The Business Master (4th Edition)

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============================== PDL Phone Dialer - vr.1.00 ============================== (C) Copyright 1991 by Steven Hawkins. All Rights Reserved. +---------+ +---------+ | (R) --| | O |------------------ | +---------+ | Association of | | |--+ Shareware +---| O | Professionals ------| | |--------------------- +---------+ Member Distributed and Supported by : FormGen Corporation #9 - 13 Holland Dr. Bolton, Ontario, Canada L7E 1G4 (416) 857-4141 "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 CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536." DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY WITH THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM, THE USER ACKNOWLEDGES THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY : 'THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPLIED AS IS. THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS OF THIS PROGRAM FOR ANY PURPOSE. THE AUTHOR WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE AUTHOR WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO EITHER PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR THE REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE.' PURCHASE AND LICENSE INFORMATION This program is NOT public domain but is being distributed via the "Shareware" concept. The program may be freely distributed but it cannot under any circumstances be sold by anyone except the author. You may distribute the program to others provided that it has not been modified in any way, and that all supplied documentation and support files remain intact. Feel free to try out the program for 30 days to see if it meets your needs. If you continue to use the program after the trial period then please register by sending $25.00 as a single copy license fee along with the registration form at the end of this document to: FormGen Corporation #9 - 13 Holland Dr. Bolton, Ontario, Canada L7E 1G4 A single copy license fee entitles you to execute the program on only one machine at a time. You may move the program from one machine to another, store the program on several machines or store the program on a network fileserver as long as the program is only executed on one computer at a time. When you register, you will receive much more extensive, printed documentation, a copy of the latest version without the Shareware reminder screen, notification of and a discount on any future updates, and unlimited tech support. Volume discounts, site licenses, LAN licenses etc. are available under very reasonable terms. Please send any reports of bugs or requests for multiple copy licensing to the above address. COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTION Shareware distributors or bulletin board operators may distribute the program only under the following conditions : - PDL must be distributed as a complete system with all original files included. - PDL and its accompanying files may not be modified in any way. - No form of documentation may be added to the system. - No other software may be included on the diskette (or in the .ARC or .ZIP file in the case of a bulletin board posting) - No purchase fee may be charged, a nominal handling and shipping fee of $10 or less is allowed. SHAREWARE "Shareware" is a term used to describe a system for distribution of software. Under the shareware concept, software may be freely copied and passed along to others, or distributed through bulletin board systems, etc. As a recipient of a shareware program, you may use the software for a short trial period to determine if it meets your needs. If it does, you pay the registration fee. By paying the fee, you are granted the right to retain the software for your use. If the software is not suitable, then you may discard it. The shareware system provides substantial benefits. 1) You get to try out the software before you buy it so you know exactly what you're buying. 2) Shareware is substantially less expensive than most commercial programs. You don't pay for costly marketing programs and fancy packaging. 3) You get access to a much broader base of available programs. Thousands of excellent programs have been written by expert programmers who would never consider marketing commercially. Through the concept of shareware, these people make their programs available to the community. Usually, all they ask in return is a small fee to reward them for the time and effort they have put into the program. The system is based entirely on the honor system, and generally works quite well. (Most people are honest and wouldn't violate the trust placed in them by the author of the software.) Shareware is NOT free software - the author counts on your integrity. Please register using the form at the end of this manual. You are encouraged to copy this software and pass it along to others who may be interested in using it. Page 4 == Contents ======================================================== = Introduction .............................. page 5 = Configuration ............................. page 5 = Startup ................................... page 8 = Functions ................................. page 9 Letter Searches ........................ page 9 Initial Search : F3 ........................ page 9 Text Search : F4 ...................... page 10 Case Sensitivity : F5 ...................... page 11 Dial Number : Enter .................... page 11 Exit PDL : Escape / F10 ................... page 11 = Directory Files ........................... page 12 Load Directory Files : F2 ................. page 13 Edit Directory Files : F7 ................. page 13 = Log Files ................................. page 15 Log File Toggle : F6 ...................... page 16 = Long Distance Codes etc. .................. page 16 = System Time Display ....................... page 17 = Command Line Options ...................... page 17 = PDL Registration .......................... page 18 Page 5 == Introduction ==================================================== The PDL Dialer is a very simple to use utility that dials phone numbers via your modem. You can create any number of directory files for use with the program and quickly load them into the dialer. You can locate a directory entry by searching for Initials, searching for Text, or by going to the First Letter of a record. You can enter an Access Code that will be added to the number dialed automatically in order to clear office switchboards etc. If you travel frequently, you can assign a default local area code that will be removed from any long distance numbers when you go to dial out. PDL is provided in two different forms, a memory resident version called PDLr and a transient (non-resident) version called PDLn. The memory resident version has a capacity of 100 records and can be easily popped up from any application or DOS. The non-resident version has a capacity of up to 800 records but must be run from the DOS prompt like a nornal DOS application. Both version of PDL can be easily setup for a tone or pulse phone line, and you can also enter an initialization string for your modem. You can also change the hotkeys used by PDLr. Both PDLr and PDLn are functionally identical with the exception of the Startup and Exit method. These minor differences are discussed where appropriate below. This package is supplied with three executable files, the resident dialer PDLR.COM, the transient version PDLN.COM and a simple configuration program called PDLC.EXE. You MUST run the PDLc configuration program before using the PDL dialer. == Configuration =================================================== In order to use PDL, you must run the PDLc setup utility. This program allows you to set screen colours, setup hardware parameters, establish various program defaults, and define the hotkey for the memory resident version. Start PDLc by typing "PDLC" and hitting Enter. The lower half of your screen will clear to present the following display : | PDLc | vr.x.xx | (c) Copyright 1991 S.Hawkins. All rights reserved| +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Color Options Modem | | General : 7 | Sys.Time : Y | Com Port : Com? | | Highlight : 15 | Log Call : N | Baud Rate : 1200 | | Edit : 112 | Log Type : Both | Dial Type : Pulse | | Header : 112 | Tone Freq. : 200 Hz | Initialize : | | | Bar : 112 | Access Code : | | | Keys : 15 | L.Dist Code : | ----------------------| | | | HotKey : Mk 08 Scn 39 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ Up Dwn:Move Space:Toggle F2:Hotkey Esc:Exit Page 6 You can move from field to field using the Up and Down Arrow Keys. When you are done, press the Escape key to exit PDLc. The section on the left allows you to change the colors used by PDL if you find the defaults unacceptable. The labels should easily identify what the values refer to and won't be discussed here. If you start PDLc on a color system, it will attempt to set the color values accordingly, therefore the values illustrated above may not be what you will see. Also, it is essential that the Highlight and Edit colors be different values, particularly on a monchrome system. The centre section allows you to change log operations, the frequency of the error tone, and assign any Access or Long Distance Codes. Each option is outlined below : Sys.Time : If "Y", PDL will startup with the system time displayed on the status line. This switch can be over-ridden by the "/t" command line switch discussed in the Display System Time section at the end of this file. Log Call : Allows you to toggle the Log Call function On or Off. This is the Log Function's default setting when PDL is loaded. Its can be easly toggled On or Off from within PDL. Log Type : Allows you to log only Local, Long Distance or Both calls to a log file called PDL.LOG. Just press the Spacebar to toggle through the available choices. This option does Not turn the log function On or Off. Tone Freq. : Allows you to set the frequency of the beep signal used when a record cannot be found with a search command. By default, the 200 Hz. cycle is not offensive, but may be too low for your environment. Type in the value you want to a maximum of 9999. Access Code : The Access Code allows you to add a dialing prefix with pause commands and numbers, to get through an office switchboard etc. Type in the values you need using the symbols specified in your modem manual. A typical pause would be a , comma character. L.Dist Code : Phone numbers in PDL should always be entered with their full dialing prefix and area code. The L.Dist Code is the value you need to remove from this full number in order to change it to a local call. For example, if you live in area code 416 and all numbers are entered in your directory in the format "1-xxx-xxx.xxxx", then the L.Dist Code Page 7 would have to be "1-416". When the number is dialed, the "1-416" and the "-" following it are stripped off to create a local number. Please see the section on Long Distance Codes near the end of this manual. The block on the right allows you to change the modem setup. The Com Port can be set from 1 to 4 by hitting the Spacebar. Press the Down Arrow or Enter Key to move to the Baud Rate field, and use the Spacebar to run through the list of choices until your number comes up ! Options are 300, 1200, 2400, and 9600 baud. Next, move to the Dial Type field to set either Tone or Pulse, using the Spacebar to toggle your choice. The Initialize section allows you to make changes to the default values sent to your modem when PDL is loaded from the DOS prompt or popped up. Please consult your modem manual for available options. Internally, PDL always sends the following Initialization string : AT E0 S0=0 S11=65 Q1 AT get the modems attention E0 do not echo back commands S0=0 disable answer mode S11=65 set dialing speed to 65 milli-seconds Q1 Disable Result Codes These defaults should be fine for any Hayes compatible modem. Should you wish to change any of them or add new settings, just type them in, up to 25 characters. Any entries should always be preceded by an "AT" command. If you forget to add the AT then PDLc will beep at you when you leave the Initialize field, add the "AT" for you, and re-display the new values. If you have entered a full line of changes, some of them may be dropped off by the addition of the "AT" command. Please check the string before moving on to the next item. The Hotkey section allows you to change the default Alt Spacebar hotkey used by PDLr should it conflict with another memory resident application. To change the hotkey, press F2 to access the keymask value, The Keymask can ONLY be one of four possible keys, Ctrl, Alt, Left or Right Shift. When you press the appropriate key, its Keymask value is displayed and the cursor moves over to the Scancode box. The Scancode value can be any other single key supported by your systems BIOS. Just press the key you wish to use, and its Scancode value will appear on the display and you will be returned to the first field on the PDLc display. If your BIOS does not support the selected key or you enter an illegal Keymask value, PDLc will beep at you and not allow you to move on to the next item. When all configuration options are set as you wish, press the Escape key to return to DOS. Your current setup options are Page 8 written to a file called PDL.CNF. This file is always written to the directory from which the PDLc utility has been run. The contents of this file are loaded every time you start either of the two PDL Dialers. == Startup ========================================================= Resident Version : To start the resident version of PDL, type "PDLR" on the DOS command line and press Enter. A brief copyright notice will appear, PDLr and the default directory file PDL.DIR will be loaded into memory, and the DOS prompt will be restored. If PDL is already in memory, then the message 'PDLr Already Loaded' will appear. To use the dialer, just pop it up using the key combination Alt Spacebar (hold down the Alt key, tap the Spacebar, and then release both keys). If you have changed the hotkeys with the PDLc utility, please substitute accordingly. Non Resident Version : To start the non-resident version of PDL, type "PDLN" on the DOS command line and press Enter. A copyright screen will then appear. Press any key, and PDLn will load the default directory file PDL.DIR and initialize your modem. Main Screen : Regardless of which version of PDL you use, the main screen will appear as illustrated below : : PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |.l| View : +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | |>|ATI ATI Technologies Inc. Tech.Support 1-416-756-0711|<| | ATI ATI Technologies Inc. Graphics Cards 1-416-756-0718 | | AC Ace Computer 1-416-865-1112 | | AC American Cybernetics Multi-Edit 1-602-968-1945 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ F1:Hlp F2:Dir F3:Ini F4:Txt F5:Case F6:Log F7:Edt Rtn:Dial Esc:Exit The top line in reverse video is the Status Line containing the name of the directory file currently loaded, the system time, the status of the Case Sensitivity and Log switches, and the current mode. Most of the time you will be in View Mode. The centre block displays seven phone records. The centre line highlighted in reverse video is the number ready to be dialed. The Arrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys scroll through the centre block displaying all available records. Some functions use this centre line for prompts or user input. Page 9 Each phone record contain a number of fields moving from left to right. The first is an initial field used for fast searches. Next is the name of the person or company, followed by a brief note. The phone number then follows, pushing up to the right margin of the block. Along the bottom you will see a command reference illustrating all commands and their function key assignments. == Basic Functions ================================================= This section outline some of the various functions available in PDL. For more information on Directory files, please see the next section. -- Letter Searches ------------------------------------------------- When PDL starts up, it usually moves to and displays the first record in the directory. As was previously mentioned, you can use the Arrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys to move through the file. An even faster way is to enter the first letter of the record you wish to find. PDL will then move instantly to the first record starting with that letter. The first record found is based on the person or company name, not the first letter of the Initial at the left edge of the centre block. The Letter Search function is not case sensitive and is not affected by the Case switch discussed below. -- Initial Search : F3 --------------------------------------------- You can locate a record by searching for the Initials that appear at the left margin of the centre block. When you press F3, you are placed in Init Mode, and the reverse video line in the main records block clears to prompt you to enter the Initials you wish to find. Initials can be up to 4 letters only. ---------------------------------------------------------------- >| Search for Initials . . |< ---------------------------------------------------------------- Just type them in and press the Up or Down Arrow key to tell PDL in which direction you would like to start the search. If the initials cannot be found in the designated direction, PDL will wrap around to the top or bottom of your file and continue the search. If the initial does not exist then PDL will softly beep at you and display the prompt line for a new entry. If a matching record is found, the prompt box will clear and the record will be highlighted in reverse video, ready to dial by pressing Enter. If the record is not the one you want, continue to press an appropriate Arrow key Page 10 until you find it. If you wish to enter new initials to find, press the F3 key to restore the prompt line. Within Init Mode you can also toggle the status of the Case and Log keys (F5 and F6 respectively). The Initial search function is affected by the status of the Case key. When Case is Off, all entries are capitalized automatically and the search is not case sensitive. When Case is On, the entries you make are searched for literally and the prompt line displays exactly what you type in, use the Caps Lock key if need be. To exit Init Mode, just press Escape, and you will be returned to View Mode. -- Text Search : F4 ------------------------------------------------ You can locate a record by searching for any text in an entry. When you press F4, you are placed in Text Mode, and the reverse video line in the main records block clears to prompt you to enter the text you wish to find. Text entries can be up to 20 characters only. Any characters are valid for a text search. ---------------------------------------------------------------- >| Search for Text . . |< ---------------------------------------------------------------- Just type what you wish to find then press the Up or Down Arrow key to tell PDL in which direction you would like to start the search. If the text cannot be found in the designated direction, PDL will wrap around to the top or bottom of your file and continue the search. If the text cannot be found, PDL will softly beep at you and display the prompt line for new entries. If a matching record is found, the prompt box will clear and the record will be highlighted in reverse video, ready to dial by pressing Enter. If the record is not the one you want, continue to press an appropriate Arrow key until you find it. If you wish to enter new text to find, press the F4 key to restore the prompt line. Within Text Mode you can also toggle the status of the Case and Log keys (F5 and F6 respectively). The Text Search function is affected by the status of the Case key. When Case is Off, all entries are capitalized automatically and the search is not case sensitive. When Case is On, the entries you make are searched for literally and the prompt line displays exactly what you type in, use the Caps Lock key if need be. To exit Text Mode, just press Escape, and you will be returned to View Mode. Page 11 -- Case Sensitivity : F5 ------------------------------------------- As has already been mentioned in the preceding sections, you can toggle the Case Sensitivity of the Initial or Text Search functions by toggling the F5 key. The Status line contains a small indicator block displaying the current status of the Case and Log toggles. The indicator is the section between the Clock and Mode displays. The character on the left indicates Case and on the right, the Log function. | PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |.l| View | When the Case switch is toggled Off, the block displays a simple dot as illustrated above, when On, the letter "c". The Case switch can be toggled from View mode, and when the prompt line is displayed in the Initial and Text Modes. When On, all user input will be converted to upper case. -- Dial Number : Enter --------------------------------------------- To dial the number displayed in the reverse video bar in the centre block, just press the Enter key. The bar then clears and displays the following message. ---------------------------------------------------------------- >| Dialing 756-0711 * Press Spacebar to Disconnect |< ---------------------------------------------------------------- If an Access Code was entered with the PDLc utility, it will prefix the displayed number. The displayed number will then be sent to your modem and you should be able hear your modem dial out. When the number has been sent, just press the Spacebar to disconnect your modem. You do not have to wait for a dial tone or an answer on the other end before disconnecting. If an L.Dist Code was entered in setup, then its value will be stripped off of the directory entry you are dialing and the number displayed will be the net result. -- Exit PDL : Escape / F10 ----------------------------------------- To exit PDL, just press the Escape key from within View Mode. If you are using the non-resident version, a prompt line will appear asking you to confirm the exit. Just press the "Y" key to confirm, or any other key to ignore the exit and remain in PDL. If you have made changes to your Directory File and have not saved them to disk, PDL will prompt you before it exits back to DOS. Just type in "Y" to save your current Directory. Should you find the prompted exit to be a bother, you can go directly back to DOS Page 12 by pressing the F10 key from the View Mode. PDL will prompt you only if you have made changes to your file and have not saved them to disk. If you are using the resident version and have made changes to your Directory File but have not saved them to disk, PDL will prompt you before it exits back to DOS or your underlying application. Just type in "Y" to save your current Directory to disk or "N" if you prefer. If you respond with "N", PDL will prompt you every time you escape back to DOS or the underlying application. In the resident version, F10 functions the same as the Escape key. == Directory Files ================================================= Directory Files in PDL are created with the default file extension ".DIR". The Directory file is a straight ASCII text file that must be written in a specific format to be loaded directly into PDL. The file can be created from within PDL by using the Add function, or can be written using any text editor that does Not add any type of formatting codes to the text. If a text editor is used to build the Directory file, then the DIR file must be written in the following format. This format is primarily column specific. FG FormGen PDL Tech Support 1-416-857-0022 | | | | 1 7 34 74 * The Initial can be up to 4 characters long, and must start at column 1. It does not have to be capitalized, but this seems to make the most sense to me. * The person or company Name must start at column 7. The text itself can be written with any combination of upper and lower case letters. * The Note can be written with any combination of upper and lower case letters. It does not have to start at column 34, but I have found this to be the most convenient place. * The Number can be any length, but must always end at column 74. The number should always be entered as a full dialing prefix and area code, particularly if you travel a great deal. * The Directory File cannot contain more than 800 records (lines) for the non-resident version PDLn, or 100 records for the resident version PDLr. For your convenience, a default PDL directory is included to serve as a template for your own file. The file must be written with an Page 13 ASCII text editor that does not add any format codes to the file or from within PDL. Also, you do not have to write the Directory file in alphabetic order, PDL's Edit functions include a Sort option that sorts the entries beginning with the Name field at column 7. -- Load Directory File : F2 ---------------------------------------- The Directory File command allows you to load new directory files into PDL. You can create several different files containing diverse information, and then pull them into PDL in a flash. When you press F2, the reverse video line in the main records block clears and prompts you to enter a file name. Only the first part of the filename is required, PDL assumes a .DIR extension unless you specify otherwise. PDL also assumes that all directory files reside in the directory where PDLN.COM or PDLR.COM reside. When you have typed in the file name, just press Enter to load the directory into PDL. If the file cannot be found, a brief message will be displayed and you will be returned to the prompt to enter or edit a name. You can press Escape to exit the Directory function at any time. As an option, you can also select a directory file from a list of choices presented in the lower part of the screen. If you press Enter on an empty prompt field, PDL displays a list of available files and highlights the first, as illustrated below. | LOG Logitech U.S.A. 1-415- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |>| Load Directory File . . | -------------------------------------------------------------- | Dir :|pdl.dir | tst.dir work.dir | cmp.dir new.dir +--------------------------------------------------------------- You can simply move the highlight with the cursor keys to the desired file and press Enter to Load it into PDL. If you change your mind, just press Escape to return to the prompt field. Should you wish, you can load a file when you invoke PDL by including the filename on the command line. Please see the Command Line Options section at the end of this manual. -- Edit Directory File : F7 ---------------------------------------- PDL contains full editing functions to allow you to modify, add or delete records from the current Directory file. These function are accessed by pressing F7 from View Mode. When in Edit Mode, the message "Edit" appears in the upper right box on the Status line and the current record will appear in the center block or Edit Line, ready for editing. Page 14 | PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |.l| Edit | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | INT Intuit Quicken 1-415-322-2800 | | LOG Logitech U.S.A. 1-415-795-8500 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | |>|MCR Microsoft Canada Ltd. Sales Office 672-7220|<| | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | MS MultiScope Debuggers 1-415-968-4892 | | NAN Nantucket Corporation Clipper 1-213-390-7923 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ F2:Save F3:Add F4:Del F5:Sort AltC:Clear AltR:Rest Esc: Exit The functions keys indicated below allow you to access additional functions within Edit Mode, and will be discussed in turn below. At this point, you can modify the currently displayed record as you wish. By default, the editor is in OverType mode, but can be toggled to Insert by pressing the Ins key, the cursor will then change to a fuller block. Other key functions available when editing are as follows : Home : Move to the beginning (first character) of the line. End : Move to the end (last character) of the line. Up : Move to next record. Down : Move to previous record. PgUp : Move up one page (7 records). PgDn : Move down one page (7 records). Ctrl Home : Move to the first record in the Directory file. Ctrl End : Move to the last record in the Directory file. Tab : Move to the next default entry column. Alt C : Erase the current contents of the edit line. Alt R : Restore the previous contents of the edit line after a change or the use of the Alt C function. Works only while you remain on the current record. The Edit function is a simple line editor, therefore the Edit Line is the only active window onto the Directory File. When scrolling through a Directory, the full screen will update to show you the effect of your changes. Any changes you make are automatically written to the Directory File in memory without any confirmation step on your part. In Edit Mode, function keys provide these additional features : F2 : Save the current Directory file to disk. When making changes, you are only modifying records currently held in memory. Use the F2 key to write your changes to disk. If you forget to save your changes, you will be prompted when you try to exit back to DOS. Page 15 F3 : Add a new record to the current Directory. The Edit Line will clear, Add will insert a new blank record above the displayed record, and the cursor will move to the extreme left. Type in whatever you want and then press any other function or movement key to continue. If you leave the new record blank, Add will remove it from the Directory when you press any other operation key. F4 : Delete the current record. This function will remove a record from the Directory, and will NOT prompt for any confirmation before doing so. Please be careful ! Once again, you will only be modifying the contents of memory, so the original record can be restored by reloading the Directory File. You can not use the Delete function to remove a record in a file containing only one record, PDL will sound an error tone in this instance. F5 : Sort the current Directory File. The Sort function sorts the File starting with the Name string at column 7, NOT the Initial at column 1. When you have finished making any modifications, we strongly suggest you use the F2 Save function before you exit. You can exit to View Mode at any time by pressing the Escape key. If any records have been changed and you try to exit PDL back to DOS or your underlying application, you will be prompted to Save to Disk unless you have already used the F2 function. == Log Files ======================================================= PDL allows you to Log your calls to a text file for business purposes. You can also specify which type of calls will be captured to the Log from within the Config section of the program. When the Log function is toggled On via the F6 key, any calls of the type specified will be sent to a file called PDL.LOG in the directory where PDLx resides. The Log file is a straight ASCII text file in the following format Name Number Date Time Dir. ----------------------- -------------- ---------- -------- --------- Burton Systems Softwa 1-919-233-8128 12-20-1990 16:19:44 pdl American Cybernetics 1-602-968-1945 12-27-1990 16:55:36 pdl Ein Stein's Computers 1-916-671-7444 01-07-1991 19:34:01 pdl The items comprising the file should, needless to say, be quite clear from this fragment. The Time column is only the start of the call, not the calls duration, and the Dir column is the name of the Directory file loaded at the time of the call. If the Log function is activated and no Log file currently exists, then one will be created the first time you dial a number. Calls Page 16 will be posted to the Log only when the Log switch is toggled On, allowing you to turn the feature Off for a specific call that matches the type of call selected in Config that you don't want to post. The Log file can be cleaned up or edited at any time with a text editor that does not add format codes. If you wish to include fragments in a word processed document, I suggest you copy the PDL.LOG file to another name before dumping it into your word processor. -- Log File Toggle : F6 -------------------------------------------- The Status line contains a small indicator block displaying the current status of the Case and Log toggles. The indicator is the section between the Clock and Mode displays. The character on the left indicates Case and on the right, the Log function. | PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |c.| View | When the Log switch is toggled Off, the block displays a simple dot as illustrated above, when On, the letter "l". The Log switch can be toggled from View mode, and when the prompt line is displayed in the Initial and Text Modes. As was mentioned in the previous section, you can turn the Log function Off if you don't wish to post a certain call and then back On again afterward. The F6 Log switch is completely independent of the Log Type selection set with PDLc. == Long Distance Codes etc.. ======================================== Phone numbers in PDL should always be entered with their full dialing prefix and area code. By so doing, you will never have to edit your directory files to suit your geographic location; all you would need to do is modify the L.Dist Code in PDLc to reflect the change, and what were once long distance numbers would be automatically converted into local calls. This can be very useful to those of you who travel a great deal, making PDL ideal for a laptop system. The Call logging function is not affected by any change to the L.Dist Code, the Log function bases its actions on the number actually dialed, not the number stored in your directory file. If you live in a rural area, you very often have to add "1-" to an eight digit phone number. To preserve the "1-" and just extract the area code from a directory entry, merely enter the area code itself in the L.Dist Code field. For example, if you live in area code 416 and all numbers are entered in your directory in the format "1-xxx-xxx.xxxx", then the L.Dist Code would have to be "416". When the number is dialed, the "416" and the "-" following it are stripped off to create a local number with the "1-" prefix, ie "1-xxx.xxxx". Page 17 == System Time Display ============================================= The System Time Display is a very useful addition to PDL, but can present problems with certain software setups. The Time function grabs the timer interrupt in order to continuously display the clock. This interrupt can however, have already been grabbed by another application which will usually cause your system to crash. The worst offenders in this regard are memory resident programs like Sidekick from Borland International. If Sidekick is resident when you load PDL with the Time Display switched On, your system will go down for sure. To help this problem, PDL contains a command line switch to toggle the status of the System Time Display. By default, PDL turns the Time Display On the first time you load it (unless you have toggled it Off within the PDLc utility). If there is a clash with another program, then PDL will most likely cause a system crash. Just reboot your machine and start PDL again with the command line : PDLx /t This will toggle the Time Display Off. You should then use PDLc to toggle the Sys.Time switch Off permanently. == Command Line Options ============================================ You can, in addition to the Config Options discussed above, direct some of PDL's actions from the DOS command line. These choices are entered as parameters after the "PDLx" program name, and are separated by a forward slash (/). You do not need to enter spaces between parameters, but the separator is essential. Parameters are case insensitive. The syntax for the command line is : PDLx filename /option /option Please note that the status of these switches are Not preserved by PDL when you exit the program. They must be added to the command line when you run either version of PDL. file : Should you wish to load a different Directory file when you start PDL , then specify the filename on the command line. If the file has the default extension "DIR" then an extension need not be added. When you specify a file, the first record in the new Directory file will be displayed. If the filename you type on the command line is invalid under the rules of DOS (8.3 characters) then PDL will assign the filename 'NEW.DIR" as a default. This file will not exist on disk until you save it from PDL. Page 18 The file command line option can also be used to create a new directory file from scratch. Just start PDL with the filename you wish to use, build the contents from within Edit Mode, and then save it to disk. /b : This switch forces PDL to load default monochrome colour values, regardless of the type of monitor in use. This can be most useful if you are using a two colour monitor with a CGA or EGA card. The multiple colour defaults may result in a display that is somewhat difficult to read. If these monochrome values work better on your display hardware, then configure them with PDLc to avoid having to use the /b switch every time you start up. /t : Please see the previous section for a complete discussion of the /t switch. /u : Unload the PDLr dialer from memory. If you do not have another TSR program in memory after PDLr then the message "PDLr Unloaded" will appear. If PDL finds another program in memory after itself then the message "Unable to Unload PDLr" will appear and PDL will remain in memory. Dump any memory resident programs after PDL and try again. If you try to uninstall PDL when it is not loaded then the message "PDLr is Not Resident" will appear. /? /h Either the /? or /h switch will display a brief list of the command line switches and not run PDL. == PDL Registration ================================================= By registering, you will have a printed manual with more detailed information, an update of the program including any new features, and a clear conscience. The registration is a very reasonable price that helps me to make a living and to continue to maintain and improve the program. If you do not register, but continue to benefit from the use of my program, you are clearly violating the terms of my copyright. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Please register me as a PDL User! RUSH my manual and update ASAP! | | Here's my $25 registration fee. | | Please charge my credit card: | | ----------------------------------- | | | Name: | ------------------------------- | | |-----------------------------------| VISA | | | | || | | Company: | |-+-+-+-|-+-+-+-|-+-+-+-|-+-+-+-|| | |-----------------------------------| MC | | | | || | | Address: | |-+-+-+-|-+-+-+-|-+-+-+-|-+-+-+- | | |-----------------------------------| AMEX | | | | | | | City: State: | -+-+-+-|-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- | | |-----------------------------------| ------- | | | Zip: | Expires | | | | | ----------------------------------- -+-+-+- | | | | mail check or credit card info to: | | | | Steven Hawkins For faster service: | | c/o FormGen Corporation | | 13 Holland Drive in the US order toll free (800) 263-2390 | | Bolton, Ontario Canada & foreign (416) 857-4141 | | L7E 1G4 Questions & Technical Support (416) 857-0022 | | FAX (416) 857-4531 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+