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========================================================================
CHAPTER 10
Setup
========================================================================
TAPCIS offers numerous options for configuring its operation. This
chapter is a reference for these "setup" options. In sections where we
refer to certain options as "advanced," we mean that most of you will
not need to set those options. However, you should feel free to change
them once you have read about and understand their intended use.
See also:
CompuServe Mail--10-2 Modem & COM Port--10-13
Forums--10-3 Phone Number--10-17
Forum Defaults--10-7 Directories--10-18
Services--10-8 Colors--10-20
Re-ordering Interface Parameters--10-21
Forums/Services--10-9 Connect Parameters--10-24
Forums/Services Sets--10-10 Printer--10-26
Configuration--10-11 Editor (External)--10-26
User (Name, User ID,
Password)--10-12
Setup 10-1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CompuServe Mail
Setup | Mail [Alt+U][M]
Customize the way TAPCIS handles CompuServe Mail by selecting one of
these three options:
Read everything: When you do a New session online, TAPCIS will read
all messages that have arrived in your CompuServe mailbox
regardless of the message size or the charges involved.
Scan all messages: Reading mail becomes a two step process with this
option. During the New session, TAPCIS will scan any waiting
messages and list headers for them in the announcement message.
Offline, you Mark the messages you want to read, the ones you want
to leave online for later retrieval, and the ones you want to
delete without reading (or being charged for). After marking,
you'll go back Online to actually get the messages for reading.
Selective reading: When you select the "Scan items below; read
everything else" option, you can select the items you always want
to confirm before they are read from your online mailbox. This
lets you filter out Internet messages, other postage due messages
(e.g., scrolled messages from forums, split, and reverse charge
messages), messages where the sender has requested a return
receipt, or binary files over a certain size. For the binary file
size, enter the maximum size you are willing to accept without
confirmation. Use 0 to always scan binary files, or 9999 to always
accept them.
Advanced options ---
File copies: If you want to save a record of messages that you send,
choose one of the file copy options. Choose: None to save no
copies, MSG to save messages you write to the MAIL.MSG file, SAV
to save to the MAIL.SAV folder, or Both to save to MAIL.MSG and
MAIL.SAV. Default: SAV
Name to use in Mail: Leave this set to Default unless you want to
use a different name in MAIL than you use everywhere else.
Delete/Save messages: Change this from the default Delete to Save
only if you want to re-download or scan previously read messages
during the next New session.
Upload outgoing messages: In some cases (such as a noisy phone line
and a modem without error correction) it is safer to upload all
messages using the B+ error-free protocol rather than the faster
method TAPCIS uses. Note that LATIN1 messages are automatically
sent using this option, regardless of whether or not the box is
checked.
10-2 Setup
The processing of the following two options is controlled by CompuServe
Mail directly. When you change Mail setup, TAPCIS creates an out box
transaction to set your MAIL options so that any change you may have
made in these two options gets properly passed to CIS:
Reject all postage due mail: If you turn on this option, TAPCIS will
set your CompuServe Mail options to reject any and all postage due
messages automatically, regardless of source. A better choice, in
most cases, is to use selective mail scanning so that TAPCIS reads
all messages except those that are postage due. The option is here
mainly so that you can turn it OFF, in case you turned it on using
another program.
Show distribution list on outgoing mail: For TAPCIS we default this
option to OFF rather than the CompuServe default of ON. The reason
is that most of the time, it is not necessary (and may be
undesirable) for the recipient to see the names of others who may
be getting copies of messages you send.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forums
Before TAPCIS can access a forum, the forum must be defined through this
setup dialog. TAPCIS can be instructed to read messages, scan messages,
and update libraries when you issue the Connect | New [N] command from
the main menu.
Forum Setup: Basic Instructions ---
* Use Setup | Forums | New or [F] [Alt+A] to add a new forum from
the main menu.
* Enter a word or forum name to be used to search the FORUMS.LST
database, and pick a matching forum from the list. Or, press [Esc]
and enter the forum name directly. The entry in the Forum name:
field will be used in the Forums/Services box and for disk files.
* Enter the gateway. CompuServe forums use CIS:, ZiffNet uses ZNT:.
Press [F2] for a list.
* Enter the "page" (or GO word ) where the forum is found. This is
often but not always the same as the forum name. It must be the
name that will reach the forum itself and not a "menu."
* Briefly describe the forum.
* Enter the list of the message sections where you want to read
messages and/or scan headers. You can use "All" to specify all
public sections in the forum. If you do not know the section
numbers, press [F7] to save this entry, use Connect | Online to go
online to get the section list for this forum, and then use
Setup | Forums | Edit to return to the entry. Press [F2] in these
fields for a list of sections.
Setup 10-3
* If you want TAPCIS to update the library catalog for this forum,
enter the library sections in which you are interested.
* If you want to limit the number of messages or headers you
download the first time online, press [F2] from the Set message
limit field and choose a reasonable limit, such as 2 days.
* If you don't want to get new messages/headers every time you use
the Connect | New command, enter a message frequency, such as 2
days.
* If you use a pseudonym or handle in this forum, enter that in the
"Your name in forum" field. Otherwise, leave it as Default, and
the name from Setup | User will be used in this forum.
* Press [Alt+V] to save your entries and make the forum active (so
it is listed in the forums box).
Setup | Forums | New [Alt+U][R][N]
Setup | Forums | Edit [Alt+U][R][E]
Forum name: If the forum is new to your setup, enter the name you
would like to use to refer to this forum within TAPCIS. If
editing, press [F2] and select from a list of the forums you have
defined.
The name can be any 1-8 character name you want. Most often you
will use the GO word for the forum as the name. If you wish, you
can use an unrelated name, such as FRIENDS to refer to CRFORUM.
The name you choose here becomes the name TAPCIS uses for files on
disk associated with this forum.
Gateway: Most forums are on the CIS: gateway. Some are part of
ZiffNet (ZNT:), ZiffNet/Mac (ZMC:), or EETNet (EET:). Refer to a
forum listing or use CIS: if you are not sure. Press [F2] for a
list. Default: CIS:
Page (GO word): This is the specific "page" where the forum is
located online. Usually, the forum name and page name are the
same, but this is not always true; for example, the forum name
might be "CANON" while the page is "CAN-10". CompuServe sometimes
lists a long GO word for a forum, but only the first 6 characters
are necessary.
Description: This lets you describe this forum for your records. If
the forum is free of connect charges, put (F) or (FREE) at the end
of the description.
Read message sections: Enter the forum sections in which you want to
read all the messages. This can be a list of sections, or ALL, or
None. Once the forum has been visited online by TAPCIS, you can
get a list of the sections and their names by pressing [F2].
Example: 1,3-7,18,21-23 Default: None
10-4 Setup
Scan message sections: For the forum sections you specify here,
TAPCIS will scan headers. Headers are "marked" offline. Items are
chosen for retrieval from a list of available message subjects.
You can then go back online using Connect | Out box [O] to
download the messages associated with the headers you've marked.
This is a two-online-session procedure, rather than the single-
session that reading message sections requires. You benefit by
being able to choose the subjects that look the most interesting
to you and exclude the others.
In most forums, you will want to select either Read or Scan
message sections rather than leaving them as the default "None."
We chose this default to make sure you don't accidentally download
information you do not want. If both are left as "None", you will
only get waiting messages addressed to you (according to the
Waiting Messages setting described below). In most cases, the
"read" method is easiest for new customers to understand. You can
always change your section selections or method in the future by
changing them here. Default: None
Catalog library sections: List the library sections you are
interested in keeping updated with a list of available files. By
default, this update of the library is done only On Request. You
can, using the Library frequency (described below), tell TAPCIS to
get new listings on an automated schedule.
The initial update will include only the last 90 days worth of
files if there is no existing catalog from which to determine the
date. You can request files older than 90-days with a specific
Library | Library search [L] command using a age range of 90-
(older than 90 days) or 90-180 (for 90-180 days old), etc.
Default: None
Set message limit to: The first time you join a forum, there can be
1000-5000 "New" messages waiting in all the sections. You may want
your next online session to LIMIT the range of messages read or
scanned. Press [F2] for a list of options. Choosing 1-3 days on a
busy forum may still mean a large number of messages depending on
the sections you have listed. Note: if you enter something other
than New, TAPCIS will create a transaction in your OUT box to
change the high message next time online. If you come back to re-
edit the forum, it will be re-set to New. This is appropriate
since you normally want to get new messages once you have visited
a forum the first time or after a long hiatus. Default: New
Buttons ---
[Save & activate] saves these settings and puts the forum into the
Forums/Services box. [Save non-active] saves it for later use but
removes it from the Forums/Services box (same as [Del] from that box).
[Delete] here means you want to remove this forum's definition; you will
not be using it again. TAPCIS deletes only the forumname.SET file for
this forum. Messages, catalogs, .SAV files, etc., are left on disk.
[Cancel] on a new forum won't add the forum; [Cancel] on an existing
entry will cancel any changes that have been made.
Setup 10-5
Setting up a vendor "forum" ---
Vendors have one section of a forum rather than a forum of their own. To
add a vendor section and make it look as though it is a "forum":
1) Use the vendor name as the forum name (e.g., INMAGIC)
2) Use the gateway and page of the vendor forum; this is the common GO
word that all vendors in that forum share (e.g., PCVENB). Use this
even if the vendor has its own GO word that takes TAPCIS to the same
place.
3) Set the scan or read sections to be ONLY the section for that vendor
(e.g., Section 15 for InMagic)
4) Make sure you check the [X] Track high message number option.
5) Visit this vendor forum only on this computer (unless you copy the
forumname.SET file back and forth to any other computers you may be
using).
Advanced options ---
Waiting messages: "Default" means to use the setting made under
Setup | Forums | Defaults. Or, for this specific forum, you can
set it to read new waiting messages addressed to your userID
during a New session online, or to read those messages PLUS any
replies to those messages. Or, set TAPCIS to scan them (you'll see
the list in the announcement message) or to ignore them. If set to
ignore, TAPCIS will not retrieve waiting messages even during an
explicit Connect | Read Waiting [Ctrl+R] session. Default:
"Default"
Track high message number: TAPCIS normally lets CompuServe track the
high message number for a forum. This lets you use TAPCIS from any
computer, while ensuring you only get new messages. However, if
you choose to split a forum into one or more "forum names" (such
as a vendor forum described previously), you must tell TAPCIS
itself to track the high message number by turning this option on.
And you must do this for each "forum" that uses the same gateway
and page. Otherwise, you will miss messages. Default: [_]
Message frequency: When should TAPCIS read/scan message sections in
this forum? "New" means every time you use Connect | New [N]. F2
lists some of the options available. By setting it to 1 Day,
TAPCIS won't get new messages/headers if it has already done so
since midnight. This way, you can set forums you're really
interested in monitoring to New or 1 Day, while others can be set
to 2-5 days. You don't have to think about which forums you are to
visit or select between different sets. Just press [N], and TAPCIS
will know. Default: New
Library frequency: Same idea as the message frequency. Default is
OnRequest rather than New, since most of the time you don't want
library updates unless you ask for them with Other | Special
actions | Library update. You might set a frequency if you use the
forum's libraries heavily and want to keep your catalog up-to-
date. A setting of 3-7 days is recommended. Default: OnRequest
10-6 Setup
File copies: These are copies of messages you write that can be
placed in the forum .SAV folder, the forum message file, both, or
neither. You can override the default setting from Setup |
Forums | Defaults for this particular forum. Default: "Default"
Long/Short: This setting may be used to override the default
long/short choice of library catalog descriptions from Setup |
Forums | Default. Default: "Default"
Your name in forum: If this says "Default," TAPCIS will use the name
you specified in Setup | User as the name for this forum. If you
want to use a different name in this forum, enter that name here.
* If you use a first name only, a pseudonym, a "handle," or any
other special forum name that is different from the name
specified under Setup | User, you must enter that name here or
risk having TAPCIS change your forum name without notice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forum Defaults
Setup | Forums | Defaults [Alt+U][R][D]
Waiting messages: The default is to read new waiting messages
addressed to your user ID during a Connect | New in box [N]
session online. You can set TAPCIS to read those messages PLUS any
replies to those messages. You can also set TAPCIS to scan them
(you'll see the list in the announcement message) or to ignore
them. If set to ignore, TAPCIS will not retrieve waiting messages
even during an explicit Connect | Read Waiting [Ctrl+R] session.
Default: Read
File copies: These are copies of messages you send to forums; they
will appear on your screen with (C) in the header to indicate a
file copy. The options are: SAV=put a copy in the forum.SAV
folder, NONE=don't save a copy, MSG=save copy in the forum.MSG
message file, or Both=copies in forum.MSG and forum.SAV. MSG file
copies are useful since what you posted will be in your message
file for reference while you're reading, even if someone deletes
your message from the forum or you skip it. Default: SAV
List replies: CompuServe can be instructed to list the replies to a
message at the bottom of the message text. The default is
NONE=don't list the replies. Normally, you can tell if there are
replies by looking at the TAPCIS index display at the top of the
screen (turn this option on using Setup | Parameters | Interface |
[X] Start with index). Other options: Count=numeric count of the
replies, List=List of reply numbers. Note that TAPCIS does not
update this CIS provided information. It is only accurate at the
time the message is downloaded from the forum. Default: None
Setup 10-7
Skip my messages: If you choose to put file copies in the MSG file,
you can turn this option on to skip downloading messages you've
written. This can save a little money; however, you won't be able
to review your messages in the form they will be downloaded by
others or see if they have been read by the addressee(s). Default:
[_]
Message stats: When entering a forum during a Connect | New [N]
session, TAPCIS can generate message statistics to show forum
activity by section. This information is added to the Announcement
message. Default: [_]
Library update frequency: 'OnRequest' means to update the library
catalogs only when the Other | Special actions | Library update
command is used. Use [F2] to select from a sample of the other
frequency options or enter the number of days directly. TAPCIS
will scan the libraries according to that frequency. You can
override this option when setting up each forum. We recommend 3-7
days for automatic updates. Default: OnRequest
Listing, Short or Long: Short listings are very quick and concise,
but they do not give the keywords and lengthy descriptions found
in the long listings. Whatever you choose becomes the default for
library searches you request. Default: Short
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Services
Services are non-forum areas that are automated through the use of
special "scripts." A script is a series of instructions TAPCIS uses to
capture information from the area so it can be used offline.
One example is the "WHATSNEW" service which uses the WHATSNEW.SCR
script. You can set up the WHATSNEW service and tell TAPCIS to run the
WHATSNEW script every seven days. TAPCIS will automatically schedule the
script on the appropriate day, and the information from the What's New
on CompuServe menu will be added to a WHATSNEW.MSG file. This message
file is read in the same way as a forum's message file.
Setup | Services [Alt+U][S]
Service name: Enter the name of the service as it is to appear in the
forums/services box. If you are editing a service you previously
defined, press [F2] and select the service from the list.
Script: Enter the name of the script used to process the service
online. Include the .SCR file extension. If the script is not
located in the default TAPCIS directory, enter the full drive and
pathname.
Description: The description of the service is usually loaded from
the script itself. If it is not, enter the description.
10-8 Setup
Frequency: Enter the frequency that is appropriate for this service.
For example, WHATSNEW should be either 7 days or MON (it is
updated each Monday). Use [F2] for a list of frequencies.
Press [Alt+V] to save and activate the service.
Script Input ---
Certain services need to have input specified as part of the script or
in the service setup file. For example, the GETWEA service will get
weather for one or more cities. You can edit the GETWEA.SCR script and
see that the [*Cities*] section is where the script lists the cities
from which to download a weather report. You can change that list of
cities using File | Edit file to edit the GETWEA.SCR file.
If you change the script itself, however, and the script is updated in
the future, you will need to change that section again. An alternative
is to note that [*Cities*] is the "input" section, and File | Edit file
the GETWEA.SVC file--the services setup file. Add a section called
[*Cities*] to this file and list the weather report cities below, one
per line. When the service is scheduled online, it will override any
input sections in the script with matching ones from the service file.
This is the preferred method.
The number of services TAPCIS supports is sure to expand. Look for the
file SERVICES.LST in the TAPCIS Forum for more information. Here are
several services to get you started:
WHATSNEW.SCR Gather the CompuServe "What's New" articles (FREE)
OLTODAY.SCR Gather the current day's Online Today articles
covering the computer and online industries (FREE)
GETWEA.SCR Download current weather reports. You must change the
[*Cities*] section for the cities that interest you.
(FREE)
BQUOTES.SCR Download stock quotes. You must change the [*Quotes*]
section for the symbols you want to list. (FREE)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re-ordering Forums/Services
Setup | Re-order | Before [Alt+U][-][B]
Setup | Re-order | After [Alt+U][-][A]
The order in which forums/services are arranged dictates the order in
which items are presented in all three main menu boxes. To change the
order, activate the forums/services you want to reorganize. Then,
follow these steps:
1) Move | Forums box using [Tab] or [Ctrl+F]
2) Select with an asterisk [*] the forums/services to be moved,
3) Move the highlight to an unselected forum/service,
4) Use Setup | Re-order to place the selected items either before or
after the current (highlighted) item.
Setup 10-9
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forums/Services Sets
Setup | Forums/Services Set [F] or [Alt+U][F]
When you issue the Connect | New [N] command, TAPCIS automatically
performs actions such as getting new messages, scanning headers, and
updating libraries for the forums and services that are "active." A
forum or service is considered active if it appears in the
Forums/Services box on the main menu and is not held (H).
This setup command lets you activate and deactivate CompuServe Mail,
forums, and services you have previously defined. You check the items
you want to be active by using the [Up] and [Down] arrows to position
the cursor opposite a forum/service and press [Space] to toggle
between [_] (inactive) and [X] (active). You can also use the mouse
to click on the center of the checkbox to change the status. When you
are done, press the [Save] button using [Alt+S] or the mouse. You can
also add a forum not previously defined using the [Add new forum]
button [Alt+A].
You can also execute this setup function by pressing [Ins] from the
Forums/Services box. The [Del] key can be used from the
forums/services box to deactivate the selected item(s).
Named Forums/Services Sets ---
Most people will start with one set of forums and services called
"Default". Later, as the number of visited forums and services
increases, you may decide to create individually named "sets" of active
forums/services. This allows you to switch easily from one list of
forums/services to another without having to scan through the list,
turning individual items off and on.
For example, you may have a set of forums you visit only once a month,
but you do not want their names cluttering up the Forums/Services box on
the main screen. Check those items you want to visit monthly, and turn
off the other items. Use [Save as] and call the set "MONTHLY."
To use the monthly set, press [F] from the main screen, then press [F2],
pick the Monthly set from the list, press [Enter], and then press [F7]
to save. The monthly list will appear in the forums/services box.
You can also change forum sets through the Setup | Configuration
[Ctrl+G] dialog.
Using Frequency to Replace Forums/Services Sets ---
You can use the "frequency" option when setting up a forum or service to
determine how often the Connect | New [N] command will generate a visit
to that area of CompuServe. Whereas in previous versions of TAPCIS,
forums you didn't want to visit had to be turned off before each press
of the [N] key to go online, in TAPCIS 6.0 you can pre-specify certain
forums and services to be visited at most every few hours, once a day,
every 3 days, once a week, etc. Then you can leave these forums active
10-10 Setup
in the forums/services box. Online transactions to get new messages,
headers, waiting messages, or library updates will be done according to
the frequencies you choose.
You might set up the program to visit the TAPCIS Forum and read messages
in Section 16/TAPNews and Notices every three days. On the first day,
using Connect | New [N] will get those TAPCIS Forum messages. That
afternoon, [N] will skip the TAPCIS Forum unless you have specific
transactions for that forum in your out box. It won't be until the third
day that Connect | New will get TAPCIS Forum messages again.
This is the preferred method for scheduling automated visits using
TAPCIS. The forums/services sets make it easy to make significant
changes, or to change sets when the configuration changes (such as when
changing users, or switching to your "Travelling" configuration where
you don't want to visit as many places).
Deleting ---
You can delete a forums/services set using the [Delete] button. You
cannot delete the set that is the current selection.
If you want to delete a specific forum or service, you must do so
through Setup | Forums | Edit or Setup | Services. Then use the [Delete]
button from that dialog.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Configuration
Setup | Configuration [Ctrl+G] or [Alt+U][G]
This is the central place where your configuration choices are
listed. It shows you the descriptive name you have chosen for the
currently active user, modem, phone number, directories, color set,
and forums/services set.
Descriptive name: Let's say you want to switch all these settings at
one time, as you move from computer to computer, or user to user,
or place to place. Create a descriptive name for the settings
shown, such as "Rick Office Busy Day." Then [Save] the set. Using
Setup | Configuration or the [Ctrl+G] hotkey, you can pull up this
dialog, press [F2] for a list of configurations, or use the
right/left arrow keys to cycle through them, then [F7] or [Alt+S]
to save those settings as the active ones.
For each of the individual settings, you can:
* Use [F2] to pull up a list of previously defined choices.
* Use the right/left arrows to scroll through the choices.
* Start typing the name in the field until the right choice is
shown.
* Use [F3] from the field to edit those settings or create new ones.
* Choose the appropriate Edit button from the bottom of the box
Setup 10-11
------------------------------------------------------------------------
User (Name, User ID, Password)
Setup User: Basic Instructions ---
The Setup User dialog is where you enter the information specific to a
particular CompuServe account.
* Type a descriptive name, such as your first name, that will
identify this user ID for you.
* Enter the CompuServe user ID. This looks like 71234,567, with a
comma between two numbers. If you are signing up for a new
CompuServe account, enter the Temporary User ID number now. You
will return to the Setup | User screen later to enter the
permanent number.
* Accept the default home gateway of CIS: unless you know you have a
ZNT: (ZiffNet) or other alternate home gateway.
* Enter the password. If you leave this entry blank, TAPCIS will not
store your password on disk, and you will have to enter it each
time you go online.
* Enter your name as you would like it to appear on MAIL and forum
messages you send. (It can be changed elsewhere on a forum-by-
forum basis).
* We recommend entering the postal return address information, even
though it is optional.
* Press [Alt+S] or click on the [Save] button to save the setup. Or,
use [Alt+V] or the [saVe as] button to save the setup under a new
descriptive name.
Setup | User [Alt+U][U]
Descriptive name: This is the 'nametag' by which you'll refer to this
user setup information. For example, you can call it "ME" or use
your first or full name. If you have multiple user IDs or multiple
people using the same user ID, pick names that help you identify
each one.
UserID: Your CompuServe userID. These IDs look like "74020,10" or
"100012,3456". They are always 5-6 digits followed by a comma and
2-4 more digits.
Home Gateway: Most accounts have as their home the CIS: (CompuServe)
gateway. Some userIDs were established through ZiffNet (ZNT:) or
ZiffNet/Mac (ZMC:). Enter the proper gateway as the "home" gateway
for this particular userID. Use [F2] for a list.
10-12 Setup
Password: Enter your CompuServe account password here. Be sure to
include any special punctuation. Don't include extra spaces unless
they are a part of the password. This password must match what
CompuServe has stored in its computer for TAPCIS to be able to log
in.
If you want to change your password, enter the current password
here. Use Connect | Interactive to log in. Once TAPCIS logs in and
leaves you in terminal mode, type the command: GO PASSWORD. Change
the password online by following CompuServe's prompts. Log off.
Then, return to Setup | User and enter the new password here.
The password is encrypted in the PASSWORD.INI file. While this
encryption keeps casual observers from seeing the plain-text
password, it is not meant to be unbreakable. Indeed, since
forgetting one's password is the most common support call, we
include a way for you to see the current password by pressing
[Sh+F2] from the password field.
Since the encryption is breakable, and there is a known way of
seeing the password from within TAPCIS, if other people will have
free access to the computer upon which you have installed TAPCIS,
we recommend leaving the password blank. TAPCIS will then ask for
your CompuServe password the first time the program goes online in
each session or each time it goes online with a new user
configuration. TAPCIS will not store the password on disk.
Name: This is the default name that TAPCIS will use for you in MAIL
and other forums. Enter your full name as you'd like to be known
online. (This can be overridden in MAIL and forums under their
individual setups.)
Title, Address, City, State/Province, Zip/Postal, Country: This
information is used as your postal MAIL return address. The Title
can be used for a Company name, or you can put the company name in
the first line of the address.
Use [Save] to record this information on disk. [Delete] will remove the
information from disk. [Esc] or [cancel] will keep any changes/mistakes
from overwriting information you had previously stored.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modem (COM Port)
Setup Modem: Basic Instructions ---
For 80% of all modems, you need to do only the following:
* In the Type: field, leave the entry as COM; in the Port: field,
press [F2] and select the port to use, such as COM1 or COM2.
* Press [Alt+S] or click on the [Save] button to save the setup. Or,
use [Alt+V] to save the setup under a new descriptive name (e.g.,
PPI PC288LCD).
Setup 10-13
The other 20% of all modems will need some special configuration steps,
such as the ones below:
* If your modem uses a non-standard hardware setting (e.g., COM3 on
IRQ5--very common for new internal modems), choose Type: COM and
enter the port number and IRQ. The Base Address is needed only if
it has been changed. Press [F1] for more information.
* If your modem is shared over a network, you will need to use the
EBIOS or BIOS types.
* If you have a Supra Fax modem, change the Init/Dial field by
pressing [F2] and selecting the AT&F2DT entry.
* If you need to turn the modem speaker off, your modem responds
"ERROR" when TAPCIS tries to dial, or you need to make other
changes to the initialization and dialing string, read the
detailed reference information below for instructions.
* If your modem does not hang up after the connection to CompuServe
is terminated, change the Hangup field by pressing [F2] and
selecting the ?2+++?3ATH0^M?4 entry.
Please ignore the rest of the options unless you fully understand their
options/implications..
Setup | Modem [Alt+U][M]
Descriptive name: Most people just have one modem that doesn't change
its port or initialization. In such cases, you can just use "My
Modem" or "PPI 14400FXSA" as the name. The flexibility comes when
you move TAPCIS from machine to machine, or your machine travels
to different locations. Using different names lets you quickly
switch modem configurations. Select *TAPCIS Defaults* to restore
the default settings.
Type: Usually refers to a standard COM (serial) port. You can pick
the type by pressing [F2] for a list.
A BIOS type refers to an access method that goes through BIOS,
such as a modem that is shared across a local area network using
an Interrupt 14 BIOS (INT14) redirector. EBIOS means Extended BIOS
that supports certain calls that are not available under the BIOS
definition. FOSSIL is a special, third party device driver that
TAPCIS can use if available.
Port: You can pick the port number (1-8) by pressing [F2] and
selecting from the list.
IRQ/Base Addr: It is crucial that the modem not "conflict" with
another device in your computer. Unless you change it, COM1 shares
the same IRQ with COM3, and COM2 shares the same IRQ with COM4.
The modem may not work if another device is already using the
shared IRQ. You will need to change the IRQ on one of the devices
or disable it before TAPCIS can properly communicate with the
10-14 Setup
modem. If you have changed the IRQ or base address of your modem,
enter that information here. The standard port, IRQ, and base
addresses are:
STANDARD PC IBM MICROCHANNEL
Port IRQ Base Addr Port IRQ Base Addr
1 4 3F8 1 4 3F8
2 3 2F8 2 3 2F8
3 4 3E8 3 3 3220
4 3 2E8 4 3 3228
Advanced options ---
Init/Dial: The default setting of AT&F&C1&D2DT will work with the
vast majority of modern modems. If your modem responds with ERROR,
you can try one of the other settings available by pressing [F2].
If none of those work, call us or drop us a note on the TAPCIS
Forum. Supra Fax modems need to use AT&F2DT as their Init/Dial
string.
You can use the Init/Dial command to add extra digits to the front
of all your phone numbers. Use this for dialing out of hotels or
other phone systems, disabling call waiting, etc. Put these
commands after DT (or DP for pulse dialing) in the Init/Dial
command.
9,, Dial 9 and wait for a short time for dialtone.
*70,, Disable call waiting (in some areas 70#)
Modem commands before the DT can be used to turn off the speaker
(M0) or turn down its volume (L1).
The Init/Dial field can be left blank if there is no Init/Dial
string (e.g., you will be doing the entire connection process
through a script or via a direct connection).
Success: The characters TAPCIS will look for to indicate that a
connection has been established. CONNECT is what Hayes compatible
modems respond. Use NONE for direct connections or for when you
want TAPCIS to proceed directly to the login script after the
initialization/dial string and phone number are sent (a rare
case).
Failure: If TAPCIS sees the characters listed here, it will assume
that the connection failed. The default of "HAYES" is for all the
standard failure results. You can list multiple failure strings
separated by vertical bars as in:
NO CARRIER|BUSY|NO DIAL|VOICE|NO ANSWER|ERROR
Hangup: TAPCIS normally hangs up the connection by dropping the modem
Data Terminal Ready (DTR) signal. If the modem is set to respond
to dropped DTR by disconnecting, this works. (The &D2 and &D3
settings tell the modem to do this.) On older modems, you may need
to set a physical switch inside or on the bottom of the modem. If
Setup 10-15
you find the modem still stays connected to the phone line after
logoff, you can change to a different Hangup string. Press [F2]
for a list.
Port speed: This is the fixed speed at which TAPCIS will communicate
with your modem, regardless of the speed of the connection to
CompuServe. "Default" in this context means that TAPCIS will use
the proper speed based on the phone number "Billing rate". You can
sometimes improve throughput by using a fixed speed of 9600 (if
your modem is < 9600 bps), 19200 (for 9600/14400 modems), or
38400/57600 (for 28800 modems). Speed 115200 is offered for
special configurations only. For speeds above 9600, a 16550A-type
FIFO UART (the chip that control the serial communications with
the modem) is recommended. TAPCIS indicates that it has found and
is using a FIFO buffer with the status message "FIFO buffer is on"
when you connect to CompuServe.
Modem Command Delay: A few modems do not respond properly when their
initialization/dial commands are sent at full speed. If you find
that your modem dials erratically, you might try changing this
setting to a value ranging from 1 to 3, to introduce pauses in the
sending of those commands.
Hardware/Software Flow Control: Some form of flow control is crucial
to the proper operation of TAPCIS. Information is flowing between
the computer and the modem at high speed. Sometimes, one or the
other isn't ready to accept more information and must "shut off"
the flow of data. The best way for this to be done is through the
signal wires Request to Send (RTS, from computer to modem) and
Clear to Send (CTS, from modem to computer). This is called
"hardware flow control."
If hardware flow control is not working (you start losing large
chunks of information or TAPCIS tells you the modem is "not clear
to send"), check your cable if the modem is external. It may be
improperly wired or have a loose connection at the computer or the
modem. Also check to see that the modem is turned on.
Some modems may have hardware flow control turned off, and you
would need to activate it by inserting &K3 (or some other command
as described in your modem manual as "hardware flow control" or
"CTS/RTS") before the DT in the init/dial command. If that doesn't
work, you can try using just software flow control. TAPCIS employs
software flow control as a backup to hardware control. This method
uses two characters, XON and XOFF, to stop and restart the modem.
For this to work properly, you must usually set the option here on
Setup | Modem and also add &K4 (or your modem's equivalent
command) to the Init/Dial command to tell the modem to honor the
XON/XOFF requests. If flow control is not working, significant
chunks of information may be lost during the communications
session.
Note: Some Intel modems use \Q3 for RTS/CTS and \Q1 for software
flow control. US Robotics Sportster modems use &H1 for RTS/CTS and
&H2 for software flow control.
10-16 Setup
Check for loss of Carrier Detect: Carrier Detect (CD) is used by
TAPCIS to tell whether the modems are still connected. The &C1 in
the default Init/Dial string tells the modem to let us know when
carrier is "dropped"; otherwise, the modem often tells TAPCIS that
carrier is detected even before it dials. (This is what happens
with the default &C0 modem setting). You can turn disable the
monitoring of CD by turning off this option. Use this only if the
carrier detect circuitry is not operative in your modem and &C1
before the DT in the Setup | Modem init/dial field will not
overcome the problem.
FIFO (16550A) Usage: A "FIFO" is a small, First-In-First-Out buffer
that helps tremendously when communicating at high speeds. It is
part of the 16550A or equivalent computer chip that makes up the
"COM port" part of the modem connection. The default setting is to
use the FIFO if it is present. Unfortunately, some FIFO chips are
defective. This option lets you turn off use of the FIFO if it is
interfering with communications (usually indicated by a "hang"
after 10-16 characters are sent or received).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phone Number
Setup Phone Number: Basic Instructions ---
* Enter a descriptive name for the phone number, such as the city
and speed (e.g., CIS800 14400).
* Press [F2] in the billing rate field and choose the speed for this
connection (e.g., 14400).
* Enter the phone number (e.g., 1-800-331-7166).
* You will need to select a login script only when calling a non-
CompuServe telephone number.
* Press [Alt+S] or click on the [Save] button to save the setup.
Setup | Phone number [Alt+U][N]
Descriptive name: Phone numbers are identified by a short name you
choose. To define a new number, enter a name here. We recommend
entering the city name and connect rate (e.g., Pittsburgh 14400).
To select from phone numbers that you have already defined, press
[F2]. To use another entry as a guide, select it using [F2], then
enter a new name and edit the other fields.
Billing rate: Enter the connect rate you expect from this phone
number (such as 2400). Press [F2] for a list of available rates.
TAPCIS records your online time along with this "billing rate" in
the accounting log (if activated under Setup | Parameters |
Connect | [X] Session time & charges history). TAPCIS also uses
this rate to determine the communications speed with the modem
unless you override the speed under Setup | Modem | Port speed. In
Setup 10-17
some cases, such as 14400 and 28800, TAPCIS will use a higher port
speed (19200 and 38400) automatically.
Phone number: Enter the phone number to call. TAPCIS will send this
to the modem after the init/dial command. The phone number can
have spaces and dashes in it; they will be ignored by TAPCIS. Use
commas for a brief, modem-controlled timing delay. (Ordinarily,
each comma causes a two-second delay.) Example: 9,,1-800-331-
7166. Press [F2] for a short list of toll free and direct dial
phone numbers you can use if you do not know the local access
number. You can use Connect | Interactive [I] and then GO PHONES
to get a list.
Advanced options ---
Dialing postfix: These are extra dialing commands to follow the phone
number. The postfix is useful for calling card information. You
may want to check your modem manual for special dialing commands
your modem may support, such as: W (wait for dial tone), $ (Wait
for bong--credit card prompt), @ (wait for silence). If you need
to adjust any S registers, such as S7=wait for carrier detect or
S8=comma pause time, you must do so in Setup | Modem Init/Dial
before the DT command.
Login script: Name of the script to use to login. If left blank (the
default), the built-in CompuServe node login script is used. If
you enter just a name, TAPCIS will look for a script by that name,
first in the LOGIN.TAP script library and then in the scripts
directory. If you want to execute a custom login script, enter the
name with .SCR at the end and store it in the scripts directory.
Next phone: If a connection fails to this phone number, TAPCIS can
switch to another phone number automatically after the number of
attempts you specify in Setup | Parameters | Connect. If the
"attempts" is set to 0, the next phone will be ignored unless you
press [F8] during the dialing process. Use [F2] to select from a
list of phone numbers you have already defined.
If you make the list of next phone numbers circular (e.g., from A
to B to C to A), TAPCIS will try the specified number of attempts,
and keep cycling through the set of phones until a connection is
finally made.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directories
Directories Setup: Basic Instructions ---
The Directories Setup screen is for setting up the directories in which
TAPCIS stores its files. TAPCIS defaults to using subdirectories of the
current directory; this is usually adequate for most needs.
* Make changes to the directories if you so desire. When editing the
list, press [F1] for specific descriptions of each directory.
10-18 Setup
* An entry of .\ means "the current directory."
* Press [Alt+S] or click on the [Save] button to save the setup. Or,
use [Alt+V] or the [saVe as] button to save the setup under a new
descriptive name.
* Answer [Yes] when TAPCIS asks to create any missing directories.
Setup | Directories [Alt+U][D]
The Directories setup should be changed with care. It can be used to
specify where to store the files TAPCIS reads, writes, and creates.
For each type of file, a directory path may be specified to override
the default. You can enter either a full path (for example,
C:\TAP\DL\) or a "relative" path that is a subdirectory of the
current location of TAPCIS.INI. Note that each directory entry must
end with a backslash (\).
Example: TAPCIS.INI is located in C:\TAP, where TAPCIS6.EXE is found.
Specify a relative path of ".\DL\" for the download directory, and
the downloaded files will be stored in C:\TAP\DL. Later, if you move
the TAPCIS files from C:\TAP to I:\TAP60, you will not need to change
the relative path.
Caution: when you change directories, items currently in your In,
Out, and Forums/Services boxes may not be able to find their
associated files. Therefore, if you change the messages, catalogs,
scripts, and/or settings directories, you might also need to change
the Actions directory so that new boxes will be used. TAPCIS does not
move files from the old directories to new ones. You will need to do
that yourself from DOS or another utility.
Actions: Contains In, Out, and Online boxes (*.BOX), headers to mark
(*.QSN), marked headers (*.MRK), and files to download (*.DOW).
Messages to send are always stored in a subdirectory
(ActionsDir\SEND\*.*). Defaults to .\ (the current TAPCIS.INI
directory).
Addresses: Contains the address book (USERID.CIS), mailing lists
(*.ML), and postal addresses (POSTAL.TAP). Default: .\
Folders: Contains list of folders (FOLDERS.TAP), list of import files
(IMPORT.TAP), standard "SAV" files (*.SAV), and folders and import
files you create. Default: .\FOLDERS\
Messages: Mail, forum, and service message files (*.MSG), and forum
marking history/preferences (*.TMK). Default: .\MSG\
Catalogs: Library file descriptions (*.CAT). Also individual files
describing uploads if specified under Setup | Parameters |
Connect | File transfers by file. Default: .\LIB\
Download: Downloaded files. Also, individual file descriptions if
selected under Setup | Parameters | Connect | File transfers by
file. Default: .\DL\
Setup 10-19
Forum specific subdirectories: If you want downloaded files to be
separated into subdirectories by forum, check this option. For
example, TAPCIS Forum will download into .\DL\TAPCIS\, WPUSERS
will download into .\DL\WPUSERS\, etc. Default: Not checked.
OldFiles: Receives the messages being aged out of other files
(*.OLD). Default: Left blank to indicate the directory where the
message file being aged is located.
LogFiles: Contains online log (ONLINE.LOG), accounting log
(LOGyy-mm.CIS), and transfer log (XFER.LOG). See Setup |
Parameters | Connect for more information. Default: .\
Scripts: Contains individual login, interactive, and service scripts
(*.SCR). Default: .\
Settings: Stored views for messages (MSGVIEWS.TAP) and library
catalogs (CATVIEWS.TAP), as well as individual forum/service
settings (*.SET). Default: .\
Upload Information: The UPLINFO subdirectory is the one in which
saved/linked upload descriptions are stored by default. It is
created as a subdirectory of the default directory and cannot be
changed, so there is no entry for it on the Directories Setup
screen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colors
Setup | Colors [Alt+U][C]
The color choices let you customize the visual appearance of TAPCIS
to suit you. There is a number of pre-defined choices (including a
special one for color-blind users) you can use as a starting point.
From the Descriptive name: field, use the right and left arrow keys
or press [F2] to select from the defined sets of colors.
If you want to use one of these sets, just press the [Save] button
using [Alt+S] or the mouse and give it a name of your choosing. If
you want to change any of the colors in a set, follow these steps:
Choose either to edit the Viewer colors (reading messages and
catalogs [Alt+C]), Main colors (for the main menu [Alt+M]), or
Marking colors (for marking scanned headers [Alt+K]). The screen will
switch to show you a sample screen layout on the left with a choice
of options in a list on the right.
Using the arrow keys, highlight the selection you want to change,
such as Menu Normal. Press [Enter]. A color selection box will
appear. Inside the block of different colors you should see an X
marking the current color choice. As you move that X to a new color,
the box to the right will show you how that color looks. When you
find the one you want, press [Enter]; press [ESC] if you decide not
to change that color.
10-20 Setup
Notice in the example window how your new colors look in combination
with the other colors. Select any others you want to change by using
up/down arrows to highlight the choice, pressing [Enter], selecting
the new color using the arrows, and pressing [Enter] again.
When you are satisfied with your choices, highlight *Done* and press
[Enter]. TAPCIS returns to the main color selection dialog where you
can [Save] these choices under the current name or [saVe as] a new
name. You can press [Enter] on the *Cancel* option if you want to
revert to the colors you were using before making any changes.
It often takes a while to arrive at a color set that is pleasing to
you, since color is one area that is uniquely personal. One person's
favorite colors are another person's, "Oh, that's DREADFUL." The
customization which TAPCIS offers should let you find a set that is
readable on your machine and pleasing to your eyes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interface Parameters
Setup | Parameters | Interface [Alt+U][P][I]
These options change how TAPCIS operates and may make your display
different from that shown in the documentation. If you end up with
settings which are not to your liking, you can use the [Restore
defaults] button to go back to the original settings. The default is
shown in brackets at the end of each description. Turn the option on
by putting an [X] next to the option by pressing [X]; pressing
[Space] will toggle an option. When [_] is shown, the option is off.
Messages ---
Start with index: Display the small, 5-line index at the top of the
screen as soon as you start reading messages. Default: [_]
Freeze header: As an individual message is paged from screen to
screen, the header remains fixed at the top of the screen.
Default: [X]
Tip: A configuration that helps you track where you are in a message
file while giving you enough lines to read the text is: [X] Start with
index, [_] Freeze header
Header line: Display a solid line between the header and the message
text to separate them visually. Only applies when Freeze header is
on. Default: [X]
Message blanks: Add this many blank lines under the message header.
Default: [1]
Thread display: Use line draw characters to show the thread "depth"
in the index. Options are R=right side, L=left, N=None. Default:
[R]
Setup 10-21
Messages/Catalogs ---
View, hold position: Hold position in the file when switching views
rather than positioning to the first item in the view.
Default: [_]
Select: use view: When selecting items, match only items in the view.
For example, Select | All with this option ON will select all
items in the view only. With this option OFF, it will select all
items in the entire file. This can be changed while reading, using
the Select | Use view/Ignore view options. Default: [X]
Page through: [PgUp] and [PgDn] are allowed to move to the previous/
next item. If OFF, these keys will stop when they reach the
top/bottom of the item until you use an arrow key to go to the
next item. Default: [X]
Page at edge: When scrolling through the full index, show the next
whole page of items rather than scrolling the screen up and down.
Default: [_]
Overlap lines: The number of lines to overlap (repeat) when paging
text. Default: [0]
Index margin (normal & small): The number of lines from the top and
bottom of the full display where the screen scrolls to show
additional items. A setting of 0 is appropriate when Page at Edge
is ON. Default: [5]
The small margin is the margin for the small index window that can
be displayed when reading the text of the items. The default
setting of [2] keeps the index bar in the center of the 5 line
window.
Marking ---
Index messages: TAPCIS offers the option to use the "T" command to
view the text of previously downloaded messages while marking
headers. By default, TAPCIS will only have access to messages
that have been indexed previously. If you want any new, unindexed
messages to be available as part of the "T" command, you need to
activate this option. This does add considerably to the time
necessary to mark headers. Default: [_]
Page at edge: When scrolling through the list of headers to mark with
the arrow keys, show the next whole page of items rather than
scrolling the screen up and down. Turned ON by default in Marking
since that lets you see more of the headers at once. Default: [X]
Margin: The number of lines from the edge of the screen that TAPCIS
scrolls or pages. Set to [0] by default for use with Page at Edge.
Set to some higher number if Page at Edge is turned OFF.
10-22 Setup
Mouse ---
Scroll bars: Display scroll bars at the side of scrolling regions.
These are useful even if you do not use the mouse. Default: [X]
Toolbar: Display the toolbar at the bottom of the screen for use with
the mouse. Default: [_]
Mouse support: Enable mouse support. This will display a mouse cursor
in TAPCIS if a mouse driver is loaded from outside of TAPCIS
(e.g., from AUTOEXEC.BAT). Changes take effect next time you start
TAPCIS. Default: [X]
Graphical mouse: Display the mouse as a graphical pointer. Somewhat
harder to see and more difficult to position, but looks nice.
Changes take effect next time you start TAPCIS. Default: [_]
Left handed mouse: For this you must change the settings outside
TAPCIS, using the mouse driver itself. Most Microsoft mice let you
use the command line option /KP3S1, or settings in the MOUSE.INI
file (PrimaryButton=3 and SecondaryButton=1) to set up left handed
use.
Sound ---
Quiet (no beeps): Turns off all speaker noise. The default setting
allows TAPCIS to beep in appropriate places. Default: [_]
Keyboard/Display ---
Enter same as TAB: For compatibility with most DOS applications
(especially TAPCIS 5.x), this option forces the [Enter] key in a
dialog box to have the same effect as pressing [Tab].
The Windows convention is that [Tab] is used move from field to
field. [Enter] presses the default button (the same as the way the
[F7] and [Ctrl+Enter] keys work in TAPCIS dialogs to "press" the
button that has > <'s around it). If you prefer the Windows way,
turn this off. Default: [X]
Up/Down scroll item: With this setting off, the [Up] and [Down]
arrows move from item to item in the current view, when reading
messages or catalog descriptions. Turn this option on if you want
the [Up] and [Down] arrows to scroll the item line by line for
items that have text that exceed one screen. Default: [_]
Extended keyboard: Support extended keyboard codes. Changes take
effect next time you start TAPCIS. Default: [X]
Tap ALT for menu: The normal method to bring up the menu bar is to
use [F10] or [/]; you can also use [Alt+letter] for a specific
menu choice. Set this option if you'd like to just press and
release ("tap") the [Alt] key to do the same thing as [F10].
Default: [_]
Setup 10-23
Top title bar: Show the "TAPCIS 6.0" top title bar on the main menu.
Changes take effect next time you start TAPCIS. Default: [X]
BIOS writes: Use BIOS writes to send information to the screen. This
is useful for voice screen readers, but it does slow down the
display and editing of text. Changes take effect next time you
start TAPCIS. Default: [_]
Pop-up timeout: Time that informational messages appear on the
screen. Setting is multiplied by 1/10th of a second then by the
number of lines in the message to determine the total time the
message will be displayed. Such messages can be forced to stay on
until a key is pressed with a setting of zero. Default: [17]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connect Parameters
Setup | Parameters | Connect [P][C] or [Alt+U][P][C]
Communications ---
Redial delay: Time in seconds to delay between redial attempts.
Default: [30]
Attempts: Number of dialing attempts to make on a phone number. If
set to a non-zero value, after the number of attempts has been
exhausted, TAPCIS will either return to the main menu or will
chain to the next phone number if one is provided (Setup | Phone
number | Next phone). Default: [0] (unlimited attempts)
Screen echo: When TAPCIS is connected to CompuServe and processing
transactions, it normally echoes the output from CompuServe onto
the screen. On fast computers, this does not slow things down. On
slower machines and at connection speeds of 14400 and higher, the
overhead of writing to the screen will cause online sessions to be
longer. Turn screen echo off [_] to get the best performance. You
will still see the status messages in the upper part of the
screen. The echo can be toggled on/off at any time using [Ctrl+E]
during the online session. Default: [X]
Latin1: The Latin1 character set includes characters with
diacriticals necessary to communicate in non-English languages. If
this option is on, TAPCIS handles the conversions necessary to
send and receive messages using these characters. If turned off,
TAPCIS and CompuServe cooperate to convert those characters into
the nearest match that is part of the normal US-ASCII character
set. Default: [X]
10-24 Setup
Logging ---
Online session log: This log stores a record of the session that
occurs on CompuServe, including all the prompts, commands, status
messages from TAPCIS, agenda (what TAPCIS set out to do online),
etc. It stores this information by default in ONLINE.LOG in the
Logging subdirectory.
If you encounter a problem, it is useful to be able to refer to
the online log to see what happened. The options (available by
pressing [F2]) are as follows:
None -- No log file generated
Lines -- Save contents of the scrollback buffer at session end
All -- Full record of latest online session (DEFAULT)
Append -- All sessions for single execution of TAPCIS
Forever -- Log file always appends
Using no online log or the "lines" option can save disk space and
increase performance on slow machines. A "lines" log will catch a
problem that caused the session to terminate abnormally, but it
won't show everything; it only has the contents of the internal,
scrollback buffer (around 20K).
"All" is the default. It captures everything, but the log is
overwritten each time you go online. If you need to report a
problem, rename ONLINE.LOG before you go back online!
The "Append" option will keep adding to the online log for each
session. It creates a new file the first time you go online for
each fresh execution of TAPCIS. "Forever" will never overwrite the
log file; if you use this option, keep your eye on the log file,
since it will grow HUGE very quickly.
Session time & charges history: Records the online time accounting to
the files LOGyy-mm.CIS. Default: [_]
File transfers: Forum (and some mail) file transfers can be logged to
various places. "In Catalog" means to record the description and
download statistics as a new entry in the forum's library catalog.
"In XFER.LOG" means to store the transfer information into the
XFER.LOG file. This file keeps growing until you delete it.
"By file" means to create an individual description file in the
directory where the file is downloaded. This file will have just
the listing for this file, making it easier to find the file
descriptions when you are searching around in DOS. TAPCIS puts the
information in the directory where the file was downloaded, in a
file with an extension whose last character is changed to a !.
(Example: download TAPTRY.EXE, and TAPTRY.EX! will contain the
description.) Default: [X] in Catalog
Setup 10-25
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Printer
Setup | Parameters | Printer [Alt+U][P][P]
Choose the printer port from this dialog. The default printer is PRN,
which DOS usually maps to LPT1. You can also choose from LPT1-LPT3,
COM1-COM4, or *None* (no printer attached or available).
When TAPCIS writes an item to the printer, it simply sends the text
without margins, initialization strings, etc. If you need margins and
page breaks, it is often best to save the messages or file
descriptions to a file on disk and use an external utility or word
processor to print the file.
If you choose one of the COM port options, the printer must have been
initialized from DOS using the MODE command, such as: MODE
COM1:9600,N,8,1,P
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editor (External)
Setup | Editors | Internal [Alt+U][E][I]
Setup | Editors | External #1 [Alt+U][E][1]
Setup | Editors | External #2 [Alt+U][E][2]
The internal editor is the one supplied with TAPCIS and is an
integral part of the program. TAPCIS also provides the ability use
external editors, however. Once an external editor has been
configured and made the active editor using External #1 or External
#2 menu choices, TAPCIS will call the external editor for editing
files, writing new messages, and composing replies.
Setup | Editors | Configure [Alt+U][E][C]
When going to the editor (either internal or external) to edit a
message, TAPCIS creates two files in the current directory. These are
EDITOR~.TMP (the message you are composing) and ROOT~.TMP (the
current or selected items, usually the message on the screen when you
use [R] to reply). For each of the external editors you define the
DOS command line to execute to: Edit (used with File | Edit), Reply
(used when composing a reply where you may want the original message
in a split window), and Write (for new messages).
Examples, using an editor called "ED.EXE", are shown below. For
Edit:, the filename is passed at the end of the command line and
should not be specified as part of the field:
Edit: ED.EXE
Reply: ED.EXE /M=REPMACRO ROOT~.TMP EDITOR~.TMP
Write: ED.EXE /M=WRITE EDITOR~.TMP
10-26 Setup
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frequently Asked Questions
*** Why do the same messages keep showing up in my CompuServe Mail box?
Check Setup | Mail to make sure it is set to "Delete messages from
CompuServe after stored offline," rather than to Save. Also, if you are
marking mail headers, use the "R" marking rather than "D". The "D"
marking downloads the message and leaves the original in the online
mailbox.
*** When I go online to get new forum messages, TAPCIS tells me that it
reached a menu rather than a forum. What's wrong?
Often a new forum will be advertised with a "GO" word which takes you to
a master menu rather than to the forum itself. Or, the forum
organization may have changed, and the old GO word that worked now takes
TAPCIS to a menu. In either case, you can use the Connect | Interactive
[I] command, let TAPCIS log in, then type GO followed by the page you
are using. When a menu is displayed, enter the menu number for the
forum, and note the name shown on the "CompuServe PAGENAME" banner as
CIS navigates to the forum. Press [Alt+Q] to log off, and use that new
PAGENAME under Setup | Forum | Edit for this forum. You might also
consider downloading the most recent list of forums and their pagenames
from the TAPCIS Forum Library 16, file FORUMS.LST.
*** I changed my name in the forum but TAPCIS changed it back. How do I
keep this from happening?
TAPCIS looks at the name being used in a forum and changes it if it
doesn't match your name (with a few exceptions). First, you should put
in Setup | User the name as you generally want it to appear in Mail and
Forums. Then, override this "default" name for the forums where you want
or need to use a different name under Setup | Forums | Edit | Your name
in forum. You can then use Other | Special actions | Name change online
to change the name for those forums.
*** How do I set TAPCIS to visit a forum only for libraries, never for
messages?
Set the read and scan sections to None and Waiting messages to Ignore.
Alternatively, you can set the message frequency to Never. Set the
Catalog library sections and library frequency as desired.
*** How are forums renamed?
The easiest way is to not rename them. Just change the GO word to the
new page and leave the forum name the same. That leaves the disk files
and entry in the forums/services list the same while allowing TAPCIS to
find the new location online. Otherwise, you can create the new forum,
delete the old forum, and then from DOS rename the <oldforum>.* files to
<newforum>.* files (in the Messages, Catalogs, Folders, and OldFiles
directories).
Setup 10-27
*** What is a "configuration," and what is the significance of the
"Default" configuration?
A configuration tells TAPCIS which setup options to use for User, Modem,
Phone number, Directories, Colors, and Forum Set. Each of these setup
options has a name. A configuration simply lists the names, as a group,
that are made the "active" setup when that configuration is chosen. The
"Default" configuration is the configuration which is loaded when TAPCIS
starts up. It can be overridden using the /CONFIG:"configname" DOS
command line option.
Most customers will use TAPCIS with the default configuration. When you
switch modems or phone numbers, the new modem or phone number becomes
part of the "default" configuration; it will be reloaded the next time
you start TAPCIS.
Let's say you want to make a temporary change. One way is to create a
Setup | Configuration [Ctrl+G] with the name "Temp." Switch to that
configuration first. Then, from the configuration dialog, change the
other options, and then [Save]. You'll notice that [Temp], the active
configuration name, will appear on the bottom status line of the main
menu. When you exit TAPCIS and return, the default configuration will be
reloaded.
*** How should a configuration be used for my travelling laptop
computer?
Create a configuration called Laptop. When travelling, start TAPCIS from
DOS with:
TAPCIS6 /CONFIG:"LAPTOP"
(or use a batch file that calls TAPCIS6.EXE with this command line
switch). This loads the Laptop configuration. In that configuration,
specify the laptop directories, modem, colors, etc. When you copy the
files back to your desktop machine, the default configuration will
remain set as it was when you left. This same technique of using
different configurations can be used on a single machine to switch
between different users, such as when husband and wife share a copy of
TAPCIS but use different user IDs, directories, forum sets, etc.
*** With the use of frequencies, is there still a need to use different
forums/services sets?
Frequencies are great because they let you "set and forget" forums that
you want to monitor but don't want to have to activate and deactivate. A
forum set to "14 days" can remain active in the forums/services box
where it will be visited automagically on the 14th or later day
following the last visit, when you use Connect | New [N].
10-28 Setup
However, the downside is a more cluttered forums/services box and
somewhat slower performance as the number of active forums increases. A
forum set can take those forums you visit only rarely, say once a month,
and put them in a set of their own. When you want to operate on that
set, activate that set by pressing [F] on the main menu, then [F2], pick
from the list, and then [F7].
Another use is when your normal forum set is large, but you want to have
a "quick set" that includes only MAIL and one or two other forums. You
could use Action | Hold on the other forums/services, but switching to
another forums/services set is often easier.
Setup 10-29