges are available to test only part of the filter:
| Code | Action |
|---|---|
| {None} | All Nearest Records |
| ? | Any Character |
| * | Zero or more characters |
| # | Any single digit (0-9) |
| [charlist] | Any single character in charlist |
| [!charlist] | Any single character not in charlist |
If you are using an external database, have imported records without Grid References, or have some incorrect Grid References they will need to be populated from the Postcode Plus data. To do this select the records in the nearest list that require Grid References and select ‘Lookup Grid References’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu. You will be prompted for action if an existing Grid Reference is found for any of the records.
To use the Label feature with a Nearest Record, simply select the Nearest record you would like a label for and then select ‘Transfer To Label Tab’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu, to transfer the record to the Label tab.
To use the Map feature to view the position of a Nearest Record, simply select the Nearest record you would like to view on the map and then select ‘Transfer To Map Tab’ from the ‘Nearest’ menu, to transfer the record to the Map tab.
Nearest locations are also displayed on the map as blue boxes containing a crosshair if the ‘Display Nearest Locations’ option is checked on the Map menu.
If you have several outlets in close proximity and need to be able to distinguish between them you can select to have Nearest distances displayed down to an accuracy of one decimal place. This can be done by selecting the ‘Show Decimal Place’ option from the Nearest menu.
Records can be imported from or exported to comma delimited text files.
To use this facility, simply select the ‘Import Records’ or ‘Export Records’ on the ‘Nearest’ menu – you will be prompted for a filename in both cases. The ‘Export’ option only exports the selected records. ‘Import’ imports all records in the supplied file.
Please note: Whether the files have been imported or exported they must have all the fields below in the order they appear below:
*must contain a value.
This tab is used to display the Censation® data. It can be selected by clicking the tab – or use the [Alt]+7 keyboard shortcut.
The Censation Tab
How can you gain new insights about your customers and prospects to help you focus on those most likely to build your business?
How can you find patterns of success and repeat them? How can you reduce marketing to people who are unlikely to buy?
Censation® will help you answer these questions and many more.
Censation® is a geodemographic classification system that assigns one of 52 group codes to most UK postcode. The code system uses the latest Census data, which is the most complete and comprehensive survey of the UK population. The code system is built from careful analysis of over 600 variables. These include information about where people live, how affluent or deprived they are and what ‘life stage’ they are in. It also includes data about housing, employment and education. All this data is analysed together with residential and commercial data and validated further using a leading life-style dataset.
Further ‘unclassified’ codes are allocated to postcodes for which census data is unavailable. These mainly describe the make up of commercial areas.
The Censation geodemographic system is built to reflect the reality in the underlying census and residential data and seeks to minimise assumptions about that data. This means that it can be used across a broad range of organisations (public, charity, commercial) and with lower quantities of data.
It is important to understand that a Censation group code simply highlights the fact that when compared with the rest of the UK, people living within a particular postcode are more likely to have the characteristics described by the Censation group code. The key to using this information sensibly is to start a sentence which says “If I were looking for people with X characteristics I would be more likely to find them within the postcodes which have been assigned Y Censation Code.”
A postcode with a Censation code AW01 (Wealthy, Young Families) may well contain some households who are not wealthy, young families – however, the code signifies that if you are looking for wealthy, young families you are more likely to find them here than elsewhere.
A glossary explaining important terms is provided in Appendix J.
Censation is built for AFD by leading UK marketing statistics company Data Talk using world-class statistical techniques. Insights from the use of Censation can help provide a focus for sales and marketing activity and to the provision and location of services where success and take up are most likely. Conversely using Censation can help avoid spending money where success is less likely.
Every postcode is assigned one of 65 Group Codes. This four-character code identifies levels of affluence, life stage and additional distinctive information.
The first letter in a Censation code indicates levels of affluence or deprivation:
A Wealthy B Prosperous C Comfortable D Striving E Struggling N Not Classified For further explanation of groups beginning with an affluence code ‘N’ please see 4. below.
The second letter in Censation code indicates life stage:
V Young singles W Young families X Older families Y Empty nests and seniors Postcodes that cannot be classified using Census data because it is not available have been classified using residential and commercial data into a further five categories:
L Many organisations mixed with low, transient population M Residential development with a high incoming population N Stable turnover of a high population with a few organisations O Stable turnover of population mixed with commercial development P Established high residential population For information on the codes allocated to postcodes not covered by the UK 2011 Census please see 4. below.
The last two digits of a Censation code highlight distinctive characteristics drawn from the underlying Census, Residential or Commercial data or from the lifestyle validation. A short additional description is put in descending order with the strongest or most likely attribute first. View Censation Codes with Additional Information Descriptions.
Censation groups do not have names, rather they are expressed as codes with corresponding descriptive information. We have taken the view that to name groups may be a distraction causing us to prejudge a particular group. It is prudent to apply the codes to customer and prospect data, and let the data ‘talk back’ through the codes.
View a supporting table with 18 different characteristics
The Censation Label provides a handle for each Censation group for ease of identification and reference as names are often easier to quote and recall than a code. The label is not intended to be used in place of the affluence, lifestage or description which give a fuller description of the groups distinctive characteristics.
Some (mainly commercial) areas of the UK cannot be classified because Census data is unavailable. However, the Censation system is built using other datasets such as current and historical residential and commercial data along with lifestyle validation. A ‘unclassified code’ is provided as a sensible guide for these areas.
Censation can be used to provoke penetrating questions and important discussions that lead to new or clearer insights and more confidence in decision-making. These insights can help to shape and style communication in a way more likely to be relevant to the target audience. For retail, charity and local government, options and priorities for locating stores and services can be more readily assessed.
Perhaps the most obvious application is to append the codes to existing customer databases and to look for consistent patterns. Our API provides direct programmable access to the Censation data making it easy to use Censation codes in your own application – see the API Documentation for details. Are you particularly successful with customers that fall into certain Censation group codes? Why not look for these codes within your prospect data? Did you expect a different result? How will that affect your future sales and marketing communication and strategy?
Alternatively, you may be wanting to target existing customers with additional offers, to do this you can compare the codes for those customers that have made multiple purchases with those that have only made a single purchase. This can highlight those customers more likely to make a further purchase. To find out which customers are likely to stay loyal, long-term customers, you could compare the codes for those who haven’t purchased in the last twelve months, with those that have.
Censation codes can also be applied in ‘live’ situations. In a call centre, scripts and offers can be adjusted to be more likely to appeal to a caller – based on their postcode and Censation code. Universities can attract applications from targeted social backgrounds by using the codes to communicate words and styles more likely to be relevant and accessible.
The Censation codes are produced at ‘output area’ level which is then related to postcodes. An output area consists of roughly 150 people and ensures that it is not possible to identify individual characteristics.
AFD licenses specifically exclude bureaux use. For bureaux licensing details please email sales@afd.co.uk.
Censation codes can be appended to your address records during address capture and used ‘live’ to help communicate in more relevant ways with customers and prospects. In addition codes can be appended to your prospect and customer databases and address lists using the application programmers interface.
Alternatively, purchase an AFD Refiner license. Refiner is an intuitive and powerful batch and interactive address cleansing system which will append Censation codes to address records while you are cleaning them or in a separate appending process.
AFD Names & Numbers provides a powerful way to select and export names and addresses based on Censation code. Selections can be further refined using length of residency, household composition and geographic location (i.e. Town or radial distance).
Additional Censation Information is included in appendices G, H, I and J of this Manual:
You can drag text from the individual fields of the Censation Tab and drop it into other Windows programs – like Microsoft Word.
Hold down one of the [Shift] keys (usually marked with a hollow arrow pointing upwards). Then click and hold down the left mouse button on the field you wish to move (drag) text FROM – the cursor will turn into a dragging icon. Now move to the program you wish to place the text in (keeping the mouse button down). Finally, release the mouse button to drop the text in the new field.
Available to DX Members only
For DX Members, Postcode Plus contains the DX database enabling you to lookup and search for DX addresses just as you can do with Royal Mail postal addresses from Postcode Plus. Uniquely, Postcode Plus also allows you to easily identify DX addresses associated with a PAF address to route your mail through a DX member’s box wherever possible resulting in savings over Royal Mail.
Please contact postcode@afd.co.uk if you are a DX Member and do not have access to the data in AFD Postcode Plus.
Whenever an address has a DX address associated with it the results list will display the tilder, ‘~’, symbol next to the postcode to alert you to that fact. On the Results Tab you can then toggle between displaying the DX or Royal Mail address using the options displayed on the tab. When set to DX the Label Tab will also provide you with the DX address label ready to print with the appropriate details for mailing through DX. The option to toggle will not be displayed where an alternative DX address is not available and so the Royal Mail will always be displayed in that case.
Along with all the standard fast-finds you can carry out from the Find Box, DX Members can also search for DX records directly from the find-box. This allows you to quickly find addresses regardless of if you know Royal Mail address elements, the DX number, or simply the organisation name. You can do this in the following ways:
Simply by entering the DX number pre-fixed by DX, e.g. DX433 or DX 433 will return any DX results with that DX number.
When searching for an organisation name, e.g. “Kidd Rapinet”, DX records with that organisation name will also be returned even if the organisation is not present at that address on PAF.
If you wish to ensure that only matching organisation names are returned and not other address data that might happen to match the find term then simply specify the O= directive, e.g. “O=Shepherd” If you wish to lookup an organisation name in DX data only to avoid clutter as you know the organisation you are searching for has a DX number then you can specify DX in the find box even if you do not know the DX number, e.g. “Pannone DX”.
When carrying out a search in Postcode Plus the option appears on the Search Tab to search either the DX or Royal Mail data. Depending on if it’s Royal Mail address elements or DX elements that you know you can select the appropriate option and always be able to see the alternative address, where applicable, too.
Details of Royal Mail searching is provided on the Search Tab section of this manual. If you select the DX option you will be presented with the following Search fields:
From here you can search for a DX Organisation, DX Number, Exchange, Profession and any combination of these together. When you click the ‘Search’ button any results are shown in the list below and selecting a result will display the full address on the Results Tab.
When inserting an address into any application with DX selected on the Results Tab the DX address will be inserted instead of the Royal Mail one. The DX Number will be placed in the Street field and the DX Exchange in the Town field. The DX Profession can also be inserted if desired (they are provided as insertable fields on the Insert Settings screen. You could even switch to the Royal Mail address to insert the postal address on a letter and then switch to the DX address to insert the DX address for the envelope if required.
When using Robot not only can you decide if you wish to insert the DX or Royal Mail address for any given record. you can also lookup a DX number right within your application. Simply enter DX followed by the DX number and then a space to have the full address returned. For example, type “DX 432 ” into Microsoft Word, or any other application, to see this in action.
Available in evaluation mode (no changes are saved) in all versions of Postcode Plus
If you have purchased Postcode Plus with Refiner, changes can be saved.
Refiner allows you to clean databases including addresses or address lists themselves against the Royal Mail Address File (PAF). It provides interactive and automatic address-list cleaning and correction to provide the most accurate addresses.
All the fields on the Postcode Plus screen may be written into your database if desired. This feature makes Refiner ideal for populating existing databases with extra information – like Delivery Point Suffixes, Grid References, NHS codes or Ward information.
Launch Refiner from the separate icon in your Postcode Plus group, select Start – Programs – AFD Postcode Plus – Refiner. Alternatively from Postcode Plus you can launch the product by clicking Refiner from the Tools menu.
Full information about the Refiner product is available in the Refiner Manual.
AFD Postcode Plus contains AFD ROBOT technology which will automatically detect the typing of a postcode in most Windows applications, and convert it into a full address (including organisation details if required).
Postcode Plus 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 it will show a window, and allow you to choose from the available addresses on that postcode to select whether to insert an address, for the postcode you typed, into your application
In “Quiet” mode Robot will only prompt you if the postcode you typed may indicate more than one address at street level. Most postcodes only have one street address associated with them – in which case Quiet mode allows Robot to operate entirely invisibly and automatically. A number of postcodes have more than one street address – and Robot must ask you which of the possible street addresses to use. The most extreme case, HD7 5UZ, has a choice of 7 different forms of the street address for one postcode. If you type property information comma separated with the postcode (e.g. AFD Software Ltd, IM7 2DZ) the Robot will attempt to match the full postal address to DPS level.
Robot also supports a “Fast Find” mode where it can search for addresses in the same way as the ‘Find’ field on the main Postcode Plus window by typing a sequence such as #Commercial Street, Birmingham# into your application. Alternatively if you are not using quiet mode and type any known postcode (e.g. B6 4AA) into your application you can then use Fast Find direct from the Robot window to find the address you require.
When Postcode Plus is first installed, Robot is enabled. To turn this feature off across all applications, simply de-select the ‘Enable Postcode Robot’ option on the General tab of the Postcode Plus Properties Window. From the File menu, Properties option (or shortcut [CTRL]+R).
You can also choose if the System Tray Icon is displayed from here. The “Prompt user to setup Robot with new applications” option enables Robot to automatic detect postcodes entered in unrecognised applications and prompt you to show Robot how to enter an address so that you will never have to enter the address manually in that application again. If you do not wish to use this mode then you can switch this option off from here.
The Startup options ‘Normal’, ‘Compact’, ‘Minimised’, and ‘Robot Only’ allow you to specify how Postcode Plus starts. If you mainly use the Robot you may wish for Postcode Plus 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 Postcode Plus from the Robot System Tray icon is needed.
Robot is the simplest way to get a complete address into your application – Start AFD Postcode Plus, switch to the program you wish to insert the address into and type in a postcode. Robot will prompt you to check that you really do wish to add the address allowing you to select the Organisation or Property you require and, on clicking Insert, inserts the address 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 postcode in quiet mode | If you type a postcode with property information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robot’s Action | Robot ignores what you typed – and the text appears just as you typed it. | Robot detects the postcode – and converts it into an address. | Robot detects the postcode – and converts it into an address – placing the organisation or property information into the address. |
| What you would see without Robot: | Dear Sir, Following our meeting at | B6 4AA | Royal Mail, B6 4AA |
| What you would see with Robot: | Dear Sir, Following our meeting at | St. Stephens Street BIRMINGHAM B6 4AA | Royal Mail Birmingham Mail Centre St. Stephens Street BIRMINGHAM B6 4AA |
To use the Fast Find mode simply type a search such as #Commercial Street,Birmingham# into your application and Robot will operate in the same way as shown above.
When you install AFD Postcode Plus, settings for the following applications are installed automatically – and you will normally find that Robot works just as you require without any changes or configuration at all:
When you enter organisation or property information comma separated before the Postcode, Postcode Plus will look for anything starting with the text that you enter. You can use the following wildcards to help further narrow down/widen this matching:
| Code | Action |
|---|---|
| ? | Any Character |
| * | Zero or more characters |
| # | Any single digit (0-9) |
| ^ | Must end here |
| [charlist] | Any single character in charlist |
| [!charlist] | Any single character not in charlist |
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 Postcode Plus displays a System Tray icon for Robot (near the clock at the bottom right of your screen. This indicates if Robot is enabled or not and gives you quick access to disable the Robot or configure it’s options.
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.
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 Postcode Plus 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.
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 Plus offers a choice of powerful ways to transfer data easily to almost any Windows program where it will be used:
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 easiest 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 program, then paste the address into position. Pasting will usually be carried out in your programs by using an Edit menu Paste option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+V) – but consult your program’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 – see Insert Settings 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.
Drag & Drop Barcodes & Addresses into Word
Note that 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 Plus 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 Plus includes a very powerful keystroke ‘macro’ language which enables Postcode Plus 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 Plus 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 Plus 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 – and Postcode Plus 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 Plus settings.
Use the Edit menu “Editable Results” option if you wish to be able to change the data 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 Plus 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 Plus 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.
When Postcode Plus is first installed, it should Insert into most common programs – like Word or Excel – correctly. Postcode Plus 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 Plus, select the ‘Insert / Robot Setup’ option from the File menu.
Insert Properties
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.
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:
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:
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.
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.
Standard Fields take care of the many anomalies and inconsistencies of raw PAF data. We recommend that you use these fields for mapping wherever possible. When using Special Fields map all or none of the fields from Building Number through to Dependant Locality and do not mix and match with the Property, Street and Locality fields from the ‘Standard’ list. To mix these fields will cause some addresses to be trashed. This is because the standard fields not only concatenate many numbers with the street but also sometimes move the property or concatenate to the locality field as appropriate according to the PAF formatting rules.
Address elements not provided on the Special Fields list are excluded because they are identical to those on the Standard Fields list, e.g. the Town field is never reformatted. If you need to map the building number separately but only have a single property field you can drag both the sub building and building fields to the same field in your database and they will be concatenated together as appropriate.
You should note that the Organisation field in this list is different to that on the Standard fields list. In the standard fields list Organisation appears concatenated with the Department (when present), here the Organisation field is separated out from the Department. Similarly the Street field on the standard list is concatenated with the dependant street (where present), here they are separated.
For example, if your database has standard address fields from Organisation through to Postcode, but has a separate Number field you would make the following mappings:
| Database Field | Field Type | Field Name to Map |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation | Standard | Organisation |
| Property | Special | Sub Building, Building |
| Number | Special | Building Number |
| Street | Special | Dependant Thoroughfare, Thoroughfare |
| Locality | Special | Dbl-Dep. Locality, Dependant Locality |
| Town | Standard | Town |
| Postcode | Standard | Postcode |
You can choose to enter fields such as the dependant thoroughfare and thoroughfare together in one field if desired when you type the sample address by entering them both with a comma separator.
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 Plus 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 Plus 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 Plus 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:
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 the Postcode Plus 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, 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 Plus, 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 Plus 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 all the addresses on Commercial Street in Birmingham to choose from. You can then choose the correct one and insert it into your application. 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 word processor, 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 Plus 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 Organisation through to Postcode, the address data provided by Postcode Plus. If you specified less than 7 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 Plus will attempt to fit them all in.
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.
Standard Fields take care of the many anomalies and inconsistencies of raw PAF data. We recommend that you use these fields for mapping wherever possible. When using Special Fields map all or none of the fields from Building Number through to Dependant Locality and do not mix and match with the Property, Street and Locality fields from the ‘Standard’ list. To mix these fields will cause some addresses to be trashed. This is because the standard fields not only concatenate many numbers with the street but also sometimes move the property or concatenate to the locality field as appropriate according to the PAF formatting rules.
Address elements not provided on the Special Fields list are excluded because they are identical to those on the Standard Fields list, e.g. the Town field is never reformatted. If you need to map the building number separately but only have a single property field you can drag both the sub building and building fields to the same field in your database and they will be concatenated together as appropriate.
You should note that the Organisation field in this list is different to that on the Standard fields list. In the standard fields list Organisation appears concatenated with the Department (when present), here the Organisation field is separated out from the Department. Similarly the Street field on the standard list is concatenated with the dependant street (where present), here they are separated.
For example, if your database has standard address fields from Organisation through to Postcode, but has a separate Number field you would make the following mappings:
| Database Field | Field Type | Field Name to Map |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation | Standard | Organisation |
| Property | Special | Sub Building, Building |
| Number | Special | Building Number |
| Street | Special | Dependant Thoroughfare, Thoroughfare |
| Locality | Special | Dbl-Dep. Locality, Dependant Locality |
| Town | Standard | Town |
| Postcode | Standard | Postcode |
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:
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 Plus 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 Plus with your application using Insert (select your application from the Insert menu once you have located the address to insert in Postcode Plus), 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.
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 Plus. 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 Plus 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 Settings screen will then appear:
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 Plus 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 Plus 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 Plus 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.
Field Mappings are shown in the light yellow boxes under the heading ‘Fields’. You can drag and drop fields from the ‘Postcode Plus Fields’ list on the right to this list. Items can also be dragged off the list back to the ‘Postcode Plus Fields’ list if you wish to remove them. Multiple fields can be dragged to a single Field in your application if required.
Above the Postcode Plus 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 Plus 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.
Standard Fields take care of the many anomalies and inconsistencies of raw PAF data. We recommend that you use these fields for mapping wherever possible. When using Special Fields map all or none of the fields from Building Number through to Dependant Locality and do not mix and match with the Property, Street and Locality fields from the ‘Standard’ list. To mix these fields will cause some addresses to be trashed. This is because the standard fields not only concatenate many numbers with the street but also sometimes move the property or concatenate to the locality field as appropriate according to the PAF formatting rules.
Address elements not provided on the Special Fields list are excluded because they are identical to those on the Standard Fields list, e.g. the Town field is never reformatted. If you need to map the building number separately but only have a single property field you can drag both the sub building and building fields to the same field in your database and they will be concatenated together as appropriate.
You should note that the Organisation field in this list is different to that on the Standard fields list. In the standard fields list Organisation appears concatenated with the Department (when present), here the Organisation field is separated out from the Department. Similarly the Street field on the standard list is concatenated with the dependant street (where present), here they are separated.
For example, if your database has standard address fields from Organisation through to Postcode, but has a separate Number field you would make the following mappings:
| Database Field | Field Type | Field Name to Map |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation | Standard | Organisation |
| Property | Special | Sub Building, Building |
| Number | Special | Building Number |
| Street | Special | Dependant Thoroughfare, Thoroughfare |
| Locality | Special | Dbl-Dep. Locality, Dependant Locality |
| Town | Standard | Town |
| Postcode | Standard | Postcode |
Note: You concatenate fields together, e.g. ‘Dependant Thoroughfare’ and ‘Thoroughfare’ together as above by dragging the first field (Dependant Thoroughfare) and then dragging the next one (Thoroughfare) to the same field.
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 Plus 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:
For most address fields (but not for data expected always in capital letters – like Postcodes), Postcode Plus 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.
The ‘Line Squeeze’ option at the top of the dialogue applies to all fields mapped. If this option is enabled, Postcode Plus 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 Plus 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.
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:
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 Plus inserts data into your application. The settings given here are as follows:
These settings do not affect the application settings currently being modified, but tell Postcode Plus 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 Plus 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 Plus 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 Plus 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 Plus about the program you wish to have a DDE ‘conversation’ with – using the DDE Tab on the Postcode Plus Property window.
To set the DDE Properties, launch the Postcode Plus Properties window from the File menu Properties option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+R).
DDE Properties
The first two settings – Application and Topic tell Postcode Plus about the program you wish to establish a DDE conversation with – and the information should be provided in the documentation of that program. (When installed, Postcode Plus is set up for use with Symantec’s ACT v3 contact manager program).
Postcode Plus offers 24 fields of data available for a DDE conversation – and these are listed in the Fields 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. The ‘Item Name’ is the name recognised by your program for the Postcode Plus field – eg the Postcode Plus ‘Postcode’ field may be known as ‘ZipCode’ to your program. 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 Plus 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 Plus will remember this position the next time the DDE Icon is used.
The Postcode Plus DDE Icon – use it like a toolbar button!
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 Plus 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 Plus what you wish to search for.
Once Postcode Plus has listed results of a Lookup or Search (whether the data was ‘collected’ from your program using DDE or typed directly into Postcode Plus), 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 Plus to your program, and so build up a mailing list.
Full access to all the data within Postcode Plus is available to programmers through the Postcode Plus DLLs. This means that for developers – and even for users of programs like Microsoft Access, etc, Address lookup can be entirely automatic and invisible.
Using the DLLs 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 Plus API
Available In Postcode Plus Listmaker versions only
Postcode Plus can also print mailing labels or envelopes for addresses in your Results List. Choose the File menu Print option (shortcut [Ctrl]+P) to launch the Print Labels window.
This part of the window defines the physical layout of each ‘page’ of mailing labels. The right hand side of the window displays a visual representation of how the label sheet is made up – in terms of the number of columns and rows of labels on each page.
You should take care to ensure that you choose labels suitable for all the information to be printed on them – or data and pages may spill-over. If you intend to print Customer Barcodes, these will generally require deeper mailing labels than would otherwise be the case.
You should be aware that the final settings will be influenced by the printer’s own limitations and ‘built in’ margins, by the actual label stock, and by the Windows Printer driver you are using.
Setting up mailing labels therefore usually involves measuring the physical sheet of labels and entering these values into Postcode Plus, then using the Test button, and making minor adjustments to the settings on a trial-and-error basis until a satisfactory result is obtained.
Page Height The height of the page of labels – in millimeters.
Page Width The width of the page of labels – in millimeters.
Page Top Margin The distance between the top of the page, and the top of the first label – in millimeters.
Page Left Margin The distance between the left hand side of the page, and the left hand side of the first label – in millimeters.
Label Columns The number of columns of labels left-to-right across the page, Postcode Plus can print up to 4 columns of labels per page.
Label Rows The number of rows of labels top-to-bottom down the page, Postcode Plus can print up to 12 rows of labels per page.
Label Width The physical distance from the left hand side of one label, to the left hand side of the next one – ignoring any gap between the labels.
Label Depth The physical distance from the top of one label, to the top of the next one – ignoring any gap between the labels.
Barcode Weight If using Customer Barcoding, this factor, usually set between 1 – 9, allows you to adjust the thickness of the barcode stripes according to your own printer’s physical printing characteristics. Typical Settings are: Dot printer 1-3, Inkjet printer 3-6, Laser Printer 8-9. Your Royal Mail Account Manager should be able to provide technical specifications of the barcode, and print samples.
Setup This button allows you to choose the Windows printer to print your labels to.
Font The Font button allows you to select a suitable Windows Typeface and font size for printing your labels. Remember to choose a size that will allow all of the address (and barcode if selected) to properly fit on your chosen labels.
Settings The settings drop-down box displays a list of all the label settings you have set up. To use a different setting, simply click your chosen one. To create a new setting, simply type a new setting name in the box, then press the ‘Save’ button. In this way you can develop your own settings, based on an existing one.
Save Saves the changes you have made to the current label settings.
To print a Test Page or the actual Mailing Labels, choose the label settings (see above), then use the Printing Options panel.
Town in Capitals Royal Mail prefers the Post Town to be printed in CAPITAL LETTERS – which greatly assists mail sorting.
Suppress County It is not necessary to print the postal county if your address contains a postcode. This option instructs Postcode Plus to omit the county from labels, whenever a postcode is present. This saves space on the labels – and is a useful way of helping prevent spill-over of text on labels, especially when Customer Barcodes are used.
CBC Barcode This check-box allows you to optionally switch on Customer Barcode printing. Remember that you will need deeper mailing labels if you are using barcodes!
Print at start of each label This text box allows you to enter text which should be used at the beginning of each label. Controller’.
Print All or Selected Records Choose whether all the records in the Results list or just the records you have manually selected from the Results List should be printed.
To select records from the Results List manually, use the [Ctrl] key plus the left mouse button to choose multiple records randomly from the list.
Cancel The Cancel button will be enabled during label print runs. If you wish to stop the run, simply click this button. It is not available at other times.
Test The Test button prints a single sheet of labels, using the current settings to help you ensure the settings are correct.
Print Starts the printing of your chosen type of labels – according to the current settings.
To close the Label Printing window, click the close box on the window or press [Alt] + [F4].
Compact View provides a small window to enable you to use the standard lookup facility of Postcode Plus and insert addresses all from a window with a small footprint on your desktop – leaving you with plenty of space on your screen to work with another application at the same time. Addresses can be edited once inserted into your target application if required.
To switch to Compact View, select Compact from the View menu (or press [Ctrl]+W).
To return to Normal View (i.e. the standard Postcode Plus screen size) press [Ctrl]+W whilst in Compact View or click the Close button.
If you’d like Compact View to remain on top of all other applications then select ‘On Top’ ([Ctrl]+T) from the Postcode Plus View Menu before switching to Compact View.
To lookup an address simply type the postcode or search (e.g. Commercial Street, Birmingham) into the Find box just as you would in Normal View. Postcodes will be looked up automatically as you type them. For other lookups press the ‘Enter’ key or click the ‘Lookup’ button once you have completed typing your lookup.
If you’d like to change the county option, or other options that relate to how the address is returned or displayed then set this up from the Normal View.
Pressing the Insert button or pressing F2 will insert the address currently displayed into the default application using the settings file specified by the chosen association for that application, or the settings file currently open where no association for that application exists. Settings can be changed from Normal View. The default application will be the last application you inserted into.
If you have not inserted into an application then you will be presented with a pop-up menu from which to insert the application from. If you wish to change the application that Compact Mode inserts into then right click the Insert button and the pop-up list will be displayed for you to select an application from. This list is the same as that displayed on the Insert menu of the Normal View.
If you prefer Postcode Plus to float ‘On Top’ of other Windows programs – even when you are not working directly in Postcode Plus, select the View menu On Top option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+T). Postcode Plus will display a check-mark next to this option whilst it is in use.
Postcode Plus allows a shortcut key to be used to quickly access the Postcode Plus application. To configure or view the currently assigned Hotkey setting, select the File menu Properties option. ([Crtl]+R)
Enabling the Hotkey allows Postcode Plus to be launched on pressing the configured Hotkey even if it is not already running.
Care should be taken in ensuring the Hotkey is assigned to a key combination that will not conflict with shortcut keys used by other applications (for example [Ctrl]+P is often used as a shortcut to print so if you assign [Ctrl]+P then you won’t be able to use that shortcut key to print from applications).
Please note: WinKey refers to the Windows Key on your keyboard.
With printable characters, simply press the key in the ‘Key’ box to use that key with Postcode, for non-printable characters such as F1, Insert, Print Screen etc. enter the code in curly brackets as shown in the following table:
| Backspace | {BS} |
| Enter/Return | {ENTER} |
| Page Up | {PGUP} |
| Page Down | {PGDN} |
| Home | {HOME} |
| End | {END} |
| Left Arrow | {LEFT} |
| Right Arrow | {RIGHT} |
| Up Arrow | {UP} |
| Down Arrow | {DOWN} |
| F# (Function Keys) | {F#} |
| Insert | {INSERT} |
| Left Menu Key | {LMENU} |
| Right Menu Key | {RMENU} |
The Hotkey is fully configurable and can be configured to be used with any keyboard key.
Please note: Some have been omitted because they would cause problems with Windows.
However any key on any keyboard can be used, email support@afd.co.uk, or phone the AFD Support Team (01624 811712) if you need help setting up the Hotkey.
Postcode Plus contains grid references for most Postcodes in PAF (Some postcodes, such as PO Boxes as they are non-geographical, do not have Grid References). Also displayed is the latitude and longitude values corresponding to these grid references. This is in WGS84 format which is most commonly used by GPS units. You can change the options for how these grid references and latitude and longitude values are displayed from the Properties screen, accessible from by selecting Properties from the File menu.
Two sources of Grid Reference data are available and you can select which one is displayed here.
You can choose how grid references are displayed. By default British grid references are used for British postcodes and Irish Grids for Irish Postcodes. However in some cases you might wish to standardise on one or the other, for example when comparing distances between them so you can select to always use either GB (British) or NI (Irish) grid references.
Also available is the option to use an approximation for the locality or town an address is located in when a grid reference is not available. This is of course a lot less precise in the case where a grid reference is not available for the postcode itself, but may be more useful than a blank grid reference for uses such as finding distances, locating an address on the Map etc.
These grid reference options are made use of on the Results tab and the Map tab and taken account of in Inserting addresses as well. However it should be noted that the Nearest function always uses GB Grid references for consistency across the whole UK in determining distances.
For the latitude and longitude display and for inserting these values you can choose if you wish to use the decimal or degrees, minutes and seconds display. Generally the decimal display is more useful for entering into other programs etc, but the degrees display is more easily readable.
For more information about Grid References see the Grid References Appendix.
Available In Postcode Plus Listmaker versions only
Postcode Plus can export address data ready for use in word-processors for mail-merge or for import into spreadsheets and databases.
Select the File menu Export option (shortcut key [Ctrl]+E), and choose a suitable file name. Export files are stored as ‘Quoted Comma Separated ASCII’ text files – which can be easily read by most word-processors, spreadsheets and database programs.
The following Export options are available:
This feature allows records to be built up from several searches and written to the same file. If it is not checked then any existing file of the same name is overwritten with this export.
This feature is similar to Postcode Plus’ Insert Settings Line Squeeze option – in that it will remove blank lines from addresses as they are stored. This will be useful for creating export files to be used in word-processors, but would not be required if your file is to be imported into a database – where the position of the address fields would be important.
This option is useful when you wish to export special fields, such as the building number separate from the other address information or need the data in some particular format and order for whatever reason. Rather than the default ‘All Fields’ setting you can select any of the Insert/Robot settings stored in Names & Numbers. The fields specified in that setting set will be used (ignoring the Before and After keystrokes). To add a new setting specifically for export simply add a settings set for an arbitrary application and then select that set from here. For information regarding how to setup an Insert or Robot settings set please refer to the Insert section of this manual.
Choose whether all the records in the Results List, just the records you have manually selected from the Results List or the first record for each postcode should be exported.
To select records from the Results List manually, use the [Ctrl] key plus the left mouse button to choose multiple records randomly from the list.
PCP-DOS is a powerful and versatile addressing program that can look up postcodes or use an organisation name, street, locality or town to find an address. A wide range of command-line parameters allow you to modify calls to the program exactly as you require them.
PCP-DOS operates as a command-line driven program. Parameters allow you to pass a request to PCP-DOS and tell it the format and location of the answer. PCP-DOS places the results of its request in a text or program file – which can either be opened and read by the application calling it, or run as a program by the calling application.
Usage is: PCP-DOS [opt] addr
Where addr is a comma seperated list of address fields
[opt] specifies option switches defined as follows:
| -m | Show only the matching address records (default selection) |
| -a | Show all of the records returned by a search |
| -s | The search returns only the first matching postcode in any sector |
| -f | The returned information is stored in the file PCPLUS.TXT |
| -fFSPEC | The returned information is stored in the file FSPEC |
| -dFSPEC | fspec specifies pcplus data directory (default c:\pcplus) |
| -wfspec | fspec specifies windows dir (default c:\winnt or c:\windows) |
| -nNNN | NNN specifies max no. of address records to return (default 200) |
The command line to initiate a search for the address record based on postcode (B70 8AQ), writing this information to the default file PCPlus.TXT is:-
PCP-DOS -f B708AQ
Each record written to the output file is in the style of a single letter, followed by the main record information, followed by a new line character.
This format is explained below, as is a table highlighting the different letters found in the address record output.
Editing the PCPlus.TXT file will provide the following data:
p0462B70 8AQ
High Street
West Bromwich
0West Midlands
W Midlands 504520121
4004029120
CSGAWest Bromwich Central
QEESandwell
Y07West Midlands
15
a0260 Hill House Hammond 260 1J1
a0260 Connell Estate Agents 262 1B1
a0260 St. Michaels Presbytery 266 1D1
a0260 Co-Operative Bank PLC 266 1E1
a0260 Corals 268 1F1
a0260 Setsquare Creative Design Consultants 272 1G1
a0260 Setsquare Creative 278 1H1
a0260 Walmsley Furniture PLC 278 Flat
a0260 La Casa Restaurant 280
a0260 West End Cafe 286
a0260 288
a0260 A C Communications 312
a0260
a0260
a0260 Baker News
f
Examining the returned information line by line will provide you with a better understanding:
p0462BD7 1AB
Southbrook Terrace
Bradford
0West Yorkshire
3075201274
4159043280
CXGDUniversity
QDDBradford
Y
01
Northern and Yorkshire
7
| p0462BD7 1AB | The letter ‘p’ at the beginning of a record informs you that the record contains a postcode. 0462 is the variable length indicator (VLI) , which tells you the length of record. BD7 1AB is the postcode. |
| Southbrook Terrace | Displays the street information for the postcode. |
| Bradford | Displays the town information for the postcode. |
| 0West Yorkshire | Displays a number and then the county information for the postcode. If this number is ‘0’ then the county appears as it does in the Royal Mail PAF data. If the number is ‘1’ then the county has been inserted by AFD or there is no county shown. |
| W Yorkshire | County Abbreviation where avaliable |
| 3075201274 | The first five numbers display the mail sort code, the remaining numbers are the STD (subscriber trunk dialing) code for the postcode. he STD codes are approximate and are not part of the Royal Mail PAF data, this information is manually inserted by AFD. |
| 4159043280 | Display grid reference location for the postcode. The first five numbers are the eastern grid co-ordinates, the remaining numbers depict the northern grid co-ordinates. |
| CXGDUniversity | Displays the ward code (the first four characters) and the name of the local NHS ward. |
| QDDBradford | Displays the local NHS code and the name of the local NHS authority. |
| Y01 Northern and Yorkshire | Displays the NHS region code and the region name. |
| 7 | Displays the number of delivery points (letterboxes) on that postcode. |
| a0260 | Acorn Video | 2 | 1B1 |
| a0260 | Oasis Hairdressers | 3 | 1D1 |
| a0260 | Wilkinson & Partners | 4 | 1E1 |
| f | 53 |
| a2060 | The letter ‘a’ lets you know that the record contains an address. 0260 is the VLI and tells you the length of the record. |
| 3 | Displays the property number for the street. |
| 1D1 | Displays the delivery point suffix for that property. |
Some addresses will contain organisation names. The address record for 3 Southbrook Terrace, Bradford, displays ‘Oasis Hairdressers’ preceding the street number. Information will only appear here if the address contains an organisation name.
F the letter ‘f’ indicates that the search finished at this point.
There are a number of letters that appear at the beginning of each line of an address record. These letters are:-
E followed by a number an error value where:
It is possible to control the search procedure carried out by PCP-DOS. Knowing only part of the address should be enough to allow you to acquire the full address, using the correct search technique. Listed below are some examples of different searching techniques:
If you know the post town or street but do not know the postcode, you can search for it by typing the name of town or street at the end of the command line, as shown below:
PCP-DOS -f Great Horton Road, Bradford
This command-line asks for a search to be performed which looks for ‘Great Horton Road’ and ‘Bradford’ in the same address record. The result file – PcPlus.TXT will show that the street ‘Great Horton Road’ contains 19 different postcodes.
If you do not know the full address for an organisation but know the postal area that the company is based within, you can speed up your search by narrowing the range. The command-line for this is:
PCP-DOS -f KA1,KA99,Tesco
This command-line asks for a search to only be performed in the Kilmarnock postal area (KA) and searches for any address records containing the word ‘Tesco’.
If you know the name of the company and nothing else, you can perform a wide search to assist you in identifying the full address. The command-line parameter nNNN comes in useful here, as the amount of returned information could prove enormous. The -nNNN parameter allows you to specify a certain number of records to be returned.
To search for the first 500 ‘Boots’ stores in the UK (arranged by Postcode), type the following command:
PCP-DOS -f -n500 Boots
This command-line asks for a search to be performed on the word ‘Boots’ specifying that no more than 500 records be written to the output file PCPlus.TXT.
If you only want to see the first Postcode from each sector that contains a certain street name (sectors being KA1, KA2, KA3 etc) type:
PCP-DOS -f -s High Road
This command-line asks for a search to be performed returning the first address record that contains the words ‘High Road’, with the added restriction of only showing one record per sector.
Most of the command-line parameters have already been discussed earlier in this document. The parameters that have not been mentioned so far are -m, -a and -s. The best way to explain each of their functions is to work through examples.
The command-line:
PCP-DOS -f -m Ka1,Ka99,Tesco
will return a text file containing the list of ‘Tesco’ stores in the Kilmarnock postal area. This is the equivalent of typing PCP-DOS -f Ka1,Ka99,Tesco
as the -m parameter executes by default.
The command-line
PCP-DOS -f -a Ka1,Ka99,Tesco
will return a text file containing the full address list for every postcode within the postal area, marking the address records containing the word ‘Tesco’with the letter ‘m’.
The command-line
PCP-DOS -f Ka1,Ka99,High
will return a text file which holds every address record that contains the word ‘high’ starting from the sector KA1, working through each sector, returning each record as it is found.
The command-line
PCP-DOS -f -s Ka1,Ka99,High
will return a text file which holds one record from each sector which contains the word ‘high’, starting from sector KA1 and moving to sector KA2 then KA3 etc.
AFD Products come with a fully functional easy to use Common API which enabled developers to integrate our products into most environments. The DLL’s required to access our data through the API ships as standard with all our products. A full SDK kit, which includes full documentation, example generation, and code to integrate into your own application is available for free download from our website.
Using our Common API you can develop for one of our address management products (e.g. Names & Numbers) and the same application will also function with our Postcode and Postcode Plus products.
For further information regarding our API, please visit www.afd.co.uk/support/
These notes are provided to assist developers using AFD’s Postcode Plus data via library calls, to re-create a correctly formatted postal address. Invariably, real-world computer databases seldom have sufficient fields available for the ‘official’ structure, so the Postcode Plus program makes sensible assumptions, whilst following these rules so far as possible. By accessing the data through the libraries, however, you have access to all the address elements in their raw state (except that the ‘Thoroughfare’ data already has its descriptors concatenated with the Thoroughfare name) so you can create your own address format as required.
A delivery point is composed of a combination of the following elements. Not all elements are present for each delivery point. Postcode and Post Town are the only two elements that are mandatory. County is no longer required as part of a correct postal address where the postcode is correctly given.
| Organisation elements | Organisation Name Department Name |
| Premise Elements | Subbuilding Name Building Name Building Number |
| Thoroughfare elements | Dependent Thoroughfare Name Dependent Thoroughfare Descriptor Thoroughfare Name Thoroughfare Descriptor |
| Locality Elements | Double Dependent Locality Name Dependent Locality Name Post Town |
| Postcode element | Postcode |
| PO Box element | PO Box Number |
If present, this should appear on the first address line.
If present, this should appear on the second line.
If present, this should appear on the first line if no Organisation/department details are present, else it should appear on the third line.
The following combinations of these elements may occur.
| Rule | Sub-Building Name | Building Name | Building Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N | N | N |
| 2 | N | N | Y |
| 3 | N | Y | N |
| 4 | N | Y | Y |
| 5 | Y | N | Y |
| 6 | Y | Y | N |
| 7 | Y | Y | Y |
When a Building Name or a Subbuilding Name is present, then the format of the name can determine the position of the name in the address. (See Note).
This condition may occur when an Organisation Name is used to uniquely identify a delivery point.
The Building number should appear at the beginning of the first Thoroughfare line. If there is no Thoroughfare information, then the Building number should appear at the beginning of the first Locality line.
Check format of Building Name (see Note).
If a Format 1 Building Name
the Building Name should appear at the beginning of the first Thoroughfare line, or the first Locality line if there is no Thoroughfare information.
Else
the Building Name should appear on a line preceding the Thoroughfare and Locality information.
When a building has a name and a number range, both must be held in the Building Name field because the Building Number field will only allow numeric characters to be held. Rule 3 will still apply to this.
The Building Name should appear on the line preceding the Thoroughfare and/or Locality information.
The Building Number should appear at the beginning of the first Thoroughfare line. If there is no Thoroughfare information, then the Building Number should appear at the beginning of the first Locality line.
The Sub-building Name should appear on the line preceding the Thoroughfare and Locality information.
The Building number should appear at the beginning of the first Thoroughfare line. If there is no Thoroughfare information, then the Building number should appear at the beginning of the first Locality line.
Check format of Subbuilding Name (see Note).
If a Format 1 Subbuilding Name
the Subbuilding Name should appear on the same line as and before the Building Name.
Else
the Subbuilding Name should appear on a line preceding the Building Name, Thoroughfare and Locality information.
Check format of Building Name (see Note).
If a Format 1 Building Name
the Building Name should appear at the beginning of the first Thoroughfare line, or the first Locality line if there is no Thoroughfare information
Else
the Building Name should appear on a line preceding the Thoroughfare and Locality information.
End if
Check format of Subbuilding Name (see Note).
If a Format 1 Subbuilding Name
the Subbuilding Name should appear on the same line as and before the Building Name
Else
the Subbuilding Name and the Building Name should appear on separate lines
End if
The Building number should appear at the beginning of the first Thoroughfare line, or the first Locality line if there is no Thoroughfare information.
Checking the format of Subbuilding Name or Building Name
Certain of these names can appear on the same line as other address elements. These are called Format 1 names in the address formatting rules. They are identified by:
i. First and Last characters of the Name are numeric
ii. First and penultimate characters are numeric, last character is alphabetic
This covers names like:
2A
123-126
81 & 85
The following entries can be added as part of the ‘Target’ or ‘Command Line’ when launching Postcode Plus, allowing you to specify your preferences for a particular use of the program:
| /Lookup=1, B1 1BD | Looks up ‘1, B1 1BD’ immediately after loading |
| /Settings=WP | Specifies the Settings File to be loaded is ‘WP’ |
| /Splash=No | Suppresses the display of the Splash Screen when loading |
| /Tab=1 | Sets Tab 1 (the Search Tab) to be displayed after loading |
These commands can be executed from the Start Menu, Run by typing something similar to the text below into the the Run box. . .
c:\pcplus\pcp.exe /Lookup B18 5AP /Settings=WP /Splash=No /Tab=1
| Shortcut Key | Function |
|---|---|
| [Alt] + [F4] | Close Postcode Plus |
| [Esc] | Cancel Lookup, List, or Search |
| [F1] | Help |
| [F2] | Insert current address into target application |
| [F5] | Refresh Insert menu |
| [Alt] + 1 | Search Tab |
| [Alt] + 2 | Results Tab |
| [Alt] + 3 | More Tab |
| [Alt] + 4 | Label Tab |
| [Alt] + 5 | Map Tab |
| [Alt] + 6 | Nearest Tab |
| [Alt] + 7 | Censation Tab |
| [Alt] + B | Barcode: switch on/off |
| [Alt] + C | Clear Results List |
| [Alt] + D | Find Box – jump to |
| [Alt] + E | Edit menu |
| [Alt] + F | File menu |
| [Alt] + H | Help menu |
| [Alt] + I | Insert menu |
| [Alt] + L | Lookup using current Findbox contents |
| [Alt] + N | Nearest Menu |
| [Alt] + R | Print mailing labels (single) |
| [Alt] + S | Search using current Search Settings |
| [Alt] + V | View menu |
| [Shift] + [Insert] | Paste current Clipboard contents to field |
| [Ctrl] + [Insert] | Copy current field to Clipboard |
| [Ctrl] + A | Add Nearest Records |
| [Ctrl] + C | Copy current address to Clipboard |
| [Ctrl] + D | DDE: view Icon for |
| [Ctrl] + E | Export addresses as ASCII |
| [Ctrl] + F | Filter Nearest Records |
| [Ctrl] + K | Delete Nearest Records |
| [Ctrl] + M | Toggle Distance Line |
| [Ctrl] + P | Print mailing labels (multi) |
| [Ctrl] + Q | Quantity to Search |
| [Ctrl] + R | Properties – view or alter |
| [Ctrl] + S | Save Nearest Record |
| [Ctrl] + T | On Top Mode: switch on/off |
| [Ctrl] + W | Toggle Compact View |
| [Ctrl] + X | Examples List |
| Function | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|
| Add Nearest Records | [Ctrl] + A |
| Barcode: switch on/off | [Alt] + B |
| Censation Tab | [Alt] + 7 |
| Cancel Lookup, List, or Search | [Esc] |
| Copy current address to Clipboard | [Ctrl] + C |
| Copy current field to Clipboard | [Ctrl] + [Insert] |
| Clear Results List | [Alt] + C |
| Close Postcode Plus | [Alt] + [F4] |
| DDE: view Icon for | [Ctrl] + D |
| Delete Nearest Records | [Ctrl] + K |
| Edit menu | [Alt] + E |
| Examples List | [Ctrl] + X |
| Export addresses as ASCII | [Ctrl] + E |
| Filter Nearest Records | [Ctrl] + F |
| File menu | [Alt] + F |
| Find Box – jump to | [Alt] + D |
| Help | [F1] |
| Help menu | [Alt] + H |
| Insert current address into target application | [F2] |
| Insert menu | [Alt] + I |
| Label Tab | [Alt] + 4 |
| Lookup using current Findbox contents | [Alt] + L |
| Map Tab | [Alt] + 5 |
| More Tab | [Alt] + 3 |
| Nearest Menu | [Alt] + N |
| Nearest Tab | [Alt] + 6 |
| On Top Mode: switch on/off | [Ctrl] + T |
| Paste current Clipboard contents to field | [Shift] + [Insert] |
| Print mailing labels (multi) | [Ctrl] + P |
| Print mailing labels (single) | [Alt] + R |
| Properties – view or alter | [Ctrl] + R |
| Quantity to Search | [Ctrl] + Q |
| Refresh Insert menu | [F5] |
| Results Tab | [Alt] + 2 |
| Save Nearest Record | [Ctrl] + S |
| Search using current Search Settings | [Alt] + S |
| Search Tab | [Alt] + 1 |
| Toggle Compact View | [Ctrl] + W |
| Toggle Distance Line | [Ctrl] + M |
| View menu | [Alt] + V |
Grid Reference data is primarily sourced from Ordnance Survey for distance calculations, nearest calculations and data / location analysis. It is made up of a six digit Easting and a six digit Northing. This reference relates the location of the Postcode to the National Grid (or Irish Grid for Northern Ireland Postcodes (start with BT)).
The largest units of the National Grid are 500km squares, each designated by a prefix letter – the first letter to be quoted in the National Grid reference.
The 500km squares are then broken down into twenty five – 100km squares; these are also designated by a prefix letter – the second letter of the grid reference.
Within the 100km square, each smaller grid square (at 10km, 1 km, or 100m side) is designated by the distance of its South-West corner from the West (Eastings) and South (Northings) margins, respectively, of the 100km square in which it lies.
To enable these distances, or co-ordinates, to be easily found, their values are printed in the map margins against the grid lines concerned. These provide the numbers – two, four or six digits – which identify each particular grid square.
EXAMPLE
e = easting n = northing
S K 1 2
e n
shows a point 10,000m East and 20,000m North of the South West corner of the SK square.
S K 1 3 5 2 4 6
e e e n n n
Shows a point 13,500m East and 24,600m North of the South West corner of the SK square.
A point or feature, within one of the smallest grid squares, can be indicated still more closely by estimating the tenths of the appropriate grid square.
When giving a National Grid reference, for any point, the distance Eastwards (Eastings) is always given before the distance Northwards (Northings).
Northern Ireland is covered by the Irish Grid System, which contains a single alpha character to represent each 100km square. There are 5 such 100km squares covering Northern Ireland using the letters: C D G H J.
This, however, makes the distance difficult, so AFD products automatically convert the Irish grid system to British system to allow distances / nearest to be correctly calculated. You can opt to convert all grid references to use the British or Irish Grid systems to provide consistency across the whole UK and these options are available in the front-end and developers can gain access to these conversions through the Common API.
No Grid References are available for these postcodes but to enable them to be used with the Map and Nearest facilities of AFD Products, grid references for the centre of the locality/town have been hard coded. PO Boxes are non-geographic (being located in the Post Office) hence having no grid reference. You can also opt to use these locality/town hard coded values generally in the Front-end and they are accessible through the Common API for developers. In large cities these approximations can be quite far out as the values given are for the centre of that city and not the postcode you selected. However this may be more useful than no grid reference at all to assist in distance calculations or locating somewhere on the map.
To enable these Grid References to be used with GPS systems and other tools requiring latitude and longitude values AFD Products provide a conversion to latitude and longitude values for a grid reference which is displayed in the front end and can be inserted into your application. Developer’s can gain access to these conversions through the Common API. The latitude and longitude values given are based on the WGS84 standard – the one in most common usage with GPS systems. The conversions used are accurate to within 5 metres (the worst case scenario at locations with most distortion). But remember that a grid references at postcode level may cover a wide area especially in rural areas.
See https://www.afd.co.uk/eula
The Royal Mail no longer use the “County” for the delivery of mail – indeed, they have removed County Data from the Postcode Address File on which many AFD products are based. Although County may be included on mail, AFD products and examples are set to omit county data when first installed. It is strongly recommended that for mailing purposes, County data be omitted.
Nevertheless, many organisations use counties for their own regional structures so AFD Products allow you to choose whether these are displayed (from the Edit menu), and gives you a range of county types to choose from:
The following table shows the full descriptions for each of the Censation codes.
| Code | Affluence | Life Stage | Additional Info | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AW01 | Wealthy | Young families | Many Christians, Professionals with High incomes, commercially active | Eclectic Tastes |
| AW07 | Wealthy | Young families | Employed in full education and finance, active online but protective of identity, some Christian and rural | Fully online |
| AW09 | Wealthy | Young families | Public servants with above average income, some christians and rural locations | Progressive Families |
| AX02 | Wealthy | Older families | Above average incomes, with traditional backgrounds and high levels of responsibility | Business Leaders |
| AX03 | Wealthy | Older families | Suburban neighbourhoods with many social grade AB, commercially active | Leafy Avenues |
| AX05 | Wealthy | Older families | Traditional outlook with high qualifications and social grade AB | Instinctive conservative |
| AX06 | Wealthy | Older families | Well above average incomes, in established neighbourhoods, but engaging with the internet | Thoughtful Progress |
| AX10 | Wealthy | Older families | Established affluent families, who want privacy with many different Religions and backgrounds | Global Perspective |
| AY04 | Wealthy | Empty nests and seniors | Managers and senior officials with high incomes, engaged with commerce and the internet | Settled Influence |
| AY08 | Wealthy | Empty nests and seniors | Professional and senior managers with a wide range of cultural interests | Style and Music |
| BV20 | Prosperous | Young singles | Highly qualified young people looking to establish themselves and settle down | Preparing the Nest |
| BW11 | Prosperous | Young families | High incomes, with many Christians, employed in finance and business services | Cultured Engagement |
| BW18 | Prosperous | Young families | Suburban families with young children and high aspirations for commercial success | Sporting Ambitions |
| BX15 | Prosperous | Older families | Buying their own homes, and preparing for children to leave home | Parents Taxi |
| BY12 | Prosperous | Empty nests and seniors | Established focus on buying home, DIY, home improvements and the garden | Home and Garden |
| BY13 | Prosperous | Empty nests and seniors | Mixed set of interests, able to do new things now children are becoming independent | Considering Change |
| BY14 | Prosperous | Empty nests and seniors | Mixed interests, but many with local interests and higher than average incomes | Considerate Participants |
| BY16 | Prosperous | Empty nests and seniors | Many retired christians, in suburban settings, with little commercial activity | Contented Enjoyment |
| BY17 | Prosperous | Empty nests and seniors | Many rural locations, employment in agriculture and support for local charities | Country Cottage |
| BY19 | Prosperous | Empty nests and seniors | Some christians with employment in education and the professions | Traditional Community |
| BY21 | Prosperous | Empty nests and seniors | Range of interests with a typical income but much expectation about commercial activity | Driven to Get On |
| CV29 | Comfortable | Young singles | Lots of different activities, with plenty of uptake of technology and online activity | Prudent Technologists |
| CV30 | Comfortable | Young singles | Highly qualified workers, with some professionals, and interests in Leisure, clothing and appliances | Living to the Full |
| CV31 | Comfortable | Young singles | Many students, and interests in music, leisure and events | Festival Participants |
| CW26 | Comfortable | Young families | Hindus and muslims, many employed in the transport sector with some office and shop staff | Global Reach |
| CW28 | Comfortable | Young families | Wide range of interests, particularly charities and family, many manual workers in the retail sector | Empathetic Supporter |
| CX22 | Comfortable | Older families | Many factory and manual workers in manufacturing and retail. Buying their own houses, some on average incomes | Salt of the earth |
| CX27 | Comfortable | Older families | Buying their own home, some in a rural setting, with interests in the local community | Attentive partner |
| CY23 | Comfortable | Empty nests and seniors | Retired with a range of interests in semi-detached houses with moderate commercial activity, some with no qualifications | House Proud |
| CY24 | Comfortable | Empty nests and seniors | Retired with a range of interests, some moderate commercial activity, with some high qualifications | Social Enthusiast |
| CY25 | Comfortable | Empty nests and seniors | Retired with mixed interests with skilled trades and experience in agriculture. Relatively High commercial activity with some intermediate qualifications | Handy skills |
| DV36 | Striving | Young singles | Living in rented accommodation, working in hotels, business and health services. Sometimes support charities | Focused Students |
| DW32 | Striving | Young families | Living in smaller houses. Manual workers in manufacturing and retail | Looking for New Ideas |
| DW33 | Striving | Young families | Traditional outlook with some Christians, working in retail and transport with little commercial activity | Conscientious worker |
| DW41 | Striving | Young families | Support staff employed in manufacturing and retail, on low incomes, with an eclectic range of interests | Keeping Fit |
| DX34 | Striving | Older families | No professed religion, with low levels of qualifications. Manual workers reading popular newspapers | Industrious providers |
| DX39 | Striving | Older families | Employed in manufacturing, construction and retail as support staff. Many read middle of the road newspapers with a conservative outlook | Making Ends Meet |
| DX40 | Striving | Older families | Employed in manufacturing, construction and retail. Have no qualifications and read popular newspapers, but engage with social media | Aspiring Technologists |
| DX42 | Striving | Older families | Very low incomes – either unemployed or in the hotel trade, but sometimes support charities | Old-school companions |
| DY35 | Striving | Empty nests and seniors | Retired with mixed interests, many with no religious affiliation who sometimes support charities | Careful beginners |
| DY37 | Striving | Empty nests and seniors | Retired without qualifications, with experience in manufacturing. Some support charities some of the time | Home Builders |
| DY38 | Striving | Empty nests and seniors | Many retired without qualifications, read popular newspapers, some on low incomes | Working hard |
| EV46 | Struggling | Young singles | Some on low incomes, living in rented accommodation with no religious affiliation, with aspirations for commercial activity | Bettering themselves |
| EW44 | Struggling | Young families | Many with no-religious affiliation in social and private rented accommodation, who sometimes support charities | Meticulous care |
| EW45 | Struggling | Young families | Mixed interests, living in rented accomdation and reading popular newspapers | Starting Out |
| EW50 | Struggling | Young families | Social renting of smaller flats & houses, very low incomes, with little commercial activity | Firm foundations |
| EX49 | Struggling | Older families | Social renting of flats & smaller houses, read popular newspapers and little commercial or internet activity | Dedicated Parents |
| EY43 | Struggling | Empty nests and seniors | Retired, social grade E, with no qualifications. Reading popular newspapers, value privacy with little commercial activity | Resolute spirit |
| EY47 | Struggling | Empty nests and seniors | Retired with little religious affiliation and no qualifications previously in process support and elementary occupations, some in social and private renting | Diligent Supporters |
| EY48 | Struggling | Empty nests and seniors | Social grade E, retired with experience of personal health services. Engaged with commercial activity | Persistent enquirers |
| EY51 | Struggling | Empty nests and seniors | Social grade E, retired with experience of elementary occupations in health. Many Muslim and Hindu | Determined Survivors |
| EY52 | Struggling | Empty nests and seniors | Social grade E, retired with experience of elementary occupations in manufacturing. Little commercial and online activity | Proud Technophobes |
| NL61 | Not Classified | Many organisations mixed with low, transient population | Consumer commercial centres and offices. Much of this segment arises from business related sources, plus some unidentified residential properties | Unclassified |
| Code | Percentage of UK Population (Postcode Level Censation) | Percentage of Adults Over 18 (Individual Level Censation) | Percentage of Occupied Households (Household Level Censation) | Urban- Rural Score | Recent New Build Score | Recent House Sales Score | Recent Sale Price Score | Annual Rate of House Price Increase Score | Annual Rate of House Sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AW01 | 1.21 | 0.27 | 0.21 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| AW07 | 0.75 | 1.45 | 1.11 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| AW09 | 0.9 | 0.69 | 0.58 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| AX02 | 0.92 | 0.37 | 0.31 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| AX03 | 2.02 | 0.46 | 0.29 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| AX05 | 1.37 | 2.26 | 1.59 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| AX06 | 1.35 | 1.75 | 1.38 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| AX10 | 1.84 | 0.28 | 0.27 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| AY04 | 1.76 | 1.04 | 1.52 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| AY08 | 1.63 | 0.91 | 1.19 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| BV20 | 1.4 | 1.84 | 1.56 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| BW11 | 1.96 | 0.82 | 0.66 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| BW18 | 1.94 | 1.78 | 1.48 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| BX15 | 1.54 | 6.52 | 5.02 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| BY12 | 1.01 | 1.18 | 1.83 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| BY13 | 1.58 | 1.25 | 1.9 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| BY14 | 1.24 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| BY16 | 0.66 | 0.06 | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| BY17 | 1.43 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| BY19 | 0.99 | 0.15 | 0.23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| BY21 | 0.89 | 0.32 | 0.46 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| CV29 | 0.6 | 1.02 | 1.11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| CV30 | 0.99 | 1.97 | 1.85 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| CV31 | 1.04 | 1.29 | 1.17 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| CW26 | 1.91 | 1.4 | 1.09 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| CW28 | 2.73 | 5.67 | 4.84 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| CX22 | 8.26 | 13.53 | 10.42 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| CX27 | 6.13 | 1.3 | 1.06 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| CY23 | 5.06 | 5.8 | 9.17 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| CY24 | 3.71 | 1.79 | 2.78 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| CY25 | 3.24 | 0.43 | 0.61 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| DV36 | 1.75 | 3.63 | 3.4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| DW32 | 0.64 | 1.11 | 0.96 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| DW33 | 0.86 | 1.02 | 0.81 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| DW41 | 0.78 | 2.19 | 1.82 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| DX34 | 1.75 | 5.21 | 3.97 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| DX39 | 1.82 | 2.69 | 2.13 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| DX40 | 2.43 | 1.49 | 1.11 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| DX42 | 2.07 | 0.61 | 0.53 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| DY35 | 2.57 | 3.57 | 5.59 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| DY37 | 4.11 | 1.82 | 2.85 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| DY38 | 1.81 | 0.26 | 0.4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| EV46 | 1.79 | 3.15 | 3.24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| EW44 | 1.28 | 0.63 | 0.53 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| EW45 | 0.76 | 1.59 | 1.33 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| EW50 | 0.7 | 0.66 | 0.54 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| EX49 | 2.2 | 5.55 | 4.38 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| EY43 | 2.35 | 1.26 | 2.05 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| EY47 | 2.37 | 2.68 | 4.44 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| EY48 | 3.24 | 1.39 | 2.26 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| EY51 | 1.55 | 1.65 | 1.61 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| EY52 | 1.11 | 0.11 | 0.17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Income
Tenure
Housing Type
Economic Activity
Industry Sector
Occupation
Social Grade
Age
Adult Marital Status
Dependant Children
Religion
Qualifications
Population Characteristics
Newspaper Readership
Charity Support
| Accommodation & food services | Accommodation and food service activities |
| Active: Full-time student | Economically active: Full-time student |
| Active: Self-employed | Economically active: Self-employed |
| Active: Unemployed | Economically active: Unemployed |
| Administrative services | Administrative and support service activities |
| Affluence | An estimate of the relative material comfort experienced within different neighbourhoods of the UK based upon a combination of variables from the 2011 UK Census |
| Census | A questionnaire distributed to the whole UK population once every decade, the last one was in 2011 |
| Christian | Indicates that a relatively high proportion of a postcode indicated that their religion was Christian in a voluntary question in the latest UK Census |
| Comfortable | The central band on the affluence scale derived from the Census data |
| Commercial | Indicates the presence of a high proportion of business and public organisations within a postcode |
| Consumer | Predominantly businesses that deal directly with the public, e.g. shops, banks, pubs etc. |
| Converted flat | Flat, maisonette or apartment: Part of a converted or shared house (including bed-sits) |
| Detached house | Whole house or bungalow: Detached |
| Distinctive | Where the proportion of a factor within a postcode is substantially larger than the proportion found within the UK as a whole. |
| Electricity, gas, steam & air con | Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply |
| Elementary (occupation) | Unskilled jobs, e.g. security guards |
| Employee: Full-time | Economically active: Employee: Full-time |
| Employee: Part-time | Economically active: Employee: Part-time |
| Empty Nests | Adult couples aged over 45, who have no children. |
| Established | The average length of residency within a postcode is over 6 years. |
| Excess | A significantly higher proportion of a characteristic when that proportion is large across the whole of the UK. |
| Flat In a commercial building | Flat, maisonette or apartment: In a commercial building |
| Frequently | 6+ times per year |
| Geodemographic | The description of different characteristics about people based upon the location where they live. |
| High | Usually more than 8 times per year |
| Hindu | Indicates that a relatively high proportion of a postcode indicated that their religion was Hindu in a voluntary question in the latest UK Census. |
| Household | A group of people living within one building and accessed through a single main door. |
| Household Space | Any accommodation occupied by an individual household or, if unoccupied, available for an individual household. |
| Human health and social work | Human health and social work activities |
| In-conclusive | Information about the segment does not differentiate significantly between different characteristics |
| In employment | Economically active: In employment |
| Inactive: Long-term sick or disabled | Economically inactive: Long-term sick or disabled |
| Inactive: Looking after home or family | Economically inactive: Looking after home or family |
| Inactive: Other | Economically inactive: Other |
| Inactive: Retired | Economically inactive: Retired |
| Inactive: Student | Economically inactive: Student (including full-time students) |
| Life Stage | Indicates the distinctive characteristics of a postcode according to their age and household make-up |
| Life Style | Indications of the different ways that people participate with society and people around them. |
| Mail Order | Indicates how likely respondents are to make purchases through the use of magazines, catalogues etc. where the product is not seen directly, but sent by mail after it has been ordered. |
| Many | Indicates that a characteristic for a Censation segment is one of the 10% most distinctive for that variable |
| Muslim | Indicates that a relatively high proportion of a postcode indicated that their religion was Muslim in a voluntary question in the latest UK Census. |
| Normally empty households | Household spaces with no usual residents |
| Normally occupied households | Household spaces with at least one usual resident |
| Occasionally | 1 – 3 times per year. |
| Older Families | Adult couples, with children aged over 11. |
| Personal Services | Jobs that include support for private individuals, these can include health, social services and leisure. |
| Professional & scientific activities | Professional, scientific and technical activities |
| Process Support | Low skilled jobs particularly those that support production lines etc. |
| Prosperous | The next to highest band on the affluence scale derived from the 2011 Census data |
| Public Administration | Predominantly local and national government offices |
| Public administration & defence | Public administration and defence; compulsory social security |
| Public Sector | A grouping of business sectors including Public Administration, Health and Education. |
| Purpose-built flats | Flat, maisonette or apartment: Purpose-built block of flats or tenement |
| Qualification: Level 1 | Entry level vocational training: e.g. Skills for Life or Foundational Diploma or GCSEs graded D & E |
| Qualification: Level 2 | Established Vocational Training: e.g. Higher Diploma plus GCSEs graded A* to C |
| Qualification: Level 3 | Detailed Vocational Training: e.g. Advanced Diploma plus A/AS levels |
| Qualification: Level 4 | Further Vocational Training plus any University level courses |
| Rank | If the clusters are sorted according to a selected variable then this number indicates the position in the list. |
| Residential | Indicates that a postcode has predominantly private residences within it. |
| Residential Services | These services are often intermingled with private residences and can include Petrol Stations, Newsagents, Small grocers, Hairdressers etc. |
| Religion | The 2011 Census included a voluntary question asking each respondent their religion, if they chose to, they ticked their choice from those available. |
| Semi-detached house | Whole house or bungalow: Semi-detached |
| Seniors | Adults aged over 65, often living alone |
| Sikh | Indicates that a relatively high proportion of a postcode indicated that their religion was Sikh in a voluntary question in the latest UK Census. |
| Social Grade | A grouping of the population derived by the Market Research Society and used within Advertising and Marketing |
| SOHO | Small office and home office businesses |
| Some | Indicates that this characteristic is distinctive for that group although it doesn’t fall into the top 10% for this variable. |
| Sometimes | 4 – 5 times per year |
| Stable | Indicates that the average length of residency in a postcode is between 3 and 6 years. |
| Striving | The next to lowest band on the affluence scale derived from the 2011 Census data |
| Student at their non | |
| term-time address | Schoolchild or full-time student aged 4 and over at their non term-time address |
| Struggling | The lowest band on the affluence scale derived from the 2011 Census data |
| Temporary structure | Caravan or other mobile or temporary structure |
| Tenure | Indicates the type of contract that a respondent holds for their place of residence. |
| Terraced house | Whole house or bungalow: Terraced (including end-terrace) |
| Transient | Indicates that the average length of residency within a postcode is below 3 years |
| Turnover | The rate at which people move in and out of a postcode. |
| Variables | Different descriptions of the characteristics of people within a postcode. |
| Water supply & sewerage | Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities |
| Wealthy | The highest band on the affluence scale derived from the 2011 Census data |
| Wholesale and retail trade | Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles |
| Young Families | Adults living as a couple with children aged less than 11 years old. |
| Young Singles | Adults aged less than 45, who are living alone. |
The occupancy indicator gives an indication of the type of occupants of properties on the selected postcode. It can be helpful in determining whether a given postcode is more likely to relate to a business or private residence, or if a given address is more likely to be in a more industrial or town centre type of setting or in a residential street. You should note that there is always the possibility of an address not being present on PAF, or an incorrect postcode being given. This means that you may be given business or residential details which contradict this field, so it should be used as a guide as to what to expect rather than being treated as authoritative. The types returned are as follows:
This indicates that this is a business postcode which is not shared between different delivery points (letterboxes). The organisation is a large user of Royal Mail deliveries. No private residences should share this postcode and the Royal Mail Postcode Address File will only contain one business entry at this postcode. This can include PO Box addresses which always have a single postcode allocated to them.
Examples:
B6 4AA Used by the organisation 'Royal Mail' only.
B2 2UD PO Box postcode. Used by the organisation 'Birmingham City Council'.
2. Small User Organisation
All the properties on this postcode are likely to be businesses (i.e. not private addresses). There may well be multiple businesses and buildings sharing this same postcode.
Examples:
B2 5EP Used by multiple organisations such as 'Toni & Guy' and 'Slaters'.
B6 5PL Contains the Organisation 'National Express Accessible Transport' only. In this case there is only as single organisation residing on this postcode but it is not a large user postcode and there is always the possibility that other properties could be added to the same postcode in the future.
Most of the addresses on this postcode are businesses. However residential addresses are also present.
Examples:
B5 5SL Contains mostly organisations such as 'Top Draw Graphic Design Associates Ltd', 'F G H Security', etc. but also contains a few residential properties such as a Flat.
B15 3AA Contains a large number of business addresses, but also contains a number of residential properties too.
This postcode contains a mixture of both business and residential addresses with no one type of address in a significant majority.
Examples:
B15 3TR Contains quite a number of both businesses and residential addresses
B17 9QH Again contains a number of both business and residential addresses, neither is dominant on this postcode.
Most of the addresses on this postcode are residential. However business addresses are also present.
Examples:
B9 5XF Contains mostly residential addresses, however a construction company, opticians and garage are also present.
B14 5LY Contains residential addresses with the sole exception of a corner shop.
All the properties on this postcode are likely to be residential addresses.
Examples:
B5 7PY Contains residential addresses only.
B1 1FW Contains residential addresses, all of which are apartments.
The address type indicator gives an indication of the type of property level data you will need to capture to have the full delivery address for properties on the selected postcode. It can be helpful in determining the necessary additional property information you will need to capture to complete the full deliverable address. You should note that there is always the possibility of an address not being present on PAF, or an incorrect postcode being given. This means that you may be given property details which contradict this field, so it should be used as a guide as to what to expect rather than being treated as authoritative. The types returned are as follows:
This indicates that all addresses on this postcode consist purely of a number. So the only information that needs to be captured for a complete address (in addition to the street address returned by Postcode), is the house number. It should be noted that some people may give out and wish to use a house name instead, despite that not being their official address as held by Royal Mail.
Examples:
B6 5BL Contains numbered houses only on Clifton Road in Aston, Birmingham.
B11 3QL Also contains numbered houses only in Sunningdale Road, Birmingham
This indicates that a mixture of addresses exist on this postcode, some needing a house number and some needing a property name. There can also be those that require both or include alphanumeric numbering such as 16b. More care therefore has to be taken in capturing the property details than with a purely numbered or named postcode.
Examples:
B75 6LN Contains multiple addresses, some numbered houses and a named hotel & golf club.
B3 3LP Contains some addresses with a house number only, some with both a house number and property name, and one with a property name only.
This category is the same as that above (Numbered and Named), except that the address details indicate that it is likely that some or all of the addresses on this postcode are multiple occupancy (such as a flat).
Examples:
B1 1BA Contains flats in Holloway Circus in Birmingham.
B20 3PR Consists mainly of numbered properties, however some flats are also present.
All the properties on this postcode have a house or building name, not a number. You are therefore normally expecting to capture a name rather than a number when capturing addresses on this postcode.
Examples:
B6 4AA Contains a single address with the property name 'Birmingham Mail Centre' only.
B1 1TT Contains eighteen addresses each with a property name and no house number present.
This refers to postcodes where one or more addresses is not in a common address format. It is therefore important with this address type to carefully check and enter the property details. This includes addresses which do not have a street field at all, or have multiple street names on the same postcode. It also includes addresses with numbered localities (no street but a house number which goes in with the locality field).
Examples:
B3 3DQ Address has an organisation name, property and town. No other street level information is present.
B13 9JD Some properties on this postcode have a dependant street in the street field giving, 'Fernside Gardens, Yardley Wood Road', while others only have 'Yardley Wood Road'. You therefore need to check you have selected the appropriate street level record in Postcode before adding property information.
This refers to postcodes that have a PO Box number rather than property details to capture. The PO Box number is included in Postcode and so only the business or individual name needs to be captured in this case.
Examples:
B2 5HX This is PO Box 5566 for 'Stratten Consultancy' in Birmingham.
B16 6XW This is PO Box 18541 for 'Brainy Bar Ltd' in Birmingham
When this indicator is present, the address or addresses on this postcode do not have any property information present. So in this case you are only required to capture an organisation or resident name to complete a fully deliverable address.
Examples:
B1 2UN This is 'Hydropower Dynamics Ltd' on St Marks Street in Birmingham. No other property information is present in the fully deliverable address.
B29 5AA This contains addresses for 'Lodge Hill Cemetery' and 'Lodge Hill Cemetery, The Caretaker', both on Weoley Park Road in Birmingham. Again no other property information is present.
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