kim@amdahl.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) (07/28/87)
[ Lineeaters ... just say NO! ]
Here are some notes from the developers of Diga! that might make life
a little easier for those of you that use it. I ran across them on
a local BBS over the weekend ...
/kim
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
file: Diga_Tricks
date: 17-Jul-87
Version: 1.00
Diga! TRICKS
============
- by Pebber Brown, Rocky Stargel & Keary Griffin -
Many of you who have been calling Aegis for technical support have come
across some different problems that are fixed from entirely within the Diga!
program. These features were included at a very late date and were actually
written as more or less "esoteric techie" features that weren't documented.
Ok, ok we confess...Yes we did include some really cool stuff into Diga
(mainly for ourselves) and we didn't document it in the manual because we
didn't anticipate that so many of you end users would be such advanced
telecommunicators. Our phones have been ringing off the hook for Diga!
technical support information, so we wrote this file in the interest of
publicly answering some of the most commonly asked questions.
So here it is:
1: Eliminating Guru errors:
===========================
We tested and tested Diga! for months and months, and finally we discovered
that the release version was not set up the same way as the versions we
tested. The release versions color-cycled a startup graphic screen created
by SACHS enterprises and our versions didn't have that on the disk. We
always ran it from a hard disk with the stack set to a minimum of 10000 to
begin with. To eliminate GURU problems quickly and to get Diga! running
smoothly, we suggest the following fix:
* Add the commands 'stack' and 'BindDrivers' to the C: directory
on the Diga! program disk.
* Delete the 'Cycles' IFF screen from the root directory program
disk.
* Delete the 'Display' command from the C: directory on the Diga!
program disk.
* With Ed, TxEd or EMACS modify the startup-sequence like this:
BindDrivers
Stack 10000
Type S/Startup-Sequence
LoadWB
EndCLI >nil:
* Click on the Diga! Icon from the workbench and select info.
Then change the stack setting to 10000 and click on 'save'.
That's all you have to do!
2: Sending a previously composed message as E-Mail:
===================================================
Sometimes when you call up bulletin boards or online services, you may
want to reply to a message without wasting your valuable online time. Diga!
supports this quite easily. You can compose your message offline using any
Amiga text editor (Ed, TxED, EMACS, etc.) to insure correct spelling and
information content.
Some Bulletin boards do not recognize a linefeed from TxED or EMACS at the
End of a line (EOL), so what you need to do is hit <Ctrl-M> after each line
to form a hard character Return. This fixes the problem of bunched together
messages and squished text file upon uploading as straight ASCII from the
capture buffer. You have to go into the text file and place a
<Ctrl-M> after every line. In TxED this can be accomplished by using
the 'Replace' command. You would replace CTRL-J with CTRL-M CTRL-J
(type the control keys into the replace requester).
This only seems to be a problem when sending messges to IBM PC
based Bulletin Board software (i.e WildCat, RBBS, PCBoard, etc.).
After you have written your message, save it to whatever directory or
diskette that you like (Diga! fully supports multiple directories and
drives). When you are online and ready to upload your message, there are
a few tricks to getting this done:
* First, set your transfer protocol to ASCII on the Protocol menu.
* Select 'send file' from the Transfer menu. When the file
requester comes up, select the file you want to send.
3:Sending the Capture Buffer.
=============================
Sometimes you' ll want to send the capture buffer directly over the phone.
For example, you might want to "foward" a message you have just read. If you
own TxED, you could use the Buffer/ClipBoard transfer functions for on-line
interactive editing of the Diga! capture buffer. In order to send the
capture buffer do the following.
* First, set your transfer protocol to ASCII on the Protocol menu.
* Next, select 'send file' from the Transfer menu.
* The file requester will appear.
* WITHOUT selecting a directory or a file, just click
the OK Gadget.
* This will send whatever text is in the capture buffer!!!
4: Clearing the screen of all text:
===================================
This is a piece of cake:
* Select 'Echo ON' from the Display menu
* Hit <Ctrl>-L
* Select 'Echo OFF' from the Display menu
That's IT!
There are two other ways to do this:
1: Select 'Reset Config' from the Project menu
2: Select 'Terminal/TTY' from the Display menu.
Either one will clear the screen of all text.
5: Hot keys with the phone book:
================================
This feature was designed for total ease of use when using the phone book.
The phone book allows you to use the keyboard exclusively instead of the
mouse.
Aegis included this feature because we studied how users interacted
with computers, especially telecommunications software users, and we
determined that keyboard commands were used more often than the mouse by
advanced users. The Diga! phone book allows you to use the Amiga keys, arrow
keys and hot key commands to dial any number.
* Hold down the right Amiga key with your thumb.
* While holding down the right Amiga key, hit the 'P' key.
* Behold! The phone book appears!
* Use the arrow/cursor keys ON THE AMIGA KEYBOARD to scroll
through the phone book to select an entry.
/* The left and right AMIGA KEYBOARD arrow keys will scroll to the next */
/* and previous phone book entries sequentially, while the up and down */
/* arrow keys will scroll to the next or previous ALPHABETICAL categories! */
* Hit the 'D' key on the keyboard (This is the "HOT" Dial key).
So you can see, to dial an entry from the phone book is just a matter
of Right-Amiga/P, Scroll with the cursor keys, Hit 'D'. It's that easy!
For more information on all of Diga's phonebook features, please refer to
the Diga! User's Guide, pages 19-21.
6: Multi-Tasking without problems:
==================================
Almost all multitasking problems encountered with Diga! can be solved by
adding more memory. A frequent problem encountered by Diga! users has to
do with memory limitations. We strongly suggest if you want to multi-task,
that you run Diga! with a minimim of 1 Megabyte of RAM:
Diga! is currently a rather large program, about 163K. When you load it up
into a 512K machine, this leaves you with about 32K free for the capture
buffer, and the rest is used up by workbench. You CAN squeeze a little more
memory out of it by running diga from the CLI and deleting all the workbench
windows and icons. Diga! was not originally intended to be compressed into
a 512K Amiga, so there are some things that really won't work that well
under a 512K minimum. For example, some users have commmented on the fact
that they cannot multitask Diga! with Sonix and run TxED in a separate window
while simultaneously compiling an Aztec C file with only 512K.
(Seriously this is true! We get some UNBELIEVEABLE tech support calls!).
To truly multitask, remember the left Amiga and M & N keys will page you back
and forth from CLI to the program quite easily.Diga! works best with anything
above 512K. There are now dozens of affordable memory expansion units on the
market. Start collecting those aluminum cans...
7: Extended function key macros:
================================
Diga! currently supports 80 character macros for all 10 function keys.
To log on a BBS with your password as a macro, just hit <Ctrl>-M after
the text inside the macro window. Hit the REAL <Ctrl-M>, don't type a
caret (^) symbol (although script files will recognize a caret symbol).
This will send a <Return> after the text is sent.
The function keys can be combined with the Left Amiga, Alt, Shift and
Control keys to achieve a total of 50 possible macro key definitions per
configuration file. A complete explanation of all the Diga! macro keys
is explained in the Diga! User's Guide, pages 55-57.
Keyboard control codes:
-----------------------
There are some common online codes that almost everyone uses for stopping
text scrolling, sending breaks, aborting, etc. Here are the most used ones:
Keyboard Control Codes:
-----------------------
<Ctrl-M> = Return <Ctrl-K> = Abort
<Ctrl-J> = Linefeed <Ctrl-X> = Abort
<Ctrl-G> = Bell
<Ctrl-C> = Break
<Ctrl-S> = Pause
<Ctrl-Q> = Continue
Using the Function keys with control codes:
--------------------------------------------
An example of a simple use for a programmable function key would be
to log onto a BBS and hit one key to enter your first and last name.
(Most bulletin boards support this by using a semicolon between words.)
Example:
Set up F10 to enter your first and last name:
---------------------------------------------
* Select 'Macro keys' from the Phone menu
* Click the selection button inside the box that
corresponds to function key 10 (F10).
* Enter your name like this:
Pebber;Brown
* After you type the last letter of your last name, press
<Ctrl-M>.
/* note: NOT caret-M (^M), but the REAL <Ctrl-M>. */
What you will see inside the macro key box will be your first and last name
separated by semicolons and then a small rectangle immediately following
your last name. The small rectangle represents <Ctrl-M>. A control-M will
send a <Return> signal to the modem, thus allowing you to hit a function
key which enters your first and last name and then enters a <return> to
log you in to the system.
Some BBS's also support first, last and password entries separated by
semicolons. So you would enter your macro like this:
Pebber;Brown;password (with a Ctrl-M afterwords)
8: Diga! Remote without panic:
==============================
There are two passwords in the Diga! remote system. One for you, and one for
your users. If they do not have YOUR (operator) password, they cannot modify
the disks. You also can limit them to a particular disk or directory.
This means the users cannot trash your hard disk if it is not made available
to them.
Some users have complained that you cannot logon to the system from local
when it is in the remote mode. This is because the modem will send a double
character (i.e echo signal) to the system from remote, thus rendering your
password unreadable.
To logon from local while in remote mode:
-----------------------------------------
Type <Ctrl-C> before you enter the password, *OR* set your modem to
the "OFF" position (I believe there is a switch on the modem that allows
you to do this...).
Auto Baud:
----------
If your modem connects and sends a message of "CONNECT 1200",
then turn Auto Baud on. If it only sends a message of "CONNECT", then
turn Auto Baud off.
Defaulting to 300 baud:
-----------------------
If both the host and caller's modems are set up for Auto baud, Diga! will
fight with itself and set the baud rate to the lowest common denominator,
which is 300 baud. In order to fix this problem, set ONLY ONE of the modems
for Auto Baud.
Aborting from remote:
---------------------
The <ESC> key will abort a long and boring scroll through irritating
text or a long directory search while in remote mode.
Reversed remote function syntax:
--------------------------------
Some users have asked us why the Diga! remote commands are "backwards".
The logic of the commands follows true to what remote is all about.
In true remote, the host system is considered to be identical to any
other system, except you are accessing it via remote.
When you select 'send' a file from remote you are TELLING the HOST to SEND,
not that you want to upload a file to it.
These users are confusing Diga's remote function syntax with file transfer
syntax of bulletin board systems. It is true remote, so it allows you to call
your Amiga and manipluate files just like you were right there.
To "receive from remote means you are telling the HOST to RECEIVE a file,
which corresponds to "uploading" from your end.
So in Diga remote, Send = "download" and Receive = "upload". This is
the logic behind the backward syntax.
For more information on using Diga! remote, please refer to the Diga!
User's Guide, pages 59-63.
9: Using Xmodem CRC or Ymodem CRC:
==================================
To use either of these two transfer protocols, Xon/Xoff must be disabled.
10: Calling a Script or Configuration from CLI:
==============================================
You CAN call a script or a particular configuration from CLI. To do this
type:
1> Diga! -s Scriptname (for a script)
or
1> Diga! -c Configname (For a configuration)
If you run Diga! from the CLI, you must use the arguments like so...
1> Diga! -c Diga!.config -s Scripts/Diga!.script
Upon load, Diga! will default to Diga!.config automatically, unless you give
it a different config file by using the -c option.
For a complete explanation of how to create Scripts and a table of all Diga!
Script commands, please refer to the Diga! user's guide, pages 67-85.
11: Using the Anchor Automation 300/1200 baud modem:
===================================================
This modem doesn't allow you to go back and forth between baud rates very
well, so you have to turn auto baud OFF from the Modem setup menu. Just
click the red button inside the menu to turn it off and save the settings
in the Diga!.Config file.
12: Using the Omega-80(tm) modem:
=================================
The Omega-80 claims to be Hayes(tm) compatible. It really isn't, and you have to
change the modem setup commands from the modem setup menu.
The Omega-80 doesn't recognize spaces between commands, such as AST0 = 0.
To properly enable this modem you have to delete the spaces between the
commands so that:
ATS0 = 0 would be ATS0=0
13: Using Bell 212A/103 Compatible modems:
==========================================
There are many modems such as the Anderson-Jacobsen (tm) or the
Avatex 1200 (tm) which are not fully Hayes compatible and will not
auto dial if the modem setup menu has the Hayes command set listed with
spaces between the commands.
14: Diga! Keyboard shortcut commands:
=====================================
Diga! fully supports keyboard shortcut commands. Please copy this list
and keep it nearby your computer. We have found that keyboard shortcut
commands are eventually much quicker to use than the mouse.
Here is the complete list:
==========================
Right AMIGA + 'A' = enables ASCII protocol.
Right AMIGA + 'B' = selects Compuserve 'B' protocol.
Right AMIGA + 'C' = selects Xmodem CRC.
Right AMIGA + 'D' = brings up the dial requester.
Right AMIGA + 'H' = hangs up the phone.
Right AMIGA + '/' = saves a configuration file.
ALT + 'S' = saves the buffer to disk.
Right AMIGA + 'K' = selects Kermit protocol.
ALT + 'L' = loads a text file from disk into the copy buffer.
Right AMIGA + 'M' = selects macro keys.
Right AMIGA + 'N' = turns copy buffer off.
Right AMIGA + 'O' = turns copy buffer on.
Right AMIGA + 'P' = selects phonebook.
Right AMIGA + 'Q' = quits Diga!
ALT + 'R' = receives a file.
ALT + 'S' = sends a file.
Right AMIGA + 'A' = enables ASCII transfer mode.
ALT + 'V' = views the copy buffer.
ALT + 'X' = selects Xmodem protocol.
Right AMIGA + 'B' = selects 'B' protocol.
Right AMIGA + ',' = Clip to Buffer.
Right AMIGA + '.' = Buffer to Clip.
ALT + 'B' = Send Break.
ALT + 'C' = Clear buffer.
ALT + 'P' = Print buffer.
Right AMIGA + 'U' = Printer on/off.
Right AMIGA + 'L' = Loads a config file.
Right AMIGA + 'R' = Resets the config.
Right AMIGA + 'X' = Executes a script file.
ALT + 'D' = Redials the current number.
ALT + 'V' = Changes the current phonebook.
ALT + 'M' = Brings up the modem setup.
ALT + 'Y' = Selects Ymodem protocol.
ALT + 'W' = Selects WXmodem protocol (version 1.1).
ALT + 'Z' = Selects Zmodem protocol (version 1.1).
Right AMIGA + '2' = Selects DoubleTalk.
Right AMIGA + 'J' = Selects Buffer loop mode.
ALT + 'N' = Selects buffer size (0-512K).
DoubleTalk
==========
Right AMIGA + 'S' = Send files.
Right AMIGA + 'Q' = Quit DoubleTalk.
Scripts
=======
Right AMIGA + 'A' = Abort script.
Remote
======
Right AMIGA + 'E' = Enter remote.
Right AMIGA + 'A' = Abort remote.
<ESC> = Abort scrolling while in remote.
15: Quitting Diga! without requesters appearing:
================================================
Currently, when you quit the program, a requester automatically appears
which asks you if you want to save the configuration. If you just want
to quit the program without the requester appearing, just hold down
the SHIFT key before selecting 'Quit'/ from the Project menu or before
pressing Right-AMIGA + Q.
So the correct keyboard command sequence would be:
* RIGHT Amiga - Shift - Q
By typing these keys in sequence, Diga! will quit without sending a requester
to the screen.
16: Diga's VT100 Emulation mode:
================================
The VT100 is a terminal used on Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)
VAX 11-780 (tm) and VAX 8600 (tm) mini computers. Diga! has VT100 emulation
that allows the user to call VAX computers via phone line and use VMS(tm)
or UNIX (tm) applications software. To use the VT100 emulation in Diga!,
you need to first select 'cursor/transparent' from the display menu and then
set the terminal lines to 24 or 24 overscan.
The VT100 Terminal (manufactured by DEC) has four keys on the right side
of the keyboard that are programmable function keys called "PF Keys".
Diga! supports the PF Keys in VT100 emulation by using the Amiga numeric
keypad and the <Ctrl> key combinations.
PF keys in VT100 mode:
----------------------
The VT100 PF Keys are supported on the Amiga keyboard by the
control keys and the ** NUMERIC KEYPAD **.
<Ctrl-9> = PF1
<Ctrl-6> = PF2
<Ctrl-3> = PF3
<Ctrl-.> = PF4
<Shift-.> = ,
17: Eliminating workbench to save more memory:
==============================================
To eliminate the workbench screen and save more memory, select <CTRL-HELP>.
This will close the workbench screen completely. This will also TOGGLE
the workbench on and off if you select it repeatedly.
If you are low on memory when you first run Diga!, Diga! will come
up with the workbench closed.
18: Clearing the screen in Tektronix emulation mode:
====================================================
To clear the screen in Tektronix mode, hit the HELP key (fast menu) and then
select '132 columns' and then hit the help key again. This is the fastest
way to do this.
To get back to 80 column mode, do it again but select 80 columns instead.
(A keyboard clear screen command will be included in future revisions of
Tektronix emulation).
19: Erasing a line of text to the BEGINNING of the line:
========================================================
in ANSI mode, you can erase any line of text that you have written BEFORE
pressing return, by hitting the UP arrow key on the keyboard. This is
very handy for quickly correcting typographical mistakes.
Stay tuned for the next adventure of Diga! meets BAMBI....
-=>PB, RS,/**KG**/
(Pebber Brown, Rocky Stargel & Keary Griffin)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
--
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