OS/2 Shareware BBS: 36 Tips/36-Tips.zip/gcp101.faq

Text File | 1995-09-01 | 17KB | 370 lines

                       Golden CommPass Version 2.20
                        Frequently Asked Questions



Many users have asked for a guide to how best to use GCP.  Over a period
of years the developers have discovered that there is no one type of
user that could be called typical.  However there are some common ways
of using GCP and hopefully the questions answered here will help you
maximize your use of GCP.  These are not presented in any particular
order, but perhaps, if there is sufficient interest a more structured
version will be created.


1. I DON'T WANT TO READ THE MANUAL. WHAT DO I DO?  (Short Version)

   You really should read the manual, especially if you are new to
   CompuServe or have not used an autonavigator before.  For those of
   you in a hurry here is an all too brief outline.

   GCP is designed as a two-pass system.  The first pass gets your
   headers (message titles) and then you decide which ones to read.
   Then you go back online to get the actual messages.  Since reading
   is done offline, you save money.

   GCP has a lot of options and the best thing you can do is click on
   every menu and submenu you see just to locate things even if you
   don't understand them.  If you have used other navigators, you may
   see settings you know you want to make.  If you do this you will
   find two major notebooks.  The FORUMS notebook is under SERVICES /
   FORUMS and the SETTINGS notebook is in OPTIONS / SETTINGS.

   To get started:

       A. Fill in your userid, password and telephone numbers and
          modem information

       B. Run CONNECT / CONFIGURE for each baud rate you intend to use.

       C. Add your forums in SERVICES / FORUMS / SELECTIONS / NEW

       D. Join these forums using CONNECT / JOIN from the main menu.

       E. Set up your sections to read in SERVICES / FORUMS /
          SECTIONS.  The default is Quick Scan mode but you can
          use multiple modes.

       F. Do a CONNECT / START NEW to get your headers into
          clipboard icons.

       G. Open each clipboard and highlight subjects of interest.

       H. Close the Clipboards and go back online with CONNECT /
          CONTINUE.  Your messages will be downloaded into BOOK
          icons.

       I. Read and reply to your messages by double clicking on
          the book icons.


2. I DON'T WANT TO READ THE MANUAL. WHAT NEXT? (Longer version)

   There are many ways to set up GCP.  Here is the most common way.
   This is a more complete description of the above question.

   A. After getting your local CompuServe phone number run CONNECT
      / CONFIGURE once for each baud rate you intend to use.  For a
      14400 baud node set GCP to 19200.  For a 28800 node set GCP to
      38400.  Do not set GCP to 14400 unless you know your modem will
      initialize at that speed.

   B. Click on SERVICES / FORUMS / SECTIONS and then click on the New
      button.  Select the forums you want to join from the list box
      and click on the ADD button for each one and close the dialog.
      Then click on Connect / Join forums.  When this is finished you
      can start using GCP.  However you probably want to fine tune it
      a little to the way you work or to minimize the amount of time
      you were spending online.

   C. Click on SERVICES / FORUMS / SECTIONS.  There are three mode
      buttons at the bottom of the dialog.  The buttons do not
      indicate the current read mode.  The buttons merely display the
      section list for each read mode.  GCP permits you to have more
      than one type of active reading mode.  When you highlight a
      section in a particular mode that activates that mode.
      Therefore you can click on the Quick Scan button and highlight
      the sections you want to follow and then you can click on the
      read new button and highlight other sections where you want to
      read every message in the section.

      Note: A common mistake is to click on SERVICES / FORUMS /
            COMMANDS and to check some of the options under the
            commands page.  The commands page should be used very
            infrequently.  It is not the way to set up your
            forums.  If you use this page you may h ave created
            some *.ADP files.  If you have any *.ADP files on
            your disk delete them.  You will get duplicate
            messages in most cases.


3. I DON'T SEE MY MODEM IN THE LIST.

   The DEFAULT modem setting will work for most modems.  If you have a
   28.8 modem the settings for the 14.4 modem should work.


4. WHEN I CLICK ON THE CLIPBOARD ICONS WHAT DO THE VARIOUS COLORS MEAN?

   The colors are part of Intelligent Subject Marking.  To customize
   this feature click on Services / Forums / Subjects.  You can change
   the colors by clicking on the Colors button.  While you are there you
   may want to click on Sort by Category.  This will group your subjects
   into convenient groups such as New, Previously Skipped, Preferred,
   etc.  You can also enter keywords on the page which will make GCP
   automatically select subjects of interest for you.


5. THE SAME MAIL KEEPS GETTING RETRIEVED OVER AND OVER.

   Click on SERVICES / MAIL / OPTIONS.  In the lower right corner
   uncheck the SAVE MAIL option.


6. I KEEP GETTING DUPLICATE MESSAGES.

   There are several sources.

     A. If you checkmarked any commands in SERVICES / FORUMS /
        COMMANDS you created forumname.ADP files.  DELETE THESE.  This
        is not the way to set up GCP.

     B. You may have checked more than one mode for a section in a
        forum.  Click on SERVICES / FORUMS / SECTIONS.  Normally you
        will only want to select sections under QUICK SCAN.  See if
        sections are selected under the other modes.  If they are,
        unhighlight them.

     C. If the duplicates are only messages to you, this may be
        normal.  You get the first copy when you do CONNECT / START
        NEW because it issues a READ WAITING.  Then when you mark your
        header list you end up marking the same threads so you get
        your messages again when you go back online with CONNECT /
        CONTINUE.  If you look closely the second time it will show "
        (X) " after your name indicating you have read it.


7. I SET MY ARCHIVING TO 30 DAYS BUT I STILL HAVE OLDER MESSAGES.

   Archiving is not yet totally automatic.  You must click on MESSAGES /
   REMOVE / AGE FILE and set or accept the values shown.  Then click on
   OK and you will get a message to the effect XXX MESSAGES MARKED FOR
   REMOVAL.  They have still not been removed.  Click on FILE / CLOSE
   and choose REWRITE or ARCHIVE depending on how you want to dispose of
   the messages.


8. I CAN'T LOGON.

   This may be any of several problems.  First turn on ONLINE.LOG in
   OPTIONS / SETTINGS / ONLINE-Page 4 so that a trace file is kept if
   you need to contact Golden CommPass Technical support.

     A. Check your init string.  Check that CTS/RTS is turned ON on
        the MODEMS page
     B. If you get TIMEOUT messages after the modem returns CONNECT
        then use the noctrlc.scr script.  To install it click on
        OPTIONS / TELEPHONES / USER SCRIPTS.  A data entry field will
        open up and you should type in NOCTRLC.  Note that you are
        still using the CompuServe network.
     C. If you get a COMMWRITE error with RC=29 this can be difficult.
        It means GCP is not getting a response from your modem.  GCP
        depends on your modem echoing information back to it which is
        why E1V1QO is explicitly defined in your init string or is a
        modem default.  You can do the following:

        1. Prefix your init string with ?1 and turn on INIT DELAY
           with a value of 1. This is usually helpful with PCMCIA
           modems.
        2. Try reseating your card if it is an internal modem.
        3. Try a MODE COMx from the command line where x is your
           comm port number.  You should get back a screen full of
           information.  If it doesn't then you may have a comm
           port problem.
        4. Try powering the modem off and on if it is an external
           modem.
        5. See if it works with another OS/2 comm program.  Do not
           test with a DOS program.
        6. Try the SIO comm drivers.  They are in OS2BVEN, LIB 4
           or at most OS/2 FTP sites.
        7. If you are on a LAN, try a modem attached directly to
           your machine.

     D. I get a ??LOGxx or ??NETxx message.  This is a CIS message.
        Your account number or password is wrong or CIS had a problem
        with billing your account.  In the latter case CIS has a network
        problem.  Any time you see question marks or percent signs the y
        are normal CIS messages describing a problem they are having.
        GCP Support cannot help.  Call CIS.


9. I get a message at the end saying "CD SIGNAL STILL PRESENT."

   Make sure your modem is hanging up normally.  If it is then click on
   OPTIONS / MODEMS and click on IGNORE CD.


10. MY CATALOGS LOAD EVERY TIME I START GCP.

   Click on OPTIONS / SETTINGS / OBJECTS and then on EXCLUDE CAT OBJECTS.


11. I WANT TO SEE THE NEWEST CATALOG ENTRIES FIRST.

   Click on OPTIONS / SETTINGS / CATALOGS and change the settings to
   sort by DATE and DESCENDING.


12. I CAN'T TURN ON LATIN-1 IN MAIL.

   To use Latin-1 anywhere you must first turn on USE MICROINTERROGATION
   in OPTIONS / SETTINGS / ONLINE and on page 3 turn on 'LATIN-1 8 BIT'.
   Then you can use it in the forums or mail.  If you need more help you
   can download LATIN1.DOC and LATIN1.GIF from the GCPSUPPORT libraries.
   Latin-1 is preferred over the GERMAN TRANSLATION option.  This option
   was available before Latin-1 and remains in case CIS has a problem
   with Latin-1.


13. I GET A MESSAGE "CAN'T FIND CIS MESSAGE ATTRIBUTES"

   This is a corrupt COMMPASS.INI file.  Save your registration number
   and install a COMMPASS.INI from backup.  If you have no backup find
   GCP220.PRG on your distribution disk and rename it GCP220.EXE.  Then
   type GCP220 COMMPASS.INI.  This will unzip a new COMMPASS.INI.  When
   you install it, you will lose all your custom switch settings but your
   data is intact.

   NOTE: ALWAYS BACKUP COMMPASS.INI, PARAMS.CIS and USERID.CIS


14. HOW DO I VIEW MY WEATHER MAPS- WHAT IS GIFVIEW.CMD?

   GCP does not come with a built in GIF viewer.  It seems as though
   everyone has their own preference for a GIF viewer.  You must install
   one in GCP however to view GIF files.  GIFVIEW.CMD is just a
   'placeholder' so that you don't get an error when trying to view a
   weather map.  There is a GIF viewer in the GCPSUPPORT Library 7 and
   others can be found in OS2AVEN and OS2USER.  Be sure to put in the
   full drive, path and file name in OPTIONS / SETTINGS / EXTERNAL and
   set the radio buttons properly.  Normally this will be PM and maybe
   HPFS.  If your GIF viewer is in another directory AND it has its own
   .DLL files they must be on your LIBPATH or the viewer will not be
   able to find them.


15. HOW DO I GET HELP ON THE MENU ITEMS?

   Point at the menu item, such as FILE, and hold down the Left Mouse
   button and press F1 to see the menu help.


16. HOW DO I USE TWO USERIDs WITH GCP.

   If both of them belong to you, you can clone your params.cis file in
   OPTIONS / SETTINGS / PARAMS.  Then put one ID in each params file.
   Please note that if they access the same forums the messages will
   get intermixed.  The File Extension of the current PARAMS.XXX file is
   shown on the main window title bar in parenthesis.  To keep messages
   in the same forums separated you will have to duplicate your
   COMMPASS.INI since that is where all paths are stored.  Then you will
   have to create command files to copy in the correct COMMPASS.INI and
   PARAMS.xxx.


17. HOW CAN I START GCP AUTOMATICALLY BEFORE I GET UP IN THE MORNING?

   GCP can be launched by almost any program launcher.  Even the Alarm
   applett from OS/2 2.1 will work.  Just use the following command line:

           COMMPASS.EXE  /CMD=N  /OS2=N

   There are additional parameters described in the Appendix of your manual.


18. HOW DO I TUNE GCP FOR BEST MULTITASKING?

   There are three areas where you can set the way GCP interacts with
   other programs.  The first is in OPTIONS / SETTINGS / ONLINE.  The
   default is for SYSTEM RESPONSIVENESS to be set.  Do not use MAXIMUM
   THROUGHPUT unless your system is severely resource constrained (for
   example a 386/33 with 6 megs of memory).  The second area is also in
   OPTIONS / SETTINGS / ONLINE and controls the COMM WINDOW.  This
   should be set to MINIMIZED for best performance.  It takes a lot of
   CPU to update the comm window, especially at higher speeds.  The third
   area is in SERVICES / FORUMS / GLOBAL.  There are two thread priority
   slider controls and sets of push buttons.  The top one controls the
   general indexing priority level.  This should be set near the top of
   the IDLE class.  If you put it in REGULAR class you will have
   problems running DOS programs.  The lower setting is the ACTIVE
   THREAD PRIORITY BOOST.  This should be set in the bottom 1/4 of the
   Regular class.


19. HOW CAN I REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CALLS I HAVE TO MAKE?

   Foreign users and users without a local node have to pay for each
   call.  In 2.20 there is a new switch in OPTIONS / SETTINGS /
   ONLINE-Page 2. It is called INTERACTIVE RETURN TO BASIC SERVICES.  If
   you turn that switch on then press F5 AFTER LOGGING ON, GCP will go
   to Basic Services at the end of the automated session.  You can then
   finish marking any forums you have not marked and drag them to the
   comm icon or comm window.  Then select OPTIONS / RESUME SESSION from
   the COMM WINDOW menu.


20. I CAN'T WRITE A MESSAGE. I DON'T KNOW THEIR USERID.

   If you are new to CIS and are just looking for support there are two
   common userids.  'ALL' and 'SYSOP'.  If you really need to write to a
   member go to MEMBERSHIP and see if they added their name to the
   public database.


21. I'VE GOT AN ERROR. HOW DO I REPORT IT?

   Usually the developers need the register information to solve errors.
   You should open your GCP Desktop Object's notebook and on the
   OPTIONAL PARAMETERS LINE add '/DUMP' without the quotes.  This will
   make GCP create a GCP220.DMP and/or GCP220.DMX file.  This file can
   be put in a message by using FILE / IMPORT.  Then erase the file.

   The other useful information is in ONLINE.LOG.  You turn this on in
   OPTIONS / SETTINGS / ONLINE-Page 4. Set it to capture the entire
   session and to save 3 or more sessions if you have the disk space.
   If you are not having problems, turn this off on low powered
   machines.  If you need to send an online.log to support please rename
   it and if it is big you can Zip it.  Then upload it to a library and
   leave us a message telling us about the problem and that you have
   uploaded the log.  Uploads are free and the libraries are easier for
   the developers to work with.  It costs you to send it by mail and
   lengthens the time to get a response.

   For any error sit back for a minute and think about what might be
   needed.  If you have trouble logging on we need your modem type, init
   string, where you are calling into, what network etc.  The more info
   the better.  If you think it relates to some GCP setting tell us your
   settings.  It also helps to know if you are online, even if you are
   reading messages offline in another forum.

   PROBLEMS SHOULD BE REPORTED IN THE GCPSUPPORT FORUM IF YOU CAN GET
   ONLINE.  Telephone support is mainly for those who cannot reach
   GCPSUPPORT.


22. WHAT IS THE REGISTERED USERS SECTION?

   Section 13 and Library 13 are invisible in GCPSUPPORT when you first
   buy GCP.  When you send in your registration ask Customer Services
   for access to Section 13.  If you have already registered then
   contact Customer Services via EMAIL at 71511,151 and ask for access.
   They will need your registration number.  GCP Technical support
   cannot give you access.  DO NOT POST REGISTRATION NUMBERS ON THE
   FORUM.

   Section 13 is just another general discussion section except that
   Beta versions are also discussed.  The library contains patches and
   upgrades.

Version 1.00 7/20/95