317 lines
8.7 KiB
HTML
317 lines
8.7 KiB
HTML
<html>
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<head>
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<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1">
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<title>Mom -- Document Processing, Writing Letters</title>
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</head>
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<body bgcolor="#dfdfdf">
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<!====================================================================>
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<a href="typemacdoc.html#TOP">Next</a>
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<a href="cover.html#TOP">Prev</a>
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<a href="toc.html">Back to Table of Contents</a>
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<a name="TOP"></a>
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<a name="LETTERS">
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<h1 align="center"><u>WRITING LETTERS WITH MOM</u></h1>
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</a>
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<a name="LETTERS_INTRO">
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<h2><u>Introduction</u></h2>
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</a>
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<strong>Mom</strong>'s simple but effective letter-writing
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macros are a subset of the
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<a href="docprocessing.html#DOCPROCESSING">document processing macros</a>,
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designed to ease the creation of correspondence.
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<p>
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Because the letter macros are a subset of the document
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processing macros, you can use
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<a href="definitions.html#TERMS_CONTROLMACRO">control macros</a>
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to design correspondence to your own specifications. However,
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<strong>mom</strong> makes no pretence of providing complete design
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flexibility in the matter of letters, which are, after all, simple
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communicative documents whose only real style requirements are that
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they be neat and professional-looking.
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<a name="TUTORIAL"><h2><u>Tutorial on writing letters</u></h2></a>
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<strong>Mom</strong> letters begin, like all <strong>mom</strong>
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processed documents, with a
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<a href="docprocessing.html#REFERENCE_MACROS">reference macro</a>
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(in this case,
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<a href="docprocessing.html#AUTHOR">AUTHOR</a>),
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a
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<a href="docprocessing.html#DOCTYPE">DOCTYPE</a>
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(<strong>LETTER</strong>, obviously), the essential
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<a href="docprocessing.html#PRINTSTYLE">PRINTSTYLE</a>
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macro, and
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<a href="docprocessing.html#START">START</a>.
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<p>
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<pre>
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.AUTHOR "Yannick P. Guique"
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.DOCTYPE LETTER
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.PRINTSTYLE TYPESET
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.START
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</pre>
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<strong>PRINTSTYLE</strong>, above, could also be
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<strong>TYPEWRITE</strong>. <strong>Mom</strong> has no objection
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to creating letters that look like they were typed on an Underwood
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by a shapely secretary with great gams back in the 1940s.
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<p>
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After the <strong>START</strong> macro, you enter data pertinent to
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your letter: the date, the addressee (in business correspondence,
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typically both name and address), the addressor (that's you; in
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business correspondence, typically both name and address), and a
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greeting (in full, e.g. "Dear Mr. Smith,").
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<p>
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The macros for entering the data are simple (they're not even
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<a href="definitions.html#TERMS_TOGGLE">toggles</a>)
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and entered in an intuitive order.
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<br>
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<ol>
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<li><code>.DATE</code>
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<li><code>.TO</code>
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<li><code>.FROM</code>
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<li><code>.GREETING</code>
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</ol>
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<p>
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<strong>Mom</strong> ignores any you omit and spaces the letter's
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opening according to what you do include.
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<p>
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Once you've filled in what you need to get a letter started, simply
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type the letter, introducing each and every paragraph with the
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<a href="docelement.html#PP">PP</a>
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macro.
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<p>
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At the end of the letter, should you wish an indented closing
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("Yours truly," "Sincerely," "Hugs and
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kisses"), invoke the macro <strong>CLOSING</strong> on a
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line by itself and follow it with the text of the closing.
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<strong>N.B.</strong> Don't put your name here; <strong>mom</strong>
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supplies it automatically from <strong>AUTHOR</strong> with
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enough space to leave room for your signature.
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<p>
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Assuming our tutorial letter is for business correspondence,
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here's what the complete letter looks like.
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<p>
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<pre>
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.AUTHOR "Yannick P. Guique"
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.DOCTYPE LETTER
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.PRINTSTYLE TYPESET
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.START
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.DATE
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August 25, 2004
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.TO
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GUILLAUME BARRI<52>RES
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Minidoux Corporation
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5000 Pannes Drive
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Redmond, Virginia
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.FROM
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Y.P. GUIQUE
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022 Umask Road
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St-Sauveur-en-dehors-de-la-mappe, Qu<51>bec
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.GREETING
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Dear Mr. Barri<72>res,
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.PP
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It has come to my attention that you have been lobbying the
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US government to prohibit the use of open source software by
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endeavouring to outlaw so-called "warranty free"
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applications.
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.PP
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I feel it is my duty to inform you that the success of your
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operating system with its embedded web browser relies heavily
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on open source programs and protocols, most notably TCP/IP.
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.PP
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Therefore, in the interests of your corporation's fiscal health,
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I strongly advise that you withdraw support for any US
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legislation that would cripple or render illegal open source
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development.
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.CLOSING
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Sincerely,
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</pre>
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<hr>
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<a name="LETTERS_DEFAULTS">
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<h2><u>Defaults for letters</u></h2>
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</a>
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In letters, <strong>mom</strong> sets:
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<p>
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<ol>
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<li>the date flush right, page right, at the top of page one
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<li>the addressee in a block flush left, page left
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<li>the addressor in a block flush left, page left
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<li>the greeting flush left
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<li>the body of the letter justified
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<li>in multi-page letters:
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<ul>
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<li>a footer indicating there's a next page (of the form <code>.../#</code>)
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<li>the page number at the top of every page after page one
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</ul>
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<li>the closing/signature line flush left, indented halfway across the page
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</ol>
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<p>
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Other important style defaults are listed below, and may be changed
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via the
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<a href="typesetting.html#MACROS_TYPESETTING">typesetting macros</a>
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or the document processing
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<a href="definitions.html#TERMS_CONTROLMACRO">control macros</a>
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prior to
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<a href="docprocessing.html#START">START</a>. Assume that any
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style parameter not listed below is the same as for
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<a href="docprocessing.html#TYPESET_DEFAULTS">PRINTSTYLE TYPESET</a>
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or
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<a href="docprocessing.html#TYPEWRITE_DEFAULTS">PRINTSTYLE TYPEWRITE</a>.
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<p>
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<pre>
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PARAMETER PRINTSTYLE TYPESET PRINTSTYLE TYPEWRITE
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--------- ------------------ --------------------
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Paper size 8.5 x 11 inches 8.5 x 11 inches
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Left/right margins 1.25 inches 1.25 inches
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Header margin 3.5 picas 3.5 picas
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(for page numbers)
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Header gap 3 picas 3 picas
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(for page numbers)
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Family Times Roman Courier
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Font roman roman
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Point size 12 12
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Line space 13.5 12 (i.e. singlespaced)
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Paragraph indent 3 ems 3 picas
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Spaced paragraphs yes no
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Footers* yes yes
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Footer margin 3 picas 3 picas
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Footer gap 3 picas 3 picas
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Page numbers top, centered top, centered
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*Footers contain a "next page" number of the form .../#
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</pre>
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<hr>
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<a name="LETTERS_MACROS">
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<h2><u>The letter macros</u></h2>
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</a>
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All letter macros must come after
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<a href="docprocessing.html#START">START</a>,
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except <strong>NO_SUITE</strong>.
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<p>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#DATE">DATE</a>
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<li><a href="#TO">TO</a>
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<li><a href="#FROM">FROM</a>
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<li><a href="#GREETING">GREETING</a>
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<li><a href="#CLOSING">CLOSING</a>
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<li><a href="#NO_SUITE">NO_SUITE</a> -- "next page" number off
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</ul>
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<!---DATE--->
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<hr width="66%" align="left">
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<p>
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<a name="DATE"></a>
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Macro: <strong>DATE</strong>
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<p>
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Invoke <strong>DATE</strong> on a line by itself, with the date
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underneath, like this:
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<p>
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<pre>
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.DATE
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October 31, 2002
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</pre>
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<!---TO--->
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<hr width="66%" align="left">
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<p>
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<a name="TO"></a>
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Macro: <strong>TO</strong>
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<p>
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Invoke <strong>TO</strong> on a line by itself, with the name
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and address of the addressee underneath, like this:
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<p>
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<pre>
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.TO
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JOHN SMITH
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10 Roberts Crescent
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Bramladesh, Ont.
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</pre>
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<!---FROM--->
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<hr width="66%" align="left">
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<p>
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<a name="FROM"></a>
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Macro: <strong>FROM</strong>
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<p>
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Invoke <strong>FROM</strong> on a line by itself, with the name
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and address of the addressor underneath, like this:
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<p>
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<pre>
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.FROM
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JOE BLOW
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15 Brunette Road
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Ste-Vieille-Andouille, Qu<51>bec
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</pre>
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<!---GREETING--->
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<hr width="66%" align="left">
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<p>
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<a name="GREETING"></a>
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Macro: <strong>GREETING</strong>
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<p>
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Invoke <strong>GREETING</strong> on a line by itself, with the
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full salutation you want for the letter, like this:
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<p>
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<pre>
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.GREETING
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Dear Mr. Smith,
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</pre>
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<!---CLOSING--->
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<hr width="66%" align="left">
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<p>
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<a name="CLOSING"></a>
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Macro: <strong>CLOSING</strong>
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<p>
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Invoke <strong>CLOSING</strong> on a line by itself after the
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body of the letter, with the closing you'd like (e.g. "Yours
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truly,"), like this:
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<p>
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<pre>
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.CLOSING
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Yours truly,
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</pre>
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<!---NO_SUITE--->
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<hr width="66%" align="left">
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<p>
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<a name="NO_SUITE"></a>
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Macro: <strong>NO_SUITE</strong>
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<p>
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If you don't want <strong>mom</strong> to print a "next
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page" number at the bottom of multi-page letters, invoke
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<code>.NO_SUITE</code>, on a line by itself, prior to
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<a href="docprocessing.html#START">START</a>.
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<p>
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<hr>
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<a href="typemacdoc.html#TOP">Next</a>
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<a href="cover.html#TOP">Prev</a>
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<a href="#TOP">Top</a>
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<a href="toc.html">Back to Table of Contents</a>
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</body>
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</html>
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