



rea 18 nor
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Topic 18        Thu Feb 11, 1993
CBM-MARK                     (Forwarded) 
Sub: RTC Master ->  Looking for help!       

A place to ask for help with RTC Master.
103 message(s) total.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 1         Fri Oct 15, 1993
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Everyone using a 1670, I am looking at the program now with one installed.
 There is one thing I can see immediately that never crossed my mind that
 will cause great problems, and it is so obvious I don't know why it 
 escaped me.  Everyone by now seems to know to change DCD=. to DCD=16.  That
 is the less obvious change that must be made.  The most obvious is in line
 280 (of EZ.BOOT).  You must change the baud rate to 1200.  This is not
 automatically sensed, and setting it wrong here will definitely cause 
 problems later.  I also see now that there is an apparent need for a delay
 loop in the init string and dial string routines.  It seems that the modem
 can't handle the strings at the speeds they are getting sent.  I probably
 should have known that, but my Supra works so well, and I have not used a
 1670 for so long.  I'll do the code and have it installed and tested to 
 make sure.  I do know the scripts work as is, cuz I just tested them after
 logging on and they do their stuff.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 2         Sat Jan 15, 1994
K.PEINDL                     (Forwarded) 
 
Well Ed I must say that the more I use this prg the more I like it. My hats
off to you and the boys at GEine. I use it for the first time in the RTC and
it works great. It is so easy to use once you understand. So keep up the good
work and see you later. Bye!
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 3         Mon Jan 17, 1994
L.SCHONDER [Lou]             (Forwarded) 
 
It IS a good one, isn't it? A MUST for all C128 80 column users!
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 4         Sun Jan 23, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
My RTCM script keeps terminating in the middle of capturing messages on a BB.
I am up to trying 15 retries with 80 seconds before a retry.

Varying the number retries/seconds doesn't seem to help any. I usually do get
through 2-3 BB of messages before it terminates on me.

Anyone got any ideas?
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 5         Sun Jan 23, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 RK:
  RK> My RTCM script keeps terminating in the middle of capturing
  RK> messages on a BB. I am up to trying 15 retries with 80 seconds
  RK> before a retry.

 Is this a script you wrote?  If so, could you upload it so I can try it
 out.   Uploads are free and this won't be any more than 20 blocks at
 most.  If it is one that came w/the program, it sounds more like a 
 problem with GEnie taking a long time to come back, tho 80 seconds is 
 a LONG time.   (I assume you set a delay of 20 in Script Maker, right?
 That setting is a factor of 4x.)

  RK> I usually do get through 2-3 BB of messages before it
  RK> terminates on me.

 I have my timeout set at 15 (4*15=16) for 60 seconds.  The newer
 versions of AutoLog don't 'timeout' like the older ones did, or they
 do it differently and I don't think the repeat counter works like that
 anymore, but you may not have the versions that do that.  Anyway, if this
 is a script you did, get me a copy and I'll try it to see if it is the
 script, GEnie, or something else.  Thanks!  egb
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 6         Sun Jan 23, 1994
CBM-MARK                     (Forwarded) 
 
 A quick note about ScriptMaker;  when entering the timeout or delay times,
 enter the actual time length you wish to use.  So if you want 80 seconds,
 enter 80, not 20.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 7         Wed Jan 26, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
Reviewing the Dec upload of the Flagship indexes indicated that a lot of files
have been deleted. RTCM was amoung them. What happened to it?

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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 8         Thu Jan 27, 1994
C128.JBEE                    (Forwarded) 
 
 V2.02 is being re-released as shareware, which once registered gets you
 V2.04 the commercial version.  Please note that V2.02 will be fully
 functional, V2.04 just has more goodies like an editor etc.

 I expect both will be ready for prime time before the end of Feb.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 9         Sun Jan 30, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
Ok E.G. Bell I uploaded my RTCM script for your review. It is file 14230 and
titled scrp.rkirk.7

thanks for the trouble. Any help will be appreciated.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 10        Sun Jan 30, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Richard:  I assume you read my email to you so I won't go into that
 subject here.  I got your script and changed it for me, then tried it
 out.  I got all the way through, but there are no marked cats for me in
 any of the BB's you attend so obviously I didn't see any mail.  However
 I kind of suspect the trouble may be in slow response time from GEnie.
 Sometimes I call around 11 or 11:20 at night and end up forcing my modem
 to hang up because it gets so slow.  You will know this is the problem
 if you get timeout messages from the script.  If that is not the problem,
 can you describe what happens when the script stops working.  From what
 I can see, your script is not only nicely thought out, there are no
 problems I can see, and indeed, it covers more situations tha most of
 the ones I use.  :)  I don't have any scripts that cover that many RT's,
 but as I said, using yours, I got through every one of them, altho w/o
 any mail.

 I haven't looked very close at the actual script text... do you have a
 'save' command in there, or do you just go back and read them after the
 script is finished.

 I will probably go into a couple of those BB's and mark some things when
 I get time to see if I can make the script stop, but let me know just
 how the stops are occurring....  Thanks, and the script you have is very
 well done!
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 11        Wed Feb 02, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
CBM-ED

The script messes up by sending me a SCRIPT TERMINATED SUCCESSFULLY  +  f]B! 
wU+  M9    m ;  _ )$  o?* Y y    message or something similiar in the middle
of capturing messages.

the problem appears to be in not having anough time allocated to wait for the
next prompt. Changing the time at the end of the script doesn't seem to make
any difference. Take a look at that and tell me how long it should stay on a
BB before going to the next one.

Thanks for the trouble. Looks like a little noise crept in in line 4. If I
knew how to change it I  would. Sorry about that.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 12        Wed Feb 02, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:
  RK> messes up by sending me a SCRIPT TERMINATED SUCCESSFULLY
  RK> message or something


 It really sounds to me, from this, like the script is finishing what it is
 told to do.  I thought it was terminating unsuccessfully.  I'll have to
 take a closer look at your script, but as I said already, it got me through
 all of the RT's and back to page 1, as it should have from what I saw of
 it.

  RK> in not having anough time allocated to wait for the next
  RK> prompt. Changing the time at the end of the script doesn't
  RK> seem to make any difference

 I don't think that is the problem.  If it were, you would get a message
 that the script timed out, and you would be asked to make an entry at the
 keyboard to resume.  I see you are set up for 80 seconds, which is 20
 seconds more than I use in any of mine.  If you are getting all the way to
 the successful message w/o seeing a timeout message or being asked to press
 a key, timing is not a problem.

 As for how long you should stay in a BB, the time setting only comes into
 play for periods of 'silence' from the modem.  As long as it gets info
 it won't time out ever.  It will stay in a BB until it gets the expect 
 string you have set that tells it it is finished.  In your case, the
 prompt is '1 ?' as I saw it.  My problem testing this is getting marked
 messages in all of those categories.  w/o messages, your script sailed me
 through all of them.  Does this happen on the same BB every time?  Does it
 happen on the last one every time?  Are there messages in the buffer that
 contain the expect string.  That gets me sometimes too...  someone quotes
 exactly the expect string I am looking for and it fools the script.  The
 only way to beat that is to change to Wizard's settings, tho Mark is the
 one who can tell you more about that IF that is what is happening.  I
 doubt it would be happening every time tho.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 13        Thu Feb 03, 1994
CBM-MARK                     (Forwarded) 
 
    >  contain the expect string.  That gets me sometimes too... 
    > someone quotes  exactly the expect string I am looking for and
    > it fools the script.  The 

 The chr$(31) prompt I have GEnie send me works great for preventing
 this from happening.  The prompt character can be changed by going
 to page 900 (SETTINGS).  In RTCM I run theDEFAULTS overlay and at
 the "Kill the Wizard" default setting I use a value of 169 which
 has RTCM display 'smiley' for a prompt instead of the question mark.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 14        Fri Feb 04, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:
  MD> In RTCM I run the DEFAULTS overlay and at  the "Kill the
  MD> Wizard" default setting I use a value of 169 which  has RTCM
  MD> display 'smiley' for a prompt instead of the question mark

 Mark's method *is* foolproof as far as the problem I mentioned in my
 previous post.  However, what Mark did not say was that if you do this,
 you must also make sure your script expects chr$(31) in the proper position
 instead of the question mark or whatever you use.  Just making the change
 at page 900 is not going to work unless your script is set up for that.
 (Correct me if I'm wrong on that Mark.  :)
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 15        Sat Feb 05, 1994
CBM-MARK                     (Forwarded) 
 
  EB>  (Correct me if I'm wrong on that Mark.  :)

 You're absolutely right Ed!  You caught me ;)  I did forget to mention
 the change that need be made to a script and the expected prompt
 character.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 16        Sun Feb 06, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
I will be in the middle of capturing messages of a BBS and all of a sudden
RTCM gives me a SCRIPT TERMINATED SUCCESSFUL message. or something similiar.

What is happening is it is terminating without capturing all of the  messages.
When there are a large number of messages I usually get a termination by the 3-
4 BBS.

Do you understand the problem now? Frankly, I don't believe the delay is
working correctly.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 17        Mon Feb 07, 1994
H.HERMAN1                    (Forwarded) 
 
Ed,

I sure hope you have saved some of your recent postings....

And, if you did, would you mind reposting the last two....   :)

Thanks!!

Howie
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 18        Mon Feb 07, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:  I'll try those last 2 posts again.  :)

   RK> Do you understand the problem now? Frankly, I don't believe the
   RK> delay is working correctly.

 Yes, I understand it.  However I know it is not the delay.  The delay has
 nothing to do with how long a script runs or is allowed to run.  It just
 specifies how lon the script will wait between characters from the modem.
 For example, suppose it is a reaaal slow night...lots of delays from the
 remote system...  You get the letter 'e', and then 79 seconds of silence.
 The script would not time in that scenario because you have your delay
 set to 80 seconds.  However, if the next letter took 81 seconds to 
 arrive, the script would have timed out.  In a situation where the 
 text is streaming into the modem, you will never time out.  The 'timer'
 starts at zero again every time a character comes in from the modem.
 I have a script that goes to the setting page and makes a bunch of 
 settings for RTCM.  It uses something like 21 or 22 cases and runs thru
 to completion every time.

 The reason I have had trouble testing your script more fully is that
 you read only marked messages, and I don't have any marked topics in 
 those categories you  use, but I'm going to go in and manually mark 
 them so that I can test your script.  Doing that, I should get as good
 a collection of messages or better.

 One thing that rally throws me is that you say the script says it is
 terminating successfully.  I know what that should mean, but I also know
 that things have happened over the years that I have been hard-put to
 explain, so I know better than to categorically say this cannot be 
 happening.  I'll test it myself.  In the meantime, have you tried tracing
 script execution.  This makes the screen harder to read, but does not 
 change what goes into your buffer.  All you have to do is press ALT while
 the script is running.  This will tell you where you are in the script.
 You will be able to tell what case you are terminating on... if it is the
 same one all the time, etc.  I suggest this because from what you are
 describing, the script seems happy with what has transpired.  In order
 for that to happen, from the way I wrote the program, it should have 
 gone through every case you set up.  I'll try today to check also tho,
 but do give the trace a try.

 My earlier responses were messed up because I had to set my break char
 and I accidentally set my delete char to the same thing.  duhhhhhhh!
 All is back now.  :)
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 19        Mon Feb 07, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Howie (and Dick):  I deleted the 2 garbled posts.  No point making 
 anyone read through that gibberish.   :)
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 20        Mon Feb 07, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:  I now have some information for you that may prove useful.  First a
 few things.  Mark, you deserve a LOT of credit for making scripts so easy
 for people to create.  Dick's does a LOT in a little bit of script and I
 really enjoy seeing people make them and the fact that someone took the
 time to put together a program to make making them so easy!  Dick, your
 script is very well put together, and I have a couple of suggestions for
 you to make it even better.

 First, Dick, does the last screen full of data when the script terminates
 look anything like this:

 Hello CBM-ED                                                                

 Last On: Mon Feb 07, 1994                                                    


 Category  1 Welcome to the Family and Personal Growth RT                     


 1 ?rea all new cat=45 nor                                                    

 No messages found in category #45                                            


 1 ?m1                                                                        



 Script Successfully Completed                                                



 Usage charges stopped                                                        


 P 1?                                                                         


 If it looks anything like that, the script has worked as it should.

 Second, here is what I did to test your script, and it was a BIG JOB!
 First, I went into all of the BB's you visit and marked EVERY TOPIC in
 EVERY CATEGORY. aiiiiiiiii!  Next, I executed your script.  Here is what
 I got on my disks:


 0 "blank disk      " eb 3d
 141  "00AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "01AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "02AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "03AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "04AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "05AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "06AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "07AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "08AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "09AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "10AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "11AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "12AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "13AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "14AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "15AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "16AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "17AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "18AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "19AutoBuffer"     prg    
 141  "20AutoBuffer"     prg    
 81   "21AutoBuffer"     prg   

 As you can see, I got a LOT of information the way I set things up, and
 I'm reasonably sure you don't have all the stuff marked that I did.
 The script works as you intended, at least it did for me.  

 There are a couple of things I did different than you.  The first, which
 would not make a difference one way or the other, was, when I was marking
 things, set the prompt to none... (pro non) so that the menus do not
 come up every time a bb prompt is offered.  Since the script is going to
 see '1 ?' every time either way, this change makes no difference to you
 at all.  The second change, however, I did not make, but I recommend.
 This one may be the root of the problem you are having.  When you start
 your script, on entry to page 625, the first thing you do is to send a
 'scr 0' command, which is a good idea and cuts way down on the number of
 things the script has to parse for.  Wish I had done that in most of my
 earlier scripts.  However, you don't do this for any of the other BB's
 you enter.  What happened to me, running your script, was that every 
 time I entered a BB, I got to the first full screen and was prompted to
 press RETURN or make a new scroll setting.  I just pressed S and RETURN
 and that set the scroll for the rest of the session in that BB, but 
 the same had to be done in the very next RT.  If this is what is 
 happening to you, it might cause what you are experiencing, though it
 would not terminate successfully.  At any rate, this is one thing you 
 might want to look into.  As I said, and as you can see from the list of
 files in this post, the script works fine except for that scroll thing.
 A couple of times GEnie delayed in the middle of a line, but it resumed
 long before it would have timed out, and I just pressed cursor-down to
 send an Xon just in case.  And here is one other thing too... I did this
 during prime-time, which is a slower period for GEnie.  I can do no more
 now that say your script is fine with the one possible exception.  Does
 this sound like it may be the problem?

 O, and thanks for introducing me to a couple of interesting BB's.  Dunno
 if I'll ever find time to visit there again, tho if I do I have a decent
 script to use.  :)  What I will do is probably put in a sub-case to test
 for the RETURN <S>Croll prompt with a 'repeat' token so that it will
 be handled if it occurs.
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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 21        Wed Feb 09, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
CBM-ED

Thanks for all the work checking my problem out.

Your message caused my script to terminate while capturing it. Must have been
the 1? in it.

When I say it terminates I mean it acts like it isn't seeing the characters
coming in, times out, and gives the Scropt Successfully Completed message.
Sometimes it will put up the next page number i.e (m1430) right in the middle
of capturing messages.

I do get your example at the end when it works. This is usually after the
second or third call. I hang up when it terminates on me as it also closes the
buffer so I call back and re-execute it to get the rest of the messages.

Incidently, I am using an Aprotek 2400 baud modem,1750 REU, 8 bank setup. Try
that if you can rather than the Auto Buffer mode you used.

How do you repeat extracts of my message when answering, by-the-way?

Thanks agin for the help. My Dialog script does work. I like your programs
saving to the REU banks better, however. It would be nice to get all through a
message save without it terminating on me.


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Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 22        Wed Feb 09, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
CBM-ED

I have PRO NONE set and for some reason my scripts SCR 0 on the first BB takes
care of the scrolling on the remaining BB.

I haven't experinced the having to restart the scrolling. Wonder why the
difference. I originally had to use the scr 0 on every BB, I think.

Could it be that doing it on the first visit to a BB takes care of it for
subsequent?

I haven't tried the trace mode yet. I will try to remember next attempt.

If I every get a small file captured when it messes up on me is there a way to
send it to you so you can se it?


 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 23        Thu Feb 10, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:
  RK> Your message caused my script to terminate while capturing it.
  RK> Must have been the 1? in it

 Yes, that is exactly what caused that.  That is one thing I suggested you
 check, but it would not happen every time anyway tho.

  RK> it acts like it isn't seeing the characters coming in, times
  RK> out, and gives the Scropt Successfully Completed message.
  RK> Sometimes it will put up the next page number i.e (m1430)
  RK> right in the middle of capturing messages.

 I don't understand the last part of this.  If this is happening, what it
  *should* mean is that there was a 1_? in the message somewhere that
 tripped the script  up, but that should only ever have happened in the
 last BB or it would not have seen itself as completed.  There is a series
 of registers called QUEUE that flags that there is more work to do, and
 reaching the end of that series is the only way a script can actually
 be 'finished'.

  RK> 1750 REU, 8 bank setup. Try that if you can rather than the
  RK> Auto Buffer mode you used.

 Good idea.  I'll try that on my next day off, which is next week.  :)

  RK> repeat extracts of my message when answering, by-the-way?

 I am using The Editor overlay, which was never released with versions
 prior to 2.02, and is included with 2.04.  However, you could also do it
 using the QUOTER overlay, which you should have.

  RK> saving to the REU banks better

 You are using RamDOs, right... not DMA?  I'll have to know so I can 
 set up the same as you.

  RK> haven't experinced the having to restart the scrolling. Wonder
  RK> why the difference

 Did you set your scroll to 0 at the 'SETTINGS' page (900).  That would
 explain that.  The scr 0 you do in only temporary for that session in the
 BB.  I did it too when I marked all the messages. 

  RK> a small file captured when it messes up on me is there a way to
  RK> send it to you

 Just upload it.  I can get it there.  :)  I am wondering now if it is not
 something to do with the REU, because except for the scroll, your script
 captured and saved everything... and I mean EVERYTHIN!  :)  That is a 
 very interesting thing!!!  
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 24        Sat Feb 12, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
E.G.Bell

As I stated earlier, my RTCM set up is the 8 bank 1750 REU setup.

I select DMA option 3.

On the no scroll. I didn't find that as an option in the GENIE setup menu. I
do have COMMAND MODE set to on which may explain why one No Scroll takes cake
of all BB.

I executed the script today and it worked ok through Case #11. It captured all
the messages on page 1430;1 as it should then when the 1 ? prompt showed up -
the Case #13-

rea all new cat=45 nor

came up instead of the case #12 - m1235;1

This happens quite often for some reason.

Thanks for the help.

 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 25        Sun Feb 13, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:  I just ran through all of your RT's again successfully.  Got every
 new message of every topic of every category.  I have banks 0-6 in my 1750
 full of data.  My script never stopped, never exited... the only thing that
 was mildly annoying was the scroll prompt every time I entered a new RT.
 I suspect you set your scroll to 0 at the settings page at some time or
 another, but I was able to just press s<return> and was good for the
 rest of the session.  BTW, I also use command mode, and no prompts fwiw.

 Just for curiosity's sake, I have 2 questions.  1, why do you use DMA 
 instead of RamDOs.  It is not all that much faster considering that you
 have to move it out of there if you want to save it anyway... if you are
 just reading it and trashing it, I guess it makes a bit of sense.  2nd,
 and infinitely more important... if you use DMA, why do you have the page
 setting at 155 instead of 254 as the documentation suggests?  It is a 
 great waste of REU space doing it like that.  You use defaults to change
 that setting, under the serial setting under the autosave sub-heading.
 I believe it is the last setting in the column and will force the buffer
 save at the full-buffer mark.  I recommend you do that and it may solve 
 the problem, tho I can't understand why.  Bottom line, I just shot another
 40 minutes buffering messages from 4 RT's.  I just can't duplicate your
 results and I'm  using your script, the 1750 and DMA now, a Supra 2400,
 with Omnitronix interface, and a flat 128.  The REU is mounted in the front
 port of the ramlink, the same as if it were in the computer itself.  There
 is not much else I can tell you.  Your script works  for me no matter what
 I throw at it, and if I put 1 more test in each of the BB entry cases that
 tested and replied to that scroll prompt, I could leave the thing 
 unattended.  :)

 Try changing your  page setting and see what  happens.  Do your reads 
 get you 8 or more pages of data?  
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 26        Sun Feb 13, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:  One other suggestion before i completely throw in the towel.
 Try going in and reading all of your script stuff manually, outside of
 the script once.  (make the page setting change tho).  The auto-buffer
 will still work.  But if 1 message is kicking you out, perhaps it is 
 never getting completely read and it is the same message kicking you out
 every time.  This is a stab, but I have tried everything else.  :)
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 27        Mon Feb 14, 1994
H.HERMAN1                    (Forwarded) 
 
Ed,

Why do you have your REU in RAMLink's pass-thru-port, instead of RL's ramport?

Howie
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 28        Mon Feb 14, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 The REU is in the pass-thru port, when I use it, Howie, mainly because
 of my desk.  The way it is designed, the computer and drives are all on
 a slide out shelp, and there is simply no room for the REU under there.
 Thus, I just install it when needed by sliding the shelf far out.  But
 my office is simply not big enough to keep it out there all the time, and
 I have no real need for a full-time REU anyway... only use it for SFX'ing
 and that is not all that often.
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 29        Wed Feb 16, 1994
R.KIRK7 [Dick]               (Forwarded) 
 
E.G.

Thats the story of my life. It always works for everyone else but never for
me. Oh well thanks for all the effort. The script failed agin for me tonight
at the same place.

I use DMA to save online time. I am using the 254 page size. What gave you the
idea I was using 155?

I redid the script tonight and changed the page numbers around to see if that
would make a difference. I will try the new script this coming weekend. If it
doesn't work I will try the RAMDOS mode.

Thanks agin for the help.
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 30        Wed Feb 16, 1994
CBM-MARK                     (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick, do you have the buffer open at the point that the script fails?  If
 so it may help if we could get a look at the buffer contents.
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 31        Thu Feb 17, 1994
C128.JBEE                    (Forwarded) 
 
 > R.KIRK7 [Dick]
 If it fails again, maybe due to line noise, try calling during primetime,
 if possible, or a long distance number, just for a few minutes.  Sometimes
 the way the local phone companies route your calls during certain times
 of the day, usually night time routing is worse, adds line noise or delays
 that make scripts fail.
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 32        Thu Feb 17, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:
  RK> always works for everyone else but never for me. Oh well thanks
  RK> for all the effort. The script failed agin for me tonight at
  RK> the same place.

 If it is failing at the same place every time, could you get a copy of
 the message for us.  I  really think there is a 1_? in that message.  
 that is the only possible explanation for this that makes any kind of
 sense at all.  Can you give me the category, topic, and message number.
 If you are never getting that message read completely, it would explain,
 I beleve, why this keeps happening, and at the same place.  It doesn't 
 make sense, tho, why I don't get caught on it, UNLESS it is because I 
 marked all the topics AFTER the posting date of the message that is 
 causing this.  If you want some irony, we just got an Email from someone
 having the same type of problem with a Dialogue script.  At least he 
 identified the problem as being caused by messages containing the 1_?
 prompt.  (I'm using the _ instead o a space to avoid causing the 
 problem in this message)  Anyway, that is what I suspect, mainly for this
 reason.  You have said several times that you are getting the message that
 the script 'terminated successfully'.  The *only* way that can happen is
 if the script encounters the final 1_? message that signals the end of
 the script.  Here is one final suggestion that you can implement offline
 before you use the script.  Instead of  using 1_? as your expect strings,
 use [alt-m]1_? to force the script to look only at the 1_? prompts that
 are at the very first position on a message line.  This is not 100%
 foolproof either, but it will trap everything that appears in the middle
 of a line.  The only other thing would be to change your script to 
 use the Wizard settings, which I believe would solve your problem but
 would be extra work changing the script and the GEnie settings, which 
 would also affect your Dialogue scripts.

  RK> DMA to save online time. I am using the 254 page size. What
  RK> gave you the idea I was using 155?

 It is fast.  I didn't realize how fast until I tried your script.  :)
 I guess I got the idea you were using a smaller setting because I am
 using my dflt.mysetup file and my password and thought it was yours. :)

  RK> changed the page numbers around to see if that would make a
  RK> difference

 That should prove interesting if you get premature exits from the same
 category but the script does not prematurely terminate 'successfully'.
 If this happens, then my theory is correct.

  RK> If it doesn't work I will try the RAMDOS mode.

 I'm inclined to think this won't change anything.  I suspect you are 
 going to learn more by changing the order of the cats.  I really hope 
 that is the problem.  I'm also going to check something out and post
 you one more message after I try it.  brb.  :)
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 33        Thu Feb 17, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Dick:  Here is one other suggestion you might try if you use brief or
 full prompts.  Change your expect strings to the following:

 p[alt-m]1_?

 that is, the letter p, press alt-key then m, then 1, then space, then
 the question  mark.  This will pretty much assure that the script only
 reacts to actual bb prompts and not messages.  The alt-m is a carriage
 return, and the 'p' is the last character in the <HEL>p or HELp
 prompts for full and brespectively.  This suggestion
 of course requires either full or brief prompting.  I am now using
 'none' but I used brief for years and may even go back and do 
 my scripts as outlined above for the very reason I am suggesting this
 Iget caught up in this frequently myself.   
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 34        Fri Feb 18, 1994
H.HERMAN1                    (Forwarded) 
 
 Ed,

 > Iget caught up in this frequently myself.   

 ha!

 And I am probably the one who does most of the catching.....   :)

 Good thing you are such a good sport!!

 Howie
 ------------
Category 8,  Topic 18
Message 35        Fri Feb 18, 1994
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            (Forwarded) 
 
 Howie:  You are!  :)   I sure hope that is what is catching Dick too,
 tho, cuz it is the only thing that makes any sense to me. 

 I am polishing off a script language now that is very powerful, at least
 IMO.  Got the upload and downloads working and will be testing the tbatch
 and BB stuff within the next 6 or 7 days.  Of course, it may not make
 a difference with the topic under discussion.  O, hey, Dialogue gets 
 caught in the trap too, at least for some people.  :)
 ------------

