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- Many people find it useful to have an 'Alternate' set of terminal
- parameters for use on CompuServe. "Terminal parameters" define the type of
- terminal emulation used, screen width, page length (the number of lines
- displayed before CIS stops and prompts for the next page), etc. All members
- have a Default set, normally defined when you first join the system.
- Defining an Alternate set, normally for use with a second computer with a
- different dispay, is pretty easy.
-
- STEP 1: Log On to CompuServe. It doesn't matter which computer you use to
- log on, though since you'll be setting up the display for your Alternate
- Computer, it makes sense to use the Alternate so you can check out the
- display directly.
-
- STEP 2: GO TERMINAL. This is the area of CIS where you set your terminal
- parameters, and is Free of normal connect charges (communication surcharges
- still apply ... GO RATES for more info on surcharges.)
- Elect to change SESSION settings (as of this writing, #5 on the Terminal
- menu), then choose Terminal Type/Parameters (#4) on the next menu.
-
- STEP 3: change whatever you want. This might be a different terminal type
- (eg. VT52, etc. Unless your computer or terminal program uses a special
- mode, the generic OTHER is recommended), screen width, page length, etc.
- The menus are easy to follow, and help is available for each option in the
- normal CIS fashion by typing HELP. Remember, this is a free area, so
- especially if you're directly connected to a CIS node, there's no need to
- rush.
-
- One thing to watch out for: some areas of CIS do not support screen widths
- less than 40. No harm if you set a lower value, but when you enter these
- areas (including Forums), your screen width will be reset to 40.
-
- It's also worth noting that the Page Length setting does not apply in
- Forum messages, so those with 'short' screens will need to use the
- Control-S and Control-Q to pause text transmission as they read messages.
-
- STEP 4: Check how things look. Display Okay? Time to exit.
-
- STEP 5: Type the command:
-
- PRO
-
- This will take you to the PROGRAMMING AREA. (No GO is necessary)
-
- PRO is a special area of CIS where you can, among other things, do all
- kinds of customization. Note that PRO is *NOT* a Free area, so regular
- connect charges will resume as soon as you exit the Terminal menu.
-
- PRO looks somewhat intimidating, because all you'll see is an enigmatic
- "OK" prompt. However, this time through, all that's needed is to type a
- single command:
-
- TER DEF FNAME/RATE:ANY
-
- For "FNAME," substitute any name (up to 6 characters) that you want to use
- for your Alternate Computer terminal parameters.
-
- What you're doing is DEFining a TERminal setting. CIS will note the
- parameters currently in effect, and save them on it's end under the name
- that you specify.
-
- By adding the "/RATE:ANY," you also tell CIS that this set of parameters
- is for ANY baud rate at which you may log on (a handy short cut.)
-
- End of set up ... you can now use a GO command to continue elsewhere or
- just log off.
-
- That's all there is to it!
-
- What? How to *USE* it, you say?? Ah .. almost forgot <grin>
-
- Normally, when you log on and give your UID#, CIS uses your permanent
- terminal parameters. However, now that you have another set of parameters
- defined, you can tell CIS to use that instead. All that's necessary is to
- append the name of your Alternate Settings to your UID# with an asterisk.
- Like so:
-
- User ID: 76704,41*FNAME
-
- As an extra bonus, should you want to use your Alternate set in the middle
- of a session, you can enter PRO, then type something like this:
-
- TER IS FNAME
-
- Of course, you're not limited to just one Alternate set. Following the
- procedure outlined above, you can define several.
-
- If you find that your settings aren't quite right after all, you can
- repeat the process and overwrite the old definition, using the same name
- (CIS will note the definition already exists and ask for confirmation,) or
- delete it entirely (TER UNDEFINE FNAME.) Note that CIS considers BAUD RATE
- to be a unique feature of each terminal definition. If you always specify
- ANY as the rate, this shouldn't be a problem.
-
- You can get a list of any alternate settings you may have currently
- defined in PRO by typing TER LIST LOCAL.
-
- That's it! Hope you find this file useful. If you have questions, as
- always, please don't hesitate to leave a message to the SYSOP, and help
- should be on the way shortly.
-
- By the way, setting parameters in PRO is an endlessly fascinating subject.
- If you are curious, you can get the WHOLE story, by entering PRO, then
- typing:
-
- TER HELP ...
-
- (Make sure you include the ellipsis.) This will scroll the Complete
- Terminal Help file. Do be warned it's approximately 27k worth of text, so
- make sure you have your text capture on, and sufficient space, before
- starting.
-
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