Black Box 4/BlackBox.cdr/w3_comms/telebase.arj/TELEBASE.DOC

Text File | 1991-08-22 | 25.1 KB | 586 lines

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                 Tele-Base :  The Automated Telephone Enquiry System
                              for MS-Windows
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Introduction :

        Tele-Base is a program that provides an easy-to-use interface into
Phone Base, British Telecoms's directory enquiry database. This is a much
more cost-effective alternative to using the 192 directory enquiries service
now costing 43p per call from April, 1991. Phone Base calls are charged at b1
rates, so enquiries at cheap rate can be made for about 5p. Tele-Base
minimises direct input whilst on-line, so reducing call time and saving you
money. It also allows a batch of up to fifty enquiries to be made in a single
call. The results of these enquiries may be stored in a directory file and/or
sent to a printer for hard copy.


Equipment Required :

    To use Tele-Base you will require the following equipment :

    -   A PC equipped with hard disc running MS-Windows version 3.0 or higher.
    -   A modem connected to your phone line (V23 compatible).

    Also, a printer may be used to print out information extracted from the
Phone Base database.

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                        Tele-Base Installation
_______________________________________________________________________________

To run Tele-Base type :

    WIN TELEBASE

Tele-Base may also be installed in the Program Manager, consult Windows 3.0
documentation for details.

Before you can connect to Phone Base you must register to optain a User ID code
and a password. Details of this are on the Phone Base information sheet supplied
with Tele-Base.

Before dialling, ensure that this information has been entered using the
System Settings menu option, and that the modem settings are also correct.

________________________________________________________________________________

A Summary of MS-Windows Controls :

    If you are familiar with MS-Windows you can skip this section, if you are
new to Windows this is a brief introduction to the standard graphical controls
found within Windows :

The Cursor : This is an arrow that can be moved about the screen by moving the
             mouse.

"Clicking" on an item : To click on an item, move the cursor so that the point
           of the cursor arrow is over the item to be selected. Then press the
           left hand button on the mouse once.

"Double-clicking" an item : As above, except click the button twice in rapid
           succession. This method can be used in dialog boxes to select an
           item.


1.  The Edit Control : used for entering text strings. This is a rectangular box
    that can contain one line of text. To enter data in an edit box, first
    activate the edit cursor by clicking on the control. When clicked on, a
    thin vertical bar appears in the control. When you type the keyboard, the
    characters typed appear in the edit control box at the edit cursor
    position. Use the home,end, left and right arrow keys to move the cursor,
    and the backspae and delete keys to delete text typed.

2.  The Radio Button : These are used to indicate a setting, and are commonly
    found in groups where one of the group is set. For example, on the control
    panel there are two radio buttons marked "Residential" and "Business",
    indicating the enquiry type.

3.  The Push Button : This is a rounded rectangular box that performs a function
    when clicked, this control is used for Dial, Hang up and Clear on the
    control panel.

4.  The List Box : Used either to select a name from a list of names, or to
    display a group of data items. The listbox appears as a mult-line rectangle.
    When too many items appear in the listbox, a scroll bar appears in the right
    hand side of the box, which allows the list box to be scrolled.

5.  The Menu bar - This appears along the top of the screen, below the title
    bar. Two pull down menu categories are shown here, "Configuration" and
    "Mode". Clicking on one of these displays a pull-down menu with further
    options on it. Click on one of these to select the required option.

5.  Dialog Boxes : These are not controls as such, but windows that appear
    either by selecting a configuration option from the menu or during the
    course of an enquiry. When a dialog box is displayed you may only access
    controls within the box. To end the dialog box, click on the OK push
    button (or press enter on the keyboard).

_______________________________________________________________________________

                           An Overview of Tele-Base :
_______________________________________________________________________________

    Tele-Base has three main modes :

    1.  The Phone Base Call Mode : used for making directory enquiries through
        the British Telecom's Phone Base service.

    2.  The Database Mode : stores all phone number records retrieved from Phone
        Base and any others manually entered by the user.

    3.  The Terminal Mode : this is a basic teletype terminal. It is possible to
        access Phone Base manually through this mode, though the main purpose is
        to provide a means of testing the modem if any problems arise.

    You may change mode by selecting the Pull-down menu item 'Mode'.
    Additionally, you can use the following keyboard commands :

        Control-C   :   Phone Base Call Mode
        Control-D   :   Database Mode
        Control-T   :   Terminal Mode

    The menu contains other commands :

        Modem Settings  :       Sets up baud rate, comms port and other
                                modem parameters.

        System Settings :       Sets up user configuration options.

        Operation Settings :    Alter program operation modes.

        Cost of Enquiries :     Shows the number of calls to Phone Base and the
                                average cost of an enquiry.

    In Database Mode, the following options are available on the menu :

        Merge ASCII file
        Save Database to ASCII file
        Clear Database
        Copy Record to Clipboard


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                             Phone Base Call Mode
_______________________________________________________________________________

    The screen is divided into the following sections :

    1. Command Buttons :

        1. Dial : When you have entered your enquiry data, click this to
           dial Phone Base and process your enquiry.
        2. Hang-up : Click this at any time to disconnect from Phone Base. The
           line will then be closed, and the enquiry ended.
        3. Clear :  Clears the current enquiry details.

    2. Enquiry Details Controls :
        1.  Type : 2 radio Buttons used for setting enquiry type (residential or
            business).
        2.  Enquiry Text : 5 edit controls to set the following :

                -   Locality (city,town,village name).
                -   Street number or building name.
                -   Street name.
                -   Name of individual/business.
                -   Post code.

            You do not have to enter all the information for an enquiry.
        Street name and number, and the postcode are optional. Locality
        and name are required, and you will not be able to dial Phone Base
        unless you have entered data in these fields for all enquiries.

    4. Enquiry List :
        This is a list of all calls entered, displaying one line per enquiry.
        To move between enquiries click on the line required. Initially only
        one enquiry is in the list. Further enquiries may be made by clicking
        on the New Enquiry button directory below the enquiry list. Enquiries
        may be removed from the list by clicking on the Delete Enquiry button,
        also below the enquiry listbox.

    5. Call Status :
        This area displays information about the call in progress, showing at
        what stage the call is at, and how long the computer has been connected
        for. The cost of call is also displayed both in call units and price.

    6. Enquiry Results List :
        All telephone numbers found are displayed in this list box. Also
        included are error messages, displayed if an enquiry is not found.
        This display can be alternated with a list of the dialog by pressing
        F5.

_______________________________________________________________________________

                           Making an enquiry :
_______________________________________________________________________________

    To make a single enquiry using Tele-Base, follow the steps below :

    1. Enter enquiry details (type, name, locatility, etc).
    2. Click on the Dial button.
    3. Tele-Base will then dial up Phone Base. You will see messages appear
       in the Call Status window showing how the call is progressing. If you
       have selected the "View Dialog" option (see Operational Settings), then
       you will also see the line-by-line communication between Tele-Base and
       Phone Base.
    4. As each enquiry is processed, you will see the enquiry list selection
       move to the next enquiry until all enquiries are processed.
    5. Problems may arise if insufficient details have been entered, or more
       than one entry is found. If the "Hands Off" option has been selected,
       the enquiry will be aborted, otherwise further user input will be
       required. The types of input required are listed below :

       (a) Multiple Localities : A list is presented, from which you must
           select one locality. If there are many localities, the option
           "View next page" will be shown. Clicking on this option will
           move to the next page of locations.

       (b) Multiple Names : A list of names is presented, from which
           you can select one or more entries. If further names are available,
           the options "View this page only" and "View next page" are
           presented. Clicking on "View next page" will continue the enquiry
           and show the next page of names. If a non-specific name has been
           entered, there may be a considerable number of pages to view.
           Clicking the 'Cancel' button will abort the enquiry.

       (c) Entry not found. This occurs is no entry is found to match the
           enquiry details. Four options are presented :

           1. Search phonetically : search for names that sound similar
              to the one  requested.
           2. Expand locality : search a wider area for the enquiry.
           3. Change call details : amend details of the current enquiry. After
              selecting this option another dialog box will appear to allow you
              to change the enquiry data.
           4. Next enquiry / end enquiry : Give up on the current enquiry and
              either move to the next enquiry or end the session if no more
              enquiries remain.


    6.  Enquiry complete. Once all enquiries have been made, the enquiry
        results are merged into the database. If the option "Print results of
        enquiry" has been selected then the enquiries found will be output to
        a printer at this stage.

Rules for entering enquiry deatils :

    If is possible to enter abbreviated names, but Phone Base requires names
to be entered in specific formats :

The Locality        The Rule                            What you type
____________        ________                            _____________

Bradford            type the locality or at least       bradford OR brad
                    it's first four letters

Milton Keynes       for multi-word names, enter at      milt k
                    least four letters of the first
                    word, a space and the first letter
                    of the second word

Burton upon Trent   Don't type in words like            burt t
                    on,upon,by

Ely                 for a name with less than four      ely;
                    letters type the name, then a
                    semi-colon

The Name            The Rule                            What you type
________            ________                            _____________

Jones               Type at least the first four        jones OR jone
                    letters of the name

Jones, S            Type at least the first four        jones, s OR
(residential        letters of the surname, then a      jones, s d
entry)              comma and the initial - for two
                    or more initals seperate them
                    with a space

Simon Jones and     Type at least the first four        simon j OR
Company             letters of the name                 simon
(business entry)

Lee                 If the name has less than four      lee;
                    letters, type it in full and add
                    a semi-colon (;) at the end

Lee, J              For a name with less than four      lee;,j
(residential        letters with inital, type the name,
entry)              then a semi-colon, a comma and the
                    initial

John Lee            Type at least the first four        john lee OR
Associates          letters of the name                 john
(business
entry)

Marks and Spencer   If the company's name has           m spencer,
                    more than one word type both,       mar spen
                    seperated by a space. You must      OR mark spe
                    enter at least four letters
                    for one of the names

IBM                 For a name with less than four      ibm; OR
                    letters, type the name, then a      i;b;m;
                    semi-colon

________________________________________________________________________________

                                Database Mode
________________________________________________________________________________

    The Tele-Base database organises the results of your Phone Base enquiries
into an easy-to-use display. The display is divided into the following
sections :

    1. Index keys : these are push buttons labelled 'A' to 'Z' and '#', with a
    number showing how many records are stored under that index. '#' is used
    to group records beginning with a numerical character. Clicking on a key
    selects the current index letter.

    2. Index listing : this is a listbox showing the names of each record within
    the currently selected index. Click on a line within this list to change the
    record selection.

    3. Record listing : this is a listing of the currently selected record, with
    the telephone number highlighted on the last line.

    4. Command buttons : These provide the following database control
    functions :

       (a) New (F1) : creates a new (empty) record and pops up a dialog box
           to allow you to edit it.
       (b) Edit (F2) : this edits the currently selected record.
       (c) Delete (F4) : this deletes the currently selected record.
       (d) Search (F3/F5) : this command searches through the database for a
           specified text string. The command requires text to be entered in
           the edit box next to the search control. Pressing F5 clears the
           current text string and sets the input focus to the search text
           edit box.
       (e) Dial Number (F9) : this command dials the telephone number of the
           currently selected record. The initial dialling is performed by the
           modem then control is passed to the voice phone.

Additionally, The following database functions are available through the menu :

        Merge ASCII file :
            Adds the contents of an ascii file into the database. Each record
            should be sperated by at least one empty line, with no line gaps
            within the record itself. The first line in the record is the name,
            the last is the telephone number. This facility allows you to add
            an existing database into Tele-Base without transcribing.

        Save Database to ASCII file :
            Saves the whole database to an ascii file. This is a useful backup.

        Clear Database :
            This feature should be used with caution, as it will wipe out the
        entire database from your hard disc. Two chances to back out of this
        option are provided.

        Copy Record to Clipboard :
            This copies a record to the Windows clipboard, so it can then be
        used by another Windows program, such as a word processor.

________________________________________________________________________________

                                Terminal Mode
________________________________________________________________________________

    Terminal mode is presented as a means of directly testing your modem. It
may be used to directly call bulletin boards, though the Windows Terminal
program is better for this. Upon entering terminal mode, a blank screen with a
flashing cursor appears. Type in "AT" then hit return to see if your modem is
functioning properly. If "OK" appears below, then Tele-Base is communicating
properly with your modem.

________________________________________________________________________________

                              Configuration Settings
________________________________________________________________________________

    Click on the menu bar item "Configuration", and four menu items will
appear :

    1. Modem Settings : controls modem settings and commands codes.
    2. System Settings : sets user codes and data filenames.
    3. Operation Settings : sets program style and functional options.
    4. Cost of Enquiries : displays the cost statistics of using Phone Base.

Clicking on one of these will call up a dialog box allowing you to see current
settings and change then as required. If you want to accept the changes, click
on "Ok" or press the Enter key. If you want to back out and retain the original
settings, click on "Cancel" or press the Escape key.

1. Modem Settings

    This option sets up the following parameters :

    1.  Comms Port, a choice of Com1 or Com2.
    2.  Data Bits.
    2.  Baud Rate.
    3.  Parity (None, Even or Odd).
    4.  Byte Size.
    5.  Modem Initialisation String.
    6.  Modem Dialling String.
    7.  Modem Hang-up Strings.

        Data Bits, parity and byte size are only included to cater for any
    future system changes. Phone Base currently required these to be set to :

    Data Bits : 7 is required.
    Baud Rate : 1200 is recommended.
    Byte Size : 1 is required.
    Parity : None is required.

    For Hayes compatible modems the following strings are used :

    Initialise : "ATS26=10", Places modem into 1275 baud mode, consult your modem
                 manual to ensure this is available.
    Dialling :   "ATDT" for Tone dialling, "ATDP" for Pulse dialling.
    Disconnect : "+++" for first string, "ATH0" for second string.

    Once you have made the changes click on 'OK' to accept them, or 'Cancel'
    to return to the original settings.

2. System Settings

    1.  Telephone Number of the Phone Base database : Currently 0910 210910.
    2.  User ID string and password : To obtain these you must fill in the
        form supplied with Tele-Base and send it to Phone Base.
    3.  Directory Filename : Up to six characters are used, setting the prefix
        to the database file.
    4.  Call stats file : The file to which call cost and duration information
        is saved.
    4.  Time per unit : These three edit controls show how long a phone unit
        lasts you at Peak, Standard and Cheap Rate. These figures are for a b1
        call valid in April, 1991. Update them as any changes are announced in
        the charging system.
    5.  Cost per unit : 5.17p is the default charge cost per unit, which is 4.4p
        per unit plus 17.5 % VAT. Change this if price increases are announced.

3.  Operation Settings

    Style :

    1.  Alarm On/off :  The alarm can be useful in alerting you when user input
        is required during a call, but can be annoying for other people working
        nearby. This option can enable or disable the warning alarm.

    2.  View Dialog during call : Displays all text during the call, which
        allows you to see what the information the program is receiving during
        a call.

    Function :

    3.  Hands-off mode : If this option is set, the call will be made with no
        user input at all. If any problems occur in finding an enquiry, it will
        be abandoned and an error recorded. Greater enquiry flexibility is
        provided if this option is disabled.

    4.  Print Results : If you have a printer set up, enquiry results are
        output at the end of the call by selecting this option.

4. Cost of Enquiries :

    This command shows the number of calls made to Phone Base and the average
cost of an enquiry.

________________________________________________________________________________

                            Leaving Tele-Base
________________________________________________________________________________

    To exit Tele-Base either press Alt-F4, or double-click on the top-left box
of the main window. The mode you were in when you left Tele-Base is remembered,
so that when you run the program again, you will start in the same mode.

________________________________________________________________________________

Keyboard control of Phone Base
________________________________________________________________________________

    Tele-Base does not require a mouse, if you are running Windows without one
    you can use the keyboard to access Windows controls :

Phone Base Call Mode :
           F1  : Dial Phone Base.
           F4  : Hang up during call to Phone Base.
           F10 : Clear current enquiry data.
     Alt-Enter : New enquiry in Enquiry List.
    Alt-Delete : Delete enquiry in Enquiry List.

       Page Up : Select previous enquiry in Enquiry List.
     Page Down : Select next enquiry in Enquiry List.

         Alt-F : Set focus to Locality edit control.
                 The focus may be moved to another edit control by using the
                 following keys :

                 Enter, Down Arrow, Tab : Move to next control
                 Up Arrow, Shift-Tab : Move to previous control

         Alt-T : Change enquiry type between residential and business.
         F5    : Switch between Enquiry Dialog list and Enquiry Results list.

Database Mode :
          F1 : Create new record.
          F2 : Edit current record.
          F3 : Search for text string.
          F4 : Delete Record.
          F5 : Enter new search text.
          F9 : Dial the telephone number of the currently selected record.

Leaving Tele-Base :
        Alt-F4 : returns to windows

________________________________________________________________________________

                   Ordering the ratail version of Tele-Base
________________________________________________________________________________

To order the retail version of Tele-Base, please send a cheque or postal order
for £29.95 to :

        Outreach Software, 5a Bournemouth Road, Parkstone,
        Poole, Dorset. BH14 0EF.

    We also welcome to comments and suggestions for improvements to Tele-Base.
    If there are any features you think should be included in a future version
    of Tele-Base please write and let us know.


To register on Phone Base, please fill in the form below and send it to :

           Phone Base Service Desk
           Tinsley Computer Centre
           Units 1,2 & 3
           Tinsley Park Close
           Off Shepcote Lane
           SHEFFIELD
           S9 5DE

________________________________________________________________________________

                            Phone Base Registration Form
________________________________________________________________________________


I am a user of Tele-Base, the Automated Telephone Enquiry System from Outreach
Software.

Please register me onto the Phone Base service.

      Name    : ____________________________________________

Business Name : ____________________________________________

      Address : ____________________________________________
                ____________________________________________
                ____________________________________________
                ____________________________________________

 Telephone No : ________________________


         Date : __ / __ / ____


Program Type  : Demo Version [  ]       Please tick one box
                Retail Version [  ]

                Program Serial Number (Retail Version only) :

                _____________________________


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