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ICPR20 In Command of PcPursuit Version: Procomm Revision: 2.0 Copyright 1987 Wayne Wolf ww@ufcsg.ufl.edu This package is distributed as ShareWare and is free to copy and distribute. Please help distribute these programs, but only in the archived form ICPR20. If you find this package useful, your contributions of any amount will be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact me to inform me of bugs, suggest modifications, or just to say hi. I can be reached at the following BBSs: Help Screen (202) 524-3982 Net Exchange (202) 689-3561 (or C PURSUIT,username,password) Pc-Exchange (404) 977-6686 The Right Place (404) 476-2607 WHAT IS ICPR20??? ===================================================================== ICPR20 is a script file generator for use with Procomm communications package to assist in using PcPursuit. This package contains all you need to reduce the chore of logging into your local PcPursuit link, connecting to the destination city, and connecting with the destination BBS to a mere TWO keystrokes!!! WHY ICPR20??? ===================================================================== ICPR20 is the at the top of its class because it designs script files for you, custom designed to fit you. You don't even need to know the first thing about script file programming. You don't have to modify existing script files to suit you specifically like in other PcPursuit script file packages. Everything is totally automated. All you do is answer such questions as, "What BBS do you wish to add?" or, "What Area Code do you wish to add?" It's that simple. ICPR20 will perform maintenance of its script files so they will remain current with PcPursuit's Area Codes and your specific BBSs. HOW DO I USE ICPR20??? ===================================================================== It's fairly simple to use ICPR20. There are three separate script file generators. Each generates a specific type of script file. First an explanation is given to clarify what each script file does and how to use them. After is a complete description of how and when to use each generator. The three are MAKED, MAKESTEP, and MAKEOTHR. MAKED ===================================================================== This generator creates the file D.CMD. D.CMD is the main controller script file. It gives you the menu of all the current area codes and allows you to select which city to connect to through use of a menu. Redial function is provided so if the city port is busy, it will try until a connection is established. The first time you run ICPR20 you must run MAKED. You must supply it with all of PcPursuit's currently supported dial-in area codes (remember 301 and 703 are dial-in at 202). Just type select 'Enter MAKED' from the main menu and you will be in MAKED. Everything is menu driven. (A)dd all the area codes as it asks you. Then type Q to quit adding and then (E)xit MAKED. If you give MAKED an area code it doesn't know, it will ask you for the city name for that area code. If PcPursuit adds a new dial-in area code or (hopfully never) if they "can" an area code you should use MAKED again to add/delete the area code. When MAKED starts up, it searches the current directory for an already existing D.CMD. If found, it extracts the current area codes from it, so you do not have to add all those area codes in again. So, you should only use MAKED to initialize D.CMD to have all the current area codes, to add/delete an area code, or finally to update the username/password/Baud rate if yours is changed. MAKESTEP ===================================================================== MAKESTEP is a bit more complex the MAKED. This generator does not create just one file but many files. The file D.CMD must have subprograms, one for each city-area-code it knows. These sub programs are called step files. MAKESTEP creates files with names like STEP202.CMD and STEP813.CMD. The step files are the command files that assume command once the city connection has been established. These files handle dialing the BBSs. The step files also feature automatic redial as well as either racal or hayes modes. They can contain up to 99 BBS numbers per city. Using MAKESTEP is simple. You just follow the menus. Add new BBSs or delete ones already there that have expired. You use MAKESTEP contstantly. You use it to add or delete BBSs to and from each city. A handy feature incorporated into ICPR20 is the ability to execute ICPR20 from within Procomm while inside a step file!!! This feature is great. Now you can add BBSs 'on the fly'. So, if you find a new BBS using 'M'anual dialing (see note) you don't have to log off PcPursuit, exit Procomm, invoke ICPR20 and add the BBS. You just select 'E' from the current step file and it drops you right into ICPR20! No hassles. * NOTE * A feature that was not documented in the previous revision and also does not appear as a selection on the CMD file menus while running a stepfile is when it asks you for the number of the BBS to dial on the menu, or S to switch, or D to disconnect, etc, you can enter an M or m for Manual dial. This allows you to call a bbs you don't have installed into the menu. You will be prompted for the phone number to dial. This feature is handy!!! I don't know why I made it a hidden feature, but why not have a little mystery? MAKEOTHR ===================================================================== MAKEOTHR is the one that creates all the other command files necessary for ICPR20 to function properly. This should only be run once. It creates the necessary files and these files do not usually need updating. If something happens to one of these files just run MAKEOTHR again. The files generated by MAKEOTHR are DIAL.CMD, DISCNECT.CMD, PCP.CMD, MAKE.CMD. and R.CMD. HOW AND WHEN TO USE ICPR20 GENERATORS ===================================================================== When you first get this package you should run ICPR20 simply by typing ICPR20. Goto MAKEOTHR submenu and answer it's questions. It will ask you for your local dial-in link. Give it your local Telenet phone number you use to access PcPursuit. Next it will ask you for your modem's dialing prefix, such as ATDT for Hayes modems or D for Racal/Vadic modems. This is used for the script PCP.CMD so your modem can dial your local link automatically. Next it will ask you if you wish it to make log files for each bbs it calls. Most likely you do. This feature is also very handy. ICPR20, when it finally connects to a BBS, it will search the current directory for a script specific for that BBS. If present it will invoke it. This is for those who want to have log-in scripts for each BBS. If a script is not present for that BBS then if you have told ICPR20 to make log files, it will open up a log file and record the session to the BBS that currently does not have a log-in script. This way, you can use your favorite editor (remember ALT-A ?) and edit the log file into a script file for auto-login for that BBS. If you told ICPR20 not to make log files, it will just go about business as usual and not record the session. Remember, you don't have to know script programming to use this package. If you don't want make auto-login scripts, then answer No to the query for making log files. Lastly, it will ask you if you want sound. This option tells the generators to make the scripts either sound an alarm or not when connecting to a city or BBS. I use sound on because I can set the scripts on redial and do something else. The bell then catches my attention and I can return to operating in PcPursuit. After answering all of these questions you will then select (A)ll to generate all the script files. After it has created them (E)xit MAKEOTHR back to the main menu. Next you should run MAKED and enter all the current area codes currently supported by PcPursuit. Before you can add them you must answer some more preliminary questions. The first two ask for your username and password for PcPursuit access. Next you will be asked for your baud rate, type either 1200 or 300. After that it will ask you for the default modem type. This is either Racal or Hayes, the two styles PcPursuit supports. This selection determines whether, after connecting to a city, the ICPR20 scripts will do everything in Hayes mode or Racal mode. I prefer the Racal mode because it is more descriptive during dials and faster to respond. But for those of you who like Hayes this option is for you. Again you will be prompted for a default value, this time for Redialing. If you set the default to Active, then when you connect to a city, and when you dial a BBS, it will continue to dial that BBS until it connects. Selecting Inactive simply makes it not redial. Note that both default values for Modem style and Redial status are changeable from within the ICPR20 scripts. These questions merely supply information for setting the default values. Lastly you will be prompted for sound or not. Sound On will make the alarm sound when a successful connection has been made to a BBS. After these questions, enter the area codes. Next, run MAKESTEP for each of the area codes and enter any BBSs you currently call in each respective city. If you have a hard drive then you're in luck. I'll describe how to do all this on a hard drive first, then a 'how to' on putting it on a floppy system. USING ON A HARD DRIVE SYSTEM ---------------------------- To use this package on a hard drive system I suggest you have one directory that contains all Procomm files and all command files. Make sure you have ICPR20.COM inside this directory. Now, just go to work using each generator to create the appropriate command files as outlined above. Included with this package is a batch file named HARD.BAT. Copy this file into your Procomm directory and rename it to PRO.BAT. To run, just type Pro. USING ON A FLOPPY BASED SYSTEM ------------------------------ First, you must have two floppy drives. You should get a blank formatted disk and place ICPR20.COM on this disk. Use ICPR20 to create all the command files as outlined above on this disk only. When using Procomm with ICPR20 put the Procomm disk in drive A: and the command file disk into drive B:. Type SET PROCOMM=B:\ and run Procomm using the command --> Procomm /fPCP.cmd The file FLOPPY.BAT included with this package contains all you need to set this up. Merely put it onto your Procomm disk and rename it to AUTOEXEC.BAT. It will set up everything nicely when you boot your system, provided your Procomm disk is bootable (Use SYS from DOS). USING ON A FLOPPY BASED SYSTEM WITH A RAMDISK --------------------------------------------- Again, it is suggested to have two drives but not necessary if you do use a ramdisk. If you have only one floppy and a ramdisk set up then just follow the above procedure for making the command file disk and just copy all the command files from the command file disk to the ramdisk with something like: A> ( insert your command files disk into drive A: ) A> COPY *.CMD C: (after finished, replace Procomm disk to Drive A:) A> SET PROCOMM=C:\ A> Procomm /fPCP.cmd If you do have two floppys and a ramdisk you are better set. Do as above and copy the command files from the command files disk to drive C:. The added advantage is that now drive B is free for things like downloads/uploads and such. A file called FLOPRAM.BAT is provided in the package which you should rename to AUTOEXEC.BAT and place it on BOTH the Procomm disk AND the command files disk (YOU MUST HAVE IT BOTH PLACES). It will set up everything upon boot up. Make sure you have a ramdisk installed though, in the file Config.sys. I suggest using Membrain as your ramdisk, but any one will do. Remember to run the creator files on the floppy disk only, and not on the ramdisk, where the editions will be lost on power-off. USING ICPR20 WITH PROCOMM ===================================================================== When Procomm starts up and places you in the terminal mode you just hit Alt-F5 and when it asks you for the script you type PCP.CMD. This will initiate the PCP script which will dial your local PcPursuit link and login for you. It in turn will initiate D.CMD which controls the rest of the program. If you use the batch files provided with the package, you'll have to do nothing but follow menus. The batch file will handle everything you need to do. All ICPR20 scripts are menu driven just like the ICPR20 program itself. Remember, at any time you can abort any script by hitting the ESC key. An added feature of ICPR20 is that when a connection is made to a BBS, a script file is executed for that BBS. These script files you will have to make yourself, for these are specific for each BBS. If you do not wish to have a script file for each BBS for autologin purposes then don't worry about it. Procomm will go as normal and not know the difference. Remember, if you told it to log the sessions then it will log them only if an auto-login script is not found. After you log in and get the the main BBS menu, hit ALT-F1 to close the log file, only if it is logging. Once you disconnect from the bbs, you must do the following: 1) Hit Alt-F5 to get a list of scripts 2) Answer the question with R.CMD 3) It will assume control and ask you which step file to return to, you type STEPxxx, where xxx will be the city you are currently connected to, such as STEP202, or STEP404, etc. 4) Then it will ask you which mode you were in, make sure you tell it the correct one! Remember, it will be whatever default you told it, unless you switched it sometime during running. What about those BBS specific autologin script files? Well, ICPR20 will look for the script file with the name the same as the BBS's phone number. For example if the BBS's phone number is 555- 1672, then ICPR20, once it connects to the BBS, will attempt to execute a script by the name of 5551672.CMD. Remember it's up to you to write these scripts, a useful utility for this is AUTOPRCM, which is provided with the Procomm package. There is also a package very similar in nature to this that generates script files for PcBoard for Procomm that would provide a nice interface with this. It is called SCRIPGEN and can be found on BBSs under the name of SCPGEN1P.ARC. I suggest you get this package. Remember, you really don't have to write these, as they are not necessary for everything to function properly. Also note that if you have selected the option to log sessions for BBSs that do not have auto-login scripts, the log file will have the name of the BBS number, but with no extension. For example, if you connect to a bbs with the phone number of 555-1672 and have no auto-login script file for it, ICPR20 will open a log file with the name 5551672. Remember to close this log file manually when you get the the BBSs main menu and have logged on successfully. Writing auto-login scripts are easy, look at how Autoprcm and SCRIPGEN make them and you'll be able to make your own easily. Remember!!!! You don't need to know a thing about script programming to use ICPR20, that's what helps make it the best. There is a glitch that occurs in rare cases. This occurs when you connect to a BBS to which you assigned a phone number of 11 digits, such as 1-813-555-1212. If you have logging on it will create a log file by the name of 18135551. And when you connect, it will first look for a cmd file by the name of 18135551.cmd. This should not present much problem because the need to use a number of 11 digits is extremely rare. TROUBLESHOOTING ===================================================================== Remember, at any point while in Procomm you can use the ESC key to abort an ICPR20 script and return to Procomm command level. But I suggest you only do this if everything seems to have blown up. There only a few cases where an ICPR20 script gets confused. One such instance happens some times when you connect to a city. When the ICPR20 scripts will attempt to put you into Racal mode, sometimes it throws the modem into "MANUAL ANSWER" mode which you will be able to see if you are watching the screen while the ICPR20's scripts are plugging away. If this happens, just use the (S)witch command TWICE in succession. It will try to switch to Hayes, but wont be able to. But, it will make it say MANUAL ANSWER again and then a second Switch will put it into Racal operating mode. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it is easy to fix. Sometimes when you (D)isconnect from a city port you will get kicked off of PcPursuit and you will hear the dreaded click from your modem. The ICPR20 script will hang, waiting for the proper signal from the PcPursuit's modem, which it will never get since it now has hung up on you. If this happens, just hit the ESC key. This will return you to Procomm's command level and you then should hit ALT-F5 which will allow you to execute a script by name. When it prompts you for the name, you type PCP. Hit the return and it will start over once again. It will start from the point where it dials your local dial-in and that's all it takes. WHO THE HECK WROTE THIS??? ===================================================================== My name is Wayne Wolf. I am currently a senior at University of Florida majoring in CIS Engineering. At present I am enjoying a break from school and am at home for the summer, until August 15. That is why I give two addresses. Work brings in a little money but definitely not enough to pay for college. That is why I ask you, if you find this package useful and use it, and you feel like it, you are more than welcome to pay for it. Please feel free to contact me and fill me full of suggestions on how to improve this package. THAT'S ALL FOLKS ===================================================================== Well, that's it. I guess. I write poor documentation, as do most programmers and I apologize if I have clouded anything or left something out that would be useful. If you have any suggestions about anything relating to this package please contact me. Enjoy and use this package! It is out there to share, so pass it around. And if you find this package of value, please feel free to send a contribution, $20 suggested, but anything would be great. Even if you cannot afford a donation, please take the time to contact me, either through unix mail, BBS E-mail, or the U.S. mail, and let me know what you think about ICPR20. Wayne Wolf thru August 15, 1987 Wayne Wolf (ww@ufcsg.ufl.edu) 810 Arietta Dr. Auburndale, Fl. 33823 (813)-967-3483 after August 15, 1987 Wayne Wolf (ww@ufcsg.ufl.edu) 2930 SW 23rd Terrace Apt. # 5-09 Gainesville, Fl. 32608 (904)-338-1735