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2 The File-formats


2.1 The format of the Address-files (*.ADR)

The address-files (*.ADR)

In every address-file, variable-names are defined in the first line. Every variable should begin with the "$"-char and the following string should be written in upper case, because it is case-sensitive. The defined variable-names are separated by a TAB-char, in the following signed as [T]. The first variable is always the recipient's address and it has always to be defined as $ADR, the rest of the variables can be defined free. Only rule: All variable-names must be different and must not be part of each other. For example $NAME and $NA are not valid in the same address-file. If $NA is replaced by "Bill" it could happen that "BillME" appears in the Mail instead of "Bill"!

In the following lines there are the data-sets, elements also separated by [T]. For every line, there will be generated a Mail, later. The variable-name at the n-th position in the first line will be replaced by the n-th value in the current line. Sounds maybe somewhat complex, but it's easy, as you can see looking at an example: You want to invite some people personally by a roundmail to your birthday-party.

You are creating the following file:

$ADR[T]$NAME
friend1@birthday.net[T]Andy
friend2@xyz.com[T]Martin
blabla@abc.org[T]Christine


It's important to chose an editor-program with the ability of saving the [T]-char correctly.
It's not said that you want to send the mail to everybody mentioned in the address-file. Recipients you want not to be sent the mail, can be excluded by the control-words $OFF and $ON. Any of the words has to be alone in a line and has to start in the first column.

If you e.g. want to exclude Martin from your invitation, you'll have to change the file to the following, if you don't want to delete him from the list:

$ADR[T]$NAME
friend1@birthday.net[T]Andy
$OFF
friend2@xyz.com[T]Martin
$ON
blabla@abc.org[T]Christine

Of course, excluded blocks can have more than one address only.

Since V1.1, mapS has a mighty additional function. Everybody knows the problem that one wants to send mails to different topics to the same person. In ancient times you needed to have different address-files with the same address in any of it. When addresses of receivers changed, you had to check and change any address-file. In the new version of mapS you can keep aoll your addresses in one file. Therefor you have to make another Variable with the fixed name $DISTRIBUTION in your address-file. For different mail-lists with different topics, an alphabetical char is given to each. The choice for any data set is made by writing the alphabetical chars as values into the place of $DISTRIBUTION, if some should get a mail of that topic. the choice of receivers is done during run-time of mapS by entering the abbreviation-char of the wanted receiver-group under "receiver" in the main dialog.

Also an example:

$ADR[T]$NAME[T]$DISTRIBUTION
friend1@birthday.net[T]Andy[T]f
colleague@xyz.com[T]Martin[T]fc
blabla@abc.org[T]Christine[T]c


The groups of receivers are specified as:
f: friend
c: colleague

To send a mail only to colleagues, you enter "c" into the "receiver" field of mapS. For sending a mail to friends and also colleagues, you enter "cf". In this case the mail is sent to all of the three.

2.2 The format of the mail-text-files (*.TXT)

The mail-text-files (*.TXT)

For sending a personalized mail to people in a list it's enough to write a text containing the variable-names as replacements at the position you wish to use them, i.e.:

Dear $NAME!
I'd like to invite you to my birthday-party on Sun. 12/24, 7.30 pm at my flat.
Regards,
Gerald



recipient address: $ADR

2.3 Compatibility of files

If you know the mailer CAT for the German Mausnet, you might know the mix-mailer module Mungojerrie.
The idea for mapS was inspired by Mungojerrie. So I kept the *.ADR and *.TXT file-formats compatible to it that everybody can use his old Data without changes!


Copyright © http://gerald-dietze.de
Last updated on February 9, 2001

Home Contents mapS in general Installation and operation