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1986-09-22
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P R O C O M M
Version 2.4
R E F E R E N C E M A N U A L
Datastorm Technologies, Inc.
P.O. Box 1471
Columbia, MO 65205
BBS: (314) 449-9401
Copyright (c) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Datastorm Technologies, Inc. was previously known as PIL Software
Systems.
This manual was completely updated to reflect the current state of the
program as of release 2.4.
Specifications subject to change without notice.
ProComm (TM) software copyright (C) 1985, 1986 Datastorm Technologies,
Inc. All rights reserved.
This document copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. All rights
reserved.
ProComm is a trademark of Datastorm Technologies, Inc.
Most of the hardware names in this manual are trademarks or trade names
of specific manufacturers.
Printed in the United States of America
ProComm 2.4 License
LICENSE
All versions of ProComm, including version 2.4, are not public domain
software, nor are they free software.
ProComm is copyright (C) 1985, 1986 by Datastorm Technologies, Inc..
Non-registered users are granted a limited license to use ProComm on a
trial basis for the purpose of determining whether ProComm is suitable
for their needs. Use of ProComm, except for this limited purpose,
requires registration. Use of non-registered copies of ProComm by any
person, business, corporation, governmental agency or other entity
institution is strictly forbidden.
Registration permits a user the license to use ProComm only on a single
computer; a registered user may use the program on a different computer,
but may not use the program on more than one computer at the same time.
No user may modify ProComm in any way, including but not limited to
decompiling, disassembling or otherwise reverse engineering the program.
All users are granted a limited license to copy ProComm only for the
trial use of others subject to the above limitations, and also the
following:
ProComm must be copied in unmodified form, complete with the file
containing this license information.
The full ProComm documentation must be included with the copy.
No fee, charge or other compensation may be accepted or requested
by any licensee.
ProComm may not be distributed in conjunction with any other
product.
Operators of electronic bulletin board systems (Sysops) may post ProComm
for downloading by their users only as long as the above conditions are
met.
Distributors of public domain or user supported software may distribute
copies of ProComm subject to the above conditions only after obtaining
written permission from Datastorm Technologies, Inc.. Such permission
usually is granted; please write for details.
See the Ordering section for more information on registration, corporate
licensing and similar topics.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. iii
ProComm 2.4 Warranty
WARRANTY
Datastorm Technologies, Inc. makes no warranty of any kind, express or
implied, including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability
and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Datastorm Technologies, Inc.
shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or
consequential arising from a failure of this program to operate in the
manner desired by the user. Datastorm Technologies, Inc. shall not be
liable for any damage to data or property which may be caused directly or
indirectly by use of the program.
IN NO EVENT WILL Datastorm Technologies, Inc. BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY
DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. iv
ProComm 2.4 Ordering Info
ORDERING INFORMATION
A ProComm registration licenses you to use the product on a regular
basis. Registration includes mailed notification of updates and priority
support on our support BBS. Registered users will also be granted access
to a registered user only BBS to become available sometime in late 1986.
Users need register only one version of ProComm; registration includes
licensed use of all upgrades.
Individual registrations for ProComm come in three forms. The first,
registration only, costs $25 and assumes you have already received a copy
of the program from whatever source. We do not provide diskettes or
manuals. The registration fee covers the use of the program. For $35
dollars we offer a combination registration/diskette package. The
diskette includes the latest version of the program, its documentation
and some supporting programs and files. We also offer The Works!, which
adds a printed, bound manual to the registration and diskette. Copies of
The Works! are available for $50.
In addition, evaluation disks are available at any time for $10. These
disks do not include registration. The fee covers diskette, postage and
handling. You can also send us a formatted disk, along with a postage-
paid, self-addressed return mailer to receive a copy.
Please use the enclosed order form when placing an order.
ORDERS OUTSIDE THE US: Please use your Mastercard or VISA when ordering,
or send checks drawn on US banks in US dollars. We can accept non-US
currency; however, you must include an additional $5 to cover conversion
and collection costs. Please include an additional $5 to cover postage
on orders of The Works! delivered outside of the US.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. v
ProComm 2.4 Ordering Info
Remit to: Datastorm Technologies, Inc. Order Form
P.O. Box 1471
Columbia, MO 65205
Please send:
____ ProComm Disk (current version) ............ @ $ 10.00 ea $ ______
(includes program and manual on disk, no registration)
____ ProComm Registration ...................... @ $ 25.00 ea $ ______
(does not include disk)
____ ProComm Registration/Disk Combo ........... @ $ 35.00 ea $ ______
(includes registration plus program and manual on disk)
____ The Works! ................................ @ $ 50.00 ea $ ______
(includes registration, program and manual on disk,
plus printed, bound manual)
Subtotal ______
Less Discount <______>
(Missouri residents please add 6.225% sales tax) Tax ______
Total $ ______
Payment by: ( ) Check ( ) MC ( ) Visa ( ) PO # ______________
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Company: ____________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
: ____________________________________________________________
: ____________________________________________________________
Day Phone: _________________________ Eve: ___________________________
Card #: _________________________________ Exp. Date: _______________
Signature of cardholder: ____________________________________________
ORDERS OUTSIDE THE US: Use MC/VISA or send check drawn on US bank in US
dollars. Otherwise add $5 for collection. Please add $5 for non-US
shipping of The Works!
Sorry, no C.O.D. orders will be accepted.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. vi
ProComm 2.4 Ordering Info
Corporate and Quantity Purchases
All corporate, business, government or other commercial users of ProComm
must be registered. We offer quantity discounts starting at the eleventh
copy. Corporate or site licensing is also available.
For single unit orders, use the enclosed order form. We accept purchase
orders in amounts over $100 only. All other orders should be prepaid.
Orders in quantities of less than 75 units are handled as bulk purchases.
We can provide either the registration/disk combo or The Works!.
Purchases of over 75 units may be handled as quantity purchases or as
corporate licensing agreements. Licensing agreements allow duplication
and distribution of specific numbers of copies within the licensed
institution. Duplication of multiple copies is not allowed except
through execution of a licensing agreement. Please write or call for
details.
The quantity purchase discounts are as follows:
0- 10 copies: no discount
11- 25 copies: 15% discount
26- 50 copies: 20% discount
51-100 copies: 25% discount
101-200 copies: 30% discount
201-300 copies: 35% discount
301+ copies: 40% discount
ALL PRICES AND DISCOUNTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. Discounts
are not cumulative; they apply to single orders of like products only.
Unit prices are the same as for individual users.
WARNING: YOU MAY NOT USE PROCOMM WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION WITHOUT A PRIOR
PURCHASE OR LICENSE ARRANGEMENT.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. vii
ProComm 2.4 Preface
PREFACE TO VERSION 2.4
Quite a number of things have changed for this release, most notably the
command language. See the accompanying file PRCM24.NEW for a complete
list. Enough has changed that it might be wise to delete your existing
.PRM files and create a new one. This may not be necessary in all cases;
however, if strange things start to occur try that before calling in with
any complaints.
Speaking of calling in: our apologies to everyone who has tried to call
the BBS and couldn't get through. We are receiving a tremendous volume
of calls and the phone is always busy. Please do not call the operator
to complain; there are no technical problems at present, just lots of
callers. Late this year we will be adding a second line for registered
users only who will receive priority support.
And about support: while we try to answer all the mail, electronic and
otherwise, that we get, it sometimes takes us a while to get around to
it. Especially stuff from non-registered users. Please be patient, and
remember that we do not guarantee to provide support of any kind to non-
registered users.
About this manual: as the name implies, this is a reference manual
describing the operation of ProComm. It is not intended as a tutorial on
communications in general. For more general and introductory information
on communications see:
Glossbrenner, Alfred. The Complete Handbook of Personal Computer
Communications, 2nd edition. New York: St. Martins Press, 1985.
Jordan, Larry E. Communications and Networking for the IBM PC, 1st
edition. Bowie, Maryland: Robert J. Brady Company.
WARNING: Version 2.4, like some previous versions, uses an overlay
structure. This means that not all of the program is loaded into memory
at once. As different sections of the program are required, they are
read off the disk and into memory. All of the overlays are kept in the
executable file PROCOMM.EXE.
The practical implication of the overlay scheme is that PROCOMM.EXE must
always be available to read overlays from. On a floppy system, this
means that you cannot remove the disk on which PROCOMM.EXE resides from
the drive on which it was executed. If you do, the overlay linker
assumes that the PROCOMM.EXE file is open and residing on the disk, and
writes an updated file directory onto the disk, thereby overwriting any
and everything on the diskette.
Obviously this is not a problem for hard disks. The solution for floppy
systems is simply not to remove the PROCOMM.EXE disk from the drive. You
can easily change the logged drive (via the Alt-B or CHDIR commands) to
access files on other drives.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. viii
ProComm 2.4 Contents
C O N T E N T S
LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
ORDERING INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Corporate and Quantity Purchases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
PREFACE TO VERSION 2.4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
1. I N T R O D U C T I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
ProComm Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
The ProComm Environment Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
2. G E T T I N G S T A R T E D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Terminal Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Terminal Emulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Line Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
String Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Help Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Exiting ProComm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
3. T H E S E T U P S C R E E N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Modem SetUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Terminal SetUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Kermit SetUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
General SetUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Host Mode SetUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
ASCII Transfer SetUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
4. M A J O R F U N C T I O N S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Dialing Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Automatic Redial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Keyboard Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Line Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Translate Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Host Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Chat Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
DOS Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Command Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Redisplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Program Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
SetUp Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Kermit Server Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Change Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Clear Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. ix
ProComm 2.4 Contents
Toggle Duplex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Hang Up Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Elapsed Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Print On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Set Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Auto Answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Toggle CR - CR/LF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Send Files (Upload) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Receive Files (Download) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
View a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Screen Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Log Toggle / Log Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
5. D I A L I N G D I R E C T O R Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Searching for an Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Revising the Dialing Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Adding or Revising an Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Revising the Modem Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Adding or Revising Long Distance Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Deleting Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Making a Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Manual Dialing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Printing the Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Automatic Redial with Circular Dialing Queue . . . . . . . . 504
6. F I L E T R A N S F E R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
Uploading Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
Downloading Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
File Transfer Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 602
ASCII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 602
XMODEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
MODEM7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
YMODEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Telink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Kermit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
CompuServe B File Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604
WXMODEM File Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604
7. C O M M A N D F I L E S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
Command File Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702
Top Level Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704
Set Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Set ASCII Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722
Set Kermit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723
ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723
8. H O S T M O D E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801
Host Mode Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801
Modem Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801
Operating System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801
ProComm Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 802
APPENDIX A - TERMINAL EMULATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901
Digital Equipment Corporation VT-100 and VT-102 . . . . . . . 902
Mapping of VT-100 Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 903
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. x
ProComm 2.4 Contents
Keypad Application Mode for VAX/VMS EDT Editor . . . . . 903
IBM 3101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904
Televideo 900 Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
Digital Equipment Corporation VT-52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 906
Lear Sieglar ADM 3/5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 907
Heath/Zenith 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 908
ADDS Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 909
WYSE 100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 910
ANSI-BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911
APPENDIX B - COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
APPENDIX C - ANSWERS TO COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . 1101
APPENDIX D - PROCOMM TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 1201
APPENDIX E - USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1301
APPENDIX F - PRODUCT SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1401
I N D E X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1501
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. xi
ProComm 2.4 Introduction
1. I N T R O D U C T I O N
ProComm is a general purpose program designed to provide easy and
convenient access to a broad variety of telecommunications tasks. Most
of the program is written in the "C" programming language, with some
assembly language routines for optimum performance. Included in its
abilities are the sorts of features one would expect to find in highly
sophisticated telecommunications software:
* the ability to emulate a number of popular terminals;
* a dialing directory containing one hundred entries;
* automatic redial facilities for connecting with hard to reach
numbers;
* several popular file transfer protocols including XMODEM,
Kermit, Telink and more;
* command files to control automatic logon and unattended
operation;
* a DOS gateway which allows you to execute DOS commands or other
programs while you are still on line;
* a host of additional features, including keyboard macros, disk
and printer logging and many others covered in detail on the
following pages.
Hardware Requirements
ProComm requires a minimum of 130K of available RAM to execute
properly--that is, 130K in addition to the operating system and any
resident programs, including such memory resident programs as SideKick,
SuperKey, etc. If you are operating with less than 192K total RAM,
ProComm might not be able to load. It runs under MS-DOS on the IBM PC,
XT, AT or any close compatible, and may be used with color, composite or
monochrome displays.
Because ProComm may have a relatively large number of files open at
once, you must assure that the FILES parameter in your CONFIG.SYS file is
large enough to accommodate them. We suggest using FILES=20 (or larger).
Your DOS manual can give you more information on the CONFIG.SYS file, or
see the Host Mode section of this manual.
In addition, of course, you must have a working modem. The default
settings in ProComm are all established for Hayes compatible modems. If
your modem is not fully Hayes compatible, consult your modem owner's
guide for details on switch settings, commands, and so forth. In order
for ProComm to work correctly, particularly in Host Mode, your modem's
Carrier Detect (CD) must be set to follow the true state of the carrier,
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 101
ProComm 2.4 Introduction
not forced true (or "high") by dip-switch settings. Similarly, the CD
should not be set to follow DTR ("Data Terminal Ready") but rather to
follow the "true state" or "RS-232 Convention" (or however your owner's
manual state it). And finally, DTR should not be forced high by dip-
switch settings; it, too, should follow real state.
ProComm Files
When it is first loaded, ProComm creates several files which it will use
on subsequent operation:
PROCOMM.PRM, the default parameter file;
PROCOMM.DIR, a dialing directory file;
PROCOMM.KEY, a keyboard macro file;
PROCOMM.XLT, the translate table file;
PROCOMM.HST, the Host Mode audit trail;
In addition, if you plan to use the Host Mode, you might want to create a
file called PROCOMM.MSG, which holds the Host Mode welcome message.
The ProComm Environment Variable
ProComm can use the environment variable PROCOMM= to tell it where to
look for its files. ProComm first searches the current directory for
necessary files. If the files are not there, then ProComm will search
through the directory pointed to by PROCOMM= (if it exists). If the
files are found in neither place, and must be created, they will be
created in the directory pointed to by PROCOMM=. If the environment
variable is not set, files will be created by default in the current
directory.
You can set the environment variable by issuing the DOS command
SET PROCOMM=pathname <CR>
where "pathname" is a fully qualified path name ending with a backslash.
You may issue this command either from the command line or from a batch
file. For example, if you have the command
SET PROCOMM=C:\COMM\ProComm\
in your AUTOEXEC file, ProComm will know to look for its files in the
C:\COMM\ProComm subdirectory, and you can use the program from anywhere
on your system and still have just one set of ProComm files. Be sure to
remember to end the pathname with a backslash (\), or ProComm will get
confused and have problems reading the necessary files.
You can clear the environment variable null with the command
SET PROCOMM= <CR>
Consult your DOS manual for more information on environment variables.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 102
ProComm 2.4 Getting Started
2. G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
You begin a ProComm session by issuing the command
ProComm [/S] [/B] [/Ffilename] [/M] [/D]
where /S indicates sound effects, /B indicates black and white operation,
/Ffilename indicates a command file, /M indicates screen display mode,
and /D indicates the presence of dual monitors. (Commands that are
displayed in square brackets, e.g. [/S], are optional).
Command line switches are optional, and may appear in any order. They
must, however, be separated by at least one blank space.
Including a "/S" on the command line suppresses ProComm produced
sound effects. It does not, however, affect beeps (^G) coming from
the remote computer or the alarm function, nor does it control the
modem speaker. You can change the default sound settings after you
have loaded ProComm by using the General SetUp option of the SetUp
screen (Alt-S).
The "/B" option may be used to run the program in black and white.
This feature is useful if you have a composite monitor attached to
a color graphics display card. Specifying "/B" will tell ProComm
to use only black, white and high intensity white for all displays.
If the "/B" command line switch is omitted, ProComm will adjust
itself for either color or monochrome operation. To make black and
white colors the default, begin a ProComm session using the "/B"
option, then save the current colors using the Alt-Z (set colors)
facility.
Specify "/F" with a filename to execute a command file immediately
after loading ProComm. For example, to execute the command file
"EXAMPLE.CMD" as the first thing ProComm does after loading, enter
ProComm /Fexample.cmd <CR>
Command files are described in detail in Section 7.
The "/M" option tells ProComm to perform screen displays using BIOS
calls rather than writing directly to the screen buffer. This
option is useful for running ProComm under multi-tasking operating
systems. The screen write method is also selectable through the
SETUP (Alt-S) facility.
The "/D" option is used when you have both a color and a monochrome
display connected to your computer. This option may cause erratic
behavior if used in conjunction with an EGA card/monochrome monitor
combination.
When the program begins it displays the ProComm logo and copyright
notice. The first few times you use ProComm the program information
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 201
ProComm 2.4 Getting Started
screen will also appear. Once you have read the information screen,
press any key to continue. You can also display the program information
screen by pressing Alt-I from Terminal Mode.
WARNING: Version 2.4, like some previous versions, uses an overlay
structure. This means that not all of the program is loaded into memory
at once. As different sections of the program are required, they are
read off the disk and into memory. All of the overlays are kept in the
executable file PROCOMM.EXE.
The practical implication of the overlay scheme is that PROCOMM.EXE must
always be available to read overlays from. On a floppy system, this
means that you cannot remove the disk on which PROCOMM.EXE resides from
the drive on which it was executed. If you do, the overlay linker
assumes that the PROCOMM.EXE file is open and residing on the disk, and
writes an updated file directory onto the disk, thereby overwriting any
and everything on the diskette.
Obviously this is not a problem for hard disks. The solution for floppy
systems is simply not to remove the PROCOMM.EXE disk from the drive. You
can easily change the logged drive (via the Alt-B or CHDIR commands) to
access files on other drives.
Terminal Mode
After the opening display and the program initialization, you are left in
Terminal Mode. Most of your communicating will take place here. The
bottom line of the screen is reserved as a status line, but the rest of
the screen is open for use. When you first enter Terminal Mode, the
screen will be blank except for the status line at the bottom of the
screen:
+------------+--------+-----+-------+----------+-------+--+--+
|ALT F10 HELP|ANSI-BBS| HDX |300 N81|LOG CLOSED|PRT OFF|CR|CR|
+------------+--------+-----+-------+----------+-------+--+--+
This line indicates the current status of several of ProComm's features:
ALT F10 HELP indicates that you can press Alt-F10 to activate the
ProComm Help Screen. This section of the status line also
indicates what is currently occurring. For example, if you
activate the screen dump, then the words "SCREEN DUMP" will replace
"ALT F10 HELP".
The next segment of the status line ("ANSI-BBS") indicates the
currently activated terminal emulation.
The third status indicator is for duplex: "HDX" indicates half-
duplex; "FDX" indicates full-duplex.
In the fourth block the status indicator reflects the modem line
settings, in this case 300 baud, no parity, 8 data bits, and 1 stop
bit.
The LOG status indicates whether you have activated the feature
which allows "logging" incoming data directly to disk. If that
feature is active, then the indicator will say "LOG OPEN".
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 202
ProComm 2.4 Getting Started
ProComm allows the option of sending incoming data directly to your
printer; if you select this option, then the printer status
indicator will say "PRT ON"; otherwise it remains at "PRT OFF".
If you activate the feature which adds a line feed to all incoming
carriage returns, the next indicator will show "CR-LF"; otherwise
it remains at just "CR".
Similarly, the final item indicates the status of the CR/CR-LF
output feature.
Most ProComm features are called from Terminal Mode and are executed in a
window which leaves your original screen intact. Press Alt-F10 to
display a help screen which lists all available commands. You may select
commands either from the help screen or directly from Terminal Mode. You
can return to Terminal Mode from most windows by pressing <ESC>.
Terminal Emulations
Most keyboard and screen functions will operate locally as you expect
them to. What they do on the remote computer depends on which terminal
emulation you are using. ProComm supports ten popular terminal
configurations:
- IBM 3101 - DEC VT-100 - DEC VT-52
- Televideo 910/920 - Televideo 925/950 - Wyse 100
- Lear Siegler ADM-3/5 - Heath/Zenith 19 - ANSI-BBS
- ADDS Viewpoint
Appendix A contains a complete list of the functions supported for each
terminal.
To change the emulation currently in use, select the Terminal SetUp
option from the main SetUp screen (Alt-S), or use the Emulate command in
a command file.
Line Settings
ProComm supports a variety of communications configurations. You may
select the baud rate, number of data and stop bits, parity, and duplex.
The program defaults to 300 baud operation, with 8 data bits, 1 stop bit,
no parity and full duplex (echo off).
Use the Alt-P (Line Settings) command to review or change the active line
control settings. After opening the Line Settings window, ProComm
displays the current settings. Enter a number from 1 to 12 to change to
a predefined setting. Use the numbers 13 through 19 to set up a
customized configuration. Enter 20 to select COM1 as your active port,
21 to use COM2, 22 for COM3, and 23 for COM4.
Use the Save option (24) to make the new configuration your default. If
you change the parameter settings without saving them to disk, they will
be used only for the current session, and will return to their original
settings the next time you use ProComm.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 203
ProComm 2.4 Getting Started
Once you have made your selections, press <ESC> to return to Terminal
Mode. The new parameters are now in effect.
String Translation
There are a number of situations in which ProComm will translate strings
going to or coming from the modem. The strings that are translated
include the modem initialization string, the modem command, dialing
directory numbers, long distance codes, keyboard macros, modem connect
messages and several script commands. The translation allows you to send
carriage returns, escape codes and other control characters to the modem,
as well as providing a pause feature. ProComm translation characters can
be specified in the General SetUp screen. Translation characters are
provided for CR, ESC, CTRL-char and pause.
The default CR translation character is the exclamation point ("!").
Anytime ProComm encounters the CR translation character in one of the
strings mentioned above, it replaces that character with a CR (ASCII 13).
To send the character without translation use two of them together. For
example, when "!" is the CR translate character, a keyboard macro set to
"PASSWORD!" sends the string "PASSWORD" followed by a carriage return. A
keyboard macro set to "GO AWAY!!" will be translated as "GO AWAY!".
Since two of these characters in a row are translated as the true
character, some other method is necessary to send two adjacent carriage
returns. You can do so by using the CTRL-char translation described
below. For example, if the CTRL translate character is set to the caret
("^") the string "^M^M" is translated as 2 carriage returns (because
Ctrl-M is a CR).
The default ESC translation character is the vertical bar ("|"). When
ProComm encounters this character in one of the translated strings, it
replaces it with an ESC (ASCII 27). Again, to send the character without
translation use two of them together. For example, when "|" is the ESC
translation character, a keyboard macro set to "|[2J" sends the VT100
command for clear screen (ESC [ 2 J). A keyboard macro set to "|| box
||" will be translated as "| box |". Again, since two consecutive
translation characters are translated as the true character, some other
method is necessary to send two adjacent escapes. As with the CR
translation character, you can indicate two consecutive escapes by using
the CTRL-char translation described below. If, for example, the CTRL
translation character is set to the caret ("^") the string "^[^[" is
translated as 2 escapes (because Ctrl-[ is an ESC).
The CTRL character translation is slightly different. It is used as a
lead-in marker to indicate that the following character should be
interpreted as a CTRL character. For example, using the default CTRL
translate character "^" (the caret), the string "^C" would be interpreted
as a Ctrl-C (ASCII 3). Again, two translation characters together are
treated as the actual character, so "^^C" would be translated as "^C"
(the caret character followed by a capital C).
The final translation character provided is the pause. If this character
is encountered during translation, ProComm will pause for 1/2 second
before doing anything else. The default translate pause character is the
tilde ("~"). This translation character is significantly different from
the others in that two pause characters together cause a 1 second pause,
three together cause a one and one-half second pause, and so forth.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 204
ProComm 2.4 Getting Started
Multiple pause translation characters are not interpreted as a single
character. If you wish to actually send that character (e.g. the tilde)
you must change the setup for the pause translation character.
It is important to note the difference between the translation pause
character and a modem pause character. The translation pause character
causes a pause in characters being sent to the modem. This character is
appropriate for pauses around a modem escape code, as in a hang-up
string, or for allowing the modem to respond to something before
continuing. On the other hand, a modem pause character, such as the
comma used by Hayes, causes a pause in characters sent from the modem to
the phone line. It is appropriate for such tasks as waiting for a second
dial tone when dialing out through a PBX or office telephone system. The
translation pause character and the modem pause character are not the
same and should not be confused.
Help Screen
The Help Screen lists the command keystrokes used to execute a ProComm
feature. The Help Screen is displayed when you press Alt-F10 while in the
Terminal Mode. Pressing Alt-F10 produces this screen:
++--------------------------------------------------------------------++
|| P r o C o m m H e l p ||
|+--------------------------------------------------------------------+|
| MAJOR FUNCTIONS UTILITY FUNCTIONS FILE FUNCTIONS |
| |
|Dialing Directory Alt-D Program Info ..... Alt-I Send files ... PgUp |
|Automatic Redial.. Alt-R Setup Screen ..... Alt-S Receive files PgDn |
|Keyboard Macros .. Alt-M Kermit Server Cmd Alt-K Directory .... Alt-F|
|Line Settings .... Alt-P Change Directory . Alt-B View a File .. Alt-V|
|Translate Table .. Alt-W Clear Screen ..... Alt-C Screen Dump .. Alt-G|
|Editor ........... Alt-A Toggle Duplex .... Alt-E Log Toggle .. Alt-F1|
|Exit ............. Alt-X Hang Up Phone .... Alt-H Log Hold .... Alt-F2|
|Host Mode ........ Alt-Q Elapsed Time ..... Alt-T |
|Chat Mode ........ Alt-O Print On/Off ..... Alt-L |
|DOS Gateway ..... Alt-F4 Set Colors ....... Alt-Z |
|Command Files ... Alt-F5 Auto Answer ...... Alt-Y |
|Redisplay ....... Alt-F6 Toggle CR-CR/LF . Alt-F3 |
| Break Key ....... Alt-F7 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
You can select any of these features from the Help Screen or directly
from Terminal Mode. The Help Screen is merely a help, not a required
step for reaching the options, nor do you need to return to the Terminal
Mode before selecting one of the options. Each of the features listed in
the Help Screen is described in more detail in Section 4, and many are
considered in still greater detail in other sections of this manual. You
can return directly to Terminal Mode from the Help Screen by pressing any
non-command key.
Exiting ProComm
You can exit ProComm at any time from Terminal Mode or the Help Screen by
pressing Alt-X. You will be asked to confirm the decision to leave;
press "Y" to exit or "N" to resume work.
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
3. T H E S E T U P S C R E E N
ProComm allows you to define many of your own power-up defaults for
system parameters. You can also change a setting temporarily, use it for
the current session, then automatically go back to your default settings
for the next session. Setup is reached via the Alt-S command. It is
divided into 6 sections: Modem Setup, Terminal Setup, Kermit Setup,
General Setup, Host Mode Setup and ASCII File Transfer Setup.
Press Alt-S from the Help Window or while in Terminal Mode to activate
the SetUp facility. The screen will clear and present you with these
options:
1) MODEM SETUP
2) TERMINAL SETUP
3) KERMIT SETUP
4) GENERAL SETUP
5) HOST MODE SETUP
6) ASCII TRANSFER SETUP
S) SAVE SETUP TO DISK
You can exit the main setup screen at any time by pressing <ESC>; any
changes you have made but not saved to disk (using the "S" option from
this screen) will be in effect only for the current ProComm session.
Select a setup section by typing its number and pressing <CR>. The
screen will clear and display the current settings for that section. To
change a setting, enter the number of the setting you wish to change and
press <CR>. Then make your change as described below. If, after
selecting a parameter, you decide not to change it, you can retain the
current value by simply pressing <ESC>.
If the parameter you have selected requires a string, type in the
characters for the new string and press <CR>. Note that pressing <CR>
without typing any characters will clear the setting; if you wish to
retain the current string, press <ESC>.
Some parameters offer you a selection of valid values. Press the space
bar to cycle among the available values. When the value you desire is
displayed, press <CR> to accept it.
If the setting you are changing requires a number, enter the new number
and press <CR>. ProComm will check to make sure that the number falls
within a valid range. If you have selected a number outside that range,
ProComm will inform you of the error and allow you to select another
number.
After making your changes in a particular section, press <ESC> to return
to the main SetUp Menu. If you wish to save your changes to disk, select
"S" from that menu. If you choose the Save option, the current settings
will become your power-up defaults. If you do not save the setup, the
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
changes you have made will be in effect for only the current ProComm
session.
Modem SetUp
If you select option 1 from the main SetUp Menu, a screen similar to the
following will appear:
-----------------------+ MODEM SETUP +-----------------------
1) Modem init string .... ATE0 S7=60 S11=55 V1 X1 S0=0!
2) Dialing command ...... ATDT
3) Dialing cmd suffix ... !
4) Connect string ....... CONNECT
5) No Connect string 1 .. BUSY
6) No Connect string 2 .. VOICE
7) No Connect string 3 .. NO CARRIER
8) No Connect string 4 ..
9) Hangup string ........ ~~~+++~~~ATH0!
10) Redial timeout delay . 30
11) Redial pause delay ... 2
-------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION -> ESC Exit
You may change these options by typing the appropriate selection number.
1) Modem init string
The modem initialization string is sent to the modem every time you begin
a ProComm session, and again whenever you exit Host Mode. It can be up
to 46 characters in length, and may contain carriage returns or control
characters using the translate conventions described in Section 2. Modem
initialization strings vary among different types of modems. The
default, configured for Hayes or compatible modems, is 'AT E0 S7=60
S11=55 S0=0 V1 X1!', where
AT is the command prefix
E0 sets modem echo of commands off
S7=60 sets the maximum wait time for a carrier at 60 seconds
S11=55 sets touch tone spacing (and is very fast)
S0=0 turns off the modem's auto answer feature
V1 activates verbal result codes
X1 activates the extended result codes
! causes ProComm to send a CR to the modem at the end of the modem
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
initialization string.
Be sure to include that last "!" if you need ProComm to send a CR at the
end of the command.
The initialization string may be tailored to suit your particular modem
and needs. Consult your modem user's guide for details regarding the
operation and available commands for your modem.
2) Dialing command
The dialing command is used to instruct the modem to dial a number. It
is sent to the modem by the Dial (Alt-D) and Redial (Alt-R) functions,
followed by the number to dial and any long distance codes you might
specify. The default is 'ATDT' where
AT is the command prefix
D is the dial command
T turns on touch tone dialing (P is used for pulse dialing)
The modem dialing command may contain imbedded pauses, CRs, ESCs and CTRL
characters using the conventions on string translation described in
Section 2.
3) Dialing cmd suffix
The dialing command suffix is sent to the modem at the end of a dialing
command to indicate that the command is complete. The default command is
"!", which is translated as a CR, and should be correct for most modems.
A complete dialing command includes the Dialing Command, the telephone
number to be dialed (and any associated codes or numbers), and the
Dialing Command Suffix. A local call using tone dialing, for example,
might look like 'ATDT 123-4567!' where
ATDT is the dialing command
123-4567 is the number being dialed
and
! (translated as a CR) is the dialing command suffix
4) Connect string
The connect string is the message your modem sends to ProComm to indicate
that a connection has been made. The default is "CONNECT". ProComm uses
this value during automatic redial (Alt-R) to determine when a connection
has been made. Note that this parameter must be set correctly (including
upper- or lower-case) for auto redial to work. Translation is in effect
for this string. For example, if your modem sends '<LF><LF><CR>' to
indicate CONNECT (as the IBM PCjr modem does), set the Connect String to
'^J^J^M'. (A Ctrl-J is a LF, and a Ctrl-M is a CR).
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
5) - 8) Modem No Connect strings
These strings are also used by the auto redial feature. They should be
set to modem messages that indicate that a connection was not achieved.
The defaults are "BUSY", "VOICE" and "NO CARRIER"; a fourth message may
be added by selecting option number 8. Again, these strings must be
exact matches to the messages your modem displays, including upper and
lower case. Some modems do not support these call progress monitoring
features, although most support at least "NO CARRIER".
9) Hang-up string
The hang-up string is the command sent to the modem to cause it to hang
up. When Alt-H (Hangup) is pressed, ProComm first attempts to hang-up by
dropping the Data Terminal Ready (DTR) line. If that attempt fails
(determined by checking Carrier Detect [CD]), ProComm will send the
hang-up string to the modem. The default, set up for Hayes and
compatible modems, is "~~~+++~~~ATH0!", where
~~~ is a 1 1/2 second delay
+++ is the modem escape sequence to drop into command mode
~~~ is another 1 1/2 second delay
AT is the modem command prefix
H0 is the hang-up command
! sends a <CR>
The "~" and "!" characters are translated by ProComm, not the modem (see
Section 2 on string translation for information about how to change these
characters). The "+++" surrounded by the 1 1/2 second pauses causes the
modem to go into command state, where the hang-up command is then issued.
For more information see the Alt-H command, in Section 4.
10) Redial Timeout Delay
This command determines the number of seconds that ProComm will wait
during Redial (Alt-R) for a Connect or No Connect response from the
modem. If the timeout delay is exceeded before a modem response is
received, ProComm will cycle and attempt another redial. You should be
sure that your modem's timeout value is set higher than this timeout
value, or strange results may occur.
This value may also be modified on the fly during a redial attempt. See
Section 5 on Redialing for more details.
11) Redial Pause Delay
The redial pause delay is the number of seconds that ProComm will pause
between each dialing attempt during a redial. The pause is provided to
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 304
ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
let the modem settle down between calls. The default is 2 seconds, and
the minimum pause time is 1 second.
Terminal SetUp
When you select the Terminal SetUp option (number 2), you will be
presented with a screen similar to the following:
--------------------+ TERMINAL SETUP +----------------------
1) Terminal emulation ... ANSI-BBS 10) Enquiry .......... OFF
2) Duplex ............... HALF 11) Break Length (ms). 350
3) Flow Control ......... NONE
4) CR translation (in) .. CR
5) CR translation (out) . CR
6) BS translation ....... DEST
7) BS Key definition .... BS
8) Line wrap ............ OFF
9) Scroll ............... ON
------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> ESC Exit
Select a parameter to change by entering its number followed by <CR>.
1) Terminal Emulation
Terminal emulation means using your computer to act like a terminal. Use
this parameter to select the terminal you wish to emulate. All of
ProComm's terminal emulations are described in detail in Appendix A.
After selecting option 1, press the space bar until the terminal you wish
to use is displayed. Then press <CR> to make that terminal the current
emulation. Take care to insure that the rest of the settable terminal
parameters match what is expected for the terminal type you select. The
DEC VT100 is the most popular terminal emulation for our users. For
general BBS work, we suggest ANSI-BBS.
2) Duplex
You can control the default duplex setting here. Your choices are full
duplex (no echo) and half duplex (local echo). The system administrator
of the system you are calling can tell you what is appropriate for a
particular system.
In general, if what you type is not displayed on the screen, but should
be, try going to half duplex. If you see two of every character you type
(e.g., "ttwwoo ooff eevveerryy cchhaarraacctteerr"), change to full
duplex. Duplex may also be changed on-the-fly using the Alt-E command.
3) Flow control
Flow control (sometimes called "handshaking") is a method computers use
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 305
ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
to control the way they talk back and forth. It's similar to a traffic
light in that it determines in which direction traffic can flow at what
time. The only flow control that ProComm currently supports is XON/XOFF,
so your choices for this parameter are XON/XOFF or NONE. If you wish to
use flow control set this option to XON/XOFF; otherwise select NONE.
ProComm performs XON/XOFF at the interrupt level. To prevent deadlock
because of extraneous XOFFs caused by line noise, ProComm allows you to
reset the XOFF flag. If you see a message on the status line that
indicates that an XOFF was received, but you think it is not valid, press
<ESC> to clear the XOFF flag and allow you to continue work.
4) CR translation (in)
This feature is used to set the power-up default for incoming carriage
return translation.
ProComm needs a CR/LF sequence to correctly handle lines sent to it by a
remote. The CR (carriage return) moves the cursor to the beginning of
the current line, and the LF (line feed) moves it to the next line. Some
systems send only a CR and expect you to provide the line feed, while
others send both the CR and LF.
When set to CR, ProComm leaves incoming carriage returns alone, and
assumes that the remote system will also send a LF. When set to CR/LF,
ProComm automatically adds a LF to any CR received. If the lines coming
from the remote write on top of each other, you need to set this
translation to CR/LF. IF lines appear to be double spaced, go to CR.
Most TTY (non-full screen) applications (including most BBS's) send both
the carriage return and line feed, so the ProComm default is CR. You can
change this setting on-the-fly without affecting the power up default by
using the Alt-F3 command.
5) CR translation (out)
Just as different systems send different line end sequences, they also
may need to receive different line end sequences. Some systems need only
a CR, while others must have a CR/LF combination.
Use this option to set the ProComm power up default for outgoing carriage
return translation. If set to CR, outgoing carriage returns send only
the CR. If set to CR/LF, any carriage return sent by ProComm to the
remote unit will have a line feed appended to it.
The ProComm default is to send the CR only.
6) BS translation
A backspace (BS) may need to be interpreted differently depending upon
the terminal emulation in use. In most cases it is "destructive" (DEST);
that is, the cursor will both move to the left and delete the character
in that position when the BS key is pressed or a BS is received from the
remote. In other cases, the VT100 for instance, the BS behaves like a
cursor-left command, merely moving the cursor without erasing any
characters; it is thus "non-destructive" (NON-DEST). You may choose the
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
correct behavior for your application using this parameter. The ProComm
default is DEST.
7) BS key definition
Normally, when the backspace key is pressed it sends a BS (ASCII 8) to
the remote unit; by using this option, however, you can force ProComm to
transmit a delete (DEL, ASCII 127) instead. The BS key definition option
is especially useful when the terminal being emulated has a Del key where
the IBM-PC has its BS key.
The ProComm default is to send a BS.
8) Line wrap
If an incoming line is greater than 80 characters long, it can be handled
in two different ways. It may be truncated (cut off) so that characters
past the 80th are lost, or it may be wrapped around to continue on the
next line. This setting controls which method ProComm will use.
If line wrap is set ON, lines greater than 80 characters in length will
wrap around and be displayed on the next line. With line wrap OFF,
however, lines greater than 80 characters in length will be truncated.
Since most terminals truncate lines, the ProComm default is line wrap
OFF.
9) Scroll
The scroll parameter controls what happens if ProComm receives a CR (or
CR/LF) while the cursor is positioned at the bottom line. If the scroll
option is set ON, ProComm moves all the lines on the screen up one line
(losing the top line) and the new line is printed in the blank space at
the bottom of the screen. If scroll is OFF, the cursor returns to the
far left column, and the new line overprints the old. Normally this
feature will be set ON (the default), although for some full screen
applications you may need to inhibit screen scrolling.
10) Break Length (ms)
A break is a spacing condition on the line. It is often used to get a
remote system's attention. ProComm uses Alt-F7 (or CTRL-BREAK on IBM
machines) to signal a break.
The break length option allows you to set the length (in milliseconds) of
the break signal. The default is 350 ms, and is sufficient for most
systems.
11) Enquiry (Ctrl-E)
Some systems send an ENQ control character (Ctrl-E, ASCII 5) and expect
an identifying sequence to be returned. If Enquiry is set ON, ProComm
will respond to an ENQ by sending the keyboard macro assigned to Alt-0.
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
If Enquiry is set OFF, the ENQ will be treated as just another character.
A third option is available for users of the CompuServe Information
Service (CIS). CompuServe uses an ENQ to signal the beginning of an
automatic file transfer. If you wish to be able to perform automatic
file transfers using the CompuServe 'B' protocol while logged on to CIS,
set this option to CIS B. Be sure, however, that you are not set to CIS
B while logged onto other systems, or strange results may occur.
The ProComm default for Enquiry is OFF.
Kermit SetUp
The Kermit Setup section provides control over a number of Kermit file
transfer parameters. After selecting option 3 from the main SetUp Menu,
you will be presented with a screen similar to the following:
----------------------------+ KERMIT SETUP +-----------------------------
1) Control quote char ... 35 (ASCII)
2) Maximum packet size .. 90
3) Pad character ........ 0 (ASCII)
4) Number of pad chars .. 0
5) 8th bit quote char ... 38 (ASCII)
6) Handshake char ....... 0 (ASCII)
7) End of line char ..... 13 (ASCII)
8) File type ............ BINARY
9) Block check type ..... 1 BYTE CHECKSUM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION -> ESC Exit
We do not have the space here to give a Kermit tutorial. If you do not
know what these elements are, you probably should not change them.
Consult the system administrator for your system if you have any
questions regarding their Kermit installation.
One parameter worth mentioning is the Handshake character (option 6). In
most implementations you should use the default of 0, which implies no
handshaking. In the case of line at a time (not full screen) IBM
mainframe access in half duplex, a handshake value of ASCII 17 is
appropriate.
A further discussion of ProComm's Kermit implementation is available in
the file transfer section, Section 6.
General SetUp
Selecting the General Setup option from the main SetUp Menu will cause
the following screen to appear:
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 308
ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
----------------------------+ GENERAL SETUP +----------------------------
1) Editor name .........
2) Default d/l path ....
3) Default log file ..... PROCOMM.LOG
4) Screen dump file ..... PROCOMM.IMG
5) Screen write method .. DIRECT
6) Translate table ...... OFF
7) Sound effects ........ ON 12) Xlat pause character . ~
8) Alarm sound .......... ON 13) Xlat CR character .... !
9) Alarm time (secs) .... 5 14) Xlat CTRL character .. ^
10) Exploding widows ..... YES 15) Xlat ESC character ... |
11) XMODEM mode ......... NORMAL 16) Aborted downloads .... KEEP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION => ESC Exit
1) Editor name
Use this parameter to name the program to be accessed by the Alt-A
(Editor) command. Pressing Alt-A will execute this program from within
ProComm, without the necessity of popping out through the DOS Gateway or
exiting ProComm. This is very handy for editing or listing a file while
online, as well as for developing ProComm command files and many other
tasks.
The Editor name parameter can be specified in a number of ways. It may be
a complete filename with path (e.g. C:\WP\EDIT\EDITOR.EXE), just the
program name without extension (e.g. EDITOR) or anything in between. If
no path is specified, ProComm will search the directories specified in
the environment variable PATH for the indicated program.
ProComm can run almost any .EXE or .COM program using this feature as
long as there is enough memory available. Keep in mind that ProComm
itself requires approximately 130K of RAM, and the operating system
another 17-30K (depending on the version). Other resident programs (such
as SideKick) can take up even more. If you are running only 192K (the
minimum possible to operate ProComm), you may not have enough memory to
load the desired program unless it is quite small.
The Alt-A command cannot be used to execute a batch (.BAT) file.
2) Default d/l path
This option allows you to specify where you want to put files that you
download. If no path is specified, downloads will be directed to the
currently logged drive and directory. If a path is specified, the file
will be placed in the named directory. For example, if this option is
set to
C:\COMM\PROCOMM\DL\
then all files that you download will be placed in the \COMM\PROCOMM\DL
directory on drive C:. Keep in mind that the pathname must end with a
backslash ("\") in order for ProComm to interpret it correctly. Consult
your DOS user's guide for details about directory naming conventions.
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
You can override the download directory option when using the file
transfer protocols which require you to name the incoming file (XMODEM,
YMODEM, and ASCII). To do so, include a path when specifying the
filename to download. For example, when downloading a file using the
XMODEM protocol, ProComm will prompt you for the name of the file to be
downloaded. If you specify
C:\BASIC\FILENAME.EXT
as the filename, the file will go directly to the \BASIC directory on the
C: drive, and not to the default download directory. The other file
transfer protocols include the filename as part of the data being sent,
so you will not be prompted for the filename to use and thus cannot
override the default download directory option.
3) Default log file
When you activate file logging (Alt-F1), ProComm will prompt you for the
name of the log file to use. Pressing <CR> without naming a file directs
the log to the default file. Use this parameter to set the default name
for the log file to use when file logging is in effect. If the file
exists, ProComm will not overwrite existing data; rather, new data will
be appended to the end of the file. If the file does not exist it will
be created in the current directory and the data will be saved to it.
4) Screen dump file
This option names the file to which ProComm will append screen dumps
(Alt-G). If the screen dump file does not exist when Alt-G is pressed,
it will be created in the current directory. Again, ProComm will not
overwrite an existing file, but will append the screen dump data to the
end of an existing file.
5) Screen write method
ProComm can use either of two different methods to perform its screen
writing. In the first method, characters are written directly to the
screen buffer memory area. In the second, characters are written using
BIOS (operating system) function calls. Normally you would use direct
screen writes because they are much faster. In some cases, however, such
as under multi-tasking operating systems or when you are using a not-so-
compatible computer, you might wish to use the BIOS. The ProComm default
is to use direct screen writes. You may also select BIOS mode using the
"/M" command line option.
6) Translate table
This setting controls whether or not ProComm uses the translation table
to translate, or strip, incoming characters. Selecting YES causes the
translate table to be activated immediately, as well as on program
startup. ProComm defaults to NO. The translate table may be defined and
toggled ON/OFF using the Alt-W command from the Terminal Mode or from the
Help Screen. The translate table is discussed in more detail later in
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
this manual.
7) Sound effects
This option controls the use of ProComm-produced sound effects. These
sound effects include the open and close window sounds, as well as some
other audible feedback. It does not control the alarm function, sounds
generated by the modem or beeps (Ctrl-G, ASCII 7) sent from the host
unit. Sound effects are ON by default, and may also be controlled using
the "/S" command line option (see Section 2).
8) Alarm sound
This setting controls whether or not the alarm is audible. The alarm is
used to indicate the end of file transfers, connects during re-dials and
other events. It may also be activated by the ALARM script command. If
the alarm sound is ON, these events will trigger a ringing sound which
will continue for the number of seconds specified by the alarm time
setting. If the alarm sound is OFF, the appropriate message will flash
for the indicated time but will be silent. By default, alarm sound is
ON.
9) Alarm time (secs)
Use the alarm time setting to determine the time (in seconds) that you
wish the alarm sound to ring. If, for example, you want the file
transfer alarm to ring for two minutes, then set the alarm time to 120.
10) Exploding windows
ProComm makes extensive use of windows in its operation. This option
controls the manner in which those windows appear. If you select YES,
ProComm will use "exploding" windows, i.e. windows that start small and
rapidly grow to full size. If, on the other hand, you select NO, then
windows will appear without expanding frames. By default ProComm will
use exploding windows. This is purely a cosmetic effect, and has no
bearing on the functionality of the program.
11) XMODEM mode
Some remote systems, such as CompuServe, cannot handle the normal XMODEM
error timeout periods. They need a less critical timing situation. For
these systems, set the XMODEM mode to RELAXED to avoid file transfer
aborts resulting from timing errors. In most cases, however, this option
should be set to NORMAL.
12) Xlat pause character
The translate pause character parameter is used to set the character
which is to be interpreted as a pause during string translation. ProComm
uses the tilde (~) as the default. See Section 2 for more details on
string translation.
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
13) Xlat CR character
This parameter sets the character which is to be interpreted as a
carriage return during string translation (the translate CR character).
By default, an exclamation point (!) is used. See Section 2 for details
about translation characters.
14) Xlat CTRL character
The translate CTRL character parameter is used to set the character which
is interpreted as signaling a control character during string
translation. The default is the caret (^). Section 2 has more details.
15) Xlat ESC character
Use this parameter to set the character which is to be interpreted as an
ESC during string translation. By default, ProComm uses a vertical bar
(|). See Section 2 on string translation for more details.
15) Aborted downloads
This setting will determine the disposition of files that are aborted
during downloads. If it is set to KEEP, these partial files are kept on
the disk and are your responsibility. If it is set to DISCARD, they are
erased from your disk when the download aborts. By default, aborted
downloads are kept.
Host Mode SetUp
Selecting the Host Mode Setup option from the main SetUp Menu will cause
the Host Mode SetUp screen to appear:
---------------------------+ HOST MODE SETUP +---------------------------
1) Host ID string ....... Welcome to ProComm Host!
2) Auto answer string ... ~~~+++~~~ATS0=1!
3) Host mode password ... PASSWORD
4) DOS shell password ... SHELL
5) Auto baud detect ..... METHOD 2
6) Connection type ...... MODEM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION => ESC Exit
1) Host ID string
The host ID string is a message that is sent to a remote caller when he
connects to ProComm in Host Mode. It can be set to anything you desire.
Notice that the default message includes a CR translation character (here
the "!") at the end of the string.
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
2) Auto answer string
The auto answer string can be thought of as a modem initialization string
for use with the host mode. Use it to set the modem into auto answer
mode. The default string is "~~~+++~~~ATS0=1!", where
~~~ is a 1 1/2 second pause
+++ sets the modem in command state
~~~ is another 1 1/2 second pause
AT is the command prefix
S0=1 sets the modem to answer after one ring
! causes ProComm to send a CR.
The "~~~" part is a ProComm command rather than a modem command and will
probably not have to be reset. The other commands depend on the needs of
your particular modem. Consult your modem user's guide for further
information.
3) Host mode password
ProComm Host Mode provides some security by means of access passwords.
The host mode password must be correctly entered by all remote callers
before they are granted access to your system. The caller must match the
password completely, including upper- and lower-case letters. If you set
the password to null, then callers can get through the password prompt by
pressing <CR> without typing anything else.
4) DOS shell password
Callers must know this secondary password to be allowed access to the
remote DOS shell. Be very careful about this password; you do not want
just anyone to have system-level access on your machine. You should
definitely not leave the DOS shell password blank, nor should you leave
it at the default.
5) Auto baud detect
Auto baud detect allows ProComm to match the baud rate at which a user
calls.
ProComm provides three choices of auto baud detect in host mode. The
first choice is NONE, that is ProComm will not attempt to match baud
rates with incoming calls. Users must call at the same rate that ProComm
is set to in order to be connected. The second choice, called MODEM MSG,
uses modem messages to determine baud rate. Your modem must support the
messages CONNECT (for 300 baud), CONNECT 1200 and CONNECT 2400 in order
to use MODEM MSG. In addition, your modem must be configured to return
these message. That configuration is usually achieved via the Xn modem
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
command, which may be placed in either the modem initialization string,
or the auto answer string. The third choice, known as KEY HIT, requires
that callers enter several <CR>s (or SPACES if at 2400 baud) in order for
ProComm to match baud rates. No modem messages are required. ProComm
defaults to KEY HIT.
6) Connection type
The connection type determines who ProComm Host Mode is talking to. When
set to MODEM, ProComm assumes a modem connection and performs as
described in the Host Mode section later in this manual. When set to
DIRECT, ProComm bypasses the carrier detect process and immediately
initiates a connection; this feature is useful for direct connecting to
other computers.
ASCII Transfer SetUp
The ASCII Transfer SetUp Menu is used to determine the characteristics of
file transfers in the ASCII mode:
------------------------+ ASCII TRANSFER SETUP +-------------------------
ASCII UPLOAD
1) Echo locally ......... NO
2) Expand blank lines ... YES
3) Pace character ....... 0 (ASCII)
4) Character pacing ..... 15 (1/1000 sec)
5) Line pacing .......... 10 (1/10 sec)
6) CR translation ....... NONE
5) LF translation ....... STRIP
ASCII DOWNLOAD
8) CR translation ....... NONE
9) LF translation ....... NONE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION => ESC Exit
ASCII UpLoad
1) Echo locally
Use this setting to control whether or not ProComm echoes locally what it
is transferring during ASCII uploads. In most cases set this to NO and
let the remote do any desired echoing. If the remote and ProComm are
both displaying what is being transferred, you'll have a real mess on
your screen.
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
2) Expand blank lines
Many systems interpret a blank line to mean "end of text". This is
especially true when entering online messages. Use this option to tell
ProComm to expand blank lines. This would allow you to include blank
lines (for spacing) in messages that you are uploading without the remote
thinking it is the end of the message. When set ON, ProComm will add a
space to lines being uploaded that contain only a CR or CR/LF. When set
OFF, lines are uploaded as they exist. By default ProComm will expand
blank lines.
3) Pace character
The Pace character provides one means of pacing uploaded text. If the
pace character is set to a value other than 0, ProComm will send a line,
then wait to receive the specified character before sending the next
line. Enter the decimal value for the ASCII character desired; for
example, set it to 13 to indicate a carriage return. ProComm will send a
line and then wait to receive a CR from the remote before continuing to
send the next line. The default is 0, which means that no pace character
is used.
4) Character pacing
Another pacing option that ProComm provides is character pacing.
Specifying this option causes ProComm to pause after each character has
been sent during an ASCII upload. This can help avoid over-running the
remote computer's input buffer. If character pacing is set to a value
other than 0, ProComm will send a character, then wait the specified
number of milliseconds (1/1000 second) before sending another character.
By default, character pacing is set at 15 ms. Character pacing may be
used in conjunction with any of the other pacing options.
5) Line pacing
ProComm can also perform line pacing during ASCII uploads if you so
desire. Line pacing is similar to character pacing except that the pause
occurs after each line, rather than after each character. After a line
is sent, the program will wait for the time specified (in 1/10 seconds)
before sending the next line. Pacing may be set to zero if the remote
can handle that speed of transmission. Line pacing may be used in
conjunction with character pacing; it is generally not needed if you are
using a pace character. The ProComm default for line pacing is 10-tenths
of a second (i.e., one full second).
6) CR translation (uploads)
As discussed above, different systems require different line end
sequences. This option controls outgoing carriage return translation
during an ASCII upload. You have 3 options. If CR translation is set to
NONE, no translation is performed and carriage returns are passed
directly to the remote. If set to STRIP, all carriage returns
encountered in the file being uploaded are stripped, and not sent.
Finally, if set to ADD LF, a line feed will be added to all outgoing
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ProComm 2.4 The Setup Screen
carriage returns. ProComm defaults to NONE.
7) LF translation (uploads)
LF translation is similar to CR translation, but affects line feeds. As
with CR translation, you have 3 options. If you select NONE, no
translation is performed. If you set LF translation to STRIP, all line
feeds encountered in the file being uploaded are stripped. If you set it
to ADD CR, a carriage return will precede all outgoing line feeds. The
default for outgoing LF translation is STRIP.
You should pay close attention to what is being done with these
parameters. On a PC, most text files are delimited by a CR/LF sequence.
Most mainframe and other systems, however, want to receive ASCII files
with only a CR as the delimiter. Thus the ProComm defaults take a file
containing CR/LF sequences and transmit it as a CR-only delimited file.
The various combinations available in ProComm will allow you to transfer
ASCII text files to virtually any system.
ASCII Download
8) CR translation
The download CR translation is exactly like that described above only it
applies to text going in the other direction; it translates CRs coming in
to ProComm from the remote. There are three options for controlling
incoming carriage return translation during ASCII downloads. If CR
translation is set to NONE, no translation is performed. STRIP causes
all carriage returns encountered in the file being received to be
stripped, while ADD LF causes a line feed to be added to all incoming
carriage returns. The ProComm default is NONE.
9) LF translation
This option controls incoming line feed translation during ASCII
downloads. It also has 3 options. If it is set to NONE, no translation
is performed. If it is set to STRIP, all line feeds encountered in the
file being downloaded are stripped, and if it is set to ADD CR, a
carriage return will be added in front of all received line feeds. NONE
is the default translation.
Once again the variety of ASCII translation options will allow you to
receive ASCII text files from any system in a format suitable for your
PC.
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ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
4. M A J O R F U N C T I O N S
After the opening display and the program initialization, you are left in
Terminal Mode. The bottom line of the screen is a status line, but the
rest of the screen is open for use. Most of your communicating takes
place in Terminal Mode, and most ProComm commands are executed from there
as well. Commands are usually executed in a window which leaves your
original screen intact.
Commands are activated by pressing certain keystrokes while in Terminal
Mode. You may, however, get a listing of available commands by pressing
Alt-F10, the Help key. You can then execute commands directly from the
Help Screen without returning to the Terminal Mode. Pressing any non-
command key will return you to Terminal Mode.
The Help Screen lists all of the major ProComm features, divided into
three blocks: Major Functions, Utility Functions, and File Functions.
Major Functions
Dialing Directory
Pressing Alt-D activates the dialing directory. The dialing directory is
an online phone list which contains up to 100 entries and various
information relating to those entries such as baud rate, parity, echo,
etc. The functions available from the dialing directory are described in
detail in Section 5.
Automatic Redial
The automatic redial facility (accessed with Alt-R) provides for
automatic redialing of a single number or a list of numbers. It is
especially useful for connecting to hard-to-reach numbers. Its features
and how to use them are examined in Section 5.
Keyboard Macros
Keyboard macros allow you to assign character strings to the keys Alt-0
through Alt-9, which may then be used to transmit the assigned string to
the remote with a single keystroke. Macro strings may be up to 50
characters long, and may contain imbedded control codes and carriage
returns using the translate conventions described in Section 2. To send
the string you've assigned, simply press the appropriate key.
Access the keyboard macro facility by pressing Alt-M from Terminal Mode
or the Help Screen. A window will appear listing the current key
assignments. To revise an assignment press "R", then the key to assign
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ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
(Alt-0 through Alt-9). Now type the string you wish assigned to that
key. Press <CR> when you are done. Respond "Y" to the 'OK' prompt to
accept the assignment; otherwise, it is discarded. After creating a
group of macros be sure to save them to disk, using the "S" option, or
they will be discarded when you leave the current ProComm session. Press
<ESC> to return to Terminal Mode.
You may create and use any number of keyboard macro files for use with
different systems. By default, ProComm will load the file called
PROCOMM.KEY when it is brought up. To create other .KEY files, first
select "C" (clear) to clear out the current macro definitions. Then use
the "R" (revise) option as described above to create your new set of
definitions. Now choose "S" to save the new definitions. When prompted
for a file name, give the name of the file you wish the macro definitions
to be saved in. The file may use any valid filename; we suggest using a
file extension of .KEY to help distinguish the nature its contents.
Pressing CR without naming a file will cause ProComm to store the macros
in the default file PROCOMM.KEY.
To load a new macro file select option "L" (load). Then give the name of
the macro file to load. Again, if you press <CR> without naming a
specific file, ProComm will use the default (PROCOMM.KEY). The named
file will be loaded and the new definitions displayed. Macro key files
may also be loaded via the MLOAD script command.
Multiple macro key files give you considerable flexibility in using
different systems. One thing you can do is create different .KEY files
for various systems that you call, then load the macros via a MLOAD
command in a script file linked to that system in the dialing directory.
If you use a consistent scheme (i.e. user ID in Alt-1, password in Alt-2)
you can simplify many of your online tasks.
Line Settings
ProComm supports a wide variety of communications configurations. You
may select baud rate, the number of data and stop bits, parity and
duplex. The program defaults to 300 baud operation, with 8 data bits, 1
stop bit, no parity and echo off (full duplex).
Use the Alt-P command to review or change the active line control
settings. After opening the Line Settings window, ProComm displays the
current settings. Enter a number from 1 to 12 to change to a predefined
setting. Use the numbers 13 through 19 to define a customized
configuration. Enter 20 through 23 to make COM1 through COM4 your active
port.
The save option (24) is used to make the new configuration your default.
If you change the line settings without saving them to disk, they will be
used only for the current session.
Press <ESC> to return to Terminal Mode, and the new settings will be in
effect.
Various systems have different line control needs. By far the most
common settings are N/8/1 (no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit) and
E/7/1 (even parity, 7 data bits and 1 stop bit). Most bulletin board
systems (BBS) require N/8/1. Many mainframe computers use E/7/1. When
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ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
calling online services such as CompuServe and The Source via public
networks like Telenet and Tymnet, be sure to use E/7/1. A good rule of
thumb is if you are at N/8/1 and your screen displays a lot of garbage
(graphics characters and the like), switch to E/7/1.
An alternative to using E/7/1 on some systems is to use N/8/1 and strip
the high bit off all incoming characters using the translate table. To
do so, set the upper 128 (128-255) characters in the translate table to a
value exactly 128 less than their ASCII decimal values. Thus 128 would
be set to 0, and 255 would be set to 127.
Translate Table
ProComm's translate table provides a means for you to strip or replace
unwanted characters you receive from the remote. Press Alt-W to display
the current translation settings. The table will indicate whether
translation is currently taking place, as well as showing you the current
translation values for the ASCII characters 0-127. Press F2 to display
translation values for characters 128-255. Pressing the keys F3 and F4
will toggle the translation effect on or off. You may set the default
condition from the General Setup screen in the Setup menu (Alt-S).
To change a translation value, enter the decimal ASCII code to reset.
Now enter the translated value (again in decimal). To strip an unwanted
character, translate it to 0. For example, suppose the system you are
calling sends a lot of beeps (ASCII 7) and you want to filter them out.
Bring up the translate table (Alt-W). Enter a 7 at the 'NUMBER TO
CHANGE' prompt, and then a 0 at the 'NEW VALUE' prompt. The change will
be highlighted in the display. Now save the table by pressing F1, and
activate it by pressing F3. All beeps (ASCII 7) coming from the remote
will now be stripped out. Use the same technique to translate a given
value to something else. Press <ESC> to return to Terminal Mode.
One important note: when you turn the translate table ON, it reads the
.XLT file from disk and overwrites the existing table. Thus you cannot
make some changes, then turn on the table, since the changes you made
will be overwritten. You must either make the changes, save the changes
and then turn on the table, or turn on the table, and then make your
changes. To make the changes effective for only the current session, do
not save the changes to disk.
Editor
To call an editor, word processor or other program from within ProComm,
press Alt-A. ProComm will then attempt to load the program you listed as
the editor name in the General Setup portion of the Setup screen. You
can specify any executable program (except batch files) to be called by
the Alt-A command. This command is quite useful for viewing a file,
doing some editing, or whatever.
In order for this function to work, however, a couple of things must be
correctly set. First, COMMAND.COM must reside on the drive you booted
from. Second, ProComm must be able to find the program you requested.
(See the discussion on the editor name in the General Setup section).
Third, your computer must have enough available memory to execute the
desired program. There is no default for this feature, so be sure to set
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ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
it up before attempting to use it.
Exit
To exit ProComm, press Alt-X. You will be asked to verify your decision
to assure that you are not exiting by mistake. Answer "Y" to exit, "N"
to continue working. Be sure that you have saved any setup changes you
have made and wish to keep before exiting or they will be lost.
Similarly, be sure you have completed your online tasks and signed off,
since ProComm will hangup when you exit.
Host Mode
ProComm includes a limited Host Mode which allows remote access to your
computer. You can activate the Host Mode by pressing Alt-Q. Host mode
features password protection, file transfers, operator page and DOS shell
access. It can also display a canned message or graphics screen, and
maintain a history of logons. Host Mode is described in detail in
Section 8.
Chat Mode
Chat Mode provides split screen operation for online conversations.
Incoming text (and echoed outgoing text if in full duplex) is displayed
in the top 18 lines of the screen. Outgoing text is displayed in the
bottom 4 lines.
Activate Chat Mode by pressing Alt-O. Limited line editing is provided
for outgoing text; use the backspace key to edit a line before it gets
sent. Text is sent to the remote only after a carriage return or when
the buffer gets full (about 3 full lines of text). Ctrl-Q and Ctrl-S
keystrokes (XON and XOFF), however, are sent immediately.
Printer and disk logging will continue if they are active when Chat Mode
begins. The Redisplay facility (Alt-F6) is also available in Chat Mode.
Press <ESC> to exit Chat Mode and return to the normal Terminal Mode.
DOS Gateway
ProComm provides a gateway to DOS which allows you to execute DOS
commands or other programs without ending the ProComm session. To
activate the DOS gateway press Alt-F4. ProComm uses the COMSPEC
environment variable to find the command processor, so make sure that
COMMAND.COM is present on the boot drive, or the gateway will not work
correctly. Type "EXIT" on the DOS command line when you wish to return
to ProComm.
CAUTION: executing other communications programs through the Gateway may
cause erratic results when you return to ProComm. If this occurs, using
the Alt-P command to reset ProComm's line settings may re-establish the
connection.
Command Files
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ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
Command files are text files containing ProComm commands. You can use
command files to perform automatic logons, unattended file transfers, and
many other tasks. You can create command files using virtually any word
processor provided that the program can save files in a "non-document"--
or straight ASCII--format. Command files may be executed on program
startup, from the command file menu (Alt-F5), or by linking them with
dialing directory entries. See Section 7 for a complete discussion of
command files and the ProComm command set.
Redisplay
To redisplay lines that have scrolled off your screen, press Alt-F6.
ProComm will display the last 10000 characters that have come in,
beginning with the most recent screen.
You can move through the redisplay buffer in any of several ways: use
the PgUp and PgDn keys to scroll one page in either direction; use the up
and down arrow keys to move one line in either direction. Pressing the
Home key will cause the first page of the buffer to display, while
pressing the End key will display the last page. To search for specific
text with the redisplay buffer, press "F" or "/". A window will open,
and you will be prompted for the string to search for. If the string is
found, ProComm will scroll to the page it is on and highlight it. To
search for the same string again, press <CR> when ProComm prompts you for
the text to look for. Searches are not case sensitive.
Utility Functions
Program Information
To display the ProComm program information screen, press Alt-I. Type any
key to return to Terminal Mode.
SetUp Screen
Use the SetUp option (Alt-S) to access the 6 setup areas: modem setup,
terminal setup, Kermit setup, general setup, host mode setup, and ASCII
file transfer setup. These options are described in detail in Section 3.
Kermit Server Command
ProComm provides several Kermit server commands for use with remote
systems running in Kermit server mode. Access the command menu by
pressing Alt-K, then select the desired command from the menu. See
section 6 for more details regarding these commands.
Change Directory
You can use the Alt-B command to change the default directory and/or the
active drive. To change directories, press Alt-B. A window will appear
naming the current drive and directory. Simply enter the drive
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ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
(including a colon), directory or both and press <CR>. You have now
changed the default drive and or directory. Press <ESC> to leave the
default unchanged.
Clear Screen
Press Alt-C to clear your screen and home the cursor. This is a local
effect only. Clearing the screen will also reset ProComm to its default
colors, useful when connecting to systems which change colors and don't
reset them.
Toggle Duplex
Pressing Alt-E will toggle ProComm between full and half duplex. You can
set the default duplex in ProComm's SetUp (Alt-S) screen. If characters
you type appear twice (e.g., "AAppeeaarr TTwwiiccee") you should set
duplex to full. Similarly, if you type something that is not displayed,
but should be, try toggling duplex to half. A message is briefly
displayed on the status line, and the duplex block (the third block on
the status line) indicates whether you are currently operating under half
or full duplex ("HDX" or "FDX").
Hang Up Phone
Press Alt-H to hang-up your telephone connection. ProComm will first
attempt to hangup by dropping DTR (Data Terminal Ready). If this attempt
fails, as indicated by the presence of CD, then the modem hang-up string
will be sent to the modem. If ProComm is not causing your modem to hang
up correctly, be sure that your modem does not have DTR or CD forced
high, and check the hang-up string in the modem SetUp screen (via Alt-S)
against the string suggested by your modem user's guide.
Elapsed Time
Pressing Alt-T will display the current time and date, as well as the
elapsed time since the last call was made. Elapsed time is reset every
time you make a call using the dialing directory or make a connection
using the automatic redial facility.
Print On/Off
Press Alt-L to toggle printer logging on or off. If printer logging is
toggled on, any information coming from the remote system will be sent
directly to your printer as well as to your screen. The status of the
printer log is indicated by the message PRT ON or PRT OFF on the status
line.
Set Colors
Enter Alt-Z from Terminal Mode to set your local screen colors. A window
will open with a list of window selections on the left and instructions
on the right. Press the up or down arrow keys to select a window to
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 406
ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
change. Next, press the left or right arrow keys to choose which part of
the window to change (background, foreground, or hi-light). Press the
space bar to cycle among the color choices. After you have set all the
colors you want to change, press <ESC> to exit. You will then be asked
if you want to save the color changes to disk. If you save the changes
to disk, they will remain until you change them again; otherwise they
will remain only for the current session. You can use this last option
to set the colors temporarily, try them out during a session, then return
to Alt-Z and save them to disk.
Some windows do not appear in the window list but are settable anyway.
The Alt-T (elapsed time), Alt-B (change directory), and Alt-X (exit)
windows use the same colors as the keyboard macros window. The redial
display (Alt-R) uses the phone directory (Alt-D) colors. The SetUp
screens (Alt-S) use the help window colors. Communication screen colors
are used in the redisplay section and the command file selection window
(Alt-F5) uses the file transfer window colors.
Auto Answer
You may control the auto answer feature of most modems using a software
command. For instance, sending the command "ATS0=1<CR>" to a Hayes modem
tells it to answer the phone on the first ring. Similarly, the command
"ATS0=0<CR>" tells that modem to turn auto answer off.
ProComm allows you to issue an auto answer command at the touch of a
keystroke. Pressing Alt-Y causes the string you have specified as the
auto answer string in the Host Mode section of the SetUp screen to be
sent to the modem. Note that this command is used to set the modem into
auto answer mode; it is not used to command the modem to answer
immediately. You could use a command such as "ATA!" in a keyboard macro
to instruct the modem to answer on command. See Sections 3 and 8 for
more information regarding the auto answer string.
Toggle CR - CR/LF
Some remote systems delimit lines of text with a single carriage return,
while others use a carriage return/line feed combination. ProComm likes
to receive lines that end with both a CR and a LF. If necessary, ProComm
can add a line feed to each incoming carriage return.
Use Alt-F3 to toggle this feature between CR and CR/LF. The default is
CR only, that is, do not add additional LFs. If text lines overwrite
each other, the remote is not sending LFs, so switch to CR/LF. If text
appears double spaced, try the CR setting. A message is briefly
displayed when you toggle this option, and the current setting is
reflected in the next-to-last block of the status line. The default
condition for this option may be set in the Terminal Setup section of the
SetUp facility.
Break
A break is a spacing condition on the line, often used to signal
attention to the remote. Pressing CTRL-BREAK will cause the break
condition to occur. On some non-IBM machines pressing CTRL-BREAK can
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 407
ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
cause a lockup; therefore ProComm provides another keystroke, Alt-F7,
which also causes the break condition to occur. The default time period
for a break is 350 milliseconds, but that may be changed via the Terminal
SetUp screen. Use the keyboard macro feature if you require that a
specific character be sent in order for the remote to realize a break.
File Functions
Send Files (Upload)
ProComm provides a number of common protocols for use transferring files;
pressing PgUp will activate the screen listing those protocols and allow
you to choose among them. See Section 6 for a detailed description of
file transfers.
Receive Files (Download)
Pressing PgDn activates the download menu screen and allows you to select
from the available protocols. See Section 6 for more details on file
transfers.
Directory
Press Alt-F to get a file listing of the currently logged drive or
directory. Enter the file specification ("filespec") at the prompt just
as you would in the DOS DIR command. Paths and drives are supported.
COMSPEC must be set correctly for this feature to work. That is, you
must have COMMAND.COM on the boot drive, or the Alt-F command will not
work correctly.
View a File
To examine a file that exists on your system type Alt-V. You will be
prompted for the name of the file. Enter the complete filename,
including drive and path designator if desired. Use the PgUp and PgDn
keys to page through the file. Press Home to go to the beginning of the
file. Pressing <ESC> will end the viewing procedure and return to the
Terminal Mode. This viewing facility is rather primitive; it is intended
only as a convenience. For more complete browsing power, use the Alt-A
editor command, or drop through the DOS gateway and use your favorite
list program.
Screen Dump
Pressing Alt-G activates a screen dump of the current screen contents.
Screen contents are appended to the current .IMG file, which may be
specified in the SetUp screen. The default screen dump file is
PROCOMM.IMG.
Log Toggle / Log Hold
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 408
ProComm 2.4 Major Functions
ProComm provides two alternatives to file transfer for capturing
information: file and printer logging. After initiating the logging
procedure, any information coming from the remote system is routed to the
log as well as to the screen.
Press Alt-L to begin capturing information to your printer. A message
on the status line will indicate that the printer log is open. Pressing
Alt-L again will toggle printer logging off.
ProComm writes the logged data to the DOS device PRN. The default value
for PRN is LPT1:. You may use the DOS 'MODE' command to redirect PRN.
For example, if your printer is on COM1: use the DOS command
MODE LPT1:=COM1:
to send printer output there.
Data can also be captured to disk, using the Alt-F1 command. Specify
the name of the file to be used, or press <CR> to use the default file.
If the file already exists, new information will be appended at the end
of the file. Press Alt-F2 (Log Hold) to suspend information capture
without closing the log file. A message indicating logging status will
be displayed on the bottom line of the screen. Press Alt-F1 again to
toggle the log file closed.
With the exception of formfeeds, terminal control sequences are not
included in the log files.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 409
ProComm 2.4 Dialing Directory
5. D I A L I N G D I R E C T O R Y
The ProComm dialing directory automates most of your dialing tasks. The
directory holds information for 100 of your most often-called systems.
The information includes the name and phone number, as well the
communications parameters specific to that entry. Also included in the
directory is a user definable modem command, with an optional suffix, and
up to four long distance codes that you can use with alternate
long-distance services. You can even link command files to dialing
directory entries to provide custom setup configurations or to perform
logon sequences automatically.
Press Alt-D to access the dialing directory. A window is opened that
displays pages of 10 entries at a time:
+-------------+ D I A L I N G D I R E C T O R Y +--------------+
| |
| Name Number Baud P D S E CMD File |
| |
| 1- ProComm Support BBS 1 314 449-9401 2400-N-8-1 N |
| 2- ..................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| 3- ..................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| 4- ..................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| 5- ..................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| 6- ..................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| 7- ..................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| 8- .................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| 9- .................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
|10- .................... . ... ...-.... 1200-N-8-1 N |
| |
| ==> R Revise M Manual Dialing Entry to Dial |
| P LD Codes D Delete Entries F Find |
| PgUp/PgDn Page L Print Entries / Scroll |
| Home Top Page End Bottom Page ESC Exit |
| |
| Modem Dial Cmd: ATDT LD Codes Active: |
| Dial Cmd Suffix: ! Com Port Active: COM1 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
The current modem command ("Modem Dial Cmd"), modem command suffix ("Dial
Cmd Suffix"), active long distance codes ("LD Codes Active") and the
active port ("Com Port Active") are displayed at the bottom of the
screen. The modem command defaults to "ATDT", with "!" (translated as a
CR) as the suffix.
Use the PgUp and PgDn keys to display the previous or next page of
entries. The up and down arrow keys will scroll the display one entry in
either direction. The Home key will position the display at the first
page in the directory, while the End key will position it at the last
page. Press <ESC> to exit the dialing directory.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 501
ProComm 2.4 Dialing Directory
Searching for an Entry
The dialing directory also has a search capability. To look for a
particular entry press "F" or "/". A window will open asking for the
text to search for. Enter the string you wish to be found and press
<CR>. ProComm will search the name and number fields for the string you
provided. If the string is found, the dialing directory will scroll to
the page containing that entry, and the entry will be highlighted.
The dialing directory search facility is not case sensitive. For
example, a search for the string "abcd" will match "abcd", "ABCD", "AbCd"
or any other mix of upper- and lower-case characters. You can even
search for telephone numbers or even parts of numbers. (That is, you can
search for "Phil Sidney", just "Sidney", or "555-1586", or even "1586".)
If the search routine reaches the end of the dialing directory without
finding a match, it will wrap around to the beginning of the directory
and continue its search until it has checked each entry once. If the
string is still not found, a message to that effect is displayed. To
repeat a search for the same text, press "F" or "/" a second time and
then immediately press <CR>.
Revising the Dialing Directory
When you first use the dialing directory most of the entries will be
empty. The name and phone number fields will be filled with periods; the
default baud rate is 1200, with no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit and
echo off (full duplex). You may add a new entry or revise an old one by
selecting the "R" option. You may also revise the long distance codes
(by entering the appropriate LD code identifier: -,+,@,#). An entry need
not be displayed on the screen in order to revise it.
Adding or Revising an Entry
To add an entry to the directory, or to change an existing entry, enter
"R" at the "==>" prompt. A window will open and you will be asked for
the entry to revise. Type the entry number (1-100) you wish to revise.
The current values for that entry are displayed at the top of the window.
You are prompted first for the name. Press <CR> to retain the current
value, or enter up to 24 characters for a new or revised name. You can
use the backspace and left arrow keys to edit your entry. Press <CR>
when you are done. You will now be prompted for the phone number. Enter
only the numbers you need; the number will be right justified on the
page. For example, if you are entering a local number, you need not
enter spaces for the area code. Press <CR> when you are finished
entering the number.
The current baud rate will now be displayed. Press any key (except <ESC>
or <CR>) to cycle through the available baud rates. Press <CR> to select
the one you want. Use the same technique to select the parity, data
bits, stop bits and echo. You will now be prompted for a command file to
link to the entry. Enter the filename without an extension or path. The
same command file may be linked to any number of dialing directory
entries. To clear an existing command file, type a space and then <CR>.
If you don't want to link a command file with this entry, then press <CR>
without specifying a filename.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 502
ProComm 2.4 Dialing Directory
After specifying the command file, you will be asked whether to save the
entry to disk. Enter "Y" to save your changes, "N" to abandon them. You
may also abandon a revision at any point by pressing <ESC>. If you elect
to save the entry, it will be written to disk, then the current page is
redisplayed, reflecting the changes you have just made. If you do not
save the entry to disk, all your changes will be lost.
Revising the Modem Command
The modem dialing command, and its suffix, are settable in the Modem
SetUp section of the SetUp command.
Adding or Revising Long Distance Codes
Long distance codes are used primarily for accessing alternate
long-distance services. Four such codes are provided, identified by the
characters "-", "+", "@" and "#". Enter "P" at the dialing directory
"==>" prompt to display a window containing the current long distance
code definitions. Press any key to remove this window from the screen.
To revise a long distance code, enter the "R" command. Now enter the
long distance code id character at the "Entry to revise" prompt. The
current string for that long distance code will be displayed, and you
will be asked for the new value. Control characters and carriage returns
may be included in long distance codes by using translation conventions
described earlier. Press <CR> to complete the long distance code
revision. Pressing <CR> as the first character in the new string deletes
that long distance code. If you do not save the changes to disk, they
will be in effect for the current session only. Press <ESC> to abandon
long distance code changes completely.
Long distance codes are used to provide access to alternate long distance
carriers, to dial through office PBX or switchboard equipment, or for
similar uses. Long distance codes may precede or follow the number in
the dialing directory entry. For example, say you wish to call some long
distance number using your Sprint account. Begin by setting up a long
distance code. Choose "R" to revise, then select the ld code to change
(We'll use "#"). Set the "#" ld code to "123-4567,,,99999," where "123-
4567" is your local Sprint telephone number, and "99999" is your Sprint
account ID (or password). To dial an entry, say number 14, using Sprint,
enter "#14" at the "==>" prompt. This is what happens: the modem will
dial the local Sprint number, wait six seconds (the comma is a Hayes
modem command convention for a two second delay) then enter your Sprint
access code. It then waits another 2 seconds (the final comma) then
dials whatever happens to be specified in entry number 14. Similar tasks
can be performed using different ld codes. And remember, each code may
be placed either before (i.e. "#14"), after (i.e. "14#") or both before
and after the entry to be dialed.
Deleting Entries
You can use the 'D' command to delete entries from your dialing
directory. A window will open and prompt you for a range of entries to
delete. Enter the starting and ending entry numbers for the range you
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 503
ProComm 2.4 Dialing Directory
wish to delete. Leave the second field blank to delete a single entry.
For example, to delete entries 15-25, enter "15" in the first space and
"25" in the second. After verification, those 11 entries will be
deleted. To delete just entry 37, enter "37" in the first space, and
press <CR> in the second. You'll be asked to verify that you actually
want the entries deleted before any action is taken.
Making a Call
To dial an entry in your dialing directory, simply type the entry number
(1-100) at the "==>" prompt. To dial with a long distance code, place
the code's identifier before and/or after the entry number. For example,
enter "14" to dial entry number 14. Enter "#14" to dial entry number 14
preceded by the long distance code identified by "#". Enter "14+" to
dial entry number 14 followed by the '+' long distance code. ProComm
will send the modem command, an optional long distance prefix, the
number, an optional long distance code, and finally the modem command
suffix to the modem. All five parts of the dialing string are translated
using the conventions described earlier under string translation (see
Section 2). The parameters for the dialed entry become the current
settings and remain after the call is complete.
If a command file is linked to the entry being dialed, the redial
facility will be used to place the call. When a connection is made,
control is passed to the linked command file. Command files can be very
useful for setting up custom terminal configurations, performing
automatic logons, loading specific keyboard macro files and many other
functions.
Manual Dialing
To dial a number not in your directory, enter the manual dialing command
("M") at the "==>" prompt. Then enter the telephone number you wish to
dial. ProComm will send the dialing command plus the string you entered,
plus the modem command suffix. A long distance code indicator may be
used if it is the first and/or last character in the string (that is, you
can enter "+212-555-1552", "212-555-1552#" or "+212-555-1552#").
Printing the Directory
ProComm lets you output your directory to a printer, disk file or any DOS
device. Type "L" at the "==>" prompt, then specify where to send the
file. Simply press <CR> to use the default of PRN. You can even output
the directory to the COM port you are using and send a listing of your
directory to the remote computer.
Automatic Redial with Circular Dialing Queue
Some remote systems can be very hard to reach. ProComm makes it easier
to access hard-to-reach systems with its automatic redial feature. Press
Alt-R to invoke the redial procedure. When the redial window opens,
specify one or more dialing directory entries separated by blanks, commas
or semicolons. Entries may contain long distance codes. ProComm will
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 504
ProComm 2.4 Dialing Directory
continuously redial the numbers in the list until you are connected.
Pressing <CR> without specifying any entries will cause ProComm to dial
the numbers that were in the list the last time it was used.
If the redial time is exceeded, or ProComm senses one of the modem's no
connect strings (specified in the SetUp screen), the program will
automatically move to the next number in the list. As each number is
reached, it is removed from the circular queue. To remove an entry that
is being called from the list without first connecting, press the Del key
while that number is being dialed. You can also press the Space key to
abort the current call and proceed to the next entry in the list.
Set the length of time ProComm waits for some response by pressing the
End key; specify the new time to wait (from 5 to 100 seconds) and press
<CR>. If you want this change to become permanent, respond "Y" to the
"save to disk?" prompt. Be certain, however, that the your modem's delay
timeout is set at least as high as the wait time you specify here;
otherwise, the modem will timeout and disconnect before the redial wait
time is reached. You can specify the redial timeout delay in the SetUp
(Alt-S) screen as well as at the redial function.
Between calls ProComm will delay for the amount of time specified by the
modem pause delay parameter (see Section 3). This delay is provided to
allow the modem sufficient time to reset between calls. To continue
immediately with the next call, press the Space key.
The alarm will sound when you connect during a redial. If a command file
is linked to the entry that has connected, program control will pass to
the linked command file. Command returns to you when that command file
has finished its tasks.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 505
ProComm 2.4 File Transfer
6. F I L E T R A N S F E R
The ability to transfer information makes a communications program a very
powerful tool. ProComm gives you several choices for two-way information
transfer via file transfer protocols. With them you can upload (send)
and download (receive) files from almost any system.
Uploading Files
Begin a file upload to another system by starting the transfer on the
remote computer. When the remote indicates that it is ready, press PgUp.
You will be presented with a menu of protocol choices:
+----+ UPLOAD +----+
| |
| 1) XMODEM |
| 2) Kermit |
| 3) Telink |
| 4) MODEM7 |
| 5) YMODEM |
| 6) YMODEM Batch |
| 7) ASCII |
| 8) COMPUSERVE B |
| 9) WXMODEM |
| ESC to Abort |
| |
| Protocol: |
+------------------+
Enter the number of the protocol you wish to use. A second window will
prompt you for the name of the file to upload. Enter the filename,
including a path if you wish, then press <CR>. Another window will open
and report on the progress of the transfer.
An ASCII upload is something of a special case. No transfer progress
window will be displayed, but the status line will indicate that an ASCII
transfer is taking place. ASCII uploads are under the control of several
setup options. The first set of options control pacing. You can set
ProComm to pause after it sends each line of text or after each character
to avoid overflowing the receiver. You may also set ProComm to wait to
receive a specific character before sending the next line. Another
option allows you to specify if text is to be echoed locally. In most
cases you will want to let the remote do any echoing of transferred text.
Still other options determine whether carriage returns or linefeeds
should be stripped or translated from the outgoing file.
Downloading Files
Downloading files is just as easy. After starting the download procedure
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 601
ProComm 2.4 File Transfer
on the remote, press PgDn. The protocol selection window is again
displayed (but this time headed "DOWNLOAD"). Enter the number of the
protocol you wish to use. If a Default Download Path has been specified
in the General SetUp area, downloaded files will be placed in the
specified directory. Otherwise they will be placed in the currently
logged drive and directory.
If you select ASCII, XMODEM or YMODEM protocol, a window will open and
you will be prompted for the filename. In all other cases the filename
is provided by the sender and you do not need to enter it locally. If
you enter the name of a file that already exists you will be asked if it
should be overwritten. If a filename provided by the sender already
exists, the received file will be renamed by placing a dollar sign in the
first position of the filename. For example, if you select to download
FILE1.EXE using the Telink protocol and that file already exists, the
downloaded file will be named $ILE1.EXE.
After you have specified the protocol and (possibly) the file name, a
window will open which displays information regarding the transfer. When
the transfer is complete, or an abort is sensed, the alarm will sound and
appropriate messages will be displayed.
ASCII downloads are somewhat different from the others in two respects.
First, no transfer status window is displayed. A message on the status
line indicates that an ASCII download is in effect. Second, ASCII
downloads need user intervention to complete. Text will continue to be
captured until you press <ESC> to terminate the transfer.
There is, however, a large degree of control over various ASCII file
transfer parameters. These can be set from the SetUp screen (Alt-S).
You can conform CR and LF translation in a number of ways, allowing
transfer to or from almost any system.
File Transfer Protocols
There are nine file transfer protocols available in ProComm:
ASCII
ASCII file transfer is the equivalent of typing information from one
system to another. The ASCII characters are sent in a one-way stream
with no handshaking (other than XON/XOFF, if it is activated) or error
checking performed. This method is fine for some applications, but you
are limited to text file transfer.
One difference between an ASCII download and file logging is that all
data (including terminal escape sequences) is captured, while during
logging terminal control sequences (with the exception of formfeeds) are
filtered out.
ProComm provides a number of ASCII file transfer settings which allow you
to transfer data to or from most any system. These options are settable
via the ASCII Transfer SetUp section of the SetUp facility.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 602
ProComm 2.4 File Transfer
XMODEM File Transfer
XMODEM is a block-oriented error checking protocol released into the
public domain by its creator, Ward Christensen. It is very popular on
electronic bulletin board systems. XMODEM transfers only a single file
at a time. The protocol uses two-way communications and either a
checksum or cyclic redundancy check for error checking. XMODEM can
handle text or executable files with over 99% accuracy. ProComm supports
and automatically adjusts for both the checksum and CRC variants.
The XMODEM protocol is defined such that CRC checking is always attempted
first. If CRC is not acknowledged by the sender then the checksum method
is used. While ProComm correctly implements this system, however, some
other systems do not. As a result, a problem can arise if the remote
system responds to the CRC attempt but uses checksums.
Note that XMODEM requires transfers to be performed with 8 data bits, 1
stop bit and no parity. If you attempt to begin an XMODEM transfer while
set to other parameters, ProComm will automatically switch to N/8/1,
returning you to your original parameters when the transfer is complete.
Some systems, such as CompuServe, have trouble meeting the standard
XMODEM timing sequences. You may set ProComm's XMODEM facility into a
"relaxed" mode, which has less critical timing, using the SetUp (Alt-S)
screen. Most other systems, however, will work fine with XMODEM set to
normal.
MODEM7 File Transfers
MODEM7 is a variant of the XMODEM protocol. By sending the filename,
batch transfers (multiple files) can be accomplished. CRC and checksum
are supported.
YMODEM File Transfers
YMODEM is another XMODEM variant. Its main advantage is that it supports
longer data blocks (1K) and thus speeds transfer times. ProComm supports
YMODEM for single file transfers and YMODEM Batch for multiple file
transfers. YMODEM Batch also provides some header information, such as
filename and filesize. YMODEM file transfers are always performed with
CRC error checking.
Telink File Transfers
Telink is yet another XMODEM/MODEM7 variant which adds file size and
creation date information. It is found mainly on FIDO bulletin board
systems, and provides for batch file transfers.
Kermit File Transfer
Kermit is a packet-oriented protocol developed at Columbia University and
is available on many different computer systems. By using a technique
called 8th-bit quoting, Kermit is able to transfer binary files between 7
and 8 bit systems. In some implementations, such as ProComm, Kermit
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 603
ProComm 2.4 File Transfer
supports multiple file transfers.
ProComm's implementation of Kermit includes all of the latest Kermit
enhancements, including data compression, file attributes, and sliding
windows.
The most significant of these features is sliding windows. A "sliding
window" protocol is a full duplex protocol that can transmit and receive
data at the same time. The XMODEM family of protocols are half duplex
protocols. They must wait between each block of data for a reply from
the other side. XMODEM wastes quite a bit of time this way. Full duplex
protocols can send a continuous stream of data while receiving replies at
the same time, thus greatly increasing file transfer efficiency. ProComm
Kermit will automatically sense if the other Kermit supports sliding
windows and will use them if it does. Currently, Sliding Window Kermit
is available on The Source, TCOMM BBS, and PC-HOST BBS. Mainframe
versions are under development and should be appearing soon. ProComm
Kermit is backward-compatible with earlier versions of Kermit.
ProComm's default Kermit settings are fairly standard and should need to
be changed only under special conditions. Because of the sliding window
enhancement, block size should be limited to a maximum of 90, rather than
94 as in standard Kermit.
In addition, a few Kermit server commands are supported. Press Alt-K to
access the Kermit server command menu. Available commands include
Finish, Logout, Send and Get. Get (option 1) and Send (option 2) will
both prompt you for the appropriate filename and then perform the
indicated function, i.e. either GET (receive) or SEND (transmit) a file.
Finish (option 3) will terminate the Kermit session and return you to the
system level. Logout (option 4) will terminate Kermit and log you off
the remote. These commands are effective only when the remote Kermit is
operating in server mode.
More information on Kermit is available from Columbia University. Send
$5 each for the Protocol or User manual to:
Kermit Distribution
Columbia University Center for Computing Activities
7th floor, Watson Laboratories
612 West 115th Street
New York, NY 10025
CompuServe B File Transfers
The CompuServe B protocol is available on the CompuServe Information
Service. It may be used with ProComm in two ways. You may select it
from the Upload or Download selection windows like any other protocol.
You may also operate it in an automatic mode. To do so, set the ENQ
parameter in the Terminal SetUp section to CIS B. This activates the
automatic capabilities of ProComm to handle CompuServe B file transfers.
All you need do at that point is instruct CIS to begin a transfer, and
let the software do the rest. Be sure not to set ENQ to CIS B unless you
are connecting to CompuServe or strange results may occur.
WXMODEM File Transfers
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 604
ProComm 2.4 File Transfer
WXMODEM, another variant of the XMODEM protocol, is used primarily on the
PeopleLink online service; it provides a sliding window protocol, similar
to that discussed under "Kermit File Transfer", above.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 605
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
7. C O M M A N D F I L E S
Command files are text files you create that contain ProComm commands.
You can use command files to perform automatic logons, perform unattended
file transfers and many other tasks. You can even link command files to
the entries in your dialing directory so that the entire dialing and
logon procedure is automated.
You can create a command file using virtually any word processor which
saves in straight ASCII format; if your word processor normally makes use
of special or extended ASCII characters, then you should use its
"non-document" mode. A command file may have any valid filename;
however, ProComm looks for files with an extension of .CMD when it lists
available command files.
Command files can be executed from within ProComm or as a command line
option when you first invoke the program. If you specify them on the
command line, using the "/F" option, they will be executed immediately
upon program startup. Execute them from inside the program by pressing
Alt-F5. ProComm first searches the current directory for files with the
.CMD extension. If any are found, their names are displayed in the
window. If none are found, ProComm will look in the directory pointed to
by the ProComm environment variable. Again, the names of any files found
are displayed in the window. If no files are found in either directory,
the message "NO FILES" will be displayed.
To execute a command file you may either type the filename or choose from
the scrolling window display of available .CMD files. If you type the
filename, you may omit the .CMD extension. To choose from the scrolling
window, position the highlight on the name of the file you wish to
execute and press <CR>. PgUp and PgDn will scroll the window one page in
either direction. The arrow keys will scroll the window one entry in
either direction. Pressing the Home key will position the list at the
first page of available command files; pressing End will position it at
the last. If you don't see the highlighted entry, use the Alt-Z command
to change the color being used for highlighting so that it is different
than that being used for regular foreground display. The command file
window uses the colors displayed in Alt-Z for the file transfer window.
Once you begin to enter a command file name at the prompt you may still
scroll the window, but you may not select a file for execution from the
scrolling display.
Abort a command file by pressing <ESC> during its execution. The command
file will abort when the current command has completed (which might take
a few seconds). In some cases, such as while dialing or performing a
file transfer, two <ESC>'s are needed: one to abort the task in progress
and a second to abort the command file.
There is a special command file named PROFILE.CMD which ProComm looks for
in the default directory first, then in the directory pointed to by the
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
ProComm environment variable (see Section 1). If PROFILE.CMD is found,
it will be executed immediately upon program startup, before any other
command file specified as a "/F" command line option. You can use the
profile to do such custom setup work as changing to a special directory,
turning off the sound, changing line settings, or overriding the default
modem initialization string.
Command File Syntax
Command file commands begin with special command words, listed below.
Commands may be entered in either upper- or lower-case. When processing
commands ProComm looks only at the first 4 characters. Thus all the
following commands are treated the same:
TRANSMIT = trans = Tran = TRANSM
Each command must appear on a separate line.
IF NOT CONNECTED ; this is correct
MESSAGE "sorry!" ;
ENDIF ;
IF NOT CONNECTED MESSAGE "sorry!" ; this is incorrect
ENDIF ;
Many commands have one or more additional arguments; if the argument is
listed in brackets ([]) it is optional, otherwise it is required.
Arguments listed within quotation marks (" ") should include the
quotation marks; thus the command RUN, if you wish to use it to run
WordStar, would be typed
RUN "WORDSTAR"
Arguments may be separated by blanks or commas. Thus both
GETFILE XMODEM "FILE.EXT"
and
GETFILE,XMODEM,"FILE.EXT"
are valid.
To use the quotation character in a quoted string, precede it with the
special escape character ` (the reverse tick mark, or accent grave, ASCII
96). Thus to print the message
She said "Goodbye" and then went home.
use the command
MESSAGE "She said `"Goodbye`" and then went home."
Labels are used as targets of GOTOs and GOSUBs. Labels must end with a
colon. Below are some valid labels:
LABEL1:
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
This_is_a_long_label:
JUMP1:
split:
GO_HERE:
Labels must appear on a line by themselves. (Comments are allowed on
label lines; executable statements are not). Labels may be of any
length; however, only the first 8 characters are used by the interpreter.
Thus LABEL_TAG1: and LABEL_TAG2 are the same as far as ProComm is
concerned.
Comments begin with a semi-colon (;). Any text following a semi-colon is
treated as comment text. Below are valid comments:
; This is a comment.
LABEL7: ;This is a comment on a label line
TRANSMIT "Welcome back" ;And this is a comment as well
There are 10 string variables, named S0-S9, which may be set and used in
place of quoted strings. They have a maximum length of 80 characters
each. They may be set by the ASSIGN, GET and RGET commands. String
variables may be used in place of a quoted string in any of the commands
marked below with the @ character. For example, the commands
ASSIGN S5 "Hello, Mike Todd here"
TRANSMIT S5
and
TRANSMIT "Hello, Mike Todd here"
are functionally the same. One of the most useful applications of string
variables is in obtaining and using user responses. Consider the
commands below:
MESSAGE "Enter the name of the file to upload:"
GET S4
SENDFILE XMODEM S4
String variables are also a very handy method for passing values between
command files. When you chain from command file to command file, using
the EXECUTE command, string variable contents are not reset. Thus you
may set a variable in one command file, and act on the variable in
another.
ProComm allows the nesting of commands such as IF, SWITCH and GOSUB.
Nesting, however, is limited to 10 levels.
Characters that are received from a remote system are stored in the
receive buffer. During command file execution, the receive buffer is
emptied before each command is executed, with the exceptions noted below.
What this means is that before each command is performed, all the
characters that have come in are displayed on the screen and are
therefore not available to be processed by later commands. The
exceptions are the GET, RGET and WAITFOR commands, as well as labels and
comments. In these cases the buffer is not emptied, allowing the command
to process the accumulated characters. The point here is that if you
have a command sequence that looks like
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
TRANSMIT "password!"
PAUSE 5
SET DUPLEX HALF
WAITFOR "target"
the text you are looking for may come in and be processed before the
WAITFOR command has a chance to see it. A better solution would be to
change duplex at some other point, and let the WAITFOR command do the
extra pausing:
SET DUPLEX HALF
TRANSMIT "password!"
WAITFOR "target" 35 ; 30 seconds is the default pause
Use the commands described below to perform your specific task. Be sure
to test your command files thoroughly before using them for unattended
communications.
The following notations apply to the commands listed below: Commands
marked with an asterisk (*) may be tested with the IF command. Commands
marked with an at-sign (@) indicate where string variables may be used in
place of quoted strings. Sx indicates that you should use one of the
string variables. Ellipses (...) mean that you may place a number of
command lines in that spot.
Top Level Commands
ALARM [seconds]
The ALARM command will sound an alarm to alert you to some event. Use
the [seconds] option to determine the amount of time the alarm will
sound. If the [seconds] option is not specified ProComm will use the
Alarm Time specified in the General SetUp screen. This command is also
under control of the Alarm Sound setting. Both Alarm Sound and Alarm
Time may be regulated using the SET command described below.
Example: ALARM 5 ; sounds the alarm for 5 seconds
ASSIGN Sx "string" @
This command assigns the contents of "string" to a user variable. Use
ASSIGN to set a user variable from within your command file.
Examples: ASSIGN S5 "12345" ; set S5 to contain the string '12345'
ASSIGN S6 S5 ; sets S6 to be the same as S5
BREAK [time]
The BREAK command is used to send a break to the remote system. The
optional [time] argument determines the length of the break in
milliseconds. If [time] is not specified, ProComm will use the default
as indicated by the Break Length option in the Terminal SetUp screen.
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
Examples: BREAK ; send a break using the default timing
BREAK 500 ; send a 500 millisecond break
CHDIR "drive and/or directory" @
The CHDIR command will change the logged directory and/or drive.
Examples: CHDIR "A:" ; change the logged drive to A:
CHDIR "C:\COMM" ; change to \COMM dir on drive C:
CHDIR "\COMM" ; change logged dir to \COMM
CLEAR [bg fg]
The CLEAR command is used to clear the top 24 lines of your screen. The
optional parameter [bg fg] (you must use both codes) allows you to change
your background (bg) and foreground (fg) colors. If the [bg fg] option
is not used, the screen will be cleared to the current colors. If the
[bg fg] option is used, ProComm will clear the screen to the new colors
as well as reset the current colors to those specified. The codes to use
for colors are as follows:
0 Black 8 Dk Grey (8-15 are the bright
1 Blue 9 Lt Blue colors)
2 Green 10 Lt Green
3 Cyan 11 Lt Cyan
4 Red 12 Lt Red
5 Magenta 13 Lt Magenta
6 Brown 14 Yellow
7 Lt Grey 15 White
Only the codes 0-7 are valid for background colors; any of the sixteen
colors may be used for the foreground.
Examples: CLEAR 0 10 ; clear screen to lt green on black
CLEAR ; clear screen to current colors
DIAL "entry" @
The DIAL command is used to call an entry in your dialing directory.
Specify the number of the entry, optionally preceded and/or followed by a
long distance code identifier as the argument.
Examples: DIAL "5" ; call entry number 5
DIAL "#5" ; call entry 5 using ld code '#'
If a second command file is linked via the dialing directory to the entry
being dialed, the linked command file will not be executed. Place all
statements to be executed in the command file which initiates the call.
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
Use the IF LINKED command to avoid secondary dialing in command files
linked to dialing directory entries. For example, including the commands
IF NOT LINKED ; do not execute the dial command if
DIAL "5" ; this file is executing via linkage
ENDIF ; to a dialing directory entry
in a command file linked to entry number 5 allows you to use that command
file both as a stand alone file and linked to the dialing directory
entry.
This command uses the auto redial facility to place its calls; it will
keep re-dialing until a connection is made. To make a call without using
auto redial, use the TRANSMIT command.
Examples: TRANSMIT "ATDT1 314 449-9401!" ; place the call
PAUSE 10 ; wait 10 seconds
IF CONNECTED
... ; do these commands if
ENDIF ; connected
Remember, if you sort your dialing directory you will need to change your
command files so the entry numbers match.
DOS "command" [WAIT] @ *
The DOS command allows you to execute DOS commands or other programs from
within a ProComm .CMD file. Enter the "command" as it would appear on
the DOS command line. For example, to go out to DOS and type a file
named FILE.EXT to your printer use the command:
DOS "type FILE.EXT > prn"
If the optional argument WAIT is included, ProComm will wait for a
keystroke after executing the command, before returning to ProComm.
To execute this command properly you must make sure of two things.
First, you must have enough memory to run the "command". Secondly,
COMMAND.COM must be where ProComm can find it. (Either in the boot
location or wherever COMSPEC is pointing). While this command returns an
error status checkable with the IF command, the error check is very
limited. The DOS command will indicate FAILURE only if COMMAND.COM was
not found. IF COMMAND.COM was found, even if the command to be executed
was invalid, SUCCESS will be returned.
Examples: DOS "del FILE.EXT" ; delete a file
DOS "sortdisk" ; run a program called sortdisk
IF FAILURE
MESSAGE "COMMAND.COM not found"
ENDIF
CAUTION: If you execute a program or command requiring user input be sure
you are around to provide it, since the program will wait until you do.
EMULATE terminal -or- EMULATE "terminal"
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
The EMULATE command changes the active emulation to that specified.
Valid terminal types are: VT100, VT52, IBM3101, TV920, TV950, ADM5,
HEATH19, ANSI, ADDSVP and WYSE100.
Examples: EMULATE VT100 ; change emulation to VT100
EMULATE "IBM3101" ; emulate the 3101
EXECUTE "cmd file" @
The EXECUTE command allows you to begin execution of a different command
file. The currently executing command file will be ended and will not be
returned to. The EXECUTE commands allows a one-way chaining of command
file execution. The file extension of .CMD need not be specified.
Remember, string variables are not reset when chaining command files so
you may use them to pass values. String variables are reset to null,
however, when you begin the first command in the chain.
Examples: EXECUTE "CALL_KEN.CMD" ; execute CALL_KEN.CMD
GET S0 ; get the option
SWITCH S0 ; switch based on option
CASE "A"
ASSIGN S1 "CHOICEA.CMD"
ENDCASE
CASE "B"
ASSIGN S1 "CHOICEB.CMD"
ENDCASE
DEFAULT
ASSIGN S1 "DEFAULT.CMD"
ENDCASE
ENDSWITCH
EXECUTE S1
EXIT
The EXIT command terminates the executing command file and returns you to
Terminal Mode.
Examples: TRANSMIT "Goodbye" ; log off remote
HANGUP ; hangup phone
EXIT ; return to Terminal Mode
FIND Sx "target" @ *
The FIND command looks for an occurrence of the "target" string in the
string variable Sx. Test for an occurrence of "target" within Sx using
the IF FOUND command. The FIND command is not case sensitive.
Examples: MESSAGE "Enter the password:" ; prompt
MGET S0 ; get with mask
FIND S0 "password" ; look for password
IF NOT FOUND ; found ?
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
MESSAGE "Invalid password" ; not found, do this code
GOTO SECURITY_BREACH
ELSE
GOSUB WELCOME ; found, do this
ENDIF
GET Sx [length]
The GET command is used to obtain and store user input. The Sx argument
determines which string variable is used to hold the data. The optional
[length] variable determines the maximum number of characters that will
be accepted. If the [length] argument is not specified, the maximum size
of 80 characters is used.
When responding to a GET command, the user must enter a <CR> to signal
that his input is complete. The <CR> is not included in the string
variable. If the [length] argument is used, the user will be allowed to
enter up to [length] number of characters, but still must use a <CR> to
complete his entry. ProComm will beep if the user attempts to enter more
than [length] characters.
The MGET command is the same as the GET command except that the text the
user enters is not displayed; rather each character typed will display as
an asterisk (*). This is handy for security-related items such as
passwords.
Examples: MESSAGE "Enter your choice: (A,B or C)"
GET S3 1
SWITCH S3
...
ENDSWITCH
MESSAGE "Enter the password"
MGET S9 8
FIND S9 "secret"
IF NOT FOUND
MESSAGE "You are not an authorized user."
QUIT
ENDIF
GETFILE
KERMIT *
XMODEM "filename" @ *
WXMODEM "filename" @ * (Widowed XMODEM)
RXMODEM "filename" @ * (Relaxed XMODEM)
YMODEM "filename" @ *
BYMODEM * (YMODEM Batch)
TELINK *
MODEM7 *
ASCII "filename" @ *
CISB * (CompuServe B)
The GETFILE command performs a file download (receive). A number of
protocols are currently supported; see the section on file transfers for
more information on each protocol.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 708
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
To perform a download you must first initiate the transfer on the remote.
When that system indicates that it is ready, begin your transfer.
Note that 4 protocols require you to specify the filename to receive; for
the other protocols, the filename is provided by the sending system. All
transfers may be checked for successful completion using the IF
SUCCESS/FAILURE command.
Examples: WAITFOR "Begin your transfer now" ; wait till it's ready
GETFILE XMODEM "FILE.EXT" ; receive FILE.EXT
WAITFOR "Kermit-32>" ; wait for prompt
MESSAGE "Enter file to transfer" ; transfer a file with
GET S1 ; Kermit
TRANSMIT "SEND " ; send transfer command
TRANSMIT S1 ; the file name
TRANSMIT "^M" ; and a CR
GETFILE KERMIT ; now get it
GOSUB label
The GOSUB command provides for an unconditional branch with return. Upon
encountering a GOSUB command, the interpreter searches the command file
for the label specified. If the label is found, execution will continue
with the command immediately following the label. If the label is not
found, the command file will terminate with an "Unexpected end of file"
error.
After successfully branching to the specified label, execution will
continue until a RETURN command is found, at which point ProComm will
jump back to the point at which the GOSUB was called. Execution resumes
at the command immediately following the GOSUB. Each GOSUB must have its
associated RETURN.
GOSUBs may be nested to a depth of 10 levels. If the end of the command
file is encountered within a GOSUB, an "Unexpected end of file" error
will occur. If you attempt to nest more than 10 GOSUB calls, a "Stack
overflow" error will result. Likewise, if you attempt to RETURN without
having a corresponding GOSUB, a "Stack underflow" error will occur.
Examples: SWITCH S0 ; switch based on the contents of S0
CASE "ABC"
GOSUB LABEL1
ENDCASE
CASE "ZXY"
GOSUB LABEL2
ENDCASE
DEFAULT
GOSUB ERROR1
ENDCASE
ENDSWITCH
...
; Subroutine area
LABEL1:
...
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 709
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
RETURN
LABEL2:
...
RETURN
ERROR1:
...
RETURN
GOTO label
The GOTO command performs an unconditional branch to the indicated label.
Upon encountering a GOTO command, the interpreter searches the command
file for the label specified. If the label is found, execution will
continue with the command immediately following the label. If the label
is not found, the command file will terminate with an "Unexpected end of
file" error. Remember, only the first 8 characters of a label are
actually used. If two identical labels exists, ProComm will branch to
the one closest to the beginning of the file.
GOTOs may not be used to jump into the middle of IF or SWITCH statements,
although they may be used to branch out of those constructs. They should
also not be used to branch into or out of subroutines (code segments
designed to be used with the GOSUB command), although they may be used
within the boundaries of individual subroutines. Use of a GOTO in these
situations will result in unexpected and usually erroneous execution.
Examples: IF NOT WAITFOR
GOTO ERROR_EXIT ; this is OK
ENDIF
...
ERROR_EXIT:
MESSAGE "Abnormal termination"
HANGUP
QUIT
GOTO LABEL1 ; this is not OK
SWITCH S0
CASE "xyz"
LABEL1:
etc.
HANGUP *
The HANGUP command attempts to disconnect the phone in the manner
described for the Alt-H command in Section 3. Use the IF CONNECTED
command to determine if you successfully disconnected.
Example: HANGUP ; disconnect the phone
HOST
The HOST command is used to put ProComm into Host Mode.
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
Example: HOST ; enter host mode
IF condition
The IF command is used to make decisions. The syntax of the IF statement
is
IF condition
[part 1]
ELSE
[part 2]
ENDIF
where the ELSE part is optional. The condition is evaluated; if it is
true, [part 1] is executed. If it is false, and there is an ELSE,
[part 2] is executed. There must be an ENDIF for every IF. IF commands
may be nested up to 10 levels deep.
Valid conditions for the IF command are
SUCCESS CONNECTED FOUND
FAILURE LINKED WAITFOR
The SUCCESS condition is evaluated as true if the last checkable command
was successfully executed. A "checkable" command is a command file
command that sets one of the condition flags. Checkable commands are
indicated in this chapter by having an asterisk (*) after the command
name. For example:
RUN "someprog"
IF SUCCESS
... ; this segment will execute if "someprog" ran.
ENDIF
The FAILURE condition is considered true if the last checkable command
was not successfully completed. For example, if you had an RGET command
that timed out, FAILURE would be considered true:
RGET S9 80 5
IF FAILURE
... ; this segment will execute if RGET times out.
ENDIF
The CONNECTED condition is true if CD (Carrier Detect) is found to be
high. CD is high when you are connected to a remote system, or if your
modem is forcing the CD lead high. WARNING: be sure that your modem does
not force CD high (usually a dip switch setting) or the CONNECTED
condition will always be true.
IF CONNECTED
... ; perform this segment if you are connected
ENDIF
The LINKED condition is considered true if the command file that is
executing was started because it was linked to an entry in the dialing
directory. In other words, if you have a command file called VAX.CMD
which is linked to dialing directory entry number 5, and you call entry
number 5 and are connected, and VAX.CMD begins execution, an IF command
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 711
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
that looks like
IF LINKED
...
ENDIF
will be considered true. The primary use for the LINKED condition is so
you can write one command file and use it both stand alone and linked to
dialing directory entries.
IF NOT LINKED
DIAL 5
ENDIF
In this code segment, the DIAL command will be executed only if the
command file was not executed because of a dialing directory link. (More
on the NOT option below).
The FOUND condition is used to test the result of the last FIND command
executed. It is considered true if the "target" was found in the
specified string variable. For example, in the sequence
ASSIGN S9 "ABCDEFG"
FIND S9 "CDE"
IF FOUND
...
ENDIF
the commands denoted by ellipses (...) would be executed, as the FOUND
condition would be true.
The WAITFOR condition is used to check the result of the last WAITFOR
command. If the "target" specified in the WAITFOR command was received,
the WAITFOR condition would be true. If the WAITFOR command timed out
before receiving the "target", the condition would be false.
WAITFOR "ABCDEFG" 15 ; wait 15 seconds for 'ABCDEFG'
IF WAITFOR
... ; execute if 'ABCDEFG' was received
ELSE
... ; execute if timed out
ENDIF
The NOT operative may be employed with any of the conditionals. The
effect of the NOT is to reverse the value of the condition. For example,
if CONNECTED is false, then NOT CONNECTED would be true. The conditions
NOT SUCCESS and FAILED are exactly the same. The code segments
IF FOUND IF NOT FOUND
[part 1] [part 2]
ELSE ELSE
[part 2] [part 1]
ENDIF ENDIF
will result in identical execution.
Examples: IF NOT CONNECTED
... ; do this if no connection
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
ENDIF
WAITFOR "Something"
IF WAITFOR
... ; do this if it was found
ELSE
... ; else do this
ENDIF
SEND_IT:
SENDFILE KERMIT "FILE.EXT"
IF NOT SUCCESS
MESSAGE "Error in file transfer. Retrying..."
GOTO SEND_IT
ENDIF
; How to redial without using Alt-R
DOIT:
TRANSMIT "ATDT123-4567"
WAITFOR "CONNECT" 20
IF NOT WAITFOR
MESSAGE "No connect. Redialing..."
GOTO DOIT
ENDIF
ISFILE "filename" @ *
The ISFILE command is used to determine if a specific file exists in the
current directory. Use the IF SUCCESS/FAILURE command to test the
results of the ISFILE command.
Examples: ISFILE "procomm.doc"
IF SUCCESS
MESSAGE "Doc file exists"
ELSE
MESSAGE "Doc file not found"
ENDIF
MESSAGE "Enter filename"
GET S0
ISFILE S0
IF NOT SUCCESS
MESSAGE "File does not exist"
ENDIF
KERMSERVE
SENDFILE "filename" @ *
GETFILE "filename" @ *
FINISH
LOGOUT
The KERMSERVE command may be used to issue a Kermit server command. The
available commands are listed above.
Examples: MESSAGE "File to send?" ; prompt for filename
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
GET S0 ; get filename
KERMSERVE SENDFILE S0 ; send file
KERMSERVE FINISH ; issue the FINISH server command
KFLUSH
The KFLUSH command is used to clear any accumulated keystrokes from the
keyboard buffer. Any keystrokes that have been entered, but not
processed, will be lost.
Examples: KFLUSH ; clear keyboard buffer
LOCATE row col
The LOCATE command positions the cursor to the location specified by row
and col (column). Rows are numbered 0-24, columns 0-79, with 0,0 (row 0,
col 0) being the upper left corner of the screen.
Examples: CLEAR ; clear the screen
LOCATE 10 20 ; position cursor
MESSAGE "ENTER CHOICE:"
LOCATE 10 44 ; position at end of line
GET S8
LOG
OPEN ["filename"] @ *
CLOSE
SUSPEND
RESUME
The LOG command controls file logging during command file execution. Use
the OPEN command to start logging data to disk. If "filename" is not
present, the Default Log File as specified in the General SetUp section
will be used. Use the CLOSE command to turn off file logging. The
SUSPEND command will stop text from being logged temporarily without
closing the log file. Use the RESUME command to continue logging after a
SUSPEND command.
Examples: LOG OPEN ; use default log name
...
LOG SUSPEND ; put log on hold
...
LOG RESUME ; resume logging
...
LOG CLOSE ; close log
MACRO number -or- MACRO "number" @
The MACRO command will send the string currently assigned to any of the
macro keys (Alt-0 through Alt-9). Use the MLOAD command to load
individual keyboard macro definition files.
Examples: MACRO 5 ; send macro assigned to Alt-5
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
ASSIGN S8 "2"
MACRO S8 ; send macro assigned to Alt-2
MESSAGE "string" @
The MESSAGE command displays a string on the local console. The text is
not sent to the remote. The message is displayed at the current cursor
position, in the current colors. MESSAGE will always do a CR/LF after
each string. The "string" may contain control characters such as CR and
LF by using the translation conventions described in Section 2. Use the
MESSAGE command for prompts, informational messages, building menus, etc.
Examples: MESSAGE "+---------------------+"
MESSAGE "| Enter your choice: |"
MESSAGE "+---------------------+"
LOCATE 2,20
GET S0 1
SWITCH S0
etc.
ASSIGN S9 "This is the first line^M^JThis is the second"
MESSAGE S9
MLOAD "filename" @
The MLOAD command is used to load a keyboard macro file.
Example: MLOAD "SYSTEM1.KEY" ; load a new macro file
PAUSE seconds -or- PAUSE "seconds"
The PAUSE command halts command file execution for the specified number
of seconds. Characters received during a pause are not displayed until
after the pause has completed.
Examples: TRANSMIT "Kermit send file.ext" ; start the transfer
PAUSE 3 ; let the remote start
KERMIT RECEIVE ; receive the file
PRINTER
ON
OFF
The PRINTER command is use to control print logging. Use the ON argument
to begin logging the session to the printer; use OFF to end logging.
ProComm writes the printer log to the DOS device PRN. You can use the
MODE command in DOS to redirect printer output.
Examples: PRINTER ON ; begin print logging
...
PRINTER OFF ; end print logging
QUIT
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ProComm 2.4 Command Files
The QUIT command terminates the executing command file and exits ProComm
as well. Use it only to shut down the entire program.
Examples: TRANSMIT "Logoff" ; log off remote
HANGUP ; hangup the phone
QUIT ; close down ProComm
RFLUSH
The RFLUSH command is used to clear the input buffer. Any characters
that have been received, but not yet displayed, will be lost when this
command is issued. It is generally used to clear the input buffer in
preparation for some task.
Example: RFLUSH ; clear the input buffer
RGET Sx [length] [delay] *
The RGET command provides services similar to those of the GET command;
however, input is taken from the remote computer rather than from the
keyboard. The RGET command will complete when a <CR> is received or
[length] characters have been received. Unlike with the GET command, a
<CR> is not required if [length] characters have been received. Use the
[delay] argument to specify the maximum number of seconds to wait for the
string to be received before timing out. If [delay] seconds have elapsed
without receiving a <CR> or [length] characters, the RGET command will
timeout and execution will continue. You can determine if the command
timed out using the IF SUCCESS/FAILED command. You must specify [length]
if you wish to specify [delay]. If length is not specified, the maximum
of 80 characters is used; if [delay] is not specified, the default of 30
seconds is used.
Examples: TRANSMIT "ATS0=1^M" ; go into auto answer
WAIT_IT_OUT:
IF NOT CONNECTED ; wait for a connection
GOTO WAIT_IT_OUT
ENDIF
TRANSMIT "ENTER PASSWORD:"
RGET S9 8 45 ; wait 45 seconds max
IF FAILED ; timed out
TRANSMIT "Times up. Goodbye"
HANGUP
GOTO WAIT_IT_OUT
ENDIF
FIND S9 "secret"
IF NOT FOUND
TRANSMIT "Sorry , but you're not authorized."
HANGUP
GOTO WAIT_IT_OUT
ENDIF
RUN "program" [WAIT] @ *
The RUN command is similar to the DOS command except that it cannot
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 716
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
execute internal DOS commands. See the explanation of the DOS command
for conditions necessary for the correct execution of this command. A
major difference between the DOS and the RUN commands is the error codes
returned. RUN will report any non-zero return code from the "program" as
FAILURE; only "programs" exiting with a return code of zero will indicate
SUCCESS.
If the optional argument WAIT is included, ProComm will wait for a
keystroke after executing the program, before returning to ProComm.
Examples: RUN "filesort" ; execute a program called filesort
ASSIGN S0 "filesort"
RUN S0
IF FAILURE
MESSAGE "filesort returned error"
ELSE
MESSAGE "filesort executed successfully"
ENDIF
SENDFILE
KERMIT "filename" @ *
RXMODEM "filename" @ * (Relaxed XMODEM)
XMODEM "filename" @ *
YMODEM "filename" @ *
BYMODEM "filename" @ * (YMODEM Batch)
TELINK "filename" @ *
MODEM7 "filename" @ *
ASCII "filename" @ *
CISB "filename" @ * (CompuServe B)
WXMODEM "filename" @ * (Windowed XMODEM)
The SENDFILE command performs a file upload (send). Many different
protocols are currently supported; see the section on file transfers for
more information on each protocol.
To perform an upload you must first initiate the transfer on the remote.
When that system indicates that it is ready, begin your transfer.
All 9 protocols require that you specify the filename to send. All
transfers may be checked for successful completion using the IF
SUCCESS/FAILURE command.
Examples: WAITFOR "Begin your transfer now" ; wait till it's ready
SENDFILE XMODEM "FILE.EXT" ; send FILE.EXT
WAITFOR "Kermit-32>" ; wait for prompt
MESSAGE "Enter file to transfer" ; transfer a file with
GET S1 ; Kermit
TRANSMIT "RECEIVE" ; send transfer command
TRANSMIT S1 ; the file name
TRANSMIT "^M" ; and a CR
SENDFILE KERMIT S1 ; now send it
SET ...
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 717
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
The SET command is used to control various system parameters and options.
It is fully described in the next section.
SNAPSHOT
The SNAPSHOT command performs a screen dump as described in Section 3.
Example: SNAPSHOT ; dump the screen contents to the .IMG file
SWITCH Sx
The SWITCH command provides special multi-way decision making. A SWITCH
compares the value of a string variable against a number of constants and
branches accordingly. The syntax of a SWITCH command is:
SWITCH S2 ; switch based on S2
CASE "target1" ; if S2 = 'target1'
... ; do these commands
ENDCASE ; until here
CASE "target2" ; any number of cases
...
ENDCASE ; needed for each case
DEFAULT ; if no previous case matches
... ; do these commands
ENDCASE
ENDSWITCH ; ends the SWITCH
The string variable Sx contains some value, usually put there by a GET or
RGET command. When a SWITCH command is found, ProComm begins looking for
a CASE statement that contains a "target" which matches the string
variable specified in the SWITCH. The match must be complete, although
it is not case sensitive. Thus the values 'ABC', 'abc' or 'AbC' would
all match a CASE 'abc' command, but the values 'ABCDE', 'XYZabc' or
'a b c' would not.
After finding a CASE that matches, ProComm will continue command file
execution starting with the command immediately following the matching
CASE. Execution continues until an ENDCASE command is found. At that
point ProComm skips to the command immediately following the matching
ENDSWITCH command and resumes execution. Note that each CASE statement
must have a matching ENDCASE, and each SWITCH a matching ENDSWITCH.
There is a special case known as the DEFAULT case. The commands within
the DEFAULT case will be executed if no previous CASE matched the string
variable. The DEFAULT case is optional and need not be specified. If
there is no DEFAULT case, and no other match is found, command file
execution will continue with the statement following the ENDSWITCH
command.
Another special case the _NULL case. The _NULL case will be executed if
the string variable being switched on is null, i.e., has no value. For
example, if a user enters a CR only in reply to a GET or RGET command,
the string variable being gotten will be null. The _NULL case would then
be triggered. The correct syntax for the _NULL case is:
CASE "_NULL"
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 718
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
Examples: (display some menu of options)
GET_CHOICE:
MESSAGE "Enter your choice"
GET S5
SWITCH S5 ; switch based on S5
CASE "A" ; if S5 = 'a' or 'A'
GOSUB CHOICEA ; do this
ENDCASE
CASE "B" ; if S5 = 'b' or 'B'
GOSUB CHOICEB ; do this
ENDCASE
CASE "_NULL" ; do this if user pressed
GOSUB NULL_CASE ; only CR
ENDCASE
DEFAULT ; S5 not = to 'A' or 'B' or NULL
MESSAGE "Invalid selection"
PAUSE 3
GOTO GET_CHOICE
ENDCASE
ENDSWITCH
MESSAGE "Continue? (Yes/No)" ; prompt
GET S7 ; get response
SWITCH S7 ; switch based on response
CASE "NO" ; they said "no"
QUIT ; so leave
ENDCASE
ENDSWITCH
One use of a SWITCH command is to get a choice from the user, and then to
perform various tasks depending upon the option selected. In the first
example, the command file would begin by presenting some list of options.
You could easily build a menu using the MESSAGE and LOCATE commands. The
command file could then prompt the user for his selection, and GET the
selection into a string variable, in this case S5. The command file will
branch based on the user's selection. If the user entered the letter
'A', the SWITCH will execute the first case and call the subroutine
entitled CHOICEA. After returning from that subroutine, execution will
continue with the first statement following the ENDSWITCH command. If
the user had entered 'B' as his choice, the CHOICEB subroutine would have
been executed.
If neither 'A' nor 'B' had been entered by the user the DEFAULT case
would execute. In that event the "Invalid selection" message would be
displayed, the program would pause for 3 seconds, and then branch back up
to the GET_CHOICE label and the process would be repeated.
In the second example, if the user had entered 'No' the first case would
execute and the command file would QUIT. In all other cases, no part of
the SWITCH would execute, and the command file would continue.
TRACE ON/OFF
The TRACE command allows you to "trace" the execution of a command file.
If you set TRACE ON, every command will be printed to the screen, in
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 719
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
contrasting colors, as it is executed. TRACE is very handy for debugging
errant command files.
Examples: TRACE ON ; set trace on
TRANSMIT "string" @
The TRANSMIT command sends a character string to the remote. The
"string" may contain control characters using the standard translation
conventions.
Examples: MESSAGE "Enter your ID" ; send the prompt
GET S6 ; get the ID
TRANSMIT S6 ; send the ID
TRANSMIT "!" ; plus a CR
WAITFOR "First name:" ; Wait for a prompt
TRANSMIT "TOM!" ; send the name plus a CR
WAITFOR "target" [delay] @ *
The WAITFOR command allows you to wait for a particular string to be
received from the remote before command file execution continues. The
[delay] option tells ProComm how many seconds to wait for the "target"
before timing out and continuing execution. If no [delay] is specified,
ProComm will wait 30 seconds.
Use the IF WAITFOR condition to test the results of a WAITFOR command.
Examples: WAITFOR "first name:" 45 ; wait for the string "first name"
; for 45 seconds
IF WAITFOR ; if it was found w/o timing out
TRANSMIT "TOM!" ; send your name
ELSE ; else
GOTO ERROR ; go to error processing
ENDIF
WAITFOR targets are not case sensitive, thus either "FIRST NAME" or
"First Name" would successfully complete the command sequence above. You
may also include control character in the target using the translation
conventions described earlier.
Example: WAITFOR "^M^JBUSY" ; wait for CR LF then BUSY
WHEN "target" "response" @
The WHEN command is used to transmit a certain "response" text every time
a certain "target" text is received. Once a WHEN command is initiated,
it will be in effect until a CWHEN (Clear WHEN) command is found or the
command file ends. For example, suppose you are calling an online
service that displays a "-more-" prompt at the end of each page of
display, and waits for you to enter a carriage return before it
continues. By specifying the command
WHEN "-more-" "^M"
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 720
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
at the beginning of the command file, you are instructing ProComm to
transmit a CR (^M) every time it receives the string "-more-", thus
relieving you of the task of matching every occurrence of "-more-" with a
WAITFOR "-more-"
TRANSMIT "^M"
command sequence.
Examples: WHEN "continue? (Y/N)" "Y^M" ; send a 'Y<CR>' for
... ; every "continue" received
CWHEN ; turn off WHEN processing
Set Commands
All SET commands have the same format:
SET parameter value
The SET commands are used to change the value of the parameters in the
SetUp facility (Alt-S) and the Line Settings window (Alt-P). Available
values are separated by slashes (/). Because those parameters are
described in detail in other sections, an in-depth discussion is not
presented here. The appropriate SetUp section is indicated in
parenthesis for each command.
SET ASCII etc. (ASCII Transfer Setup)
The ASCII transfer SET commands are covered below.
SET ALARM ON/OFF (General Setup)
Controls alarm sound.
SET ATIME seconds (General Setup)
Sets amount of time alarm sounds.
SET BACKSPACE NONDEST/DEST (Terminal Setup)
Controls destructive nature of BS.
SET BAUDRATE 300/1200/4800/9600/19200 (Line Settings)
Sets the baud rate.
SET CR_IN CR/CR_LF (Terminal Setup)
Controls incoming CR translation.
SET CR_OUT CR/CR_LF (Terminal Setup)
Controls outgoing CR translation.
SET DATABITS 7/8 (Line Settings)
Sets the data bits used.
SET DLDIR "path" @ (General Setup)
Sets the default download drive and directory.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 721
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
SET ENQ ON/OFF/CISB (Terminal Setup)
Controls response to ENQ (ASCII 5).
SET FLOWCTRL ON/OFF (Terminal Setup)
Controls use of XON/OFF flow control.
SET HOSTPSWD "string" @ (Host Mode Setup)
Sets the host mode password.
SET PARITY EVEN/ODD/NONE/MARK/SPACE (Line Settings)
Controls parity.
SET PORT COM1/COM2/COM3/COM4 (Line Settings)
Selects serial port to use.
SET RDELAY seconds (Modem Setup)
Determines timeout period for redials.
SET SCROLL ON/OFF (Terminal Setup)
Determines scroll setting.
SET SHELLPSWD "string" @ (Host Mode Setup)
Sets the host mode shell password.
SET SOUND ON/OFF (General Setup)
Controls sound effects.
SET STOPBITS 1/2 (Line Settings)
Sets the stop bits used.
SET SWRITE BIOS/DIRECT (General Setup)
Determines the screen write method.
SET TRANSLATE ON/OFF (General Setup)
Controls use of the translate table.
SET TXPACE millisecs
Determines pacing for all outgoing character strings.
SET WRAP ON/OFF (Terminal Setup)
Controls line wrap.
Set ASCII Commands (ASCII Transfer Setup)
SET ASCII BLANKEX ON/OFF
Controls expansion of blank lines during ASCII uploads.
SET ASCII CHARPACE milliseconds
Sets the character pacing (in milliseconds).
SET ASCII DN_CR CR/CR_LF/STRIP
Controls translation of incoming CRs during ASCII downloads.
SET ASCII DN_LF LF/CR_LF/STRIP
Controls translation of incoming LFs during ASCII downloads.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 722
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
SET ASCII ECHO ON/OFF
Controls local echo during ASCII uploads.
SET ASCII LINEPACE tenths
Sets line pacing timing (in 1/10 seconds).
SET ASCII PACECHAR number
Sets the pace character used. Specify as an ASCII decimal value.
SET ASCII UP_CR CR/CR_LF/STRIP
Controls translation of outgoing CRs in ASCII uploads.
SET ASCII UP_LF LF/CR_LF/STRIP
Controls translation of outgoing LFs in ASCII uploads.
Set Kermit Commands
SET KERMIT CQUOTE char
Set the Ctrl quote character.
SET KERMIT PACKSIZE number
Set the maximum packet size.
SET KERMIT PADCHAR char
Select the pad character.
SET KERMIT PADNUM number
Set the number of pad characters.
SET KERMIT 8QUOTE char
Select the 8th bit quote character.
SET KERMIT HANDSHAKE char
Select the handshake character.
SET KERMIT EOLCHAR char
Select the end of line character.
SET KERMIT BLOCKCHECK 1/2/3
Select the block check type. 1 = 1 byte checksum, 2 = 2 byte
checksum, 3 = 3 byte CRC.
SET KERMIT FILETYPE TEXT/BINARY
Select the transfer file type.
Arguments listed as "char" should use the ASCII decimal value of the
desired character. For example, to use XON (ASCII 17) as the HANDSHAKE
character, issue the command
SET KERMIT HANDSHAKE 17
ERROR MESSAGES
If an error is encountered during the execution of a command file, an
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 723
ProComm 2.4 Command Files
error message will be displayed and command file execution will stop.
Error messages begin with the error number (described below), followed by
the line number of the line containing the error, followed by the
erroneous line itself, for example:
ERROR 2, LINE 6: goto missing_label
ERROR NUMBER DESCRIPTION
1 ........... Invalid token.
2 ........... Unexpected end of file.
3 ........... Unexpected CASE statement.
4 ........... Unexpected DEFAULT statement.
5 ........... Unexpected ENDCASE statement.
6 ........... Unexpected ENDSWITCH statement.
7 ........... Unexpected ELSE statement.
8 ........... Unexpected ENDIF statement.
9 ........... Unexpected token.
10 ........... Missing token.
11 ........... Stack overflow.
12 ........... Stack underflow.
ERROR 1 - Invalid token
Indicates that an unidentified keyword was found, or that an invalid
argument was included.
ERROR 2 - Unexpected end of file
Indicates that the end of file was reached while executing some command.
May be triggered by IF statements without their corresponding ENDIF;
SWITCH statements without an ENDSWITCH; or when attempting to find a
label that does not exit.
ERROR 3 to 8 - Unexpected [token]
Indicates that the given keyword was found in an unexpected place, i.e.
an ELSE command with no preceding IF, or a DEFAULT command with no
preceding SWITCH.
ERROR 9 - Unexpected token
Indicates that a keyword or argument was supplied where none are
expected.
ERROR 10 - Missing token
Indicates that a token or argument was expected, but not supplied.
ERROR 11 - Stack overflow
Indicates that nesting has gone too deep, i.e. an 11th level in a nested
if statement, or an attempt to access an 11th level subroutine.
ERROR 12 - Stack underflow
Indicates the attempt to return a level when no nesting has occurred.
For example a RETURN command when no GOSUB has executed.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 724
ProComm 2.4 Host Mode
8. H O S T M O D E
ProComm includes a limited remote access facility known as Host Mode.
Host Mode allows remote access to your computer for tasks such as file
transfer and DOS shell access. In addition, it provides password
security, a logon message, and can maintain a history of logons. Host
Mode is intended to allow a user access to his home machine from work (or
vice versa); it is not intended as a multi-user message base or bulletin
board system.
Host Mode Setup
Host mode requires some setup before it can be used. Setup is composed
of three basic parts: modem, operating system, and ProComm. Each must be
correctly configured before attempting to use Host Mode.
Modem Setup
Host Mode depends quite a bit on the correct installation of your modem.
Because there are many different modems available, not all of which we
are familiar with, you may have to do a bit of reading in your modem
manual.
First, Carrier Detect (CD) on your modem must be set to follow the true
state of carrier. Carrier detect must not be forced true, or high, by
dip switch settings. Carrier detect also should not be set to follow
DTR. It should be set to follow the "real state", or the "RS-232
convention" or however your manual says it. Carrier detect is usually
controlled by a dip switch setting on your modem, although on some new
modems, like the Hayes 2400, you use a software command like &C1 and &D2.
On a Hayes 1200 external modem you should have dip switch 6 in the UP
position.
Next, data terminal ready (DTR) should also follow the real state. It
should not be forced high. On a Hayes modem, this means switch 1 is UP.
Your cable might also have an impact on correct operation. Your modem
manual should have an explanation of proper cable configurations.
Operating System Setup
Operating system setup revolves around the CONFIG.SYS file. CONFIG.SYS
is a configuration file which contains commands used to configure your
system. Each time you start DOS, the operating systems searches the root
directory of the drive you booted from for a file called CONFIG.SYS. If
it is found, DOS reads the file and interprets the commands it contains.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 801
ProComm 2.4 Host Mode
You may create a CONFIG.SYS file using your favorite editor or word
processor (be sure to save it as a non-document, or ASCII file). If you
add or change any of the commands in the configuration file, or create a
new one, the changes are not in effect until the next time you start DOS,
so be sure to reboot. Consult your DOS manual for more information about
configuring your system.
The command in the CONFIG.SYS file that we are concerned with is the
FILES= statement. This command controls the number of files that can be
open at one time. The operating system default is 8; for ProComm we
recommend 20 or higher.
To set this statement, create (or edit) a CONFIG.SYS file in the root
directory of the disk that you boot with. Include in the CONFIG.SYS file
a line that says
FILES=x
where x is 20 or greater. A quick and easy way to create the CONFIG.SYS
file is this:
At the DOS prompt type
COPY CON CONFIG.SYS <CR>
FILES=20 <CR>
^Z <CR> (Press Ctrl-Z then <CR>)
Remember, the CONFIG.SYS file, containing the FILES= statement, must be
present in the root directory when you boot. It has no effect otherwise.
Increasing the FILES= parameter can also alleviate other problems
indicated by "CAN'T OPEN FILE" messages and similar notices.
ProComm Setup
The SetUp facility (Alt-S) contains a section for Host Mode Setup. The
Host Mode setup screen contains six host options which must be
initialized. These options are also described in Section 3.
The first option is the Host ID String. The Host ID String is a text
message that is displayed to callers after they connect. It is usually
used as a greeting.
The second option is the modem auto-answer string. This string is the
command sent to the modem to place it into auto answer mode. The default
string, set for Hayes compatible modems, is "~~~+++~~~ATS0=1!", where
~~~ is a 1 1/2 second pause
+++ drops the modem into command state
~~~ is a 1 1/2 second pause
AT is the command prefix
S0=1 sets modem to answer after one ring
! sends a <CR>.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 802
ProComm 2.4 Host Mode
When host mode is exited, the Modem Initialization String (specified in
the Modem setup section) is sent to the modem to reset it. If you do not
want auto-answer to be on when you are not in host mode, include the
command to turn it off within the Modem Initialization String. That
command is S0=0 for Hayes compatible modems.
The third host option is the Host Access Password. It may be up to 8
characters long. Callers must match the password exactly, including
upper- and lower-case. If you set the host access password to null,
callers need only press <CR> at the password prompt to be allowed on your
system.
The fourth host option is the DOS Shell Password. This password provides
a second level of protection before callers are allowed access to the
system level. Be very careful with this one; you don't want just anyone
to have access to the operating system level on your machine.
The fifth host setup option is the Auto Baud Detect method. Three
choices are available: NONE, KEY HIT and MODEM MSG. These choices
determine what technique, if any, ProComm will use to attempt to
synchronize baud rates with callers.
The last host option is the Connection Type. This allows you to run Host
Mode either directly connected to another machine, or by using a modem.
When set to Direct, ProComm automatically assumes a connection exists,
and does not look for carrier or attempt baud rate synchronization.
Once you have set the options and assured that your modem is correctly
configured, you can place ProComm into Host Mode by pressing Alt-Q. The
auto-answer string is sent to the modem, and the local console displays
"Waiting...". In addition, a line is added to PROCOMM.HST, the host
audit trail history file, that records the time and date.
When a call comes in, and an Auto Baud Detect method other than None is
specified, ProComm will attempt to match baud rates. After the
connection is complete, ProComm will send the Host ID String and prompt
the user for his name. The name is for informational purposes only. The
caller's name is then recorded in the history file. ProComm then prompts
the caller for the password. The caller must match the password
completely, including case. All password attempts, both successful and
otherwise, are recorded in the history file. Callers get three chances
to match the password; if they are unsuccessful after three tries,
ProComm will hang up on them.
If the caller makes it past the password, ProComm will display the
contents of a special file called PROCOMM.MSG, if that file exists. You
can use this file as a welcome message, to display character graphics, or
whatever. Every 23 lines ProComm will halt, display a "[MORE]" message,
and wait for any keystroke from the caller. When a keystroke is
received, the display of the file continues. Use of the .MSG file is
optional.
After PROCOMM.MSG is displayed (if it is), the caller is presented with
the host menu:
F)iles C)hat D)ownload U)pload S)hell G)oodbye
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 803
ProComm 2.4 Host Mode
Callers make their choices by entering the first letter of an option and
pressing <CR>.
The F)iles option will send a list of the files in the current directory
to the caller. The list is not displayed on the local console. F)iles
uses the same facility as the Alt-F command, described earlier.
If the caller chooses C)hat, an alarm on the host computer will sound for
30 seconds. The Host operator can press Space to chat with the caller.
Pressing any other key will end the alarm and redisplay the host menu.
If you have the alarm sound set off (via general setup at the Alt-S menu)
no bells will sound on the local end. Press <ESC> to return to the host
menu when you are done chatting.
D)ownload and U)pload work pretty much the same. The caller is presented
with the file transfer menu:
K)ermit M)odem7 T)elink X)modem Y)modem batch
After selecting a protocol the caller may be prompted for a filename,
depending upon the transfer direction and protocol used. The standard
file transfer routines are used to perform the transfers. Users are only
allowed to download files in the current directory. Similarly, all files
uploaded will go to the current directory.
The S)hell command is very powerful, but it also has the potential of
being very dangerous. It performs the equivalent of a "CTTY COMx"
command, which basically redirects all console I/O out the COM port. The
Shell command puts the caller in charge of your computer at the operating
system (DOS) level. This means that a user can format your disk or
whatever, so be very, very careful about who is allowed access to this
command. Use the Shell Password to protect yourself. To return to
ProComm, the user must enter "EXIT" at the DOS prompt.
There are some restrictions when using the S)hell command. For one, do
not run programs that write directly to the screen buffer. This will
cause the host machine to appear to lock up. If the host machine is
running Dosedit, CED or a similar program, backspaces, escapes and
possibly other key sequences can lock up the machine. This problem
arises from DOS and the other programs, not ProComm: there is nothing we
can do about it. In addition, some machines we have tried the host mode
on do not pipe I/O to the correct port. We have not yet determined if
this is a DOS or BIOS problem, but be aware that it may occur. We
suggest that you thoroughly test Host Mode before making it available to
callers.
The G)oodbye option logs the caller out and places a notice to that
effect in the history file.
One additional command that is not listed on the menu allows a caller to
shut down Host Mode from the remote side. If a user enters a Ctrl-Z, he
will be prompted for a password. ProComm uses the Shell Password for
this feature. If the user correctly enters the password, he will be
logged off and ProComm will drop out of Host Mode. This is useful if you
begin Host Mode from a command file, and wish to continue with the
execution of that command file.
On the local side, the host operator has several options. You may press
<ESC> to leave host mode and return to Terminal Mode. Press Ctrl-X to
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 804
ProComm 2.4 Host Mode
log off the current user. All other keystrokes act as if the caller
sent them and thus allow you to help novice users through the menus.
NOTE: Host mode, especially the S)hell command, opens a few more files.
You must be certain that the FILES= statement in your CONFIG.SYS file is
set high enough, preferably at FILES=20.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 805
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
APPENDIX A - TERMINAL EMULATION
Overview
ProComm emulates a number of popular terminals. ProComm handles most of
the standard features and many of the extended features of the terminals
emulated. Functions of these terminals that are not emulated are still
processed to insure that all control codes are handled properly.
Because of the wide variety of protocol convertors on mainframe front-end
processors, some keys may not function as expected. These emulations
have been tested with the mainframe systems at the University of
Missouri, Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, as well as
within private industry. If you encounter a problem, refer to the
TRANSMITTED CODES column in the terminal emulation charts on the
following pages to see if ProComm is sending the code your protocol
convertor is expecting.
If you encounter any errors in these emulations or have any questions,
please let us know.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 901
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
Digital Equipment Corporation VT-100 and VT-102
ProComm supports the standard VT-100 and VT-102 functions. Supported
functions include: full/half duplex, set/reset modes, scroll region,
special graphics character set, US & UK character sets, keypad
application mode, cursor control, erase functions, insert/delete lines,
full display attributes (including extensions for ANSI color graphics),
programmable tabs and printer control functions. 132 column mode is not
supported. ProComm responds to the Identify and Device Attributes
commands with ESC[?1;2c (VT-100 with advanced video option). ProComm
responds to the Ctrl-E (ENQ) enquiry function by sending the string
stored for keyboard macro Alt-0. This "answerback message" is sent only
if ANSWER BACK is enabled in ProComm setup (Alt-S). Keypad Application
Mode functions are mapped to ProComm function keys as shown in the chart
below.
ProComm KEYS DEC VT-100 FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ....................... 0x09
Delete ......... Character Delete ..................... 0x7F
Home ........... Home Cursor ...................... 0x1B5B48
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up ........................ 0x1B5B41
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down ...................... 0x1B5B42
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left ...................... 0x1B5B44
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ..................... 0x1B5B43
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear screen ............. 0x1B5B481B5B324A
End ............ Erase end of line ................ 0x1B5B4B
Ctrl-Home ...... Insert Line ...................... 0x1B5B4C
Ctrl-PgUp ...... Delete Line ...................... 0x1B5B4D
Ctrl-J ......... Line Feed ............................ 0x0A
F7 ............. Keypad Application mode 1 ........ 0x1B4F71
F8 ............. Keypad Application mode 2 ........ 0x1B4F72
Shift-F7 ....... Keypad Application mode 3 ........ 0x1B4F73
F5 ............. Keypad Application mode 4 ........ 0x1B4F74
Shift-F6 ....... Keypad Application mode 5 ........ 0x1B4F75
Shift-F5 ....... Keypad Application mode 6 ........ 0x1B4F76
F3 ............. Keypad Application mode 7 ........ 0x1B4F77
F4 ............. Keypad Application mode 8 ........ 0x1B4F78
Shift-F3 ....... Keypad Application mode 9 ........ 0x1B4F79
F9 or F10....... Keypad Application mode 0 ........ 0x1B4F70
F1 ............. Program Function 1 (PF1) ......... 0x1B4F50
F2 ............. Program Function 2 (PF2) ......... 0x1B4F51
Shift-F1 ....... Program Function 3 (PF3) ......... 0x1B4F52
Shift-F2 ....... Program Function 4 (PF4) ......... 0x1B4F53
Shift-F4 ....... Keypad Application mode DASH ..... 0x1B4F6D
Shift-F5 ....... Keypad Application mode COMMA .... 0x1B4F6C
Shift-F9 ....... Keypad Application mode PERIOD ... 0x1B4F6E
Shift-F8 ....... Keypad Application mode ENTER .... 0x1B4F4D
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 902
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
Mapping of VT-100 Keypad Application Mode Functions
PROCOMM FUNCTION KEYS DEC VT100 KEYPAD
F1 - F10 SF1 - SF10
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
|PF1 | |PF2 | |PF1 | |PF2 | |PF1 | |PF2 | |PF3 | |PF4 |
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
| 7 | | 8 | | 9 | | - | | 7 | | 8 | | 9 | | - |
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
| 4 | | 5 | | 6 | | , | | 4 | | 5 | | 6 | | , |
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
| 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | E | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | E |
+----+ +----+ +----+ | N | +----+ +----+ +----+ | N |
+-----------+ +----+ | T | +-----------+ +----+ | T |
| 0 | | . | | R | | 0 | | . | | R |
+-----------+ +----+ +----+ +-----------+ +----+ +----+
Keypad Application Mode for VAX/VMS EDT Editor
PROCOMM FUNCTION KEYS
F1 - F10 SF1 - SF10
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| GOLD | | HELP | |FIND NEXT| | DEL L |
| | | | | [FIND] | | [UND L] |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| PAGE | | SECT | | APPEND | | DEL W |
| [CMD] | | [FILL] | | [REPL] | | [UND W] |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| ADVANCE | | BACKUP | | CUT | | DEL C |
| [BOTTOM]| | [TOP] | | [PASTE] | | [UND C] |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| WORD | | EOL | | CHAR | | |
| [CC] | |[DEL EOL]| |[SPECINS]| | ENTER |
+---------+-+---------+ +---------+ | ------- |
| LINE | | SELECT | | [SUBS] |
| [OPENLINE] | | [RESET] | | |
+---------------------+ +---------+ +---------+
Press GOLD get first to get bracketed [] functions
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 903
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
IBM 3101
ProComm supports the standard IBM 3101 Model 1x/2x functions. Block mode
is not supported. Supported functions include: full/half duplex, full
character set, scroll on/off, program function keys, cursor control, and
erase functions.
ProComm KEYS IBM 3101 FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ....................... 0x09
Delete ......... Character Delete ..................... 0x7F
Home ........... Home Cursor ........................ 0x1B48
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up .......................... 0x1B41
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down ........................ 0x1B42
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left ........................ 0x1B44
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ....................... 0x1B43
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear screen ....................... 0x1B4C
End ............ Erase end of line .................. 0x1B49
Ctrl-End ....... Erase end of screen ................ 0x1B4A
F1 ............. Program Function 1 (PF1) ......... 0x1B610D
F2 ............. Program Function 2 (PF2) ......... 0x1B620D
F3 ............. Program Function 3 (PF3) ......... 0x1B630D
F4 ............. Program Function 4 (PF4) ......... 0x1B640D
F5 ............. Program Function 5 (PF5) ......... 0x1B650D
F6 ............. Program Function 6 (PF6) ......... 0x1B660D
F7 ............. Program Function 7 (PF7) ......... 0x1B670D
F8 ............. Program Function 8 (PF8) ......... 0x1B680D
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 904
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
Televideo 900 Series
ProComm supports the standard Televideo 900 series functions. Supported
functions include: full/half duplex, program function keys, cursor
control, erase functions, and full display attributes. The main
difference between the 910/920 and the 925/950 emulations is in the codes
generated for cursor down and in control codes for display attributes.
The special graphics character set and user loadable status line are
supported.
ProComm KEYS TELEVIDEO 9xx FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ....................... 0x09
Backtab ........ Reverse Tab ........................ 0x1B49
Insert ......... Insert Character ................... 0x1B51
Ctrl-Home ...... Insert Line ........................ 0x1B45
Delete ......... Delete Character ................... 0x1B57
Ctrl-PgUp ...... Delete Line ........................ 0x1B52
Home ........... Home Cursor .......................... 0x1E
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up ............................ 0x1B
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down (910/920) ................ 0x0A
Cursor Down (925/950) ................ 0x16
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left .......................... 0x18
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ......................... 0x1C
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear Screen ......................... 0x1A
End ............ Line Erase ......................... 0x1B54
Ctrl-End ....... Page Erase ......................... 0x1B59
F1 ............. Function 1 (F1) .................. 0x01400D
F2 ............. Function 2 (F2) .................. 0x01410D
F3 ............. Function 3 (F3) .................. 0x01420D
F4 ............. Function 4 (F4) .................. 0x01430D
F5 ............. Function 5 (F5) .................. 0x01440D
F6 ............. Function 6 (F6) .................. 0x01450D
F7 ............. Function 7 (F7) .................. 0x01460D
F8 ............. Function 8 (F8) .................. 0x01470D
F9 ............. Function 9 (F9) .................. 0x01480D
F10 ............ Function 10 (F10) ................ 0x01490D
Shift-F1 ....... Function 11 (F11) ................ 0x014A0D
Shift-F2 ....... FUNCT .......................... *see below
Shift-F3 ....... Shift Line Erase ................... 0x1B74
Shift-F4 ....... Shift Page Erase ................... 0x1B79
Shift-F5 ....... Shift Line Insert .................. 0x1B4E
Shift-F6 ....... Shift Line Delete .................. 0x1B4F
Shift-F7 ....... Shift Character Insert ............. 0x1B71
Shift-F8 ....... Shift Character Delete ............. 0x1B72
* To emulate the Televideo FUNCT key operation, press and release
Shift-F2, then press and release the key you wish to use in conjunction
with FUNCT. This will send the standard 3 byte FUNCT sequence: <SOH>
<key pressed> <CR>.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 905
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
Digital Equipment Corporation VT-52
ProComm supports the standard model VT-52 functions. Supported functions
include: full/half duplex, keypad application mode, cursor control, erase
functions, printer control functions and full display attributes.
ProComm responds to the Identify command (Esc Z) with Esc/Z (Standard
VT-52 identification sequence). Keypad Application Mode functions are
mapped to ProComm function keys as shown in the chart below.
ProComm KEYS DEC VT-52 FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ....................... 0x09
Delete ......... Character Delete ..................... 0x7F
Home ........... Home Cursor ...................... 0x1B5B48
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up ........................ 0x1B5B41
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down ...................... 0x1B5B42
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left ...................... 0x1B5B44
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ..................... 0x1B5B43
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear screen ............. 0x1B5B481B5B324A
End ............ Erase end of line ................ 0x1B5B4B
Ctrl-Home ...... Insert Line ...................... 0x1B5B4C
Ctrl-PgUp ...... Delete Line ...................... 0x1B5B4D
Ctrl-J ......... Line Feed ............................ 0x0A
F7 ............. Keypad Application mode 1 ........ 0x1B4F71
F8 ............. Keypad Application mode 2 ........ 0x1B4F72
Shift-F7 ....... Keypad Application mode 3 ........ 0x1B4F73
F5 ............. Keypad Application mode 4 ........ 0x1B4F74
Shift-F6 ....... Keypad Application mode 5 ........ 0x1B4F75
Shift-F5 ....... Keypad Application mode 6 ........ 0x1B4F76
F3 ............. Keypad Application mode 7 ........ 0x1B4F77
F4 ............. Keypad Application mode 8 ........ 0x1B4F78
Shift-F3 ....... Keypad Application mode 9 ........ 0x1B4F79
F9 or F10....... Keypad Application mode 0 ........ 0x1B4F70
F1 ............. Program Function 1 (PF1) ......... 0x1B4F50
F2 ............. Program Function 2 (PF2) ......... 0x1B4F51
Shift-F1 ....... Program Function 3 (PF3) ......... 0x1B4F52
Shift-F2 ....... Program Function 4 (PF4) ......... 0x1B4F53
Shift-F4 ....... Keypad Application mode DASH ..... 0x1B4F6D
Shift-F5 ....... Keypad Application mode COMMA .... 0x1B4F6C
Shift-F9 ....... Keypad Application mode PERIOD ... 0x1B4F6E
Shift-F8 ....... Keypad Application mode ENTER .... 0x1B4F4D
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 906
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
Lear Sieglar ADM 3/5
ProComm supports the standard ADM 3/5 series functions. Supported
functions include: full/half duplex, full character set, erase functions,
and cursor control.
ProComm KEYS ADM 3/5 FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ..................... 0x1B49
Backtab ........ Reverse Tab ........................ 0x1B51
Home ........... Home Cursor .......................... 0x1E
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up ............................ 0x1B
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down .......................... 0x0A
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left .......................... 0x18
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ......................... 0x1C
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear screen ......................... 0x1A
End ............ Erase end of line .................. 0x1B54
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 907
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
Heath/Zenith 19
ProComm supports the standard Heath/Zenith 19 functions. Supported
functions include: full/half duplex, full character set, program function
keys, erase functions, cursor control, and display attributes.
ProComm KEYS H-19 FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ....................... 0x09
Home ........... Home Cursor .................... 0x1B595F5F
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up .......................... 0x1B41
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down ........................ 0x1B42
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left ........................ 0x1B44
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ....................... 0x1B43
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear screen ....................... 0x1B4C
End ............ Erase end of line .................. 0x1B45
Ctrl-Home ...... Insert Line ........................ 0x1B4C
Ctrl-PgUp ...... Delete Line ........................ 0x1B4D
F1 ............. Program Function 1 (PF1) ........... 0x1B53
F2 ............. Program Function 2 (PF2) ........... 0x1B54
F3 ............. Program Function 3 (PF3) ........... 0x1B55
F4 ............. Program Function 4 (PF4) ........... 0x1B56
F5 ............. Program Function 5 (PF5) ........... 0x1B57
F6 ............. Program Function 6 (PF6) ........... 0x1B50
F7 ............. Program Function 7 (PF7) ........... 0x1B51
F8 ............. Program Function 8 (PF8) ........... 0x1B52
F9 ............. Program Function 9 (PF9) ........... 0x1B30
F10 ............ Program Function 10 (PF10) ......... 0x1B31
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 908
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
ADDS Viewpoint
ProComm supports the standard ADDS Viewpoint functions. Supported
functions include: full/half duplex, erase functions, inset/delete
functions, cursor control, and display attributes.
ProComm KEYS ADDS FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ....................... 0x09
Home ........... Home Cursor .................... 0x1B595F5F
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up ............................ 0x01
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down .......................... 0x0A
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left .......................... 0x15
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ......................... 0x06
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear screen ......................... 0x0C
End ............ Erase end of line .................. 0x1B4B
Ctrl-End ....... Erase end of screen ................ 0x1B6B
Ins ............ Insert Character ................... 0x1B46
Ctrl-Home ...... Insert Line ........................ 0x1B4D
Del ............ Delete Character ................... 0x1B45
Ctrl-PgUp ...... Delete Line ........................ 0x1B6C
F1 ............. Function 1 (F1) .................. 0x02310D
F2 ............. Function 2 (F2) .................. 0x02320D
F3 ............. Function 3 (F3) .................. 0x02330D
F4 ............. Function 4 (F4) .................. 0x02340D
F5 ............. Function 5 (F5) .................. 0x02350D
F6 ............. Function 6 (F6) .................. 0x02360D
F7 ............. Function 7 (F7) .................. 0x02370D
F8 ............. Function 8 (F8) .................. 0x02380D
Shift F1 ....... Shift Function 1 (F1) ............ 0x02190D
Shift F2 ....... Shift Function 2 (F2) ............ 0x02290D
Shift F3 ....... Shift Function 3 (F3) ............ 0x02390D
Shift F4 ....... Shift Function 4 (F4) ............ 0x02490D
Shift F5 ....... Shift Function 5 (F5) ............ 0x02590D
Shift F6 ....... Shift Function 6 (F6) ............ 0x02690D
Shift F7 ....... Shift Function 7 (F7) ............ 0x02790D
Shift F8 ....... Shift Function 8 (F8) ............ 0x02890D
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 909
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
WYSE 100
ProComm supports the standard WYSE functions. Supported functions
include: full/half duplex, erase functions, inset/delete functions,
cursor control, and display attributes.
ProComm KEYS WYSE 100 FUNCTION TRANSMITTED CODES
------------------------------------------------------------
Tab ............ Horizontal Tab ....................... 0x09
Backtab ........ Reverse Tab ........................ 0x1B49
Insert ......... Insert Character ................... 0x1B51
Ctrl-Home ...... Insert Line ........................ 0x1B45
Delete ......... Delete Character ..................... 0x7F
Ctrl-PgUp ...... Delete Line ........................ 0x1B52
Home ........... Home Cursor .......................... 0x1E
Cursor Up ...... Cursor Up ............................ 0x1B
Cursor Down .... Cursor Down .......................... 0x0A
Cursor Left .... Cursor Left .......................... 0x18
Cursor Right ... Cursor Right ......................... 0x1C
Ctrl-PgDn ...... Clear Screen ......................... 0x1A
End ............ Line Erase ......................... 0x1B54
Ctrl-End ....... Page Erase ......................... 0x1B59
F1 ............. Function 1 (F1) .................. 0x01400D
F2 ............. Function 2 (F2) .................. 0x01410D
F3 ............. Function 3 (F3) .................. 0x01420D
F4 ............. Function 4 (F4) .................. 0x01430D
F5 ............. Function 5 (F5) .................. 0x01440D
F6 ............. Function 6 (F6) .................. 0x01450D
F7 ............. Function 7 (F7) .................. 0x01460D
F8 ............. Function 8 (F8) .................. 0x01470D
Shift F1 ....... Shift Function 1 (F1) ............ 0x01480D
Shift F2 ....... Shift Function 2 (F2) ............ 0x01490D
Shift F3 ....... Shift Function 3 (F3) ............ 0x014A0D
Shift F4 ....... Shift Function 4 (F4) ............ 0x014B0D
Shift F5 ....... Shift Function 5 (F5) ............ 0x014C0D
Shift F6 ....... Shift Function 6 (F6) ............ 0x014D0D
Shift F7 ....... Shift Function 7 (F7) ............ 0x014E0D
Shift F8 ....... Shift Function 8 (F8) ............ 0x014F0D
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 910
ProComm 2.4 Appendix A
ANSI-BBS
This is the recommended emulation for use with bulletin board systems
that use ANSI graphics and color. The ANSI-BBS mode processes the ANSI
codes given in the DOS technical reference manual, and behaves in the
same manner as the DOS ANSI.SYS device driver. (ProComm does not use the
ANSI.SYS driver itself). This emulation is similar to the VT-100
emulation, but the VT-100 emulation handles normal, bold, and reverse
video in a different manner. The VT-100 keyboard mapping is used with
this emulation.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 911
ProComm 2.4 Appendix B
APPENDIX B - COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE
Major Functions
Dialing Directory .......... Alt-D
Automatic Redial............ Alt-R
Keyboard Macros ............ Alt-M
Line Settings .............. Alt-P
Translate Table ............ Alt-W
Editor ..................... Alt-A
Exit ....................... Alt-X
Host Mode .................. Alt-Q
Chat Mode .................. Alt-O
DOS Gateway ............... Alt-F4
Command File .............. Alt-F5
Redisplay ................. Alt-F6
Utility Functions
Program Info ............... Alt-I
Setup Screen ............... Alt-S
Kermit Server Commands ......Alt-K
Change Directory ........... Alt-B
Clear Screen ............... Alt-C
Toggle Duplex .............. Alt-E
Hang Up Phone .............. Alt-H
Elapsed Time ............... Alt-T
Print On/Off ............... Alt-L
Set Colors ................. Alt-Z
Auto Answer ................ Alt-Y
Toggle CR - CR/LF ......... Alt-F3
Break Key ..... ALT-F7, Ctrl-Break
File Functions
Send Files .................. PgUp
Receive Files ............... PgDn
File Directory ............. Alt-F
View a File ................ Alt-V
Screen Dump ................ Alt-G
Log Toggle ................ Alt-F1
Log Hold .................. Alt-F2
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1001
ProComm 2.4 Appendix C
APPENDIX C - ANSWERS TO COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Question:
When using the redial facility, or making a call from a command file, the
program doesn't realize when I've made a connection.
Answer:
Make sure that ProComm's modem connect string is correctly defined for
the message your modem returns for when a connection is made. The
ProComm default is "CONNECT".
Question:
I sometimes have trouble opening files for logging or downloading. That
is, sometimes the download or log features don't seem to work.
Answer:
You may need to increase the FILES= parameter in your CONFIG.SYS file.
We suggest using at least FILES=20. Consult your DOS manual for more
details.
Question:
I can't get the dialing directory to call using the long distance code
I've put in the number.
Answer:
Specify the long distance code to be used when you make the call itself,
not when you enter the number into the directory. For instance, say
"#37" at the "==>" prompt to dial entry number 37 using the '#' long
distance code. Entering a long distance code as part of the number will
not work.
Question:
I'm having trouble getting ProComm to work with my PCjr. Any ideas?
Answer:
The PCjr is somewhat different in the way it handles communications. A
solution that has worked for a number of users is this: Call our BBS and
download a file called COMSWAP.ARC. After un-arcing the file you should
find 2 programs called COMSWAP.COM and COMREST.COM. Run COMSWAP before
running ProComm and run COMREST after. Then use ProComm set to COM2:.
Question:
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1101
ProComm 2.4 Appendix C
When I'm using a multi-tasking operating system and running ProComm in
the background, window displays bleed through to the active partition.
Answer:
Go into the general SetUp screen and set ProComm to use the BIOS screen
write method. It is much slower but will not cause the bleed through
that you are experiencing.
Question:
When I try to use the DOS gateway it says 'Command processor not found'.
What does this mean?
Answer:
In order to use the gateway, ProComm must load a secondary copy of the
command processor (COMMAND.COM). It uses the environment variable
COMSPEC to determine the name and location of the command processor.
COMSPEC is set at system startup to the drive, directory and program you
booted from. Problems can arise if you boot off a floppy, and then
change the floppy in the boot disk drive. To use the gateway, and the
Alt-F function, be sure that COMSPEC is set and that the command
processor is where COMSPEC says it is.
Question:
I can't use the help screen because MultiLink grabs the ALT-F10 keystroke
before ProComm can get it.
Answer:
MultiLink provides an 'escape' keystroke to avoid that problem. Simply
press Alt-F9 before pressing Alt-F10 and MultiLink will let the Alt-F10
through to ProComm.
Question:
When I call online systems like CompuServe or the Source via Telenet, I
get nothing but garbage characters on my screen.
Answer:
When using public networks such as Telenet or Tymnet, you must either
call in at E/7/1 (even parity, 7 data and 1 stop bits), or strip the high
bit off each incoming character using the translate table.
Question:
When I try to run Host Mode it always thinks that somebody is online;
that is, it will automatically go to the "Name: " prompt and then keep
cycling.
Answer:
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1102
ProComm 2.4 Appendix C
You must set your modem so that it does not force carrier detect (CD)
high, or true. This is usually controlled by a dip switch on your modem.
For example, on a Hayes external mode, set dip switch 6 to the up
position.
Question:
I'm trying to get two computers running ProComm to talk to each other
using a direct connection. What do I do?
Answer:
You need to connect the two machines using a null modem cable. A null
modem cable has the usual configuration for a serial port to modem
connection, with the exception that pins 2 and 3 must be crossed. That
is pin 2 on one end needs to go to pin 3 on the other, and vice versa.
Then make sure that each side is using the same line parameters. You
should be able to talk back and forth between the machines while in
terminal, or chat modes (like Crosstalk's GO LOCAL). You may even run
Host Mode on one machine; just remember to set the Connection Type option
in the Host Mode Setup area to Direct.
Question:
ProComm doesn't work with my NeoClone modem that I bought in a garage
sale in Taiwan. Why not?
Answer:
ProComm, by default, is set for use with Hayes compatible modems. If
your modem is not truly Hayes compatible, you will have to change some of
the SetUp Options, especially the Modem Initialization string and the
Modem Dial command, to values correct for your modem. This may entail a
little digging in your modem manual. User groups and local bulletin
boards may be able to provide information on using your particular brand
of modem.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1103
ProComm 2.4 Appendix D
APPENDIX D - PROCOMM TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Receive buffer size ................... 2048 Bytes
Redisplay buffer size ................. 10000 Bytes
Baud rates supported .......................... 300
......................... 1200
......................... 2400
......................... 4800
......................... 9600
........................ 19200
File transfer protocols ..................... ASCII
.................... XMODEM
................... WXMODEM
.................... TELINK
.................... YMODEM
.................... MODEM7
.................... KERMIT
.............. COMPUSERVE B
Serial ports supported ............ COM1 0x3F8 IRQ4
............ COM2 0x2F8 IRQ3
............ COM3 0x3E8 IRQ4
............ COM4 0x2E8 IRQ3
Video buffer addresses supported .... COLOR 0xB8000
..... MONO 0xB0000
Interrupt vectors used ....................... 0x0B
....................... 0x0C
....................... 0x1B
....................... 0x23
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1201
ProComm 2.4 Appendix E
APPENDIX E - USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
User-supported software is a means for the computing community to receive
quality software while directly supporting software authors. It is based
on the ideas that:
The value and utility of software is best assessed by the
user on his or her own system. Only after using a program
can one really determine whether it serves personal
applications, needs and tastes.
The creation of independent personal computer software can
and should be supported by the computing community.
Copying of programs should be encouraged, rather than
restricted. The ease with which software can be distributed
outside traditional commercial channels reflects the
strength, rather than the weakness, of electronic
information.
Under the user supported concept, anyone may request a copy of a
user-supported program by sending a blank, formatted disk to the program
author together with an addressed, postage-paid return mailer. A copy of
the program, along with documentation on disk, will be sent by return
mail on the user's disk.
The program carries a notice suggesting registration for the program. You
should register if you are going to use the program on a regular basis.
Regardless of whether you register and use the program, you are
encouraged to copy and distribute the program for the private,
non-commercial, trial use of others.
User supported software is generally not public domain material; most
programs of this nature carry a copyright notice. Rather, the author has
licensed you to copy and use the program under certain conditions.
Likewise, user supported software is not intended to be free software; it
is an experiment in economics, not altruism. It is intended to provide
quality software at a low price, while directly supporting the author,
without the overhead of distributors, dealers and advertising that
produces $500 software packages.
User supported software is having a hard time. More and more packages
are being taken out of this market, and offered as more traditional, and
expensive, products. The reason for this is simple: lots of people are
using the packages but very few are paying for them. And without the
support of the users, there is absolutely no incentive for software
authors to provide their programs in this fashion.
There are many good reasons to register. Besides supporting the author
(that is, paying for the software you use), you generally get better
support and receive mailed notification of updates and other products.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1301
ProComm 2.4 Appendix E
Some authors provide diskettes and documentation with registration; due
to our low registration fee Datastorm Technologies, Inc. does not,
although diskettes and manuals are available at a very low price (see
Ordering Information in the front of this manual).
In conclusion, if you regularly use a user supported program (sometimes
called Freeware or Shareware) and have not sent in a registration to the
author, please do so now. Only through the financial support of users
will this kind of inexpensive software continue to be available.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1302
ProComm 2.4 Appendix F
APPENDIX F - PRODUCT SUPPORT
In order to support our users, and to provide a means of distribution, we
have implemented a bulletin board system you can use to communicate with
us. If you have questions or comments you may call us up and leave a
note. In your note, describe as completely as possible the problem you
are having. Let us know your machine configuration, your ProComm
configuration and version and any resident software you are using.
Describe what steps you take before the problem occurs, and exactly what
the program does when it occurs. If you do not provide us with a
complete description of the problem there is little we can do to help.
We'll do our best to keep you up and running, but if you are not a
registered user we do not guarantee to provide support of any kind.
You'll always be able to find the latest version of ProComm on the BBS.
The number for our board is (314) 449-9401. The board is operational 24
hours per day. Due to the incredibly high volume of calls that we are
receiving, the BBS is often busy. You will probably need to put ProComm
into auto redial and let it work for a while before you get in. We plan
to install a second line for the benefit of registered users.
If you do go online to use, please remember a few things:
We have thousands of users to support, plus a product to maintain
and a business to run. You will most likely not receive an
immediate response. Please be patient. We usually take care of
registered users in 2 or 3 days at the most.
We do not guarantee to provide support of any kind to non-
registered users. We do, in fact, provide many hours of support to
non-paying users, but we do this at our discretion. Non-supporting
users who demand support from us are usually out of luck. Please
be patient, and please be polite.
In addition to our board, several fine systems always carry the latest
version of ProComm. They are:
Computer Aide BBS ATL/FIDO1
Mike Johnson, Sysop Ken Shackelford, Sysop
Tulsa, OK. (918) 493-2137 Woodstock, GA. (404) 928-1876
2400 baud, 24 hours a day 2400 baud, 24 hours a day
PConnecticut BBS TBC BBS
John O'Boyle, Sysop Dave Staehlin, Sysop
West Hartford, CT. (203) 521-1991 Albuquerque, NM, (505) 821-7379
2400 baud, 24 hours a day 2400 baud, 24 hours a day
Underdog BBS Rowlett RBBS
Sal Manaro, Sysop Dan Kardell, Sysop
Seattle, WA. (206) 725-9233 Rowlett, TX, (214) 475-4598
2400 baud, 24 hours a day 2400 baud, 24 hours a day
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1401
ProComm 2.4 Appendix F
WELLSPRING BBS IBM/PC SIG, The Source
Steve Clancy, Sysop Mike Todd, Sysop
Irvine, CA, (714) 856-7996 The Source (800) 336-3330 (voice)
1200 baud, 5pm-8am M-F, Mike Todd (213) 439-6104 (voice)
24 hours weekends
ProComm is also found on a host of other bulletin board systems, user
groups and the like.
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1402
ProComm 2.4 Index
I N D E X
! . . . . . . . . . . . 204, 312 ASCII . . . . . . 310, 602, 717
+++ . . . . . . . . 304, 313, 802 ASCII Transfer SetUp . . . . 314
/B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 ASSIGN Sx . . . . . . . . . 704
/D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 AT . . . . . . 302, 304, 313, 802
/F . . . . . . . . . 201, 701, 702 ATDT . . . . . . . . . . 303, 501
/M . . . . . . . . . . . 201, 310 Audit trail . . . . . . . . 803
/S . . . . . . . . . . . 201, 311 Auto answer . . . . . . 407, 802
^ . . . . . . . . . . . 204, 312 Auto answer string . . . . . 313
| . . . . . . . . . . . 204, 312 Auto baud detect . . . . 313, 803
~ . . . . . . . . . . . 204, 311 Auto redial . . . . . . 304, 706
~~~ . . . . . . . . 304, 313, 802 Automatic redial . . . . 401, 504
Aborted downloads . . . . . . 312 BACKSPACE . . . . . . . . . 721
ADDS Viewpoint . . . . . . . . 909 Batch transfers . . . . . . 603
Alarm sound . . . . . . . . . 311 Baud rate . . . . . . . 203, 402
Alarm time (secs) . . . . . . 311 BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Alt-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 BIOS calls . . . . . . . . . 201
Alt-A . . . . . . . 309, 403, 408 Blank lines . . . . . . . . 315
Alt-B . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Break . . . . . . . . . 407, 704
Alt-C . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Break Length (ms) . . . . . 307
Alt-D . . . . . . . . . 303, 401 BS key definition . . . . . 307
Alt-E . . . . . . . . . 305, 406 BS translation . . . . . . . 306
Alt-F . . . . . . . . . 202, 408 BYMODEM . . . . . . . . . . 717
Alt-F1 . . . . . . . . . 310, 409 Carrier Detect . . . . . 101, 304
Alt-F10 . . . . . . 203, 205, 401 CASE . . . . . . . . . . . . 718
Alt-F2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 409 CD . . . . . . 304, 406, 711, 801
Alt-F3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 CED . . . . . . . . . . . . 804
Alt-F4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 Character pacing . . . . . . 315
Alt-F5 . . . . . . . . . 405, 701 Chat Mode . . . . . . . . . 404
Alt-F6 . . . . . . . . . 404, 405 CHDIR . . . . . . . . . . . 705
Alt-F7 . . . . . . . . . 307, 408 Checksum . . . . . . . . . . 603
Alt-G . . . . . . . . . 310, 408 Christensen, Ward . . . . . 603
Alt-H . . . . . . . 304, 406, 710 CIS B . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Alt-I . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 CISB . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Alt-K . . . . . . . . . 405, 604 CLEAR . . . . . . . . . 705, 714
Alt-L . . . . . . . . . 406, 409 Clear screen . . . . . . . . 406
Alt-M . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 CLOSE . . . . . . . . . . . 714
Alt-O . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 Command File Syntax . . . . 702
Alt-P . . . . . . . . . 402, 404 Command files . . . . . 405, 701
Alt-Q . . . . . . . . . 404, 803 Error messages . . . . 723
Alt-R . . . . . . . . . 401, 504 Command line switches . . . 201
Alt-S . . . . . . . 301, 405, 406 Command Reference Guide . . 1001
Alt-V . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 COMMAND.COM . 403, 404, 408, 706
Alt-W . . . . . . . . . 310, 403 Comment . . . . . . . . . . 703
Alt-X . . . . . . . . . 205, 404 Commercial use . . . . . . . iii
Alt-Y . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 Composite monitor . . . . . 201
Alt-Z . . . . . . . . . 406, 407 CompuServe . . . . 311, 403, 603
ANSI.SYS . . . . . . . . . . . 911 CompuServe 'B' protocol . . 308
ANSI-BBS . . . . . . . . 305, 911 CompuServe B File Transfers 604
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1501
ProComm 2.4 Index
COMSPEC . . . . . . 404, 408, 706 EMULATE . . . . . . . . . . 706
COMSWAP.ARC . . . . . . . . 1101 End key . . . . . 405, 501, 701
CONFIG.SYS . . . . . . . 101, 801 ENDCASE . . . . . . . . . . 718
Connect string . . . . . . . . 303 ENDSWITCH . . . . . . . . . 718
CONNECTED . . . . . . . . . . 711 ENQ . . . . . . . . . . 307, 604
Connection type . . . . . . . 314 Enquiry . . . . . . . . . . 307
Copying ProComm . . . . . . . iii Environment Variable . . . . 102
Copyright . . . . . . . . . . iii Error messages . . . . . . . 723
CR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 ESC translation character . 204
CR translation . . . 306, 315, 316 EXECUTE . . . . . . . . . . 707
CR translation character . . . 204 Exit . . . . . . . . . . 404, 707
CR/LF . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Exiting ProComm . . . . . . 205
CRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603 Expand blank lines . . . . . 315
CTRL character translation . . 204 Exploding windows . . . . . 311
CTRL-BREAK . . . . . . . 307, 407 FAILURE . . . . . . . . . . 711
Ctrl-E . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 FDX . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Ctrl-G . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 FIDO . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Ctrl-J . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 File logging . . . . . . 409, 714
Ctrl-M . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 File Transfer Protocols . . 602
Ctrl-Q . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 FILES= . . . . . . . . . 101, 802
Ctrl-S . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 FIND . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
CTTY COMx . . . . . . . . . . 804 FINISH . . . . . . . . . . . 713
CWHEN . . . . . . . . . . . . 720 Flow control . . . . . . . . 305
Data bits . . . . . . . 203, 402 FOUND . . . . . . . . . 711, 712
Data Terminal Ready . . . . . 304 General SetUp . . . . . . . 308
Deadlock . . . . . . . . . . . 306 GET . . . . . . . . . . . . 708
DEC VT100 . . . . . . . . . . 305 GETFILE . . . . . . . . 708, 713
Default d/l path . . . . . . . 309 GOSUB . . . . . . . . . . . 709
Default directory . . . . . . 405 GOTO . . . . . . . . . . . . 710
Default log file . . . . . . . 310 H0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
DEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Handshaking . . . . . . . . 305
DIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705 Hang-up string . . . . . . . 304
Dialing . . . . . . . . . . . 504 Hangup . . . . . . 404, 406, 710
Dialing command . . . . . . . 303 Hardware . . . . . . . . . . 101
Dialing command suffix . . . . 303 HDX . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Dialing directory . . . 401, 501 Heath/Zenith 19 . . . . . . 908
Adding entries . . . . . 502 Help Screen . . . 202, 203, 205
Deleting entries . . . . 503 Home key . . . 405, 408, 501, 701
Making a call . . . . . 504 HOST . . . . . . . . . . . . 710
Manual dialing . . . . . 504 Host Access Password . . . . 803
Revising . . . . . . . . 502 Host ID string . . . . . 312, 802
DIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 Host menu . . . . . . . . . 803
DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706 Host Mode . . . . 102, 404, 801
DOS Gateway . . . . 309, 404, 408 Host mode password . . . . . 313
DOS shell password . . . 313, 803 Host Mode SetUp . . . . . . 312
Dosedit . . . . . . . . . . . 804 IBM 3101 . . . . . . . . . . 904
Download . . . . . . . . 408, 708 IF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711
Download Path . . . . . . . . 602 IF CONNECTED . . . . . . . . 710
Downloading Files . . . . . . 601 IMG file . . . . . . . . . . 408
DTR . . . . . . . . 304, 406, 801 ISFILE . . . . . . . . . . . 713
Duplex . . . . 203, 305, 402, 406 KERMIT . . . . . . . . . . . 717
E0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Kermit File Transfer . . . . 603
Echo . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Kermit handshake char . . . 308
Echo locally . . . . . . . . . 314 Kermit server commands . . . 405
Editor . . . . . . . . . 309, 403 Kermit SetUp . . . . . . . . 308
Elapsed time . . . . . . . . . 406 KERMSERVE . . . . . . . . . 713
ELSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711 KEY files . . . . . . . . . 402
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1502
ProComm 2.4 Index
KEY HIT . . . . . . . . 314, 803 PgDn . . . . . . . 405, 408, 501
Keyboard macros . . . . . . . 401 PgUp . . . . . . . 405, 408, 501
KFLUSH . . . . . . . . . . . . 714 Print logging . . . . . . . 715
Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . 703 Print on/off . . . . . . . . 406
LD code identifier . . . . . . 502 PRINTER . . . . . . . . . . 715
Lear Sieglar ADM 3/5 . . . . . 907 Printer logging . . . . 406, 409
LF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 PRN . . . . . . . . . . 409, 715
LF translation . . . . . . . . 316 ProComm Files . . . . . . . 102
LF translation (uploads) . . . 316 PROCOMM.DIR . . . . . 102
LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . iii PROCOMM.HST . . . . . 102
Licensing agreements . . . . . vii PROCOMM.KEY . . . . . 102
Line pacing . . . . . . . . . 315 PROCOMM.MSG . . . . . 102
Line Settings . . . . . 203, 402 PROCOMM.PRM . . . . . 102
Line wrap . . . . . . . . . . 307 PROCOMM.XLT . . . . . 102
LINKED . . . . . . . . . . . . 711 ProComm Setup . . . . . . . 802
LOCATE . . . . . . . . . . . . 714 PROCOMM.DIR . . . . . . . . 102
LOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714 PROCOMM.HST . . . . . . 102, 803
Log Hold . . . . . . . . 408, 409 PROCOMM.IMG . . . . . . . . 408
LOGOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . 713 PROCOMM.KEY . . . . . . 102, 402
Long Distance Codes . . . . . 503 PROCOMM.MSG . . . . . . 102, 803
Adding or revising . . . 503 PROCOMM.PRM . . . . . . . . 102
MACRO . . . . . . . . . . . . 714 PROCOMM.XLT . . . . . . . . 102
Manual Dialing . . . . . . . . 504 PROCOMM= . . . . . . . . . . 102
MESSAGE . . . . . . . . . . . 715 PROFILE.CMD . . . . . . . . 701
MGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708 Program information . . . . 405
MLOAD . . . . . . . 402, 714, 715 Program information screen . 202
MODEM . . . . . . . . . . . . 717 PRT OFF . . . . . . . . . . 406
Modem auto-answer string . . . 802 PRT ON . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Modem dialing command . . . . 503 Public domain . . . . . . . iii
Modem initialization string
302, 803 QUIT . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
MODEM MSG . . . . . . . 313, 803 RAM requirements . . . . . . 101
Modem pause character . . . . 205 Receive buffer . . . . . . . 703
Modem pause delay . . . . . . 505 Receive Files . . . . . . . 408
Modem SetUp . . . . . . 302, 801 Redial Pause Delay . . . . . 304
MODEM7 File Transfers . . . . 603 Redial Timeout Delay . . 304, 505
Multi-tasking . . . . . . . 1102 Redisplay . . . . . . . 404, 405
Multi-tasking operating Registered users . . . . . . iii
systems . . . . . . 201 Registration . . . . . . . . . v
MultiLink . . . . . . . . . 1102 RESUME . . . . . . . . . . . 714
Nesting . . . . . . . . . . . 703 RETURN . . . . . . . . . . . 709
No Connect strings . . . . . . 304 RFLUSH . . . . . . . . . . . 716
Non-registered users . . . . . iii RGET . . . . . . . . . . . . 716
NOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712 RUN . . . . . . . . . . . . 716
OPEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714 RXMODEM . . . . . . . . . . 717
Operating System Setup . . . . 801 S0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Order . . . . . . . . . . . . vi S0= . . . . . . . . . . 313, 802
ORDERING INFORMATION . . . . . . v S11 . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Pace character . . . . . . . . 315 S7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Pacing . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Screen buffer . . . . . . . 310
Parity . . . . . . . . . 203, 402 Screen dump . . . . . . 408, 718
Partial files . . . . . . . . 312 Screen dump file . . . . . . 310
Password . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Screen write method . . . . 310
PAUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . 715 Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Pause translation character . 204 Searching for an Entry . . . 502
PC-HOST BBS . . . . . . . . . 604 Security . . . . . . . . . . 313
PCjr . . . . . . . . . . 303, 1101 Send Files . . . . . . . . . 408
PeopleLink . . . . . . . . . . 605 SEndFILE . . . . . . . . 713, 717
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1503
ProComm 2.4 Index
SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717 Tilde . . . . . . . . . . . 311
SET ALARM ON/OFF . . . . . . . 721 Translate CR character . . . 312
SET ASCII . . . . . . . . . . 721 Translate CTRL character . . 312
Set ASCII Commands . . . . . . 722 Translate ESC character . . 312
SET ATIME . . . . . . . . . . 721 Translate pause character . 311
SET BAUDRATE . . . . . . . . . 721 Translate table . . . . 310, 403
Set colors . . . . . . . . . . 406 TRANSMIT . . . . . . . . . . 720
Set Commands . . . . . . . . . 721 Truncated lines . . . . . . 307
SET CR_IN CR/CR_LF . . . . . . 721 Tymnet . . . . . . . . . . . 403
SET CR_OUT CR/CR_LF . . . . . 721 Upload . . . . . . . . . 408, 717
SET DATABITS 7/8 . . . . . . . 721 Uploading Files . . . . . . 601
SET DLDIR . . . . . . . . . . 721 V1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
SET ENQ . . . . . . . . . . . 722 VAX/VMS EDT Editor . . . . . 903
SET FLOWCTRL ON/OFF . . . . . 722 View a File . . . . . . . . 408
SET HOSTPSWD . . . . . . . . . 722 VT-100 . . . . . . . . . . . 902
Set Kermit Commands . . . . . 723 VT-102 . . . . . . . . . . . 902
SET PARITY . . . . . . . . . . 722 VT-52 . . . . . . . . . . . 906
SET PORT . . . . . . . . . . . 722 WAITFOR . . . . . 711, 712, 720
SET RDELAY . . . . . . . . . . 722 WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . iv
SET SCROLL ON/OFF . . . . . . 722 WHEN . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
SET SHELLPSWD . . . . . . . . 722 Windows . . . . . . . . . . 311
SET SOUND ON/OFF . . . . . . . 722 WXMODEM File Transfers . . . 604
SET STOPBITS 1/2 . . . . . . . 722 WYSE 100 . . . . . . . . . . 910
SET SWRITE BIOS/DIRECT . . . . 722 X1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
SET TRANSLATE ON/OFF . . . . . 722 XLT file . . . . . . . . . . 403
SET WRAP ON/OFF . . . . . . . 722 XMODEM . . . . . . 310, 311, 717
SetUp . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 XMODEM File Transfer . . . . 603
Setup menu . . . . . . . . . . 403 XMODEM timeouts . . . . . . 311
SetUp screen . . . . . . . . . 405 XON/XOFF . . . . . 306, 404, 602
Sliding windows . . . . . . . 604 YMODEM . . . . . . . . . 310, 717
SNAPSHOT . . . . . . . . . . . 718 YMODEM Batch . . . . . . . . 603
Sound effects . . . . . . . . 311 YMODEM File Transfers . . . 603
Source, The . . . . . . 403, 604
Split screen . . . . . . . . . 404
Sprint . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Stack overflow . . . . . 709, 724
Stack underflow . . . . 709, 724
Status line . . . . . . 202, 401
Stop bits . . . . . . . 203, 402
String Translation . . . . . . 204
String variables . . . . . . . 703
Strip . . . . . . . 310, 315, 316
Strip characters . . . . . . . 403
SUCCESS . . . . . . . . . . . 711
SUSPEnd . . . . . . . . . . . 714
SWITCH . . . . . . . . . . . . 718
Sysops . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
TCOMM BBS . . . . . . . . . . 604
Telenet . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Televideo 900 Series . . . . . 905
TELINK . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Telink File Transfers . . . . 603
Terminal Emulation . . . . . . 305
Terminal Emulations . . . . . 203
Terminal Mode . . . . . 202, 401
Terminal SetUp . . . . . . . . 305
Terminal types . . . . . . . . 707
Copyright (C) 1986 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. 1504
