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IBM PS/2 ASSISTANT (TM)
Developed by Mark T. Chapman
IBM NDD National Support Center, Atlanta, GA.
Copyright (C) IBM Corp. 1989-1992
─── ───
The intent of this file is to explain what the IBM PS/2 Assistant is, how to
install it, how to obtain future upgrades, and what problems or limitations you
might run into while installing or using it.
A complete list of the files that you should have is as follows:
PS2ASST.TXT (This File)
PS2A_GEN.INF
PS2A_MKT.INF
PS2A_SVC.INF
PS2A_TEC.INF
PS2A_TSP.INF
PS2A_TTL.INF
The purpose of these files is described below.
OVERVIEW
────────
The IBM PS/2 Assistant is an online help tool composed of PS/2 and OS/2-related
marketing, service, technical and general information. It comprises five parts:
the IBM PS/2 Marketing Assistant (PS2A_MKT.INF), the IBM PS/2 Service Assistant
(PS2A_SVC.INF), the IBM PS/2 Technical Assistant (PS2A_TEC.INF), the IBM PS/2
Technical Specifications Assistant (PS2A_TSP.INF), and the IBM PS/2 General
Information Assistant (PS2A_GEN.INF). These files may be viewed separately, or
together, according to the user's preference. For convenience, the files will
be collectively called the "PS/2 Assistant" throughout the rest of this
document.
The PS/2 Assistant is a binary file created by compiling a scripted ASCII text
file, using the Information Presentation Facility (IPF) Tag Language and
Compiler. They are included in the OS/2 V1.2 and 1.3 Programming Tools and
Information toolkits (P/Ns 6024929 or 85F1671). The PS/2 Assistant requires
OS/2 1.2 (or later) to operate, because it uses the OS/2 VIEW.EXE command to
access the file. This is the same command used to display the online OS/2
Command Reference. Since both files were created with the same compiler, and
are displayed by the same command, they look and act very much alike. So if
you know how to use one, you also know how to use the other.
Features include:
- A Table of Contents listing a number of sections containing PS/2, OS/2,
DOS, and AIX Marketing information; PS/2 and OS/2 Service information;
and PS/2 and OS/2 Technical information, as well as a PS/2 Assistant
overview and usage instructions tutorial (About PS/2 Assistant).
- A keyword Search capability, which highlights all occurrences of a word or
phrase, anywhere in the PS/2 Assistant, and displays all sections containing
that string in a selection window.
- A Print feature allowing you to print the Table of Contents, any section
or group of marked sections, or the entire document (over 600 pages worth!).
- A Copy-to-clipboard function for copy/paste use.
- A Copy/Append-to-ASCII-File capability to save to disk for future use.
- A Bookmark feature to save a list of the frequently-referred-to sections
for quicker access.
- Contextual online Help for general usage information.
The PS/2 Assistant was tested, and does work, across an OS/2 LAN Server V1.2
network. Still, keyword searches may take longer across a network than
directly on a local workstation. Menu access doesn't appear to be affected by
the network. Because the PS/2 Assistant is only about 1MB in size, you may
wish to load it on the individual workstations (rather than on the server).
(For instructions on Setting Up an OS/2 LAN Server to Share On-line Books, see
the document by the same name in the Networking Tips section of the Tips-and-
Techniques heading in the PS/2 Technical Assistant.)
INSTALLING AND STARTING THE PS/2 ASSISTANT
──────────────────────────────────────────
For performance reasons I strongly recommend that you copy the files to a hard
drive. You may wish to add the PS/2 Assistant to the C:\OS2\BOOK directory,
which already contains the online OS/2 Command Reference (and OS/2 LAN Command
Reference, if you have the LAN Requester installed). If you prefer to
create a separate directory for the Assistant, you should also change the
SET BOOKSHELF= statement in CONFIG.SYS. For example, if you create a directory
called PS2ASST, change SET BOOKSHELF= from:
SET BOOKSHELF=C:\OS2\BOOK
to
SET BOOKSHELF=C:\OS2\BOOK;C:\PS2ASST
This tells OS/2 where to look for online books.)
| Then for OS/2 1.x either:
1) Create a menu option (using Program...New from the Group action bar)
containing the following information:
Program Title: PS/2 Marketing Assistant
Path: C:\OS2\VIEW.EXE
Parameters: PS2A_MKT
and simply click on the PS/2 Assistant menu option to run the program.
or,
2) Type:
VIEW PS2A_MKT
to run the program directly from the command prompt.
| For OS/2 2.0:
| 1) Open the Information object on the desktop, and use Create Another (or hold
| down the Ctrl key and drag a book icon elsewhere in the folder and then drop
| it) to duplicate an existing book object
| 2) Open the icon Settings and change the Parameter field to the name of one PS/2
| Assistant book; then change the icon title
| 3) Repeat steps 1) and 2) for the other books
|
| Or, use the VIEW command as in OS/2 1.x.
To install the PS/2 Service Assistant and the PS/2 Technical Assistant, simply
repeat the process, substituting the other titles and file names in the above
example.
| If you would like to automatically start the PS/2 Marketing Assistant when you
| boot up your system, add the following statement to your OS/2 1.x STARTUP.CMD
| batch file:
START C:\OS2\VIEW.EXE PS2A_MKT.INF
| Or, OS/2 2.0 users can add the book icon to the Startup folder.
If you would like to logically link the five books together (to simplify
keyword searches of all the information in the three files) into one big menu,
you can type from a command line (or put in a batch file or CONFIG.SYS):
SET PS2ASST=PS2A_MKT.INF+PS2A_SVC.INF+PS2A_TEC.INF+PS2A_TSP.INF+PS2A_GEN.INF
This will create one "virtual" book called PS2ASST (or any other name you
choose to assign). To see the data, just VIEW PS2ASST as you would with one
of the component files, or use PS2ASST as the parameter in a group setup.
OR, create a menu option containing the following information (the file names
can be in whatever order you prefer):
Program Title: PS/2 Assistant
Path: C:\OS2\VIEW.EXE
Parameter: PS2A_MKT+PS2A_SVC+PS2A_TEC+PS2A_TSP+PS2A_GEN
(The disadvantage to these approaches is that the "About PS/2 Assistant" menu
heading will appear four times each on the combined menu, because it exists in
all four files. This makes the menu a bit more cluttered, but nothing more.)
In the above examples, the title of the combined book would be "IBM PS/2
Marketing Assistant" because that is the title of the first file in the SET
command. If another file were first, its title would be used instead.
There is one additional (517 byte) .INF file on the diskette, named
PS2A_TTL.INF, which is merely a title header. If you precede the other file
names in the examples above with this file name, your title will read "IBM PS/2
Assistant" as the title, instead of "IBM PS/2 Marketing Assistant." This may
be less confusing when you sometimes look at just one section of the PS/2
Assistant, and other times link several sections together.
(NOTE: In case you are wondering why the .INF extension was used in some of
the examples above, but not others, the answer is that it is optional when
using the VIEW command directly, as in VIEW xxxx; however when the START
command is used to launch a program, or the SET command is used to link files
together, the fully-qualified program and file names are required. Not using
the .INF extension in these cases will cause a "Cannot Open Input File"
error.)
Finally, you may wish to create a new menu (Group) specifically for the PS/2
Assistant, or for all online books, including the OS/2 and LAN command
references. To do this, simply go to the Desktop Manager and select Group.
Then select New, and type in a Group Name (say PS/2 Assistant, or Online
Books). After deciding whether to have the menu auto-start when you boot up
(under 1.3 or later), and whether to start minimized or "normalized", click on
Add, and you are done. Once the group has been added, you can set up the menu
to include the Assistant books, by using Program...New, and filling in the
fields, as described above.
*** TIP ***
If you already have the Assistant installed on a menu, and want to move the
entries to their own group, you can simply drag and drop (using the "alternate"
(right button for right-handed users) mouse button) from one Group window to
another. This will save a lot of typing (in the new Group) and deleting (from
the old Group). This "trick" works with any Group menu items.
USAGE INSTRUCTIONS
──────────────────
Information on using the PS/2 Assistant is available by double-clicking on the
first menu option (Overview and Usage Instructions) of the Contents menu. If
you are familiar with using the OS/2 Online Command Reference, then you already
know how to use the PS/2 Assistant; however there is some information specific
to the PS/2 Assistant contained in this section that should be read before
using the first time.
*** HOT TIP ***
If you know the name of the section you will be looking in first, you can jump
directly to that section from the command line. For example, if you want to
look up a phone number, rather than typing VIEW PS2A_GEN, and then selecting
the IBM Phone Number list, and then the IBM Voice Phone Numbers, you could
type:
VIEW PS2A_GEN VOICE
and jump directly to that section. This technique works only for the FIRST
menu topic containing that keyword. If, for example, you searched on PHONE,
you would get the IBM Phone Number header.
This trick won't always get you where you want to go on the first try, but it
can be a time-saver once you get the hang of it.
******************************************************************************
UPDATES
───────
The PS/2 Assistant is updated twice-monthly, and released via the IBM NSC BBS
(see below) for end-users (PS2ASST.EXE), or the MKTTOOLS disk (PS2ASST PACKAGE)
for IBMers. IBM Developer Assistance Program (IDAP) members, and customers
registered as Technical Coordinators, who have access to IBMLINK also may
download the PS/2 Assistant (PS2ASST PACKAGE) from the ESDTOOLS disk. IBMers
may type in the following command from the VM command line to get the latest
copy of the PS/2 Assistant:
TOOLCAT MKTTOOLS GET PS2ASST PACKAGE
If this doesn't work, use the following:
TOOLS SENDTO BCRVMMS1 TOOLS MKTTOOLS GET PS2ASST PACKAGE
To subscribe to the PS/2 Assistant (and receive future updates automatically),
type:
TOOLS SENDTO BCRVMMS1 TOOLS MKTTOOLS SUB PS2ASST PACKAGE
If you have any comments, suggestions, or find any errors, please let me know.
I can be reached through the IBM NDD National Support Center BBS. (Dealers
registered with the IBM Technical Advisor program may use the 800 # to call
the Technical Advisor BBS (TA BBS) set up for them. Others may call
404-835-6600 for the first available modem line; or 404-835-5300 for USR
Dual-Standard 9600 baud modems; or 404-835-5578 for IBM 7855 modem lines; or
404-835-6296 for Hayes V-Series or Ultra Smartmodems.) Communication
parameters supported are 300-9600 baud; N,8,1).
IBMers can reach me internally at T/L 269-6432 or MCHAPMAN @ DAYVM2. There is
also a PS2ASST FORUM available on the IBMPC disk.
Prodigy users may leave a message for JPJS05A.
******************************************************************************
KNOWN PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS
──────────────────────────────
1) If you are using SE 1.2 ship-level (ie. without the November 1989 Update),
the IBM PS/2 Assistant V1.40 or later will not work ("Cannot Open Input File"
message). This is due to my switching to the updated IPF compiler (which fixed
some bugs in the original compiler) that requires the SE 1.2 update. EE 1.2
users already have the update incorporated into the ship-level code. Only SE
1.2 users with a SYSLEVEL of less than XR04020 are affected. (This does not
affect EE 1.2 users, all of whom have a minimum SYSLEVEL of 4053 or later.)
2) It appears that you cannot print from the Assistant if the OS/2 Spooler is
disabled. If you receive printing errors, check to be sure the spooler is
enabled, or type SPOOL at a command prompt to enable it.
3) In some instances a multi-part search string (for example, MATH COPROCESSOR)
may not return all valid matches. This is a limitation of the VIEW.EXE command.
If you do not get as many "hits" as you expect, try a shorter search string
(such as COPROCESSOR), or use wildcards (MATH *PRO*). Single-word searches
appear to work correctly.
4) If you try to use STARTUP.CMD to start more than one .INF file (whether
PS/2 Assistant, CMDREF.INF, or other online help file) you may receive an OS/2
error message for each attempt after the first. This is due to a
timing problem (the second copy trying to load before the first finishes) in
OS/2 1.2 and 1.3. The fix for this bug is in OS/2 V1.30.1 (also called CSD
5015).
5) If you accidentally (or intentionally) delete the OS/2 1.2 Courier font from
the system, IPF (under which the PS/2 Assistant runs) will incorrectly
substitute a proportional font instead of the system monospace font. This has
the effect of messing up the alignment of text in all the monospaced documents
(such as the price list and technical specs documents!). This has been
reported to OS/2 development and will be corrected in a future 1.2 CSD.
6) There seems to be an intermittent problem using the PS/2 Assistant on an
OS/2 LAN Server V1.2 network. Occasionally, the first time the PS/2 Assistant
is started a Protection Violation error will be encountered when the first menu
option is selected. If a Search is attempted before a menu option is selected,
Search ignores the search request. It doesn't appear to be a serious problem.
It happens only sporadically, and only once. If you start the Assistant again,
immediately after the PV error, it will work correctly the second time, and
every time after that until the next time you reboot.
7) When using OS/2 V1.3, the fixed-pitch font (such as in the price list) used
by OS/2 is larger than that used in V1.2. Therefore less text will fit on the
screen than before, both horizontally and vertically. This is not a problem
vertically, since you can just scroll up and down to see all the information;
but some data may be cut off on the right side of the screen. There is no way
to see this information currently. I have no control over this limitation, and
there are too many lines of fixed pitch text (10-15,000 lines) to change
manually. Until a new version, or Corrective Service Diskette, gives me (or
the user) the ability to select a font size, or scroll horizontally, this will
be a permanent limitation. Workarounds include using an 8514/A adapter and
compatible high-resolution display; or staying with OS/2 1.2 for the time being.
8) There may be a problem trying to print (from VIEW.EXE) INF file information
on a PostScript printer. If you encounter strange wrapping problems on a PS
printer, try changing your printer into IBM Proprinter (or other ASCII printer)
emulation mode if your printer has such a mode (or any other emulation mode
that is known to work with the PS/2 Assistant). Then set the Print Manager
Application Default (from Setup) to use an OS/2 driver compatible with this
printer mode. (If this works, don't forget to reset your printer mode and OS/2
driver back to their original settings when done printing from the Assistant.
If your printer is capable of printing ASCII files, another approach is to use
the Copy to File pulldown option. This will save the selected sections to a
file called TEXT.TMP, in the same directory as the INF file you are copying
from. Then simply use the File Manager to drag-and-drop the file to the Print
Manager icon. Then answer the prompt for the device driver to use, and when
prompted whether the data is Graphics or Text, specify Text. (The reason for
doing it this way, rather than using the Print command, is that many PS
printers do not automatically switch from PS mode to ASCII mode, and tend to
"eat" the ASCII file instead of printing it. The drag/drop method forces the
printer into ASCII mode, if the printer has an ASCII mode.)
9) If you are using the Assistant on a network, make sure that all INF files
are set up with read-only attributes, otherwise all users trying to share a
file that is already open will receive "access denied" error messages. This
is true of any INF files you might be sharing (command reference, etc.).
I hope you find this tool to be useful. Good luck!
Mark Chapman
Advisory Marketing Support Representative
IBM NDD National Support Center, Atlanta.
NOTE: The IBM PS/2 Assistant is copyrighted by IBM, and may not be modified in
any manner, or for any reason. See the "About PS/2 Assistant" menu option in
the PS/2 Assistant for Trademark information and additional disclaimers.