The Mother of All Windows Books/CD-MOM.iso/cd_mom/utility/com/tapcis/changes.tap

Text File | 1992-09-10 | 21KB | 536 lines

TAPCIS(tm) Version 5.4
Copyright (c) 1991 Support Group Inc., McHenry MD U.S.A.
CompuServe 74020,10 (GO CIS:TAPCIS)

=================================================================
TAPCIS 5.4 CHANGES FROM 5.3
=================================================================

This document covers the changes from TAPCIS version 5.3 to the
current version 5.4. You will find that the changes are
evolutionary, and users of 5.3 should have little problem
installing and operating 5.4.

PLEASE BACKUP YOUR TAPCIS FILES BEFORE INSTALLING ANY NEW
SOFTWARE REVISION.

If you do hit any problems, FIRST READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT. If
you do get stuck, stop by the TAPCIS Forum and leave a message to
Sysop asking for help.

ORDERING

You can get TAPCIS 5.4 from the TAPCIS Forum Library 1 (TAP.EXE
and TAPDOC.EXE) where it can be downloaded for connect charges.
(If you download 5.4, there is no "upgrade" charge to use this
version if you have registered a prior version). Or drop a Mail
message to 74020,10 or call Support Group at 800-USA-GROUP and
get TAPCIS 5.4 with a revised and expanded manual and the program
on disk for only $20. As an alternative, you can order a one
year update subscription for $39.50 which includes the 5.4
update, all interim releases sent to you on disk, TAPCIS News
delivered directly to your MAIL box, and the next major TAPCIS
for DOS update as well.

THANKS!

We'd like to thank all of you that have supported TAPCIS over the
years. Your registrations and referrals keep the program moving
forward. We have many exciting plans for TAPCIS 6.0 (that is
already in the works), and we invite all of our registered users
to stay tuned to Section 9 of the TAPCIS Forum.

Richard Wilkes 76701,23
President
Support Group, Inc.


-------------------------
LIST OF MAJOR CHANGES

* New Help System

* Operation & Memory
    Memory requirement increased
    Support for 25-63 line screens (by 80 columns)
    Input prompts with editable defaults
    Shell DOS command pause
    Next/Previous-forum keys switched to F8/ShF8

* Limits
    Messages and catalogs raised to 5000 entries (from 2000)
    Single message being read can be 64K (from 350 lines)

* Libraries
    Across library searching
    Short or long descriptions
    New catalog flag
    Download tag

* Messages
    Reader speed increased 400%
    Message display with fixed header
    Message status flags
    Message scrolling keys for line, page, thread, section, and
      session movement
    Forum name added to header for save, forward, print
    Key to delete from CompuServe moved to Alt-D from D

* Editor
    Switch between reply and original message windows
    Import the entire message into the editor with Sh-F9

* Mail
    Mailing lists
    Address specific return receipts (including binary files)

* Parameters
    Colors for prompt and input
    Telephone number editing
    Storage/Download paths can be relative are verified

* Forums
    Section selection by range (1-4,6,8-12)
    Default section list ALL

* Configuration file (TAPCIS.CFG) and Command Line Options
    TAPCIS.CFG file to contain standard options
    New command line options

* Communications
    Speeds up to 38,400
    Serial port FIFO support (16550A UART chips)
    COM1:-COM8: support
    Indicates whether port is found or not
    Configurable IRQ and BASEADDR
    CTS or XON/XOFF flow control
    New FALNET.SCR login script for Pacific CompuServe users

* Other changes
    Append to ONLINE.LOG
    Simple terminal capture to ONLINE.LOG
    Reply to Micro Interrogation
    Change of LOG to OFF
    ASP compliant registration screens




-------------------------
Help

The help system has been dramatically expanded with more
information. If you get stuck or want to review the commands
available at a specific screen, use F3=Help to view the help
text. Note that for 6.0, we will be moving to F1 for Help.

-------------------------
Operation & Memory

You should give TAPCIS 5.4 as much memory as you can. The
increase to 5000 messages (of up to 64K in size each) requires
the use of more memory, as do the additional features. The basic
TAPCIS program requires 353K to load plus additional buffer
memory of 64K or more (recommended free memory before starting
TAPCIS from DOS is 420K). If you start TAPCIS and don't have
enough buffer memory, a notice will appear on the top line. We do
not recommend running TAPCIS with less than 24K of buffer memory
although you may still be able to read and reply to short
messages. In a worst case of reading a 64K message and forwarding
it to someone else, TAPCIS would require approximately 150K of
buffer memory.

Screen sizes of greater than 25 lines are now supported. We
recommend Ultravision and LapTop Ultravision if you really want
to use these modes since it provides a choice of enhanced display
fonts. I particularly like the 36 line mode. Screen heights to 63
lines are supported. Do not use modes wider than 80 columns.

Most TAPCIS inputs can now be edited using the arrow keys. Where
a default is presented, if you press any printable character
before you press one of the cursor motion keys (Home, End,
arrows), the text that was there will be erased. If you want to
enter something new, just start typing at the prompt. If you want
to recover what was there before, type Ctrl-R. You can use the
arrow keys to edit and insert text in the line. Be sure to set
the new color choices on the parameters screen for prompts and
input.

The Shell-DOS-Command/Sh-F1 now has a pause to press any key
before returning to the TAPCIS screen. This allows you to see the
effect of the command entered. The command entered is also
offered as the default command the next time you press Sh-F1.

The keys to move to the next and previous forum have been moved
from the right and left arrow keys to F8 and ShF8. This was done
to intentionally make it less "convenient" to hit them
accidentally. You can switch them back using the /ARROWSW command
line option if you prefer, but I'd recommend getting used to F8
(since 6.0 has other plans for those arrow keys).

-------------------------
Limits

The limit on message and catalog files has been raised to 5000
entries apiece in 512 sessions.

A single message you are reading can be up to 64K in size with no
limit on the number of lines. Note that if you do not have enough
memory to hold the message, the bottom status line will indicate
that the entire message could not fit; you'll have to either
increase free RAM or read the message outside of TAPCIS from the
forum.MSG file.

-------------------------
Libraries

TAPCIS 5.4 supports the new across library searching which allows
you to ask CompuServe to find files in different libraries for
you. In TAPCIS this is accomplished by specifying a range of
libraries to be searched. For example, 1,4-9,11 instead of 1 4 5
6 7 8 9 11 like you would in 5.3. Do not include any spaces in
the list of libraries!

Short descriptions are also supported in 5.4, and you can mix
long and short descriptions in the same forum.CAT file. Short
descriptions can save you online time, but do not provide nearly
the same amount of information.

Your old CAT files are still compatible with 5.4. However, be
sure if you use any external utilities to scan or manage your
catalogs that you get them updated for the new format.

After using the L>ib command to create a catalog, you'll notice a
new status mark next to the forum number on the main menu. It is
the upward pointing triangle, which lets you know there is a new
catalog you have not looked at yet.

When scanning a catalog, you'll notice that the D>ownload command
now shows an indicator at the top of the screen. This indicator
disappears when you exit the catalog. You can see a list of
libraries using the ? command, J>ump to specific entries, as well
as the usual catalog commands from 5.3.

-------------------------
Messages

The reading of messages from disk has been speeded up by 400%
over prior versions.

The message reading screen is quite different from 5.3. The
header is fixed in the upper window and the message will scroll
below it. Using space or pgdn to scroll through messages is the
common way of reading. You can now scroll by line using up/down
arrows (or F5/F6). The +/- keys skip by full message. The = key
is the same as + so you don't have to shift it.

New keys for thread, section, and session movement have also been
added. They are fully documented on the help screens.

You'll notice a small box of "status flags" in the upper right of
the screen. These indicators are not currently saved when you
leave that forum's messages. For example, Read/Unread is only for
that "session" of reading messages. If you leave the forum and
return, the message will show as unread. It is there primarily in
case you J>ump or search to a different message by accident. Here
is a complete list:

   More -  Indicates that the message cannot fit on one screen
           and more of the text is up/down/both.
   Read -  You have looked at this message at least once
  Saved -  Message was saved in the forum.SAV file
  Filed -  Message was saved in a file you specified
NewFile -  Saving the message created a new file
Replied -  You have used one of the reply commands on this
           message (although you may have cancelled the reply)
  Fwded -  Message was forwarded
Printed -  You printed the message
 DelCIS -  Message is tagged for deletion from CompuServe. If you
           need to reverse this, you'll need to E>dit the
           forum.SND file from the main menu.
    New -  Message is from the last session
    Old -  Message is from a prior session
 ERROR! -  An error occurred while printing or saving.


When you save, forward, or print a message, the name of the
originating forum is added to the top line of the header in []'s.

The key to delete from CompuServe has been moved from D to Alt-D
to make it less likely to be hit by accident.

-------------------------
Editor

You can now switch between windows with the F8 key and block and
copy text from the reply window. Such quoting should be used
sparingly since normal message threading is usually sufficient to
maintain the context and quoting prior messages adds to
everyone's cost.

You can import the message you are replying to directly into your
reply using Sh-F9. Be sure to edit out the # in the header to
keep the recipient's copy of TAPCIS from treating it as a new
message. Sh-F9 is importing the file TAP.MSG which is created by
the message reader before entering the editor and deleted after
exiting the editor.

The official "import a text file" key is now F9 although Sh-F10
remains for this version.

-------------------------
Mail

Mailing list support has been added to 5.4 that allows you to
send mail to a fixed distribution list. There is no fixed limit
on the number of addresses, although users are reminded that
unsolicited junk MAIL is not tolerated by CompuServe.

All address types except >POSTAL are supported, so you can use a
mailing list to send to a combination of addresses on CIS,
Internet, FAX, MCIMAIL, MHS, TELEX, X.400, etc. TAPCIS uploads
the message once and then splits the mailing up into groups to
stay within CompuServe limits. The user is responsible for making
sure that all addresses on the list can receive the intended type
of mail. For example, you must not send a binary file to a fax
machine (CIS will reject it).

Addresses are stored in a maillist.ML file in the TAPCIS
directory. Each address must be on its own line. Comments after
each address must be separated by " |" (like in the USERID.CIS
file) if included. Mailing list files can be chained but not
nested (meaning, as soon as a mailing list address is found in a
.ML file, no more addresses from that file will be used; TAPCIS
will move to the other .ML file).

A mailing list is specified at the To: prompt in TAPCIS by
prefixing the name with an equals sign:

To: =MYLIST

This will use the list of addresses in MYLIST.ML for this
message. You can use multiple mailing lists for the same message,
or use the list in combination with other addresses entered
manually or from the USERID.CIS address book.

Return receipts can be requested either for all addressee's (in
the usual way by sending the message and choosing 2-Return
Receipt rather than 1-CompuServe Mail). In the list below, the
second recipient's copy should be sent return receipt:

MYLIST.ML Contents:
Richard Wilkes 76701,23
Support Group Inc 74020,10/R
Sandy Wilkes 76701,22

You can use the /R after a name entered directly at the To:
prompt as well:

To: Support Group Inc 74020,10/R

Use this method if you need to send a binary mail file by return
receipt.

-------------------------
Parameters

Two new color selections have been added for prompts and user
input. We recommend using a "reverse video" or different color
for the Input color so you can see the length of the input field.
On color monitors, using the same background color for prompt and
input with different foreground colors seems to work best.

The T>elephone command edits only the current phone number and
rate. If you want to edit a different number, choose 1-6 before
pressing T> to move the asterisk to the appropriate number.

The storage and download paths can be specified as a "relative"
path to the default TAPCIS directory. For example, entering "DL\"
as the download path with a default directory of C:\TAP will
place all downloads in C:\TAP\DL. The directory must exist;
otherwise, TAPCIS will reject the entry. Also, these paths are
checked when TAPCIS first executes. If either does not exist,
they are set to the default directory and TAPCIS beeps.

-------------------------
Forums

The active sections in a forum can now be selected by range, as
in 1-4,6,8-12 rather than listing them out individually. The
default section list has been changed from blank (which uses the
set on CompuServe) to ALL (which will always select all sections
available to the user).

The number of forums in an individual PARAMS file remains at 20
maximum, a number which will be raised to several hundred in
TAPCIS 6.0.

-------------------------
Configuration File (TAPCIS.CFG)
Command Line Options

All command line options have been changed in 5.4. While the old
options still work (except for F and Z), we recommend switching
to the new options. The Z option is no longer needed for Ziffnet,
and the F option for bios screen display no longer works.

In the past if you wanted to always use a particular option, you
had to put it on the command line every time you started TAPCIS.
With 5.4 the command line options can be placed in a TAPCIS.CFG
file where they are loaded and activated each time TAPCIS starts.
A TAPCIS.CFG file is provided, and we recommend that all users
check this file to see if they want to activate any options. You
can also see a list of options by starting TAPCIS with "TAPCIS ?"

All command line options are valid from the TAPCIS.CFG file as
well as the command line. Command line settings override the .CFG
file. So, if you have /LOG=APPEND in the .CFG file but start the
program using:

TAPCIS /LOG=N

then no ONLINE.LOG file will be created. Options new to 5.4 that
do not have a 5.3 equivalent are:

/PORTSPEED=|9600|19200|38400
    Fix computer to modem speed at high speed regardless bps
rate.

/NOHDRLINES=N|Y
    No Header Lines in message reader. Some people prefer not to
see them.

/SAVEMAIL=N
    Save Mail instead of deleting from MAIL box. Will be
downloaded each time you get new mail until you turn off this
switch.

/MSGBLANKS=1
     MsgBlanks for blank lines at the top of the message below
the header line

/MSGOVERLAP=0
     Msgoverlap for lines of overlap between pages of the message

/SCANWAIT=N|Y
     Scan Waiting messages in Q Forums instead of Reading them.

/IRQ=  /BASEADDR=
    Custom UART IRQ/Base address. Enter the IRQ in decimal and
the Base address in hex. See the TAPCIS.CFG file for more details
before using.

/XONXOFF=N|Y
    Use software (XON/XOFF) flow control (&K4)

/ARROWPG=N|Y
    Up/Dn move by line by default in the reader. Can be switched
to paged. If paged, use F5/F6 for line scrolling.

/ARROWSW=N|Y
    Left/Right in 5.3 switched forums. Moved to F8/Sh-F8 for
safety. Can be moved back but not recommended since keys will be
used for other purposes in 6.0.

/MICROINT=Y|N
    Use Micro Interrogation (ESC I from CompuServe).

-------------------------
Communications

The communications routines in TAPCIS 5.4 have been totally
replaced. The new routines work at speeds up to 38,400bps
(although there is no advantage currently to running at speeds
higher than the CompuServe number you are dialing). They also are
compatible with the C&T "compatible" serial ports (5.3 was not).

These routines will also automatically activate and use a serial
port FIFO buffer if your serial port contains one. The chips
needed for this are 16550A UARTs, and boards like the Hayes ESP
and most PS/2s contain them. The advantage of a FIFo based card
is that you eliminate the problem of dropped characters, even at
very high speeds. We've seen a growing problem with device
drivers like SMARTDRV causing the computer to drop characters.
There is nothing a program like TAPCIS can do to avoid that since
the operating system and these device drivers are keeping the
program from servicing the serial port fast enough not to lose
characters. Most serial ports can hold only a single character.
These FIFO based serial ports can hold up to 16.

Note that Windows 3.0 keeps TAPCIS from activating the FIFO even
if present. If the FIFO is present and can be activated, a
message will appear on the screen as TAPCIS dials.

Messages on the screen that look like:

[TAPCIS: Open COM2:]
[TAPCIS: Serial FIFO Buffer ON]

are status messages to you. In this case, TAPCIS has opened COM2
and activated the FIFO. TAPCIS turns off the FIFO after logoff to
keep it from conflicting with other programs that may not be able
to use the FIFO.

TAPCIS 5.4 supports COM1 through COM8. COM5-8 are found on PS/2s
only. When you select a COM port on the P>arameters screen,
TAPCIS will indicate "Not Found" if it cannot locate a port
there. If you see that, it is likely that something is wrong with
your configuration.

Note: in 5.4 you specify the exact port you are using. Under 5.3
if you were using COM2 but there was no COM1, you would specify
COM1 on the P>arameters screen. That is not the case with 5.4.

If your serial port or modem is configured to a non-standard IRQ
or base address, you can change the defaults for a port using the
/IRQ= and /BASEADDR= command line options (see above, and read
the section in the TAPCIS.CFG file on these options).

The normal flow control method is to use the CTS/RTS lines
between the serial port and the modem to keep the computer from
overflowing the modem's internal buffer. This is the preferred
method. However, some computers do not support CTS flow control
(such as the HP 95LX) or you might use the modem regularly with
software that requires XON/XOFF flow control instead and do not
wish to reconfigure the modem to use CTS each time. The /XONXOFF
command line option switches from CTS to XONXOFF flow control.
You will likely need to switch you modem as well. Most Hayes
compatible modems use &K4 or &K6 for XON/XOFF flow control.

If you use CTS flow control and TAPCIS does not detect CTS from
the modem, it will give you an error message on the screen.

The FALNET.SCR login script has been added for login though
the Fujitsu network that operates in Australia and New Zealand.
TAPCIS 5.4 is also compatible with Pacific Mail, their variation
of CompuServe Mail (which does nothing extra but does change some
prompts).


-------------------------
Other Changes

The /LOG=APPEND option appends all online sessions to the
ONLINE.LOG file. The ONLINE.LOG file is cleared only before the
first online session during that execution of TAPCIS.

The simple terminal mode also saves to ONLINE.LOG. You could use
this in combination with /LOG=ALL to dial out to another service
(manually) and keep a session log. You'll need to rename
ONLINE.LOG before you go online again with TAPCIS, however. This
is meant only as a fallback (one that has come in handy a couple
of times for me!).

When TAPCIS receives a micro interrogation from CompuServe (ESC
I), it replies with the proper settings for TAPCIS 5.4. This
speeds entry into areas like the aviation weather maps (GO AWM).

The LOG command to exit CompuServe has been changed back to OFF
as the default. This is slightly faster, although you do not see
the logoff messages from CompuServe. If you want to revert back
to LOG, use the /FASTOFF=N option.

The registration screens have been rewritten to comply with new
requirements of the Association of Shareware Professionals.