FAQ:StyleList

StylsList Basics

What is StyleList?

Answer

StyleList is a program used to convert your raw mailing lists to clean, personal-looking names and addresses. It is used to case strings, as well as expand abbreviations or create abbreviations, and add or strip punctuation. This formatting is custom to a certain type of data (i.e., Name, Company, Address, etc), specified by the user during setup.

What is a Setup?

Answer

A Setup is the type of process you want to run on your data. A StyleList Setup file (.sl extension file) is a saved setup which contains the instructions this job uses – which fields to process, and how to case, abbreviate or expand, and punctuate each of those fields. Each field may be processed differently, whether you process one field, or all fields.

What if my source table doesn’t have the same data types StyleList processes?

Answer

StyleList processes Names (in all formats), Departments, Companies, Addresses, Cities, States, Zip and Postal Codes, Phone Numbers, and Email addresses. If the database field contains something other than one of the above types, you may use a ‘General’ type which will run the data through a general caser, but will not take advantage of the special treatment StyleList gives known types. You can also create and specify a ‘Custom’ table which allows you to essentially create another data type. Since each of the data types is treated in a unique matter, it is important that you not only process data which the program recognizes, but also select the correct type which matches your data.

Ex. ‘Smith Jr, Mr. John L.’

In the example above, the user should specify that the source data to be processed contains Inverse Names, not Full Names (Mr. John L Smith Jr.).

What type of hardware do I need?

Answer

Windows 2000, XP or Vista™

8 MB of RAM (32 MB or 64 MB is better).

10 MB of available hard disk space.

How many users can use my License Key?

Answer

A single License Key generally allows a single computer to be running StyleList. For questions regarding copyright, licensing, and multiple licensing (or site - licenses), contact Melissa Data Sales. This is an important topic beyond the scope of the FAQ.

What type of support do you offer?

Answer

Technical support is always free, as are the frequent updates, and many online resources found on our website

Will StyleList format International or Canadian records?

Answer

Canadian records can be processed right along side domestic US records. For files which contain mostly Canadian records, you may create and use an alternate lookup table as (in Tools | User Settings) Canadian addresses do contain keywords which have different meaning than they do in the USA (Ste. for example).

Although StyleList is not designed to process international records, you may edit the lookup tables to include the keywords which need special casing, abbreviation, expansion, and punctuation, and select the proper code page in Tools | User Settings for casing accented characters.

StyleList Usage

What's a Lookup Table?

Answer

These program files are lists of known keywords associated with a specific data type. They help StyleList to process different data types using advanced methods, because it recognizes the keywords and knows how they should be treated. The user may edit or append these lists to help StyleList decide how to more accurately process your data. Occasionally, we have a customer who always processes data specific to an industry or geographic area where proprietary keywords are not in the table, or have a different meaning. They will either heavily edit the existing lookup table, or create a copy of their own. Caution: When you edit these tables you may be overwriting years of programming experience on how to best handle these common data types.

Do I have any control over how StyleList processes my file?

Answer

Yes. You have complete control of the Lookup Tables – lists of key words associated with each data types.

Are their any different versions? Like a programmers library?

Answer

StyleList is also offered as a 32-bit DLL programmer’s library, which uses the same tried and true engine as the Windows version, minus most of the StyleList toolset, but gives you the ability to take more control over file handling for real-time data entry or web processing.

Can I run the program or process over the network?

Answer

Yes, you can access your data and process over the network. You can also run the program over the network – keeping in compliance with your site license agreement of course.

Can I run any of the File Control utilities as a process, or automate from a batch file?

Answer

No, this toolset will allow you to edit data, copy, print, sort, count, and perform many other database tasks, only through the interface when the database is open and in view. Advanced tip: Using a merge process in MatchUp would allow you to access some of the file control tools from a batch file or command line.