Fritz: All Fritz

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Fritz: All Fritz / All Fritz.zip / All Fritz / FILES / COMMADIO / STARDIAL.LZH / STARDIAL.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1989-10-01 | 51KB | 1,070 lines

STARDIAL Version 3.10 (c) 1989 by Vic Baron CIS: 71210,3632 All Rights Reserved _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER The author, Vic Baron, is a Member of The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP has established stringent standards for its members and wants to make sure the Shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at: Address: P.O. Box 5786 Compuserve: ASP Ombudsman Bellevue, WA 98006. 70475,1071 DISCLAIMER This program is provided "as is" with no warranties whatsoever, either expressed or implied, including without limitation, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is with you. Should this program be defective, you assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 1 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS A. INTRODUCTION..................................2 1. What is STARDIAL?............................2 2. What is Starlink?............................2 3. What STARDIAL is NOT!........................2 4. Why STARDIAL.................................2 5. Features.....................................3 6. STARDIAL Files...............................4 B. Acknowledgements..............................4 D. Hot keys......................................5 E. Configuration.................................7 1. Autoconfig and /c............................7 2. Configuration Fields.........................7 a) User ID Field...............................7 b) Password Field............................7 c) Tymnet access number Field..................7 d) Communication Parameters....................7 e) Modem Dial Prefix Field.....................7 f) Modem Initialization String.............7 F. Starting STARDIAL.............................8 1. Command Line Mode............................8 2. Using STARDIAL with a comm program...........8 a) Call STARDIAL directly......................8 b) Shell to Dos................................8 c) Exit your comm program and call STARDIAL....8 G. Terminal Mode.................................8 H. Main Menu.....................................9 1. Outdial Selection............................9 2. Access Tymnet................................9 3. Terminal Mode................................9 4. Maintenance..................................9 I. Dialing.......................................11 1. Automatic Queue Redial......................11 2. Aborting the Redial..........................11 3. Resuming the Redial..........................11 4. Manual Dialing................................11 J. In Case of DIFFICULTY.........................12 1. Connecting to Tymnet.........................12 2. Tymnet doesn't recognize username/password...12 3. Tymnet can't connect to the BBS number--.....12 4. Garbage characters on screen.................12 5. Can't make a menu selection..................12 6. See double characters on the screen..........12 7. How do I use the Manual Mode?................13 K. Distribution..................................14 L. Registration Form.............................14 M. Contacting the Author.........................14 Registration Form................................15 Appendix A.......................................16 Appendix B - Examples -..........................17 Appendix C - Quick Start.........................19 Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 2 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ A. INTRODUCTION 1. What is STARDIAL? STARDIAL is an Autodialer package for the Starlink user which runs on an IBM and compatible . STARDIAL can be used as a standalone or, if desired,it can be used in conjunction with your favorite communications package. STARDIAL is basically a dialer that acts as an extension to your communications package that allows you to manuever through the Starlink system with a minimum of keystrokes. If you are currently using script files with your communications program, STARDIAL is much faster. Entry of new outdial port numbers and BBS numbers is very simple via STARDIAL's full screen editing functions. STARDIAL's context-sensitive help will allow even an inexperienced user to operate STARDIAL. 2. What is Starlink? GALAXY STARLINK is an asynchronous outdial service that permits members to make long distance modem-to-modem calls from various points around the United States and Canada to computers in remote cities at a low hourly cost. There are, as of this date, over 1000 local access numbers and 142 outdial modems in the United States and Canada. 3. What STARDIAL is NOT! Very simply, STARDIAL is NOT a full featured telecom package and is not intended to be. By itself, STARDIAL has only ASCII capture capabilities and has only limited terminal capabilities. However, in conjunction with your favorite comm package, or external protocol, STARDIALbecomes an extremely powerful tool to manuever through the Galaxy Starlink system. 4. Why STARDIAL Simply put--laziness. The truth of the matter is that most software is written by the author to solve a particular problem that he/she has. Then, along comes someone and mentions the fact that they always wanted a program to do that....etc. In order to use the Starlink service and connect with a BBS, you first have to dial the local Tymnet number and log in with your userid,outdial port number and password. Once connected to the outdial city, you then enter the number of the BBS you are trying to reach. This is a lot of typing. Even if some of it is set into a script or macro, there's still quite a bit of keyboard activity. With STARDIAL, several keystrokes or a few clicks of the mouse and the process starts and will automatically log on to Tymnet, connect to the outdial city and dial the local BBS number. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 3 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ 5. Features - Can be used as a standalone dialer. - Can be called from a communication program such as Telix. - ASCII capture file for easy message retrieval. - Context-sensitive help available from anywhere in the program at the press of a hotkey. - Features a simple dumb terminal (uses ANSI.SYS if installed). - Allows user configuration. - Supports multiple directories - Allows users to add, delete, and update directory entries. - Sort on BBS or OUTDIAL with instant update - Allows up to 10 numbers in a dialing queue - Call several numbers in the same outdial without logging out. - Allows up to 200 entries per directory in registered version. (Maximum 20 in evaluation copy) - Tracks date of last connect and number of connects. - Support for environmental variable for path - Full screen editing in data input modes. - Supports both 1200 and 2400 baud access. - Provides a friendly menu/window environment. - Mouse support with automatic detection. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 4 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ 6. STARDIAL Files STARDIAL.EXE - The main executable file. STARDIAL.DOC - This documentation file. STARDIAL.HLP - STARDIAL online help file. STARDIAL will create three (3) additional files. STARDIAL.CAP - The STARDIAL capture file. STARDIAL.CFG - The STARDIAL configuration file. STARDIAL.DAT - Database of outdial and BBS numbers. Although STARDIAL will support multiple directories, it will always load the default directory at startup. To create additional directories just REName your current STARDIAL.DAT file to something else and run STARDIAL. A new STARDIAL.DAT will be created. STARDIAL supports an environmental variable, SDIAL, to provide path information for the STARDIAL support files. You would use the DOS SET command to set the variable to your path. SET SDIAL=C:\COMM\STARDIAL would set your path to C:\COMM\STARDIAL which is where STARDIAL would look for it's files. If the environmental variable is not set, STARDIAL will look in the default directory for it's files. B. Acknowledgements STARDIAL was written completely in Borland's TurboC version 2.0. Extensive use was made of the fine CXL library by Mike Smedley. TurboC is a trademark of Borland International DSZ is a trademark of Omen Technology. Telix is a trademark of Exis,Inc. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 5 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ C. Context sensitive help There are approximately 20 help screens available within STARDIAL at the touch of a key. Pressing F1 (Function key 1) will provide context sensitive help from anywhere within STARDIAL. In order for this feature to be functional, the help data file, STARDIAL.HLP must reside in the same directory as STARDIAL. Pressing the F1 key will open a help window and display the available help without interfering with the operation of STARDIAL. D. Hot keys ALT-B - Dial BBS. Sends the Starlink dial string "D #######" to the modem. Very useful when in manual mode. ALT-C - In addition to the regular (F1) help screens, a quick command summary may be obtained by pressing ALT-C from anywhere within STARDIAL. ALT-D - Display Dialing Directory and manually select a BBS for the ALT-B command. ALT-E - Toggle local echo and LF on/off while in terminal mode. Sometimes you need to provide local echo (half- duplex) and line feeds. If you enter data and can NOT see it on your screen, press ALT-E. This is a toggle, meaning that it toggles on/off with each keypress. A small window will open on the screen and indicate the current status. ALT-H - Drop DTR and send ATH0 to the modem to disconnect the call. Effective ONLY in Terminal mode. ALT-J - Jump to DOS. Shell to DOS to run additional programs. ALT-L - Toggle capture file open/closed. Searches for a file called STARDIAL.CAP in default directory. If found, data is appended to the file, otherwise the file is created in the default directory. ALT-M - Send userid:port;password<ret> for manual logon. If you desire to do a manual logon you first select an outdial from the directory. STARDIAL will construct your logon string for you. Then press ALT-M <ret> and the string will be sent to Tymnet to connect you with the outdial. You could then dial the BBS of your choice in that area. ALT-P - Send Tymnet Password to modem in Terminal mode. On some occasions something will interfere with the logon process and Tymnet will ask for your password. Press ALT-P <ret> and your Tymnet password will be sent through the modem. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 6 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ ALT-R - Redial the remaining numbers in the redial queue. STARDIAL will create a dialing queue of up to 10 numbers and dial them in sequence until a connection is established. After completion of the call, press ALT-R from the Main Menu to continue with the redial. ALT-S - Toggles sorting of directory display between the BBS and the OUTDIAL. Directory display is updated at once and the sort key is highlighted. ALT-T - Toggles the communication port parameters between 7E1 and 8N1. Currently most of the Tymnet numbers are at 7E1 but most BBS's are at 8N1. In order to achieve proper connection, you must switch to 8N1 as soon as connected to a bbs or even better, just PRIOR to connection. ALT-U - Send Tymnet User Name to modem in Terminal mode. See the information under ALT-P. This would be the same circumstance except it is your user ID. ALT-X - Exit STARDIAL with confirmation. Connection will be handled according to command line switch /d. If /d was NOT specified on the command line, the connection will be maintained. You would use this when connecting with STARDIAL with the intention of file transfer through your comm program. After exiting STARDIAL, you would call your comm program and continue with the call. If /d WAS specified on the command line, the call will be disconnected. FUNCTION KEYS F1 -- Opens a context sensitive help window from anywhere within STARDIAL. If multiple pages are available, use pg/up -- pg/dn to manuever. Cross referenced items are highlighted and may be selected by pressing <ret>. F10 -- Exit Terminal mode and return to the Main Menu. This does not disconnect the call and can be very useful when switching outdials. When you get the log in: prompt from Tymnet, hit F10 to exit Terminal mode, select another outdial from the directory, enter terminal mode again and press ALT-M to attempt a manual logon. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 7 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ E. Configuration 1. Autoconfig and /c When STARDIAL is called, it checks the default directory for its configuration file - STARDIAL.CFG. If it is not found, the user is put into the configuration input screen. Full screen editing of the input fields with controlled input in certain fields make configuring STARDIAL easy. After the input is ended, you are asked if you wish to save the file. A 'N' answer will cause the parameters to be used for that session but NOT be saved to the disk. At any time that you wish to change the configuration, STARDIAL may be called with the command line option /c - which will cause STARDIAL to automatically enter the configuration screen upon startup. 2. Configuration Fields a) User ID Field -- Enter your Tymnet username. The special Tymnet modifiers <ctrl V and ctrl I> may be entered as ^V and/or ^I. That means press the '^' key and then the 'V' or 'I' keys. Do not press the CTRL key. b) Password Field -- Enter your Tymnet password. c) Tymnet access number Field -- Enter the number you use to call Tymnet, including area code if necessary. d) Communication Parameters -- Enter your communication port (1/2) parameters. For Tymnet, most connections are currently at 7E1 (7 data,Even parity,1 stop). e) Modem Dial Prefix Field -- This is usually ATDT for tone telephones and ATDP for pulse (rotary) dial phones. Consult your modem manual for proper string. f) Modem Initialization String -- Enter your modem initialization string. The one parameter that STARDIAL keeps fixed is: V1 - (Enable verbal result codes). Note that if you enter STARDIAL while online, the modem initialization string will NOT be sent to the modem. ***<<WARNING>>*** This and all other information in the configuration file is stored in plain Ascii format. If you give a copy of STARDIAL to anyone make sure you remove your personal information. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 8 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ F. Starting STARDIAL 1. Command Line Mode The command syntax for calling STARDIAL is the same whether it is being called from a batch file or as a standalone. Command Syntax -- STARDIAL [/c] [/d] [/i] valid options are: /c -- Configure STARDIAL /d -- Drop DTR on exit (disconnect the call) /i -- Ignore the state of the CD line. Use /d to cause STARDIAL to disconnect the call when exiting the program. 2. Using STARDIAL with a comm program There are several ways to invoke STARDIAL while using your favorite comm program. They are -- a) Call STARDIAL directly This method assumes your comm package has a means for executing external programs either as a hot-key or a direct DOS command. STARDIAL will execute and when completed, leave you back in your comm program. b) Shell to Dos This method involves calling up DOS (shell) and then calling STARDIAL directly. c) Exit your comm program and call STARDIAL You may not have enough memory for the other methods to work so you simply exit your comm program (without dropping the carrier) and call STARDIAL. When STARDIAL has done its job it will exit back to DOS at which time you can call up your comm program again. G. Terminal Mode The terminal is a very simple terminal which buffers input and output and displays the input/output to the screen. It will supports ANSI codes if ANSI.SYS or equivalent is installed. Basically the terminal is there for simple interaction with the system in the event that something interferes with the dialer. It is also there so STARDIAL can be used as a standalone. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 9 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ H. Main Menu All of STARDIAL's functions originate from the main menu. There are five possible selections. STARDIAL has access-controlled menu selections, meaning that if a selection is not available at that time, it is shown dark and the cursor will skip it. For example, if STARDIAL were entered while connected on a call, the 'Access Tymnet' selection would be unavailable as it is primarily for dialing. 1. Select Outdial The Dialing Directory will be displayed and you may select up to ten (10) outdial and BBS combinations that you would like STARDIAL to call. Enter the numbers of the selections that you wish and they will be stored in a dialing queue. Pressing return will automatically start the dialing process. To dial a single number, highlight the entry or enter it's number and press return. The selection will automatically be dialed. Selecting an outdial will remove the restriction to the Access Tymnet selection. 2. Access Tymnet This selection will dial the Tymnet number in the configuration file. If a connection is made an attempt will be made to log in to the Tymnet system. After logging in it will attempt to connect to the selected outdial and dial the BBS number selected. This selection can NOT be accessed if you are online or if an outdial has not been selected. 3. Terminal Mode This is the basic dumb terminal mode. After a connection has been established with the Tymnet outdial you are put in this mode. 4. Maintenance This is the selection that allows you to maintain your dialing directory and is the first section other than the configuration section that will be visited. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 10 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ When the maintenance entry is selected, you are presented with a sub-menu with the selections Add -- Delete -- Load -- Update --Quit. Since Quit is self-explanatory, let's start with the ADD selection. ADD -- You will see the directory entry screen which has five fields -- Record No: -- contains the entry number to be added. Outdial Id -- enter the 3-5 digit outdial no. City -- enter the outdial city BBS Name -- enter name of the local bbs BBS Number -- enter the LOCAL phone # of the bbs. Enter as many entries as you wish up to 200. ESC ends input. DELETE -- When this is selected, the dialing directory is presented. Highlight the entry you wish to delete and press <ret>. The entry will be deleted and the directory display will be updated. LOAD -- This selection will allow you to change dialing directories. You are prompted to enter the filename of the directory. If the variable SDIAL is set, the path will be searched for the directory file. ***NOTE*** On startup, STARDIAL will always try to load STARDIAL.DAT as the default directory. If it cannot find it, STARDIAL.DAT will be created in the specified directory. In order to create multiple directories you may make copies of your current STARDIAL.DAT and rename them or, to create blank directories, REName the current STARDIAL.DAT to something else and just run STARDIAL. A new STARDIAL.DAT will be created automatically, blank and ready for input. UPDATE -- This selection will display the dialing directory and allow you to select an entry for modification. Once selected, the data entry screen will display with the fields filled to their current values. You may move freely through the fields with the editing keys, changing the entry, until you have completed your modifications. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 11 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ I. Dialing STARDIAL allows you to dial up to ten entries repeatedly until a connection is established, or you abort the attempt. You select the list of entries, by pressing a numeric key while in the dialing directory menu which opens the dialing queue window and the number is then entered as the first digit in the dialing string. You may scroll through the directory and make your selections. Each entry should be separated by a space. If you select more than ten (10) entries, only the first ten will be dialed, the rest will be ignored. Pressing <return> will cause STARDIAL to commence dialing the currently selected entries. 1. Automatic Queue Redial When a connection is established the entry is removed from the queue, so that when you later resume the redial, only the remaining entries will be dialed. STARDIAL will keep track of the outdial currently logged on and, if the next BBS number in the queue is in the same outdial, will NOT logout but just dial the next number in sequence. 2. Aborting the Redial You may abort the redial process by pressing the ESC (Escape) key, putting you in Terminal mode where you must press ALT-H to hang up and abort the dialing process. 3. Resuming the Redial. After completing a call, to resume dialing the remaining items in the queue, you must exit to the Main menu (F10) and press ALT-R and the queue will continue. STARDIAL will reset the parms to 7e1 before continuing the dial. If STARDIAL senses that the BBS has disconnected the line, you will see the message 'Hanging Up' and hear STARDIAL redialing Tymnet to reestablish the connection. 4. Manual Dialing. Should there be a need to have the modem dial a number manually, commands can be sent directly to the modem when in Terminal mode. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 12 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ J. In Case of DIFFICULTY Although STARDIAL is extremely flexible, there are several instances where you could have some difficulty. 1. Connecting to Tymnet -- If you have an extremely noisy line that prevents STARDIAL from recognizing a connection with Tymnet, it is recommended that you make the connection to Tymnet from your comm program and switch to STARDIAL for manual logon. After you see the CONNECT xxxx message, there can be up to an 8 second delay while TYMNET sends sync signals to establish the proper data rate. This can be quite frustrating but hitting <return>'s does NOT help, in fact, it may prevent connection. 2. Tymnet doesn't recognize your username/password-- Again, line noise could be the culprit. Tymnet expects a specific sequence of characters for the username/password and if an extra character slips in, it will be rejected. Simply press ALT-U<ret> to send the username manually and ALT-P<ret> to send the password. 3. Tymnet can't connect to the BBS number-- This is a problem specific to Tymnet not STARDIAL. If you have selected the automatic redial queue, STARDIAL will automatically attempt to reach the next number in the queue. 4. Garbage characters on screen-- You may be at the wrong comm port setting. Press ALT-T to toggle between 7E1 and 8N1. Tymnet uses 7E1 and it is easy to forget to switch back, especially after a connection to a BBS. 5. Can't make a menu selection -- Remember that STARDIAL will not allow you to select a dialing routine while you are already connected. Go to Terminal mode and press ALT-H to hangup. Then return to the main menu and make your selection. If you have the type of modem that holds the Carrier Detect (CD) line high (always connected), you may try running STARDIAL with the /i option to 'ignore' the state of the CD line. This may be helpful for AppleIIG users with PC addin cards. 6. See double characters on the screen-- If you see two of each character that you type, lliikkee tthhiiss, you have forgotten to switch the local echo off. Press ALT-E and the problem should disappear. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 13 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ 7. Using the Manual Mode Assuming you have connected with TYMNET -- if you are at the 'log in:' prompt, skip the first step. If you are already connected to an outdial and are in Terminal mode -- Enter L<ret> -- log out of outdial. Get 'log in:' prompt. Enter ALT-D -- to display directory - highlight entry and press <ret> Enter ALT-M<ret> -- to manually dial the outdial. Enter ALT-B <ret> to dial the selected BBS. **HINT** If you become familiar with the way Tymnet sends messages, you can pretty well tell where you are and what is happening from this info. If you've forgotten to switch parms back to 7E1 and have garbage characters on the screen, no problem, just press ALT-T to switch to 7E1 and then enter the commands above. If you just keep pressing <RET> to find out where you are, you will cause Tymnet to disconnect the call and you'll have to redial. It can be a bit confusing at first but when you get accustomed to it, the manual mode is a very rapid way of dialing numbers. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 14 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ K. Distribution This program is being distributed via the SHAREWARE concept and as such, may be copied freely with the following restrictions: * The program must be supplied in it's original unmodified form, including documentation. * STARDIAL may not be distributed as part of any commercial application or service without the express, written consent of the author. * Vendors of Shareware/Public Domain software may not distribute this program without the express, written consent of the author, unless said Vendor has been approved by the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). L. Registration Form STARDIAL is not free. It is however left up to you to decide whether or not it suits your needs and whether you should pay for it. If you continue to use STARDIAL then you should register your copy. Upon registration you will receive, by return mail, a diskette containing the registered version of STARDIAL which does not have the 'Unregistered Version' screen and has dialing directory support for up to 200 entries per directory. I will provide support for all registered users by Email. You will be entitled to free updates for one full year. The registration form is on the following page. M. Contacting the Author Please send all registrations or correspondence to: Vic Baron GTX 1168 Glendale Galleria Glendale, CA 91210 I can also be reached on Compuserve -- CIS: 71210,3632 EXECPC 1-414-964-5160 Thank you. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 15 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ S T A R D I A L R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M TO: Vic Baron Date___/___/___ GTX 1168 Glendale Galleria Glendale, CA 91210 FROM: Name:_____________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________ City:______________________ State: __________ ZIP: _______ Phone - Day: ( ) __________ Evening: ( ) __________ STARDIAL $20.00 (CA residents add 6% tax) _____ (Foreign orders add $10.00 for shipping) _____ Total $_____ Where did you get STARDIAL (BBS name, phone number, etc.)? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Date Registered ___________________ ========================================================== COMMENTS:_________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 16 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ Appendix A Editing Keys Cursor Movement --------------- Arrow keys - cursor movement Ctrl-LeftArrow - word left Ctrl-RightArrow - word right Home - beginning of field End - end of line/field Ctrl-Home - beginning of first field Ctrl-End - end of last field Tab - next field Shift-Tab - previous field Inserting and Deleting ---------------------- Ins - toggle insert mode Del - delete character at cursor BackSpace - delete character left Ctrl-BackSpace - delete word left Ctrl-T - delete word right Ctrl-U - delete to end of field Ctrl-Y - delete to end of form Other Editing Keys ------------------ Enter - process current field Ctrl-Enter - process all fields Ctrl-R - restore field Esc - abort data entry Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 17 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ Appendix B - Examples 1. Using STARDIAL with Telix. If you have a full featured telecom program such as Telix, you might want to use STARDIAL just as a dialer from within your telecom program in order to retain the flexibility of your regular comm program. a) Start Telix as usual. Have your properly configured STARDIAL and it's support files located where Telix can find them. b) If they are not already set properly, change your comm port parameters to 12/2400 8N1 using the ALT-P function. c) Press ALT-V for the 'DOS Command Hot-Key' and you will see your DOS prompt on the status line. d) Enter STARDIAL <ret> and STARDIAL will load and execute. Use the normal STARDIAL procedures to call Tymnet and logon to the BBS. Once you have logged on to the BBS, press ALT-X and at the exit prompt, press <ret>. e) STARDIAL will exit, leaving you connected to the BBS and, after a second, you will be back in Telix's terminal mode, still connected to the BBS. From here you can proceed to do all the functions that you normally would do, including up/download, capture files, chat,etc. f) When preparing to log off of the BBS, you are faced with several choices. You can log off through Telix as usual and repeat the ALT-V process for another call or you can press ALT-V while still connected to the BBS and log off through STARDIAL leaving yourself ready for another call. g) As an alternative approach, but not to confuse the issue, you may reverse the previous steps for a different approach. Start by running STARDIAL as a standalone and connect to your BBS. After logon to the BBS, use ALT-J to 'shell' to DOS from STARDIAL. Run Telix with the /o option to stay connected. When in Telix, set your ports with ALT-P and continue as before. When you exit Telix, type 'EXIT' to return to STARDIAL and proceed from there. The above is meant to show the flexibility of using STARDIAL with your favorite comm program. Most of the major programs have the capability of working with external programs. Consult your manual for the exact procedure for your program. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 18 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ 2. Using STARDIAL and DSZ for auto download. When using STARDIAL as a standalone, there are occasions when you might decide that you want to download a file from a BBS and can't use your regular comm program. A quick and efficient method is , after connection to the BBS, press ALT-J and shell to DOS. Assuming that you have the program DSZ from Omen Technology, you would enter the command dsz t, which will put DSZ into 'talk' mode , or more accurately, dumb terminal mode. You then proceed to do what you will in the BBS and when you select Zmodem download from the BBS, it will automatically be received by DSZ. After the transfer, you would press F1 to exit DSZ and 'EXIT' to get back into STARDIAL where you can continue with whatever you were doing. 3. Getting mail while in STARDIAL. When you just need to call a BBS and check for your mail, there is no need to go through your comm program. STARDIAL has a capture capability which will let you transfer your mail to a file called STARDIAL.CAP. When connected to the BBS and before reading your mail, press ALT-L. A window will open with a message 'CAP ON' indicating that the capture file has been opened and capture is now in effect. Any characters received by the modem will be stored in the file. STARDIAL will strip ANSI escape sequences from the buffer for legibility but doesn't affect the console. You would then proceed to 'TYPE' your mail or otherwise do an ASCII dump of the mail to the file. When the session is completed you may press ALT-L again and get the 'CAP OFF" message OR if you use ALT-X to exit STARDIAL, the file will be closed automatically. Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 19 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ Appendix C - Quick Start QUICK START I want to call my favorite BBS, ZZZ BBS, using STARDIAL. Also I'd like to download a file from ZZZ BBS. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Before you begin you need to gather the following pieces of information: Your Starlink user ID (Not Galaxy handle) Your Starlink password (Not Galaxy password) Local telephone number of Tymnet Your modem dial "prefix field" (Use ATDT) Initialization string of your modem Outdial Number of ZZZ BBS The outdial number is not the area code, but unique to Tymnet/Starlink. Program Exchange (Home of JMODEM) has an area code of 303, but corresponding Outdial Number is 2584. Consult an information packet from Galaxy/Starlink. Telephone Number of ZZZ BBS 2. Unzip STARDIAL and place all STARDIAL files (except DOC file) in a directory. 3. In response to the DOS prompt, type STARDIAL and <Enter>.You will get Configuration Menu. Fill the blank menu space with the pieces of information you have gathered at the beginning. For Communication Parameters, use 7E1. This configuration process is required once. (You can repeat the configuration as often as you want by restarting STARDIAL by typing STARDIAL /c.) 4. Type Y(es) to confirm Configuration, and press <Enter> key. You now get the main menu of STARDIAL. "Select Outdial" is highlighted. With the arrow keys (or a mouse), highlight "Maintenance" and press <Enter> key. 5. You get the maintenance menu. Choose "ADD" and enter required information about ZZZ.BBS. After completing your entry, get back to the main menu by pressing <ESC>. Highlight "Select Outdial" and press <Enter> to get the dialing directory. Now you see that ZZZ.BBS is listed in the directory. 6. Place the highlight on ZZZ.BBS and press <Enter> key. 7. The messages from Tymnet/Starlink appear on the screen: "Dialing Tymnet ...", "CONNECT 2400" (1200 if your baud is 1200), and other messages to tell you that dialing for your Stardial Autodialer Version 3.10 20 October 1, 1989 _________________________________________________________________ selection is proceeding. Be patient, because this process of completing a connection to a BBS can take up to 20 seconds. Do not tap on <Enter> key. 8. Unless ZZZ BBS is busy or "off-the-air", you will be connected. Go ahead and complete a normal logon procedure required by the BBS. That's it! 9. Wait! You wanted to download a file from ZZZ BBS. STARDIAL needs help from the "outside" to perform a file transfer, because it does not contain file transfer protocols, such as ZMODEM and JMODEM. This is how STARDIAL gets an outside help. 9.1 Before you start on STARDIAL, place external protocol files, such as DSZ.COM (for ZMODEM protocol), JMODEM.EXE (for JMODEM) in the directory path where they can be accessed. 9.2 Once linked up with ZZZ BBS, you proceed normally in asking ZZZ BBS for down-loading a file. ZZZ BBS will tell you when it is ready to transmit a file. Then you type ALT and J keys together (ALT-J) to invoke "DOS shell." This simply means that, after ALT-J, you can now run any DOS program, such as DSZ.COM or JMODEM.EXE. For example, to use ZMODEM, type DSZ t and press <Enter> key. 9.3 After a file transfer, you come back to STARDIAL by typing EXIT and press <Enter> key. NOTE: You need to know more about the parameters which are required for correct and effective use of ZMODEM, JMODEM, XMODEM and other protocols. 10. After logging-off from ZZZ BBS, press Alt and H keys at the same time (ALT-H) to hang-up your phone, and ALT-X to exit STARDIAL. NOTE: STARDIAL (more exactly speaking, its Terminal mode) can receive and show any messages from the BBS and transmit any of your messages to the BBS. STARDIAL can also capture messages from the BBS PC to a capture file on your disk drive. QUICK START has attempted to show you a simple way of using STARDIAL to perform down and uploading of binary files using protocols such as ZMODEM. STARDIAL has almost as many features as any other standalone telecom software. Consult the documentation for more advanced ways of running STARDIAL.