═══ 1. General Info ═══ This is the documentation for ANSWER.EXE the 1st answering machine for OS/2 and rockwell based voice modems. version 1.06 This version is ShareWare. You can register this program by sending $10, in cash or check (payable to me). My (e) mail address is listed under AUTHOR INFO Please send me your bug reports and include as much information on your system setup as possible. And don't hesitate, even if you find a typo or misspelled word in one of the dialogs, let me know. I developed and tested ANSWER.EXE on the following system:  OS/2 Warp 3.0  16 MBytes of RAM  Ray Gwinn's SIO/VSIO ver 1.42, and IBM's COM/VCOM.  Complete Communicator Gold voice modem. A (small) list of modems that have been reported to work with my program:  The Complete Communicator Gold from The Complete PC (now owned by Boca)  Zoltrix 144 Internal Voice/Fax modem  Zoom Voice modems (14400 speed series) ═══ 2. Author Info ═══ Send your registrations, bug reports, fan mail and other stuff to:  Through US Mail: - SACHA PRINS - 8514 BARDMOOR PL. - LARGO - FLORIDA 34647 - USA  Through European Mail: - SACHA PRINS - AVONDROODSTRAAT 10 - 5641 HB EINDHOVEN - THE NETHERLANDS  Through e-mail: - 100417,1437@COMPUSERVE.COM  Through US Faxes: - (813)398-5490 Let me know what you think of this program. I'm very interested in your opinion. ═══ 3. Installation ═══ Unzip the zipfile that contains:  INSTALL.CMD  ANSWER.EXE  README.1ST  ANSWER.INF  ANSWER.HLP  FAX.CMD  FILE_ID.DIZ  GREETING.MSG into the directory where you wish "ANSWER.EXE" and his/her friends to reside. Type: "INSTALL" and you are done. The install program will create the needed subdirectories and create a program Object on the desktop for you. For your information, INSTALL.CMD does the following: Create 3 directories named: "IN", "OUT" and "SAVED", and moves "GREETING.MSG" into the "OUT" directory. Create a program object on the desktop. Note: It is advisable to install the program on a HPFS drive, because is then will use long file names to denote incoming messages, instead of cryptic names. Note: If you want to take full advantage of the program, open the settings of the 'Answering Machine' program object, turn to the 'Window' page of the 'Settings Notebook' and put the 'Minimized button behaviour' to 'Minimize window to desktop'. When a message comes in you can see the icon flash. ═══ 4. Program Info ═══ Here you can find information about the operation of this program. Help is divided into three parts:  Menu help  Dialogs help  Keys help ═══ 4.1. Menu's ═══ All features of the program can be accessed through one of the menu's. There are two of them: 1. The Menu Bar: This menu has the following items:  Actions: With the following items: - Play Message: Brings up the familiar File Open dialog so that you can choose a random file to play. This function is enabled when the Power is OFF. - Record Greeting: Brings the File Save dialog so you can give your new greeting a name. If you want your greeting to serve as a greeting for the program, do not change the default directory. More on selecting greetings later. This item is enabled when the Power is OFF. - Kill Program: This is a kind of an 'Emergency Brake function' so you can kick the program out of your computers memory if it screws up beyond recovery.  Options: With these items: - Settings | Program: Shows the Program Setup dialog box. - Settings | Modem: Shows the Modem Setup dialog box. This item is enabled when the Power is OFF. - Settings | Fax: Shows the Fax Setup dialog box. This item is enabled when the Power is OFF AND the 'Enable Fax answer' checkbox is checked in the Program Setup dialog box.. - power: Toggles Power ON and OFF. An instance of this menu item is also on the system menu, for minimized use.  Help: With these items. - Help: This brings up a standard message box that tells you that this feature is not yet implemented. - Product Info: Shows the inevitable About Box. It contains a nice little story about the program and me. - Register this program: What you all should do. Please read this for more info. - Help on registering: Brings up help on regestering. Please read this for more info. 2. The Popup Menu that is shown by pressing mouse button 2 on the client window of the program (the listbox).  Delete All: Deletes all the messages in the listbox.  Play All: Plays all the messages in the listbox.  Delete Message: Deletes the selected message in the listbox.  Save Message: Saves the selected message to the Saved directory.  Play Message: Plays the selected message. This item is enabled when the Power is OFF. ═══ 4.2. Dialogs ═══ There are four dialogs at this point that are worth mentioning. Namely the following:  Program Setup Dialog  Modem Setup Dialog  Fax Setup Dialog  Register Dialog ═══ 4.2.1. Program Setup Dialog ═══ With this dialog you control the programs behavior.  The 'Program Starts' group. Specifies if the program should start minimized and/or powered ON. This is for when you put the program in your start-up folder. If the computer boots and the program is configured start powered ON, the program is immediately ready to answer calls.  The 'Greeting' group. Lets you choose a greeting for incoming calls. You could have greetings of the form: 'I'm in the shower right now...' or 'I'm not at home right now...'. You can record a greeting via the Actions | Record Greeting submenu in the MenuBar of the program.  The 'Misc' group. Here you can configure the number of rings the program answers on. You can also toggle confirmation. This means either an 'Are you sure?' dialog when deleting files, or no 'Are you sure?' dialog when deleting files. You can also toggle the Flashing of the main window when there are new messages. This is especially useful if the program is minimized to the desktop. You can enable or disable the toll saver function. When enabled the program will let the phone ring 2 rings more than specified in the rings field. And last but not least you can toggle FAX support. See the Fax Setup Dialog for more info.  The 'Remote message retrieval' group. You can retrieve new messages remotely. To do this: Call your answering machine and before the greeting is over (before the beep), press the 'asterisk' (*) and the code you specified in the dialog. You will then hear the new messages. The code can be any digit sequence from 0 to 6 digits. ═══ 4.2.2. Modem Setup Dialog ═══ With the Modem Setup dialog you can change the Hardware specific options.  This includes selecting the com port to which your modem is connected. You can also test if your voice modem is supported by the program.  The 'hangup threshold' is the time the modem takes to report silence. It defaults to six seconds. You can put it to three if you wish. This implies however that when the caller doesn't talk for three seconds the modem hangs up!  You can set the somewhat more hardware specific options. - Zoltrix Compatibility: Toggle this checkbox if you encounter problems when playing back messages (defaults to on). - Drop DTR to disconnect: Turn this setting on if the modem will not disconnect after recording a greeting, or after answering a call (defaults to off).  You can change the sampling rate the program records messages with. 4 bit recording quality sounds best, but also consumes the most hard disk space, while 2 bit recording quality does the oposing. ═══ 4.2.3. Fax Setup Dialog ═══ Note: Before you do anything with this feature of The Answering Machine please keep in mind that this is only intended for the absolute dare-devils among you. I included this feature because of popular demand, I'll probably enhance this feature and maybe even include the Fax handling in the program itself. So if you hang your system experimenting with this feature, please do not get disencouraged to use the program. You must remember that the answering machine part of the program is working pretty smoothly, and rather user friendly. With this dialog you control the behavior of the program when Faxes are detected. Fax handling works with 3rd party Fax software. Since there are many Fax programs out there I made the possibilities as generic as possible. There are 2 possibilities when it comes to handling faxes:  Internal Fax handling. The 3rd party Fax software is invoked through The answering Machine. The program invokes the 'FAX.CMD' file from the Answering Machine directory and passes 4 command line parameters to it: 1. COM handle (decimal) (if COM port is left open) 2. COM handle (hex) (if COM port is left open) 3. COM device name (COMx) 4. COM device number (x in case of COMx) You have to edit the 'FAX.CMD' file and enter the program you want to use to receive faxes. Use the command line parameters passed to the 'FAX.CMD' file to direct your Fax program.  External Fax handling. The 3rd party Fax software is invoked through a 'CMD' file. When a Fax is detected the Answering Machine terminates with an exitcode of your choice. You can use an 'IF' statement in a 'CMD' file to react to the Fax event. When the 'Do Fax negotiation internally' checkbox is checked, the Answering Machine does the handshaking with the Fax machine that is calling. There are several 3rd party Fax programs. I can name 2, namely: 'BGFAX' (DOS) and 'FAX2YOU' (OS/2). You can probably find them at your favorite ON-LINE service. ═══ 4.2.4. Register Dialog ═══ With this dialog you can change the state of the program from Unregistered to registered. The benefit is a working program instead of a program that turns itself OFF after 10 minutes. ═══ 4.3. Keys ═══ All the intuitive keys work in the messages listbox.  The arrow keys move the cursor up and down in the list box.  The key plays the selected message.  The key deletes the selected message.  The key saves the selected message. ═══ 5. DISCLAIMER ═══ I wrote this program with the idea of helping myself, and other people with a voice-modem that use OS/2. I made it for fun, and will therefore NOT take any responsibility for anything this program will do. That includes any physical or mental damage to you or your computer. This software is provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is with you. Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. I have taken due care in preparing the documentation and software to ascertain their correctness and effectiveness. However, I do not warrant that operation of this software will be uninterrupted or error free. In no event shall I be liable for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the furnishing, performance, or use of this software. ═══ 6. LEGAL stuff ═══ This program is (c) by me, and me is the person listed under AUTHOR INFO. Portions of the code are (c) by IBM. All trademarks are owned by their respective owners. You MAY try the unregistered program for as long as you like, since it is useless until you register. You MAY use this software on any computer or computers in your possession, but on no more than one computer at any given time. You MAY copy this software into any machine readable or printed form for back-up or modification purposes in support of your use of the software. You MAY distribute the original unmodified, unregistered version of this software, but you may not charge a fee exceeding $5.00 to cover the cost of duplicating, shipping, and handling. You may NOT distribute a registered version of this software. You may NOT use, copy, modify, sublicense, assign or transfer this software and its license, or any copy or modification, in whole or in part, except as expressly provided for in this license. ═══ 7. Known Bugs ═══ In the modem setup dialog, when pressing the and then button in this order will terminate the program. The bad-sound-quality bug is (hopefully) eliminated. I recomend 4bit recording and playback quality though to avoid any potential problems. ═══ 8. History ═══  Version 0.00: First version to be released to the public. Still very beta. I was very delighted to hear that my computer was the only one in the world that it would run on. I forgot to include some essential libraries.  Version 0.01: Same as 0.00, except that the program would start-up on everybody else's computer as well.  Version 0.02: The program is now ShareWare instead of beta code. Some major and minor fixes: - Major fixes: Program now detects hang-ups in USA. SYSXXXX error when pressing escape in the main window is corrected. - Minor fixes: Some kind of file management added to the main window. Added some new features to the dialogs of the program.  Version 0.03: Bug fix to version 0.02. The test button wouldn't report a successful test. Stabilized the modem I/O a bit (at least I thought I did).  Version 0.04: People reported unstable/unreliable behavior of the program, especially in the form of the modem not disconnecting, either when recording or playing. Added Hardware Flow Control and Hardware Reset to the program. Also added some minor improvements to the user interface.  Version 1.05: Changes/added features: - Increased functionality in the user interface. - Added Remote message retrieval. - Added 3rd party fax software support. - Increased the version number for marketing reasons (Thanks Dad, great idea!). - Improved the documentation. - Ensured compatibility with latest SIO/VSIO and Warp's COM/VCOM serial communication drivers.  Version 1.06: - Finally fixed the 'sound quality' bug. - Added 2bit and 3bit sound quality options in the modem dialog settings. - Toll saver added. - Context sensitive help added. More to come! ═══ 9. Registration ═══ If you are satisfied with the program and want to use it, register it. The address to which you have to send the order to is listed under Author info If you do so you will get a registration KEY as soon as possible through e-mail or regular mail. If you are a member of compuserve, you can also register the program by typing "GO SWREG" on the CIS prompt and search for 'Answering machine'. If you find yourself registering an earlier version than the one you are using, don't worry. The Key that's sent to you will work anyway. When unregistered, the program is fully functional. So you can test it as long as you whish. There is one restriction however. If you turn the Answering Machine ON and the program is not registered, it will turn itself OFF after 10 minutes. That means that you can test the program but not really use it, since 10 minutes after you leave the house, the program goes OFF.  FOR US ORDERS: Please pay in US Dollars and make checks payable to SACHA PRINS  FOR EUROPEAN ORDERS: Please pay in Dutch Guilders by EUROCHEQUE or GIROCHEQUE payable to SACHA PRINS, or cash in Dutch guilders, US Dollars or your local currency (check rates at your local Bank, please compare to US Dollar).  Single user order form  Site license order form ═══ 9.1. Single user order form ═══ Note: You can print this order form using the services that the IPF viewer offers. ___ registration(s) at $10.00 each: __________ ( or Dfl 20,- each) Total (enclosed with order): __________ Your Full Name:_________________________ Date:__________ Address:_______________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________ City:__________________________ State:____ Zip:________ Country:__________________________ Phone:__________________________ Modem Brand:____________________________________________ ═══ 9.2. Site license order form ═══ Note: You can print this order form using the services that the IPF viewer offers. Please register for ____ copies Company:_______________________________________________ Street Address (P.O. Box is not acceptable): ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ As an officer of the above company, I hereby certify that no more than the above number of copies of the program will be distributed within the company, that no copies will be released for use outside the company, and to provide reasonable security to ensure that all copies remain under the company's direct control. Signature:_____________________________ Date:_____________ Name:______________________________________________________ Title:_____________________________________________________ Phone:_____________________________________________________ Site license/registration price schedule Copies Price per Reg. (Dollars) Price per Reg. (Guilders) first 10 $10.00 Dfl 20,- next 5 $ 8.00 Dfl 16,- next 5 $ 6.00 Dfl 12,- rest $ 5.00 Dfl 10,- Site Registration Fee first 10: ____________ next 5: ____________ next 5: ____________ rest: ____________ + Total (enclosed with order): ____________