Simtel MSDOS 1992 December/simtel1292_SIMTEL_1292_Walnut_Creek.iso/msdos/modem/tt105.arc/TINYTERM.DOC

Text File | 1988-03-09 | 22KB | 520 lines

TINYTERM 1.05!  Release Update Version.

If you are upgrading from TinyTerm 1.00 to 1.05, you can skip to the end
for a list of enhancements/fixes.

TinyTerm features:

Small Memory Consumption: Down to 84K DoubleDOS partiton (58K free memory)
with all features except external protocols and DOS shell enabled!

No Disk Access:  Once TinyTerm is loaded you can change default drives
and directories with impunity.  External Protocols must be on the path to
function, but all other files are loaded once upon startup.

MultiTasking Support!: TinyTerm supports the video requirments of DoubleDOS
and Desqview (will run in a Desqview window and no bleedthrough in DoubleDOS!)
and also gives up time slices during redial to allow higher speed program
execution in the other partitions.

TinyTerm is a full featured terminal program that is oriented toward the
multitasking environment.  It is designed to give the features needed
in a smart terminal program with minimum demand on processor time and
memory.

TinyTerm is a product of T-Square software.  It is distributed as shareware,
which means that you can upload it to any BBS for others to use.  If you find
that you use TinyTerm, please send $15 as a registration fee to the below
address. I would also like you to send any and all questions, bug reports,
new features and other suggestions to:

            John M. Trindle
        The Blues Exchange (804-220-0533)
        260-C Merrimac Trail
        Williamsburg, VA 23185

With your registration you will receive the latest version of TinyTerm and
be on the mailing list for future upgrades and a newsletter answering your
questions about.  One upgrade in progress right
now is to extend the Mini-TSL to TSL and include automatic downloading,
uploading, and redialing (among other things) from the script level.

Associated files:

You should have received the following files in the TINYTERM.ARC:

      TINYTERM.EXE   The program file, about 36K

      TINYTERM.DOC   The doc file you are reading now!

      TINYTERM.DIR   Sample dialing directory file.

      TINYTERM.CFG   Sample configuration file

      TINYTERM.SCR   Sample Script files in Mini-TSL

      DSZ.EXE        External Protocol Driver (Shareware)
      DSZ.DOC        Documents for DSZ.

Although all you need to run TINYTERM is the .EXE file, and the
TINYTERM.CFG file, you will need a properly formatted TINYTERM.DIR
file if you wish to use the re-dial feature, and you will need DSZ
if you wish to do any batch file transfer.  Xmodem and Ymodem (Xmodem-1K)
are included as internal protocols, and do not need DSZ to work.  DSZ is
a shareware product in its own right, and you should register it if you
use it extensively.


                      TinyTerm Philosophy
              -------------------

I wrote the original TinyTerm (ver 0.11) in Macro Assembler, and
it took up about 5K.  I never did get effective re-dialing or
command line parameter reading.  I also lost all track of what
was going on...  So then I started writing TinyTerm in C, and
was able to implement a much better package!  The unfortunate
fact was that the file size shot up to 21K.

File size is now around 36K, because of a better user interface and
feature upgrades.

TinyTerm now is entirely direct video and BIOS based, for increased
performance.  It is NOT necessary to have ANSI.SYS loaded to receive
ANSI graphics.  The direct video routines are compatible with DoubleDOS
and DesqView.

I wanted to be able to run programs that require function key
and alt-key combinations from remote.  There is a shareware
program called DOORWAY which translates BIOS cursor and color
commands into ANSI, and re-directs COM input to the BIOS.  Thus
programs that have BIOS cursor controls and BIOS keyboard
interregation (such as BASICA/GWBASIC, and all programs that run
within) can be run from remote with DOORWAY.  DOORWAY will be
included in the release version of TinyTerm, in addition to the
DSZ now included.  TinyTerm sends all keys that are not reserved
for functions right through, and has a special mode that sends
through ALL but the Alt-= combination.  NOTE:  TinyTerm does not support
extended ASCII code transmission properly over a certain baud rate.  That
baud rate is dependent on the speed of your machine.  The limit for
reliable extended ASCII code transmission is approximately 6400 baud
for a 4.77 MHz 8088 machine.

I also wanted to write something like ProComm! (DataStorm)
**Closer and Closer, but ProComm is improving as well.  Of course their
file size is more like 210K!

NOTE:  Before using any of the re-dial functions, please skip to
the section marked: "TinyTerm Directory Format" and add your own
local BBS numbers and parameters.


            TinyTerm Commands
            -----------------

Command line parameters:

 COM1 or COM2 selects comm port        Bxxxxx selects baud rate
                        (such as B2400)

 Wx (W8, W7, W6, W5) selects word    Sx (S1, S2) selects x
    length of x bits.               bits

 N, O, E, S, M selects parity           /V Switches to slow video
    (None, Odd, Even, Space, Mark)         mode for snow reduction
                                           on CGA cards.  Do NOT use
                       on EGA card! It is not
                       necessary in any case.

 /F  CR/LF mode.  Causes TinyTerm to    /Q Quiet mode.  Traps bells
     translate incoming Carriage       generated by TinyTerm and
     Returns into Carriage Return and      those coming in over the line.
     LineFeed combinations.  If all your
     text piles up on one line, set this
     from the command line or configuration
     screen.


 /M  BIOS mode.  Causes TinyTerm to use the video BIOS in all screen writing,
     good for Windows and unsupported multitaskers (DoubleDOS and Desqview are
     supported and do not need this switch).  Significantly slower than direct
     video mode, but SNOW FREE except when changing screens.

 A[FC][-BC][-IN][-BL] (A7 for normal)
   Sets screen attribute codes for color selection.

   The parameters are Foreground Color (0-7), Background Color (0-7),
   Intensity (0-1) and Blink (0-1).  If you wanted to select a white
   character on a blue background, the command line parameter would be:

           A7-1

   If a parameter is not specified it defaults to 0.  A blinking, intense,
   green on red screen would be generated by the following:

           A2-4-1-1

    That would probably make you sick in no time!


Default mode when starting without command line parameters is:

      COM1 B1200 W8 N S1 ( 1200 baud, 8 N 1 protocol).
      NonQuiet mode, Linefeeds Off, Fast Video, and low intensity white on
      black display.

Any command line parameter you use will change that one, and
leave the rest as set in the defaults.  So you could enter:
      TINYTERM B2400
and go out COM1 at 2400 baud, 8 N 1 protocol.

Command line parameters are case-insensitive.  You could enter the above
line as tinyterm b2400, for instance.


The program will let you know if it has loaded the directory
successfully (TINYTERM.DIR is in the default directory).  If it
does not load successfully, you may still use manual dialing.


Configuration from within TinyTerm (Alt-C):

Use the Alt-C combination to bring up the configuration menu.
you may change any of the parameters listed above from this
menu, and in addition set the modem to Pulse or Tone dialing mode.

In addition, you can reload TINYTERM.DIR, TINYTERM.CFG, and TINYTERM.SCR
to provide changes.  Exit to DOS with the Alt-S shell, use your favorite
editor to change the file, return to TinyTerm, and then use the appropriate
option from the Alt-C menu to reload.  The init string in TINYTERM.CFG will
be sent to the modem again, and so please use the K option only when
off-line.


Manual Dial (Alt-D)

To dial a single number without re-dial, use the Alt-D function,
and type in the number you wish to dial.  You may use digits,
dashes, and commas (for pausing) in this string (any control characters
used in a Hayes dialing string).


Auto-Redial (Alt-R)

For redialing one or more numbers, use the Alt-R combination.
You will be presented with the dialing directory.  If you had no
dialing directory available in the default directory, this
option is unavailable.

You can use the cursor keys to select a single number to redial by
moving the light bar to a BBS name and hitting return,  or hit the
space bar to bring up a re-dial queue entery prompt.  Just enter the
menu selection numbers of the BBSs you wish to dial, separated by spaces:
         5 2 3 14 23 1 3 4 5
There will be a pause and the program will begin dialing each
number in the queue, and waiting the time specified in the
dialing directory.  If a carrier is detected before this time is
up, you will be placed in terminal mode.

Hit the escape key to abort the redial process.  Your queue will
be saved, if you choose to re-initiate the sequence.  Hit any
key except escape to go to the next number in the queue.

Once the program has dialed all the numbers in the queue, it
will start from the beginning.  This will continue until a
connect or you abort the process with the escape key.

After connecting with a BBS from a dialing queue, you may
re-start the redial with the same queue (minus the board you DID
connect with) by using the Alt-R command, and then entering an
"R" (no quotes) instead of the list of numbers.  If all the
numbers in the queue have been used up, you will get an error
message and be dumped back to terminal mode.

Simple, eh?  Don't worry, it is much easier than it sounds.
Give it a shot... I'll wait here....

OK, on to the next command:


DOS Shell (Alt-S):

Pressing the Alt-S combination will let you exit to DOS without
leaving the program or hanging up on your current call.  Use the
DOS command "exit" to return to TinyTerm.


Hang Up Modem (Alt-H):

Pressing Alt-H at any time during a call will cut you off by
dropping DTR, and also by sending the "+++" escape sequence and
sending ATH0, if you have these two sequences on the first and
second lines, respectively, of your .CFG file.


Downloads/Uploads (PgDn and PgUp):

TinyTerm file protocols fall into two classes, INTERNAL and EXTERNAL.
Xmodem CRC/Checksum and Ymodem CRC are INTERNAL protocols and can be
run without the presence of DSZ on your path.  Please see the section
on MEMORY REQUIREMENTS for further information on INTERNAL vs. EXTERNAL
protocols.

Ymodem Batch and Zmodem will not function if you do not have DSZ.COM or
DSZ.EXE in your default directory or on your path.  The latest version of
DSZ is available on most bulletin boards.  A fine bit of shareware, you will
need to register it if you use it extensively.  Please read DSZ.DOC for a
terse listing of its options.

If prompted for a file name, you may use any valid path name
(including drive designator) to specify your file.  In the case
of the batch files, you may use wild cards to select a group of files.
In batch transfers you may also use more than one file specification,
such as:
           *.arc tin*.* fred.doc bill.bat

Use Xmodem CRC in noisy conditions.  It has small packets (128
bytes) that are easily resent.  If the only protocol that the
BBS supports is Xmodem, you must of course use that.  Some
boards run on Commodores and other small machines only support
Xmodem Checksum.  This is a protocol that is very vulnerable to
noise.  About 1 packet in 256 will be corrupted without your
knowledge.  If Xmodem CRC cannot connect with CRC, it will fall back into
checksum mode, so you can communicate with both types of systems.

Ymodem CRC is good for noise-free conditions.  It has the same
error rate as Xmodem CRC, but uses 1K packets instead of 128
byte packets.  This makes transfer slightly faster under normal
line conditions.  Noisy lines will degrade Ymodem performance to
less than Xmodem CRC.  All PC-Boards and many RBBS BBSs support
Ymodem CRC.

Ymodem Batch is the "true Ymodem".  It is a batch protocol, and
so sends file name, size, and date information in the header.
This is not a bad protocol, but not widely supported.

Zmodem Batch uses 32 bit CRCs (instead of 16 bit CRCs as Xmodem
and Ymodem do).  This makes it virtually error free.  The
initial packet size is 512 bytes, but it will switch to 1K
packets if line conditions are favorable.  Zmodem Batch will
support wildcards as Ymodem Batch does.  This is THE choice for
those calling through packet networks, as performance
degradation is very low with Zmodem.  Xmodem CRC will drop to
about 33% of maximum throughput, Ymodem CRC to about 85%, and
Zmodem down to 95% or so when using a packet network.

After the file transfer, DSZ will return you to TinyTerm and
Terminal Mode.


Log Session to Disk (Alt-L)

This command will record your on-line session to disk.  Use a
different file name each time, or you will overwrite the old log
file.  Hitting Alt-L a second time closes the log file.  You can
do this many times during a call, recording in different files,
if you like.

This option has NOT been tested with floppies (although you can
use full pathnames with drive designators in specifying the log
file).  It may be that floppies are too slow to allow
successfull logging without loss of characters.  If you
encounter this problem, please call The Blues Exchange and let
me know.


Send ASCII Text File (Alt-F)

To upload a message to a system, first type it in using a plain
ASCII editor and save it to disk.  When you are on-line you can
send the file to the remote system with this command.  This file
send relies on the remote system echoing the characters as they
are sent.  If this is not done, TinyTerm will hang in this mode.
Press <Esc> key to abort file send.


Exit TinyTerm (Alt-X)

This command closes the COM port, closes the LOG file, hangs up
the modem, and prints the farewell banner before exiting to DOS.
If you hit this, you are outtahere!  So be careful around that
Alt-X combination!!! <grin>  Careful setup of your modem to NOT
respond to dropped DTR will allow you to reload TinyTerm and
resume operation.  However, be sure and specify the escape codes
and hangup strings in your .CFG file.


TinyTerm Directory Format:

You may alter or create TINYTERM.DIR with any plain text ASCII
editor.  A couple examples are EDLIN, NORTON'S EDITOR, and the
NON-document mode of Wordstar.

                                         F F F  F F
   Field 1             Field 2      F 3  4 5 6  7 8 Comment Field

The Blues Exchange |      220-0533| 1200|8|N|1|20|1 Home of TinyTerm

The first field is the BBS NAME (any length up to 70 characters)
Separate it from the next field with a | character.

This second field is the PHONE NUMBER, which can be any length
up to 120 characters.  Separate this field from the next with
a | character.

The third field is the BAUD RATE, which can be of any value
between 110 and 28,000 baud.  Most modems respond to 300, 1200
2400, 4800 and 9600 baud.  For direct line connections you don't
need a dialing directory entry!  Separate this field from the next with
a | character.

The fourth field is the WORD LENGTH which can be 8, 7, 6, or 5.
Separate this field from the next with a | character.

The fifth field is the PARITY character.  The parity character
must be a N, E, O, S, or M, and the field must consist of that
character only.  I know, this is a potential problem.  Separate
this field from the next with a | character.


The sixth field is the number of STOP BITS.  You must select 1
or 2.  1 stop bit will get you through most situations.
Separate this field from the next with a | character.

The seventh field is the WAIT period.  It is the time, in seconds,
which TinyTerm will wait for connection when in Redial mode.  It
can be any value from 0 to 32000 (which is what, 8 hours?)
Anyway, negative numbers will be treated as 0.  Follow this
number with a carriage return/linefeed combination, or just
carriage return.

I'd like to stress the value of the WAIT field.  When dialing
local numbers with TONE, the wait field can be set as low as
12-15 seconds to waste the minimum time on a non-connect.  Larger
values may be necessary for long distance, slow boards, and
DEFINITELY for PULSE mode dialing!

TinyTerm will now recognize the BUSY return string, and continue
to the next call on its reception.  This enables you to set a longer
WAIT time without sacrificing BUSY response in redialing, if your
modem has BUSY enabled.


The eighth field is optional, and is the script file associated with
that BBS.  Script file characters can be the digits 1 through 99. The digit
corresponds to the line number of the script in the TINYTERM.SCR file.

The Comment Field is also optional.  Separate the comment field from the
Wait field or the Script field with a space.

  Format:
name|1-555-555-5555|2400|7|E|1|30|1 Comment


FOR PROCOMM 2.4.2 USERS:

**PCTOTINY.EXE is a utility to help you convert PROCOMM.DIR to
**TINYTERM.DIR.  Invoke it with the following (first making a
**backup of your current TINYTERM.DIR):
**     pctotiny procomm.dir tinyterm.dir
**and follow the prompts!  This program does not produce a
**columnized, neat directory like the example directory, but
**it works just as well.  Use your favorite PLAIN TEXT editor
**to merge the new TINYTERM.DIR with your backup copy, to
**make sure you don't lose any numbers from your old directory.
AT THIS TIME PCTOTINY DOES *NOT* SUPPORT PROCOMM PLUS OR TEST DRIVE.


TINYTERM.CFG Information.
The first line of the TINYTERM.CFG file is the INIT string.  This is
the set of Hayes Commands that initialize your modem.  Some sample
configs are provided for a few modems.

The second line is your escape sequence.  Most Hayes compatible modems
have +++ as the default escape sequence.  This causes the modem to go into
command mode.  See your modem manual.

The third line is your modem hangup string.  Most Hayes compatible modems
hang up with an ATH0.

KEY MACROS
The fourth through 13th line (or any smaller number) are the keyboard
macros.  These strings will be assigned to Alt-1, Alt-2, Alt-3, etc.
up to Alt-0 for the eleventh line.  You may specify fewer lines if you
wish.

The keyboard macro can consist of ordinary ASCII characters, with the
ones listed below under Mini-TSL have special functions.


TINYTERM.SCR Information.

I have come up with a limited Script Language, that I will call
Mini TinyTerm Script Language (Mini-TSL).  All codes can be used in the Key
Macros as well as Scripts.  Use regular ASCII text characters, and
the following special function characters:

        ~  : Sends a carriage return.
        {} : Wait for string enclosed in brackets
                ^  : The character following is sent as a control character
                |  : End of Script, Comment follows.

Some example scripts are included.

You may type through a script, to add information that may have been missing
in the script or has been corrupted by line noise.

Use the escape key <Esc> to abort a script while it is executing.

MEMORY USAGE and REQUIREMENTS:

One of TinyTerm's best features is the ability to run in a small amount of
memory.  It is useful in memory resident (soon to be a feature) and multi-
tasking situations.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

1) The bigger your dialing directory, script file, and key macro lines,
   the more space TinyTerm needs.  You can sometimes get away with loading
   TinyTerm into a smaller space than your configuration requires, but you
   can only use the first few telephone numbers in your directory.

2) You can use INTERNAL protocols and need the least amount of memory.  I
   have succesfully run TinyTerm and had full functions in an 82K DoubleDOS
   partition.

3) If you wish to use EXTERNAL protocols and/or exit to DOS using the Alt-S
   command, you will need to allocate 180K (DOS shell only) to 184K (EXTERNAL
   protocols supported) DoubleDOS partitions.  Other multitaskers will
   provide slightly different amounts of free memory, so adjust your partition
   sizes accordingly.

Registration for TinyTerm is $15.  With registration you will be put on a
mailing list and informed of updates and bug reports in TinyTerm.  You are
not legally required to register TinyTerm, but if you don't your kharma will
suffer and you may come back in the next life as a lower form, such as a
cockroach or a politician.

Please send any and all suggestions, bug reports, and $$$ to:

    John M. Trindle
    The Blues Exchange (804-220-0533)
    260-C Merrimac Trail
    Williamsburg, VA 23185

Enjoy!

1.05 Enhancements and Bug fixes:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Fixed inability of TinyTerm to upload files of less than 1K with internal
protocols.

Added description of Text File Send (Alt-F) to this .DOC file.  Added
indications of the use of the <Esc> key in script file execution.

Enhanced color support with more comprehensible command line syntax,
restoration of original attributes upon program exit, and reset of border
to background color (previously, the border remained its initial color).

Added BIOS mode switch to all screen writes, enabling use of multitaskers
other than DoubleDOS and Desqview, and providing a slow but virtually
snow free mode for those who find the /V snow elimination mode
insufficient.