A macro library address list: keep your frequently-used addresses ready for immediate use. (technical)

A MACRO LIBRARY ADDRESS LIST

Many people use PCs almost entirely for spreadsheets. If you are one of those people, perhaps you put off writing letters because of the extra steps needed to end your spreadsheet session and crank up your word-processing software. But what if you want to dash off a short note to an associate or client the moment an idea hits you?

You can satisfy this urge while running 1-2-3 or Symphony, even with your current project still in memory. This is easier to do in Symphony, which offers a word-processing environment, but producing a short letter in a 1-2-3 spreadsheet is not an unreasonable task.

To make such spontaneous letter writing convenient, turn your name and address and the names and addresses of you most-frequent correspondents into macros. Then store the macros in memory, using the Macro Library Manager add-in that is included with Symphony Releases 1.1, 1.2, and 2.0 and with the newly released 1-2-3 Release 2.2. These macros remain available even if you clear your worksheet or retrieve a new one. They'll allow you to produce the heading and salutation of a letter in a few seconds by invoking a couple of mnemonic keywords.

For example, suppose you've just tabulated some sales figures and you notice that one of the offices isn't selling up to par with the others. You decide to to send a note to that office's manager, whose name is Bunker. To start the letter, press the USER key and enter the word letter (Symphony) or press RUN and select that item from the control panel (1-2-3 Release 2.2). In a few seconds, your name and address and the current date appear in an un-used area of the worksheet. Press the USER key again and type bunker (Symphony) or press RUN and select BUNKER from the control panel (1-2-3). Bunker's name and address are automatically entered below the date. Now you're ready to type the letter.

Be aware that this system is different from a mail-merge program. Last month's LOTUS presented instructions for performing mail-merge operations in 1-2-3. This system is much simpler, sort of an electronic Rolodex. Note also that this article doesn't deal with addressing envelopes.

The Macro Library Manager included with 1-2-3 Release 2.2 is virtually identical to the Symphony version, and the methods for saving address macros and using them to create letters are similar. Still, there are some important differences, so we will look at each procedure separately.

ADDRESS LISTS WITH SYMPHONY

To begin, you'll need to attach the Macro Library Manager file, MACROMGR.APP, or configure Symphony to attach it automatically on startup.

If you run Symphony from your hard disk, the add-in should be in the same subdirectory that contains Symphony's program …