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1988-11-27
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DualTerm Instruction Manual
by Tony L Belding
INTRODUCTION:
When I bought my 520ST several years ago, I received a
terminal program with it called ST-TALK. It did the job, but I
was disappointed to find that it would not display the ATASCII
graphics used on Atari 400/800 and XL/XE computers. Since then I
have upgraded to newer and more advanced terminals, but none
offered ATASCII graphics. Finally I got my hands on GFA Basic 3,
a programming language so powerful that I could undertake to write
my very own ATASCII graphics terminal.
The bulk of the code for DualTerm was written in my spare
time over the course of a single weekend. Credit for the speed of
development must go to GFA BASIC, not to me. Since then I have
refined DualTerm and added the features needed to make a truly
practical terminal program. DualTerm will now do everything a
terminal needs to do, such as text capture or upload, Xmodem
upload/download, automatic dialing, and display of both VT52 and
ATASCII graphics. At this point I don't plan to add anything
else, but you, the user, may feel free to add anything you wish.
DualTerm is entirely public domain.
SETUP:
The file "DIAL.DIR" is needed for the auto-dialer and should
be kept in the same directory as the program. "TRANSFER.ACC" and
"TRANSFER.RSC" should be kept in the root directory of your bootup
disk. These files are needed for Xmodem transfer. Ideally, the
GFA Basic run-only interpreter should be installed as an
application in the root directory of the DualTerm disk. This will
allow the program to be run simply by double-clicking on
'DUALTERM.BAS'. If DualTerm is not run in this way, it may have
trouble locating the dial directory. (I am hoping for the GFA
Basic 3 compiler real soon!)
Before using DualTerm for the first time, you should change
the default settings to the values you prefer. To do this, enter
DualTerm and press HELP to get the main menu. Then select 'Edit
Directory' from the 'Dialer' menu. A screen will appear with a
listing of services that can be edited. At the bottom of the
screen is an entry '>>>> EDIT DEFAULT SETTINGS <<<<'. You should
select this with the mouse.
The first setting is the default drive path. This should be
the path name of the disk drive or directory that you plan to use
mainly for uploading or downloading. DualTerm uses the GEM file
selector for these functions, so the default path is just a matter
of convenience. (By the way: I highly recommend FSELV60.PRG, the
public domain replacement for the GEM file selector.)
The second setting is the default dial command. For Hayes-
compatible modems, this will be ATDP or ATDT. If your phone uses
pulse dialing, enter ATDP here. For tone dialing use ATDT.
After entering the dial command, you should find yourself
back at the editor menu. Just select '>>>> EXIT EDITOR <<<<' to
exit and save your new settings.
OPERATION:
While using DualTerm, you can press the HELP key to access
the main menu bar. This also shows a summary of the keyboard
commands. Here, in more detail, are the commands and how they
work.
HELP (left mouse key) = call up the menu and command list
The first 'Atari' drop-down menu allows you to select desk
accessories. A transfer accessory is used to upload or download
files. The control panel can also be accessed, but will NOT
change the terminal screen colors.
Calling the menu screen also shows a list of keyboard commands
that can be used from the terminal itself.
UNDO = exit DualTerm
You will asked to confirm that you wish to leave the program. If
a capture file is open, it will be saved and closed before
returning to the desktop.
CLR/HOME = clear screen
Clears the screen and resets the cursor to the upper left corner.
F1 = toggle ATASCII inverse text mode
When inverse mode is on, you can enter inverse text into the
ATASCII terminal. Press F1 a second time to resume normal
operation. This key has no effect on the VT52 terminal.
F9 & F10 = type text macro number 1 or 2
The dial directory editor allows you to store two text macros with
each dial directory entry. These macros can be fed into the
terminal at any time by pressing F9 or F10. These macros are most
commonly used to store log-on information such as names and
passwords. They will work with both VT52 and ATASCII.
ALT-RETURN = force ascii carriage return & linefeed
Most Hayes-compatible modems will not accept AT commands from the
ATASCII terminal because of the different value for a carriage
return. If you want to use an AT command from the ATASCII
terminal, follow the command line with ALT-RETURN to force the
modem to accept it. This is unnecessary with the VT52 terminal.
ALT-C = toggle capture on or off
After opening a capture file, this command directs data into the
capture buffer. By turning the capture on or off during an online
session, you can choose which data will be saved into the buffer.
When the buffer is full, the data is automatically saved to the
file previously opened with ALT-O, and the buffer is made ready to
receive more data.
Auto-Dial = call up dial directory
The dial directory of up to 40 services will be displayed on the
screen. Use the mouse to select the service you want to call, or
select '>>>> CANCEL AUTO-DIAL <<<<' to return to the main menu.
Edit Directory = edit the dial directory
The dial directory editor menu will appear. Use the mouse to
select the service you want to edit. You may also choose to view
or change the default settings. When you are finished editing,
select '>>>> EXIT EDITOR <<<<' to save the new directory and
return to the main menu.
Capture File: OPEN/CLOSED = open or close a capture file
Before capturing text a file must be opened with this command. A
file selector will appear, allowing you to enter the desired path
and filename. This command does NOT begin capturing text: it just
get the file ready to receive data. If a file is already open,
this command will save the capture buffer to disk and close the
file.
Duplex: FULL/HALF = toggle duplex
This command manually switches between full and half duplex.
Duplex is also set automatically by the dial directory when auto-
dialing.
Terminal: ATASCII/VT52 = change translation mode
This command switches between the 80-column VT52 terminal and the
40-column ATASCII terminal. You can also switch instantly between
the two mode by pressing ALT-T from the terminal.
Upload Text
A file selector appears, allowing you to select the file to
upload. The file can be either ASCII or ATASCII: DualTerm doesn't
care which. The upload can be aborted at any time by pressing
CTRL-C. At 300 or 1200 baud the display may continue for a time
after aborting because of the ST's built-in buffers.
ABOUT THE TRANSFER ACCESSORY:
I did not write it. Although DualTerm is public domain,
TRANSFER.ACC is shareware, and contains a note to that effect. It
is by no means the only transfer accessory that DualTerm could
use, but it is the best I have seen so far. Feel free to test any
others you may find.
FINAL NOTE:
This documentation should be more extensive, but there isn't
really a lot to say about DualTerm: it is deliberately simple.
Also, I must admit that I'm a better programmer than documentation
writer. If you have any problems with the program, just contact
me through the Golden Gate BBS: it is listed in the dial
directory.
- Tony Belding