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1992-12-07
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EASY COMM
Manual
Andrzej Brzezinski & Marek Kosznik
November 30, 1992
pg1
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
ANDRZEJ BRZEZINSKI & MAREK KOSZNIK, THE AUTHORS AND OWNERS OF THIS SOFTWARE,
DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH
WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER THE AUTHORS OF
THE SOFTWARE NOR ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR
DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL,
OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH
SOFTWARE EVEN IF THE AUTHORS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS' LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES
EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENCE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS
OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Manitoba and
shall inure to the benefit of Andrzej Brzezinski and Marek Kosznik and any
successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or proceeding
brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this
agreement shall be brought only in a Provincial or Federal Court of
competent jurisdiction located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The parties hereby
consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts.
REGISTRATION RULES
Easy Comm is a shareware program. It means that you can freely copy it,
give the copies to friends, and test it. Once you decide that the program
is useful for you and you want to use it you should register. Registration
rules are described below.
Benefits of registering:
------------------------
By registering first of all you become legally entitled to use the program.
But there are other benefits of registering:
- you will receive free updates for a period of 1 year;
- the introductory screen will not be displayed on startup;
- you will be entitled to a free phone support: (204) 943-4020;
- you will receive a bi-annual newsletter.
How to register:
----------------
Registering is easy. Using Easy Comm open the appropriate file which
contains a registration form and fill it in.
If you are going to use Easy Comm:
- on a single computer: use FORM1.TXT file for registration;
- on a network or more than 1 computer: use FORM2.TXT.
After filling in print out the form, attach the appropriate payment and mail
it to the following address:
Andrzej Brzezinski
P.O. Box 2657
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4B3
CANADA
pg 2
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.................................................3
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS...........................3
INSTALLATION.................................................3
QUICK START..................................................4
EASY COMM FEATURES...........................................5
MENUS AND DESKTOP............................................6
MENU BAR.....................................................6
PULL-DOWN MENUS..............................................7
STATUS LINE..................................................7
MESSAGE LINE.................................................7
DESKTOP......................................................7
RULER........................................................7
TOOL BAR.....................................................8
HELP SYSTEM..................................................8
UTILITIES....................................................9
THE EASY COMM TEXT EDITOR...................................11
FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS.....................................14
MODEM MENU FUNCTIONS........................................16
MODEM WINDOW................................................17
DIAL DIRECTORY DATABASE.....................................18
AUTO-LOGIN PROCEDURE........................................21
OPTIONS.....................................................21
FILE PRINTING...............................................25
OTHER FUNCTIONS.............................................27
pg 3
INTRODUCTION
============
Welcome to Easy Comm version 2.5 !!!
Easy Comm is a general purpose communication program that allows you
to connect your PC to any remote system via a telephone line.
Your computer must be equipped with a modem if you want to use Easy Comm
for communication purposes.
You can also use Easy Comm to connect your computer directly with another one
through serial port.
Since Easy Comm is equipped with a text editor, you can use it for
editing or printing text files for which a modem is not necessary.
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
==================================
In order to run Easy Comm you have to have an IBM PC compatible computer
with at least 640KB of RAM memory and DOS 2.0 or newer. It is recommended that
you install Easy Comm on your hard disk (it will work from a floppy disk but
will be slow). Expanded memory is not necessary but it will further speed up
the program.
INSTALLATION
============
If you have the EASY COMM diskette:
- Insert a diskette into drive a: and type in A: and press <Enter>.
- Type INSTALL and press <Enter>.
- Follow the instructions displayed on the screen.
- Easy Comm will be automatically installed on your hard disk.
If you downloaded EASY COMM:
- Create a ECOMM directory (you can use a different name).
- Unzip ECOMM.ZIP in this directory.
To run Easy Comm you have to enter ECOMM directory (cd c:\ECOMM <Enter>)
and type in ECOMM followed by <Enter>.
If you have expanded memory and EMS driver is installed
Easy Comm will automatically use EMS for overlays. Expanded
memory is recommended for a better performance.
When you start Easy Comm for the first time or every time after you
delete ECOMM.OPT file Easy Comm will display a series of dialog boxes
asking you to select some settings essential for your modem operation.
This procedure will help you get your modem up and running as quickly
and easily as possible.
pg 4
QUICK START
===========
After you have completed the above installation procedure Easy Comm is
ready to use.
When you start Easy Comm for the first time a series of dialog boxes will be
displayed to assist you in proper configuration of your system (as mentioned
above).
The first dialog box (COM Ports) is probably most important. You have to
select a proper COM Port and your modem must be set to the same COM Port. You
should be able to find a COM port switch on your modem board (check your modem
manual). In most cases you you should use either COM1 or COM2 e.g. if your
mouse uses COM1 then set your modem for COM2. If you can use either COM1 or
COM2 for your modem then you can ignore the remaining settings of the dialog
box.
If your COM1 and COM2 are used by other devices you can try to configure
your modem (if it is possible) to COM3 or COM4 (see your modem manual for
instructions how to set the switches on your modem board). If you can set
your modem board to COM3 or COM4 check the addresses for those COM Ports
and enter them onto COM3 Address or COM4 address input lines. You can
either enter it in the decimal notation e.g. 568 or in the hex notation
e.g. $238.
After setting the address of COM3 or COM4 you have to set the interrupt
number (COM3 Interrupt Number or COM4 Interrupt Number input lines).
As a standard interrupts 3 and 4 are used by COM1 and COM2. On most
systems you cannot have shared interrupts. If your system does support
shared interrupts then you can set COM3 or COM4 Interrupt Number to 4 or
3 respectively (you have to select the same interrupts on your modem board
as well by setting the appropriate switches - check the modem manual).
If your system does not support shared interrupts you might be able to use
other interrupt number e.g. 5 if your modem board allows to do it.
You have to be very careful when using COM3 or COM4 and it is entirely your
responsibility to select the correct addresses and interrupt numbers.
After selecting the COM Port settings click on the OK button. The second
dialog box that will be displayed is Modem Settings. This dialog box contains
various Modem Control Strings that depend on your modem type. In most cases
you can accept default settings. Just click on OK button. If your modem does
not work properly you can modify those Modem Control Strings later by using
the Modem|Modem Settings menu command. If you have to modify those settings
follow closely your modem manual.
After you are done with configuration an empty Dial Directory dialog box
will be displayed on the screen. Click on New button and a blank Entry Form
will be displayed. You have to enter a Description of the record, Phone
Number, and Baud Rate. Other parameters can be left with default values.
Click on OK button and the Entry Form will be closed. Now you can save your
Dial Directory to the disk file by clicking on the Save button (you can also
select buttons by hitting the key corresponding to the button highlighted
letter). In order to initiate dialing click on Dial button or hit D (or Alt-D)
key. Easy Comm will now open the Modem Window and will start dialing. You
pg 5
should see the command send to your modem starting with AT and containing
the phone number at the end of the string. After a while you should here your
modem's speaker generating sounds. After a while, if the line is not busy,
you should see a CONNECT string and Easy Comm will generate a sound
confirming that connection has been established. From now on you can use your
keyboard in order to talk to the remote system. After you are done you can
click on the Hangup word on the Status Line or hit Alt-A and your modem will
disconnect.
EASY COMM FEATURES
==================
Easy Comm is an easy-to-use communication program with the following
features :
1) User interface :
- mouse support;
- pull-down menus;
- on-line context sensitive help facility with a help index;
- multiple, overlapping, resizable, movable windows;
- dialog and message boxes;
- customizable options (colors and mouse parameters);
- tool bar;
- ruler.
2) Built-in, fast and flexible text editor :
- multiple windows and multiple files can be open at the same time;
- search and replace functions;
- text-block selection, copying, moving and deleting;
- since both file printing and file transfer take place in the
background, you can simultaneously print one file, upload or
download another file and continue editing still another file;
- interface to a spelling checker.
3) Communication functions :
- dial directory database;
- selectable communication parameters (e.g. baud rate);
- auto-login procedure with auto-recording option;
- filter option for filtering out characters in both directions;
- several file transfer protocols (Ascii, 4 types of XModem,
YModem, YModemG and ZModem);
- transfer status window;
- file transfer occurs in the background, so you can edit a text file
or do something else during the file transfer;
- customizable modem control strings;
- chat mode (separate windows for sent and received characters);
- auto-redial function;
- you can quit without hanging up and later re-establish connection;
- terminal emulation (ANSI and VT100);
- 10-page buffer for a Modem Window;
- copy a text from the Modem Window to the Clipboard and in the
opposite direction;
- flow control (XON/XOFF and RTS/CTS).
pg 6
4) Additional functions :
- background file printing;
- ASCII table (you can send characters from the ASCII table to the
Edit Window);
- calendar;
- calculator (you can send an expression & a result from the
calculator to the Edit Window);
- timer window with the auto-dial option;
- memory information window;
- change directory function;
- memory efficient DOS shell function;
- run external program function;
- save and restore desktop functions;
- screen blanker.
MENUS AND DESKTOP
=================
The ≡ menu is accessed by pressing Alt-Space. All the other menus are
accessed by pressing Alt-L, where L is the first letter of the menu.
For example, the "File" menu is pulled down by Alt-F.
The screen of Easy Comm is devided into 4 areas :
- Menu Bar (top line)
- Status Line (bottom line)
- Message Line (a line above the Status Line)
- Desktop (area between Menu Bar and Message Line)
In addition to the above two other elements can be displayed right below
the Menu Bar (shrinking the Desktop) : Tool Bar and Ruler.
After you start Easy Comm a Dial Directory dialog box is opened on
the desktop automatically, so that you can quickly select
a desired directory entry and make a call by pressing D, Alt-D or clicking
on the [Dial] button.
An alternative method of calling is by pressing Alt-C or clicking on the
Call word displayed on the Status Line. This command allows you to make
a call using current settings (from the last call). This allows you to
make calls without having to select parameters from the Dial Directory.
You can also quickly modify current parameters by pressing Ctrl-F10.
MENU BAR
========
Menu Bar is the top line on the screen which displays menu choices.
Each menu choice contains a pull-down menu which can be displayed
by clicking on the menu item (e.g. File), or by pressing a short cut
key Alt-L where L is a highlighted letter of the menu item
(e.g. Alt-F for File menu). You can also get to the menu bar by pressing
F10 function key and then you can use arrow keys to move the cursor to
the desired menu choice and press <Enter> to open the pull-down menu.
pg 7
PULL-DOWN MENUS
===============
Each Pull-down Menu contains a list of functions that can be selected
by moving the cursor with the arrow keys and pressing <Enter>, or
by clicking the mouse on the menu item, or by pressing a highlighted
letter (typically the first letter). If no letter is highlighted, it
means that the function is not active in the current context, for example
you cannot open a modem window before you activate a modem (Alt-C Call).
Some menu items have a short cut defined next to the function name
e.g. 'Close Alt-F3'. Such functions can be activated by pressing
a short cut key from any point in the program (if a function is active)
without having to open a pull-down menu.
STATUS LINE
===========
The Status Line (the bottom line of the screen) contains a list of most
often used functions which can be activated by pressing a short cut key
shown left to the function name or by clicking the mouse on the function
name.
If a function is active in the current context, its short cut is
highlighted.
MESSAGE LINE
============
Message Line is used to display information about communication related
activities e.g. 'Modem Connected.'.
DESKTOP
=======
Desktop is your work area between the Menu Bar and the Message Line.
You can open various windows, dialog boxes and entry forms on the Desktop.
RULER
=====
Windows|Show/Hide Ruler command shows/hides the ruler at the top of the
screen, just below the menu bar. You can click on the ruler with a mouse to
position the cursor in the edit window on the selected column. Tabs are marked
on the ruler with "" and the right margin is marked with "║" character. You
can double click on the ruler to change the right margin setting.
pg 8
TOOL BAR
========
Window|Show/Hide Tool Bar command shows/hides the tool bar at the top of the
screen, just below the menu bar. You can click on the tool bar with a mouse to
generate command. Icons represent commands:
replace words────┐ ┌─print block/file
search again───┐ │ │ ┌─line/block mode switch
find word───┐ │ │ │ │ ┌─reformat paragraf
close file──┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ close tool bar──┐
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
┌───┬───┬───┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬───┬┬───┬───┬───┬───┬ ┬─┴─┐
│ ? │ │ │[■]│∙∙!│∙!!│ │ ₧ │LC│▐▄│ABC││D-d│o╤o│))│((│..│[═]│
└─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴─┬─┴┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴ ┴───┘
│ │ └─open file spelling checker─┘ │ │ │ │
│ └─save file │ │ │ │
└─help on the tool bar │ │ │ │
display dial directory──┘ │ │ │
hangup────┘ │ │
transmit file─────┘ │
receive file───────┘
HELP SYSTEM
===========
Help Window can be displayed from any point of the program by pressing
F1 function key, by selecting Help from the pull-down menu, or by
pressing right mouse button.
Help system is context sensitive so information displayed in the help
window depends on the current context e.g. if you are editing a text file
in the edit window pressing F1 will result in displaying help information
related to the text editor.
By double-clicking with a mouse on highlighted words in a help window
you can quickly access information regarding those words
(cross reference).
Help|Help Index command (Ctrl-F1) displays a list of topics which are
explained by the Help system.
You can get to the topic explanation by double-clicking
on the topic.
Easy Comm also maintains a history of help topics so you can always
go back to the previous topic by pressing Shift-F1.
pg 9
UTILITIES
=========
1)Calculator :
The calculator is equipped with most common math functions.
To operate the calculator you can either use the keyboard or press the
buttons on the calculator with the mouse.
Calculator Functions :
You can select a function by either clicking on a function button with
the mouse or by pressing a highlighted letter-key.
Calculator functions :
======================
[BIN] BINary mode
[HEX] HEXadecimal mode
[DEC] DECimal mode
[ C ] Cancel last operation
[CA ] Clear All
[ + ] addition
[ - ] subtraction
[ * ] multiplication
[ / ] division
[ = ] display result
[NEG] NEGation
[°F ] switch to Fahrenheit mode
[°C ] switch to Celsius mode
[Mwr] WRite to Memory
[Mrd] ReaD from Memory
[ ( ] open bracket
[ ) ] close bracket
[TAN] TANgens
[SIN] SINe
[COS] COSine
[ % ] percent
[LOG] decimal LOGarithm
[LNx] Natural Logarithm
[e^x] e to the power of x
[ π ] pi
[1/x] 1 divided by
[ x²] square
[√x ] square root
[ !x] factorial
[x^y] x to the power of y
Additional functions:
[Send-EX] Send Expression to the edit window
[Send-RU] Send Result to the edit window
pg 10
2) Calendar :
The calendar displays the current month, highlighting today's date. The
next and previous months can be viewed using the '+' or '-' keys
respectivly. The mouse can also be used to change the month by clicking on
the or icons.
3) ASCII Table :
The ASCII table displays the entire IBM PC character set. The current
character is marked by a blinking block cursor, and the hexadecimal and
decimal ASCII values of the character are displayed below the chart. A
new character is selected by pressing it on the keyboard, by clicking
the mouse on it in the chart, or by moving the cursor using the cursor
keys.
Ascii Table can be useful when you want to filter out certain characters
sent or received by the modem. In order to do it you have to specify
Ascii codes of characters in the filter set field of the
Dial Directory Entry Form.
You can also send characters which cannot be entered from the keyboard
to the active edit window.
You do it by positioning the cursor on a selected character and pressing
[Send-C] button.
4) ≡|About Command :
When you choose the About command from the ≡ (System) menu, a
dialog box appears, showing copyright and program version information.
To close the box, press Esc, Space, or Enter, or click the OK
button.
5) Timer Window :
When you choose Modem|Time command a time window is opened on the desktop.
It displays the current time, time on-line (activated automatically
when connection is established) and the alarm time.
First line displays the current system time.
The second line displays the time on-line. The timer is started
automatically after a connection is established.
The third line displays the alarm clock.
The alarm time can be set and reset by clicking on the Set / Reset
buttons in the time window. When current time reaches alarm time
a message box is displayed and an audio signal is generated.
Time window can be opened by pressing a short cut Alt-F5 (or from
Modem menu) and closed like all windows by pressing Alt-F3.
pg 11
6) Memory Information window :
≡│Memory Info displays a Memory Information Window
containing the following :
- Total DOS memory : the amount of RAM memory in KB
(up to 640KB)
- Program size : the size (in bytes) of the part of the
program which stays in memory all the time (not overlayed)
- Editor buffer : the amount of memory in bytes allocated to the
text editor
- Overlays buffer : the amount of memory in bytes allocated to
overlays (parts of the program that are loaded to memory from
a hard disk when needed)
- Remaining free memory : the amount of free memory in bytes
used for dynamic allocation (heap) e.g. for edit windows;
THE EASY COMM TEXT EDITOR
=========================
Edit Windows are where you type in and edit your text files.
You can open as many Edit windows as you want (as long
as there is enough memory).
- Using Edit Windows :
A window is a bordered screen area that you can move, resize, zoom,
rearrange, close, and open.
1) Window|Size/Move command (Ctrl-F5) :
Choose this command to change the size or position of the active
window.
- Size :
If you press Shift while you use the arrow keys, you can change
the size of the active window. Once you've adjusted its size or
position, press Enter.
If a window has a Resize corner, you can drag that corner to
resize the window.
- Move :
When you choose Window|Size/Move, the active window moves in
response to the arrow keys. Once you've moved the window to where
you want it, press Enter.
You can also move a window by dragging its title bar with the
mouse.
pg 12
2) Window|Zoom command (F5) :
Choose Zoom to resize the active window to the maximum size. If
the window is already zoomed, you can choose this command to
restore it to its previous size.
You can also double-click anywhere on the window's title bar
(except where an icon appears) to zoom or unzoom the window.
3) Window|Tile command :
Choose Window|Tile to tile all windows on the desktop.
4) Window|Cascade command :
Choose Window|Cascade to stack all windows on the desktop.
5) Window|Next command (F6) :
Choose Next to cycle forwards through the windows on the desktop.
6) Window|Previous command (Shift-F6) :
Choose Window|Previous to cycle backwards through the windows on the desktop.
7) Window|Close command (Alt-F3) :
Choose Window|Close to close the active window.
You can also click the Close box in the upper left corner to
close a window.
8) File|Open (F3) and File|New commands :
To open an Edit window, choose File|Open. You can open the same file
in more than one window. You can also open a new window by choosing
File|New.
You can have any number of windows open on the desktop (as long as there
is enough memory), but only one window can be active at any time. The
active window is the one that you're currently working in.
It always has a double-lined border around it, and it always has these
elements:
- Close box
- Zoom box
- Title bar
- Horizontal and vertical scroll bars
Generally, any command you choose or text you type applies only to the
active window. (But if you have the same file open in several windows,
the action applies to the file in each of those windows.)
If your windows overlap, the active window is always the topmost one
(the one on top of all the others).
pg 13
To make a window active (topmost), click on the window area (if part
of it is visible), use Window|Next command or press F6 until you get to
the desired window.
Edit windows also show the cursor's position (the current line and column
number) as YY:XX in the bottom of the Edit window frame, where YY is the
line number and XX is the column number.
There are three ways to get into an open Edit window (make it active):
1) Click on it.
2) Press (or click) F6 to cycle through the
open windows (or choose Window|Next)
3) Press Alt-n where n is a window number (0..9) displayed at the top
right corner of the window frame.
To close the active Edit window, choose Window|Close, click on a close box
or press Alt-F3.
Once in the Edit window, you enter text just as if you were using
a typewriter.
- When you want to end a line, press Enter.
- To exit the editor, press F10 (it will get you to the menu bar).
The maximum line width in an Edit window is 249 characters; you'll get
a beep if you try to type past that.
Clipboard :
-----------
Clipboard is a special window to/from which you can copy/paste/cut blocks
of text to/from other edit windows.
See also Block Commands.
The editor has many functions which can be selected either from the
KeyCmds menu or by the following hot-key commands.
Cursor Movement Commands :
==========================
- Word Left (Ctrl-A or Ctrl-Right Arrow)
- Word Right (Ctrl-F or Ctrl-Left Arrow)
- Line Up (Ctrl-E or Up Arrow)
- Line Down (Ctrl-X or Down Arrow)
- Page Up (Ctrl-R or PageUp)
- Page Down (Ctrl-C or PageDown)
- Screen Top (Ctrl-Home)
- Screen Bottom (Ctrl-End)
- Screen Center (Ctrl-Q M)
- Text Start (Ctrl-PgUp)
- Text End (Ctrl-PgDn)
pg 14
Insert & Delete Commands :
==========================
- Insert Mode On/Off (Ctrl-V or Ins)
- Delete Line (Ctrl-Y)
- Delete to End Of Line (Ctrl-Q Y)
- Delete Char Left (Ctrl-H or Backspace)
- Delete Char (Ctrl-G or Del)
- Delete Word Right (Ctrl-T)
- Duplicate Line (Ctrl-K D)
Block Commands :
================
- Mark Block Beginning (Ctrl-K B)
- Delete Block (Ctrl-Del)
- Hide Block (Ctrl-K H)
- Paste from Clipboard (Ctrl-K C or Shift-Ins)
- Cut to Clipboard (Ctrl-K Y or Shift-Del)
- Copy to Clipboard (Ctrl-K K or Ctrl-Ins)
- Indent Block (Ctrl-K I)
- Unindent Block (Ctrl-K U)
- Default Indent (Ctrl-K Space)
- Upper to Lower Case (Ctrl-K L)
- Lower to Upper Case (Ctrl-K O)
- Flip Case (Ctrl-K F)
- Print Block/File (Ctrl-K P)
Miscellaneous Commands :
========================
- Close Active Window (Alt-F3)
- Auto Indent On/Off (Ctrl-O)
- Reformat Paragraph (Alt-R)
- Center Line (Alt-V)
FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS
=======================
Transfer|Protocol Change command brings up the Protocol Select dialog box,
in which you can select one of several file transfer protocols and the
direction of transfer (send/receive).
The Protocol Select dialog box contains a set of radio buttons.
From this set you can select only one item.
pg 15
You can select one of the following file transfer protocols :
- Ascii File
- XModem with Check Sum
- XModem with CRC-16
- XModem-1k with Check Sum
- XModem-1k with CRC-16
- YModem
- YModemG
- ZModem
Transfer│Transmit File command activates a file transfer protocol selected
by Transfer│Protocol Change command or a default protocol for a selected Dial
Directory entry.
First a Select File to Transfer dialog box is displayed. You have to enter
the name of the file that you want to transmit. You can enter full name with
a path. If you do not specify a path, a current directory is assumed.
If you are using YModem, YModemG or ZModem file transfer protocol,
you can specify more than one file at once (using '*' characters or selecting
more than one file name).
After you press [OK] button the file transfer begins and a File Transfer
Status window is displayed.
Transfer│Receive File command activates a file transfer protocol selected
by Transfer│Protocol Change command or a default protocol for a selected
Dial Directory entry.
First a Receiving File As dialog box is displayed. You have to enter the name
of the file that you want to receive. You can enter full name with a path.
If you do not specify a path, a current directory is assumed.
For the YModem, YModemG and ZModem file transfer protocols you do not have
to specify a file name.
After you press [OK] button the file transfer begins and a File Transfer
Status window is displayed.
- File Transfer Status Window :
File Transfer Status window displays information about a progress of a file
transfer. The window is opened automatically after a file transfer protocol
is activated.
It contains :
- File Name
- Transfer Protocol name
- Error Detection scheme (4-byte CRC, 2-byte CRC, or 1-byte Check Sum)
- Block Size in bytes
- File Size in bytes
- Number of Bytes transfered
- File Number
pg 16
If File Size cannot be determined it says "unknown".
If File Size can be determined a graphical indicator is displayed
showing the percentage already transferred.
Status window also contains [Cancel] button, by clicking on which
you can cancel a transfer of the file. You can also press <Esc> to do it.
MODEM MENU FUNCTIONS
====================
Modem|Modem Settings command displays the Modem Control Strings dialog box.
For a typical modem you do not have to modify default strings.
If your modem does not want to hang up you can try to increase the modem
Guard Time. On the other hand you might try to decrease the Guard Time in
order to speed up the calling procedure.
If you have any other problems with with the modem consult your modem
manual and modify control strings accordingly.
Modem control strings are stored automatically to the file 'MODEM.DAT' when
you exit from Easy Comm. They are loaded automatically when you start Easy
Comm from the file 'MODEM.DAT' if it exists, otherwise are set to default
values.
Modem|Display Dial Directory command opens (or brings on top of the desktop)
the Dial Directory dialog box from which you can select a record (containing
a phone number and various parameters) and initiate a phone call by
pressing Alt-D or clicking on the [Call] button.
You can also call by pressing Alt-C or click on Call on the status line.
As opposed to Alt-D which uses Dial Directory, this command allows you
to make a call using current (latest) parameters, which can be modified
at any moment by pressing Ctrl-F10 or selecting the menu command :
Modem|Current Parameters.
Modem|Current Parameters command (Ctrl-F10) displays a Current Parameters
entry form.
It allows you to modify current COM port parameters used by the Call
command (Alt-C). This is an alternative method to calling from a dial
directory (Alt-D).
Modem|Change Dial Directory command displays the 'Open Dial Directory'
dialog box. In this dialog box you select the name of the file(dial
directory) you want to load to memory. If you enter the name of the file
which does not exist, a new file will be created.
Modem|Open Modem Window command opens (or brings on top of the desktop)
a modem window. It is active only after you initialize a phone call.
The modem window displays characters that are send and received by your
modem.
pg 17
Modem|Close Modem Window closes the modem window if it was open.
Modem|Transfer Status command opens (or brings on top of the desktop)
a File Transfer Status window. It is active only after you initialize
a file transfer.
Modem|Hide Transfer Status closes the File Transfer Status window
if it was open.
Modem|Start Chat Mode command (active only after a connection has been
established) opens two windows.
All data that is sent out by your modem is displayed in the 'My Window'.
All data that is received by your modem is displayed in the 'Responder
Window'.
Modem|End Chat Mode command closes chat windows if they are open.
Modem|Start / Stop Recording command turns on and off recording of an
auto-login file. You can use this function to have Easy Comm create
an auto-login file for you. You do not have to learn auto-login commands!!!
Just turn recording on and select the number to dial from the Dial Directory.
Easy Comm will ask you to enter the name of the auto-login file that will be
created for you. Then just login to a desired system manually and when you are
done turn recording off by selecting from the menu Modem|Stop Recording
command or by pressing Ctrl-F9.
Do not forget to turn the recording off!!!
MODEM WINDOW
============
A modem window is opened automatically after a phone call is initialized.
After your modem is connected to a remote system all input and output is
sent to a modem window.
A modem window can be resized, moved, closed and selected like other windows.
When you close a modem window you can open it again using Modem│Open Modem
Window command.
A modem window can be switched between normal mode and full-screen mode
by pressing F4 function key.
A modem buffer holds up to 250 lines which is 10 screens in full-screen mode.
You can use the following keys to scroll the lines in the mode window :
- <PageUp> - displays the previous page;
- <PageDown> - displays the next page;
- <Home> - displays the first page;
- <End> - displays the last page;
- <UpArrow> - scrolls 1 line up (only if No Terminal Emulation is selected);
- <DownArrow> - scrolls 1 line down (only if No Terminal Emulation is
selected).
By pressing <Alt-F5> key combination you can display a Time Window.
pg 18
By pressing <Ctrl-Ins> key combination you can copy text from a current page
from the modem window to the Clipboard where you can further edit it
and copy to other Edit Windows.
You can also select text in the Modem Window using the mouse and copy it
to the Clipboard using also <Ctrl-Ins>.
You can copy selected text from the Clipboard to the Modem Window by pressing
<Shift-Ins> (Paste command).
DIAL DIRECTORY DATABASE
=======================
1) Dial Directory dialog box :
Dial Directory dialog box contains a list of record descriptions
(or names) from your dial directory database. Phone numbers and
baud rates are also displayed. It also contains several buttons :
[Edit], [New], [Remove], [Save], [Dial], and [Close].
Dial Directory dialog box is displayed automatically after you start
Easy Comm.
You can make a phone call immediately by positioning the cursor
on a desired record and clicking on the [Dial] button or pressing D,
or Alt-D. This will initialize a phone call with parameters defined in
a dial directory database.
You can add a new record to your database by clicking on the [New]
button, by pressing N key, or by selecting it using <TAB> key and pressing
<Enter>.
You can delete a record from your database by using [Remove] button or by
pressing M key.
You can display and/or edit a database record by using [Edit] button or
by pressing E key.
When you use the [New] or [Edit] button the Entry Form is displayed
on the screen. You can display several entry forms at the same time.
You have to click on [Edit] button twice if you want to move the
Entry Form on top.
If you modified any record you can save the changes to a disk file by
clicking on the [Save] button or by pressing S key.
Easy Comm uses 'ECOMM.DIR' as a default file for dial directory.
You can create new dial directories by using a command Modem|Change Dial
Directory.
2) Dial Directory Entry Form :
Dial Directory Entry Form allows you to add or modify records in your
dial directory database.
pg 19
It contains following fields:
- Description - contains a description or a name of a record;
- Name - user id or name used during auto-login procedure;
- Password - user's password used during auto-login procedure
(password is hidden - stars are displayed);
- Phone - phone number;
- Retries - number of automatic retries in case of a timeout (40 sec.)
during a phone call;
- Echo On/Off check box - if checked a local echo is turned on;
- Auto Login On/Off check box - if checked the auto-login procedure
is activated after a connection is established;
- Login File - name of the file to be used by the auto-login procedure
if Auto Login box is checked;
- Add LF On/Off check box - if checked LF characters are added automatically
after every sent or received CR character;
- Capture On/Off check box - if checked the session will be captured to the
file;
- Capture File - name of the file to be used to record a session if
Capture box is checked;
- Filter Set - contains a filter expression which defines which characters
will be filtered out;
- Terminal Emulation radio buttons :
* Terminal :
- NoTerm
- ANSI
- VT100
- Flow Control radio buttons :
* Flow Ctrl
- None
- XON/XOFF
- CTS/RTS
- COM Port and Modem radio buttons :
* Parity :
- Odd
- None
- Even
* Dial Type :
- Tone
- Pulse
- Manual
- Answer
* Word Length :
- 7 bits
- 8 bits
* Stop Bits :
- 1 bit
- 2 bits
pg 20
* Baud Rate :
- 300
- 1200
- 2400
- 4800
- 9600
- 19200
- 38400
* Comm Port
- COM1
- COM2
- COM3
- COM4
- Default Protocol radio buttons :
- None
- Ascii File
- XModem with Check Sum
- XModem with CRC-16
- XModem-1k with Check Sum
- XModem-1k with CRC-16
- YModem
- YModemG
- ZModem
- Filter Expression :
Filter Expression contains a list of characters that will be filtered out.
For example if a system to which you are connected sends you strange
characters that clobber your screen (what happens especially with mainframes)
you can specify which characters should not be displayed.
Filter also works in the other direction so you might disable some characters
generated by your keyboard (e.g. control characters).
In a Filter Expression you specify ASCII codes of characters separated by
commas. You can also specify ranges of characters.
Example of a valid Filter Expression :
1..30,128,129,140..255
You can easily find character codes by displaying the ASCII table.
pg 21
AUTO-LOGIN PROCEDURE
====================
If the Auto-login box on the Dial Directory Entry Form is checked the auto
login procedure is activated after a modem gets connected to a remote system.
Auto-login procedure works according to the actions specified in the Login
File. The name of the file is contained in the Login File field of the Dial
Directory Entry Form.
If you do not want to learn how to create auto-login file Easy Comm can create
it for you (see Modem|Start / Stop Recording)!!!
Login File is the Ascii text file which describes the actions for the auto-
login procedure using the following syntax:
- |WAIT|abcd - Easy Comm will wait for the abcd string in the incomming
characters
- |TIME|2 - Easy Comm will wait for 2 seconds before proceeding to the
next step of the auto-login procedure
- |SEND|abcd - Easy Comm will send the abcd string to the modem
- |SEND|<CR> - Easy Comm will send the code of the Enter key
- |SEND|<NAME><CR> - Easy Comm will send Name field (or user id) from
the Dial Directory Entry Form, followed by the carriage return
- |SEND|<PASSW><CR> - Easy Comm will send Password field (or user id)
from the Dial Directory Entry Form, followed by the carriage return
- |SEND|<#10> - Easy Comm will send a character which has the
Ascii Code = 10
OPTIONS
=======
The Options|Mouse command brings up the Mouse Options dialog box, where
you can set the following options that control how your mouse works :
- how fast a double-click is
- which mouse button (right or left) is active
The Options|Colors item brings up the Colors dialog box, where you can
customize the colors of the display.
Options|Save Desktop command saves the state of all open windows to a file
call ECOMM.DSK. This file can be reloaded by selecting Options|Restore
Desktop command.
Options|Restore Desktop command restores a previously-saved state of all open
windows from a file called ECOMM.DSK. This file is saved via the
Options|Save Desktop command.
Options|Clear Desktop clears desktop by closing all open windows and dialog
boxes.
pg 22
Options|Load Options command loads color palettes and mouse options from
ECOMM.OPT file if the file exists. The ECOMM.OPT file is created by
Options|Save Options command.
Options|Save Options command saves color palettes and mouse options to
ECOMM.OPT file. If the file exists it will be erased.
The options from the ECOMM.OPT file are loaded using Options|Load Options
command.
Options|Preferences command brings up the Preferences dialog box,
where you can set Auto Save options as well as the Screen Size
(if you have EGA/VGA graphics adapter you can change the display mode
from 25 to 43/50 lines). In this dialog box you can also change various Editor
settings.
Preferences dialog box contains:
- 3 Auto Save check boxes :
[X] Desktop
[X] Options
[X] Backup
If a Desktop box is checked Easy Comm saves Desktop in
ECOMM.DSK file. If ECOMM.DSK file exists Desktop will be restored
automatically on the startup.
If a Options box is checked Easy Comm saves Options in
ECOMM.OPT file. If ECOMM.OPT file exists Options will be restored
automatically on the startup. Options include all settings of
this dialog box.
If Backup box is checked Easy Comm will always save the last
version of the edited file giving it the same name with BAK
extension.
- 3 Edit Options check boxes :
[X] Auto Indent
[X] Auto Wrap
If Auto Indent is checked, after you press Enter key
the cursor will be positioned on a new line and below
the first word of the previous line.
If Auto Wrap is checked, the cursor will move automatically
to the next line after you reach the right margin (last word
will be moved to the new line).
- 1 set of Screen Size radio buttons :
(∙) 25 lines
( ) 43/50 lines
If you have a EGA/VGA graphics adapter you can display
43/50 lines on the screen.
pg 23
- 1 input line - Right Margin:
It allows you to select the Right Margin Setting.
- 1 set of Right Margin radio buttons :
(∙) Use window's size
( ) Use margin setting
If you select "Use window's size" then a window's right edge will be
assumed to be a right margin for Reformat Paragraph and Auto Wrap
functions.
If you select "Use margin setting" then a Right Margin set on the above
input box will be used as a right margin for Reformat Paragraph and
Auto Wrap functions.
- 1 set of Screen Size radio buttons :
(∙) Use Spaces - smart TABs
( ) Use TAB characters
If you select Use Spaces, whenever you press TAB key
the appropriate number of spaces will be inserted.
This option is useful for programmers since the cursor
will move to the position under the next word of the
previous line.
If you select Use TABs, TAB character will be used (ASCII code
#9) when you press a TAB key.
- 1 input line - TAB width :
It allows you to select the width of TABs.
- 1 set of <ENTER> Char radio buttons :
(∙) CR + LF
( ) CR
( ) LF
If you select CR+LF (default) every time you press the <ENTER> key
a sequence of CR (ASCII code #13) and LF (ASCII code #10) characters
is inserted into a text (standard for most applications).
If you select CR every time you press the <ENTER> key only
the CR (ASCII code #13) character is inserted into a text.
If you select LF every time you press the <ENTER> key only
the CR (ASCII code #10) character is inserted into a text
(this convention is used on Unix systems).
These options work only if the below <ENTER> Mode is set to Insert Line.
pg 24
- 1 set of <ENTER> Mode radio buttons :
(∙) Insert Line
( ) Next Line
If you select the Insert Line mode (default) every time you press
the <ENTER> key a new line is inserted into a text (CR+LF, LF or CR
characters are inserted depending on the above <ENTER> Char setting).
When you select the Next Line mode no new lines are inserted after
you press the <ENTER> key. Instead a cursor moves to the beginning
of a next line (or if Auto Indent is set a cursor is positioned
below the first non-blank character).
- 1 set of Indent Mode radio buttons and Indent Str/Char input line:
(∙) ASCII code
( ) String
If you select ASCII code then the following Indent Str/Char input line
has a meaning of an ASCII code of a character. This character will be
inserted in front of all selected lines when you use Block Indent function
(Ctrl-K I). The default is the Space character (ASCII code #32).
If you select String then the following Indent Str/Char input line
has a meaning of a string of characters. This string will be
inserted in front of all selected lines when you use Block Indent function
(Ctrl-K I).
The Default button below restores the default Indent Mode to ASCII code
and the Indent Str/Char to #32 (space). When you are editing text you
can return to the default mode by pressing Ctrl-K followed by the space.
Options|Directories... command displays Directories dialog box where you can
specify directories for the Desktop file as well as for downloading.
'Directories' dialog box contains :
- Download Directory input line - you can specify the name of the directory
in which downloaded (received) files will be stored; if you leave it blank
the current directory will be used;
- 'Save Desktop in' radio buttons :
(∙) Current Directory
( ) Options Directory
If you select 'Current Directory' ECOMM.DSK (desktop) file will be stored
in the current directory. If you select 'Options Directory' the desktop
file will be stored always in the same directory as the Options file
(in the Easy Comm home directory).
pg 25
FILE PRINTING
=============
Print|Print Options command displays a Print Options
dialog box which contains the following :
- 1 set of LPT# radio buttons (DOS LPT port selection) :
(∙) LPT1
( ) LPT2
( ) LPT3
( ) LPT4
- 1 set of Eject check boxes :
- Eject a page Before printing (Yes if checked)
- Eject a page After printing (Yes if checked)
- 1 Headers/Footers check box
- Use Headers/Footers (if checked headers and footers will be printed if
specified with Print|Header and Print|Footer menu commands)
- 5 input lines :
- Left Margin (in characters)
- Page Length (in lines)
- Top Margin (in lines)
- Bottom Margin (in lines)
- Printer Initialization String (sent to a printer before printing a file):
unprintable ASCII characters can be entered as <N> where N is an ASCII
decimal code e.g. <27> means "Escape"
- 1 value box (unselectable - display only):
- Text Length = Page Length - Top Margin - Bottom Margin
Print|Print File command displays a Select File to Print dialog box which
allows you to select a file that you want to print. The file must exist on
your disk, so if you are editing a new file you have to save it before you can
start printing. After you select a file to print, printing starts and a Print
Status window is displayed. You can cancel printing at any time by pressing
Alt-F10 function key or by clicking with the mouse on Stop Print label on the
status line. Since printing is done in "background" you can continue using
other functions of EASY COMM during printing.
Print|Display Status command displays a Print Status window if it has not
been already open. You can close it at any time using menu command
Print|Close Status.
Print|Close Status command closes a Print Status window if it has been
open. You can reopen it later (during printing) using menu command
Print|Open Status.
pg 26
Print Status Window :
Print Status Window displays the following (with respect to the currently
printed file):
- current character number
- current line number (on the current page)
- current page number
- file name
- Graphical Indicator showing the percentage already printed
Print|Stop Printing command terminates printing procedure but the printer
will still print for some time depending on the size of its
internal print buffer.
You can select this command from the Print Menu or by pressing
Alt-F10 function key.
Print|Header and Print|Footer command displays a Header/Footer dialog box
allowing you to create a header.
Header/Footer dialog box allows to easily create headers and footers.
After you create a header or footer do not forget to check the Use
Headers/Footers check box in a Print Options dialog box if you want the
header and/or footer to be printed.
The easiest way to create a header/footer is to press a Default button
what will create a standard header/footer containing: Page Number, File
Name, System Date, and File Creation Date.
If you do not like the standard layout you can edit the Header/Footer
Window. Text entered from the keyboard will be printed exactly as it
looks on the screen.
In addition to plain text you can include in your headers/footers the
following: Page Numbers, File Name, System Date and File Creation Date
by pressing the appropriate buttons. You can quickly clear the
Header/Footer Window by pressing Blank button.
You can move a selected word (a word which includes the cursor) by
pressing Left, Center, and Right buttons. You can move in the same way
more than 1 word by highlighting text with a mouse.
You can Write a newly created header and footer to a file by pressing
Write button.
You can Read a previously created header and footer from a file by pressing
Read button.
All buttons can be selected either with a mouse or with a Alt-<Hot Key>
combination.
pg 27
OTHER FUNCTIONS
===============
File|Change Dir brings up the Change Directory dialog box, in which you
can change the current directory.
File|Write Block command allows you to write a selected block of text to a
file. The 'Save Block as' dialog box will be displayed in which you can enter
the file name under which you want to save the selected block of text.
File|Read command allows you to read a file into current text. The text will
be inserted into current cursor position. The standard 'Open a File' dialog
box is opened. In this dialog box you select the name of the text file you
want to read from.
With the File|DOS Shell command, you can leave the program temporarily
to perform a DOS command or run another program.
To return to Easy Comm, type EXIT at the DOS prompt.
File|Dos Shell command now gives you almost all memory available below
640KB (it can vary between 500-600KB depending on the system configuration).
This is achieved by swapping contents of RAM memory to either Expanded
Memory (if available), what gives a very fast performance, or to a temporary
VED.SWP file which is created on your drive c:.
DOS Shell command has been developed using a procedure released to public
domain by TurboPower Software.
File|Run Program command allows you to run external programs or execute
DOS commands from within Easy Comm.
This command opens up a Run Program dialog box which lets you enter the
program (or DOS external command) name and parameters that will be passed to
it (if any).
Run Program command has been developed using a procedure released to public
domain by TurboPower Software.
File|Run Spelling Checker command allows you to run external Spelling
Checker program e.g. Share Spell by Acropolis Software.
The File|Exit command (Alt-X) terminates Easy Comm. If you are on-line
when you pressed Alt-X a message box will be displayed giving you
a chance to quit without hanging up.