Network Supervisor's Toolkit

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Text File | 1996-07-10 | 64.4 KB | 1,271 lines

SERIAL SOLUTIONS, INC. presents "PC BLACKBOARD VGA" The "PC Blackboard VGA" program is a simple point-to-point interactive communication program that can be used on any IBM "XT/AT" compatible PC. It allows two PCs to interact over a standard telephone line. Data transfer and interaction may be achieved at varying speeds, depending on the type of modem being used. Quite simply, it provides the same flexibility a teacher would have in a classroom, and more. It allows users to free hand draw and add text from the keyboard on a blank screen. Drawing tools are also available to create geometric shapes and lines for flowcharts, diagrams or any other conceivable purpose. Further, the user may send and receive faxes. With those received, one may interact on those documents with the interactive tools. Finally, text files created in word processing programs, can be read directly into the program. The document may then be interacted upon. The idea behind "PC Blackboard VGA" is twofold. First, it provides a complete software solution to enhance a standard phone call. In this way, the user could take the floppy disk to any "XT/AT" compatible machine with a modem. The program then allows the users to interact, so that ambiguous or intangible ideas and concepts can expressed more concretely through the use of our interactive functions. Second, with the addition of a fax modem, users can now receive faxes directly into their PC. Simply stated, whatever document you wish to discuss is faxed to your computer, displayed on screen, and then annotated upon as desired. Sites on-line can then use the interactive capabilities to highlight points of the document, or to add notes to the document. Moreover, anything you put to your screen may be faxed to a fax machine. The interactive functions include: - free hand draw - drawing of squares, rectangles, lines, and circles - ability to change drawing attributes, such as changing of line widths and having filled or non-filled shapes. - keyboard input - ability to point - screen transfer - file transfer. The file is sent and saved at the remote site. - clearing local and remote screen - loading and saving of PCX images - loading of .TXT files - receiving, sending, and loading of fax documents - Ability to change drawing color and background color. - ability to undo your annotations. - ability to selectively erase your annotations. - ability to print out your screen, images, and/or faxes. We at Serial Solutions feel this will help diminish those frustrating calls where it takes hours to explain ideas and concepts, that should only take minutes. Also, this cuts down on unnecessary business travel, which is necessitated by the inability to explain ideas thoroughly through language alone. This is accomplished most through the ability to control what is on both screens. That is, for a multi-page document it is very difficult to get people on the correct page, paragraph, and/or sentence. Now, since the document is displayed at both sites, this confusion factor is eliminated. The users all see the same portion of the document and may then interact on those portions together. Then as one site scrolls through the document, the document is automatically scrolled through at the remote site. Technical Requirements The only requirements for this program are: 1) An IBM "XT/AT" compatible PC 2) A VGA card or higher 3) A pointing device (mouse or graphics tablet) is necessary for free hand draw, and the drawing of shapes. 4) A fax modem board CURSOR ACTION VIA INPUT DEVICES Movement is achieved by moving your pointing device (mouse or stylus) or by using the arrow keys on the keyboard. All the functionality of this program can be reached via pop-up menus through the keyboard, a mouse, and/or a Summa compatible graphics tablet. You may use both a mouse and a tablet in the program; you are not limited to one or the other. However, additional serial ports may be necessary. Keyboard The keyboard can be used to move the cursor, pop-up the main menu, select and change options within the main menu and submenus, use function keys for special options, and enter text. The location of the cursor on the screen determines where text will be placed on the screen. If you have a tablet installed, make sure that the stylus is not on the tablet, or your text will all occur in the same location. In other words, you will keep putting each character on top of the preceding character. The arrow keys will move the cursor to the left, right, up, or down, depending on which arrow key is pushed. However, the cursor will only move one pixel at a time, so it will be very slow to move around the screen. The keys to remember are: Escape <Esc> - The Escape key has three uses. First, it will call up the main menu if there are no menus on the screen. Second, it will exit from any menu that you are currently in. Third, it will cancel the drawing of a circle, line, square, or rectangle if hit while the ghost image is on the screen. (This third action will only take place while you are either holding the left button of a mouse down, or while holding down on the stylus. Enter - The <Enter> key has three uses. First, if a menu is on the screen, it will activate the highlighted option, or change the option in which the cursor is located. This depends on the type of menu which exists on the screen. Second, if there are no menus on the screen, this will move your cursor to the left side of the screen, and down one text line. This is used mostly for the entering of text. Third, the <Enter> key is required to follow the name inputted for the name of a file which is to be loaded, saved, or transmitted. You do not have to enter the name, because you can find all files with your pointing device, but it may be quicker to simply enter the file name. Further, after entering the phone number of a remote site, you must hit the <Enter> key to complete the call. Mouse The mouse allows you to access all menus, access all items within those menus, and utilize all tools. To move the cursor, simply move your mouse. To pull up the main menu, click the middle button of a three button mouse, or the first and second buttons simultaneously of a two button mouse. To select an option within a menu, click the left button when the desired option is highlighted or when the cursor is in a location to change an option, depending on the type of menu. To leave or escape from a menu, hit the right button. When there are no menus on the screen, you can change your drawing tool by clicking the right button. This will scroll through the available tools. Your cursor will change to the shape of the new tool. Tablet The tablet allows you to access all items within menus and to utilize all tools. To move the cursor, simply move your stylus without actually pressing down. The only way to pull up the main menu if you only have a tablet, is to hit the <Esc> key on the keyboard. To select an option within a menu, push the stylus down on the tablet when the desired option is highlighted, or when the cursor is in a location to change an option. To leave or escape from a menu, push the button on the stylus. When there are no menus on the screen, you can change your drawing tool by pushing the button on the stylus. This will scroll through the available tools. Your cursor will change to the shape of the new tool. To use a tool, position your cursor where you wish to start, then push the stylus down on the tablet. This is the same as clicking the left button on the mouse. See mouse section for further instructions. Select\Deselect Before proceeding, some terms need to be defined. The term "select" means to (1) hit the Enter key from the keyboard, (2) click on the left button of the mouse, and/or (3) push down on the stylus. The term "deselect" means to (1) hit Escape on the keyboard, (2) click the right button of the mouse, and/or (3) push the button on the stylus. Drawing Tools This program provides six drawing tools, all represented by different cursors. The shape of the cursor determines which tool you are using. These tools are changed by either clicking on the right button of your mouse or by pushing the button on the stylus when there are no menus on the screen. To use a tool, position your cursor where you wish to start. Then click on your left button. The following lists what happens for each tool: Free hand draw: This is represented by the Pencil Icon. As you move while holding down the left button of a mouse or holding down the pen, you will draw a continuous line. Rectangle : This is represented by the Rectangle Icon, which is more elongated than the third drawing tool. As you move while holding down the left button of a mouse or holding down the pen, you will see a ghost box. You may move this ghost box above or below your starting point, as well as to the left or to the right of your starting point. If you let up on the left button of the mouse or let up the pen, the rectangle will be drawn with the present attributes, with the coordinates you have specified by the ghost box. If you do not wish to draw the rectangle, simply deselect it. This will erase the ghost box. Square: This allows you to draw perfect squares. Square is exactly like rectangle except that you can only move the ghost box to the right and below of your starting point. Line: The fourth drawing tool is the line drawing tool. It is represented by the angled line, similar to back slash on the keyboard ("/"). As you move while holding the left button of the mouse down or holding down the pen, a ghost line will appear that extends to your new position on the screen. If you release the left button or let up on the pen, the line will be drawn with its current attributes between the points specified by your ghost line. If you do not wish to draw the line, simply deselect. This will erase the ghost line. Circle: The fifth tool is the circle tool. This allows the user to draw circles. As you move while holding the left button of a mouse down or by holding down the pen, a ghost circle will appear that grows as you move your pointing device. If you wish to draw the circle, just let up the left button or the pen. If you do not wish to draw the circle, deselect it. This will erase the ghost circle. Point: The final tool is the pointer. It is represented by the upward arrow. Point is slightly different than the other tools. Locally, you always see the pointer. But if connected, the remote will only see the pointer while you push the left button or hold down the pen. As long as you hold down the left button, the pointer will be displayed at the remote site. Selective Erase: This feature allows the user to remove annotation from a user defined area on the screen. It is represented by the cross cursor. The user then positions this cross where he/she wishes to remove annotation. A ghost box will appear. Drag the box to enclose the desired area to be erased and let up on the pen or release the left button of the mouse. This works just like the rectangle drawing tool. Any annotation within the box will now be removed from the image. If you do not wish to erase that particular area on the screen, deselect it. If you had previously saved the image with the annotation, you will not be able to erase those annotations. Therefore, you may only erase annotation marks since the last save. NOTE: if using a mouse and you wish to deselect the ghost box with the mouse, you must click the right button while you are holding down the left button. If you wish to deselect the ghost box with the pen, you must push the blue button while holding the pen down. MAIN MENU OPTIONS The Main Menu provides you with all the functionality that the "PC Blackboard VGA" program offers. This is the first menu that the user will encounter. It can be accessed by: (1) hitting the Escape key on the keyboard, (2) clicking the middle button of a three button mouse, or (3) clicking the left and right buttons of a mouse simultaneously. If using a tablet, the stylus can not bring up the main menu. Each option of the main menu will be explained in detail later. The option is chosen by moving the highlight bar to the desired function. This can be done with the arrow keys on the keyboard, by moving the mouse, or by moving the stylus. Once you are at the desired option, select it. Then, depending on the chosen option, it will either complete the function or go to a submenu. The main menu provides the user with ten options: attributes, communications, configuration, print menu, files menu, fax menu, text menu, send screen, undo, clear screen, and exit. ATTRIBUTES The attribute option allows you to change the features for the presently chosen tool. Some tools have more attributes than others. For draw and line, you have the options to change the color and the line width. For rectangle, square, and circle, you can change the color, the line width, and you may have the object be filled or not. If you choose fill, the line width will not have any effect. For pointer, you can only change the color. Erase does not have any attributes. You can change the color by selecting the "Palette" box. You may now choose one of the sixteen shades of grey by selecting on the box containing your desired color. You will notice that your currently selected color is displayed in the big box to the left of the palette. You can change the line width by moving your cursor along the grid. As the box in the grid moves to the right, your line width will increase. The actual line width is represented above this grid. As you move to the left, your line width will decrease. The minimum line width is one, and the maximum line width is four. For tools having the fill option, you can toggle between having filled on or off by positioning your cursor on the box where the word "ON" or "OFF" appears. By selecting on this box, you will toggle to the opposite of what is currently displayed. That is, if the word "ON" appears, by selecting on this, the word "OFF" will appear. This means that previously the tool had fill turned on, now it has fill turned off. Thus, your shape will just be an outline. Once you have set the attributes, you can leave the attribute menu by deselecting it. If you have fill "OFF", the width of the outline will then be determined by the line width you chose. COMMUNICATIONS This menu allows you to establish a call, disconnect a call, and toggle between on-line and off-line. 1) Call Status Call status tells you whether you are on-line or off-line with your remote site. This can only be selected if you have already established a connection. If you are connected, but wish to do something locally that you do not want the remote to see, you may want to go off-line without disconnecting. By selecting on this box, it will toggle between off-line and on-line. If you go off-line, you will be able to do everything except send or receive data. If you go off-line and wish to go back on-line, just select on this box again. A message will occur in the middle of your screen with the word "On-Line" or "Off-Line", depending on which state the modem is in. NOTE: F1 does the same thing and it is much quicker to access. 2) Connect Connect allows you to interact with a remote PC. Connect works differently for a modem and for a Null modem. A) Null Modem If you are using a Null modem, this will call the other PC automatically. You will not need to input a phone number. If the connection is made, both sites will be notified. B) Normal Modem This process works differently for a modem. The user will be asked to enter the phone number of the remote site. You may enter the phone number just as you usually would, with or without hyphens. For example, 303-347-8547 and 3034478547 are handled the same. Once you have entered the number, hit the Enter key and the modem will call the remote. If a connection is made, you will get a message that either says which modem is connected or at which baud rate you are connected. If you are using the Telebit Trailblazer or the AT&T Comsphere, the message will say "Connect Fast" or "Comsphere Connection" respectively. Otherwise, the message will give the baud rate value at which you've actually connected. Further, the Call Status box will change from "Off-line" to "On-line". An important dial command to know is the comma. , - a comma is a two second pause. A pause may be necessary when you have to wait for an outside line. This command is useful when dialing out of a PBX (Private Branch Exchange), or when making a long distance call. If you have to dial a 9 before dialing the phone number, or a 1 for a long distance call, the comma would follow the 9 and 1. Example of a long distance call through a PBX, 9,1,303-347-8547 If the delay is not long enough with one comma, you may enter multiple commas. Before making a call, both sites must verify that they have each chosen the same communication device and are at the same baud rate. If both sites are not setup the same, there is a good chance that the connection will fail. If you are using a modem and both sites do not have the same modem, then select Hayes compatible. This will allow different types of modems to communicate with one another. Remember, if you are using a Telebit Trailblazer in Hayes Compatible mode, you must manually set it to conventional mode. IMPORTANT: While attempting to call another PC, the other PC should not have any menus on the screen. This will allow the receiving site to see the "Incoming Message" signal, as well as the connection message. This tells the receiver that a call is coming in, and that a connection has occurred. 3) Disconnect Disconnect does exactly what it says. If you are connected to a remote site, this will disconnect the call. This is done by simply selecting on the DISCONNECT box. If the call is disconnected, the word "Off-line" will appear in the CALL STATUS box. The calling site will get a message in the middle of their screen telling the user that he/she is going off-line. The user will then have a message displayed to his/her screen that the call has been disconnected. The receiving site will also have a message saying that the call is being disconnected. CONFIGURATION This menu allows you to setup both your communication device and tablet. The first two items listed in the menu show which graphics card you are using, and if a mouse has been installed. The second two options allow you to change your communication parameters and/or your tablet parameters. To change your communication parameters, select "Modem Setup". To change your tablet parameters, select "Tablet Setup". MODEM SETUP Modem setup has six options: device type, com port, baud rate, address, interrupt number, and initialize. 1) Device The device option allows you to choose your specific mode of communication. Generally, this contains the type of modem you are going to use. This program supports all Hayes compatible modems, the Telebit Trailblazer modem, and the AT&T Comsphere 3820. The software allows a NULL Modem, which is a special cable used to allow two PCs to communicate with one another at the same site. The final choice is "None", which means that neither a modem or cable exists. You may choose the modem type of your choice by selecting on the box to the right of DEVICE. This will scroll through your options. The following is a list of acceptable modems and their capabilities. Null Modem: Select this if you are using a direct connection (a special cable) from one PC to another. Hayes Compatible: If you are not using a Telebit Trailblazer or AT&T Comsphere modem, you must select Hayes Compatible. You should also verify that your modem is truly Hayes Compatible. (See your specific modem manual) Telebit Trailblazer: The Telebit Trailblazer allows you to transmit at speeds of up to 19200 bits per second (bps). For the Telebit Trailblazer to work in Hayes Compatible mode, you must manually set it to conventional mode. (See your Telebit manual) AT&T Comsphere 3820: This modem allows you to communicate with your modem at speeds up to 115,200 bps. 2) Com Port This is where you tell the program where your communication device (modem or Null modem) is connected. You have a possibility of four com ports. Therefore, by selecting on the box to the right of COM PORT, you will scroll through your options. It is up to the user to determine which port the communication device is connected. If you choose an incorrect com port, the word "None" will appear in the DEVICE box and you will get a message saying "Modem Not Found". If a tablet is connected, you will not be allowed to change the com port to the tablet com port. 3) Baud Rate Baud rate determines the rate at which data is sent. The software allows for data rates from 1200 bps to 115,200 bps. Although these speeds are available, not all modems can use the high-end speeds. It is up to the user to know what speeds your modem handles. If you set a baud rate which the modem cannot handle, you will get a message saying "Modem Not Found" and "None" will appear in the DEVICE box. 4) Address Address shows where the chosen com port can be located within the machine. This option is for experienced users. A default address will appear for each com port. If you are using a device (such as a fax modem) that uses unique addresses for their comports, this default value will need to be changed. Your particular communication device manual will list these values. If a change is required, select on the box next to "Address". A box will appear waiting for you to input the desired address. If after choosing this box you wish to keep the old address, just deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the address and hit the <ENTER> key. 5) Interrupt Number Each com port must have a unique interrupt request number. A default value will appear for the com port chosen, but if you are using a device, such as a fax modem, that allows the user to manually change interrupt values, the user will need to enter this new interrupt number. Again, this is used for experienced users. An invalid value can create serious problems. If you do wish to change the address, select the box to the right of "Interrupt #". A box will appear awaiting the user to enter the new interrupt value. If after choosing this box, you wish to keep the old interrupt number, just deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the interrupt number and hit the <Enter> key. 6) Initialize The initialize button allows you to initialize the modem. The modem will automatically be initialized when you leave the modem setup after changing one of the above options. However, there may be a case in which you need to initialize the modem without changing any of the above options. To do so, select the "Initialize" box. The messages displayed will tell you if the modem was installed or not. NOTE: You cannot change any of the parameters within the modem setup if you are already on-line. Furthermore, if DEVICE is set to none, ADDRESS is set to zero, or INTERRUPT NUMBER is zero you will not be able to select any box until you select a communication device. If you have changed any of the above options, you will be notified that the new parameters are being used to setup the com port and modem. TABLET SETUP Tablet setup has six options: size, com port, baud rate, address, interrupt number, and initialize. 1) Size The size option allows you to select the size of graphics tablet you are using. If no tablet exists, the box will be labeled "None". The two sizes available are "12 x 12" and "6 x 9." You may choose the tablet size of your choice by selecting on the box to the right of SIZE. This will scroll through your options. 2) Com Port This is where you tell the program where your graphics tablet is connected. You have a possibility of four com ports. Therefore, by selecting on the box to the right of COM PORT, you will scroll through your options. It is up to the user to determine which port the communication device is connected. If you choose an incorrect com port, the word "None" will appear in the SIZE box and you will get a message saying "Tablet Not Found". If a modem is selected, you will not be allowed to change the com port to the modem com port. 3) Baud Rate Baud rate determines the rate at which data is sent. The software allows for data rates from 1200 bps to 115,200 bps. Although these speeds are available, you are advised not to change the default value of 9600. Most graphic tablets use a baud rate of 9600, and if you change this value the tablet will most likely not work. If you set a baud rate which the tablet cannot handle, you will get a message saying "Tablet Not Found" and "None" will appear in the SIZE box. 4) Address Address shows where the chosen com port can be located. This option is for experienced users. A default address will appear for each com port. In most cases, the default value will be correct for the tablet. If a change is required, select on the box next to "Address". A box will appear waiting for you to input the desired address. If after choosing this box, you wish to keep the old address, simply deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the address and hit the <ENTER> key. 5) Interrupt Number Each com port must have a unique interrupt request number. A default value will appear for the com port chosen. Again, this is for experienced users. An invalid value can create serious problems. If you do wish to change the address, select the box to the right of "Interrupt #". A box will appear awaiting the user to enter the new interrupt value. If after choosing this box, you wish to keep the old interrupt number, just deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the interrupt number and hit the <ENTER> key. 6) Initialize The initialize button allows you to initialize the tablet. The tablet will automatically be initialized when you leave the Tablet Setup after changing one of the above options. However, there may be a case in which you need to initialize the tablet without changing any of the above options. One such example would be if you shock the tablet. This will, in some cases, "knock out" the tablet. Thus, you will need to re-initialize the tablet. To do so, select the "Initialize" box. The messages displayed will tell you if the tablet is installed or not. NOTE: The tablet will not be initialized if "NONE" appears in the SIZE box, if the ADDRESS is zero, and/or if the INTERRUPT # is zero. Furthermore, if SIZE is set to none, you will not be able to select any box until you select a tablet size. If you have changed any of the above options, you will be notified if the tablet is installed. To leave the configuration menu, simply deselect it. PRINT MENU 1) Print File Print file allows you to print any .PCX images, .TXT or .FAX files. Select the file of your choice just as you would for load file. You can either scroll through the possible files or enter the file name. You must add the file extension if you manually input the file name. Once you have selected a file to be printed, you will see a box in the middle of your screen which says "SAVING PRINT FILE." If you wish to stop printing the document for any reason, hit the <Esc> button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the printing was aborted. Otherwise, the document will be printed. 2) Print Screen/Page Print screen allows you to print the currently displayed page or image. If you have annotated on the currently displayed page, those annotations will also be included. If you wish to stop printing the screen or page for any reason, hit the <Esc> button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the printing was aborted. Otherwise, the document will be printed. FILES The files menu provides the user with six options. It allows you to save and load any screens created in this program and/or received faxes, send any file to a remote location, change the current drive and directory, and delete any .PCX, .TXT and .FAX files. 1) Save File To save your screen or currently displayed page of a document, select on the save box. You may save the screen to the file name of your choice, or to an existing .PCX file. A) Save a File via the Scrolling Box To save your screen to an existing file, just select that file name when it is highlighted. A maximum of five files will appear in the box. To see the remaining files, move your cursor to the down arrow and select it, and it will scroll through the files. To see files that were at the top your list, just move your cursor to the up arrow. This will scroll through the files. B) Manually Entering File Name To save the screen to a new file name or to a file name that already exists, just enter the new file name via the keyboard. You may wish to simply type in the name of the file, even if it already exists, since it may take time to find the correct file by scrolling through all the .PCX images. A window will pop-up and your file name will appear as you type it. You do not need to give a file extension, since .PCX will be automatically appended to the name. If you do not wish to save the image, deselect it. NOTE: F4 will do the same. It allows you to save the screen to a filename of your choice. A window will appear for your input. 2) Save As A window will appear waiting for you to enter your desired file name. Once you have entered the name, hit the <Enter> key. You do not need to give a file extension, since .PCX will be automatically appended to the name. If you do not wish to save the image, deselect it. NOTE: F4 will allow you to save the screen to a filename of your choice. A window will appear waiting for your input. 3) Load File You can load any .PCX, .TXT, or .FAX files that exist in the current directory. To load, select on the load box. If there are none of these files, you will be told so. A) Load a File via the Scrolling Box If you wish to load one of these, move the highlight bar to the desired file and select it. A maximum of five files will be in the window at one time. If there are more in the directory, then by moving your cursor to the down arrow and selecting it will scroll through the other files. B) Entering the File Name Manually If you wish to enter the name of the file without trying to locate it by scrolling through all the files, enter the file name when the window of all possible images is on the screen. A window will pop up and the name of the file will occur as you type it. You will need to add the correct extension. When you have completed the title, hit the <Enter> key. If you do not wish to select a file, deselect this window. If you are connected to another PC and this image also exists on that machine, you will automatically load this image on the remote screen. NOTE: If you have loaded a fax file, a .TXT file, or a .PCX image that was previously a fax or .TXT page, you will notice that only a portion of the page is on the screen. (See the Document Pages section on page for a discussion on individual pages.) 4) Send File Send file allows you to send any file to another PC, if you have already established a connection. It will be saved in the remote's current directory. You select the file of your choice just as you would for load and save file. You can either scroll through the possible files or enter the filename. In this case, you must add the file extension if you manually input the file name. Once you have selected a file, a window will pop up with the file to be sent, as well as the total number of packets to be sent and a running count of the number of packets sent. The remote site will have the same window on their screen, so that the remote site realizes that a file is being received. It too, will have a running count of received packets. Thus, this is a very useful file transfer feature. The remote site cannot have any menus on the screen, or the file will not be received. If you wish to stop sending the file for any reason, hit the Escape button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. 5) Directory The directory option allows you to change your current drive and directory to any existing drive and directory. A) Change Drive To change the drive, select drive when it is highlighted. This will then bring up a window with all available drives. Just select the desired one. To leave the drive menu, deselect it. NOTE: If you choose drive "A" or "B", make sure that a disk is in the desired drive and that the door is shut if it is a 5 1/4 drive. Otherwise, you will be notified by an error message. B) Change Directory To change directory, move the highlight bar to the desired directory and select it. The ".." option will take you to the parent directory of the current directory. To leave the directory menu, deselect it. To leave the Directory Menu, simply deselect it. You will notice that when you return to the main directory menu, that your current path is shown below the menu. This is to help you make sure that you are in the path of your choice. 6) Delete The delete option allows you to delete .PCX, .TXT, and .FAX files from your current directory. This will bring up all .PCX, .TXT, and .FAX images in the current directory. If there are none, you will be told so. A) Delete a File via the Scrolling Box If you wish to delete one of these, move the highlight bar to the desired file and select it. A maximum of five files will be in the window at one time. If there are more in the directory, then by moving your cursor to the down arrow and selecting it will continue scrolling through the other files. B) Entering the File Name Manually If you wish to enter the name of the file without locating it by scrolling through all the files, enter the filename when the window of all possible images is on the screen. A window will pop up and the name of the file will occur as you type it. You will need to add the correct extension. When you have completed the title, hit the <Enter> key. Once you have selected a file, a window will appear asking to verify if you wish to delete the file. If you are sure that this is the file you wish to delete, select "YES". Otherwise, select "NO". If you select "YES", the file will be deleted. If you select "NO", nothing will happen. If you do not wish to select a file, deselect this window. FAX MENU The Fax Menu provides the user with four options. It allows you to send a .FAX or .PCX file to a fax machine, fax a screen to a fax machine, rename a received fax, and change the current drive and directory. 1) Fax File Fax file allows you to send any .FAX, .TXT, or .PCX images to a fax machine. You select the file of your choice just as you would for load fax file. You can either scroll through the possible files or enter the file name. You must add the file extension if you manually input the file name. To use this feature, you must first select "FAX BOARD" in your communications menu as your communications device. Once you have selected a file to be faxed, you will see a box in the middle of your screen which says "CONVERTING TO FAX FORMAT." Depending on the complexity of the image and the number of pages in the file, this could take a few minutes to get set-up. Once the conversion is complete, a window will appear with the number of pages to be sent and a running count of the number of pages sent. Further, a window will appear asking you to enter the fax machine's phone number. If you do not wish to fax this document at this time, deselect. Otherwise, after the number has been entered, your PC will call the fax machine and send the document page by page. If you wish to stop sending the document to the fax machine for any reason, hit the Escape button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. Otherwise, after the document has been faxed completely, the Fax box will disappear, and you will return to the Fax Menu. 2) Fax Screen Fax screen allows you to send your screen, or particular page, to a fax machine. When this feature is selected, you may have two options. If you are displaying a page of a multi-page document, you will be asked if you wish to send the entire document. To answer "YES", you can either highlight the "YES" and select it, or hit 'Y' or 'y' on your keyboard. To answer "NO", you may highlight the "NO" and select it, hit 'N' or 'n' on the keyboard, or simply deselect this box. If you answered "YES", the entire document will be faxed. If you have annotated on the currently displayed page, those annotations will also be included. If you answered "NO", only the current page, with its annotation, will be faxed. NOTE: If you are displaying a screen image (one that does not go beyond the limits of the screen), or a single page fax, you will not be prompted with this question. To use this feature, you must first select "FAX BOARD" in your communications menu as your communications device. Once you have selected a file to be faxed, you will see a box in the middle of your screen which says "CONVERTING TO FAX FORMAT." Depending on the complexity of the image and the number of pages in the file, this could take a few minutes to get setup. Once the conversion is complete, a window will appear with the number of pages to be sent and a running count of the number of pages sent. Further, another window will appear, asking you to enter the fax machine's phone number. If you do not wish to fax your screen at this time, deselect. Otherwise, after the number has been entered, your PC will call the fax machine and send your current screen page by page. If you wish to stop sending the document to the fax machine for any reason, hit the <Esc> button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. Otherwise, after the screen has been faxed completely, the Fax box will disappear, and you will return to the Fax Menu. 3) Rename Fax Rename fax allows you to rename a fax document to another fax document. The reason for this is due to the way "PC Blackboard VGA" saves incoming faxes. "PC Blackboard VGA" will provide a unique name to each received fax. It will consist of six numbers and two characters. The first six numbers are a combination of the day, month, and hour. The last two characters are created to insure uniqueness. It is recommended that you rename these files with a name which is more descriptive of the fax itself. 4) Directory The directory option allows you to change your current drive and directory to any existing drive and directory. A) Change Drive To change the drive, select drive when it is highlighted. This will then bring up a window with all available drives. Select the desired one. To leave the drive menu, deselect it. NOTE: If you choose drive "A" or "B", make sure that a disk is in the desired drive and that the door is shut if it is a 5 1/4 drive. Otherwise, you will be notified by an error message. B) Change Directory To change directory, move the highlight bar to the desired directory and select it. The ".." option will take you to the parent directory of the current directory. To leave the directory menu, deselect it. To leave the Directory Menu, simply deselect it. You will notice that when you return to the main directory menu, that your current path is shown below the menu. This is ensure that you are in the path of your choice. TEXT MENU The text menu allows you to change the color and size of your text. After choosing Text Menu from the main menu, a window will appear with a palette button, and an "X" and "Y" box. To change the color, select Palette and select your desired color just as you would do from the attribute menu. For size, you may change the either the "X" (width) or "Y" (height). To change these, select on the white box, which contains the current size, to the right of the "X" or "Y". X (width) Directly to the right of the x button is a window that has the numerical value for the current x text size. To change the x text value, position your cursor over the window containing the current size and select it. Now, as you move your pointing device to the left and right, the value will change. If you get to the desired size value, select it. If you do not wish to change the value, deselect it. Y (height) Directly to the right of the y button is a window that has the numerical value for the current y text size. To change the y text value, position your cursor over the window containing the current size and select it. Now, as you move your pointing device to the left and right, the value will change. If you get to the desired size value, select it. If you do not wish to change the value, deselect it. Once you have set the text attributes, deselect the text menu. Now when you put text to the screen, it will take on the attributes you setup. SEND SCREEN If you are connected to a another PC, this will send your screen to the remote's screen. Once again, the remote cannot have any menus on the screen, or the screen will not be received. A box will appear at both sites showing the users the percentage of data sent and received. NOTE: Hitting the F3 key on the keyboard will also send your screen to the other PC. This is usually more convenient than going back to the main menu to send your screen. If you wish to stop sending the screen for any reason, hit the Escape button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. UNDO The undo feature will remove all annotations from the screen since the last save of the image. This includes free hand draw, shapes, and text. This means that the original image will now be in place, without the annotation. If you wish to make any annotation permanent, save the image via the files menu. If you do save the image, UNDO will not remove the marks made prior to saving the image. To UNDO, simply select "UNDO" from the Main Menu. If there is not enough disk space for UNDO, you will get an error message and be returned to the Main Menu. If there is enough disk space, all annotation marks made since the last save will be removed. CLEAR SCREEN You may clear your screen to anyone of the sixteen shades of grey. If you select the "Clear" box, your screen will be cleared to your currently chosen background color. If you wish to select a new background color, select the "Palette" box. This will bring up the sixteen available colors. Your currently chosen background, will be displayed in the big box to the left of the sixteen grey shades. If you wish to change the color, select the box that contains your desired color. You must now exit the "Palette" by deselecting it. You may then select "Clear" to clear your screen to your new color. If you are connected to another PC, it will clear their screen also. NOTE: Hitting the F2 key on the keyboard will also clear your screen. This is usually more convenient than going back to the main menu to clear your screen. EXIT The final option on the menu is Exit. This will exit you from the "PC Blackboard VGA" program and return you to DOS. If you are connected, it will disconnect the call first, then exit to DOS. NOTE: All drawing tool attributes and all parameters for communications and the tablet are saved so that the next time you enter the "PC Blackboard VGA" program, they will all be just as you left them. DOCUMENT PAGES Documents received from a fax machine, as well as .TXT files and any oversized .PCX images are displayed differently than images created in the "PC Blackboard VGA" program. Only a portion of each page can be shown at one time. This is due to the fact that it would be impossible to comprehend the information if it was constrained by the area on your monitor. Therefore, we have created a virtual page. That is, each page extends below the screen. Through the document queue, the user can then scroll through the document. The options will appear in a queue in the bottom, right hand corner of the screen. This queue will allow you to scroll up and down, jump to the top of the page, jump to the bottom of the page, and go to a particular page of a multi-page document. This queue is the interface for the document pages. As you move your cursor towards the bottom of the screen, your cursor will change to a CROSS. As you position your cursor over the desired icon and select it, the function associated with that icon will occur. The following list provides a description of the document queue's options. A) Scroll Up: This is represented by the arrow pointing up. This will allow you to scroll toward the top of the document. That is, portions of the page that lie above your currently displayed page will now be displayed, while less of the bottom portion will be displayed. When you have reached the top of the document, this function will have no effect. B) Scroll Down: This is represented by the arrow pointing down. This will allow you to scroll towards the bottom of the document. That is, portions of the page which are below your currently displayed portion will now be displayed, while less of the currently displayed portion will be on the screen. When you have reached the bottom of the document page, this function will have no effect. C) Top of Page: This is represented by the capitol 'T'. This will automatically jump to top of the image. This is more convenient than continually scrolling to the top of the page. Basically, this is used to save the user the time of scrolling. D) Bottom of Page: This is represented by the capitol 'B'. This is similar to the Top of Page function, except that it jumps to the bottom of the page. Again, this is meant to save the user from continually scrolling down the page. E) Change Page: This is represented by the current page number. When you first load a document, the number '1' will appear in this box. If you touch on this box, another box will appear in the middle of your screen. This box will allow you to display any page that exists in the document. As you move your pointing device, the available pages will appear. When you come to the desired page number, select it. The program will then load this page to your screen. If this is only a one page document, selecting this option will do nothing. If the document queue is in your way, hit the F6 key on the keyboard to take the queue away. You can now use your drawing tools within this area. However, you will not be able to scroll or change pages until you bring the queue back. To bring it back, you must hit the F6 key once again. FUNCTION KEYS F1 - If you are connected to a remote site, this will toggle between off-line and on-line. If you are on-line, you will go off-line, and if you are off-line, you will go on-line. A message will appear on the screen with the word "On-Line" or "Off- Line", depending on which state the modem is in currently. (See the Call Status portion of the Communications section for an understanding of on-line and off-line.) F2 - This will clear your screen to the current background color. If you are connected to a remote site, this will clear their screen to their background color. F3 - If you are connected to a remote site, this will send your screen to the remote's screen. F4 - This will fax your screen, current page of a .FAX or .PCX file, or the entire .FAX or .PCX file. (See part 3: Fax Screen in the Fax Menu section.) F5 - Allows you to save the screen to a filename of your choice. The maximum number of characters in the filename is eight. The filename will automatically become a .PCX image, so you do not need to add an extension. This is quicker than accessing the save option under the Files menu. A window will appear and wait for the file name to be typed. When you are finished, hit the <Enter> key and the screen will be saved to the file name you just typed. If you do not wish to save the screen after hitting the F4 key, deselect it. F6 - This will toggle the document queue. If the queue is displayed, this will take it away. If it is not displayed, it will display it. This is a useful feature, when the queue is covering something you wish to discuss, or when you wish to draw within the area occupied by the queue. F7 - This is allows the user to change his/her drawing tool by the keyboard. It is the same action as deselecting with the pointing device while in the drawing space. F8 - Provides the user with a quick way to change the attributes of the currently chosen tool. Hitting F7 will bring up the attribute menu for the current tool. This saves the user the time of going through the main menu. F10 - This will bring up the information screen. It contains the version number and revision number of the program, as well as the serial number. It also contains Serial Solutions' address and phone number. This is valuable for registration information. BEGINNING THE PROGRAM To start the program, type "PCBBVGA" at the DOS prompt. EG: D>PCBBVGA When you start the program, a window will appear with information in it. It contains the program version as well as information concerning peripheral devices. It will indicate if a mouse is installed, whether a tablet is installed, the kind of graphic card you have, the type of modem being installed if one exists, and if there was any expanded memory found. You may want to keep an eye on these as they are displayed to confirm that everything you want installed is installed. TROUBLE SHOOTING Mouse: First, if it does not install, make sure you install the mouse driver for the correct com port from DOS. Second, make sure the mouse is connected to the PC, and that it does not conflict with any device. That is, make sure you have not assigned another device to the same com port. Tablet: If it does not install, make sure it is turned on. Second, make sure it is connected to the PC. Third, check the configuration screen to make sure it is setup for the correct com port. If it is not, follow the steps outlined in the configuration section to re-install it. Modem: If it is not found, make sure it is turned on. Second, make sure it is connected to the PC at the correct com port. Third, make sure your modem can handle the baud rate for which you are attempting to use it. ERROR MESSAGES There are 38 possible errors that can occur while in the "PC Blackboard VGA" program. Error 1: "Board Detected not supported" This error occurs at the beginning of the program when a card is detected that cannot be set to the mode that this program requires. If this error occurs, the program will exit to DOS. Generally, this would mean you have a faulty graphics card, or you are attempting to use a monochrome card. Error 2: "Tool File Corrupted - Using Default" This error occurs at the beginning of the program when the program attempts to read the tool file. The tool file holds the previously set attributes for all the tools, as well as the communication and tablet parameters. When this error occurs, the tool attributes, the communication parameters, and the tablet parameters will be set to their default values. Error 3: "Unable to Create Tool File" This error occurs when exiting from the program. If this error occurs, it means that the program was unable to create a tool file. Thus, any changes made to the tool attributes, communication parameters, and tablet parameters will not be saved. Therefore, they will take on their default values the next time you enter the "PC Blackboard VGA" program. Error 4: "Not Enough Memory For Data Allocation" This error occurs when the program cannot allocate memory for internal buffers that will be used for reading and writing to disk. Error 5: "Not Enough Memory For Menu Allocation" This error occurs when the program cannot allocate memory for a menu which is to be displayed to the screen. Error 6: "Error Saving Tool File" This error is similar to Error 3, except that the file was created, but the Tool file could not be addressed. Again, since the attributes and parameters could not be saved, the tool attributes, communication parameters, and tablet parameters, will take on their default values. Error 7: "Time-Out Error" This error occurs when sending or receiving a file or screen. If data is not received in a time determined by the baud rate being used, this error will occur. It means that the data was not sent or received in its entirety. If this error occurs, attempt to re-send. It may have been a problem in the telephone line. If the error persists, you should try two things. First, disconnect the call, and attempt the call again. This should clear up any problems that may have been occurring with the telephone line or com port. Or second, verify that both sites are setup at the same baud rate. If you are not, the time-out value will not be correct for the actual baud rate. The one with the highest baud rate will time-out to early. Error 8: "Unable To Open File" This error occurs when the "PC Blackboard VGA" program attempts to load a file to the screen, but is unable. If this error occurs, attempt to reload it. If it continues to fail, the file is likely to be corrupted. Error 9: "Invalid Response Code" This error occurs when a file or screen is being sent to a remote site. It means an error has occurred in transmission. You should attempt to re-send the file or screen. Error 10: "Unable To Read From File" This error occurs when the "PC Blackboard VGA" program is unable to read a file from disk. If this error occurs, attempt to reload it. If it continues to fail, the file is likely to be corrupted. Error 12: "Unable To Write To File" This error occurs when attempting to write to disk If this error occurs, attempt to re-save the screen. If it continues to fail, you may want to check your hard drive or floppy disk to make sure enough memory exists to save the image. Error 13: "Graphic Card Does Not Handle This Image" This error occurs when the program attempts to load a .PCX image which is too complex for the mode being utilized. Error 14: "Invalid File or Path" This error occurs when the user attempts to change his/her current directory to a directory that does not exist. Error 15: "Unable to Rename File" This error occurs when you attempt to rename a .FAX to a new name of your choice, and the PC is unable to perform this action. You may be using illegal characters, so try to rename it again. Error 16: "Unable to Delete File" This error occurs when the PC is unable to delete the file you have selected to be deleted from the File Menu. Error 17: "Not a Valid PCX Image" The .PCX image that you are attempting to load is not in the correct .PCX format. Error 18: "Fax Response Error" This will occur during the "handshake" between the fax board and a fax machine. It means that an invalid response was given, which means an error has occurred between the two devices. Transmission will either not take place, or cease to continue. You should try the action again. Error 19: "User Aborted Transmission" This error occurs when the user aborted the transmission of a file or screen. This occurs when the sender of the data hits the <ESC> key during transmission. Error 20: "Fax Board Not Installed" This will occur when the user tries to fax an image or file, and the fax board has not been selected as your communication device in the Configuration Menu. You should change your device type. Error 21: "Unable to Continue, Already On-Line" This error occurs when the user attempts to "Connect" in the Communication Menu, when he/she is already connected, or if you attempt to change parameters in the configuration menu. Error 22: "Unable to Continue, Not On-Line" This occurs when the user is trying to access send screen and/or send file when not on-line. Error 23: "No Modem Defined" This error will occur in the Configuration Menu if you attempt to change a communication parameter and a communication device has not been chosen. This error will also occur if the user attempts to enter the Communication Menu when no communication device has been chosen in the Configuration Menu. Error 24: "Fax Board Cannot Utilize This Menu" This error will occur if you attempt to enter the Communication Menu when your communications device is "Fax Board". This is to inform the user that the "Fax Board" does not use this menu option. Error 26: "Drive Not Ready" This error will occur if you attempt to change your drive to a floppy drive that is not ready; that is, if there is either no disk in the drive, or the drive door is open on a 5 1/4 floppy drive. You should check the drive, and try again. Error 28: "Not Connected To Another PC" This error occurs when the user tries to toggle between On-Line and Off-Line when he/she is not connected to another PC. Error 29: "User Aborted The Receiving of Data" This error occurs when the receiver of data from another PC has hit the <ESC> key to abort the reception of data. This is mostly to tell the user that he/she was successful in aborting the receiving of data. Error 30: "Not Enough Disk Memory For Undo" This error occurs when the directory you are working in does not have enough disk space to hold the "Undo" file. Error 31: "User Aborted The Printing of Data" This occurs when the user hits the <ESC> key while printing an image. If the user accidently hit the <ESC> key, he/she will need to print the image again. Error 32: "Document Queue Does Not Exist" This error occurs if the user attempts to use the F6 key when a document has not been loaded. This is not a serious error, but more of an information message. Error 33: "Printer Error - Not Connected or Not On" This error will occur if the user attempts to enter the Print Menu when either the printer is not connected or not on. The user should check the cable, make sure the printer is on, and finally, make sure the printer is on-line. Error 34: "No Tablet Defined" This error occurs if the user tries to change an option within the Tablet Setup when a tablet size has not been specified. The user should select a tablet size at this time. Error 35: "No Address is Assigned" This error will occur if the user tries to install either a modem or tablet when an address value of zero has been selected. The user must select a valid address before installing the modem or tablet. Error 36: "No Interrupt Number is Assigned" This error will occur if the user tries to install either a modem or tablet when an interrupt number of zero has been selected. The user must select a valid interrupt number before installing the modem or tablet. Error 37: "Unable to Access EMS" This error occurs when the PC attempts to Read or Write to EMS, but is unable to. Error 38: "Erase Has No Attributes" This error occurs if you try to access the attribute menu while the erase tool is chosen. This is due to the fact that erase has no user definable attributes. If you had previously saved the image with the annotation, you will not be able to erase those annotations. Therefore, you may only erase annotation marks since the last save.