PS TEXT FORMAT Reference Manual

Introduction to TFORM

3–70 11387 Tandem Computers Incorporated

The letter body file contains the TFORM commands that control the

formatting of the actual text of the letter, and it also contains variables

(enclosed in indirection escape sequences) that the list file uses when it

systematically inserts in the values for each. The list file that works with

the preceding body file looks like this

<address> =

Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve

97 Wistful Vista

Suite 127

Upper Crust, NY 10513

Throcky

$500

Batton Barton Dursten III

1018 Sangazure Terrace

Tottering-on-the-Brink, NY 10515

Batty

$650

Pattern character

Salutation-var

Block separator

TFORM sequentially inserts these items for the indirect variables in

the body file.

LETTER generates separate letters for each block of data, which supplies

the text for each inside address, salutation, and amount of money

contributed. LETTER uses the lines that precede the equals sign (the

pattern

, in this case) as the inside address, puts the next line (the

nickname

) into the salutation where the variable

nickname

occurs, and

inserts the next line in place of the variable

amount

. In this example, the

double slash acts as the block separator.