The following text is from the Usenet comp.sys.cbm newsgroup and is Gary Farmaner's release of Dialogue 128 to Freeware. After this, we have supplied the full text of the Dialogue 128 V2.2 manual. While reasonable care was taken in scanning the manual, we take no responsibility for any errors in this document. We owe a gret deal of thanks to Robert Saltiel, who proof-read these docs and added the table of contents and page numbers. Gaelyne R. Gasson Phone: +61 8 8322-2716 VideoCam Services Fax: +61 8 8387-5810 90 Hilliers Rd gaelyne@videocam.net.au Reynella, S.A. 5161 Australia The Internet for C= C64/128 Users: http://videocam.net.au/tifcu/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 5 Feb 1998 06:45:56 GMT From: dialog Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm Subject: Dialogue 128 and me Once upon a time, people wrote: Robert Saltiel: >Hi All, > > I was wondering whether anyone could clarify what happened that >Dialogue 128 is no longer sold by CMD.. > > Also, has Gary Farmaner just dropped out of sight, or does he >distribute Dialogue 128 directly? Is he reachable? Doug Cotton: > The last time we spoke with Gary (to place an order) he said that he no > longer wanted to spend time making the disks. He was considering either > releasing the program to PD or selling the rights. We indicated that we > would be interested in the rights if the price was right, and to let us > know what he decidided to do when a decision was made. That was many months > ago now, and we haven't heard from him since. So far as we are aware, the > program is not available directly from him or any other source. Ray Madison: > I know I'm late with this, but I recently found out that Dialogue 128 is > no longer available at CMD. Does anyone know why? --------------------------- (Following from Gary Farmaner himself) Well, I guess I just dropped into sight. At least for now. But, with a name like 'Farmaner' I was never too hard to find. Try a search engine :) Perhaps I can clarify some outstanding issues. Let me first state my amazement that people still are talking about Dialogue after all this time! When was the C128 discontinued? I was still shipping to odd order to CMD through 1996. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank CMD and all Dialogue purchasers for their support. I took Dialogue off the market for several reasons: (1) I moved on to many other things. In addition to doing software engineering research at the University of Toronto and IBM, I've had a lucrative consulting business for some time. I have been EXTREMELY busy for several years now writing compilers, IDEs, Java-based architecture visualizers, special purpose video conferencing applications, and MANY MANY other things. I'm pretty sure I never got around to billing CMD for the last shipment I made. (2) I wasn't providing adequate support for the product for years, And it was getting increasingly difficult for me to continue to market it in good concience. (3) The sales of Dialogue had dropped to below 50 units a year spread over 2-3 orders with CMD. Not enough to really warrant the effort (doing a manual print run, tracking down diskettes, setting up the machine for duplication, etc.). (4) My C128 became flakey in early 1996, which made it extremely difficult to test the disks being created. And my MSD Dual Drive, which was the disk fabricator, was starting to become unreliable (or perhaps that was the supply of increasingly scarce DSDD diskettes). The last few runs had lots of problems and required at least one expensive emergency shipment of replacement diskettes, as I recall. (5) As Doug pointed out CMD did offer to take over the program. But they did request that they receive the source code to allow updates to the product, Fair enough. But I don't think I have the source code for the version that is out there. I had developped an IBM based cross assembler to develop the final ultimate version of Dialogue 128, But I finally hit the limits of space on the machine. So the source is in some unknown, almost finished state. To put together something half reasonable would take perhaps 2-3 weeks serious effort. Which is not easy for me to find nowdays. As Doug pointed out, one thought I had was to release the current program to freeware. But, I wanted to make sure that those that did purchase didn't feel cheated by it suddenly being released that way. I think enough time has passed. So, here's something to note (prossibly a first for legacy software): ---- Dialogue 128 - Copyright 1991 by Gary Farmaner I, Gary Farmaner, sole author of the program Dialogue 128, do hereby authorize the release of the program Dialogue 128 and any accompanying documentation, to freeware, NON-COMMERCIAL distribution. THIS IS FREE SOFTWARE. Individuals are encouraged to give away, and post to software distribution sites, copies of the software and any electronically captured form of the documentation, as long as this notice is included. Commercial interests are permitted to distribute the program and documentation as long as this notice is included, and NO CHARGE is made beyond reasonable media and duplication costs (at most $2 for diskette, and $3 for printed documentation). I retain full copyright on the software and documentation, The software and documentation are NOT being released to the public domain. I retain the right to release commercial updates at at future date. The software is released AS IS, without warranties, guarantees, or support of any kind. There is no charge for this software. However, if you do find it useful I would appreciate reading about it. Drop me a line at: dialog@turing.toronto.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: To facilitate searching this etext, each chapter heading is preceded by ">>", and page numbers are enclosed in angle-brackets <1> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Triple Point Software -------------------------------- Dialogue 128 Version 2.2 -------------------------------- Superior Terminal Communications Software for the Commodore 128 and 128D computers Written by Gary Farmaner COPYRIGHT (c) 1991 Triple Point Software -------------------------------- Dialogue 128 Table of Contents -------------------------------- Introduction ................................................... 1 Getting Started, Equipment Required, Creating a Work Disk Loading Dialogue ............................................... 3 Layout of Dialogue ............................................. 4 Status Line, Keyboard Equivalents Command List and Outline ....................................... 7 Highlight bar, prompts, File Selection Mode Configuring Dialogue ........................................... 14 Autodialing .................................................... 19 Protocols, Uploading & Downloading ............................. 24 Transmit Modification Characters ............................... 29 Buffer Functions ............................................... 30 The Buffer Editor .............................................. 34 Macro Keys ..................................................... 36 Terminal Mode Commands ......................................... 37 Auto-Exec Script Language ...................................... 42 ----------------- Appendix A: Modem Support Files ............................... 52 Appendix B: Dialogue Extension Files .......................... 56 Character Editor RLE Decoder/Viewer Translation Table Editor Two Drive Copier Dvorak Keyboard (RAMDOS-compatible) Appendix C: Control Codes ..................................... 61 -------------------------------- Dedication I'd like to single out the following people for their enormous encouragement, help and/or support throughout the Dialogue 128 development process: Bill Roberson, Jim Russell, Ed Flinn, Marte Brengle, Joe Buckley, Malcolm O'Brien, Kent Sullivan, Miklos Garamszeghy, Darrell Grainger, Jeff Goebel, Steve Punter, Mark Fellows, Doug Cotton, and Frank Hudson. Thank you all, Gary Farmaner -------------------------------- <1> >> An Introduction to Dialogue V2.2 Dialogue has many outstanding features. Among them are: * VT52 and VT100 terminal emulation * 300/600/1200/2400/3600/4800 baud rates allowing level 5 MNP protocol * 7200-38,400 baud available in UART versions * User-selectable variable baud rates from 0-600 supported * Support of most major modem types through individual modem support files * All commands accessible from keyboard, drop-down menus, joystick, or 1351 mouse * 40/80-column selectable display (on 80-column screen) * Optional 25- or 50-line mode * All operations in FAST 2MHz mode * Full support of 1700 and 1750 RAM expanders, and 128 RAMDOS * 64,000 character capture buffer (800/1600 lines) * 9,000 character separate scrollback review buffer * Optional 512,000 character buffer with RAM expander (6,400/12,800 line) * Multiple buffer configurations (1 to 8 separate capture buffers) * Full-featured integrated text editor * Extensive auto-dial/redial capabilities * Multiple 30-entry phone directories * Individually defined terminal parameters for each system * Powerful auto-execute script language allows full unattended and automatic operation * Punter C1, Ymodem Batch, CompuServe Quick B, Xmodem checksum/CRC/1K protocols * Loadable extension files vastly extend Dialogue's future capabilities * Partition and sub-directory support for 1581 disk drives and hard drives * Burst mode support for 1571 and 1581 disk drives * Colour graphics support for both CBM and IBM-type ANSI bulletin boards * User-defined character sets - and fully integrated character editor included * Disk is not copy-protected. Load Dialogue from any type of drive! Limited Warranty: Dialogue 128 is provided "as is" without software warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Triple Point Software warrants the media only, and will replace, free of charge, any disk found to be defective within 90 days of purchase. Dialogue 128 is not copy-protected. You are encouraged to make a backup copy of the master disk and we recommend that you make several work disks. Once you've tried Dialogue 128 you won't want to be without it! At Triple Point Software, we believe that copy-protection only serves to annoy the legitimate user. We show our respect for you, the customer, by disdaining copy-protection. You can demonstrate your respect for the author and publisher by refraining from distributing illegal copies. We appreciate your support. Copyrights: Commodore 128 and 128D, and Amiga are all registered trademarks of Commodore Electronics Limited. CompuServe, GEOS, Hayes, VT100 and VT52, Touch-Tone, SwiftLink, IBM, Atari, Doodle, GEnie, CMD, and Xetec are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Authors: If you have written high-quality software that you would like to have published, Triple Point Software welcomes your submission. <2> Getting Started In addition to this manual, you should find the following in the Dialogue package: * Dialogue diskette (5 1/4-inch 1541 format "flippy") * Dialogue registration card We urge you to complete, and return the registration card as soon as possible. Benefits of Registration * Information on updates to Dialogue * Announcements of new Dialogue extension piles * Recognition on major online services as a legitimate owner Equipment Required to Operate Dialogue * Commodore 128 or 128D computer * Commodore 1541 or 1571 disk drive or equivalent * An 80-column video monitor (colour or monochrome) * A compatible modem * A blank work disk of any format * Commodore model 1700 or 1750 RAM expansion unit (optional) * Joystick, or Commodore 1351 proportional mouse (optional) About this manual: There are so many commands and features of Dialogue, it was tough to squeeze them into a manual without confusing everybody. The result is a manual which describes the different areas of the program in segments, starting with generic keyboard information, followed by more specific command information. Almost all of the commands are listed by their function, and 'hot key'. We've spent a great deal of time attempting to make things fast and easy to find. If you read the manual once, you probably won't remember everything, but you'll almost definitely be able to quickly locate what you need to refresh your memory later. <3> Creating a Dialogue Work Disk Dialogue is supplied on a single-sided 1541 format diskette. This you can treat as the master disk. It is recommended that you do not continue to use the original disk, because it may become damaged. Supplied with Dialogue is a special 'Work Disk' creation program that installs a working copy of the files on a blank disk. Once the work disk has been made, you may store the original Dialogue disk away in a safe place. To create the work disk, place the original Dialogue disk in any 1541-compatible drive. Enter RUN"WORK DISK" (or RUN"WORK DISK",U# where # is the drive's device number) The work disk program provides full in-program documentation, and will guide you through the steps required. When complete, a working copy of Dialogue will reside on your new disk. Work disks may be any format - 1541, 1571, 1581, hard disk, etc. When creating a work disk, the program will install a boot sector, making the work disk 'autobootable' from device 8. This means Dialogue will automatically load when the computer is turned on or reset. >> Loading Dialogue Now that you have a work disk created, you can begin to use the terminal. From this point on, all activity is performed using the Dialogue work disk only. The original should be returned to the pocket in the front of the binder. Enter RUN"DIALOGUE" (or RUN "DIALOGUE",U# where # is the drive's device number) If the work disk is in device 8, typing boot or resetting the computer will automatically load Dialogue. Entering boot u# will also work if the work disk is in a drive other than device 8. The approximate load times for various drive setups are: Drive Load time (minutes : seconds) 1581 w/JiffyDOS 0:24 1581 0:28 1571 0:57 IEEE 1:00 1541 2:10 Note: If you have a 1700 or 1750 RAM expansion unit, it will automatically be detected. If RAMDOS is installed in page 11, Dialogue will recognise this, and operate as normal, with full support of RAMDOS. If installed in another page, it will be relocated to page 11. Installation of RAMDOS requires that ramdos128.bin4.3 (or 4.4) be contained on the work disk. When Dialogue has completed the load procedure, the main configuration window is displayed, and the system files are installed, along with the modem file you've chosen, and any other default files. The configuration window then disappears and the status line will reappear flashing text indicating this is the Terminal mode, and you're ready to use Dialogue! <4> >> The Layout of Dialogue Terminal Mode Terminal mode is the centre of the Dialogue universe. This is where you'll interact with the other online systems, and with all the various features of Dialogue itself Any characters that are received over the modem, will be displayed on the screen, and characters you type on the keyboard will be transmitted back out to the modem. The top line in reversed text is called the status line. This line gives you an overview of the status of some important functions of the terminal. The status line looks something like this: C: 0:00:00 T: 0:00:00am LR: 800 1 LC: 000 A:C:D:N:O:S Terminal mode From left to right, the particular sections of the status line have the following meanings: C: 0:00:00 This is the display of the elapsed 'Connect time' for each logon. When Dialogue detects a carrier, it will reset this clock to 0:00:00 and start counting. As an option, Dialogue can be programmed to save connect times of each system when you complete the online session. (See: Time Log Review. Page 22) T: 0:00:00am This is the real-time clock, and can be used two ways. When the program is first loaded, the clock can be reset to zero to display the elapsed time since the load occurred. This would let you know how long you've been using Dialogue. Or you can set it to the 'real' time (or set the time from a realtime clock cartridge, if you have one installed). (See: Setting the Clock. Page 37) The layout for both timers is Hours:Minutes:Seconds (HH:MM:SS). LR: 800 1 LC: 000 This is the default buffer status. It is composed of three sections. LR: Indicates the Lines Remaining in the current buffer. 1 This is the current buffer selected. Dialogue can have up to eight different buffers (numbered 1-8). The number of the currently selected buffer will be displayed here. This number is highlighted, and will flash whenever the capture buffer is open to receive incoming text. LC: Indicates the number of Lines Captured in the current buffer. Buffer size and this display are determined by the settings in Buffer configure and Buffer mode when configuring Dialogue. (See: Buffer Configure. Page 16) A:C:D:N:O:S - Flags Each letter will flash, or be highlighted when its related condition is true (selected), and will appear as normal when the related condition is false (not selected). A - The 'A' begins flashing whenever an auto-exec script, or auto-logon script is being executed. C - Carrier detect. When Dialogue detects a carrier, the 'C' will appear highlighted. When the carrier is lost, it will return to normal. <5> D - Disk buffer. If the buffer to disk option is active, 'D' will appear highlighted. When cancelled, the 'D' will return to normal. More information on the buffer to disk option is available on page 33. N - Non-visible characters. When Dialogue has been instructed to print those characters normally not visible, the 'N' will being flashing. During normal operation of terminal mode, the 'N' appears normal. O - Online. This flag is only significant for 'dumb' modems. For such modems (such as 1650/1660 compatibles), the 'O' will be highlighted whenever the modem is put online (off hook). It will appear normal when the modem is offline (on hook). When used with 'smart' modems (those that support the AT command set), the 'O' will always appear highlighted. S - Secondary characters. When calling Commodore colour boards, you may wish to use the graphics characters that require you to press the CBM key. Normally, Dialogue uses the CBM key to access the Dialogue commands. While in this special mode, the 'S' on the status line will flash, and the regular Dialogue CBM key commands will be disabled. All commands remain accessible from the drop down menus. Further explanation of this mode is available on page 38. (See: Toggle Secondary Commodore Characters. Page 38) "Terminal mode" Dialogue prints various system messages, or error announcements in this area of the status line. The text will generally flash for a few seconds before being replaced with the words "Terminal mode". The Keyboard Since standard ASCII contains several characters that aren't normally supported by the C128 keyboard, Dialogue has to cheat, and 'trade' some generally unused keys to provide these additional characters. To Produce: ASCII Name Dialogue Keypress _ Underline Left Arrow ^ Caret Up Arrow \ Backslash Pound Sterling { Open Curly Brace Shift + } Close Curly Brace Shift - ' Single open quote Shift Pound Sterling | Vertical Bar Shift @ ~ Tilde Shift * When using CBM terminal mode, the traditional Commodore keyboard and character set is restored. <6> Special Keys There are several "non-printing" keys on the 128 keyboard that have been given unique functions within Dialogue. ESC - This key has several uses depending on which mode of the software is active. When ESC is pressed while in terminal mode, it will transmit an ESC over the modem. An ESC is a chr$(27). In other areas, it performs various cursor functions. (See below) TAB - The TAB key has two functions, depending on whether you are active in terminal mode, or within the text editor. Pressing TAB while in terminal mode, transmits a CTRL-I. Some remote hosts may accept this as a valid TAB function. Others will ignore it. TAB is also used within the editor to advance to the next tab setting. CAPS LOCK - This key makes all letters appear as capitals without affecting the other keys. Its function is unchanged from normal 128 operation with the exception that Dialogue's CAPS LOCK function works with all the alphabet keys, including the 'Q', which originally did not shift, due to an internal 128 ROM bug. ALT - The ALT key is always used in conjunction with another key to enable various Dialogue functions (described below). HELP - Pressing HELP invokes Dialogue's drop-down menus. Most of the terminals commands are listed. A highlight bar can be moved by using cursor keys. LINE FEED - Pressing LINE FEED from terminal mode transmits a chr$(10) to the host. NO SCROLL - Effect depends on how Flow Control is set in Configure. Off - no effect. XON/XOFF - alternates CTRL-S and CTRL-Q. CTS/RTS - flips state of RTS line (for MNP modems). CBM logo key - This is the main command key of Dialogue. It is used in conjunction with other keys to activate many of Dialogue's commands. Fl, F3, F5, F7 Function keys are user-defined. In VT modes they perform VT PF functions. In this case, you must press SHIFT along with the F key to access your definitions. Control characters (Control Codes) Control characters are non-printable characters of ASCII with values less than 32. They are generally used to control some of the actions of a remote system. See Appendix C for a complete list of available Control codes and their ASCII. values. To generate a control character in terminal mode press and hold the CONTROL key, and then press the desired code key. Consult the online help of each particular remote system for the specific control codes supported. Local Escape Codes In many areas within Dialogue, certain escape codes are available. These codes are similar to the standard escape sequences mentioned in the C128 manual. ESC-P deletes all the text on the current line up to the cursor position. ESC-Q deletes all text from the cursor position to end of the screen line. ESC-@ deletes all text from the cursor position to the end of the screen. ESC-I inserts a blank line. ESC-D deletes the current line. <7> >> Commands and Features This section will discuss the menu systems, and outline some of Dialogue's features and functions. The Dialogue Menu System There are two ways you can activate the various functions of Dialogue. Commands can be accessed from the keyboard by pressing one or more command keys. Optionally, almost every function is available on drop-down menus that can be accessed directly from the keyboard, or with the use of a mouse, joystick, or trackball. The menu system also doubles as a help menu. On the right side of each drop-down menu option, keyboard equivalents for each of the commands are shown. These are the fastest means of invoking a Dialogue function because they bypass the menu system altogether. Every function can be accessed by pressing one or two command keys. For the sake of simplicity, the Dialogue manual lists the commands by their keyboard equivalents. The table below shows the conventions used to identify the command keys on the drop-down menus: Command Key Display Command Example CBM key c cb - Toggle capture buffer on/off ALT key a al - Load Dialogue extension module SHIFT ^ (uparrow) ^a - Cycle dial, and auto-exec in auto-dial window CTRL ^ (caret) ^d - Delete range in buffer editor ESC <- <-i - Insert line in buffer editor SPACE _ _ - Dial number in auto-dial window Cursor key CRSR cCRSR - Release cursor mode CLR/HOME CLR cCLR - Clear terminal mode screen RUN/STOP R/S aR/S - Send break signal to host Note: The drop-down menu system is actually two separate but visually identical systems. One appears when you use the keyboard, and one when you use the menu pointer. When the keyboard drop-down is active, the menu pointer has no effect. Similarly, when the menu pointer drop-down is active, the keyboard control is not available. Keyboard Controlled Drop-Down Menus To use the drop-down menu system from the keyboard, press the HELP key. The status line will be replaced by a menu banner (a set of categories) and the menu associated with the leftmost category will drop down. The top menu choice on the drop-down portion will be reversed by a highlight bar (a line of reversed characters highlighting one of the menu options). This highlight bar can be moved up or down using the cursor keys. Moving up or down highlights new options, and left or right will switch Dialogue to the next or previous drop-down, wrapping around at either end. When the highlight bar is over the option you want to activate, press Return or Space to select. The drop-down menus will then disappear, and the function will be invoked as if you had used a keyboard command. You can abort the drop-downs at any time without invoking a function by pressing the HELP key a second time, or hitting the RUN/STOP key. Note: In many areas of the manual, only the Return keypress option will be listed. In most cases, pressing Space works equally well. <8> Dialogue Menu Pointer Control Dialogue can also access drop-down menus using a sprite-like pointer which is manipulated around the screen using a mouse, joystick, or trackball. When creating the work disk, you were given the option to configure Dialogue to use either a GEOS or Amiga style of pointer control. These two systems treat the drop-down menus quite differently. GEOS style pointer control (1351 mouse, joystick, or trackball): The GEOS style of pointer control uses only one button to control everything. In the case of the 1350 or 1351 mouse, you use only the left button. When the pointer is brought near the status line, it will change to the menu banner. To drop down a particular menu, point to the category heading and press the button once. The appropriate menu will then drop down, and remain displayed until the pointer moves out of the bounds of that menu, or until another item is selected. To select an option, move the pointer over it and press the button once. Amiga style pointer control (1351 mouse only): This style uses both buttons of the 1351 mouse. When the right button is pressed and held, the banner will appear on the status line. Moving the pointer over a particular category will cause the associated menu to drop down. As you move the pointer over the various options, they will appear highlighted. If you move the pointer out of the bounds of the menu, the highlight bar disappears, but the drop-down menus stay visible on-screen until you let go of the right button. To select a particular option, release the right button while that option is highlighted. If no menu option is highlighted when you let go, the menus vanish, and control is returned to the keyboard with no changes. Note: Since both these pointer systems use only slightly different methods to perform the same functions, a standard has been chosen to describe the options throughout the remainder of the manual. All mouse/joystick/trackball movements are referred to as 'the pointer', and the appropriate mouse or fire button as 'the button'. The Highlight Bar Within Windows For Dialogue functions other than the drop-down menus, like the Configuration Window, or Auto-dial Window, the highlight bar is generally active. It can be moved freely with the cursor keys, including the provision for the HOME key, which moves the highlight bar to the top left position of the window. Using the pointer, you must position the arrow over the window option you want activated, and press the button once to move the highlight bar, and again to activate the function. In the cases where a list of options is to be toggled through, each subsequent press of the button will display the next selection. Values are cycled one direction only, generally increasing. For some options, it may make more sense to use the keyboard, where options can be toggled in either direction by using the SHIFT key. When pointer mode is active, windows may have a 'close gadget' displayed in the Up left corner of the window. It appears as a little box with a dot inside. Pressing the left mouse button or fire button while the tip of the pointer is aimed at the close gadget will cause Dialogue to exit the window. From the keyboard, most windows can be exited by pressing the RUN/STOP key. <9> Prompts and Requestor Boxes Dialogue prompts can be broken down into three categories: graphic requestor boxes, text/data input prompts, and filename input prompts. Dialogue handles each prompt differently, and offers different options for each. Graphic Requestor Boxes: At certain times, a requestor box will appear, offering one to three selection choices inside smaller graphic boxes. To choose, you may use the pointer (controlled by mouse or joystick), and click inside the box of your choice, or press the first letter of the option you desire on the keyboard. As an example, a simple Yes or No question like Reset buffer? would have a Yes box and a No box. To select Yes as your answer, you could either move the pointer to the Yes box and press the button, or simply type y on the keyboard. All requestor boxes will automatically choose the second option if you just press Return. In most cases, this is the safer of the two options (eg: No, don't reset my buffer.) Text input prompts: As a part of many Dialogue commands, you will sometimes be requested to enter some text or numeric data. The responses and length limitations will vary from prompt to prompt, but four basic rules apply: * Entering only a Return will leave the default/current data unchanged. * Pressing CLR (SHIFT-HOME), will clear the current data, and leave the input blank. * You will have full use of the cursor right/left keys, as well as insert and delete. * Entering new data will erase the original, and replace it with your new information. Filename input prompts: From any of the areas within Dialogue, where you are prompted to enter a filename, several powerful options are made available in addition to the four rules mentioned above: * Directing a file to a particular drive and device: In the Commodore world, there are three methods of file access: Single drives (like the 1571) use unique device numbers. Dual drives (like the 4040) and the Xetec hard drive have two or more 'drive numbers', but are addressable using one constant device number. The third method employs named logical subdivisions; ie. partitions and sub-directories. The 1581 has partitions and the CMD hard drive has both partitions and sub-directories. Dialogue displays the currently selected device number in parentheses within the filename prompt. Whenever you enter a filename, it is possible to direct the file to access any other device or drive number by including the required device and drive number as part of the filename. Examples: To direct a file to a different device number, append a comma and the desired device number following the filename, as if loading a program into the 64 mode of the C128. testfile,9 directs the file to device 9 testfile,11 directs the file to device 11 <10> To select a different drive number for use with a dual drive or hard drive, precede the filename with the appropriate drive number. 1:testload directs file to drive 1, from currently selected device 1:testload,9 directs file to drive 1, on device 9 Hitting Return on an empty prompt means no filename has been input. The function aborts. If the file or device is not found, an error message will appear in a requestor. You can retry, change device numbers, or abort. Choosing Retry will cause the computer to 'look again', in case you've changed the disk, or corrected the problem. If you choose to Abort, you'll be returned to the filename prompt, and allowed to enter another filename. Device Selection Mode: You can also change the default device by entering a #. This will enable Device Selection Mode. All currently powered-up devices will be detected and displayed. Use the highlight bar to select the new default device. Or simply type #n (where n is the number of the desired device). Note: Once a device number has been specified, it will remain the default until a new device is specified. The active device is always shown within parentheses at every filename prompt, or within the DOS wedge prompt. * Viewing the disk directory Entering $ at the prompt, will display a three-column directory of the files on the disk. Depending on the command, or the device, only a specific type of file may be displayed. $,9 for directory of device 9 $1 for directory of drive 1 If the directory is longer than one screen, the word will appear on the status line between each page. Press Return (or Space) to continue, or RUN/STOP to abort the display. * Checking the disk Entering $$ can be used to display just the header of a disk, and blocks available. This allows you to quickly check to see if you have the right disk in the drive, or if it has sufficient free space. * Access to DOS commands If you enter the wedge symbol (>) from the filename prompt, you are dropped to the DOS wedge where any of the Commodore D0S 2.0 commands may be sent directly to the disk. Refer to the Dialogue section on the DOS commands (page 40) for more information, or for complete details, consult your C128 and drive manuals about standard CBM DOS commands. Special functions for 1581 users only Since the Commodore 1581 disk drive has a more detailed file structure, including the use of partitions, additional features have been added to the filename prompts of Dialogue to support these. All other functions operate as described. <11> Users can select the name of a 1581 partition at any filename prompt by typing a / preceding the name of the chosen partition. Entering a / by itself will select the root directory. In either case, the 1581 will switch to the new partition, and the filename prompt will re-appear and ask for a filename to be entered. You Cannot include paths within the filename. Files may only be read or loaded from the current directory. examples: /text selects the partition "text". / selects the root directory. Optionally, entering // will display all the available 1581 partitions within the current directory. File Selection Mode (see below) is active, so use the cursor keys to move the highlight bar to the desired partition name and press Return. Mouse users can double-click the partition name. Once a new partition is selected, entering $ will re-display the list of available files, just as it would with any other drive. You may make use of File Selection Mode again to load or read any file. Dialogue File Selection Mode Whenever a directory is displayed as part of a load or read operation, a special File Selection Mode is invoked. A highlight bar automatically appears over the top left file in the directory. Using the cursor keys, move the highlight bar to the desired file and press Return. When using the mouse pointer, double-click the filename. The first click moves the highlight bar, and the second loads the file. Pressing RUN/STOP will abort File Selection Mode, and return you to the standard filename prompt, where you can either press Return to abort, or manually type in a filename. <12> CBM Key Commands The bulk of Dialogue functions can be invoked by using the Commodore key. This is the key at the bottom left of the keyboard that looks like C=. Since this key is difficult to print, the manual refers to it as the CBM key. All CBM key functions are also available from the dropdown menus, and are accessible using the pointer. The CBM key appears as an underlined 'c' on the drop-down menus. To invoke a CBM key function from the keyboard while in terminal mode press and hold the CBM key, then press one of the appropriate keys as listed below: Keypress: Description of Function Page # CBM-A Enter the Auto-Dial Directory area 19 CBM-B Toggle capture Buffer open/closed 30 CBM-C Enter the dialogue Configuration window 14 CBM-D Download a file to disk using an error-detection protocol 25 CBM-E Enter the buffer Editor 34 CBM-F Display system Function key definitions 37 CBM-G Grab current screen into buffer 31 CBM-H Hook control. (Function varies with modem type) 37 CBM-I Info. Displays statistics of last upload/download 27 CBM-L Load disk file into capture buffer 33 CBM-M Enter Macro definition window 35 CBM-N Select active buffer Number 30 CBM-P Dumps capture buffer to Printer 32 CBM-Q Quit. Prompts Quit Dialogue? 39 CBM-R Reset (clear) capture buffer (Prompts Reset buffer?) 31 CBM-S Save capture buffer to disk 33 CBM-T Transmit capture buffer over modem 32 CBM-U Upload a disk file using an error-detecting protocol 25 CBM-V View capture buffer 31 CBM-W Waiting for call - 'host' mode 37 CBM-> DOS wedge. Disk and printer commands 40 CBM-= Toggle split-screen conference mode. (Not in VT modes) 38 CBM-^ View scrollback buffer 30 CBM-* Set system clock 37 CBM-CRSR Activate 'Release cursor mode' 39 CBM-RUN/STOP Abort executing auto-exec script 48 CBM-CLR Clear terminal mode screen 39 CBM-1-8 (top row) Set 'current' buffer number (varies by setup) 30 CBM-SHIFT Switch character set 13 <13> ALT Commands Dialogue also uses the ALT key to access other functions. As with the CBM functions, ALT functions are also available from the drop-down menus. The ALT key is shown as a small underlined 'a'. To invoke an ALT key function from the keyboard while in terminal mode, press and hold the ALT key, and press one of the following keys: Keypress: Description of Function Page # ALT-A Invoke an Auto-exec script file 42 ALT-B Toggle 'Buffer to disk' option 33 ALT-I Transmit modem Initialise string 40 ALT-L Load a Dialogue extension file 40 ALT-N Toggle Non-visible character mode 37 ALT-P Dump current terminal mode screen to Printer 39 ALT-R Reset capture buffer line transmit pointer 32 ALT-S Toggle Secondary Commodore character mode 38 ALT-T Transmit a single line from capture buffer 32 ALT-V View a disk file 31 ALT 0-9 Invoke macro (numeric keypad only) 36 ALT RUN/STOP Transmit a system BREAK signal 38 Almost all of the CBM and ALT key commands are also available from the drop-down menus. All of these commands are described in full detail on the pages shown. Incoming Control Codes and Terminal Emulations Dialogue has several terminal emulation modes available, and is capable of handling several forms of control sequences sent by an online system. CBM mode accepts Commodore codes, including those required to access many colour boards. CBM-SHIFT switches between uppercase/lowercase and uppercase/graphics. ASCII mode the standard BBS mode. (accepts all standard CompuServe control codes.) IBM mode supports most of the IBM ANSI standard including those codes required to view colour and graphics on IBM (compatible) bulletin board systems VT100 mode accepts a subset of the Digital Equipment Corporation VT100 terminal control sequences, including VT100 graphics. Not all VT100 modes are supported fully, but enough to work on most systems supporting VT100 with little compromise. Since line noise can put the terminal into/out of graphic mode, CBM-SHIFT switches modes. VT52 mode accepts standard VT52 control sequences. The control codes associated with these emulations are supported. Dialogue will respond to the following incoming control codes: CTRL-G In all modes, a received CTRL-G (chr$(7)) causes Dialogue to ring a bell, and/or flash the screen once. This can be disabled from the Configuration menu. (See: Bell Mode, page 16) CTRL-L This will cause Dialogue to clear the terminal screen, and place the cursor at the top left position. (CBM, IBM and ASCII modes only) CTRL-S/CTRL-Q Dialogue supports XON/XOFF flow control when transmitting a buffer. <14> >> Configuring Dialogue The Configuration Window CBM [C] You modify many of Dialogue's parameters within the Configuration window. Options include screen attributes, modem and RS-232 settings and establishing system default filenames. To open the window, press CBM-C or select Configure from the menu. The Configuration window will appear, showing the current settings and with the highlight bar active. Pressing Return while an option is highlighted will either prompt for a filename, or increment through a list of various choices associated with that specific option. Pressing Shift-Return decrements through the list. To exit, press the RUN/STOP key. When using the pointer, aim at a function and press the button once to move the highlight bar. Press the button again to activate the option, or cycle through the choices. To close the window, point to the small close gadget in the top left corner of the window, and press the button. Note: Several settings will not appear to have any effect until you return to terminal mode. For instance, pressing Return when over the 40/80 function, will toggle between 40- and 80-column display mode, but the display will not change until you exit. Descriptions of Configuration Window Settings Screen columns: Sets 40- or 80-column mode. 40-column mode is displayed using wider characters, but still uses the FAST mode and the C128's 80 column screen. Screen lines: Sets 25- or 50-line mode. On some monitors, the 50-line mode may not be as clear as on other screens. Within the Configuration window, the 25-line screen and the 50-line screens have separate colour tables. Experiment with different colour variances to improve the legibility on your particular monitor. Newline mode: Chooses which characters are required to place the cursor at the first position of the next line. For most systems CR/LF will be used. Wordwrap mode: When set On, words that won't fit at the right side of the screen will drop to the next line. This is useful when the host system is sending lines longer than your screen setting, or when chatting to another caller. When Off, word wrap is handled by the host. Flow control: This allows Dialogue to stop or stop text flow as needed, like when you exit terminal mode for menu functions. Under normal conditions, the flow control used is standard XON/XOFF (CTRL-S/CTRL-Q). When using modems that Support MNP protocol (up to level 5), the RTS/CTS flow control of the modem is used when connected to MNP systems. Delete character: The ASCII code transmitted when Delete is pressed can be either chr$(8) or chr$(127). Shift-Delete will transmit the other. Delete mode: This changes the way a delete will be displayed; not how it's transmitted. Selecting Delete will display a proper delete, where the character to the left of the cursor will be erased. Choosing Backspace sets a non-destructive mode, where the character to the left of the cursor is still deleted, but remains visible on the screen. Screen output: This allows you to force or suppress the displaying of data on the screen while uploading or downloading with a protocol, and/or during buffer loads, saves and prints. Choose one of the four options (None, Buffer, Protocol, Both) by cycling through the list with the Return key, or the button. <15> Menu pointer: This option toggles the pointer on/off and turns on or off the close gadgets that appear on system windows. If you're not using a pointing device, leave it off. Pointer timeout: Sets the number of idle seconds the pointer will wait before blanking out. Any pointer movement will cause the pointer to reappear where it was last displayed. Baud rate: Cycles through 300/600/1200/2400/3600/4800 bits per second (plus 7200/9600/14,400/19,200/38,400 in UART versions). Optional baud rates are manually selectable by pressing B, and entering a new baud rate, or by using the menu option. 4800 baud is especially useful for level 5 MNP protocol on supporting modems. Fine tune: (Not applicable for UART users) Some modems may require you to 'fine tune' the send and receive baud rates a tiny bit. If you experience continual garbage on the line, adjusting these may help. For normal operation, they should both be left at 0. Length/parity: Parity is a control over the status of the eighth bit of a transmitted byte. The modes available within Dialogue are: 8/None 8 data bits. No parity needed or possible. (Use with CBM and IBM boards) 7/Odd 7 data bits, 8th bit is set to make number of high bits an odd number. 7/Even 7 data bits. 8th bit is set to make number of high bits an even number. 7/Space 7 data bits. 8th bit is always set low. 7/Mark 7 data bits. 8th bit is always set high. Stop bits: Sets for one or two bits to be sent after the transmitted byte. Local echo: Local echo refers to whether the characters you type will be displayed on the screen as you type or if they need to be echoed back from the remote system. Full duplex = Echo Off; Half Duplex = Echo On. Terminal mode: The terminal emulation mode for Dialogue to use. Several are available: CBM - PETSCII mode. Used to call Commodore colour boards. ASCII - Normal terminal mode for use with most BBS systems. IBM - Special subset of IBM ANSI supporting PC graphics and colour. VT100 - For systems that support VT100, like VAX mainframes. VT52 - For systems that support the VT52 control sequences. Transmit mode: When transmitting text (function keys, macro's, or buffer uploads) this mode helps determine how text is sent to the host. Since some systems can't handle continual streamed text without getting garbled, Dialogue has three options: Stream: Characters are transmitted in a continuous stream separated by a time delay controlled by the Transmit Delay settings described below. Stream2: Characters are streamed continually, and the Transmit Delay is inserted only at the end of each line. Reflect: In this mode, Dialogue waits for each character to be echoed back before sending the next character. This mode is slower, but gives visual confirmation that the text you are transmitting is being received as it should be. Transmit delays: This option, used in conjunction with either the Stream or Stream2 modes, dictates the amount of delay between each transmitted character or line. Values are in 100ths of a second. The Transmit delay setting has no effect on text transmitted using Reflect mode. <16> Cursor type: Selects either block, or underline cursor. Cursor Flash: Sets whether the cursor will flash, or remain constant. Printer device #: Defines the device number of the printer. Values 4-7 Secondary address: The secondary address to use with the printer. Values 0-31 Bell mode: Dialogue has four different ways of handling system bells. Sound: Make a bell sound. Visible: Briefly flash the screen. Both: Generate both sound and visible bells. None: Disable all bells. Buffer mode: Chooses the method Dialogue uses to store characters in the buffer. Line mode stores full lines of displayed characters, and allows the use of the buffer editor. Character mode displays only characters received, and permits more data to be stored in the buffer, but the editor isn't available. Buffer configure: You set the configuration of the buffer memory, allowing either 1,2,4 or 8 completely individual buffer areas. The following table shows you how the status line will look with an empty buffer, and buffer 1 selected, for the various buffer configurations. Mode: Buffer config: Display: Buffers: Lines 1 LR: 800 1 LC: 000 1 x 800 Lines 2 LR: 400 1 LC: 000 2 x 400 Lines 4 LR: 200 1 LC: 000 4 x 200 Lines 8 LR: 100 1 LC: 000 8 x 100 Characters 1 R: 64000 1 C: 00000 1 x 64000 Characters 2 R: 32000 1 C: 00000 2 x 32000 Characters 4 R: 16000 1 C: 00000 4 x 16000 Characters 8 R: 08000 1 C: 00000 8 x 8000 When using the optional 1700 or 1750 RAM Expansion Units, several additional options exist, expanding Dialogue's advanced buffer capabilities even more. These larger buffer options are only available when the RAMDOS option is not active. With the 1700 Lines RAM1 LR: 800 1 LC: 000 2 x 800 Lines RAM2 LR: 1600 1 LC: 0000 1 x 1600 Characters RAM1 R: 64000 1 C: 00000 2 x 64000 Characters RAM2 R: 128000 1 C: 000000 1 x 128000 With the 1750 Lines RAM1 LR: 800 1 LC: 000 8 x 800 Lines RAM2 LR: 6400 1 LC: 0000 1 x 6400 Characters RAM1 R: 64000 1 C: 00000 8 x 64000 Characters RAM2 R: 512000 1 C: 000000 1 x 512000 Note: Large RAM2 expansion buffers cannot be edited in the built-in editor. <17> Set defaults: This function pops up a sub-window with several options listed. Here you can enter default filenames (up to 12 characters each) for various system files. These files will be loaded automatically every time you run Dialogue. The modem file was entered when you created the Dialogue work disk. You'll learn more about the other files in the different sections of the manual. Setting these defaults is completely optional. If no filenames are specified, the word None will appear, and no files will be loaded. All system filenames are tagged with a three letter extension when loading or saving, making them easier to identify in the directory. Do not include the extension when entering the filename, as Dialogue does this automatically. Modem file - The modem control file, for your modem. .MOD Number file - The default phone directory file. .NUM Macro file - The default macro key settings. .MAC Chr. set (25) - Optional custom 25-line character set. .CHR Chr. set (50) - Optional custom 50-line character set. .CHR Editor setup - The default editor tabs, margins, and mode. .EDT Extension - Optional extension module. .EXT Translation - Optional custom translation table. .TRN Colour Settings: A secondary menu appears with various colour options. Screen Colour - The main background screen colour. Text Colour - The colour of incoming text. Cursor Colour - The cursor, and status highlight colour. Status Line - The colour of the status line. Highlight Colour - The Highlight (Bold) text colour. System Text - Dialogue Text (windows and drop-downs). Note: All colour settings are duplicated for 25- or 50-line modes, and are set and stored separately. To set the 50-line mode colours, you must first activate 50-line mode. Save System Configuration [S] Pressing S will save the current settings to disk. Remember to do this to save your changes - before resetting the computer! Before saving, Dialogue will prompt for a device number. The last accessed device will be highlighted. To save to a new device, highlight the new device number and press Return (or double-click your selection). Otherwise, pressing Return will save the configure.sys file to the current device. In most cases the file will already exist, and you'll be asked to confirm that you wish to overwrite it with your new selections. Loading Default System Files [L] Pressing L within the Configuration window, or selecting Load Defaults from the menus will cause the default system files to be reloaded from disk. A requestor will ask All Default Files?. Answering Yes will reinstall all the original values and the selected default files - just as if the program were newly loaded. If you answer No, only the list of defaults will be loaded. None of the actual files will be reloaded. Extra Functions Available from the Configuration Window Fast 'hot-key' presses are provided for these functions and they are all available from the menus. Note that these options are all available to make temporary alterations. None of the changes will be saved with the configuration settings. <18> Variable Baud Rates [B] On some Commodore-based systems, it is possible to achieve baud rates in between 110 and 600 baud. This trick works with most dumb modems, and a few smart ones. Many people have claimed baud rates of up to 600, but the technique becomes increasingly unreliable with higher baud rates. If the host you are connected to supports variable baud rates, it is important to first change the host system to the desired rate. Then, enter the configuration window and press B. Dialogue will prompt for a new baud rate between 50 and 9999. Consult the online system documentation to find out more about support for variable baud rates. Note: Modems cannot change speeds from 1200 or 2400 baud while online! The B command will still work, but you'll he unable to communicate with your modem. Optional Character Set [C] You are able to change the internal character set used by Dialogue, to another style you have saved on disk. When you press C, or select Load Character Set using the pointer, you'll be prompted to enter the name of a new character set to install. There is no need to include the .chr extension when specifying a filename. Some optional character sets are provided with Dialogue, along with a complete character editor extension module. It allows you to create, or customise your own character sets (see Appendix B, CHREDIT). If you have a character set you like, you can preset Dialogue to load it automatically when the program is loaded (see Set Defaults, page 17). Note: Dialogue uses different character sets for 25-line mode, and 50-line mode. Each set must be loaded separately, by selecting the load option while the desired mode is active. Loading a Modem File [F] If for any reason, you wish to load an alternate modem file into Dialogue, pressing F will prompt for a new filename. Do not include the .mod extension when specifying a filename. See Appendix A for a complete list of modem files available. Modem Control [M] (For 'smart' modem users only) Pressing M while in the Configuration window will cause Dialogue to prompt for a modem initialisation string followed by a dial string. (AT is automatically sent before the string and should not be entered.) The default dial string is DT. The T should be replaced by P for those whose phone exchange doesn't support Touch-Tone. Loading a Translation Table [T] When Dialogue is using a terminal emulation type other than CBM, Dialogue must translate the characters being received between PETSCII (the codes that the C128 uses internally) to true ASCII (a standard set used on most other computers). You can replace Dialogue's translation table by loading one of your own. This allows you to customise Dialogue to adapt to just about any environment (eg: Atari ATASCII boards). The translation table is 512 bytes long. The first 256 are PETSCII to ASCII, and the second 256 are ASCII to PETSCII. A complete translation table editor has been included as a loadable extension file with this version of Dialogue. See Appendix B for more information. <19> >> Auto-dialing Dialogue The Auto-dial Directory Window CBM [A] Auto-dialing is a software-controlled dialing process, instead of you dialing the phone number manually. Dialogue uses 'modem support files', which are individually programmed to use the features of your particular modem. Since you'll probably be greeted with a busy signal some of the time, you'll quickly welcome Dialogue's powerful auto-dial capabilities. Dialogue features a 30-number phone directory from which you clue select single or multiple numbers to auto-dial. Any number of these directories can be stored on disk. Press CBM-A, or select Auto-dial from the menus to display the auto-dial directory window. Entering a New Phone Number CBM [E] The window starts off empty, but has room for 30 numbers. To enter a new phone number for the directory, use the cursor keys to select a position, and then press the E key (which stands for Edit current position). Using the pointer, press once over the entry you wish to edit, which will highlight it, and then select Edit entry from the menus. On the status line, Dialogue will prompt you to enter System info:. You can enter up to 18 characters to describe the system. The name, and the hours of operation, are two choices. You have full use of the left/right cursor keys, as well as insert/delete to edit the data before pressing Return. Next comes the System number: prompt. This is where the actual phone number of the online system is entered. The phone number data can be up to 16 characters in length. The prompt accepts all characters but be careful to limit them to those that are of use to your modem. For most modems, the following will apply: - is ignored (generally used as a group separator, such as 555-5555). , will generate a two-second delay. Note for smart modem users: When the phone number begins with a non-numeric character, Dialogue does not use the dialing string set in the Configuration window. Rather, AT is sent, followed by the phone number string. This allows special modem modes to be selected. Of course, the number string must then contain the dial command before the digits (DT or DP). After pressing Return to confirm the entry, a requestor asks if you wish to Define function keys?. If you choose Yes, Dialogue will prompt you for four inputs of text data, each linked to a function key (above the numeric keypad). When connected to a system in terminal mode, pressing one of these keys will cause Dialogue to transmit the corresponding text (maximum 20 characters each). Each entry in the phone directory can have these four keys individually programmed. Use them for specific information like logon information, name, password, special online commands, message signatures, etc. Note: In VT100, or VT52 mode, these keys are redefined to perform specific VT PF functions. To use your definitions, you must press the Shift key along with the appropriate function key. The next display you see will be a stripped-down version of the Configuration window. Here, you will have the opportunity to customise the major parameters of the individual system. <20> With other terminals you may have had to remember all the proper settings for any new system and set up the terminal accordingly before dialing each number. Dialogue remembers the settings for every number in the phone directory for you! Each can be totally different, and Dialogue will make sure that the proper configuration is installed when you connect. This is made possible by use of a special subset of the Configuration window. Most of the regular system defaults from the main configuration window are shown here, along with some new items specific to auto-dialing a host system. The proper settings for these options require some knowledge of the system you want to call. Generally, the default settings will work. You are free to change or edit them at any time. Screen width and baud rate are two regular options you may wish to set differently for each system. Not all systems you dial will conform to your preset defaults. If you're not sure of the baud rate, or screen size, it's always safe to try 300 baud and 80 columns first, and change them later. Other parameters you may wish to change for each individual system are: Screen lines: 25- or 50-vertical line screen display. Wordwrap: If the host's output is wider than your active screen width. Flow control: Options are None, XON/XOFF or RTS/CTS. Delete chr: Choose CHR$(8) or CHR$(127) as the delete character. Local echo: This determines whether characters you type are echoed back. Half duplex = Local echo On. Full duplex = Local echo Off. Terminal mode: Choose either ASCII, IBM, VT100, VT52 or CBM emulation mode. Transmit Mode: Some systems are not quick enough to Stream. Select Reflect. Transmit delays: Timing for Stream modes. The larger the number, the slower text is sent. The above are described in more detail on pages 14-15. (See: The Configuration Window) The following special options pertain to the individual systems, and do not appear in the regular Configuration window. Carrier check: How many seconds after dialing, to wait for a carrier before aborting. Save connect time: Turn On to save elapsed time. (See: Time Log Review, page 22) Protocol: Select the upload/download protocol supported by the system. Upon connect, this protocol will be installed as the default. You can change it any time via the Protocol Parameters window (page 25). All of the above options are changed using the highlight bar using either Return, Space, or the button to toggle through the various choices. When you're content with the selections, press RUN/STOP, or click in the close gadget at the top left, and you'll be returned to the autodial window. Saving The Directory Numbers [S] To use the number(s) you've defined the next time you load Dialogue, remember to save the directory entries. Press S to save the number file. Dialogue will prompt for a filename. There is no need to add the .NUM extension to the filename, as it will be appended automatically. After entering a filename, press Return and Dialogue will save the phone directory. If the filename exists on the disk, you'll be asked to confirm that you wish to erase the old file, and replace it with the new. At this point, you may wish to set this number file as the Default file, so that it will automatically be loaded in each time Dialogue is loaded. This is done from within the Configuration menu. (See: Set Defaults - page 17) <21> Loading Number Files [L] Naturally, new directories can be loaded from disk at any time. You may store as many individual directories as your disk space permits, each with a different filename although only one file can be programmed as the default to load in with Dialogue. Auto-Dialing a Number [RETURN] Now that you have entered one, or several system numbers into the directory, you're ready to start Dialogue auto-dialing. Using the cursor keys, move the highlight bar over the number you want to dial, and press Return or Space. Dialogue will dial the number. A sub-window appears displaying various dial information, including a countdown timer indicating how long Dialogue is going to wait for a carrier tone, before aborting. This is the carrier delay value you specified when you defined the number. If a carrier is detected, you'll automatically be transferred to Terminal mode. The predefined configuration for that system will be installed, the screen will clear, and any system info you defined will be displayed at the top of the screen. On the status line, the C (Carrier) will be highlighted. You are now online with the host system. Pressing Return will usually begin your session. If no connection was established, Dialogue returns to the menu after the full countdown time has lapsed. If you wish to stop dialing at any time, pressing the RUN/STOP key, or moving the pointer to the close gadget at the Dialing window's top left, and pressing the button will abort. Note: Some modems have internal timers, and may 'timeout' internally before Dialogue has completed the countdown. This delay may be adjustable using the ATS7 register. Automatic Redial [SHIFT-RETURN] If the system you are calling is busy, you may want to have Dialogue keep trying. By holding the Shift when you press either Return or Space, Dialogue will keep dialing the number until it either connects, or you abort by pressing the RUN/STOP key. Since many of today's modems have speakers which let you hear when a line is busy, you are able to skip the remaining countdown time by pressing Space, or Return again; before Dialogue has completed its countdown. The call will be aborted, and redial immediately. When you finally connect to a system, the System Info is displayed on the screen, and the screen starts flashing and/or ringing the bell. Pressing the CBM key once aborts this. Dialogue is intelligent enough to detect a busy line very quickly with 'smart' modems that support the appropriate result codes. If your modem supports BUSY DETECT, you'll want to make sure that that option of your modem is active. Check your modem manual for ATX code information. Note: You can define the ATX code, along with any other modem settings (such as the ATS7 registers described above) within the Modem Initialise String so that Dialogue sets your modem up for you each time. See page 40 for more information. Spontaneous Number Dialing [N] Occasionally you may want to dial a number once, but don't wish to retain it as one of your programmed numbers. Pressing N will prompt you for a phone number, and dial it directly. Terminal values are set to the default selections as defined in the regular Configuration window. <22> Executing an Auto-Logon Script [A] Dialogue supports an elaborate script language which is described in more detail beginning on page 42. These scripts are stored on disk, and linked directly to the phone number of the desired system. Instead of pressing Return to dial the number normally, press the A key to connect using a programmed auto-exec script. In keeping with the above conventions, pressing Shift-A will redial continuously till a connection is established. When the connection is made, the auto-exec script will begin executing automatically. You can abort a logon autoexec script at any time by pressing CBM-RUN/STOP. Writing a Logon Auto-Exec Script [W] Pressing W while a phone number is highlighted will put you into the Dialogue buffer editor. This option will use the highest number buffer in your selected buffer configuration. Contents of this buffer will be lost so ensure that the buffer is empty (or erasable) before entering this command. See page 45 for full information on the language commands. Printing the Auto-dial Directory [P] If a printer is connected, this will dump the displayed two-column directory to the printer. The printer device and secondary address are controlled within the Configuration window. Rearrange Directory Positions [R] This function allows you to tidy up the directory, and put entries in any order. When the R key is pressed, the current highlighted position will flash. Move the highlight bar to the position you want the flashing entry to be located, and press Return. The two numbers will switch positions. Time Log Review [T] Dialogue is capable of keeping track of the total accumulated connect time for any system. This feature is very helpful for estimating your online costs when using a pay per time system such as CompuServe. Pressing the T key while the highlight bar is over any correctly defined number will cause Dialogue to load the statistics from disk, and display the total connect time for that system. After the time has been displayed, you'll be asked whether you want to reset the line back to 00:00:00. The accumulated connect time storage option is user selectable. Only those system numbers you have defined to save connect time will have a stored time log. The option exists within the subset of the special configuration window that is displayed when entering the information for a new phone listing (see page 19). Select Save connect time On to allow the accumulated connect time to be stored. The files will be created as needed, and you'll be prompted to supply an appropriate device number. Multiple Number Auto-dialing [M] If there are several numbers you'd like to connect to in one session, Dialogue can cycle through them, attempting each one in sequence until it connects to one. Pressing the M key or selecting Multiple Dial from the menus will enter you into the Multi-Dial mode. <23> Within this mode, pressing Return while the highlight bar is over a number, cycles through a number of dial options. Each attribute will be displayed on the status line. The first option, Dial, flags the directory entry for standard redial. The second, Exec, is used to force the number to dial, and connect with an auto-exec script. The last option, None, clears any previous attributes. To clear all selections at any time, you can press the CLR key (SHIFT-HOME). When you have pre-selected all the numbers you wish to cycle through, pressing RUN/STOP will complete the process, and return you to the normal auto-dial mode. Dialing the Selected List [D] To begin dialing through the queue, press the D key, or select Dial List from the menus. All the numbers you have selected as multi-dial will be displayed in the offset colour. When you connect to a system, its number is automatically deleted from the list, and returned to the normal colour. You can continue dialing the remaining numbers in the queue at any time by pressing the D key, or by selecting Dial List from the menus within the auto-dial window. Killing a Multi-dial Number [K] Occasionally, it may be handy to discontinue dialing one of the numbers in your multi-dial list. This could be because the line is no longer a BBS, or the system is not answering. Whatever the case, pressing K at any time during the timer countdown will abort the dial, and clear the number from the list so that it won't be dialed again. Saving and Loading Multi-Dial Lists [ALT] [S] [ALT] [L] To save the multi-dial list to disk, press ALT-S. Pressing ALT-L will load a previously defined dial list. These appear as Save List or Load List in the menus. In either case. the .LST extension is automatically appended to the filename. Note: Do not confuse these with the global Load and Save functions of the Auto-dial Window. These options refer only to the multi-dial list. You must have a number directory loaded into memory first. <24> >> Protocols and Uploading/Downloading with Dialogue Terms for Terms Sometimes telecommunications terms are too loosely applied. Downloading and uploading (two very prevalent terms) are often used to mean different things - occasionally even being used for their opposites! Therefore, we need to provide precise definitions: Upload: The controlled transfer of a file from your computer to another system using an error-detection protocol. Download: The controlled transfer of a file from another computer to yours using an error detection protocol. For our purposes, all other transfers of data, from buffers or disk files, are described as "transmitting data" or "dumping buffer or file". Since such transfers do not involve any error-detection, they are not considered to be uploads or downloads. Protocols Defined and Explained Telephone lines were intended to carry the human voice, not computer data. Modems do a marvelous job working within the limitations of the phone lines, but occasionally data being sent over the phone lines can get garbled, or distorted. During normal BBS typing, the occasional data error may appear as strange looking text or result in a character being dropped. While this may be slightly irritating, we can easily determine that an error has occurred and infer the correct data from its context. However, when garbage occurs during a transfer of a program file without any protocol, the result is much worse. If even a single error occurs, it can render the entire transferred file useless. This would be frustrating - and expensive if you're paying for your connect time! A protocol is a defined format that terminals use to send and receive disk files while ensuring that transmission errors are detected and eliminated. Most protocol formats include advanced methods to check that the data coming in is the same as the data that was transmitted. When an error-detection protocol is used to transfer a file, data is sent in small 'packets'. A packet is simply a group of data being transmitted all at once. After each group is received, a mathematical 'checksum' is compared. If there is a discrepancy, the packet is sent again. If the data is received without error, only then is it saved to disk. This process is repeated until the entire file has been received correctly. Most protocols have a pre-defined packet size which is transmitted between each error checksum. Protocols Supported by Dialogue Dialogue currently supports six error-detection protocols: Punter C1, Xmodem checksum, Xmodem CRC, Xmodem 1K (sometimes erroneously referred to as Ymodem), Ymodem Batch and CompuServe Quick B. These vary in their usage (see Protocol Descriptions and Usage below) and in their packet sizes. You'll probably find that most of your file transfer requirements will be satisfied by one or more of these protocols. Most systems will use at least one of these and some will offer more than one. CompuServe supports five of the six. Additional protocols will probably be included in future versions of Dialogue. <25> How to Upload or Download from the Host System Before actually beginning a file transfer, you'll need to become familiar with the online system. Since every host will probably have slightly different commands and features, it is not possible for this manual to provide specific command instructions on how to upload or download from every type of system. Online help files should be available on each system to guide you through the required steps. In most cases, the Usage: notes given in Protocol Descriptions and Usage (see below) should be sufficient for you. If you correctly prepare the online system to transfer a file (either an upload, or a download), it should somehow prompt you to begin the transfer process. Some examples are given in the Usage: notes. Once you've gotten to this stage, you're ready to activate Dialogue's upload or download functions. Uploading Files CBM [U] Press CBM-U or select Upload from the menus. Downloading Files CBM [D] Press CBM-D or select Download from the menus. Note: CompuServe B protocol is auto-execute and doesn't require the use of CBM-D or CBM-U. The Protocol Parameters Window A special window containing several protocol options will appear before commencing an upload or download. it can be requested from any upload or download filename prompt by entering ?. Make any changes that may be necessary and then press RUN/STOP (or click on the close gadget) to bring up the up/download filename prompt. Each option has several choices, which can be cycled through by pressing Return, or by clicking. Protocol: [Options: None, Punter C1, Xmodem CRC, Xmodem Chk, Xmodem 1K, Ymodem, CIS-QuickB] A default protocol may be listed if you already selected a protocol from the auto-dial directory. Verify that the protocol you wish to use is selected. Translation: [Options: Off, On] (C1 protocol ignores this setting) If you're downloading text as a sequential file, it's probably in true ASCII format. It will definitely be in true ASCII if an Apple or IBM user uploaded it. (True ASCII is different from PETSCII, and ASCII files won't be very useable if you download the file as is. If you do download an ASCII file without translating, all capitals will be lowercase and all lowercase letters will be capitals.) By choosing Translation: On, you instruct Dialogue to convert the text to PETSCII as it is downloaded. This will allow most 64 or 128 word processors to read the file. Ymodem Filenames: [Options: Prompt, Default] Ymodem has the capability to receive the filenames automatically from the host system as part of the download. Since Ymodem is common on IBM-type systems where filenames are often restricted to eight characters or less, the Prompt option allows you to override the incoming default filenames. You'll be prompted to enter a new filename (which can be up to 16 characters in length). This option is an easy way to direct the incoming files to another drive or device. If Default is chosen, files are saved using the host's filenames. The function has no purpose when uploading using Ymodem or when using any other protocol. <26> Filetypes: [Options: Prompt, PRG, SEQ] (Automatic with C1 protocol) Commodore computers can save files to disk using either PRG (program) or SEQ (sequential) format. When transferring files over the modem, you may have to manually specify which filetype to use. If Prompt is chosen, you'll be prompted to give the filetype for each file transfer. Before the transfer begins, a requestor will appear prompting you for the filetype, SEQ or PRG. The file transfer will then begin. If you set Filetypes: to PRG or SEQ, this requestor will not appear and your selected filetype will be used for all transfers until the setting is changed again. Note: The SEQ filetype is automatically selected whenever translation is turned on. In the case of C1 transfers, Translation and Filetypes settings are both ignored. Punter block size: [Options: 40-255] Punter 'blocksize' is variable. All other protocols ignore this setting. See Protocol Descriptions and Usage below for more information on block sizes. When you've made the appropriate selections in the Protocol Parameters window, press the RUN/STOP key, or click on the close gadget at the top left of the window. The Transfer Statistics Window During any Dialogue file transfer, a window appears displaying various pieces of useful information and error messages. Incoming data may, or may not, be visible as the transfer progresses, depending on the Screen Output option defined within the Configuration window. If that option has been set to either Protocol or Both, all transmitted data is displayed in a second window. In the case of an executable program, the incoming bytes will not be particularly informative. If you're downloading a text file, you'll actually be able to read the text as it's being received. All file transfers can be aborted at any time, by pressing RUN/STOP, or by clicking on the close gadget. Dialogue will return to terminal mode with the text Uload aborted or Dload aborted flashing on the status line. The remote system may be slower at detecting an abort. To abort some host systems, you may have to press Return or CTRL-X a few times before continuing. Notes on Downloading and Uploading to Other Terminals Professional online systems will automatically inform you when to commence an upload or download. However, on occasion, you'll probably want to send and receive files to and from friends using a terminal program. Or you may have a need to transfer files between two of your own computers with dissimilar characteristics; ie., C128 and Amiga, C128 and PC, etc. Both terminals (or computers) must use the same protocol to upload or download successfully. CompuServe B protocol can not be used for such file transfers! It is strictly CompuServe specific; ie. the necessary host functions are not implemented in B-capable terminal programs. If both people (or both computers) have terminals that support Ymodem Batch, that protocol is probably the best bet because of its batch attributes, which allow multiple files to be sent continuously. To begin a file transfer between two terminals, the uploader always starts first. Since both users are using terminal programs, there are no 'start signal' messages to assist you. All the timing is done manually. The uploader starts the process by pressing CBM U or selecting Upload File from the menus, and after waiting a sufficient amount of idle time, the downloader continues by pressing CBM-D, or selecting Download File from the menus. <27> When transferring files using C1 protocol, the letters GOO may appear on the downloader's screen when the upload process has begun. These letters are part of the error-detecting protocol, and can be ignored. Checking the Upload/Download Information CBM [I] Since Dialogue returns to terminal mode after each upload or download, you may occasionally miss seeing the transfer statistics. At any time after an upload or download, you are still able to recall the statistics of the most recent upload or download by pressing CBM-I, or by selecting Info from the menus. Protocol Descriptions and Usage Punter C1 Developed in 1984 by Steve Punter of Mississauga, Ontario, C1 replaced his previous protocol for the old PET computers. For a long time, C1 was widely accepted as the standard transfer protocol on Commodore 8-bit systems and has recently found its way into the Amiga and MS-DOS worlds. With the introduction of protocols such as Xmodem 1K and Ymodem Batch, Punter C1 has lost some popularity in recent years except on 'colour boards'. Still, you will often find this protocol used on BBS's that are run on C64's and C128's. C1 features a variable packet (block) size (40-256 bytes) and a dual checksum method using both additive checksum and cyclic redundancy check. Do not confuse 'block size' with actual disk blocks; they are totally unrelated. More commonly in the telecommunications world, what Steve Punter has chosen to call 'blocks' are referred to as 'packets'. Because of C1's variable block sizes, it is possible to transmit files even if phone lines are very poor, by sending smaller packets between each error check. The C1 protocol transmits the block size as part of the first block. Only the sender's block size needs to be changed. Because of this, the option is used only when uploading files. When downloading, a different block size must be set on the host system before initialising the download. See the online system's help for more information. Usage: C64/C128 BBS's typically offer the commands LOAD and SAVE to permit downloading and uploading respectively. In a typical situation you would enter the LIST command to the host to see a list of the files available for downloading. After deciding which file to download, you enter the LOAD command. The BBS will ask for the name of the file you want. Enter that data and you will usually see "Waiting for start signal. A to abort, B to change block size". Press CBM-D to download. The Protocol Parameters window will appear. If Punter C1 is not the selected protocol, press Return or click until it appears on the Protocol: line. Then exit the window by pressing RUN/STOP or by clicking the close gadget. Finally, you are prompted for a filename to use on your disk. Enter a filename and the transfer will begin. Pressing Return at the filename prompt will abort the transfer and return you to terminal mode from which you can type A to cause the host to abort as well. If you encounter C1 on an MS-DOS or Amiga system, remember that these computers have different filenaming conventions. MS-DOS allows eight alphanumeric characters with an optional three-character extension. Many special characters are not allowed. Stick with letters and numbers. All letters are uppercase in MS-DOS filenames. Amigas are much more flexible with filenames but avoid using spaces or slashes. <28> Xmodem Developed for CP/M systems in 1977 by Ward Christenson. Xmodem has become the accepted standard for microcomputer transfers. Dialogue supports three variations of Xmodem: Checksum: The original protocol which uses a simple add-up checksum and a packet size of 128 bytes. It also has a packet size of 128 bytes. CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Checksum): This increasingly popular variation uses a more reliable checksum method. Xmodem 1K: An extension of Xmodem CRC developed by Chuck Forsberg in 1982 after Ward Christenson released an official protocol description for Xmodem. Xmodem 1K permits packet lengths of 128 and 1024 bytes. The larger packet size improves the efficiency of transfers, especially for large files. Some host systems incorrectly refer to Xmodem 1K as Ymodem. Usage: Check the online help of the host system to find the commands to view available files and to upload and download. When using CompuServe, select a LIB and Browse the files. CompuServe will display each file in the LIB with a description. After each file and description is displayed you are presented with a Disposition! prompt. To download the file, enter dow pro:xmo. CompuServe responds with: Starting XMODEM send. Please initiate XMODEM receive and press when the transfer is complete. Press CBM-D and a filename prompt will appear. If necessary, bring up the Parameters windows and make any adjustments desired. Be sure that the Protocol: selection is one of the Xmodem variations. Enter a filename, press Return and the transfer will begin. When Dialogue indicates that the download is complete, press Return to inform CompuServe. Uploading is accomplished in a similar fashion. At a LIB prompt, enter upl pro:xmo. Ymodem Batch Developed by Chuck Forsberg in 1987, Ymodem improves on his own Xmodem 1K protocol by including the filename(s) within the data transferred. Ymodem permits large groups of files to be uploaded or downloaded in sequence. Usage: Once again, you will need to check the online help files of the host to find the required commands for that system. After informing the host of your desire to send or receive files, use CBM-U or CBM-D respectively to initiate the transfer within Dialogue. When downloading with Ymodem, you have the option to transfer the files continuously without interruption, or to stop and prompt for a new filename or filetype each time. These options are defined on the Protocol Parameters window. If you've chosen the filenames to be selected by default, the downloaded files will be saved to your disk without interruption. When uploading using Ymodem Batch, use the special File Selection Mode. After selecting a file, your choice will be blanked out and you can select another. Use RUN/STOP (or the pointer) to exit. If desired, you can mix drives since the drive number is also buffered. You can select about 20 files in this manner (depending on filename lengths). If you fill the filename buffer, the transfer will autoexecute. CompuServe B This is an auto-executing protocol created exclusively for CompuServe in the early 80's. It was designed to make uploading and downloading from CompuServe as simple as possible. In 1987 CompuServe made some enhancements to B protocol to improve its transfer characteristics and named the enhanced <29> version Quick B. Dialogue supports this enhanced version. Quick B improves upon original B by allowing larger packet sizes. The Dialogue implementation requests 128-byte packets at 300 baud, 512-byte packets at 1200, and 1024-byte packets at 2400 and above. Usage: Downloading with Quick B is very simple. You don't even have to use CBM-D. Just enter dow pro:b at a Disposition! prompt. CompuServe will request Filename for your computer:. Enter the filename and everything is automatic. Since the CBM commands are not used and Dialogue doesn't prompt you for a filename, Dialogue will put up a device number requestor. This will allow you to direct the file to the desired disk drive. When the transfer is complete, you will be returned to terminal mode automatically. <29> >> Transmit Modification Characters At various times, Dialogue allows you to transmit a stream of text to the host without having to type it directly. This transmission style is controlled by the Transmit Mode and Transmit Delays options within the Configuration window. Text can be read and output directly from the screen from a pre-programmed function key, macro definition, or auto-exec script. To help control what is and isn't transmitted, several options are available: Shift-Return: (Appears as: C/R) Normally, any text transmitted from Dialogue ends in a carriage return. It is possible to force extra carriage returns if required. Dialogue converts any C/R symbol into a CHR$(13). When creating an auto-exec script, the C/R symbol is generated by pressing CBM-Return instead. CBM- +: (Appears as: ->) This symbol is used to suppress the carriage return at the end of the text transmission. Text is transmitted up to the point of the -> and no carriage return is sent. The cursor remains on the same line. This is handy when defining macros, or function keys, to enter a portion of a command which may require additional parameters. Up Arrow: (Appears as: ^) The caret symbol (^) informs Dialogue that the following character is to be transmitted as a control code. Control codes are not echoed back to the screen. They are useful for transmitting system control codes like XON/XOFF (eg: ^s sends a system halt). See Appendix C for a list of control codes. Transmissions that end with a control codes are not supplied with a carriage return automatically! ESC: (Appears as: <-) Similarly, it is possible to transmit ESC codes by using the ESC key, followed by an appropriate key. Backslash sequences: (Replaces CBM-N from previous versions. CBM-N is still supported.) At times, you may need to transmit a character not handled directly from the Dialogue keyboard. Defining a custom macro or function key to transmit these characters is easy. Simply enter the ASCII value of the character following a \ symbol. Dialogue automatically converts the ASCII value into a character or control code and transmits it. (eg: \065 will transmit the letter a). For the sake of convenience and readability, several special characters have been predefined: \b Backspace (chr$(8)/^h) \d DEL (chr$(127)) \e Escape (chr$(27)/^d) \l Linefeed (chr$(10)/^j) \r Carriage return (chr$(13)/^m) \t Tab (chr$(9)/^i) \\ Allows \character to be sent \s Run/stop \U Cursor up* \D Cursor down* \L Cursor left* \R Cursor right* \### (where ### is a decimal number) transmit chr$(###) value * mostly for program control within execs <30> >> Buffer Functions The Scrollback Review Buffer Dialogue has a built in 'scrollback' review buffer which is always active, memorising everything that is printed to the terminal mode screen. It automatically returns the last 9,000 characters of terminal mode activity in its memory. This allows you to review (or 'grab') anything you may have missed the first time, even if you didn't have a capture buffer open. Viewing the Scrollback Buffer CBM [^] To view the Scrollback buffer, press CBM and the up-arrow key or select View Review from the menus. When looking at the Scrollback buffer, text is displayed newest to oldest, from the bottom up. All regular terminal activity is not displayed on the screen while you are reviewing the Scrollback buffer. Scrollback Buffer Options: RUN/STOP Exits Scrollback mode, and returns to normal terminal activity. CRSR Cursor keys will scroll up or down through the buffer. SPACE Fast scroll mode. Defaults to whatever direction was last used. +/- Pressing plus or minus displays the next or previous screen buffer page. CBM-G Grab a screen of text into capture buffer (described below). Note: Each time the screen width is changed, or an auto-exec is started or ended, internal pointers are reset, and the memory used by the scrollback buffer is cleared. The Capture Buffer(s) Buffer Open/Close Control CBM [B] Pressing CBM-B once opens the active capture buffer, which begins memorising all the incoming screen text. The active buffer number is highlighted and starts flashing on the status line, along with the words Capture On. The two status counters on the status line will update as the buffer fills, keeping track of the amount of free space remaining. The buffer size differs depending on the buffer configuration. (See: Buffer Configure, page 16) If CBM-B is pressed a second time, the buffer closes, and text memorisation stops. To identify whether a buffer is open or closed, check the status line. The active buffer number flashes while open. Switching Current Buffers CBM [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] (top row) It is possible within Dialogue to have up to eight separate buffer areas available at one time. This enables you to store different things in completely separate storage areas. The active buffer number is always displayed on the status line, and flashes when the buffer is open. To change to any other buffer number, press and hold the CBM key while pressing a number from 1 to 8 on the top row number keys. Note that only the number keys on the top of the keyboard will have this effect. The numeric keypad is reserved for other functions. Optionally, you can select Buffer Number from the menus, or press CBM-N and respond to the prompt with a valid buffer number. The size and number of active buffers is controlled from the Configuration window. Increasing the number of active buffers decreases the size of each. If text exists in a buffer, and you decrease its size, some text may be transferred to another buffer. <31> All of the following buffer functions are performed on the currently selected buffer only. Grabbing Screens to the Buffer CBM [G] Pressing CBM-G or selecting Grab Screen from the menus transfers the current screen text directly into the capture buffer. This allows you to 'grab' an important screen after it's been received, even if you didn't have the capture buffer turned on. The grab function can also be used in conjunction with the Scrollback Buffer, or the View Disk File function to grab any text that is currently being displayed on the terminal mode screen. Reset Buffer CBM [R] When you select Reset Buffer, either by pressing CBM-R or from the menus, a requestor appears prompting you to confirm your choice. The buffer currently selected will then be cleared. View Buffer (to Screen) CBM [V] This option enters the View Buffer mode, and displays the current capture buffer on the terminal mode screen. During this mode, incoming text will not be displayed. View Buffer Options RUN/STOP Aborts and returns to terminal mode. CRSR Both sets of cursor keys scroll up and down through the buffer. SPACE Pressing Space while viewing a buffer enables Fast Scroll mode, defaulting to whatever direction was last used. +/- Pressing plus or minus pages to the next or previous buffer screen. HOME Pressing HOME goes to top of buffer instantly. SHIFT-CLR Pressing SHIFT-CLR advances to bottom of the buffer. View a Disk File (SEQ) [ALT] [V] This function allows you to view a disk file, on the terminal mode screen, without actually loading it into memory. You can also selectively open/close the capture buffer to capture the incoming text. During this mode, incoming terminal activity is not displayed. You'll be prompted to enter the filename to view. Entering a directory symbol ($) will display only applicable SEQ files, and you'll be able to use the highlight bar to make your selection. Entering a ? at the filename prompt allows selection of ASCII to PETSCII translation (see CBM-L and CBM-S, page 34). The disk file is read from disk, and displayed on the screen. Since the file is not loaded into memory, you do not have all of the same viewing capabilities listed above. View Disk File Options (Available at any time during the view) Space Pauses viewing, Space again continues ALT-P Prints current terminal mode screen display CBM-B Toggles current capture buffer open/closed (see above). CBM-G Grabs current screen to capture buffer (see above). Transmit Buffer CBM [T] Pressing CBM-T or selecting Transmit Buffer from the menus will cause Dialogue to enter the Transmit Buffer mode. Here, you'll be able to send the <32> buffer over the modem to the host system. When transmitting a buffer file, no error-detecting protocol is used. The text is sent exactly as if you typed it yourself. The Transmit Mode and Transmit Delay are pre-selected from the settings within the Configuration window. Most host message editors have some limit to the number of text lines that can be entered at one time. Some require you to break up long messages into several smaller ones, and other editors allow very large messages, but with only a certain number of lines permitted before saving each segment. Normally this could cause problems when you attempt to send a buffer that is larger than the allowed number of lines. (As an example, you have a 50-line message, but the receiving system only allows you to enter messages with a maximum of 40 lines.) Dialogue's Transmit Modification Characters (see page 29) maximise your use of the Transmit Buffer option when sending messages to these types of systems. Use the CBM- + keypress (which appears as ->) as a delimiter within the buffer editor. For example, if the host will only accept 40 lines, you would put a -> (no other characters) on the 41st line. When the -> is encountered, Dialogue will stop transmitting, display Transmit paused on the status line, and return you to normal terminal mode. Here, you can set up the online system for receiving more text. This may require you to save a portion of the message before continuing, or to save a complete message, and enter the information for a second one. When you're ready to transmit the remaining portion of the buffer, press CBM-T again, and Dialogue will continue from where it left off: ie. it will resume transmission beginning with the line following the ->. Pressing RUN/STOP aborts the transmission, and returns to terminal mode. An abort can be issued at any time during the transmit, or during the transmit pause. It the transmission is aborted, the pointer is reset, so any attempt to re-transmit the buffer will start at line one again. Transmit Single Line of Buffer [ALT] [T] Dialogue allows you to transmit a single line of the capture buffer at a time. This is especially handy for processing lists of commands online. Every time ALT-T is pressed, the next line from buffer 1 will be transmitted. Since RS-232 and DMA cannot occur simultaneously, you must ensure that all RS-232 activity has stopped before using this command when the transmitting buffer is contained within the REU (RAM1 Buffer Configure). Note: By default, the transmitted text will come from buffer 1. You may wish to reset the function to transmit from another buffer. To do this, use the reset command described below. Reset Transmit Buffer Pointer [ALT] [R] Pressing ALT-R resets the pointers used by the ALT-T command (as described above) to the beginning of the currently selected buffer. Once reset, all lines transmitted using the ALT-T function will come from the new buffer, even if the current buffer is later changed. In this way, it is possible to use one of the buffers to capture incoming text, while another is used to transmit data out. Printing The Buffer CBM [P] Pressing CBM-P or selecting Print Buffer from the menus will cause Dialogue to output the current buffer to the printer device (as set within the Configuration window). A countdown of lines being printed will be displayed on the status line as it prints. <33> The text being printed will always be displayed on screen as it's printing, regardless of the Screen Output option setting in the Configuration window. Loading Files Into The Buffer CBM [L] This function prompts for a filename and allows you to load a sequential (SEQ) file from disk, into the buffer, ready to be transmitted or edited. Note that loading text does not clear the buffer! It is appended to the end of the current contents of the buffer. You may wish to manually reset the buffer before loading. Remember also that the buffers can be different sizes, depending on the Configuration settings. Dialogue will always load as much as it can into the buffer. Any leftover portion will be ignored. Since the 128 uses a different form of ASCII from the rest of the non-Commodore world, an option has been provided to translate ASCII disk files into Commodore ASCII (commonly known as PETSCII). Entering a question mark at the filename prompt will produce an ASCII Translation? requestor box. Answering Y to this question translates the incoming ASCII to PETSCII so that the text in the buffer will be correct with regard to upper/lower case. Save Buffer to Disk CBM [S] This allows you to save the current buffer to disk, under the filename you supply when prompted. If the buffer is empty when you attempt to save it, you'll be alerted, and the command will abort. Normally, buffers will be saved to disk in Commodore PETSCII. Before saving, you may choose to have the text converted to true ASCII instead. Entering a ? at the filename prompt calls up the ASCII Translation? requestor. If you answer Y, the text will be converted to true ASCII as it's saved to disk. This is only advised if you plan on using the files with other ASCII software, or on other computer systems that do not support Commodore's PETSCII. If the text is to be transmitted or printed using Dialogue, no translation is required. Note: Dialogue also supports translation to and from true ASCII when uploading or downloading text. (See Protocol Parameters Window, page 25.) To append the buffer's contents to an existing disk file, append ',a' to the filename that you enter at the filename prompt. Buffer to Disk [ALT] [B] On occasion, you may want to capture an unusually large amount of incoming text, but have insufficient memory space in the capture buffer. Pressing ALT-B or selecting Buffer to Disk from the menus will allow you to send data to a disk file. For this option to work properly, Flow Control must be turned on (either XON/XOFF or CTS/RTS). When you open the buffer, you'll be prompted for a filename. If the file already exists, you'll be asked to confirm you wish to replace it. You cannot add to an existing disk file. When you press ALT-B a second time, the file will be closed, and text will no longer be memorised. As data is received on the terminal mode screen, it will be stored in a regular buffer area. When the buffer fills, a flow control signal is sent to stop the host (or the MNP modem) from sending. The buffer is then saved to disk, cleared and a 'continue' flow control signal is sent. Text input continues, and the process repeats. Note: The C128 cannot access the serial disk drive and the RS-232 port at the same time, and attempting such an action will cause incoming text to become garbled! <34> To permit error-free buffering to disk, it is necessary to stop the host from transmitting new data while the serial port is being accessed. Dialogue handles this by using the flow control codes as set within the Configuration window. Since not all host systems support XON/XOFF flow control (and not all users will have MNP modems), you will not always be able to use the Buffer to Disk option effectively. In such situations you will need to stop the host and save your buffer manually. >> The Dialogue Buffer Editor Pressing CBM-E, or selecting Editor from the menus, activates the Dialogue full-screen buffer editor. You can use it to edit captured text, or to pre-compose messages for buffered transmission to an online system. The editor works in all display modes of Dialogue: 40/80 columns and 25/50 lines. There are two available edit modes. Mode 1 displays the capture buffer being edited using the full screen. Mode 2 splits the screen in half, and displays the review buffer in the top half of the screen, and the editor screen in the bottom half. This option allows you to actually review the system while you work in the editor - an invaluable feature when responding to a long, complex message. You alternate modes within the editor by pressing CBM-M. Special Editing Keys TAB - Tab works like a real tab, and moves cursor to next tab position SHIFT-TAB - Sets or clears a tab stop at the current cursor position. HOME - First press homes the cursor on screen. Second press advances to buffer top. SHIFT-CLR - Once to set cursor on last line of page. Second press to advance to buffer end. HELP - Selects the drop-down menus for the editor. RUN/STOP - Pressing RUN/STOP exits editor. and returns to terminal mode. Tapping the CTRL key while pressing CRSR up or down will initiate fast text scrolling. Changing Editor Environments ALT-A - Auto-execute buffer: This will run the buffer as an exec from the editor. The buffer is transferred into the exec buffer. Warning! If the exec uses the buffer that contains the exec code, save your work before issuing this command or you'll lose your source code! ALT-L - Load defaults: Loads stored tab stops, margin settings, and buffer mode. ALT-S - Save defaults: Saves the current tab stops, margin settings, and buffer mode. Note: These settings can be set as an auto-load default file from the Configuration window. Editor ESC Functions (Press ESC first, then the appropriate key) ESC-D - Delete line: Deletes the entire line the cursor is currently on. ESC-I - Insert line: Inserts a blank line at the position of the cursor. ESC-P - Clear to start: Clear from current cursor position to start of line. ESC-Q - Clear to end: Clear from current cursor position to end of line. ESC-@ - Clear buffer: from current cursor position to end of buffer. Note: An interesting side effect allows all the ESC and ALT key functions to be interchangeable. All ESC functions also work with the ALT key, and all ALT functions work if you press the ESC key first. <35> Editor Set-Up and Operations (Pressed while CBM key is held) CBM-<: Sets left margin for text entry. Margins can be overruled by the cursor keys. CBM->: Sets right margin for text entry. Margins can be overruled by the cursor keys. CBM-D: Delete the line the cursor is currently on. CBM-L: Load buffer with disk file. (Enter ? for ASCII translation option). CBM-I: Insert a blank line at the position of the cursor. CBM-M: Toggles buffer Mode. Normal or split screen (see above). CBM-R: Sets a Range of lines in reverse, for subsequent CTRL commands (see below). CBM-W: Toggles Wordwrap on/off (only within the editor). CBM-S: Save buffer to disk. (Enter ? for ASCII translation option). CBM-INST Prompts for the number of lines to be inserted at current cursor position. CBM-(1-8) [Top Row]: Select current buffer to edit. Range Operations (Pressed while the CTRL key is held) These options all function on a selected range only. The range is the group of buffer lines, set with the CBM-R command (described above). CTRL-C: Copies the range to the line the cursor is on. This is an insert operation; nothing is overwritten, Ranges can even be copied from one buffer to another. Original text is always left unchanged. CTRL-D: Deletes the entire range, after prompting for a confirmation. CTRL-E: Erase range. Similar to Delete Range except the space held by the deleted text remains. Text is replaced with blank lines. CTRL-M: Move range. This option deletes the range from its current location, and inserts it at the current cursor position. CTRL-S: Saves just the text within a range to disk. Allows portions of buffer to be saved. Other CTRL Functions CTRL-I: Toggle Insert/overwrite mode. CTRL-R: Range select. Allows selection of a box (partial line) range; as opposed to CBM-R which selects full lines. Highlight the desired range using cursor keys or the mouse. GEOS-style users must exit with RUN/STOP or Return (in both range modes). CTRL-W: Wordwrap. Toggle wordwrap on/off <36> >> The Macro Keys The Macro Definition Window CBM [M] Dialogue treats 'macro keys' differently from the function keys. From the auto-dial menu, you were able to pre-program four function keys for each individual number in your directory. In addition to these keys, Dialogue supports ten other Always active macro keys. These keys are selected by pressing the ALT key, and any of the numerals on the numeric keypad. They are defined within the Macro Definition window accessed by pressing CBM-M in Terminal Mode, or by selecting Macro keys from the menus. Macro refers to a single character that invokes a series of keystrokes. Macro sequences can be used to store frequently typed keystrokes for online systems. Also, they can emulate many of Dialogue's command sequences, allowing macro keys to be used for controlling many program operations. While in the Macro Definition window, the highlight bar is active, and can be moved with the cursor keys, or the pointer. The following other keys are available while the macro window is displayed: Return: Invoke highlighted macro. (The button can also be used.) RUN/STOP: Exits the macro window, and returns to terminal mode. L: Loads a new macro set from disk. S: Saves the current set to disk. (Prompts if file exists). E: Enter/edit. Define a macro def for the highlighted key. Each macro definition can have a maximum size of 60 characters. For longer macros, it is suggested you use the Dialogue auto-exec script language. When defining macros, several special codes are available: Pressing CBM-C will display a small underlined c. This signals the macro that the following text is to be sent as if the CBM key was pressed. In this way, you can emulate CBM key commands. Example: cl "filename" - This example would emulate pressing CBM-L, and load the file named filename into the capture buffer. In the same way, pressing CBM-A will produce a small underlined a. This signifies that the following character is to be processed as if ALT was held. Example: al " rle.ext" - This example would emulate pressing ALT-L, and load the extension file named rle.ext into the extension memory. As well, all the Transmit Modification Characters (as described on page 29) apply. Executing Macros [ALT] The macro definitions can be executed from Terminal Mode at any time by pressing the ALT key, and the corresponding digit on the numeric keypad to the right of the regular keys. While the macro window is displayed, pressing Return or the button will invoke the highlighted macro. <37> Terminal Mode Commands Modem Hook Control CBM [H] This option has different functions, depending on the type of modem you are using. See Appendix A for more information on how this command works with your modem. For dumb modems, CBM-H acts as a manual hook control, and will toggle the modem on and offline. For smart modems that support hardware hangup, it causes the modem to disconnect from a remote system. If CBM-H does nothing with your modem, try setting some of the modem's switches differently. Look for the term DTR (Data Terminal Ready) in your modem manual. If a carrier is present when attempting to disconnect, a requestor will appear, and you'll be asked if you're sure you want to disconnect. Handling Non-Visible Characters [ALT] [N] Pressing ALT-N causes the N on the status line to begin flashing, as Dialogue is put into a special mode in which characters normally not visible (those with an ASCII character value is less than 32) are displayed as a caret (^) followed by the CTRL character equivalent. Examples: CTRL-Q = chr$(17). Appears as ^q ESC = chr$(27). Appears as ^[ This mode can be used to determine or study the terminal emulation used by a system, or as a means of checking for control codes when creating an auto-exec script. Viewing the Function Key Definitions CBM [F] Since the four top function keys on the 128 are defined differently for each system you dial, it can be easy to forget what you've defined. Pressing CBM-F at any time during terminal mode will bring up a window showing the display of the key definitions. The highlight bar is active, and can be manipulated with the cursor keys or the pointer. Press RUN/STOP to exit. Pressing Return, or the button, when the highlight bar is over one of the options will transmit the selected data. Waiting for a Call (Host Mode) CBM [W] This enters Dialogue's Wait for call mode. While in this mode, the terminal will remain idle until it detects a carrier. It will then return to terminal mode. Using the auto-exec script language of Dialogue, it is possible to create a complete login mini-BBS system. Pressing RUN/STOP will abort the Wait for call mode, and returns to terminal mode. Note: Dialogue does not program the modem to auto-answer. You must do this before entering Wait for call mode. Smart modems must be set to auto-answer with ATS0=1, and dumb modems usually require a switch to be flipped for answer mode. More information on modem files is available in Appendix A. Setting the Dialogue Clock CBM [*] This is where the real-time clock, that is displayed on the status line, can be set. When you press CBM- *, you'll be prompted to enter the time. You must use the format: hh:mm:ss. The real time clock works on a 12-hour system, and you'll be prompted to enter AM or PM after you've entered the correct time. <38> Note: If you're using a clock card with your C128, you can disable the initial zeroing of the TOD clock by changing the appropriate POKE (indicated in the REM statements) in the "dialogue" BASIC boot file. Following this line, you may add any code required to set up the TOD clock registers on CIA #2 ($DD08-$DD0B). Note also that the "intro" machine language boot file loads in the range $0400-$0A00. Thus, any machine language required to set up the clock cannot occupy this range of memory. Split-Screen Conference Mode CBM [=] Many systems have exciting conference chat capabilities online, but the control over text being entered is often very poor. Since these modes are 'live', incoming text can often interfere with your typing. Entering CBM-= enters a special split-screen mode, occasionally referred to as Chat Mode on some terminals. It allows text to be pre-entered in a small window at the bottom of the screen, before being transmitted. This special window allows you to pre-type several lines at once, and even correct any typing errors, before the text is actually transmitted. It acts like a mini (5-line) screen editor with wordwrap, with all cursor keys active, including INS/DEL, HOME, and CLR. As well, the regular C128 escape codes ESC-I, ESC-D, ESC-P, ESC-Q and ESC-@ are supported while you type within this window, all incoming text is still displayed above, without interruptions. Pressing Return at any time will transmit the line the cursor is on, regardless of the cursor's position on the line. In this way, it's easy to resend a line, simply by cursoring up over it, and pressing Return again. Shift-Return will bring the cursor to the next line without transmitting the line. To exit the split-screen conference mode, press CBM-= again. Text is transmitted using the preset method and speed as defined within the Configuration menu (either Stream or Reflect). If you find text being garbled as it is transmitted, try a slower speed setting by increasing the Transmit Delay setting from the Configuration window (see page 15). The terminal mode screen clears when enabling or disabling the conference mode. To re-display the last screen, use the Scrollback Buffer option (described on page 30). Note: Conference Mode is not available during VT100, or VT52 emulation, because these modes rely on a full 24-line screen to operate correctly. How to Send a 'Break' Interrupt [ALT] RUN/STOP Some larger systems expect the terminal to be able to generate a 'break'. This is merely a short interruption in the normal handshake between modems. Dialogue can generate a true break of approximately 230 milliseconds by pressing ALT-RUN/STOP, or selecting Transmit Break from the menus. The break can be thought of as a hardware interrupt. While CTRL codes such as CTRL-C and CTRL-O are considered interrupts, they are software-based, and won't work if the system isn't accepting characters. Toggle Secondary Commodore Graphics Characters [ALT] [S] When in the CBM terminal emulation mode, you may require the ability to transmit the CBM key character set, in addition to the upper/lower case characters. Since Dialogue uses the CBM key as a command key, you'll need to disable the CBM key commands. When the CBM graphics mode is active, the S on the status line will flash, and the CBM key will produce the regular Commodore graphics, rather than the <39> Dialogue commands. You'll still be able to access all of the CBM key commands from the menus when you need them. To restore the CBM key commands, press ALT-S again. Note: This function is not available in terminal emulation modes other than CBM. Clearing the Terminal Mode Screen CBM [CLR] Pressing CBM-CLR at any time clears the terminal mode screen. Quitting Dialogue CBM [Q] This function allows you to exit back to BASIC without having to turn the computer off. You'll be prompted to confirm you actually want to quit, and if you have information still stored in the buffer, a warning is displayed. If you are using a 1700 or 1750 REU, and quit Dialogue with text in the REU buffer, that text remains intact until the computer is shut off (or until another program uses the REU). When you reboot Dialogue, respond with No to the Clear REU question and your buffers will be just as you've left them. Print Screen [ALT] [P] Pressing ALT-P at any time within terminal mode dumps the current screen, to the printer. Only the terminal mode text is printed, not the status line. The print screen option is also available in several other circumstances: * Viewing capture buffer with CBM-V command. * Viewing review buffer with CBM-up arrow command. * Viewing a disk file with ALT=V command. Release Cursor Mode CBM [CRSR] This mode, accessible by pressing the CBM key and the cursor up/down key, or by selecting Release Cursor from the menus, is one of Dialogue's best terminal mode features. It releases the cursor from its present position on the terminal screen, and allows you to move it around the screen freely (even in Conference mode), with the option to edit, and resend any on-screen text. Perhaps the best use of this function is with online message line editors when you discover a typo. Instead of having to retype the whole line in again, you merely cursor up to the old line, fix the mistake, and resend the entire line again. It's like using a full screen editor, even when the host doesn't support one! When the release mode is invoked, the cursor's Flash Mode attribute (as set from the Configuration window) will be switched to its opposite, giving a visual indication of the mode change. Non-flashing cursors will flash, and flashing cursors will become solid. Release Mode Options: RUN/STOP - Aborts release mode. The cursor returns to its original position with no change. Shift-Return - Generates an on-screen c/r symbol. This will stop the transmission of the line at this point, and transmit a carriage return. CBM- + - Pressing the CBM key and the plus key generates a small right arrow on the screen. It functions similar to the c/r symbol above, except that no carriage return is to be transmitted. The line is transmitted only up to the symbol, and the cursor remains at the end of the transmitted text. <40> CBM-Return - This is the power key that sends the text. Text is transmitted starting at the current cursor position, and continues until it reaches either the end of the line, or one of the above special symbols. ESC Keys - Full support of Commodore's ESC-I, ESC-D, ESC-@, ESC-P and ESC-Q functions. Modem initialisation String [ALT] [I] Most smart modems have powerful features that can be accessed by sending commands to the modem. These commands are described in your modem manual. When defining the modem file from the Configuration window (see page 18), you can use the M command to preset a string of commands to be transmitted to your modem each time Dialogue is loaded. Any time you reset your modem, you may be required to resend this initialisation string to your modem. Pressing ALT-l works only when you are not connected to a system. Loading an Extension Module [ALT] [L] Almost everyone can think of a special command or feature they'd like to see in their 'dream' terminal. Hopefully Dialogue is able to satisfy most of your wants by offering many features not found in other terminal programs - on any computer... Still, there is always room for more. Luckily, Dialogue has a built in a way of handling this need to expand. To provide special new 'un-thought of at release time' features, Dialogue has reserved an area dedicated to program extensions. Extensions are modules which are loaded in, and executed as part of the program. There are two types of extension modules. Those that merge into the code of Dialogue offering extra functions, and those which are actually separate programs, which take over control of the program. On the Dialogue disk, several extension modules are provided. Appendix B contains a list, and description of the extension modules included on the Dialogue disk. Others will be available in the future, to provide many years of dream terminal features. Pressing ALT-L, or selecting Load Extension from the menus will prompt for the filename of the extension module you wish to load. Each extension will function differently, and have its own set of instructions. Not all extension files will be active at all times. Once an extension file has been loaded, it stays in memory until another is loaded. It can be re-activated at any time by pressing only Return at the extension filename prompt. It is possible to set Dialogue to automatically load one extension regularly as part of its load sequence. In this way, the extension becomes part of Dialogue (see Default files - page 17). Commodore DOS Commands CBM [>] Dialogue supports a built in DOS wedge where all standard Commodore DOS commands can be entered, along with some additional features. The DOS wedge prompt is available by pressing CBM- > or by selecting DOS Wedge from the menus. Access to the DOS wedge is also available by entering > (the 'greater than' symbol) at any filename prompt. Most of the DOS functions accept optional drive numbers or device numbers. A new device is selected by appending the new device to the end of the command with a comma (eg: v0,9) and doing so changes the default device to the new device. In this way, a device command need only be issued once. The active device number is always displayed in parentheses within the wedge prompt. <41> Below is a brief list of available DOS commands. For full information on how to use them, consult your computer and/or disk drive manuals. Commands: v = Validate (collect) disk. (Do not use on GEOS disks!) i = Initialise drive n = New a disk (Format) s = Scratch disk files. (Supports pattern matches) d = Duplicate drive to drive. (Only works with dual drives) c = Copy Files drive to drive #n = Selects device n # = Enters device selection mode $ = Disk directory (supports pattern matches) / = 1581 partition support (see page 10) // = 1581 partition selection (see page 10 @ = Display disk error channel on status line. Return = Abort, and return to terminal mode or filename prompt. Additionally, commands can be directed to the printer from this prompt, allowing special printer control codes to be sent if required. This function provides an effective method for turning on your printer's NLQ mode or other various printer options. p: The p: prefix instructs Dialogue to output a command line to the printer. The various escape, text and control characters follow the same syntax as other Dialogue output strings, like those used with the function keys, or macro definitions (see Transmit modification characters - page 29). Example 1: p:<-4\007 This is the equivalent to: ESC "4" CHR$(7) What the above example does: p: Tells Dialogue to send the following data to the printer. <- The ESC character is the printer's attention getter. Displayed by pressing ESC. 4 The ASCII character 4. Sent following an ESC, it's used as a control code. \007 Transmitted as CHR$(7). (Equivalent to ^g.) The above example sends an ESC 4 followed by a CHR$(7). On most Epson printers, this would instruct the printer to first change its character set to italics, and then ring the printer bell. Anything your printer is capable of understanding can be sent to it using this system. The example below will transmit a chr$(14) and the text Dialogue Printer Dump to the printer. Since chr$(14) is the code for expanded print on many printers, this provides an easy way to create titles for your printouts. When dumping straight text to the printer this way, you must remember to include a carriage return to complete the line. The text will not be printed without it. Example 2: p:\14Dialogue Printer Dump\r <42> >> The Dialogue Auto-Exec Scripts One of the most powerful features of Dialogue, is the auto-exec script language, which allows the operation of the program to be completely, or partially automated. Imagine the ability to log onto a group of BBS's, read and capture messages, send messages, log off and save the messages on disk, all while you're asleep! With some imagination, almost anything is possible using the Dialogue auto-exec script capabilities. When using pay systems such as CompuServe, and GEnie, the ability to have the terminal do everything automatically can shorten the time online, and thus save you money. Some sample uses for auto-exec scripts: * Automatic system logon. * Loading in a specific macro key definition set, and/or an extension file for each system. * Complete automation of an online session. * Mini-BBS operation * Intelligent automatic control of buffer captures. What are auto-execs? An auto-exec (short for automatic execution) is a sequential file which contains a list of commands that instruct Dialogue to perform particular functions. These commands form a language which control everything, including making the program operate as if you had actually pressed any of the key sequences. Dialogue's auto-exec script language uses powerful one or two character commands. Many of the commands functions are similar to BASIC. The language allows scripts to be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. Starting an Exec Script [ALT] [A] There are two different kinds of auto-exec scripts. The 'auto-dial logon auto-exec' is linked to the phone number of each phone directory entry. These execs are executed when a connection is established. It is also possible to invoke a generic auto-exec script from terminal mode at any time by pressing ALT-A, or by selecting the Execute Exec option from the menus. Unlike the auto-dial logon scripts, these auto-execs can have a