OS/2 Shareware BBS: 3 Comm/03-Comm.zip/tt2man.zip/ttphonbk.doc

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                             TABLE OF CONTENTS


          4. The Phone Book
            4.1 Overview
            4.2 Starting A Session
            4.3 Opening Another Phone Book
            4.4 Phone Book Maintenance
              4.4.1 Creating A New Phone Book
              4.4.2 Adding Sessions To A Phone Book
              4.4.3 Modifying Sessions In A Phone Book
              4.4.4 Deleting Sessions From A Phone Book
            4.5 The Controller Panel
            4.6 Phone Book Entry Definitions
              4.6.1 Overview
              4.6.2 Modifying Phone Book Entry Definitions
            4.7 Making A Model Phone Book Entry



                             4. The Phone Book


                                4.1 Overview


A Phone  Book  is  an  OS/2 File which  contains  a  logical  collection  of
TalkThru  sessions.    The file names can be any valid OS/2  name,  but  the
extension  MUST  BE  .PBK.   These files  are  normally  maintained  in  the
TalkThru  SESSIONS  directory, but may be referenced from anywhere  on  your
OS/2 system.

The Phone  Book  files  are maintained through dialogs  available  from  the
TalkThru  Phone  Book Window.  A Phone Book Window is displayed  whenever  a
TalkThru  Phone  Book  is  OPENED and it is  from  here  that  ALL  TalkThru
sessions  are  initiated.    The primary Phone  Book  Window  is  OPENED  at
initialization  time  and  will  either be  SAMPLES.PBK  from  the  TalkThru
SESSIONS directory or any Phone Book you have specified on the command  line
when invoking TalkThru.

The entries listed in the  Phone Book window  contain the description of the
sessions  available in this Phone  Book in  alphabetical order  and the Icon
that represents it.   If a  Phone Book  session  is started and MINIMIZED on
the desktop, this Icon will be used to represent it.

If TalkThru  is coexisting with the Communications  Manager,  Communications
Manager  sessions  ARE NOT represented in the Phone Book.   The  Phone  Book
only  represents  those sessions (TTY, VTxxx, Hpxxxx, etc.) that  are  being
controlled  by  TalkThru.    If  you  wish to  see  a  list  of  the  ACTIVE
Communications  Manager  sessions,  you may do so  by  selecting  Controller
Panel...  from  the  Utilities pull down menu.  Refer to  the  Section,  The
Controller Panel in this Chapter for more information.




                           4.2 Starting A Session


Some  Phone Book sessions may be requested to Start automatically  when  the
Phone  Book  is  opened.  If this is true,  several  TalkThru  sessions  may
already be started when the Phone Book window appears.

IMPORTANT:
     Every  component  of  TalkThru   runs   as  a  separate  OS/2  Session.
     Therefore,  when  Communications Sessions are started  from  the  Phone
     Book,  they  become  separate    windows    on  the  desktop,  with  no
     Presentation Manager interdependencies.

If you wish to Start a session from the Phone Book, you may do so by:

 - moving the cursor over the Session you wish to start and pressing Enter

             or

 - double clicking the MOUSE on the Session to be started




                       4.3 Opening Another Phone Book


If you  wish  to open another Phone Book, you may do so  by  selecting  Open
from  the  Phone Book pull down menu on any Phone Book  window.   Requesting
this menu item will display a list of the Phone Book files currently in  the
TalkThru  SESSIONS  directory.    You may select  a  Phone  Book  from  this
directory or from any other directory available on your OS/2 system.

Opening  a new Phone Book WILL NOT automatically CLOSE the current one.   If
you want  to  close  the  current  Phone  Book,  you  will  have  to  do  so
specifically once the new Phone Book has been opened.




                         4.4 Phone Book Maintenance


Phone  Books  are built and maintained through dialogs  available  from  the
Phone  Book window.  The next few sections provide a brief overview  of  how
Phone Books are created and changed.

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4.4.1 Creating A New Phone Book │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

  If you  wish to create your own Phone Book, you can do so from  any  Phone
  Book  currently  opened or from the Controller Panel (see  The  Controller
  Panel  later in this Chapter).  To request the dialog for creating  a  new
  Phone  Book, request New from the Phone Book pull down menu.  Once you  do
  this, you will see the "Create a New Phone Book" dialog.

  In this dialog, you will:

   - Provide a description for the new Phone Book to appear as the Title  on
     the Phone Book Window.

   - Provide  an  8 character name to be used to save the  Phone  Book  file
     (the  extension will be .PBK and will automatically be appended to  the
     name).  The new Phone Book file will be saved in the TalkThru  SESSIONS
     directory.

  Once  you  have done this, you will be presented with a blank  Phone  Book
  window.

  From  here, you can use Add Item, Change Item, and Delete Item   from  the
  Phone Book pull down menu to maintain the Phone Book.

  REMEMBER:
       If you  wish  to have this Phone Book OPENED automatically  the  next
       time  TalkThru is invoked, you must specify its 8 character  name  on
       the TalkThru command line.

┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4.4.2 Adding Sessions To A Phone Book │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘

  Phone  Book Entries are added to an existing Phone Book by requesting  Add
  Item  from  the Phone Book pull down menu.  If you request Add  Item,  you
  will see the "Add a Phone Book Listing" dialog:

  Below is a description of each Entry Field in this window:


  Title
   This  is the title for this Phone Book Entry.  This title will appear  on
   the Phone Book window to represent this session and will be the title  of
   the Terminal Emulation window once the session is started.


  Unique Session Name ...
   This  name will become the 1 to 8 character file name for the Phone  Book
   Entry Definition which will be created to represent this session.   Refer
   to the  Section, Phone Book Entry Definitions later in this  Chapter  for
   more  information  on what these files contain and how they  are  further
   modified.


  Choose a Model ...
   This  field allows you to identify the Model Phone Book Entry  Definition
   that  most  closely represents the session you are adding  to  the  Phone
   Book.

   WARNING:
        Not all  Phone  Book Entry Definitions are models.  If you  wish  to
        make a Phone Book Entry Definition a MODEL, refer to Making A  Model
        Phone Book Entry later in this chapter.

   HINT:
     Since  the Title is how you select Models, it is recommended  that  you
     make  the Title field for each Model Phone Book Entry  Definition  very
     clear as to the session being defined.

   You may  press the Down Arrow Key and Up Arrow Key to scroll through  the
   list  of  Models.  To see all of the Models in a list, use the  MOUSE  to
   click  on the down arrow to the right of the field or press the  ALT  Key
   and Down Arrow Key simultaneously while positioned on this field.


  Customized Icon ...

   This  field  contains  the first Icon in the list of Icon  files  in  the
   TalkThru  ICONS directory.  Also, the Icon that this file  represents  is
   displayed to the right of the field.

   NOTE:
      The files  listed  here all have an extension of .ICO  and  have  been
      built  using  the  OS/2 Icon Editor  (ICONEDIT).   Several  Icons  are
      provided  with TalkThru, but if you wish to provide your  own,  merely
      copy  them  into  the    TalkThru    ICONS  directory  and  they  will
      automatically appear on this list.

   You may  press the Down Arrow Key and Up Arrow Key to scroll through  the
   list  of  Icons.  To see just the file name of all the Icons in  a  list,
   use the  MOUSE  to click on the down arrow to the right of the  field  or
   press  the ALT Key and Down Arrow Key simultaneously while positioned  on
   this field.

   The Icon you select from this list will appear next to the session  Title
   on the Phone Book and will be used when this session is MINIMIZED.


  Initialization Script ...

   Optionally,  you can ask TalkThru to run a script program when a  session
   is started.  The type of script that this field represents is  determined
   by the file's extension:

     .EXE
        - this script represents an OS/2 program to be run

     .EBI
        - this  is  a script program written in EASEL and  EASEL  should  be
          invoked to run it

     .SCR
        - this is a TalkThru AUTOPILOT script to be run


  EHLLAPI Session ID

   This  allows you to specify the single letter to be used by your  EHLLAPI
   programs to refer to this session.


   WARNING:
        This  field is REQUIRED if you intend to use any EHLLAPI program  to
        access  this  session.   Also, this field must be  unique  from  any
        other  TalkThru  or Communications Manager sessions  that  might  be
        active at any one time.

   REMEMBER:
        AUTOPILOT  uses EHLLAPI for it's communications. Therefore,  if  you
        are going  to use the AUTOPILOT programming language to script  host
        sessions, you will need to assign an EHLLAPI Session Id and make  it
        active (see next item) before AUTOPILOT will work.



  Make session available for EHLLAPI ...

   Only  used  for EHLLAPI.  If this button is checked,  this  session  will
   automatically  be  Created whenever TalkThru is  initialized   When  this
   happens, this means that it will be available for EHLLAPI  communications
   but will not have a Terminal Emulator window.


  Start terminal for this session ...

   If this  button  is checked, this session will  automatically  be  Opened
   when  TalkThru is initialized.  When this happens, both  EHLLAPI  support
   and an active Terminal Emulator are initiated.


  Always prompt for initial settings ...

   If this  button is checked, the Start Terminal Emulation  Options  dialog
   will  be  displayed  each time  this session  is Opened.  This allows any
   last minute changes to this session to be made prior to session START.


  Once you have completed the Add Item dialog and pressed "Accept", you will
  now see the "Session" dialog.

  This  dialog  is very similar to the Sessions dialog  available  from  the
  Settings pull down menu.  This screen allows you confirm the Terminal  and
  Device information obtained from the Model Phone Book Entry Definition.

  Press  Enter or  Ok and you  will  then  see  the "TalkThru Start Terminal
  Emulation Options" dialog:

  This  again allows you to confirm basic device information  obtained  from
  the Model  Phone Book Entry Definition.  This dialog is the same one  that
  you will  see  each time you START this session if you  requested  Initial
  Settings Prompt when you Added this item.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4.4.3 Modifying Sessions In A Phone Book │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

  Once  a Phone Book session has been created, the information is  logically
  divided into two components:

   - Phone Book information regarding how the session appears and initiates

   - Session  information  about  the   technical  specifics  regarding  the
     communications session it represents

  The Phone  Book  information  relating   to   a  session  is  modified  by
  positioning  the Selector Bar over the item to be modified  and  selecting
  the Change Item choice from the Phone Book pull down menu.

  Once you  have done  this,  you  will  see the  "Change Phone Book Listing
  Information" dialog.

  This  dialog is very similar to the one used to add a Phone  Book  session
  and allows  you  to  modify all the same  information.   Refer  to  Adding
  Sessions  To A Phone Book if you have any questions about specific  fields
  on this screen.

  The technical  aspects  of  a Session are stored in  a  Phone  Book  Entry
  Definition.    For  more information on these entries  and  how  they  are
  modified,  refer  to the Section, Phone Book Entry  Definitions  later  in
  this chapter.

┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4.4.4 Deleting Sessions From A Phone Book │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘

  If you  wish  to  delete  a  session from a  Phone  Book,  you  do  so  by
  positioning  the  Selector  Bar over the session you wish  to  delete  and
  selecting the Delete Item choice from the Phone Book pull down menu.

  If you do this, you will see the "Delete Phone Book Listing" dialog:

  REMEMBER:
        When  you delete a session from a Phone Book, the Phone  Book  Entry
        Definition associated with it will also be deleted.




                          4.5 The Controller Panel


The TalkThru Sessions Controller panel is normally hidden from the  desktop.
It is available, though, from any Phone Book by requesting Controller  Panel
from  the Utilities pull down menu.  The Sessions Controller Panel  contains
information about ALL the TalkThru and Communications Manager sessions  that
are CURRENTLY ACTIVE.

This panel will list, not only the currently active TalkThru  sessions,  but
also  all  of  the  sessions reported  by  the  Communications  Manager  (if
present) through the QUERY SESSIONS EHLLAPI call.

TalkThru sessions present on this list may be active in one of two  possible
states:

 Created
      - activated for EHLLAPI support without Terminal Emulation

 Opened
      - EHLLAPI support and Terminal Emulation are both active

From this panel you may:


Create a New Phone Book

 By selecting  New from the Phone Book pull down menu, you can create a  new
 Phone  Book  exactly as you might from any open Phone Book.  Refer  to  the
 Section Phone Book Maintenance in this Chapter for more information.


Open A Phone Book

 By selecting Open from the Phone Book pull down menu, you can Open a  Phone
 Book.

 WARNING:
      Opening a new Phone Book WILL NOT automatically close any Phone  Books
      currently  open.  If you want to close the current ones you will  have
      to do so specifically once the new Phone Book has been opened.


Review Session Status

 There  are  two  types  of session status that can  be  obtained  from  the
 TalkThru Sessions Controller panel.

 You may  review  the  current  status of  each  active  session  by  Double
 Clicking  the  Left  MOUSE button on the session desired  or  by  selecting
 Status from the Sessions pull down menu.

 By Double  Clicking  the Right MOUSE button on the  session  desired,  more
 detailed status concerning the EHLLAPI use of this session is displayed.


Start A Session

 You may,  by  selecting Start from the Sessions pull down menu,  Start  any
 TalkThru  session that is Created for EHLLAPI support but does not have  an
 active  Terminal Emulator window.  This process is identical  to  selecting
 the item from the Phone Book.


Stop A Session

 By selecting  Stop  from  the Sessions pull down menu,  you  may  Stop  any
 TalkThru session for which there is an active Terminal Emulator window.


Remove A Session

 By selecting  the Remove option from the Sessions pull down menu,  you  may
 remove  a  session Created for EHLLAPI support, but for which there  is  no
 Terminal  Emulator  window.   Created Sessions are Sessions  for  which  no
 Terminal Emulation is required, but EHLLAPI support is.


Close The Sessions Controller Panel

 The TalkThru  Sessions Controller panel can be hidden from the  desktop  by
 selecting Exit from the Phone Book pull down menu.




                      4.6 Phone Book Entry Definitions



┌────────────────┐
│ 4.6.1 Overview │
└────────────────┘

  Phone  Book  Entry  Definitions  are OS/2  text  files  which  describe  a
  TalkThru  session.   These files are maintained in the  TalkThru  SESSIONS
  directory  (usually named C:\TALKTHRU\SESSIONS) and have an  extension  of
  .DEF.    The  information maintained in these files is  divided  into  two
  categories:

     Session Parameters
     Session Aesthetics

  Session  Parameters  represent  the technical  aspects  of  this  specific
  communications session and include information such as:

   - The  device being used. This will be The OS/2 Standard COM Driver,  the
     Communications  Manager  ACDI  or IBM's TCP/IP for  OS/2.  If  the  COM
     Driver  or  ACDI  is  specified,  the modem  attached  to  it  must  be
     ASSOCIATED  to  a  Modem Configuration File  (see  the  Chapter,  Modem
     Configuration Files).

   - The specific Terminal Protocol to be used for this session.

   - Whether  the  connection  requires a DIAL  operation,  what  the  phone
     number is, should it retry, how often, etc.

   - Whether the connection should occur automatically at startup.

   - The    timing adjustments that are associated with  the  Clipboard  and
     File Transfer.

   - The  mapping  of the PC Keyboard to the host keys including  the  ASCII
     escape sequences that represent the host keys.

   - The  definition  of  Emulator Buttons and the  activities  they  should
     perform.

  Session  Aesthetics  represent   information regarding  how  this  session
  appears to the user.  This information includes:

   - A description for this session used to represent it in the Phone Book.

   - How the MOUSE should react while in Terminal Emulation.  This  includes
     what  activity  should  occur  when the Left  mouse  button  is  Double
     Clicked  and  when  the  Right mouse button  is  Single  Clicked.   The
     activities that can occur include:

          positioning the cursor
          sending the Enter Key
          sending the character under the cursor
          sending the character plus Enter
          sending the word under the cursor
          sending the word plus Enter
          sending the host key indicated by the word (i.e. PF1)

   - The  aesthetic  appearance  of  the  Terminal  Emulator  screen.   This
     includes:

          how the cursor should appear
          should a click occur when keys are pressed
          whether Vertical/Horizontal Scroll Bars should appear

   - What information should appear on the Status Line.

   - A mapping  of  Foreground/Background colors to the various  host  field
     attribute bytes supported by this particular protocol.

   - An  indication  of  the Fixed FONT to use  for  the  Terminal  Emulator
     Screen.


  The accuracy  of  the  information  contained  in  the  Phone  Book  Entry
  Definitions  is  critical to the successful operation of  TalkThru.  Since
  there  is  so  much  variation in  the  combination  of  devices,  modems,
  terminal  protocols,  and  protocol   converters,  it  is  impossible  for
  TalkThru  to  be  distributed  with a complete set  of  Phone  Book  Entry
  Definitions  for  your specific needs.  Also, it would be  very  difficult
  for you to have to build one from scratch.

  To help  you  in building the necessary Phone Book Entry  Definitions  for
  your  needs, TalkThru is provided using the concept of  Model  Descriptors
  and several MODELS are distributed with the product.  Each time you add  a
  new item  to your Phone Book, you will be asked to specify a  Model  Phone
  Book  Entry Definition.  This allows you to see the description field  for
  each Phone Book Entry Definition which has been defined as a MODEL and  to
  select the one which Best Represents the session you want to add.

  IMPORTANT:
       Not all  Phone Book Entry Definitions are considered MODELS.  If  you
       wish  to make a Phone Book Entry Definition a model, refer to  Making
       A Model Phone Book Entry later in this chapter.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4.6.2 Modifying Phone Book Entry Definitions │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

  Phone  Book Entry Definitions are modified through dialogs  provided  with
  TalkThru.    These  dialogs can be accessed  from  several  places  within
  TalkThru:

   - When  you  add a session to a Phone Book, some  initial  questions  are
     asked regarding this session.

   - From  the  Phone Book window, request the Settings pull down  menu  and
     you  may  modify the Phone Book Entry Definition  currently  under  the
     Selector Bar.

   - From the Terminal Emulator window, request the Settings pull down  menu
     to modify the settings for the current session.

  Help  for  the  individual  fields on each  of  the  Settings  dialogs  is
  available  by positioning the cursor over the desired field  and  pressing
  F1 or pressing the Help button with the MOUSE.




                    4.7 Making A Model Phone Book Entry


There  is currently no dialog within TalkThru to assign or unassign a  Phone
Book  Entry Definition as a MODEL.  Currently, if you wish to do  this,  you
must perform the following steps:

1. Request an OS/2 Full Screen session.

2. Change  the  directory  to   the  TalkThru  SESSIONS  directory  (usually
   C:\TALKTHRU\SESSIONS).

3. Edit the Phone Book Entry Definition file you wish to make a Model.   The
   name  consists of the eight character name you provided when you  created
   it and the extension .DEF.

4. Add or Delete the following line as the first record in the file:

   MODEL=YES