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PART II - paKet's WINDOWS
paKet's Windows - Overview
paKet uses a number of windows for all its operations.
Do not confuse this with the popular Microsoft Windows product. You do
not need any other software to run paKet.
Some of paKet's windows are there permanently, others will pop up on
demand. For example, the Communications Window is always there although
it might be partly hidden by other windows at times.
Some windows do not look like "windows" because they do not have a full
box-style border. For example, the Communications Window uses all 80
characters for its communications data, so there is no room for a border
line down the sides. It does, however, have a border line at the top
known as its Header Line.
paKet uses whatever text screen/video mode is in operation when it is
called. When using an EGA or VGA display, if you were using 40, 52 or
60 lines and paKet is then called, you will find paKet now has a larger
Communications Window where vast amounts of information can be viewed at
once, and larger type-ahead areas (as detailed below) become practical.
A larger monitor is desirable.
If you are running paKet under Microsoft Windows Enhanced Mode, you can
change your DOS session to say 53 line mode using a public domain
utility or perhaps with the video utilities that came with your system,
before starting paKet. Then if you start paKet in a full screen "Window"
you will see the large display and small "fonts". However when you
press <Alt-Enter> to reduce it to a Windows' Window, you will see it is
showing only part of the paKet display, even when you enlarge that
little window by dragging the corners. The trick here is to select a
new Windows font - click the mouse on the box in the top left corner and
change the Font to say 6 x 8 and try again. Experiment with your system
to find a combination that suits you.
Each of paKet's Windows is described, in alphabetic sequence, in the
following sections. An example of the window is shown and the purpose
and operation of each is discussed.
Page 29
Binary File Transfer Window
Example:
╔════════════════ paKet Protocol File Transfer ═════════════════╗
║ Receiving File : VIDPARK.ARC ║
╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ File Size : 3,375 Time to complete : 00:00:04║
║ Bytes Received : 3,036 Elapsed time : 00:00:32║
╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ Progress : 89% Bytes per second : 94 ║
║ ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════>▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ║
╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ Last Packet Recd: DT - Data Packet ║
║ Current Status : Receiving data ║
╚════════════ Press Esc to abort the file transfer ═════════════╝
Description.
During the transfer of a Binary File, this window is displayed to keep
you informed of progress. It is used for all types of Binary Transfer,
the top line indicating the Protocol or method in use. That could be:
paKet Protocol (as shown in this example),
YAPP,
BayCom (including Digicom) or
RAW Binary (no protocol at all).
In the example above, paKet is receiving the file VIDPARK.ARC from the
other station; the size of that file is 3,375 bytes and the display
shows the transfer is 89% complete with 3,036 bytes received at this
stage. paKet has calculated the bytes per second at 94 since the
transfer started, and as it knows how many bytes still to go, it can
calculate the estimated time to complete (4 seconds in the example).
The arrow under "Progress" is a "strip meter" or histograph which gives
a proportional indication of the percentage complete.
The "Last Packet Recd" field indicates some useful information at the
beginning of the file transfer as you can see how the handshaking is
progressing. During the transfer though, this does not change much.
The "Current Status" field too, should not change much during the
transfer, but it helps to see what is happening at the beginning and
end.
While this window is displayed you should not be using the paKet system
for anything else. You cannot conduct any communications with another
station at this time because we are restricted to a single binary
transfer at a time. And while the TNC is in Transparent Mode we cannot
communicate with anyone else in Converse Mode. So you'd better go find
something else to do. Of course with a multi tasking system, you are
free to go into another session/Window and run some other task while
this transfer is proceeding, but paKet is considered "occupied" and
should be left until this transfer is complete.
Page 30
If you would like to abort the transfer before it completes, press the
<Esc> key. paKet will attempt to finish off this transfer in a tidy
way, firstly by sending an appropriate <CANCEL> code to the other
station and waiting for its acknowledgement. If that fails (maybe we
have lost contact with that station?) then you can press <Esc> a second
time to force an immediate abort and return to normal communications.
Page 31
Communications Windows
Example:
─── 50 ────────── Window 1 - Stream A - VK2DHU ────Paused with ScrLock───
cmd:echo off
ECHO was ON
ECHO now OFF
cmd:
Description:
These windows, one for each connected stream, contain all
communications information flowing to and from the TNC. All data sent
to the TNC is displayed in a highlight colour or shade, while all data
received from the TNC is displayed in the normal colour or shade.
This window is 80 columns wide, so there is no border as such although
the top line of this window is referred to as the Communications Window
Header Line.
Some TNCs use the term "channel" while others use "stream" but this
Manual will use "stream" to identify the different user connections.
The Communications Window Header Line.
Each Communications Window's Header line identifies the current Stream
and also the callsign of the station you are connected to (or "Not
Connected" as appropriate).
In the example shown above, the Header line indicates you are connected
to VK2DHU on stream A in the first Communications Window. If the
callsign does not appear to be correct, you can verify it with the
<Alt-V> function, which is explained in detail in the "Keyboard
Commands" section.
On the left of this header line you will see a counter displaying the
number of characters waiting in this window's input buffer (50 shown in
the example). Usually the system will process the input characters as
they are received so this part of the display would be blank. However,
it is possible to have characters build up in the buffer if you are
receiving the input characters faster than your computer can process
them, or if processing has been suspended for any reason.
If the data is coming in too quickly for you to read, you can pause the
display by pressing the <ScrollLock> key. While paused, a reminder
message is displayed to the right of the Header Line, as illustrated in
the example above. To "un-pause", press <ScrollLock> again. This
action does not stop the data coming in from the TNC - the data is
captured and stored in paKet's input buffers until you are ready to
continue.
Page 32
Multiple Communications Windows.
You may configure paKet with up to 10 separate Communications Windows.
When you are connected to more than one station, a separate
Communications Window is used for each connection. Each Window is
associated with one of the TNC's streams, and when you switch windows
the TNC is automatically switched to the corresponding stream.
To switch from one window to another, press <Shift-Right-Arrow> or
<Shift-Left-Arrow>, that is hold down the Shift key while pressing
<Right-Arrow> or <Left-Arrow>. Another way to select a different window
is to hold the Shift key while pressing a Function key (eg: press
<Shift-F3> for the third window). The Communications Window Header Line
will change to indicate the new window number and the TNC stream used
with that window. Here you can make contact with the other station and
all communications for the associated stream will appear in that Window.
Changing streams will not change the TNC's operating Mode. So, if the
TNC was in Command Mode and you change to another stream, the TNC will
remain in Command Mode, regardless of whether you are connected to a
station on that new stream or not. You will need to enter K or CONV to
switch to Converse Mode. Have a look at the comments on the NEWMODE
option under the Configuration - Multi User options for more on this.
If any data is received for a Stream other than that currently
displayed, it will be diverted to the appropriate Communications Window
and an indicator will appear in the Status Window under "Windows". If
that happens when you are connected to two stations, you will know the
"other" station has sent you a message and you can switch to that
window to see it.
I personally can work two or three simultaneous connections without
much problem, but any more I find rather challenging. So, it should be
noted that although paKet allows up to 10 Communications Windows, most
of those would not be used. As buffers etc, have to be allocated for
each window, it would be advisable to configure a lesser number to
conserve memory. I think 3, or at most 4, windows would be more than
adequate for most users.
To avoid confusion, it would be a good idea to set your TNC's USER
parameter to match the number of windows you configure. Then, if you
have three windows configured and you are already connected to three
stations, a fourth station would get a "Busy" message from the TNC
rather than confuse things on the screen. If your TNC has a PMS on a
separate callsign, you could set the TNC's USER parameter to one more
than the number of windows configured.
paKet is almost a Multi Tasking program in that several sessions can be
processed simultaneously, some of which may be processing in the
background. And paKet's Interrupt Handler works, gathering incoming
data even while other programs are running. However, I do not consider
paKet to be true Multi Tasking and it is not promoted as such. For
example, the processing for Binary File Transfers is NOT multi tasking
and you may not conduct more than one simultaneous Binary File
Transfer. There are a number of Multi Tasking systems available now,
Page 33
which support DOS-based tasks. These include OS/2, Windows Enhanced
Mode, DESQview, Windows NT, etc? In the testing I have done with some
of these, paKet runs just fine as a background task. So if you have
a need for Multi Tasking, you can run paKet as one DOS task under one
of these systems.
It is unfortunate the original TAPR TNC (from which all modern TNCs are
derived) did not include a Monitor stream.
Consequently any data that is monitored on the frequency is not
identified by the TNC as belonging to a particular stream - it comes
through on whatever stream is currently selected. So, if you have
selected window 2 and some monitored data is received from the TNC, it
will be displayed in that Window 2.
It would have been so easy if TAPR had included another stream (say
Stream M) and optionally have all monitored data directed into that
stream. Then we could give paKet a Window for Stream M and we would
have all monitored data separated from our connected sessions. (sigh)
I wonder if TAPR could do that and bring out an update? Then other
manufacturers would soon follow suit. paKet would already support that
modification. Oh well... where were we?
Flashback.
Example:
─── 1250 ─────────────FLASHBACK - (Esc when finished)──────██────────
cmd:
CONNECT VK2ATM-1
cmd:cmd:12-Feb-94 10:35:47 *** CONNECTED to VK2ATM-1
[FBB-5,15-ABFHM$]
G'day Tony
VK2ATM BBS>
Description:
The Communications Windows will also display Flashback data.
Flashback is a facility that allows you to redisplay earlier
communications activity that has scrolled off the screen.
When you select Flashback the Communications Window Header line will
indicate FLASHBACK as shown in the example above. You can scroll up and
down with:
<Up-Arrow>
<Down-Arrow> (one line at a time)
<PageUp>
<PageDown> (one page or screenful)
<Ctrl-PageUp> (top or
<Ctrl-PageDown> bottom of Flashback data)
Page 34
NOTE - the Up and Down Arrow keys may also be used to recall data from
the Type Ahead buffer which is discussed later. To move up and down
one line in Flashback, you might need to hold down the Shift key while
pressing the arrow keys, but this is configurable. You can choose the
way you would rather have the arrow keys work. Check the Configuration
- Miscellaneous options.
The amount of data held in Flashback is also configurable up to 64KB
for each Communications Window.
As you scroll back through the buffer, paKet will display in the Header
Line a different coloured "bar" to give you some idea where you are in
the buffer. In the example above I have shown that as '██' to the
right of centre. The size of this "bar" changes with the size of the
buffer, or rather the amount of data in the buffer. If, for example
there are four pages (screen-fulls) of data in the Flashback Buffer,
the bar will occupy a quarter of the Header Line, telling you that at
the moment you are looking at about a quarter of the entire Flashback
Buffer. If there are 80 or more pages of data in the buffer, the bar
will shrink to only one character space telling you you are looking at
only a small portion of it.
While you are in Flashback, any incoming data is held in the input
buffer until you have finished (1250 characters shown in the example
above) so be sure to return to normal communications mode when you have
finished scanning the Flashback data.
When scrolling forward, paket will detect the end of the Flashback
buffer. If there is some further data waiting to be processed, pressing
<PageDn> will display one more page of data from the buffer and paKet
will stay in Flashback Mode. If you reach the end of the Flashback and
there is no data further waiting in the input buffer, paKet will
automatically return to normal communications mode.
While in Flashback Mode you can press the <Esc> key for an immediate
return to normal communications mode.
If you forget to return to normal communications mode paKet will
automatically do so after 10 minutes of no keyboard activity.
Flashback - Text Find.
paKet has a Text FIND facility which will search backwards through the
Flashback buffer for a user-defined string of characters.
Press <Alt-F> to activate the Find facility.
The Message Window will pop up where paKet will ask you for the string
you wish to search for. It does not matter whether you enter the string
in upper or lower case because the search is not case sensitive - both
upper and lower case will be matched.
Page 35
The search begins with the current line in the Communications Window,
moving back through the Flashback buffer until either a match is found
or until the beginning of the Flashback buffer is reached. If a match
is found, searching stops and the line containing the matching text is
highlighted.
If you want to continue the search, "looking" for another match of the
same string, press <Alt-L> and the search resumes.
Alternatively you can press <Alt-F> again to begin a search for another
string.
The Find facility will automatically put paKet into Flashback mode.
Write Flashback buffer to disk.
Although paKet provides a disk log facility, it is possible you have
received something to want to keep but find the log file was not active
at the time.
To cover this situation, paKet has a facility to write some or all of
the Flashback buffer to disk.
This is done with the <Alt-W> key and that is discussed in the
"Keyboard Commands" section of this Manual.
Page 36
Configuration Windows Overview
As mentioned earlier, paKet is fully configurable and you can set up
various parameters to configure the system to suit your own needs.
With the Online Configuration facility you can call up the
Configuration Windows at any time (with the <Alt-Z> key) and change any
of the settings.
Most changes will take effect immediately although there are some that
will not become effective until the program is next started. Examples
of these are where you change the size of the allocated buffers. These
changes are not implemented immediately because memory is allocated at
the beginning of the run and the buffers are already in use. The new
buffer sizes will become effective when paKet is next started.
The following sections describe the various Configuration Windows and
the parameters you can change. There are two, sometimes three levels of
Configuration Window.
Select the desired option by either:
1. Typing the option number; or
2. Moving the Cursor to the desired option and pressing <Enter>; or
3. (In many cases) typing the first letter of the option.
For example in the following section, where the System Configuration
Window is displayed: you could select REMOTE / PMS options by typing
"6" or "R", or you could move the cursor to that item with the
<Down-Arrow> key.
Press the <Esc> key when finished with a Configuration Window to return
to the previous level.
For each of the Configuration Windows, there is an optional Help
message available. This is called the Configuration Help and if
enabled, another window will automatically pop up to offer some
explanation and comments on each Configuration item you select.
I recommend you use this additional help window at least for the first
time through the various Configuration options. It is enabled or
disabled in the Miscellaneous options Configuration and it requires the
file PAKETCFG.HLP in the default PAKET directory.
Page 37
Configuration Windows - System Configuration
Example:
╔══════System Configuration══════╗
║ 1. Serial Port... ║
║ 2. Multi User options... ║
║ 3. Comms Window settings... ║
║ 4. Colours... ║
║ 5. KB Macros/Auto commands... ║
║ 6. REMOTE / PMS options... ║
║ 7. File Transfer options... ║
║ 8. Directories and Files... ║
║ 9. Miscellaneous options... ║
╚Press <Esc> for previous Window═╝
Description.
This System Configuration window appears when you select the online
Configuration option with the <Alt-Z> key.
This System Configuration Window reveals a menu of various
configuration options. To better manage the large number of options,
they have been subdivided into the categories shown in the above window.
Each of the options in the System Configuration Window has its own
Configuration Window which will be dealt with in turn in the following
sections of this Manual.
When you have finished with the Configuration options, press <Esc> to
return to normal communications mode.
Page 38
Configuration Windows - Serial Port
Example:
╔════════ 1. Serial Port...═══════╗
║COM Port 1║
║Baud Rate 2400║
║Parity None║
║Data bits 8║
║Stop Bits 1║
║Handshaking H║
║DCD ON when Connected? Y║
║TNC cmd: exit BREAK║
║Command to Initialise TNC RESTART║
╚══════Press ENTER to change══════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 1 from the System
Configuration Window. It contains the parameters paKet uses for the
computer's Serial Port parameters.
The Serial port must be set correctly if paKet is to communicate with
the TNC. The aim here is to configure paKet to match your TNC settings.
As there are a limited range of valid settings here, paKet does not
expect you to remember the valid values. Instead you just press <Enter>
and it will display the next valid value for that item.
COM Port
So, starting with the COM Port, press <Enter> to toggle from COM1 to
COM2, COM3, COM4 and back again. Only those COM ports actually
recognised by your system will be offered, so if you do not have a COM3
port installed you will not be given that option!
If you have COM3 and/or COM4 installed but these are not being offered
by paKet as options here, it is likely your computer system is one
(like the original IBM PC) that does not automatically recognise these
ports. Run the supplied COMINIT program and try paKet again. If this
fixes the problem, I suggest you add COMINIT to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Many people do not realise that COM1 and COM3 usually share the SAME
interrupt line - IRQ4 (COM2 and COM4 share another interrupt line -
IRQ3). This makes it difficult to handle the additional ports and is
why a lot of software does not support more than COM1 and COM2.
Let's say, for example we have a mouse on COM1 and the TNC on COM3. If
a character is received from the TNC, an Interrupt occurs on IRQ4 which
means the system will give paKet a nudge to go process the incoming
character. The trouble is, paKet gets the same nudge if you move the
mouse because the same IRQ4 Interrupt occurs! I have catered for this
situation and paKet will determine if the Interrupt was caused by our
Serial Port or the "other one", and will either process it or pass
control over to the other driver for its own processing.
Page 39
There are a couple of considerations here if you want to use these
additional serial ports. Firstly, load paKet AFTER loading the other
software (drivers, etc). Then paKet will be called first when the
Interrupt occurs. If it is the other way around, we are depending on the
other software to make these decisions and they may not handle the
shared interrupts correctly. Secondly, I suggest you choose a lower
baud rate (say maximum 2400) for the paKet/TNC link to help reduce
conflicts. I tested it at 9600 baud and it worked satisfactorily, but if
two interrupts occur on the same IRQ line at EXACTLY the same moment in
time, I am not confident the system will process them both correctly.
The COMINIT program developed by Dr. Paul Webster VK2BZC, includes some
technical documentation on the use of the additional COM ports.
(Thanks Paul - where would I be without him?).
When the desired port is displayed, press <Down-Arrow> to move down to
the next item, Baud Rate.
Baud Rate
Pressing <Enter> on the baud rate field will cycle through the valid
values which range from 50 baud to 19200 baud.
Press <Shift-Enter> to cycle through these values in the reverse
direction. So if you go past the one you wanted, press <Shift-Enter>
to go back again.
This option sets your COMPUTER's serial port baud rate; the TNC also
has a baud rate setting which must match the value chosen here.
Parity and Data Bits
You may set Parity and Data Bits to any of the displayed values but
paKet prefers a setting of No Parity and 8 Data Bits. So unless you have
special reason to change, please set Parity to None. You will notice the
Data Bits parameter will automatically be set to the correct value.
Stop Bits
Stop Bits would normally be set to 1.
Handshaking
Handshaking is either H (for Hardware) or S (for Software).
These options are discussed under "Hardware vs Software Handshaking" in
the Technical Section of this Manual. If you are not sure which to use,
try Hardware mode - paKet will tell you if it cannot see the signals it
needs for Hardware handshaking!
It is important to tell the TNC which mode to use too:
for Hardware Handshaking, set XFLOW OFF;
for Software Handshaking, set XFLOW ON.
Page 40
DCD ON when Connected?
This is either Y(es) or N(o) and should be set to match the TNC's
DCDCON option if such an option exists.
Many TNCs have the DCDCON option which, if used, will switch on the DCD
line in the RS-232 cable when we are connected to another station.
paKet relies to a large extent on the "Connected" message from the TNC
to determine whether we are currently connected to another station. If
you are monitoring the frequency and someone sends a string of
characters that happens to look like a "Connected" message, paKet can
easily get confused and take that data to be a signal from the TNC that
we have just connected to someone! Fortunately this does not happen
too often but if you use this DCDCON option, the risk of this problem
occurring is greatly reduced.
If you set this option to "Y" paKet will look at the status of the DCD
line whenever it monitors a "Connected" message before deciding to
accept it as a new connection. If the DCD line is still low, it will
display a warning message, ignore the "Connected" message and continue
monitoring. It will also monitor the DCD line during a Binary File
Transfer and will shut down the transfer if DCD is lost before the
completion of the file transfer.
If your TNC supports the DCDCON option and you are using Hardware
Handshaking, it is recommended you use this feature.
TNC cmd: exit
This parameter has three valid values: <BREAK>, <Ctrl-C> or <Esc>.
Most TNCs support the <BREAK> signal and will return to Command mode
when this signal is received. This is the preferred option so try this
and choose one of the others only if the <BREAK> does not work on your
system.
As a second choice for just about all other TNCs, the "Command" code
(<Ctrl-C>) would be used. So, unless you have a TNC-1 or a PacComm
PacTOR Controller, choose this <Ctrl-C> option if <BREAK> does not work
for you. If this option is selected, paKet will send three <Ctrl-C>s to
the TNC when you press <Alt-B>. Some TNCs require at least a one
second delay before and after the <Ctrl-C>s. So paKet will take a
couple of seconds to process this break. In that case the "BREAK"
indicator is displayed in the Status Window for those couple of seconds.
Finally, if you have a TNC-1 or a PacComm PacTOR modem which needs the
<Esc> code to enter a command, you can set this option to <Esc>. Then
when you type <Alt-B> paKet will actually send the <Esc> code to the
TNC!
Page 41
Command to Initialise TNC
Most TNCs use the RESTART command to perform a warm start of the TNC.
This is required to activate any changes to serial port settings so
paKet will issue this command to the TNC after you change any of the
Serial Port parameters (assuming you have already changed the TNC).
However, some non-standard TNCs use the RESET command for this so the
option is provided here in case you have one of those TNCs.
Please take care with this, because the RESET command, on most TNCs,
will clear every setting you have made and return the TNC to its
factory settings! RESTART is the normal command here.
Matching settings with the TNC
Any of these parameters may be altered at any time, but of course you
will also need to change the TNC settings to match. For example if you
want to alter the Data Bits setting, you have to change both paKet (via
this Configuration Window) and change the TNC with a command such as
AWLEN. If you change one and not the other, you will probably get
garbage on the screen and will fail to communicate correctly.
With most TNCs, any change to its serial port settings will become
effective after the TNC is next initialised. So, I suggest the
following procedure to change Serial Port settings:
1. Issue the commands to the TNC to change its settings. (They will
not take effect until you initialise the TNC - usually with a
RESTART command).
2. Call up paKet's Online Configuration and enter the desired Serial
Port parameters to match the new TNC settings.
3. Reply "Y" when paKet asks if you would like it to initialise the
TNC with a RESTART command.
Then both the computer and the TNC will continue with the new settings.
Press <Esc> when you have finished with the Serial Port parameters.
Page 42
Configuration Windows - Multi User options
Example:
╔═════ 2. Multi User options...═════╗
║ Maximum no. of Comms windows 3 ║
║ STREAMDBL (CHDOUBLE) in TNC ? ON ║
║ NEWMODE setting in TNC ? ON ║
║ Alpha or Numeric Stream Id? A ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 2 from the System
Configuration Window. It contains the options you have regarding the
use of multiple simultaneous connections with other stations.
Maximum no. of Comms windows
The first item specifies the number of Communications windows you would
like to allocate. paKet uses a separate Communications window for each
of the simultaneous connections. This field may be any value between 1
and 10.
You should keep the number down to a reasonable figure because they all
take up some memory and it would be a waste to configure say, all 10
windows when you might hardly ever use more than 2 or 3.
As the present number of windows have already been allocated, the new
value will not take effect until the next time you start the paKet
program.
To help avoid confusion, it is considered desirable to set your TNC's
USER parameter to the same value used here; or perhaps to one extra if
the TNC allocates a separate callsign to its PMS stream to allow one
user to use that as well.
STREAMDBL (CHDOUBLE) option
A standard TNC can handle up to 10 different Streams and when it
receives some data for some OTHER Stream it will send to the computer a
STREAMSW character followed by a letter or number to identify the new
Stream. These are discussed more fully in the next section on
Communications Windows, and you could check your TNC manual for
information on Stream Switching.
The vertical bar character ("|") is usually used as the STREAMSW
character but that is also often transmitted over the air as a sort-of
graphic character to draw vertical lines or for drawing boxes. When
paKet receives this character from the TNC it must decide whether the
TNC is indicating a change of stream or whether this is just another
data character somebody sent over the radio.
STREAMDBL (called CHDOUBLE in some TNCs) is a TNC facility to help
avoid confusion where the STREAMSW character is received as part of a
data packet.
Page 43
If you set this STREAMDBL option ON, the TNC will generate TWO of these
characters whenever one is received over the air. So when paKet gets
just one it knows it is a change of stream; if it gets two, it knows
it was received over the air and it can proceed to ignore one of them
and treat the other as just another data character.
With the STREAMDBL feature, it KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE!
If you decide to set this option OFF in your TNC, or if your TNC does
not support this feature, then paKet's option must be OFF too otherwise
it is going to be looking for TWO of these things and will treat every
vertical bar (or whatever) as a change of stream, even if it is really
just another data character!
If paKet's option is set OFF, it will assume any STREAMSW character
received during Converse Mode is to be processed as a change of Stream;
if received during a Binary File Transfer it will be included as a data
character in the file. This will hopefully be correct in most cases
but you need STREAMDBL to be sure.
The important thing is that the STREAMSW character will always be
handled correctly if you have STREAMDBL ON in both the TNC and in this
Configuration Window.
It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED the facility be used.
But please ensure BOTH your TNC and paKet are configured the same way.
************************** I REPEAT *******************************
* (because this has been one of the main causes of Binary File *
* transfer problems in earlier versions of paKet) *
* *
* Set STREAMDBL ON in BOTH paKet's Configuration AND in your TNC. *
* *
* If this feature is not implemented in your TNC then set this *
* option in paKet OFF. *
*******************************************************************
Users of Kantronics TNCs will find their TNC does not support the
STREAMDBL command for some unknown reason, so you will have to set this
option OFF. Please refer to the discussion on the Kantronics TNCs in
the Technical Section of this Manual.
Page 44
NEWMODE setting in TNC
Have a look at this parameter in your TNC manual to get an idea what it
does. If it is set ON in your TNC you might like to set it this
Configuration item ON too? Anyway, read on...
This option is provided as a operational convenience - some prefer to
have it on, some prefer to have it off. I suspect MOST don't care!
But to satisfy those who are particular about these things, the option
is here.
There are two considerations for using this command with paKet.
1. If NEWMODE is ON in your TNC, it will switch to Converse Mode
immediately a Connect command is ISSUED.
If OFF, it will wait until the connection is ESTABLISHED before
switching to Converse Mode.
This may be relevant if you want to use the multi-node connect
facility that is discussed under the <Alt-C> command in the
"Keyboard Commands" section. That facility requires NEWMODE ON
if it is to work successfully.
2. If the NEWMODE command is ON in your TNC, it will return to
Command Mode when a Disconnect is processed.
If OFF, it remains in Converse Mode.
It does this regardless of any other connection on another
stream. So, if you happen to be connected more than one other
station and someone disconnects, your TNC will switch into
Command Mode (if you had NEWMODE ON). Now, you probably do
NOT want that to happen because you are still connected to these
other guys and no doubt will want to continue talking to them.
So, if you often use multiple connects, you might have set this
command OFF in your TNC, so it remains in Converse Mode. You can
still set it to Command Mode anytime you want with <Alt-B>.
But if you rarely use multiple connects, sticking with just one
at a time in most cases, you might prefer to have NEWMODE ON so
your TNC returns to Command Mode each time you disconnect.
Most TNCs seem to have NEWMODE ON as their factory default setting and
as many people have not given this parameter too much thought I suspect
most packet users are running with NEWMODE ON. It seems the main
disadvantage in having it ON is that you have to manually set it back
to Converse Mode if you get a Disconnect while you have multiple
connections running.
Page 45
So.... with this option ON in paKet's configuration, paKet will check
the other Windows whenever a Disconnect occurs and if someone else is
still connected in another Window, it will send "CONV" to the TNC to
put it back into Converse Mode for you. This way you get the benefits
of NEWMODE ON without the disadvantages. But make sure you DO have
NEWMODE ON in your TNC otherwise I am going to transmit "CONV" over
your radio!
If you set this configuration item OFF, paKet won't do anything at all
about this NEWMODE stuff. It would be just as if the option wasn't
there at all!
Alpha or Numeric Stream Id?
Although most TNCs use letters of the alphabet to identify the
different streams, some use numeric channel numbers. This configuration
option allows you to use paKet with either type of TNC.
Check the item "TNC Stream Identifier" in the Communications Windows
Configuration (see the next page) because these identifiers too should
match this setting:
If you enter A here, they should be set to A,B,C... etc.
If you enter N here, they should be set to 0,1,2... etc.
Page 46
Configuration Windows - Communications Windows
Example:
╔═════════════════════════ Communications Windows ═════════════════════════╗
║ Window Number - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10║
║ TNC Stream Identifier A B C D E F G H I J║
║ Stream Switch character | | | | | | | | | |║
║ Input buffer size (0-32K) 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0║
║ Flashback buffer size (2-64K) 64 16 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2║
║ Word Wrap from 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48║
║ Screen width (normally 79) 79 79 79 80 80 80 80 80 80 80║
║ Bells (0 - 4 or 250 - 999) 525 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1║
║ Telephone style connect bell Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y║
║ Process data without viewing? Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y║
║ Display Status Window? Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y║
║ Display Type Ahead Window? Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y║
║ Number of Type Ahead lines 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2║
╚════════════ Press Tab key to move to the next Comms Window ══════════════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 3 from the System
Configuration Window. It contains parameters relating to each of the
Communications Windows you have configured.
Each column of values relates to the settings for that window number.
Press <Enter> or <Up-Arrow> / <Down-Arrow> to move to different lines
in that column.
Use the <Tab> key to move across to the next column.
Note, paKet will use only those values for the windows you have
configured (refer "Maximum no. of Comms Windows" in the previous
section). So if you have configured only 3 windows, the values for
windows 4 to 10 in the Example window above are ignored by paKet.
TNC Stream Identifier
This is the letter or number used by the TNC to identify the different
streams. You would normally use stream A in window 1, B in 2, and so
on. However, paKet can handle any combination so if, for some reason,
you wanted paKet to use TNC stream B in window 1 and stream A in window
2, just specify these streams in the above Configuration settings.
Some TNCs use a particular stream for their PMS. For example if your
TNC uses stream K for your PMS, you could specify stream K for one of
the configured windows. Note that a programming blunder in some TNCs'
firmware versions prevents access to stream K in the TNC, though it
cheekily issues connect and disconnect messages on that stream!
Of course, if your TNC uses numbers for its channel identifiers instead
of letters, you would specify 0, 1, 2, etc instead of A, B, C, etc.
Page 47
Stream-Switch character
The Stream-Switch character is the code used by paKet and by the TNC to
signal a change of stream.
Most TNCs use the vertical bar character ("|") as the default but you
could change it to any other character if you wanted to. The important
thing is to have both paKet and the TNC using the same character.
The TNC command to change this value is probably either STREAMSW or
CHSWITCH.
If your TNC supports more than one STREAMSW character, for example if
you have a dual port TNC, you can specify a different STREAMSW code for
different windows. Then paKet will use "that" window for "that" port.
A typical configuration might be to have "|" for the VHF port in
windows 1 and 2 (streams A and B); and have "~" for the HF port in
window 3 (stream A). Of course this is just an illustration - you can
have whatever STREAMSW characters you want, in whatever windows you
want.
Input buffer size (0-32K)
Each Communications Window has an input buffer to hold the characters
received for that stream and this option allows you to specify the size
of that buffer.
There is also one common 32KB System Input Buffer which is filled by
paKet's Interrupt Handler as data is received from the TNC. At regular
intervals in the processing, paKet will take data from that System
Input Buffer and distribute it to the appropriate Communications Window
Input Buffer, according to the stream indicated by the TNC.
A large input buffer size for the Communications window should not be
necessary; in fact you can specify 0 and not have one at all! If it is
possible you will have multiple connections, a 2KB buffer (at least one
screenful) should be allocated, but anything larger is unlikely to
provide any benefit in normal circumstances.
Flashback buffer size (2-64K)
Flashback is a paKet facility that allows you to scroll back to view
Communications Window information that has scrolled off the screen.
This option allows you to specify the amount of memory to allocate to
the Flashback buffer for this Communications Window. Of course a larger
buffer will hold more information, but memory is precious and you
should consider whether you really need too many big Flashback buffers.
paKet will look for EMS memory at startup time and if some is available
it will be used for Flashback buffers (among other things).
If you are not sure how much to allocate, try setting 32KB in the first
Communications window and 16KB in the others. You can easily change
these values later.
Page 48
Word Wrap from and Screen width
paKet has a Word Wrap facility that operates on data entered into the
Type Ahead Window. If a word does not entirely fit in the "Screen
width" specified, the whole word will be moved down to the next line.
There is also a Justify option available so that any text entered into
the Type Ahead Window is not only Word Wrapped, but is also adjusted
with additional spaces so that the right hand margin has a straight
edge. In this case the "Screen Width" specifies the right hand margin.
To paKet, a "word" is a string of characters separated by a space or
end-of-line. So, if you are sending a line of dashes or some other
graphic string, you might not want that "word" wrapped to the next
line. To help avoid such problems, paKet will wrap a word only if it
begins after a certain column, as specified in "Word Wrap from".
For example, if the values in these two fields are 48 and 79
respectively, paKet will wrap any word that does not fit on the line
provided the word begins after column 48. (That is if the word is not
longer than 32 characters).
A Screen Width of 80 will work quite well to most other stations
including another paKet station, but will cause double-spacing when
received on some lesser systems with bad "wrap" logic. I prefer a
screen width of 79 on my system but you can specify 80 if you want to.
Bells (0 - 4 or 250 - 999)
This option determines the sound paKet makes when a <BEL> character is
received from the TNC, or if paKet issues a Beep to alert the operator.
A value of 0 means no sound, so paKet will effectively ignore any
<BEL>s received, and will not sound any warning bells.
1, 2, 3 and 4 sound predefined tones. It is not easy to describe a
sound in a print document, so change the value and try it!
Values between 250 and 999 specify the audio frequency of the beep.
Morse Code
This bells setting also determines the Morse Code audio frequency.
paKet can optionally identify various Alerts with a unique Morse Code
combination. See the Alerts Configuration Window and the <Alt-A> key in
the "Keyboard Commands" section for more details on the Morse options.
If that Morse option is enabled for Alerts, and an audio frequency is
specified here, the Morse Code will be sent at that frequency. If you
have specified one of the predefined tones here, the Morse will be sent
at 600 Hz.
The <Alt-J> key allows you to adjust the Morse Code speed from 5 to 99
words per minute.
Page 49
Telephone style connect bell
This is a Y(es) or N(o) option.
If set to 'Y', paKet will issue an Aussie telephone-style "ring" from
the computer's speaker after a Connection is established if no
keystrokes have been detected within 15 seconds. (It will not ring if
you have enabled the Auto-REMOTE option where paKet automatically
switches into REMOTE Mode on connection).
This same telephone-style ring can occur if a REMOTE user enters the
T(alk) command.
This is to attract your attention in case you might have missed the
fact that someone wants to talk to you.
Pressing any key-character will stop the "bell".
Call Waiting
If you are running multiple Communications Windows, it is possible some
data will come into another window while you are not looking and,
although the Status Window will display the other Window number, that
message could go unnoticed. So, if this Telephone option is on, paKet
will issue a "Call Waiting" (double beep) sound every 20 seconds if
some data has some into another Communications Window and you have not
yet selected that window to view it.
Process data without viewing?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) option.
When data is received from the TNC for the currently selected stream,
it will be displayed in the Communications Window.
However, if data is received for some other stream, paKet can either:
- hold it in that other Communication Window's Input buffer until
you are ready to select that window and view the data; or
- process that data whether you have seen it or not. (It will still
be available in that other Window's Flashback buffer).
If you set this option to 'N' paKet will hold the data in the buffer
until you have selected that window to view it. However, I have found
it is often nice to just allow the data to flow into the system - you
can easily switch windows and use Flashback if necessary to view
anything that may have come in.
In either case, paKet will let you know if anything is received for any
other stream as it will display in the Status Window the Communications
Window number for that stream. For example, if something comes in to
Communications Window 4, the Status Window will show "<---4->" under
"Windows". So you will know if anything has been received, regardless
of the setting of this option.
Page 50
Try it and see which method suits you best but if you are not sure, set
it to Y.
Display Status Window?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) option.
The Status Window occupies the top two lines of the screen and is
continuously updated with the time and other information as things
change during normal operations. The details on display are discussed
in the section on Status Window in this Manual.
I recommend this option be set to "Y" at least while you are new to the
system, so the Status Window will appear.
If you change this to "N" the Communications Window will start on the
top line, effectively making that window 2 lines bigger.
Display Type Ahead Window?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) option.
The Type Ahead Window appears below the Communications Window and, if
used, may be configured to display from 1 to 9 lines. This window
allows you to type messages, commands, etc into paKet's Type Ahead
buffer before they are sent to the TNC.
There are several advantages in using this Window, so I recommend you
set this option to "Y" at least while you are new to the system.
Some advantages include word wrap (including optional justification),
and a Recall facility (similar to the DOSKEY function in DOS), not to
mention the ability to edit your typing before it goes to air!
Number of Type Ahead lines
The Type Ahead Window is optional (refer previous option), but if
selected you can choose the number of lines to display.
Valid values here are 1 to 9.
The Type Ahead buffer capacity is limited to the number of lines
displayed.
There is a little overhead in making the Type Ahead Window larger, but
the biggest disadvantage is the reduction in the size of the
Communications Window.
I think two or three lines should be more than enough for most users.
Page 51
Configuration Windows - Colours
Example:
╔════════ 4. Colours...════════╗
║ 1. Message Window... ║
║ 2. Communications Window... ║
║ 3. Status Window... ║
║ 4. Yapp Window... ║
║ 5. Help Window... ║
║ 6. TNC Help Window... ║
║ 7. Type Ahead Window... ║
║ 8. Configuration Windows... ║
║ 9. Directory Window... ║
║ A. Online Manual Window... ║
╚══════════════════════════════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 4 from the System
Configuration Window. It is a list of the various paKet windows for
which the colours may be changed.
If you are running a monochrome display, you might think this section
would not apply to you, but you could try different settings to get a
combination of highlighting and contrast that suits you best with your
monochrome display.
Selecting one of the items in this window will bring up yet another
window showing three sets of colours:
Page 52
Configuration Windows - Colours - Individual Window Colours
╔═══════ 1. Message Window...═══════╗
║Normal Foreground WHITE ║
║Normal Background GREEN ║
║Highlight Foreground LIGHTGREEN ║
║Highlight Background BLACK ║
║Border Foreground WHITE ║
║Border Background GREEN ║
╚══════Press ENTER to change════════╝
As with the Serial Port options, you may change any of these settings
by pressing <Enter> or <Shift-Enter> to cycle through the available
options. As you change a colour, the new setting is displayed in the
window. When you are happy with a particular setting, press
<Down-Arrow> to move to the next item.
Note that you have 16 colours available: for the foreground, the first
8 colours are normal intensity and the second 8 are high intensity.
Provided the display was in normal text mode, choosing a high intensity
colour for the background will cause the display to blink.
These colours are the standard CGA-compatible colours so this
arrangement will work with any Industry Standard (i.e. IBM Compatible)
computer system. If you are using a more modern video system such as
VGA, I am sorry but you are stuck with these few colour options. You
will not be able to select from the 256 or 32,768 or whatever number of
colours your system can handle. I chose to retain the simple 16/8
colour system so anyone can use paKet, including those who might be
using an older system. Perhaps in a later version I will add yet
another option to choose the video system? (sigh - ANOTHER
Configuration option?)
When you have finished changing colours, press <Esc>. You may then
change colours for another window or by pressing <Esc> again, you are
returned to the System Configuration Window.
Note that in many cases, you will not see the new colours immediately.
For example, if you change the Communications window colours, you may
think it has not worked, but you will see the new colours coming up as
new data is sent or received.
Page 53
Configuration Windows - Keyboard Macros/Auto commands (etc)
Example:
╔══ 5. KB Macros/Auto commands...══╗
║1. Keyboard Macros... ║
║2. Begin Auto Commands... ║
║3. End Auto Commands... ║
║4. Alerts... ║
║5. Control codes to PASS... ║
║6. KISS Mode OFF sequence... ║
╚══════════════════════════════════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 5 from the System
Configuration Window. The items shown in the above window are grouped
here because they all require strings of data, rather than a simple
parameter option.
The "Keyboard Macros" facility provides up to 10 macro strings which
may be generated and sent to the TNC at a single keystroke, well two
anyway!
"Begin and End Auto Commands" are some optional commands that may be
sent to the TNC when paKet is starting up or proceeding to shut down.
"Alerts" is a facility that (again optionally) may sound the PC "bell"
or even generate a unique Morse Code identifier when a nominated string
appears in the Communications Window. This feature could be used if you
want to know when a particular callsign is on the air or if some
particular topic is being discussed.
"Control codes to PASS" identifies the various control codes (For
example: <Ctrl-X>) that you want transmitted to the other station
rather than having them processed by your TNC as an internal command.
"KISS Mode OFF sequence" is a series of codes that will be sent to your
TNC if you press <Alt-K>. This is provided with the intention of
making it easier to switch the TNC out of KISS Mode and return to
normal Command Mode.
Selecting each of the 6 options will bring up another window for the
details, which are discussed below.
Page 54
Configuration Windows - Keyboard Macros
╔════════════════════════════1. Keyboard Macros...═══════════════════════╗
║1 ~BMAIL ON<Enter>MDC<Enter>l<Enter> ║
║2 ~BB<Enter>MAIL OFF<Enter> ║
║3 ~BMCON OFF<Enter>C VK2ATM-1<Enter> ║
║4 73s from Tony in Port Macquarie<Enter> ║
║5 ║
║6 ~BXMITOK T<Enter> ║
║7 ║
║8 <~s bbsconn> ║
║9 ~B²²D<Enter> ║
║0 ^CD^M ║
F11!xtgold ║
F12Disconnecting from $u at $t...<Enter>²²²²²²~BD<Enter> ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Description.
There are 10 Keyboard Macros available (12 if you have an Enhanced
Keyboard) and these are activated by pressing <Alt-1>, <Alt-2>, etc
through to <Alt-0>. That is, the number keys along the top of the main
keyboard (NOT the numeric keypad). The numbers 1 to 0 showing down the
left side of the Window correspond to the macro key you wish to use.
If you have an Enhanced Keyboard, the additional Function Keys <F11>
and <F12> are also available for Keyboard Macros.
To enter a new Macro or to edit an existing Macro, move the highlighted
cursor bar down to the item you want to change and type your macro on
that line. If you make a mistake or change your mind, just press <Esc>
and paKet will ignore any changes you have made, restoring the original
data. When you have finished typing your Macro on this line, press the
<Enter> key to complete the line.
This last <Enter> key you type does not go into the string because
there may be times where you do not want a Carriage Return at the end
of the string. If you DO want to add an <Enter> to the end of your
Macro, you should add that code as shown in some of the examples
above. The syntax required for entering this and other codes are
discussed below and are detailed further in the section on Special Key
Codes in this Manual.
Sometimes you might want to simply change something in an existing
Macro and sometimes you might want to replace the entire line with a
new Macro. If the first key you type on a line is some data character,
paKet will assume you want to type a new Macro to replace whatever what
is already on that line, so it will blank out the line to prepare for
the new entry.
If the first key you type is one of the cursor movement keys (for
example, <Right-Arrow>, <End>, <Home> etc.) then paKet will retain the
existing string for you to edit.
To delete a macro, move the cursor to that line and type <Ctrl-Del>.
Page 55
Special Syntax
Many of the special keys used in paKet may be coded specifically using
Pointer Brackets (Less-Than/Greater-Than bracket pairs). These are
listed under Special Key Codes in this Manual but as an example here,
you could specify the <Enter> key as "<Enter>" or Function key 2 as
"<F2>". Several examples of the <Enter> key appear in the above example
macros.
You can specify <Ctrl- > codes by entering the '^' character followed
by the ASCII character, for example in Macro 0 above, we see "^CD^M".
The first 2 characters, "^C" will generate a single <Ctrl-C> code. Then
a D is sent to the TNC, followed by <Ctrl-M> which is the same code as
the <Enter> key.
For the sake of illustration, I have also shown in the examples above
as Macro 9, a similar function: "~BD<Enter>" that effectively does the
same thing, but this one uses the tilde ("~") which is how we tell
paKet to generate one of the <Alt- > codes. The first two characters,
"~B" generates the <Alt-B> code - this is paKet's BREAK code to return
the TNC to Command Mode. (This is a better method than using <Ctrl-C>
anyway). Then the letter D is sent to the TNC, followed by "<Enter>"
which is another way of generating a single <Enter> code.
This macro, by the way, is a quick and easy way to disconnect from
another station. After returning the TNC to Command Mode; the "D"
followed by <Enter> issues a Disconnect command to the TNC.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the two little "Yawn" characters (²)
in that one. A "Yawn" is a half second delay. This is displayed (and
printed in this manual) as one of the Extended ASCII characters and I
know some printers do not handle that character too well in text mode.
I hope your printer printed them correctly, but they are the little
'2', the mathematical symbol that is used to indicate "squared". I
thought that symbol looked a bit like a little Z which is often used to
suggest snoring ... which is uh ... sort of like a yawn ... which I
thought ... er ... well anyway that is the Yawn symbol.
You enter that code with the <Alt-Y> key so if it looks a bit strange
on your printer, just type <Alt-Y> to see what it looks like on the
screen. Each time that code appears, paKet will wait for half a
second delay. In that example there are two of them so paKet will
process the <Alt-B> then wait for a full second before sending the "D"
and <Enter>. Of course that delay should not be necessary there - I
just put them in to show how they can be used.
Scripts
In Macro 8 I have shown an example of running a Script from a Keyboard
Macro. In that example, when you press <Alt-8>, paKet will load and
run the Script BBSCONN.SCP from the default Scripts directory.
The syntax for this is shown as:
<~s bbsconn>
Page 56
As is often the case in paKet, upper and lower case are treated
identically so it doesn't matter which you use here.
The Pointer Brackets are required and the "~S" is the standard <Alt-S>
command which you would use to run a Script from the Keyboard. In this
case the name of the Script file is included between the Pointer
Brackets. I have added a space between the ~S and the filename for
clarity here but that space is optional.
If you would like to pass parameters to the Script, you enter them
between the Pointer Brackets and separate them with a comma. For
example:
<~S BBSCONN,XY4BBS,20>
In that case the two parameters will be available to the BBSCONN.SCP
file. The first parameter (XY4BBS) will be in the %1 Script parameter.
The second (20) will be available in the %2 Script parameter. These
things are discussed in the Scripts section of this Manual.
Running a DOS command
In the example for the <F11> key we see how easy it is to run a DOS
program from paKet with a single keystroke. In that example, I simply
press <F11> to exit to DOS, load and run the XTGOLD program.
The "!" symbol is the code used to tell paKet this is a DOS command.
paKet does not check that DOS command at all - it will:
- exit to DOS,
- load a copy of COMMAND.COM, and
- pass to it whatever you have specified here, including any
parameters.
If it is wrong in some way, DOS will soon tell you!
The usual DOS rules apply here. The program or command you specify in
the macro must be a valid command or must be a program DOS can find
either in the current directory or within its PATH. This is DOS
material now, nothing to do with paKet, so check your DOS Manual if it
is not doing what you want.
This command could be an internal DOS command such as COPY; it could be
a program such as CHKDSK; or it could be a BATCH file.
Control returns to paKet when that job is finished.
Don't forget, paKet is still in memory while this DOS command is being
processed so the computer will not have its full complement of memory
available. See comments under <F9> key in the Keyboard Commands
section of this Manual for more details on this.
Page 57
Substitution parameters
The <F12> example looks a bit daunting, doesn't it? No, it is quite
simple really. There are two substitution parameters used there ($u
and $t). These codes are detailed along with other similar codes, in
the Special Key Codes section of this Manual.
When this macro is used, paKet substitutes certain values in place of
those parameters. For example, $u will be replaced by the callsign of
the station we are currently connected to, and $t will be replaced by
the current time.
I use that macro as another easy way to perform a Disconnect from
the other station. If I am currently connected to say, VK2BZC and the
time is now 15:50, that Macro will generate the following string and
send it to the TNC:
Disconnecting from VK2BZC at 15:50...
followed by an <Enter> key, so that message will be sent to that other
station. Then after a few seconds delay (hopefully enough time to allow
that message to be sent) it will return the TNC to Command Mode
(<Alt-B>); and finally send a D (Disconnect Command).
Note you can use a Macro to send commands to the TNC or to send
a string of data to another station. If sending commands it would be
prudent to include the "~B" to be sure the TNC is in Command Mode.
When finished with this window press <Esc> to return to the previous
KB Macros/Auto commands... Configuration Window.
Page 58
Configuration Windows - Begin-Auto Commands
╔══════════════════════════2. Begin Auto Commands...══════════════════════╗
║echo off ║
║CTEXT [paKet-6.1-HM$]^V ║
║ If you get the Menu, try: ^V ║
║ H for Help or^V ║
║ S to "Send" me a message^V ║
║ ...Tony ║
║<~S MAILOFF> ║
║<~S MORSE-ON> ║
║ ║
╚<Ctrl-Ins> to Insert line; <Ctrl-Del> to Delete line; <Esc> when finished╝
Description.
When paKet starts, a DAY command is optionally sent to the TNC to
initialise its date and time to match that in your computer. Then, as
part of the initialisation, paKet can send up to 10 additional commands
to the TNC. These additional commands are optional, but if you want to
include any commands to be sent at start up time, they would be
specified here.
Each line contains a single command so an <Enter> is implied and will
be generated by paKet as each line is processed.
In the above example, I have specified a multi line CTEXT command using
the PASS character <Ctrl-V> which will cause the following <Enter>
(generated by paKet) to be taken by the TNC as part of the CTEXT data.
Refer to your TNC Manual for information on the PASS character.
Note, you may enter Special Key Codes or the <Ctrl- > or <Alt- > key
sequences as used in the previous section on Keyboard Macros. The
section on Special Key Codes in this Manual gives more details.
I have also used two Script files as part of this start up process.
Although paKet will also look for the optional AUTOEXEC.SCP file (and
run it if it is found), I thought I would add these Script entries here
to illustrate the syntax required if you want to run a Script from
these Auto Commands. The syntax is similar to that required for
running a Script from a Keyboard macro.
Editing facilities here are the same as for Keyboard Macros. Use
<Ctrl-Del> to delete the highlighted line. And if you want to insert a
new line between two existing lines, press <Ctrl-Ins> to move the
following lines down, making room for the new entry.
You might prefer to put all of this into the AUTOEXEC.SCP and let paKet
do it all from there, leaving this window empty. If you did that it
would make it easier for you to run all these startup commands again
during the day. You just call up AUTOEXEC.SCP with the <Alt-S>
command and paKet will do it all again! The choice is yours.
When finished with this window press <Esc> to return to the previous
KB Macros/Auto commands... Configuration Window.
Page 59
Configuration Windows - End-Auto Commands
╔═══════════════════════════3. End Auto Commands...═══════════════════════╗
║^S ║
║CTEXT paKet is not currently running.^V ║
║ Please leave a message in the PK-232 Mailbox.^V ║
║ ...Tony. ║
║MAIL ON ║
║echo on ║
║xmitok on ║
║conok on ║
║ ║
║ ║
╚<Ctrl-Ins> to Insert line; <Ctrl-Del> to Delete line; <Esc> when finished╝
Description.
This item is almost identical to the previous option, but as you might
guess, these commands are sent to the TNC when you exit from the
program with the <Alt-X> or <Alt-F4> command.
Once again, these commands are optional so leave the window blank if
you don't want any commands issued as you exit the program.
If you are keen to monitor everything that is happening on the
frequency while you are "offline", you could send an <XOFF> code which
is usually <Ctrl-S>, as part of these End Commands. Then your TNC will
hold any monitored data in its buffers until it receives an <XON> code
which is usually <Ctrl-Q>. paKet always sends a <Ctrl-Q> when it
starts up (just in case) so provided there is enough capacity in your
TNC to hold everything received while you were "away", paKet will
capture all that information when you next start the program.
The syntax for entries in this Window is identical to the Begin Auto
Commands so I won't go into all that detail again.
I mentioned the optional AUTOEXEC.SCP Script file which may be used at
startup time... well there is a corresponding Script, AUTOEND.SCP,
which may be used at shutdown time. So, if you want to do a lot of
sophisticated things at this time, you might decide to leave this
Window empty and put your clever stuff into that Script. You can have
both if you want - some commands in this Window AND some in the Script
as well. Again, the choice is yours.
Page 60
Configuration Windows - Alerts
╔═════════════════════════════════4. Alerts...════════════════════════════╗
║PAKET ║
║TONY ║
║DHU ║
║#WX#EXPERIMENTAL WEATHER STATION AT PORT MACQUARIE ║
║BZC ║
║WAC ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
╚<Ctrl-Ins> to Insert line; <Ctrl-Del> to Delete line; <Esc> when finished╝
Description.
The "Alerts" facility sounds an audio alarm when a nominated string
appears in the Communications Window. Here in this window, you can
specify those strings.
Up to 10 Alert strings may be recorded in this window. Case is not
important here as paKet will match both upper and lower case.
There are three Alert Modes:
- ON (standard alert)
An "A" appears to the left of the Time in the Status Window.
When one of the nominated strings is detected, paKet will sound
the standard Bell tone.
- Morse
An "M" appears to the left of the Time in the Status Window.
When one of the nominated strings is detected, paKet will generate
a Morse Code sequence to uniquely identify that string.
- OFF
The "A" or "M" is extinguished in the Status Window.
The Alerts facility is disabled.
Press the <Alt-A> key to switch between the three Modes.
In the sample Window above I have shown 6 strings. Whenever any of
these strings appears in the Communications Window, the program will
sound the Bell if you have enabled the standard Alert option ("A").
However, if you have enabled the Morse option ("M"), the program will
play a Morse Code sequence through the PC speaker. If the word "PAKET"
is detected, it will sound the Morse letter "A" (dit dah) because this
is the first line in the Alerts Window. If it detects the word "TONY"
Page 61
it will sound the Morse letter "B" (dah di'di'dit) because this is the
second item in this Window. And so on, using different Morse letters
for successive lines in this Window.
Hang on, hang on... it doesn't matter if you don't like Morse Code.
And this is certainly not the place to discuss the relative merits of
the Code! It is just a way of making unique noises to satisfy those
who have asked for something to identify the different strings. If you
are anti-Morse, just select the standard Alerts option. (But it IS a
convenient way to learn a few letters of the Morse alphabet!)
While on this Morse option, you will see a strange syntax on the fourth
line in the above Window. On that line I have specified #WX# at the
start of the line. That is a special syntax to tell paKet to look for
the string:
EXPERIMENTAL WEATHER STATION AT PORT MACQUARIE
and if that string is detected, it will play the Morse sequence for
"WX" (Di' dah dah, Dah di'di'dah) instead of the default Morse letter
for that line. You can do this on any line, specifying the preferred
Morse letters (surrounded by "#") before the Alert string on that
line. So if you don't want to use "A" for the first line, "B" for the
second line, etc you can make up your own codes!
I might use #E# or #I# or #T# for some frequently occurring items
because those Morse idents are the briefest!
If you are using standard Alerts Mode, paKet will ignore any special
Morse idents (the #-# parts).
You can adjust the Morse Code speed with <Alt-J>.
If the noises start to annoy you, press <Alt-Q> for Quiet Mode to
disable the sounds emanating from the speaker. The strings specified
here in this Window can stay so when you toggle <Alt-Q> again Alert
Monitoring will recommence using the same strings.
Page 62
Configuration Windows - Control Codes to PASS
╔═5. Control codes to PASS...═╗
║ TXZ ║
╚═════════════════════════════╝
Description
This Window contains a series of letters which represent various
<Ctrl- > codes, for example "TXZ" indicates <Ctrl-T>, <Ctrl-X> and
<Ctrl-Z>.
Sometimes we send a Control Code to our TNC to make it perform some
internal function. An example of this might be a <Ctrl-C>. In many
cases that <Ctrl-C> code is used to switch the TNC into Command Mode,
so when we type that code, we want the TNC to process it and to respond
by switching Modes. We normally do NOT want that <Ctrl-C> sent to the
other station!
But suppose we DO want to send one of these codes to the other station?
The TAPR-compatible TNCs cover this situation with the provision of a
<PASS> facility. Have a look at your TNC Manual for a full description
of this feature but briefly, it allows us send one of these special
Control Codes to the other station.
The technique is to type the <PASS> character (fortunately all TNCs
seem to agree <Ctrl-V> is the standard <PASS> character), followed by
the Control Code we want to send. So, if we want to send (say) a
<Ctrl-X> to the station we are connected to, we would send:
<Ctrl-V> <Ctrl-X>
If we do not type the <PASS> character there, it is likely the TNC will
take that <Ctrl-X> as a command, and not send it to the other station
at all. For example in my TNC, that code is used as a CANLINE command
to cancel the current input line. The CANLINE function is not really
required with paKet but the TNC still uses it for that purpose!
I have found that some systems, notably TCP/IP, use Control Codes for
various things and it becomes a bit of a drag having to type the <PASS>
character every time we want to send one of these Codes. So I created
this Window where you can enter the corresponding letter for those
Control Codes you normally want sent to the other station.
A good example is the <Ctrl-X> which is used by TCP/IP. Whenever I
type <Ctrl-X> I want it transmitted to the other station; I do not want
to use the CANLINE facility in my TNC. So I include the letter X in
this Window. Then whenever I type a <Ctrl-X>, paKet checks this
Window, sees the X here and automatically sends a <PASS> code to the
TNC followed by my <Ctrl-X>.
Now I know the TNC will always transmit my <Ctrl-X>.
Page 63
If you are new to packet radio, you might find this all a bit
confusing. You could remove all the codes in this Window, leaving it
empty. Then paKet will take no special action with your Control
Codes. If you want to send say, a <Ctrl-X> to the other guy, you can
type the <PASS> code yourself and do it the way other Terminal Programs
do it - manually!
Then as you gain experience you might decide to add just the one code,
say an "X" and see how that works. And if you find it necessary to
type the <PASS> code for some other regular Control Code you could add
that one too, progressing gently.
On the other hand if you are trying to send some Control Code to your
TNC and it seems to be ignoring you, it just might be that letter is
here in this Window and you are inadvertently telling your TNC to
transmit that Code over the radio instead of processing it internally!
(Take it out.)
Page 64
Configuration Windows - KISS Mode OFF sequence
╔═══════════════════════6. KISS Mode OFF sequence...═════════════════════╗
║ 192 255 192 ║
╚════════════ Please use DECIMAL numbers for each byte value ════════════╝
Description
This Window is used to define a sequence of codes that will be sent to
your TNC when you type <Alt-K>. It is intended this option be used to
restore your TNC to Command Mode after some other program has left it in
KISS Mode.
KISS Mode ("Keep It Simple, Stupid") is a simple TNC mode sometimes used
by various other programs. It is simple in the sense that the TNC's job
is simpler because most of the work is now done in the computer. The
main advantage in using this method is that the computer now has more
control over the processing allowing it to overcome some of the
limitations found in standard TNCs.
Many TNCs now support a KISS Mode option, but when paKet was first
created that support was restricted to only a few TNCs. I decided to
write paKet to operate with the standard Command Mode so it would run on
ALL TNCs. But now that support for KISS Mode is growing, I might have a
look at making a KISS Mode option available in a later version of paKet.
Although paKet does not use KISS Mode, it is possible you have used some
other program which did switch the TNC into KISS Mode and which failed
to reset it to the standard Command Mode on exit. In that case, paKet
will no longer be able to get any sense out of your TNC.
If your TNC is in KISS Mode, you will probably get the "TNC is not
responding" message when you start paKet. You can type "I" to Ignore
that problem to allow the program to start, then type <Alt-K> to send
these codes to restore the TNC to normal mode. It might be a good idea
to then exit paKet and start again, now that we can communicate with the
TNC, this time processing all the Begin Auto Commands, etc.
I conducted a packet radio survey recently, asking everyone to let me
know what codes are required for THEIR particular brand of TNC to exit
KISS Mode. The almost universal reply was the three byte code:
192 255 192
as shown in the example Window above. Note they are shown as decimal
numbers in paKet's Window, separated by a space, but in some TNC Manuals
these same values are shown in Hexadecimal notation as follows:
C0 FF C0
Some users reported their TNC comes out of KISS Mode if they send three
<Ctrl-C>s in quick succession, but I understand those TNCs also respond
to the above three byte code. So, let's stick with the standard code
sequence. It's easier that way. Some MFJ users reported their units
seemed to work better with just a two byte code, using only one of the
framing codes, eg: 192 255. You might like to check your Manual if you
intend to use this feature of paKet.
Page 65
Configuration Windows - REMOTE / PMS options
╔═════════════════════════ 6. REMOTE / PMS options...═════════════════╗
║ -- REMOTE Options -- ║
║ Allow REMOTE access? Y ║
║ Issue REMOTE Menu on connection? Y ║
║ SEND files to REMOTE station? Y ║
║ RECV files from REMOTE station? Y ║
║ REMOTE trigger (decimal value) 29 ║
║ -- PMS / Mail Forwarding Options -- ║
║ BBS Callsign (eg XY4BBS-1) VK2ATM-1 ║
║ Allow third party messages in PMS? Y ║
║ Delete message after Forwarding? N ║
║ Call hourly? (Mail, Always, No) M ║
║ When? (minutes past the hour) 06 ║
║ Call BBS once per day? (M, A, N) A ║
║ What time of day to call ? (hh:mm) 23:24 ║
║ Use Script to make BBS connection? N ║
║ Connect path/Script file for BBS VK2ATM-1 v VK2RPM-1 ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Description:
This window appears when you select option 6 from the System
Configuration Window.
There are two sections to this Window:
REMOTE Options; and
PMS / Mail Forwarding Options.
Each of these sub systems is discussed further in its own section of
this Manual.
REMOTE Mode allows other users access to our system via our REMOTE
Menu.
The PMS (Personal Message System) provides a Mailbox where you and
REMOTE users can store and read Bulletins and Personal Messages. The
PMS facility includes full Mail Forwarding facilities to exchange Mail
with your BBS using the standard Automatic Mail Forwarding protocol.
Configuration Windows - REMOTE Options
Allow REMOTE access?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
This would normally be 'Y', but if you do NOT want other stations to
use this REMOTE facility, turn this option off with 'N'.
You may still activate it yourself via the <F3> key if you wish,
temporarily overriding this Configuration option, so YOU still have a
choice.
Page 66
Issue REMOTE Menu on connection?
If you are happy to allow REMOTE operations, you can either wait for
the other station to send us the REMOTE Trigger (discussed below) or
you can choose to have paKet automatically issue the REMOTE Menu when
the other station connects to our system.
If you enter "Y" for this option, paKet will switch into REMOTE Mode
and will issue the menu immediately a connection is established. The
default setting is 'Y'.
This is intended for those times when you are not present to
communicate with the other station. So if you have pressed a key within
the past 60 seconds, paKet will assume you are at the keyboard and will
NOT automatically switch into REMOTE Mode. The other station can still
send the Trigger to get the REMOTE Menu, or you can do it with the <F3>
key if you wish.
SEND files to REMOTE station?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
If you have decided to allow REMOTE operations, you might still want to
prevent other stations downloading files FROM our system in REMOTE mode.
This would normally be 'Y', but if you want to prevent REMOTE Downloads
set this option to 'N'.
RECV files from REMOTE station?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
If you have decided to allow REMOTE operations, you might still want to
prevent other stations uploading files TO our system in REMOTE mode.
Preventing REMOTE Uploads should reduce the risk of picking up a virus.
Alternatively, specifying a unique Binary Receive directory should
allow you to be suitably suspicious of whatever turns up in that
directory. Nevertheless, if you are still concerned at this possibility
you may choose to set this option to 'N'. The default setting is 'Y'.
REMOTE trigger (decimal value)
Another station who has connected to our system might like to switch on
our REMOTE Mode (if it is not already on).
This trigger code is specified here as a decimal ASCII value because
some codes do not display well and trying to display the code itself
could become confusing. Using a decimal value leaves no doubt as to the
value set.
The default value of 29 (or the ASCII GS code) is <Ctrl-]>, that is
hold the Ctrl key while typing right-square-bracket. So, if the other
station sends us that code, with nothing else on the line, paKet will
activate REMOTE Mode and send the REMOTE Menu.
Page 67
Configuration Windows - PMS Options
Allow third party messages in PMS?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
When a REMOTE user leaves a message in your PMS, it would usually be a
message addressed to you. However, paKet is quite happy to have that
user leave a message (or bulletin) addressed to someone else.
That situation might arise if that REMOTE user wants to use our Mail
Forwarding facilities. He could leave that message in our PMS and at
the appointed time, paKet will Forward that message to our local BBS
for onward Forwarding through the BBS Network.
However, in some countries, this is not allowed. That message
addressed to "someone else" is considered a "third party" message. (We
are one party, the REMOTE user is the second party, and the someone
else is the third party). I don't understand how they can leave a
message on their BBS with this ruling, but....
If your Regulations do not permit Third Party messages, you can set
this option to "N" then paKet will refuse to accept a message from a
REMOTE user if it is addressed to anyone else.
BBS Callsign (eg XY4BBS-1)
This is the callsign of your "Home" BBS, including any SSID it uses.
The SSID is the optional numbers after the callsign, for example the
"-1" in the above Window.
While you are connected to this station, paKet will display "BBS" in
the Status Window to the left of the Time display.
This callsign is recognised by the program so it can perform some more
appropriate processing in the Mail Forwarding routines.
This field must be completed before you can do any Automatic Mail
Forwarding.
Delete message after Forwarding?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
If Yes, paKet will mark for deletion, any message that is sent to your
BBS by our Automatic Mail Forwarding system.
This makes it all simpler - you know that once the message has been
acknowledged by the BBS it will be removed from our PMS so there is
nothing else you have to do. If it is still in there, you know it has
not yet been Forwarded.
On the other hand, you might prefer to set this to "N" and do it
yourself so you have more control over what stays and what is deleted
from your PMS. You can delete ("Kill") any messages later via the
Sysop PMS Menu which is displayed whenever you type the <Alt-M> key.
Page 68
Call hourly? (Mail, Always, No)
This option relates to Mail Forwarding. Once every hour paKet can
perform some routine processing for Mail Forwarding. With this item
you specify one of three processing options:
M - Mail.
Check for any Mail waiting in our PMS to determine whether or
not to call the BBS for Mail Forwarding.
This option tells paKet to check the PMS at the appointed time
every hour (see the next option which determines the actual
time). If there is any mail in our PMS waiting to be
Forwarded, then paKet will call the BBS and establish a Mail
Forwarding session to send that mail. While that session in is
progress, the BBS can also send us any incoming mail it has been
holding for us.
If there are no messages in our PMS that are waiting to be
Forwarded, paKet will not call the BBS and will return to
whatever it was doing. It takes only a second or two for paKet
to check the PMS each hour - you probably won't even notice it
doing it.
This is the preferred setting.
If you want to send some mail to someone, you can do it all
here. You do not have to connect up to the BBS every time you
want to send a message. Just drop it in the paKet PMS and leave
paKet to worry about it. Of course if you write several
messages, they will all be sent at the next Forwarding session,
within the hour.
A - Always.
Call the BBS for Mail Forwarding EVERY hour.
Choosing this option ensures the system will collect any
INCOMING mail from the BBS every hour, even if there are no
messages in our PMS waiting to be sent.
Usually you would ask your BBS Sysop to set up his system to
call you at regular intervals for the purpose of Mail Forwarding
so if something is received at the BBS for you, it will be
stored in your paKet PMS when the BBS performs its next regular
Forwarding session. With this "Always" option you don't have to
wait for the next scheduled BBS Forwarding session.
However this option is not recommended for normal circumstances.
I do not believe it is necessary to make several calls a day for
this purpose. If you are getting THAT much incoming mail, the
BBS Sysop will probably have set you up for several Forwarding
sessions a day and it will all be in your PMS by now!
Page 69
Choosing "Always" will generate additional activity on the
frequency without achieving too much (unless you are expecting a
whole lot of incoming Mail!). If your local frequency is
congested, you will keep more friends if you choose the former
Mail option.
If you find, for some reason, the BBS is not calling you for a
regular Forwarding session, you could still leave this one set
to Mail and "Always" call the BBS once per day (see below). It
should not really be necessary to make a call every hour.
N - No.
Don't call the BBS every hour; don't even bother to check the PMS.
In other words, don't make this hourly call under any
circumstances - just forget the hourly processing altogether.
When? (minutes past the hour)
If the above option is set to Mail or Always, paKet will perform some
PMS processing once every hour. This option specifies the actual
minute past the hour when this processing takes place.
For example if this is set to 59, paKet will "wake up" at 59 minutes
past the hour (oh ok, one minute before the hour if you insist) and
will check the PMS and/or call the BBS at that time.
If the program needs to call the BBS but you happen to be connected to
someone else at the time, paKet will wait till that connected session
is completed before making the call to the BBS. For some, especially
those less experienced with packet radio, it might be confusing if all
this suddenly happened while you are in the middle of a conversation
with someone else! I figured this mail Forwarding should be a
background function and it can wait.
Call BBS once per day? (M, A, N)
This option is similar to the option for hourly calls above. But this
one refers to a call to the BBS just once per day.
The same three options are available here so I won't go into the full
detail again. However there are some additional considerations here.
This time I recommend the "Always" setting.
To cover those situations where the BBS is not initiating a regular
call for the purpose of Mail Forwarding and where you have not been
writing any outgoing messages, we might need to make that call
ourselves. This will help ensure we still receive any incoming mail
that arrives via the BBS.
If you are satisfied the BBS is calling you at regular intervals, you
can set this to "No", and not make this daily call.
Page 70
What time of day to call ? (hh:mm)
If you do decide to make a call to the BBS once per day, whether the
previous option is set to Mail or Always, this is the time of day that
activity will take place.
The time is recorded here in the format HH:MM using a 24 hour time
format. Examples:
10:05 five minutes past ten am
12:00 midday
15:59 one minute before four pm
A colon (":") is used as the separator between the hours and the
minutes.
Use Script to make BBS connection?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
When paKet attempts to establish a connection with your BBS, it needs
to know how to make that connection. In most cases it is simply a
matter of issuing a single CONNECT command to the TNC followed by the
callsign and the callsigns of any digipeaters you need to get there.
For example if I was within range of my local BBS, I could type:
CONNECT VK2ATM-1
Or if I need a digipeater in the path, I could type something like:
CONNECT VK2ATM-1 v VK2RPM-1
In the case of a simple CONNECT command like this, say "N" to this PMS
option because we do not want to use a Script here. And specify in the
next option the callsign and digipeaters your system needs to reach the
BBS.
But sometimes it is not so simple to reach your BBS. It can get pretty
involved sometimes and just issuing a single CONNECT command is not
enough on its own.
For example, you might have to:
1. Issue a CONNECT command to a Network Node;
2. Wait for that connection to be established;
3. Then send another CONNECT command, this time asking the Node we
are now connected to, to try to connect to our BBS.
This is where paKet Scripts may be used to advantage. If you have this
type of complex path to reach your BBS, it might be better to use a
Script to make the connection because in a Script we can tell paKet to
issue various commands and to wait for certain responses before issuing
other commands, etc. It provides much more flexibility.
So if this is your situation, say "Y" here and in the following option
specify the name of a Script file you will use to establish the BBS
connection. I have included some sample Script files with paKet so
Page 71
have a look at those to get an idea how to do it. Of course you will
have to modify them to suit your own situation, with different
callsigns etc. Maybe there will be someone else in your area who has
already developed a Script to do this, so ask around before you spend
too much time on it.
Connect path/Script file for BBS
This entry tells paKet how it can reach and establish contact with your
BBS for a Mail Forwarding session. It is used whenever the program
decides it is the "appointed time" as entered in earlier options, or if
you type <Alt-F3> to manually initiate a Forwarding session.
There are two formats for this item, the correct format depends on the
choice you made in the previous PMS option.
Standard CONNECT command - No Script
If you said "N" to the previous option, you have chosen to use a
standard CONNECT command to establish contact with your BBS. So here
you should enter just the callsign, and any digipeater callsigns, that
you use to call your BBS.
For example, if I can connect to my local BBS with a simple connect
command as follows:
CONNECT VK2ATM-1
then I would specify here:
VK2ATM-1
If I needed to use a digipeater as indicated in the second example
above, I would enter here:
VK2ATM-1 v VK2RPM-1
Note, you do NOT type the CONNECT command - that is generated within
the program. Just the callsigns here, please.
Use a Script file
If you specified "Y" to the previous option, you must specify here the
name of the Script file you will be using.
There is a special syntax required here to properly identify this entry
as a Script file name and not just some other text, such as callsigns.
paKet looks for the pointer brackets if you are specifying a Script
file name so if you have a Script file called BBSCONN.SCP you would
enter here:
<BBSCONN>
You could type the extension too if you wish, but if no extension is
specified paKet will assume .SCP and I recommend you use that extension
for all your Scripts. There is less confusion that way. paKet will
look for that Script file in your Scripts Directory.
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Configuration Windows - File Transfer options
╔═════ 7. File Transfer options...════╗
║ DWAIT for normal operations 16 ║
║ DWAIT for binary operations 48 ║
║ PACLEN for normal operations 240 ║
║ PACLEN for binary operations 252 ║
║ Use paKet Protocol? Y ║
║ Ctrl-Z after sending ASCII file? N ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 7 from the System
Configuration Window.
These options relate to File Transfers only.
DWAIT for normal operations
DWAIT for binary operations
DWAIT is a TNC parameter that specifies a delay in the TNC with a view
to minimising collisions with digipeated packets. Some operators
recommend a setting of 48 for DWAIT during File Transfers in order to
give other Conversational Mode contacts a better response on a crowded
frequency. The principle here is that a file transfer should be run as
a sort of "Background" process. So, it is considered responsible to
give a longer DWAIT time, especially if you have to do your file
transfers at a busy time.
There are two values for DWAIT that you can set here: the "DWAIT for
binary" value will be used while sending a binary file; and the TNC
will be reset to the normal DWAIT value when the File Transfer is
completed.
Recommended values are 16 for normal mode and at least 32 for Binary
File Transfers.
PACLEN for normal operations
PACLEN for binary operations
The TNC's PACLEN parameter specifies the maximum size of the packets to
be transmitted. It has been found that in most cases a larger PACLEN
value is more efficient for File Transfers on VHF, but perhaps smaller
on poorer HF paths. It is generally accepted that a large PACLEN for
normal conversation is less important. paKet gives you the ability to
specify different PACLEN values for binary file transfer and normal
conversation modes.
When you are performing a binary transfer paKet will set the TNC's
PACLEN parameter to the value you specify for "binary operations" and
when the transfer is completed, it sets it back to the "normal
operations" value.
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Either value can be as high as 256, or 0 which in some TNCs is
equivalent to 256. It was found in testing that some TNCs do not
handle PACLEN 0 correctly (the TNC "crashes" during file transfers
after 7 packets!). A value of 255 or less appears to be universally
reliable. Recommended values are 240 for normal mode and 252 for File
Transfers - certain advantages accrue from these settings.
When using normal Converse Mode, the <Enter> at the end of each line
determines the length of the packets transmitted, unless you are using
CPACTIME. Provided you are using paKet's Type Ahead buffer, the use of
CPACTIME with a one second delay is considered more efficient in many
cases than the older <Enter> method. For normal conversations there is
little difference but if you are transferring an ASCII Text file (refer
<F5> key) the CPACTIME method would use this "normal operations" PACLEN
specified here and would result in more efficient transmissions. (Not
all TNCs support CPACTIME so check your TNC manual for details. It
will explain CPACTIME operations better than I can.)
Use paKet Protocol?
paKet Protocol (pP for short) is an enhanced Binary Transfer protocol
developed especially for Packet Radio and is fully compatible with
YAPP, the current "Standard". Refer to the section on paKet Protocol in
the Technical section of this Manual for more details if required.
I used the YAPP Protocol Specifications published by Jeff Jacobsen
(WA7MBL), the author of the original YAPP program, when developing this
pP system. Extensive testing has shown pP to be fully compatible with
YAPP so you can use pP to exchange Binary files with any station
equipped to handle the YAPP protocol. The pP protocol automatically
detects the presence of another pP station and will use the enhanced
features as required.
However, just in case there is some other system somewhere that does
not quite conform to the original YAPP specifications and causes some
difficulty with the new pP, I have provided this option to turn off the
advanced protocol, forcing paKet to use the Standard YAPP Protocol for
Binary Transfers.
I expect this option will always be set to "Y". You do not need to turn
pP off when exchanging files with a station using standard YAPP protocol.
Ctrl-Z after sending ASCII file?
When you send an ASCII Text file with the <F5> key paKet will
optionally generate a <Ctrl-Z> character as an End-of-File indicator,
after the last byte is sent.
Most systems receiving a file or message require the <Ctrl-Z> to close
the file or terminate the message being received. So you might find it
convenient to set this option to "Y" and allow paKet to generate the
code when it detects the end of the file you are sending.
For flexibility, however, the choice is yours. If you prefer to enter
the code manually set this option to "N".
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Configuration Windows - Directories and Files
╔════════════════════ 8. Directories and Files...════════════════╗
║ Default paKet directory C:\PAKET\ ║
║ Text Recv directory C:\PAKET\TEXT\UPLOAD\ ║
║ Text Send directory C:\PAKET\TEXT\ ║
║ Binary Recv directory C:\PAKET\BIN\UPLOAD\ ║
║ Binary Send directory C:\PAKET\BIN\ ║
║ Log File directory C:\PAKET\LOG\ ║
║ PMS directory C:\PAKET\LOG\ ║
║ Scripts Directory C:\PAKET\TEXT\SCRIPTS\ ║
║ ------------------ ║
║ Online Manual File C:\PAKET\PAKET.DOC ║
║ TNC Help File C:\PAKET\PK-232.HLP ║
║ System Editor D:\EDWIN.COM ║
║ Connect File C:\PAKET\PAKET.DIR ║
║ Command to list a file C:\UTILITY\LIST ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 8 from the System
Configuration Window.
The paKet system manages a number of directories and files and in this
window you may specify your preferred defaults.
Note, in the above window the first eight items are DIRECTORY names so
for these items please specify a drive and sub directory name finishing
with a backslash character ("\"). So, if you want to specify the
diskette in drive A: using its root directory, you would specify "A:\".
Default paKet directory
There are a number of miscellaneous files used by paKet and these files
should be included in this default paKet directory. The easy way to
manage this is to make this entry the same as the directory where you
have the paKet program, PAKET.EXE and its configuration file, PAKET.CFG.
Those miscellaneous files include the REMOTE help and information
files, REMOTE.HLP and REMOTE.INF; and any CTX files you choose to
create. The Configuration Help file (PAKETCFG.HLP) should also be
stored here in this default directory. In fact any part of the paKet
system that is not configurable in one of the following options, should
be stored in the default directory.
The REMOTE Help and Information files are sent to a REMOTE user if a
"H" or an "I" command (respectively) is entered.
A CTX file is a text file with a file name that matches the callsign of
someone you expect will connect to this system, and with an extension of
.CTX. So, if I have a text file named VK2BZC.CTX in this default
directory and Paul (VK2BZC) connects to this system, paKet will send the
contents of that VK2BZC.CTX file immediately the connection is processed.
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Although the Configuration Help file is a plain text ASCII file, the
format and content have been carefully arranged and it would be a
mistake to er, improve it! Leave it alone, huh?
Text Recv directory
This is the default directory the system uses when we receive an ASCII
text file.
This would be when you select the Receive File function with the <F6>
key, or it would also be used by a REMOTE user if that station sends
us an ASCII text file.
When you press the <F6> key to receive a file, paKet will pop up the
Directory Window showing this "Text Recv" directory as the default
directory, but you can select any drive/directory/filename you wish.
But a REMOTE user does not get a choice - any files sent by a REMOTE
user will always go into this "Text Recv" directory.
Text Send directory
The first time you press <F5> to send a file, paKet will pop up a
Directory Window displaying this "Text Send directory". If the file you
want to send is in some other drive or directory, you can change the
display to show that other drive and or directory to help you select the
file.
I decided it would be useful if paKet remembered the details of that
file, so next time you press <F5> it will come up with that same
filename highlighted.
So this Text Send directory is used mainly for REMOTE operations.
REMOTE operations are discussed elsewhere but it should be pointed out
here that a REMOTE user may issue a "W" ("What") command to ask paKet
to display a directory of our text files. paKet will send this "Text
Send directory". For your protection, this directory and its sub
directories are the only directories a REMOTE user will see.
This directory will also be used by a REMOTE operator if that station
wants to transfer one of our text files. A REMOTE user may access this
directory and any sub directories below this one, so if you specify the
Root directory here, the REMOTE user will be able to access any part of
the specified drive for downloading.
Binary Recv directory
This is the directory the system uses when we receive a Binary File.
In paKet there are four ways to transfer a Binary file:
paKet Protocol (pP);
YAPP protocol;
BayCom; and
RAW Binary (no protocol).
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Whichever method is chosen, paKet uses this directory to receive the
transferred file.
You are not asked for the file name when receiving a Binary File with
pP or YAPP: that information is expected to be in the protocol Header.
So if you wanted the Binary File to go into a different directory or to
have a different name, you will have to copy it or Rename/Move it
(refer <Alt-R> key) after the transfer has completed.
Binary Send directory
We can select a file to send via one of the Binary File Transfer
protocols with the <F7>, <Alt-F7> or the <Alt-F5> keys. As I mentioned
under the Text Send directory above, paKet will remember the last file
sent so when you next select a file to send it will highlight that same
file. You might not necessarily want to send the same file again, but
my experience is that you will quite likely want to send one from the
same directory as the last one.
So here too, this item is used primarily for REMOTE operations. This is
the default directory the system uses when we send a Binary File to a
REMOTE user.
If the REMOTE user asks for a directory display with the REMOTE "YW"
(or "MW") command, paKet will send the contents of this Binary Send
directory. Note, the REMOTE user can see and access only this
directory and any sub directory below this one. Other directories
outside this path are inaccessible.
Log File directory
This is the default directory the system uses for the disk log file.
When you press the <F2> key to activate the log file, you will be asked
to select the file name and, though a default is offered using the
drive and directory specified here, you may specify a different name,
directory or even drive if you wish.
If you have the AUTO log option active, paKet will generate a Log File
name based on the computer's date and will create the file in this
directory. You don't have to do anything!
PMS Directory
paKet has a Personal Message System which operates in a style similar
to many of the BBS systems, and is explained in its own section of the
Manual.
There are two files maintained by the system for the PMS, one to
contain the messages themselves (PAKETPMS.DAT) and the other for an
index into the message system (PAKETPMS.IDX). The directory specified
here is where these files will reside.
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Once you specify the directory here, there is nothing else you need to
do. If the PMS files cannot be found, paKet will automatically create
new ones. Of course if you change this directory entry, next time
paKet tries to access the PMS, the files will probably not be found in
the new directory and it will create new files in this directory after
warning you the old files have been lost.
So if you do want to change this directory name, make sure you copy the
two PMS files to the new directory, to keep the system happy.
Scripts directory
Your Scripts may be stored in any directory because when you press
<Alt-S> to run a paKet Script, a Directory Window will pop up to help
you select the desired Script file, and you can swap and change until
you find the right directory.
However, when a REMOTE user enters a "P" command to Perform a Script or
to display a list of our Scripts, paKet will look in THIS Scripts
directory for those files. And if you use a Script to establish
connection with your BBS, paKet will expect to find that Script here in
this directory. Or if you have a Script filename in your Connect
Window, that Script must be here in this directory.
So, I suggest you make it a rule to store ALL your Scripts in this
default Scripts directory, including AUTOEXEC.SCP and AUTOEND.SCP if
you use those. It would save a lot of trouble, I think.
-------------------------------
The following items are FILE names although you can specify a drive
and/or subdirectory path as well.
Online Manual File
paKet includes an Online version of this Manual. Actually it IS this
Manual!
Here you specify the path and file name so when you press <Alt-F1>
paket knows where to look for the file. If you have sufficient disk
space the entire paKet Manual should be combined into a single file,
PAKET.DOC which would be the name specified here. If you prefer, you
could leave the original DOC files separate and specify here the
desired part, eg MAN01.DOC.
TNC Help File
The TNC Help File is the name of the TNC help file that you want to
use. For example, if you have a PK-232 and you had that help file in a
directory called C:\HELP, you could set this item to: C:\HELP\PK-232.HLP
The TNC Help file contains information on the TNC commands, the meaning
of the various options, etc. Select the Help File most appropriate to
your TNC for maximum benefit.
Page 78
System Editor
The System Editor is an external text editor you may call up with the
<Alt-E> key.
This item allows you to specify the name (and optionally the path) of
your favourite text editor. Any editor may be used.
This editor will be run with paKet in the background, so there are a
couple of considerations to keep in mind here:
1. paKet will continue to capture any input from the TNC and store
it in the System Input buffer while you are using the editor. So
you should be able to run the editor at any time without losing
any input data.
2. As paKet is still in the background, we will not have the full
amount of memory available for the editor. So you may not be
able to edit a very large file or may not even be able to load
the editor if memory demands are high.
For example if you have specified several Communications Windows
there will be less free memory available; and/or if your favourite
editor happens to be one of the LARGE Word Processing packages it
might not fit into the available memory alongside paKet anyway!
Most of the simpler "Text" or "Programmer's" editors should work
just fine.
Connect File
This is the name of the file you wish to use for paKet's Connect
facility. The Connect file contains the names and connect paths for
our regular contacts and will be used when you select <Alt-C> to
initiate a connection to another station.
It is conceivable we could have more than one Connect file although
one file will hold up to 200 entries which should be more than enough
to satisfy most users.
Refer to the Connect Window section for more on the Connect facility.
Command to list a file
If you have pressed <Alt-D> to display a Disk Directory, you may
highlight any file listed in the directory and press <Enter> to view the
contents of that file. paKet will use THIS command to display the file.
You may specify "TYPE", the internal DOS command, although I prefer to
use the excellent Public Domain utility, LIST. If you want to use an
external program (such as LIST), don't forget DOS will need to be able
to find it, so you might need to specify the Drive and/or directory
name along with the command. Of course this will not be necessary if
the program is it is in the current directory or if it is covered by
the DOS PATH statement.
Page 79
Configuration Windows - Miscellaneous options
╔════════════ 9. Miscellaneous options...════════════╗
║ Station callsign VK2DHU ║
║ Operator's name Tony ║
║ Msg level (All,Warnings,Errors) A ║
║ Message duration (seconds) 3 ║
║ Display Configuration Help? N ║
║ Eliminate SNOW? (CGA only) N ║
║ AUTO LOG (on while Connected) Y ║
║ Add headers to log file? Y ║
║ Screen blanker delay (seconds) 60 ║
║ Up/Down Arrows (F'back, Recall) F ║
║ Initialise TNC time at startup? Y ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Description.
This window appears when you select option 9 from the System
Configuration Window. It contains those configurable variables that did
not seem to fit into any of the other sections.
Station callsign
Operator's name
These items are used in a couple of places for display purposes. For
example some REMOTE menu messages will show your name and/or callsign
in order to make it appear a little more friendly.
The callsign is also used in the PMS. If a REMOTE user leaves a message
without specifying a callsign, paKet will assume it is for you and will
insert your callsign as the addressee. Similarly when you enter a
message into the PMS, there is no need to specify who it is from.
paKet now knows who you are!
Registering your copy of paKet
If this copy of paKet is not yet registered, paKet will ask you for your
Serial Number when you enter your callsign. If you have your Serial
Number handy, type it in here and paKet will update its stored
information before issuing a Thank You message.
The registration process will update the PAKET.EXE file to identify
this one as your registered copy. If you experience a problem in this
process, it is possible the Operating System is unable to write to that
PAKET.EXE file. The two most common reasons for this are:
1. You have write-protected your copy of PAKET.EXE, perhaps with the
Read-Only file attribute; or
2. You are denied access to that file by the Operating System.
For example if you are running the Microsoft SHARE program, the
system will not allow us to write to the PAKET.EXE file because
it is currently in use.
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Of course the @#$&* thing is currently in use - WE are using it!!!
It can come back with a fearful error message like "Disk error on
Drive C: - General Failure". Just type "I" to ignore the error
message. Of course the registration detail will not have been
recorded in this case.
I imagine a similar problem could occur if you are running paKet
from a Network drive and you don't have appropriate privileges to
update the file on that drive.
In the first case, you can rectify this by removing the Write
Protection or the change the file attributes. Then enter your callsign
again, or simply register the program by typing <Alt-R> while paKet is
running.
In the second case, if the problem is caused by SHARE you can remove it
temporarily (usually it is in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so you would have
to edit that and reboot), or if you find SHARE a bit of an
inconvenience anyway, use the NOSHARE program instead of running
SHARE in the first place!
If it is a Network problem, consult your Network Supervisor or
Administrator for help. Tell them you need to write to the PAKET.EXE
file and ask them to set up the necessary access rights for you. Or get
them to perform the paKet registration (using YOUR callsign of course!)
if they happen to have the necessary rights already.
The alternative to this is to register the program with paKet's INSTALL
program. You will not have to perform the full installation again -
just select the option to Register the program. Have a look at the
INSTALL.DOC file for details on the use of the INSTALL program.
Don't worry about updating your copy of PAKET.EXE here. It is just
writing your Serial Number, nothing else! You can still give it to
others to try, even after recording your Serial Number. If you are
REALLY concerned, keep an unregistered copy as a backup and give them
that.
If you do not yet have your Serial Number, just press <Enter> and the
program will continue without performing the registration. You will
not be disadvantaged at all. Some Shareware programs provide a cut
down version of the real thing until you register. Well, I am happy to
say paKet is different - I believe you should have access to all the
features of the paKet system so you are better able to appreciate its
true value. The only differences in a registered version of the
program are, your callsign will appear:
- in the top left corner of your screen; and
- in your REMOTE Menu.
So the difference is minimal and you still get all the benefits of
the paKet system. It is tempting to not register at all, isn't it?
Page 81
But, let's be reasonable now. I have put a lot of time and effort into
this, as I am sure you will appreciate. Australians, as a general
rule, like to be fair to their "mates". Well, if you think I am being
fair to you, please be fair to me and register your copy of paKet. If
you think it is too expensive, tell me; otherwise I would appreciate
your kind consideration. Have a look at the file REGISTER.DOC for
details on how to get your own Serial Number.
Configuration Windows - Miscellaneous options cont...
Msg level (All, Warning, Error)
There is a complete listing of paKet's messages in its own section of
this Manual. They are listed in alphabetic sequence.
Some messages are considered Information Only. They tell you what is
going on at a particular time but are not really important as no action
is required. Warning messages alert you to something unexpected but in
many cases paKet can cope without your intervention, taking whatever
action it deems necessary! Error messages are those that occur in
situations that are considered serious and usually require some action
on your part.
This option allows you to specify the level you wish to use.
With level A - All messages will appear;
level W - Warnings and Errors only will appear;
level E - Errors only will appear.
I know the paKet system pretty well because I wrote the program! And I
prefer to leave this set to All. So I recommend EVERYONE, regardless
of experience, specify A (All) to start with, maybe changing the level
later. I expect it would be in very unusual circumstances that anyone
would want to hide the Warning messages by specifying level E.
Message duration (seconds)
When displaying a message on the screen, the program pops up a Message
Window and leaves it on the screen for a while to give you time to read
it. At first those messages were left on the screen for about three
seconds, but I received some complaints (well, let's call them
"suggestions") from paKet users saying either:
"Some of those messages are not left on the screen long enough.
I don't have time to read them!" or
Page 82
"Some of those messages stay on the screen for too long.
They get in the way!"
So here we have an option where YOU can decide how long they stay on
the screen. If you specify a longer duration here you can always get
rid of that Message by pressing <Esc> while the Message Window is
displayed.
Display Configuration Help?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
One of the most loved features of paKet is its Online Configuration and
the number of options available to set up the system to an individual's
own preferences.
At the same time, this is one of the more difficult parts of the system
because a less experienced paKet user might find all these options a
little daunting. Until you gain some experience with paKet, even some
of the terminology might seem confusing.
So we have an optional Configuration Help facility which will pop up a
Help message for each of the items in paKet's Online Configuration.
This is somewhat limited because of the available space on your display
screen, but it does serve to offer some helpful information on the
particular option you have selected, and hopefully guide you to the
correct choice every time.
This Manual provides much more information so you should refer to this
for the full details of each of the configuration options. Check it
out with the Online Manual if the printed copy is not to hand.
The Configuration Help comes from a file PAKETCFG.HLP which should be
in your default paKet directory. Although this is a plain ASCII text
file the content and the format of this file have been carefully
prepared so please leave this file alone.
Normally this Configuration Help option will be set to "Y" especially
while you are new to the system. It might slow you down a bit, but try
it both ways and make up your own mind. If you have a slower system,
and especially if you are running on a machine without a Hard Disk, you
might prefer to set this option to "N" and run without the
Configuration Help.
Eliminate SNOW? (CGA only)
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
The SNOW parameter is used for antique CGA displays that misbehave when
a program writes directly to the video display's RAM. The effect on
these displays is a 'snow' effect. paKet uses direct memory writes to
enhance performance but it will use a different (slightly slower)
method if you set this parameter to 'Y' to minimise the 'snow'.
Page 83
Note, however, that this is for CGA displays only - it is not necessary
with other types of display adapter and might not work with them
anyway!
AUTO LOG (on while Connected)
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
paKet provides a disk logging facility which may be activated at any
time with the <F2> key. However, the AUTO LOG feature (if ON) will
automatically activate the disk log file using the default naming
convention when a connection is established with another station and
will turn it off when disconnected. This allows you to keep a log of
your communications with other stations without clogging the log file
with other data.
Set this field to 'Y' if you want to use the AUTO LOG feature.
Add headers to log file?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
The Log file contains a record of all activity that comes and goes
through the Communications Windows. When you are connected to only one
station it is quite obvious where that information came from, but if
you happen to be connected to more than one station at a time, it all
goes into the same log file and it is sometimes not so obvious later
on, who said what.
There is an optional header that paKet will generate and write into the
log file to help overcome that confusion. This optional header simply
contains the callsign of the station you are connected to in that
Communications Window. When something is written to the log from one
of the other Communications Windows, paKet will generate another header
and write it to the file before logging that other information.
It is not a lot of overhead and it does not noticeably affect the
operation of the system, so set this option to "Y" and see it for your
self.
Screen blanker delay (seconds)
The nature of Packet Radio is such that you might leave the system
running even while you are not actually present, especially with the
availability of paKet's REMOTE facilities. However, prolonged display
of unchanging information on a screen can cause a "burning-in" effect
which may be relieved with a Screen Blanker to switch off the display
when nothing is happening.
Page 84
paKet has its own Screen Blanker which becomes effective after a
specified period of inactivity. This option allows you to specify the
period.
For example, if you specify 60 seconds here, the screen will be blanked
if nothing is received from the TNC and if no keys have been pressed
during the past 60 seconds. If something is received from the TNC or if
you press a key, the 60 second countdown restarts, so in times of
normal activity the screen might not blank at all!
If the screen is blanked, it will be restored for normal communications
immediately a character is received from the TNC or upon any keystroke
from you. Note, you can simply start typing a message because your
keystroke will be processed by the system even if you could not see the
paKet screen when you pressed the key.
If you simply want to redisplay the screen without actually "typing"
something, I suggest you press Ctrl or Alt (without any other key).
These keys will be detected by paKet and will cause the Screen to be
restored, but they do not actually generate any character on their own.
A value of 0 (zero) here tells the system you do NOT want any screen
blanking at all.
Up/Down Arrows (F'back, Recall)
Here you must enter either "F" or "R".
The <Up-Arrow> and <Down-Arrow> keys may be used for different purposes
in paKet and it is hard to know which is best. For example, they may
be used to recall lines of data from the Type Ahead buffer. This is
how it works in paKet 5 and is how they are used in DOS (DOSKEY) for
recalling previously typed lines. Many people like it this way.
However, in early versions of paKet the arrow keys were used for
scrolling the Flashback data in the Communications Window. Some long
standing paKet users did not like the change and some didn't even
realise they could have this function with <Shift-up-arrow> in paKet 5!
I happen to use the Flashback more frequently than I recall lines from
Type Ahead so I prefer the old way. But, rather than impose MY
preferences on you, I added this option so you can do it whichever way
you like.
If you type "F" here, the arrow keys will be used for scrolling the
Flashback buffer. With this setting you can press <Shift-Up-Arrow> or
<Shift-Down-Arrow> for the Type Ahead Recall.
If you type "R" here, the arrow keys will be used for Recalling lines
from the Type Ahead buffer. With this setting you can press
<Shift-Up-Arrow> or <Shift-Down-Arrow> to scroll the Flashback Buffer.
Page 85
Initialise TNC time at startup?
This is a Y(es) or N(o) parameter.
Some TNCs have an internal clock and do not need the program to send
the computer's date and time every time the program starts up. In fact
I am told the TNC clock is often more accurate than the computer's
time-of-day clock and it is better if it is NOT sent!
If you want to use paKet with a telephone modem you will not want the
date/time sent either because those modems do not have a DAYTIME option!
For normal use and for most TNCs, set this option to "Y".
Page 86
Connect Window
┌─Name ->▌ Callsign to CONNECT to (including Digipeaters, etc)──┐
│Call BBS <BBSCONN> │
│Get BBS Mail <GETMAIL> │
│Paul VK2BZC │
│Geoff VK2EO v vk2rpm-1 │
│Gerard VK2DAA v VK2RPM 475700 │
│Newcastle TCP VK2EO-1 v VK2RPM 655400;VK2RAP │
│David VK2RND v VK2RPM 496800;VK2KDM │
│ │
└ <Enter>:CONNECT; <Ctrl-Ins>:insert new entry; <Ctrl-Del>:delete entry ┘
Description.
The Connect Window appears when you press <Alt-C>.
It contains a list of names and connect paths for your regular
contacts. This feature is provided to facilitate the connection
process. You may record up to 200 entries in the Connect Window.
At first the window will be blank but you may enter the details of your
regular contacts to more easily establish contact with them next time.
To make a connection, move the highlight bar to the desired entry and
press <Enter>.
In the example Connect Window above you will see several forms of
connection details.
Simple Connection
The simplest form is shown on the third line which I can use to
connect to Paul, VK2BZC. The left hand side of the Window contains a
name or identifier to help me quickly see who this line is for. This
column is not used by the paKet system - it is just there to help us
humans. But to the right, on this line, is the callsign. So when I
select this line paKet will generate a "CONNECT" command followed by
this callsign. Eg:
CONNECT VK2BZC
Digipeater Connection
For such a simple style of connection it is hardly worthwhile using the
Connect Window. But where you need to enter more details, for example
where there is a digipeater involved (eg: line 4 to "Geoff") or network
information such as the ROSE numbers you see on line 5 (to "Gerard"),
the Connect Window can save you a lot of typing and remembering.
Network (Multiple) Connection
Some Networks require you to connect to a particular Node, then when
that connection is established, you issue another connect request to
the desired station. Provided you have NEWMODE ON in your TNC, you
could use something like the line to "Newcastle TCP" where there are
two separate connect paths, separated by a semi-colon (";"). Using
that example, paKet will generate two CONNECT commands as follows:
Page 87
CONNECT VK2EO-1 v VK2RPM 655400
and
CONNECT VK2RAP
You might like to refer to your TNC Manual for details of the NEWMODE
parameter and also to the discussion on NEWMODE in the Configuration
Window for Multi User Options (in this section of the paKet Manual).
With NEWMODE ON, the TNC will change to Converse Mode immediately a
CONNECT command is issued. So we can take advantage of this situation
by sending two "CONNECT" commands, because we now know the first will
be taken as a command (paKet will always place the TNC in command mode
before sending the first CONNECT command); and the TNC will switch into
Converse Mode so our second CONNECT "command" will be transmitted to
the other station. In this case, the string "CONNECT VK2RAP" will be
transmitted to the Node (VK2EO-1) and hopefully the Node will process
that string as its own CONNECT command so we can get through to VK2RAP.
Complex Connection
That previous example (the Multiple Connection) is a bit of a worry to
me. I am not at all confident it will always work as explained. I
must admit I have never experienced a problem with that method, but I
don't have good vibes when I use it. Must be something to do with my
hidden childhood memories?
In any case, there might be situations where the path to your desired
connection is more complex or you might want to perform some special
processing such as automatically entering a password or account
number. Or you might want to regularly connect to your BBS and read the
mail or something like that? In paKet, a Script offers maximum
flexibility. I won't go into details on Scripts here - that is covered
elsewhere. But let's say we already have a Script that contains the
various CONNECT commands to establish the connection and perform the
desired processing.
That Script may be entered as shown on line 1, where I use the
"BBSCONN.SCP Script to connect to my local BBS. A Script file name is
entered in Pointer Brackets as shown. The file extension is not
required because paKet will assume an extension of .SCP. That Script
file should be available in your default Scripts directory.
So when you select that line in the Connect Window, paKet will recognise
that as a Script file name from the Pointer Brackets and instead of
generating a CONNECT command, it will simply load and run that Script.
Come to think of it, you could use this Connect Window as a launching
pad for any of your Scripts, whether they relate to a new Connection or
not! I have another one there on line 2 - this is one I wrote to call
the BBS and ask for certain Mail and Bulletins.
To create a new entry, type in the left hand column a name that you can
easily recognise, then press <Tab> to move to the start of the Callsign
section. Here you enter the details of the connect path you wish to use
or Script file name, etc.
Page 88
If you want to insert a new entry between two existing entries, move to
the desired line and press <Ctrl-Ins>. If you want to remove an
existing entry, move to that entry and press <Ctrl-Del>.
Press <Esc> if you do not want to make a Connection at this time. Any
changes are saved automatically.
Page 89
Disk Directory Window
╔═════════════════C:\PAKET\═══════════════════╗
║ (Enter file name manually) ║
║ (Switch to another drive) ║
║ .. <Previous directory> ║
║ BIN <DIR> ║
║ BOOK 2577 27-01-94 8:44 ║
║ CONTACTS 11142 19-11-93 10:04 ║
║ EXITIN.SSS 290 18-10-93 8:53 R ║
║ EXITOUT.SSS 260 18-10-93 7:45 R ║
║ FLAGS 531 31-05-91 6:42 ║
║ FWD <DIR> ║
║ KISS.DOC 21219 26-11-93 13:54 ║
║ LOG <DIR> ║
║ PAKET.ICO 874 8-08-93 19:42 ║
║ PAKET.LZH 875564 30-11-93 7:41 A ║
║ PAKETDOC <DIR> ║
║ PP.DOC 5701 11-07-93 8:18 ║
╚════════ Directory - 24,363,008 free═════════╝
Description.
This window will appear whenever you request a directory display (with
the <Alt-D> key). It will also appear when paKet asks you to choose a
file name (eg if you want to send a file to the other station).
The directory is displayed in alphabetical filename sequence with
hidden and system files and the volume label displayed in a different
shade. Also shown are the file date/time and file attributes.
At the top of the window is the drive\path of the displayed directory,
and on the bottom line is the amount of free space on that drive.
If there is another level of subdirectory below this one, that
subdirectory name will be listed in sequence with "<DIR>" instead of a
file size. In the example above, there is a subdirectory named "BIN"
shown. Selecting that item will ask paKet to display that subdirectory
in this Window.
You may scroll up and down this window using the <Up-Arrow> and
<Down-Arrow>, the <PageUp> and <PageDown> keys, or the <Home> and <End>
keys. Or you can use paKet's hot-key typing by entering part or all of
the file name - paKet will highlight the first filename that matches
the characters you have typed so far. Often all you need to type is one
or two characters to move to the file you want.
If you hold the Shift key as you type, paKet will match only Sub
Directory names. For example, using the window shown above, if we type
"P" the highlight bar moves to PAKET.ICO, the first file that begins
with "P". But if you hold the Shift key while typing "P", the
highlight bar moves to PAKETDOC, the first Sub Directory name that
begins with "P".
Page 90
An item may be "selected" by moving the cursor (the highlight bar) to
that item and pressing <Enter>.
Sometimes you might prefer to enter the file name yourself rather than
go through a number of display options. This is especially so if you
want to create a file that does not yet exist on the disk (for example
if you are using the System Editor to create a NEW text file). In this
case, press <Home> to jump to the top line and select the option to
"(Enter file name manually)" and paKet's Message Window will pop up for
you to enter the file name.
You may display the directory of a different drive by selecting the
"(Switch to another drive)" option second from the top of the window.
And you can select "<Previous directory>" to go back a level.
(Hint: type a "." then <Enter> to quickly move to the previous or
parent directory when searching the disk.)
If you used <Alt-D> to Display the directory, selecting a file will
display the cntents of that file. The command used to perform the
display is configurable - refer to the "Configuration Windows -
Directories and Files" section for details.
If you press the <Delete> key, paKet will delete the highlighted file
after asking for your confirmation that you really wish to perform the
deletion. This is convenient if you are doing some housekeeping such
as cleaning out unwanted log files. You can use the System Editor to
inspect log files on the disk and to edit out unwanted data. Then
delete any unwanted files. All without leaving paKet. You may delete a
sub directory only if that sub directory is empty.
Alternatively, a file may be renamed or indeed moved from one directory
to another by pressing <Alt-R> whilst that file is highlighted. You
are then asked to type the full new path and name for the file. If a
new name is typed without a path, the file will remain in the current
directory. Note, DOS does not permit a file to be "moved" to another
drive. You will have to go to DOS and COPY the file to get it on to
another drive.
Page 91
Help Window
┌───────────────────────────── paKet 6.1 Help ────────────────────────────┐
│ F1 - Help Alt-A - Turn Alerts OFF │
│ F2 - Turn Log File ON Alt-B - Send a BREAK signal to TNC │
│ F3 - Turn REMOTE mode ON Alt-C - Connect to another station │
│ F4 - Word Wrap/Single Line Alt-D - Disk Directory │
│ F5 - Send an ASCII text file Alt-E - Edit a data file │
│ F6 - Receive ASCII text file Alt-F - Find text in Flashback │
│ F7 - Send Binary File using pP Alt-H - MHEARD │
│ F8 - Recv Binary File using pP Alt-I - Initialise Comms Windows │
│ F9 - DOS Gateway Alt-J - adJust Morse Code speed │
│ F10 - Help with TNC Commands Alt-K - Exit KISS Mode │
│ Alt-F1 - Display Online Manual Alt-L - Continue Find in Flashback │
│ Alt-F3 - Call BBS for Mail Fwding Alt-M - Personal Message System │
│ Alt-F5 - Send RAW Binary file Alt-P - Turn Print log ON │
│ Alt-F6 - Recv RAW Binary file Alt-Q - Turn QUIET Mode ON │
│ Alt-F7 - Send File to BayCom Alt-R - Rename/Move data file │
│ Alt-F8 - Recv File from BayCom Alt-S - Script processing │
│ Scroll Lock - Pause Alt-T - Set TNC Time and date │
│ Page Up/Down - Flashback Alt-V - Verify Connected callsign │
│ or - Flashback Alt-W - Write Flashback to disk │
│ Shift or - Recall Type Ahead Alt-X - Exit this program │
│ Shift or - Change Comms Window Alt-Y - Yawn (half second delay) │
│ Shift <Fn> - Change Comms Window Alt-Z - Configuration │
└───────────Enter desired function, or Esc to leave Help Screen───────────┘
Description.
This Help Window is always available at the touch of the <F1> key.
You may select any function by pressing the key shown in the Help
Window - it is not necessary to remove the Window first. If you do not
want to use any of those functions at this time, press <Esc> to remove
the Help Window and return to the previous display.
In many cases this Help display will show slightly different
information. For example in the above example, we see:
F2 - Turn Log File ON
This suggests the Log File is currently OFF and if you press this <F2>
key, paKet will open the Log File and commence Logging to disk.
But if that Log File was currently ON at the time you call up the Help
Window, it would display:
F2 - Turn Log File OFF
telling you paKet will close the Log File if you press <F2>.
Page 92
Message Window
╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Log File closed ║
║ ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Description.
This is a small window that will appear from time to time, mostly to
inform you of some condition or problem. Some messages will disappear
after a predefined period, others which are considered more serious will
wait for you to press the <Enter> key before they disappear.
Full details of all messages, together with an explanation of each are
provided in the Messages Section of this Manual.
Some of the routine messages may be suppressed entirely by specifying a
higher "Message Level" in the Configuration. But, be warned, that is
for experienced users only!
In the Miscellaneous options Configuration Window you may also choose
the message duration. That is the time in seconds you would like these
messages to stay on the screen. Sometimes you might like them to stay
on the screen a little longer to give you time to read them, but
whatever the duration, you can always press <Esc> while this Window is
displayed and paKet will immediately clear the Message Window from the
screen.
Page 93
Status Window
VK2DHU ── Windows ───────── paKet 6.1 ───────── Log File: AUTO ────────
2045 <-2-> REMOTE M 07:37:52 960 S COM2: RTS CTS DSR DCD DTR
Description:
This window is optional (but recommended) and displays some of paKet's
operational settings on the top two lines of your screen.
The Top Line
On the top line, along with the fixed headings, you have the current
version number of the paKet program in the centre. If you are using a
registered copy of the program your callsign will appear at the left
(VK2DHU shown in the example).
On the right, the status of the Log File is displayed. That will show:
AUTO - AUTO is displayed if the Log File is currently
closed and the AUTO configuration option is set to Y.
In this case, paKet will open the Log File when a
new connection is established, and will close it
again when there is no longer anyone connected.
OFF - OFF is displayed if the Log File is currently closed
and the AUTO configuration option is set to N.
(filename) - When the Log File is open, paKet will display here
the file name of the current Log File.
Buffer
Most status information appears on the second line. At the left is the
System Input Buffer counter (2045 shown in the example).
All data received from the TNC is stored in this System Input Buffer
temporarily while waiting for paKet to come and see where it belongs.
If we are conducting multiple sessions, with a separate Communications
Window used for each of the stations we are currently connected to,
this incoming data will have to be distributed to the appropriate
Communications Window. At regular intervals in the processing, paKet
will perform this distribution.
The Status Window shows the number of characters in the buffer that
have yet to be distributed.
The count may build up if data is being received faster than your
system can process it, or if it cannot yet be distributed (eg: because
one of the Window input buffers has already filled).
Page 94
If you have started the System Editor <Alt-E> or taken the DOS Gateway
<F9>, paKet no longer has control of your system and so cannot perform
this data distribution. However, the Interrupt Handler is still
operational so anything received from the TNC during this time will be
captured and stored in the System Input Buffer. So you will not lose
any data. When you return to paKet you will see the System Input Buffer
drain quickly into the Window input buffer(s) and data will flood into
the Communications Window as paKet catches up. Just keep in mind that
if you take TOO long and the System Input Buffer fills (it is 32KB),
any further data would then be lost.
If the number of held characters reaches 25000, the counter will change
colour to warn you it is filling up and an intermittent audible alarm
will sound (if Bells are enabled).
Windows
<-2-> This item indicates there has been some activity on another
Communications Window. In the example shown, there has been
some activity in Window 2 and you should switch to that window
(with <Shift-Right-Arrow> or <Shift-F2>) to see that data.
This field will reflect the number of available windows. The
example shown indicates three Communications Windows have been
configured but if you had configured six Communications
Windows, this item would have appeared as: "<-2---->".
Indicators
To the right of the "Windows" field is an area that paKet uses to
display various indicators, confirming some particular operational
status. In the example above, the "REMOTE" indicator is shown.
This indicator field could contain:
DUMP - When you press <Alt-W> to dump all or part of the
Flashback buffer to disk, this indicator is shown.
During this time you might be moving the Highlight bar up
and down the Flashback buffer, looking for the data you
want to capture. This might take a while so, until you
complete this operation, you are reminded of paKet's
status - just in case you forget!
INIT - During startup, paKet will be sending any startup
commands, and processing any data that the TNC is sending
at this time (sometimes there is a build up of data in
the TNC buffers and it might take a while to empty them).
While all this is happening, you should not be using the
system because at that stage it is not completely set up.
So be patient while "INIT" is displayed, and wait for the
indicator to go out before you begin packet operations.
Page 95
BBS - If you are connected to your BBS this indicator will
appear.
There are times, especially when performing Mail
Forwarding, that the processing is a little different. So
I thought it might be a good idea to show this indicator.
MAIL - You might not see this one too often, but it will be
displayed when our system is performing Mail Forwarding
with some station other than your regular BBS.
paKet will not initiate a connection to any other station
for Mail Forwarding - that will be done only to your
regular BBS. But it is possible some other station, say
some other BBS, could call us and trigger our Mail
Forwarding logic.
paKet will observe the standard RLI/MBL conventions for
Mail Forwarding, so if another station sends the
appropriate codes, paKet will respond accordingly. In
that case, this MAIL indicator will be displayed to let
you know what is going on.
PMS - This indicator will appear while you are using your PMS.
When you are accessing the PMS with the Sysop PMS Menu,
paKet will hold any data coming from the TNC. Otherwise
that incoming data will interfere with what you are doing
in the PMS. This TNC data will be held until you exit
the PMS Menu, so the indicator serves to remind you to
return to normal communications when you have finished
with the PMS.
REMOTE - This appears when the system is in REMOTE Mode.
SCRIPT - This indicator is displayed while a Script file is
running.
BREAK - If you have configured your "Break" code as <Ctrl-C>
there will be a one second delay before and after the
three <Ctrl-C>s are sent. During this couple of seconds
this BREAK indicator is displayed.
(msg) - If there is one or more unread messages addressed to you
in your PMS, this indicator will appear to alert you.
When you have read all your messages this indicator will
disappear.
Page 96
Beside these indicators, the following single letter indicators could
also appear (M is shown in the example above):
A - Alerts On - Standard Alerts Mode.
This indicates that paKet is scanning incoming data for
strings that match those specified in the Alerts
Configuration Window. If a match is detected (case is
unimportant - both upper and lower case will be matched)
paKet will sound the standard Bell tone as Configured for
this Communications Window.
M - Alerts On - Morse Code Mode
The Morse Code option operates in a similar mode to the
Standard Alerts Mode mentioned above, but in this case,
when one of the Alert strings is detected, paKet will
generate a unique Morse Code sequence to identify the
particular string that was detected.
(The <Alt-A> key switches Alerts Mode between ON, Morse, and OFF)
P - This will appear while the Print Log is active. (refer
<Alt-P> key).
Time
In the centre of the Status Window is the computer's current time. This
will probably be the TNC's time as well because paKet can automatically
initialise the TNC with the computer system's time when the program
starts or whenever you press <Alt-T>.
File Send/Receive
To the right of the time display, paKet will show the status of any
TEXT file operations while they are in progress.
In the example above we see "960 S". This is indicating we are
currently sending a text file and so far we have sent 960 bytes of that
file. We might have pressed <F5> to send the file, or if we are in
REMOTE Mode the other station could have triggered this with the REMOTE
"D" command.
If that part of the Status Window were showing say, "11347 R", that
would be telling us we are receiving a text file and at this stage we
have received 11,347 bytes. We might have pressed <F6> to open a file
for capturing incoming data, or if we are in REMOTE Mode, the other
station could have triggered this with the REMOTE "U" command.
COM Port
This indicates the Computer Serial Port currently used by paKet.
Page 97
Handshaking
RTS This area of the Status Window is used for Handshaking details.
etc
If you have specified Hardware Handshaking, the status of
significant RS-232 lines is displayed - if the line is high, the
indicator is shown; if the line goes low, that indicator
disappears. For example, if the CTS (Clear to Send) "light" goes
out you will know the TNC has asked paKet to stop sending for a
while.
You will see "Software Handshaking" instead of these indicators,
if you have selected that mode. However, this will change to
"XOFF" when the TNC sends that code to ask paKet to stop sending
for a while. When the TNC sends the <XON> code, the Status Window
reverts to its original "Software Handshaking" display.
This Status Window is optional. You could adjust your Communications
Windows Configuration so this Status Window does not appear. However,
I expect such occasions would be quite rare.
Page 98
TNC Help Window
╔═COMMAND═════ARG══════DEFAULT═══════════DESCRIPTION══════════════════════╗
║MTo 'text' NONE Select stations for monitoring ║
║MWeight 'n' 5-15 10 Change Morse dot-space ratio. ║
║MYAlias call blank Alternate station identifier. ║
║MYALTcal 'aaaa' (empty) Alternate SELCAL for AMTOR ║
║MYcall call PK-232 Your station callsign. ║
║MYIdent 'aaaa' (empty) New 7 character SELCAL for AMTOR ║
║MYSelcal 'aaaa' (empty) Specify your SELCAL for AMTOR ║
║NAVMsg 'text' All Specify which NAVTEX messages to monitor ║
║NAVStn 'text' ALL Specify which NAVTEX stations to monitor. ║
║NAvtex Immediate Cmd Switch the PK-232 into NAVTEX Mode ║
║NEwmode ON|OFF ON Sets mode on disconnect ║
║NOmode ON|OFF OFF Allow/disallow explicit mode change only. ║
║NUcr ON|OFF OFF Select send <NULL>s ($00) after a <CR>. ║
║NULf ON|OFF OFF Select send <NULL>s ($00) after a <LF>. ║
║NULLs 'n' 0-30 0 Number of nulls to send. ║
║Nums Immediate Cmd Force the PK-232 into FIGS case ║
║Opmode Immediate Cmd Display PK-232's current operating mode ║
║PAcket Immediate Cmd Switch the PK-232 to PACKET mode ║
║PACLen 'n' 0-255 128 Maximum number of Bytes in a data frame. ║
║PACTime E|A 0-250 A10 Transparent Mode packet timeout ║
╚═Command Reference for the PK-232 (firmware to 10/89) - (PK-232.HLP v1.3)╝
Description.
The TNC Help Window shows the available commands for your TNC.
It will display each command on a single line with the valid
abbreviation in UPPER CASE, the valid arguments, the usual default, and
a brief description of the command.
For example, there is a "NEWMODE" command shown in the example above.
NE is the valid abbreviation; valid arguments are ON and OFF and the
normal default is ON. This command "Sets the mode on disconnect"
(among other things).
If you move the highlight bar to any of those commands and press
<Enter>, paKet will display Detailed Help for that TNC command.
There are several ways to move the highlight bar:
1. use the arrow keys to move the cursor up or down - the window
will scroll if necessary; or
2. use the <PageUp>, <PageDown>, <Home>, or <End> keys to move
around the available items more quickly; or
3. use paKet's hot-key typing facility and type the command (or part
of the command) you are interested in, either before or after
selecting this window with the <F10> key. paKet will try to
match what you have typed with the available commands and will
move the cursor to the first matching item. You do not have to
type the full command.
Page 99
Once the desired item is highlighted, press <Enter> to get the Detailed
Help description of that command, such as:
╔═COMMAND═════ARG══════DEFAULT═══════════DESCRIPTION══════════════════════╗
║NEwmode ON|OFF ON Sets mode on disconnect █
║Modes: All █
║ █
║Parameters: █
║ ON - Switch to data transfer mode with CONNECT command; █
║ Return to Command mode on disconnect. █
║ OFF - Switch to data transfer mode at time of connection; █
║ Do not return to Command mode on disconnection. █
║ █
║If ON the PK-232 will switch to whatever CONMODE is set when the █
║connection is started without waiting for the connection to be █
║established. If the connection is terminated, or if the request fails, █
║the TNC will revert to Command mode. █
║ █
║If OFF, the PK-232 will remain in Command Mode until the connection is █
║established. Then it will switch to the mode specified in CONMODE. The █
║PK-232 remains in that mode when the connection is terminated. █
║ █
║This feature is provided mainly for BBS or host systems. █
║ █
╚═Command Reference for the PK-232 (firmware to 10/89) - (PK-232.HLP v1.3)╝
The solid vertical bar that appears in the right hand margin is a
scroll bar. That scroll bar indicates where you are in this section
and also indicates how large this section is.
In the example shown the bar occupies the full right hand margin,
telling you you can see the top AND the bottom of this section; in
other words you are looking at the whole thing!
If that bar occupied say, half the length of this window, you know you
are looking at only half the available information in this section and
that you can scroll up and down to view the rest of it. As you scroll,
that vertical bar will slide up and down, so you can see where you are
in this section.
The information shown in this Help Window was gathered from TNC manuals
but you will probably be aware that there can be variations between
TNCs and even between different releases of firmware for the same TNC!
So while this feature may prove helpful in most cases, you should refer
to your TNC manual if in doubt or if it does not appear to be working
the way this Help window suggests.
As there are some differences in the commands of various TNCs it will
be necessary to select the appropriate HLP file for your TNC. So check
the supplied HLP files and make sure you have specified the appropriate
file name in "Configuration Windows - Directories and Files".
Page 100
There are several Help files included with the current version of paKet
and more may be added later, usually supplied by some generous paKet
users who might have some other TNC, or perhaps have the time to update
one of the existing Help Files.
If there does not appear to be a HLP file for your TNC, try the
TNC2.HLP file as it covers the basic TAPR-compatible commands that most
TNCs use. If that does not appear to suit, let me know (via Packet to
VK2DHU @ VK2ATM) in case another TNC Help file has been developed since
your copy of paKet was distributed.
Otherwise, I would appreciate it if you could let me know the details,
or (preferably) if you could edit an existing HLP file to suit your TNC
and let me have a copy of the new file so I can arrange to have it
distributed to all users of that TNC.
Page 101
Type Ahead Window
──── Single Line ─────────Type Ahead buffer─────────── Word Wrap ON ───
echo off
Description.
This window is optional (but recommended) and will appear at the bottom
of your screen. If you choose to have a Type Ahead Window, you may
configure the number of lines to use. Refer to the section:
"Configuration Windows - Communications Windows" for details. This
window is always 80 columns wide.
When enabled, all typed characters are displayed in this window but are
not sent to the TNC until the <Enter> key is pressed. This allows you
to start typing before the other station has finished, and is sometimes
convenient where you can start answering questions, etc and have the
answers ready to send when your turn comes. And of course you can
correct any typing mistakes before they go to air.
If the Single Line option is ON the data will be sent to the TNC as each
line is completed. You don't have to press the <Enter> key in that case.
The capacity of the Type Ahead buffer is limited to the number of lines
displayed. So if you have configured 2 lines for the Type Ahead Window,
the maximum buffer capacity is 160 characters.
When using this Type Ahead facility, Keyboard Macros (<Alt-1> to
<Alt-0>) are sent and most <Alt- > functions are executed without
affecting the partial line in the Type-Ahead.
The following keys are effective when used in the Type Ahead buffer:
<Enter> - send the contents of the buffer to the TNC
(the entire Type Ahead buffer will be sent
regardless of the cursor position);
<Backspace> - remove the character before the cursor;
<Delete> - remove the character under the cursor;
<Left-Arrow> - move the cursor left one character;
<Right-Arrow> - move the cursor right one character;
<Ctrl-Left-Arrow> - move the cursor left one word;
<Ctrl-Right-Arrow> - move the cursor right one word;
<Home> - move the cursor to the start of the buffer;
<End> - move the cursor to the end of the buffer;
<Ins> - toggle Insert mode.
When in Insert Mode the cursor will appear as a
Block character and when in overwrite mode it
will appear as an underscore;
<Tab> - will be expanded to spaces;
Tab "stops" are assumed to be every 8 positions.
<Ctrl-Del> - Clear the contents of the Type Ahead buffer
without sending any data to the TNC.
<Up-Arrow> - Recall a line from the Type Ahead "history"
<Down-Arrow> or (This will clear anything that was previously
<Shift-Up-Arrow> in the buffer);
<Shift-Down-Arrow> Refer to the discussion on this facility below.
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Type Ahead Recall
Each line sent from the Type Ahead buffer is saved in a Recall buffer.
Lines may be recalled one at a time from this Recall buffer with the
arrow keys. This facility operates in a similar manner to the DOSKEY or
CED utilities so, if you are familiar with those utilities, you know
what to expect here.
In paKet, the <Up-Arrow> and <Down-Arrow> keys may be used for this
Recall function but they may also be used to scroll the Flashback
buffer. It is a matter of personal preference really. There is a
Configuration option in the Miscellaneous options that determines how
you want to use these arrow keys.
If you choose to use them for scrolling the Flashback buffer, you can
still do the Type Ahead Recall by pressing <Shift-Up-Arrow> or
<Shift-Down-Arrow>. In other words, hold down either <Shift> key while
pressing the arrow keys.
A recalled line is placed into the Type Ahead buffer as if you had
typed it again, ready for editing and/or resending.
This could be used so "improved" versions of previously sent text can
be sent after some editing; or the same text may be sent again. I have
often typed a long line of text and sent it only to find the TNC was in
Command Mode and it responds with "What?" or "Eh?" or something equally
intelligent. So, after restoring the TNC to Converse Mode, this Recall
facility allows me to send that line of text again, this time to the
other station, without retyping it all!
Similarly, if I enter a command to the TNC but find it was not in
Command Mode at all but in Converse Mode, my "command" will go to air
for all to see. No problem: I just press <Alt-B> to reset the TNC to
Command mode, then <Up-Arrow> (or <Shift-Up-Arrow>) and <Enter> to
reissue the command.
The Type Ahead buffers for each Communications Window are preserved
between switching windows, but the Recall buffer is common. You can
send the same line to many connectees in quick succession!
Text formatting
The <F4> key offers you some options in how your text is handled in the
Type Ahead Window.
Press the <F4> key to toggle Word Wrap, Justified and Single Line
Modes on and off. There are five combinations here and as you press
the <F4> key, the active modes are displayed in the Type Ahead Window
Header Line. For example in the example shown above, we have Single
Line and Word Wrap options active.
These options are discussed below.
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Word Wrap:
paKet has a Word Wrap facility that operates on data entered in the
Type Ahead window. If a word does not entirely fit on the current line,
the whole word will be moved to the next line.
You might want to turn it off (with the <F4> key) where you are typing
a long message such as a CTEXT message and you don't want paKet to
interfere when you reach the end of the line. However I expect most
paKet users will have Word Wrap or Justified ON all the time. It is so
much nicer to be on the receiving end of Word Wrapped text than the
broken words we sometimes get from lesser systems.
Justified
Justified text is text which is aligned with both the left and the
right margins as shown in this paragraph. The left margin is usually
the left side of the screen, but the right margin may be configured to
suit yourself. If you choose the Justified option, we assume Word Wrap
is on too and as a word is wrapped to the next line, paKet will add
some spaces to the existing line to pad it out so the last character
on that line finishes exactly at the right margin position.
Many advanced word processors using a graphic display can perform this
justification by making very slight adjustments to the spacing between
letters and words so the additional spacing is hardly noticeable.
Unfortunately we can't do this with text mode displays or printouts.
We are stuck with the full "space" character as you see in the previous
paragraph.
Single Line
If Word Wrap or Justified is ON, you also have a Single Line option.
Without Single Line, the data you type will be held in the Type Ahead
buffer until you press the <Enter> key, at which time the buffer will
be transferred to the Communications Window and the data sent to the
TNC. If Single Line option is ON, the data will still be entered into
the Type Ahead buffer, but when the line is filled (ie when the last
word is wrapped to the next line) the full line will be sent to the TNC.
Why have a Single Line option? Well, sometimes you might be typing a
lengthy reply to the other station, and with Word Wrap (as in a Word
Processor) you do not need to concern yourself with the end of a line -
you just keep typing. In that case, the buffer could fill, or at best,
the other station is waiting, waiting, ... until eventually you press
<Enter> to send all that text at once! With the Single Line option ON,
you get the benefits of the Type Ahead Window, with its added text
handling features and the ability to edit or delete some of your text,
but without the disadvantages of filling the Type Ahead buffer or
making the other station wait for the entire message.
Anyway, try it. I was not so excited about it when a paKet user
suggested it, but now I like it and have it ON all the time!
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