The Letter Window
Theatre Manager provides a built in word processor that can be
used to create form letters & custom reports for the various
modules of Theatre Manager.
Access to the Letter Window is through the Form Letters menu.
Hint: You are able to create word processing documents
without closing other Theatre Manager windows. This enables you to
move from one task to another, without having to re-open the document
each time you wish to resume writing.
When opening the word processor, two additional icons will appear
in the right side of the Tools Palette.
- Change Font & Style for Selected Text
- Refer to the section Fonts Menu for information on this
option.
- Add Database Merge Field
- Refer to the section Merge Fields for information on this
option.
The Form Letter Menus
File
Menu
The File menu has the items that you typically find on a standard
File menu.
New
Creates a new document.
Save
SSaveSSaves the current document.
Revert
to Saved
Reloads the last saved version of the document.
Delete
Deletes the current document.
Page Setup
Sets up how the current document will be printed. When you
select it, the standard page setup dialog box is displayed.
Report
Destination
Selects where the documents will be printed.
Print Record
Prints the current document to the currently selected printer.
This allows you to chose if you want to print all or just some of
the pages of your document, the number of copies, etc.
Note:NoteL If the current document has been changed since
the last time it was saved, Theatre Manager asks if you want to save
the changes before exiting.
Edit
Menu
Undo
Rever Reverses the last action performed.
Cut
Removes the current selection and places it into the
clipboard. A selection can include text, pictures, special
characters such as a page break, or a combination of these items.
Once a selection has been cut, you can use the "Paste" option to
paste it at the current cursor position, or into another
application.
Copy
Copies the current selection into the clipboard. The current
selection is not altered. Once a selection has been copied into
the clipboard, you can use the "Paste" option to paste it at the
current cursor position, or into another application.
Paste
Inserts a copy of the clipboard's contents at the cursor
position you have selected. It is generally used after having done
a "Copy" or "Cut" operation.
Clear
Removes the current selection from the document without
placing it into the Clipboard. The "Clear" operation allows you to
remove a selection from your document while maintaining the
clipboard's contents.
Select
All
Selects a full section of the document from the first to the
last character. It works on only the currently selected part of
the document, whether that is the body of the text, the header, or
the footer.
Copy
Ruler
AllowsAllow you to copy the ruler settings of the ruler that
is applied to the current selection or paragraph.
- When you copy a ruler you store the settings for the margins,
indents, tabs, line spacing, paragraph spacing, and text
justification.
- Once a ruler has been copied, the "Paste ruler" option can be
used to apply its settings to any paragraph of your choice.
- The word processor uses a separate memory area for the "Copy
Ruler" settings, and each time you copy a ruler, it replaces the
previous memory contents. This option thus has no effect on the
clipboard's contents.
Paste Ruler
Allows you to apply the settings of the last ruler you copied
to the current selection or paragraph.
- It is possible to apply a copied ruler to any paragraph of
your choice.
- This option becomes available only after you have used the
"Copy Ruler" option at least once. It then remains available until
you exit the word processor.
Form
Letters Menu
Letters...
Opens
a sub-menu to allow the creation of a new document, or
opening an existing document.
Print Unprinted Letters
Prints all unprinted letters to the currently selected
printer. Refer to the Form Letters section for more information on
printing unprinted letters.
Show Fields/Show Values
Allows you to switch the display mode for fields placed into
your document. You can choose what is displayed either the field
labels or the actual field values. In this instance, the field
labels are the actual Theatre Manager field names.
Note: This is a toggling menu item. It will toggle
between Show Fields and Show Values, depending on the display mode
of the document. The displayed item is presenting the choice you
can make, not the current mode you are in.
- If this menu item reads "Show fields" you will see displayed
the values of the current record for these fields.
- Fields that have been placed into the text are recognizable by
the dotted frame around them.
- You can apply all available style and font options to these
fields as this is a global application for all of the text in any
given field.
- If the menu item reads "Show values" you will see the field
labels (i.e. names).
Merge Current Patron
UpdatesUpdates the values of fields included in the document
by re-reading the current records in memory. This option is
especially useful when you have changed the record currently being
accessed in Theatre Manager.
Note: The current values of a merge field is saved along
with the rest of the document’s text. This means that if you
open a document, the displayed merge field values are the last
accessed values by the document. Assuming that a Merge Current
Patron has been processed in the interval.
Hide Ruler / Show Ruler
Hides or shows the ruler applied to the current paragraph or
section of the document displayed in the window.
Note: This is a toggling menu item. It will toggle
between Hide Ruler and Show Ruler, depending on the display mode
of the document. The displayed item is presenting the choice you
can make, not the current mode you are in.
Hint: Hiding the ruler has the advantage of freeing up
space on the window, allowing you to view more text at one
time.
Margins
Allows you to specify margins and other settings applicable to
the pages of the current document. The following dialog box is
displayed.
- The entered values for margins indicate the distance between
the page edges and the text area of the paper. It is possible to
set the margins for all four edges: top, bottom, left, and right.
Values are displayed in points and the default values are set to
30 points.
- It is also possible to set the first page number (in terms of
the automatic numbering), and to set a starting or "Title" page
option. If you mark the "Title page" check box, the first page
will not include a header and/or a footer.
- When you close this dialog box the values entered are applied
to the page layout of the current document.
Hint: It is possible to display this dialog box by
double clicking on the margin area of the page.
Insert
Headers / Delete Headers
Allows you to insert or delete a header for the current
document. A header is the part of the document that will be
repeated at the top of each page of the document, between the top
margin and text body. It has the same width (left and right
margins) as the text body.
Note: This is a toggling menu item. It will toggle
between Insert Headers and Delete Headers, depending on the
display mode of the document. The displayed item is presenting the
choice you can make, not the current mode you are in.
- When you select the Insert Header option a header area
encompassing one line is generated at the top of the page. To
enter text into the header, you need only double-click on this
area, which expands it. The Page Indicator at the bottom of the
window will display "Header" when this area has been
selected.
Note: Header area boundaries are visible when the "Show
Fields" option from the "Fields" menu is active, that is to say
when the first option displayed on the "Fields" menu is "Show
Values".
- You may place anything you want into a header area, including
graphics, a logo, and merge fields, and all of the ruler settings
can be applied.
- To quit working in the header area and return to text body,
you double-click on "Header" in the Indicator area of the window.
This area will revert to displaying the current page number.
- Headers are useful when you want to place some information
such as the page number, the current date, or a company logo at
the same position on every page.
Hint: It is possible to quickly enter the header area,
if one exists, by double clicking on the page indicator display at
the bottom left of the page.
Insert
Footers / Delete Footers
Allows you to insert or delete a footer for the current
document. A footer is the part of the document that will be
repeated at the bottom of each page of the document, between the
bottom margin and text body. It has the same width (left and right
margins) as the text body.
Note: This is a toggling menu item. It will toggle
between Insert Footers and Delete Footers, depending on the
display mode of the document. The displayed item is presenting the
choice you can make, not the current mode you are in.
- When you select the Insert Footer option a header area
encompassing one line is generated at the top of the page. To
enter text into the footer, you need only double-click on this
area, which expands it. The Page Indicator at the bottom of the
window will display "Footer" when this area has been
selected.
Note: Footer area boundaries are visible when the "Show
Fields" option from the "Fields" menu is active, that is to say
when the first option displayed on the "Fields" menu is "Show
Values".
- You may place anything you want into a footer area, including
graphics, a logo, and merge fields, and all of the ruler settings
can be applied.
- To quit working in the footer area and return to text body,
you double-click on "Footer" in the Indicator area of the window.
This area will revert to displaying the current page number.
- Footers are useful when you want to place some information
such as the page number, the current date, or a company logo at
the same position on every page.
Insert Page Break
Inserts a forced page break at the current cursor location.
This causes the insertion of enough blank lines to reach the
following page. You can insert a page break at any location in the
text.
When you insert a page break, the cursor is placed on the first
line of the next page. If the text that follows the cursor is too
long to fit into the existing pages that follow, a new page(s) is
created at the end of the document.
Inserting a page break has no effect on header and footer
positions.
Borders
Borders areBoarder lines placed around selected text. If you
click on "Top", "Left Side", "Bottom", and "Right Side", a frame
(with either a single or double line) will be placed around the
current selection. If you click the "Between lines" check box, a
line will be placed between each line of the selected text.
- Frames are always applied to an entire paragraph. If you place
a frame around a set of consecutive paragraphs, a line will be
automatically placed between paragraphs that have different ruler
settings. If paragraphs have the same ruler settings, a line will
be placed between them only if the "Between lines" option is
selected.
Hint: It is possible to quickly display the Borders
windows by double clicking in the grayed ruler area.
Font
Menu
The Font menu displays all of the fonts that are installed into
your computer system. It allows you to choose the font that will be
used for the text you are about to enter, or to change the font
currently used with the selected text.
- On opening a new document, the word processor uses as its
default font "Geneva" on the Macintosh, or the first font
available for the current printer driver with Windows.
- The fonts are displayed in alphabetical order.
- The font used for the currently selected text is checked. If
more than one font is used in the current selection, no font is
checked.
Note: If the font used in a document is not installed on
the computer being used to print it, the word processor will use the
closest font with Windows or the Chicago font on the Macintosh. For
details about font installation, refer to your user manuals supplied
with your computer.
Other Fonts...
If there are more fonts installed on your computer than are able
to be displayed in the menu list, use this option to view all the
fonts. This window allows easy access to change selected text to the
desired look with font, size, colour, and style.
Hint: This window can remain open at all times while
editing the document.
Style Menu
The style menu lists the most used font styles and sizes. It
allows you to set the style and size in which the text you will enter
will be displayed, or to change the style and/or size of the
currently selected text.
Style
The first section of the Style menu allows you to change font
style. You can apply more than one of these options at a time to
any font and for every size. When a style option is selected a
check mark is displayed before its name.
"Plain" is the default style. If you apply this option to a
text selection that includes one or more styles, all these styles
will be canceled.
Note: The combined styles of Outline and Shadow are
available for the Macintosh only
Size
The size section of the Style menu lists a set of the most
used font sizes. It is possible to change the size of the
currently selected text or to set the size of text that will be
subsequently entered.
The default size is 12 point. Sizes are listed in increasing
order, giving 7 choices between 9 and 48 points. The current size
is marked but if the current text selection contains text in
different sizes, no size will be checked.
Font size can also be changed using the "Other Sizes…"
option.
Superscript
/ Subscript
You can move the selected text or the text to be entered up
(superscript) or down (subscript). Movement is a pixel at a time,
in a range of 0 to 99 pixels.
Other Sizes...
Allows you to set other font sizes for the currently selected
text or for text to be entered. You can enter a value from 3 to
127 points.
Colour
Menu
The colour menu allows you to select a colour from 8 eight
possible colours, and apply it to the currently selected text or text
that is to be entered.
The current colour will have a check mark beside the colour.
Add
Merge Field
The Merge Fields window allows you to select the database fields
to be used in your letter.
Double clicking on the field and the field is entered into your
letter. You may also select the field and then select the Add Field
button.
Hint: This window can remain open at all times while
editing the document.
Note: A merge field placed in a document is limited to a
rectangular boundary and as such may not start on one line and end on
another. You may however insert <RETURN>s into the contents of
a merge field.
Without <RETURN>s
With <RETURN>s
Field Category
The fields displayed can be controlled by the Field Category
located on the upper right of the window.
Selecting the Field Category produces a list of the database
field categories in Theatre Manager. The fields displayed in the
Merge Fields window will be limited to the fields in the category
you selected.
The category Word Processor contains non-database fields which
can be inserted into your document.
Date
InsertsII a field to display the current date at the
location of the cursor. The date is the current system date
as set on your computer.
Document
Title
InsertsIi a field to display the current document's
title, the title being the one displayed in the window's
Title Bar.
Number of Pages
InsertsInserts a last page number field at the location
of your cursor.
Page
InsertsInserts a page number field at the location of
your cursor. The current page number is displayed in the
indicator area of the document.
Time
InsertsIi a field to display the current time at the
location of the cursor. The time is the current system time
set on your computer.
Punctuation
Inserts the selection punctuation at the cursor location.
Alternately, you are able to the keyboard.
Field Definition & Value
A field definition appears in the lower portion of the window
each time the merge field is clicked on. Additionally, if a value
is available, it will display as an example of what is contained
in the database field.
Form
Letter Ruler
The ruler has a lot of features. The current ruler is applied to
the current paragraph. Each paragraph can have its own ruler. To see
the ruler settings applied to a specific paragraph, you just have to
click on the paragraph.
Tabs
The word processor uses 5 different kinds of tab stops.
Left Tab
Text is aligned left at the tab stop.
Centre Tab
Text is centered at the tab stop.
Right Tabulation
Text is aligned right at the tab stop.
Decimal Tab
Text is aligned on the right side from decimal point of the
value. This is useful if you want to align decimal
values.
Vertical Line Tab
The word processor places a vertical line along the tab stop.
This is useful when used with frames allowing you to create
presentation tables.
Note: You can set up to 20 tab stops for a ruler. Default
tabs are left tabs placed at half inch intervals. If you place your
own tab stops all the default tabs are removed between two
consecutive custom tab stops.
Justification
The word processor has 4 text justification options.
Flush Justification
Flush justification aligns text simultaneously on both left and
right sides of the page. Your text is perfectly aligned to both
left and right margins.
Left Justification
This option aligns text along the left margin of the
page.
Centre Justification
This option centers the text.
Right Justification
This option aligns text along the right margin of the
page.
Line
Spacing
You can customize line spacing for the currently selected
paragraph, by adding points between lines. The default is 0
corresponding to the basic height of the largest font used in the
current line.
Line spacing can be set between 0 and 99 points. From 
to 
Paragraph
Spacing
You can customize paragraph spacing between the previous and the
current paragraph by setting points to be added between the
paragraphs. The default is 3, corresponding to the height of the
first font used in the current paragraph.
Paragraph spacing can be set between 0 and 99 points. From
to 
Default
Ruler
You can reset the current ruler to the default settings at any
time by clicking the 
button. Any tabs, justification, line spacing, paragraph spacing,
margins, and indents are reset to their default values.
Margins
The word processor uses standard methods to set right and left
margins.
………
Right and left margin markers are vertical half-arrows that you
can move along the ruler. You can also set margins by entering them
through the Margins menu item from the Form Letters menu.
Hint: It is possible to display the Margin window by double
clicking on the margin area of the page.
Indents
The word processor uses standard methods to set indents.
The indent marker is a vertical arrow marker initially placed at
the same location as the left margin marker.
The indent marker sets the amount of indentation of the first line
of each paragraph to which it applies.