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Postal Code Lookup

Postal Code lookup is an optional feature in CLIFF and may not be implemented in your copy.
When creating or modifying a Log CLIFF monitors the following fields to see if sufficient information, to perform a postal code lookup, has been entered:

  • Address (first line)
  • Address (second line)
  • City
  • Province/State

    CLIFF will not attempt to do a postal code lookup until it has the City and Province/State. If more than one postal code is found for the city and Province/State, then CLIFF will use the other address information to refine the search. If CLIFF is unable to locate a single postal code, a “?” is entered in the postal code field.

    If a postal code is not found there may be several reasons -- it is an invalid address; postal code data for that address is not available to CLIFF or, CLIFF is unable to parse the address information. CLIFF takes the address information you have provided and parses it into the following components:

    • Unit Designator (i.e. Suite, Apartment, Unit.)
    • Unit Number
    • Address (i.e. house number)
    • Address Suffix
    • Street name
    • Street type (i.e. Place, Way.)
    • Street direction (i.e. West, East.)
    • Mode of Delivery (i.e. Postal Box, Rural Route.)
    • Mode Identifier (i.e. Box Number)
    • Installation Type (i.e. Post Office)
    • Installation Code
    • City
    • Province

      You may view how CLIFF has parsed the address by clicking the popup icon beside the Postal Code field. CLIFF will display the following window with the above fields:


      If it appears that CLIFF has incorrectly parsed the address, make the changes in this window and click Do Lookup to perform another search. If you want to save the changes you made, click Save to Log.

      NOTE: If a street address and a Canada Post Mode of Delivery is entered, CLIFF will first try to find a postal code for the specified Mode of Delivery. If a Postal Code is not found, CLIFF will then try to find a Postal Code for the street address.
      NOTE: The pop-up fields contain the official Canada Post descriptions and abbreviations. Selecting a data item from a list will enter the full description in the field but only enter the abbreviation in the Log. Canada Post coding standards require the use of abbreviations.

      Things to look for when trying to resolve parsing errors:

      • There should be no punctuation in any of the fields unless it is part of the name. Example: 'St. Johns'.
      • When CLIFF parses the address it looks for Canada Post standard names and abbreviations for street type and street direction. If it does not find any, it assumes that all the information is part of the street name. For example, 'Howard Streets' would not have 'Streets' parsed out because it is not a standard name.
      • Ensure that correct street names are used. For example '8 Ave' will not be found if the correct name is '8th Ave'. If you have '8th', try '8' or vice versa.
      • If you are trying to resolve a Post Office box, and a Station name has not been specified, try entering 'Main Stn' for the Installation Code.

        If everything looks correct but a postal code is not found, try:
        • Stripping out information such as street type and direction. These fields are only needed if there are duplicate street names like 'Main St' and 'Main Ave'.
        • Make sure there is no punctuation.
        • Try alternate city names, Victoria instead of Saanichton, for example.

        Reformatting Address

        Canada Post provides guidelines for the formatting of addresses. In the Postal Code lookup window, CLIFF displays the address as you entered it and how it should be formatted to meet Canada Post guidelines.


        If you want CLIFF to apply the reformatted address to your Log, click Apply Format to Log. Canada Post also recommends that addresses are capitalized. You may do this by clicking the Convert to Upper Case button before Apply Format to Log.

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