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Contents
Legal notices 1
PCFDial warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
U.S. Government restricted rights . . . . . . . . 2
Evaluation copies 3
Disk vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Bulletin board operators (sysops) . . . . . . . . 3
Colleges & teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Registering PCFDial 4
Volume discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Site licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Reseller discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Part 1: Getting started
Chapter 1: What is PCFDial? 7
Chapter 2: Installation 8
2.1 Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 Setting up PCFDial . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 A word to the wise . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.3.1 DOS 3.20 users . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4.1 Call Data Standard . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4.2 Microsoft Windows . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 3: Context sensitive help 10
3.1 Customizing PCFDial . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 4: Starting PCFDial 16
4.1 Command line summary . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.2 Program initialization . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.3 TSR information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.3.1 Loading considerations . . . . . . . . . 18
4.3.2 Size considerations . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.3.3 TSR hotkey selection . . . . . . . . . . 19
Part 2: Using PCFDial
Chapter 5: Invoking PCFDial 22
5.1 Dialing a phone number . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.2 When the call ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 6: The TOLLNMBR.INF file 25
ii
Chapter 7: The TIMEZONE.INF file 26
Part 3: Appendixes
Appendix A: Status & error messages 28
A.1 Exit codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Appendix B: Helpful hints 32
B.1 Invoking PCFDial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
B.2 Common questions & answers . . . . . . . . . 32
B.3 Get the correct time . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
B.4 Hotels & credit cards . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
B.5 Disable call waiting . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
B.6 One modem, two lines . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Appendix C: Troubleshooting 38
C.1 Call history file problems . . . . . . . . . 38
C.2 Modem problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
C.3 If that doesn't help . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Index 39
Figures
Figure 3.1: Context sensitive help screen . . . . . . 10
Figure 3.2: PCFDial configuration screen . . . . . . 11
Figure 5.1: PCFDial working with a PC-File screen . . 22
Figure 6.1: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF file . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 6.2: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF exceptions . . . . . 25
Figure 7.1: Sample TIMEZONE.INF file . . . . . . . . 26
Figure B.1: Radio Shack parts for two-line switch . . 37
Figure B.2: Diagram for two-line switch . . . . . . . 37
Tables
Table 2.1: Mandatory PCFDial files . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 2.2: Optional PCFDial files . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 4.1: Hotkey values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Table 5.1: PCFDial keyboard commands . . . . . . . . 23
Table 7.1: Time zone designators . . . . . . . . . . 26
Table A.1: PCFDial exit codes . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
_________________________________________________________________
Legal notices
PCFDIAL Version 1.0
Barn Owl Software
P.O. Box 74, O'Fallon, IL 62269
Voice line
(618) 632-7345, regular business hours
Orders only
(800) 2424-PSL (Public software Library)
(713) 524-6394
Fax line (618) 632-0023
Compu-
Serve 74017,1344
InterNet 74017.1344@compuserve.com
Telex 3762848. First line must say
"TO:EASYPLEX:74017,1344"
PCFDial software & documentation Copyright 1991,92 by Barn Owl
Software, all rights reserved worldwide. Barn Owl Software is a
member of the Association of Shareware Professionals and PCFDial
falls under ASP guidelines for shareware products.
Any specific hardware/software names used in this manual are the
(registered) trademarks of specific companies.
You may not modify PCFDial in any way that changes the program's
actual computer instructions unless these methods are approved by
Barn Owl Software.
Barn Owl Software strives to produce technically accurate docu-
mentation for its products but we're only human. This manual may
contain any number of typographical, graphical, printing, or
interpretation errors.
2 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
"This program is produced by a member of the Association
of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make
sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you
are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with
an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may
be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve
a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not
provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon,
MI 49442 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to
ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536".
PCFDial warranty
PCFDial is offered under the shareware concept, in which users
may thoroughly test the program before deciding to pay for it.
Because of the diversity of conditions, hardware, and other soft-
ware under which the program may be used, no warranty of fitness
for a particular purpose can be offered.
Barn Owl Software offers a 30-day money back guarantee after
purchase, no questions asked. You may return all materials for a
full refund during this time. Materials must be in good
condition. This applies only to copies sold directly by Barn Owl
Software or purchased through direct resellers (such as Public
software Library). WE CANNOT REFUND PRODUCTS SOLD BY INDIRECT
RESELLERS.
Physical materials (manuals, disks, etc.) supplied by Barn Owl
Software are warranted to be free of defects in workmanship for
the life of the product. Users may return defective materials
anytime for replacement at no charge.
ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE TERMS OF THE
EXPRESS WARRANTIES. IN NO CASE SHALL Barn Owl Software'S PRODUCT
LIABILITY EXCEED THE MONETARY FEES PAID FOR THE RIGHT TO LEGALLY
USE THE PRODUCT.
U.S. Government restricted rights
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the government is subject to
restrictions as set forth in Rights in Technical Data and Com-
puter Software, para (c)(1)(ii), DFARS 242.227-7013 (10/88) and
FAR 42.227-19 (6/87). Contractor is Barn Owl Software, P.O. Box
74, O'Fallon, IL 62269.
Evaluation copies 3
_________________________________________________________________
Evaluation copies
You may try PCFDial on a 30-day trial basis to determine if this
program meets your needs. You must then either purchase your
copy/copies of the program, or quit using it.
You may give UNMODIFIED copies of PCFDial to others so they can
evaluate it for their needs, subject to the same restrictions and
conditions above.
Disk vendors
The Association of Shareware Professionals sets standards for
disk vendors if they wish to obtain "ASP approved" status. You
can learn more by writing to the ASP vendor membership commit-
tee, 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442.
Barn Owl Software, like many ASP members, lets ASP approved disk
vendors distribute PCFDial without having to ask first. We send
master disks to ASP approved disk vendors at no charge.
If you are not an ASP approved disk vendor, please send a copy of
your catalog along with your request to distribute our product.
Bulletin board operators (sysops)
Bulletin board operators (sysops) may offer unmodified copies of
PCFDial on BBSs and other electronic information services so
others can download the program and evaluate it for their needs.
Colleges & teachers
Barn Owl Software is happy to help teachers offering courses on
PCFDial. We can supply master disks & manuals as course
materials. Please contact us for more details. Our address &
phone numbers are on page 1.
4 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
_________________________________________________________________
Registering PCFDial
Please submit a completed registration form with proper payment
to continue using PCFDial after your 30-day trial period. Look
for the REGISTER.FRM file on your master disk.
Your PCFDial registration includes the following:
* One year of voice support at (618) 632-7345, fax support at
(618) 632-0023, and newsletter support;
* The latest version of PCFDial is sent on disk and you will
be notified for at least a year when major enhancements are
made to the program;
* Information on how to get a CompuServe IntroPak that waives
the normal sign-up fee and gives you a $15 usage credit on
top of it;
* Help "beta test" future versions of PCFDial if you wish
before they are publicly marketed.
Volume discounts
The following discounts apply for regular orders. Each package
consists of a set of disks, a professionally printed manual, and
the registration benefits shown above. This is a per order
discount, not an accumulative order discount.
001 - 002 packages 00% discount
003 - 009 packages 05% discount
010 - 019 packages 10% discount
020 - 049 packages 20% discount
050 - 099 packages 30% discount
100 - XXX packages ask for details
Barn Owl Software accepts purchase orders (POs) only from
schools, government agencies, and Fortune 1000 companies. Please
add a $10 processing fee on POs less than $100.
Site licenses
Barn Owl Software offers site licenses if you don't need manuals
and technical support for each copy of the program you use. We
supply you with one "gold" disk & manual and give you a license
so up to XX people in your organization can legally use the
program.
See the SITELIC.DOC file included with PCFDial for more details.
5
Reseller discounts
Please contact Barn Owl Software if you resell software and wish
to offer PCFDial to your customers.
6 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
______________________________PART 1_____________________________
Getting started
Chapter 1, "What is PCFDial?" 7
____________________________Chapter 1____________________________
What is PCFDial?
PCFDial is a TSR (terminate and stay resident) phone dialer
designed to pluck numbers right from the screen of your favorite
software program. It also reminds you at regular intervals how
long you've talked on the phone -- useful if you must "close the
deal" in a set amount of time, for example.
PCFDial comes out of the box ready for ButtonWare PC-File users,
overriding the ALT-J command so you can dial phone numbers and go
back to what you were doing in PC-File. However, you can custo-
mize the program to your particular needs.
PCFDial, like PC-File and other dialer programs, keeps a log of
calls for you. (It even writes log entries to the same file if
you wish.) And of course, the log conforms to specifications
described in the Call Data Standard. This means you can analyze
call history files with CDS-compatible phone bill analyzers.
8 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Chapter 2____________________________
Installation
2.1 Requirements
PCFDial runs on an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible computer
with a Hayes compatible modem and a hard disk. You must use DOS
2.0 or better.
The following tables describe the necessary and the optional
files which make up PCFDial:
Table 2.1: Mandatory PCFDial files
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PCFDIAL.EXE The actual program
PCFDIAL.OVR The program's "overlay" file
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2.2: Optional PCFDial files
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PCFDIAL.CDS CDS call history file, but it can be any file-
name you choose
PCFDIAL.CFG PCFDial configuration file, but it can be any
filename you choose
PCFDIAL.HLP The context-sensitive help file
TIMEZONE.INF A list of time zones for the U.S. and Canada,
broken down by and area code
TOLLNMBR.INF A list of local exchanges that must be dialed as
a "toll" call
READ.ME! Contains late-breaking PCFDial notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2.2 Setting up PCFDial
PCFDial is easy to install. If you put the master PCFDial disk
in your A: drive, type the following commands at the DOS prompt:
A:
INSTALL
and follow the instructions displayed on your screen.
Chapter 2, "Installation" 9
2.3 A word to the wise
chronology (kra na"l'a jee) n., ... 2. the arrangement
of events, dates, etc. in the order of occurrence 3. a
list or table of dates in their proper sequence ...
nd
-- New World Dictionary, 2 ed.
You must set the DOS date & time whenever you boot up if you hope
to create valid call history files. If you don't do this, your
files will show calls made on 1-1-80 just after midnight. That's
not right!
Please don't change your DOS date or time while using PCFDial.
It will be reflected in your call history file(s) and could pose
problems later on.
2.3.1 DOS 3.20 users
People who use DOS 3.20 may experience a weird bug: the DOS date
stays the same when the clock strikes midnight. Communications
programs rely on the DOS date when logging phone calls and this
can mess up a call history file.
We say "some" people may have this bug. DOS 3.21 corrected the
problem but, for whatever reason, some DOSs tell programs they're
running under DOS 3.20. (Zenith DOS does this, among others.)
2.4 Compatibility
2.4.1 Call Data Standard
PCFDial conforms to "CDS", the Call Data Standard, specification
1.0, for [voice] communication programs. Please contact Barn Owl
Software if you want to learn more about CDS.
2.4.2 Microsoft Windows
PCFDial works under Microsoft Windows IF you load it in a DOS
window (usually as part of a batch file process). If you load it
in memory before starting Windows, you must take care not to
press the program hotkey while working in a DOS window -- you'll
hang the system if you try it.
If you want to use PCFDial with a particular DOS database program
running in a window, you can load/unload it from memory as part
of a batch file used to start the desired application. Tell
Windows to execute the batch file instead of the database program
itself.
PCFDial can't dial phone numbers displayed on a graphics screen;
therefore it cannot dial any phone numbers displayed by a Windows
application.
10 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Chapter 3____________________________
Context sensitive help
You can get context sensitive help anytime PCFDial is active just
by pressing the F1 key. Don't know anything about a particular
data entry field or menu item? Move the highlight bar over the
item in question and press F1. It's that simple.
If you have a mouse device, you can press both the left & right
keys instead of the F1 key.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
/|PCFDial installation|------------------|by Barn Owl Software|\
>------------------- Dist prefix --------------------\
| This string of characters is added by default to |
| the front of all the long-distance calls you dial. # |
| Normally this is "1-", but some businesses may | |
| need to dial "9" to get an outside line. You would | |
| thus enter "9-1-" to dial the number properly. | |
| | |
| The string is loaded by default with "9,1-" if you | |
| put "/9" on the command line when you load PCFDial | |
| into memory. Consult the program manual for more | #
| details. | |
| | |
| See also: Prefix/suffix codes | |
| Special modem commands | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| |
\|F1 for more help|----------------------------------/
\|Press F1 for help|---------------|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 3.1: Context sensitive help screen
Many help topics contain more details than the small help window
can show at one time. A message on the lower right edge of the
window may tell you to press PgUp or PgDn to see more text. If
you have a mouse device, put the mouse cursor on the up/down
arrows (located on the right side of the help window) and press
the left mouse button.
In some cases the help screen has its own highlight bar. You can
use the cursor keys to move the bar so it covers a topic of
interest, then press ENTER. The program displays help on the
related topic you requested. You can pick & choose your way
Chapter 3, "Context sensitive help" 11
through all the various help topics pertaining to the original
subject.
Keep an eye on the bottom left corner of the help window to see
if you can press F1 for even more help. Doing so gives you
access to major topics in the program. Move the highlight bar
over a major topic of interest and press ENTER.
Press ESC when ready. You'll wind up right where you left off in
the program.
3.1 Customizing PCFDial
You can change many of PCFDial's defaults by typing "PCFDIAL
/INSTALL" at the DOS prompt. The program doesn't load itself in
memory; it just creates a configuration file for you.
PCFDial displays the following data entry screen when you use the
/INSTALL option:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
/|PCFDial installation|------------------|by Barn Owl Software|\
| COM port: 1
| Speed: 1200 Delay: 25 |
| Surname: |
| Init command: |
| Dial command: ATDT |
| Hangup command: ATH0 |
| |
| Local area code: |
| |
| Local prefix: #
| Local suffix: |
| Toll prefix: 1- |
| Toll suffix: |
| Dist prefix: 1- |
| Dist suffix: |
| Other prefix: |
| Other suffix: |
| |
| Keep log of call: Y |
| Log local calls: Y
\|Press F1 for help|---------------|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 3.2: PCFDial configuration screen
Use the cursor keys to move between fields and feel free to press
F1 if you need specific help. Here's a rundown of each data
field and its significance to the program:
12 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
COM port: tells the program the serial port your modem uses.
DOS normally recognizes them as COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.
Just enter the numeric value -- 1, 2, 3, or 4. PCFDial
defaults to 1, meaning it will look for the modem on COM1.
[This option can be specified with a command line switch. See
section 4.1.]
Speed: refers to the baud rate your modem understands.
Typical values are 300, 1200, and 2400. The default is 1200.
[This option can be specified with a command line switch. See
section 4.1.]
Delay: dictates the number of milliseconds PCFDial must pause
after sending each character to your modem. Some modems
accept commands faster than they can interpret them: this
option slows things down for the modem. The default is a 25
millisecond pause between each character. [This option can be
changed with a command line switch. See section 4.1.]
Surname: tells the program to identify your calls by a special
name when recording details in the log file. It only applies
to people who generate reports on their calls with a CDS phone
bill analyzer program. PCFDial normally uses the COM port
number to uniquely identify the call for phone bill analysis
purposes, but this isn't always desirable. For example,
multiple users in a network environment may use the same modem
and log file, and a phone bill analyzer would have no way to
distinguish between two or more calls going on at the same
time. Business travelers may want to identify each call based
on the name of the hotels they visit. You can do it with the
surname option.
Init command: is the first string of characters sent to the
modem when you dial a call. This is blank by default. Common
settings are "ATM1" (turns the modem's speaker on), "ATZ"
(resets the modem), or "ATS7=60" (tells the modem to wait 60
seconds before automatically hanging up). Consult your modem
handbook for details if you want to learn more about the Hayes
AT command set.
Dial command: is the first part of the string of characters
sent to your modem to dial a phone number. PCFDial defaults
to "ATDT". You must change this to "ATDP" if you have only
rotary dial service. Consult your modem handbook for more
details about the Hayes AT command set.
Hangup command: is sent to the modem to tell it to hang up
once you've picked up the receiver. This is "ATH0" by
default. Consult your modem handbook for more details about
the Hayes AT command set.
Local area code: tells PCFDial your own area code. This helps
it dial local calls when it detects your area code as part of
the dialing string -- and it helps determine the time of day
Chapter 3, "Context sensitive help" 13
for other U.S. and Canadian area codes. [This option can be
changed with a command line switch. See section 4.1.]
Local prefix: specifies a string of characters you want
appended to the front of the dialed phone number. The string
is included only when PCFDial recognizes the number as being
local. It is blank by default but, if you use the /9 option
(see section 4.1), it will be initialized to "9-" so you can
get an outside line.
Local suffix: works like the local prefix described above, but
it goes at the end of the dialed number. This string goes to
the modem only if PCFDial recognizes the number as being
local. It is always blank by default. You might use this
field if you dial local calls with a credit card, for example.
Toll prefix: is a string of characters appended to the front
of the phone number you wish to dial. The string is included
only when PCFDial recognizes the number as being toll. It is
set to "1-" by default but, if you use the /9 option (see
section 4.1), it will be initialized to "9,1-" so you can get
an outside line.
Toll suffix: is like the toll prefix described above, but the
string is appended to the back of the phone number you wish to
dial. The string is included only when PCFDial recognizes the
number as being toll. It is always blank by default. You
might use this field if you dial calls with a credit card, for
example.
Dist prefix: is a string of characters appended to the front
of the phone number you wish to dial. The string is included
only when PCFDial recognizes the number as being dialed with
an area code (thus being long distance). It is "1-" by
default but, if you use the /9 option (see section 4.1), it
will be initialized to "9,1-" so you can get an outside line.
Dist suffix: is like the Dist prefix described above, but the
string is appended to the back of the phone number you wish to
dial. The string is included only when PCFDial recognizes the
number as being dialed with an area code (thus being long
distance). It is always blank by default. You might use this
field if you dial calls with a credit card, for example.
Other prefix: is a string of characters appended to the front
of the phone number you wish to dial. The string is included
only when PCFDial does not recognize the number as being local
or long distance. (It could be an office extension or an
overseas phone number, for example.) It is always blank by
default.
Other suffix: is like the Other prefix described above, but
the string is appended to the back of the phone number you
wish to dial. The string is included only when PCFDial does
14 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
not recognize the number as being local, toll, or long
distance. It is always blank by default. You might use this
field if you dial calls with a credit card, for example.
Keep log of calls: tells the program whether to record various
details about calls in a CDS compatible log file. The details
include the number you dialed, the date & time the call
started, and the date & time you hung up. Calls will be
logged by default.
Log local calls: specifies if you want to keep a history of
local calls. Some people may only want to keep track of long
distance numbers.
Log as business: lets PCFDial know if it should annotate each
call it logs as having been placed for business reasons. This
is mainly used by people who generate reports with a phone
bill analyzer program.
Log filename: is the call log filename. You can specify a
drive and path for the file if you wish. The program writes
to PCFDIAL.CDS by default. The file will be stored in the
PCFDial directory if you don't specify a specific path for it.
Call time remind: tells PCFDial how many seconds to wait
before reminding you how long you've talked on the phone. The
program defaults to remind you every 120 seconds (two
minutes). This option proves especially useful for salesmen
who must "close the deal" in a certain amount of time. You
can turn off the reminders either by setting the value to zero
or by turning off the "Keep log of calls" option.
TSR disk default: tells the program to use a specific drive
for storing temporary system files when it loads into memory.
(System files are always stored in the root directory of the
drive.) This option is blank by default, meaning the program
uses the default drive if necessary. You can change this if
you normally start the program from a hard disk or floppy and
want it to store its system files on a RAMdisk. Note: PCFDial
normally ignores the drive you specify here if it has enough
EMS or XMS memory for the task. (See section 4.1 for details
on how to make the program ignore EMS/XMS memory.) Also note:
if you specify "!" in this field, PCFDial will load completely
in regular memory. See section 4.3.2 for more information.
TSR hotkey: is the hotkey you wish the program to use. It is
"2074" by default, which translates to the ALT-J key. PCFDial
lets you change this hotkey either automatically (you press
the hotkey) or manually (you enter the numeric value). Posi-
tion the cursor on this field and press the F1 key to learn
about the keystroke numeric values. [The hotkey can be
changed at load time with a command line switch. See
section 4.1.]
Chapter 3, "Context sensitive help" 15
string: is simply the name you give for the hotkey. It is
"ALT-J" by default, but you can change it if you wish. [This
string can be changed at load time with a command line switch.
See section 4.1.]
Press CTRL-ENTER to save the current configuration and end the
program. Press ESC if you want to terminate PCFDial without
saving a configuration file.
16 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Chapter 4____________________________
Starting PCFDial
4.1 Command line summary
PCFDIAL [options...]
PCFDial begins when you enter "PCFDIAL" at the DOS prompt. Quite
a few options let you alter the way the program runs, but don't
worry. Some exist only for advanced users and some may not even
apply to you.
/1[:bbbb[:ddd]]
/2[:bbbb[:ddd]]
/3[:bbbb[:ddd]]
/4[:bbbb[:ddd]]
Modem connected to COMx. You can optionally specify
the baud rate ("bbbb") and character transmission
delay speed ("ddd"). PCFDial defaults to COM1, 1200
baud, 25ms delay.
/9 Dial "9" for outside line. Tells PCFDial to dial "9"
before dialing the telephone number for an outside
line. (It initializes all default prefix strings so
they have a "9" as the first character.) This option
has no effect if you use a configuration file.
/Annn Local area code to ignore. Numbers displayed on the
screen with an nnn area code will lose their area
code and be dialed as a local call. This proves use-
ful for people who travel -- today's long-distance
office call may be tommorow's local hotel room call.
/Dx[:nnnn[:string]]
TSR support drive, hotkey, & ID string. PCFDial
normally uses its own drive/hotkey/ID string or the
ones you declared in a configuration file, but you
can override them with this option. Note: if you
specify "!" for the support drive, PCFDial loads
completely into regular memory. See sections 4.3.2
and 4.3.3 for more information.
/E Ignore EMS. PCFDial normally uses expanded (LIM EMS)
memory if it finds enough available. This tells the
program to ignore EMS.
/I Ignore PCFDial configuration files. PCFDial is
geared to hunt for its configuration file. This
option tells the program to ignore any such file.
Chapter 4, "Starting PCFDial" 17
/INSTALL Create PCFDial configuration file. The program runs
in standalone (non-TSR) mode and creates a configura-
tion file to your specifications.
/Kcfg-file
PCFDial configuration filename. The program looks
for PCFDIAL.CFG when it loads, but you can specify a
different filename with this option. See section 4.2
for detailed information.
/N Noiseless operation. Toggles the program into total
silence at startup.
/Prrr:ccc[:lll]
Highlight bar row, column, & length. The first time
you use PCFDial after loading, its highlight bar
positions itself on row 17, line 17, covering a
length of 17 characters. This option lets you
initialize to different values. NOTE: if you use
this option, the highlight bar continuously resets
itself to this default. Otherwise, it remembers its
last position & length between popups.
/U Uninstall program from TSR status. See below for
detailed information.
/X Ignore XMS memory. Similar to the /E option, but it
tells PCFDial to specifically ignore extended (LIM
XMS) memory if present.
/X1 Single swap file. PCFDial temporarily allocates a
second memory swap file when it swaps out to disk, or
it permanently allocates about 360k when it swaps out
to XMS. (It always allocates the minimum memory
needed if it swaps to EMS.) The /X1 option tells
PCFDial to use a single disk-based swap file, or half
as much room in XMS memory as it normally uses. This
can prove beneficial if you run low on disk space or
can't spare much XMS memory. NOTE: this option
forces PCFDial to load as a 10k TSR instead of
just 7k. It also increases the time it takes for the
program to swap back into memory when you press the
hotkey. See section 4.3.2 for more information.
/XX Choose XMS over EMS. Some people have both EMS and
XMS memory. When given a choice, PCFDial chooses
EMS. However, this switch makes the program choose
XMS for its memory swap file. Note: PCFDial will
still look for EMS to hold its "overlay" file unless
you specify the /E option. You should use /E instead
of /XX if you want the program to totally ignore EMS.
18 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
/[x Override color/mono detection. PCFDial sometimes
fails to detect the correct status of a color or
monochrome system. Use /[C to force the program to
think in color; use /[M to force it to think in mono-
chrome.
Syntax: You must put a space between each option. PCFDial
accepts parameters in any order but you should put the /K option
first if you specify it. And finally, you may use "-x" instead
of "/x" if you wish.
See appendix B for visual aids on starting PCFDial at the DOS
prompt.
4.2 Program initialization
When PCFDial starts up, it looks for the configuration file
PCFDIAL.CFG if you didn't specify one on the command line with
the /K option. It searches:
1. The default directory;
2. The directory where the PCFDial program is kept; and,
3. The directories listed on the DOS PATH (consult your DOS
manual if you need more information about this).
4.3 TSR information
There are some special considerations you must follow if you wish
to use PCFDial:
4.3.1 Loading considerations
Network users must load PCFDial after any network shells.
Multitasker users must load PCFDial after any system managers
like DESQView, OmniView, TaskView, or Windows. Loading it in a
partition is fine if the partition is at least 180k. (PCFDial
occupies only 7k of regular memory by default when dormant.)
4.3.2 Size considerations
PCFDial is a large program (as TSRs go) yet it takes only 7k when
it runs as a TSR. In simple terms, the program leaves behind a
small "kernel" and writes the rest of itself out to a hard disk,
RAMdisk, EMS memory, or XMS memory. This kernel waits for you to
press the hotkey (ALT-J by default) at which point it reads the
rest of PCFDial back into memory. When you're done, the kernel
swaps everything back out and waits for you to press the hotkey
again.
Note: PCFDial's swapping process speeds up if it uses EMS or XMS
memory or a RAMdisk. It also uses less regular memory and swaps
faster if you avoid the /X1 command line option.
Chapter 4, "Starting PCFDial" 19
You must have either:
* 180k of free EMS memory to load PCFDial as a 7k TSR; or,
* 360k of free hard disk space, RAMdisk space, or XMS memory
to load PCFDial as a 7k TSR; or,
* 180k of free hard disk space, RAMdisk space, or XMS memory
to load PCFDial as a 10k TSR (via the /X1 command line
option); or,
* 180k of regular memory to load the program without using any
disk space, EMS memory, or XMS memory (via the /D! and /E
command line options).
Consult your DOS manual if you need more information about EMS/
XMS memory or RAMdisks.
If PCFDial swaps to a hard disk or RAMdisk, it will allocate
about 180k of space for a hidden file in the root directory. The
program will temporarily need 360k of disk space when it actually
swaps in and out of memory -- but you can get around this if you
wish by using the /X1 command line option.
If you want to use a specific disk drive for this purpose, you
can accomplish it a few different ways:
1. Generate a configuration file in which you explicitly set
the "Default TSR drive" option; or,
2. Use PCFDial's /D command line option to specify the drive
you want to use; or,
3. Make the target drive the DOS default and then invoke
PCFDial.
4.3.3 TSR hotkey selection
If you want to specify a different hotkey value in PCFDial, pick
one key from the first section of table 4.1 and zero or more keys
from the second section.
When you've chosen the keys you want, add the numbers together
and use the final result for the /D command.
20 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
Table 4.1: Hotkey values
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CHOOSE EXACTLY ONE:
A = 30 1 = 02 <F1> = 59
B = 48 2 = 03 <F2> = 60
C = 46 3 = 04 <F3> = 61
D = 32 4 = 05 <F4> = 62
E = 18 5 = 06 <F5> = 63
F = 33 6 = 07 <F6> = 64
G = 34 7 = 08 <F7> = 65
H = 35 8 = 09 <F8> = 66
I = 23 9 = 10 <F9> = 67
J = 36 0 = 11 <F10> = 68
K = 37 <F11> = 217
L = 38 - = 12 <F12> = 218
M = 50 = = 13
N = 49 \ = 43 <SCROLL> = 70
O = 24 ` = 41 <HOME> = 71
P = 25 [ = 26 <END> = 79
Q = 16 ] = 27 <PGUP> = 73
R = 19 ; = 39 <PGDN> = 81
S = 31 ' = 40 <INS> = 82
T = 20 , = 51 <DEL> = 83
U = 22 . = 52 <PLUS> = 78
V = 47 / = 53 <MINUS> = 74
W = 17 <PRTSC> = 55
X = 45 <ESC> = 01 <LEFT> = 75
Y = 21 <BS> = 14 <RIGHT> = 77
Z = 44 <TAB> = 16 <CNTR5> = 76
<SP> = 57 <UP> = 72
<DOWN> = 80
<SYSREQ> = 84
CHOOSE ZERO OR MORE:
<ALT> = 2048 <LT SHIFT> = 512
<CTRL> = 1024 <RT SHIFT> = 256
-----------------------------------------------------------------
21
______________________________PART 2_____________________________
Using PCFDial
22 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Chapter 5____________________________
Invoking PCFDial
PCFDial pops up when you press the "hotkey" (normally ALT-J) so
you can dial phone numbers displayed on the screen. ALT-J also
designates the end of a call if you keep a log of your calls.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Index: LAST_FIRST ascending F
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>--------------- Dialing from screen ----------------\
| PCFDial lets you dial telephone numbers directly -----------------\
| from the screen of another application. (PCFDial # |
| must be loaded as a TSR to do this.) Press the | |
| hotkey (ALT-J by default) so a reverse-video |----------/----<>----\
| shadow box appears. You can move the box with the | |Command: |
| arrow keys, and you can make it grow/shrink with | |------------|
| the "+" (plus) and "-" (minus) keys. Don't worry | |Add a record|
| if the phone number starts on one line and ends on | |Delete |
| another -- the shadow box is intelligent enough to | |Modify |
| "straddle" the line break. | |Find (cont.)|
| | |Search (new)|
| Press ENTER when you cover the telephone number. | |End of file |
| This tells PCFDial to dial it. It's that simple! |----------|Beginning |
| NOTE: any letters appearing in the shadow box will | |Next record |
| be converted to numbers. This means you can dial |----------|Prior record|
| "vanity" phone numbers like (800) 2424-PSL. | |Rcd# get |
| |one bill a|+ browse dwn|
| PCFDial always looks at the length of the phone |- browse up |
\|F1 for more help|--------------| PgDn for more|/ng phone l|Quit finding|
\------------/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 5.1: PCFDial working with a PC-File screen
5.1 Dialing a phone number
Press ALT-J (or whatever hotkey you defined) when you want to
dial a phone number displayed on the screen. A highlight bar
appears so you can "pluck" the phone number. The following keys
perform various functions:
Chapter 5, "Invoking PCFDial" 23
Table 5.1: PCFDial keyboard commands
-----------------------------------------------------------------
+,- increases/decreases length of highlight bar
TAB jump to next phone number on the screen
UpArrow
DownArrow
RightArrow
LeftArrow moves highlight bar one character in the chosen
direction
PgUp
PgDn moves highlight bar to top/bottom of screen
Home
End highlight bar to far left/right side of screen
F1 brings up context sensitive help
F2 time of day for any area code
F3 time of day for any area code (sorted by state)
*
F4 time of day for any area code (sorted by zip)
ENTER dial the highlighted phone number
ALT-E edit the highlighted number first, then dial it
ESC never mind, return to the other program (or
optionally dial the previous phone number)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Don't worry if the phone number starts on one line of the screen
and ends on another. Just position the highlight bar on the
first digit and increase its length (with the "+" key) until it
"straddles" the rest of the number on the next line.
And don't worry about dialing a "vanity" phone number like
800-2424-PSL. PCFDial converts highlighted letters to numbers
when it dials for you.
If you press ESC at this point, and you had previously dialed a
phone number (whether or not it connected), PCFDial will ask if
you want to re-dial the number. This is handy if you failed to
_________________________________________________________________
* You must have previously loaded the ZIPKEY TSR from Eric
Isaacson Software, version 1.91 or later, for this command to
work. See the advertisement at the end of this manual.
24 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
connect earlier due because no one was home or you got a busy
signal. If you choose not to dial the previous number, PCFDial
gives control of the computer back to the program you were using.
Press ENTER to immediately dial the highlighted number on the
screen, or press ALT-E to edit it before dialing takes place.
The program will send the necessary commands to dial the phone
number. Pick up the telephone and press a key when the last
digit has been dialed; PCFDial will hang up the modem so you can
have the line all to yourself.
NOTE: PICK UP THE PHONE BEFORE PRESSING A KEY! Otherwise the
call will disconnect and you'll end up talking to a dial tone.
PCFDial will then ask if the call connected. Press "Y" if some-
one answers the phone; press "N" if the line is busy or no one
answers. If you answer yes, the program will remind you to press
the ALT-J hotkey again when you hang up so it can log the time
the call ended. (This assumes you keep a log of calls.) PCFDial
pops up automatically at regular intervals to remind you how long
you've talked on the phone.
5.2 When the call ends
If you keep a log of calls, be sure to press ALT-J (or whatever
hotkey you defined) when you hang up. This tells PCFDial to
record the end of the call in its log file.
If you press ALT-J and the highlight bar pops up, it means the
program wasn't keeping track of a call in progress (and thus
assumes you want to dial another number). Just press ESC at this
point and answer "no" if it asks to redial a previous phone
number.
Chapter 6, "The TOLLNMBR.INF file" 25
____________________________Chapter 6____________________________
The TOLLNMBR.INF file
PCFDial looks for a special TOLLNMBR.INF file whenever it dials a
local number. Normally, the program understands a phone number
to be local or long-distance. Yet sometimes local numbers must
be dialed as "toll" calls. (Normally this means dialing a "1"
before the number.) TOLLNMBR.INF tells it what local three-digit
exchanges should be treated as toll calls.
TOLLNMBR.INF is a simple ASCII text file. Each three-digit
exchange appears on a line by itself, like so:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
233
555
578
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 6.1: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF file
Exchanges don't have to be in any order, but there must be NO
blank lines, nor can there be any blank spaces at the beginning
or end of a line.
If you tell PCFDial to dial a local call, it checks to see if
TOLLNMBR.INF exists and looks for the three-digit exchange. For
example, if the number you want to dial is 233-7215 and 233 was
listed, it dials the call using the default toll prefix & suffix.
The program reads TOLLNMBR.INF file each time you dial a number
in your area code. This means you can update it on the fly with-
out having to unload the program from TSR status.
Special note: some people may have so many toll exchanges, it
might be easier just to list the local ones as exceptions. You
can do this if you follow this example:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
EXCEPTIONS
739
759
982
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 6.2: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF exceptions
"Exceptions" must be on the first line of the file. It doesn't
matter if you use uppercase or lowercase letters -- you just have
to spell it right.
PCFDial includes a sample TOLLNMBR.INF file with "555" as a toll
exchange. Please feel free to add more toll exchanges (or
exceptions).
26 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Chapter 7____________________________
The TIMEZONE.INF file
PCFDial looks for a special TIMEZONE.INF file whenever you want
to see the time of day for an area code or state. This file is
simply a list of the area codes for each state and the time zones
they fall under. It is a simple ASCII file with the following
general layout:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CO Colorado
303 MT 719 MT
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 7.1: Sample TIMEZONE.INF file
Each state gets two lines. The first line contains the state
abbreviation and the full state name. The second line lists each
area code in the state followed by a two-letter designator for
the time zone:
Table 7.1: Time zone designators
-----------------------------------------------------------------
AT Atlantic Time
ET Eastern Time
CT Central Time
MT Mountain Time
PT Pacific Time
KT Alaska Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Each item in the list is separated by a space. There must be NO
blank lines, nor can there be any spaces at the beginning or end
of a line.
PCFDial includes a generic TIMEZONE.INF file. You may notice
some area codes cover two time zones, but the file only lets you
specify one. We struggled to list the zone with the most phone
numbers in a given area code, but please feel free to alter it if
you like.
27
______________________________PART 3_____________________________
Appendixes
28 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Appendix A___________________________
Status & error messages
The following is a list of all status & error messages. In some
cases there may be an obscure reason why the message would come
up, and we've tried to list those reasons to help you out. (We
left out the obvious possible causes like an unformatted disk or
an open drive door.)
Bad parameter or filename on the MS-DOS command line.
* An invalid command-line option was specified.
* The /K option was specified but the program could not find
the configuration file.
Be sure to press xxx when you hang up!
* This information message reminds you the call is being
logged. Press the hotkey xxx (ALT-J by default) when you
hang up so PCFDial can log the end of the call.
Call logging feature has been turned OFF.
* A disk error occurred; PCFDial recovered from it but was
forced to turn off the CDS call logging feature. CALLS WILL
NO LONGER BE LOGGED FROM THIS POINT ON! You must unload/
reload the program to re-activate the call logging feature.
Change the TSR hotkey?
* This question appears when you use the "/INSTALL" command
line option. If you answer yes, PCFDial records (the
numeric value of) your next keystroke as the TSR's hotkey.
Couldn''t find a phone number on screen.
* You pressed the TAB key to move to the next phone number on
the screen, but the program couldn't find one. This some-
times happens with vanity phone numbers like 800-IBM-DISK.
Move the highlight bar with the cursor keys and +/- keys
until it covers the phone number you want to dial.
Couldn't recognize xxxxxxxx.
* Multiple command-line options were specified without a space
or tab to separate them. "/I/N" is not acceptable, you must
say "/I /N".
* An invalid command-line option was specified.
* The specified PCFDial configuration file doesn't exist.
Dial last number (xxx-xxxx)?
* If you press the hotkey, PCFDial pops up and expects you to
pluck a phone number from the screen. If you press ESC, it
asks if you want to dial the previous phone number. This
can be handy if the previous number you dialed was busy or
no one was home.
Appendix A, "Status & error messages" 29
Did the call connect?
* Unfortunately, PCFDial can't tell when someone picks up the
phone at the other end -- modems just don't return that kind
of data. You must tell the program if your call connected.
Did you just hang up on the current call?
Do you want to redial the number?
* If you tell PCFDial the call failed to connect for some
reason, it will ask if you want to redial it. Answer yes or
no. Remember, you can redial the last phone number by
pressing the hotkey (ALT-J by default) followed by ESC.
DOS says today is Tue 1-1-80! That's not right!
* The DOS date is not set properly. It won't affect PCFDial,
but it could mean a bad call history file. See section 2.3
for more information.
Error reading/writing the xxxxxxxx file.
* The file is not a valid PCFDial v1.0 configuration file.
(You might be trying to read a file generated by a later
version of PCFDial.)
* The disk has become full.
* Tried to write or erase a read-only file or a file on a
write-protected disk.
Error occurred trying to access modem.
* You failed to turn on an external modem.
* You specified an improper COM port.
Failure occurred in TSR handler logic.
* The program failed in its attempt to go resident as a TSR.
Call Barn Owl Software for assistance.
Let me know when to dial the next portion...
* A semicolon ";" character appeared somewhere in the string
sent to the modem. PCFDial sent everything up to the
semicolon and is now waiting for you to press a key so it
can send the rest. This is useful if you want the program
to dial your credit card number, for example. Read appen-
dix B.4 for detailed information.
No config file found, using internal defaults...
PCFDial already loaded in memory.
PCFDial has been unloaded.
PCFDial v1.0x loaded in memory.
PCFDial not resident in memory.
Remember, hotkey1 invokes PCFDial!
* The program displays these general status messages when it
loads or unloads from memory.
30 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
PCFDial can't unload at this time.
* One or more TSRs were loaded into memory after the program.
TSRs must be unloaded in reverse order, last to first.
* You tried to unload the program from inside a standalone
application or while operating in a secondary DOS shell.
Pick up the phone AFTER the modem finishes dialing.
* This information message appears when PCFDial finishes
sending the phone number to your modem. Wait for the modem
to completely dial the number, pick up the phone, and THEN
press a key. DON'T press a key before picking up the phone
or you'll wind up talking to a dial tone.
Press your choice for a hotkey.
* This message appears when you use the "/INSTALL" command
line option. PCFDial will record (the numeric value of)
your next keystroke as the TSR's hotkey.
Runtime error nnnn at xxxx:yyyy
* This "catch-all" error message means a problem occurred that
PCFDial wasn't programmed to handle. Please tell Barn Owl
Software if you get this message and give a detailed
description of what you did that led up to it.
Sorry, couldn't find TIMEZONE.INF file.
Sorry, couldn't find TOLLNMBR.INF file.
* Some functions need the TIMEZONE.INF or TOLLNMBR.INF files
to work properly. See pages 26 and 25 for details.
Sorry, you need ZIPKEY v1.91 or later.
Sorry, ZIPKEY not loaded in memory.
* Some functions need the ZIPKEY TSR to work properly. See
the advertisement at the end of this manual.
The key you pressed is not valid here. Press F1 for help.
Using config file xxxxxxxx.
Warning: a DOS 3.20 bug can corrupt log files!
* This information message appears whenever PCFDial runs on a
computer using DOS version 3.20. See section 2.3.
You have been talking on the phone for nn minutes.
You talked for nn minutes.
* A simple status message telling you how long you've been on
the phone. The first message pops up at regular intervals
while you talk; the second message pops up when you specify
the call has ended.
Appendix A, "Status & error messages" 31
A.1 Exit codes
The various programs which make up PCFDial generate an exit code
that tells how the session went. This code is known as the
"ERRORLEVEL" in batch files. (Consult your DOS manual if you are
unfamiliar with it.) The possible exit codes are:
Table A.1: PCFDial exit codes
-----------------------------------------------------------------
0 Normal termination
1 Bad parameter or filename on the command line
3 Error reading/writing a configuration file
9 Error trying to locate or read the help file
10 Error writing to a CDS log file
17 Error occurred trying to access modem
-----------------------------------------------------------------
32 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Appendix B___________________________
Helpful hints
B.1 Invoking PCFDial
Here are a few visual aids for PCFDial's start-up options:
PCFDIAL
Loads the program into memory with no special instructions.
PCFDIAL /I/N
Wrong! You must put a space between each option. The program
will only see the /I option in this case.
PCFDIAL /N
The program starts up in silent mode.
PCFDIAL /KC:\DOS\DATA\MY-DATA.CFG
The program uses the configuration file MY-DATA.CFG.
PCFDIAL /KC:\DOS\DATA\MY-DATA.CFG /INSTALL
The program loads in standalone mode so you can create a con-
figuration file. In this example, we want to change the con-
figuration in MY-DATA.CFG.
PCFDIAL /I /E
Orders the program to use its internal defaults instead of
looking for a configuration file. It will also ignore LIM EMS
memory if present.
PCFDIAL /XX /X1
Tells the program to use XMS memory instead of EMS memory if
it has a choice, and to use minimal disk or XMS space to store
its memory swap file.
PCFDIAL /U
Removes the program from memory resident status.
B.2 Common questions & answers
"How do I get PCFDial to run as a TSR?"
See page 16.
"I need PCFDial's default hotkey for some other program. Can I
change it?"
Certainly. See pages 14 and 16.
Appendix B, "Helpful hints" 33
"I don't have expanded memory. Can PCFDial's TSR portion use
extended memory?"
The program can use extended memory directly if you load
Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS device driver (available free from Micro-
soft) or some other LIM XMS device driver as part of your
1
CONFIG.SYS file. PCFDial can use extended memory even if you
don't have a LIM XMS device driver: consult your DOS manual for
information on a device driver usually known as RAMDISK.SYS or
VDISK.SYS. Set up a RAMdisk in extended memory and tell PCFDial
to use it like a regular disk drive.
"I can't get PCFDial to unload from TSR status."
You may be running another application, or you may have loaded
other TSRs after PCFDial. Exit to DOS from any program you may
be running at the time, unload any "later" TSRs, and try again.
"My system locks up when I press the PCFDial hotkey while using a
DOS application under Microsoft Windows."
You loaded PCFDial before starting Windows. Load it from a
batch file used to run a DOS application under Windows, and make
sure Windows calls the batch file instead of the DOS application
itself.
"The program takes about 10k of memory instead of 7k when I load
it. How come?"
You used the /X1 command line option (and possibly /XX as
well). See page 17.
"The program loaded as a 180k TSR! What happened?"
First off, we can assume you either have no EMS/XMS memory or
you used command line options to ignore it. This means you
either loaded the program from a floppy drive or used the special
/D! option.
* you loaded the program from a computer with no hard
drive; or,
* you loaded the program from a floppy drive without using the
/D option to tell PCFDial where to store its memory swap
files; or,
* you loaded the program from a floppy drive without using a
configuration file to tell PCFDial where to store its memory
swap files; or,
* you used the /D! option to make the program load everything
in regular memory; or,
* you entered a "!" in the "TSR disk default" field of your
configuration file.
See page 16 for potential solutions.
_________________________________________________________________
1. Most 286/386 memory managers programs provide LIM XMS support
in lieu of HIMEM.SYS.
34 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
"Sometimes PCFDial can't find files when I load it as a TSR from
my AUTOEXEC.BAT file. It works fine if I reload it into memory.
What gives?"
Your AUTOEXEC.BAT file loads the program before it sets the
DOS PATH. PCFDial looks for files across the DOS PATH if it
doesn't find them in the directory from which you loaded the
program. However, a quirk in DOS itself forces you to load TSRs
after setting the PATH if the TSRs need the PATH. Most of them
don't need to look at the PATH so they have no problem with it.
"I told PCFDial which COM port to use but my modem won't dial.
What's wrong?"
See page 38 for possible fixes.
"Why doesn't F4 show me the current time of day for each zip
code?"
You must have the popular ZIPKEY program from Eric Isaacson
Software, it must be version 1.91 or later, and it must be loaded
before PCFDial. See the advertisement at the end of this manual.
B.3 Get the correct time
One thing you can depend on is the fact that all phone companies
set their timing clocks according to an atomic clock. You can
get the absolute correct time by dialing one. You might want to
call occasionally to reset your computer clock.
You can hear the correct time from the Naval Observatory's master
atomic clock by dialing (900) 410-8463. There is a fifty-cent
charge for each call. You can also get the correct time from any
ham radio by tuning to 10.0000MHz.
B.4 Hotels & credit cards
Unfortunately, phone service varies widely between cities and
even between hotels in the same city. Some systems may require
you to dial "9" to get an outside line; others may force you to
dial something like "88" or "02".
If you use a credit card, you may have to dial a toll-free
number, wait for a tone, dial the number you want, wait for
another tone, and then dial your card number.
The worst case is when you find yourself in a hotel with a credit
card! But luckily, PCFDial can be configured to make your life
simpler when you travel. It takes some tinkering, though, to get
it right.
If you're in any of the newer hotels (especially ones with the
convenient RJ11 phone jacks), chances are you'll dial "9" to get
an outside line. PCFDial's /9 command may be all you need to
deal with the hotel phone system.
Appendix B, "Helpful hints" 35
Some hotel phone systems may force you to pause briefly before
you can dial out. Most Hayes compatible modems accept a comma as
a command to pause for two seconds, and PCFDial's /9 command sets
the default prefixes to "9,-" (local) and "9,1-" (long distance).
Dialing a number can be tricky if you don't know how long of a
pause to insert. Most Hayes compatible modems accept a semicolon
";" character as a return-to-control-mode command, and PCFDial
takes advantage of this fact. If you include a semicolon in the
string, PCFDial will:
1. send everything up to and including the semicolon
2. wait for you to press a key
3. send the rest of the string
You can insert more than one semicolon: the program will keep
pausing until it reaches the end of the string.
Many Hayes-compatible modems accept the "W" character as a "wait
for dial tone" command. If all you need to do is pause for the
next dial tone, the modem can do all the work for you. You and
PCFDial will never know the difference.
Practically all credit card users dial their card number after
the phone number. Your best bet is to change the default local &
long distance suffix codes to include your card number. Be sure
to put a semicolon (or enough commas) at the beginning of the
prefix string if you must wait before dialing the card number.
WARNING: KEEP YOUR PHONE CREDIT CARD NUMBER CONFIDENTIAL! Be
careful if you store it in a PCFDial configuration file -- some-
one could gain access to it if you aren't careful.
Example: John Smith wants to dial his wife from his hotel phone.
He will dial "9", pause briefly, then dial his MegaBell access
node; wait for a second dial tone, then dial his wife's number
with a "0" instead of a "1"; wait for a special ring tone, then
dial his credit card number. Smith's Hayes compatible modem
recognizes ";" as a return-to-control-mode signal and "W" as a
"wait for dial tone" command. Here's what his settings might
look like:
Default prefix: 9,1-800-555-6789W0-
Default suffix: ;312-345-6789-0123
Mrs. Smith ph#: 708-987-6543
Smith's modem is Hayes compatible and recognizes the comma, semi-
colon, and "W" as commands. PCFDial doesn't care about the comma
or "W" but it does recognize the semicolon as a pause-for-key-
stroke command. The program will:
1. send the prefix string, his wife's phone number, and the
semicolon in the suffix string;
2. wait for Smith to press a key
36 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
3. send the rest of the suffix string
CAUTION: many Hayes-compatible modems fail to execute a command
longer than 40 characters! Check your modem manual for important
details on the maximum number of characters you can send in a
single command. If necessary, use the semicolon command capa-
bility to split large dialing strings into smaller parts.
Hint: it pays to check the phone rates before you use a credit
card in a hotel. Sometimes it's cheaper, and sometimes it
needlessly adds money to the cost of the call. This is a sad
fact of life and it depends on the phone service at each hotel.
B.5 Disable call waiting
Homes and small businesses often pay for a "call waiting" feature
so they can have the equivalent of two lines on a single phone.
However, people sometimes find it offensive if the person at the
other end takes time out answer another call.
Most (but not all) people can temporarily disable call waiting so
they aren't interrupted during an important conversation. You
just dial "*70" before the number. Your call waiting feature is
re-enabled when you hang up.
PCFDial makes it easy to implement this feature. Change the
modem dialing command from "ATDT" to "ATDT*70," and you're on
your way. (Choose the Config/Hardware/Modem menu item to
do this.) Note: be sure to include the comma at the end of the
dialing command!
But what if the other guy has call waiting? Can you turn it off
on his end, too? In some cases, YES -- but you must have three-
way calling as well as call waiting to temporarily disable some-
one else's call waiting, and your modem must recognize the "!"
character as a "flash hook" command.
Change PCFDial's modem dialing command from "ATDT" to
"ATDT,!,*70,". Remember, you must have both three-way calling
and call waiting on your end for this to work. Note: be sure to
include the comma at the end of the dialing command!
B.6 One modem, two lines
Many users have two or more phone lines and wonder how they can
get the modem to work with them. Let's say John Smith's wife
works at home. They have two lines, one for personal calls and
one for her business. Can Mrs. Smith get the modem to dial calls
on both lines separately?
Appendix B, "Helpful hints" 37
It's possible, but it can be tricky. The easiest method would be
to use a two-line switch for your modem. Radio Shack seems to be
the only major chain of stores selling one, though many outlets
don't carry it in stock. You'll pay $34.95 plus tax -- quite a
lot of money for a box with three buttons. Ask for part
number 43-380.
Altex Electronics, a mail order firm, sells an A/B line switch
for $18.95. They even have a tollfree number: 800-531-5369.
Do we use these devices? No. We built our own using $8.27 (plus
tax) in Radio Shack parts. It takes three minutes to assemble
with no messy soldering or stripping. You need a small flathead
screwdriver and these items:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PART # PRICE DESCRIPTION
275-1537 $1.99 DPDT knife switch
279-310 $4.99 12ft RJ14/spade cord
279-391 $1.29 12in RJ14/spade cord
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure B.1: Radio Shack parts for two-line switch
Assembly is easy. You'll notice the knife switch has six screws
in a pattern much like a pool table; the loose wires on each cord
have spade lugs for easy attachment.
1. Loosen the knife switch screws.
2. Attach the wires from the long and short cords to the screws
as shown in figure B.2.
3. Tighten the knife switch screws.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
LONG SHORT LONG
red red & black
black
SHORT
LONG green & LONG
green yellow yellow
* * *
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Figure B.2: Diagram for two-line switch
Just flip the switch when you want the modem to dial on the other
line. That's all there is to it.
Look in the README.1ST file (included on the PCFDial disk) for
any last-minute news on other sources for this type of product.
38 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
____________________________Appendix C___________________________
Troubleshooting
C.1 Call history file problems
Some people visually check a .CDS file to see what it looks like.
It's basically an ASCII text file, but it conforms to a stringent
format imposed by the Call Data Standard. You will most probably
confuse phone bill analyzer programs if you make ANY changes to
the file.
C.2 Modem problems
If you know you set your modem correctly, but it doesn't respond
to the commands PCFDial is sending it, the problem may be in how
fast the program talks to the modem. Some modems can't accept
commands at the same speed it accepts regular data. You can slow
down PCFDial's command data transmission speed either with a
command line option or by creating a configuration file. See
chapters 2 and 4.1.
C.3 If that doesn't help
Before you call Barn Owl Software for help, please take the time
to jot down your answers to these questions:
* Did you install the program according to the instructions?
* Did you read the appendix on helpful hints?
* What brand/model of computer do you use?
* What brand/model of modem do you use?
* What does your CONFIG.SYS file look like (if you use one)?
* What does your AUTOEXEC.BAT file look like (if you use one)?
* Do you use multitasking or networking software?
* Do you have any experience with similar products?
Index 39
Index
/1 16 highlight bar 10, 11, 23
/9 16 hints 32, 36
/[ 18
/A 16 K
/D 16, 19, 33 kernel 18
/E 16, 17, 19
/I 16 L
/INSTALL 17 legal notices 1
/K 17, 18, 28 license See: registration
/N 17
/P 17 M
/U 17 Microsoft Windows 9
/X 17 mouse 10
/X1 17, 18, 19, 33
/XX 17, 33 N
notes 8, 14, 16, 17, 18,
A 24, 36, See Also:
area code 12 cautions
B P
Barn Owl address 1 PCFDial
limited license 3
C support 4
Call Data Standard See: syntax 18
CDS prefix 13, 16, 25, 35, See
cautions 36, See Also: Also: suffix
warnings
CDS 8, 9, 38 R
configuration 16, 17, 18, registration 4
28, 32 site 4
volume discounts 4
D
disk vendors 3 S
distributors See: disk shareware 1, 2
vendors suffix 13, 25, 35, 36, See
DOS 3.20 9 Also: prefix
E T
ERRORLEVEL 31 trademarks 1
exit code 31
V
F visual aids 32
files 8
W
H warnings 30, 35, See Also:
help notes
context sensitive 10 warranty 2
40 PCFDial v1.0 User Manual
Z
ZIPKEY 23, 30, 34