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Text File | 1992-03-09 | 101.5 KB | 2,221 lines |
- NComm 2.0 - released the 9th of Mars, 1992
-
- //
- A terminal program for the \X/ AMIGA
-
- ======================================================================
-
- --- INDEX ---
-
- 1. INTRODUCTION
-
- 1.1 ShareWare info 1.7 Manual info
- 1.2 Version Number 1.8 How to contact the authors
- 1.3 Development info 1.9 Future expansion
- 1.4 History 1.10 Disclaimer
- 1.5 Credits 1.11 Summary of functions
- 1.6 Programming info
-
- 2. SETUP AND FILES USED
-
- 2.1 Files included
- 2.2 Information about NComm Host Script
- 2.3 Change in file formats (upgrade info)
- 2.4 How to install new files
- 2.5 How to setup NComm: assignment
- 2.6 Using your own NewCLI command
- 2.7 Sharing the serial port
- 2.8 Startup and command line option
- 2.9 Single-drive note
- 2.10 How to configure NComm for use with MBBS
- 2.11 A note about Ymodem-G and high speed modems
- 2.12 How to obtain high transfer rates with HST modems
- 2.13 Init string for TBK 9600+
- 2.14 Icon stack size
-
- 3. COMMANDS IN SYSTEM MENU
-
- 3.1 Commands available 3.7.2 Load Macrokeys
- 3.2 About NComm 3.7.3 Save Macrokeys
- 3.3 Status window 3.7.4 Leaving things unchanged
- 3.3.1 Send delay 3.7.5 Installing new macrokeys
- 3.3.2 Scrollback buffer 3.8 Output to printer
- 3.4 Load configuration 3.9 Starting a new CLI
- 3.5 Save configuration 3.10 Logging calls
- 3.6 Execute script 3.11 Setting Priority
- 3.7 Macrokeys window 3.12 ARexx Script
- 3.7.1 Control characters 3.13 Quit NComm
-
- 4. COMMANDS IN FILE MENU
-
- 4.1 Commands available 4.8.1 Kermit Finish
- 4.2 ASCII capture 4.8.2 Kermit Bye
- 4.3 ASCII send 4.8.3 Kermit CD
- 4.4 Message upload 4.9 Protocol
- 4.5 Download 4.9.1 Xmodem
- 4.6 Upload 4.9.2 Ymodem
- 4.7 Options 4.9.3 Ymodem-Batch
- 4.7.1 CRC 4.9.4 Ymodem-G
- 4.7.2 Chop files 4.9.5 Zmodem
- 4.7.3 G&R protocol 4.9.6 Kermit
- 4.7.4 G&R host mode 4.9.7 External XPR
- 4.7.5 Zmodem resume 4.9.8 Compuserve-B
- 4.7.6 Zmodem autodl 4.9.9 Jmodem
- 4.7.7 Zmodem autoul 4.10 Default directory
- 4.7.8 Zmodem ack 4.11 Load scrollback buffer
- 4.7.9 Zmodem bufsize 4.12 Save scrollback buffer
- 4.7.10 Kermit host 4.13 View scrollback buffer
- 4.7.11 Kermit 1k blocks 4.14 Search in buffer
- 4.7.12 External XPR setup 4.15 Save marked block
- 4.7.13 Create icons 4.16 Send marked block
- 4.7.14 File comments 4.17 Disable adding
- 4.7.15 Transfer bar 4.18 Clear scrollback
- 4.8 Server Commands
-
- 5. COMMANDS IN SERIAL MENU
-
- 5.1 Commands available 5.7.2 Xon / Xoff
- 5.2 Baud 5.7.3 RTS / CTS
- 5.3 Data length 5.8 Set Device
- 5.4 Parity 5.9 Set Unit
- 5.5 Stop bits 5.10 Set Adjust Factor
- 5.6 Duplex 5.11 Shared Mode
- 5.6.1 Full duplex 5.12 Send Break
- 5.6.2 Half duplex 5.13 Lock Serial
- 5.7 Handshaking 5.14 Set 75bps Delay
- 5.7.1 None
-
- 6. COMMANDS IN TRANSLATE MENU
-
- 6.1 Commands available 6.3.9 FR7
- 6.2 End of line 6.3.10 SP7
- 6.3 Character set 6.3.11 IT7
- 6.3.1 ISO 6.3.12 SF7
- 6.3.2 IBM 6.3.13 DE7
- 6.3.3 IBN 6.4 Del <-> BS
- 6.3.4 IBP 6.5 Show HEX chars
- 6.3.5 NO7 6.6 ANSI mouse
- 6.3.6 US7 6.7 ANSI capture
- 6.3.7 UK7 6.8 Destructive backspace
- 6.3.8 GE7 6.9 Pad out blank lines
-
- 7. COMMANDS IN SCREEN MENU
-
- 7.1 Commands available 7.10 Reset
- 7.2 Title bar 7.11 Workbench screen
- 7.3 Interlace 7.12 Close Workbench screen
- 7.4 Colours 7.13 OS 2.0 snapping
- 7.5 Palette 7.14 Force 80 x 24
- 7.6 Split screen 7.15 Flashing text
- 7.7 Style 7.16 Line wrap
- 7.8 Bell 7.17 Window Gadgets
- 7.9 Cursor blink 7.18 Overscan Support
-
- 8. COMMANDS IN PHONE MENU
-
- 8.1 Commands available 8.6.13 No answer string
- 8.2 Phonebook 8.6.14 Remote ring string
- 8.2.1 Dial 8.6.15 Redial delay
- 8.2.2 Edit 8.6.16 Locked rate
- 8.2.3 New 8.6.17 DTR hangup
- 8.2.4 Swap 8.6.18 Loop delay
- 8.2.5 Load 8.6.19 Hardware CD Checking
- 8.2.6 Save 8.6.20 Ignore echo
- 8.2.7 Delete 8.6.21 Accepting the edit
- 8.2.8 Sort 8.7 Redial at logoff
- 8.2.9 Print 8.8 Phonebook edit window
- 8.2.10 Clr/Mark 8.8.1 Name
- 8.3 Dial # 8.8.2 Phone #
- 8.4 Hang up 8.8.3 Comment
- 8.5 Redial 8.8.4 Config
- 8.6 Modem setup 8.8.5 Macros
- 8.6.1 Init string 8.8.6 Script
- 8.6.2 Exit string 8.8.7 ARexx
- 8.6.3 Dial prefix 8.8.8 Password
- 8.6.4 Dial suffix 8.8.9 Baud rate
- 8.6.5 Hang-up string 8.8.10 Data length
- 8.6.7 Connect string 8.8.11 Parity
- 8.6.6 Disconnect string 8.8.12 Stop bits
- 8.6.8 Busy string 8.8.13 Duplex mode
- 8.6.9 Voice string 8.8.14 Character set
- 8.6.10 No dialtone string 8.8.15 Swap Del/Backspace
- 8.6.11 Error string 8.8.16 Transfer protocol
- 8.6.12 Ringing string 8.8.17 Last dialled info
-
- 9. INFORMATION ABOUT DIAL MENU
-
- 10. HOT KEYS AVAILABLE
-
- ======================================================================
-
-
-
- CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
-
- 1.1 NComm V2.0 is Shareware - it isn't free, and all rights
- are reserved. You are not allowed to sell this program, and
- you may only copy it for non-commercial purposes. You may
- take a look at the program for free, but if you like it (or
- use it), please send 215 NOK or $35 by cheque or money order
- made payable to the address below. If you live in Europe,
- you may also use my bank or PostGiro account. You will then
- become a registered user, and automatically receive a
- registered version. The irritating requesters have been
- removed. Send 35 NOK or $6 to the same address for
- receiving an update (this will hopefully cover my postal
- expences), or call the NComm Support BBS for a free upgrade.
- Please also include the name of the person to register this
- copy of NComm on. The name will be installed in the program.
-
- NComm is copyrighted, including copies which have been
- modified. Any change to the executable or documentation is
- prohibited. You may not modify, adapt, translate, reverse
- engineer, disassemble, or decompile this program. If hacked
- or registered versions of the NComm executable appear on
- bulletin boards, I won't make any new version of the program
- - it's as simple as that.
-
- If you want to distribute NComm, the program must be in its
- original archive format, including all documentation files,
- icons, scriptfiles, fonts, commands and libraries.
-
- The registered versions of NComm are commercial and
- strictly personal to the person who has registered his/her
- copy. They are not shareware and must not be spread or
- copied to other persons. Persons who break these terms will
- be held responsible for the economical damage they cause by
- spreading the registered versions. Any contravention of
- this agreement, either by will or by accident, will be
- followed by a prosecution before norwegian court.
-
- Keep developers developing - future development depends on
- you... The NComm development depends on ShareWare royalties
- and stops as soon as we don't get any money for it.
-
- Torkel Lodberg
- Pilotveien 10
- N-0384 OSLO 3
- NORWAY
-
- Union Bank of Norway (SpB NOR) account number; 1607.26.26595
- European postgiro account number; 0824 0884667
-
- (PLEASE use my postgiro account if possible. Sparebanken NOR
- charge 40 NOK for transferring the money...)
-
- NOTE: The money that I get for NComm will off course be
- shared just between Daniel Bloch, Trym Hansen and myself.
-
- 1.2 NComm version 2.0 was written by Torkel Lodberg. It was built
- on NComm 1.9 by Daniel Bloch & co.
-
- 1.3 This program was developed using Lattice C 5.x, and is the
- result of a project started in Oslo in 1988, using the Rodel°kka
- (M)BBS to coordinate the initial efforts.
-
- 1.4 History
- =================================================================
- Many of the communication programs on the market today *look*
- nice, but after testing them for a few minutes you find out that
- they are so bug-ridden that even the old Basic-program you used
- on the Commodore 64 would be preferable.
-
- We thought that no Amiga communication program fulfilled our
- needs, and figured out that the only way to get a program that
- did everything we wanted, was to make it ourselves! Luckily the
- source for Comm 1.34 was available. It had all the basic
- functions, so we could concentrate on what we thought was
- missing.
-
- Our goal wasn't to make a program with a lot of functions you
- never use, but with the functions that we needed - and they had
- to work! Our national characters have been ignored and
- mistreated, but NComm puts an end to that.
-
- 1.5 The project was led by Daniel Bloch, and chief contributors to
- the design so far, apart from Daniel, have been:
-
- Trym Hansen Conrad Helgeland Torkel Lodberg
- J°rn Lok°y Per Hansen Geir Atle Storhaug
- Arvid Johansen Geir Inge H°steng Anders Herbj°rnsen
- Bj°rn Melbye Eric Wheatley Marek Rzewuski
- Heiko Schlichting Miguel Casteleiro ╪yvind Harboe
- Thomas Baetzler Nils-Arne Dahlberg Roger Nordin
-
- Thanks go to Mike Robertson (who gave us the necessary
- information for the G&R protocol, and helped us out with a few
- other things) and Dj James (for the source to Comm 1.34). Also
- thanks to all the Beta-testers. Feedback from the users is the
- most important thing when developing a program!
-
- The XPR spec. was created by Willy Langeveld. NComm would have
- been nothing without it...
-
- Phone icon created by Bj°rn Rybakken. He also made the new NComm
- fonts - thanks!
-
- 1.6 All changes since V1.9 were made by Torkel Lodberg, so please
- don't flame Daniel Bloch if you find any bugs or simply don't
- like the new version :-)
-
- 1.7 This manual was written by Torkel Lodberg, with help from
- Conrad Helgeland and Eric Wheatley.
-
- 1.8 We welcome bug reports and comments about NComm and the
- documentation. Send your comments to this address:
-
- Torkel Lodberg, Pilotveien 10, N-0384 Oslo 3, Norway.
- Email: torkell@ifi.uio.no (Internet)
- Torkel Lodberg @ 2:502/15 (Fidonet)
-
- Or call: The NComm Support BBS, 24 hours.
-
- Phone # +47 2 493210 (international) (V32/MNP5)
- (02) 493210 (Norway)
-
- =====================================================
-
- Rodel°kka (M)BBS at 300-19200 baud, 24hrs, two nodes.
-
- Phone # +47 2 380949 (international) (V32/V42bis/PEP)
- (02) 380949 (Norway)
-
- 1.9 A probable future expansion is the addition of more protocols.
- We welcome debugged and documented C-source of other protocols,
- as lack of time prevents us from writing them ourselves...
- XPR libraries are especially welcome!
-
- A final note: Please read this documentation carefully. Most
- things should be explained here.
-
- 1.10 Disclaimer:
- -----------
- We have made every effort possible to ensure that NComm will
- function as described, but no warranty of any kind, expressed or
- implied, is made by us. We will not be liable for any direct or
- indirect damages to either machinal equipment or mental health
- arising from a failure of the program to operate in the manner
- desired by the user. In no event will we be liable for any loss
- of profits or savings.
-
- 1.11 Summary of functions:
-
- o Works on any Amiga with 512K RAM or more. Menu driven.
- o ANSI / VT100 terminal emulation with full 8 colour text
- support. IBM graphics (optional). Optional translation of
- styles. Interlaced screen (optional). PAL, NTSC and overscan
- support. Can be run on WB screen. OS 2.0 support. Flashing text.
- 80 x 24 option. Automatic ANSI detection. Optional line wrap.
- o Full support for all European languages (both character-
- sets and keymaps). Thirteen translation modes.
- o Baud rates up to 115200 baud supported (31250 baud on a M68000-
- Amiga). Xon/Xoff and CTS/RTS handshaking. Fast screen I/O.
- Optional shared mode. Adjust option. DTR hangup option.
- 1200/75 support. LockSerial support. All paritys supported.
- Half duplex option. User settable device and unit number.
- o Fast file transfer protocols: ASCII, Xmodem, Xmodem-CRC,
- Ymodem, Ymodem-Batch, Ymodem-G (for error correcting modems).
- Fast Zmodem and Kermit, Jmodem and Compuserve Quick-B protocols
- using external libraries. Full support for custom XPR libraries.
- Autochop on receive files - disabled for ARC, ZOO, PAK, ZIP.
- Optional translation. Batch uploads and downloads. Optional icon
- creation. Filenote option.
- o Autodownload feature for MBBS or systems with G&R protocol.
- G&R host mode. Zmodem autodownload and autoupload features
- for use with any system.
- o A very powerful inbuilt script language - simple text language
- automates sessions. Advanced Host-Mode script follows program.
- o An ARexx interface with access to all script and menu commands.
- o Optional scrollback buffer - view, save or paste text that
- previously has been displayed on screen. Block functions.
- Real-time scrolling. Search function. Settable scrollback size
- from 8K to 1/2 MB.
- o Hot Keys for most program functions, including dialing of
- up to 10 phone numbers.
- o Split screen mode for conferencing.
- o Dialing directory, queued dial, redial until carrier
- received. Redial at logoff. Support for all kind of modems.
- o 46 entry fast phonemenu. Advanced phone requester with
- unlimited entries.
- o 24 keyboard macros using function and cursor keys.
- o Optional real time printing of incoming text.
- o Log writes. Automatically records when you were last on system.
- o Nodelist support via traplist.library.
- o Clipboard support. NComm sends the contents of the clipboard
- (unit 0) to the serial port when the escape code sent by the
- "conclip" program is received ("\x9b" "0 v")
- o Internal multitasking.
-
- CHAPTER 2: PREPARATION
-
- 2.1 The following files should be included in this package:
-
- Work:NComm
- d----rwxd Feb 12 15:50 0 0 CpuBlit
- d----rwxd Mar 3 21:28 0 0 Doc
- d----rwxd Feb 12 15:05 0 0 fonts
- d----rwxd Mar 3 20:28 0 0 Host
- d----rwxd Feb 18 10:34 0 0 libs
- d----rwxd Mar 3 20:30 0 0 PbView
- d----rwxd Feb 13 11:20 0 0 Scripts
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:58 2 977 Install
- -----rwxd Mar 3 21:32 381 192244 NComm
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:36 4 1617 NComm.config
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:29 1 17 NComm.keys
- -----rwxd Mar 3 21:03 100 50771 NComm.news
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:36 2 685 NComm.phone
- Dirs:7 Files:6 Blocks:490 Bytes:246221
-
- Work:NComm/CpuBlit
- -----rwxd Aug 8 1991 15 7232 CpuBlit
- Dirs:0 Files:1 Blocks:15 Bytes:7232
-
- Work:NComm/Doc
- -----rwxd Mar 3 21:03 31 15428 ARexx.doc
- -----rwxd Aug 8 1991 28 14030 CpuBlit.doc
- -----rwxd Aug 8 1991 36 18388 Host.doc
- -----rwxd Mar 3 21:28 197 103958 NComm.doc
- -----rwxd Mar 3 21:06 54 27251 Script.doc
- Dirs:0 Files:5 Blocks:346 Bytes:174701
-
- Work:NComm/fonts
- d----rwxd Feb 12 15:05 0 0 NComm1
- d----rwxd Feb 12 15:05 0 0 NComm2
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:05 1 264 NComm1.font
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:05 1 264 NComm2.font
- Dirs:2 Files:2 Blocks:2 Bytes:528
-
- Work:NComm/fonts/NComm1
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:05 6 2616 8
- Dirs:0 Files:1 Blocks:6 Bytes:2616
-
- Work:NComm/fonts/NComm2
- -----rwxd Feb 12 15:05 2 572 8
- Dirs:0 Files:1 Blocks:2 Bytes:572
-
- Work:NComm/Host
- d----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 0 0 Bulletins
- d----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 0 0 Ckomm
- d----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 0 0 Files
- d----rwxd Mar 1 14:43 0 0 Hold
- d----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 0 0 Menus
- d----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 0 0 Msgs
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 191 a.script
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 53 CharSets
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 326 FirstUser
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 3 1297 host.config
- -----rwxd Mar 3 20:28 91 45604 host.script
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 237 logout
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 134 newuser
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 206 postlog
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 432 prelog
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 62 TransProtos
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 11 TransProtosS
- Dirs:6 Files:11 Blocks:103 Bytes:48553
-
- Work:NComm/Host/Bulletins
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 53 bull0
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 4 1835 Bull1
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 46 Bull2
- Dirs:0 Files:3 Blocks:6 Bytes:1934
-
- Work:NComm/Host/Ckomm
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 58 README
- Dirs:0 Files:1 Blocks:1 Bytes:58
-
- Work:NComm/Host/Files
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 43 Readme
- Dirs:0 Files:1 Blocks:1 Bytes:43
-
- Work:NComm/Host/Hold
- -----rwxd Mar 1 14:43 1 58 Boringtown BBS
- Dirs:0 Files:1 Blocks:1 Bytes:58
-
- Work:NComm/Host/Menus
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 4 1568 allmenu
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 297 menu0
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 410 menu1
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 198 menu2
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 304 menu3
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 186 menu4
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 208 menu5
- Dirs:0 Files:7 Blocks:10 Bytes:3171
-
- Work:NComm/Host/Msgs
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 286 Messages1
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 0 0 Messages2
- -----rwxd Feb 29 10:34 1 144 README
- Dirs:0 Files:3 Blocks:2 Bytes:430
-
- Work:NComm/libs
- -----rwxd Aug 8 1991 36 18012 req.library
- -----rwxd Aug 8 1991 38 19104 xprkermit.library
- -----rwxd Feb 18 10:34 40 20172 xprzmodem.library
- Dirs:0 Files:3 Blocks:114 Bytes:57288
-
- Work:NComm/PbView
- -----rwxd Feb 13 00:50 19 9248 PbView
- -----rwxd Mar 3 20:30 7 3152 PbView.c
- -----rwxd Feb 13 00:48 1 66 PbView.lnk
- Dirs:0 Files:3 Blocks:27 Bytes:12466
-
- Work:NComm/Scripts
- -----rwxd Aug 8 1991 2 838 mbbs.script
- -----rwxd Feb 12 10:59 1 434 rxread1.ncomm
- -----rwxd Feb 12 11:00 2 700 rxread2.ncomm
- -----rwxd Feb 13 11:20 2 877 rxread3.ncomm
- -----rwxd Feb 10 20:51 2 682 testrx.ncomm
- Dirs:0 Files:5 Blocks:9 Bytes:3531
-
- Be careful not to mix these files with old Comm 1.34 or NComm
- 1.01 files that may be lying around. The datafiles are
- incompatible.
-
- 2.2 Read the file 'host.doc' for information about the NComm Host
- Script.
-
- 2.3 The NComm.config format has been changed since NComm 1.8. If you
- haven't used V1.9, all configuration files should be deleted!
- The same thing goes for V1.8 phonebooks.
-
- 2.4 NComm uses two fonts for emulating IBM graphics. They must
- reside in the directory named FONTS:. NComm also uses two
- external protocol libraries for supporting Kermit and Zmodem. A
- Requester Library is being used for many of the requesters. All
- of these files must be installed before NComm can be used.
-
- To install NComm, enter the following command in CLI;
- (or just click on the Install icon from WorkBench)
-
- 1> Execute Install
-
- This batchfile will copy the font files used by NComm to the
- FONTS: directory. First (of course) you have to assign FONTS:
- to the directory where you keep your fonts. Unless you assign
- these fonts correctly, the IBM graphics emulation will not work!
-
- Important!
- ----------
- Users of NComm V1.9 should reinstall the fonts, since they have
- been redesigned by Bj°rn Rybakken! Users of V1.8 MUST reinstall
- the fonts since they had a bug.
-
- The batchfile will also copy the XPRZmodem.library to the LIBS:
- directory. This is a public domain Zmodem library that was
- created by Rick Huebner - thanks a lot! The file MUST be
- present, or the Zmodem protocol won't work! The version number
- included is 2.5.
-
- The XPRKermit.library will also be copied, and is necessary for
- Kermit to work. It was made by Stephen Walton. The version number
- included is 1.5. This version is told to contain several bugs,
- and Stephen is working hard on a new release which is expected
- soon. I highly recommend switching to the new version when it
- arrives.
-
- Finally, the batchfile file will copy the Req.library V2.5 to
- LIBS: and set up an NComm assignment to the current directory.
-
- NOTE: the "xprjmodem" and "xprquickb" libraries have not been
- included. You have to get them from somewhere else.
-
- 2.5 Data files
- ----------
- It is important for NComm to know where it can find its data
- files, and we must help it on its way. If NComm was unarced in
- the ROOT directory of a floppy disk, relabel the disk as
- "NComm". This can be done with the following command if NComm
- resides on df1:
-
- 1> Relabel drive df1: name "NComm"
-
- If the files were unarced within a directory or on a harddisk,
- you must assign "NComm:" to the directory that NComm resides in
- including full device and path names.
-
- Examples:
-
- 1> Assign NComm: "df1:"
-
- ...expects NComm to reside in the ROOT directory of drive "df1:"
-
- 1> Assign NComm: "dh0:NComm_2.0"
-
- ...expects NComm to reside in directory "NComm_2.0" on "dh0:"
-
- If you do not wish to name the disk that NComm resides on
- 'NComm', it is probably a good idea to edit the
- "s:startup-sequence" file and add the assign command that you
- just entered.
-
- 2.6 NComm has an inbuilt command for opening a new CLI. If NComm
- should not use the normal "NewCLI" command for opening the CLI,
- this can be done by using the SetEnv command in WB1.3. For
- example:
-
- 1> setenv NEWCLI "NewSHELL *"newcon:0/11/640/245/NCommShell*""
-
- 2.7 NComm normally opens the serial.device in "exclusive" mode. If
- the serial device could not be opened, the message "Can't open
- serial device" will be displayed (workbench users will notice a
- flash on the workbench screen if NComm of some reason can't run).
- If another program is using the serial port, NComm will not be
- able to run in "exclusive" mode. The internal "shared" mode
- option must then be stored in your configuration file if you want
- to use the two programs simultaneously.
-
- 2.8 NComm has the following synopsis when started from CLI:
-
- 1> NComm [SCRIPTFILE] [-cCONFIGFILE] [-mMACROFILE]
- [-pPHONEBOOK] [-sSCROLLBACK] [-d(ISABLE ADDING)]
- [-e(NABLE DSR/CTS ERROR MESSAGES)]
- [-rAREXXSCRIPT] [-u(SERNAME)]
-
- The CLI '-u' option shows who owns this copy. Hopefully YOUR name
- is displayed, if not you had better report this to me as soon as
- possible.
-
- Note: The -r option must be the last one if specified.
-
- From WorkBench, just click on the NComm icon.
-
- 2.9 Note:
- -----
- Single-drive users have to execute these commands in a bit
- different manner. Either you can copy the needed commands into
- RAM: and assign c: to RAM:, or you may enter the desired
- commands with just a question mark as command-line. You will
- then be given a long prompt, at which you should enter the
- normal command-line" with drive specified as df0:. As an
- example, here is how to relabel a disk...
-
- Boot your AmigaDOS disk in df0: and enter this at the prompt:
-
- 1> Relabel ?
-
- "DRIVE/A,NAME/A" now appears on the screen. Now put your new
- NComm disk in df0: and enter this:
-
- drive df0: name "NComm"
-
- 2.10 How to configure NComm for use with MBBS.
- -----------------------------------------
-
- To get the most from NComm when using the MBBS program, you
- should log in at the MBBS boards you are going to use. In the
- utility menu, there are several options that have to be turned
- on. Walk to the utility menu with the (U)tility command, and
- select (M)ode changes. Answer 'YES' at all prompts. The
- message 'User profile updated' will be displayed. Now, if
- you're using a PAL machine, you probably want to configure a
- larger number of lines per page than what has been configured by
- MBBS. Select (L)ines per page, and enter '29' at the prompt.
- Finally, select IBM graphics by using the (S)et character set
- command. Enter 'IBN' at the prompt.
-
- Some options must now be turned on in NComm. Walk to the
- 'Transfer' menu, and turn on the 'G&R Protocol'. Configure the
- default directories for these transfers if you don't have enough
- memory to use the RAM DISK. Now, examine that your 'Com' setup
- is 8N1. Always use this setup when connecting to MBBS boards,
- otherwise high bits will be stripped. Turn the 'IBN character
- set' on in the 'Translate' menu. Turn the '8 Colour' mode on in
- the screen menu, and 'Reset' the colours by opening the palette.
- You now have true ANSI graphics! Remember to save the present
- configuration.
-
- 2.11 A note about using NComm with Ymodem-G and High Speed modems
- ------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Characters may sometimes disappear when using NComm with baud
- rates above 9600 baud. This is not due to a bug in NComm, but
- is caused by a problem with either the serial.device or the
- Amiga hardware.
-
- If you want to perform file transfer with modems like the US
- Robotics HST, we recommend using the Zmodem error checking
- protocol. It is not safe to use the Ymodem-G protocol at high
- baud rates even if the modem is having MNP available - errors
- may occur!.
-
- We apologize for this, and hope this will be fixed in a future
- version of the Amiga software or hardware! We have tried to
- shorten down the cable between the modem and the machine but
- that didn't seem to help. We have checked every other Amiga
- comms program available, and the same thing seems to happen with
- them.
-
- 2.12 How to obtain high transfer rates with HST modems
- -------------------------------------------------
-
- Some people have reported that they are not able to obtain high
- transfer rates with the Zmodem protocol. I personally have no
- problems reaching 1700 CPS with NComm on a standard Amiga 2000
- with many programs waiting in the background. Please read trough
- this list of possible faults before sending any more complaints.
-
- * Some versions of the serial.device miscalculate the baud rate
- by 1.1% and may therefore either slow transfers down, or cause
- errors. If you experience such problems, try setting the
- adjust factor to -11 (it should normally be set to zero!)
-
- * Use the newest version of serial.device, i.e 34.104 or above.
- Test your version number with the following command...
-
- 1> version serial.device
-
- * The sending protocol and the hardware used by the BBS is also
- very important, as well as noise on the telephone line. If you
- have problems with reaching high baud rates, this may be a
- problem with the BBS program or the telephone line.
-
- * With the standard Amiga serial.device you should NOT lock the
- baud rate at anything more than 19200 baud (unless you are
- using a machine equipped with a 68020 or 68030 card). A
- standard Amiga does only handle transfers at a maximum of
- 31250 baud...
-
- * When using the ASDG Dual Serial Board, you must remember to
- lock the baud rate at 38400 baud. Otherwise the buffer might
- overflow.
-
- * Check the cabling. The RS232 cable should be as short as
- possible, and protected against electrical interference. The
- same thing goes for the telephone cable. The cabling is very
- important for obtaining high transfer rates.
-
- * Your modem must be set up correctly. These US Robotics HST
- settings have been tested and work very well:
-
- Courier HST (non-V32/V42 version)
- ---------------------------------
- AT &F B1 X4 &B1&C1&D2&G0&H1&I0 <cr>
- AT &J0&K0&L0&M4&N8&P0&R2&S0&X1&Y1 &W <cr>
-
- Courier HST Dual Standard (V32/V42 version)
- -------------------------------------------
- AT &F B0X4 &A3&B1&H1&K3&R2&S0S28=20 &W <cr>
-
- * Don't multitask, i.e don't have anything running in the
- background since this will slow things down and cause errors.
- Even a simple operation like bringing another screen or window
- to front, may cause errors!
-
- * Utility Programs like PopCLI, QMouse, VirusX, Mach and so on,
- may be quite cruel to the system, especially if they run at a
- high priority - try removing them if you experience problems.
-
- * Use TWO colours, NO interlace, NO overscan. Everything else
- will slow transfers down and cause errors.
-
- * Turn on CTS/RTS handshaking in NComm. To be able to use this
- hardware handshaking, your modem must also be set up
- correctly! You will have to use a cable with pins 4 and 5
- connected. The CTS and DSR signal must be constantly on
- before starting NComm. See your modem users manual if you
- don't know how to configure it correctly.
-
- * Zmodem ACKknowledge should be turned OFF. Transfers should go
- to RAM: or a fast harddisk. Otherwise, Zmodem will HAVE to
- acknowledge for every 16th block received.
-
- * Setting the priority of NComm to one or higher will normally
- give best results. We recommend setting the priority to at
- least one. Setting the priority to 16 or higher is NOT
- recommended.
-
- * Transfer to RAM: or a fast harddisk. Floppy drives do not
- handle transfers at anything more than 9600 baud! Some
- harddisks hog the CPU when reading or writing. This can cause
- errors during transfers. If you experience such problems, I
- recommend that you use RAM: as your default download
- directory, and transfer the files to a permanent media after
- having logged off the bulletin board.
-
- 2.13 There has been some problems with setting up the TBK 9600+
- auto-dialling modem for use with NComm. I recommend the following
- initialization, which has been tested and works very well:
-
- Modem should be used with 19200 baud constant local speed.
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- AT &F Reset modem to factory configuration
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- AT B0 &C1 &D2 CCITT, DCD track on, DTR hang-up on
- AT &S0 (Very important!) Constant DSR signal
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- AT &G0 M0 (M1)? Guard tone off, Loudspeaker off (on)
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- AT %C0 +C1 +D0 MNP5 off, Constant speed, 1300 Hz off
- AT \N3 \Q3 Auto-MNP on, RTS/CTS flow control
- AT +Q3 +T1 Extra result codes, Trellis on
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- AT &W0 &W1 Store new config in both setups
- AT Z And reset modem to new config
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- And now, remember to turn on CTS/RTS in NComm.
-
- 2.14 If you want to use another icon than the one supplied with NComm,
- remember to set the stack size to 10000 bytes. Otherwise, you may
- experience that NComm gives you a software failure from time to
- time - not funny at all.
-
-
- CHAPTER 3: COMMANDS IN SYSTEM MENU
-
- 3.1 Here you control all system functions. From here you can load
- and save settings, view the status, edit the macrokeys, turn on
- and off the printer, and start a new CLI. You can also choose
- whether NComm should add entries to the logfile when you connect
- with a board. You may also exit NComm from here, as well as
- execute script-files.
-
- 3.2 About NComm
- Will tell you a few things about NComm and the author. Simply
- click in the window to close it...
-
- 3.3 Status
- This will bring up a status display showing the amount of
- memory available, the state of the printer and capture buffer
- toggles. If the capture buffer has been turned on, the
- filename will also be displayed.
-
- Here you will also find a slider gadget for use with the
- "ASCII send" and "message send" functions. Some Bulletin
- Board Systems lose data if is being sent too fast, so this
- function can be very useful.
-
- 3.3.1 You can select a time to delay after transmitting each
- character by using this slider gadget. The gadget can be
- adjusted from approx 20ms (Fast) to 300 ms (Slow) delay
- between transmitted characters. The slider can be adjusted
- while a file is being sent to allow for fine tuning.
-
- With the slider in the (default) far left position, there is
- no delay.
-
- 3.3.2 A scrollback buffer can be set with the second slider gadget.
- This can be useful if you often loose CARRIER while entering
- messages or if you are bothered by pages often scrolling past
- your screen. Here you can set the buffer size, i.e. how much
- NComm at all times shall remember of the incoming data. If
- you are using a 512K Amiga, it may be wise to use only a small
- scrollback buffer. Set the scrollback buffer to '0K' if you
- want to turn off this option, or want to clear the buffer.
-
- 3.4 Load config
- Will load a new NComm configuration. All menu options and the
- status window settings are covered by this function. The
- macrokeys and the phonebook must be loaded separately. A file
- input requester will appear in the center of the screen. Only
- files with a ".config" suffix will be shown.
-
- 3.5 Save config
- Will save the current NComm configuration. All menu options
- and the status window settings are covered by this function.
- The macrokeys and the phonebook must be saved separately. A
- file input requester will appear in the center of the screen.
-
- 3.6 Script
- This function will execute a scriptfile. A file input
- requester will appear in the center of the screen. Select the
- script you want to run. The text SCR' will be displayed on
- the status line. To stop a script, select this entry again.
- See the file "Script.doc" for detailed information on scripts.
-
- 3.7 Macrokeys
- This will bring up a requester that lets you edit the
- macrokeys. Here you may also load new macros and save the
- text stored on the different macrokeys. The function keys
- definable are F1 to F10 and SHIFT F1 to F10. You may also
- define what the cursor keys should send when shifted. A macro
- definiton can be 512 bytes maximum. Not all keys have to be
- defined. To edit a macro just click in one of the requester
- text input boxes and enter your definition. The macros can
- contain control characters which can be represented in two
- ways. These characters can also be used in the modem setup
- requester or in scripts when using the SEND commands.
-
- 3.7.1 1. C-style slash conventions. The following
- sequences are supported:
-
- \n, \r Carriage Return
- \t Tabulator
- \f Form Feed
- \b BackSpace
- \v Vertical Tabulator
- \e Escape
- \\ Backslash
- \" Quote
- \p Phonebook Password
- \w .5 second Delay
- \l 250 ms Line Break
- \m Macro
- \i Send modem init string
- \xHEXNUMBER Send ASCII hex-character f.ex. \x1b
- \NUMBER Send ASCII character f.ex \32 (space)
-
- 2. The caret followed by a letter, meaning
- CTRL+letter. If you need the line feed
- character, for example, use ^J. '^^' will send
- the caret itself.
-
- A scriptfile may be started from a macro by entering {script}
- followed by the name and path of the scriptfile you want to
- execute. Example: {script}RAM:test.script
-
- An arexx scriptfile may be started from a macro by entering
- {arexx} followed by the name, path and optional parameters for
- the arexx scriptfile. Example: {arexx}ncomm:testrx.ncomm
-
- You can have nested macros by using the \m## option, where ##
- is a number from 1 to 20 - with 1 representing macro F1 and 11
- and 20 representing Shift F1 and Shift F20 respectively.
-
- Examples:
-
- commodore ;Will not add a carriage return.
- at \\N3\n ;AT \N3 plus a carriage return.
- ^pread ;The control-P code, followed by 'read'.
- \m1\m2run testfile\r ;The text stored on macro F1 and F2, plus
- ;the text 'run testfile' and a CR.
-
- 3.7.2 Selecting the 'Load' gadget will bring up a file requester in
- the center of the screen. From here you may load new
- macrokeys. Remember to save the current macrokeys if any
- changes have been made. Entering "NComm.keys" will load the
- macrokeys that are normally loaded at startup.
-
- 3.7.3 Selecting the 'Save' gadget will bring up a file requester in
- the center of the screen. From here you may save the current
- macrokeys. Enter the name "NComm.keys" if you want the
- macrokeys to be loaded on startup.
-
- 3.7.4 Selecting the 'Cancel' gadget will leave everything unchanged
- and remove the macrokeys window.
-
- 3.7.5 Selecting the 'OK' gadget will close the window and install
- the new macros.
-
- 3.8 Printer
- Toggles the printer ON/OFF. When ON, text received from the
- serial port will also go to the device you specify in the
- requester (PRT: is recommended). The text 'PRT' will be
- displayed on the status line.
-
- 3.9 New CLI
- Works like the "NewCli" command, which must be present in the
- C: directory together with the 'RUN' command. Will open up a
- command line interface on the Workbench screen. Type 'EndCli'
- to exit the CLI and return to NComm.
-
- 3.10 Log Calls
- When this option is turned on, NComm will log all calls made
- within NComm. The information will be added to a textfile
- called "NComm.log". Also, the phonebook will automatically be
- saved at CONNECT so that we can keep track on when the boards
- were last dialled.
-
- 3.11 Set Priority
- This option allows you to increase or decrease the NComm
- priority a bit. Bumping the priority is especially recommended
- when using high speed modems. This will decrease the number of
- errors and also increases the transfer rate.
-
- 3.12 ARexx Script
- This function will execute an arexx scriptfile. A file input
- requester will appear in the center of the screen. Select the
- arexx script that you want to run. See the file "ARexx.doc"
- for detailed information on arexx scripts and available
- commands.
-
- 3.13 Quit NComm
- Selecting this entry will close all open files and windows and
- exit back to the operating system.
-
-
- CHAPTER 4: COMMANDS IN FILE MENU
-
- 4.1 This is the file transfer menu. From here you can start a
- transfer and select the different transfer options i.e protocol,
- handshaking etc.
-
- When the upload or download function is selected, a file input
- requester will appear, that is if you have not selected the G&R
- mode. Click on the "Ok" gadget when you have selected a file.
-
- 4.2 Start ASCII Capture
- All data received from the serial port is also saved into the
- named file. The text is buffered and written to the disk in
- 8K blocks. If you are using a translation table, the incoming
- data will be translated. Select the 'ISO' character set to
- avoid this.
-
- When this mode is selected, the text in the MENU entry is
- changed to "Stop ASCII Capture". Selecting this entry will
- flush the data buffer to the disk and close the file.
-
- When capturing is enabled, the word "CAP" will be visible on
- the status line.
-
- When entering a filename for data capture, NComm will check to
- see if this file already exists. If it does, a requester will
- appear informing you of that fact. You may then choose to
- CONTINUE using the filename entered or CANCEL and enter
- another filename. If you choose to CONTINUE, you will be
- presented with another requester. You can APPEND data to the
- existing file or DELETE the existing data and start with a
- fresh file.
-
- 4.3 Start ASCII Send
- The named file will be read and sent to the serial port. If
- the file does not exist, a message to that effect will be
- printed. If you are using a translation table, the outgoing
- data will be translated. Select the 'ISO' translation to
- avoid this.
-
- When this mode is selected, the text in the MENU entry is
- changed to "Stop ASCII Send". Selecting this entry will stop
- the transfer and close the disk file.
-
- 4.4 Message upload
- The named file will be read and sent to the serial port. If
- the file does not exist, a warning message will be printed.
- If you are using a translation table, the outgoing data will
- be translated. Select the 'ISO' translation to avoid this.
-
- This function will perform almost like "Start ASCII send", but
- the message will be packed. Blank lines will be translated
- into spaces. This can be useful when uploading to systems
- with a certain pagewidth, or if your message contains blank
- lines (usually you will exit the editor when a blank line
- occurs in a message you upload with the ASCII send function.)
-
- Select this entry again to stop the transfer and close the
- disk file.
-
- 4.5 Download
- The named file will be created on the disk and the transfer
- will be started using the protocol you have selected in the
- TRANSFER menu.
-
- If the specified file already exists, a requester will appear;
- asking if you want to CONTINUE or CANCEL the use of that
- filename. Selecting CONTINUE will overwrite the old existing
- file with the new one. Selecting CANCEL will bring up the
- INPUT WINDOW allowing you to enter another file name.
-
- A window will pop up that among other things will display the
- name of the file being transferred, a running total of the
- bytes received, the number of NAKs and the last block to be
- NAKed. The transfer can be aborted by hitting the ESC key, or
- by pressing the upper left-hand close gadget. The current file
- can be skipped by pressing the gadget marked "Skip File".
-
- The serial port parameters will be saved and changed to 8
- bits, no parity, 1 stop bit for the transfer. Upon
- completion, the old settings will be restored.
-
- 4.6 Upload
- Use this selection to transmit a file to a system. The named
- file will be opened on the disk and the transfer will be
- started using the error checking method (CRC or Checksum)
- selected by the receiving end.
-
- Ymodem-Batch/G and Zmodem support batch uploading. Hold down
- the SHIFT key if you want to select multiple files in the
- file requester.
-
- If the specified file does not exist, a requester will appear
- informing you of this fact. You only have the option to
- CONTINUE, which will bring up the INPUT WINDOW allowing you to
- re-enter the filename or CANCEL the upload.
-
- A window will pop up that among other things will display the
- name of the file being transferred, a running total of the
- bytes sent, the number of NAKs and the last block to be
- NAKed. The transfer can be aborted by hitting the ESC key, or
- by pressing the upper left-hand close gadget. The current file
- can be skipped by pressing the gadget marked "Skip File".
-
- As described in the Download section, the serial port
- parameters are temporarily changed to 8N1 for the transfer.
-
- 4.7 Options
-
- 4.7.1 CRC
- This function selects the type of error checking to be used
- during Xmodem transfers. If CRC is not turned on, the
- checksum method will be used.
-
- The original Christensen protocol used an 8 bit checksum for
- error checking. It is about 97% effective in catching errors.
- All implementations of XMODEM can use the checksum method.
- Only use the cheksum method when in doubt, the CRC method is
- much more secure.
-
- A later addition to the protocol was the 16 bit (two byte)
- Cyclic Redundancy Check ( CRC ) which is about 99.997%
- effective in detecting errors. Not all implementations of
- XMODEM can use the CRC method.
-
- 4.7.2 Chop Files
- File transfers will increase the size of a file to the next
- largest multiple of 128 bytes for XModem transfers and 1024
- bytes for YModem. The CHOP FILES option will remove the
- padding on the end of the file. This is always required when
- transferring executable binary files. CHOPing files is
- therefore desired.
-
- Note:
- It is not desireable to CHOP an .ARC, .ZOO, .PAK or .ZIP file.
- As it is very easy to forget to turn off the CHOP mode for
- these files, NComm will check the receive-filename for such an
- extension. If this is found, it will temporarily disable
- CHOPing for this file and on completion of transfer the CHOP
- flag will be reset to its previous value.
-
- 4.7.3 G & R Protocol
- This is an auto up/download protocol for use with the MBBS
- system. You must remember to also turn on G&R in your MBBS
- user account to make it work. By using this protocol, you no
- longer have to enter the desired protocol and filename in
- NComm when transferring files to and from an MBBS system.
- This means that you do not have to deal with the tedious file
- requester.
-
- 4.7.4 G & R Host Mode
- This feature is meant to be used when two NComm programs (or
- one NComm and one GLink program) are connected to each other.
- You may use a nullmodem cable or two modems. When one of the
- programs have been set to utilize this feature, the file
- transfer can be controlled from that machine. All you have to
- specify is protocol, filename and up/download.
-
- 4.7.5 Zmodem RESUME
- If this feature has been turned on, NComm will not discard
- existing data when using Zmodem download. Data will be
- appended to the file until the filesize is correct. No
- requester will appear. Turn this feature on if you for
- example loose carrier during a Zmodem download - you will then
- only have to transfer the bytes that are missing.
-
- 4.7.6 Zmodem AUTODL
- If this feature has been turned on, NComm will automatically
- jump into receive mode when the string '**^XB00' is received.
- This means that you won't have to select Download from the
- menu when transferring with Zmodem.
-
- 4.7.7 Zmodem AUTOUL
- If this feature has been turned on, NComm will pop up with a
- file requester when the string '**^XB01' is received. This
- means that you won't have to select Upload from the menu when
- transferring with Zmodem.
-
- 4.7.8 Zmodem ACK
- This option turns on Zmodem ACK, and will force Zmodem to
- acknowledge each 16th block received. This will of course
- slow transfers down so only turn ACK on if you are
- transferring to a very slow device (errors may then occur if
- this feature has NOT been turned on). NComm will automatically
- turn Zmodem ACK on when transferring to DFx: at speeds greater
- than 9600 baud.
-
- 4.7.9 Zmodem BufSize
- This option sets the size of XPRZmodem's file I/O buffer in
- kilobytes. The minimum size is 1KB, the maximum value is 1024
- KB (1MB). I recommend entering a value of 16.
-
- 4.7.10 Kermit host
- If this option is turned on, the host Kermit is assumed to be
- in server mode. You will be prompted for file names when you
- request a Kermit receive, and this file name will be sent
- to the server in form of a Kermit GET command.
-
- 4.7.11 Kermit 1k blocks
- Will set the Kermit packet length to 1024 bytes and set 16-bit
- CRC block checking. This should increase the transfer speed a
- bit. A packet length of 94 will be used if this feature is
- turned off. Not all Kermit implementations support long
- packets.
-
- 4.7.12 External XPR setup
- Select this function if you want to change the parameters for
- the External XPR library. Answers yes if you want to enter a
- init string with options that should be used by the External
- XPR library. Please refer to the external library
- documentation for a list of valid commands or parameters. If
- you answer no, this function asks the External XPR library for
- a "query". The library will then display the different
- options that can be set and their default values. You may
- of course change the options as you like.
-
- 4.7.13 Create icons
- Turn this option on if you want NComm to create an icon for
- all files that you download.
-
- 4.7.14 File comments
- If this option has been selected, NComm will add a filenote to
- the file after a download. The filenote consists of either the
- boardname or the telephone-number to the board where the file
- was collected from. The filenote may for example be displayed
- with the CLI "list" command.
-
- 4.7.15 Transfer bar
- Turn this option on if NComm should display a download/
- upload bar when transferring files.
-
- 4.8 Server Commands
- These commands are only valid when the Kermit protocol has
- been selected. XPRKermit.library must be present in LIBS:
-
- 4.8.1 Kermit Finish
- Tells a Kermit server that you are done. The remote server
- will stop being a server.
-
- 4.8.2 Kermit Bye
- Tells a Kermit server that you are done; the server will exit
- and log you off the remote machine.
-
- 4.8.3 Kermit CD
- Changes the default directory for files sent or received by
- the Kermit server. Examples of the directory name would be
- '/bin' or 'user:[username.amiga]'.
-
- 4.9 Protocol
- Here you select the protocol you want used for the upload and
- download functions.
-
- 4.9.1 XMODEM
- This is the protocol originally written by Ward Christensen.
- It is used by almost every type of personal computer. This is
- a good protocol to use if the line quality is poor. Its
- biggest drawback is that it transfers data in 128 byte blocks
- making it slower than YMODEM.
-
- 4.9.2 YMODEM
- This is basically XModem-CRC with 1024 byte blocks. This
- means that there is less handshaking, which saves time.
- YMODEM is faster than XMODEM as long as the line quality is
- acceptable.
-
- 4.9.3 YMODEM-BATCH
- This is a more intelligent version of the YMODEM protocol.
- Multiple files may be sent as a packet, and the protocol
- automatically sends information about filename and filesize.
-
- 4.9.4 YMODEM-G
- This is basically YMODEM-BATCH without error checking. It may
- only be used when two error correcting modems are
- communicating with each other. Configure this with boards
- supporting MNP or ARQ. Please see above for a note about using
- this protocol with high speed modems.
-
- 4.9.5 ZMODEM
- This is currently one of the fastest file transfer protocol
- available. With the Zmodem protocol, you may reach a transfer
- rate around 1700 CPS with the HST. It depends on the
- XPRZmodem.library, which should be situated in the LIBS:
- directory. A file is normally sent in 1024 byte blocks, but
- this changes depending on the system performance and line
- quality. The reason for its outstanding performance is that
- it uses continuous data-streaming, and doesn't wait for an OK
- from the remote system before sending the next block. This is
- not only a fast method to transfer data, but is also necessary
- on packet networks.
-
- 4.9.6 KERMIT
- This is a protocol that is widely used on many old machines
- and network systems. It depends on the XPRKermit.library,
- which should be situated in the LIBS: directory. Due to the
- small blocks sent/received, kermit is a quite slow protocol
- but is *very* reliable and works with just about any system
- configuration, independent of handshaking and number of data
- bits. Some implementations of Kermit support compression of
- the transferred data.
-
- 4.9.7 EXTERNAL XPR
- Use this function for selecting an external XPR protocol. A
- file requester will list the libraries that are available.
- Simply double-click on the library name to select it.
-
- 4.9.8 COMPUSERVE-B
- This command selects the external Compuserve Quick-B library.
- The library "xprquickb.library" must exist in your libs: dir.
-
- 4.9.9 JMODEM
- This command selects the external Jmodem library. The library
- "xprjmodem.library" must exist in your libs: directory.
-
- 4.10 Default directory
- Here you may specify the default paths and directories for
- uploading and downloading, or change the path for the log
- file. A file requester will appear, select a path and
- directory and click on the OK gadget when you are satisfied
- with your selection. NComm will default to these directories,
- but as long as you are not using the G & R protocol, you may
- change the path and directory yourself before an upload or
- download.
-
- It may be wise to set these directories to RAM: for fast file
- transfers, since transferring to disk causes a delay.
-
- NOTE: The "Trap List" option tells the traplist.library where
- your FIDO traplist is situated (the trap list is a version of
- the standard nodelist that has been processed by the traplist
- program). It will default to "NODELIST:".
-
- 4.11 Load scrollback buffer
- Use this function if you want to load a text file into the
- scrollback buffer. A file requester will appear on screen.
-
- 4.12 Save scrollback buffer
- Use this function if you want to save what is stored in the
- scrollback buffer. A file requester will appear on screen.
-
- 4.13 View scrollback buffer
-
- This function will bring up a window containing two
- proportional gadgets and two line-by-line gadgets. By using
- these gadgets, you may view what is stored in the scrollback
- buffer and perhaps see if it is worth saving. The scrollback
- bytesize will be displayed in the window header, as well as
- the current buffer position and number of lines. The cursor
- keys may also be used for moving around;
-
- Up - One line up
- Down - One line down
- Left - Move half a page to the left
- Right - Move half a page to the right
-
- Shift-Up - Step one page up
- Shift-Down - Step one page down
- Shift-Left - Beginning of buffer
- Shift-Right - End of buffer
-
- Text may be marked by first clicking on the first character
- that you want to mark and then clicking on the last character.
- Click twice at the same character to remove all marks.
-
- Some hotkeys are supported;
-
- "F" - Search in buffer
- "N" - Next occurence of string
- "L" - Load scrollback
- "S" - Save scrollback
- "B" - Save block
- "Z" - Zoom/expand window
-
- Space bar - Paste block to serial port
-
- Press the CloseGadget or ESCape to close the window. Please
- note that the scrollback will slow down when using a 8 or 16
- colour screen.
-
- 4.14 Search in buffer
- This function search for a string in the scrollback buffer,
- and marks the line if found. Enter the string you want to
- search for in the string requester that pops up.
-
- 4.15 Save marked block
- Select this function if you want to save the contents of a
- marked block onto a file. A file requester will appear on
- screen, asking you for path and filename.
-
- 4.16 Send marked block
- Select this function if you want to send the contents of a
- marked block in the scrollback to the serial port.
-
- 4.17 Disable adding
- By turning this option on, you temporarily disable the adding
- of characters to the scrollback. Turn the adding on again by
- selecting this function once again.
-
- 4.18 Clear Scrollback
- This command will clear the scrollback buffer. Use it with
- great care as it will not ask for confirmation.
-
- CHAPTER 5: COMMANDS IN SERIAL MENU
-
- 5.1 Serial device parameters are changed here. The serial settings
- are completely independent of the settings in preferences.
-
- 5.2 Baud
- Baud rates from 300 to 115200 baud can be selected. This
- entry, however, may be overridden by the default baud rate in
- the phonebook.
-
- IMPORTANT !!! Do NOT use baud rates above 31500 baud with a
- standard Amiga (68000/10 processor). The processor is too slow
- for handling these speeds, and the serial hardware will
- therefore discard most of the characters received via the
- serial port. Some 68020 cards also have problems when
- operating at high speeds.
-
- Note:
- This selects the serial speed of the port, the actual data
- throughput rate depends upon whether the capture buffer is
- active, if printer capture is selected, if a scrollback is
- used and upon the screen I/O speed.
-
- With no printer or file capture, the throughput rate depends
- on the screen I/O speed. If you select a baud rate greater
- than 2400 baud, you may lose characters unless handshaking
- is being used.
-
- If you own a 68030 machine and use the program CpuBlit by
- Eddy Carroll, the screen I/O will stick with much higher baud
- rates. CpuBlit also removes the flashing seen when scrolling
- color text. It is highly recommended that you use CpuBlit.
-
- Also note: the 1200/75 baud option will only work with the
- internal serial port since it jumps directly on the hardware.
-
- 5.3 Data Length
- Selects the length of a data word as 7 or 8 bits. Most
- computer systems today will operate with 8 bits.
-
- Note that during binary transfers, serial port data length is
- set to 8 bits and restored to the previous value on
- completion.
-
- 5.4 Parity
- Selects NO, ODD, EVEN, MARK or SPACE parity. Most computer
- systems today will operate with NO parity.
-
- Note that during binary transfers, serial port parity is set
- to NO parity and restored to the previous value on completion.
-
- 5.5 Stop Bits
- Selects the number of stop bits transmitted as 1 or 2 bits.
- Most computer systems today will operate with 1 stop bit.
-
- Note that during binary transfers, serial port stop bit length
- is set to 1 bit and restored to the previous value on
- completion.
-
- The Amiga hardware does not allow 2 stop bits to be used with
- an 8 bit data word length.
-
- 5.6 Duplex
- Selects whether NComm or the remote system should echo key
- strokes to the screen.
-
- 5.6.1 Select FULL duplex when the remote machine will echo your key
- strokes. You will normally be using this option.
-
- 5.6.2 Select HALF duplex when the remote system does not echo your
- key strokes. That is when the remote system seems to be
- responding to your commands, but you cannot see what you are
- typing.
-
- 5.7 Handshaking
- Enables or disables the serial driver check for flow control
- characters.
-
- 5.7.1 Select 'None' when you do not wish to use flow control.
-
- 5.7.2 Select 'XON/XOFF' when you wish the driver to use the XON/XOFF
- type of flow control. Normally this is used at baud rates
- greater than 2400 baud to avoid losing characters.
-
- 5.7.3 Select 'RTS/CTS' when you wish the driver to use the hardware
- RTS/CTS type of flow control. This should only be used with
- modems which support it.
-
- Note:
- In some cases, when the XON/XOFF mode is selected, NComm may
- receive an XOFF character ( noise or otherwise ) and appear to
- be hung -- that is, no characters appear on the screen yet the
- menus still function properly. Whenever NComm appears to be
- hung, typing a Ctrl-Q will re-start the serial line. If the
- problem was due to an XOFF character received, this will
- restore everything to normal.
-
- 5.8 Set Device
- If you are using something else than the inbuilt serial port,
- this function makes it possible to change the type of serial
- device used for this port. A string requester will pop up,
- asking you for the name of the new device.
-
- 5.9 Set Unit
- If you are using something else than the inbuilt serial port,
- this function makes it possible to change the number of the
- unit used for this port. A number requester will pop up,
- asking you for the number of the new unit.
-
- 5.10 Set Adjust Factor
- Some versions of the serial.device miscalculate the baud rate
- by 1.1% and may therefore either slow transfers down, or cause
- errors. If you experience such problems, try setting the
- adjust factor to -11 (it should normally be set to zero)
-
- 5.11 Shared Mode
- If another program is using the serial port, NComm will not be
- able to open the serial.device. Setting the "Shared mode"
- option allows NComm to share the serial port with another
- program. The disadvantage is that CTS/RTS handshaking can not
- be used when sharing the serial port.
-
- 5.12 Send Break
- Sends a 250 ms break signal.
-
- 5.13 Lock Serial
- This function is meant to be used with the UUCP function
- "getty". If selected, this function will lock the serial port
- when starting NComm and unlock the port when quitting. This
- tells "getty" that the port is busy and not available.
-
- 5.14 Set 75bps delay
- This function sets the delay between bits that are sent to the
- serial port when using the 1200/75 baud (split speed) option.
- 12100 uS is known to work well with an A3000/25 and AmigaDOS
- 2.0, while 10700 uS is probably the preferred value for a
- stock Amiga 500/1000/2000.
-
- CHAPTER 6: COMMANDS IN TRANSLATE MENU
-
- 6.1 This is where you define the translation of out- and ingoing data
- and the special keyboard keys.
-
- 6.2 End of Line
- You can select how End of Line characters are handled on the
- screen and when sent out the serial port. By default, EOL is
- just a CARRIAGE RETURN character, but you can change this to
- CR and LINEFEED pairs. Use this option if all text seems to
- be printed on one line.
-
- 6.3 Character set
- NComm offers twelve different translation tables, and they can
- be selected here. Please observe that you have to use the
- 'CLI' SETMAP command to be able to write your national
- characters correctly.
-
- 6.3.1 ISO
- NComm will use the standard Amiga character set, without any
- translation. This should be used when using Amiga systems,
- and will only work in 8N1.
-
- Please note; if no translation of the in or outgoing data is
- wanted when using the ASCII capture or ASCII send option,
- switch to ISO before transfer.
-
- 6.3.2 IBM
- Should be used with bulletin boards running on PC/MS-DOS
- machines that use the IBM extended character set. NComm will
- utilize a special IBM font containg all the IBM graphic
- characters. This will only work in 8N1.
-
- 6.3.3 IBN
- Should be used with Norwegian bulletin boards running on
- PC/MS-DOS machines that use the IBM extended character set.
- This is a version of the character set that contains two
- norwegian characters that are missing in IBMs original
- character set. NComm will utilize a special IBM font
- containing all the IBM graphic characters. This will only
- work in 8N1.
-
- 6.3.4 IBP
- Should be used with Portuguese bulletin boards running on
- PC/MS-DOS machines that use the IBM extended character set.
- This is a version of the character set that contains some
- special Portuguese characters that are missing in IBMs
- original character set. NComm will utilize a special IBM font
- containing all the IBM graphic characters. This will only
- work in 8N1.
-
- 6.3.5 NO7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the Norwegian ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.6 US7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the American ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.7 UK7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the English ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.8 GE7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the German ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.9 FR7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the French ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.10 SP7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the Spanish ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.11 IT7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the Italian ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.12 SF7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the Swedish/Finnish ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.3.13 DE7
- Use this option when the host uses
- the Danish ISO 7 bit standard.
-
- 6.4 DEL <-> BS
- Here you may configure whether the backspace and del keys are
- to be exchanged. This can be useful when communicating with a
- machine that runs Unix, VMS or Tops-20, amongst others.
-
- 6.5 Show HEX chars
- This option will translate all incoming text to HEX numbers,
- as well as displaying the text to the right. Perfect for
- debugging.
-
- 6.6 ANSI mouse
- If this option is turned on, mouse clicks will be translated
- into ANSI codes that move you to the current mouse position.
- The codes will be sent out to the serial port.
-
- If you only want to activate the NComm window without sending
- any ANSI codes, click in the NComm status window.
-
- 6.7 ANSI capture
- ANSI escape codes will normally be filtered out when using the
- "ASCII capture" function. Turn this option on if you want to
- leave these codes untouched when doing an ASCII capture.
-
- 6.8 Destructive Backspace
- Incoming "backspace" codes will normally just move the cursor
- one position to the left. Turn this option on if you want
- NComm to delete the character to the left of the cursor.
-
- 6.9 Pad out blank lines
- Most line editors used by bulletin boards enter the "command"
- prompt when RETURN is pressed on a blank line. This is
- normally not desirable when doing an "ASCII send". By turning
- this option on, NComm will always send a blank (SPACE) before
- sending RETURN on a new line when using the "ASCII send"
- function.
-
- CHAPTER 7: COMMANDS IN SCREEN MENU
-
- 7.1 This is where you may configure what your screen should look
- like.
-
- 7.2 Title bar
- Toggles the title bar on and off
-
- 7.3 Interlace
- This option will make NComm use an interlaced screen, which
- will double the vertical resolution but cause a lot of flicker
- if you haven't invested in a flicker-fixer card or a
- long-persistance monitor.
-
- 7.4 Colours
- From here you may choose whether NComm shall use a 2, 4, 8 or
- 16 colour screen. If you choose the eight colour mode,
- you will get full ANSI colour emulation. The 16 color mode
- will set up NComm for extended ANSI emulation, but will
- slow down the program a lot. See chapter 5.2 for more
- information about this. Choose the two or four colour mode if
- you prefer faster screen updates.
-
- 7.5 Palette
- This will bring up a requester that lets you configure the
- colours for the current screen mode. Each screen mode has its
- own palette. Click 'RESET' to use the colours that NComm was
- shipped with. To edit a color, click in the color box and use
- the slider gadgets.
-
- 7.6 Split Screen
- This function will divide the screen into two windows, a small
- one ( 4 lines ) for your typed characters and a larger one (
- 19 lines when using NTSC) for characters received from the
- modem.
-
- You should select the half-duplex mode on the host system to
- prevent your typed characters from being echoed back into the
- receive window. To exit the split screen mode, select 'Split
- Screen' from the menu again.
-
- Split screen mode requires at least 1MB of memory to operate
- in interlaced mode.
-
- Caution:
- If you login to a system while in the split screen mode, your
- password will be echoed in the TX window. It is best to login
- in the single screen mode.
-
- 7.7 Style
- This function allows you to turn on or off the translation of
- the different styles (boldface, italics and underline). The
- reason why this function was included is that the styles are
- misused by many bulletin board systems. The text will appear
- clearer, and this will also reduce flashing when the screen is
- scrolling.
-
- 7.8 Bell
- From here you can configure what NComm should do when it
- receives the ASCII "bell" code. You can have an ordinary
- audible bell or a visible bell. You may even select
- 'ScreenToFront', which will bring the NComm screen to front
- when the "bell" code is received. You may freely mix the
- three or turn bell off.
-
- 7.9 Cursor blink
- Some people prefer having a blinking cursor, especially if
- they are used to the IBM Personal Computer. This function will
- try to emulate cursor blinking.
-
- 7.10 Reset
- This function will clear the screen, turn off all style
- settings and reset the colours.
-
-
- 7.11 Workbench screen
- Use this function for placing NComm on the Workbench screen.
- This will also save a small amount of memory. OS 2.0 gadget
- flags will be set if used.
-
- 7.12 Close Workbench screen.
- If you want to save a small amount of memory, you may choose
- to close the Workbench screen with this function. Please note
- that no programs or CLI's can be open on the Workbench screen
- when this function is selected.
-
- 7.13 OS 2.0 snapping
- (Only selectable if using OS 2.0) This function lets you snap
- text from the NComm terminal screen using the Right-Amiga-C
- key combination. Use Right-Amiga-V for pasting text to the
- terminal screen.
-
- 7.14 Force 80 x 24
- This option that forces a window that is 80 character wide and
- 24 characters high (80 x 24). Some bulletin board systems
- seem to require such a display.
-
- 7.15 Flashing text
- If this option has been turned on, text will be displayed as
- "flashing" if ESC[5m is received. If this option has been
- turned off, the text will be displayed in italics if the style
- command has been turned on. This function uses an extra
- bitplane for flashing the text so the text display will slow
- down a little when this function has been enabled.
-
- 7.16 Line Wrap
- If this option has been turned off, text will not move to the
- next line when hitting the right edge of the window. This is
- according to the VT220 specs, so normally this function should
- be turned off.
-
- 7.17 Window Gadgets
- --------------
- The screen contains hidden gadgets for depth arranging the NComm
- window. The depth gadgets are in the upper right hand corner.
-
- 7.18 NComm supports OverScan. If you are using OverScan on the
- WorkBench screen, NComm will automatically open the screen in
- overscan mode when starting NComm.
-
- CHAPTER 8: COMMANDS IN PHONE MENU
-
- 8.1 From here you may dial phonenumbers, edit the phonebook,
- configure the modem and redial, or hang up the phone.
-
- 8.2 Phonebook
- This entry will bring up the phonebook window, where you may
- load or save phonebooks, as well as edit, delete and add
- entries. The entries can also be sorted, dialled or printed.
-
- When loaded, NComm first looks for a file called
- NComm:NComm.phone. If not found, the phonebook will be blank.
-
- The phonebook can consist of an unlimited number of entries,
- but only the first 46 will be displayed in the DIAL menu, and
- only the first 10 can be dialled using hot keys.
-
- Only 15 entries can be displayed simultaneously in the window.
- To scroll through the phonebook, use the right drag bar.
-
- You may select an entry by positioning the pointer over it
- and then clicking on the left mouse button. When an entry is
- selected, it will show up in reverse video. Several entries
- can be selected at the same time.
-
- 8.2.1 Selecting the 'Dial!' gadget will dial the entries that are
- selected, starting at the top. This will bring up a small
- window telling you which board you are calling, and eventually
- which is the next to go. The phonebook window will be
- removed. More entries can be added while dialling by
- selecting them from the DIAL menu, or by bringing up the
- phonebook again.
-
- If a number is busy, the program will continue with the next
- number on the list. If redial has been turned on, NComm will
- start over again if no connection has been established or an
- "invalid" result code is received (this depends on the 'Max'
- settings in the modem setup menu. The default action is to
- abort when an error code is received.)
-
- Abort the dialling by pressing the ESC key or closing the
- window by clicking in the upper lefthand gadget. To remove
- the current entry, press the DEL key. Press the SPACE key if
- you would like to go on with the next entry. You may also
- click within the window gadgets.
-
- 8.2.2 Selecting the 'Edit' gadget will bring up the edit window,
- containing the information about the first entry selected.
- This information can then be edited. See below for more
- information about how to use the edit window. Pressing the
- 'OK' gadget will accept the edit and display the next entry
- that is selected (if any), 'Cancel' will leave everything
- unchanged.
-
- 8.2.3 Selecting the 'New' gadget will add a new entry in front of
- the first entry selected. However, if no entry has been
- selected, the entry will be placed at the bottom of the list.
- This will bring up a special edit window that contains the
- current NComm settings. See below for more information about
- how to use the edit window. Pressing the 'OK' gadget will add
- the current entry, 'Cancel' will abort the edit and not add
- the entry.
-
- 8.2.4 The 'Swap' command swaps to entries. Click on two entries and
- then on 'Swap' if you want them to change place.
-
- 8.2.5 Selecting the 'Load' gadget will bring up a file requester in
- the center of the screen. For instructions on how to use
- this, see "The file input-requester" above. From here you may
- load a new phonebook. Remember to save the current phonebook
- if any changes have been made. Entering "NComm.phone" will
- load the phonebook that is normally loaded at startup.
-
- 8.2.6 Selecting the 'Save' gadget will bring up a file requester in
- the center of the screen. For instructions on how to use
- this, see "The file input-requester" above. From here you may
- save the current phonebook. Enter the name "NComm.phone" if
- you want the phonebook to be loaded at startup.
-
- 8.2.7 Selecting the 'Delete' gadget will delete the entries that are
- currently selected.
-
- 8.2.8 Selecting the 'Sort' gadget will sort the phonebook. If a
- entry has been selected, the function will only sort the
- entries between this entry and down. If multiple entries have
- been selected, the function will only sort the entries between
- the top and lower entry.
-
- This can be handy if you are using hot keys to dial numbers,
- and don't want the upper entries mixed with entries that are
- lower on the list, or if you prefer using the DIAL menu for
- dialling entries and don't want entry 45 and down to be mixed
- with the upper entries.
-
- 8.2.9 Selecting the 'Print' gadget will print the phonebook. Enter
- the name of the file in the righthand text gadget, or use
- "PRT:" if you want output sent to the printer. If no entries
- are selected, the whole phonebook will be printed. Else, only
- the entries selected will be printed.
-
- 8.2.10 The 'Clr/Mark' gadget is a combined "Mark All" / "Clear All"
- function. If any entries have been selected, this function
- will deselect all entries. If no entries have been selected,
- this function will mark all entries.
-
- 8.3 Dial #
- This requester will dial a number which is not listed in the
- phonebook. If redial has been turned on, the program will try
- reaching the number until connection has been established or
- an "invalid" result code is received (this depends on the
- 'Max' settings in the modem setup menu. The default action is
- to abort when an error code is received.) This function can be
- used together with the dial queue. If you want to enter more
- than one number, seperate the numbers with a '|'...
-
- If the traplist.library is available in your LIBS: directory,
- you may enter a nodenumber f.ex. "2:502/15" instead of a
- number. NComm will automatically look for the number in your
- traplist file.
-
- 8.4 Hang up
- Selecting this entry will send the HANGUP command string to
- the modem (or lower DTR if DTR-hangup has been selected).
-
- 8.5 Redial
- By configuring this option, NComm will try over and over again
- when a board you are calling is busy. This setting may however
- be overridden by the 'Max Busy' field in the modem setup menu.
- NComm will then abort the redial if it reaches the specified
- number of 'Busy' messages.
-
- 8.6 Modem setup
- Within this requester you may configure the things that are
- sent and received by the modem, and how long NComm should wait
- before redialling. Simply click in the text gadgets to edit
- them. The setup strings can contain the control characters
- listed under the explanation of 'macrokeys'. Most text gadgets
- have a "Max" field that adjusts NComm's toleranse for the
- codes.
-
- 8.6.1 The 'initialization string' will be sent to the modem soon
- after NComm opens the serial device and before keyboard input
- is accepted. It can be left blank, but remember that NComm
- requires 'echo' from the modem, so it can be clever to
- configure this here. This can be accomplished by the 'AT E1'
- command if your modem is Hayes compatible.
-
- You must also set your modem to detect the BUSY signal if it
- has got such a feature. If you have problems configuring your
- modem, the 'AT &F\n' line will load the factory configuration
- on Hayes compatibles. This configuration is usually accepted
- by NComm.
-
- 8.6.2 The 'exit string' is sent just before the serial device is
- closed, when exiting NComm. It is normally left blank.
-
- 8.6.3 'Dial prefix' is the command to be inserted before the
- phonenumber. For Hayestype modems, this should be ATDT (or
- ATDP for pulse dial). NOTE: NComm does not yet support
- multiple dial strings but this problem can easily be solved by
- using 'AT' as the dial prefix and entering the modem options
- followed by 'DT' in front of the phonebook telephone numbers.
-
- 8.6.4 'Dial suffix' is the string to be added after the phonenumber.
- For Hayestype modems, this should be '\n', which will send a
- carriage return.
-
- 8.6.5 'Hang-up string' is the string to be sent when you choose the
- Hangup function. For Hayestype modems, this should be
- '\w\w+++\w\w\w\wATH\n' (Wait 1 sec +++ Wait 2 sec ATH CR).
- This code is ignored if you are using the DTR-hangup option.
-
- 8.6.6 The 'connect string' is the string sent from the modem when
- you get connected to a board. For Hayestype modems, this
- string should be 'CONNECT'. This code is ignored if you are
- using hardware CARRIER detection.
-
- 8.6.7 The 'disconnect string' is the string sent from the modem when
- a call has ended. This string is also sent if the modem was
- not able to establish a connection with the remote modem. For
- Hayestype modems, this should be 'NO CARRIER'.
-
- The "Max NoCarrier" field defines how many NO CARRIER messages
- that are accepted by NComm before it removes the entry from
- the dial queue. If the max field is set to zero (0) NComm
- will not remove the entry from the list but dials the next
- number instead. Otherwise NComm will remove the entry from
- the dial queue after x NO CARRIER messages (x is the number
- specified in the gadget).
-
- 8.6.8 The 'busy string' is the string sent from the modem when the
- phone is busy. For Hayestype modems this string should be
- 'BUSY', but if your modem is having problems detecting the
- busy signal, enter this as 'NO CARRIER'.
-
- The "Max Busy" field defines how many BUSY messages that are
- accepted by NComm before aborting the dialling. If the max
- field is set to zero (0) NComm will always continue and dial
- the next entry. Otherwise NComm will abort redial after x
- BUSY messages (x is the number specified in the gadget).
-
- 8.6.9 The 'voice string' is the string sent from the modem when a
- voice answers the phone in the other end. For hayestype
- modems this string should be 'VOICE'.
-
- The "Max Voice" field defines how many VOICE messages that are
- accepted by NComm before it aborts dialling or removes the
- entry from the list. If the max field is set to zero (0)
- NComm will abort immediately. Otherwise NComm will remove the
- entry from the dial queue after x VOICE messages (x is the
- number specified in the gadget).
-
- 8.6.10 The 'no dialtone string' is the string sent from the modem
- when the modem is not able to call out due to a missing
- dialtone. For hayestype modems this string should be 'NO
- DIALTONE' but some modems return 'NO DIAL TONE' instead.
-
- The "Max NoDialtone" field defines how many NO DIALTONE
- messages that are accepted by NComm before it aborts dialling.
- If the max field is set to zero (0) NComm will abort
- immediately. Otherwise NComm will abort dialling after x NO
- DIALTONE messages (x is the number specified in the gadget).
-
- 8.6.11 The 'error string' is the string sent from the modem when it
- receives an invalid command. For hayestype modems this string
- should be 'ERROR'.
-
- The "Max Error" field defines how many ERROR messages that are
- accepted by NComm before it aborts dialling. If the max field
- is set to zero (0) NComm will abort immediately. Otherwise
- NComm will abort dialling after x ERROR messages (x is the
- number specified in the gadget).
-
- 8.6.12 The 'ringing string' is the string sent from the modem when
- the phone in the other end of the line is ringing. For
- Hayestype modems this string should be 'RINGING' but some
- modems also return 'RING' when the phone is ringing in the
- other end.
-
- The "Max Ringing" field defines how many RINGING messages that
- are accepted by NComm before it dials the next entry. If the
- max field is set to zero (0) NComm will wait continuously for
- CONNECT. Otherwise NComm will dial the next entry after x
- RINGING messages (x is the number specified in the gadget).
-
- 8.6.13 The 'no answer string' is the string sent from the modem when
- the modem in the other end did not answer the phone. For
- hayestype modems this string should be 'NO ANSWER'.
-
- The "Max NoAnswer" field defines how many NO ANSWER messages
- that are accepted by NComm before it removes the entry from
- the dial queue. If the max field is set to zero (0) NComm
- will not remove the entry from the list but dials the next
- number instead. Otherwise NComm will remove the entry from
- the dial queue after x NO ANSWER messages (x is the number
- specified in the gadget).
-
- 8.6.14 The 'remote ring string' is the string sent from the modem
- when a person in the other end is calling you. For hayestype
- modems this string should be 'RING\r\n'. NComm aborts
- dialling immediately when this message is received.
-
- 8.6.15 In the 'delay' box you may specify how many seconds NComm
- should wait before dialling the next number. This delay is
- normally set to '3', but enter '0' if you have entered
- 'NO CARRIER' as a BUSY string.
-
- 8.6.16 If the locked baud-rate option has been turned off, NComm will
- look for the number specified right after the 'CONNECT'
- message, and will switch to that speed. Turn the locked
- baud-rate option on if you have set a constant speed between
- the modem and the machine, or if you are certain that the
- hostmodem supports the speed that you are calling at.
-
- I.e, turn the locked rate option on if you are using a modem
- that has been set up for use with locked baud rates (speed
- buffering). If you have turned locked rate off, it is
- important that you have told your modem to report the baudrate
- sent after the 'CONNECT' message. This is done, again on
- Hayes, with the command 'AT V1 X2'.
-
- 8.6.17 DTR-hangup will cause a drop of the DTR signal for a few
- seconds when the hangup function is selected. This function is
- meant to be used with dumb modems (modems that do not have
- some sort of a command language).
-
- 8.6.18 In the 'loop delay' box you may specify how many seconds NComm
- should wait before repeating the dial loop. This delay
- should normally be set to '0'.
-
- 8.6.19 The 'CD checking' option switches the hardware CARRIER detect
- option on or off. The hardware method is more reliable than
- just looking for the NO CARRIER string (if it shows up in a
- message, NComm will assume that the call has ended).
-
- NOTE: Your modem must track TRUE CARRIER. This means that
- the DCD signal must be "low" (off) in command state and should
- not go "high" (on) until a connection has been established.
-
- 8.6.20 The 'ignore echo' option turns off the "Modem not responding"
- checking. Note: Normally this is a fatal error and means
- that your modem did not respond to the command that was sent
- by NComm. Please check your complete modem setup rather than
- just turning off this option.
-
- 8.6.21 Pressing the 'OK' gadget will accept the edit, 'Cancel' will
- leave everything unchanged.
-
- 8.7 Redial at logoff
- ----------------
- If this option if turned on, NComm will start dialling the
- rest of the boards that are selected in the phonebook after
- logging out from the current system. NComm automatically
- deselects boards in the PhoneBook when you connect to them.
-
- 8.8 Edit window
- -----------
- The edit window contains seven text input boxes and eight
- gadgets.
-
- 8.8.1 In the text input box marked 'Name', enter the name of the
- board.
-
- The name can be up to 40 characters long, however, only the
- first 17 characters will be displayed in the dial menu and
- window, and in the logfile. You can not leave this empty.
-
- 8.8.2 In the text input box marked 'Phone #', enter the phonenumber
- to the current board. The phonenumber can be up to 60 digits
- long. If a board has multiple numbers, enter them separated
- by the '|' character, for example "416588|410403". Only the
- first 17 characters will be displayed in the dial window, and
- in the logfile. This field can not be omitted.
-
- If traplist.library is available in your LIBS: directory you
- may enter a FIDO nodenumber instead of the phonenumber.
-
- 8.8.3 In the text input box marked 'Comment', enter an optional
- comment, like when the board is open, what the main purpose
- with the board is, if MNP is available or which speeds are
- available. The comment can be 40 characters long.
-
- 8.8.4 In the text input box marked 'Config', you may specify the
- name of an optional configuration file. The filename is
- relative to the current directory. It will be loaded just
- after dialling. The colors, screen mode and menu settings
- will be changed back to the way they were when the
- configuration file was saved. The phonebook settings have
- higher priority than the settings found in the configuration
- file.
-
- 8.8.5 In the text input box marked 'Macros', you may specify the
- name of an optional macrokeys file. The filename is relative
- to the current directory. It will be loaded just after
- dialling.
-
- 8.8.6 In the text input box marked 'Script', you may specify the
- name of an optional scriptfile. The filename is relative to
- the current directory. It will be loaded and executed just
- after dialling, which means that the scriptfile should NOT
- contain the 'dial' command as the first entry.
-
- 8.8.7 In the text input box marked 'ARexx', you may specify the
- name of an optional arexxfile. The filename is relative to
- the current directory. It will be loaded and executed just
- after dialling, which means that the scriptfile should NOT
- contain the 'dial' command as the first entry.
-
- 8.8.8 In the text input box marked 'Password', you may specify the
- name of an optional password. This can be handy if you prefer
- only using one scriptfile for multiple boards. The scriptfile
- can then contain a 'SEND "\p\n"' command line that sends the
- password configured for the current board. The password can
- also be sent by configuring '\p\n' on one of the macrokeys.
-
- Pressing 'return' in one of the text input boxes will bring
- the cursor to the text input box below the current box. The
- cursor will be brought to the top if 'return' is pressed in
- the bottom box.
-
- 8.8.9 Pressing the gadget marked 'Baud rate' will multiply the board
- rate which is to be used for the board by two. However, since
- NComm only supports board rates up to 115200 baud, the baud
- rate will revert to 300 baud when this baudrate is present.
-
- 8.8.10 Pressing the gadget marked 'Data length' will switch between 7
- and 8 bits data length. This data length will be used when
- NComm dials the board.
-
- 8.8.11 Pressing the gadget marked 'Parity' will switch between Even,
- Odd, Mark, Space and None parity. This parity will be used
- when NComm dials the board.
-
- 8.8.12 Pressing the gadget marked 'Stop bits' will switch between 1
- and 2 stop bits. This number of stop bits will be used when
- NComm dials the board.
-
- 8.8.13 Pressing the gadget marked 'Duplex mode' will switch between
- Full and Half duplex. This duplex mode will be used when
- connection is established.
-
- 8.8.14 Pressing the gadget marked 'Character set' will switch between
- IBN, IBP, US7, UK7, GE7, FR7, SP7, IT7, DE7, NO7, SF7, ISO and
- IBM translation. If the IBM or IBN character set has been
- chosen, a special IBM graphics font will be used. ISO should
- be used for Amiga boards only. The other character sets
- should be used on machines only having a 7-bit character set
- available. By watching the first two letters in the
- translation name, you may easily find out which one is to be
- used for your country. This character set will be used when
- connection is established.
-
- 8.8.15 The 'Swap Del/BS' option will (when turned on) swap the Delete
- and Backspace key as soon as you connect to this board.
-
- 8.8.16 Pressing the gadget marked 'Xfer protocol' lets you choose the
- protocol for use with this board. Available protocols are
- Xmodem, Ymodem, Ymodem-Batch, Y modem-G, Zmodem, Kermit,
- "External XPR" (as configured in the configuration file),
- Compuserve-B or Jmodem.
-
- 8.8.17 The date at the bottom of the window shows when the board was
- last dialled.
-
- CHAPTER 9: INFORMATION ABOUT DIAL MENU
-
- Use this menu for fast dialling of entries in the phonebook.
- Simply choose the board you would like to dial from the menu.
-
- Choosing a entry will bring up a small window telling you which
- board you are calling. From here you may add more entries from
- the menu, and set up a dial queue. The window will at all times
- tell you which board is the next to dial. Boards that are added
- to the queue will automatically become "selected" in the
- phonebook.
-
- If a number is busy, the program will continue with the next
- board on the list. If redial has been turned on, NComm will
- start over again if no connection has been established with any
- of the boards in the queue. It will not stop until either a
- connection has been established or an "invalid" result code is
- received (this depends on the 'Max' settings in the modem setup
- menu. The default action is to abort when an error code is
- received.)
-
- NComm will abort the dialling if it receives any text from the
- modem during the redial delay.
-
- Abort the dialling by pressing the ESC key or closing the window
- by clicking in the upper lefthand closegadget. To remove the
- current entry, press the DEL key. Press the SPACE key if you
- would like to go on with the next entry. You may also click
- within the window gadgets.
-
- CHAPTER 10: HOT KEYS AVAILABLE
-
- Are you fed up with menus and mice and want to use something
- quicker instead? Look no further - NComm offers hot keys for
- most important functions.
-
- Hot Key Function
- ------- --------
-
- Right Amiga A About NComm
- Right Amiga B Sends a 250ms break signal
- Right Amiga D Download
- Right Amiga E Enter phonebook
- Right Amiga F Execute script file on/off
- Right Amiga G Palette
- Right Amiga H Hang up phone
- Right Amiga I Toggle interlace
- Right Amiga J Start/end ASCII Capture
- Right Amiga K Split screen
- Right Amiga L Load configuration
- Right Amiga M Macrokeys
- Right Amiga N Dial number
- Right Amiga O Modem set-up
- Right Amiga P Printer on/off
- Right Amiga Q Quit NComm
- Right Amiga R Reset
- Right Amiga S Start/end ASCII Send
- Right Amiga T Toggle title bar
- Right Amiga U Upload
- Right Amiga W Save configuration
- Right Amiga Y Message upload
- Right Amiga Z New Cli
- Right Amiga $ Run ARexx Script
-
- Right Amiga ` View scrollback
- Right Amiga ! Save scrollback
-
- Right Amiga # (# is one of the keys 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0)
- This sequence will dial one of the first
- 10 entries in the phone directory.
-
- HELP key Status
-
- The CONTINUE and APPEND options can be answered with the LEFT
- AMIGA V key. The CANCEL and DELETE options can be answered with
- the LEFT AMIGA B key. You can of course click the left mouse
- button over these selections as well.
-