Do you have form letters with substitution data? Are you using an error prone, high-maintenance patchwork of PC applications like MS Word merging with DB2/400 database? Or, are you wondering how to replace your outdated and complicated OfficeVision/400 application that prints form letters? The MarkMagic SM@RT Message feature lets you set up easily changeable OS/400 message files containing the text of your form letters that can easily be linked with variable data in your OS/400 database files.

Standard *HEADING fields are limited to 30 characters. The MarkMagic SM@RT Message feature lets you define forms with legal terms or shipping instructions using *HEADING fields that are up to 132 characters long!

Here's How to Use SM@RT Message

If you have an existing Message File containing all the Message Descriptions you will need, skip to Step 5.

1. On a command line, type CRTMSGF MSGF(xxx/yyy) TEXT ('My message file')
2. Type ADDMSGD, and press F4. Create message descriptions for each line of text you will need on your format.
3. To review your work, type WRKMSGF MSGF(xxx/yyy) to display the message file you created.
4. Tab to the Opt field, type 12 and press Enter to work with message descriptions
5. Create a New or Open an existing MarkMagic format.
6. Define a *HEADING field (either Text or Data).
7. Tab to the Field Description. Type "@MSG"
8. Press F4 to choose a message ID from a list.
9. Move the cursor to select a message description and press Enter.
10. Press Enter to complete the field definition.

Note: the SM@RT Message Feature requires a MarkMagic label file or a spooled output file to be specified in the PRTLBLF (Print a Label File) command. It will not work if you specify *LAYOUT.

The following illustration shows Data fields defined in a Text *LINK Field. Note how a variable field, CSNAME, is used to supply the embedded Customer Name, while the @MSG fields supply the constant data from Message Files. 

This is the printed output, with the red data coming from the variable field, and the black text supplied from the Message File.


Here's How to Use SM@RT Message for Multilingual Jobs

If you need to print in multiple languages, such as printing out a letter in English to English speakers and in Spanish to Spanish speakers, MarkMagic SM@RT Message handles this with ease with no programming on your part.

1. Define a *HEADING field (either Text or Data).
2. Tab to the Field Description. Type "@MSG"
3. Press F4 to choose a message ID from a list. Specify *LIBL as the library.
4. Move the cursor to select a message description and press Enter.
5. Press Enter to complete the field definition.
6. At print time, if you printing Spanish letters, move the Spanish message file to the top of the library list, if another language, move that message file to the top.

MarkMagic Makes It Easy

MarkMagic Jobs can provide you with a menu that your user picks from for the printing of form letters. That way the whole operation is simple to maintain, as well as being foolproof - with no PC, or blue screen of death to mess things up. 

Have questions about how to use the MarkMagic SM@RT Message Feature? Write to us at help@cybra.com