STAMP VALUES v1.1 Stamp Values CPX by Linnhe Computing Copyright (c) 1997 Mark S Baines All Rights Reserved Mark S Baines asserts the legal and moral right to be identified as the owner of this work. STAMPS.CPX IS A FREEWARE PROGRAM ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ STAMPS.CPX is protected under UK and international copyright law, and is NOT public domain software. Mark S Baines owns the copyright to this program and the document files. You are hereby granted a licence to use these copies. You are not allowed to alter the programs in any way, to do so is an infringement of my rights. FREEWARE is NOT Public Domain! STAMPS.CPX - INVENTORY ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ When distributed through any means whatsoever, this total package must not be separated. STAMPS.CPX The CPX file STAMPALL.LST The total list of stamps available at the Post Office data file STAMPS.LST The list of stamps available to the user data file STAMPS.TXT The documentation in standard ASCII text file STAMPS.CPX - WHAT IS IT? ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ Stamp Values is a CPX program for the Atari XCONTROL panel accessory (or alternatives, such as ZCONTROL or COPS). It shows you the combination of stamps necessary to make up a certain value inputted. STAMPS.CPX - INSTALLATION ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ Insert the STAMPS.CPX file and the two data files STAMPALL.LST and STAMPS.LST into your system CPX folder. You now need to do one of two things. Either reset your computer or have XCONTROL reload your CPXs. Call the XCONTROL panel accessory and select the Options/Setup menu item and click on the right-hand of the two large icons which reloads all the CPX files. ZCONTROL has a similar feature. STAMPS.CPX should now be available. STAMPS.CPX - DE-INSTALLATION ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ Should you not want to use STAMPS.CPX any more, then de-installation is simple. Delete the files: STAMPS.CPX, STAMPALL.LST and STAMPS.LST from your CPX folder. STAMPS.CPX - USING IT ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ After double-clicking on the STAMPS.CPX entry, enter the value of your letter or parcel in the Value: box and click on [Calc] or press . The value must be a decimal value, in pounds and pence. The CPX will catch most input errors and correct them. One or more boxes (up to 15) will be shown representing the stamps that you need to stick on your letter or parcel. The values in these boxes are shown in pounds and pence, therefore 0.02 represents a 2p stamp and 1.50 a œ1.50 stamp. You are also shown the total number of stamps required. The combination of stamps is chosen from those listed in the STAMPS.LST data file. Initially, this is identical to the STAMPALL.LST which contains the list of all the denominations of stamps available from the Post Office. You may select the denominations of stamps you have available and hence update the STAMPS.LST file by clicking on the [Setup] button. A list of all the stamp denominations contained in the STAMPALL.LST data file is shown, up to a maximum of 25. Stamp values that match those that you have available (initially all the values until you modify them) will be already selected. In this way you can see, out of the list of all the stamps available at the Post Office, which stamps you have currently available to youself as saved in the STAMPS.LST data file. Make sure that each denomination you have is selected and then click on [Save] or press to save the list to the STAMPS.LST data file. You may also click on [OK] to temporarily make changes to thislist but this isn't saved to the STAMPS.LST data file and therefore the selection isn't available the next time you use the CPX. Now when you click on [Calc] you'll only be shown the stamps you have available. On occasions, depending on the denominations of stamps you have available, the list of stamps presented cannot exactly match the value inputted. The CPX will present a list that, in total, will be greater than the value inputted to avoid underpaying the postage on your letter or parcel. At present the CPX doesn't give preference to 1st and 2nd class stamps, which are more likely to be available to the user than any other denomination. If you require this feature let me know. However, there is a way to achieve this, and tune the CPX's preference for these (or any other stamps), which is mentioned in the next section. The [Info] button displays some brief Information about the program. The [Cancel] button closes the CPX. STAMPS.CPX - STAMPALL.LST and STAMPS.LST data files ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ These data files are ASCII files containing one entry per line. Each entry consists of a four-figure number representing the stamp value in pence. Leading zeros *are* necessary, so that a stamp with the value of 5p is represented as 0005, a stamp valued at œ10.00 is shown as 1000. The minimum and maximum text line length is four characters. Each line ends in the usual carriage return and line feed characters. The CPX program allows up to 25 entries. The current STAMPALL.LST data file contains 21 denominations. You may edit these files to suit your own needs, for instance, when the cost of a first class stamp goes up. It is also possible to modify the use of the program so that it shows combinations of coins, for instance, rather than stamps if you edit the STAMPALL.LST data file to contain a list of all available coinage. However, in all cases, you must remain within the limitations as already outlined. Failure to do so will be unpredictable. Use an editor to change the STAMPALL.LST file or a word processor in ASCII or non-word processor or program mode. It is also possible to change the order of the values in the list so as to give them preference over other values. When the CPX looks for possible stamp denominations that match the value inputted it searches from the bottom of the list working upwards. If you want to, say, give preference to 26p stamps then you could move the entry for 0026 further down the list to, say, after the œ1.00 stamp value 0100. Then, the CPX will prefer 26p stamps to œ1.00, 50p etc. stamps. Care has to be taken here so that you don't end up with 10 times 26p stamps for a value of œ2.60 when the more sensible thing to do is to go to the Post Office and get a œ2.00 stamp! Both data files must be in the same folder as the STAMPS.CPX file, the standard CPX folder for your system. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information given in the STAMPALL.LST data file is accurate, no legal responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions or statements in that information. STAMPS.CPX - VERSION HISTORY ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ V1.0 June 1997 The first release version. V1.1 July 1997 This release version. List of stamps presented will now be greater, in total, than the value inputted if an exact match cannot be made, thus avoiding underpayment of postage. The stamps available to the user, as stored in the STAMPS.LST file, are already highlighted in the Setup page so that the user can see what has previously been selected. An OK button has been added to the Setup page allowing for temporary adjustments to the list of denominations available to the user without affecting the STAMPS.LST data file. STAMPS.CPX - LATEST VERSION ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ The latest version of this program (together with all other Linnhe Computing programs) is always available from: The Linnhe Computing web site: http://www.stsd.demon.co.uk/linnhe.html CIX: atari.st conference current filelist topic (such as atari.st/files97). BBS networks: FAN base FAN.UTIL.ACC PD Libraries: Floppyshop and FaST Club. STAMPS.CPX - THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ Thanks to Jon Ellis for his CPX articles in his excellent Programmers' Forum series in ST Applications magazine. Thanks to Joe Connor and Mike Kerslake for the idea and data and to Roger Derry for suggestions for improvements. Sl…inte mhath Mark S Baines Linnhe Computing Linnhe, Shore Street Inver Ross-shire IV20 1SF 5th July 1997 E-mail: Internet: msbaines@cix.co.uk NeST: 90:102/107.0@nest.ftn FidoNet: 2:254/105.10@fidonet.org TurboNet: 100:101/12.10@turbonet.ftn AtariNet 51:502/0.10@atarinet.ftn Home Page: http://www.stsd.demon.co.uk/linnhe.html