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Text File | 1990-10-28 | 31KB | 646 lines

QUICK DIAL Communications for the rest of us Version 1.2 Copyright 1990 by Charles Graham POB 58634 St. Louis, MO 63158 All Rights Reserved WHY QUICK DIAL? If you want to: -- use a 700-entry dialing directory -- dial out on COM13 -- communicate at 19,600 bps -- reset your communications port interrupt vectors -- emulate an Oldcrank 3191 terminal -- use your old monochrome system then QUICK DIAL is NOT for you! Read no further. But if you're like the 95% of us that just want something small, quick, easy and efficient then you may want to use QUICK DIAL. Here's what it offers. -- a circular COLOR scroll back buffer to instantly review your BBS sessions -- configurable by you to hold TEN TO FIFTY PAGES -- that's up to 96,600 characters! -- UNLIMITED COLOR screen snapshots and views to make permanent recordings of important information -- WHILE ON LINE or IN SCROLL BACK BUFFER MODE! -- support for COM1 and COM2 communication ports -- modem speeds of 300/1200/2400 bps -- full ANSI emulation -- a 15-entry dialing directory -- UNLIMITED additional directories -- both directory and non-directory dialing -- online directory editor for entry, revision and deletion of BBS -- ONLINE directory SORTING -- circular dialing queue auto-dial -- auto-redial -- auto-redial last number dialed -- automatic maintenance of a continuous "connect" file so you can tell who you called, when you called and how long you were connected -- communication parameter changes WITHOUT changing screens -- support for TWO external file transfer protocols -- ASCII uploads WITH or WITHOUT a pace character -- jumping to DOS whether connected to a BBS or not -- printer support -- log file support (with auto-correction for ANSI escape sequences) to permanently record your BBS sessions -- AUTO-SENDING your handle, password and 4-digit phone number eliminating the need for a script file to auto-logon -- on line prompting -- help screen -- error checking If QUICK DIAL sounds like your kind of software then keep reading. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS QUICK DIAL is not "freeware" and is not in the Public Domain. Any individual or organization may use QUICK DIAL freely for up to 30 days to decide if it meets the user's needs. Thereafter, the user must remit a Registration Fee to the author, or discontinue using QUICK DIAL. This requirement includes QUICK DIAL users who received their copy of QUICK DIAL from distributors of Public Domain software or "shareware," should the author grant permission to distribute to such enterprises. Please submit your personal check for $20 (U.S. funds only) to: Charles Graham P.O. Box 58634 St. Louis, MO 63158 You will promptly receive a personalized, registered copy of the latest version of QUICK DIAL by return mail. After becoming familiar with QUICK DIAL, I'm sure you will agree that it packs a lot of features -- including many that are unavailable elsewhere. A lot of work went into developing this software. So don't put off the decision to register your copy. Do it today. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS To use QUICK DIAL, you need: -- an IBM-compatible personal computer with at least 211K of available RAM -- a color video card and color monitor that support an 80 column by 25 line screen mode -- DOS 3.x or later, and -- a Hayes-compatible modem FILES DISTRIBUTED WITH QUICK DIAL There are at least 7 files distributed with this version of QUICK DIAL: QD.EXE the executable software, QUICK DIAL QD12.DOC the QUICK DIAL documentation file you are reading QD.CNF the default QUICK DIAL configuration file QD.HLP the QUICK DIAL Help Screen in BSAVE format QD.DIR the empty QUICK DIAL dialing directory shell EDIT-CNF.EXE the QUICK DIAL configuration utility WHATS.NEW an abbreviated history of QUICK DIAL (Note: an 8th file, CONNECT.QD, will be created the first time you execute QUICK DIAL. There also may be a READ.ME file to provide up-to-date, essential information for new users. Another file, QD.SCR, will be written to your disk(ette) when certain other QUICK DIAL options are chosen.) GETTING STARTED There are only three things you must do to begin using QUICK DIAL. First, read and become familiar with the QUICK DIAL documentation provided here. It's short and totally untechnical. Second, put all QUICK DIAL files alone in one directory on a single disk(ette). If you intend to use external file transfer protocols such as ZMODEM or PUMA, put all necessary external protocol files in the same directory and on the same disk(ette) as your QUICK DIAL files. Third, use EDIT-CNF.EXE to customize the QUICK DIAL configuration file for YOUR system. THE QUICK DIAL CONFIGURATION FILE -- QD.CNF QD.CNF is a small file containing only eleven lines. Each line must contain correct information to enjoy QUICK DIAL to the fullest. Note the contents of the file, as distributed, what each line means, and the acceptable range of values (if any). As Distributed Contents Explanation Acceptable values "1" communication port number "1" or "2" "ATZ" modem initialization string "1200" initial modem speed in bps (bits per second) "300", "1200" or "2400" "ATDT" modem dialing command "9999" last 4 digits of your phone number "45" time modem should wait for carrier "30" to "60" "10" number of pages in scroll back buffer "10" to "50" " " external upload file transfer protocol #1 or a space " " external download file transfer protocol #1 or a space " " external upload file transfer protocol #2 or a space " " external download file transfer protocol #2 or a space Here's why each of these lines is important. 1) Communications port number. QUICK DIAL supports COM1 and COM2. Assuming one of these is available to you, just make this line read "1" or "2". The port number can be changed while running QUICK DIAL, but make sure you set the port number to the one you want to start on. QUICK DIAL does not support communications ports other than COM1 or COM2. 2) Modem initialization string. QUICK DIAL needs your modem's result messages sent in "English Word" or "Verbal" format. Many modems do this by default. If you aren't sure whether yours does, include the command "V1" (without quotation marks) somewhere in your initialization string. QUICK DIAL will NOT work properly unless your modem sends its messages in words. QUICK DIAL's author uses: AT E0 M0 S0=0 V1 X4 &C1 &D2 &S1. Consult your modem manual for further explanation and instructions. 3) Initial modem speed. This should be set to the highest speed your modem can accomodate less than or equal to 2400 bps. "300", "1200" and "2400" are acceptable values. You can change the bps rate while running QUICK DIAL, and include a modem speed in each QUICK DIAL Directory entry. 4) Modem dialing command. If you have touch-tone dialing, this probably will be "ATDT". If you use rotary or pulse dialing, it will likely be "ATDP". If you have touch-tone dialing but call from a location where you have to dial 9 to get an outside line and a second dial tone, it will likely be "ATDT9W". 5) Last four digits of your phone number. Many Bulletin Board Systems require you to enter the last four digits of your phone number while logging on. If you call such Bulletin Boards, you should enter the last four digits of YOUR phone number in line 6 of QD.CNF. That way, when you're logging on to a BBS, a touch of the F3 key will transmit this information. 6) Time modem should wait for carrier. This should be set anywhere between "30" and "60", and, ideally, it should be shorter than the time set in the S7 Register of your modem. As initially distributed, this value in QD.CNF is "45". 7) Number of pages in scroll back buffer. This may be set anywhere between "10" and "50" to allow for differing amounts of available RAM in different systems. Running QUICK DIAL with 10 pages in the scroll back buffer requires approximately 211 kilobytes of available RAM. Running QUICK DIAL with 50 pages in the scroll back buffer requires approximately 522 kilobytes of available RAM. If you experience an "Out of memory" error, try reducing the number of pages in line 7 of QD.CNF and then restarting QUICK DIAL. In the unregistered, shareware version of QUICK DIAL, the number of pages is hard coded as "10" and cannot be altered. 8) EXTERNAL UPLOAD file transfer PROTOCOL #1. If you wish to use an external file transfer protocol, insert its name on line 8 of QD.CNF. Any such software should exist in the same directory on the same disk(ette) as your other QUICK DIAL files. The file name for line 8 of QD.CNF can be any valid .BAT, .COM or .EXE file name -- without the suffix. For example, if you wanted to use DSZ ZMODEM software that includes the ZMODEMU.BAT file, set line 8 as "ZMODEMU". To use Puma, you would use "Puma s". (Note: when using any external file transfer protocol, read the documentation that comes with the software for additional details and special applications such as using a communications port other than COM1.) If you do NOT want to use the external file transfer feature of QUICK DIAL, line 8 of QD.CNF should be a quotation mark, a single space and another quotation mark like this: " ". 9) EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD file transfer PROTOCOL #1. The same rules apply to line 9 of QD.CNF as apply to line 8, above. If you want to use DSZ ZMODEM software, line 9 should read "ZMODEMD". To use Puma, you would use "Puma r" or "Puma r" plus an optional drive and path specification such as "Puma r c:\zip\". If you're NOT using this feature of QUICK DIAL, line 9 should be " ". 10) EXTERNAL UPLOAD file transfer PROTOCOL #2. QUICK DIAL allows the use of not one, but two, external file transfer protocols. If you want to use a second one, the same rules apply to line 10 of QD.CNF as apply to line 8, above. If you want to use DSZ ZMODEM software, line 10 should read "ZMODEMD". To use Puma, you would use "Puma s". If you're NOT using this feature of QUICK DIAL, line 10 should be " ". 11) EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD file transfer PROTOCOL #2. The same rules apply to line 11 of QD.CNF as apply to line 8, above. If you want to use DSZ ZMODEM software, line 11 should read "ZMODEMD". To use Puma, you would use "Puma r" or "Puma r" plus an optional drive and path specification such as "Puma r c:\zip\". If you're NOT using this feature of QUICK DIAL, line 11 should be " ". You may customize QD.CNF using EDLIN (which comes with DOS) or any word processor or editor that produces straight ASCII text. Each line must begin and end with a double quotation mark ("). There should be nothing before the first line, nothing between lines and nothing after the last line. All the lines and quotation marks must be present. Using EDIT-CNF.EXE (the Quick Dial Configuration Utility) is the easiest way to customize QD.CNF. USING QUICK DIAL After you have customized your QUICK DIAL configuration file, get to the directory where your QUICK DIAL files are and enter QD. In a moment, the opening screen (also called the Main Screen) will appear. The top of the screen will appear like this: ╔════════╡Quick Dial v1.2╞════════════════════════════╡COM1:2400,N,8,1╞════════╗ ║Alt C Clear D Dial F10 Redial J to DOS L Log P Printer Z Help F4 Review X Exit║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ In the upper right hand corner the communication parameters appear. In this example you're set for COM1 at 2400 bps, no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit. The second line reminds you of several commands at your disposal. Command Function Notes Alt C to Clear the screen [3 ] Alt D to bring up the QUICK DIAL Directory screen and menu [2 ] Alt F10 to redial the last number dialed [2 ] Alt J to Jump to DOS [3 ] Alt L to toggle a Log file on and off [3 ] Alt P to toggle the Printer on and off [3 ] Alt Z to display the Help Screen [3 ] Alt F4 to toggle the Scroll Back Buffer on and off [3 ] Alt X to eXit your QUICK DIAL session [3 ] Additional commands are also available from the main screen, although they do not appear at the top of the screen. Alt F1 to send your handle to a remote BBS [1 ] Alt F2 to send your password to a remote BBS [1 ] Alt F3 to send the last 4 digits of your phone number to a remote BBS [1 ] Alt F5 to take a snapshot of your screen [3 ] Alt F6 to view a screen snapshot [3 ] Notes: 1 -- command only operative when connected 2 -- command only operative when not connected 3 -- command operative whether connected or not THE HELP SCREEN Entering Alt Z brings up this screen. ╔══════════════════════════════╡FROM MAIN SCREEN╞══════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ While Connected While Not Connected Either ║ ║ Alt A send ASCII file Alt C clear screen ║ ║ Alt H hang up Alt J jump to DOS ║ ║ Alt R receive file Alt D go to directory Alt L toggle log ║ ║ Alt S send file Alt F10 redial last number Alt P toggle printer ║ ║ Alt F1 send handle Alt X exit ║ ║ Alt F2 send password Alt Z this screen ║ ║ Alt F3 send 4-digit # Alt F4 review ║ ║ Alt F5 take snapshot ║ ║ Alt F6 view snapshot ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ╔═══════════════════════════╡FROM DIRECTORY SCREEN╞════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ 1-15 mark/unmark entries O dial non-directory # ║ ║ C clear marks N get new directory ║ ║ D delete entry S sort directory ║ ║ R revise entry P set new parameters ║ ║ <CR> dial marked entries <ESC> terminate dial ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ CALLING WITH QUICK DIAL From the main screen, entering Alt D will bring up the dialing directory and menu that looks like this. No Name Number BPS Handle Password ┌──┬───────────────────┬──────────────┬────┬─────────────────────────┬────────┐ │ 1│Banana Republic │ 537-9238│2400│Couch Potato │ │ │ 2│Brewery │ 394-3347│2400│146 │ │ │ 3│City of Angel's │ 391-0512│2400│9 │ │ │ 4│Dog Pound │ 831-7989│2400│Panama Red │ │ │ 5│EC │ 544-4988│2400│99 │ │ │ 6│M-42 │ 997-5157│2400│103 │ │ │ 7│Room 101 │ 938-5684│2400│Jack E. Gleason │ │ │ 8│ │ │ │ │ │ │ 9│ │ │ │ │ │ │10│ │ │ │ │ │ │11│ │ │ │ │ │ │12│ │ │ │ │ │ │13│ │ │ │ │ │ │14│ │ │ │ │ │ │15│ │ │ │ │ │ └──┴───────────────────┴──────────────┴────┴─────────────────────────┴────────┘ Enter selection [1-15]/Other/Delete/Clear/Revise/Sort/New/Parms/ESC: ╞════════════════════════════╡ESCape to exit dial╞═════════════════════════════╡ (Note: if you entered a password in the dialing directory, it's there but it won't appear on the directory screen.) TO MARK/UNMARK AN ENTRY FOR DIALING, just press the directory entry number(s). The entry number in the left hand column will change color. Except for directory entry 1, it is not necessary to press the RETURN key to mark or unmark it. Pressing the RETURN key will begin dialing the marked entry(ies). TO DIAL A NUMBER OTHER THAN ONE IN YOUR DIRECTORY, press O. You will be prompted for the bps and phone number. TO DELETE A DIRECTORY ENTRY, press D. You will be promped for the entry number you want deleted. After deletion, the revised QUICK DIAL Directory will be rewritten to your disk(ette). TO CLEAR MARKS FROM ALL DIRECTORY ENTRIES, press C. TO REVISE A DIRECTORY ENTRY, press R. You will be prompted for its name, phone number and bps and your handle and password. As you enter each new field, the current contents (if any) will be displayed in colors different their normal ones. If you want to accept what is displayed, just press the RETURN key and you will move to the next field. If not, press any letter or number key. The old contents will be erased and the new contents will begin with the key you pressed. The Backspace key is active during the editing process. RETURN accepts what is displayed and takes you to the next field to be edited. Upon conclusion, the revised QUICK DIAL Directory will be rewritten to your disk(ette). TO SORT THE DIRECTORY, just press S. The sorted directory will be rewritten to your disk(ette). TO LOAD A NEW DIRECTORY, just type N. You will be prompted for the new directory name, which may include a drive and path specification if you choose. TO CHANGE YOUR COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS, press P. You will be prompted for the communications port number (1 or 2), bps (300/1200/2400), parity (N for none, O for odd, E for even), data bits (7 or 8), stop bits (0 or 1), and whether you want to be in full duplex or half duplex mode. Most BBS work with the default setting of no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit. Upon conclusion, notice that the communication parameters in the upper right corner of your screen have changed. If you make a mistake and enter the wrong port number, don't worry. QUICK DIAL will let you know that and automatically reopen the last valid port specified. In full duplex mode, the characters you type are not echoed to the screen by QUICK DIAL. Rather, the remote BBS handles that task. This is the correct setting for most BBS. However, a few boards and and least one national service do not echo typed characters back to the sender. In these few cases, you should set Quick Dial to half duplex so that you can see what you type. TO RETURN TO THE MAIN SCREEN WITHOUT DIALING, press ESCape. Any entries you have marked will still be marked when you return to the dialing directory and menu. TO BEGIN DIALING MARKED ENTRY(IES), press RETURN. Pressing RETURN with no marked entry(ies) has no effect. DIALING WITH QUICK DIAL When dialing marked directory entry(ies), once dialing has started QUICK DIAL will dial each marked number in turn continuously until (a) you press ESCape, or (b) you make a connection. Similarly, when dialing a number other than one in your dialing directory, it will dial that number continuously until you press ESCape or make a connection. (Note: from the Main Screen, entering Alt F10 will immediately begin dialing the last number attempted without going through the dialing directory and menu screen.) While your modem is dialing, another screen will continuously display: -- the BBS name stored in your directory -- the number dialed -- the handle stored in your directory -- the dialing attempt number -- the seconds elapsed since dialing began -- the time -- the dialing status (dialing or hanging up) -- the result (CONNECT, BUSY, NO ANSWER, etc.) ╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ Dialing: Dog Pound ║ ║ At: 831-7989 ║ ║ Handle: Fido ║ ║ Attempt: 1 ║ ║ Seconds: 8 ║ ║ Time: 09:32:14 ║ ║ Status: Dialing ║ ║ Result: ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════╡Quick Dial╞═════════════╝ When dialing or waiting for a connection, pressing ESCape will hang up the modem and return you to the main screen. LOGGING ONTO A BULLETIN BOARD One handy feature of QUICK DIAL is that when you're connected, the key sequence Alt F1 Alt F2 Alt F3 automatically transmits your handle, password and the last four digits of your phone number. This feature eliminates the need most people have for a script language: auto-logons. THE "CONNECT" FILE, CONNECT.QD QUICK DIAL automatically and continuously maintains a permanent record of your QUICK DIAL sessions in a file called CONNECT.QD. Each time you make a connection and then log off, QUICK DIAL updates CONNECT.QD with the phone number you reached, the name of the BBS (if one is present in your dialing directory), the modem speed used, the time you logged on and the time you logged off. This feature can be useful for verifying long distance costs or charges from pay BBS services based on connect time. Anytime you are NOT in a QUICK DIAL session you can review CONNECT.QD with the DOS TYPE command, with almost any file viewer or editor, and with almost any word processing software. (To use DOS commands, you must make sure that your system can locate all the DOS files that came with your computer. Normally, this is accomplished by having the DOS directory specified in the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. See your DOS manual for further details.) Get to the disk(ette) and the directory where your QUICK DIAL files are and enter the following command. TYPE CONNECT.QD | MORE Then press the RETURN key. To view CONNECT.QD using other software, see the manual or documentation that came with the software you are using for detailed instructions. CONNECT.QD will continue to get larger as each log on is added to the file. If the size of the file becomes too great, or if you simply don't need it after a while, use either the DOS ERASE or DELete command to remove it. To do this, get to the disk(ette) and the directory where your QUICK DIAL files are. Enter one of the following commands. ERASE CONNECT.QD -or- DEL CONNECT.QD Then press the RETURN key. FILE TRANSFERS QUICK DIAL supports up to two external file transfer protocols such as ZMODEM and PUMA. After you let the remote Bulletin Board know what file you want to receive (download) or send (upload), press Alt R to receive or Alt S to send. You will be prompted to provide the file transfer protocol you have selected. Press 1 for external protocol #1 or 2 for external protocol #2. You may be prompted for a file name. The file name may include a drive and path specification. REVIEWING THE SCROLL BACK BUFFER Whether you're connected or not, you can always review the last several screens of information that came through your modem. Pressing the Alt key plus the F4 key will take you to the scroll back buffer and display the last screen you received. While in scroll back mode, seven keys are active: Cursor Up scrolls the screen up one line Cursor Down scrolls the screen down one line Page Up displays the next oldest screen from wherever you are Page Down displays the next newest screen from wherever you are Home displays the oldest screen End displays the newest screen Alt-F4 exits scroll back mode and takes you to the screen you left The scroll back buffer is circular so that if you keep pressing the Page Up or Cursor Up key, you eventually come back to where you started from. The same is true about repeatedly pressing the Page Down or Cursor Down key. IMPORTANT NOTE. Quick Dial was beta-tested on WWIV Bulletin Boards. WWIV scrolls the screen up when incoming text is on the the lowest allowable line of your monitor. Certain other BBS systems (like OPUS, for example) default to overwriting screens rather than scrolling. If this is the case on the boards you call, Quick Dial's scroll back buffer will be of very little use to you as it will only contain the most recent screenful of information. To correct this situation, go to the configuration section of the bulletin board and set the appropriate parameter to scroll instead of overwrite. TAKING AND VIEWING SNAPSHOTS OF YOUR SCREEN When you're on line, and when you're in scroll back mode, you can take a snapshot of the screen or view a snapshot you've previously taken. Pressing Alt F5 will prompt you for the name of the snapshot you're about to take. You can use the name QUICK DIAL offers you by simply pressing the RETURN key, or you can substitute any other name you prefer by editing the name and then pressing RETURN. If you do not use the file name that QUICK DIAL offers, and if the file name you supply does not have a suffix, please note that Quick Dial will automatically add a file name suffix of ".BAS". For example, if you took a snapshot called "FIDO" and wanted to view it later, you would have to ask to view "FIDO.BAS". Similarly, pressing Alt F6 will prompt you for the name of a snapshot you want to view. If the name is the one QUICK DIAL offers just press the RETURN key. If not, edit the name until it is correct and then press the RETURN key. Each snapshot takes up 16,391 bytes on your disk(ette). MISCELLANY QUICK DIAL was written entirely in Microsoft QuickBASIC, Version 4.5. There are no Assembler language, C or other add-ins of any kind. One module provided in QuickBASIC, SUB INTERRUPT, is used to check printer status. DSZ is the copyrighted property of Omen Technology, Incorporated. Puma is the copyrighted property of Matthew Thomas. TERMS GOVERNING THE USE OF QUICK DIAL QUICK DIAL is not so-called "freeware" and it is not in the Public Domain. Although QUICK DIAL is not copy protected, QUICK DIAL -- and all files distributed by the author with QUICK DIAL -- constitute proprietary software which is fully protected by federal copyright laws. Except as described in the two paragraphs immediately following this paragraph, all rights to Quick Dial are reserved by its author. These reserved rights include -- but are not limited to -- the right to reproduce, the right to distribute and the right to prepare derivative works. The author hereby grants any individual or organization the right to freely use QUICK DIAL for up to 30 days on a single computer. After that period of time, the user must remit a registration fee to the author or discontinue using QUICK DIAL. This requirement includes QUICK DIAL users who received their copy of QUICK DIAL from distributors of Public Domain software or "shareware," should the author grant permission to distribute to such enterprises. The author hereby grants any Bulletin Board system operator the right to make the archive QD-V12.ZIP, as originally prepared by the author, freely available to the Board's users as long as it is made available (a) without charge, (b) in its entirety, and (c) without modification. QUICK DIAL may not be distributed on disk(ette) or through any other medium without the express consent of the author. QUICK DIAL may not be included -- in part or in its entirety -- with any other product, hardware or software without the express consent of the author. QUICK DIAL may not be decompiled, disassembled, modified, "patched," or reverse engineered without the express consent of the author. A registered copy of QUICK DIAL may not be used or stored in more than one computer system at the same time. Users may not use QUICK DIAL on a network except with the express written permission of the author. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY The author disclaims all warranties related to QUICK DIAL, expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall the author be liable for any special, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising from using QUICK DIAL or the inability to use QUICK DIAL even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages. No damages shall ever exceed the price paid to the author for QUICK DIAL. Use of this software means that the user agrees to these terms. Thank you for using QUICK DIAL.