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Text File | 1993-06-21 | 25.2 KB | 500 lines

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LEGAL NOTICE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ InfoTerm Plus is Copyright 1993 by Rajib K. Mitra. This program is protected by federal laws. Rights to this program are as follows: Usage of this program in any institution, group, business, agency, or bureau is not granted by the copyright without prior aggreement from the author. The aggreement may require fees. Registration is not required by this copyright aggreement, however the copyright owner may at any time alter someone's rights to an unregistered copy, provided that notification is given. The following is a description of the distribution and reproduction of files included within this package: This package may be reproduced and distributed but it must remain in the original format. The only acceptable modifications are for reasons of compression or encryption, however, when it is decompressed or decrypted, it must return to its original form. If this package is archived or compiled, the product must not contain any other information, with the exception of a small comment that will be removed upon extraction. For example, a ZIP comment is allowed, however a file contained within the ZIP is forbidden, even if the file is an advertisment automatically added. No fee may be charged for this package in any form, with the exception of membership fees of the supplier. This program may be uploaded to a commercial BBS, but cannot be sold by a shareware dealer without permission. All rights reserved. The author, Rajib K. Mitra, may at any time alter the copyright aggreement or grant specific rights at any time. If I feel that you are inproperly using this program, I may withdraw your rights to this program. Use at your own risk. InfoTerm Plus was in no way intended to cause damage of any form to anyone, however due to the varied computer systems available, it is nearly impossible for any program to guarantee correct operation on all systems. For that reason, I take no responsibility for any damage or wrongdoing caused by this program. Also I take no responsibility for illegal usage of this program. Any terminal program can be abused. If any of the aggreement within this package is a violation of local, state, or federal laws, it is to be altered in a way which the intent of the author is still conveyed. If that is not possible, it is to be stricken from the aggreement, with notification given to the owner of the copyright. Information given in this documentation is presented in the opinion of the author. The claim "The world's best terminal program" is solely the opinion of the author. Portions of the compiled program are copyright 1983,90 Borland International, Inc. The Major BBS is a registered trademark of Galacticomm, Inc. Microsoft, MS-DOS, and MS-Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Inc. XT, AT, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------InfoTerm Plus Documentation---------------------------- Introduction ------------ Welcome to InfoTerm Plus! This program is designed to make it easy for you to access terminal emulation on IBM and MS-DOS compatible systems, without lacking important features of other terminal programs. It includes many unique features which are useful for almost any situation. Please look through the documentation and try the program for a while. I think you will like it. Setup and Installation ---------------------- InfoTerm Plus' advanced programming techniques allow for it to require no subdirectory, but remember that on FAT based systems like DOS, directories with many files are slower. The only requirement is that the same file path is used for all of the files in the package. The directory or drive may be shared with other programs or it may be alone. For a quick setup check, execute the file "INFOCFG.EXE" (type INFOCFG if you have a DOS prompt). The subprogram will procede to search your computer system for the necessary components. If you have a hayes-compatible modem you wish to be configured with InfoTerm Plus, turn it on before executing the subprogram. Also, if you want InfoCfg to convert your Qmodem Pro or Telemate dialing directory to InfoTerm Plus format, have the dialing directory in that directory. If you wish to manually configure your InfoTerm Plus, execute "INFOTERM /M" and it will procede directly to the setup menu. "EDITDIAL /?" will list ways to create or convert a dialing directory. Mouse/Pointer Usage ------------------- Mouse usage is supported in almost all areas of the program. One, two, three or more button mice are all treated the same. On most menus and screens, move the device representation block to the selection you want. Press either button once. A added feature included in InfoTerm Plus not commonly found is mouse quoting. Aim the pointing device to the start of a word on the terminal screen. (On the terminal screen, scrollback, and file viewing it is not used for choice, but for quoting.) Press a button and hold it down. Move the mouse to the right, highlighting the word. Release the button and you will see that the word is sent over the communications port, as if you had typed it in from terminal mode. Quoting is quite useful for slow typers. Keyboard Usage -------------- Keyboard usage is supported in all accessible areas of the program. Usually the key(s) to hit are shown on the screen. Sometimes it is required for you to hit the ENTER or RETURN key after what you type. While getting used to the program and the features you want to use often, it is a good idea to wait a second or two after you enter what you want. If nothing happens, hit the enter key. Some prompts that ask you for a number may require the number to be padded with zeros (i.e. 007 rather than 7), or just the number followed by enter. You will never be required to pad a number with zeros, the enter key will always be an option. Here is a hypothetical menu: 1) Recieve Fax. 2) Delete all logs. 3) Unarchive and delete all download archives. 4) Enter QWK mail editor. 5) Ask server for updated files. 6) Convert bbs list to dialing directory. 7 through 200) Dial respective numbers. Enter your choice, X to exit: Hitting "x" will immediately exit this menu, enter may or may not be needed. (As a general rule, a menu that asks for a number but lets you hit X to exit requires no enter key.) If you wanted to delete all logs, you would hit 2 followed by enter. The enter key is required because the program can't tell if you will hit any more numbers after the 2. You might want 23 or 200, and it is difficult to tell. The program could have waited a few seconds to see if you're done, but generally programs do not do that because advanced users in a hurry would much rather just hit enter rather than wait out the delay. Also, if you were to be distracted, it might get the wrong choice. The enter key is your friend. Pulldown menus are different. They are supposedly easier to use. I think otherwise, but if it works for Microsoft, I guess I should include it. To be honest, I am not a good teacher. I considered getting an outside source to write the documentation for me, but I felt it necessary to do it myself to keep costs down. I'll try my best, and ask my friends what they think. Here is a hypothetical menubar line:  File Edit Search Options Window Help There will be a menubar like that at the top of the screen when you hit F10. Move the highlighted item using the arrow keys, or "click" on it with a mouse or similar pointing device. You can also hit the highlighted letter in each item. A sub-menu may "fall" down from the menu bar. While the sub-menu is visible, all keystrokes work for that menu. The sub-menus, although they are vertically aligned, work the same as the menubar. Hitting ESC (escape) will exit the menu you are on. The "" option on the menubar usually is for information. InfoTerm Plus has loads of features which I feel I don't need to get too detailed in. The registration package will include specific instructions and shortcuts. Using only the basic usage information above and the help screens available by hitting the HOME key, you should find it easy to use. Here is an example item from the help menu: ALT D Dial To enter the dialing directory menu, simply hold down the ALT key and hit the "d" key. Shift or caps lock are not needed. If the help screen doesn't answer a question, hit HOME again and it will ask you for a keyword, or the topic that you want to know about. It does this by searching the file KEYWORDS.DAT for the keyword you entered. Multitasking ------------ InfoTerm Plus will work on almost any IBM compatible computer system. However for fast usage of all the features it has to offer, 16MHz or better is recommended. InfoTerm Plus can run nicely under a multitasking environment in many configurations. The only caution is that InfoTerm Plus uses direct screen writes. This means that for increased speed and video handleing InfoTerm Plus will write to the screen whatever information it is sending. If you are multitasking that means that InfoTerm Plus will display messages on your screen even if you are not currently viewing it. Also remember that InfoTerm Plus uses modern interrupt based execution, meaning that the program must not be abruptly halted, or the computer using it will lock up or several things could occur. Please beware of this and should InfoTerm Plus be stopped suddenly, reboot immediately. File Transfers -------------- 38 protocol ability is included in InfoTerm Plus. 19 of these are already set for you. All you need is the protocol driver file. No messy batch files. If there is another one you wish to use, make a batch file. The first line of this batch file must say "REM <protocol name>". Protocol batch files must be APROTO.BAT through SPROTO.BAT. You must have the preceding batch file for InfoTerm Plus to search for the next. For example, if you have CPROTO.BAT and no BPROTO.BAT, InfoTerm Plus will not find it. InfoTerm Plus passes to the batch file these parameters: Uploads: %1 Com Port %2 "S" (to indicate Send) %3 Directory for uploads (as specified in setup) %4 Filename supplied by the user Downloads: %1 Com Port %2 "R" (to indicate Recieve) %3 Directory for downloads (as specified in setup) %4 Filename supplied by the user Here is one you would use if Zmodem wasn't one of the 19 built in. ---------------------------- REM Zmodem @echo off if %2 == "R" goto recieve DSZ PORT %1 SZ %3\%4 goto end :recieve DSZ PORT %1 RZ %3 :end ---------------------------- Scripts ------- InfoTerm Plus uses a powerful yet simple script language in addition to its Online Scripts (described below). A script file need not be compiled in any way, and it can be edited or created by InfoTerm Plus Editor. Several examples are included. Each command line in a script may be no longer than 255 characters. The commands need not be capitolized. Here is a list: SEND Sends text on that line. See below for ways to execute programs, other scripts, and view files. WAIT Waits for the COM port to recieve the text on that line. It does not time-out unless the uesr presses the Esc key. HALF Default, will not echo back what is recieved. FULL Useful for hosts, WILL echo back what is recieved. DELAY Waits nearly half of a second, without looseing what is recieved during that time PROMPT Waits for one character from the remote end. Useful for hosts, this command uses IF. IF This command, followed by a space and a character, will skip all following commands until an ENDIF is encountered, unless the last PROMPT command has recieved that character. ENDIF Resumes execution of all script commands. Note: If there is an IF within an IF, ENDIF will end BOTH. STRING Waits for the remote end to type a message followed by enter. This message is stored in the SEND variable ~1 GOTO Following this command with a number will cause the script execution to jump to that line. GOTO 1 will always re-start the script. HANGUP Will lower the DTR signal for the COM port. Depending on how a modem is configured, it may cause the modem to disconnect. WAITCARRIER Will wait for modem carrier (CD) signal. ; Any text on a line which begins with ";" will be ignored by the script execution and is useful for comments. A good example of how all the commands can be used is found in HOST.SCR, the InfoTerm Plus host script. The language is meant to be simple and easy to use, which is a contrast to the 400+ command languages of other programs. With only 12 commands, the InfoTerm Plus script language is powerful yet easy to learn. Dialing Directory ----------------- The dialing directory in InfoTerm Plus is unusually large. With the capability of 300 entries, you can probably fit every system you've ever heard of into it. The memory management is very unique because it doesn't fill up your precious memory with the directory, instead it uses a special directory access routine which loads into memory only the entries you want. Qmodem, Procomm, and Telemate dialing directory conversions are possible using the EDITDIAL utility. A wonderful new feature is included in the directory conversion that comes with InfoTerm Plus. ******************************************************************************* EDITDIAL /U will attempt to convert an unknown bbs list format to InfoTerm Plus format. This is especially useful for areas with a monthly local bbs listing. ******************************************************************************* OS Shell -------- ALT R from terminal mode will shell to DOS. It attempts to swap to XMS, EMS, or disk before shelling. If the swapping fails, you should still have a reasonable amount of memory in DOS. The prompt is set to remind you that you are shelled to DOS. If music is on, it will continue to play in DOS. If you are not set to Quiet Mode then you will still hear if a beep is sent over the COM port. If Quiet Mode is on, you will not hear beeps while yo are shelled, but you will see up to 8000 characters of what was sent while you were away. When you return from DOS, InfoTerm Plus automatically sets the current drive and directory to the previous location. File Editor ----------- InfoTerm Plus comes packaged with a very useful file editing utility called FILEDIT.EXE. It has features such as multiple file editing, cut and paste, windows, search and replace, calculator, and more. The file editor is default for the QWK mail program. QWK mail -------- Few terminal programs come with a built in QWK mail editor. InfoTerm Plus does. Rather than loading up your favorite QWK reader (which you can), InfoQWK makes it fast and easy to do straight from InfoTerm Plus. Simply hit ALT Q from the terminal, or execute "INFOQWK.EXE", and it will begin. InfoTerm Plus QWK has popular features, such as taglines, smart quoting, and automatic compressing. InfoTerm Plus QWK requires that you have PKUNZIP.EXE and PKZIP.EXE in your directory, as is the case with almost every other QWK reader. InfoTerm Plus QWK uses FILEDIT.EXE also, so you must have it or another file editor under that name in the directory. Configureable Colors -------------------- From the main setup menu you can choose Video options and edit ten of the most commonly used prompt colors in InfoTerm Plus. You are not stuck with the colors it comes with! MS-Windows ---------- InfoTerm Plus does not, and probably never will, come in a Windows-only form. Windows users can add it as an external DOS application. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Uncommon Features --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISPLAY InfoTerm Plus uses a unique messaging system. Whenever the program has a quick and small message to be delivered to you, it will be shown on the top line. It will stay there for a second or two and then disappear. Hitting any key will remove it before the timer delay, however be aware that the key is not recieved. (For example, if what you are connected to says "Enter Doorway Mode now" and you hit ALT =, the top line will read "Doorway mode enabled". If you hit a key to remove that message, the key will be sent to what you are connected to.) MUSIC InfoTerm Plus is equipped with built in background music. While most people prefer having the radio on in the background, this feature is also the notification to you when a dialing sequence has connected. The music file, MUSIC.DAT, contains a frequency of a tone on each line. Tones above 20000 Hz will not be heard, thus being pauses. InfoTerm Plus also comes with a utility to write your own music and save it as InfoTerm Plus format. Execute COMPOSE.EXE. Some samples are included. They have the extension "MUS". SCREEN BLANKING Another rare but very important feature is screen blanking. I use a terminal program very often and for long periods of time. With most screens, the continuous pattern on the screen will cause virtually irreprable damage to your screen. For this reason, most terminal programs offer status line disabling. InfoTerm Plus offers that in addition to a special feature called screen blanking. Setting it to a specific time, if you do not hit any key within that period of time, it will clear the screen and cease all operation until you hit a key. If you have this enabled, remember to hit a key when the screen blanks. MAJORBBS SPECIFIC FEATURES InfoTerm was originally designed as a useful tool in addition to the MajorBBS system. The "Plus" in it is representative of many additions in features and appearance. However, some features that are mostly MajorBBS specific remain. The first is chatkill prevention. A problem with the MajorBBS package (it is a very nice package, but imperfect) is that it will disconnect anyone who requires too much of the CPU's time. Basically what that means is that when chatting with a user, it is possible for the user to disconnect you. InfoTerm attempts to prevent that by detecting an attempt to overload CPU usage, and exits chat immediately. The prevention is not perfect, and must be enabled after each chat begins. It disables after the chat is ended, automatically. [fcolor] emulation is also mostly MajorBBS specific, using things such as [fr] for red foreground and [bb] for blue background. Using the same emulation is rainbow writing, which changes [fcolor] emulation foreground colors after each key pressed. [fcolor] emulation may be used elsewhere, however it is especially useful on MajorBBS systems. FASTPACKETS InfoTerm Plus is equipped with a convenient feature for low speed users. The fastpacket system allows for rapid display of screens triggered by a short code. Sysops can make the packet and offer it to their users. The users can download the packet and easily compile it into their InfoTerm Plus fastpacket configuration. With 9600 and faster baud rates, this might not be necessarry, but 2400 baud modems still are somewhat popular due to their low price. Execute INFOFAST.EXE for using fastpackets. "HIGH ASCII" Ascii writing is a unique feature to comment on. Enabling Ascii writing will cause everything you type to attempt to be translated to high ascii. It has no practical use that I can imagine other than to look nice when typing to users with an IBM compatible ascii set. Ascii translation attempts to change high ascii into similar low ascii characters. This feature is included because sometimes high ascii gets annoying. ONLINE SCRIPTS Another unique feature which may confuse you is Online Scripts. In addition to normal scripts offered in InfoTerm Plus, Online Scripts allow you to instantly reply to a message. Ten are provided. An example is using trigger- words of: "ENTER" "YOUR" "TERMINAL" "EMULATION" "PLEASE" to respond with "ANSI". When Online Scripts are enabled, InfoTerm Plus constantly searches for the set words. To disable one of them but not all, leave scripts on, but make one of the keywords a character other than a letter or number. InfoTerm Plus only searches for letters and numbers, and is not CaSe SeNsItAvE. Each keyword is seperated only by one non-number or non-letter character. Please note that there is a delay between online script triggerings, to protect against infinate loops. Messages to send are configured as follows: ^A Ctrl-A ... ^M Enter ... ^Z Ctrl-Z ~1 Last word recieved (Online Scripts) ... ~5 5 words back (maximum) *INFOTERM.DOC Views file "INFOTERM.DOC" &INFOMOD.SCR Executes Script "INFOMOD.SCR" @COMMAND.COM Executes Program "COMMAND.COM" %Hello! Writes to the screen but not com port "Hello!" These codes may be used in Macros, Scripts, and Online Scripts Here is an example of how to use Online Scripts as a word filter. Set the triggerwords all blank except for number 5 which should be the word you wish to avoid. If the word is four letters in length, set the response as: %^H^H^H^H^H**** Then the word will be replaced with *s. Registration ------------ No matter what your supplier told you, this software is, of course, not free. Registration is only $10 and among several other features includes extended documentation. The competition charges as much as $100. InfoTerm Plus has all of the major features of the $100 programs, and many more. The key behind this low-price software is the distribution available to programs released as shareware. Thousands of telecommunication systems around the world post shareware programs for users. Rather than selling a few at a high price, InfoTerm Plus attempts to sell many at a very low price, giving the program more popularity and lower cost to potential buyers. But this system requires YOU to participate and register this program. Please support the shareware concept. Execute REGISTER.EXE for a FAST complete form printout! We prefer that you use REGISTER.EXE if you have a printer. If you do not, your order may be delayed. You can register online InfoMOD BBS, Inc and recieve updates and information there, for only $8. The $10 registration fee includes shipping and handling. The following is the registration form. Items marked with an asterisk in brackets ({*}) are required only on credit card orders. All answers will be kept in strict confidence. We reserve the right to deny anyone registration provided that we return registration fees paid (if any). Credit card orders will be billed under the official distribution site of InfoTerm Plus, InfoMOD BBS Inc. Orders should be mailed to: InfoMOD BBS, Inc Attn: InfoTerm Plus P.O. Box 2173 Waukesha, WI 53187-2173 USA Online Registration is also available on InfoMOD BBS, Inc. The number is (414) 896-2660. Mailing Name:_______________________________________________ Mailing Address:____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Other Mailing Info:_________________________________________ (State, Province, City, Village, Etc) _________________________________________ Daytime Telephone Number{*}:_________________________________ Payment Method: [_] Mastercard [_] Visa [_] Money Order Card Number{*}: __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ Expiring Date{*}: __ / __ Bank that issued card{*}: ______________________________________ I affirm that the above credit card information is valid and I realize that the amount of 10 United States dollars will be charged to the card in accordance with the Cardholder's Aggreement. I also realize that intentional falsification of this information is credit card fraud, a felony of the first degree. Signature{*}: _______________________________________________________ InfoTerm Plus registrations ($10) for each copy. Number of copies to register: ______ Total Cost: $_______ -------------------------------END-----------------------------------