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>>thanks for your reply. i tried to get the service from the usps site, but their reply was "Unfortunately the Address API's can only be used in conjunction with USPS Package Shipping Services and is not intended for the use of letter, catalog, or periodical mailings. We also cannot allow the APIs to be used for cleansing databases or batch processing."
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>I just submit the POST data to their HTTP site and parse the returned HTML. I read somewhere on their site where they don't support it, but are willing to let people do it. It is singnificantly in their best interest that more mail has zip+4. I've been doing it for over 5 years.
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>>i heard about the CASS but only know that it is some kind of certified database, that about all i know about it - and that this is the best way to verify addresses.
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>Basically, CASS Certification is getting a list corrected (zip+4 and street standardized) and "Certified" by a USPS approved vendor. This process is required for per-sorted mail. Even if you were to give your list to a mailshop and tell them it's been CASS certified, they will almost always re-do it, since it will be part of the process they use to pre-sort the mail.
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>I think now vendors supply CDs 6x year. Mailer's+4 used to be the cheapest and has the address object I mentioned. However, they are not the best. My tests are a little dated, but PostalSoft was the best available CASS software for the PC. By best, I mean they are able to correct maybe 5% more addresses than Mailer's +4 and much better at getting frequent postal regulatory changes correct the first time. If you mail Millions of pieces a year, the postage savings can be significant. However, they didn't used to have any API. I think that may have changed.
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>>i think (because of size and updates) the best thing for me to end up with is a webservice on my my website, which my app could tap into. so unless i get some other ideas from all the great people here, i am gonna have to start a 2nd thread here to find out on how to go about creating a webservice with vfp6.
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>If you're going to require an Internet connection and take the time for that to occur on validation, I'd just do what I did and pass it against the USPS web site.


Hello Dan

Thank you for your explanation! after playing around for a bit with the USPS site i wrote a little program to post the requested data and parse the result. so i think i will go your route, it's easy and probable the next best thing to a CASS db (as it comes directly from the USPS).

do you remember where you saw the mentioning of that the USPS site is "...but are willing to let people do it"? it would be helpfull to have a reference for the future just in case they complain at a later point in time.

thank you for all your help.
(i would give you some stars, but the chatter section does not allow them)