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PC-VT - VT100/102/52 Terminal Emulator
(C) Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
Version 8.1
Forward
Many trademarks are used through out this document. I will
list and acknowledge them here.
IBM, IBM PC, and PC-DOS are trademarks of
International Business Machines Corporation.
DEC, VMS, VAX and VT are trademarks of
Digital Equipment Corporation.
Smartmodem is a trademark of Hayes Microcomputer
Products.
For more details on the operation of a VT102 or a VT100, refer
to the VT102 and VT100 Video Terminal User Guides published by
Digital Equipment Corp, Educational Services Department, Maynard,
Massachusetts 01754.
Throughout this document, hexidecimal numbers are followed by
the letter "H". All other numbers are decimal. Also, the ENTER
key on the keyboard sends a carriage return character - ASCII
code 13. A carriage return function moves the cursor to the
beginning of the current line. "ESC" refers to the ASCII
character whose decimal value is 26.
PC-VT WARRANTY
This program is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty
of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to
the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose. The entire risk as to quality and
performance of this program is with you. Should the program
prove defective, you assume the entire cost of all necessary
repair, servicing, or correction. In no event will the author be
liable to you for any damages, including any lost profits, lost
savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out
of the use or inability to use this program. This warranty gives
you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights which
may vary from state to state. Some states do not allow the
exclusion of implied warranties or exclusion of liability for
incidental or consequential damages so the above may not apply to
you. You acknowledge that you have read this agreement,
understand it, and agree to be bound by its terms and
conditions. You further agree that it is the complete and
exclusive statement of the agreement between us, which supercedes
any proposal or prior agreement, oral or written, and any other
communications between us.
THANKS
I would like to thank all of the users who have been kind
enough to send me their ideas and comments. It is through
feedback of this nature that I can make PC-VT a better and more
useful program.
For the latest news on PC-VT, read the file on the distribution
diskette named READ.ME.
Mark C. DiVecchio
9067 Hillery Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
619-566-6810
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 3
Introduction PC-VT v8.1
Chapter 1
Introduction
PC-VT is a software emulator which makes the IBM PC function as
a DEC VT102 or a VT100 Video Terminal. Selection of terminal
type is made in the SETUP B display (Chapter 6). PC-VT defaults
to VT102 emulation. PC-VT also supports VT52 compatibility
mode.
PC-VT emulates the majority of the functions of the VT100/102.
Because of either hardware limitations of the IBM PC or
limitations of PC-DOS, some functions cannot be emulated. Other
functions have been slightly modified. Throughout this document,
references are made to these changes and deletions. PC-VT
handles all of the necessary functions to perform as a VT100/102
emulator. The vast majority of users will never notice these
hardware and PC-DOS mandated changes.
The typical user will only need to read Chapters 2 through 5 of
this manual. Chapter 6 is only necessary if any of the
selectable features need to be changed from the default
settings. PC-VT comes pre-configured for the most popular set of
features. Communications parameters default to 1200 baud, 8 data
bits, no parity and 1 stop bits. Chapter 7 describes the
VT100/102 "USER MEMORY" which PC-VT emulates by creating and
using a disk file. Chapter 8 describes the Receive File
(Download) and Transmit File (Upload) features. Chapter 9
describes the use of the Dialing facility which is Hayes command
compatible. The macro key facility is described in chapter 11.
The more sophisticated user will find that the Appendices give a
complete description of the internal workings of PC-VT.
DOS path names are supported for upload/download if you are
using DOS 2 or later.
- Here is a brief list of the functions handled by PC-VT.
* Emulates both VT100 and VT102 Terminals. Emulates VT52
compatibility Mode of the VT100.
* Communication over an RS232 port configured as either
COM1 or COM2 selectable from the SETUP display.
Page 4 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Introduction
* Communications support for all of the popular baud rate
and data bit/parity bit combinations.
* On line HELP by pressing the Alt-H key.
* Full Duplex with no EIA modem control. Only data leads
have to be connected (FDX A mode). Suitable for use
1
with a null modem (direct) connection to the host
computer or with a modem which does not require modem
control signals.
* VT52 Compatibility Mode.
* Support for Hayes dialing commands and includes a
Dialing Directory with 10 entries.
* ALT F1 thru ALT F10 as Macro keys.
* Full receive parity checking can be enabled.
* Both Numeric and Application Keypad modes.
* Full cursor control.
* Full feature Upload and Download file capability. Both
ASCII and XMODEM (CRC capable) are supported. Path
name support is included if you are using DOS 2 or
later. ASCII file upload includes a "handshake"
capability to compensate for slow host systems.
* Capability to transmit a sustained Break.
* NO SCROLL key XON/XOFF support.
* Connection of a printer as LPT1 or LPT2 including local
print screen operations.
* Capability to echo all displayed characters to LPT1 or
LPT2 as hardcopy record of a terminal session.
* Using special ALT key keystrokes, access to several
special function procedures.
* SETUP A and SETUP B displays.
----------
1. Throughout this manual, the host refers to the computer "on
the other end of the line" with which PC-VT is communicating.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 5
Introduction PC-VT v8.1
* Full XON/XOFF support for both transmit and receive.
* ON LINE, LED "Lx" and KBD LOCKED lights are supported
via the use of line 25 of the PC display as a status
line. (4 LED are supported for the VT100 emulation, 1
for the VT102.)
* For the more sophisticated user, the majority of the
ANSI standard and DEC private Escape sequences are
supported.
* Run DOS functions or other programs without terminating
PC-VT or disconnecting from the host.
* Use of the environment string 'PC-VT=' in order to find
the parameter files.
- Here is a brief list of what PC-VT can not handle.
* Half duplex modes (HDX A and HDX B) and special full
duplex modes (FDX B and FDX C).
* Features used only in these non supported
communications modes.
* Test and Adjustments Escape sequences.
* Certain display attribute handling for normal and
reverse video. The IBM PC does not handle reverse
video (black on white) the same way as the VT100/102.
The differences are detailed throughout this manual.
* As mentioned earlier, functions with no IBM PC hardware
such as Smooth Scroll mode, 132 column mode, underscore
on PC's using the color graphics display card,
Alternate Character ROM modes, and double height/width
character modes.
As an aid to the user of PC-VT, PC-VT uses the speaker built
into the IBM PC to indicate attempted illegal operations. PC-VT
beeps under the following conditions:
1. When the keyboard has been locked by the host and a key is
typed,
2. When an undefined key is pressed on the keyboard,
3. When a control character of 7 (Bell) is received,
4. When an attempt is made to perform an illegal or undefined
operation in a SETUP or the DIALING display.
Page 6 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Introduction
5. When the MODEM has lost communications or cannot transmit,
PC-VT times-out after trying to send a character for
one-half second.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 7
Required Hardware and Software PC-VT v8.1
Chapter 2
Required Hardware and Software
PC-VT requires an IBM PC, PCjr, or AT with either the
Monochrome or Color/Graphics card, an 80 column display, 96K of
memory (a better way to put this, is enough for DOS plus about
35K for the PC-VT program and about 16K for dynamically allocated
screen saving space and space for the HELP screens), one disk
drive and one RS-232 port. The RS-232 port can be jumpered as
COM1 or COM2. A line printer, if present, is supported if it is
connected to a parallel port jumpered as either LPT1 or LPT2.
The PC-DOS MODE command can be used to route LPT1 or LPT2 output
to a COM port if a serial printer is attached. PC-VT will
operate under PC-DOS 1.1, 2.x, or 3.0 . PC-VT supports the IBM
2
fixed disk .
The ANSI.SYS device driver is not needed but will not interfere
with PC-VT even if it is loaded.
PC-VT will support the Hayes Smartmodem or compatible cards.
Chapter 9 gives the details for their use. The modem card can be
configured as COM1 or COM2. If a standalone Modem is used, the
RS-232 port in the IBM PC can also be configured either as COM1
or COM2.
A comment on DOS : If you don't have DOS 2.1 or 3.0, please
invest the money and buy it. The new versions of DOS added a lot
of functionality to the IBM PC, if you are running DOS 1.1 , you
will not see that increased functionality.
----------
2. The next chapter describes how to use this program with the
fixed disk.
Page 8 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Starting PC-VT
Chapter 3
Starting PC-VT
Place the supplied diskette into one of your diskette drives.
Set the default diskette letter in DOS to that drive. If you
have a modem which requires manual dialing, dial up the host
computer and turn on the Modem. Start the program by typing
PC-VT. PC-VT comes preinitialized to communicate at 1200 baud
with 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit. If these parameters
are not correct for your installation they can be changed. See
the discussion of the SETUP displays for instructions on how to
change parameters.
PC-VT creates and uses three files on the disk to save default
parameters. The files are PARAMS.DAT, DIALER.DAT, and
MACRO.DAT. These files are automatically created in the default
directory on the default drive. If you are using DOS 2.0 or
later, you can specify an environment string which PC-VT will use
to create and locate those three files. You can specify the PATH
command which DOS will use to locate the PC-VT program itself.
With these two features, you can execute PC-VT without regard to
which directory you currently have set.
Use the set command as follows:
set PC-VT=d:path
Where 'd' is the drive letter and 'path' is the pathname. The
pathname can be any string which is acceptable to the DOS CHDIR
command. Some examples:
set PC-VT= PC-VT will use the default
directory on the default disk.
set PC-VT=c: PC-VT will use the default
directory on the 'c' drive.
set PC-VT=a:\ PC-VT will use the root
directory on the 'a' drive.
set PC-VT=b:\pc-vt PC-VT will use the directory
named 'pc-vt' on the 'b' drive.
Again, if you don't bother with this option, PC-VT will just
use the default directory on the default drive.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 9
Starting PC-VT PC-VT v8.1
As PC-VT starts up, it will initialize the COMx port and
establish the connection to the modem. The CRT will show the
communications display . Lines 1 through 24 are used as the
emulated VT100/102 screen which has 24 lines. Line 25 is used as
a status line. The first thing that you will see on line 25 is
the word "ON LINE" and the version number of PC-VT in the lower
left. This indicates that PC-VT is operating normally and is
ready to communicate. If you have a Hayes or other compatible
Modem, you can now automatically dial the host's number. Type
CTRL-F9 to enter the DIALING display. See Chapter 9 for detailed
instructions on how to use this DIALING facility. Most host
systems require that the terminal initiate communications so type
ENTER. Your host computer should now be responding. From this
3
point on, PC-VT runs as a VT100/102 Video Terminal .
In addition to the items described above, the Status line also
shows the status of the attached modem if the cable to the modem
carries all signals or if the modem is an internally mounted
unit. These three icons are displayed:
- DSR - Data Set Ready - the modem is ready to accept data.
- CD - Carrier Detect - the modem has detected a carrier on
the phone line.
- CTS - Clear To Send - the modem has completed the
establishment of a connection and is ready to send data to
the Host.
If you are using a "smart" modem, the modem may signal CD and
CTS even when not connected to the Host. There is usually a
switch on the modem to switch these two lines to their correct
operation. Keep in mind that PC-VT doesn't care about these
lines, it just displays them for your information.
Using PC-VT on the IBM fixed disk is possible. There are no
special requirements. Copy the program PC-VT.EXE to the fixed
disk and use the 'set' command as described above if desired.
Then just start up PC-VT.
As an added feature to PC-VT for users of DOS 2.+ , a new copy
of Command.COM can be started without terminating PC-VT or
breaking the host connection. To do this, just type ALT-F (hold
down the 'Alt' key and then press the 'f' key). You will see a
----------
3. If at this point, nothing is working or the PC beeps with
every key you depress, most likely the COMx to Modem interface
was not correctly initialized. Terminate and restart the
program. PC-VT will reset and will re-initialize the COMx port.
Page 10 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Starting PC-VT
DOS prompt appear on the screen. You can now execute all DOS
commands and even start up other programs. Be careful, though,
that you do not run a program that uses the same communications
port or disk files as being used by PC-VT. The other program may
leave the communications port in an unknown state and PC-VT may
not be able to regain control of it. When you wish to return to
PC-VT, type "exit" at the Command.COM prompt. You will then be
returned to the PC-VT communications display. The screen will be
cleared. PC-VT uses the environment string 'COMSPEC=' to locate
the command processor. The DOS sets this string up automatically
so you don't have to concern yourself with it.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 11
Stopping PC-VT PC-VT v8.1
Chapter 4
Stopping PC-VT
Since CTRL-C is a valid key for the VT100/102, PC-VT intercepts
both that key and CTRL-BREAK before DOS can use them to terminate
the program.
You can terminate PC-VT in one of two ways:
- Type CTRL-F8 or
- Go to the SETUP, DIALING, or MACRO display and then type
CTRL-BREAK or CTRL-C. As with other PC-DOS programs, the
type ahead buffer must be empty for CTRL-C to work
correctly.
The screen will clear, control will return to PC-DOS and the
PC-DOS prompt should appear. The host connection is not broken
(DTR and RTS are kept active) and restarting PC-VT will
re-establish communications.
Page 12 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Keyboard assignments
Chapter 5
Keyboard assignments
Since the keyboard on the IBM PC is not the same as the
VT100/102, certain keys have to be mapped. The basic keyboard is
the same of course. The keypad, cursor keys and certain other
control keys are in different positions on the two keyboards.
The other major difference is the lack of separate cursor keys on
the PC (the cursor keys and the keypad occupy the same keys).
Delete Key : The backspace key on the IBM PC keyboard emulates
the DELETE key on the VT100/102. An option on the
SETUP B display enables you to change the IBM PC
backspace key to send an ASCII 8 instead of the
ASCII 127 per the VT10x definition.
Cursor Keys : The four cursor keys on the IBM PC keyboard
emulate the four cursor keys on the VT100/102.
NUM LOCK must be off for these keys to function.
If NUM LOCK is set, the keypad generates the
numeric characters shown on the keys.
Function Keys :
In Numeric Keypad mode, F1 thru F4 on the IBM PC
keyboard emulate the PF1 thru PF4 keys on the
VT100/102.
In Application Keypad mode, F1 thru F10 map onto
the VT100/102 keypad as follows (PC-VT displays
the Greek letter "alpha" on the status to
indicate that this mode is set):
IBM PC key VT100/102 key
F1 PF1
F2 PF2
F3 7
F4 8
F5 4
F6 5
F7 1
F8 2
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 13
Keyboard assignments PC-VT v8.1
F9 0
F10 0
Shift F1 PF3
Shift F2 PF4
Shift F3 9
Shift F4 - (minus sign)
Shift F5 6
Shift F6 , (comma)
Shift F7 3
Shift F8 ENTER
Shift F9 . (period)
Shift F10 ENTER
This assignment was selected to closely follow
the physical layout of the keypad on the
VT100/102. Observe that the VT100/102 has four
columns of keys in the keypad. PC-VT emulates
the two left columns with the function keys and
emulates the two right columns with the shifted
function keys. It is expected that a user who is
familiar with the VT100/102 keypad and has
memorized the position of each key, will have
little trouble using this function key mapping.
Note that the "0" key and the "ENTER" key are
mapped onto two of the PC keys. This is because
on the VT100/102, the "0" and "ENTER" keys are
double width. The drawing on the next page shows
this mapping in a pictorial format. The name of
the IBM PC key is in the upper left of each "key"
pictorial. The emulated key or function is then
shown in the center of the pictorial.
Note : NUM LOCK is handled locally in the IBM PC.
For the keypad keys to work correctly when using
PC-VT, NUM LOCK should not be set.
Page 14 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Keyboard assignments
KEYPAD FUNCTION MAPPING
FUNCTION KEYS "SHIFT" FUNCTION KEYS
-------------------------- --------------------------
............ ............ ............ ............
.F1 . .F2 . .F1 . .F2 .
. . . . . . . .
. PF1 . . PF2 . . PF3 . . PF4 .
. . . . . . . .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F3 . .F4 . .F3 . .F4 .
. . . . . . . .
. 7 . . 8 . . 9 . . - .
. . . . . . . .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F5 . .F6 . .F5 . .F6 .
. . . . . . . .
. 4 . . 5 . . 6 . . , .
. . . . . . . .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F7 . .F8 . .F7 . .F8 .
. . . . . . . .
. 1 . . 2 . . 3 . . .
. . . . . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. ENTER .
.......................... ............ . .
.F9 F10 . .F9 . .F10 .
. . . . . .
. 0 . . . . . .
. . . . . .
.......................... ............ ............
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 15
Keyboard assignments PC-VT v8.1
Special key mapping for the EDT Editor :
In application keypad mode, which is set by the
DEC EDT text editor, the following keys cause
special Escape sequences to be transmitted.
Observe that some of these special keys transmit
sequences that would require two or more
keystrokes on the VT100/102. PC-VT displays the
Greek letter "alpha" in the status line to
indicate that this mode is active.
IBM PC key EDT function performed
Del key DEL C
Backspace Deletes the character to the
left of the cursor (DELETE key
on the VT100/102)
ALT = DELETE key on the VT100/102
Ins key OPEN LINE
Home key TOP
End key BOTTOM
PgUp key BACKUP SECT
PgDn key ADVANCE SECT
CTRL-Home key Deletes the word to the left
or of the cursor (LINEFEED key
CTRL-Enter on the VT100/102)
CTRL-End key ADVANCE DEL EOL - Erases from
the cursor to the end of the
line.
CTRL-PgUp key BACKUP PAGE
CTRL-PgDn key ADVANCE PAGE
CTRL-Left Arrow key BACKUP EOL - Move cursor to
the end of the previous line.
CTRL-Right Arrow key ADVANCE EOL - Move the cursor
to the end of the current line.
SHIFT-Tab Moves the cursor to the
beginning of the line
(BACKSPACE key on the VT100/102).
Page 16 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Keyboard assignments
VT100/102 SPECIAL EDT KEY MAPPINGS
FUNCTION KEYS SHIFTED FUNCTION KEYS
-------------------------- --------------------------
For Functions in (), press GOLD Key First.
............ ............ ............ ............
.F1 . .F2 . .F1 . .F2 .
. . . . . . . .
. GOLD . . HELP . . FNDNXT . . DEL L .
. . . . . (FIND) . . (UND L) .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F3 . .F4 . .F3 . .F4 .
. . . . . . . .
. PAGE . . SECT . . APPEND . . DEL W .
.(COMMAND) . . (FILL) . .(REPLACE) . . (UND W) .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F5 . .F6 . .F5 . .F6 .
. . . . . . . .
. ADVANCE . . BACKUP . . CUT . . DEL C .
. (BOTTOM) . . (TOP) . . (PASTE) . . (UND C) .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F7 . .F8 . .F7 . .F8 .
. . . . . . . .
. WORD . . EOL . . CHAR . . .
.(CHNG C) . . (DEL EOL). .(SPECINS) . . .
............ ............ ............ . ENTER .
. (SUBS) .
. .
.......................... ............ . .
.F9 F10 . .F9 . .F10 .
. . . . . .
. LINE . . SELECT . . .
. (OPEN LINE) . . (RESET) . . .
.......................... ............ ............
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 17
Keyboard assignments PC-VT v8.1
VT100/102 SPECIAL EDT KEY MAPPINGS..continued
PC KEYPAD KEYS as MAPPED into EDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For Functions in (), press GOLD Key First.
............ ............ ............ ............
.7 . .8 . .9 . .-[minus] .
. . . . . . . .
. TOP . . CURSOR . . BACKUP . . .
. . . UP . . SECT . . .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.4 . .5 . .6 . .+[plus] .
. . . . . . . .
. CURSOR . . . . CURSOR . . .
. LEFT . . . . RIGHT . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
............ ............ ............ . .
.1 . .2 . .3 . . .
. . . . . . . .
. BOTTOM . . CURSOR . . ADVANCE . . .
. . . DOWN . . SECT . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
.......................... .......................... . .
.0 . ..[period] . . .
. . . . . .
. OPEN LINE . . DEL C . . .
. (LINE) . . (UND C) . . .
.......................... .......................... ............
Page 18 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Keyboard assignments
VT100/102 SPECIAL EDT KEY MAPPINGS..continued
PC KEYPAD KEYS as MAPPED into EDT - HOLD DOWN CTRL KEY
--------------------------------------------------------------------
............ ............ ............ ............
.7 . .8 . .9 . .-[minus] .
. DELETE TO. . CURSOR TO. . BACKUP . . .
. START OF . . START OF . . PAGE . . .
. WORD . . LINE . . . . .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.4 . .5 . .6 . .+[plus] .
. CURSOR TO. . . . CURSOR TO. . .
. END OF . . . . END OF . . .
. LAST LINE. . . . LINE . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
............ ............ ............ . .
.1 . .2 . .3 . . .
. ERASE TO . . . . ADVANCE . . .
. END OF . . . . PAGE . . .
. LINE . . . . . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
.......................... .......................... . .
.0 . ..[period] . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
.......................... .......................... ............
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 19
Keyboard assignments PC-VT v8.1
VT52 COMPATIBILITY MODE SPECIAL EDT KEY MAPPINGS
FUNCTION KEYS SHIFTED FUNCTION KEYS
-------------------------- --------------------------
For Functions in (), press GOLD Key First.
............ ............ ............ ............
.F1 . .F2 . .F1 . .F2 .
. . . . . . . .
. GOLD . . HELP . . DEL L . . NOT .
. . . . . (UND L) . . USED .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F3 . .F4 . .F3 . .F4 .
. . . . . . . .
. PAGE . . FNDNXT . . DEL W . . NOT .
.(COMMAND) . . (FIND) . . (UND W) . . USED .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F5 . .F6 . .F5 . .F6 .
. . . . . . . .
. ADVANCE . . BACKUP . . DEL C . . NOT .
. (BOTTOM) . . (TOP) . . (UND C) . . USED .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.F7 . .F8 . .F7 . .F8 .
. . . . . . . .
. WORD . . EOL . . CUT . . .
.(CHNG C) . . (DEL EOL). . (PASTE) . . .
............ ............ ............ . ENTER .
. (SUBS) .
. .
.......................... ............ . .
.F9 F10 . .F9 . .F10 .
. . . . . .
. LINE . . SELECT . . .
. (OPEN LINE) . . (RESET) . . .
.......................... ............ ............
Page 20 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Keyboard assignments
VT52 COMPATIBILITY MODE SPECIAL EDT KEY MAPPINGS..continued
PC KEYPAD KEYS as MAPPED into EDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For Functions in (), press GOLD Key First.
............ ............ ............ ............
.7 . .8 . .9 . .-[minus] .
. . . CURSOR . . . . .
. TOP . . UP . . BACKUP . . .
. . .(REPLACE) . . SECT . . .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.4 . .5 . .6 . .+[plus] .
. CURSOR . . . . CURSOR . . .
. LEFT . . . . RIGHT . . .
. (APPEND) . . . . (SPECINS). . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
............ ............ ............ . .
.1 . .2 . .3 . . .
. . . CURSOR . . . . .
. BOTTOM . . DOWN . . ADVANCE . . .
. . . (SECT) . . SECT . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
.......................... .......................... . .
.0 . ..[period] . . .
. . . . . .
. OPEN LINE . . DEL C . . .
. (LINE) . . (UND C) . . .
.......................... .......................... ............
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 21
Keyboard assignments PC-VT v8.1
VT52 COMPATIBILITY MODE SPECIAL EDT KEY MAPPINGS..continued
PC KEYPAD KEYS as MAPPED into EDT - HOLD DOWN CTRL KEY
--------------------------------------------------------------------
............ ............ ............ ............
.7 . .8 . .9 . .-[minus] .
. DELETE TO. . CURSOR TO. . BACKUP . . .
. START OF . . START OF . . PAGE . . .
. WORD . . LINE . . . . .
............ ............ ............ ............
............ ............ ............ ............
.4 . .5 . .6 . .+[plus] .
. CURSOR TO. . . . CURSOR TO. . .
. END OF . . . . END OF . . .
. LAST LINE. . . . LINE . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
............ ............ ............ . .
.1 . .2 . .3 . . .
. ERASE TO . . . . ADVANCE . . .
. END OF . . . . PAGE . . .
. LINE . . . . . . .
............ ............ ............ . .
. .
. .
.......................... .......................... . .
.0 . ..[period] . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
.......................... .......................... ............
Page 22 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Keyboard assignments
Shift Tab : The shift tab key sends a backspace character
(ASCII 8) to the host. Emulates the VT100/102
BACKSPACE key. If you want the IBM PC backspace
key to send a BACKSPACE (ASCII 8) you can change
this on the SETUP B display.
CTRL-ENTER : This key combination sends a line feed character
to the host.
CTRL-@ : This key combination sends a NUL character (ASCII
0) to the host. Used by Emacs running on DEC
VAX.
SCROLL LOCK : The SCROLL LOCK key on IBM PC alternately sends
XON and XOFF and emulates the NO SCROLL key on
the VT100/102. PC-VT displays the word "SCR" on
the status line of the display to remind you that
the SCROLL LOCK key has been depressed once.
Depressing the key again resets SCROLL LOCK and
clears the reminder.
NUM LOCK : The NUM LOCK key places the IBM PC keypad in
numeric mode. The NUM LOCK key functions locally
in the PC only and does not transmit any
characters to the host computer. PC-VT displays
the word "NUM" on the status line of the display
to remind you that the NUM LOCK key has been
depressed once. Depressing the key again resets
NUM LOCK and clears the reminder.
CAPS LOCK : The CAPS LOCK key places the IBM PC keyboard in
uppercase mode. The CAPS LOCK key functions
locally in the PC only and does not transmit any
characters to the host computer. PC-VT displays
the word "CAP" on the status line of the display
to remind you that the CAPS LOCK key has been
depressed once. Depressing the key again resets
CAPS LOCK and clears the reminder.
CTRL-F1 : PC-VT enters the SETUP display. See Chapter 6.
CTRL-F2 : This command lets you change the default
directory for uploading and downloading files.
See Chapter 8.
CTRL-F3 : Receive a file (ASCII or XMODEM). See Chapter 8.
CTRL-F4 : Transmit a file (ASCII or XMODEM). See Chapter
8.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 23
Keyboard assignments PC-VT v8.1
CTRL-F5 : Print screen. The screen is printed on the
selected line printer (LPT1 or LPT2), if
present. The line printer is selected in the
SETUP B display. Performs the same function as
receipt of a "ESC [ i" sequence. If the Print
Termination Character is set in the SETUP B
display, a Form Feed will be performed after the
screen is printed.
CTRL-F6 : Echo to selected line printer (LPT1 or LPT2).
Toggles On/Off echoing to the selected line
printer, if present. The line printer is
selected in the SETUP B display. Prints all
characters received or transmitted to/from the
host. Characters displayed on the status line
(line 25) are never printed. Performs the same
function as receipt of "ESC [ ? 5 i" and "ESC [
? 4 i" sequences. A 'P' is displayed in column
42 of the status line to remind you that printer
echo is on.
CTRL-F7 : To send a sustained break to the host, type
CTRL-F7. Confirmation of the operation is a
click at the start of the break along with
another click at the end of the operation. If
the disconnect character feature is selected in
the SETUP B display, PC-VT sends an EOT character
(ASCII 4) before it sends the break.
CTRL-F8 : Terminates PC-VT and returns to DOS.
CTRL-F9 : Enters the DIALING display. See Chapter 9 for
instructions.
CTRL-F10 : Complete restart. Performs the same function as
receipt of a "ESC c" sequence. All features and
tab stops are reloaded from the USER MEMORY disk
file. PC-VT then restarts.
ALT-K : Enters the Macro display. See Chapter 11 for
instructions.
ALT-H : Enters the HELP display. The screen is saved and
later restored if you are running DOS 2.+ or
later and if enough memory is available. Once
you are in the HELP display, use the PgDn key to
look at the next HELP page, use the PgUp key to
look at the previous HELP page key, and use the
Esc key to exit HELP and return to the emulator.
Page 24 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 SETUP Displays
Chapter 6
SETUP Displays
The SETUP displays are accessed by typing CTRL-F1 from the
communications display. SETUP A is entered first. The contents
of the communications display are preserved and are restored when
you exit SETUP.
The SETUP display can also used to cancel PC-VT. The CTRL-C
and CTRL-BREAK keys are disabled while in the communications
display. To cancel PC-VT, type CTRL-F1 to enter this display and
then type CTRL-C or CTRL-BREAK.
6.1 SETUP A
The SETUP A display is used to perform the functions listed
below. The bottom two lines of the display represent the tab
stops which are set. The bottom line counts the columns and the
line above it shows a "T" in each column where a tab is set.
Here are the functions available in SETUP A:
Exit SETUP : The ESC key or the CTRL-F1 key combination
returns PC-VT to the communications display.
Reset : The "0" key clears the tabs and features and
reloads them from the USER MEMORY disk file,
PARAMS.DAT, on the default drive. PC-VT then
returns to the communications display.
Set/Clear Tabs :
The "2" key sets or clears a tab at the column
position of the cursor. The left and right
arrows, the tab key, the space bar, and the ENTER
key can be used to move the cursor to the column
in which you want to set or clear the tab. A "T"
will appear to indicate that a tab was set or the
"T" will be blanked to indicate that a tab was
cleared. In either case, the character will be
highlited to indicate that a change was made.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 25
SETUP Displays PC-VT v8.1
Clear All Tabs :
The "3" key clears all tab stops. All of the "T"
tab stop indicators will be cleared.
Go to SETUP B :
The "5" key selects the SETUP B display.
Store into USER MEMORY :
The "shift S" key stores all currently set tab
stops and features selected by SETUP B into a
disk file on the PC-DOS default drive. The name
of the file is PARAMS.DAT.
Reset : The "shift R" key clears the tabs and features
and reloads them from the USER MEMORY disk file,
PARAMS.DAT, on the default drive. PC-VT remains
in the SETUP A display.
Select General Default :
The "shift D" key clears any user set tabs and
features (from SETUP B) and resets them to PC-VT
defined defaults.
Select Tab Default :
The "shift T" key clears any user set tabs and
resets them to every 8 columns as follows:
Columns 9, 17, 25, 33, 41, 49, 57, 65, and 73.
A "T" will appear in each of these columns on the
second line from the bottom of the SETUP A
display to indicate that a tab is set.
Incr/Decr Line Turnaround Character = xx (ASCII : y):
This character is used in conjunction with ASCII
file upload. When uploading, PC-VT can be told
to wait for this character (the =t option) to be
sent by the Host before PC-VT sends the next
line. For our purposes, a line ends when a
carriage return (ASCII 13) is uploaded. The
value of xx is the decimal value of the
character, and y is the actual ASCII character.
The character is not displayed if it is less than
32 or equal to 255. The "shift L" key will
increment this value and the "shift K" will
decrement it. You must execute a "store into
USER MEMORY" command to save the new value of
this character on disk. Otherwise, the next time
that you start PC-VT, the original value is
restored. The first time that PC-VT starts, this
character is set to the dollar sign character,
decimal 36.
Page 26 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 SETUP Displays
6.2 SETUP B
The SETUP B display is used to perform the functions listed
below. The bottom line of the display represents the features
which are set or reset. See the next section for details of the
features. The number of data bits and the parity type are
displayed. The COM port speed is displayed. The selected COM
port is displayed. LPTx is displayed to indicate the selected
line printer (either LPT1 or LPT2). Here are the functions
available in SETUP B:
Exit SETUP : Hit the ESC key or type CTRL-F1 to exit SETUP B
and return to the communications display.
Go to SETUP A :
The "5" key selects the SETUP A display.
Toggle 1/0 : The "6" key sets(1) or resets(0) a feature at the
column position of the cursor. The left and
right arrows, the tab key, the space bar, and the
ENTER key can be used to move the cursor to the
column which you want to set or clear the
feature. Features displayed with an "X" are set
to an automatic default and cannot be changed.
Other features will change from a "1" to a "0" or
from a "0" to a "1" to indicate that the state of
the feature has been changed. The digit will be
highlited to indicate that a change was made. To
preserve these features in your USER MEMORY disk
file you must perform a "shift S - Store into
USER MEMORY" command in the SETUP A display.
Otherwise, the old values will be reloaded when
you again start up PC-VT.
COM Port Selection :
COM1 or COM2 can be selected by flipping the 4th
bit of the 6th group of feature bits shown on the
bottom of the SETUP B display. The word COM1 or
COM2 will display next to the word MODEM on this
display to indicate which RS232 port is in use by
PC-VT. If you want to change ports, just go to
SETUP B display, space over to the 4th bit of the
6th group and then type the "6" key. This will
cause the 1 or 0 in the feature bit to flip.
Then return to the SETUP A display by typing "5"
and store the new value into USER MEMORY by
typing Shift-"s".
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 27
SETUP Displays PC-VT v8.1
Modem Speed Control :
The "7" key causes PC-VT to display the various
Modem speeds supported. The currently selected
speed is displayed under the MODEM title on the
CRT. Type the "7" key repeatedly until the speed
you need is displayed. The new speed selected
will be highlited to indicate that a change was
made. The supported speeds are:
100 baud 150 baud
300 baud 600 baud
1200 baud (default) 2400 baud
4800 baud 9600 baud
To preserve this speed selection in your USER
MEMORY disk file you must perform a "shift S -
Store into USER MEMORY" command in the SETUP A
display. Otherwise, the old values will be
reloaded when you again start up PC-VT.
Select Data/Parity Bits :
The "shift P" key causes PC-VT to display the
various data bits/parity bits supported. The
currently selected Data bits/Parity bits
combination is displayed on the CRT under the
MODEM title. Type the "shift P" key repeatedly
until the data bits/parity bits combination you
need is displayed. The new selection will be
highlited to indicate that a change was made.
The supported combinations are:
7O 7 data bits - odd parity
7E 7 data bits - even parity
7N 7 data bits - no parity
8O 8 data bits - odd parity
8E 8 data bits - even parity
8N 8 data bits - no parity (default)
To preserve these Data bit/Parity bit
combinations in your USER MEMORY disk file you
must perform a "shift S - Store into USER MEMORY"
- command in the SETUP A display. Otherwise, the
old values will be reloaded when you again start
up PC-VT. If you are running a 212A modem,
certain of the data bits/parity/stop bit
combinations are invalid. Check your modem
manual for the valid combinations.
Note that actual parity checking is enabled by
setting a feature in this display. Parity
checking defaults to off.
Page 28 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 SETUP Displays
Set Answerback Message :
The "shift A" key permits you to enter a message
with which PC-VT will use to respond to an
Enquire control character. Any character with an
ASCII code from 0 to 127 can be entered in this
message (Including the use of the ALT key and the
keypad to enter special characters). To enter
the message, type "shift A". PC-VT will display
the prompt "A=". The prompt will be highlited
and blinking. You may then type in the message.
The first character typed is considered a
delimiter by PC-VT. This character must not be
present in the answerback message itself and is
used only to bracket the message since control
characters like carriage return can be part of
the message. Following the message, type the
delimiter character and the message will be
stored in memory. If you make a typing mistake,
you must type the delimiter character and start
the process over again. This is because the
backspace key will not act as a text editor but
will actually be entered as part of the
answerback message. While you are entering this
message, non-displayable characters will be shown
as a diamond. The message will be highlited to
indicate that a change is being made. To
preserve this message in your USER MEMORY disk
file you must perform a "shift S - Store into
USER MEMORY" - command in the SETUP A display.
Otherwise, the old message, if any, will be
reloaded when you again start up PC-VT.
The default answerback message is null, that is,
nothing is transmitted in response to an Enquire
control character.
6.2.1 SETUP B Features and Defaults
The SETUP B display is used to select features of PC-VT. The
features are listed below along with their defaults. The
procedures for changing and saving these features was described
in the first part of this subsection.
Group 1 Default Value
X = feature is not supported
Scroll X The IBM PC does not support
smooth scroll.
Auto Repeat 1 0 = Disable autorepeat. PC-VT can only
approximate this function since
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 29
SETUP Displays PC-VT v8.1
it is handled within the keyboard.
1 = Enable autorepeat (default).
Screen 0 0 = dark background (default)
Background 1 = light background
Cursor 0 0 = underline cursor (default)
1 = block cursor
Group 2 Default Value
X = feature is not supported
Margin Bell 0 Select margin bell.
0 = Off
1 = On
If this feature is turned on, PC-VT will beep
the speaker each time that the cursor enters
column 72 from column 71 under control of
the keyboard or the host. This feature is best
used when entering text from the keyboard.
Any other use may cause unpredictable
results especially in full screen modes.
Key Click X Key Click is not supported.
ANSI/VT52 1 Select terminal mode.
0 = VT52 compatibility mode.
1 = ANSI mode (default). That is, either
VT100 or VT102 depending on the setting
of the bit in Group 6 below.
Auto XON/XOFF 1 0 = XOFF is ignored. PC-VT's buffer may
overflow without warning or indication.
1 = XOFF stops PC-VT from transmitting.
PC-VT stops transmitting characters when
an XOFF is received and will transmit
an XOFF when 75% of its receive buffer
is full (1536 characters). It will then
transmit XON when the buffer has been
emptied to 10% full (204 characters).
If the host ignores the XOFF character
and continues to send, PC-VT will
display a '#' character to
indicate that data has been lost. When
PC-VT receives an XOFF, an 'X' is
displayed in column 41 of the status
line. If you try to type a character
when the 'X' is displayed, PC-VT beep
and reject the character. See the
'alt-x' key definition in the
appendix for more details.
Page 30 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 SETUP Displays
(default)
Group 3 Default Value
X = feature is not supported
Character Set 0 0 = Select US Characters.
The US character set is selected as the
default (default).
1 = Select UK Characters.
The UK character set is selected as the
default.
(Note that the only difference between
the two is the shift 3 character. In the
US set, it is the "#" sign. In the UK set,
it is the UK Pound sign.)
Auto Wrap 0 0 = Auto wrap off.
If the cursor is at the right margin and
another character is received, PC-VT
displays that character and all following
received characters at the right margin
position effectively writing over one
another (default).
1 = Auto wrap on - If the cursor is at
the right margin and another character
is received, PC-VT will perform a
carriage return and line feed before
displaying that character.
Line Feed / 0 0 = LF/NL off - Typing ENTER
New Line sends only a carriage return
to the host. The host must echo a
carriage return and line feed to
move the cursor to the beginning
of the next line (default).
1 = LF/NL on - Typing ENTER
sends both a carriage return
and a line feed to the host. A line
feed is processed just like a
carriage return.
Local Echo 0 0 = Local echo off.
- The host must echo back all typed
characters in order for them to be
displayed on the screen (default).
1 = Local echo on - PC-VT will
automatically display all characters
typed. The host need not echo them
back.
Group 4 Default Value
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 31
SETUP Displays PC-VT v8.1
X = feature is not supported
Print 1 0 = none - No control characters
Termination are sent to the line printer following
Character a print screen operation.
1 = Form feed - A form feed is
sent to the line printer following
a print screen operation (default).
Print Extent 1 0 = Scrolling region - A print
screen operation will print the
scrolling region as set by the
host computer only.
1 = Full screen - A print screen
operation will print the entire
screen (default).
Stop Bits 0 0 = 1 stop bit
is used by the RS232 interface (default).
1 = 2 stop bits are used by
the RS232 interface.
Receive Parity 0 0 = Parity on received
data is not checked (default).
1 = Parity checking is enabled. PC-VT
displays a '!' character in place of the
character with the bad parity.
Group 5 Default Value
X = feature is not supported
Backspace 0 0 = Send the backspace key as 7Fh (ASCII 127)
- the VT10x DELETE key (default).
1 = Send the backspace key as 08h
- the IBM PC standard.
When you are doing this, you can still send a
DEL (ASCII 127) by typing ALT = . (Press the
Alt key and the equal sign key at the same
time.)
Disconnect 0 0 = Terminal ignores the
Character disconnect character (default).
Enable 1 = If PC-VT receives the
disconnect character ( an EOT
with an ASCII value of 4),
it transmits a sustained Break
and disconnects from the host
computer.
Disconnect X Not supported.
Delay
Page 32 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 SETUP Displays
Auto X Not supported. This feature does
Answerback not affect transmission of the
Enable answer back message if a control
character 5 (Enquire) is received.
Group 6 Default Value
X = feature is not supported
Line Printer 0 0 = LPT1 is selected (default).
1 = LPT2 is selected.
Buffer Size 1 0 = Use a 256 byte communications buffer.
1 = Use a 2048 byte communications buffer.
(default)
Use of the larger buffer will cause fewer
XON/XOFF sequences between PC-VT and the host.
It will also slow the response to CTRL-C,
CTRL-O and CTRL-Y commands. For some text
editors which do not use XON/XOFF, the larger
buffer size works better.
Terminal type 0 0 = PC-VT emulates a VT102 (default).
1 = PC-VT emulates a VT100.
COM Port 0 0 = PC-VT uses COM1 as the communications
port (default).
1 = PC-VT uses COM2 as the communications
port.
Group 7 Default Value
X = feature is not supported
Power X Not under PC-VT control.
WPS Terminal X Not yet supported.
Keyboard
Clock 1 0 = Do not display the clock and MODEM status
on the Status Line.
1 = Display the time of day clock and MODEM
status on the Status Line (default).
256 Char 0 0 = If 8 bit data is selected for receive,
the 8th bit is cleared to binary zero
if it is on received data. PC-VT will
display characters only from the first
128 ASCII codes. (XMODEM always uses
all 8 bits.) (default)
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 33
SETUP Displays PC-VT v8.1
1 = If 8 bit data is selected for receive,
the 8th bit is interpreted as the high
order bit of an 8 bit ASCII character.
this permits 256 character codes to be
displayed on the screen. This is NOT
a VT function and the use of this option
may cause unreliable results.
Page 34 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 The PARAMS.DAT File
Chapter 7
The PARAMS.DAT File
PC-VT maintains a USER MEMORY file on disk. This file is used
to record user selected features and tab stops. The file is read
each time that you start up PC-VT so your selected configuration
is restored each time.
If this version of PC-VT is a replacement for an older version
which you may have, you should delete the old PARAMS.DAT file and
let PC-VT create you another copy. The older version of
PARAMS.DAT may not be compatible with the enhancements in the
newer versions of PC-VT. The latest versions of PC-VT will not
even start up with old versions of the PARAMS.DAT file. It will
display a message indicating that the old file should be
deleted. Just delete the old file and restart PC-VT. You will
have to reset the baud rate and any other options which you had
set since PC-VT sets these to default values when it creates the
new PARAMS.DAT file.
7.1 Creation
The file is automatically created with default values as
defined throughout this document if the file does not exist on
the default drive. The diskette supplied with the package has a
default copy of the file.
7.2 Location
The file name is PARAMS.DAT. The file is created in the
directory pointed to by the 'PC-VT=' string in the environment.
If there is no such string in the environment or you are using
DOS 1.0 or 1.1, the file is created on the PC-DOS default drive.
The chapter on starting PC-VT describes how to use this string.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 35
The PARAMS.DAT File PC-VT v8.1
7.3 Updating
The file is rewritten upon request while in the SETUP A
display.
7.4 Error Messages
There are several messages generated by PC-VT while
manipulating this file.
"New USER MEMORY File Created":
PC-VT could not find PARAMS.DAT on the default
disk drive so it created a file with the default
feature selections and tab stops. PC-VT
continues.
"Disk Directory Full":
PC-VT could not find space in the directory of
the default disk drive when it tried to create
the PARAMS.DAT file. PC-VT terminates.
"Disk Full While Writing USER MEMORY File":
PC-VT ran out of space on the default disk drive
while creating the PARAMS.DAT file. PC-VT
terminates.
"Disk Swap Error - See User Manual":
PC-VT found a different diskette in the default
drive from the time that the directory entry was
created and the file PARAMS.DAT was written.
Since the time between these two events is very
small, this error message indicates a severe
hardware or system failure. PC-VT terminates.
This error should never happen if PC-VT is run
from a fixed disk.
"Error While Opening USER MEMORY File":
PC-VT failed to successfully open the PARAMS.DAT
file on the default disk. This usually means
that the disk directory has been damaged. PC-VT
terminates.
Page 36 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 The PARAMS.DAT File
"USER MEMORY File Access Error":
An error occurred while reading the PARAMS.DAT
file from the default disk. Usually means that
the file has been accidentally overwritten.
PC-VT terminates.
"Can't find PARAMS.DAT. F1 to cancel, space to try again.":
This usually means that the default diskette
drive is empty or the door is open. Correct the
situation and hit the space key to continue.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 37
Transmitting and Receiving Files PC-VT v8.1
Chapter 8
Transmitting and Receiving Files
PC-VT has complete transmitting (upload) and receiving
(download) facilities. These facilities are accessed using the
CTRL-F4 and CTRL-F3 keys. These keys can be activated whenever
you are in the communications display. PC-VT performs these
functions on any ASCII character or binary file. The Binary file
transfer uses the XMODEM protocol and must be over a
communications line set at 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop
bit( PC-VT will automatically switch the communications line to
8-N-1 before it starts an XMODEM transfer and will restore your
value when the transfer is complete). XMODEM can be used to
transfer ASCII files for greater error detection capability.
Both the ASCII and XMODEM protocols are compatible with RBBS
software.
In the descriptions which follow, the computer referred to as
the host, is assumed to be a VAX-11 running VMS. All references
to an IBM PC filename include a drive letter, the path, the
filename and the file extension, for example -
a:\usr\bin\file.ext. If no drive letter or path is given, PC-VT
will access the current PC-DOS default directory. You can change
the default drive and directory by typing CTRL-F2. See the last
section in this chapter for details. If you are not running DOS
2.0 or later, you must enter the filenames with only a drive
letter.
8.1 Transmitting ASCII Files (Uploading)
To transmit or upload an ASCII file to the host, the host must
be set to receive the file and then PC-VT can be told to transmit
it. The host computer can be told to execute a program which
reads the terminal or more simply, the VMS COPY command can be
used. Once you have started PC-VT and logged on to the host, you
will see the "$" command line prompt. You can use the COPY
command as follows:
Page 38 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Transmitting and Receiving Files
COPY TT: <filename>
The host will then wait for characters to be transmitted by the
terminal. To request PC-VT to start uploading, type CTRL-F4.
You will be prompted for the name of the PC file to upload. Type
the filename followed by ENTER. Typing just ENTER cancels the
transmit request. If PC-VT finds the file as specified, it will
transmit it to the host. If the file is not found, you will be
prompted again for the filename.
At the end of the file, PC-VT asks if you want a CTRL-Z (ASCII
code 26) sent to the host. The CTRL-Z will terminate the VMS
COPY command. An upper or lower case "y" must be typed followed
by ENTER to send the CTRL-Z.
PC-VT strips all Line Feed characters (ASCII code 10) before it
transmits the file. All other characters are transmitted. PC-VT
detects the end of the PC file by looking for a CTRL-Z as it
reads the disk file.
A very useful feature of this routine, is that it handles
XOFF/XON characters received from the host during the uploading.
This prevents the host from losing data if it is busy. The host
will send an XOFF if its buffer is filling. PC-VT will
automatically stop transmitting until a XON is received
indicating that the host has emptied its buffer. You should be
sure that this feature is enabled under your logon on the VMS
system. To do this, use the VMS SET command:
SET TERMINAL /HOSTSYNC
This command should be put in your LOGIN.COM file unless your
VMS system sets this feature as a default.
If you wish to cancel the transmission while the file is being
transmitted, simply type CTRL-F4 at any time. PC-VT will prompt
with the CTRL-Z message and then terminate the upload. PC-VT
ignores all other keys typed during an upload.
If you don't request the transmission of a CTRL-Z, you can type
CTRL-F4 again and send another file. The new file transmitted
will be read by the same COPY command entered earlier. You can
use this to append many files to one another as you transmit
them.
In addition, the host can cancel the upload if it needs to. If
the host sends a CTRL-Z (ASCII 26) while PC-VT is doing an ASCII
file upload, PC-VT will immediately cancel the upload.
There are several messages generated by PC-VT while
transmitting a file:
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 39
Transmitting and Receiving Files PC-VT v8.1
"Current default directory is >":
The current default directory is displayed. For
DOS 1.1 users, this is just the default drive.
"Drive d: xxxxxx bytes free":
The number of free bytes on the default drive is
displayed. This is displayed only if you are
using DOS 2.0 or later.
"Enter Name of the PC File to Transmit
[d:][path][filename[.ext]][={x,c,t}]
(Press ENTER to cancel upload and return to
emulator):":
PC-VT is asking for the name of the PC file to
transmit. Type the filename in the standard
PC-DOS format and press ENTER. Typing just ENTER
cancels the transmitting routine. If your DOS
supports path names, they can be used here. If
you do not specify a drive or path, PC-VT will
access the default directory. The default
directory can be changed with the CTRL-F2
command. See the last section in this chapter
for details. The =x and =c options start up the
XMODEM protocol. The =t option starts up file
transfer with handshaking. These are both
explained below.
"Should a CTRL-Z be transmitted? (y or n) :":
PC-VT detects CTRL-Z as an end of file indicator
and does not transmit that code to the host
unless you respond positively to this query.
Type an upper or lower case "y" followed by ENTER
and PC-VT will transmit a CTRL-Z. If you type
any other character or just ENTER, CTRL-Z will
not be transmitted. With this feature, CTRL-F4
can be activated again and several PC files can
be concatenated into one host file.
"Transmission Complete":
File uploading is complete.
"Transmission Canceled":
A CTRL-F4 was typed during a file transmission.
The uploading is immediately canceled.
"Filename is not in correct format":
The filename entered in response to the filename
inquiry is not a valid DOS filename. You may
re-enter the filename.
"File not found as specified":
PC-VT could not find the file on the specified
Page 40 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Transmitting and Receiving Files
disk. Usually caused by either the wrong drive
letter, directory or a mistyped filename. You
may re-enter the filename.
8.1.1 Uploading with Handshake
If you append an "=t" on the end of the filename when you type
it in, PC-VT will upload the ASCII file as described above except
that the program will wait for a turnaround character before it
sends the next line. The turnaround character is set in the
SETUP-A display. This feature is useful if the host is not
buffered. PC-VT won't send any characters until the host has
processed the last line transmitted and prompts for another
line. This turnaround character is sometimes called a bypass
character. For a typical VAX system you may want to set this to
a linefeed (ASCII 10) or a dollar sign (ASCII 36) which is the
default value for PC-VT. In addition, a CTRL-Z is not
transmitted at the end of the file. This upload as well as the
regular ASCII upload can be canceled by typing CTRL-F4. Other
keys are ignored while the upload is in progress.
Operation is as follows: you initiate the upload by pressing
CTRL-F4. You give PC-VT the filename with the "=t" appended.
PC-VT sends the first line of the file up to a carriage return
(ASCII 13). PC-VT then waits until the host sends the turnaround
character. PC-VT then sends the next line of the file up to a
carriage return and so on. Following the last line of the file,
the keyboard is enabled again for you to type to the host.
Two dynamic features make this easier to use:
1. The turnaround character can be changed in the middle of an
uploaded file. To do this, as you are creating the file
enter an ASCII 1 into the file followed by the new
turnaround character. The ASCII 1 (a control A) signals
PC-VT that the next character read from the file is be to
set as the new turnaround character. Neither the ASCII 1
nor the new turnaround character is sent to the host. This
new turnaround character will be visible in the SETUP A
display. This does mean that you cannot have an ASCII 1 in
any uploaded text handshake file but that should not be a
problem since ASCII 1 is rarely used in a text file.
2. An ASCII 2 (a control B) in the file signals PC-VT to wait
for 1 second before proceeding to the next character. This
is a "pause" feature. You can have as many of these
characters in a row as you like to make up longer pauses.
The ASCII 2 is not sent to the host. This also means that
you cannot have an ASCII 2 in any upload text handshake
file but that should not be a problem since ASCII 2 is
rarely used in a text file.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 41
Transmitting and Receiving Files PC-VT v8.1
The scanning for these two special control characters only
takes place if you started the upload with the "=t" option. If
you started a regular upload, that is with no option, these
characters are uploaded just like all others and the handshake is
disabled. If while you are setting up your files, you make a
mistake and PC-VT is waiting for prompt which will never occur,
just press CTRL-F4 and PC-VT returns to normal keyboard input
mode.
8.1.2 Example of a transmission session
This is typical of what you would see and type to transmit a
file to the host.
$ copy tt: up.fil
"press the CTRL-F4 key"
Current default directory is
>a:\usr\me\pcvt
Drive a: 3435423 bytes free
Enter Name of the PC File to Transmit
[d:][path][filename[.ext]][={x,c,t}]
(Press ENTER to cancel upload and return to emulator)
b:\mydire\pc.asc
"Now the PC file named b:\mydire\pc.asc is transmitted,
you will see the file displayed on the CRT as it is
echoed back from the host. The path name is accepted only
if you are running PC-DOS 2.0 or later."
Should a CTRL-Z be transmitted? (y or n) : y
"A CTRL-Z is sent to the host."
Transmission complete
^Z
"The host file named up.fil is closed. The host COPY
command is terminated."
$
8.1.3 A Useful VAX .COM Upload file
This simplified upload facility will upload a file from a PC
disk file to a VAX system running VMS.
Create a file on the VAX system named "pcup.com" consisting of
the following commands:
$ on error then goto err1
$ on control_y then goto ctrl
$ if p1.eqs."" then -
inquire p1 "Enter Name of VAX File to Contain Uploaded Data "
$ if p1 .eqs. "" then goto ctrl
$ set term/nobroad
Page 42 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Transmitting and Receiving Files
$ write sys$output "<ESC>[?22h"
$ copy tt: 'p1'
$ exit:
$ set term/broad
$ exit
$ err1:
$ write sys$output "A VAX error has occurred. Please try again."
$ ctrl:
$ write sys$output "Upload Canceled."
$ goto exit
The symbol <ESC> is the ESCAPE character 27.
Once you have started PC-VT on the PC and you have logged onto
a VAX, upload files from the PC to the VAX by:
1. type this in response to the "$" VMS prompt:
@pcup <filename>
2. If you did not enter the filename on the command line, the
facility will ask you for the name of the VAX file which
you wish to create with the uploaded data (include
directory information if needed)
for example :dra1:[user1.dire.lev2
z.com ] If you just press ENTER, the upload is canceled.
3. the facility will ask you for the name of the PC file which
you wish to upload (include disk drive letter if needed)
for example : zzzzz.com
If you just press ENTER, the upload is canceled.
4. the rest is automatic. The data will display on the PC's
CRT as it is echoed. The upload is complete when the "$"
VMS prompt appears.
5. To abort the upload before it is complete, type:
CTRL-F4
The VAX file will contain whatever data was uploaded to the
point where you aborted the upload. You may see some extra
characters displayed on the CRT screen, this is just the
communications buffer emptying.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 43
Transmitting and Receiving Files PC-VT v8.1
8.2 Transmitting Binary Files (Uploading)
PC-VT supports the XMODEM protocol for binary or ASCII file
transfer. Support is included for both checksum error checking
compatible with PC-TALKIII and for Cyclic Redundancy Code (CRC)
error checking. This transfer method requires that the host
computer be capable of handling this protocol.
To run XMODEM, start up the host XMODEM program and then follow
the instructions for transmitting ASCII files but include "=x"
after the filename("=c" is equivalent for transmit). The XMODEM
module is automatically started and the transfer proceeds without
further intervention. The transfer is started in checksum mode,
the receiver has the option of switching to CRC mode.
PC-VT will automatically change the communications to 8 data
bits, no parity, 1 stop bit (8-N-1) if you are not already set at
that protocol. PC-VT will then restore the protocol to your
default value when the XMODEM transfer is complete.
To cancel the transfer while it is progress, type CTRL-X. This
may require a few seconds to take effect because PC-VT must
gracefully terminate the protocol.
Refer to already published texts for details on the XMODEM
protocol.
8.3 Receiving ASCII Files (Downloading)
To receive an ASCII file, PC-VT must be told to start receiving
and then the host must be told to transmit it. To activate
Receive File, type CTRL-F3. This can be done at any time in the
communications display. PC-VT will ask for the filename on which
to write the received characters. Just typing ENTER terminates
the receive request. If the file already exists, PC-VT will ask
if you wish to overwrite it. If you type "y" followed by ENTER,
PC-VT deletes the old file and starts to create another.
Once Receive File (or downloading) is activated, and a Line
Feed character is received, ALL further characters received from
the host except 00H and 7FH are written onto the disk file. You
can now tell the host to type out a file and PC-VT will write it
onto the IBM PC disk. To VMS, type:
Page 44 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Transmitting and Receiving Files
Type <filename>
(PC-VT does not write out data to disk until a Line Feed is
received in order to permit you to enter the "Type" command.
This prevents the "Type" command from being written to the
file.)
When you wish to terminate Receive File, simply type CTRL-F3
again. PC-VT closes the disk file and resumes normal mode.
Note that since PC-VT cannot tell the difference between a file
and any other characters sent by the host, all characters (except
as noted - 00H and 7FH) received go onto the disk file. This
includes ESCAPE sequences and all VMS command language
interaction. This can be a useful feature if you are programming
with some of these sequences and your program is not working
correctly. PC-VT preserves these characters on disk for your
inspection. Once the file is closed, you will have to exit from
PC-VT and enter a text editor to strip off any unwanted
characters from the file.
PC-VT puts an End of File indicator at the end of the disk file
before it closes the file. For the IBM PC this is a CTRL-Z
character, ASCII code 26. As a reminder, "RCV" is displayed on
line 25 while Receive File is active. The receipt of a CTRL-Z
character will terminate Receive File and close the received
file. If you type CTRL-BREAK to terminate PC-VT, the received
file is closed as if a CTRL-Z character was received.
Receive File terminates if it runs out of disk space for the
downloaded file. The last block (up to 512 characters) received
is lost and no CTRL-Z - End of File indicator is written. The
file, however, is closed.
There are several messages generated by PC-VT while receiving a
file:
"Current default directory is >":
The current default directory is displayed. For
DOS 1.1 users, this is just the default drive.
"Drive d: xxxxxx bytes free":
The number of free bytes on the default drive is
displayed. This is displayed only if you are
using DOS 2.0 or later.
"Enter Name of the PC File to Receive
[d:][path][filename[.ext]][={x,c}] (Press ENTER
to cancel download and return to emulator):":
PC-VT is asking for the name of the PC file to
receive. Type the filename in the standard
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 45
Transmitting and Receiving Files PC-VT v8.1
PC-DOS format and press ENTER. Typing just ENTER
cancels the receiving routine. If your DOS
supports path names, they can be used here. If
you do not specify a drive or path, PC-VT will
access the default directory. The default
directory can be changed with the CTRL-F2
command. See the last section in this chapter
for details.
"Filename is not in correct format":
The filename entered in response to the filename
inquiry is not in the standard PC-DOS format.
You may re-enter the filename.
"Insert diskette with received file. Press ENTER to
continue....":
PC-VT found a different diskette in the disk
drive than the one it opened the download file
on. Replace the original diskette in the drive
and press the ENTER key.
"File already exists. Do you want to overwrite it? (y or n)":
The filename which you entered already exists.
If you respond with a lower or upper case "Y"
followed by the ENTER key, PC-VT will delete the
file and create a new one with the same name.
Any other response, preserves the file and
receive file is canceled.
"File is being overwritten":
PC-VT confirms that the old file has been deleted
and a new file is being created.
"Not enough directory space. Receive terminated":
PC-VT could not create the file because the
directory on the specified diskette was full ,the
file was marked read-only, or the path specified
is invalid.
"Disk full. Receive terminated":
PC-VT ran out of space on the disk. The file
already written is closed. A CTRL-Z is not
placed at the end of the file. The last block
(up to 512 characters) received is lost.
8.3.1 Example of a receive session
This is typical of what you would see and type to receive a
file from the host. Comments are quoted.
Page 46 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Transmitting and Receiving Files
$ "press the CTRL-F3 key"
Current default directory is
>a:
Drive a: 32234 bytes free
Enter Name of the PC File to Receive
[d:][path][filename[.ext]][={x,c}]
(Press ENTER to cancel download and return to emulator)
b:receive.txt
"RCV is displayed on line 25 and any characters sent
by the host are copied to the PC disk file."
type host.dat
"The host file named host.dat is received by PC-VT
and placed on the PC disk file named b:receive.txt."
$ "press the CTRL-F3 key"
"The file is closed and RCV is cleared from line 25."
8.3.2 A Useful VAX .COM Download file
This simplified Download facility will download a file from a
VAX system running VMS to a PC disk file. Create a file on the
VAX system named "pcdown.com" consisting of the following
commands:
$ on error then goto err2
$ on control_y then goto ctrl
$ if p1.eqs."" then -
inquire p1 "Enter Name of VAX File to Download "
$ if p1 .eqs. "" then goto ctrl
$ open for008 'p1'/error=err1
$ close for008
$ set term/nobroad
$ write sys$output "<ESC>[?21h"
$ copy 'p1' tt:
$ write sys$output "^Z"
$ exit:
$ set term/broad
$ exit
$ err1:
$ write sys$output "VAX File Not Found."
$ ctrl:
$ write sys$output "Download Canceled."
$ goto exit
$ err2:
$ write sys$output "A VAX error has occurred, Please try again."
$ goto ctrl
The symbol <ESC> is the ESCAPE character 27. The symbol ^Z is
the CTRL-Z character 26.
Once you have started PC-VT on the PC and you have logged onto
a VAX, download files from the VAX to the PC by:
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 47
Transmitting and Receiving Files PC-VT v8.1
1. type this in response to the "$" VMS prompt:
@pcdown <filename>
2. If you did not enter the filename on the command line, the
facility will ask you for the name of the VAX file which
you wish to download (include directory information if
needed)
for example : [upload
xmit.com ] If you just press ENTER, the download is
canceled.
3. the facility will ask you for the name of the PC file which
you wish to create with the downloaded data (include disk
drive letter if needed)
for example : a:pcfile.dat
If you just press ENTER, the download is canceled. If the
name which you give for the PC file already exists, PC-VT
ask if you want to overwrite the file. If you answer "y",
all the new data will replace the old data on the PC file.
If you answer "n" or just press ENTER, the download is
canceled.
4. the rest is automatic. The data will display on the PC's
CRT while it is being downloaded. The download is complete
when the "$" VMS prompt appears.
5. To abort the download before it is complete, type:
CTRL-F3
The PC file will contain whatever data was downloaded to
the point where you aborted the download. You may see some
extra output on the CRT screen, this is just the
communications buffer emptying.
8.4 Receiving Binary Files (Downloading)
PC-VT supports the XMODEM protocol for binary or ASCII file
transfer. Support is included for both checksum error checking
compatible with PC-TALKIII and for Cyclic Redundancy Code(CRC)
error checking. This transfer method requires that the host
computer be capable of handling this protocol.
Page 48 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Transmitting and Receiving Files
To run XMODEM, start up the host XMODEM program and then follow
the instructions for receiving ASCII files but include "=x" after
the filename for checksum mode or "=c" for CRC mode. The XMODEM
module is automatically started and the transfer proceeds without
further intervention. Since PC-VT is the receiver, you have the
option of selecting the error checking mode. Checksum mode will
detect all burst errors of less than 8 bits in length and 99.6%
of all burst errors longer than 8 bits. CRC mode will detect all
single and double bit errors, all errors with an odd number of
bits, all burst errors of length 16 or less and 99.997% of all 17
bit and longer bursts. The CRC supported is the CCITT
recommended x^16 + x^12 + x^5 + 1.
PC-VT will automatically change the communications to 8 data
bits, no parity, 1 stop bit (8-N-1) if you are not already set at
that protocol. PC-VT will then restore the protocol to your
default value when the XMODEM transfer is complete.
To cancel the transfer while it is progress, type CTRL-X. This
may require a few seconds to take effect because PC-VT must
gracefully terminate the protocol. PC-VT does not delete the
partial file already created on disk but closes it and leaves it
for you to examine and delete.
Refer to already published texts for details on the XMODEM
protocol.
8.5 Changing the Default Directory
For users of PC-DOS version 2.0 or later, PC-VT supports path
names. PC-VT will access the default drive and path unless you
explicitly enter them. You can change the default values by
typing CTRL-F2 from the communications display. PC-VT will
display the current default, ask for the new default, and then
display the complete new default path. The input to this command
follows the syntax for the CHDIR command to DOS. The amount of
free space on the default drive is also displayed.
Here is what you would see and type:
Current default directory is
>c:\level1
Drive c: 34543 bytes free
Enter new default directory
[[d:][\][dirname][\dirname[...]]]
>level2 ;here you type the change
Default directory is now
>c:\level1\level2
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 49
Transmitting and Receiving Files PC-VT v8.1
Drive c: 34543 bytes free
When you type in the new directory, you can enter the change
just as you would enter a change to the CHDIR command:
- a drive letter followed by a ":" will change the drive only
(since DOS remembers the path associated with each disk
drive, the default directory will be set to whatever path
had been active on the specified drive) - b:
- a path name starting at the root - a:\mydir\nextdir
- the root - a:\
- a directory name starting at the current directory - nextdir
If the path is illegal or not found, an error message is
displayed.
Page 50 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 DIALING Display
Chapter 9
DIALING Display
The DIALING display is accessed by typing CTRL-F9 from the
communications display. If you have a Color/Graphics card, the
content of the communications display is preserved and is
restored when you exit DIALING. If you have a Monochrome card,
the communications display is cleared when you exit DIALING.
9.1 Instructions for DIALING
The DIALING display is used to handle Hayes or Hayes compatible
modems. The display can hold 10 names and phone numbers. Each
entry is broken into two fields. A name can be typed in columns
1 to 20. This is for your information only. PC-VT does not use
this information but it is stored on the disk file. The dialing
commands and phone number can be stored in columns 21 to 70. The
"!" above column 21 is to remind you that, when dialing, PC-VT
sends the data in columns 21 thru 70 to the modem as the dialing
command.
When PC-VT starts up, it looks for a Dialing Directory on the
default drive or the drive and directory pointed to by the
environment string 'PC-VT='. If it does not find one, PC-VT
creates a blank directory. The name field is filled with
dashes. The command field contains "ATDT" in the first four
columns and is then filled with spaces.
The first thing that you need to do is enter the name of the
number's owner. You can use the cursor keys, the Enter key, the
Tab key, the Home key and the End key to position the cursor to
any line. The "Ins" key will insert a space at the cursor
position and the "Del" key will delete a character at the cursor
position. Move the cursor to column 1 and type in the name. It
should not go past column 20. Then to enter the phone number,
move the cursor to column 24 using the TAB key and type in the
number. The new directory can be saved by pressing the F4 key.
The number can be dialed by pressing the F1 key.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 51
DIALING Display PC-VT v8.1
Press any key while the dialer is running will cause PC-VT to
stop dialing and return to the communications display. Pressing
CTRL-BREAK will cancel PC-VT.
Here is how each of cursor control keys function in this
display:
- Left arrow - moves the cursor one column to the left. If
the cursor is already in column 1, the speaker beeps and no
action is taken. Use this key for a backspace then enter a
space to clear any character that may have been mistyped.
- Right arrow - moves the cursor one column to the right. If
the cursor is already in column 70, the speaker beeps and no
action is taken.
- Up arrow - moves the cursor up one row. If the cursor is
already in the top row of the directory, the speaker beeps
and no action is taken.
- Down arrow - moves the cursor down one row. If the cursor
is already in the bottom row of the directory, the speaker
beeps and no action is taken.
- Home - moves the cursor to column 1 of the top row of the
directory.
- End - moves the cursor to column 1 of the bottom row of the
directory.
- Enter - moves the cursor to column 1 of the next row of the
directory. If the cursor is already in the bottom row of
the directory, the cursor is moved to column 1 of that row
and the speaker beeps.
- Tab - moves the cursor to column 24 of the current row.
- Ins - inserts a space at the cursor position. This key
operates within either the name field (columns 1 thru 20) or
the number field (columns 21 thru 70). All characters from
the cursor to right of the field are moved one column to the
right. Anything in the rightmost column of the field is
lost. If you Ins within the name field, the number field is
not affected.
- Del - deletes a character at the cursor position. This key
operates within either the name field (columns 1 thru 20) or
the number field (columns 21 thru 70). All characters from
the right of the cursor to the rightmost column of the field
are moved one column to the left. A space is inserted into
the rightmost column of the field. If you Del within the
name field, the number field is not affected.
Page 52 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 DIALING Display
In addition, as a simple Macro style logon facility, PC-VT does
a little more work. If you enter the tilde key (the ~), PC-VT
will translate that into a carriage return (ASCII 13) when sent
to the Modem. This permits you to send multiple lines to the
Modem. Also, PC-VT will interpret the CTRL-W key as a wait of 5
seconds and the CTRL-B as a wait of 1 second. The CTRL-W will
appear in the directory as an underlined up-down arrow and the
CTRL-B will appear as a Happy Face. A CTRL-X will stop the
dialing at that point in the line. PC-VT will then, as usual,
send its final carriage return to the Modem. The CTRL-X will
appear in the directory as an up-arrow. Only your imagination
will limit you as to how you can use this. You can have PC-VT
dial your host, wait 10 seconds, enter your userid, wait 10
seconds, and then enter your password.
Special notes on the directory: You have complete control over
the entire directory from columns 1 to 70. You can type over the
"ATDT" command and you can type any special modem commands like
"," or ";". You can enter any key (including the Backspace key)
except the control keys listed above into the line. You can
change the "ATDT" to any other modem command. For example, you
can change the last line to "ATM2;" and when you move the cursor
to that line and press F1, the Modem will be commanded to turn on
the speaker at all times. Just remember that PC-VT will send any
character in columns 21 to 70 to the Modem when you press the F1
key. PC-VT always sends a carriage return right after it sends
the character in column 70. For users of the PCjr, you can enter
the CTRL-N command required by the junior's internal modem.
In the examples below, the CTRL-W is shown as a ? and the
CTRL-X is shown as a ^ since most line printers printing this
document can't print control characters.
Here are some possible entries:
!
Mark C DiVecchio----ATDT,,555-1212
The computer--------ATDT 1 - 506 - 555 - 1234,,,,,222* 432#
Speaker on----------ATM2;
Full Logon----------ATDT,555-1212~?????~?userid~password^
In that last example, the Modem is summoned, it is to wait 2
seconds for the dial tone (a Hayes modem command), it dials the
number, waits 25 seconds for the connection, sends a single
carriage return which wakes up the host, waits 5 seconds, enters
the userid and then enters the password. Note the final CTRL-X.
This is needed to tell PC-VT not to send the spaces between the
password and column 70 to the host since they may be seen as part
of the password.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 53
DIALING Display PC-VT v8.1
One other thing is done by this facility in order to get around
the buffer size within the modem. Spaces and dashes in the phone
number are not sent to the Modem. With several Modems, the
buffers could overflow if all 50 characters in the phone number
field were sent. PC-VT resumes sending spaces after it
encounters the first tilde. This means that spaces can be
included as part of the logon sequence.
Here are the functions available in DIALING :
Exit DIALING : The ESC key returns PC-VT to the communications
display.
Dial : The "F1" key dials the number in the line pointed
to by the cursor. PC-VT then returns to the
communications display.
Read Directory :
The "F3" key clears the displayed dialing
directory and reloads it from the disk file,
DIALER.DAT, on the default drive. PC-VT remains
in the DIALING display.
Store Directory :
The "F4" key stores the displayed dialing
directory into a disk file on the PC-DOS default
drive. The name of the file is DIALER.DAT. A
message will appear at the bottom of the display
to indicate that the new directory is written to
disk.
Hang up : The "F5" key sends the commands to the MODEM to
hang up the phone. This procedure takes about
2-3 seconds due to the MODEM protocol. A message
will appear at the bottom of the display to
indicate that the line is hung up. PC-VT uses
the Hayes commands "+++" and "ATH0" to do this
function.
9.2 The DIALER.DAT File
PC-VT maintains a Dialing Directory file on disk. This file is
used to record user inputted phone numbers or other Modem
commands. The file is read each time that you start up PC-VT so
your dialing directory is restored each time.
Page 54 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 DIALING Display
9.3 Creation
The file is automatically created as an empty directory if the
file does not exist on the default drive. The diskette supplied
with the package has a default copy of the file.
9.4 Location
The file name is DIALER.DAT. The file is created in the
directory pointed to by the 'PC-VT=' string in the environment.
If there is no such string in the environment or you are using
DOS 1.0 or 1.1, the file is created on the PC-DOS default drive.
The chapter on starting PC-VT describes how to use this string.
9.5 Updating
The file is rewritten upon request while in the DIALING
display.
9.6 Error Messages
There are several messages generated by PC-VT while
manipulating this file.
"New Dialing Directory Created":
PC-VT could not find DIALER.DAT on the default
disk drive so it created a blank file. PC-VT
continues.
"Disk Directory Full":
PC-VT could not find space in the directory of
the default disk drive when it tried to create
the DIALER.DAT file. PC-VT terminates.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 55
DIALING Display PC-VT v8.1
"Disk Full While Writing Dialing Dir":
PC-VT ran out of space on the default disk drive
while creating the DIALER.DAT file. PC-VT
terminates.
"Disk Swap Error - See User Manual":
PC-VT found a different diskette in the default
drive from the time that the disk directory entry
was created and the file DIALER.DAT was written.
Since the time between these two events is very
small, this error message indicates a severe
hardware or system failure. PC-VT terminates.
This error should never happen if PC-VT is run
from a fixed disk.
"Error While Opening Dialing Directory":
PC-VT failed to successfully open the DIALER.DAT
file on the default disk. This usually means
that the disk directory has been damaged. PC-VT
terminates.
"Dialing Directory Access Error":
An error occured while reading the DIALER.DAT
file from the default disk. Usually means that
the file has been accidentally overwritten.
PC-VT terminates.
"Can't find DIALER.DAT. F1 to cancel, space to try again.":
This usually means that the default diskette
drive is empty or the door is open. Correct the
situation and hit the space key to continue.
PC-VT continues.
Page 56 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 PC-VT Status Line
Chapter 10
PC-VT Status Line
PC-VT uses line 25 of the monitor as a status line when in the
communications display. The VT10x only requires 24 lines for
proper operation. The meaning of each of the fields displayed is
summarized in this chapter.
ON LINE PC-VT is actively monitoring the COMx port. It
is on line to a host only if you have established
the connection.
LOCAL PC-VT is performing some local function and data
received on the COMx port will not be displayed.
The data will not be lost but will be buffered
and then displayed when PC-VT returns to ON LINE
mode. Note that on the PCjr this may not be
true. If the PCjr is doing a diskette operation,
all other interrupts are masked off. If data is
received on the COMx line, it will be lost.
Vx.x The version number of PC-VT. Please include this
number if you write to the author.
KBD LOCKED The host computer has locked the keyboard. The
host is also responsible for unlocking the
keyboard.
CAP The Caps Lock key has been depressed on the
keyboard.
NUM The Num Lock key has been depressed on the
keyboard.
SCR The Scroll Lock key has been depressed on the
keyboard. This key functions as the NO SCROLL
key on the VT10x.
"alpha" The Greek letter "alpha" is displayed to indicate
that PC-VT is in applications keypad mode. This
permits the PC's function and keypad keys to
transmit special codes. See chapter 5. The host
controls entrance and exit to this mode.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 57
PC-VT Status Line PC-VT v8.1
X The letter 'X' indicates that the host's buffer
has filled up and that the host will not accept
any more characters from the PC. This will clear
automatically when the host's buffer has
emptied. See the definition of the alt-x key for
more details.
P The letter 'P' indicates that printer echo is
turned on and all characters displayed on the CRT
are printed on the line printer. Characters
displayed on line 25 (the status line) are never
printed. Printer echo can be turned on by the
host via an Escape sequence or by pressing
CTRL-F6 on the PC's keyboard.
HH:MM:SS The time of day is displayed. This can be turned
off by resetting the CLOCK bit in the SETUP B
display.
DSR This indicates that the modem has raised its Data
Set Ready line. This indicator as well as the
next two modem status indicators can be turned
off by resetting the CLOCK bit in the SETUP B
display. Most smart modems keep this line high
at all times to indicate that the modem is ready
to receive commands. Note that PC-VT does not
really care. It displays this only for
information.
CTS This indicates that the modem has raised its
Clear To Send line. Some modems maintain this
line high at all times. There is usually a
switch on the modem which will cause this line to
function normally. Note that PC-VT does not
really care. It displays this only for
information.
CD This indicates that the modem has raised its
Carrier Detect line. Some modems maintain this
line high at all times. There is usually a
switch on the modem which will cause this line to
function normally. Note that PC-VT does not
really care. It displays this only for
information.
L1L2L3L4 These represent the LED's on the VT10x. All four
are used on the VT100, only L1 is used on the
VT102, and none are used on the VT52.
Page 58 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Macro Display
Chapter 11
Macro Display
The Macro display is accessed by typing ALT-K from the
communications display. The Macro display is used to update the
currently defined Macro keys. The content of the communications
display is preserved and is restored when you exit Macro.
Actually sending a Macro is done by typing ALT-F1 thru ALT-F10
directly from the communications display. Only these 10 keys are
supported by the Macro processor.
11.1 Instructions for Macro
The Macro display is used to create, update and save Macro key
definitions. The display can hold 10 Macro keys. The 10
definable keys are listed on the left of the screen. The Macro
commands are stored in columns 21 to 70. The "!" above column 21
is to remind you that, when expanding a macro, PC-VT sends the
data in columns 21 thru 70 to the modem as the Macro command.
When PC-VT starts up, it looks for a Macro Directory on the
default drive or the drive and directory pointed to by the
environment string 'PC-VT='. If it does not find one, PC-VT
creates a blank directory.
You can use the cursor keys, the Enter key, the Home key and
the End key to position the cursor to any line. The "Ins" key
will insert a space at the cursor position and the "Del" key will
delete a character at the cursor position. Move the cursor to
the first column of the key which you want to define. Then enter
the definition. The new directory can be saved by pressing the
F4 key. The macro can be sent by pressing the F1 key. Once you
are back in the communications display, you can send the macro
just by pressing the ALT-Fx key. There is no need to press
ALT-K.
Press any key while the Macro is being transmitted will cause
PC-VT to stop the expansion and return to the communications
display. Pressing CTRL-BREAK will cancel PC-VT.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 59
Macro Display PC-VT v8.1
Here is how each of cursor control keys function in this
display:
- Left arrow - moves the cursor one column to the left. If
the cursor is already in column 21, the speaker beeps and no
action is taken. Use this key as a backspace then type a
space to clear the character.
- Right arrow - moves the cursor one column to the right. If
the cursor is already in column 70, the speaker beeps and no
action is taken.
- Up arrow - moves the cursor up one row. If the cursor is
already in the top row of the directory, the speaker beeps
and no action is taken.
- Down arrow - moves the cursor down one row. If the cursor
is already in the bottom row of the directory, the speaker
beeps and no action is taken.
- Home - moves the cursor to column 21 of the top row of the
directory.
- End - moves the cursor to column 21 of the bottom row of the
directory.
- Enter - moves the cursor to column 21 of the next row of the
directory. If the cursor is already in the bottom row of
the directory, the cursor is moved to column 21 of that row
and the speaker beeps. If you want to use the 'Enter' as
part of the Macro definition, use the tilde key '~'. PC-VT
will replace the tilde with a carriage return when the macro
is expanded.
- Ins - inserts a space at the cursor position. All
characters from the cursor to right of the field are moved
one column to the right. Anything in the rightmost column
of the field is lost.
- Del - deletes a character at the cursor position. All
characters from the right of the cursor to the rightmost
column of the field are moved one column to the left. A
space is inserted into the rightmost column of the field.
Special notes on the directory: You have complete control over
the entire directory from columns 21 to 70. Just remember that
PC-VT will send any character in columns 21 to 70 to the Host
when you invoke the macro. PC-VT does not send a carriage return
after it sends the character in column 70. If you want a return,
enter the tilde character. If you don't put in a tilde, PC-VT
sends whatever characters you have defined and then just goes
back into keyboard input mode. You can type in additional
Page 60 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Macro Display
characters or manually press the enter key.
In addition, PC-VT does a little more work. As mentioned
above, if you enter the tilde key (the ~), PC-VT will translate
that into a carriage return (ASCII 13) when sent to the Host.
This permits you to send multiple lines. Also, PC-VT will
interpret the CTRL-W key as a wait of 5 seconds and the CTRL-B as
a wait of 1 second. The CTRL-W will appear in the directory as
an underlined up-down arrow and the CTRL-B will appear as a Happy
Face. A CTRL-X will stop the Macro expansion at that point in
the line. PC-VT will then return to keyboard input mode. The
CTRL-X will appear in the directory as an up-arrow. Only your
imagination will limit you as to how you can use this. You can
have PC-VT enter a command, wait 10 seconds, enter an option,
wait 6 seconds, end a job and log you off the host. All other
control characters can be entered into the macro definition
including backspace and CTRL-C. They will be sent to the host
when the macro is expanded.
In the examples below, the CTRL-W is shown as a ? and the
CTRL-X is shown as a ^ since most line printers printing this
document can't print control characters.
Here are some possible entries:
!
Alt F1--------------run myjob~^
Alt F2--------------mail~?1~???~~~~ex~^
Alt F3--------------ATDT5551212~^
It is always wise to put a CTRL-X a the end of every macro so
that PC-VT knows exactly where to stop sending. PC-VT will send
the spaces out to column 70 if you leave off the CTRL-X. In most
cases this probably won't matter but when trailing spaces are
significant(like in a password), you will need the CTRL-X.
You can also use the Macro key definition to dial thru a smart
modem. Simply put the dialing command in as a Macro. Then press
the appropriate Alt key from the communications display.
Here are the functions available in Macro :
Exit Macro : The ESC key returns PC-VT to the communications
display.
Dial : The "F1" key sends the macro in the line pointed
to by the cursor. PC-VT then returns to the
communications display. To send the macro
directly from the communications display, you
just need to press ALT-Fx right from the
communications display. There is no need to
press ALT-K first.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 61
Macro Display PC-VT v8.1
Read Directory :
The "F3" key clears the displayed Macro directory
and reloads it from the disk file, MACRO.DAT, on
the default drive. PC-VT remains in the Macro
display.
Store Directory :
The "F4" key stores the displayed Macro directory
into a disk file on the PC-DOS default drive or
the drive and directory specified in the 'PC-VT='
string in the environment. The name of the file
is MACRO.DAT. A message will appear at the
bottom of the display to indicate that the new
directory is written to disk.
11.2 The MACRO.DAT File
PC-VT maintains a Macro Directory file on disk. This file is
used to record user inputed macro key definitions. The file is
read each time that you start up PC-VT so your Macro directory is
restored each time.
11.3 Creation
The file is automatically created as an empty directory if the
file does not exist on the default drive. The diskette supplied
with the package has a default copy of the file.
11.4 Location
The file name is MACRO.DAT. The file is created in the
directory pointed to by the 'PC-VT=' string in the environment.
If there is no such string in the environment or you are using
DOS 1.0 or 1.1, the file is created on the PC-DOS default drive.
The chapter on starting PC-VT describes how to use this string.
Page 62 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Macro Display
11.5 Updating
The file is rewritten upon request while in the Macro display.
11.6 Error Messages
There are several messages generated by PC-VT while
manipulating this file.
"New Macro Directory Created":
PC-VT could not find MACRO.DAT on the default
disk drive so it created an empty directory.
PC-VT continues.
"Disk Directory Full":
PC-VT could not find space in the directory of
the default disk drive when it tried to create
the MACRO.DAT file. PC-VT terminates.
"Disk Full While Writing Macro Dir":
PC-VT ran out of space on the default disk drive
while creating the MACRO.DAT file. PC-VT
terminates.
"Disk Swap Error - See User Manual":
PC-VT found a different diskette in the default
drive from the time that the disk directory entry
was created and the file MACRO.DAT was written.
Since the time between these two events is very
small, this error message indicates a severe
hardware or system failure. PC-VT terminates.
This error should never happen if PC-VT is run
from a fixed disk.
"Error While Opening Macro Directory":
PC-VT failed to successfully open the MACRO.DAT
file on the default disk. This usually means
that the disk directory has been damaged. PC-VT
terminates.
"Macro Directory Access Error":
An error occurred while reading the MACRO.DAT
file from the default disk. Usually means that
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 63
Macro Display PC-VT v8.1
the file has been accidentally overwritten.
PC-VT terminates.
"Can't find MACRO.DAT. F1 to cancel, space to try again.":
This usually means that the default diskette
drive is empty or the door is open. Correct the
situation and hit the space key to continue.
PC-VT continues.
Page 64 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 List of Control Characters
Appendix A
List of Control Characters
These appendices describe the internal operation of PC-VT.
They show the various control characters and Escape sequences
which PC-VT interprets as commands. The character "ESC" is an
ASCII control character with the decimal value of 27. These
appendices can be skipped if your only use of PC-VT is simply as
a VT100/102 Video Terminal.
ASCII codes from 0 to 31 and 127 are control characters. PC-VT
responds to these characters as listed in the following table.
Hex
Name Code Function
Null 0 This character is ignored. It can be used
4
as a fill character.
End of Text 3 Not supported. PC-VT ignores this
character.
End of 4 This character can be selected as a
Transmission disconnect character by the SETUP B
display. If selected, its receipt will
cause PC-VT to disconnect from the
communications line by sending a Break.
Enquire 5 Causes PC-VT to transmit its answerback
message. The answerback back message is
set in the SETUP B display.
Bell 7 Causes PC-VT to Beep the IBM PC speaker.
Backspace 8 Causes PC-VT to move the cursor back one
column and delete the character there.
If the cursor is already in column 1,
----------
4. A fill character is sometimes used to take up space in a
messages for timing reasons.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 65
List of Control Characters PC-VT v8.1
this character is ignored.
Horizontal Tab 9 Causes PC-VT to move the cursor to the
next tab stop. If there are no tab stops
between the current cursor position and
column 80, the cursor is moved to column
80. The tabs stops can be set in
the SETUP A display.
Line Feed 10 This causes the cursor to move down one
line in the current column. If the
cursor moves below the screen output
area, the lines above the cursor move up
one line, and a blank line is added to
the bottom of the screen. The operation
of this key is modified by the Line Feed/
New Line feature selected in SETUP B.
Vertical Tab 11 Handled as a line feed.
Form Feed 12 Handled as a line feed.
Carriage Return 13 The cursor is moved back to the left
margin. Cursor remains in the current
line.
Shift Out 14 Causes PC-VT to change its character set
to the G0 character set. The G0 character
set is selected by the Select Character
Set Escape sequence.
Shift In 15 Causes PC-VT to change its character set
to the G1 character set. The G1 character
set is selected by the Select Character
Set Escape sequence.
XON (Device 17 Causes PC-VT to continue or restart
Control 1) sending characters.
XOFF (Device 19 Causes PC-VT to stop transmitting
Control 3) characters. It does not stop PC-VT
from sending XON or XOFF.
Cancel 24 Causes PC-VT to interrupt and cancel any
in process Escape control sequence.
Substitute 26 Handled as Cancel. Also used as an End
of File indicator during ASCII file
transfers.
Escape 27 Indicates the start of a special Escape
control sequence.
Page 66 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 List of Control Characters
Delete 127 This character is ignored when received.
All other control characters are ignored.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 67
Received Escape Sequences PC-VT v8.1
Appendix B
Received Escape Sequences
PC-VT constantly monitors the communications line for these
incoming Escape sequences. When they are received, PC-VT
performs the function as shown. The Escape character and the
characters which follow it and are part of the sequence are not
displayed. When receiving (downloading) a file, PC-VT does copy
these characters to the PC disk file being created. The Escape
character is shown below as "ESC" and is the ASCII character with
the value of 27.
Keypad Character Selection
ESC = Select Alternate Keypad Mode - Set the keyboard
to transmit the Alternate Keypad set of character
codes.
ESC > Select Numeric Keypad Mode - Set the keyboard to
transmit the Numeric Keypad set of character
codes.
Select Character Sets
ESC ( A Select U.K. Character Set as G0 - The standard
IBM PC character set is selected for ASCII codes
0 to 34 and 36 to 127. ASCII code 35 is replaced
by the extended character 156, the UK Pound
sign.
ESC ( B Select U.S. Character Set as G0 - The standard
IBM PC character set is selected for ASCII codes
0 to 127.
ESC ( 0 Select Special Characters and Line Drawing Set as
G0 - A special character and line drawing set is
selected. The set is identical to the IBM PC
character set for ASCII codes 0 to 95. ASCII
codes 96 to 127 are shown below.
ESC ) A Select U.K. Character Set as G1- The standard IBM
PC character set is selected for ASCII codes 0 to
34 and 36 to 127. ASCII code 35 is replaced by
Page 68 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Received Escape Sequences
the extended character 156, the UK Pound sign.
ESC ) B Select U.S. Character Set as G1 - The standard
IBM PC character set is selected for ASCII codes
0 to 127.
ESC ) 0 Select Special Characters and Line Drawing Set as
G1 - A special character and line drawing set is
selected. The set is identical to the IBM PC
character set for ASCII codes 0 to 95. ASCII
codes 96 to 127 are shown below.
Special Character and Line Drawing Set
ASCII Code Character IBM PC ASCII Code
0 - 95 Same as the standard IBM PC character set.
96 Diamond 4
97 Large Block 219
98 Horizontal Tab (right arrow) 26
99 Form Feed (up triangle) 30
100 Carriage Return (left arrow) 27
101 Line Feed (up arrow) 24
102 Degree Symbol 248
103 Plus/Minus Sign 241
104 New Line (down arrow) 25
105 Vertical Tab (up/down arrow) 23
106 Upper Right Corner 217
107 Lower Right Corner 191
108 Lower Left Corner 218
109 Upper Left Corner 192
110 Crossing Lines 197
111 Horizontal Line 196
112 Horizontal Line 196
113 Horizontal Line 196
114 Horizontal Line 196
115 Horizontal Line 196
116 Left T 195
117 Right T 180
118 Top T 193
119 Bottom T 194
120 Vertical Line 179
121 Less Than or Equal To 243
122 Greater Than or Equal 242
123 Pi Symbol 20
124 Not Equal Sign (squiggle) 247
125 UK Pound Sign 156
126 Centered Dot 250
127 blank 32
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 69
Received Escape Sequences PC-VT v8.1
Display Attributes
ESC [ m Select Graphic Rendition - Reset Display
Attribute to Default per SETUP B display.
ESC [ 0 m Same as "ESC [ m".
ESC [ 1 m Select Graphic Rendition - Select Display
Attribute to Bold.
ESC [ 4 m Select Graphic Rendition - Select Display
Attribute to Underline (IBM Monochrome Display
only - ignored for Color/Graphics Board).
ESC [ 5 m Select Graphic Rendition - Select Display
Attribute to Blink.
ESC [ 7 m Select Graphic Rendition - Select Display
Attribute to Reverse Video.
Normal video and reverse video cannot be used at
the same time. The other three modes act on
normal video and reverse video and are additive.
That is, The sequence "ESC [ 7 m ESC [ 5 m ESC [
1 m " will produce blinking, high intensity
reverse video. Then , "ESC [ m" will reset the
display to the default, usually white on black.
PC-VT supports multiple parameters for the Select
Graphic Rendition sequence. For example, the
three sequences in the previous paragraph can be
coded as "ESC [ 7 ; 5 ; 1 m".
Scrolling Margin
ESC [ Pt ; Pb r
Set top and bottom scrolling margins - The
scrolling region is set include display lines
starting at Pt and ending at Pb inclusive. Pt
and Pb must be between 1 and 24. Pb must be
greater than or equal to Pt. If Pt is omitted, it
defaults to 1. If Pb is omitted, it defaults to
24.
Cursor Movement Commands
ESC [ Pn A Cursor Up - Move cursor up Pn lines. If omitted,
Pn is assumed to be 1. If the cursor is already
at the top of the screen, this sequence is
ignored. If Pn is greater than the number of
lines to the top of the screen, the cursor is
moved to the top of the screen.
Page 70 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Received Escape Sequences
ESC [ Pn B Cursor Down - Move cursor down Pn lines. If
omitted, Pn is assumed to be 1. If the cursor is
already at the bottom of the screen, this
sequence is ignored. If Pn is greater than the
number of lines to the bottom of the screen, the
cursor is moved to the bottom of the screen.
ESC [ Pn C Cursor Right - Move cursor right Pn columns. If
omitted, Pn is assumed to be 1. If the cursor is
already at the right margin of the screen, this
sequence is ignored. If Pn is greater than the
number of columns to the right margin of the
screen, the cursor is moved to the right margin
of the screen.
ESC [ Pn D Cursor Left - Move cursor left Pn columns. If
omitted, Pn is assumed to be 1. If the cursor is
already at the left margin of the screen, this
sequence is ignored. If Pn is greater than the
number of columns to the left margin of the
screen, the cursor is moved to the left margin of
the screen.
ESC [ Pl ; Pc H
Cursor Position - Move the cursor to absolute
line given by Pl and absolute column given by Pc.
Pl must be between 1 and 24. Pc must be between 1
and 80. If omitted, Pl and Pc are assumed to be
1.
ESC [ Pl ; Pc f
Same as "ESC [ Pl ; Pc H".
ESC [ H Cursor Position (Home) - Move the cursor to the
top left of the screen. Same as the sequence
"ESC [ 1 ; 1 H" or "ESC [ 1 ; 1 f".
ESC [ f Same as "ESC [ H".
ESC [ D Index - The cursor is moved down one line. The
cursor remains in the same column. A scroll up
is performed if the cursor moves below line 24.
ESC [ M Reverse Index - The cursor is moved up one line.
The cursor remains in the same column. A scroll
down is performed if the cursor moves above line
1.
ESC [ E Next Line - The cursor is moved to the first
column of the next line. A scroll up is
performed if the cursor moves below line 24.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 71
Received Escape Sequences PC-VT v8.1
ESC [ 7 Save cursor - The current cursor position
(line,column), display character attribute,
selected character set, and origin mode are
saved.
ESC [ 8 Restore Cursor - The cursor position and other
saved attributes are restored to the values
recorded by the last "ESC [ 7" sequence. If the
save cursor Escape sequence was not received
since PC-VT was started, no values are restored
and the cursor is moved to the top left margin.
Tab Stops
ESC H Horizontal Tab Set - A tab stop is set the column
position occupied by the cursor.
ESC [ g Tabulation Clear - The tab, if any, at the column
position occupied by the cursor is cleared.
ESC [ 0 g Same as "ESC [ g".
ESC [ 3 g Tabulation Clear - All tabs are cleared.
Editing Functions
ESC [ Pn @ Insert Character - Inserts Pn characters starting
at the cursor position. Character(s) to the
right of the cursor column move right. Pn, if
omitted, is assumed to be 1. Character(s) moved
off of the right of the display are lost.
ESC [ Pn P Delete Character - Deletes Pn characters starting
at the cursor position. Characters to the right
of the deleted character(s) move left. Pn, if
omitted, is assumed to be 1. Spaces are inserted
at the right as needed.
ESC [ Pn L Insert Line - Inserts Pn lines before the line
containing cursor. The current line and all
lines below it move down the display. Lines
which move below the bottom scrolling margin are
lost. Pn, if omitted, is assumed to be 1.
ESC [ Pn M Delete Line - Deletes Pn lines starting at the
line containing the cursor and below. Lines
below the deleted lines move up. New blank lines
are created to fill the bottom of the scrolling
area. If omitted, Pn is assumed to be 1.
Erasing
Page 72 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Received Escape Sequences
ESC [ K Erase In Line - The line occupied by the cursor
is erased from the cursor to the end of the
line.
ESC [ 0 K Same as "ESC [ K".
ESC [ 1 K Erase In Line - The line occupied by the cursor
is erased from the beginning of the line to the
cursor.
ESC [ 2 K Erase In Line - The entire line containing the
cursor is erased.
ESC [ J Erase In Display - The screen from the current
cursor position to the bottom left of the display
is erased.
ESC [ 0 J Same as "ESC [ J".
ESC [ 1 J Erase In Display - The screen from the top right
of the display to the current cursor position is
erased.
ESC [ 2 J Erase In Display - The entire screen is erased.
Print Commands
These commands are ignored if there is no printer
attached to the PC or if the printer is not
ready. LPT1 or LPT2 is selected on the SETUP B
display.
ESC [ ? 5 i Media Copy - Turn on Auto Print. All characters
locally or echoed by the host are printed on the
selected line printer, if present, as soon as a
carriage return is received. The character 'P'
is displayed in column 42 of the status line
(line 25 ) of the display to indicate that
printer echo is turned on.
ESC [ ? 4 i Media Copy - Turns off Auto Print.
ESC [ 5 i Media Copy - Turns on Print Controller. All
characters received from the host are displayed
on the selected line printer, if present, as soon
as a carriage return is received. Nothing is
displayed on the CRT.
ESC [ 4 i Media Copy - Turns off Print Controller. A
carriage return and line feed should be sent to
the selected line printer before transmitting
this sequence to be sure that the printer is
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 73
Received Escape Sequences PC-VT v8.1
ready for the next print sequence and that the
print carriage is at the left margin.
ESC [ i Media Copy - The screen as defined by the print
extent in the SETUP B display is copied to the
selected line printer, if present. A form feed
is sent to the selected line printer at the
conclusion of the printing if the Termination
Character feature is set in the SETUP B display.
ESC [ ? 1 i Media Copy - The line containing the cursor is
printed on the selected line printer, if
present.
Reports
ESC [ 5 n Device Status Report - The status of PC-VT and
hardware is reported with this response:
"ESC [ 0 n " PC-VT is OK.
ESC [ ? 15 n Device Status Report - The status of the selected
line printer is reported with these responses:
"ESC [ ? 13 n " No printer on system
"ESC [ ? 10 n " Printer ready
"ESC [ ? 11 n " Printer not ready.
ESC [ 6 n Device Status Report - The position of the cursor
is reported with this response:
"ESC [ Pl ; Pc R" The cursor is currently at line
Pl and column Pc.
ESC [ c Device Attribute Report - PC-VT reports that it
is a VT102 or VT100 Video Terminal compatible
device with the responses:
"ESC [ ? 6 c" I am a VT102
or
"ESC [ ? 1 ; 0 c" I am a VT100, basic, no
options.
The response depends upon the state of the
Terminal Type bit in the SETUP B display.
ESC [ 0 c Same as "ESC [ c".
ESC Z Same as "ESC [ c".
Reset
Page 74 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Received Escape Sequences
ESC c Reset to Initial State - PC-VT is reset to its
initial state by reading the USER MEMORY file on
the default drive. The program is then
restarted.
Keyboard LEDs
ESC [ q Load LED (LEDs off) - The emulated LEDs on the
status line 25 of the display is turned off.
ESC [ 0 q Same as "ESC [ q".
ESC [ 1 q Load LED (L1 on) - The emulated LED L1 on the
status line 25 of the display is turned on.
ESC [ 2 q Load LED (L2 on) - The emulated LED L2 on the
status line 25 of the display is turned on.
ESC [ 3 q Load LED (L3 on) - The emulated LED L3 on the
status line 25 of the display is turned on.
ESC [ 4 q Load LED (L4 on) - The emulated LED L4 on the
status line 25 of the display is turned on.
VT52 Compatible Mode
ESC < Enter ANSI mode.
ESC = Enter alternate keypad mode.
ESC > Exit alternate keypad mode to numeric keypad
mode.
ESC F Select special graphics character set.
ESC G Select US/UK character set.
ESC A Cursor up.
ESC B Cursor down.
ESC C Cursor right.
ESC D Cursor left.
ESC H Home cursor.
ESC Y Pl Pc Direct cursor address.
ESC I Reverse line feed.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 75
Received Escape Sequences PC-VT v8.1
ESC K Erase to end of line.
ESC J Erase to end of screen.
ESC ^ Enter auto print mode.
ESC _ Exit auto print mode.
ESC W Enter printer controller mode.
ESC X Exit printer controller mode.
ESC ] Print screen.
ESC V Print current line.
ESC Z Identify what you are. PC-VT responds with "ESC
/ Z".
PC-VT still responds to DEC private escape
sequences while in VT52 compatibility mode.
Set Mode
ESC [ 2 h Keyboard Action - The keyboard is locked.
Pressing any key causes PC-VT to beep. The
message "KBD LOCKED" is displayed on status line
25 of the CRT.
ESC [ 4 h Insert-replacement - Insert mode is selected.
Any characters received cause the characters
currently on the screen from the cursor position
to the right to be moved one position to the
right. The newly received character is then
inserted in the vacated space.
ESC [ 12 h Send-Receive Mode - Sets host echo. Characters
typed at the keyboard are not locally displayed
unless they are sent back by the host.
ESC [ 20 h Line Feed / New Line - Sets PC-VT to transmit
both a carriage return and line feed when the
ENTER key is pressed. Causes received line feed,
form feed and vertical tab characters to move the
cursor to the left column of the next line.
ESC [ ? 1 h Cursor Key - Set the Cursor keys to generate
Application Mode functions. Valid only in
Application Keypad mode.
ESC [ ? 5 h Screen - Sets the screen to reverse video mode.
The display attribute is set to black on white.
Page 76 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Received Escape Sequences
The entire display is flipped to black on white.
All characters received after this sequence are
displayed in black on white.
ESC [ ? 6 h Origin - Set the home position to the top left
margin of the scrolling region set by the "Set
top and bottom margins" sequence "ESC [ Pt ; Pb
r" .
ESC [ ? 7 h Autowrap - Sets autowrap on. When the cursor
gets to the right margin and another character is
received, a carriage return and line feed are
sent to the display.
ESC [ ? 8 h Autorepeat - Sets autorepeat on. This is the
normal operation of the IBM PC keyboard. If a
key is held down, it starts to repeatedly send
it's code to the running program. This is default
setting for PC-VT.
ESC [ ? 18 h Print Form Feed - PC-VT sends a Form Feed to the
selected line printer at the conclusion of a
print screen operation. This is the default
setting.
ESC [ ? 19 h Print Extent - The full screen is printed on the
selected line printer by the print screen
sequence. This is the default setting.
ESC [ ? 21 h Receive File - Performs the same function as the
CTRL-F3 key on the keyboard. PC-VT private.
ESC [ ? 22 h Transmit File - Performs the same function as the
CTRL-F4 key on the keyboard. PC-VT private.
Reset Mode
ESC [ 2 l Keyboard Action - The keyboard is unlocked.
Pressing any key causes the character to be sent
to the host. The "KBD LOCKED" message is cleared
from the status line.
ESC [ 4 l Insert-replacement - Replacement mode is
selected. Any characters received overwrite any
characters on the screen at the cursor location.
This is the default setting.
ESC [ 12 l Send-Receive Mode - Sets local echo. Characters
typed at the keyboard are locally displayed.
ESC [ 20 l Line Feed / New Line - Resets PC-VT to transmit
only a carriage return when the ENTER key is
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 77
Received Escape Sequences PC-VT v8.1
pressed. Causes received line feed, form feed
and vertical tab characters to move cursor to the
same column of the next line. This is the
default setting.
ESC [ ? 1 l Cursor Key - Reset the Cursor keys to generate
ANSI (Cursor Mode) control sequences. Valid only
in Application Keypad mode. This is the default
setting.
ESC [ ? 5 l Screen - Resets the screen to normal mode. The
display attribute is changed to white on black.
The entire display is flipped to white on black.
All characters received after this sequence are
displayed in white on black. This is the default
setting.
ESC [ ? 6 l Origin - Reset the home position to the top left
of the screen. This is the default setting.
ESC [ ? 7 l Autowrap - Sets autowrap off. When the cursor
gets to the right margin and another character is
received, the cursor remains at the right margin
and characters overlay one another until a
carriage return is received. This the default
setting.
ESC [ ? 8 l Autorepeat - Sets autorepeat off. PC-VT can only
simulate this function since repeat is handled in
the keyboard by the 8048. When PC-VT receives
this escape sequence, it clears the keyboard
buffer of any characters.
ESC [ ? 18 l Print Form Feed - PC-VT performs a print screen
operation without a terminating form feed.
ESC [ ? 19 l Print Extent - Only the scrolling region of the
screen is printed on the selected line printer by
the print screen sequence.
Page 78 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Escape Sequences Transmitted
Appendix C
Escape Sequences Transmitted
Control keys which do not have a defined ASCII code are
translated into Escape sequences for transmission to the host.
These keys are cursor keys and keypad keys. Both sets of these
keys can transmit different sequences. The codes sent by the
keypad keys are selected by the "Set Numeric Keypad" and "Set
Application keypad" commands. The codes for the cursor keys are
selected by the "Set Cursor" and "Reset Cursor" mode commands.
Note that setting numeric keypad mode, resets the cursor mode.
Set and reset cursor mode only function in application keypad
mode. This VT100/102 defined numeric keypad mode has nothing to
do with the PC NUM LOCK key. The NUM LOCK key functions locally
in the PC only per the IBM documentation.
VT100/102 Cursor Keys
Key Reset (Cursor) Mode Set (Application) mode
Up ESC [ A ESC O A
Down ESC [ B ESC O B
Right ESC [ C ESC O C
Left ESC [ D ESC O D
VT100/102 Emulated Keypad Keys
IBM PC Emulated ANSI Numeric ANSI Alternate
Key VT100/102 Key Keypad Mode Keypad Mode
F10 0 0 ESC O p
F7 1 1 ESC O q
F8 2 2 ESC O r
Shift F7 3 3 ESC O s
F5 4 4 ESC O t
F6 5 5 ESC O u
Shift F5 6 6 ESC O v
F3 7 7 ESC O w
F4 8 8 ESC O x
Shift F3 9 9 ESC O y
Shift F4 -(minus) -(minus) ESC O m
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 79
Escape Sequences Transmitted PC-VT v8.1
Shift F6 ,(comma) ,(comma) ESC O l
Shift F9 .(period) .(period) ESC O n
Shift F8 ENTER ENTER ESC O M
F1 PF1 ESC O P ESC O P
F2 PF2 ESC O Q ESC O Q
Shift F1 PF3 ESC O R ESC O R
Shift F2 PF4 ESC O S ESC O S
VT52 Cursor Keys
Key Reset (Cursor) Mode Set (Application) mode
Up ESC A ESC A
Down ESC B ESC B
Right ESC C ESC C
Left ESC D ESC D
VT52 Emulated Keypad Keys
IBM PC Emulated ANSI Numeric ANSI Alternate
Key VT100/102 Key Keypad Mode Keypad Mode
F10 0 0 ESC ? p
F7 1 1 ESC ? q
F8 2 2 ESC ? r
Shift F7 3 3 ESC ? s
F5 4 4 ESC ? t
F6 5 5 ESC ? u
Shift F5 6 6 ESC ? v
F3 7 7 ESC ? w
F4 8 8 ESC ? x
Shift F3 9 9 ESC ? y
Shift F4 -(minus) -(minus) ESC ? m
Shift F6 ,(comma) ,(comma) ESC ? l
Shift F9 .(period) .(period) ESC ? n
Shift F8 ENTER ENTER ESC ? M
F1 PF1 ESC P ESC ? P
F2 PF2 ESC Q ESC ? Q
Shift F1 PF3 ESC R ESC ? R
Shift F2 PF4 ESC S ESC ? S
Page 80 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Responses to Escape Sequences
Appendix D
Responses to Escape Sequences
PC-VT responds to several control characters and Escape
sequences. They are listed here. For a complete description,
see the Appendices.
Elicitor Response
Enquire Answerback message
Device Status Report PC-VT responds with emulator status
Cursor Status Report Current cursor position is reported
Device Attributes PC-VT identifies itself as either a VT100,
a VT102, or a VT52 depending on the bits
set/reset in the SETUP B display.
Identify Terminal PC-VT identifies itself as either a VT100,
a VT102, or a VT52 depending on the bits
set/reset in the SETUP B display.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 81
Special ALT Key Definitions PC-VT v8.1
Appendix E
Special ALT Key Definitions
PC-VT uses ALT-K to startup the Macro Key facility and ALT-F to
startup the PC-DOS Command Processor.
Additionally, several special ALT key commands are available to
the user of PC-VT. They were implemented to aid in the debug of
this program. Most of these will be useful only under very
special circumstances but some will be of general use. To use
these commands, hold down the ALT key and at the same time
depress the key listed. They work only in the communications
display, they do not work in the SETUP, DIALING, or MACRO
displays. The author of this program makes no claims or
guarantees about these keys and you use them at your own risk.
ALT Key plus Function
E Echo toggle. This key toggles the state of the
echo flag. If the host is not echoing back
characters, you can type alt-e and PC-VT will
echo the characters to the display.
F Fork. This key sequence starts up another copy of
Command.COM. This is done without terminating
PC-VT or breaking the host connection. Once the
new Command.COM is started, you can run any DOS
function or other PC program. You should be
careful that you don't run a program that uses
the same communications port as PC-VT is using.
The other program may leave the port in an
unexpected state. PC-VT may not then be able to
get control of the port again. Also be careful
that you don't alter any files which PC-VT may be
using. To exit from the new copy of Command.COM
and return to PC-VT, type "exit" at the command
prompt.
G Print current line. The line containing the
cursor is printed on the selected printer, if
present. Performs the same function as receipt
of a "ESC [ ? 1 i" sequence.
Page 82 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 Special ALT Key Definitions
H HELP. Start up the HELP displays. See the
description of the Alt-H key in chapter five.
K Macro Key Directory. Start up the Macro Key
Directory. See the entire chapter on Macro
Keys.
M Toggles "Ignore Nulls" mode. Null(ASCII 0) and
Delete(ASCII 127) characters are not normally put
into the communications buffer. This switch on
causes those characters to be put in the buffer
just as all other characters. These characters
are eventually ignored by PC-VT, the difference
is that they now take up I/O buffer space and
cannot be used as "filler" or timing characters.
N Toggles "Ignore ESCAPE" mode. Received ESCAPE
sequences are not acted upon. They are displayed
as regular characters on the screen. The ESCAPE
character itself is displayed as "<ESC>".
Toggling this switch at the wrong time may lead
to unpredictable results. Autowrap is set when
this switch is set.
O Test Insert Characters command. Performs the
same function as receipt of a "ESC [ 5 @"
sequence.
P Test Delete Characters command. Performs the
same function as receipt of a "ESC [ 5 P"
sequence.
R Restart PC-VT. Clear COMx port and restart from
the beginning. Selected features and tab stops
are not changed. Host connection is not broken.
This command is useful if you make the host
connection after PC-VT is started and COMx port
needs to be initialized. In most cases, though,
PC-VT will be able to initialize it without the
need for this.
T Clear the screen. Cursor not moved. Performs
the same function as receipt of a "ESC [ 2 J"
sequence.
X Reset XOFF Flag. If PC-VT has received an XOFF
character, it will not transmit anything. If you
type a character, PC-VT will beep and ignore
you. This is part of the VT10x definition. If
something happens and PC-VT receives an XOFF
because of garbage on the line, you can reset the
XOFF flag by typing alt-x.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 83
Special ALT Key Definitions PC-VT v8.1
The following ALT keys work only in Numeric Keypad mode ( the
default mode).
ALT Key plus Function
B Transmits the answerback message. Performs the
same function as receipt of a Enquire Control
Character (ASCII 5).
D Turn off Print Only Mode. Performs the same
function as receipt of a "ESC [ 4 i" sequence.
S Turn on Print Only Mode. All characters sent
from the host are printed on the selected printer
only. Performs the same function as receipt of a
"ESC [ 5 i" sequence.
Q Report Cursor Position. Performs the same
function as receipt of a "ESC [ 6 n" sequence.
W Report Terminal Status. Performs the same
function as receipt of a "ESC [ 5 n" sequence.
Y Report Printer Status. Performs the same
function as receipt of a "ESC [ ? 15 n"
sequence.
U Report Device Attributes. Performs the same
function as receipt of a "ESC [ c" sequence.
H Clear Tab Stop. Performs the same function as
receipt of a "ESC [ 0 g" sequence. You should
use the SETUP A display.
J Set Tab Stop. Performs the same function as
receipt of a "ESC H" sequence. You should use
the SETUP A display.
L Clear All Tab Stops. Performs the same function
as receipt of a "ESC [ 3 g" sequence. You should
use the SETUP A display.
Page 84 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 PC-VT Technical Details
Appendix F
PC-VT Technical Details
This appendix will list some of the details of the
implementation of PC-VT for the user who wishes to interface to
the program in some non-standard way.
PC-VT has been tested on PC-DOS 1.1, 2.0, 2.1, and 3.0 on the
IBM PC, the IBM PC AT and the IBM PCjr. I can't vouch for any
compatible. PC-VT will not work on the AT with the Professional
Graphics Display.
BIOS calls used by PC-VT:
10H to handle the display of characters and control
sequences while communicating with the host.
11H to determine the type of monitor on the system
and to determine if a line printer is present.
14H to initialize the COM port.
16H to look at the CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, and SCROLL
LOCK key status.
17H to get the printer status and to print characters.
1AH to directly read the binary time of day clock.
PC-DOS calls used by PC-VT:
21H the general DOS utility call with AH equal to
6H to read characters from the keyboard
9H to display error messages on the CRT.
0AH to read filenames from the keyboard.
10H to close disk files.
11H to check disk for the existence of files.
13H to delete old download files.
14H to perform sequential disk reads.
15H to perform sequential disk writes.
16H to create new download files.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 85
PC-VT Technical Details PC-VT v8.1
19H to get the current default drive.
1AH to set Disk Transfer Addresses.
25H to set the interrupt vectors for the
COM port, the critical error handler
and the CTRL-BREAK key.
29H to parse upload/download filenames.
2CH to get the time of day.
DOS 2.+ routines
2EH to set VERIFY on.
30H to determine the DOS version number.
33H to set/clear BREAK checking.
3CH to create a file with a pathname.
3DH to open a file with a pathname.
3EH to close a file with a pathname.
3FH to read from a file with a pathname.
40H to write to a file with a pathname.
41H to delete a file with a pathname.
47H to get the current default directory.
48H to allocate memory for HELP and screen
saving.
4BH to start up COMMAND.COM.
4EH to check for the presence of a file
with a pathname.
54H to determine the state of the VERIFY switch.
22H to terminate the program if the hardware
configuration does not fit PC-VT requirements.
This is before the CTRL-BREAK handler is
initialized.
23H to terminate the program and restore the
CTRL-BREAK address in DOS. This is the "normal"
way to terminate PC-VT.
In order to get the highest speed out of the RS-232 ports,
PC-VT does direct input/output to those ports. PC-VT uses I/O
addresses:
COM1 COM2
---- ----
3F8H 2F8H Data input/output register
3F9H 2F9H Interrupt enable register
3FAH 2FAH Interrupt identification register
3FBH 2FBH Line control register
3FCH 2FCH Modem control register
3FDH 2FDH Line status register
3FEH 2FEH Modem status register
for this purpose. PC-VT gets these address from PC-DOS by
looking at the two words starting at address 400 (segmented
Page 86 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 PC-VT Technical Details
address 40:0) for the starting port addresses for COM1 and COM2
respectively. This enhances compatibility with IBM-compatible
systems which may use non standard communications port device
address. Note that the IBM PCjr does not assign COM ports like
the PC. PC-VT has to do a little special work but it will keep
them straight (jr switches the addresses if the internal modem is
installed).
PC-VT sends a BREAK to the host by setting bit 6 of the RS-232
Port's Line Control Register for at least one-half second. The
bit is then cleared.
PC-VT controls the Speaker to cause it to beep by doing direct
I/O to addresses 42H,43H, and 61H.
If you use an external MODEM or a direct connect, PC-VT does
not require that all 25 lines of the DB-25 connector on the COM
port be connected. Actually, only pin 2 (transmit data), pin 3
(receive data), and pin 7 (signal ground) need be connected.
PC-VT does not use Clear to Send (CTS), Data Set Ready (DSR) or
any other Modem status line. This is the FDX A mode of VT100/102
operation. Since some Modems require a basic handshake with the
COM port, PC-VT sends Data Terminal Ready (DTR) and Ready to Send
(RTS) out of the COM port. These 2 lines are not cleared when
you terminate PC-VT. This permits the connection to be
maintained while you go back to DOS. Be careful because this
means that the phone will not hang up automatically when you
terminate PC-VT. If you have a Hayes compatible modem, you
should use the F5 function of the DIALING display to be sure. If
your modem is manual, then physically hang up the phone.
Receive parity checking, if set, checks not only receive parity
but also data overrun and framing errors. PC-VT puts a '!' in
the buffer when a character with bad parity is received. Parity
checking can be enabled in the SETUP B display.
PC-VT also does direct I/O to the 8259 Programmable Interrupt
Controller (PIC). It uses port address 21H for reading the
interrupt source and address 20H for clearing that interrupt.
The communications buffer in PC-VT is 2048 bytes long. To
prevent buffer overflow, the XON/XOFF support sends XOFF when
1536 unprocessed characters are in the buffer (the 75% point of
the buffer). Then, XON is sent when the buffer backlog is
reduced to 204 characters (the 10% point of the buffer). If the
host ignores the XOFF character transmitted, PC-VT will display a
'#' character when the buffer overflows. All characters received
while the buffer is in the overflow condition are discarded. The
buffer size can be reduced to 256 bytes by a selection in the
SETUP B display. See the index for "Buffer Size". The smaller
buffer will give you faster response to CTRL-C, CTRL-O and CTRL-Y
but some programs which do no handle XON/XOFF may not work as
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 87
PC-VT Technical Details PC-VT v8.1
well.
Since the IBM PC does not have some of the special character
and line drawing set characters, PC-VT makes use of the best
available representation. See the description for the "ESC ) 0"
sequence for the description of the selected representation.
PC-VT will handle ASCII characters for codes greater than 127.
This will work only when the COM port is initialized for 8 bits
of data transfer. If a code greater than 127 is received, PC-VT
can display the character defined in the IBM documentation. In
this way, PC-VT is compatible with RBBS systems using these
extended characters while maintaining compatibility with VT
terminals. The "256 char" bit must be set in the SETUP display
for these extended characters to be displayed. Some hosts don't
strip this 8th bit even when communicating with plain ASCII.
This will cause some mighty unusual behavior. Be careful when
you use this feature.
The NUM LOCK key will act per the IBM documentation.
Undefined or illegal Escape control sequences are ignored.
PC-VT does not "look" into PC-DOS directly for any reason with
the exception of finding the COM1 and COM2 port address. PC-VT
should be compatible with all future releases of PC-DOS.
An error in either DOS or the BIOS code, causes a problem with
the cursor. When PC-VT starts, it cannot ascertain the shape of
the cursor due to this error. Although PC-VT will be able to use
either the underline or block cursor, it may not be able to reset
the cursor to the original size upon exit. This will work
correctly when IBM fixes DOS.
When running XMODEM, PC-VT will automatically change the
communications to 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit (8-N-1) if
you are not already set at that protocol. PC-VT will then
restore the protocol to your default value when the XMODEM
transfer is complete.
Older versions of PC-VT would not pass CTRL-C on to the host
computer because the CTRL-C was intercepted by PC-DOS as a
program termination command. This and future versions have been
modified to have PC-DOS and PC-VT ignore CTRL-C in most cases
when reading from the keyboard or outputing to the console. This
was done by using DOS function 6H for keyboard input and using
BIOS calls for most console output. Now CTRL-C is sent to the
host. To terminate PC-VT you can type CTRL-F8 from the
communications display or still use CTRL-C from the SETUP or
DIALING displays. Because of the fact that other PC-DOS function
calls still check for CTRL-C, I could only suppress checking of
that control key when the 6H direct console input DOS call or the
Page 88 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 PC-VT Technical Details
10H console output BIOS was used. There are a few cases when
standard PC-DOS calls had to be used for output. In the SETUP
and DIALING displays, PC-VT still uses DOS call 9H to display a
line. Typing CTRL-C in either of these displays will cause the
program will to be terminated. In most cases, when "LOCAL" is
displayed in the status line, CTRL-C will terminate PC-VT.
If you are using DOS 2.x or 3.x, you should not have executed a
"BREAK ON" command. If you have, PC-VT clears BREAK checking
while it is running and restores the checking as it terminates.
With the addition of XMODEM file transfer with CRC checking,
PC-VT as made a commitment to accurate file transfer. In support
of this, if you are running DOS 2 or later, PC-VT sets the VERIFY
switch on during its run. The VERIFY switch is restored to its
initial value as PC-VT terminates.
PC-VT is not compatible with Extended Batch Language (EBL) or
with SCRLOCK. I have not tested PC-VT running on any system with
non-IBM DOS "patches" or auxiliary programs.
A comment on the operation of PC-VT on the IBM PCjr; PC-VT
version 7.0 and up will operate on the PCjr. There are some
hardware differences which you should be aware of. Since PC-VT
requires an 80 column display, the DOS mode command should be
executed using 'bw80' as the parameter. This most likely means
that you cannot use a TV set for a display. If you are using the
PCjr internal modem for XMODEM data transfer, don't forget that
you must set the modem with a "^NF 4" command. When the PCjr is
doing a disk access, all other interrupts are turned off. This
means that if data comes down the comm line, it will be lost.
For this reason, I do not recommend using ASCII file transfer for
receiving a file. Use XMODEM. If you must receive a file using
ASCII, PC-VT will send an XOFF while the Jr is writing to disk
and will send an XON once the machine is ready to process
interrupts again. I have not extensively tested this feature.
Sending a file using ASCII mode should work ok. The PC-VT
distribution diskette has an XMODEM program written in FORTRAN
for the VAX running VMS. The dialer will work fine if you change
the modem dialing command from ATDT to the characters required by
the PCjr modem.
A comment on the 8250 serial chip; Some of the 8250 chips used
in PC's and on PC compatible serial ports do not function
correctly. Specifically, they do not generate interrupts
correctly to the 8088. PC-VT is interrupt driven and if an
interrupt is lost, unusual things may happen. I have seen this
on newer PC's and PCjr's. I have an older PC and I have never
seen the problem on my system. This lost interrupt causes PC-VT
to think that the communications line is always busy. PC-VT
tries to send each character typed but times out. PC-VT then
beeps at you to indicate something is wrong. You can clear the
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 89
PC-VT Technical Details PC-VT v8.1
error on older versions of PC-VT by typing alt-r. On this
version of PC-VT, I have implemented a software fix recommended
by National Semiconductor. Look at the PCjr Technical Reference
Manual, bottom of page A-66.
PC-VT makes some use of dynamic memory when possible. The
program permanently occupies about 35K bytes. In addition, to
save the contents of the monochrome display and in some cases the
color graphics display, PC-VT grabs 4K bytes via DOS call 48H for
a screen save area. If the memory is not available, PC-VT will
just clear the screen rather than save it. For HELP, PC-VT grabs
12k bytes again via DOS call 48H. If the memory is not available,
the HELP key (alt-h) will be ignored. By implementing PC-VT in
this manner, it will run on machines with small memory sizes but
if more memory is available, PC-VT will make full use of it.
These dynamic memory allocation routines work under DOS 2+ only.
HELP and screen saving do not function on machines running DOS 1.
Page 90 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 User-Supported Software
Appendix G
User-Supported Software
This program and documentation are copyrighted by Mark C.
DiVecchio.
Permission to copy:
Individuals, clubs and other non-profit organizations are
granted permission by the author to freely copy this program and
documentation and share it with their members, so long as:
- No price is charged for the software or documentation.
However, a distribution cost may be charged for the cost of
the diskette, so long as it is not more than $9 total.
- Club members are informed of the user-supported concept and
encouraged to support it with their donations.
- The program and documentation are not modified in any way
and are always distributed together.
Schools, universities, and other non-profit organizations are
granted permission by the author to copy PC-VT for use on other
computers and at other locations in the organization, so long as:
- The full fee of $35 has been paid for the original copy of
the program.
- A usage fee of $40 is paid for each additional building
where PC-VT will be used. Within each building for which
the usage fee has been paid, PC-VT may be copied freely for
use on any other computer in that building.
Commercial users of this program are required to submit
payment. Commercial site licenses are available. Contact the
author.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 91
User-Supported Software PC-VT v8.1
The User-Supported concept:
User-Supported Software
If you are using this program and find it to be of value your
contribution will be appreciated. ($35 is suggested)
Mark C. DiVecchio
9067 Hillery Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
Regardless of whether you make a contribution, you are
encouraged to use, copy and share this program.
User-supported software is an experiment in distributing
computer programs, based on these beliefs:
- That the value and utility of software is best assessed by
the user on his/her own system.
- That the creation of personal computer software can and
should be supported by the computing community.
- That copying of programs should be encouraged, rather than
restricted.
Anyone may request a copy of a user-supported program by
sending a blank double sided double density, formatted disk to
the author of the program. An addressed, postage-paid return
mailer must accompany the disk (no exceptions, please). A copy
of the program, with documentation on the disk, will be sent by
return mail. The program will carry a notice suggesting a
contribution to the program's author. Making a contribution is
completely voluntary on the part of each non-commercial user.
Free distribution of software and voluntary payment for its use
eliminates costs for advertising and copy protection schemes.
Users obtain quality software at reduced cost. They can try it
out before buying, and do so at their own pace and in the comfort
of their own home or office. The best programs will survive,
based purely on their quality and usefulness.
Please join the experiment.
If you believe in these ideals, your contribution is solicited
to help make them work.
The following invoice is provided for those of you who wish an
invoice for your tax records. Perhaps it will serve the
purpose.
Page 92 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT v8.1 User-Supported Software
--------------------
INVOICE
--------------------
Purchased from:
Mark C. DiVecchio
9067 Hillery Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
DATE: / / Invoice No. 101
--------------------------------------------------------------
PRICE PRICE
PRODUCT QTY EACH EXTENDED
------------------------- --- ----- --------
PC-VT Terminal Emulator
Registration Fee $35
v8.1
PC-VT Distribution Disk $9
Includes Postage and
Handling
Copy of PC-VT and Documentation
on your Preformatted 360K DSDD
Diskette Returned in your
Postage Paid Self Addressed
Mailer N/C
--------------------------------------
SUBTOTAL
6% Sales Tax (CA Residents only)
--------------------------------------
PLEASE PAY THIS AMOUNT TOTAL
-----------------------------------------------------------
Please make check payable to :Mark C. DiVecchio
You may retain this Invoice for your tax records.
Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio Page 93
User-Supported Software PC-VT v8.1
Page 94 Copyright 1984,1985 Mark C. DiVecchio
PC-VT
Index
! - Parity Error Character 32, 87
# - Buffer Overflow Character 87
8 Bit ASCII 33, 88
8250 UART 89
8259 PIC 87
Application Keypad mode 13
ASCII file transfer with handshake 41
Autorepeat 29, 77, 78
Backspace Key 32
Beep 6
BREAK 24
Buffer Size 33, 87
Bypass Character 41
Cable, Interface 87
Calling COMMAND.COM 82
CAPS LOCK 23
Changing the default directory 49
Clearing all Tabs 26
Clearing COM port 83
Clearing the Screen 83
COM Port Addressing 87
COM Port Selection 27, 33
Communications Buffer Handling 87
Communications Display 10
CTRL-Z Functions 39, 40, 45
Cursor Problem 88
Default directory, changing 23
Dialing Directory Fetching 54
Dialing Directory Saving 54
Dialing Facility 24
DIALING key 51
ECHO Local/Remote Toggle 82
EDT Editor 16
Error Messages 36
Error Messages - Dialing Directory 55
Error Messages - Macro Directory 63
Feature Defaults 29
Feature Saving 26
Hanging up the phone 54
help 5, 24, 83
Line Printer Selection 33
Line Turnaround Character 41
Logon Macros 53
LPT Selection 33
Macro Directory Fetching 62
Macro Directory Saving 62
PC-VT
Macro Facility 24
MACRO KEYS 59
Margin Bell 30
NO SCROLL 23
NUL Character Key 23
NUM LOCK 14, 23
Parity Checking 32
PC-VT= 9, 35, 55, 59, 62
PCjr 89
Printer Echo 24
Printing the Screen 24
Receiving (Downloading) Files 23
Restart 24
Running Programs from PC-VT 82
SCRLOCK 89
SCROLL LOCK 23
Selecting Autowrap 31
Selecting Cursor Mode 30
Selecting Defaults 26
Selecting Features 27
Selecting Local Echo 31
Selecting Modem Parameters 28
Selecting Modem Speed 28
Selecting Screen Background 30
Selecting Stop Bits 32
Selecting Tab Defaults 26
Setting and Clearing Tabs 25
Setting Answerback Message 29
SETUP 23
SETUP key 25
Smart Macros 61
Status Line 6, 10, 23, 30, 57
Terminating PC-VT 12, 24
Time of Day 33
Transmitting (Uploading) Files 23
UK Character Set 31
Using the IBM fixed disk 10
VT BACKSPACE Key 23
VT CURSOR keys 13
VT DELETE key 13
VT FUNCTION keys 13
VT LINEFEED Key 23
VT100/VT102 Selection 33
VT52 Selection 30
XMODEM 44, 48
XOFF-How to clear it 83
XON/XOFF 30
PC-VT
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction 4
Chapter 2 Required Hardware and Software 8
Chapter 3 Starting PC-VT 9
Chapter 4 Stopping PC-VT 12
Chapter 5 Keyboard assignments 13
Chapter 6 SETUP Displays 25
6.1 SETUP A 25
6.2 SETUP B 27
6.2.1 SETUP B Features and Defaults 29
Chapter 7 The PARAMS.DAT File 35
7.1 Creation 35
7.2 Location 35
7.3 Updating 36
7.4 Error Messages 36
Chapter 8 Transmitting and Receiving Files 38
8.1 Transmitting ASCII Files (Uploading) 38
8.1.1 Uploading with Handshake 41
8.1.2 Example of a transmission session 42
8.1.3 A Useful VAX .COM Upload file 42
8.2 Transmitting Binary Files (Uploading) 44
8.3 Receiving ASCII Files (Downloading) 44
8.3.1 Example of a receive session 46
8.3.2 A Useful VAX .COM Download file 47
8.4 Receiving Binary Files (Downloading) 48
8.5 Changing the Default Directory 49
Chapter 9 DIALING Display 51
9.1 Instructions for DIALING 51
9.2 The DIALER.DAT File 54
9.3 Creation 55
PC-VT
9.4 Location 55
9.5 Updating 55
9.6 Error Messages 55
Chapter 10 PC-VT Status Line 57
Chapter 11 Macro Display 59
11.1 Instructions for Macro 59
11.2 The MACRO.DAT File 62
11.3 Creation 62
11.4 Location 62
11.5 Updating 63
11.6 Error Messages 63
Appendix A List of Control Characters 65
Appendix B Received Escape Sequences 68
Appendix C Escape Sequences Transmitted 79
Appendix D Responses to Escape Sequences 81
Appendix E Special ALT Key Definitions 82
Appendix F PC-VT Technical Details 85
Appendix G User-Supported Software 91