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Text File | 1991-09-02 | 79.7 KB | 1,777 lines |
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- Contents
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- Legal notices 1
- PCFDial warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
-
- Evaluation copies 3
- Disk vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
- Bulletin board operators (sysops) . . . . . . . . 3
- Colleges & teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
-
- Registering PCFDial 4
- Volume discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
- Site licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
- Reseller discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
-
-
- Part 1: Getting started
-
-
- Chapter 1: What is PCFDial? 7
-
- Chapter 2: Installation 8
- 2.1 Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
- 2.2 Setting up PCFDial . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
- 2.3 A word to the wise . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
- 2.3.1 DOS 3.20 users . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
- 2.4 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
- 2.4.1 Call Data Standard . . . . . . . . . . . 9
- 2.4.2 Microsoft Windows . . . . . . . . . . . 9
-
- Chapter 3: Context sensitive help 10
- 3.1 Customizing PCFDial . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
-
- Chapter 4: Starting PCFDial 16
- 4.1 Command line summary . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
- 4.2 Program initialization . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- 4.3 TSR information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
- 4.3.1 Loading considerations . . . . . . . . . 18
- 4.3.2 Size considerations . . . . . . . . . . 18
-
-
- Part 2: Using PCFDial
-
-
- Chapter 5: Invoking PCFDial 20
- 5.1 Dialing a phone number . . . . . . . . . . . 20
- 5.2 When the call ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
-
- Chapter 6: The TOLLNMBR.INF file 23
-
- Chapter 7: The TIMEZONE.INF file 24
-
-
-
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-
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- Part 3: Appendixes
-
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- Appendix A: Status & error messages 26
- A.1 Exit codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
-
- Appendix B: Helpful hints 30
- B.1 Invoking PCFDial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
- B.2 Common questions & answers . . . . . . . . . 30
- B.3 Get the correct time . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
- B.4 Hotels & credit cards . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
- B.5 Disable call waiting . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
- B.6 One modem, two lines . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
-
- Appendix C: Troubleshooting 35
- C.1 Call history file problems . . . . . . . . . 35
- C.2 Modem problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
- C.3 If that doesn't help . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
-
- Index 36
-
-
- Figures
-
- Figure 3.1: Context sensitive help screen . . . . . . 10
- Figure 3.2: PCFDial configuration screen . . . . . . 11
- Figure 5.1: PCFDial working with a PC-File screen . . 20
- Figure 6.1: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF file . . . . . . . . 23
- Figure 6.2: TOLLNMBR.INF for exceptions . . . . . . . 23
- Figure B.1: Radio Shack parts for a two-line switch . 34
- Figure B.2: Diagram for two-line switch . . . . . . . 34
-
-
- Tables
-
- Table 2.1: Mandatory PCFDial files . . . . . . . . . .8
- Table 2.2: Optional PCFDial files . . . . . . . . . . .8
- Table 7.1: TIMEZONE.INF time zone designators . . . . 24
- Table A.1: PCFDial exit codes . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Legal notices
-
- PCFDIAL Version 1.0
-
-
- Barn Owl Software
- P.O. Box #74, O'Fallon, IL 62269
-
-
- Voice
- line (618) 632-7345, regular business hours
-
- Fax line (618) 632-0023
-
- Support
- BBS (618) 398-2305
-
- Compu-
- Serve send private mail messages to 74017,1344
-
- InterNet send to 74017.1344@compuserve.com
-
- Telex send to 3762848. The first line of your
- message must read as "TO:EASYPLEX:74017,1344"
-
- PCFDial software & documentation Copyright 1990 by Barn Owl Soft-
- ware, all rights reserved worldwide. Barn Owl Software is a
- member of the Association of Shareware Professionals and PCFDial
- falls under ASP guidelines for shareware products.
-
- Any specific hardware/software names used in this manual are the
- (registered) trademarks of specific companies.
-
- You may not modify PCFDial in any way that changes the program's
- actual computer instructions unless these methods are approved by
- Barn Owl Software.
-
- Barn Owl Software strives to produce technically accurate docu-
- mentation for its products but we're only human. This manual may
- contain any number of typographical, graphical, printing, or
- interpretation errors.
-
- 2 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
- "This program is produced by a member of the Association
- of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make
- sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you
- are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with
- an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may
- be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve
- a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not
- provide technical support for members' products. Please
- write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon,
- MI 49442 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to
- ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536".
-
-
- PCFDial warranty
-
- PCFDial is offered under the shareware concept, in which users
- may thoroughly test the program before deciding to pay for it.
- Because of the diversity of conditions, hardware, and other soft-
- ware under which the program may be used, no warranty of fitness
- for a particular purpose can be offered.
-
- Barn Owl Software offers a 30-day money back guarantee after
- purchase. You may return all materials for a full refund during
- this time, no questions asked. All materials must be in good
- condition. This applies only to copies sold directly by Barn Owl
- Software or purchased through direct resellers (such as Public
- software Library). WE CANNOT REFUND PRODUCTS SOLD BY INDIRECT
- RESELLERS.
-
- Physical materials (manuals, disks, etc.) supplied by Barn Owl
- Software are warranted to be free of defects in workmanship for
- the life of the product. Users may return defective materials
- anytime for replacement at no charge.
-
- ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
- FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE TERMS OF THE
- EXPRESS WARRANTIES. IN NO CASE SHALL BARN OWL SOFTWARE'S PRODUCT
- LIABILITY EXCEED THE MONETARY FEES PAID FOR THE RIGHT TO LEGALLY
- USE THE PRODUCT.
-
- Evaluation copies 3
-
-
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Evaluation copies
-
- You may try PCFDial on a 30-day trial basis to determine if this
- program meets your needs. You must then either purchase your
- copy/copies of the program, or quit using it.
-
- You may give UNMODIFIED copies of PCFDial to others so they can
- evaluate it for their needs, subject to the same restrictions and
- conditions above.
-
-
- Disk vendors
-
- The Association of Shareware Professionals sets standards for
- disk vendors if they wish to obtain "ASP approved" status. You
- can learn more by writing to the ASP vendor membership commit-
- tee, 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442.
-
- Barn Owl Software, like many ASP members, lets ASP approved disk
- vendors distribute PCFDial without having to ask first. We send
- master disks to ASP approved disk vendors at no charge.
-
- If you are not an ASP approved disk vendor, please send a copy of
- your catalog along with your request to distribute our product.
-
-
- Bulletin board operators (sysops)
-
- Bulletin board operators (sysops) may offer unmodified copies of
- PCFDial on BBSs and other electronic information services so
- others can download the program and evaluate it for their needs.
-
-
- Colleges & teachers
-
- Barn Owl Software is happy to help teachers offering courses on
- PCFDial. We can supply master disks & manuals as course
- materials. Please contact us for more details. Our address &
- phone numbers are on page 1.
-
- 4 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Registering PCFDial
-
- Please submit a completed registration form with proper payment
- to continue using PCFDial after your 30-day trial period. Look
- for the REGISTER.FRM file on your master disk.
-
- Your PCFDial registration includes the following:
-
- * One year of voice support at (618) 632-7345, BBS support at
- (618) 398-2305, fax support at (618) 632-0023, and news-
- letter support;
- * The latest version of PCFDial is sent on disk and you will
- be notified for at least a year when major enhancements are
- made to the program;
- * Information on how to get a CompuServe IntroPak that waives
- the normal sign-up fee and gives you a $15 usage credit on
- top of it;
- * Help "beta test" future versions of PCFDial if you wish
- before they are publicly marketed.
-
-
- Volume discounts
-
- The following discounts apply for regular orders. Each package
- consists of a set of disks, a professionally printed manual, and
- the registration benefits shown above. This is a per order
- discount, not an accumulative order discount.
-
- 001 - 002 packages 00% discount
- 003 - 009 packages 05% discount
- 010 - 019 packages 10% discount
- 020 - 049 packages 20% discount
- 050 - 099 packages 30% discount
- 100 - XXX packages ask for details
-
- Barn Owl Software accepts purchase orders (POs) only from
- schools, government agencies, and Fortune 1000 companies. Please
- add a $10 processing fee on POs less than $100.
-
-
- Site licenses
-
- Barn Owl Software offers site licenses if you don't need manuals
- and technical support for each copy of the program you use. We
- supply you with one "gold" disk & manual and give you a license
- so up to XX people in your organization can legally use the
- program.
-
- See the SITELIC.DOC file included with PCFDial for more details.
-
- Registering PCFDial 5
-
-
-
- Reseller discounts
-
- Please contact Barn Owl Software if you resell software and wish
- to offer PCFDial to your customers.
-
- 6 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
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-
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- ______________________________PART 1_____________________________
- Getting started
-
- What is PCFDial? 7
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Chapter 1____________________________
- What is PCFDial?
-
- PCFDial is a TSR (terminate and stay resident) phone dialer
- designed to pluck numbers right from the screen of your favorite
- software program. It also reminds you at regular intervals how
- long you've talked on the phone -- useful if you must "close the
- deal" in a set amount of time, for example.
-
- PCFDial comes out of the box ready for ButtonWare PC-File users,
- overriding the ALT-J command so you can dial phone numbers and go
- back to what you were doing in PC-File. However, you can custo-
- mize the program to your particular needs.
-
- PCFDial, like PC-File and other dialer programs, keeps a log of
- calls for you. (It even writes log entries to the same file if
- you wish.) And of course, the log conforms to specifications
- described in the Call Data Standard. This means you can analyze
- call history files with CDS-compatible phone bill analyzers.
-
- 8 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Chapter 2____________________________
- Installation
-
-
- 2.1 Requirements
-
- PCFDial runs on an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible computer
- with a Hayes compatible modem and a hard disk. You must use DOS
- 2.0 or better.
-
- The following tables describe the necessary and the optional
- files which make up PCFDial:
-
- Table 2.1: Mandatory PCFDial files
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- PCFDIAL.EXE The actual program
- PCFDIAL.OVR The program's "overlay" file
- PCFDIAL.HLP The context-sensitive help file
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- Table 2.2: Optional PCFDial files
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- PCFDIAL.CDS CDS call history file, but it can be any filename
- you choose
- PCFDIAL.CFG PCFDial configuration file, but it can be any file-
- name you choose
- TIMEZONE.INF A list of time zones for the U.S. and Canada,
- broken down by and area code
- TOLLNMBR.INF A list of local exchanges that must be dialed as a
- "toll" call
- READ.ME! Contains late-breaking PCFDial notes
- REGISTER.FRM Contains a registration form so you can easily pay
- for PCFDial
- SITELIC.DOC A documentation file specifically for people who
- need site licenses or volume discounts
- SYSOP.DOC A documentation file specifically for computer
- bulletin board operators
- VENDOR.DOC A documentation file specifically for shareware
- disk vendors
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- 2.2 Setting up PCFDial
-
- PCFDial is easy to install. If you put the master PCFDial disk
- in your A: drive, type the following commands at the DOS prompt:
-
- A:
- INSTALL
-
- and follow the instructions shown on your screen.
-
- Chapter 2, "Installation" 9
-
-
-
- 2.3 A word to the wise
-
- chronology (kra na"l'a jee) n., ... 2. the arrangement
- of events, dates, etc. in the order of occurrence 3. a
- list or table of dates in their proper sequence ...
- nd
- -- New World Dictionary, 2 ed.
-
- You must set the DOS date & time whenever you boot up if you hope
- to create valid call history files. If you don't do this, your
- files will show calls made on 1-1-80 just after midnight. That's
- not right!
-
- Please don't change your DOS date or time while using PCFDial.
- It will be reflected in your call history file(s) and could pose
- problems later on.
-
- 2.3.1 DOS 3.20 users
-
- People who use DOS 3.20 may experience a weird bug: the DOS date
- stays the same when the clock strikes midnight. Communications
- programs rely on the DOS date when logging phone calls and this
- can mess up a call history file.
-
- We say "some" people may have this bug. DOS 3.21 corrected the
- problem but, for whatever reason, some DOSs tell programs they're
- running under DOS 3.20. (Zenith DOS does this, among others.)
-
-
- 2.4 Compatibility
-
- 2.4.1 Call Data Standard
-
- PCFDial conforms to "CDS", the Call Data Standard, specification
- 1.0, for [voice] communication programs. Please contact Barn Owl
- Software if you want to learn more about CDS.
-
- 2.4.2 Microsoft Windows
-
- PCFDial works under Microsoft Windows IF you load it in a DOS
- window (usually as part of a batch file process). If you load it
- in memory before starting Windows, you must take care not to
- press the program hotkey while working in a DOS window -- you'll
- hang the system if you try it.
-
- If you want to use PCFDial with a particular DOS database program
- running in a window, you can load/unload it from memory as part
- of a batch file used to start the desired application. Tell
- Windows to execute the batch file instead of the database program
- itself.
-
- PCFDial can't dial phone numbers displayed on a graphics screen;
- therefore it cannot dial any phone numbers displayed by a Windows
- application.
-
- 10 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Chapter 3____________________________
- Context sensitive help
-
- You can get context sensitive help anytime PCFDial is active just
- by pressing the F1 key. Don't know anything about a particular
- data entry field or menu item? Move the highlight bar over the
- item in question and press F1. It's that simple.
-
- If you have a mouse device, you can press both the left & right
- keys instead of the F1 key.
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- /|PCFDial installation|------------------|by Barn Owl Software|\
- >------------------- Dist prefix --------------------\
- | This string of characters is added by default to |
- | the front of all the long-distance calls you dial. # |
- | Normally this is "1-", but some businesses may | |
- | need to dial "9" to get an outside line. You would | |
- | thus enter "9-1-" to dial the number properly. | |
- | | |
- | The string is loaded by default with "9,1-" if you | |
- | put "/9" on the command line when you load PCFDial | |
- | into memory. Consult the program manual for more | #
- | details. | |
- | | |
- | See also: Prefix/suffix codes | |
- | Special modem commands | |
- | | |
- | | |
- | | |
- | | |
- | |
- \|F1 for more help|----------------------------------/
- \|Press F1 for help|---------------|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|/
-
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Figure 3.1: Context sensitive help screen
-
- Many help topics contain more details than the small help window
- can show at one time. A message on the lower right edge of the
- window may tell you to press PgUp or PgDn to see more text. If
- you have a mouse device, put the mouse cursor on the up/down
- arrows (located on the right side of the help window) and press
- the left mouse button.
-
- In some cases the help screen has its own highlight bar. You can
- use the cursor keys to move the bar so it covers a topic of
- interest, then press ENTER. The program displays help on the
- related topic you requested. You can pick & choose your way
-
- Chapter 3, "Context sensitive help" 11
-
-
-
- through all the various help topics pertaining to the original
- subject.
-
- Keep an eye on the bottom left corner of the help window to see
- if you can press F1 for even more help. Doing so gives you
- access to major topics in the program. Move the highlight bar
- over a major topic of interest and press ENTER.
-
- Press ESC when ready. You'll wind up right where you left off in
- the program.
-
-
- 3.1 Customizing PCFDial
-
- You can change many of PCFDial's defaults by typing "PCFDIAL
- /INSTALL" at the DOS prompt. The program doesn't load itself in
- memory; it just creates a configuration file for you.
-
- PCFDial displays the following data entry screen when you use the
- /INSTALL option:
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- /|PCFDial installation|------------------|by Barn Owl Software|\
- | COM port: 1
- | Speed: 1200 Delay: 25 |
- | Surname: |
- | Init command: |
- | Dial command: ATDT |
- | Hangup command: ATH0 |
- | |
- | Local area code: |
- | |
- | Local prefix: #
- | Local suffix: |
- | Toll prefix: 1- |
- | Toll suffix: |
- | Dist prefix: 1- |
- | Dist suffix: |
- | Other prefix: |
- | Other suffix: |
- | |
- | Keep log of call: Y |
- | Log local calls: Y
- \|Press F1 for help|---------------|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|/
-
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Figure 3.2: PCFDial configuration screen
-
- Use the cursor keys to move between fields and feel free to press
- F1 if you need specific help. Here's a rundown of each data
- field and its significance to the program:
-
- 12 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
- COM port: tells the program the serial port your modem uses.
- DOS normally recognizes them as COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.
- Just enter the numeric value -- 1, 2, 3, or 4. PCFDial
- defaults to 1, meaning it will look for the modem on COM1.
- [This option can be specified with a command line switch. See
- section 4.1.]
-
- Speed: refers to the baud rate your modem understands.
- Typical values are 300, 1200, and 2400. The default is 1200.
- [This option can be specified with a command line switch. See
- section 4.1.]
-
- Delay: dictates the number of milliseconds PCFDial must pause
- after sending each character to your modem. Some modems
- accept commands faster than they can interpret them: this
- option slows things down for the modem. The default is a 25
- millisecond pause between each character. [This option can be
- changed with a command line switch. See section 4.1.]
-
- Surname: tells the program to identify your calls by a special
- name when recording details in the log file. It only applies
- to people who generate reports on their calls with a CDS phone
- bill analyzer program. PCFDial normally uses the COM port
- number to uniquely identify the call for phone bill analysis
- purposes, but this isn't always desirable. For example,
- multiple users in a network environment may use the same modem
- and log file, and a phone bill analyzer would have no way to
- distinguish between two or more calls going on at the same
- time. Business travelers may want to identify each call based
- on the name of the hotels they visit. You can do it with the
- surname option.
-
- Init command: is the first string of characters sent to the
- modem when you dial a call. This is blank by default. Common
- settings are "ATM1" (turns the modem's speaker on), "ATZ"
- (resets the modem), or "ATS7=60" (tells the modem to wait 60
- seconds before automatically hanging up). Consult your modem
- handbook for details if you want to learn more about the Hayes
- AT command set.
-
- Dial command: is the first part of the string of characters
- sent to your modem to dial a phone number. PCFDial defaults
- to "ATDT". You must change this to "ATDP" if you have only
- rotary dial service. Consult your modem handbook for more
- details about the Hayes AT command set.
-
- Hangup command: is sent to the modem to tell it to hang up
- once you've picked up the receiver. This is "ATH0" by
- default. Consult your modem handbook for more details about
- the Hayes AT command set.
-
- Local area code: tells PCFDial your own area code. This helps
- it dial local calls when it detects your area code as part of
- the dialing string -- and it helps determine the time of day
-
- Chapter 3, "Context sensitive help" 13
-
-
-
- for other U.S. and Canadian area codes. [This option can be
- changed with a command line switch. See section 4.1.]
-
- Local prefix: specifies a string of characters you want
- appended to the front of the dialed phone number. The string
- is included only when PCFDial recognizes the number as being
- local. It is blank by default but, if you use the /9 option
- (see section 4.1), it will be initialized to "9-" so you can
- get an outside line.
-
- Local suffix: works like the local prefix described above, but
- it goes at the end of the dialed number. This string goes to
- the modem only if PCFDial recognizes the number as being
- local. It is always blank by default. You might use this
- field if you dial local calls with a credit card, for example.
-
- Toll prefix: is a string of characters appended to the front
- of the phone number you wish to dial. The string is included
- only when PCFDial recognizes the number as being toll. It is
- set to "1-" by default but, if you use the /9 option (see
- section 4.1), it will be initialized to "9,1-" so you can get
- an outside line.
-
- Toll suffix: is like the toll prefix described above, but the
- string is appended to the back of the phone number you wish to
- dial. The string is included only when PCFDial recognizes the
- number as being toll. It is always blank by default. You
- might use this field if you dial calls with a credit card, for
- example.
-
- Dist prefix: is a string of characters appended to the front
- of the phone number you wish to dial. The string is included
- only when PCFDial recognizes the number as being dialed with
- an area code (thus being long distance). It is "1-" by
- default but, if you use the /9 option (see section 4.1), it
- will be initialized to "9,1-" so you can get an outside line.
-
- Dist suffix: is like the Dist prefix described above, but the
- string is appended to the back of the phone number you wish to
- dial. The string is included only when PCFDial recognizes the
- number as being dialed with an area code (thus being long
- distance). It is always blank by default. You might use this
- field if you dial calls with a credit card, for example.
-
- Other prefix: is a string of characters appended to the front
- of the phone number you wish to dial. The string is included
- only when PCFDial does not recognize the number as being local
- or long distance. (It could be an office extension or an
- overseas phone number, for example.) It is always blank by
- default.
-
- Other suffix: is like the Other prefix described above, but
- the string is appended to the back of the phone number you
- wish to dial. The string is included only when PCFDial does
-
- 14 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
- not recognize the number as being local, toll, or long
- distance. It is always blank by default. You might use this
- field if you dial calls with a credit card, for example.
-
- Keep log of calls: tells the program whether to record various
- details about calls in a CDS compatible log file. The details
- include the number you dialed, the date & time the call
- started, and the date & time you hung up. Calls will be
- logged by default.
-
- Log local calls: specifies if you want to keep a history of
- local calls. Some people may only want to keep track of long
- distance numbers.
-
- Log as business: lets PCFDial know if it should annotate each
- call it logs as having been placed for business reasons. This
- is mainly used by people who generate reports with a phone
- bill analyzer program.
-
- Log filename: is the call log filename. You can specify a
- drive and path for the file if you wish. The program writes
- to PCFDIAL.CDS by default. The file will be stored in the
- PCFDial directory if you don't specify a specific path for it.
-
- Call timer alarm: tells PCFDial how many seconds to wait
- before reminding you how long you've talked on the phone. The
- program defaults to remind you every 120 seconds (two
- minutes). This option proves especially useful for salesmen
- who must "close the deal" in a certain amount of time. You
- can turn off the reminders either by setting the value to zero
- or by turning off the "Keep log of calls" option.
-
- TSR disk default: tells the program to use a specific drive
- for storing temporary system files when it loads into memory.
- (System files are always stored in the root directory of the
- drive.) This option is blank by default, meaning the program
- uses the default drive if necessary. You can change this if
- you normally start the program from a hard disk or floppy and
- want it to store its system files on a RAMdisk. Note: PCFDial
- ignores the drive you specify if it has enough EMS memory for
- the task. (You can use the /E command line option to make the
- program ignore EMS memory. See section 4.1.)
-
- TSR hotkey: is the hotkey you wish the program to use. It is
- "2074" by default, which translates to the ALT-J key. PCFDial
- lets you change this hotkey either automatically (you press
- the hotkey) or manually (you enter the numeric value).
- Position the cursor on this field and press the F1 key to
- learn about the keystroke numeric values. [The hotkey can be
- changed at load time with a command line switch. See
- section 4.1.]
-
- Chapter 3, "Context sensitive help" 15
-
-
-
- string: is simply the name you give for the hotkey. It is
- "ALT-J" by default, but you can change it if you wish. [This
- string can be changed at load time with a command line switch.
- See section 4.1.]
-
- Press CTRL-ENTER to save the current configuration and end the
- program. Press ESC if you want to terminate PCFDial without
- saving a configuration file.
-
- 16 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Chapter 4____________________________
- Starting PCFDial
-
-
- 4.1 Command line summary
-
- PCFDIAL [options...]
-
- PCFDial begins when you enter "PCFDIAL" at the DOS prompt. Quite
- a few options let you alter the way the program runs, but don't
- worry. Some exist only for advanced users and some may not even
- apply to you.
-
- cfg-file PCFDial configuration filename. PCFDial looks for
- PCFDIAL.CFG, but this option lets you specify another
- name. You can also specify the path to the file.
-
- /1[:bbbb[:ddd]]
- /2[:bbbb[:ddd]]
- /3[:bbbb[:ddd]]
- /4[:bbbb[:ddd]]
- Modem connected to COMx. You can optionally specify the
- baud rate ("bbbb") and character transmission delay
- speed ("ddd"). PCFDial defaults to COM1, 1200 baud,
- 25ms character delay.
-
- /9 Dial "9" for outside line. Tells PCFDial to dial "9"
- before dialing the telephone number for an outside line.
- (It initializes all default prefix strings so they have
- a "9" as the first character.) This option has no
- effect if you load the program with a configuration
- file.
-
- /Annn Local area code to ignore. Numbers displayed on the
- screen with an nnn area code will lose their area code
- and be dialed as a local call. This proves useful for
- people who go on the road because today's long-distance
- phone call may be a local call from a hotel room
- tomorrow.
-
- /Dx[:nnnn[:string]]
- TSR support drive, hotkey, & ID string. PCFDial
- normally uses its own drive/hotkey/ID string or the ones
- you declared in the configuration file, but you can
- override them with this option. See below for detailed
- information.
-
- /E Ignore EMS. PCFDial normally uses expanded (LIM EMS)
- memory if it finds enough available. This tells the
- program to ignore EMS.
-
- Chapter 4, "Starting PCFDial" 17
-
-
-
- /I Ignore PCFDial configuration files. PCFDial is geared
- to hunt for its configuration file. This option tells
- the program to use its internal defaults.
-
- /INSTALL Create PCFDial configuration file. The program runs in
- standalone (non-TSR) mode and creates a configuration
- file to your specifications.
-
- /Kcfg-file
- PCFDial configuration filename. See below for detailed
- information.
-
- /N Noiseless operation. Toggles the program into total
- silence at startup.
-
- /Prrr:ccc[:lll]
- Highlight bar row, column, & length. The first time you
- use PCFDial after loading, its highlight bar positions
- itself on row 17, line 17, covering a length of 17
- characters. This option lets you initialize to
- different values. NOTE: if you use this option, the
- high igh ba co tin ous y r set it elf to  hisÂ
-      def ult O her ise it rem mbe s i s l st  osi ion &
-      l ngt be wee po upsÂ
-
-    /   nin tal pr gra fr m T R s atu .  ee  elo foÂ
-      de ail d i for ati n.
-
-    Syn ax: You mus pu a  pac be wee ea h o tio .  CFD al
-    a cep s p ram ter in any ord r b t y u s oul pu th /K opt on
-    f rst if  ou  pec fy  t.  And fin lly yo ma us "- " i ste d
-    of "/x if you wis .
-
-    ee  ppe dix B f r v sua ai s o st rti g P FDi l a th DOÂ
-    pro pt.Â
-
-
-    .2  Pro ram ini ial zat on
-
-    Whe PC Dia st rts up, it  ook fo th co fig rat on  ileÂ
-    CFD AL. FG  f y u d dn' sp cif on on the com and lin .  t
-    se rch s:
-     1.  he  efa lt  ire tor ;
-     . T e d rec ory whe e t e P FDi l p ogr m i ke t;  nd,Â
-    3. The dir cto ies lis ed  n t e D S P TH  con ult you DOÂ
-     ma ual if  ou  re  nfa ili r w th  his .
-
-
-    4. T R i for ati n
-
-    her ar so e s eci l c nsi era ion yo mu t f llo if you wisÂ
-    to  se  CFD al:Â
-
-    1           CFD al  1.0 Use Ma ualÂ
-
-
-
-    4. .1  Loa ing con ide ati ns
-
-    Net ork use s m st  oad PCF ial aft r a y n two k s ell .
-
-    ult tas er  ser mu t l ad  CFD al  fte an sy tem man gerÂ
-    lik DE QVi w,  mni iew Ta kVi w,  r W ndo s.  Loa ing it  n aÂ
-    art tio is fin if the par iti n i at lea t 1 0k. (P FDi l
-    ta es  nly 7k  f r gul r m mor wh n d rma t.)Â
-
-    4. .2  Siz co sid rat onsÂ
-
-    PC Dia is a l rge pro ram yet it  nly tak s 7 wh n l ade as a
-    TS .  n s mpl te ms, the pro ram wri es  tse f t di k o EMÂ
-    mem ry  nd  eav s b hin a  mal "k rne ."  Thi ke nel wai s f r
-    yo to pre s t e h tke (A T-J by  efa lt) at  hic po nt  t
-    re ds  he  rog am  ack int me ory W en  ou' e d ne, theÂ
-    rog am  wap ba k o t a d t e k rne wa ts  or  ou  o p ess theÂ
-    otk y a ainÂ
-
-    N te: PCF ial s s app ng  roc ss  pee s u if it  ses EMS mem ry
-    o a  AMd sk.Â
-
-    Yo mu t h ve  80k of  ree dis sp ce, EMS mem ry, or  AMd sk
-    s ace to  oad PCF ial ( ons lt  our DOS man al  f y u'rÂ
-    unf mil ar  ith EMS mem ry  r R Mdi ks. I PC Dia do sn' fi d
-    en ugh EMS mem ry, it  ill all cat ab ut  80k of  pac fo twÂ
-    hid en  ile in the roo di ect ry  n t e d fau t d ive I yoÂ
-    wan to use a s eci ic  riv -- say a R Mdi k o a  pee y h rd
-    d sk  - y u c n a com lis it a f w d ffe ent way :
-     . G ner te  co fig rat on  ile in  hic yo ex lic tly setÂ
-     the "De aul TS dr ve" opt on; or,Â
-    2. Use PCF ial s / co man li e o tio to spe ify the dri e
-     y u w nt  o u e;  r,
-     3.  ake the tar et  riv th DO de aul an th n i vokÂ
-     PC Dia .
-
-    f y u h ve  xte ded mem ry  nst ad  f L M E S e pan ed  emo y,
-    w en our ge  ou  o c eat a  AMd sk  arg en ugh for PCF ial to
-    u e.  Or, use any of  he  ari us  ree uti iti s d sig ed  o m ke
-    e ten ed  emo y a t l ke  IM  MS  emo y.
-
-    Ch pte 4, "Us ng  CFD al"          19
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Â Â Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â __PÂ RT Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â ___Â _
-           sin PC DiaÂ
-
-    0           PCF ial v1. Us r M nuaÂ
-
-
-
-
-
-    _ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ __C apt r 5 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___Â
-          nvo ing PCF ialÂ
-
-    PC Dia po s u wh n y u p ess the "ho key (n rma ly  LT- ) sÂ
-    you can dia ph ne  umb rs  isp aye on the scr en. AL -J  lsoÂ
-    esi nat s t e e d o a  all if  ou  eep a l g o yo r c llsÂ
-
- Â Â Â -Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â
- In ex: LAS _FI ST  sce din              F
- Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â ---Â
- > --- --- --- --  ial ng  rom scr en  --- --- --- ---Â
-  PC Dia le s y u d al  ele hon nu ber di ect y  -- --- --- --- --\ Â
-  |  rom the scr en  f a oth r a pli ati n.  (PC Dia #     |  Â
-  mu t b lo ded as a TSR to do this.) Press the | |
- | hotkey (ALT-J by default) so a reverse-video |----------/----<>----\
- | shadow box appears. You can move the box with the | |Command: |
- | arrow keys, and you can make it grow/shrink with | |------------|
- | the "+" (plus) and "-" (minus) keys. Don't worry | |Add a record|
- | if the phone number starts on one line and ends on | |Delete |
- | another -- the shadow box is intelligent enough to | |Modify |
- | "straddle" the line break. | |Find (cont.)|
- | | |Search (new)|
- | Press ENTER when you cover the telephone number. | |End of file |
- | This tells PCFDial to dial it. It's that simple! |----------|Beginning |
- | NOTE: any letters appearing in the shadow box will | |Next record |
- | be converted to numbers. This means you can dial |----------|Prior record|
- | "vanity" phone numbers like (800) 2424-PSL. | |Rcd# get |
- | |one bill a|+ browse dwn|
- | PCFDial always looks at the length of the phone |- browse up |
- \|F1 for more help|--------------| PgDn for more|/ng phone l|Quit finding|
- \------------/
-
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Figure 5.1: PCFDial working with a PC-File screen
-
-
- 5.1 Dialing a phone number
-
- Press ALT-J (or whatever hotkey you defined) when you want to
- dial a phone number displayed on the screen. A highlight bar
- appears so you can "pluck" the phone number. The following keys
- perform various functions:
-
- +,- increases/decreases length of highlight bar
-
- TAB jump to next phone number on the screen
-
- UP arrow
- DOWN arrow
- RIGHT arrow
-
- Chapter 5, "Invoking PCFDial" 21
-
-
-
- LEFT arrow moves highlight bar one character in the chosen
- direction
-
- PGUP,PGDN moves highlight bar to top/bottom of screen
-
- HOME,END moves highlight bar to far left/right side of screen
-
- F1 brings up context sensitive help
-
- F2 time of day for any area code (sorted by area code)
-
- F3 time of day for any area code (sorted by state)
- *
- F4 time of day for any area code (sorted by zip code)
-
- ENTER dial the highlighted phone number
-
- ESC never mind, return to the other program (or
- optionally dial the previous phone number)
-
- Don't worry if the phone number starts on one line of the screen
- and ends on another. Just position the highlight bar on the
- first digit and increase its length (with the + key) until it
- "straddles" the rest of the number on the next line.
-
- And don't worry about dialing a "vanity" phone number like
- 800-2424-PSL. PCFDial converts highlighted letters to numbers
- when it dials for you.
-
- If you press ESC at this point, and you had previously dialed a
- phone number (whether or not it connected), PCFDial will ask if
- you want to re-dial the number. This is handy if you failed to
- connect earlier due because no one was home or you got a busy
- signal. If you choose not to dial the previous number, PCFDial
- gives control of the computer back to the program you were using.
-
- Press ENTER if you want to dial the number highlighted on the
- screen. The program sends the necessary commands to dial the
- phone number. Pick up the telephone and press a key when the
- last digit has been dialed: PCFDial hangs up the modem so you can
- have the line all to yourself.
-
- NOTE: PICK UP THE PHONE BEFORE PRESSING A KEY! Otherwise the
- call will disconnect and you'll end up talking to a dial tone.
-
- PCFDial will then ask if the call connected. Press "Y" if
- someone answers the phone; press "N" if the line is busy or no
- one answers. If you answer yes, the program will remind you to
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- * You must have previously loaded the ZIPKEY TSR from Eric
- Isaacson Software, version 1.91 or later, for this command to
- work.
-
- 22 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
- press the ALT-J hotkey again when you hang up so it can log the
- time the call ended. (This assumes you keep a log of calls.)
- PCFDial pops up automatically at regular intervals to remind you
- how long you've talked on the phone.
-
-
- 5.2 When the call ends
-
- If you keep a log of calls, be sure to press ALT-J (or whatever
- hotkey you defined) when you hang up. This tells PCFDial to
- record the end of the call in its log file.
-
- If you press ALT-J and the highlight bar pops up, it means the
- program wasn't keeping track of a call in progress (and thus
- assumes you want to dial another number). Just press ESC at this
- point and answer "no" if it asks to redial a previous phone
- number.
-
- Chapter 6, "The TOLLNMBR.INF file" 23
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Chapter 6____________________________
- The TOLLNMBR.INF file
-
- PCFDial looks for a special TOLLNMBR.INF file whenever it dials a
- local number. Normally, the program understands a phone number
- to be local or long-distance. Yet sometimes local numbers must
- be dialed as "toll" calls. (Normally this means dialing a "1"
- before the number.) TOLLNMBR.INF tells it what local three-digit
- exchanges should be treated as toll calls.
-
- TOLLNMBR.INF is a simple ASCII text file. Each three-digit
- exchange appears on a line by itself, like so:
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- 233
- 555
- 578
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Figure 6.1: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF file
-
- Exchanges don't have to be in any order, but there must be NO
- blank lines, nor can there be any blank spaces at the beginning
- or end of a line.
-
- If you tell PCFDial to dial a local call, it checks to see if
- TOLLNMBR.INF exists and looks for the three-digit exchange. For
- example, if the number you want to dial is 233-7215 and 233 was
- listed, it dials the call using the default toll prefix & suffix.
-
- The program reads TOLLNMBR.INF file each time you dial a number
- in your area code. This means you can update it on the fly
- without having to unload the program from TSR status.
-
- Special note: some people may have so many toll exchanges, it
- might be easier just to list the local ones as exceptions. You
- can do this if you follow this example:
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- EXCEPTIONS
- 739
- 759
- 982
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Figure 6.2: TOLLNMBR.INF for exceptions
-
- "Exceptions" must be on the first line of the file. It doesn't
- matter if you use uppercase or lowercase letters -- you just have
- to spell it right.
-
- PCFDial includes a sample TOLLNMBR.INF file with "555" as a toll
- exchange. Please feel free to add more toll exchanges (or
- exceptions).
-
- 24 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Chapter 7____________________________
- The TIMEZONE.INF file
-
- PCFDial looks for a special TIMEZONE.INF file whenever you want
- to see the time of day for an area code or state. This file is
- simply a list of the area codes for each state and the time zones
- they fall under. It is a simple ASCII file with the following
- general layout:
-
- CO Colorado
- 303 MT 719 MT
-
- Each state gets two lines. The first line contains the state
- abbreviation and the full state name. The second line lists each
- area code in the state followed by a two-letter designator for
- the time zone:
-
- Table 7.1: TIMEZONE.INF time zone designators
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- AT Atlantic Time
-
- ET Eastern Time
-
- CT Central Time
-
- MT Mountain Time
-
- PT Pacific Time
-
- KT Alaska Time
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Each item in the list is separated by a space. There must be NO
- blank lines, nor can there be any spaces at the beginning or end
- of a line.
-
- PCFDial includes a generic TIMEZONE.INF file. You may notice
- some area codes cover two time zones, but the file only lets you
- specify one. We struggled to list the zone with the most phone
- numbers in a given area code, but please feel free to alter it if
- you like.
-
- Chapter 7, "Appendixes" 25
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________________PART 3_____________________________
- Appendixes
-
- 26 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Appendix A___________________________
- Status & error messages
-
- The following is a list of all status & error messages. In some
- cases there may be an obscure reason why the message would come
- up, and we've tried to list those reasons to help you out. (We
- left out the obvious possible causes like an unformatted disk or
- an open drive door.)
-
- Bad parameter or filename on the MS-DOS command line.
- An invalid command-line option was specified.
-
- The /K option was specified but the program could not find the
- configuration file.
-
- Be sure to press xxx when you hang up!
- This information message reminds you the call is being logged.
- Press the hotkey xxx (ALT-J by default) when you hang up so
- PCFDial can log the end of the call.
-
- Call logging feature has been turned OFF.
- A disk error occurred; PCFDial recovered from it but was
- forced to turn off the CDS call logging feature. CALLS WILL
- NO LONGER BE LOGGED FROM THIS POINT ON! You must unload/
- reload the program to re-activate the call logging feature.
-
- Change the TSR hotkey?
- This question appears when you use the "/INSTALL" command line
- option. If you answer yes, PCFDial records (the numeric value
- of) your next keystroke as the TSR's hotkey.
-
- Couldn''t find a phone number on screen.
- You pressed the TAB key to move to the next phone number on
- the screen, but the program couldn't find one. This sometimes
- happens with vanity phone numbers like 800-IBM-DISK. Move the
- highlight bar with the cursor keys and +/- keys until it
- covers the phone number you want to dial.
-
- Couldn't recognize xxxxxxxx.
- Multiple command-line options were specified without a space
- or tab to separate them. "/I/N" is not acceptable, you must
- say "/I /N".
-
- An invalid command-line option was specified.
-
- The specified PCFDial configuration file doesn't exist.
-
- Appendix A, "Status & error messages" 27
-
-
-
- Dial last number (xxx-xxxx)?
- If you press the hotkey, PCFDial pops up and expects you to
- pluck a phone number from the screen. If you press ESC, it
- asks if you want to dial the previous phone number. This can
- be handy if the previous number you dialed was busy or no one
- was home.
-
- Did the call connect?
- Unfortunately, PCFDial can't tell when someone picks up the
- phone at the other end -- modems just don't return that kind
- of data. You must tell the program if your call connected.
-
- Did you just hang up on the current call?
-
- Do you want to redial the number?
- If you tell PCFDial the call failed to connect for some
- reason, it will ask if you want to redial it. Answer yes or
- no. Remember, you can redial the last phone number by
- pressing the hotkey (ALT-J by default) followed by ESC.
-
- DOS says today is Tue 1-1-80! That's not right!
- The DOS date is not set properly. It won't affect PCFDial,
- but it could mean a bad call history file. See section 2.3
- for more information.
-
- Error reading/writing the xxxxxxxx file.
- The file is not a valid PCFDial v1.0 configuration file. (You
- might be trying to read a file generated by a later version of
- PCFDial.)
-
- The disk has become full.
-
- Tried to write or erase a read-only file or a file on a write-
- protected disk.
-
- Error occurred trying to access modem.
- You failed to turn on an external modem.
-
- You specified an improper COM port.
-
- Failure occurred in TSR handler logic.
- The program failed in its attempt to go resident as a TSR.
- Call Barn Owl Software for assistance.
-
- Let me know when to dial the next portion...
- A semicolon ";" character appeared somewhere in the string
- sent to the modem. PCFDial sent everything up to the
- semicolon and is now waiting for you to press a key so it can
- send the rest. This is useful if you want the program to dial
- your credit card number, for example. Read appendix B.4 for
- detailed information.
-
- 28 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
- PCFDial already loaded in memory.
- PCFDial has been unloaded.
- PCFDial is loaded in memory.
- PCFDial is not resident in memory.
- Remember, hotkey1 and hotkey2 invoke PCFDial!
- The program displays these general status messages when it
- loads or unloads from memory.
-
- PCFDial can't unload at this time.
- One or more TSRs were loaded into memory after the program.
- TSRs must be unloaded in reverse order, last to first.
-
- You tried to unload the program from inside a standalone
- application or while operating in a secondary DOS shell.
-
- Pick up the phone AFTER the modem finishes dialing.
- This information message appears when PCFDial finishes sending
- the phone number to your modem. Wait for the modem to
- completely dial the number, pick up the phone, and THEN press
- a key. DON'T press a key before picking up the phone or
- you'll wind up talking to a dial tone.
-
- Press your choice for a hotkey.
- This message appears when you use the "/INSTALL" command line
- option. PCFDial will record (the numeric value of) your next
- keystroke as the TSR's hotkey.
-
- Runtime error nnnn at xxxx:yyyy
- This "catch-all" error message means a problem occurred that
- PCFDial wasn't programmed to handle. Please tell Barn Owl
- Software if you get this message and give a detailed descrip-
- tion of what you did that led up to it. Call the support BBS
- 24 hours a day at (618) 398-2305.
-
- Sorry, couldn't find TIMEZONE.INF file.
- Sorry, couldn't find TOLLNMBR.INF file.
- Some functions need the TIMEZONE.INF or TOLLNMBR.INF files to
- work properly. See pages 24 and 23 for details.
-
- Sorry, you need ZIPKEY v1.91 or later.
- Sorry, ZIPKEY not loaded in memory.
- Some functions need the ZIPKEY TSR to work properly.
-
- The key you pressed is not valid here. Press F1 for help.
-
- Warning: a DOS 3.20 bug can corrupt log files!
- This information message appears whenever PCFDial runs on a
- computer using DOS version 3.20. See section 2.3.
-
- Appendix A, "Status & error messages" 29
-
-
-
- You have been talking on the phone for nn minutes.
- You talked for nn minutes.
- A simple status message telling you how long you've been on
- the phone. The first message pops up at regular intervals
- while you talk; the second message pops up when you specify
- the call has ended.
-
-
- A.1 Exit codes
-
- The various programs which make up PCFDial generate an exit code
- that tells how the session went. This code is known as the
- "ERRORLEVEL" in batch files. (Consult your DOS manual if you are
- unfamiliar with it.) The possible exit codes are:
-
- Table A.1: PCFDial exit codes
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- 0 : Normal termination
- 1 : Bad parameter or filename on the command line
- 3 : Error reading/writing a configuration file
- 9 : Error trying to locate or read the help file
- 10 : Error writing to a CDS log file
- 17 : Error occurred trying to access modem
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 30 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Appendix B___________________________
- Helpful hints
-
-
- B.1 Invoking PCFDial
-
- Here are a few visual aids for PCFDial's start-up options:
-
- PCFDIAL
- Loads the program into memory with no special instructions.
-
- PCFDIAL /I/N
- Wrong! You must put a space between each option. The program
- will only see the /I option in this case.
-
- PCFDIAL /N
- The program starts up in silent mode.
-
- PCFDIAL /KC:\DOS\DATA\MY-DATA.CFG
- The program uses the configuration file MY-DATA.CFG.
-
- PCFDIAL /KC:\DOS\DATA\MY-DATA.CFG /INSTALL
- The program loads in standalone mode so you can create a
- configuration file. In this example, we want to change the
- configuration in MY-DATA.CFG.
-
- PCFDIAL /I /E
- Orders the program to use its internal defaults instead of
- looking for a configuration file. It will also ignore LIM EMS
- memory if present.
-
- PCFDIAL /U
- Removes the program from memory resident status.
-
-
- B.2 Common questions & answers
-
- "One of my other TSRs or programs needs ALT-J for itself. Can I
- change PCFDial's hotkey?"
- Certainly. See pages 14 and 16.
-
- "I told PCFDial which COM port to use but my modem won't dial.
- What's wrong?"
- See page 35 for possible fixes.
-
- "I don't have expanded memory. Can PCFDial's TSR portion use
- extended memory?"
- Yes, but in a roundabout way. Consult your DOS manual for
- information on a device driver usually known as RAMDISK.SYS or
- VDISK.SYS. Set up a RAMdisk in extended memory and tell PCFDial
- to use it like a regular disk drive.
-
- Appendix B, "Helpful hints" 31
-
-
-
- "I can't get PCFDial to unload from TSR status."
- You may be running another application, or you may have loaded
- other TSRs after PCFDial. Exit to DOS from any program you may
- be running at the time, unload any "later" TSRs, and try again.
-
- "My system locks up when I press the PCFDial hotkey while using a
- DOS application under Microsoft Windows."
- You loaded PCFDial before starting Windows. Load it from a
- batch file used to run a DOS application under Windows, and make
- sure Windows calls the batch file instead of the DOS application
- itself.
-
- "Why doesn't F4 show me the current time of day for each zip
- code?"
- You must have the popular ZIPKEY program from Eric Isaacson
- Software, it must be version 1.91 or later, and it must be loaded
- before PCFDial.
-
-
- B.3 Get the correct time
-
- One thing you can depend on is the fact that all phone companies
- set their timing clocks according to an atomic clock. You can
- get the absolute correct time by dialing one. You might want to
- call occasionally to reset your computer clock.
-
- You can hear the correct time from the Naval Observatory's master
- atomic clock by dialing (900) 410-8463. There is a fifty-cent
- charge for each call. You can also get the correct time from any
- ham radio by tuning to 10.0000MHz.
-
-
- B.4 Hotels & credit cards
-
- Unfortunately, phone service varies widely between cities and
- even between hotels in the same city. Some systems may require
- you to dial "9" to get an outside line; others may force you to
- dial something like "88" or "02".
-
- If you use a credit card, you may have to dial a toll-free
- number, wait for a tone, dial the number you want, wait for
- another tone, and then dial your card number.
-
- The worst case is when you find yourself in a hotel with a credit
- card! But luckily, PCFDial can be configured to make your life
- simpler when you travel. It takes some tinkering, though, to get
- it right.
-
- If you're in any of the newer hotels (especially ones with the
- convenient RJ11 phone jacks), chances are you'll dial "9" to get
- an outside line. PCFDial's /9 command may be all you need to
- deal with the hotel phone system.
-
- 32 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
- Some hotel phone systems may force you to pause briefly before
- you can dial out. Most Hayes compatible modems accept a comma as
- a command to pause for two seconds, and PCFDial's /9 command sets
- the default prefixes to "9,-" (local) and "9,1-" (long distance).
-
- Dialing a number can be tricky if you don't know how long of a
- pause to insert. Most Hayes compatible modems accept a semicolon
- ";" character as a return-to-control-mode command, and PCFDial
- takes advantage of this fact. If you include a semicolon in the
- string, PCFDial will:
- 1. send everything up to and including the semicolon
- 2. wait for you to press a key
- 3. send the rest of the string
- You can insert more than one semicolon: the program will keep
- pausing until it reaches the end of the string.
-
- Many Hayes-compatible modems accept the "W" character as a "wait
- for dial tone" command. If all you need to do is pause for the
- next dial tone, the modem can do all the work for you. You and
- PCFDial will never know the difference.
-
- Practically all credit card users dial their card number after
- the phone number. Your best bet is to change the default local &
- long distance suffix codes to include your card number. Be sure
- to put a semicolon (or enough commas) at the beginning of the
- prefix string if you must wait before dialing the card number.
-
- WARNING: KEEP YOUR PHONE CREDIT CARD NUMBER CONFIDENTIAL! Be
- careful if you store it in a PCFDial configuration file --
- someone could gain access to it if you aren't careful.
-
- EXAMPLE: John Smith wants to dial his wife from his hotel phone.
- He will dial "9", pause briefly, then dial his MegaBell access
- node; wait for a second dial tone, then dial his wife's number
- with a "0" instead of a "1"; wait for a special ring tone, then
- dial his credit card number. Smith's Hayes compatible modem
- recognizes ";" as a return-to-control-mode signal and "W" as a
- "wait for dial tone" command. Here's what his settings might
- look like:
-
- Default prefix: 9,1-800-555-6789W0-
- Default suffix: ;312-345-6789-0123
- Mrs. Smith ph#: 708-987-6543
-
- Smith's modem is Hayes compatible and recognizes the comma,
- semicolon, and "W" as commands. PCFDial doesn't care about the
- comma or "W" but it does recognize the semicolon as a pause-for-
- keystroke command. The program will:
- 1. send the prefix string, his wife's phone number, and the
- semicolon in the suffix string;
- 2. wait for Smith to press a key
- 3. send the rest of the suffix string
-
- Appendix B, "Helpful hints" 33
-
-
-
- CAUTION: many Hayes-compatible modems fail to execute a command
- longer than 40 characters! Check your modem manual for important
- details on the maximum number of characters you can send in a
- single command. If necessary, use the semicolon command
- capability to split large dialing strings into smaller parts.
-
- HINT: it pays to check the phone rates before you use a credit
- card in a hotel. Sometimes it's cheaper, and sometimes it
- needlessly adds money to the cost of the call. This is a sad
- fact of life and it depends on the phone service at each hotel.
-
-
- B.5 Disable call waiting
-
- Homes and small businesses often pay for a "call waiting" feature
- so they can have the equivalent of two lines on a single phone.
- However, people sometimes find it offensive if the person at the
- other end takes time out answer another call.
-
- Most (but not all) people can temporarily disable call waiting so
- they aren't interrupted during an important conversation. You
- just dial "*70" before the number. Your call waiting feature is
- re-enabled when you hang up.
-
- PCFDial makes it easy to implement this feature. Change the
- modem dialing command from "ATDT" to "ATDT*70," and you're on
- your way. (Choose the Config/Hardware/Modem menu item to
- do this.) Note: be sure to include the comma at the end of the
- dialing command!
-
- But what if the other guy has call waiting? Can you turn it off
- on his end, too? In some cases, YES -- but you must have three-
- way calling as well as call waiting to temporarily disable
- someone else's call waiting, and your modem must recognize the
- "!" character as a "flash hook" command.
-
- Change PCFDial's modem dialing command from "ATDT" to
- "ATDT,!,*70,". Remember, you must have both three-way calling
- and call waiting on your end for this to work. Note: be sure to
- include the comma at the end of the dialing command!
-
-
- B.6 One modem, two lines
-
- Many users have two or more phone lines and wonder how they can
- get the modem to work with them. Let's say John Smith's wife
- works at home. They have two lines, one for personal calls and
- one for her business. Can Mrs. Smith get the modem to dial calls
- on both lines separately?
-
- It's possible, but it can be tricky. The easiest method would be
- to use a two-line switch for your modem. Radio Shack seems to be
- the only major chain of stores selling one, though many outlets
- don't carry it in stock. You'll pay $34.95 plus tax -- quite a
-
- 34 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
- lot of money for a box with three buttons. Ask for part
- number 43-380.
-
- Altex Electronics, a mail order firm, sells an A/B line switch
- for $18.95. They even have a tollfree number: 800-531-5369.
-
- Do we at Barn Owl use these devices? No. We built our own using
- $8.26 (plus tax) in Radio Shack parts. It takes three minutes to
- assemble with no messy soldering or stripping. You need a small
- flathead screwdriver and these items:
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- PART # PRICE DESCRIPTION
- 275-1537 $1.99 DPDT knife switch
- 279-310 $4.99 12ft RJ14/spade line cord
- 279-391 $1.29 12in RJ14/spade line cord
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Figure B.1: Radio Shack parts for a two-line switch
-
- Assembly is easy. You'll notice the knife switch has six screws
- in a pattern much like a pool table; the loose wires on each cord
- have spade lugs on them for easy attachment.
-
- 1. Loosen the knife switch screws.
- 2. Attach the wires from the long and short cords to the screws
- as shown in figure B.2.
- 3. Tighten the knife switch screws.
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- /---------------------------------------------\
- | * * * |
- | LONG SHORT LONG |
- | red red & yellow |
- | yellow |
- | |
- | SHORT |
- | LONG black & LONG |
- | green green black |
- | * * * |
- \---------------------------------------------/
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Figure B.2: Diagram for two-line switch
-
- Just flip the switch when you want the modem to dial on the other
- line. That's all there is to it.
-
- Look in the READ.ME! file (included on the PCFDial disk) for any
- last-minute news on other sources for this type of product.
-
- Appendix C, "Troubleshooting" 35
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________Appendix C___________________________
- Troubleshooting
-
-
- C.1 Call history file problems
-
- Some people visually check a .CDS file to see what it looks like.
- It's basically an ASCII text file, but it conforms to a stringent
- format imposed by the Call Data Standard. You will most probably
- confuse phone bill analyzer programs if you make ANY changes to
- the file.
-
-
- C.2 Modem problems
-
- If you know you set your modem correctly, but it doesn't respond
- to the commands PCFDial is sending it, the problem may be in how
- fast the program talks to the modem. Some modems can't accept
- commands at the same speed it accepts regular data. You can slow
- down PCFDial's command data transmission speed either with a
- command line option or by creating a configuration file. See
- chapters 2 and 4.1.
-
-
- C.3 If that doesn't help
-
- Before you call Barn Owl Software for help, please take the time
- to jot down your answers to these questions:
-
- * Did you install the program according to the instructions?
- * Did you read the appendix on helpful hints?
- * What brand/model of computer do you use?
- * What brand/model of modem do you use?
- * What does your CONFIG.SYS file look like (if you use one)?
- * What does your AUTOEXEC.BAT file look like (if you use one)?
- * Do you use multitasking or networking software?
- * Do you have any experience with similar products?
-
- 36 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
-
-
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Index
-
- /1 16 L
- /9 16 legal notices 1
- /E 16 license See: registration
- /I 17
- /K 17, 26 M
- /N 17 Microsoft Windows 9
- /U 17 mouse 10
-
- A N
- area code 12 networks 1
- notes 8, 18, 21, 33, See
- B Also: cautions
- Barn Owl address 1
- P
- C PCFDial
- Call Data Standard See: limited license 3
- CDS support 4
- cautions 33, See Also: syntax 17
- warnings prefix 13, 16, 23, 32, See
- CDS 8, 9, 35 Also: suffix
- cfg-file 16
- CompuServe 1 R
- configuration 16, 17, 26, registration 4
- 30 site 4
- volume discounts 4
- D
- disk vendors 3 S
- distributors See: disk shareware 1, 2
- vendors suffix 13, 23, 32, See
- DOS 3.20 9 Also: prefix
-
- E T
- ERRORLEVEL 29 trademarks 1
- exit code 29
- V
- F visual aids 30
- files 8
- W
- H warnings 28, 32, See Also:
- help notes
- context sensitive 10 warranty 2
- highlight bar 10, 11, 20
- hints 30, 33 Z
- ZIPKEY 21, 28, 31
-