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1991-06-06
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==============================
PDL Phone Dialer - vr.1.00
==============================
(C) Copyright 1991 by Steven Hawkins. All Rights Reserved.
+---------+
+---------+ | (R)
--| | O |------------------
| +---------+ | Association of
| | |--+ Shareware
+---| O | Professionals
------| | |---------------------
+---------+ Member
Distributed and Supported by : FormGen Corporation
#9 - 13 Holland Dr.
Bolton, Ontario, Canada
L7E 1G4
(416) 857-4141
"This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that 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 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send
a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536."
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
WITH THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM, THE USER ACKNOWLEDGES THIS DISCLAIMER
OF WARRANTY : 'THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPLIED AS IS. THE AUTHOR
DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS OF
THIS PROGRAM FOR ANY PURPOSE. THE AUTHOR WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY
FOR DAMAGES DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE
OF THIS PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE AUTHOR WILL BE LIMITED
EXCLUSIVELY TO EITHER PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR THE REFUND OF THE
PURCHASE PRICE.'
PURCHASE AND LICENSE INFORMATION
This program is NOT public domain but is being distributed via the
"Shareware" concept. The program may be freely distributed but it
cannot under any circumstances be sold by anyone except the author.
You may distribute the program to others provided that it has not
been modified in any way, and that all supplied documentation and
support files remain intact.
Feel free to try out the program for 30 days to see if it meets
your needs. If you continue to use the program after the trial
period then please register by sending $25.00 as a single copy
license fee along with the registration form at the end of this
document to:
FormGen Corporation
#9 - 13 Holland Dr.
Bolton, Ontario, Canada
L7E 1G4
A single copy license fee entitles you to execute the program on
only one machine at a time. You may move the program from one
machine to another, store the program on several machines or store
the program on a network fileserver as long as the program is only
executed on one computer at a time.
When you register, you will receive much more extensive, printed
documentation, a copy of the latest version without the Shareware
reminder screen, notification of and a discount on any future
updates, and unlimited tech support.
Volume discounts, site licenses, LAN licenses etc. are available
under very reasonable terms. Please send any reports of bugs or
requests for multiple copy licensing to the above address.
COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTION
Shareware distributors or bulletin board operators may distribute
the program only under the following conditions :
- PDL must be distributed as a complete system with all original
files included.
- PDL and its accompanying files may not be modified in any way.
- No form of documentation may be added to the system.
- No other software may be included on the diskette (or in the .ARC
or .ZIP file in the case of a bulletin board posting)
- No purchase fee may be charged, a nominal handling and shipping
fee of $10 or less is allowed.
SHAREWARE
"Shareware" is a term used to describe a system for distribution of
software. Under the shareware concept, software may be freely
copied and passed along to others, or distributed through bulletin
board systems, etc.
As a recipient of a shareware program, you may use the software for
a short trial period to determine if it meets your needs. If it
does, you pay the registration fee. By paying the fee, you are
granted the right to retain the software for your use. If the
software is not suitable, then you may discard it.
The shareware system provides substantial benefits.
1) You get to try out the software before you buy it so you know
exactly what you're buying.
2) Shareware is substantially less expensive than most commercial
programs. You don't pay for costly marketing programs and fancy
packaging.
3) You get access to a much broader base of available programs.
Thousands of excellent programs have been written by expert
programmers who would never consider marketing commercially.
Through the concept of shareware, these people make their
programs available to the community. Usually, all they ask in
return is a small fee to reward them for the time and effort
they have put into the program.
The system is based entirely on the honor system, and generally
works quite well. (Most people are honest and wouldn't violate the
trust placed in them by the author of the software.) Shareware is
NOT free software - the author counts on your integrity. Please
register using the form at the end of this manual.
You are encouraged to copy this software and pass it along to others
who may be interested in using it.
Page 4
== Contents ========================================================
= Introduction .............................. page 5
= Configuration ............................. page 5
= Startup ................................... page 8
= Functions ................................. page 9
Letter Searches ........................ page 9
Initial Search : F3 ........................ page 9
Text Search : F4 ...................... page 10
Case Sensitivity : F5 ...................... page 11
Dial Number : Enter .................... page 11
Exit PDL : Escape / F10 ................... page 11
= Directory Files ........................... page 12
Load Directory Files : F2 ................. page 13
Edit Directory Files : F7 ................. page 13
= Log Files ................................. page 15
Log File Toggle : F6 ...................... page 16
= Long Distance Codes etc. .................. page 16
= System Time Display ....................... page 17
= Command Line Options ...................... page 17
= PDL Registration .......................... page 18
Page 5
== Introduction ====================================================
The PDL Dialer is a very simple to use utility that dials phone
numbers via your modem. You can create any number of directory
files for use with the program and quickly load them into the
dialer. You can locate a directory entry by searching for
Initials, searching for Text, or by going to the First Letter of a
record. You can enter an Access Code that will be added to the
number dialed automatically in order to clear office switchboards
etc. If you travel frequently, you can assign a default local area
code that will be removed from any long distance numbers when you
go to dial out.
PDL is provided in two different forms, a memory resident version
called PDLr and a transient (non-resident) version called PDLn.
The memory resident version has a capacity of 100 records and can
be easily popped up from any application or DOS. The non-resident
version has a capacity of up to 800 records but must be run from
the DOS prompt like a nornal DOS application. Both version of PDL
can be easily setup for a tone or pulse phone line, and you can
also enter an initialization string for your modem. You can also
change the hotkeys used by PDLr. Both PDLr and PDLn are
functionally identical with the exception of the Startup and Exit
method. These minor differences are discussed where appropriate
below.
This package is supplied with three executable files, the resident
dialer PDLR.COM, the transient version PDLN.COM and a simple
configuration program called PDLC.EXE. You MUST run the PDLc
configuration program before using the PDL dialer.
== Configuration ===================================================
In order to use PDL, you must run the PDLc setup utility. This
program allows you to set screen colours, setup hardware
parameters, establish various program defaults, and define the
hotkey for the memory resident version. Start PDLc by typing
"PDLC" and hitting Enter. The lower half of your screen will
clear to present the following display :
| PDLc | vr.x.xx | (c) Copyright 1991 S.Hawkins. All rights reserved|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Color Options Modem |
| General : 7 | Sys.Time : Y | Com Port : Com? |
| Highlight : 15 | Log Call : N | Baud Rate : 1200 |
| Edit : 112 | Log Type : Both | Dial Type : Pulse |
| Header : 112 | Tone Freq. : 200 Hz | Initialize : | |
| Bar : 112 | Access Code : | |
| Keys : 15 | L.Dist Code : | ----------------------|
| | | HotKey : Mk 08 Scn 39 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
Up Dwn:Move Space:Toggle F2:Hotkey Esc:Exit
Page 6
You can move from field to field using the Up and Down Arrow Keys.
When you are done, press the Escape key to exit PDLc.
The section on the left allows you to change the colors used by PDL
if you find the defaults unacceptable. The labels should easily
identify what the values refer to and won't be discussed here. If
you start PDLc on a color system, it will attempt to set the color
values accordingly, therefore the values illustrated above may not
be what you will see. Also, it is essential that the Highlight and
Edit colors be different values, particularly on a monchrome
system.
The centre section allows you to change log operations, the
frequency of the error tone, and assign any Access or Long Distance
Codes. Each option is outlined below :
Sys.Time : If "Y", PDL will startup with the system time
displayed on the status line. This switch can be
over-ridden by the "/t" command line switch
discussed in the Display System Time section at the
end of this file.
Log Call : Allows you to toggle the Log Call function On or
Off. This is the Log Function's default setting
when PDL is loaded. Its can be easly toggled On or
Off from within PDL.
Log Type : Allows you to log only Local, Long Distance or Both
calls to a log file called PDL.LOG. Just press the
Spacebar to toggle through the available choices.
This option does Not turn the log function On or
Off.
Tone Freq. : Allows you to set the frequency of the beep signal
used when a record cannot be found with a search
command. By default, the 200 Hz. cycle is not
offensive, but may be too low for your environment.
Type in the value you want to a maximum of 9999.
Access Code : The Access Code allows you to add a dialing prefix
with pause commands and numbers, to get through an
office switchboard etc. Type in the values you
need using the symbols specified in your modem
manual. A typical pause would be a , comma
character.
L.Dist Code : Phone numbers in PDL should always be entered with
their full dialing prefix and area code. The
L.Dist Code is the value you need to remove from
this full number in order to change it to a local
call. For example, if you live in area code 416
and all numbers are entered in your directory in
the format "1-xxx-xxx.xxxx", then the L.Dist Code
Page 7
would have to be "1-416". When the number is
dialed, the "1-416" and the "-" following it are
stripped off to create a local number. Please see
the section on Long Distance Codes near the end of
this manual.
The block on the right allows you to change the modem setup. The
Com Port can be set from 1 to 4 by hitting the Spacebar. Press the
Down Arrow or Enter Key to move to the Baud Rate field, and use the
Spacebar to run through the list of choices until your number comes
up ! Options are 300, 1200, 2400, and 9600 baud.
Next, move to the Dial Type field to set either Tone or Pulse,
using the Spacebar to toggle your choice.
The Initialize section allows you to make changes to the default
values sent to your modem when PDL is loaded from the DOS prompt or
popped up. Please consult your modem manual for available options.
Internally, PDL always sends the following Initialization string :
AT E0 S0=0 S11=65 Q1
AT get the modems attention
E0 do not echo back commands
S0=0 disable answer mode
S11=65 set dialing speed to 65 milli-seconds
Q1 Disable Result Codes
These defaults should be fine for any Hayes compatible modem.
Should you wish to change any of them or add new settings, just
type them in, up to 25 characters. Any entries should always be
preceded by an "AT" command. If you forget to add the AT then PDLc
will beep at you when you leave the Initialize field, add the "AT"
for you, and re-display the new values. If you have entered a full
line of changes, some of them may be dropped off by the addition of
the "AT" command. Please check the string before moving on to the
next item.
The Hotkey section allows you to change the default Alt Spacebar
hotkey used by PDLr should it conflict with another memory resident
application. To change the hotkey, press F2 to access the keymask
value, The Keymask can ONLY be one of four possible keys, Ctrl,
Alt, Left or Right Shift. When you press the appropriate key, its
Keymask value is displayed and the cursor moves over to the
Scancode box. The Scancode value can be any other single key
supported by your systems BIOS. Just press the key you wish to
use, and its Scancode value will appear on the display and you will
be returned to the first field on the PDLc display. If your BIOS
does not support the selected key or you enter an illegal Keymask
value, PDLc will beep at you and not allow you to move on to the
next item.
When all configuration options are set as you wish, press the
Escape key to return to DOS. Your current setup options are
Page 8
written to a file called PDL.CNF. This file is always written to
the directory from which the PDLc utility has been run. The
contents of this file are loaded every time you start either of the
two PDL Dialers.
== Startup =========================================================
Resident Version :
To start the resident version of PDL, type "PDLR" on the DOS
command line and press Enter. A brief copyright notice will
appear, PDLr and the default directory file PDL.DIR will be loaded
into memory, and the DOS prompt will be restored. If PDL is
already in memory, then the message 'PDLr Already Loaded' will
appear. To use the dialer, just pop it up using the key
combination Alt Spacebar (hold down the Alt key, tap the Spacebar,
and then release both keys). If you have changed the hotkeys with
the PDLc utility, please substitute accordingly.
Non Resident Version :
To start the non-resident version of PDL, type "PDLN" on the DOS
command line and press Enter. A copyright screen will then appear.
Press any key, and PDLn will load the default directory file
PDL.DIR and initialize your modem.
Main Screen :
Regardless of which version of PDL you use, the main screen will
appear as illustrated below :
: PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |.l| View :
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| |
| |
|>|ATI ATI Technologies Inc. Tech.Support 1-416-756-0711|<|
| ATI ATI Technologies Inc. Graphics Cards 1-416-756-0718 |
| AC Ace Computer 1-416-865-1112 |
| AC American Cybernetics Multi-Edit 1-602-968-1945 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
F1:Hlp F2:Dir F3:Ini F4:Txt F5:Case F6:Log F7:Edt Rtn:Dial Esc:Exit
The top line in reverse video is the Status Line containing the
name of the directory file currently loaded, the system time, the
status of the Case Sensitivity and Log switches, and the current
mode. Most of the time you will be in View Mode.
The centre block displays seven phone records. The centre line
highlighted in reverse video is the number ready to be dialed. The
Arrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys scroll through the centre
block displaying all available records. Some functions use this
centre line for prompts or user input.
Page 9
Each phone record contain a number of fields moving from left to
right. The first is an initial field used for fast searches. Next
is the name of the person or company, followed by a brief note.
The phone number then follows, pushing up to the right margin of
the block.
Along the bottom you will see a command reference illustrating all
commands and their function key assignments.
== Basic Functions =================================================
This section outline some of the various functions available in
PDL. For more information on Directory files, please see the next
section.
-- Letter Searches -------------------------------------------------
When PDL starts up, it usually moves to and displays the first
record in the directory. As was previously mentioned, you can use
the Arrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys to move through the file.
An even faster way is to enter the first letter of the record you
wish to find. PDL will then move instantly to the first record
starting with that letter. The first record found is based on the
person or company name, not the first letter of the Initial at the
left edge of the centre block. The Letter Search function is not
case sensitive and is not affected by the Case switch discussed
below.
-- Initial Search : F3 ---------------------------------------------
You can locate a record by searching for the Initials that appear
at the left margin of the centre block. When you press F3, you are
placed in Init Mode, and the reverse video line in the main records
block clears to prompt you to enter the Initials you wish to find.
Initials can be up to 4 letters only.
----------------------------------------------------------------
>| Search for Initials . . |<
----------------------------------------------------------------
Just type them in and press the Up or Down Arrow key to tell PDL in
which direction you would like to start the search. If the
initials cannot be found in the designated direction, PDL will wrap
around to the top or bottom of your file and continue the search.
If the initial does not exist then PDL will softly beep at you and
display the prompt line for a new entry. If a matching record is
found, the prompt box will clear and the record will be highlighted
in reverse video, ready to dial by pressing Enter. If the record
is not the one you want, continue to press an appropriate Arrow key
Page 10
until you find it. If you wish to enter new initials to find,
press the F3 key to restore the prompt line.
Within Init Mode you can also toggle the status of the Case and Log
keys (F5 and F6 respectively). The Initial search function is
affected by the status of the Case key. When Case is Off, all
entries are capitalized automatically and the search is not case
sensitive. When Case is On, the entries you make are searched for
literally and the prompt line displays exactly what you type in,
use the Caps Lock key if need be.
To exit Init Mode, just press Escape, and you will be returned to
View Mode.
-- Text Search : F4 ------------------------------------------------
You can locate a record by searching for any text in an entry.
When you press F4, you are placed in Text Mode, and the reverse
video line in the main records block clears to prompt you to enter
the text you wish to find. Text entries can be up to 20 characters
only. Any characters are valid for a text search.
----------------------------------------------------------------
>| Search for Text . . |<
----------------------------------------------------------------
Just type what you wish to find then press the Up or Down Arrow key
to tell PDL in which direction you would like to start the search.
If the text cannot be found in the designated direction, PDL will
wrap around to the top or bottom of your file and continue the
search. If the text cannot be found, PDL will softly beep at you
and display the prompt line for new entries. If a matching record
is found, the prompt box will clear and the record will be
highlighted in reverse video, ready to dial by pressing Enter. If
the record is not the one you want, continue to press an
appropriate Arrow key until you find it. If you wish to enter new
text to find, press the F4 key to restore the prompt line.
Within Text Mode you can also toggle the status of the Case and Log
keys (F5 and F6 respectively). The Text Search function is
affected by the status of the Case key. When Case is Off, all
entries are capitalized automatically and the search is not case
sensitive. When Case is On, the entries you make are searched for
literally and the prompt line displays exactly what you type in,
use the Caps Lock key if need be.
To exit Text Mode, just press Escape, and you will be returned to
View Mode.
Page 11
-- Case Sensitivity : F5 -------------------------------------------
As has already been mentioned in the preceding sections, you can
toggle the Case Sensitivity of the Initial or Text Search functions
by toggling the F5 key.
The Status line contains a small indicator block displaying the
current status of the Case and Log toggles. The indicator is the
section between the Clock and Mode displays. The character on the
left indicates Case and on the right, the Log function.
| PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |.l| View |
When the Case switch is toggled Off, the block displays a simple
dot as illustrated above, when On, the letter "c". The Case switch
can be toggled from View mode, and when the prompt line is
displayed in the Initial and Text Modes. When On, all user input
will be converted to upper case.
-- Dial Number : Enter ---------------------------------------------
To dial the number displayed in the reverse video bar in the centre
block, just press the Enter key. The bar then clears and displays
the following message.
----------------------------------------------------------------
>| Dialing 756-0711 * Press Spacebar to Disconnect |<
----------------------------------------------------------------
If an Access Code was entered with the PDLc utility, it will prefix
the displayed number. The displayed number will then be sent to
your modem and you should be able hear your modem dial out. When
the number has been sent, just press the Spacebar to disconnect
your modem. You do not have to wait for a dial tone or an answer
on the other end before disconnecting.
If an L.Dist Code was entered in setup, then its value will be
stripped off of the directory entry you are dialing and the number
displayed will be the net result.
-- Exit PDL : Escape / F10 -----------------------------------------
To exit PDL, just press the Escape key from within View Mode.
If you are using the non-resident version, a prompt line will
appear asking you to confirm the exit. Just press the "Y" key to
confirm, or any other key to ignore the exit and remain in PDL. If
you have made changes to your Directory File and have not saved
them to disk, PDL will prompt you before it exits back to DOS.
Just type in "Y" to save your current Directory. Should you find
the prompted exit to be a bother, you can go directly back to DOS
Page 12
by pressing the F10 key from the View Mode. PDL will prompt you
only if you have made changes to your file and have not saved them
to disk.
If you are using the resident version and have made changes to your
Directory File but have not saved them to disk, PDL will prompt you
before it exits back to DOS or your underlying application. Just
type in "Y" to save your current Directory to disk or "N" if you
prefer. If you respond with "N", PDL will prompt you every time
you escape back to DOS or the underlying application. In the
resident version, F10 functions the same as the Escape key.
== Directory Files =================================================
Directory Files in PDL are created with the default file extension
".DIR". The Directory file is a straight ASCII text file that must
be written in a specific format to be loaded directly into PDL.
The file can be created from within PDL by using the Add function,
or can be written using any text editor that does Not add any type
of formatting codes to the text.
If a text editor is used to build the Directory file, then the DIR
file must be written in the following format. This format is
primarily column specific.
FG FormGen PDL Tech Support 1-416-857-0022
| | | |
1 7 34 74
* The Initial can be up to 4 characters long, and must start at
column 1. It does not have to be capitalized, but this seems to
make the most sense to me.
* The person or company Name must start at column 7. The text
itself can be written with any combination of upper and lower
case letters.
* The Note can be written with any combination of upper and lower
case letters. It does not have to start at column 34, but I have
found this to be the most convenient place.
* The Number can be any length, but must always end at column 74.
The number should always be entered as a full dialing prefix and
area code, particularly if you travel a great deal.
* The Directory File cannot contain more than 800 records (lines)
for the non-resident version PDLn, or 100 records for the
resident version PDLr.
For your convenience, a default PDL directory is included to serve
as a template for your own file. The file must be written with an
Page 13
ASCII text editor that does not add any format codes to the file or
from within PDL. Also, you do not have to write the Directory file
in alphabetic order, PDL's Edit functions include a Sort option
that sorts the entries beginning with the Name field at column 7.
-- Load Directory File : F2 ----------------------------------------
The Directory File command allows you to load new directory files
into PDL. You can create several different files containing
diverse information, and then pull them into PDL in a flash.
When you press F2, the reverse video line in the main records block
clears and prompts you to enter a file name. Only the first part
of the filename is required, PDL assumes a .DIR extension unless
you specify otherwise. PDL also assumes that all directory files
reside in the directory where PDLN.COM or PDLR.COM reside.
When you have typed in the file name, just press Enter to load the
directory into PDL. If the file cannot be found, a brief message
will be displayed and you will be returned to the prompt to enter
or edit a name. You can press Escape to exit the Directory
function at any time.
As an option, you can also select a directory file from a list of
choices presented in the lower part of the screen. If you press
Enter on an empty prompt field, PDL displays a list of available
files and highlights the first, as illustrated below.
| LOG Logitech U.S.A. 1-415-
| --------------------------------------------------------------
|>| Load Directory File . .
| --------------------------------------------------------------
| Dir :|pdl.dir | tst.dir work.dir
| cmp.dir new.dir
+---------------------------------------------------------------
You can simply move the highlight with the cursor keys to the
desired file and press Enter to Load it into PDL. If you change
your mind, just press Escape to return to the prompt field.
Should you wish, you can load a file when you invoke PDL by
including the filename on the command line. Please see the Command
Line Options section at the end of this manual.
-- Edit Directory File : F7 ----------------------------------------
PDL contains full editing functions to allow you to modify, add or
delete records from the current Directory file. These function are
accessed by pressing F7 from View Mode. When in Edit Mode, the
message "Edit" appears in the upper right box on the Status line
and the current record will appear in the center block or Edit
Line, ready for editing.
Page 14
| PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |.l| Edit |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| INT Intuit Quicken 1-415-322-2800 |
| LOG Logitech U.S.A. 1-415-795-8500 |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
|>|MCR Microsoft Canada Ltd. Sales Office 672-7220|<|
| ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| MS MultiScope Debuggers 1-415-968-4892 |
| NAN Nantucket Corporation Clipper 1-213-390-7923 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
F2:Save F3:Add F4:Del F5:Sort AltC:Clear AltR:Rest Esc: Exit
The functions keys indicated below allow you to access additional
functions within Edit Mode, and will be discussed in turn below.
At this point, you can modify the currently displayed record as you
wish. By default, the editor is in OverType mode, but can be
toggled to Insert by pressing the Ins key, the cursor will then
change to a fuller block. Other key functions available when
editing are as follows :
Home : Move to the beginning (first character) of the line.
End : Move to the end (last character) of the line.
Up : Move to next record.
Down : Move to previous record.
PgUp : Move up one page (7 records).
PgDn : Move down one page (7 records).
Ctrl Home : Move to the first record in the Directory file.
Ctrl End : Move to the last record in the Directory file.
Tab : Move to the next default entry column.
Alt C : Erase the current contents of the edit line.
Alt R : Restore the previous contents of the edit line
after a change or the use of the Alt C function.
Works only while you remain on the current record.
The Edit function is a simple line editor, therefore the Edit Line
is the only active window onto the Directory File. When scrolling
through a Directory, the full screen will update to show you the
effect of your changes. Any changes you make are automatically
written to the Directory File in memory without any confirmation
step on your part.
In Edit Mode, function keys provide these additional features :
F2 : Save the current Directory file to disk. When making
changes, you are only modifying records currently held in
memory. Use the F2 key to write your changes to disk. If
you forget to save your changes, you will be prompted when
you try to exit back to DOS.
Page 15
F3 : Add a new record to the current Directory. The Edit Line
will clear, Add will insert a new blank record above the
displayed record, and the cursor will move to the extreme
left. Type in whatever you want and then press any other
function or movement key to continue. If you leave the new
record blank, Add will remove it from the Directory when
you press any other operation key.
F4 : Delete the current record. This function will remove a
record from the Directory, and will NOT prompt for any
confirmation before doing so. Please be careful ! Once
again, you will only be modifying the contents of memory,
so the original record can be restored by reloading the
Directory File. You can not use the Delete function to
remove a record in a file containing only one record, PDL
will sound an error tone in this instance.
F5 : Sort the current Directory File. The Sort function sorts
the File starting with the Name string at column 7, NOT the
Initial at column 1.
When you have finished making any modifications, we strongly
suggest you use the F2 Save function before you exit. You can exit
to View Mode at any time by pressing the Escape key. If any
records have been changed and you try to exit PDL back to DOS or
your underlying application, you will be prompted to Save to Disk
unless you have already used the F2 function.
== Log Files =======================================================
PDL allows you to Log your calls to a text file for business
purposes. You can also specify which type of calls will be
captured to the Log from within the Config section of the program.
When the Log function is toggled On via the F6 key, any calls of
the type specified will be sent to a file called PDL.LOG in the
directory where PDLx resides.
The Log file is a straight ASCII text file in the following format
Name Number Date Time Dir.
----------------------- -------------- ---------- -------- ---------
Burton Systems Softwa 1-919-233-8128 12-20-1990 16:19:44 pdl
American Cybernetics 1-602-968-1945 12-27-1990 16:55:36 pdl
Ein Stein's Computers 1-916-671-7444 01-07-1991 19:34:01 pdl
The items comprising the file should, needless to say, be quite
clear from this fragment. The Time column is only the start of the
call, not the calls duration, and the Dir column is the name of the
Directory file loaded at the time of the call.
If the Log function is activated and no Log file currently exists,
then one will be created the first time you dial a number. Calls
Page 16
will be posted to the Log only when the Log switch is toggled On,
allowing you to turn the feature Off for a specific call that
matches the type of call selected in Config that you don't want to
post. The Log file can be cleaned up or edited at any time with a
text editor that does not add format codes. If you wish to include
fragments in a word processed document, I suggest you copy the
PDL.LOG file to another name before dumping it into your word
processor.
-- Log File Toggle : F6 --------------------------------------------
The Status line contains a small indicator block displaying the
current status of the Case and Log toggles. The indicator is the
section between the Clock and Mode displays. The character on the
left indicates Case and on the right, the Log function.
| PDLx | Dir : c:\pdl\pdl.dir | 12:36:14 am |c.| View |
When the Log switch is toggled Off, the block displays a simple dot
as illustrated above, when On, the letter "l". The Log switch can
be toggled from View mode, and when the prompt line is displayed in
the Initial and Text Modes. As was mentioned in the previous
section, you can turn the Log function Off if you don't wish to
post a certain call and then back On again afterward. The F6 Log
switch is completely independent of the Log Type selection set with
PDLc.
== Long Distance Codes etc.. ========================================
Phone numbers in PDL should always be entered with their full
dialing prefix and area code. By so doing, you will never have to
edit your directory files to suit your geographic location; all you
would need to do is modify the L.Dist Code in PDLc to reflect the
change, and what were once long distance numbers would be
automatically converted into local calls.
This can be very useful to those of you who travel a great deal,
making PDL ideal for a laptop system. The Call logging function is
not affected by any change to the L.Dist Code, the Log function
bases its actions on the number actually dialed, not the number
stored in your directory file.
If you live in a rural area, you very often have to add "1-" to an
eight digit phone number. To preserve the "1-" and just extract
the area code from a directory entry, merely enter the area code
itself in the L.Dist Code field. For example, if you live in area
code 416 and all numbers are entered in your directory in the
format "1-xxx-xxx.xxxx", then the L.Dist Code would have to be "416".
When the number is dialed, the "416" and the "-" following it are
stripped off to create a local number with the "1-" prefix, ie
"1-xxx.xxxx".
Page 17
== System Time Display =============================================
The System Time Display is a very useful addition to PDL, but can
present problems with certain software setups. The Time function
grabs the timer interrupt in order to continuously display the
clock. This interrupt can however, have already been grabbed by
another application which will usually cause your system to crash.
The worst offenders in this regard are memory resident programs
like Sidekick from Borland International. If Sidekick is resident
when you load PDL with the Time Display switched On, your system
will go down for sure.
To help this problem, PDL contains a command line switch to toggle
the status of the System Time Display. By default, PDL turns the
Time Display On the first time you load it (unless you have toggled
it Off within the PDLc utility). If there is a clash with another
program, then PDL will most likely cause a system crash. Just
reboot your machine and start PDL again with the command line :
PDLx /t
This will toggle the Time Display Off. You should then use PDLc to
toggle the Sys.Time switch Off permanently.
== Command Line Options ============================================
You can, in addition to the Config Options discussed above, direct
some of PDL's actions from the DOS command line. These choices are
entered as parameters after the "PDLx" program name, and are
separated by a forward slash (/). You do not need to enter spaces
between parameters, but the separator is essential. Parameters are
case insensitive.
The syntax for the command line is :
PDLx filename /option /option
Please note that the status of these switches are Not preserved by
PDL when you exit the program. They must be added to the command
line when you run either version of PDL.
file : Should you wish to load a different Directory file when you
start PDL , then specify the filename on the command line.
If the file has the default extension "DIR" then an
extension need not be added. When you specify a file, the
first record in the new Directory file will be displayed.
If the filename you type on the command line is invalid
under the rules of DOS (8.3 characters) then PDL will
assign the filename 'NEW.DIR" as a default. This file will
not exist on disk until you save it from PDL.
Page 18
The file command line option can also be used to create a
new directory file from scratch. Just start PDL with the
filename you wish to use, build the contents from within
Edit Mode, and then save it to disk.
/b : This switch forces PDL to load default monochrome colour
values, regardless of the type of monitor in use. This can
be most useful if you are using a two colour monitor with a
CGA or EGA card. The multiple colour defaults may result
in a display that is somewhat difficult to read. If these
monochrome values work better on your display hardware,
then configure them with PDLc to avoid having to use the /b
switch every time you start up.
/t : Please see the previous section for a complete discussion
of the /t switch.
/u : Unload the PDLr dialer from memory. If you do not have
another TSR program in memory after PDLr then the message
"PDLr Unloaded" will appear. If PDL finds another program
in memory after itself then the message "Unable to Unload
PDLr" will appear and PDL will remain in memory. Dump any
memory resident programs after PDL and try again. If you
try to uninstall PDL when it is not loaded then the message
"PDLr is Not Resident" will appear.
/? /h Either the /? or /h switch will display a brief list of the
command line switches and not run PDL.
== PDL Registration =================================================
By registering, you will have a printed manual with more detailed
information, an update of the program including any new features,
and a clear conscience.
The registration is a very reasonable price that helps me to make a
living and to continue to maintain and improve the program. If you
do not register, but continue to benefit from the use of my program,
you are clearly violating the terms of my copyright.
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