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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │░
│ ─────────────────────── │░
│ RIPterm v1.50.00 │░
│ ─────────────────────── │░
│ │░
│ │░
│ February 16, 1993 │░
│ │░
│ │░
│ Copyright (c) 1992-93, TeleGrafix Communications, Inc. │░
│ All Rights Reserved │░
│ │░
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.0 ■ INTRODUCTION │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Thank you for trying RIPterm! A revolutionary new way of viewing
on-line hosts. This graphics based terminal program is the latest
release of the RIPscrip graphics system terminal program.
As a user of RIPterm, you should be aware of its licensing agreement.
The following information details how, when and where RIPterm may be
distributed. Read this section very carefully.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.1 ■ DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
You are free to distribute RIPterm to anyone you wish based upon the
following terms and conditions. RIPterm is FreeWare only in the
sense that you may distribute it governed by the following
restrictions: RIPterm may NOT be freely distributed as part of a
commercial or ShareWare software package without written
authorization from TeleGrafix Communications, Inc. ("TeleGrafix").
RIPterm may not be modified in any way without prior written consent
from TeleGrafix. There are two exceptions to the license that do not
violating the license agreement. They are:
a) You may supply a RIPTERM.PCX file in 640x350 (16 color) format
which will be displayed while RIPterm is starting up. The
purpose is to offer an advertising mechanism for your host.
The lower 1/7th (50 scan lines) of the intro screen is
reserved for TeleGrafix's copyright information. Altering of
the RIPTERM.EXE file to change the copyright violates this
license agreement.
b) You may also provide a dialing directory file (RIPTERM.PHO) in
with your host telephone number entered in.
RIPterm may not be distributed unless accompanied by all of the
following files (either in diskette or archive form):
RIPTERM.EXE <- The RIPterm executable program
RIPTERM.HLP <- RIPterm help file
RIPTERM.DOC <- RIPterm documentation (this file)
RIPTERM.FNT <- RIPterm system font data file
RIPTERM.RES <- RIPterm image resource file
RIPTERM.PCX <- RIPterm logo file
WHATSNEW.DOC <- Details new things in this release
DIALCONV.EXE <- Dialing directory conversion utility
If you choose the customization features mentioned previously when
distributing RIPterm, you may provide the following files in addition
to the files listed above:
RIPTERM.PCX <- Logo file to promote your host
RIPTERM.PHO <- A "pre-configured" dialing directory file
<icon files> <- Icon files for your host
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.2 ■ LIMITED WARRANTY │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. TELEGRAFIX COMMUNICATIONS, INC. DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE
FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR
THAT THE OPERATION OF THIS SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-
FREE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE
SOFTWARE IS WITH THE USER. SHOULD THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED BE DEFECTIVE,
YOU (NOT TELEGRAFIX COMMUNICATIONS, INC.) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF
ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE
ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU
SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY
FROM STATE TO STATE.
IN NO EVENT WILL TELEGRAFIX COMMUNICATIONS, INC. BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR
ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE EVEN IF TELEGRAFIX OR ITS AUTHORIZED
REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES,
OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR
EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
YOU MAY NOT SUBLICENSE, ASSIGN OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS LICENSE OR
SOFTWARE EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THIS AGREEMENT. ANY ATTEMPT
TO OTHERWISE SUBLICENSE, ASSIGN, OR TRANSFER ANY OF THE RIGHTS,
DUTIES OR OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED AND WILL
TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT.
BY INSTALLING OR USING THIS SOFTWARE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE
READ THIS AGREEMENT, UNDERSTAND IT, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS
TERMS AND CONDITIONS. YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT IT IS THE COMPLETE AND
EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US, WHICH SUPERSEDES ANY
PROPOSAL OR PRIOR AGREEMENT, ORAL OR WRITTEN, AND ANY OTHER
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN US RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS
AGREEMENT.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.3 ■ REQUIREMENTS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
RIPterm requires that you be using an IBM-PC compatible computer
system running MS-DOS version 3.0 or higher. You must have 512K of
available RAM or more. A hard disk is strongly recommended. You
must have an EGA or higher video adapter a modem connected to serial
port COM1 through COM4. A mouse and a color monitor are not
required, but are strongly recommended. This software does not
require Extended (XMS) or Expanded (EMS) memory, but can take
advantage of either if present to improve software performance.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.4 ■ IMPORTANT INFORMATION │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Complications may arise currently if you have a SERIAL mouse
installed instead of a BUS mouse. If you get garbage on the screen
when you move the mouse, then there is a conflict with the MODEM port
and the MOUSE port. Try deleting the RIPTERM.CNF (RIPterm's
configuration) file and restarting RIPterm. Once inside RIPterm,
press ALT-O (for Options) and verify that your settings are correct
for your PC's configuration.
See APPENDIX A - TROUBLESHOOTING (Section A.2) for more details on
this issue.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.5 ■ INSTALLATION │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Create a directory on your hard disk called RIPTERM. Under that
directory, create another directory called ICONS. For example:
md \RIPTERM
md \RIPTERM\ICONS
Copy all .ICN, .MSK, and .HIC files into the ICONS directory, and all
remaining files into the RIPTERM directory. Type RIPTERM to start up
the software. It will ask you which port your modem is connected to
and the baud rate to use.
If you forget to perform any of these steps, or you UNZIP RIPterm
from the distribution archive without extracting sub-directory info,
RIPterm will accommodate the oversight by prompting you to copy
the necessary icon files over to the correct ICONS\ directory.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.6 ■ GLOSSARY OF TERMS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
host - refers to the system you are connected to. This can be a BBS,
a mainframe, a network application, whatever.
icon - an icon is a bit map graphic of varying size. Icon files may
end in .ICN, .MSK (mask files), or .HIC (hot icons - used with
buttons)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1.7 ■ TRADEMARKS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
RIPterm, RIPscrip, RIPaint, the RIPterm logo, TeleGrafix
Communications, and the TeleGrafix Communications logo are all
trademarks of TeleGrafix Communications, Inc.
All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective holders.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.0 ■ PROGRAM INFORMATION │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
RIPterm has a number of features which make it a useful terminal
program. Among the many features are the following:
■ RIPscrip graphics viewing ability
■ Graphics mode operation - 16-color, 640x350 resolution
■ Scrollback mode to review text transmitted from host
■ Editable Keystroke Macros with load/save ability
■ Log-to-Disk ability
■ Full ANSI support (plus some VT-102 and VT-52 support)
■ Supports COM1 through COM4
■ Custom IRQ and base I/O address settings
■ Context sensitive, keyword driven help system
■ Pull-down menu operation as well as complete hot-key support
■ Fully configurable modem settings
■ Auto-redial feature
■ Auto-answer mode
■ Batch upload/download ability
■ Auto Z-Modem downloads
■ Upload ASCII files with optional line/character pacing
■ Shell to DOS capability
■ EMS/XMS/overlay support to maximize memory efficiency
■ Automatically moves icons to the ICONS\ directory if
there are any in the RIPTERM directory (wrong place).
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ NEW FEATURES IN v1.50.00 │
└──────────────────────────┘
■ RIPterm no longer needs a mouse! You may access ANY mouse
field in a RIPscrip menu without the mouse by using the TAB or
SHIFT-TAB keys to highlight the field you want to execute.
Once the desired field is highlighted, simply press the <ENTER>
key to activate the mouse field.
■ You can now access the menus via the keyboard by pressing the
F10 key. You may navigate through the menus with the arrow
keys and pressing <ENTER> on the desired item to activate it.
■ Set the default System Font ability, to alter the size of
ASCII/ANSI text on your screen.
■ Built-in text variable system for keystroke macros, and for
host/terminal information exchange.
■ Pop-up lists in keystroke macros.
■ Doorway mode (uses Marshall Dudley's DOORWAY access program)
■ Support for 101-key keyboard in doorway mode
■ Enhanced keyboard override when starting up RIPterm (for
troubleshooting 101-key keyboard settings).
■ RIPterm now auto-senses if a connection exists, and if it does,
it does not send the modem init string. If the connection is a
modem, RIPterm simply press <ENTER> to the host to (ideally)
re-display the current menu. If the connection is a serial
link, nothing is sent.
■ RIPterm will now auto-sense RIPscrip with the ANSI sequence
<ESC>[! ... it will return "RIPSCRIP015000" (the RIPscrip
version number, i.e., "v01.50.00").
■ A new start up option (/O) to indicate you're already on-line.
■ Completely rewritten text-scrolling! Now 10 times faster!
■ Re-engineered file transfer protocols. RIPterm supports the
following protocols:
X-Modem (checksum)
X-Modem (CRC)
X-Modem-1K
X-Modem-G-1K
Y-Modem Batch
Y-Modem-G
Z-Modem
Kermit
ASCII
NOTE: Z-Modem now has crash recovery
■ Better support for flow control handshaking. RTS/CTS support
has been added for better high-speed performance.
■ Baud rates up to 115,200 are now supported. 4800 baud is also
a choice now.
■ The Modem Options dialog box has been restructured to be less
confusing, and more pleasing to the eye.
■ Help system has been overhauled (access by pressing F1).
■ Scrolling up/down one line in the scrollback buffer no longer
trims spaces from the beginning of printed lines. This gives
an accurate representation of what the text looked like.
■ CR and LF characters are now properly handled.
■ Word-wrap no longer occurs on column #80, but at column 81.
This became evident with large ANSI pictures becoming messed
up due to premature word wrapping.
■ Text Variables and dynamic information query from the host (see
keystroke macro section for more details).
■ Local Database (RIPTERM.DB & RIPTERM.IDX) for storage of
frequently used information. This can be used in conjunction
with keystroke macros. See keystroke macros for further
information.
■ Full featured dialing directory.
■ Icons may be kept in separate sub-directories for different
hosts. Specify which host's icons go where in the dialing
directory ID field.
■ New command line options for specifying alternate set-up files,
alternate dialing directory files, and to automatically dial
an entry in the dialing directory upon start up. Type
"RIPTERM ?" for more details.
■ Re-engineered internal memory management. RIPterm now uses
memory more efficiently than previous versions.
■ The option to insert information into the RIPterm database
on your own.
■ Auto download feature for hosts that can take advantage of it.
This allows protocols like X-Modem to auto-download like
Z-Modem does (see Block Protocol option).
■ New Block Protocol option - This is for use on RIPscrip hosts
where an error-free transmission of icons or RIP scenes is
desired. RIPterm accomplishes this transfer of information
with its built-in file transfer protocols.
■ Progress indicator on any upload/download that supports
batch transfer (i.e., Y-Modem, Y-Modem-G, Kermit and Z-Modem).
■ Option to use DTR to hang-up the modem instead of the less
efficient +++ ATH method.
■ Support for many new ANSI escape code sequences (some VT-102
and VT-52 features now supported). The new ANSI codes
processed are:
■ Underline mode now supported in "display attributes"
■ Blink mode now displays as BOLD (bright)
■ Invert video mode now acts properly
■ Tab stops are fully supported now
■ Scrolling regions now supported
■ Device status reports
■ Extended save/restore cursor (ESC 7, ESC 8) added
■ Reset terminal emulation command (ESC c)
■ Device attribute report (ESC Z)
■ Cursor UP/DOWN with scrolling (ESC D, ESC M, ESC E)
■ DOS Shell mode spruced up a bit - now displays a modified
DOS Prompt to indicate you are inside a DOS Shell.
■ New intro screen mode. You may now view a .PCX file upon start
up in place of the standard logo screen. If the file
RIPTERM.PCX is present in your RIPterm directory, it will be
shown. The TeleGrafix copyright message will be displayed from
scan lines 300-349. .PCX logo files must be 16-color EGA
640x350 images using the STAND COLOR PALETTE.
■ A new RIPTERM.RES (resource) file is included with RIPterm.
This file contains many of the frequently used graphical images
that are used internally in RIPterm. Host icons are NOT stored
in this file.
■ Local RIPscrip file playback ability. The host can now
transfer a .RIP file to your system, and then later on instruct
your system to play it back locally. Graphics playback is
lightning fast in this mode.
■ New option to disable beeps has been added for situations where
you want peace and quiet.
■ Status bar has been re-designed. It is now shorter, thus
allowing a full 80x24 screen when in certain system font
modes. In addition, you can now "click" on fields in the
status bar and the appropriate command will be executed.
■ Data security mode has been added to prevent unauthorized
queries from your local database by a host. This mode
was added so that as the user have control on what types of
information a host can ask your terminal.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1 ■ FEATURES │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This section gives more detailed information on RIPterm's features
and options. To select the HELP option, press F1.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.1 ■ GETTING ON-LINE HELP │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The help system of RIPterm is easy to use. To return to the Table of
Contents at any time, click on the "Contents" button at the bottom of
the screen. If you have navigated through various help screens, you
can back-up to the previous screen by clicking on the "Back" button.
Any words or phrases which are highlighted (light blue on color
monitors) are "keywords" which you can click on to jump to that help
topic. You may use the UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT keys to navigate through
the help screen's keywords, or you may use the TAB or SHIFT-TAB to
highlight different keywords. The arrow keys may also be used. Tap
<ENTER> and the currently selected keyword will be selected, and you
will be taken to that help screen.
The Help System Table of Contents may also be accessed by clicking on
"Press F1 for Help" in the Status Bar.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.2 ■ PULL-DOWN MENUS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
To activate the pull down menus, move the mouse pointer to the top of
the screen and press and hold down the right mouse button. A menu
bar will appear at the top of the screen. Move the mouse pointer to
any of these items and a list of menu options will appear below the
menu bar. At this point, move the mouse down into this list of items
and as you move over different items, they will be highlighted. To
select any given item, release the right mouse button while the
desired option is highlighted.
All options in the pull down menus have corresponding hot-keys that
you can use. Hot-keys are keyboard short cuts for menu options.
Hot-keys make it so that you do not have to use the mouse to access
the menu.
Some menu options are "toggle" items. If an option is toggled ON,
then you will see a check-mark beside the option indicating that it
is active. Select these options to toggle the state ON or OFF.
You may access the menu system without the mouse by pressing the F10
key. When selected, the menu bar will appear with one of the menu
items highlighted. Use the RIGHT and LEFT keys to highlight the
desired menu item, then press the PGDN, DOWN or ENTER keys to display
a list of menu contents for the specified topic. Use the UP/DOWN
keys to highlight a particular item in the list. The HOME and END
keys work as you would expect them to. While a menu is displayed
completely, you may use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to move to an
adjacent menu topic. Pressing PGUP or ESC while a menu is displayed
will remove the list of menu options, and return you to the menu bar
only. Pressing ESC again will terminate the menu bar mode and return
you to your RIPterm session. If you select options while accessing
the menu with the keyboard, when the option is finished executing,
you will be returned to the pull-down menu so that you can execute
other options quickly.
The remaining portion of this section describes each menu, and how
each options functions.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.2.1 ■ THE "PROJECT" MENU │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This menu contains many general RIPterm functions:
┌───────────────┐
│ ABOUT RIPTERM │
└───────────────┘
This option will display a help screen displaying the copyright
information for RIPterm.
┌─────────────┐
│ SYSTEM INFO │
└─────────────┘
This option will display the amount of RAM memory currently
available as well as the amount of disk space free on the
currently selected hard disk.
┌─────────────┐
│ HELP SYSTEM │
└─────────────┘
This option will display the help system's Table of Contents.
┌───────────────┐
│ HELP ON MENUS │
└───────────────┘
This option will allow you to view help information on the
menus. A window will appear instructing you to select a menu
option. Depress the right mouse button and pull down the desired
menu. Select an option, and a help screen will appear for that
item. When finished, press <ESC> to exit "Menu Help" mode.
┌───────────────┐
│ OPEN LOG FILE │
└───────────────┘
A log file captures text transmitted from the host into a text
file. ANSI color codes and RIPscrip graphics commands are
filtered out for your convenience. This command can be very
powerful on hosts where you want to save data coming across the
screen to a file that you can read when off-line, at your leisure.
A log file can be as big as you want, up to the amount of
currently available disk space.
To open a log file, select "Open Log File" from the menu. You
will be prompted for a filename. When a log file is open, the
menu option "Open Log File" changes to "Pause/Close Log", and the
status bar will show the log file name in the third spot from the
left, where the terminal emulation is normally displayed.
If a log file is currently open, selecting "Pause/Close Log" from
the menu, or clicking on the filename in the status bar will give
you the option to either pause the log, or to close the file.
Pausing "suspends" logging to disk temporarily so that you can do
things without saving them to the log file. If you are currently
paused, selecting "Pause/Close Log" again or clicking on the
filename in the status bar will prompt you to either resume, or
close the log.
If a log file is open, and you choose EXIT RIPTERM, it will be
automatically closed.
┌─────────────┐
│ JUMP TO DOS │
└─────────────┘
The "Jump to DOS" feature allows you to shell out to an MS-DOS
command line while remaining in RIPterm. You would use this if
you wanted to obtain a DOS directory, or to run an editor, or use
DOS in general. To return to RIPterm from the DOS command line,
type "EXIT".
RIPterm will display a special DOS prompt indicating that are
currently running RIPterm, but executing a DOS shell. You may
use any disk drive you want, or change directories. When you
type "EXIT", RIPterm will return to your default RIPterm
directory so that it can re-load files for you. When you return
to your RIPterm session, the current graphics screen is restored
as well as any mouse fields, or other parameters.
┌──────┐
│ EXIT │
└──────┘
This exits RIPterm and return you to DOS. If your modem
configuration is set to "modem dialing", and you are currently
on-line, a dialog box will appear asking if you wish to hang-up
before exiting. If you choose NO at this option, you will remain
on-line even after you have exited to DOS. Use this option with
caution, as if you forget that you are on-line, you could charge
up a considerable long distance bill.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.2.2 ■ THE "OPTIONS" MENU │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This menu contains many options that can be used to alter
RIPterm's basic configuration, and mode of operation:
┌─────────────┐
│ STATUS LINE │
└─────────────┘
The status line displays various important information about the
current State of RIPterm. Information displayed left to right:
┌───────────┬─────────────┬──────────┬─────────────────┬
│ F1 = Help │ F10 = Menus │ RIPscrip │ 38400 ■ N81 FDX │
└───────────┴─────────────┴──────────┴─────────────────┴
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
┬──────┬──────────────────┬─────────┐
│ COM1 │ RIPterm v1.50.00 │ Offline │
┴──────┴──────────────────┴─────────┘
(6) (7) (8)
(1) How to get the help system table of contents
(2) How to use the keyboard only to select from the menus
(3) What terminal emulation is in use, or the name of the log
file if one has been opened
(4) The baud rate, parity setting, data bits and stop bits
(5) Full-duplex (FDX) or half-duplex (HDX)settings
(6) The COM port that is currently in use
(7) The current version number of RIPterm
(8) Whether you are "on-line" or "off-line"
To display or hide the status line, press ALT-SPACE.
┌──────────────┐
│ ZOOM WINDOWS │
└──────────────┘
In RIPterm, whenever a window or dialog box pops up on the
screen, it will "zoom in" and "zoom out" giving a visual feeling
of the window opening or closing. This will slow down operation
of the windowing system a small amount. For optimal performance
of RIPterm, toggle zoom windows off. However, the visual
impression of windows opening or closing can be quite useful.
┌──────────────────┐
│ 101-KEY KEYBOARD │
└──────────────────┘
This mode is used in the "doorway mode" (see below). It allows
you to send extended 101-key keyboard codes to the doorway system
running on the host. This mode is only available on AT
computers with a 101-key enhanced AT keyboard. If this option
locks up your system, disable it.
This value is part of the RIPterm setup, saved in RIPTERM.CNF.
If you set this option ON, and it locks your system, and your
system locks whenever you start up RIPterm, then the option has
been saved to your setup. You should run RIPterm with the -E
option, like this:
RIPTERM -E
The first thing you should do is disable the 101-key keyboard
option and save your setup with ALT-S. The -E option overrides
Enhanced 101-key keyboard support for the duration of the current
session of RIPterm.
┌───────────────────────┐
│ CLEAR GRAPHICS WINDOW │
└───────────────────────┘
RIPterm uses two windows in RIPscrip graphics mode, a graphics
window and a text window. The text window is where all
non-graphics data is displayed. The graphics window is where all
graphical RIPscrip commands are displayed.
Choose this option to clear the graphics window only. If the
graphics window overlaps the text window, then some of the text
may be erased in the process. The window is cleared to the
current background color, which by default is BLACK.
NOTE: The graphics window is ALWAYS set to the full screen.
┌───────────────────────┐
│ CLEAR THE TEXT WINDOW │
└───────────────────────┘
RIPterm uses two windows in RIPscrip graphics mode, a graphics
window and a text window. The graphics window is where all
graphical RIPscrip commands are displayed. The text window is
where all non-graphics data is displayed.
Choose this option to clear the text window only. If the text
window overlaps the graphics window, then some of the graphics
may be erased in the process. The window is cleared to BLACK and
the cursor moved to the upper left corner of the window.
NOTE: The text window, by default, is full screen. This may be
changed by RIPscrip graphics commands.
┌───────────────────┐
│ RESET ALL WINDOWS │
└───────────────────┘
This command will reset the text and graphics windows to full
screen. In addition, the screen is cleared and the cursor moved
to the upper left hand corner of the screen. This is equivalent
to a clear screen command in other software packages. The color
palette is reset to the standard 16 ANSI colors, and the font is
reset to the system default you have selected.
┌────────────────────────┐
│ VIEW SCROLLBACK BUFFER │
└────────────────────────┘
This option will activate the text scrollback system. This
allows you to view previously displayed text information that has
come across the modem. You may set the scrollback buffer size
to 5k - 64k of memory.
Within scrollback, you may choose from the following options:
SAVE buffer page to a text file
SAVE entire buffer to a text file
PRINT the current buffer page, or the entire buffer
SEARCH for a particular piece of text
Search AGAIN for a previously searched for text string
At the top of the scrollback screen are buttons for the above
commands. In addition, there are buttons for scrolling up and
down, paging up and down, or moving to the beginning or end of
the buffer.
NOTE: The scrollback buffer filters out ANSI color codes and
RIPscrip graphics for an uncluttered text display.
┌─────────────────────┐
│ SET SCROLLBACK SIZE │
└─────────────────────┘
This option sets how much memory RIPterm should use for the
scrollback buffer. The valid settings are from 5k - 64k of
memory. Depending on how much conventional memory you have on
your computer, this may limit the amount of memory you can
allocate to scrollback. We recommend that you set it to
somewhere around 32k unless you know that your PC has quite a bit
of its 640k memory free for use. If you have numerous memory
resident programs (TSR's) loaded, you may need to drop the size
of your scrollback buffer to a smaller value for proper
operation of RIPterm.
If RIPterm runs out of memory, it will begin to discard old
scrollback buffer information until it can satisfy the memory
request.
┌────────────────────────┐
│ KEYSTROKE MACRO EDITOR │
└────────────────────────┘
Macros are functions that you can define to perform short-cut
operations on the host. For example, you can instruct
RIPterm to make the F5 key type your User-ID and press <ENTER>
for you. This would allow you to log-on quickly by simply
pressing a single key. RIPterm's macro system is easy to use, and
very powerful! You can save your macro keys to the default macro
file (RIPTERM.KEY), or if you need to have multiple macro
configurations, you can save macros to different files.
┌─────────────┐
│ SYSTEM FONT │
└─────────────┘
The System Font allows you to select the font that is used in
text/ANSI mode. It does not have any effect on the graphics
shown. Any subsequent text/ANSI displayed on the screen will
appear in the chosen system font unless the host explicitly tells
it to use another font for the text window.
This mode allows you to specify how "large" text is when you are
in full-screen text mode. You have five separate System Fonts to
choose from. They are:
80x43 - default
80x25 - normal DOS screen size
40x25 - low-resolution font
91x43 - get more columns of text at once
91x25 - get more columns of text at once
┌──────────────┐
│ DOORWAY MODE │
└──────────────┘
This mode is of use on a number of host packages that take
advantage of "Doors". When in Doorway mode, any keystroke that
you enter on your keyboard is transmitted to the host regardless
of the fact that the keystroke might be a menu shortcut, or
something that RIPterm would normally process locally. This
allows you to use special keystrokes (like INSERT, DELETE, PGUP,
Function Keys, etc.) on a host program that can take advantage of
it. The most popular program that takes advantage of this mode is
DOORWAY by Marshall Dudley.
PROGRAMMER'S NOTE:
For the technical minded who want to know how this works,
this is what's going on:
■ The keystroke is recorded using BIOS interrupt
0x16, sub-function 0x00 for non-101-key keyboards,
or sub-function 0x10 for 101-key keyboards.
■ If register AL contains a value (the ASCII
character), and AH is equal to 0, then it is
sent to the host by transmitting the character
directly over the comm port.
■ If AH is not 0, then transmit the contents of AH
instead to the host by transmitting a null (0),
then the contents of AH. If AL == E0, and AH != 0,
then it is an enhanced 101-key scancode and should
be sent to the host as a null (0), followed by an
0xE0, then followed by the raw scan code.
┌───────────────┐
│ DISABLE BEEPS │
└───────────────┘
This will disable the Beep character (ASCII character 7, BEL)
from being played on the PC speaker when received from the host.
This makes RIPterm "quiet" when you want it to be. This does not
override all sounds; just BEEP characters received from the host.
┌────────────────────┐
│ DROP DTR TO HANGUP │
└────────────────────┘
This option will lower DTR for approximately two seconds to
disconnect the modem. If for some reason, the modem still hasn't
disconnected, hang-up will default to the typical method of
issuing a +++, followed by an ATH to hang-up the modem. If after
all hang-up processing is complete, and the Modem still hasn't
disconnected, a message saying "Hang-up Failed" will be displayed.
┌────────────────────┐
│ MOUSE FIELD SELECT │
└────────────────────┘
This option, when check marked, will use TAB and SHIFT-TAB to
select, in order, the mouse fields defined on the screen.
If this item is not check marked, the TAB character (control-I) is
transmitted to the host.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.2.3 ■ THE "MODEM" MENU │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The modem menu contains options that alter the way the modem works
with RIPterm. Depending on what type of host you are trying to dial,
or what configuration your modem is set to, you may have to alter the
modem's configuration to best suit your own needs.
┌────────────────┐
│ MODEM SETTINGS │
└────────────────┘
This dialog box will allow you to modify your modem configuration.
You may alter the modem initialization commands, the auto-answer
string or the modem reset command string. These options use
standard Hayes-compatible modem commands. If you wish to insert a
"pause" into the command, simply insert a comma (,).
In addition to modem commands, you may set the current COM port,
the data bits, stop bits, parity setting and baud rate. Standard
settings are either 8 data bits, 1 stop bit and NO parity (8N1),
or 7 data bits, 1 stop bit and EVEN parity (7E1). Additional
options allow you to specify touch tone or rotary (pulse)
dialing, the number of seconds to wait for a connection (redial
time), whether to add CR/LF combinations and whether RIPterm is
connected directly to a modem or not. You may also specify flow
control for the serial port as either XON/XOFF (software flow
control), or RTS/CTS control (hardware control - more reliable).
If you specify RTS/CTS flow control, make sure your modem cable
can support the specific signals that would make this mode work
properly. Most commonly available serial cables support this
feature now. If you have an internal modem, then this mode
should work for you automatically.
One final option on this dialog box is the "Use Modem" option. If
selected (the default), then RIPterm assumes it is connected to a
modem. If it is disabled, then RIPterm thinks it is connected to
another computer directly using a modem eliminator cable (also
known as a "NULL MODEM" cable).
To alter the serial port IRQ settings, choose the INTERRUPT SETUP
option. To alter serial port addresses, choose the option SERIAL
ADDRESSES from the OPTIONS menu.
These settings are part of the setup, so once you alter them, you
should choose the SAVE SETUP option to make them permanent.
┌────────────┐
│ SAVE SETUP │
└────────────┘
This option will save a number of configuration parameters for
RIPterm. Among the various items maintained in the Setup are:
■ Modem Setup
■ Zooming Windows ON/OFF
■ Status Bar ON/OFF
■ Serial Port Interrupt settings (for all four ports)
■ Serial Port I/O Address settings (for all four ports)
■ CR/LF settings
■ Echo Keystrokes setting (duplex)
■ Scrollback Buffer Size
■ Dialing Directory TOGGLE status
■ Use DTR to Hang-up status
■ Data Security status
■ 101-key Enhanced Keyboard status
■ ASCII upload settings
■ Default System Font
■ Beep ON/OFF status
Each time you load RIPterm, the setup is loaded and used for the
current session.
Setup information is contained in a file called RIPTERM.CNF by
default. This can be altered by using the -S parameter when
starting up RIPterm. This option instructs RIPterm to use an
alternate setup file (e.g., RIPTERM -Smysetup.cnf).
┌─────────────────┐
│ ECHO KEYSTROKES │
└─────────────────┘
This command will toggle whether RIPterm should echo keystrokes
to the terminal locally, or let the host perform the echoing.
Normally, the host will do this for you, so echo is OFF by
default. In some situations though, you may wish to toggle ECHO
ON. One such situation is if you are directly connected to
another person's computer via modem and are typing to them in a
"chat-like" manner.
┌───────────────────┐
│ DIALING DIRECTORY │
└───────────────────┘
This option displays the current dialing directory on your
screen. From this dialog box, you may dial, edit or otherwise
manipulate any of the dialing directory entries in any way you
wish. There is a complete section of this document devoted
specifically to the dialing directory. Read on for details.
You may also access this mode by clicking on the "off-line" field
of the status bar. This field will automatically change to
"on-line" when connected to a host. Clicking on this field when
on-line will activate the hang-up option.
┌───────────────────┐
│ HANG-UP THE MODEM │
└───────────────────┘
This option will attempt to disconnect the modem, thus logging
you off of whatever host you are connected to.
You may also hang-up the modem by clicking on the "On-line" field
of the Status Bar.
If for some reason, RIPterm was unable to successfully disconnect
the modem, the message "Hang-up Failed" will be displayed.
┌───────────┐
│ ADD CR/LF │
└───────────┘
This option will add CR/LF combinations at the end of text lines.
Normally, this is not necessary. Some hosts however, require
that CR/LF's be ON for you to see text properly. Normally, this
option is OFF. You may toggle it ON if need be.
If text coming across the modem does not move to the next line,
then you need to turn this option ON. If every line of text is
separated by a blank line, then you need to toggle this OFF.
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ SERIAL PORT INTERRUPT SETUP │
└─────────────────────────────┘
THIS IS AN ADVANCED OPTION AND SHOULD NOT BE USED UNLESS YOU ARE
FAMILIAR WITH IBM-PC INTERRUPTS AND HARDWARE SETUP!
This option allows you to customize the Interrupt (IRQ) settings
for each of your four COM ports. Normally this isn't necessary.
However, some PC's have special configurations that require the
terminal's setup to be altered if the serial ports are to
function properly.
There are five different interrupts that can be selected for each
COM port (2, 3, 4, 5, and 7). If two serial ports in the
computer use the same interrupt (i.e., a conflict), then problems
may arise.
┌───────────────────────────┐
│ SERIAL PORT ADDRESS SETUP │
└───────────────────────────┘
THIS IS AN ADVANCED OPTION AND SHOULD NOT BE USED UNLESS YOU ARE
FAMILIAR WITH IBM-PC BASE I/O ADDRESSES AND HARDWARE SETUP!
This option allows you to customize the base I/O addresses of the
four COM ports that RIPterm can utilize. Normally, you will not
need to alter these settings. If you are a PC technician, or you
have serial port configuration that doesn't comply with the
COM1-COM4 standards, you may need to alter your addresses for
these ports to make RIPterm function properly. The standard
addresses for COM1-4 are as follows on an AT compatible computer:
PORT ADDRESS IRQ
----------------------
COM1 3F8 4
COM2 2F8 3
COM3 3E8 4
COM4 2E8 3
┌──────────────────┐
│ INITIALIZE MODEM │
└──────────────────┘
Choosing this option will reset the modem, and send the modem
initialization string to the modem. This will effectively reset
the modem to the configured default settings.
The commands sent to the modem can be altered by choosing modem
settings from the Modem menu, or by pressing ALT-O.
┌───────────────────┐
│ MODEM AUTO-ANSWER │
└───────────────────┘
This command will transmit the modem auto-answer command string
to the modem. This command instructs the modem to answer the
phone after a certain number of rings (one ring by default).
The commands sent to the modem can be altered by choosing modem
settings from the Modem menu, or by pressing ALT-O.
┌────────────────┐
│ MANUAL DIALING │
└────────────────┘
This command will prompt you to enter the telephone number to
dial. You may enter any digits from 0-9. Hyphens are ignored.
If you need to obtain a delay before continuing the rest of the
phone number, enter a comma (,) for a 1/2 second pause. After
entering the phone number, the DIALING window will appear showing
you the current status of RIPterm as it dials the modem.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.2.4 ■ THE "TRANSFER" MENU │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This menu contains options for transferring files TO (downloading) or
FROM (uploading) your system. These commands make use of File
Transfer Protocols (see below).
┌─────────────────┐
│ DOWNLOAD A FILE │
└─────────────────┘
This command downloads (receives) a file from the host to your
system. This is done by what's called a "protocol" transfer. A
protocol is like a language that humans speak. There are a
number of languages like French, English, and Italian. If two
people are speaking in different languages, the net result is
that no communication occurs. The same goes for protocols. Both
the host and the terminal (RIPterm) must use the same protocol if
they are to communicate properly.
To download a file, instruct the host which file you want to
transfer. Select a protocol from the menu of available protocols.
When the host says "Ready to download..." or "Ready to send...",
choose the download option of RIPterm and select the same
protocol that you chose on the host. Enter a filename to save to
your local hard disk and the file transfer will commence. When
the transfer is done, you will be returned to terminal mode and
the file will either exist on your hard disk, or will be
incomplete or missing entirely if an error occurred.
The currently supported protocols are:
X-Modem (checksum)
X-Modem (CRC)
X-Modem-1K
X-Modem-G-1K
Y-Modem-Batch
Y-Modem-G
Z-Modem
Kermit
ASCII (text files only!)
┌───────────────┐
│ UPLOAD A FILE │
└───────────────┘
This command upload (send) a file to the host from your system.
This is done by what's called a "protocol" transfer. A protocol
is like a language that humans speak. There are a number of
languages like French, English, and Italian. If two people are
speaking in different languages, the net result is that no
communication occurs. The same goes for protocols. Both the host
and the terminal (RIPterm) must use the same protocol if they are
to communicate properly.
To upload a file, instruct the host to upload, and give the host
a filename. Select a protocol from the menu of available
protocols. When the host says "Ready to upload..." or "Ready to
receive...", choose the upload option of RIPterm and select the
corresponding protocol that you chose on the host. Enter a
filename to send from your local hard disk and the file transfer
will begin. When the transfer is done, you will be returned to
terminal mode and if there were no errors in transmission, the
file will exist on the host.
The currently supported protocols are:
X-Modem (checksum)
X-Modem (CRC)
X-Modem-1K
X-Modem-G-1K
Y-Modem-Batch
Y-Modem-G
Z-Modem
Kermit
ASCII (text files only!)
┌───────────────────────┐
│ ASCII UPLOAD SETTINGS │
└───────────────────────┘
This option modifies the default settings for ASCII (text)
uploads. Some hosts are picky about how fast they can take text
data being uploaded to them. With this in mind, you can set a
short delay in between each line of text sent to the host, and/or
you can set a delay in between each character sent to the host.
Fine tuning this can make ASCII text uploads fast and the most
optimized they can be for the host you call.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.2.5 ■ THE "DATA" MENU │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────┐
│ CREATE VARIABLE │
└─────────────────┘
This option enters a piece of information into the RIPterm
database. This information will be saved for future use by
either yourself or by a host. You may store just about any piece
of information in this database. Each piece of information is
associated with a "name". Any information entered must be from
1-60 characters in length. The name of the information (also
called the variable name), is from 3-12 characters in length. An
example of this might be:
Variable Information Stored in variable
-------------- ------------------------------
FIRST_NAME John
LAST_NAME Doe
ADDRESS 123 Anywhere Street
PHONE_NUMBER 555-1212
You may choose to save a data variable either to internal memory,
or to the permanent database. This database is "indexed" for
high speed access of information. In the event that the Index
becomes corrupted due to a power failure or something of that
nature, it will be automatically re-indexed for you.
┌────────────────┐
│ SHOW VARIABLES │
└────────────────┘
This option displays all text variables that have been stored to
the local RIPTERM.DB database file. All variables are listed to
the current text window, but are not sent to the host. This
allows you to see what is currently in your database.
NOTE: The variables are appended to the scrollback buffer. You
can view them by selecting text scrollback from the
Options menu, or pressing ALT-B.
┌────────────────────┐
│ BUILT-IN VARIABLES │
└────────────────────┘
This displays the contents of all text variables that are built
into RIPterm. Some variables are pre-defined in the sense that
RIPterm doesn't need you to instruct it with information. Among
the various pre-defined variables are things like $DATE$, $TIME$,
and other such variables that change frequently. Some variables
do not contain valid text data due to their nature. These might
include variables like $SBARON$, or $SBAROFF$ which turn display
or hide the Status Bar. When listing these variables, the
contents are listed as blank.
NOTE: The variables are appended to the scrollback buffer. You
can view them by selecting text scrollback from the
Options menu, or pressing ALT-B.
┌───────────────┐
│ DATA SECURITY │
└───────────────┘
This option gives you control over host data queries to your
system. This option defaults to ON, giving you the ability to
scrutinize any queries by the host to ask your system for a piece
of information. This does not apply to pre-defined text
variables, just variables that contain data that you've entered.
How does this apply to you? Well, RIPscrip has the inherent
ability to pop-up dialog boxes onto your screen asking you for a
piece of information. Depending on the request, this information
might be stored to your local RIPterm database for future use (by
the same host, or potentially another). This option exists so
that if a host asks your terminal for a piece of information, you
have the ability to intervene (i.e., prevent the information from
being sent). This override feature is for security purposes in
the event that your database contains sensitive information that
you do not want to be given out without your explicit consent.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.3 ■ HELP ON THE MENUS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Selecting the "Pull-Down Menu Help" option from the PROJECT menu
allows you to view help information on the various menu options. A
window will appear instructing you to select a pull-down menu option
for help. Simply click on the right mouse button and pull down the
desired menu. Select an option, and a Help Screen will appear on
that item. When finished, press the <ESC> key to exit "Menu Help"
mode. You may also select menu options via the keyboard by using the
F10 key to activate the menu system.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.4 ■ MODEM SETUP INFORMATION │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When you choose the Modem Options feature, a dialog box appears to
edit many of the available modem settings that are a part of
RIPterm. The dialog box looks similar to the following:
╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Modem Options ║
║ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ ║
║ Modem Init │ AT E1 V1 X4^M │ ║
║ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ ║
║ Auto Answer │ AT S0=1^M │ ║
║ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ ║
║ Modem Reset │ AT Z^M │ ║
║ ├────┬────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
║ Redial Time │ 30 │ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ║
║ └────┘ │ Comm Port │ │ Stop Bits │ │ Baud Rate │ ║
║ ├───────────┤ ├───────────┤ ├───────────┤ ║
║ XON/XOFF ■ │ COM1 X │ │ 1 bit X │ │ 300 ■ │ ║
║ RTS/CTS ■ │ COM2 ■ │ │ 2 bits ■ │ │ 1200 ■ │ ║
║ │ COM3 ■ │ └───────────┘ │ 2400 X │ ║
║ Touch Tone ■ │ COM4 ■ │ │ 4800 ■ │ ║
║ Use Modem ■ └───────────┘ ┌───────────┐ │ 9600 ■ │ ║
║ Add CR/LF ■ ┌───────────┐ │ Parity │ │ 19,200 ■ │ ║
║ ┌────────────┐ │ Data Bits │ ├───────────┤ │ 38,400 ■ │ ║
║ │ OK │ ├───────────┤ │ None X │ │ 57,600 ■ │ ║
║ ├────────────┤ │ 8 bits X │ │ Odd ■ │ │ 115,200 ■ │ ║
║ │ CANCEL │ │ 7 bits ■ │ │ Even ■ │ └───────────┘ ║
║ └────────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
This dialog box is for modifying your modem configuration. You may
alter the modem initialization commands, the auto-answer string and
the modem reset command string. These options use standard
Hayes-compatible modem commands. If you wish to insert a "pause"
into the command, simply insert a comma (,).
In addition to modem commands, you may set the COM port, data bits,
stop bits, parity, and baud rate. Standard settings are 8 data bits,
1 stop bit and NO parity (8N1), or 7 data bits, 1 stop bit and EVEN
parity (7E1). Additional options allow you to specify touch tone or
rotary (pulse) dialing, the number of seconds to wait for a
connection (redial time), whether to add CR/LF, and whether RIPterm
is connected directly to a modem or not.
To alter the serial port IRQ settings, choose the interrupt setup
option from the modem menu.
These settings are part of the setup, so once you alter them, you
should choose the SAVE SETUP option from the Modem menu.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.1.4.1 ■ MODEM COMMAND STRINGS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Modem command strings are how you configure RIPterm to work with the
wide variety of modem on the market. All modem commands begin with
an "AT", short for 'ATtention'.
You may specify control characters in a modem command string by
preceding the character with a caret (^). For example, a CTRL-C
would be ^C.
Each modem command string should end with a ^M (carriage return), as
shown in the Modem Options dialog box above.
For more information on modem commands, consult your modem's manual.
┌───────────────────┐
│ MODEM INIT STRING │
└───────────────────┘
This field is the modem command that is sent to the modem when
RIPterm starts up. All modem commands begin with an "AT", short for
'ATtention'.
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ MODEM AUTO-ANSWER STRING │
└──────────────────────────┘
This modem command is what would be sent to the modem to set it for
"auto-answer" mode. Auto-answer means that the modem will answer the
phone automatically when it rings.
┌────────────────────┐
│ MODEM RESET STRING │
└────────────────────┘
This is the modem command string that is sent when the modem needs to
be reset. This may be necessary if you "hang-up" the modem, abort a
dial attempt, or exit RIPterm. For most modems, this command is Z,
which would be entered as "ATZ^m".
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.2 ■ THE DIALING DIRECTORY │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When you choose the "Dialing Directory" option, a dialog box similar
to the following will appear:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Dialing Directory: RIPTERM.PHO ║
╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─┐ ║
║ │ 1. ArenaBBS 1-714-840-3520 2400 8N1 COM1 ││ ║
║ │ 2. RIP Demo Midwest 1-708-978-2777 19200 8N1 COM2 ├─┤ ║
║ │ 3. Nova Central 1-714-840-8641 9600 8N1 COM1 ││ ║
║ │ 4. Galacticomm BBS 1-305-583-7808 9600 8N1 COM1 ││ ║
║ │ 5. deltaComm BBS 1-919-481-9399 19200 8N1 COM1 ├─┤ ║
║ │ 6. Searchlight BBS 1-516-689-2566 19200 8N1 COM1 ├─┤ ║
║ │ 7. Synchronet BBS 1-714-529-9547 19200 8N1 COM1 ││ ║
║ │ 8. Wildcat BBS 1-805-395-0650 9600 8N1 COM1 ││ ║
║ │ 9. PC Board BBS 1-801-261-8976 19200 8N1 COM1 ├─┤ ║
║ │ 10. E-Soft (TBBS) 1-303-699-8222 9600 8N1 COM1 ││ ║
║ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─┘ ║
║ ┌────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐ ║
║ │ Edit │ Mark │ Unmark │ SaveAs │ Load │ Find │ ║
║ ├────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ ║
║ │ Dial │ Cancel │ Kill │ Print │ Toggle │ Help │ ║
║ └────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
At the top of the dialing directory dialog box, the filename of the
dialing directory is displayed (e.g., "RIPTERM.PHO"). Whenever you
change dialing directory files, this will change to reflect the
current file in use.
In the middle of the dialog box is a listing of available hosts to
choose from. Ten hosts are displayed at any once, and each directory
can contain up to 100 entries. You can scroll through the available
hosts quickly by using the UP/DOWN arrows on the right of the
display. Just underneath the UP arrow, and above the DOWN arrow are
two different buttons; these are used for PGUP, and PGDN. The UP
ARROW, DOWN ARROW, PGUP, PGDN, HOME, and END keys work intuitively.
Any one of the ten lines in the window can be highlighted by pressing
ALT-1 through ALT-0 (10). Any previously highlighted entries will be
un-highlighted and the given line in the window will be highlighted.
If you simultaneously hold down the SHIFT key while pressing ALT-1
through ALT-0, then the associated line will be highlighted in
addition to any previously highlighted lines (highlight merge). Do
not confuse ALT-1 through ALT-0 with the numbers listed on the left
side of the window. The numbers in the window are the entries in the
entire directory, not the window line number. Pressing an ALT-1
through ALT-0 will highlight the window line number. To highlight a
specific directory entry, see the MARK mode below.
Each host displays an entry number, the host name, telephone number,
baud rate, data bits (7 or 8), parity (E, N, O), stop bits (1 or 2),
and the COM port (COM1 - COM4).
There are twelve buttons at the bottom of the dialog box to choose
from. They function as follows:
┌──────┐
│ EDIT │
└──────┘
Clicking this button edits one or more dialing directory
entries. At least one entry must be highlighted (marked). When
clicked, a dialog box will appear for each host highlighted
allowing you to edit each host's characteristics. See the next
section (2.2.1) for details on the Dialing Directory Editor.
┌──────┐
│ DIAL │
└──────┘
Selecting DIAL calls one or more selected directory entries. If
more than one entry is highlighted, they will be dialed in
numerical order. If a connection is established to any host, it
will be un-highlighted in the dialing directory so that later
re-entry into the directory will allow you to dial the remaining
hosts. This option is automatically highlighted as the "default
option" if at least one directory entries is highlighted.
┌──────┐
│ MARK │
└──────┘
This option will mark (highlight) one or more dialing directory
entries for subsequent action. When chosen, a dialog box will
appear allowing you enter information. In this dialog box, you
can enter one or more numbers indicating which directory entry(s)
to highlight. There are a number of options you may choose from
for highlighting entries. Some examples are:
Examples:
---------
1 ... highlight entry 1
1, 2, 3 ... highlight entries 1, 2 and 3
1 2 3 ... highlight entries 1, 2 and 3
1;2;3 ... highlight entries 1, 2 and 3
1-10 ... highlight entries 1 through 10
15- ... highlight entries 15 to the end (100)
-5 ... highlight from Start (1) to entry 5
- ... highlight ALL entries
1-5, 10, 95- ... highlight 1-5, 10 and 95-100
In addition, you can also specify a "Mark Merge". This mode
allows you to combine your Marked entries with any entries that
are already marked. To use Mark Merge mode, enter a plus sign
(+) as the first character. For example, if entries 3 and 5 are
highlighted, and you mark "+ 10-15", then entries 3, 5, and 10-15
will be highlighted.
One final option is the Mark Exclude mode. This mode is similar
to Mark Merge, except that all entries EXCEPT those highlighted
are marked. In other words, anything that you would think would
be highlighted, would not be, and anything that shouldn't be
highlighted, will be! This odd way of doing things can become
very handy when combined with some of the other options in the
dialing directory. To choose Mark Exclude mode, specify an
exclamation mark (!) as the first character.
You can combine Mark Merge, and Mark Exclude modes together. To
do this, enter the sequence "+!" as the first two characters in
the dialog box.
Mark Mode will be automatically be chosen if you begin typing
something that appears to be a mark sequence. In other words,
you do not have to select Mark mode in order to Mark entries. For
example, from the dialing directory dialog box, simply typing "1"
will bring up the Mark dialog and place "1" in the editing field
automatically and allow you to continue typing in your Mark
expression.
┌────────┐
│ CANCEL │
└────────┘
This will abort the dialing directory window. Any previously
highlighted entries will remain highlighted the next time you
enter the directory. You are returned to the terminal screen.
┌────────┐
│ UNMARK │
└────────┘
This will un-highlight any previously highlighted directory
entries. You may also press the Space Bar to choose this option.
┌──────┐
│ KILL │
└──────┘
This option will delete all previously highlighted directory
entries. You will be prompted to make absolutely sure that you
truly wish to erase the entries. All calling statistics for
those entries will be erased as well. Once an option is killed,
it is permanently deleted. If no entries are highlighted, this
option has no affect.
┌─────────┐
│ SAVE AS │
└─────────┘
This option will save either the entire dialing directory, or
just the highlighted entries to another directory file. This
allows you to create new directory files quickly and easily for
specific purposes. If one or more entries are highlighted, only
those entries are copied to the new file. If no entries are
highlighted, then the entire dialing directory file is copied.
You will be prompted to enter the destination filename.
If the destination file exists, it is checked to see if it is a
RIPterm dialing directory file. If it is, you will be prompted
to either merge the highlighted entries into destination file, or
to overwrite the file with just the highlighted entries.
In the event that the destination file becomes full, a message to
the effect will be displayed informing you how many entries
couldn't be copied.
This "directory merge" feature is unique to RIPterm.
NOTE: Modifications to the dialing directory are automatically
saved to the current directory file. You do not need to
choose SAVE AS every time you add or edit an entry.
┌───────┐
│ PRINT │
└───────┘
This prints the contents of the dialing directory (or highlighted
entries) to either a disk file, or to a printer attached to LPT1.
Choosing the disk option will prompt you for a filename.
Before printing/saving occurs, you will be asked what type of
output you wish. You have two choices: TABLE format, or DETAILED
BREAKDOWN. Table format will print one entry per line, formatted
for an 80-column display.
System Name System Phone Number
=========================================== continued next line
ArenaBBS (TeleGrafix 1-714-840-3520
Baud COM COM Last Mod
Rate Vals # Calls Call ? HostID
continued from previous ====================================
2400 8N1 1 39 1/30/93 Y ARENA
Specifying detailed mode will output a multi-line record for each
entry. The format of detailed breakdown mode is similar to the
following:
Host Name: ArenaBBS (TeleGrafix)
Telephone #: 1-714-840-3520
Baud Rate: 2400
Data Bits: 8
Parity: NONE
Stop Bits: 1
COM Port: 1
Host ID: ARENA
Connections: 39
Last Call: 01/30/93
┌──────┐
│ LOAD │
└──────┘
This option allows you to load up another dialing directory file.
The current directory file will be closed and the specified file
will be loaded in its place. All entries are un-highlighted, and
the window is automatically redisplays the newly loaded entries.
┌────────┐
│ TOGGLE │
└────────┘
This option alters what information is displayed in the dialing
directory window. By default, the following information is
displayed on each line in the window:
Entry #
Host Name
Phone Number
Baud Rate
Data Bits, Parity and Stop Bits (e.g., 8N1)
Communications Port (e.g., COM1)
When you choose the toggle option, the information displayed will
be changed to the following:
Entry #
Host Name
Total # of calls
Last call date
Directory ID (see below)
Modem or Serial-Port connection
This is a simple toggle. Each time you choose this option, the
information displayed will change to the opposite mode.
Your favorite toggle setting can be saved to your permanent
RIPterm setup. To do this, choose the toggle mode you like the
best, exit the dialing directory, then choose Save Setup.
┌──────┐
│ FIND │
└──────┘
This option will highlight zero or more entries that contain the
specified search text. Once you choose this option, a dialog box
will appear prompting you to enter a piece of text to search for
throughout the dialing directory. Any entries that contain the
chosen text will automatically be highlighted. Search is not
case sensitive. The host name, phone number and directory-ID
fields are searched for the text. Text can appear anywhere in
any of these three fields and will still be found.
You may choose Find Merge mode, or Find Exclude mode (or both)
exactly the same way as you can with the Mark mode. The command
characters (+ and !) are not added to the search string, and must
be the first characters specified in the search string. Merge
mode can be quite useful if you wish to highlight all entries in
a specific area code, or that contain a common theme (like
"business", or "daily").
┌──────┐
│ HELP │
└──────┘
This option displays the help screen for the dialing directory.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.2.1 ■ EDITING DIALING DIRECTORY ENTRIES │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When you choose to edit one or more dialing directory entries, a
dialog box similar to the following will appear on your screen
allowing you to edit the various entries:
╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ║
║ Name │Host name goes here... │ │ Baud │ ║
║ ├─────────────────────────┤ ├───────────┤ ║
║ Number │1-714-555-1212 │ │ 300 ■ │ ║
║ ├────────────┬────────────┘ │ 1200 ■ │ ║
║ ID │Directory │ ┌─┐ │ 2400 X │ ║
║ └────────────┘ Modem │X│ │ 4800 ■ │ ║
║ └─┘ │ 9600 ■ │ ║
║ ┌────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌────────┐ │ 19,200 ■ │ ║
║ │ Port │ │Stop Bits │ │ Parity │ │ 38,400 ■ │ ║
║ ├────────┤ ├──────────┤ ├────────┤ │ 57,600 ■ │ ║
║ │ COM1 X │ │ 1 bit X │ │ NONE X │ │ 115,200 ■ │ ║
║ │ COM2 ■ │ │ 2 bits ■ │ │ EVEN ■ │ └───────────┘ ║
║ │ COM3 ■ │ └──────────┘ │ ODD ■ │ ┌───────────┐ ║
║ │ COM4 ■ │ └────────┘ │ Data Bits │ ║
║ └────────┘ ├───────────┤ ║
║ ┌──────────┐┌──────────┐┌──────────┐ │ 7 bits ■ │ ║
║ │ OK ││ CANCEL ││ HELP │ │ 8 bits X │ ║
║ └──────────┘└──────────┘└──────────┘ └───────────┘ ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
The significance of each of these fields are described below:
┌──────┐
│ NAME │
└──────┘
The name field is the name of the host that will appear in the
dialing directory window. This is the name that will be
displayed to you whenever you dial the host, and is used in
general to describe the host. You are allowed 25 characters
for the host name.
┌────────┐
│ NUMBER │
└────────┘
This is the telephone number (if any) that is used to dial the
host. You are allowed up to 25 characters for the number. Valid
characters are digits 0-9, hyphens and parenthesis (if your modem
permits it). You may also enter a comma (,) to indicate a
half-second pause. This pause is handled by your modem, not by
RIPterm. On some modems, this pause may be two or three seconds.
Check your modem's documentation to determine the delay value.
Some examples of Telephone Numbers are as follows:
555-1212 ... Dial 555-1212
1-714-555-1212 ... Dial (714) 555-1212
9,555-1212 ... Dial a 9, then pause, then 555-1212
┌────┐
│ ID │
└────┘
This field takes a bit more explaining than the other fields in
the directory editor. Each entry in the directory has the
ability to have a separate sub-directory associated with it.
This is used mainly when RIPscrip graphics are being viewed on
the host. Any icon (.ICN, .MSK, .HIC) or RIPscrip (.RIP) files
that are received by the host should be placed in the designated
sub-directory. This in effect, helps keep your icons separated
from each other.
If you omit a directory name in this field, and you dial into a
RIPscrip host that requires icons or RIPscrip files, RIPterm will
look for them automatically in the ICONS\ sub-directory. It is
recommended that you keep host specific files in their proper
sub-directories for elegant file maintenance.
You do not need to create the sub-directory yourself. The first
time that you call into that host via the dialing directory,
RIPterm will check the ID field, and if it is non-blank, will
automatically create the sub-directory if it doesn't exist.
If the ID field is non-blank, indicating a sub-directory should
be used for that specific host, RIPterm will check in that
directory first for any necessary icons or RIPscrip files. If
the needed file is not found in that sub-directory, RIPterm will
check the ICONS\ sub-directory afterward to see if it is there.
This facilitates the concept of "file override".
This "file override" is best explained by an example. Let's say
you call several different RIPscrip hosts. Each of them have
numerous icons that they use for their host. Now as you are
probably aware, each sysop of each host thinks of his host as the
only host in the world. With that in mind, they would probably
not give a great amount of thought to the names that they give
their icon or RIPscrip files (i.e., not considering that other
hosts might have files with the same names). Files like
EMAIL.ICN or FILES.ICN would be use on nearly any host! If all
these files were located in the same directory, only the very
latest installed files would be used when you call a host! In
other words, when you call host XYZ, you might see host ABC's
EMAIL icon! This is obviously not how it should work. With this
in mind, keeping files in separate sub-directories resolves this
problem quite nicely. Even if a sysop chooses to use the
standard RIPterm EMAIL icon, he can do that too. All he has to do
is NOT provide you with his own EMAIL icon. RIPterm will find
the correct file for you automatically. It would first check
host XYZ's directory (presumably directory "XYZ\"), and after
finding that the file is not there, would check the ICONS\
sub-directory and find it there. In this fashion, the sysop has
the ability to override standard icons with his own without
affecting the standard icons in any way.
Keep in mind, that if you dial a host by issuing modem commands
directly (not using the dialing directory), then the correct
directory may not be used since RIPterm has no way of knowing
which dialing directory entry you are calling. In other words,
you should use the dialing directory to call ALL RIPscrip hosts!
NOTE: RIPterm supports a "block protocol" mode for hosts that
can support it. This mode allows the host to send files to
your computer for subsequent use. Any files received in
this mode are automatically placed in the proper host ID
directory. If no host ID field is specified, then the
ICONS\ sub-directory is chosen as the destination
sub-directory.
┌───────┐
│ MODEM │
└───────┘
This button is a toggle-type button. It can be either ON or OFF.
If it is enabled (the default), then when this entry is dialed,
it will be assumed that it is calling the host via a modem
device. If it is off, then RIPterm will assume that the host is
connected to your computer via a direct serial connection.
If the modem option is activated, RIPterm will monitor the modem
for a "CONNECT" message of some kind. Other messages that can
affect the dialing process are "ERROR", "NO DIALTONE", "VOICE" or
"BUSY".
If this option is inactive, typically, connection is made
instantly, and you will be presented with some kind of an intro
message. RIPterm will automatically press <ENTER> to the host to
try to activate the connection for you.
┌──────┐
│ BAUD │
└──────┘
This option allows you to specify the baud rate at which the
connection should be made (or at least attempted). Valid baud
rates are 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, and
115200 baud. If a CONNECT message is received indicating a baud
rate other than the specified rate, RIPterm will automatically
adjust the baud rate on its end to ensure that communication will
take place (this is often called "auto-baud detect" mode).
┌──────┐
│ PORT │
└──────┘
This option allows you to specify which communications port will
be used to dial the given host. Valid ports are COM1 through
COM4. Of course, your system must have the given port in order
to be able to dial out on it. Before the host is called, RIPterm
will initialize the given port (if it hasn't already) and if
everything is OK, will dial the host (or press <ENTER> if it's a
non-modem host).
┌───────────┐
│ STOP BITS │
└───────────┘
This option allows you to alter the number of "Stop Bits" that
are used for the communications link. Valid settings are 1 stop
bit, or 2 stop bits. Typically, 1 stop bit will be used for the
vast majority of hosts.
┌────────┐
│ PARITY │
└────────┘
This option allows you to alter the parity setting that will be
used for a given communications link. Valid settings are EVEN,
ODD or NONE. The vast majority of hosts in the world use a
setting of NONE, for "No Parity". Situations where you will
choose something other than NONE would be if you were calling a
mainframe computer, or dialing up via a nationwide network like
TymNet, TeleNet, GEnie, CompuServe, or other such X.25-based
hosts. If in doubt, try NONE.
┌───────────┐
│ DATA BITS │
└───────────┘
This option allows you to alter the number of data bits that will
be used for a given communications link. Valid settings are 7
data bits, or 8 data bits. You will find that most hosts use 8
data bits. 7 data bits are commonly used when calling mainframe
computers, or large hosts like TymNet, TeleNet, GEnie,
CompuServe, or other nationwide network services that use the
X.25 network protocol. When in doubt, try 8 data bits. If you
get garbled information, try 7.
In the last three sub-sections, you've seen settings for data
bits, parity, and stop bits. In nearly 100% of every situation,
there are only two combinations of these three values that are
used. They are:
8 data bits 7 data bits
No parity Even parity
1 stop bit 1 stop bit
----------- -----------
8-N-1 7-E-1 <- referred to as
eight-none-one seven-even-one <- pronounced
┌────┐
│ OK │
└────┘
This will accept any changes you have made and return you to the
dialing directory dialog box. Any changes you made in the editor
will be reflected in the dialing directory window. If you have
highlighted multiple entries to edit, then the remaining entries
(if any) that haven't been edited will be edited before you are
returned to the dialing directory screen.
┌────────┐
│ CANCEL │
└────────┘
This will cancel any modifications you have made in the directory
editor. You will be returned to the dialing director
automatically. If you have chosen to edit multiple directory
entries (by highlighting more than one), and there are entries
that haven't been edited yet, they will be edited before you are
eventually returned to the dialing directory.
┌──────┐
│ HELP │
└──────┘
This option bring up the help screen for the directory editor.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.2.2 ■ DIALING DIRECTORY CONVERSION UTILITY (DIALCONV.EXE) │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
For your convenience, a utility program has been included with
RIPterm to convert dialing directory files from other popular
terminal programs to RIPterm format. This program currently supports
the conversion of Telix and TeleMate directory files to RIPterm
format. Conversion is "one way". In other words, you cannot convert
a RIPterm directory file to Telix format, but you can go the other
way around (Telix to RIPterm conversion).
Use of DIALCONV is quite simple. The program will auto-detect what
type of dialing directory file is to be processed and will
automatically use the appropriate conversion method necessary for the
given file.
To convert a directory file, enter a command similar to:
DIALCONV TELIX.FON RIPTERM.PHO
In the preceding example, DIALCONV would convert the Telix directory
file TELIX.FON to a RIPterm directory file called RIPTERM.PHO.
RIPterm uses the extension of .PHO to designate dialing directories.
All "statistical" data in the source directory file are converted
into the new RIPterm file. For example, the last date a host was
called, and total number of calls you have made to that host are
converted as well and are made part of the RIPterm directory file. In
addition, COM port, baud rate and other settings are converted as
well for your convenience.
If you wish to simply view the contents of a Telix or TeleMate
directory file without conversion (to make sure that conversion would
take place properly), you can choose an optional "view" option for
DIALCONV by specifying the "-v" switch on the command line. For
example, to list out all the valid entries in a Telix directory file
called TELIX.FON to the screen, enter the following command:
DIALCONV -v TELIX.FON
All entries will be displayed to the screen for you. Output can be
captured to a text file if you wish by using the MS-DOS redirection
feature. Using the preceding example, let's say you wanted to print
all entries in the Telix directory file to the text file TELIX.LST,
enter the following command:
DIALCONV -v TELIX.FON >TELIX.LST
Note the use of the redirection symbol ">" followed by the filename
to redirect output to. You could just have easily directed the
programs output to the Printer with the following command:
DIALCONV -v TELIX.FON >PRN
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.2.3 ■ DIALING DIRECTORY FILE FORMAT │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
For the technically minded, this section of this document defines the
internal structure of the RIPterm dialing directory file. This is
provided for programmers who wish to create directory maintenance
utilities.
A RIPterm dialing directory file is a "flat-file" database with no
index. Each record is of fixed length and is stored in numerical
order from 1-100. Each entry is exactly 100 bytes in length, so a
dialing directory file is exactly 10,000 bytes in length. Blank
entries are identified by the NAME, PHONE and HOST_ID fields being
entirely blank (i.e., NULL's).
The C data structure for each record is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------
struct phone_entry {
char name[25]; /* name of host */
char phone[25]; /* phone number of host */
/* -------------------------- */
int com_port; /* COMx to use (0=default) */
long baud; /* baud rate to dial at */
char data_bits; /* data bits (7-8) */
char stop_bits; /* stop bits (1-2) */
char parity; /* parity setting */
/* -------------------------- */
char host_id[13]; /* host-ID (resource filename)*/
long total_connects; /* total # of connections */
int last_date; /* last date connected */
int reserved; /* reserved field */
char connected_to; /* 0=modem, 1=computer */
char spare[19]; /* spare space for upgrades */
}; /* TOTAL SIZE: 100 bytes */
The LAST_DATE field is an integer. This variable uses the MS-DOS
method of encoding Dates into a 16-bit number. Consult the MS-DOS
Programmer's Reference Manual for details on the internal format of
DOS Dates.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.3 ■ DIALING THE MODEM │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Press <ALT-M> to bring up the phone number dialog box.
Enter the telephone number you wish to dial. You may enter any
numeric digits (0-9). Hyphens are ignored. Enter a comma for a 1/2
second delay (e.g., 9,1-714-555-1212). You may need to add delays if
you have to use a special service or a switchboard to obtain an
outside line dial-tone.
The dialing window will appear when RIPterm is attempting to dial the
modem. On this window will be displayed the number of seconds that
have elapsed, the time that dialing started, the time of the last
re-dial attempt, the telephone number and other information about the
dialing state.
Pressing <ENTER> will abort the current dialing attempt and start
over. Pressing <ESC> or clicking "Cancel" will abort dialing.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.4 ■ THE DIALING WINDOW │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When RIPterm dials a host, it will display a dialog box showing you
the progress when dialing the host. The dialog box looks similar to:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ ║
║ Host │ Host name goes here... │ ║
║ ├─────────────────────────────────┤ ┌─────┐ ║
║ Phone # │ 1-714-555-1212 │ Attempt │ 005 │ ║
║ ├──────────┬───────────┬──────────┤ ├─────┼─┐ ║
║ Started │ 08:23:25 │ Current │ 08:31:42 │ Remain │ 10 ││ ║
║ ├──────────┴───────────┴──────────┴───────────┴─────┴─┤ ║
║ Message │ Host is Busy. Redialing... │ ║
║ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
║ ╔════════════╗ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ║
║ ║ REDIAL ║ │ CANCEL │ │ DELETE │ ║
║ ╚════════════╝ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Each field is described more fully in the following sections:
┌──────┐
│ HOST │
└──────┘
This field displays the name of the host that is being dialed.
This field may be blank if you choose to dial via the manual
dialing method (ALT-M). If you are dialing by choosing entries
from the dialing directory, whatever host name is displayed will
be shown in this field when that entry is dialed.
┌─────────┐
│ PHONE # │
└─────────┘
This displays the telephone number that is being used when
dialing the designated host. It is shown in this field exactly
as it is transmitted to the modem.
┌─────────┐
│ STARTED │
└─────────┘
This field shows the time that this dialing attempt began. The
format of this field is HH:MM:SS. Whenever a number is dialed,
or the dialing window cycles to the next number, this field is
updated with the current time that the telephone number is issued
to the modem to dial out.
┌─────────┐
│ CURRENT │
└─────────┘
This field displays the current time. This field will constantly
change as the dialing progresses. It is intended to give you a
visual reference to the time, compared to the start time.
┌─────────┐
│ MESSAGE │
└─────────┘
Periodically through the dialing process, various status messages
may need to be displayed to give you more information on what is
going on. Of the various messages, you might see things like,
"Host is Busy. Redialing...", or "Time elapsed without
connection". This is generally used to tell you what is going on.
┌─────────┐
│ ATTEMPT │
└─────────┘
This shows how many attempts have been tried thus far for this
phone number. If the host is busy, then it will try again after
a brief pause. If you have many hosts "queued" up to dial, then
this shows the attempt number only for the given host being
dialed at the moment. Up to 999 attempts will be made before
RIPterm stops all dialing attempts to a particular host.
┌────────┐
│ REMAIN │
└────────┘
This message displays how many seconds remain before the current
dialing attempt will terminate. By default, redial time is set
to 30 seconds, but this can be changed from within the modem
options dialog box. High speed modems, or long distance calls
frequently need more than 30 seconds to complete an outgoing
call. To the right of this field are two small arrows, an UP
arrow, and a DOWN arrow. These are for temporarily increasing or
decreasing the redial time for the rest of this dialing attempt.
┌────────┐
│ REDIAL │
└────────┘
This button will cause what's commonly known as a "cycle" to
occur. This is used when you have highlighted a number of
entries to dial. By clicking on redial, it will stop calling
whichever host is currently being dialed, and will cycle to the
next highlighted host in your dialing list and begin to dial that
number. If you are only dialing one host, this will stop the
current dialing attempt and re-dial the same number again.
┌────────┐
│ CANCEL │
└────────┘
This option will stop dialing. You will be returned to the
RIPterm session screen. Any entries in the dialing directory
that you were trying to dial will remain highlighted the next
time you enter the dialing directory.
┌────────┐
│ DELETE │
└────────┘
This option will remove an entry from your dial list. What this
means is that whatever host is currently being dialed will have
its dialing attempt stopped, and then it will be un-highlighted
in the dialing directory, then RIPterm will attempt to dial the
next highlighted number (if any). If no more entries are
available in the dialing list, RIPterm will abort all dialing and
return to the RIPterm session window.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.5 ■ SCROLLBACK MODE │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Scrollback mode allows you to review previously displayed text
information that has come across the modem. You may set the
scrollback buffer size to 5k - 64k.
Within scrollback, you may choose from the following options:
■ SAVE buffer page to a text file
■ SAVE entire buffer to a text file
■ PRINT the current buffer page, or the entire buffer
■ SEARCH for a particular piece of text
■ SEARCH again for a previously searched for text string
At the top of the scrollback screen are a number of icons for the
above commands. In addition, there are icons for scrolling up, down,
paging up and down or moving to the beginning or end of the buffer.
NOTE: The scrollback buffer filters out ANSI color codes and
RIPscrip graphics for an uncluttered text display.
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ EDITING THE SCROLLBACK SIZE │
└─────────────────────────────┘
This option allows you to specify how much RAM RIPterm should use for
the scrollback buffer. You may choose from 5k - 64k of RAM.
Depending on how much conventional memory you have on your computer,
this may limit the amount of memory you can allocate to scrollback.
We recommend that you set it to somewhere around 32k unless you know
that your PC has quite a bit of its 640k memory free for use. If you
have many memory resident programs (TSR's) loaded, you may need to
drop the size of your scrollback buffer to a smaller value for proper
operation of RIPterm.
If RIPterm runs out of memory, it will begin to discard old
scrollback information until it can satisfy the memory request.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.6 ■ THE STATUS BAR │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
At the bottom of the screen is the status bar (normally on). This
gives you information about the current configuration of RIPterm. It
also provides you with a quick and easy way to access several of the
basic features of RIPterm without having to use the menus.
You may toggle the status bar ON and OFF quickly by pressing
ALT-SPACE. The host might turn the status bar ON or OFF for you,
using RIPscrip commands. If it mysteriously vanishes for some
reason, keep in mind that the host you are connected to probably did
it because it needs the extra line for text!
There are a number of different "fields" in the Status Bar. They are:
┌───────────┬─────────────┬──────────┬─────────────────┬
│ F1 = Help │ F10 = Menus │ RIPscrip │ 38400 ■ N81 FDX │
└───────────┴─────────────┴──────────┴─────────────────┴
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
┬──────┬──────────────────┬─────────┐
│ COM1 │ RIPterm v1.50.00 │ Offline │
┴──────┴──────────────────┴─────────┘
(6) (7) (8)
(1) How to get the help system table of contents
(2) How to use the keyboard only to select from the menus
(3) What terminal emulation is in use, or the name of the log
file if one has been opened
(4) The baud rate, parity setting, data bits and stop bits
(5) Full-duplex (FDX) or half-duplex (HDX)settings
(6) The COM port that is currently in use
(7) The current version number of RIPterm
(8) Whether you are "on-line" or "off-line"
Each one of the fields just described can be clicked on (if the
status bar is on). Once clicked, a different action is performed
based upon the current state of RIPterm, and what field you clicked
on. Each of the various fields are described below:
┌────────────────────────┐
│ HELP TABLE OF CONTENTS │
└────────────────────────┘
This option displays the Help Table of Contents. From here, you
can access any area in the Help System quickly and easily.
┌─────────────────────┐
│ ACCESSING THE MENUS │
└─────────────────────┘
When you click on this option, the menu bar at the top of the
screen will be highlighted for you. You may then use the
keyboard to navigate through the menus quickly and easily to
choose options.
┌─────────────┐
│ MISC. FIELD │
└─────────────┘
This field serves two purposes. If you are current logging your
session to a disk "log file", the filename (without extension) of
the log file will be displayed in here. In this mode, clicking
in this field will close (or pause) the log file. If you are not
logging your session to disk, then this field will display the
phrase "RIPscrip", indicating that you are using a RIPscrip
compatible terminal program. Clicking on this field in this mode
will bring up a help screen telling you more about RIPscrip
graphics in general.
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ COMMUNICATIONS SETTINGS │
└─────────────────────────┘
This field indicates what the current communications parameters
are. The baud rate (300-115,200 baud) is displayed as well as
the data bits (7 or 8), parity ( N = none, E = even and O = odd),
and stop bits (1 or 2). If local-echo is enabled, then the
phrase "HDX" is displayed which means "Half Duplex". If this is
disabled (no echo), then the phrase "FDX" is displayed indicating
"Full Duplex" mode is in effect.
Clicking on this field brings up the Modem Settings dialog box.
┌─────────────────────┐
│ COMMUNICATIONS PORT │
└─────────────────────┘
This field displays what communications port you are using.
Clicking on this field brings up the modem settings dialog box.
┌─────────────────────┐
│ RIPTERM INFORMATION │
└─────────────────────┘
This field displays the version number of RIPterm that you are
using. Clicking on it brings up a help screen corresponding to
"About RIPterm" in the Project menu. It displays information
about the current version of RIPterm.
┌────────────────────────────┐
│ ON-LINE/OFF-LINE INDICATOR │
└────────────────────────────┘
This field displays whether you are on-line or off-line. When
RIPterm is starting up, you might see the phrase "Loading..." in
this field; this is just a status indicator telling you RIPterm
is doing something. The purpose of this field is for you to be
able to, at a glance, determine if you are still connected to a
host or not. This field is updated whenever your on-line status
changes in any way (providing your modem is configured for
carrier detect!).
Clicking on this field will do one of two things depending on
what the current on-line/off-line status is. if you are on-line,
clicking on this field will ask you if you wish to hang-up
(providing you are using your modem to connect to a host). If it
says you are off-line, clicking on this field will bring up the
dialing directory, thus allowing you to dial a host.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.7 ■ STARTING RIPTERM │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
There are a number of options that you may choose from when starting
up RIPterm. These options are specified as "parameters" on the DOS
command line. Each option is preceded with either a hyphen (-) or a
forward slash (/). Each option is described below:
-N ... Suppress the intro screen
-M ... Disables all mouse activity
-O ... Indicate you are already on-line (don't init modem)
-E ... Disable extended keyboard support
-Z ... Disable zooming windows
-D<entry#> ... Dial <entry#> upon start up (from 1-100)
-P<file> ... Use an alternate phone directory file
-R<file> ... Play-back .RIP file upon start up
-S<file> ... Use an alternate setup file
Command line options are not case sensitive. You may specify these
options together (for single character options), or as separate
parameters on the command line. For example, to suppress the intro
screen, disable zooming windows and indicate that you are already
on-line, you could execute the following DOS command:
RIPTERM -noz
Each of these options are described more fully in the following
sub-sections:
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ -N ... Suppress the Intro Screen │
└──────────────────────────────────┘
When you choose this option, the start up logo screen is
disabled. You will be placed directly into RIPterm's session
screen providing there are no configuration problems, or other
questions that RIPterm must ask you in order to run properly.
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ -M ... Disables all Mouse Activity │
└────────────────────────────────────┘
When you choose this option, RIPterm will not check for a mouse.
In fact, regardless of whether or not a mouse is installed,
RIPterm will not use it. Generally speaking, you will probably
never need to use this option unless you find that RIPterm
doesn't operate properly with your mouse.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ -O ... Indicate you are already on-line (don't init modem) │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When you choose this option, RIPterm will not initialize the
modem for you (if your default mode is "modem connection" mode).
If you are in this state, RIPterm will simply start up and press
the <ENTER> key. This is done to (ideally) display some kind of
prompt on the host for you (or at least something). Note that
RIPterm will auto-sense if you are already on-line and do this for
you if it detects you're on-line. This only applies to modem
connection mode.
If you are in non-modem connection mode and you specify this
option, RIPterm will start up and do absolutely nothing. It will
not press the <ENTER> key for you. It will simply enter the
session screen and sit there waiting for you to do something.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ -E ... Disable extended keyboard support │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘
This option is primarily for use when you are trying to
troubleshoot the "doorway mode". Doorway mode will take
advantage of a 101-key enhanced AT computer keyboard. If you
enable 101-key keyboard mode, and you do not have a 101-key
keyboard (or RIPterm doesn't think you have one), RIPterm might
lock-up. If you inadvertently saved this setup, the next time
RIPterm starts up, it could freeze up on you when you enter
doorway mode again. In this case, use this start up option to
"override" 101-key keyboard mode so that you can disable it and
fix things for normal operation. This option should almost never
be necessary except in troubleshooting situations.
┌────────────────────────────────┐
│ -Z ... Disable Zooming Windows │
└────────────────────────────────┘
This option will disable the zooming windows feature of RIPterm
for the duration of the current RIPterm session. This mode
overrides the setup option for zooming windows. If you select
Save Setup from the Modem menu, this override will become
permanent (until changed and saved). Some people find the
zooming windows feature annoying in that it slows down operation
of opening and closing windows a little bit. For these power
users, you may use this option, or simply save the zoom windows
off setting to your setup.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ -D<entry#> ... Dial <entry#> upon start up (from 1-100) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This option will instruct RIPterm to automatically dial a
particular entry in the dialing directory immediately after it
initializes the Modem (if necessary). Whether or not the
connection can be established or not is unimportant, RIPterm will
remain active regardless. Use this option from within a batch
file if you frequently start up RIPterm and need to dial a
particular number. You may specify a dialing directory entry from
1-100. An example of using this option is as follows:
RIPTERM -D15
The above example starts up RIPterm, places a call to dialing
directory entry #15 just as if you had selected it manually.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ -P<file> ... Use an alternate Phone Directory file │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This option instructs RIPterm to load a dialing directory file
other than RIPTERM.PHO upon start up. This option is useful if
you frequently use a special dialing directory file for certain
applications. This option can be used with the command line
option to automatically dial a directory entry upon start up. In
other words, you can combine the -P and -D parameters together on
the same command as in the following example:
RIPTERM -Pmyfile.pho -D3
The above example would load RIPterm, load the directory file
called MYFILE.PHO, initialize the modem, then automatically dial
entry number 3 in the MYFILE.PHO dialing directory file.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ -R<file> ... Play-back .RIP file upon start up │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This option allows you to execute a local .RIP file upon initial
start up of RIPterm. This allows you to draw some graphics, or
even set up a screen with modem configuration mouse buttons.
This allows for a great deal of flexibility.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ -S<file> ... Use an alternate setup file │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘
This option allows you to specify an alternate RIPterm setup file
upon start up. By default, RIPterm will load RIPTERM.CNF (or
create one if necessary). Use this option if you frequently
start up in a particular configuration (e.g., using a COM port
other than the standard default port that is recorded in
RIPTERM.CNF). This option may be combined with any other command
line parameter for RIPterm as in the following example:
RIPTERM -nz -Pmyfile.pho -Smysetup.cnf -D10
The above example suppresses the intro logo screen, instructs
RIPterm not to use zooming windows, loads the dialing directory
file MYFILE.PHO, loads configuration file MYSETUP.CNF and
automatically dials directory entry #10 upon start up. This is
about as complex of a start up example as you can get. This is
typically nothing like what you would ever use with RIPterm
unless you are what is commonly referred to as a "Power User",
whereby this stuff would be old hat to you anyway.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8 ■ MACRO EDITOR │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Macros are functions that you can define to perform short-cut
operations on the host. For example, you can instruct RIPterm to
make the F5 key type your user-id and press <ENTER> for you. This
would allow you to log-on quickly by simply pressing a single key.
RIPterm's macro system is easy to use, and very powerful! You can
save your macro keys to the default macro file (RIPTERM.KEY), or if
you need to have multiple macro configurations, you can save macros
to different files.
When you choose the macro editor option, a dialog box similar to the
following will be displayed:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ RIPterm Macro Editor ║
║ ┌──────────────────────────────────────┬─┐ ┌────────────┐ ║
║ │ CTRL-F2: This is Macro #1 ......... ││ │ EDIT │ ║
║ ├──────────────────────────────────────┼─┤ ├────────────┤ ║
║ │ ALT-G: This is Macro #2 ......... │ │ │ DELETE │ ║
║ ├──────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ├────────────┤ ║
║ │ F2: This is Macro #3 ......... │ │ │ CLEAR │ ║
║ ├──────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ├────────────┤ ║
║ │ SHIFT-F9: This is Macro #4 ......... │ │ │ SAVE │ ║
║ ├──────────────────────────────────────┼─┤ ├────────────┤ ║
║ │ CTRL-F10: This is Macro #5 ......... ││ │ LOAD │ ║
║ └──────────────────────────────────────┴─┘ └────────────┘ ║
║ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ║
║ │ OK │ │ CANCEL │ ║
║ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
The currently defined macros are displayed in the scrolling window on
the left side of the dialog box. On the right side, are buttons
which allow you to add/edit macros, delete existing macros, Clear all
macros, load a macro file and save all macros to a macro file.
When selecting macros to edit/delete, you may click on an existing
macro then click on EDIT or DELETE. If you wish to edit/delete more
than one macro at the same time, click on each macro while holding
down the SHIFT key. If you click on EDIT without any macros being
highlighted, you go into ADD macro mode.
You may store multiple macros into Macro .KEY Files for future use.
You may have as many macro files as you wish limited only by the
amount of available disk space.
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ENTER KEYSTROKE FOR THE MACRO EDITOR │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘
Type the keystroke that you wish to record a macro for. For example,
if you wanted to record a macro for the F5 key, simply press the F5
key. You may specify CTRL, ALT or SHIFT keys as well. RIPterm's
macro editor allows you to define literally hundreds of macros using
nearly as complex a keystroke as you want. To exit the ADD mode,
simply press the <SPACE> key. Beware that you probably would never
want to make CTRL-M (return), CTRL-H (backspace) or ALT-K (keystroke
macros) into macros themselves. This would make it difficult to use
RIPterm with the keyboard.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TEXT TO SEND HOST WHEN THIS KEY IS PRESSED │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Enter the text that should be sent to the host (or the modem) if this
macro is entered. In other words, enter the text that you want to be
associated with this macro. For example, if you wanted to send the
text "Hello World" to the host when you press F5, simply type in
"Hello World".
You may enter control characters into your macros by using a caret
(^), followed by the letter of the control key you want to send. For
example, a CTRL-C would be represented as ^C. A carriage return
(<ENTER>) is specified as ^M. Also, an ESCAPE is generated by the
sequence ^[ ... There are a number of different combinations of
CONTROL CHARACTERS that you may choose from (see SECTION 2.8.1 for
more details).
In addition to control characters, you can also insert TEXT VARIABLES
(SECTION 2.8.2) or POPUP LISTS (SECTION 2.8.3) into your macros. See
the following sections of the manual for further information.
┌──────────────────────────────┐
│ SAVING YOUR MACROS TO A FILE │
└──────────────────────────────┘
Enter the filename that you want to save your defined macros to. By
default, the Macro File RIPTERM.KEY is prompted. If you do not wish
to store your existing macros as the "Default RIPterm" macros, save
them to a different file.
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ LOADING YOUR MACROS FROM A FILE │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
Enter the filename of the macro .KEY file you wish to load. Macro
files are contained in the current RIPTERM directory unless otherwise
specified. By default, RIPTERM.KEY is prompted, so that you can load
the default macros quickly and easily. If you wish to load a custom,
non-default macro file, simply backspace over the existing filename
and enter the filename you wish to load.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8.1 ■ CONTROL CHARACTERS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Not all hosts will allow you to use control characters. Regardless
of that, the capability to send any control character exists in your
keystroke macro editor. The most commonly used control characters
are:
INDIVIDUAL CONTROL CHARACTERS SPECIAL KEYSTROKES
---------------------------------- ----------------------
^G ... Beep ^[[A ... Up arrow
^L ... Clear screen (top of form) ^[[B ... Down arrow
^M ... Carriage return ^[[C ... Right arrow
^C ... Break (on some hosts) ^[[D ... Left arrow
^H ... Backspace ^[[H ... Home key
^[ ... Escape character (ESC) ^[[K ... End key
^S ... Pause data transmission (X-OFF) ^[[L ... Control home
^Q ... Resume data transmission (X-ON)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8.2 ■ TEXT VARIABLES │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
A special feature of RIPterm allows it to understand what a text
variable is. A text variable is a string of text that RIPterm knows
represents something more. For example, the text variable $DATE$ is
known to represent the current date on your system. The host may ask
your system what the values of one or more of these variables are,
and if your terminal knows that particular text variable, it will
send that information to the host.
There are two types of text variables. There are built-in text
variables that RIPterm will ALWAYS know about. Then there are also
user text variables that can contain a variety of information
depending on what the RIPterm user entered at the time the variable
was created. For example, the host might ask you what the contents
of the $FULL_NAME$ variable is, and if RIPterm doesn't know, it would
pop-up a field on the screen and ask you about it. From then on,
RIPterm will remember that piece of information for the next time it
is needed by a host.
You may use either the pre-defined text variables, or the user text
variables at any place that allows text variables (i.e., keystroke
macros).
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8.2.1 ■ USER TEXT VARIABLES │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
User text variables are text variables that you create. A host might
tell you, "Create this text variable for me", or you might create one
yourself. The difference is really unimportant. However, a brief
explanation of their purpose might prove insightful.
User text variables are used to store information either permanently,
or temporarily. This information can then be re-used without you
having to type them in again. The time-saving aspect of this feature
is only one small benefit of its ability. Having the capability to
store information over potentially long periods of time is VERY
useful!
There are three types of user text variables:
1. Permanent (database) variables
2. Temporary (in memory) variables
3. Volatile (discardable) variables
The significance of each type of variable is described below:
┌────────────────────────────────┐
│ PERMANENT (DATABASE) VARIABLES │
└────────────────────────────────┘
Permanent text variables are saved in a local RIPterm database file
called RIPTERM.DB. This file is automatically indexed for high-speed
retrieval of information. The index file for this database is called
RIPTERM.IDX. Both files are stored in the current RIPterm directory
for safe keeping. Any permanent text variable that is created is
stored in this file.
A permanent text variable can be created by yourself manually by
choosing option "Store Data" from the Data menu, or interactively by
a host via a special RIPscrip command ("Define Text Variable"). Once
you create a variables, they are stored forever, or until you either
delete the database file, or modify the entry. These variables may
be accessed by yourself, or a host (if you wish it). This can be
quite useful in preventing you from having to type the same
information in over and over again in future on-line sessions. Imagine
if you could sign-up on a host without having to type a single
character? Sound too good to be true? With text variables, you (and
other sysops) could do this!
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ TEMPORARY (IN MEMORY) VARIABLES │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
Temporary (in memory) text variables are just like permanent text
variables, except that they are not stored in a database file. They
are stored in your computer's memory. They remain until you exit
RIPterm. Other than that, they are identical in nature to permanent
text variables. Until you exit RIPterm, they will exist and will be
accessible to you (via macros), or to a host.
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ VOLATILE (DISCARDABLE) VARIABLES │
└──────────────────────────────────┘
A volatile (discardable) text variable is somewhat different than the
previously described text variables. They do not remain in memory or
in any database for any period of time. They are used solely to ask
you a simple question, transmit the information to the host, then the
contents of the variable are destroyed forever. Why would you (or a
host) want something like this? This question is answered
differently for YOU or for a host.
A volatile text variable for you can be useful during keystroke
macros. Let's say you have a very complex macro that you've devised
for doing something in a game (for example) to another user on the
host. Should you have to edit the macro each time you want to
use it for someone different? Of course not! Simply place a
reference to an "undefined" text variable in your macro. When you
execute the macro, RIPterm will look through its list of text
variables (pre-defined, in-memory and permanent), and if it doesn't
find a corresponding variable, it would pop-up a quick dialog box
asking you to enter something for that variable. Whatever you type
into that dialog box for the variable is replaced in your macro right
then and there, and is immediately discarded after the macro is
finished. For example, let's say you have the following macro setup
to attack another player in a game on some host you call:
F2: ATTACK $USERNAME$ FIERCELY^m
When you execute macro F2, RIPterm will transmit "ATTACK " to the
host, then find the text variable $USERNAME$ in it. It will check
its internal tables for this variable, and if it doesn't find it, it
will pop-up a window asking you to enter the following:
╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Please enter "USERNAME" ║
║ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ ║
║ │ █ │ ║
║ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Simply type in the name of the user you wish to attack, and the
result will be sent to the host in place of the variable name
$USERNAME$. After that, the remainder of the macro will be
transmitted to the host (i.e., " FIERCELY") followed by a carriage
return (^M is the carriage return). Once the macro is complete, the
contents of USERNAME will not exist (unless it was a previously
defined "permanent" text variable or a Temporary (in memory) text
variable.
A host can also ask you to enter something for a volatile text
variable. Why would a host want to do this and not save the response
somewhere? What if you asked a host to download a file. It could
present you with a menu like the following:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ File Download ║
║ ┌─────────────┐ ┌────────────────────┐ ║
║ │ Protocols │ │ Enter Filename │ ║
║ ├─────────┬───┤ └────────────────────┘ ║
║ │ X-Modem │ │ ╔════════════════════╗ ║
║ │ Y-Modem │ │ ║ Begin Download ║ ║
║ │ Z-Modem │ X │ ╚════════════════════╝ ║
║ │ Kermit │ │ ┌────────────────────┐ ║
║ └─────────┴───┘ │ Cancel Download! │ ║
║ └────────────────────┘ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════╝
The options on the left allow you to specify the file transfer
protocol that you wish to use for the transfer. The "Enter Filename"
button though is the one we're interested in. When you click on this
button, you would think that RIPterm should pop-up a dialog box on
your screen asking you what filename you want to download, right?
Would you think that the filename you enter should become a permanent
part of RIPterm's configuration? Of course not. It saved only
temporarily until such time as you click on either "Begin Download"
or "Cancel Download!". Its value is used specifically when you click
on "Begin Download" whereby RIPterm looks at all of the buttons on
the screen and instructs the host to begin the download in a certain
way (e.g., using Z-Modem protocol to download file XYZ.EXE for
example). As you can clearly see, you would not want the filename
field to be part of your permanent RIPterm configuration. In this
manner, volatile text variables can be extremely useful!
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8.2.2 ■ USER TEXT VARIABLE SECURITY │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
All this discussion about user text variables, and hosts asking your
terminal for information, you might be concerned about calling some
host you've never called before and letting it ask your terminal
questions about itself (and YOU)! We don't blame you for thinking
this. That is why we've put a security precaution into RIPterm. It
is called "Data Security". This option (available from the Data
menu) allows you to preview any user text variable question to
determine if you really and truly want to send that information to
the host. This allows you to edit the text variable that will be
sent to the host so that you are in control at all times of what
information is sent to the host. Any variable that is queried by the
host will be prompted on your screen allowing you to edit the
response. In the event that you do not wish to divulge the
information to the host, simply backspace over your text and send a
"blank" response. In the event that the host won't permit a blank
response, enter something like "NONE" or "N/A".
If this mode is disabled, you may still be prompted to edit your
variable if the host asks for an "interactive query". The host can
ask for a non-interactive text variable query, which means that the
host will "try" to ask your terminal the contents of a text variable.
If the variable exists, it will send the contents to the host without
you even knowing that it was sent! In some ways, it is up to the
honor of the sysop of the host to set all variable queries as
interactive by default. But considering the fact that this is not an
entirely "equal" world, having the ability to override variable
queries with a Data Security option becomes quite important.
This option defaults to "ON" when RIPterm is initially installed. In
other words, all data queries are considered "secure" by default. It
is up to you to disable this security measure. Use this option with
caution if you're not sure about trusting the hosts you call.
As a note worth mentioning, a RIPscrip command to query the contents
of your terminal's text variables may be possible if you read an
electronic mail message from an ingenious user who knows the RIPscrip
protocol language. In situations like this, you would definitely
want to use data security mode to prevent unauthorized information
transmittal to other people (e.g., credit card numbers, or other
information).
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8.2.3 ■ PRE-DEFINED TEXT VARIABLES │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Pre-defined text variables are something that RIPterm always knows
about. They are "built-in" to RIPterm, and a host can always get an
answer to. These types of variables are defined to provide the host
with some kind of information about your terminal software, not about
something you (or your terminal) knows. In other words, pre-defined
text variables can be used to send a piece of information to the host
saying "what time is it", or "what is the date where you are", or
"where is the mouse located?". They function exactly like any other
text variable except that RIPterm knows they exist even if you
haven't created them yet. By nature, the values that these variables
return to the host are rarely the same. They change depending on the
nature of each variable.
The following is a list of pre-defined text variables:
$DATE$ ... Date in short format (e.g., 12/19/92)
This Text Variable will be transformed into the current Date.
It will be displayed in the format MM/DD/YY.
Example: $DATE$ = 12/19/92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$MONTH$ ... Month Name
This text variable will be transformed into the name of the
current month. It will be not abbreviated (e.g., "November"
instead of "Nov")
Example: $MONTH$ = December
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$MONTHNUM$ ... Month (in format 1-12)
This text variable is transformed into a number representing
the current month. January=01 and December=12. Therefore,
the possible values for $MONTHNUM$ can range from 1 to 12.
Example: $MONTHNUM$ = 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$DAY$ ... Day in numeric form (e.g., 31)
This text variable is transformed into a number representing the
day of the month. The range of values for this variable are from
01-31.
Example: $DAY$ = 05
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$DOY$ ... Day of year (001-366)
This text variable will be transformed into a number representing
the day of the current year. Since a year contains 365 days
(unless it is a leap-year where it contains 366), then the
possible values that $DOY$ can be are 001-366.
Example: $DOY$ = 214
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$YEAR$ ... 2 digit year (without century) (00-99)
This text variable will be transformed into a two-digit number
representing the current year.
Example: $YEAR$ = 92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$FYEAR$ ... 4 digit year (with century) (0000-9999)
This text variable will be transformed into a four-digit number
that represents the current year.
Example: $FYEAR$ = 1992
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$TIME$ ... Time in standard format (e.g., 12:03:14)
This text variable will be transformed into the current time.
The time will be in military format (hours from 00-23).
Example: $TIME$ = 18:09:33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$HOUR$ .... Hour (format HH) - normal style
This text variable will be transformed into a two-digit number
representing the current hour. This variable may be anywhere
from 01-12. This does not use military format.
Example: $HOUR$ = 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$MHOUR$ ... Hour (format HH) - Military style
This text variable will be transformed into a two-digit number
representing the current hour in military format. This variable
may range anywhere from 00-23.
Example: $MHOUR$ = 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$MIN$ ... Minutes (00-59)
This text variable will be transformed into a two-digit number
representing the current minutes in the hour. Possible values
for this variable are 00-59.
Example: $MIN$ = 45
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$SEC$ ... Seconds (00-59)
This text variable will be transformed into a two-digit number
representing the current seconds of the minute. Possible values
for this variable are 00-59.
Example: $SEC$ = 59
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$AMPM$ ... Returns either AM or PM depending on time
This text variable will be transformed into a two-character
value of either "AM" or "PM" depending on what time it is.
Example: $AMPM$ = PM
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$DATETIME$ ... Date & Time (e.g., Sat Dec 19 14:38:50 1992)
This text variable will be transformed into a combination date
and time. The format is somewhat different than standard
time/date notation. The format used is:
DAY-OF-WEEK MONTH DAY-OF-MONTH HH:MM:SS YEAR
Example: $DATETIME$ = Sat Dec 19 14:38:50 1992
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$TIMEZONE$ ... Time Zone or "NONE" if unknown (e.g., Pacific)
This text variable will be transformed into a a word/phrase that
describes the current time-zone you are in. This may be returned
as anything like "PST" for Pacific Standard Time, "EDT" for
Eastern Daylight Time, etc. If the time-zone is not set on your
system, this variable will respond with "NONE".
Example: $TIMEZONE$ = PST
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$DOW$ ... Day of week fully spelled out (e.g., Friday)
This text variable will be transformed into the current day
of the week. The name will be fully spelled out. This
variable can be any of the values: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Example: $DOW$ = Saturday
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$ADOW$ ... Abbreviated Day of Week (e.g., Mon, Tue, etc.)
This text variable will be transformed into the current day
of the week, in abbreviated form. This variable may be any
of the following values: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri and Sat.
Example: $ADOW$ = Mon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$WDAY$ ... Weekday where 0 is Sunday (0-6)
This text variable will be transformed into a one-digit number
representing the number of the day of the week. Possible values
for this variable are 0-6, where 0=Sunday (the first day in the
week).
Example: $WDAY$ = 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$WOY$ ... Week of current year 00-53; Sunday=1st Day of Week
This text variable will be transformed into a number from 00-53,
representing the week number in the current year. Even though
there are 52 weeks in a year, a week might not begin exactly on
the first day of the year, so a maximum value for this variable
can be 53 under these circumstances. For this variable, SUNDAY
is considered to be the first day of the week.
Example: $WOY$ = 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$WOYM$ ... Week of current year 00-53; Monday=1st Day of Week
This text variable will be transformed into a number from 00-53,
representing the week number in the current year. Even though
there are 52 weeks in a year, a week might not begin exactly on
the first day of the year, so a maximum value for this variable
can be 53 under these circumstances. For this Variable, MONDAY
is considered to be the first day of the week.
Example: $WOYM$ = 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$RIPVER$ ... RIPscrip version (e.g., "RIPSCRIP015000")
This text variable will be transformed into a key-phrase which
will identify a RIPscrip software package. It is designed to
be used by a host to detect what version of RIPscrip
graphics your terminal can support. When this text variable
is used, it will respond back with "RIPSCRIP" followed by
the full version number (e.g., 01.50.00), without the periods.
Example: $RIPVER$ = RIPSCRIP015000
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$STATBAR$ ... If Status Bar is on, returns YES, otherwise NO
This text variable will be transformed into a "YES" if the status
bar is currently ON. If the Status Bar is not visible, then this
variable will be "NO".
Example: $STATBAR$ = YES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$X$ ... X Mouse location (format: XXXX)
This text variable is for reporting the current X location of
the mouse to the host. This could be used interactively by the
host (or a game on the host) to determine the location of the
mouse cursor. Only the X value of the mouse (X,Y) location is
returned to the host. The value will be 0000-9999 depending on
what the current position is.
Example: $X$ = 0523
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$Y$ ... Y Mouse location (format: YYYY)
This text variable is for reporting the current Y location of
the mouse to the host. This could be used interactively by the
host (or a game on the host) to determine the location of the
mouse cursor. Only the Y value of the mouse (X,Y) location is
returned to the host. The value will be 0000-9999 depending on
what the current position is.
Example: $Y$ = 0244
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$XY$ ... X/Y Mouse Location (format: XXXX:YYYY)
This text variable will be transformed into a combination of
both the X and Y locations of the mouse. A colon (:) is used to
separate the two values. Either the X or Y values may range from
0000-9999 depending on the current location. The format that
this value takes on is: XXXX:YYYY
Example: $XY$ = 0297:0321
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$XYM$ ... X, Y & button status (format: XXXX:YYYY:LMR)
This text variable will be transformed into a combination of the
X and Y mouse location, and a status of which mouse buttons are
pressed (if any).
The format of the returned text is XXXX:YYYY:LMR where XXXX is
the X cursor location in the range 0000-9999. YYYY is the Y
cursor location in the range 0000-9999. Finally, LMR stands for
Left/Middle/Right. If either of these buttons are depressed
(clicked), then the corresponding position will contain a 1. If
a button is NOT depressed, then it will contain a 0.
Example: $XYM$ = 0123:0297:110
This means that the (X,Y) location of the cursor is (0123,0297),
and that the left and middle buttons are depressed, but that the
right mouse button is not depressed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$M$ ... Mouse Button Status: LMR (e.g., 101)
This text variable will be transformed into a 3-character code
representing what the status of each mouse button is. This
variable can work with either 2-button mice, or 3-button mice.
In either event, the format of the code is LMR where L = Left,
M = Middle (if any), and R = Right. If any of these buttons are
depressed (i.e., clicked), then the code for that button would be
a "1". If the button is not depressed, it is a "0". So, a value
of "100" would mean that the left mouse button is depressed, but
none of the others are.
Example: $M$ = 001
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$MSTAT$ ... Mouse Status (format: YES/NO)
This text variable will be transformed into a "YES" if there is
a mouse installed on the RIPterm computer. If no mouse is
installed, this variable will contain "NO".
Example: $MSTAT$ = YES
┌───────────────────────┐
│ Active Text Variables │
└───────────────────────┘
These text variables are somewhat different than the other text
variables described above. Rather than send something back to
the host, it performs a specific operation, such as toggling the
status line. In this respect, it is considered an ACTIVE TEXT
VARIABLE. It evaluates to a null string (nothing).
$SBARON$ ... Turn ON the Status Line
This text variable's sole purpose in life is to enable the Status
Line. It evaluates to a null string (nothing).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$SBAROFF$ ... Turn OFF the Status Line
This text variable's sole purpose in life is to disable the Status
Line. It evaluates to a null string (nothing).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$ETW$ ... Erase Text Window
This command erases the current text window (much like a clear
screen code does). This command is particularly useful in host
commands when you click on a mouse area, and after it is finished
clicking, it could erase the text window THEN transmit the
remainder of the host command (if any) to the host.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$DTW$ ... Disable Text Window
This text variable disables the current text window (preventing
any received text from showing up on screen).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$EGW$ ... Erase Graphics Window
This text variable it erases the current graphics window (much
like a reset windows command does). This command is particularly
useful in host commands when you click on a mouse area, and after
it is finished clicking, it could erase the graphics window THEN
transmit the remainder of the host command (if any) to the host.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$MKILL$ ... Kill all Mouse Fields currently defined
This text variable deletes all currently defined mouse fields
exactly like the RIPscrip RIP_KILL_MOUSE_FIELDS command does. The
net benefit of this is that when the user clicks on a mouse
button, the mouse fields are removed, but the graphics remain on
the screen so that the fields could be subsequently re-defined
quickly and easily without having to re-transmit an identical
menu over again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$BEEP$ ... Beeps the terminal (like a CTRL-G does)
This command issues a beep to the terminal, thus producing
a CTRL-G sound.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$BLIP$ ... Makes a short "blipping" sound
This active text variable is much like the BEEP variable, except
that the sound produced is different. It produces a sound more
akin to a "barrier" sound; something that sounds like you're
bumping into a wall or something to that effect.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$MUSIC$ ... Makes a musical (cheerful) sound
This active text variable also produces an audio result. The
sound that is generated is a cheerful sound, representing some
kind of success. The sound is exactly the same as the sound you
would hear when you receive a successful download, or when you
achieve a connection when dialing the modem in RIPterm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$PCB$ ... Paste Clip Board at last location
This command pastes the contents of the clipboard at the last
location where the clipboard was "clipped" from. This even works
with icons that are loaded. The last location taken in this
situation, is the location the icon was stamped when it was
originally loaded. This text variable is very useful in
situations where you want to "pop-up" a dialog box on the screen
(saving the previous area behind the dialog onto the clipboard),
and when the user clicks on the "OK" button, restoring the screen
contents (by adding a $PCB$ in the host command string).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$SMF$ ... Save Mouse Fields
This text variable will save all currently defined mouse fields
and mouse buttons to a temporary file for later retrieval. This
is designed especially for the graphical designer who wishes to
pop-up a dialog box on the screen with one or more mouse fields,
and when finished, to restore the screen and original mouse
fields (if any) so that the user is not left "floating". This
command is intended to be used with the restore mouse fields text
variable $RMF$.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$RMF$ ... Restore Mouse Fields
This text variable restores any previously saved mouse fields
saved with the $SMF$ text variable. You may have only one set of
mouse fields saved at any one time. If there were no mouse
fields saved, or if the number of mouse fields that were saved
was 0, then no mouse fields will be active. Any fields that were
defined at the time of this command's execution will be erased.
Due to technical details, this should be the last piece of text
or the last text variable in any mouse host command (or button
host command). Having subsequent text variables or host command
text after this variable (in a mouse field) can lead to
unpredictable and potentially disastrous results.
NOTE: You may restore mouse fields more than once if you wish.
In other words, if you perform a "Save Mouse Fields"
command, you may execute Restore Mouse Fields one or
more times after that point.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8.2.4 ■ SPECIAL TEXT VARIABLES - LOCAL RIP PLAYBACK │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
You can re-play a .RIP file that you have locally on your hard disk
from a keystroke macro easily. The format of the variable is
somewhat different than user variables, or pre-defined text
variables. After the initial dollar sign ($), enter the greater-than
symbol (>) followed by the filename (with or without the .RIP
extension), then ending in another dollar sign ($). Several examples
of this are as follows:
$>MYFILE.RIP$
$>FILE1$
$>FILE1.RIP$$>FILE2.RIP$$FILE3$
$>ANSIFILE.ANS$
Note in the last example, a file extension other than .RIP was used.
You are not limited to playing back local .RIP files. In fact, you
can play-back any file you want. You could load any simple text
file, ANSI picture image, or other such thing. When loaded, the data
is not sent to the host; it is strictly echoed on your local screen.
If the file is a .RIP file, it will replay any graphics that were in
the file and if any Mouse Regions are defined, it will create those
fields for you as well, thus allowing you to pop-up dialog screens or
other such things that are not built-in to RIPterm normally.
Each "local RIP playback" variable you enter will search for the .RIP
file in the current host's icon directory. If it cannot find the
file in that directory, it will check the ICONS\ directory.
If you have RIPaint, you could conceivably use this mode to place a
dialog box on your screen allowing you to alter your modems setup
quickly with your mouse, dial particular phone numbers, display an
ANSI text file, or other such things.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.8.3 ■ POP-UP LISTS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
In your keystroke macros you can take advantage of a unique feature
of RIPterm - popup pick-lists. A popup pick-list is simply a list
that pops up allowing you to choose from one of several available
values. Whichever entry in the list you choose will be inserted into
your keystroke macro in place of the list definition.
In order to use popup pick-lists in your keystroke macros, you must
define the list in the text of your macro.
A list is created by putting the special list instructions inside of
two parenthesis (( and )). The list instructions consist of an
optional question, followed by one or more entries to put in the
List. For example, ((Send E-Mail to?::Sysop,Cosysop,Joe)) says to
Pop-Up a list asking you "Send E-Mail to?", giving you the choices of
"Sysop", "Cosysop", and "Joe".
By default, if you press <ESCAPE> instead of picking an entry in the
list, then nothing will be inserted into the text of your macro. You
can indicate that the user MUST pick an entry by putting an asterisk
(*) at the beginning of the question. For example, ((*Send Mail
to?::Sysop,Joe)). This would make it so that the User MUST choose
either SYSOP or JOE.
In the previous examples, SYSOP, COSYSOP and JOE are the text
responses that are inserted into your macros. These commands are
also the same things that are displayed in the listing. If you want
to use something else instead of the "return text", you can. When
you enter the list entry, add an @description to the end of it.
Example: ((Send Mail To?::Sysop@The Head Honcho,Cosysop,Joe))
One final feature of popup pick-lists allow you to specify a hotkey
for each entry in the list. For example, if you wanted the first
character of each entry to be highlighted (thus allowing you to
select that character to activate the entry), simply put a tilde (~)
or an underline (_) before and after the keystroke. For example
"_S_ysop" would highlight the "S" in "Sysop". You can highlight more
than one character, but only the first one will be the active
hotkey. If you omit the second tilde or underline, then the
remainder of the description will be highlighted.
NOTE: If you use a tilde or an underline in the text response command
(not the description), then those characters will be
automatically inserted into your macro when it gets transmitted
to the host. This is probably not what you would want to do.
Bottom line, only use hotkey features on list entries where you
specify a description!
If you do not specify a question, then the list will ask you:
"Choose one of the following:"
You may specify up to twenty list entries for any one list.
Examples:
((Send E-Mail to?::Sysop,Joe,Mike))
((*Send E-Mail to?::Sysop@The Head Honcho,Joe,Mike@My Brother))
((::Sysop@_T_he Head Honcho,Joe,Mike@My _B_rother))
((Sysop,Joe,Mike,George))
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2.9 ■ ASCII UPLOAD SETTINGS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When you select the ASCII Upload Settings option, the following
dialog box will appear on your screen:
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ASCII Upload Settings ║
╟────────────────────────────────────╢
║ ┌────┐ ║
║ Line Delay │ 10 │ ║
║ ├────┤ ║
║ Character Delay │ 0 │ ║
║ └────┘ ║
║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ║
║ │ OK │ │ CANCEL │ ║
║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ ║
╚════════════════════════════════════╝
The significance of each field is as follows:
┌────────────┐
│ LINE DELAY │
└────────────┘
Sometimes when uploading ASCII files to a host, it is necessary to
pause in between each line so that the host can process the data. If
you find that data is becoming lost, or garbled by the host when you
perform an ASCII upload, you may need to increase the Line Delay
option for ASCII uploads. You may specify a time value in 1/10ths
of a second. Therefore, if you specify a value of 11, it would be a
1.1 second pause in between lines.
┌─────────────────┐
│ CHARACTER DELAY │
└─────────────────┘
Under some circumstances, when performing an ASCII upload to a host,
it is necessary to insert pauses in between each character that is
sent to the host. This may be necessary in situations where the host
must process each character as it is sent, rather than every line of
text sent. You may specify a time value in 1/10ths of a second.
Therefore, if you specify a value of 11, it would be a 1.1 second
pause in between lines.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3.0 ■ THINGS TO KNOW │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
RIPterm may have been accompanied by a number of icon files. If so,
they must be located in the ICONS\ directory. We recommend that you
install RIPterm into a directory called RIPTERM. The ICONS\
directory would be located under the terminal directory as in the
following example: C:\RIPTERM\ICONS. All icon files end in an
extension of .ICN, .MSK or .HIC. If the icons are not located in the
ICONS\ directory, then RIPterm will not load them when instructed to
do so. RIPterm will try to sense if the icons are easily locatable,
and if so, prompt you to move them to the correct location when you
run RIPterm.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3.1 ■ ONLINE DEMONSTRATIONS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
If you would like to see an example of RIPscrip graphics in action,
you may log-on to one of the following hosts free of charge:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. ArenaBBS - 32 lines, Galacticomm "The Major BBS" software │
│ This is TeleGrafix's Tech Support/Entertainment BBS │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
PHONE: (714) 840-3520
> Create an account for yourself on the system by
> typing "NEW" at the log-on prompt. Answer the
> questionnaire and at the main menu, type "RIP ON".
> Press <ENTER> to redisplay the menu & away
> you go! This is a subscription service, but you do
> not need to subscribe to see an on-line demonstration.
> If you discover that your icon files are out of date,
> send E-mail to SYSOP or download the file ARENAICN.ZIP
> from the RIPICONS file library section.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. Nova Central - 4 lines, ResNova "Nova Link Professional" │
│ This is ResNova's Technical Support BBS │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
PHONE: (714) 840-8641
> This is ResNova's technical support BBS. It is using
> the Nova Link Professional host for the Apple
> Macintosh. Simply sign-up on the system and at the
> Main Menu, choose the "RIPscrip Graphics" option
> for an on-line demonstration.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. RIP Demo Midwest - 2 line TBBS system. This BBS is a │
│ full RIP Demo System. │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
PHONE: (708) 978-2777
> Sign-up in "text mode" if you do not have the RDM
> icons. Download the system icons and away you
> go. Be sure to see the Message Forums and other areas.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ APPENDIX A ■ TROUBLESHOOTING/PROBLEMS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Modem communications is not a simple thing. There are many different
technical factors that can affect RIPterm, making it work
erratically, or unreliably. This section is intended to try to help
you figure out what's wrong and get yourself up and running as
quickly as possible.
Check through the remainder of this section to see if the particular
problem you're having is addressed. If you are having some sort of
difficulty not covered below (or the instructions that follow do not
resolve the problem), contact the TeleGrafix Technical Support
department as noted in APPENDIX B.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A.1 ■ "BUS" MOUSE DOESN'T WORK │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Make sure your mouse driver is loaded into memory before you run
RIPterm. Without a mouse driver loaded, RIPterm will not be able to
use your mouse. Consult the manual that came with your mouse under
the section INSTALLATION or SOFTWARE INSTALLATION.
Most mouse drivers come in two flavors, a .SYS file, or a TSR program
ending in a .COM file extension. A .SYS file must be loaded into
your C:\CONFIG.SYS file as any other device driver.
An example of loading your MOUSE.SYS driver would be as follows:
CONFIG.SYS file:
FILES=40
BUFFERS=40
DEVICE=C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS
If your mouse came only with a MOUSE.COM driver, then you must edit
your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file and add a line calling mouse driver so that
it can be loaded into memory each time your system boots up. Add a
line similar to the one that follows:
AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\MOUSE
PROMPT $P$G
MOUSE
Modifications may vary - consult your Mouse Manual.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A.2 ■ "SERIAL" MOUSE DOESN'T WORK │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
If you are using a serial mouse, and it is not responding, you might
be experiencing a "conflict" between your modem serial port, and your
mouse serial port. Under most circumstances, a conflict like this
will NOT arise in normal applications programs that don't use both a
mouse and a modem simultaneously.
Below you should find a list of correct and incorrect modem/mouse
configurations.
CORRECT COMBINATIONS INCORRECT COMBINATIONS
======================= =======================
Modem=COM1 / Mouse=COM2 Modem=COM1 / Mouse=COM3
Modem=COM1 / Mouse=COM4 Modem=COM2 / Mouse=COM4
Modem=COM2 / Mouse=COM1 Modem=COM3 / Mouse=COM1
Modem=COM2 / Mouse=COM3 Modem=COM4 / Mouse=COM2
Modem=COM3 / Mouse=COM2
Modem=COM3 / Mouse=COM4
Modem=COM4 / Mouse=COM1
Modem=COM4 / Mouse=COM3
If you are knowledgeable about IBM-PC hardware, and how to install
add-on cards, you may be able to circumvent the above recommended
port combinations. To do this will require removing the PC cover and
changing the interrupt (IRQ) setting of either the modem serial port,
or the mouse serial port (if possible). In order to get both the
mouse and the modem operating properly, the two serial ports must use
different IRQ settings! If none of this makes sense to you, we would
recommend sticking to the above recommended layouts.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A.3 ■ MODEM ISN'T RESPONDING │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
If you have a serial mouse, you may be experiencing a conflict
between your mouse and your modem. A serial mouse can be identified
if it plugs into one of your IBM-PC communications ports COM1 through
COM4. Not all systems have 4 COM ports, so your system may be
somewhat different. A serial mouse typically has a 25-pin connector
shaped like an elongated "D". Another type of serial mouse has a
9-pin connector also shaped like a "D".
Check to make sure you modem is plugged in and turned on (if it is an
external modem). Make sure that the serial cable connecting the
modem to your computer is securely fastened to the proper COM port.
Check your modem settings to make sure they are set correctly. You
may edit these settings by pressing ALT-O (Modem Options). Things
you should check for:
1. Make sure it is set for the correct port (COM1 - COM4)
2. Make sure the baud rate is set to a speed your modem
can support (or lower). Settings for this would be
300, 1200, 2400, 9600, 19,200 baud.
Consult SECTION 4.1 above to determine if you are using an
incorrect COM port configuration for your serial mouse and your
modem.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A.4 ■ NOISY TELEPHONE CONNECTIONS │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
If you get a noisy telephone connection, the graphics that you see
might become garbled in some fashion. Since RIPterm does more than
simply display pictures on the screen, this can disturb underlying
(invisible) operations as well.
Solutions: Hang-up and try calling again. Often times, this can
resolve the problem.
Long distance connections are typically the noisiest
connections. Check with your operator and find out if
you can use a different "Long Distance Carrier" like MCI,
AT&T, US Sprint, etc.
Use an Error-Correcting modem (provided the host you are
calling can support one).
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ APPENDIX B ■ TECHNICAL SUPPORT │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This program is as bug-free as possible. In all reality, there are
most likely some bugs that have not as of yet been discovered.
Should any bugs be discovered, they should be reported to the authors
as soon as possible at the following address:
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TeleGrafix Communications, Inc. │
│ 16458 Bolsa Chica #15 │
│ Huntington Beach, CA 92649 │
│ │
│ Voice .. (714) 846-4179 │
│ Fax .... (714) 846-4189 │
│ Data ... (714) 840-3520 - ArenaBBS [32 lines] │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Authors: Jeff "Covenant" Reeder
(CEO: Senior Programmer)
Mark "Necron" Hayton
(President: Programmer)
Jim "Bergie" Bergman
(Vice President: Programmer)
Mara "Kytty" Ward
(Chief Operations Officer: Production)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ APPENDIX C ■ RIPscrip Products │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
For more information about RIPscrip based products, contact:
TeleGrafix Communications, Inc.
16458 Bolsa Chica, #15
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
Voice: (714) 846-4179
Fax : (714) 846-4189
Data : (714) 840-3520 ArenaBBS [32 lines] running The Major BBS