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1991-03-16
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STERM: OS/2 Terminal Mangler
No warranty, expressed or implied, accompanies this
software. Use it at your own risk. No guarantee of
reliability or support may be attached to this offering.
Since I am gathering up all the current pieces of
STERM, it seemed like a good time to provide some meager
tidbits of documentation for the benighted user.
Currently, only one command-line parameter is
supported, the path to the connection description file to be
used with this access. The next release, if any, will have
this parameter point (optionally) to a connection directory
file which will contain a list of connection description
files and their description (sort of a pick list of
connections).
Commands are of the verb ... object style. Some of
them may require or optionally support quoted (double or
single) strings. The operation of the program is very
sensitive to the order of these commands. The rationale for
this order may not be immediately apparent. The best course
is to follow some of the given examples, if they work.
All lines beginning with an asterisk (*) are considered
comments; these will not slow the process too much. The
commands are case insensitive, or should be.
Installation
Executable material and sample definition files are in
STERM.ZIP. Unzip this to the directory for communications
or to a unique directory. Direct any reasonable query about
the source via my BIX userid 'dserls'. This source is
written for the JPI Topspeed C environment; the project file
is included. For those with other compilers, the thread
start and stop code may have to be 'adjusted' for the
particular runtime. I would put this in a development path.
Modify the .PRM files in your communications directory for
correct phone numbers, ports, line attributes, and
passwords. Add a menu item to your communication PM group:
specify the full path of the STERM.EXE file, specify the
working directory as the spot where the .PRM files are
located. Be sure that STERM.ICO resides with the .EXE file.
For the 'parameter' description for PM, use something like
'[Connect To?]'; this will have PM prompt you for the
definition filename.
The only feature of this terminal program which might
distinguish it from others is the SIMVT mode. This barely
supports 3278 emulation via VT100 emulation using the
mainframe host program SIM3278(tm). An installation task
for SIMVT users is to insure that a valid key-mapping exists
for PC keys to 3270 keys. The default mapping assumes the
old-style AT keyboard. If you have an enhanced keyboard, or
STERM: OS/2 Terminal Mangler
some other strangeness, edit this file. It contains a
sample for every key that can be mapped in the form
'pckey=3270key'.
Anyhow, STERM is an OS/2 communication program which accepts
a definition file as a connection parameter and acts as a
dumb terminal. There must ALWAYS be a definition file.
I hope to add XMODEM and/or KERMIT support as well as
SIM3278 support in its 'native' mode.
I went wild with threadness and assigned a thread each
to:
(1) writing to the COM port.
(2) reading from the COM port.
(3) writing to the display.
(4) reading the keyboard.
This does not include the main thread which processes
the command file and handles housekeeping.
These threads are woven together with anonymous pipes, so
that those which accept input can do so from multiple
sources.
The video output thread must soon become much more
sophisticated since it needs some way of accepting
attributes and screen addresses.
The current set of commands is:
Modem Initialization --
PORT - accepts 1, 2, or 3.
This defaults to 1 if not contained in the
command file or specified after the 1st SEND.
SPEED - the baudrate.
Accepts most popular rates.
STOPBITS - accepts '1', '1.5', or '2'
PARITY - accepts 'EVEN', 'ODD', 'SPACE',
'MARK', or 'NONE'.
DATABITS - accepts 5 thru 8 (5?).
ECHO - whether local echo of keyboard input is
to be done (half duplex).
Pacing Control --
DELAY - time in millisecs (minimum of 10).
DosSleep is called here.
STERM: OS/2 Terminal Mangler
SEND - send data to the port.
This can be in the form of a single or
double-quoted string for character data
or an identifier for control codes.
The current set of identifiers is:
CR, LF, SOH, XON, and ETX.
STERM: OS/2 Terminal Mangler
AWAIT - wait for a particular string.
The data may be specified as for 'SEND'.
A 30 sec. timeout is the default here, but
is adjustable via the TIMELIM command.
An Alt-X should 'break' this wait, mostly.
TIMELIM - specify timeout value for AWAIT. The
value is in milliseconds.
Screen --
COLOR - syntax is 'foreground ON background'
The list of colors is:
BLACK, BLUE, CYAN, GREEN, MAGENTA, RED,
BROWN, WHITE, GRAY, LITEBLUE, LITECYAN,
LITEMAGENTA, LITEGREEN, LITERED, YELLOW, and
BRITE. The usual proscriptions apply to the
mixing of colors which cause blinking.
Emulation --
TERMINAL - enter TTY or SIMVT. This VT100 emulator
should be SIMVT, since it's only effective
for SIM3278. Soon expect ANSI (BBS) and a
more 'real' VT100. Be careful about where
in the description file this is specified.
COMLOG - copy characters arriving or departing
at the COM port to the disk file STERM.LOG
in the current directory.
3270KEYS - the pathname of a file containing the
desired equivalencies between the PC
keyboard and its 3270 equivalent.
See the sample .KEY file. More than one
PC key may be set to the same 3270 key,
(F8 and PGDN for example).
Tweaking the 'Delay' times before 'SENDing' data will
usually obtain the desired result in the script.
Two immediate special-key commands are Alt-E and Alt-X;
the former to toggle the ECHO state, the latter to terminate
the program immediately. Also, Alt-C will clear the screen
without informing the host, during a terminal session.
Another 'special' key is Alt-D, which is used to enter
one or more of the above commands while in a terminal
session. The top line of the screen will temporarily be
usurped for the purpose of displaying the entered text.
STERM: OS/2 Terminal Mangler
When Alt-D is again pressed, the previous contents of the
top screen line will be replaced.
In the 3270 emulation mode, many bugs are extant.
Try to avoid HOME, which cannot behave as in a real 3270.
Currently, a CR is sent following the Home sequence; this
causes the entry of any data within an input area.
Also, backspace is semi-destructive currently - eventually
its behavior will be parameter specified.