Fixation 2.0 Connection Help
To connect to an online chess server, select Connect to Server from
the File menu. This displays the Connect to Server
dialog window:
If you have never used Fixation, the window will list generic defaults for
connecting to the Internet Chess
Club (ICC), Free Internet Chess Server (FICS)
and US Chess Live (USCL). The entries
in the list are called "shortcuts". Each shortcut defines a handle, password,
server name, server port, server type, Timestamp/Timeseal usage and the name of
the shortcut. For the "Generic FICS" and "Generic USCL" shortcuts, a random
handle will be generated for you. For the ICC, the handle will be set to "guest" as the
ICC only allows logins from registered handles or "guest".
These three servers allow "guest" (unregistered users) logins so double clicking
one of the "Generic" entries from the list and pressing "Connect" will log you
on as a guest to the selected chess server.
Adding a Shortcut
If you are a registered user on a chess server, you will want to add a new
shortcut to the list. To add a new shortcut, perform the following steps:
- Enter your registered handle on the server in the Name entry field.
- Enter your password in the Password entry field. The password will
be masked (usually with bullets) to provide some sense of security. If you are
logging on as a guest, the password must be left blank.
- Select a server name from the popup menu. This will automatically fill in
the Server entry field for you. Alternatively, you can manually enter
the server name if you prefer or the server you wish to connect to is not listed
in the popup menu. For the ICC, there are three servers listed: "chessclub.com",
"queen.chessclub.com" and "rook.chessclub.com". The main server is "chessclub.com"
while queen and rook are the backup servers in case main is down or not available.
For FICS, choose "freechess.org" if you are in North America or "europe.freechess.org"
if you are in Europe. If you are not on one of these continents pick the closer one
or try and find an FICS server that serves your area of the world.
- Enter the TCP/IP port for connecting to the chess server. The ICC, FICS and
USCL all accept connections on the ports 5000-5099. If are behind a firewall and
not allowed to connect to the ports in this range, you could also try port 23.
- Specify the server type by selecting either "FICS/USCL" radio button for
the FICS and USCL servers, and the "ICC" radio button for ICC servers. If you
use the popup menu to select a server, Fixation will automatically select the
correct server type for you. For chess.net, set the server type to "FICS/USCL".
- Specify whether to use the Timestamp
or Timeseal protocols.
These protocols are used to ensure that you are not charged for network lag when
playing a game. If you use the popup menu to select a server, Fixation will
automatically set Timestamp/Timeseal for you. If you are connecting to "chess.net",
the Timestamp/Timeseal option must *not* be checked as chess.net uses a different
protocol called Accuclock which is not currently supported by Fixation.
- Enter the name of the shortcut in the Shortcut entry field. This field
is limited to 64 characters.
- Click the "Add" button. The new shortcut will be added to the bottom of the list.
Deleting a Shortcut
If you no longer need a shortcut, select it from the list and click the "Remove"
button. You will be asked to verify this operation. When this dialog is initially
displayed, the "Remove" button is disabled until an entry is selected from the list.
Modifying a Shortcut
You can modify an existing shortcut by doing the following:
- Double click the shortcut from the list.
- Modify the shortcut's values on the left side.
- Double click another entry from the list. A warning message will appear asking
you whether to discard, cancel or save the changes. Click "Save Changes" to
save your modifications. Note that if you change the shortcut name, the new
name will not appear in the list until you close the window and re-open it.
NOTE: If you do not select another entry, your modifications will not be saved!
List Navigation
When you select a shortcut from the list, keyboard focus is switched to the list.
You can use the up and down arrows to navigate the list as well as using what is
called "type selection". By entering the first characters of a shortcut name, an
entry that matches what has been typed is automatically selected. For example,
if you have shortcuts named "ICC", "FICS" and "USCL", entering "i" will automatically
select the "ICC" shortcut. Note that type selection also has a threshold delay where
the type selection is reset to empty when the threshold is exceeded. This is usually
about two seconds.
Current Shortcut
The current shortcut is shown in the left side of the dialog. The current shortcut
is saved when you close the dialog window. You can then use the "Reconnect" item
in the File menu to reconnect using the current shortcut. Also, setting the
On program startup option to
Automatic Connect will also use the current shortcut. You can change
the current shortcut by either adding a new one or opening an existing shortcut
by either selecting a shortcut from the list and clicking the "Open" button or
double-clicking a shortcut from the list.
Cancelling Changes
If you accidentially remove the wrong shortcut or wish to cancel any changes
made, you can click the "Cancel" button or press the esc key. If changes
have been made, you will be asked to verify that the changes be discarded.
Shortcuts File
Your connection shortcuts are stored in the "Fixation Shortcuts" file in the
Preferences folder within the System Folder. This file is used
by both Fixation 2.0 and Fixation 1.x. If you delete this file, Fixation 2.0 will
automatically create it with the three generic shortcuts the next time you
run Fixation.
Revised: Jan 1, 2002