MULTIPLE COPIES IN WORDSTAR "WordStar is the most powerful word processor ever developed for CP/M computers. It's hard to learn, though, because you have to memorize so many multiple-keystroke commands. In addition, it lacks two of Perfect Writer's capabilities: (1) block-deletes can't be "yanked back": once you delete something from WordStar it's gone forever; and (2) WordStar can't print multiple copies." If you can't find at least five errors in that statement, you're not trying. The multiple-copy canard, for example, is so often repeated that you'd think nobody had ever seen MailMerge. If you've seen it (as a file on your WordStar disk that's called MAILMRGE.OVR), then all you have to do to print multiple copies is type M (instead of P) followed by a when you return to the Opening Menu to print your file. You will be presented with a dialogue that's exactly like the customary printing dialogue, except for the fourth question, "Number of copies". And if you don't have MailMerge? In that case, the only program you'll really need is an interactive batch-processor like EX.COM, a public-domain utility that's available from most bulletin boards. Copy it to your WordStar disk, put that disk in Drive A and the file you want to print in Drive B, and bring up CP/M's A> prompt. Then turn your printer on and type the following, substituting the actual name of your file for "filename.ext". EX WS P B:filename.ext P B:filename.ext X That will print two copies of FILENAME.EXT. If you want three copies, add another repetition of P B:FILENAME.EXT . And so on. THE WORDSTAR YANKBACK To be able to recover from a bungled block-delete in WordStar you must make it a habit always to save your text (-K S) before issuing the block-delete command (-K Y). Then if you find that you've deleted something you wanted to keep, all you have to do is abandon the file (-K Q), which will return you to the Opening Menu, from which you can then call the file back exactly as it was the moment before you carried out your ill-fated deletion. That's all well and good, but of course the very absent-mindedness that led you to mark the wrong passage for deletion in the first place, is just as likely to make you forget to save the file before doing a block-delete. That's why you'd be better off using a key-definition package like SmartKey or Backgrounder to automate the whole process, by defining two special keys as follows: BLOCK-DELETE | UNDO -K S | -K Q -Q P | Y -K Y | D | -R | Mark the block in the usual way, but execute the actual deletion by pressing your new Block-Delete key. If the results distress you, press the new Undo key immediately and the missing text will be yanked back, almost as if you were using Perfect Writer. A word of caution, however: be sure to locate your Undo key someplace where you'll be unlikely to strike it by accident. You can recover from a block-delete now, but a careless yankback can still do you in.