Copyright: (c) 1995-1997 by MidStream, Inc.


Help on BusinessDialer/32

Welcome and thanks for using BusinessDialer/32! For more information on program features please click on highlighted items below.

Introduction

What is the BusinessDialer/32?

Help on...

Running the BusinessDialer

Setting up the BusinessDialer

BusinessDialer/32 Main Window

Using Speed Dial Pad

Integrating with BusinessCards

Troubleshooting

General information

How to Order the Program?

Credits...


What is BusinessDialer/32?

What is the BusinessDialer/32?

BusinessDialer/32 - a simple yet powerful telephone dialer program. It is elegant and uncomplicated - it doesnt require specialized computer knowledge. Once you set it up it accomplishes a lot with just one mouse click. Like its older brother, BusinessCards/32 for Windows, BusinessDialer/32 has both depth and flexibility to meet the needs of advanced and casual users alike. The key features of BusinessDialer/32 are as follows:

•	BusinessDialer/32 is designed as a completely independent module, however it is fully integrated with BusinessCards/32 for Windows version 3.0 and above.  You can invoke the dialer directly from BusinessCards/32 by clicking Dial on the toolbar or selecting Card/Dial menu command.

•	Great standalone program - BusinessDialer/32 does not require any other programs running and can be launched directly from Windows.

•	Stores up to 90 frequently used phone numbers for speed dialing. There are 10 configurable Speed Dial pages, each containing up to 9 phone numbers.

•	Allows you to assign a particular label for any speed dial button, so you can name your phone numbers. For example, when pressing Office dial button, the BusinessDialer/32 could dial business phone number.

•	Recognizes and dials mnemonic phone numbers, such as 1-800-FLOWERS.

•	Shows the call status and may also be used as a timer.  Once you pick up the phone it shows you the time you spend on the line.

•	Provides basic modem setup, including dial type, modem speed and communication port.


Using BusinessDialer/32

Running the BusinessDialer/32

There are several ways to run BusinessDialer/32:

•	If you have BusinessDialer/32 icon installed in your Program Manager group, double click on that icon;

•	Double click on BDIAL32.EXE file in File Manager. You can use File Managers File/Find command to locate the BDIAL32.EXE file on your hard drive;

•	Launch BusinessDialer/32 directly from BusinessCards/32 by clicking on Dial button or selecting Card/Dial command. BusinessCards/32 application searches current card for valid phone number and passes it to BusinessDialer/32 automatically (this feature is limited to 30 days trial period in unregistered version).

You can move BusinessDialer/32 window by clicking the left-hand mouse button on window title bar and dragging it on your screen.  The program remembers the last location of its main window and opens it up in the same place next time you launch the program.

You my also check Always On Top option, so that BusinessDialer/32 window will always be displayed on top of other overlapping windows, even if the program is inactive or minimized.


Setting up the BusinessDialer/32

In order to run BusinessDialer/32 you must have a modem connected to your computer serial port. The modem and telephone must be simultaneously connected to the same phone line.

The program is designed to work with any Hayes-compatible modem. Basically, if the Windows Cardfile can dial a phone number on your system, then BusinessDialer/32 should be able to dial it as well.

Before using BusinessDialer/32 for the first time, you should configure the program for your modem. To open BusinessDialer/32 Setup dialog box press Setup... button in main window. The following options may be set up in the dialog:

Dial type	allows to set the dialing type to Tone (default setting) or Pulse. If your phone set supports touch-tone dialing, select Tone type. Alternatively, for rotary dial system use Pulse type.
COM port	allows to choose the communication port to which your modem is connected. Most personal computers have 2 communications (serial) ports: one for mouse and other for modem.
Baud rate	sets the communication speed of your modem. The BusinessDialer/32 can communicate with modems ranging in speed from 300 to 14400 baud. With most modern modems the baud rate is irrelevant. If you are unsure of the capabilities of your modem, select default setting of 2400 baud.
Speaker	controls speaker volume on your modem when dialing phone numbers. Select on of the following values: Off, Low, Medium and High.
Long distance prefix	optional long distance code - BusinessDialer/32 will add this code automatically when dialing long distance numbers.
Current area code	BusinessDialer/32 skips current area code and makes a local call, when the code matches area code provided with the phone number.
Immediate dialing	instructs BusinessDialer/32 to dial the number immediately, when launched from BusinessCards/32 or after you press speed dial button. Otherwise you must press Dial button after the phone number appears in edit field.
Prefix	some office telephone systems require you to dial a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) access number to obtain outside line. When you check Use Prefix option, the BusinessDialer/32 will first dial the number provided in Prefix field.
Suffix	this is similar to Prefix option above. When you check Use Suffix option, BusinessDialer/32 will append number from Suffix field to the phone number when dialing.
Answer after	specifies the time (in seconds) after which BusinessDialer/32 will answer the call and hang up the line. This value is important for handling busy or unanswered calls. At least 30 seconds are recommended for long distance dialing.


BusinessDialer/32 Main Window

As you can see, BusinessDialer/32 window looks and functions like an advanced push-button telephone. You can dial numbers from the main window just as if you were using a regular phone.

Display area

This is the field in upper left part of the window. It shows the current phone number, which may be entered from keyboard, pasted from Windows Clipboard, placed by pressing speed dial button or entered automatically from BusinessCards/32 application. BusinessDialer/32 accepts alphabetic characters and correctly dials numbers, such as 1-800-DVORKIN. Also, you may enter a name, associated with speed dial button. In this case BusinessDialer/32 looks up speed dial pages and inserts appropriate phone number. To clear display area use Clear button. Use Backspace key to correct any typing errors.

Phone keypad

The phone keypad lets you use mouse to enter phone numbers. Just click on keypad button and appropriate number appears in the display area.

Message bar

Message bar is used to display call status, error or information messages. BusinessCards/32 also automatically initiates timer and displays it on message bar after you press Talk button and answer the call. To stop the timer click left-hand mouse button anywhere in the main window.

Dial Button

When you press Dial button (or press Enter), BusinessCards/32 picks up the current phone number, combines it with Prefix and Suffix data (if any) and dials it through your modem. When you issue the dial command, the program displays Dialing... message on message bar and you will hear the modem dialing the phone number.

Talk Button

This button disconnects the modem from the telephone line, so you may pick up the handset and answer the call. You can monitor the progress of a call on the modem speaker, through a phone handset or over a speaker phone. When you have reached your party and wish to speak do the following:

•	Pick up the telephone.

•	Click the Talk button or press the Space bar on your keyboard.

If you do not want to speak (or if the line is busy), simply leave your phone on the hook. BusinessDialer/32 will automatically hang up the modem after the number of seconds, specified in Answer after setup option.

Clear Button

This button clears the display area and stops the timer. You may also stop the timer by clicking anywhere in main window.

Setup... Button

This button invokes BusinessDialer/32 Setup dialog box, which lets you configure program options. See Setting up the BusinessDialer for more information.

SpeedDial Button

A 10-page Speed Dial pad may be used for quick dialing. You press SpeedDial button to show or hide Speed Dial pad. The pad contains page title and 9 buttons. You can assign mnemonic name and corresponding phone number to each button. See Using Speed Dial Pad for more information on using this feature.


Using Speed Dial Pad

BusinessDialer/32 can store up to 90 frequently used phone numbers in its internal speed dial memory. The memory is organized as 10-page Speed Dial pad, where each page stores up to 9 name/phone number pairs.

For easy navigating, each page also has its own title and color. For example, you may assign name Office to red page and store your frequently used business phone numbers on that page. Initial page titles are Page 1 of 10, Page 2 of 10 and so on, but you may choose more meaningful names in Speed Dial Setup dialog, which is described below.

To configure Speed Dial pad do the following:

•	Click SpeedDial>> button to extend main window and open up the dial pad if it is not already visible;

•	Click page title button to invoke Speed Dial Setup dialog box;

•	To assign a new page title enter its name in edit field in upper part of the window. Use easily remembered names, such as Office, New York, etc.;

•	To assign a new names and phone numbers just enter appropriate data in Name/Phone Number fields. The Name portion will appear on buttons in SpeedDial pad. Corresponding phone number will be dialed when you press that button;

•	To browse through the pages use >> and << buttons. The << button displays previous page, while the >> button advances to the next one;

•	When you have finished entering the data, press Ok to save the data or Cancel to cancel.

To dial a Speed Dial pad number do the following:

•	Click SpeedDial>> button to extend main window and open up the dial pad if it is not already visible;

•	Click the desired button, so that appropriate phone number appears in display area. If Immediate dial option is not set (see Setting up the BusinessDialer), then click Dial button or press Enter. Otherwise, speed dial number will be dialed automatically;

•	Click SpeedDial<< button to hide Speed Dial pad.


Integrating with BusinessCards/32

BusinessDialer/32 integrates with BusinessCards/32 for Windows version 4.0 and above. When you are running BusinessCards/32, you can access the dialer by pressing Dial toolbar button or selecting Card/Dial command.

If there is current card selected, BusinessCards/32 scans cards contents for a phone number and passes it directly to the dialer. If there is no valid phone number, BusinessCards/32 just launches the dialer, so that you can enter a number manually.

Alternatively, you may want to highlight a phone number and then click Dial to invoke the dialer. In this case BusinessCards/32 passes to dialer only highlighted portion of a card. This feature may be helpful if your cards contain several phone numbers and you want to choose particular one.

BusinessCards/32 offers new dialing preview function, which is accessible by pressing Shift F5. Dialing preview scans current card and highlights the phone number BusinessCards/32 is about to dial. By pressing Shift F5 repeatedly you can skip unwanted numbers, such as ZIP code or apartment number.


Troubleshooting

If you can dial a phone number on your system running Windows/95 or Windows/NT, then BusinessDialer/32 should be able to dial it as well. Please review information below for possible common BusinessDialer/32 problems.

1) The BusinessDialer/32 does not hang up: click the Talk button or press Space several times.

2) The BusinessDialer/32 hangs up before you press the Talk button: increase the values of Answer after option in BusinessDialer/32 Setup dialog box. This value controls the time your modem stays on the line before automatically hanging up.

3) The BusinessDialer/32 can not open communication device: try to select different communication port in BusinessDialer/32 Setup dialog box. If it doesnt help, check to see if the system has serial ports installed and your modem has physical port connection. Make sure your modem is turned on.

4) The BusinessDialer/32 does not dial a phone number correctly: click the Setup... button and carefully check all setup options, such as port number, communication speed and dial type. Please refer to your modem manufacturers documentation for more information on setting up your modem.

5) Insufficient memory to run BusinessDialer/32: this error may occur if you have too many applications up and running at the same time. Try to close some of them and try again. If the problem persists, your only option is to restart Windows.

6) Is it possible to make a pause when dialing a phone number? yes, just insert one or more semicolon characters in the phone string, for example: 123-456-7890,,,321 will make a pause before dialing the extension.

7) For some reason BusinessDialer/32 adds 1 to every number I dial... please check Long distance prefix field in Setup dialog.

Please refer to Setting up the BusinessDialer for more information on setting program options and parameters.


Distribution Policy

How to Order BusinessDialer/32?

BusinessDialer/32 is distributed as integral part of another application, called BusinessCards/32 and comes bundled with both shareware and licensed copies of BusinessCards/32. When you order BusinessCards/32, you also get free licensed copy of BusinessDialer/32.

Please see BusinessCards/32 help file for more information on how to order the software.


Credits

Credits...

BusinessDialer/32 Version v2.0

Copyright © 1995,1996,1997 by MidStream, Inc.

Please send your suggestions, comments, bug reports to the following addresses (Internet, CompuServe or AOL email is preferred way to reach us):

MidStream, Inc.

P.O. Box 862

San Bruno, CA

94066-0862 USA

Internet: bcards@midstream.com

CompuServe: 73773, 2527

AmericaOnline: MiD

Home Page on WWW

http://www.midstream.com