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PC-Dial(tm) A Communications Program For the IBM Personal Computer (C)Copyright 1984 by Jim Button Version 1.4 Jim Button ButtonWare P.O. Box 5786 Bellevue, WA 98006 Source ID : CL2925 Compuserve: 71435,2012 (206)746-4296 - TABLE OF CONTENTS GENERAL INFORMATION:.................................... 1 GETTING STARTED......................................... 2 USING PC-Dial's AUTOMATIC CAPABILITIES................. 3 USING THE FUNCTION KEYS................................. 4 COMMANDS................................................ 9 THE "PROFILE" FILE (PC-DIAL.PRO)........................12 STOPPING THE PROGRAM....................................12 COMMAND KEY SUMMARY (A "quick-reference" sheet)........13 ERROR MESSAGES..........................................14 SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:........................14 DISCLAIMER..............................................15 PERMISSION TO COPY:.....................................15 THE USER-SUPPORTED CONCEPT..............................15 - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 1. GENERAL INFORMATION: PC-Dial is a general purpose asynchronous communications program. Although it employs a simple and straightforward approach to communications, its capabilities surpass those of some of the more expensive communications programs on the market today. With PC-Dial you'll be able to: - Communicate at speeds up to 9600 baud (limited by the speed of your serial port and modem.) - Exchange (send or receive) text files with other computers. While sending text files, you may dynamically send selected records from the file and skip past other records not to be sent. - Exchange (send or receive) non-text (exe or com) files with other computers which support the "X-Modem" protocol. - Use modems which don't support Auto-dial. - Use modems which do support Auto-dial. This includes not only the Hayes SmartModem, but also a variety of other modems which use other commands to AutoDial a phone number. - Have PC-Dial automatically redial a phone number over and over again, until connection is made. - Capture incoming data in a disk file. - Setup your own "filters" to remove or change undesirable characters in the incoming data. - Dynamically slow down the speed at which you transmit, so as not to overrun the computer at the other end. - Dynamically alter your communications parameters, such as Parity, Speed, and number of data bits. - Build automatic logon sequences of any length, to enable you to log on to a variety of remote computers without having to remember phone numbers, passwords and access commands. - Change the colors on your display (if you have a color display) to suit your personal taste. - Move back and forth between different directories on your hard disk (if you have DOS 2.0) for retrieving and sending data. - Communicate properly with computers which use "XON/XOFF" characters. In short, PC-Dial is easy to use, easy to understand, powerful, and small in size. ( 1 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 2. PC-Dial requires a 64K or larger IBM PC (with PC-DOS 1.0 or 1.1), a 96K or larger IBM PC (with PC-DOS 2.0 or later), one disk drive, and a serial I/O port with a Modem. You must also have a video monitor capable of displaying 80 characters per line. GETTING STARTED. 1. Put your PC-Dial diskette into the "A:" drive and type "A:DOC". This will produce a printed set of documentation for you. 2. Read the documentation. 3. Copy the "PC-DIAL.COM" program onto any disk which has been formatted with PC-DOS. This will become your communications disk. 4. File your PC-Dial distribution diskette in a safe place. You may need it someday for "backup" purposes. 5. Turn on your modem and make sure that you are properly connected to the phone line and to your PC. 6. To run PC-Dial, assign the "logged on" drive to the disk that contains the PC-Dial program, like this: B: Then type the program name, like this: PC-DIAL 7. You will be asked to choose one of five pre-chosen communications protocols. You can probably choose number two, as this is by far the most common one in use. To see what these protocols are, you will have to turn to your IBM BASIC manual (the one which came with your PC). Turn to section 4 and find the documentation for the "OPEN 'COM..." statement. 8. Place a phone call to the computer with which you wish to communicate. When you hear the high pitched squeel from the other end, you can switch your modem to "data" mode and you should be on the air. If you have an autodial modem, you should read carefully the section on using autodial modems. 9. When you are through communicating, type in a "(Ctrl)\" (while holding down the Ctrl key, type the backwards slash) and this will cause PC-Dial to return control back to DOS. 10. Switch your modem back to "talk" mode. ( 2 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 3. USING PC-Dial's AUTOMATIC CAPABILITIES For normal operations, it is indeed possible to use PC-Dial knowing only that whatever you enter through the keyboard will be sent out over the phone line. However, to really make use of the program, you need to understand just a few of the "neat" features. Although PC-Dial can do the normal transfer of files using either X-Modem protocol or ASCII transfer with XON/XOFF standards, it has the unique and powerful ability to send one record each time the "send record" key is depressed. This, coupled with the ability to preview each record before sending it, and to skip forward in the transmit file to selectively transmit records, makes the program flexible enough to adjust to almost any requirement. The record that is sent can be data intended for the remote computer. It might also be a command to be sent to your "intelligent" modem. Or, it can be a command which PC-Dial will intercept and act upon. For example, I've created the following file which allows me to call up a local computer and log onto it: \COM1:0300,N,8,1 AT DT 575-3011 BUTTON JIM BELLEVUE, WA JGB I have built one of these little files for each computer that I call regularly. One of the files is named "SOURCE.LOG", another is named "COMPUSER.LOG", and another is named "DOWJONES.LOG". When I first start PC-Dial and am ready to communicate, I push F9 ("send record") and PC-Dial asks me "FILE NAME TO SEND:". I enter the name of my "automatic logon" file for the remote computer with which I wish to communicate. I then press F9 again. PC-Dial reads the first record (\COM1:0300,N,8,1) and sees that it's a command to automatically set the communications protocol for that computer. It does it. I press (F9) again. The program reads the next record (AT DT 575-3011) and since it's not a command, it sends it out over the line. As it turns out, my Hayes SmartModem sees this and realizes that it's a command to it to dial the phone number. It dials the number. When I hear the beep from the remote computer, I know that the connection is completed. Also, the remote computer detects my presence and asks me for my last name. I press F9 again. PC-Dial reads the next record (BUTTON) and sends it out over the line. The remote computer asks me for my first name. I press F9 again and the PC reads the next record (JIM) and sends it. The remote computer asks me what city I'm calling from. I press F9 and PC-Dial sends the record (BELLEVUE, WA). The remote computer asks me for the password, I press F9, and PC-Dial sends the last record (JGB). Notice that I don't have to remember to enter anything special in ( 3 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 4. order to automatically log on to the remote computer. All I need to do is press F9 each time that input is needed from me. Since I built the logon file with the proper commands, everything else happens automatically. You should also know that I could freely intermix data from the keyboard with pressing of F9. Thus, if something went wrong in the logon sequence, such as the remote computer saying "We are taking a survey today, please answer a question...", I could type some input from the keyboard which would be sent over the line. I could later go back to using F9 to complete my logon sequence, or I could just continue to do it manually from the keyboard. In order to create one of these "logon" files, you'll need an editor program, such as Edlin, Wordstar, or Personal Editor. Then, you will need to keep track of all the keys you press while you're calling and logging on to the remote computer. When you have done this once, you can use your editor program to create a "logon" file for that computer and you're then ready to have it all happen automatically, as described above. This is an extremely simple concept, but it gives PC-Dial tremendous power and flexibility. It's so easy to use, easy to implement, and pleasant to work with that I'm surprised it's not available in all other communications programs. Another use for this "send record" capability is in the sending of electronic mail. You can build your letter using your editor program, and save it in a file called "LETTER". Then, call up your information utility and when you get to the spot where they prompt you for the first line of your letter, just push F9 and send the first line of your "LETTER" file. Each time they ask you for the next line, push F9. The remote computer thinks that you certainly are a fast and accurate typist! It would get confused if you sent it the whole file at once, (as some other communications programs force you to do), because it was programmed to prompt you before the sending of each line. No problem when you're using PC-Dial. After you have sent the last line of your "LETTER" file, you just continue communications from the keyboard. USING THE FUNCTION KEYS. While PC-Dial is running you will see a command key summary line printed at the bottom of your screen. The command keys may be pushed at any time the program is running and will take effect immediately. (Exceptions to this are while you are in "send file" mode (F7), or are uploading/downloading files using the "X-Modem" protocol). During the X-modem up/download process, the only command keys active will be F2(stop receive) and F10(stop send). If either of these keys is pressed, the file transfer will be discontinued.) (F1) - Receive file. Pressing (F1) tells PC-Dial that you would like to receive a file. ( 4 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 5. You will be asked for the File name to receive into. Enter any valid "filespec". Example: "B:INMAIL.TXT". (Omit the quote marks and the trailing period.) From then on, every character coming in on the communications line will automatically be saved on the disk file which you have named. If the file didn't exist previously, it will be created. If the file did exist previously, all incoming data will be added at the end of the previous data. This facility is excellent for keeping a "log" of your entire communications session. After you are finished, you can go back in with your editor program and clean up the disk file containing the record of your session (removing the parts which are unimportant). Then, just print the whole thing on your printer and save it for future reference. If you wish to receive the file using "X-Modem" protocol (which automatically does error checking and error recovery), wait until the remote computer says it is ready to send the file, then press (F1) and enter the filespec followed by the characters =X. Example: "B:DOWNLOAD.COM=X". Caution: When you are using X-Modem for file transfer, you are required to use 8-data bits in your communications protocol. Read the section on (F4) changing communications parameters. With X-Modem transfer, a new file will always be created. If one existed previously by the same name, it will first be deleted. (F2) - Stop Receive of file. Pressing (F2) will "close" the disk file and stop storing the incoming characters. Later on, you could always press (F1) and reopen the same file to save more incoming data following the original data. If you are receiving a file using "X-Modem, stay away from (F2) unless you have to abort the download. The file will automatically be closed when the sending computer tells you that the last data in the X-Modem transmission has been sent. (F3) - Echo ON/OFF. Normally, the computer which you are communicating with will echo your data back to you, which causes it to be printed on your screen. However, sometimes the remote computer won't do this for you. In this case, you will not be able to see your keystrokes as you enter them. When this happens, pressing (F3) will turn "echo" on, and PC-Dial will automatically display your data as you enter it. Pressing (F3) again will turn "echo" off again. Each time you press the key, "echo" will switch to the opposite state. If you ever see "double" characters on your screen, it is because "echo" is on and the remote computer also is echoing your data back to you. Just press (F3) to turn "echo" off at this end, and everything should look normal again. (F4) - Change Communications Parameters. Sometimes you will want to change one or more of your communications parameters. You may need to slow down your speed from 1200 baud to 300 baud. Or you may need to change the number of "data bits" from 7 to 8. Pressing (F4) ( 5 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 6. will allow you to make these changes from the keyboard. You will be given six choices. Choice number 1 is to return to communications. Use this if you pressed (F4) accidentally and don't wish to make any changes. The next two choices are some standard protocols for 300 baud transmission speed. The next two choices are some standard protocols for 1200 baud transmission speed. The last choice, called "SPECIFY" will let you type in an entire communications specification, assuming that none of the above choices is adequate. For almost all cases, one of the four predefined communications protocols will be adequate. Select number 6 "SPECIFY" only if you have to. You then will be shown a "skeleton" of the standard entry format and asked to completely overstrike it with your new specification. Your textbook on accomplishing this is the IBM BASIC manual which came with your PC. You will have to turn to section 4 in the manual and locate the pages which describe the "OPEN COM..." statement. If you can understand this material, you will have no trouble entering whatever communications protocol is required. (F5) - Set the "DELAY" counter. When you are sending files or records to the remote computer, you will occasionally come across a computer which can't receive data as fast as you can send it. This is normally handled automatically by the remote computer sending you an "x-off" character, in which case PC-Dial will stop sending until the remote computer sends an "x-on" character. In those cases where the remote computer doesn't know about x-on and x-off and also can't receive as fast as you can send, they will lose some of your data. This will be seen by you as missing parts of your message or file as they are echoed to your screen. You can slow down your sending speed to give the remote computer time to catch its breath between characters by using the (F5) key. This allows you to set the "delay counter", which simply tells PC-Dial to count to some number after each character that it sends. This, of course, slows the output down. You will be shown the current value of the delay counter, which is 0 at startup. You will have to enter some new number, which will become the value of the delay counter. Some experimentation will be required on your part to discover a number just large enough to slow things down to the right amount. Values of a few hundred will slow things down a little bit (this computer counts fast!) and values in the multiple hundreds will slow things down much more. (F6) - Change Directory. If you are using DOS 2.0 or a later version, with perhaps a "hard disk", it is nice while running a program to be able to change to a different directory without having to stop and restart the program. PC-Dial lets you change directories whenever you press (F6). You will be asked which directory you would like to change to. Just give the name of the new directory. You'll be told whether or not ( 6 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 7. the change was successful. This works just like the DOS "CHDIR" command. It's very convenient, when you're sending or receiving files, to be able to change to the appropriate directory right in the middle of your communications session. (F7) - Send File. When you wish to send a file to the remote computer, you can press (F7) to send the entire file without stopping. You will be asked to enter the name of the file to be transmitted. Enter a valid file specification. Example: "B:SAMPLE.DOC". (Omit the quote marks and the final period). After receiving the file name, PC-Dial will start transmitting the file, so be sure not to press (F7) until the remote computer is ready to receive your data. Once transmission begins, data will be sent continuously until either the entire file has been sent, or you have pressed (F9) or (F10). If you will be sending your file using "X-Modem" protocol, wait until the remote computer has signaled that it is ready to receive your file. Then press (F7) and enter the file name followed by the characters "=X". Example: "A:DEMO.EXE=X". (F8) - Turn the PEEK window off or on. Normally, you will want the bottom line of the screen to show your command summary menu. However, when you are transmitting a file in "one record at a time" mode (F9) it is handy to see which record you are about to transmit, before you press F9 to send it. That way, if you want to override the record and enter from the keyboard instead, or just turn off record transmission, you can do so. Pressing (F8) turns on the peek window. The bottom line of your screen will now display the record that's "in the batter's box" (the one that's destined to be transmitted, if you choose to do so). This is very handy for your automatic logon sequences. When the peek window is on you have several options available with respect to the record being shown in the window. First, you can ignore the record being shown and provide input through the keyboard. Second, you can transmit the record being displayed as if you had entered it from the keyboard, by pressing (F9). Third, you can skip past the record in the window to the next record in the file, by pressing the "cursor down" arrow (the "2" key on the numeric keypad at the right side of your keyboard). Fourth, you can skip over multiple records in the file searching for a certain character sequence. To do this, press the "cursor right" key (the "6" key on the numeric keypad). You will be shown a ">" prompt. Enter a character string that you would like to search for in the transmit file, followed by the "return" key. All records in the transmit file will be bypassed until the character string you entered is discovered starting in position 1 of a record in the ( 7 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 8. file. You can precede the search string with question marks, in which each question mark will stand for one character to be skipped over before the comparison is made. For example: ???TH This example will locate records which start out "SMITH" or "ARITH", etc. (The "TH" must start in at the fourth position in the record). If you precede the search string with a "greater than" sign, records will be found which contain the search string at any location. >TH This will locate records which start out "THANK" or "PARENTHESES", etc. The peek window will remain on until you press (F8) again, or until a \PEEK OFF command is read from your transmission file. If you are running with the peek window on but can't remember which function key you need to push, just push (F8) to get your menu back. View it, then push (F8) again to continue with the peek window. (F9) - Send Record. If you wish to send your file one record at a time, with you controlling when each record will be sent, use (F9). You will be asked to enter the name of the file to be transmitted. Enter a valid file name. PC-Dial will then wait for you to press (F9) again before transmitting the first record in your file. Each time you press (F9), one more record will be sent out. In this manner, you can control the sending of records, usually sending one each time you observe that the remote computer is ready to receive it. However; if you transmit your file using X-modem protocol, it will all be sent without pausing. The "one record at a time" only applies to upload of ASCII files. When the record in the window is one of the predefined commands, PC-Dial will not pause after sending it. Commands will continue to be sent automatically until data appears in the window which is not a command. Rather than transmitting the record in the window, you may choose to skip past it. This can be done by pressing the "cursor down" arrow. If you do this, PC-Dial will bypass the record in the peek window and retrieve the next record from the transmit file. Or, you can press the "cursor right" arrow. If you do this, you will be prompted for a character string to be searched for in the transmit file. The prompt is ">". Enter the character string followed by the "return" key. PC-Dial will then bypass all records in the transmit file until it finds the character string start in column 1 of a record in your transmit file. ( 8 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 9. Incidentally, there is a nice way to view an ASCII dataset just to see what's in it. You can press (F9) to open it, then use the cursor-down key to view each record in the peek window, without sending anything over the phone line. Press (F10) when you're through looking at it. There is also a "retransmit record" capability provided. When you are in "send record" mode, you can retransmit the record which was most recently transmitted. To do this, press (Alt)R. Each time you press these two keys together, the record will be retransmitted. This feature makes it easy to redial a phone number if you get a busy signal. Just wait a few minutes and press (Alt)R to redial the number. Your file will be closed for you when you have sent the last record, or when you press (F10). Note that you can press (F7) at any point in time and transmission mode will switch from "one record at a time" to "the whole remainder of the file". You may have commands for PC-Dial imbedded in your transmit file. These begin with a backwards slash "\" and have a command encoded in CAPITAL LETTERS. (See the section on commands). When PC-Dial detects one of these commands, it will act on it and will not send the command out over the phone line as data. (F10) - Stop Sending the File. If you wish to stop sending the file before you reach the end of it, you can press (F10). PC-Dial will close the file and discontinue the sending of file data. If you have been in "send file" mode (F7), as opposed to "send record" mode (F9), it may take a while for DOS to empty all of its communications buffers. Don't panic. Eventually (after a few more lines of output), the buffers will all be empty and you will see the data stop going out over the phone line. COMMANDS. Certain commands can be imbedded in your disk files to be acted upon by PC-Dial whenever it comes across one while transmitting file data. This is typically done at the start of a file which will be used to help you automatically log on to a remote computer. You may wish to create a series of different files, one for each computer you will wish to call up and log onto. The commands at the front of this file can instruct PC-Dial to change its communications parameters to match those of the remote computer, or to change the characters which it will "filter" out of the incoming data, etc. Here are the commands which can be used. Important: all commands must be entered in UPPER CASE only. If they are not, they will be treated as data and sent out over the phone line. \CHDIR - Change from the current DOS directory to a new one. ( 9 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 10. Example: \CHDIR \GAMES (change to the "games" directory) \CHDIR \ (change to the "root" directory) This command works exactly like the DOS "CHDIR" command. Of course, to use it you must be using DOS version 2.0 or a later version. \COLOR - Change the colors on the display screen. Example: \COLOR 14,1 This command will change the colors to be used on your display screen. The first number is the color of the foreground (the characters), and the second number is the color of the background and border. These color numbers can be found in your IBM BASIC manual, section 4, under the topic: "COLOR statement". The foreground color must be a number from 0 to 15 inclusive, and the background color must be a number from 0 through 7. In the example above, the foreground color will be yellow, and the background color will be blue. \COM - Change the communications parameters. Example: \COM1:0300,S,7,1 This command will allow you to change the communications port, the transmission speed, the type of parity, the number of data bits, or the number of stop bits to be used during communications. Your textbook on how to code this is chapter 4 in the IBM BASIC manual which came with your PC. You will need to read the pages describing "OPEN COM..." to learn this command. When PC-Dial receives this command, it closes its communications port and then immediately reopens it using the new specifications. \DELAY - Change the "delay" counter. Example: \DELAY 500 This command will change the delay counter for you, to slow down your outgoing transmissions if needed. Read the description on function key (F5) to understand this. \FILTER - Establish filters for the incoming data. Example: \FILTER 12,13,10,0 "Filters" are instructions to PC-Dial to either remove or replace certain characters as they arrive from the remote computer. The filter values are entered in pairs. The first value in the pair is the ASCII value (base 10) of the incoming character to be acted upon. The second value in the pair is the ASCII value of the character to be substituted whenever the first value is found. In the example above, if a "Form Feed" (12) is received, it will be replaced with a "Carriage Return" (13). If the second value of the pair is a zero, nothing will be substituted for the character. Instead, it will be entirely removed from the incoming data stream. In the example above, if a "Line Feed" (10) is found, it will be ( 10 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 11. removed with nothing substituted for it. These ASCII values can be found in "Appendix G." at the back of your IBM BASIC manual. You may establish a maximum of 20 filters. Each time the \FILTER command is read, the old filters are discarded and the new ones are established. \PEEK - Turn the "PEEK" window ON or OFF. Example: \PEEK ON \PEEK OFF The peek window is the bottom line of your screen. It is normally turned off, so that the bottom line shows a brief menu of all the available function keys. When you are transmitting a file in "semiautomatic" mode (one record each time you press (F9)), it is very handy to be able to see which record you are ABOUT to transmit IF you press (F9). That way, you can decide in advance whether or not to go ahead with the transmission. With the peek window on, you will be able to preview the record that is awaiting transmission. If you decide not to send it, or to override it with manual entry from the keyboard, you can do so. \RECYCLE - Branch back to top of "transmit" file. Example: \RECYCLE When the \RECYCLE command is encountered in the transmit file, the current transmit file is closed, then re-opened at the front of the file. \RECYCLE cannot be "scanned" past by using the "cursor down" or "cursor right" keys, as can the other commands. It is usually placed at the end of an automatic logon file, so that the entire sequence can be redone if desired. If you scan for a record that doesn't exist beyond your current position, the scan will resume at the top of the file if you have a \RECYCLE command at the end. In this way, you will be able to scan for records that are previous to your current position. "What (you ask) will happen if the record I'm scanning for doesn't exist at all? Will the program loop forever scanning through the file?" No, after the second scan is completed the program will stop scanning. \REPEAT - Repeatedly try to dial a phone number. Example: \REPEATATDT746-4296>CONNECT The data after the "\REPEAT" and before the ">" is sent to the modem. Income from the line is then scanned repeatedly until the data after the ">" is located anywhere in the stream. If the data is discovered, connection is assumed to be established and the operator is notified via an alarm. If the data is not discovered after about 1 minute, the command is repeated. This continues until the operator stops the sequence. ( 11 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 12. \REM - Reminder to the operator. Example: \REM You are about to log on to "The Source". When PC-Dial receives the \REM command, it prints the data portion on your screen. \TOFILE - Branch to a different transmit file. Example: \TOFILE SOURCE.LOG When the \TOFILE command is encountered, the current transmit file is closed, and the indicated file is opened as the transmit file. Unlike the \RECYCLE command, the \TOFILE command can be skipped over using the "cursor down" or "cursor right" keys. Thus, you could have a series of \TOFILE commands in your file, and select the appropriate one by using the cursor keys and then pressing (F9) to cause transfer to the selected file to occur. THE "PROFILE" FILE (PC-DIAL.PRO). Whenever PC-Dial is started, it looks on the default disk drive for a file called "PC-DIAL.PRO". If it finds it, it executes all of the commands it finds in the file. I have provided a "default" profile file for you to show you how it's done, and to get you started in case you don't care to provide your own. However, if you wish to change the file to suit your own operating conditions, you should do so. You can use any of the commands found in the above section. This would be a good place, for example, to place your "\COLOR" command to initialize your screen colors. STOPPING THE PROGRAM. When you are finished communicating, you can end your session by pressing (Ctrl)\. To do this, press down on the (Ctrl) key on the left side of your keyboard. While holding this key down, also press the "\" (backwards slash) key. This will cause PC-Dial to close all disk files and return control to the PC-DOS operating system. ( 12 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 13. COMMAND KEY SUMMARY (A "quick-reference" sheet) F1 - RECEIVE FILE. Opens a disk file. Saves all incoming data. The open is for "Append". (see note 1) F2 - END RECEIVE. Closes the "receive" file. F3 - ECHO. Toggles "ECHO" (to screen) "on" or "off". F4 - PARMS. Allows changing the communications parameters. F5 - DELAY. Allows slowdown of outbound characters. F6 - CHDIR. Changes the current directory (DOS 2.0) F7 - SEND FILE. Sends an entire file. (see note 1). (see note 2). F8 - PEEK. Toggles "Peek" to ON/OFF. When on, shows the record that will be sent next. F9 - SEND RECORD. Same as F7, but only one record is sent each time F9 is pressed. You may switch back and forth between F7 and F9. (see note 1). (see note 2). F10- STOP SEND. Closes the "send" file. (Alt)R Retransmit a record. (Alt)B Send a "BREAK" character *Note 1: Here are some example file names: ?A Displays directory on "A:" drive ?C:*.LOG Displays a directory of all *.LOG files on "C:" drive AB.XYZ File is "AB.XYZ" in ASCII mode AB.XYZ=X File is "AB.XYZ" using "X-Modem" protocol *Note 2: The following "commands", if found in your "SEND" file, will be acted upon (and not transmitted). (Use all CAPITAL letters). \CHDIR Changes the current directory on disk. Code as: \CHDIR newname \COLOR fg,bg fg and bg are the foreground and background color numbers from the BASIC manual. \COM Resets your communications parameters. Code as: \COM1.0300,S,7,1 (format used by BASIC) \DELAY Sets "delay" counter for file transmissions. \FILTER Sets "FILTERS" for the incoming data. Code as: \FILTER from,to,from,to.... Values are in decimal, ASCII character set. Example: \FILTER 10,0,12,13 \PEEK Turns "Peek" on or off. Peek lets you see your records before you transmit them. Code as: \PEEK ON or \PEEK OFF \RECYCLE Branches to top of transmit file. Cannot be scanned past. \REPEAT Repeat dials a phone number until completion. Example: \REPEATATDT7464296>CONNECT \REM A comment. All data after "REM" will be printed on screen. \TOFILE Transfers to a new transmit file. Example: \TOFILE B:SOURCE.LOG ( 13 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 14. ERROR MESSAGES. To keep the size of the program as small as possible, PC-Dial uses the standard error messages as discussed in your IBM BASIC manual. The program will try to recover from all errors, and will always issue the line number in the program where the error occurred (of no value to you, but of immense value to me) and the error number. For the more common errors, it will also print out a brief description of the error. You can look up these error numbers in your IBM BASIC manual. They are found in "Appendix A" at the back of the book. With each number is a complete description of the error. After reading this description, the error will usually be apparent. SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 1. "Will it help if I buy more RAM memory for my PC?". ANSWER: No, PC-Dial fits very nicely into 64K and would not benefit from any additional memory. 2. "In what language was PC-Dial written?". ANSWER: It was written in BASIC, then compiled with the BASIC Compiler. Some portions were done in Assembler language. 3. "Can I obtain the source code for the program?". ANSWER: No, it's considered to be proprietary. 4. "What is your update policy?". ANSWER: All registered users will be notified by mail of each new update. However, I don't foresee a lot of updates to this program. 5. "Do you have any other programs that you're distributing?". ANSWER: Yes, PC-File III(tm), a database manager program. 6. "Can you send me a FREEWARE(tm) catalog?". ANSWER: No, ButtonWare and PC-Dial(tm) are not associated with Freeware(tm). 7. "Is there a version of PC-Dial for other computers?". ANSWER: No. 8. "Do you pay any taxes on money received for PC-Dial?". ANSWER: Yes, I fully report all income to the IRS. In addition, state and local taxes totaling 7.9% are paid on all money received from within the state of Washington. ( 14 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 15. DISCLAIMER. In no event will the Author be liable to you for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to use this program, even if the Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. PERMISSION TO COPY: Clubs and other non-profit organizations are granted permission by the author to freely copy this program and documentation and share it with their members, so long as: 1. No price is charged for the software or documentation. However, a distribution cost may be charged for the cost of the diskette, so long as it is not more than $6 total. 2. Club members are informed of the user-supported concept and encouraged to support it with their donations. 3. The program or documentation are not modified in any way and are always distributed together. THE USER-SUPPORTED CONCEPT. User-Supported Software If after evaluating this program you find it to be useful, I trust you to send a $25 payment. Jim Button P.O. Box 5786 Bellevue, WA 98006 You are encouraged to copy and share this program with others. User-supported software is an experiment in distributing computer programs, based on these beliefs: 1. That the value and utility of software is best assessed by the user on his/her own system. 2. That the creation of personal computer software can and should be supported by the computing community. 3. That copying of programs should be encouraged, rather than restricted. Anyone may request an evaluation copy of a user-supported program by sending a blank, formatted disk to the author of the program. An addressed, postage-paid return mailer must accompany the disk ( 15 ) - PC-Dial(tm) USERS GUIDE Page 16. (no exceptions, please). A copy of the program, with documentation on the disk, will be sent by return mail. A second way to obtain a copy of the program for evaluation is from a friend or computer club. After you have had a chance to use and evaluate the program in your own environment, you are trusted to either forward a payment to the author, or to discontinue use of the program. Free distribution of software and voluntary payment for its use eliminates costs for advertising and copy protection schemes. Users obtain quality software at reduced cost. They can try it out before buying, and do so at their own pace and in the comfort of their own home or office. The best programs will survive, based purely on their quality and usefulness. Please join the experiment. If you believe in these ideals, your contribution is solicited to help make them work. Many of you have written requesting an invoice so that you could initiate payment through your company accounting system. The following invoice is provided for those of you in this category, or for those who wish an invoice for your tax records. Perhaps it will serve the purpose. ( 16 ) - -------------------- INVOICE -------------------- Purchased from: JIM BUTTON ButtonWare Wash. State Tax # C 600 508 801 P.O. Box 5786 Bellevue, WA 98006 DATE: / / Invoice No. 840101 -------------------------------------------------------------- PRICE PRICE PRODUCT QTY EACH EXTENDED ------------------------- --- ----- -------- "PC-Dial" version 1.4 program and documentation 1 $25 $25 -------------------------------------- PLEASE PAY THIS AMOUNT $25 TOTAL -------------------------------------------------------------- Please make check payable to :JIM BUTTON You may retain this Invoice for your tax records. Payments sent from within Washington State: Please add 7.9% for state and local tax, total is $26.98 ( 17 )