    
    
    
    
    
    
                           Delrina FreeComm 1.0
                              User's Guide
    
                                     










Delrina FreeComm 1.0
  
1995, Delrina (Delaware) Corporation. All rights reserved.
The use and copying of this product is subject to a license agreement. Any 
other use is prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, 
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any 
language in any form by any means without the prior written consent of Delrina 
(Canada) Corporation. Information in this manual is subject to change without 
notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the vendor.
  
Federal copyright law permits you to make a backup of this software for 
archival purposes only. Any other duplication of this software, including 
copies offered through sale, loan, rental or gift is a violation of law, and 
subject to both criminal and civil penalties. Delrina (Canada) Corporation, 
as a member of the Software Publishers Association (SPA), supports the 
industry's effort to fight the illegal copying of personal computer software. 
Report copyright violations to: Software Publishers Association, 1101 
Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 901, Washington, DC, U.S.A. 20036.
  
Trademarks
  
Delrina FreeComm is a trademark of Delrina (Wyoming) Limited Liability Company. 
WinComm PRO is a trademark of Delrina (Delaware) Corporation.
FormFlow, PerForm, WinFax, DosFax, Delrina Fax and Delrina are trademarks of 
Delrina (Canada) Corporation. WinComm is a trademark of Delrina (Delaware) 
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Delrina (Canada) Corp.

          

                                      Contents

Chapter 1        Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 2        On-Line Operations. . . . . . . . . .10
Chapter 3        Transferring Files. . . . . . . . . .15
Chapter 4        Defining and Calling Systems. . . . .22
Chapter 5        Working with Files and DOS. . . . . .28
Chapter 6        Editing Text Files. . . . . . . . . .33
Chapter 7        Automating Communications . . . . . .40
Chapter 8        Answer Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Chapter 9        FreeComm-to-FreeComm Communications .55
Chapter 10       Menu Reference. . . . . . . . . . . .62
Appendix A       Modems, COM ports and Cables. . . . .73
Appendix B       Glossary of Program Messages. . . . .75
Appendix C       Terminal Emulator Characteristics . .91
Appendix D       File Transfer Protocols . . . . . . .94
Appendix E       FreeComm Host Commands. . . . . . . .96
Appendix F       Safe Communications . . . . . . .  .100

                           1.1 Getting Started
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delrina FreeComm(tm) is a complete communications software package for accessing 
on-line services, bulletin boards, other PCs, or mainframes, through modems, 
communications devices, or RS232 cable. FreeComm(tm) offers the ideal balance 
of simplicity and power. It's easy to learn and use, yet has the depth to 
handle diverse needs. Its wealth of convenience features makes communicating 
fast, efficient, and productive. And you can customize FreeComm to your taste 
and application. It can even learn to communicate for you!

Using on-screen help
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whenever you are unsure of what to do next in running FreeComm, remember 
on-screen help is always available. Press ALT-H once for information on your 
present location, and again for the Help Index.

Learning more about Delrina products

For more information on the complete line of Delrina products, contact Delrina.

 Call:  1-800-268-6082 or, in the United Kingdom, 0-181-207-3163 (for sales 
        information only).

     Write: Canadian Headquarters    U.S. Sales & Operations    U.K. Office                                           
            895 Don Mills Road       6320 San Ignacio Ave.      6 Elstree Gate                                        
            500-2 Park Centre        San Jose, California       Elstree Way                                                 
            Toronto, Ontario         95119-1209                 Borehamwood                                                
            M3C 1W3                                             Herfordshire, 
                                                                WD6 1JD

     CompuServe:  Use Delrina forum on CompuServe to express comments and 
     questions.
            1. Sign on to CompuServe.
            2. Type...
                        GO DELRINA     
                 ...and press ENTER from anywhere on the system.
            3. Select the appropriate section for information about Delrina 
               products including FreeComm.

     Delrina BBS: Call 416-441-2752. 416 is a Toronto, Canada area code.

To start FreeComm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To start FreeComm with various options, refer to the following table.
     
     Use this option            To start Delrina FreeComm and ...
     
     DFC /A                     Waits for calls, as if you selected "Answer" 
                                and "Wait" for data calls.
     DFC/B                      Displays through BIOS instead of direct to 
                                video memory to stop screen flicker or snow.
     DFC/BW                     Use monochrome display mode; may look better
                                with monochrome, LCD, or plasma monitors.
     DFC/CS                     Goes straight to Comm screen. The settings 
                                loaded are from the first system in System 
                                List.
     DFC/K                      Used prior to remote control, to allow use of
                                programs that otherwise ignore keys typed by 
                                callers.
     DFC/NC                     Displays no clock, for compatibility with 
                                voice-synthesis or screen-saver utilities.
     DFC/NL                     Turns off file locking, so that FREECOMM may 
                                be used on networks without encountering the 
                                message "That system is in use by another 
                                instance of the program."
     DFC<sequence name>         Run a sequence (macro, command, or script). 
                                You can include inputs for the sequence as in 
                                Chapter 7.
     DFC"DIAL <system name>"    Run a sequence named DIAL, which calls the
                                specified system. (You must first create the 
                                DIAL sequence as described in Chapter 7.)

System Requirements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To run FreeComm, your computer must be running Dos 3.x or higher. You should 
have 475K of available conventional memory and 1.5 Mb of hard disk space.

Note: If you are running FreeComm in a Windows DOS box, you may experience 
COM port conflicts.
     
To quit Delrina FreeComm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To quit FreeComm, press ALT-M to display the Main menu, then press Q to select 
"Quit". FreeComm will save all open files and exit gracefully.

Note: To avoid losing data, be sure to quit FreeComm before turning off or 
rebooting your computer.

Using the keyboard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bottom line of each screen lists keys you can use to jump to other areas 
of the program or to perform functions above and beyond the regular menu 
options. When asked to enter information in FreeComm menus, type the desired 
entry. To complete the entry, press ENTER, TAB, or SHIFT-TAB. Prior to 
pressing ENTER, TAB, or SHIFT-TAB to complete the entry, you can make 
corrections with these keys.
     
     BACKSPACE                  Delete character to left of cursor
     LEFT AND RIGHT ARROW KEYS  Move cursor to left or right
     DEL                        Delete character at cursor
     INS                        Toggle between overtype and insert modes
     CTRL-DEL                   Deletes present menu entry
     CTRL-INS                   Re-inserts entry deleted with CTRL-DEL
     CTRL-HOME                  Moves cursor to right of directory in 
                                filenames
     Often FreeComm offers proposed entries that you can accept, correct or 
     overtype with another entry.

                             1.2 The System List
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you start, FreeComm displays the Main menu. The Main menu is the 
thoroughfare of FreeComm and offers many valuable features including a 
dialing directory, called the System List.

Note: The System List can hold up to 2,000 systems. 

You can view and sort the System List in many ways. To view statistics such as 
when and how often you have called systems, select "Define system settings" 
and "View". FreeComm automatically keeps the systems you call *most often* at 
the top of the System List, for your convenience. To sort alphabetically or 
by order of most recent use, select "Define system settings" and "Sort".

The clock in the lower right corner shows how long you have been on line. It 
resets to zero each time you connect, and stops when you disconnect. When you 
link with another computer via cable, it may run continuously or not at all.

                     1.3 Adding systems to the System List
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To add a system to the System List:

1.   Select "Define system settings" and "Add".
2.   At the prompt "Enter system to add:", enter the system name up to 20 
     characters.
3.   When the System settings menu displays with the cursor at "Telephone 
     number", enter the number of the remote system. You can use parentheses 
     and hyphens for readability, and include any numbers you must dial to get 
     an outside line. If you need to wait for a dial tone, include one or more 
     commas at that point in the number (each comma pauses 2 seconds).
4.   Change the settings for "Rate", "Bits per character", etc., to agree with 
     recommendations from the remote system.
5.   Systems with unusual requirements might also call for a few changes on 
     submenus reached by selecting "ASCII protocols", "File transfer protocols," 
     etc. When you are done, press ESC to return to the Main menu.
     
                        1.4 The Communications screen
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FreeComm's terminal communications screen, or Comm screen, is where your 
interaction with remote systems takes place. FreeComm places you on the Comm 
screen after it connects you with a remote system. You can reach the Comm 
screen instantly from any FreeComm menu (even when you're not connected with 
a remote system) by pressing ALT-C.

When you first come the Comm screen, it is blank (except for the bottom line). 
Any characters you type at this point are merely sent to your modem. After 
FreeComm connects you with a remote system, information sent by that system 
will display here. If text from a remote system is arriving quickly and you 
want to read it before it scrolls off the screen, press SCROLL LOCK to stop 
scrolling. Press SCROLL LOCK again to resume.

While most text that you type on the Comm screen is sent, keys of special 
significance to FreeComm are not, such as ALT-O, -M, -L, -R, -F, -H, and keys 
that run automatic sequences. Pressing ALT-O displays the Comm screen options, 
which you are likely to use often while on-line. 

To select an option, press its first letter (or move the pointer to it with 
the ARROW KEYS, TAB, or SHIFT_TAB, and press ENTER).  

You can use the Main menu or other FreeComm menus even while you are on-line. 
To reach the Main menu, press ALT-M. Any information that you receive from 
the remote system while you're on the menus will appear later, when you 
return to the Comm screen.

Now that you know how to get around in the program, you will want to explore 
FreeComm.


                        1.5 Changing program preferences
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For you to feel at home in any new program, the program must be in harmony 
with both your hardware and your taste. The Preferences menu serves both 
purposes. It lets you change modem and port selections that you made during 
installation, and set up the program to look, sound, and act the way you like 
best. Select P from the Main menu.

Sliding and exploding menus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leave this set to "Yes" to make menus slide or "explode" onto the screen. Set 
this to "No" to make menus appear without special effects, which is faster on 
LCD screens or other slow monitors.


Virus filter
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This activates HyperGuard, a unique real-time virus filter, which checks every 
file that you receive with any file transfer protocol, copy with ALT-F Copy, 
or unpack with ALT-F Unpack, for known viruses. For more information, see 
Appendix F.

Beep duration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This sets the length of beep caused by errors and program messages. Normally 
this is 50 msec. After entering a new beep duration or frequency, you can test 
the results by pressing any key this menu does not use, such as Z.

Frequency of beep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This sets the tone of the beep. Normally it's 1000 Hz. Larger settings give 
higher tones and smaller settings, lower tones.

Working directory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you enter a filename without a directory, FreeComm will assume your 
current directory, unless you have defined a working directory. You can also 
define specific directories for files that you send or receive, as described 
in Chapter 10.

The remaining options change certain settings program-wide. For example, you 
might select "Rate" and enter a value, to replace baud rate settings for every 
system in the System List, and Answer mode. (These settings can be changed 
individually as described in Chapters 4 and 8.) The following options display 
menus which show reference values for each setting; only settings that you 
change will take effect.

Rate
~~~~
Select "Rate" to make a program-wide change to the baud rate. You might wish 
to do this, for example, if the Install program set all baud rates to 1200, 
and you prefer 2400 (or vice versa).

Communications port
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select "Communications port" to make a program-wide change to the port type or 
settings. (See Chapter 10 for information on settings.) Changing port settings 
might be useful, for example, if you specified the wrong port when you ran the 
Install program, or if you were to switch your modem from one port to another.

Hardware
~~~~~~~~
Select "Hardware" and then "Modem" or "Printer", to make program-wide changes 
to modem or printer settings. Selecting "Modem" might be useful if you chose 
the wrong modem type when you ran the Install program, or if you purchase a 
new modem.

Colors
~~~~~~
Select "Colors" if you wish to change colors throughout the program. If you 
prefer to change colors on a system-by-system basis, see Chapter 10.

     
                       1.6 For those switching from Procomm ...
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are switching to FreeComm from Procomm or Procomm Plus, this section 
will be helpful. Even without this section, you should find FreeComm 
refreshingly easy. You'll notice immediately that FreeComm looks nothing like 
Procomm or Procomm Plus. It takes a fresh, new approach, and does much more. 
The more you use FreeComm, the more comfortable it is. However, to help 
smooth the transition, you can:

    Keep using keys you're familiar with (see Optional Keys).
    Learn structural differences by reading How to Change Settings.

Optional Keys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This optional set of keys duplicates keys available in several other programs, 
enabling you to perform functions with a single keystroke that might otherwise 
take several keystrokes. (Certain keys available in other programs are not 
duplicated, due to structural differences.) Here are the keys and their 
functions:

     PGUP     Send files               ALT-A   Editor
     PGDN     Receive files            ALT-B   Break signal*
     CTRL-PGUP   (see Zmodem, below)   ALT-C   Clear Comm screen
     CTRL-PGDN   (see Zmodem, below)   ALT-D   Main menu
     CTRL-\   Debug or monitor mode    ALT-E   Duplex toggle
     CTRL-]   Bottom line toggle       ALT-G   Screen snapshot to disk
     ALT-F1   Capture on/off           ALT-J   Initialize modem
     ALT-F2   Capture pause/resume     ALT-Q   Start Answer mode
     ALT-F3   CR-CR/LF toggle          ALT-U   Reset terminal
     ALT-F4   Jump to operating system ALT-V   View a file
     ALT-F5   Run a script             ALT-X   Quit FreeComm
     ALT-F6   Review buffer            ALT-Y   Auto answer
     ALT-F7   Change directory         ALT-Z   Show list of these keys
     
*ALT-B is one of FreeComm's regular keys, but listed here for completeness.

These keys are available throughout FreeComm. You may view a list of these 
keys by pressing ALT-Z. Each key is also listed on the Keys menu, along with 
the automatic sequence that it runs. You may use the Keys menu to edit 
sequences or change keys to which they are assigned.

These keys perform functions that can be performed in other ways which are 
described throughout this manual. So, if you like, you can discard or 
temporarily disable these keys. You can discard them by deleting them one at 
a time on the Keys menu, or disable them by entering a new .KEY file as 
described in Chapter 7.

How to Change Settings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
People familiar with other programs are often surprised by how much more 
control FreeComm gives them over settings. FreeComm maintains a complete, 
separate group of settings for every system you call, right down to the port, 
modem, modem setup commands, and display colors. When it comes to changing 
settings, you can take your pick from among several methods, ranging from 
simple and quick, to complex and powerful.

"Simple, Sweeping Changes"-- You can change the baud rate, port, modem, or 
color settings of for systems in the System List and Answer mode by using the 
Preferences menu (see Chapter 1).

"Selective Changes"-- To change settings for each system in the System List 
individually, select Define system settings, Modify, and the desired system 
on the Main menu (see Chapter 4).

Changing Groups of Systems  To change settings for several systems, select 
"Define system settings", "Modify", press CTRL-ENTER, select the systems, 
and press CTRL-ENTER again.
     
Other advantages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FreeComm can learn almost anything while other programs can scarcely learn 
trivial tasks like logging on to remote systems.

Other programs simply record keystrokes, FreeComm has "Discerning Learning" 
(the ability to decipher your intentions). Where other programs learn only on 
their terminal screen, FreeComm also learns on its menus. This means other 
programs can't learn tasks that use both the terminal screen and the menus 
tasks like capturing messages, transferring files, or placing complete calls. 
FreeComm can learn such tasks, start to finish, so you can automate without 
having to write scripts.

Here are some other features you may appreciate in FreeComm:

    Faster file transfer protocols
    Review buffer more powerful and more convenient
    Editor is built in, not a slow-to-use separate program
    Convenient built-in file management features (use ALT-F)
    Guards against downloading or copying files containing viruses
    Lets you run programs remotely (similar to Carbon Copy)

                            1.7 WinComm PRO
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select W for WinComm PRO Upgrade and order your copy of WinComm PRO! You can 
access on-line services, transfer files and send e-mail across the Internet 
easier than you ever thought possible. New Delrina WinComm PRO s friendly 
graphical Windows interface, intuitive icons and fully customizable button 
bar and phonebook make all your on-line communications push-button simple.

To upgrade to WinComm PRO today and save $80, call 1-800-268-6082 or simply 
complete the on-line registration and click OK. Don't wait. Get WinComm PRO 
and see for yourself why PC Computing said WinComm PRO is  ...intuitive enough 
for a novice user and yet still packed with enough sophisticated features to 
keep an on-line junkie happy.  (January 1994) 
     

                           2.1 On-Line Operations
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remote systems can be valuable information resources, and the ideal tool is 
FreeComm. In this chapter, you learn how to use information that remote 
systems displays on your screen. Using the powerful yet simple tools 
introduced here, you can:

    Control the flow of information onto your screen, so you can read and 
     respond to it at the pace you're comfortable with.
    Direct the arriving information to your printer as well, so you can have 
     a hard copy of it for later reference.
    Capture the information to disk, so you can use it later.
    Reduce the keystrokes involved in printing or capturing, to make these 
     routine processes even easier.
    Review information that has already left your screen it remains in 
     memory for instant access!
    Select, print, and save information at your leisure, even after you've 
     gone off-line.

     
                      2.2 Reading & typing on the Comm screen
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once you connect with a system, your keystrokes display on the Comm screen 
along with information from the system. What you should type varies from one 
system to the next, because each system has its own commands.

The Comm screen supports several mouse actions to let you interact with 
remote systems quickly and easily. With systems that display choices and 
expect you to type a single-letter selection, you can point to the desired 
letter and click the right button. With systems that expect you to enter a 
word, point to that word and double-click; FreeComm will send all characters 
left and right of the pointer (up to the first space or non-alphanumeric 
character) plus ENTER.

For the Comm screen to display text and react to screen control codes properly, 
FreeComm must be set to emulate the type of terminal that the system supports. 
The terminal emulator also defines PC keys to use in place of special 
terminal keys. For example, CTRL-BREAK on your PC is equivalent to a terminal's 
BREAK key. To learn which keys to use, press ALT-H on the Comm screen, and 
scroll down to the table for the terminal you are emulating (or see Appendix B).

You can read information as it arrives or after it leaves your screen. To 
prevent information from leaving the screen, press SCROLL LOCK to stop 
scrolling. Press SCROLL LOCK again, when you want scrolling to resume. While 
SCROLL LOCK is on, "S-lock" appears in the bottom line.

To review information that has scrolled off, press ALT-O, select Review, "then" 
use UP ARROW KEY, DOWN ARROW KEY, PGUP, and PGDN to display the information 
you want, as described later in this chapter.

     
                          2.3 Printing incoming information
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To print text as it arrives on the Comm screen, press ALT-O, then select 
"Print" and "Begin". ("prn" appears in the bottom line to indicate that 
printing is on; text is buffered, so your printer may not begin immediately.) 
To end printing, press ALT-O, then select "Print" and "End". Any text that 
arrives on the Comm screen while printing is on, will be printed.

Text flows first into a buffer whose size can be set as in Chapter10. The 
flow control method used to prevent buffer overflow is set as in Chapter 10.

To position text conveniently on each page, you can define top and left 
margins, and lines per page (see Chapter 10). A form feed is automatically 
sent to the printer to eject each page, and to eject the final page when you 
select "End". To stop printing without ejecting a page, select "Suspend"; to 
begin again on that page, select "Resume".

You can have FreeComm direct printer output to a printer attached to any LPT 
or COM port, as described in Chapter 10; initially it is set for LPT1.

Other methods for printing
     
    Most non-alphanumeric characters that occur in received information are 
     filtered out before printing. To let them through, turn off filtering 
     on the Receiving text menu (see Chapter 10).
    Information that has already arrived on (or scrolled off) the Comm screen 
     can be printed from the Review buffer as described later in this chapter. 
     Printing from the Review buffer is particularly handy with remote systems 
     whose display techniques cause the Comm screen "Print" option to give 
     jumbled printouts.
    To print a snapshot of the entire Comm screen, press ALT-O, and select 
     "Display" and "Print".
    To print a file already on your disks, press ALT-F to bring up the Files 
     options, select "Print", and enter the filename.
    You can print a snapshot of any FreeComm screen by pressing the PRINT 
     SCREEN key (SHIFT-PRTSC, on some PCs). Your PC itself provides this 
     function; it works with all programs.

     
                       2.4 Capturing incoming text to disk
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To capture text as it arrives on the Comm screen, press ALT-O, then select 
"Capture" and "Begin". Either press ENTER to capture text into the proposed 
file, enter a new filename, or press ALT-D to display a directory and select 
a filename. ("cpt" appears in the bottom line to indicate that capturing is on; 
text is buffered, so you may not see immediate disk activity.) To end 
capturing, press ALT-O, then select "Capture" and "End".

Note: Text being saved to disk flows first into a buffer whose size you can 
set as in Chapter 10. Buffer overflow can be prevented by selecting the 
proper flow control methods on the ASCII Receiving menu and Standard comm 
port menu; see Chapter 10.

You can turn capture on and off as often as you like, either capturing to a 
different file each time or to the same file. When capturing into an existing 
file, select "Append" to add text to the file or "Overwrite" to replace 
existing file contents.

For greater convenience you can pre-define a different capture file for each 
system you call, by listing the filename on the Receiving text menu as 
described in Chapter 10.

It's easy to capture separate segments of text into a single file, and avoid 
capturing unwanted text that arrives between segments. Begin capturing as 
above, but when the first segment you want ends, select "Suspend"; after 
unwanted text passes by and the next segment you want is about to begin, 
select "Resume". After the last segment, you can select "End" to close the 
capture file if you like.

If you leave capturing suspended, FreeComm will close the file for you 
automatically when you begin capturing to another file or when you quit 
FreeComm.

Other ways to save text you receive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Most non-alphanumeric characters that occur in received information are 
     filtered out before text is written to disk. To let them through, turn 
     off filtering on the ASCII Receiving menu (see Chapter10).
    Text that has already arrived on or scrolled off the Comm screen can be 
     saved to disk from within the Review buffer as described later in this 
     chapter. If you find that Capture creates files with a jumbled 
     appearance due to display methods of a remote system, try using the Comm 
     screen "Display" option, instead.
    To save a snapshot of the entire Comm screen to a file, press ALT-O, and 
     select "Display:" and "Write".
    Text that you capture can be corrupted or lost due to noise on the line. 
     When possible, you should receive text files using one of the error-free 
     file transfer protocols discussed in the next chapter.

     
                2.5 To capture or print with fewer keys... 
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The basic procedures for printing and capturing given in Chapter 2 can't 
be beat for simplicity and uniformity: You'll get comfortable with this 
easy-to-learn procedure right away. Once your transfers settle into a routine, 
however, you may want to streamline the process by eliminating a few of the 
keystrokes.

This section shows how to print or capture with fewer keystrokes by using 
some of FreeComm's powerful automation tools. In Chapter 7 you'll learn more 
about them and how they can transform other aspects of your communications.

To print with fewer keystrokes:

1.   On the Comm screen, press ALT-L to have FreeComm start learning a 
     sequence that will let you begin printing with a single key.
2.   Press ALT-O, select "Print", and then select "Begin".
3.   Press ALT-L, select "Stop-learning", enter a sequence name such as 
     BEGINPRN, and select "Stay-here". Press the key you want to use to start 
     printing, such as CTRL-P.
4.   Press ALT-L again, to have FreeComm start learning a sequence that will 
     end printing with a single key.
5.   Press ALT-O, select "Print", and then select "End".
6.   Press ALT-L, select "Stop-learning", enter a sequence name such as 
     ENDPRN, and select "Stay-here". Press the key you want to use to run 
     this sequence, such as CTRL-END.

From now on, you can press CTRL-P to begin printing and CTRL-END to end 
printing.

To capture with fewer keystrokes:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   On the Comm screen, press ALT-L to have FreeComm start learning a 
     sequence that will begin capturing with a single key.
2.   Press ALT-O, select "Capture", and select "Begin".
3.   Press ALT-L, select "Stop-learning", enter a sequence name such as 
     BEGINCPT, and select "Stay-here". Press the key you want to use to begin 
     capturing, such as CTRL-B.
4.   Since you do not really want to capture any text at the moment, press 
     ESC now, rather than entering a capture filename.
5.   Press ALT-L again, to have FreeComm start learning a sequence that will 
     end capturing with a single key.
6.   Press ALT-O, select "Capture", and then select "End".
7.   Press ALT-L, select "Stop-learning", enter a sequence name such as 
     ENDCPT, and select "Stay-here". Press the key you want to use to end 
     capturing, such as CTRL-E. From now on you can begin capturing by pressing 
     CTRL-B and entering a filename, and end capturing by pressing CTRL-E.
     

                  2.6 Reviewing text after it scrolls off
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Text that scrolls off the Comm screen is stored in the Review buffer. To bring 
the Review buffer onto your screen, press ALT-O and select "Review". You can 
scroll through the Review buffer to read the text, or choose portions to print 
or save to disk.

Text from the Comm screen continues to accumulate in the Review buffer until 
you delete it or quit the program, so it's available to you at any time, even 
after you are no longer connected with a system.

When you first enter the Review buffer you see the latest text received on the 
Comm screen; this text occupies the very bottom of the Review buffer. To see 
older, previously received text, scroll up (press UP ARROW KEYor PGUP). The 
oldest text is at the top of the Review buffer. An indicator in the left 
border shows whether you're near the bottom, middle, or top of the Review 
buffer.

Use these keys to move around in the Review buffer:
     
     Key                        Moves Cursor
     
     LEFT ARROW                 Left one character
     RIGHT ARROW                Right one character
     CTRL-LEFT ARROW            Left one word
     CTRL-RIGHT ARROW           Right one word
     UP ARROW                   Up one line
     DOWN ARROW                 Down one line
     HOME                       Left end of line
     END                        Right end of line
     CTRL-HOME                  Top of current screen
     CTRL-END                   Bottom of current screen
     PGUP                       Up one screen
     PGDN                       Down one screen
     CTRL-PGUP                  Top of Review buffer
     CTRL-PGDN                  Bottom of Review buffer
     ESC                        Exits the Review buffer
     

To mark a place so that you can return to it quickly, press ALT-O and select 
"Tag". To jump to it from anywhere in the Review buffer, press ALT-O, then 
select "Jump" and "Tag".

To jump to a particular line number, press ALT-O, select "Jump" and "
Line-number," and enter the number. (The top line is line 1.)

To find a particular string (character, word, or phrase) press ALT-O, select 
"Find", enter the string, and select "Down" or "Up" to select the search 
direction.

To leave the Review buffer and redisplay the Comm screen, press ALT-C or ESC, 
or press ALT-O and select "Quit".

The Review buffer normally holds up to 10,000 characters (about 8 typewritten 
pages). The percent filled is shown at the top of the Review buffer screen. W
hen the buffer is full, old text is discarded a page at a time to make room 
for new text.

Note: You can set the Review buffer's size as high as 250K for increased 
capacity; see Chapter 10.

With systems that display new text by erasing or overwriting old text, without 
ever scrolling the old text off the screen, the Review buffer will merely 
display the most recent screen and never accumulate text. Each time the Comm 
screen holds information you want, however, you can copy a snapshot of it 
into the Review buffer by pressing ALT-O, and selecting "Display" and "Copy" 
to Review.


                  2.7 Printing & saving text after it arrives
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To print or capture a snapshot of the Comm screen, press ALT-O, select 
"Display", and then select "Print" or "Write". After text has scrolled off the 
Comm screen, you can still print or save it using the Review buffer:

1.   Press ALT-O and select "Review".
2.   Move the cursor to one end (top or bottom) of the text you want to print 
     or save.
3.   Press ALT-B to mark the beginning of a block of text.
4.   Move the cursor to the end of the block of text you want to print or 
     save. The selected text will be highlighted.
5.   Select "Print" or "Write". (After selecting "Write", enter a filename; 
     if the file already exists, select "Overwrite" or "Append".)
     

                    2.8 Capturing or printing retroactively
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FreeComm gives you a choice between capturing text as it arrives, or saving 
it later from the Review buffer. But you can begin saving text in the Review 
buffer, and continue capturing when you return to the Comm screen. The same 
holds true for printing. 

1.   After text you want to print or save has begun to arrive, press ALT-O 
     and select "Review".
2.   Press ALT-B with the cursor at the very last (bottom-most) character in 
     the Review buffer, then move the cursor to the top of the text you want 
     to write to disk or print.
3.   Select "Write" or "Print". (After selecting "Write", enter a filename and 
     select "Overwrite" or "Append", if necessary.)
4.   To return to the Comm screen, press ESC or ALT-C (or press ALT-O and 
     select "Quit").

This not only writes the block of text to disk or prints it, it turns on 
"Capture" or "Print" on the Comm screen, so text arriving next continues to 
be captured or printed.

The key to this operation is that marking the very last character of the 
Review buffer prior to selecting "Write" or "Print" turns on the Comm screen 
"Capture" or "Print" option. If you prefer that "Capture" or "Print" not be 
turned on, avoid marking the last character of the Review buffer.
     

               2.9 Editing or deleting text you have received
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After you select "Review", you are actually using the FreeComm Editor to look 
at the Review buffer. The Editor provides powerful tools for revising text 
you've received: You can delete unwanted text, add notes, or change the 
appearance of received text before you print or save it. How to use these 
and other capabilities of the Editor is discussed in Chapter 6.

Any editing that you have done to the bottom-most screenful of the Review 
buffer will also display when you return to the Comm screen. Any character 
attributes (bold, underline, colors, etc.) which were displayed on the Comm 
screen prior to editing will be gone.

                           
                           3.1 Transferring Files
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ability to exchange files with other systems is one of the greatest 
benefits of computer communications. With FreeComm, it's easier and faster 
than ever before. You can have a remote computer transfer documents, database 
files, spreadsheets, or entire programs directly onto your disks, ready to 
use. You can also transfer files directly from your disks to those of a 
remote computer.

To ensure that data is transferred correctly, computers use protocols 
(established methods for exchanging data along with instructions that 
coordinate the process). Most protocols sense when data is corrupted or lost 
due to noise on your connection and automatically re-send the affected data 
until it is received correctly.

FreeComm offers a wide variety of protocols: HyperProtocol (a state-of-the-art 
protocol), Kermit, Zmodem, Ymodem, Ymodem G, 1K-Xmodem, Xmodem CRC, Xmodem 
Checksum, CompuServe B, and Text (or ASCII) protocol. Having so many protocols 
gives you the ability to transfer files with remote systems that offer only 
one or two protocols.

Independent tests prove FreeComm's protocols are substantially faster than 
the same protocols in other programs, due to superior implementation. And 
HyperProtocol is the fastest of all. You should definitely take advantage of 
HyperProtocol whenever the remote system also has it. Every remote PC that 
has FreeComm has HyperProtocol. HyperProtocol is also available on many 
bulletin boards, minicomputers, and mainframes.

This chapter first gives basic instructions on how to transfer files, and 
introduces these exciting, new capabilities:

    A handy point-and-shoot method for selecting files for sending.
    Tricks for power-users, such as pre-listing files for batch sending.
    Powerful slash options for doing special kinds of transfers.
    How to accomplish transfers with fewer keystrokes.
    How to fend off viruses in files you receive (see Appendix F).
                    
                    3.2 How to begin a file transfer
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regardless of the remote system, the overall procedures for sending and 
receiving files are similar:

1.   On the Comm screen, type commands to the remote system to prepare it for 
     the transfer. Each system has its own commands, so you may need a user's 
     guide from the system to know what to type. If that system is also using 
     FreeComm, see Chapter 9.
     Note: Before sending files, you can get estimates of how long the 
     transfer may take (see Chapter 5).
2.   After the remote system displays a message indicating that it is ready 
     for the transfer to begin, press ALT-O and select "Transfer", to prepare 
     your PC for the transfer.
3.   Select "Send" to send files to the remote system or "Receive" to receive 
     files.
4.   Select the protocol you want to use. You must use the same protocol as 
     the remote system. For information on protocols, press ALT-H on the 
     protocol selection menu, or see Appendix D.
5.   Enter a filename or directory as described in Chapter 3.
     
Note: For less keystrokes when performing steps 2-5, see Chapter 3 for tips 
that cut keystrokes dramatically. If you take too long performing steps 2-5, 
the remote system may stop waiting for the transfer to start. Repeat the 
steps again more quickly. To speed up the process, see Chapter 3 for help.  

The transfer now begins. What you see depends on the protocol you've selected. 
Text protocol displays the file contents, while error-correcting protocols 
display a screen that lets you oversee the file transfer. If errors occur due 
to a noisy connection, the transfer screen will show that data is being 
re-sent.

Once the transfer is under way, it requires little participation on your part, 
though the screen does provide some interesting information. When you send a 
single file, a bargraph shows what percent has been sent so far. When you send 
multiple files, a second bargraph shows the total amount sent. Elapsed time, 
estimated time remaining, and overall throughput are dynamically updated.

When you receive files, the same information displays, except that bargraphs 
and time remaining appear only with protocols that pass file size at the 
outset.

Note: This does not apply to Xmodem.

The figures that are displayed are particularly interesting if you are 
performance- or cost-conscious. You'll see that throughputs and elapsed times 
can vary widely, due to outside influences. Throughputs may be below your 
baud rate setting due to noisy phone lines or sluggish remote systems, or 
several times your baud rate setting when you're using HyperProtocol. After 
FreeComm displays a message saying that the transfer is complete, press ENTER 
to continue.

To cancel a transfer in progress, press ESC. Exchanging cancellation messages 
takes a few seconds; if you don't want to wait, or you suspect messages are 
not being exchanged, press ESC again to abort the transfer.

FreeComm logs every transfer in the log file specified on the Miscellaneous 
menu (normally CALL.LOG), which you can examine with the Editor. This file 
shows the time, date, and name of every file, and the outcome of each 
attempted transfer. This is especially helpful when you need to look up the 
names or locations of received files, or for auditing unattended communications.

While logging and virus filtering seldom add appreciable delay, disabling 
these features assures the fastest possible transfers, and is the only fair 
way to benchmark test FreeComm against programs which lack these features. 
List <none> as the log file, and disable virus filtering on the Preferences 
menu.


                   3.3 Entering filenames and directories
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entering filenames when you're sending
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To send a single file, enter its filename including a drive and/or directory 
name. If you enter no drive or directory, FreeComm assumes you mean your 
sending directory; if no sending directory is defined (Chapter 10), it assumes 
your working directory; if no working directory is defined (Chapter 1), it 
assumes your current directory.

To send a group of files, enter a filename that includes wildcards * or ?. To 
send all the files from a directory, enter the directory name. Another way to 
send file groups is to press CTRL-ENTER to begin multiple-entry mode, type 
the first filename, press ENTER, type another filename, press ENTER, and so 
on. Each filename may include * or ?. To end multiple-entry mode and begin 
sending, press CTRL-ENTER again. 

Note: Xmodem, 1K Xmodem, and Text protocols are incapable of sending groups 
of files.

Entering filenames or directories when you're receiving
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: To skip this step entirely, simply turn off Prompt for filename when 
receiving. FreeComm will save files to your directory without prompting you. 
For more details, see Chapter 10.

To receive a single file, enter the filename you want the file to have 
(you need not use the same name as the remote system). You can include a 
drive and/or directory name. For example, you might enter 
C:\FINANCE\STOCKS.QTS. 

To receive a group of files, enter the drive and/or directory where you want 
them stored, instead of entering a filename. If you enter nothing at all, 
FreeComm stores the file or files in your receiving directory; if no receiving 
directory is defined (Chapter 10), it uses your working directory; if no 
working directory is defined (Chapter 1), it uses your current directory. 
Files are stored under the same filenames as the remote system uses, unless a 
file by that name already exists (in which case, the received filename is 
changed by adding a number to the left of the period). 

Note: Xmodem and 1K Xmodem protocols are incapable of receiving groups of files.

When FreeComm prompts you to enter the filename or directory, it often 
proposes a filename which may be appropriate. You might be interested to know 
the source of such filenames. In preparing to transfer a file, you typically 
command the remote system to transfer the file just before you reach this 
step, so the desired filename may be on the Comm screen. FreeComm scans the 
Comm screen and proposes the last filename it finds. If it finds no filename, 
it proposes the last filename that you sent or received.

You may use the proposed filename in these ways:

    To accept the proposed filename as is, press ENTER.
    To substitute a new filename or directory name, just type the new name; 
     the proposed filename is erased when you begin typing.
    To edit the proposed filename, press any cursor-movement or editing key 
     (RIGHT OR LEFT ARROW KEYS, HOME, END, INS, BACKSPACE or DEL), then make 
     the desired changes.
    To add a path to the filename, press HOME and type the desired path. 
     When no path is specified, your current working directory is used. (To 
     change your working directory, see Chapter 1).
     

                     3.4 Point-and-shoot file selection
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instead of entering the names of files to send, FreeComm gives you a 
convenient alternative: You can display directories and simply point and 
shoot at the files you want. This applies both to sending of single files and 
multiple files.


Sending single files with point-and-shoot selection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Prepare to send as described in Chapter 3, up to the point where you 
     would normally enter a filename.
2.   To display a list of files from which to select, press ALT-D and enter a 
     drive, directory or filename (which can include * or ? as wildcards).
3.   Move the pointer to the file you want to send and press ENTER to begin 
     the transfer. (Use UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS to move up and down, CTRL-LEFT 
     ARROW KEY and CTRL-RIGHT ARROW KEY to move between columns.)

Sending multiple files with point-and-shoot selection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Prepare to send as described in Chapter 3, up through the point where 
     you would normally enter a filename.
2.   Press CTRL-ENTER to begin multiple-entry mode.
3.   To display a list of files from which to select, press ALT-D and enter a 
     drive, directory or filename (which can include * or ? as wildcards).
4.   Move the pointer to each of the files you want to send and press ENTER. 
5.   If there are other files you want to send which are not in the displayed 
     list, repeat steps 3 and 4 to bring up and select from a separate list 
     (or type each filename and press ENTER). To deselect a file, move to it 
     and press ENTER a second time.
6.   When all the files you want to send have been selected, press CTRL-ENTER 
     to begin sending.

Keep in mind that if you take too long to select files for sending, the 
remote system may give up waiting for the transfer to begin; most systems give 
you about  to 1 minutes. If you need more time than this or often send the 
same group of files, use the approach in Chapter 3 instead.
     

                     3.5 Sending pre-selected groups of files
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To save the work of re-entering groups of files you send often, or to 
pre-select files for sending before you go on-line, you can use file batches. 
File batches are files containing lists of files to be sent. Creating a file 
batch is easy; see Chapter 5 to learn how.

You can send file batches using HyperProtocol, Zmodem, Ymodem, Ymodem G, or 
Kermit. Prepare to send as in Chapter 3, but instead of entering a normal 
filename, enter /B, a space, and the name of the file batch. For example, to 
send files whose names are listed in the file batch NYOFFICE.FLS, you would 
enter /B NYOFFICE.FLS. 

Note: You can use /B only during regular entry mode, not multiple-entry mode.
     
                    3.6 Slash options for special operations
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In addition to the /B option, there are other powerful slash options for 
accomplishing special types of file transfers with HyperProtocol, Kermit, 
Zmodem, Ymodem, and Ymodem G.

To use slash options, prepare to send or receive as in Chapter 3, but when 
entering the filename and/or directory, begin by typing the desired slash 
option(s) and a space. These are the available options:

Slash options to use when receiving
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   /O        This lets received files Overwrite existing files with identical 
             filenames. When /O is not used, any received filenames that match 
             existing filenames are automatically renamed (a number is inserted 
             to the left of the period).
   /N        Use this to update groups of files or entire directories. From 
             among files a system attempts to send, this accepts only the New 
             files and refuses the rest. This lets files with newer times and 
             dates overwrite your existing, older files; those with new 
             filenames are also accepted. 
             Note: /N can be used only with protocols that allow the receiver 
             to reject files unilaterally: HyperProtocol, Zmodem, and Kermit.
   /P        This stores files using the Path included in received filenames; 
             if the path contains directories that do not exist on your disks, 
             they are created. 

Slash options to use when sending
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   /S        This sends files not just from a directory, but from its 
             Subdirectories as well. 
   /B        See Chapter 3.

Example applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    To receive a group of document files and have them overwrite any similarly 
     named files in your \WP directory, you might command a remote system to 
     send *.DOC, then enter /O \WP to prepare to receive them.
    To get from the above system only those files that are newer than those 
     already in your \WP directory, you might command the system to send *.DOC, 
     and enter /N \WP when preparing to receive them.
    You could send all files with the .DAT extension from the \DB directory 
     or its subdirectories by entering /S C:\DB\*.DAT when preparing to send 
     as in Chapter3.
    To transfer the entire directory structure and all files from another PC 
     with FreeComm to your own PC, connect with that PC as shown in Chapter 9 
     and enter on your keyboard the command HSEND /S \*.*. This commands the 
     other PC to send the desired files using HyperProtocol. Then prepare your 
     PC to receive as in Chapter 3, and enter /P \, to instruct your PC to store
     files using the path specified in the received filenames. The net effect: 
     The other PC's directory structure and files are duplicated on your disk.
    To repeat the previous transfer, moving only files that are new, you'd 
     again issue the command HSEND /S \*.* to the other PC, but enter /P /N \ 
     to prepare your PC to receive.

Fine points regarding use of /P and /S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To enjoy the full power of the /P and /S options, you need to understand how 
these options use paths and directories, and to understand that, you must 
already be familiar with using paths and directories yourself.

Files received using /P are put wherever the path in each received filename 
specifies. If the path includes directories that do not exist, they are 
created. If the path extends to the root directory (has \ at its left), the 
new directories are created in the root; if it does not extend to the root, 
the new directories are created in the directory whose name you entered along 
with /P (or in your working directory, if you entered no directory name).

Clearly, to have /P put files where you want them, you must be able to control 
(or predict) the paths the sender supplies with filenames.
If the remote system has FreeComm, you can control this by commanding it to 
send using /S. (If it has other software, you may need to experiment to 
determine what paths, if any, it supplies.)

When you have files sent by entering /S and a wildcard filename with a 
directory (omitting the directory implies the current directory), any matching 
files in that directory are sent with no path; matching files in subdirectories 
are sent with paths consisting of subdirectory names only.

Now that you know more about /P and /S, a couple more examples will help you 
see how useful these options can be.

More example applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A PC that has answered your call using FreeComm has a C:\BILLING\DATA 
     directory, which has many subdirectories, each containing data on 
     individual customer accounts. You want to transfer these subdirectories 
     and their contents, but you want the subdirectories to be in your 
     C:\REVENUE directory. So you enter HSEND /S C:\BILLING\DATA\*.* on your 
     keyboard to command the other PC to send, and enter /P C:\REVENUE when 
     preparing your PC to receive.
    While connected with the PC in the previous example, you decide you had 
     better update its accounts payable files, which it keeps in subdirectories 
     of its C:\PAYABLE\DATA directory. You have the most recent information on 
     your PC, in subdirectories of your C:\EXPENSES directory. In order to 
     transfer only those files that have changed, you enter HREC /P /N 
     C:\PAYABLE\DATA to command that PC to receive, and enter /S 
     C:\EXPENSES\*.* to prepare your PC to send.
     

                 3.7 Transferring files with fewer keystrokes
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The basic procedure for transferring files given in this chapter are simple 
and uniform: with this one, easy-to-learn procedure, you can send and receive 
with every protocol. Once your transfers settle into a routine, however, you 
may want to streamline the process by eliminating a few of the keystrokes. 
This section shows how to cut keystrokes from each transfer by using some of 
FreeComm's powerful keystroke-reduction features.

To receive files with fewer keystrokes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are several steps you can take to reduce the keystrokes required to 
receive files. First of all, rather than pressing ALT-O, T for "Transfer", and 
R for "Receive", you can simply press PGDN. PGDN runs a macro (named DOWNLOAD) 
which issues ALT-O, T, R, performing in one keystroke what would otherwise 
take three.

The next step in the receiving process is to select a protocol. You can 
eliminate this step entirely with any remote system where you know in advance 
what protocol you will be using. Once you define a default protocol as 
described in Chapter 10, you will no longer be prompted to select a protocol.

The final step specifying the filename or directory where the received file 
should be saved can also be eliminated. Simply turn off "Prompt" for filename 
when receiving on the Protocol defaults menu, as described in Chapter 10. 
From then on, FreeComm will no longer pause for you to specify a directory or 
filename, but will automatically save files into your receive directory. If
you haven't defined a receive directory, it uses your working directory; if 
you haven't defined a working directory, it uses your current directory.

There you have it ... one-key receiving using PGDN! The only thing that could 
beat that is no-key receiving. And that's exactly what you get with FreeComm's 
Zmodem and CompuServe Quick B protocols. With remote systems that support 
these protocols, all you need to do is command the remote system to begin s
ending; FreeComm will begin receiving automatically.

To send files with fewer keystrokes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rather than pressing ALT-O, T for Transfer, and S for Send, you can press PGUP. 
PGUP runs a macro (named UPLOAD) which issues ALT-O, T, S, performing with 
one keystroke what would otherwise take three.

The next step in the sending process is to select a protocol. You can eliminate 
this step with any remote system where you know in advance what protocol you 
will be using. Once you define a default protocol, you will no longer be 
prompted to select a protocol.
                  

                       3.8 Solving file transfer problems
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While file transfers are generally trouble-free, excessively noisy phone lines 
can make even error-correcting protocols fail. Try redialing or switching to 
a different long-distance telephone service. If you think your phone system 
is to blame, ask the phone company for help.

The next most common cause of problems is faulty procedure not doing the right 
steps or doing them in the wrong order. One common mistake is to select 
"Transfer" without first typing commands to the remote system to make it begin 
the transfer. Each system has its own commands, so only the system can tell 
you what you should type. Remember also that you must both use the same 
protocol.

If, FreeComm is receiving files, and it asks the remote system to re-send 
packets suspiciously often (say, through apparently noise-free connections or 
with error-correcting modems), there are two causes to investigate.

    Those with error-correcting modems may have selected the wrong modem or 
     entered the wrong modem commands on FreeComm's menus. The modem must be 
     configured to pass XOFF/XON characters, and both it and FreeComm must be
     configured to use RTS/CTS flow control.  
    It could also be that a memory-resident program is stealing snatches of 
     time, preventing FreeComm from picking up every character. Try 
     selectively removing such programs from memory until you find the 
     culprit.

To transfer files with some systems, you may need to adjust your protocol 
settings. To reach the settings, select "Define", "Modify", and the system 
name from the Main menu, then ASCII protocol or File transfer protocol from 
the System settings menu. Once you're on the desired protocol menu, you can 
press ALT-H for explanations of menu items (or see Chapter 10).

The need to change settings is more common with Text protocol than other 
protocols. Changes to the others are generally needed only to accommodate 
systems that deviate from standards. For example, CompuServe's Xmodem is 
slower than most, and may require that you set larger (relaxed) timing 
parameters on the Xmodem menu (see Chapter10).

Remote systems with old-fashioned implementations of Xmodem may be unable to 
exchange files with you unless you set the error-checking method to checksum 
and turn off compression.

                     4.1 Defining and Calling Systems
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You'll find it remarkably easy to define and call systems with FreeComm. Its 
extensive call-support features far surpass those of other programs and 
advance your communications in new and unexpected ways. In this chapter, 
you'll learn more about procedures for calling and adding systems, and learn 
about these new capabilities:

    Store and instantly dial phone numbers for voice calls
    Get calls through to phone numbers that are usually busy
    Fire off calls to multiple systems in rapid succession
    Use the System List like a Rolodex, using the Find option
    Maintain a System List with up to 2,000 entries adding, modifying, and 
     deleting systems as needed
    Modify settings of many systems at once, saving time and effort
    Sort the System List in 3 ways for quick, convenient access
    Export or import systems with other FreeComm users
     Whether you communicate with many systems or just one, the features in 
     this chapter that are perfectly suited to your needs.
     
                            4.2 The System List
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each line of the System List contains the name of a system and a brief summary 
of the settings used to connect and communicate with it. The System List can 
contain up to 2,000 systems. Press PGUP or PGDN to page through it, CTRL-PGUP 
or CTRL-PGDN to go to the beginning or the end. An ARROW symbol displays to 
the left of the system whose settings FreeComm is currently using.

Each line containing a system actually represents a complete group of settings 
on the System settings menu and its submenus (you can examine or modify these 
settings as described in Chapter 4). Each system's settings define the 
procedure for connecting with the system, the parameters used for exchanging 
data, and the hardware configuration your PC uses during communications with 
that system.

FreeComm comes with an assortment of systems. You may delete any systems you 
do not use, except for "Proposed settings", which contains the settings that 
FreeComm proposes when you add a system. Running the Install program adjusts 
certain settings in "Proposed settings" and the other supplied systems to adapt 
them to your hardware and preferences.
     

                      4.3 The many ways to call a system
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once a system is in the System List, you can connect with it using your 
choice of these methods:

Select "Call a system" and "Data-call"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the most common way to place calls.

1.   Select Call a system and  Data-call
2.   Enter the system name or choose it using UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS, PGUP, 
     PGDN, and press ENTER.

FreeComm changes to the Comm screen, makes the connection, loads the settings 
for this system, runs the Logon script (if one is listed), and returns control 
to you. Busy phone numbers are re-dialed automatically. All calls and 
transfers are logged in a file listed on the Miscellaneous menu (usually 
CALL.LOG).
     
Note: Even when you are making a direct connection where phone lines are not 
used, you can establish the connection by using "Call a system" and "Data-call".
     
Placing calls with a mouse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To place a call instantly, simply double-click the desired system in the S
ystem List. Double-clicking on a system has the same effect as selecting 
"Call a System" and "Data-call".

Select "Call a system" and "Voice-call"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To place voice calls, you need to have a telephone plugged into your modem; 
most modems have a second jack for this purpose. With modems having only one 
jack (such as early Hayes Smartmodems), you must plug a 2-into-1 telephone 
adapter (available at any telephone store) into the wall jack, then plug the 
modem and telephone into it.

1.   Select "Call a system" and "Voice-call".
2.   Enter the system name..
3.   After FreeComm dials the modem and displays a message, pick up your 
     telephone receiver.
4.   If someone answers, press ENTER and begin speaking; if there's no answer 
     or a busy signal, press SPACEBAR to redial or ESC to quit. To end a voice 
     call, hang up the receiver and press ESC (this logs the call into the 
     CALL.LOG file).

 To convert a voice call to a data call, tell the other party to command his 
 modem to answer an incoming call; parties with FreeComm an use the Answer 
 menu Emit carrier option, and those without can use the ATA Hayes command. 
 When you hear the continuous, high-pitched carrier tone, press ENTER, hang 
 up the receiver, and begin data communications on the Comm screen.
     
Multiple calls with "Data-call" or "Voice-call"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can place multiple data or voice calls that connect with the first system 
that isn't busy or connect with each of many systems. Connecting with the 
first non-busy system is convenient for data calls to busy mainframes, 
services, or bulletin boards that have several phone numbers (list each phone 
number as a separate system). This is efficient for voice calls as well. 
Connecting with each of many systems is useful for picking up electronic mail 
from several services, or transferring files with numerous remote offices.

1.   Select "Call a system", then "Data-call" or "Voice-call".
2.   Press CTRL-ENTER to begin multiple entry mode.
3.   Enter each system name. 
     Note: To retract a choice, select it a second time.
4.   After you've entered all the desired systems, press CTRL-ENTER to end 
     multiple-entry mode.
5.  Select "Rotate-among-systems-until connect" to reach only the first system 
    that answers, or "Connect-to-all" to reach everyone.

If you select "Data-call" and "Connect-to-all", you must then specify how many 
times to retry calling each system, should its Logon script fail. Data calls 
are dynamically queued: Disconnecting from one system triggers the call to the 
next; busy systems and retries move to the end of the queue. With voice calls 
you must press ESC when you're ready for the next call. To cancel subsequent
calls, press ALT-A.

Note: Data calls to a series of systems can occur automatically if the login 
script you list for each system automates the entire call to that system. To 
automate calls to PCs that have FreeComm, see Chapter 9.

Select "Call a system" and "Learn-logon"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This will call a system and learn (or relearn) the steps you perform upon 
connecting with the system. The resulting logon script will do the steps for 
you automatically in subsequent calls.

1.   If there is an existing logon script for this system, you may want to 
     make a backup copy before proceeding, as the following steps will 
     overwrite the existing script. (To make a backup, copy the file whose 
     name consists of the script name plus the .HP extension).
2.   Select "Call a system" and "Learn-logon".
3.   Enter the system name. 
4.   After the connection is established, perform any steps that you routinely 
     do upon connecting (enter your password, etc.). After you've completed 
     the steps you want to have learned, press ALT-L and select 
     "Stop-learning"; typically, you must stop learning before doing any 
     steps which may vary from call to call.
5.   When you are asked if the script should be compiled, select "Yes".
     When you stop learning, a script file is created which contains characters 
     you typed, prompts that displayed, and suitable functions from the 
     HyperPilot language. Compiling this creates an encrypted, binary file, 
     which FreeComm can run to duplicate your steps. Both filenames begin with 
     the logon script name; the first file has the .HP extension and the second 
     has the .RDY extension. (To learn about compiling, see the FreeComm 
     Scripting Manual.)
     Note: If you're afraid someone may examine your scripts to find your 
     passwords, put the .HP files away on a floppy for safekeeping.
     (Only the .RDY files need be present and they are unreadable.) If you 
     prefer not to have your passwords learned at all, you can have
     your logon scripts pause for you to enter them (see Chapter 7).

Select "Call a system" and "Find"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you cannot remember the full name of a system you want to call and do not 
want to search the whole System List:

1.   Select "Call a system" and "Find".
2.   Enter any character(s) you know are in the system name. This displays 
     only the systems whose names contain those characters, and is not 
     case-sensitive.
3.   You can then select "Data-call", "Voice-call", or "Learn-logon", and 
     select the system quickly from this shorter list, or select "Find" and 
     try other characters. (To redisplay the full System List, press ESC.)

Calling from the Comm screen, without using "Call a system"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you place calls using "Call a system", this actually executes CALL.RDY, 
a complex script capable of establishing connections through a broad spectrum 
of modems, devices, and direct-cable connections. In circumstances which make 
using "Call a system" unsuitable or impractical, you may prefer to establish 
connections yourself by using the Comm screen directly:

1.   Make sure your settings are correct for calling the remote system. You 
     can do this by selecting "Define system settings", then "Load", and 
     choosing a system whose settings are appropriate (using "Load" merely 
     installs settings without dialing or running the logon script).
2.   Press ALT-C to display the Comm screen.
3.   Manually issue commands to establish the connection. Typically this 
     entails typing a dialing command given in your modem manual (such as ATDT), 
     plus a phone number.
     
Making calls with automatic sequences
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can use automatic sequences--macros, commands, or scripts--to automate 
calls placed with any of the previous methods. Use a macro to fire off a call 
with just one key. Use a command to launch calls from any FreeComm screen or 
menu, or to have calls begin at designated times. Use scripts to automate 
more complex calls. Chapter 7 introduces these automation tools, and gives 
many ideas and examples that show how automation can help you.
     
Note: To place calls from the DOS prompt, enter the command you normally use 
to start FreeComm, a space and the name of a macro, command or script which 
calls the desired system. For example, you might enter DFCDOS MCI.
     

                           4.4 Adding systems
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before you can call a system from the Main menu, you need to add it to the 
System List using your choice of these methods.

Selecting "Define system settings" and "Add"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The most commonly used method for adding new systems is:

1.   Select "Define system settings" and "Add".
2.   Enter the system name. Each must be unique. You can make it long and 
     descriptive (up to 20 letters), or short for quick entry.
3.   When the System settings menu appears with the cursor at "Telephone 
     number", enter a phone number (or <none>, if you want to be asked for a 
     number each time you call). You may include parentheses, hyphens, or 
     spaces for readability.
     You need not include the modem dialing command (FreeComm already knows 
     that), but do include any numbers you must dial for long distance calls, 
     to get an outside line, or to disable call-waiting. You may enter such 
     numbers along with the telephone number, or as a telephone number prefix 
     as described in Chapter 10.
     Note: If you plan  to connect to a system through a cable without a 
     modem, use <none> in place of a phone number.
4.   If the original settings for Rate, Bits per character, Parity, Stop bits 
     or Emulation disagree with recommendations from the remote system, 
     correct them. You may also need to change settings on submenus reached 
     by selecting ASCII protocols or other options listed below it. For details 
     on submenus' settings, press ALT-H or see Chapter 10.
     Note: When connecting to a cable without a modem, select "Hardware", 
     "Modem" and set the modem type to "Direct-cable".
5.   Enter the name of a Logon script which already exists for this system or 
     enter a new name (up to 8 letters) to have a one learned when you first 
     log on. (If you prefer logging on manually, press ENTER to accept <none>.)
     
Entering a new system name as you place a call
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To add a system while placing a call:

1.   Select "Call a system" and "Data-call", "Voice-call", or "Learn-logon".
2.   Enter the new system name and select "Yes" when asked if you want to add 
     the system.
3.   Follow steps 3 through 5 of Selecting and Define system settings and Add, 
     and then select "Yes" to proceed with the call.
     
Copying an existing system and modifying it
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can also add systems by copying a system and modifying it:

1.   Select "Define system settings" and "Copy".
2.   Enter the name of the system whose settings are to be copied.
3.   Enter the name for the new system to which the settings are to be copied 
     (or enter the name of an existing system, in order to replace its 
     settings with the copied settings). 
     
After the settings have been copied to the new system, you can modify them as 
described in Chapter 4.
     
Adding systems by importing them
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Systems exported from FreeComm to disk files can be added (or imported) as 
described in Chapter 4.


                     4.5 Modifying system settings
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once a system is in the System List, you can modify its settings by the 
following methods.

Modifying system settings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Select "Define system settings" and "Modify".
2.   Enter the name of the system whose settings are to be modified. 
3.   Select each setting to be modified on the System settings menu and its 
     submenus, and enter the desired value. For detailed information on the 
     settings on each menu, press ALT-H (or see Chapter 10.)
4.   When you're done modifying the settings, press ESC, ALT-M, or ALT-C to 
     leave the System settings menu or its submenus. The settings remain 
     loaded, complete with the modifications.
     
Modifying settings of more than one system at a time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When some change in your communications requires identical modifications to 
many systems (for example, if you switch to a different modem or port), use 
this procedure.

1.   Select "Define system settings" and "Modify".
2.   Press CTRL-ENTER to begin multiple-entry mode.
3.   Enter the name of each system whose settings are to be modified. To 
     select all systems, type * and press ENTER. To deselect any system, 
     select it a second time.
4.   After you've entered all the system names, press CTRL-ENTER to end 
     multiple-entry mode.
5.   Initially, all settings on the System settings menu and its submenus are 
     blank; enter values only for the settings that are to be globally 
     modified.
6.   When you're done with the settings, press ESC, ALT-M, or ALT-C to leave 
     the System settings menu or its submenus.
     

Modifying settings while you're on-line
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is generally fine to modify settings while you're connected with a remote 
system. Here are some items you should consider:

    While changing to incorrect settings may cause you to lose your 
     connection, incorrect settings cannot harm your PC or modem.
    When you're on-line with a system, you may load a different system in 
     order to invoke different settings, but if those settings are incorrect 
     for your present call, you may lose your connection.
    Sometimes it is possible to figure out which settings are correct for a 
     particular remote system by modifying settings on-line. Change only 
     settings with which you are familiar: Modify the setting and check its 
     effect on the Comm screen. If the change did not have the desire results, 
     return the setting to its original value and try another setting.
     

                        4.6 Managing the System List
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can manage the System List by selecting Define system settings and using 
the following options.

Add
~~~
Select "Add" to add new systems to the System List, as described in Chapter 4.

Modify
~~~~~~
Select "Modify" when you want to change system settings.

Delete
~~~~~~
Select "Delete" and enter the name of the system you wish to remove from the 
System List. To remove more than one, select "Delete", press CTRL-ENTER to 
begin multiple-entry mode, enter the system names, and press CTRL-ENTER to 
end multiple-entry mode.

Copy
~~~~
Select "Copy" in order to copy settings from one system to another. Next, 
enter the name of the system whose settings are to be copied, then enter the 
name of the new or existing system to which the settings are to be copied.

Print
~~~~~
Select "Print" to print a copy of the System List for reference or archival 
purposes. (For a detailed printout of settings associated with a particular 
system, load that system and display the System settings menu or its submenus, 
then press PRINT SCREEN or SHIFT-PRTSC.)

Find
~~~~
Select "Find" and enter a character or series of characters from a system 
name, either to locate a particular system or seek out a group of systems 
whose names have something in common. This temporarily replaces the System 
List with a list of systems that contain the character(s). You can then select 
any option described in this section and choose from the displayed systems. 
Or you can use "Find" again with different characters. To redisplay the 
System List, press ESC to quit the Define system settings option.

Load
~~~~
Select "Load" and enter a system name, in order to switch to that system's 
settings without initiating a call to the system. Use this to load alternate 
settings while on-line, or to load settings before you manually initiate a 
call on the Comm screen.

Sort
~~~~
The System List initially is sorted by Frequency-of-use, which lists first 
the systems you use most often. To change how it is sorted, select Sort, then 
Alphabetically, to sort by system names or Order-of-use, to put the most 
recently used first. (Proposed settings is always last.)

Note: FreeComm keeps track of systems you call most and keeps them at the top 
of the System List for your convenience.

View
~~~~     
Select "View" to change the type of information which the System List displays. 
The initial view, entitled Basic settings, shows systems' names, phone numbers, 
and settings. Select "Phone" numbers to view names and phone numbers only, or 
"Statistics" to view the number of calls and date of the last call to each 
system.
     
You can copy systems into disk files for archival purposes or for distribution 
to other FreeComm users. This is called exporting. Once a system has been 
exported into a file, it can be imported back into your FreeComm program or 
into another person's FreeComm. 

Importing systems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Select "Define" system settings and "Import".
2.   Press ENTER to import from the file named SYSTEM.EXP or enter another 
     filename. You can precede the filename with a drive and/or directory 
     name.

If a system you import has the same name as one already in the System List, 
the name of the imported system is changed (a number is added to its end).


Exporting systems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Select "Define system settings" and "Export".
2.   To export a single system, select the system. To export more than one 
     system into a single file, press CTRL-ENTER to begin multiple-entry mode, 
     enter each system name, and press CTRL-ENTER to end multiple-entry mode.
3.   Press ENTER to export to the file named SYSTEM.EXP, or enter a filename 
     you prefer. The filename can be up to eight characters, a period, and up 
     to three additional letters, and can be preceded with a drive and/or 
     directory name.
     
     
                      5.1 Working With Files and DOS
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From anywhere in FreeComm, you can instantly bring up the Files options to do 
routine file management tasks or to perform these useful file operations.
  
    Display directories of files sorted by name, extension, date or size
    Search an entire disk and/or subdirectories for a particular file
    Check estimated transfer times for a file or group of files
    Pre-select a group of files for sending
    Unpack ZIP files that you have received from remote systems
    Scan files on your hard or floppy disks for computer viruses (see 
     Appendix F for details)
     
In addition to covering these operations, this section tells how to use the 
Use DOS to run DOS commands or other programs from within FreeComm. The Use 
DOS menu has the following uses: 

    Run operating system commands or programs such as MKDIR, RMDIR, FORMAT 
     or RENAME. 
    Run utility programs. For example, you can run file compression programs 
     like PKZIP, disk management programs like Norton Commander or XtreePro, 
     or file backup programs like Fastback.
    Run word processing, database, spreadsheet programs, or other application 
     programs.
    Once FreeComm has established the connection, run file transfer modules 
     such as DSZ (a Zmodem module) or Jmodem, or run other terminal emulation 
     programs.
     

                            5.2 The Files options
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any time ALT-Files is present in the bottom line, you can press ALT-F to pop 
up the Files options, which perform a variety of convenient file management 
operations.

You can use the Files options as described in Chapter 5, or display directories 
as described in the same chapter. When you're finished with the Files options, 
press ESC to clear the Files options from your screen.
     
     
                         5.3 Displaying and using directories
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the Files options are displayed or when you're in a menu entry that 
calls for a filename, ALT-Dir appears in the bottom line, and you can press 
ALT-D to examine disk directories or to select files from directories by 
moving a pointer.

Displaying a directory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press ALT-D. Enter a directory and/or filename, or press ENTER to see all 
files in your working directory. You can include * or ? in the filename as 
wildcards. For example, to display a directory of files on drive A, enter A:. 
To display all the files ending in .LTR that are in the \MAIL directory on 
drive C, enter C:\MAIL\*.LTR.

Note: The working directory is the directory FreeComm offers when you press 
ALT-D, and the directory FreeComm assumes when you enter filenames without 
directories. You can define the working directory as described in Chapter 1.

When the directory contains more files than fit on the screen, you can press 
PGUP and PGDN to page through them. Names that are followed by <DIR> are 
subdirectories.

     
Selecting from a directory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whenever you're at a menu entry that calls for a filename, you can use ALT-D 
to display a directory, then simply point-and-shoot to select the file. Prior 
to making a selection you may use ALT-D repeatedly, to seek out the specific 
file or directory you want.

Selecting multiple files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you're at a menu entry that accepts multiple filenames, press CTRL-ENTER 
to begin multiple entry mode. Use ALT-D to display a directory from which to 
select. To select each file, move the pointer to it and press ENTER. To remove 
a selection, select it again.

When finished selecting files, press CTRL-ENTER to end multiple-entry mode.

During multiple-entry mode, you can use ALT-D repeatedly to display and 
select from one directory after another. You can also mix selection methods, 
selecting some files by point-and-shoot, and others by entering filenames. 
Point-and-shoot is often handier for selecting individual files, while 
entering filenames with * and ? can be faster for selecting files whose names 
have something in common.


                       5.4 Routine file management operations
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press ALT-F to select ALT-Files from the bottom line and use these options to 
perform routine file management operations:

Copy
~~~~
Select "Copy" to copy a file. Enter the name of the file or select it from a 
directory. To copy more than one, include * or ? in the filename or use 
multiple-entry mode. Next, enter the drive and/or directory to copy to (if 
you're copying only one, you can type a filename as well). When copying a 
file will overwrite an existing file, you have four options. Select:
     
         Yes                Overwrites the existing file
         No                 Skips copying this file, to avoid overwriting
         Always             Overwrites this and any subsequent files whose 
                            filenames match the files being copied
         Don't_ever         Skips copying this file and any subsequent file 
                            which would overwrite an existing file

Del
~~~
Select "Del" to erase a file. Enter the name of the file or select it from a 
directory. To delete a group of files, include * or ? in the filename or use 
multiple-entry mode. The number and total size of the affected files will then 
display. Select "Yes" to proceed, or "No" to cancel.

Move
~~~~
Select "Move" to copy a file to a different drive or directory and delete it 
from its present drive or directory. Enter the name of the file or select it 
from a directory (to move more than one file, include * or ? in the filename 
or use multiple-entry mode). Next, enter the drive and/or directory to move 
files to. If a file you move already exists in that drive or directory, you 
have the same overwrite options as with Copy (see above).

Newdir
~~~~~~
Select "Newdir" to make a new directory. Enter the name of the new directory, 
just as you would if you were using the DOS MKDIR or MD command. If you enter 
no path with the directory name, the new directory will be located in your 
current (or working) directory.

Print
~~~~~
Select "Print" to print a file. Enter the name of the file or select it from 
a directory; to print more than one, include * or ? in the filename or use 
multiple-entry mode. Printing may not begin immediately, because text is 
buffered on its way to the printer. If you want to cancel printing, return to 
this option and enter <cancel>. A form feed is sent to the printer after each 
file, to eject the last page. (To set the tab spacing used for printing, see 
Chapter 6; to set margins and other printing details, see Chapter 10.)

Ren
~~~
Select "Ren" to rename a file. Enter the present name of the file or select 
it from a directory. Then enter the new name. This option can rename only one 
file at a time.
     

                            5.5 Sorting directories
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To change the way files are sorted in directories displayed with ALT-D, select 
"Sort" from the Files options. Then select:

    "Name", to sort alphabetically by filename.
    "Extension", to sort alphabetically by file extension (the extension is 
     the portion of the filename to the right of the period).
    Date to sort files by date and time.
    Size to sort files by size (number of bytes).

Each directory is displayed according to the method you have chosen until a 
different sorting method is selected. Note that "Sort" affects only FreeComm 
directory displays, not arrangement of files on your disks, or directory 
displays by your operating system or other programs.


                       5.6 Estimating transfer times
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before you send a file or group of files, you may want to select "Time", to 
get an estimate of how long the transfer may take. Estimates take into 
account protocol efficiency, file size, and baud rate. Actual times may be 
greater due to line noise, network delays, or sluggish remote software; 
actual times may be less due to file compression. To use "Time":

1.   Select the Files options and use ALT-D to display a directory containing 
     files whose estimated transfer times you wish to determine.
2.   Select "Time".
3.   Select the protocol.
4.   Enter the baud rate to be used.

The estimated transfer time for each file is shown in the directory, along 
with the total transfer time for the entire directory.
     

                          5.7 Unpacking .ZIP files
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Files available for downloading from most bulletin boards are stored in a 
compressed format. The most common format is that of .ZIP files (files 
compressed using the PKZIP program, having filenames ending with .ZIP). After 
you receive a .ZIP file, you must unpack (or decompress) it, before the file 
or files it contains will be usable.

Until now, unpacking .ZIP files has been a time-consuming, multi-step process: 
After picking up a .ZIP file, you had to exit your communications software 
and run PKZIP to unpack the file. There has also been some risk associated 
with .ZIP files, as .ZIP files may contain computer viruses. FreeComm solves 
both problems!

Decompress .ZIP files without exiting FreeComm by using the Unpack option as follows:

1.   Select "Unpack" from the Files options.
2.   Enter the name of the .ZIP file.
3.   Enter the drive and/or directory where you want the unpacked files to 
     be located.
     
Files that you unpack using this method are also checked for viruses, if 
"Virus filter" is set to "Yes".
     

                  5.8 Pre-selecting groups of files for sending
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To save the work of re-entering a group of files that you often send, you 
can use file batches, which contain lists of files to be sent. To make a file 
batch:

1.   Select "Batch" from the Files options.
2.   Enter a filename for storage of the file batch. For example, you might 
     enter NYOFFICE.FLS.
3.   Enter the names of the files to be sent (see Chapter5 for instructions 
     on selecting multiple files).
     Note: People you authorize to call and control your computer remotely 
     can also command it to send file batches. See Chapter 9 and Appendix E 
     for details.

You can send file batches using HyperProtocol, Zmodem, Ymodem, Ymodem G, or 
Kermit. Prepare to send as in Chapter 3, but instead of entering a normal 
filename, enter /B and the filename of the file batch (/B NYOFFICE.FLS, for 
example). You can use /B only during regular entry mode, not multiple-entry 
mode.

You can have any number of file batches. To make changes to a file batch, you 
either recreate it or edit it with a text editor. File batches have a simple 
ASCII format, so it is possible to have scripts or other programs create or 
modify them. They contain two types of lines: those consisting of + (plus) 
followed the name of a file to send (which can include * or ?), and those 
consisting of - (minus) followed by a filename not to send (which cannot 
include * or ?). All filenames must include the drive and directory.


                            5.9 The Use DOS menu
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can use the Use DOS menu to run DOS commands or programs even while 
on-line. FreeComm copies itself into a temporary file to free up memory, but 
maintains your connection. To reach the Use DOS menu, select it from the Main 
menu. 

You can run commands or programs either by typing their names or by listing 
them in advance, to save typing them each time. You can also jump (shell) to 
the DOS prompt without specifying which commands you intend to use, and jump 
back into FreeComm when you are done. This is how to use each of the Use DOS 
options.

Start a DOS command or program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After you select this, you can do one of the following.

    Type a DOS command or program and press ENTER (the proposed entry is 
     erased when you begin typing).
    Press ENTER to accept the proposed entry (the DOS command or program 
     that appears at the top of the list).
    Use UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS to select another DOS command or program from 
     the list, and then press ENTER.

Before you press ENTER, you may use RIGHT AND LEFT ARROW KEYS, HOME, END, 
BACKSPACE, INS, or DEL to edit. For example, to create a new subdirectory in 
your current directory, you could use the DOWN ARROW KEY to select MKDIR and 
press END to move to the right of this command, then type a name for the 
directory and press ENTER.

Jump to DOS prompt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select this when you want to leave FreeComm temporarily to access the DOS 
prompt, to run DOS commands or programs. When you're ready to resume running 
FreeComm, enter EXIT.

Redefine a line in the list below
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select this option to list the commands and programs you use most often. Use 
UP OR DOWN ARROW KEYS to move to the desired line. Type the new command or 
program, or edit an existing one. To run one command or program after another, 
separate them with semicolons (for example, CHDIR;WORD could be used to change 
to the directory and run Microsoft Word).

Though most programs can be run from the Use DOS menu, certain TSR (Terminate 
and Stay Resident) programs may not work. You can run other communications 
programs, terminal emulators, or file transfer protocol modules (say, DSZ or 
Jmodem), but if they reconfigure your PC's port or interrupts the connection 
may be lost.
     

                         5.10 Automating use of DOS
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only after you understand the scope of the FreeComm learning and automation features 
will you realize the true potential of the Use DOS menu. By applying the 
automation features on these menus, you can:


    Jump out to the operating system command prompt from anywhere in FreeComm, 
     by pressing a single key.
    Run an operating system command or start another program from any of 
     FreeComm's screens or menus.
    Learn an automatic sequence that you can run anywhere in FreeComm, which 
     lets you enter information that is passed to an external program in the 
     command line which starts the program. For example, you could enter the 
     name of a file that the program is to load as it begins to run.

Chapter 7 introduces the automation tools you need to get full performance 
from the Use DOS menu with a minimum of keystrokes.
          
         
                           6.1 Editing Text Files
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The FreeComm Editor is a powerful tool for creating messages, documents, or 
other text files, and for revising text you've received. Typing new text is 
easy, and so is finding, deleting, or replacing text. With just a few 
keystrokes, you can mark blocks of text to move, copy, delete, print, reformat, 
transmit, spell-check, or write to disk. You can even split the screen and 
work with two files at once.

In addition to describing how to use the Editor, this chapter tells how you 
can integrate an external text editor or word processing program, in case 
you'd rather use that one instead.


                         6.2 Ways to reach the Editor
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tools the Editor provides are useful in a number of distinctly different 
situations because you can reach the Editor in a number of ways. The Editor 
is accessible from the Comm screen to use the Review buffer, from the Keys 
menu to work on scripts, or from the Editor menu. To display the Editor menu, 
select Editor from the Main menu.

Edit a file
~~~~~~~~~~~
Select this to edit a file or to resume editing a file you were working on 
earlier. You can enter an existing or new filename or press ENTER to resume 
editing the file whose name is proposed.

Note: Instead of entering a filemane, you can use ALT-D to display a directory, 
move the pointer to the file you want, and press ENTER.

Capture file editing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select this to edit text that you collected by using Capture on the Comm 
screen. You can press ENTER to edit the file you last captured text into, or 
enter the name of some other file.

Transfer file editing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can select this to edit a file you've received or one you plan to send. 
You can select either:

Receive  FreeComm proposes the name of the file you last received, so you can 
edit it just by pressing ENTER. If you want to edit a different file, enter 
its name. (You cannot edit received files whose contents are non-textual.)

Send  To edit a file that you plan to send, enter a new or existing filename. 
Later, when you select "Transfer" and "Send" from the Comm screen, FreeComm will 
propose this filename, to save you the work of entering it again.

Review buffer editing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select this to edit text in the Review buffer. The Review buffer is not a file; 
it is text from the Comm screen that accumulates in your computer's memory.

Note: You can reach the Editor by selecting any of the previous 4 options, 
each of which loads a particular type of file for editing.
     
Define command that starts external editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option is discussed in Chapter 6.


                   6.3 Typing and moving through a file
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regardless of how you reach the Editor, its basic appearance and operation 
are the same. To examine the Editor now, select Edit a file from the Editor 
menu, and enter the name of a text file, or press ENTER with no filename.

Except when the Editor options are displayed (ALT-O brings them up and ESC 
puts them away), you may type text, erase mistakes, or move around in the file.

Use these keys to move around in the Editor:

     Key                        Moves Cursor
     
     LEFT ARROW                 Left one arrow
     RIGHT ARROW                Right one character
     CTRL-LEFT ARROW            Left one word
     CTRL-RIGHT ARROW           Right one word
     UP ARROW                   Up one line
     DOWN ARROW                 Down one line
     HOME                       Left end of line
     END                        Right end of line
     CTRL-HOME                  Top of current screen
     CTRL-END                   Bottom of current screen
     PGUP                       Up one screen
     PGDN                       Down one screen
     CTRL-PGUP                  Top of file or Review buffer
     CTRL-PGDN                  Bottom of file or Review buffer
     
     BACKSPACE                  Erases character to left of cursor
     INS                        Toggle between insert and overtype
     DEL                        Deletes the character at the cursor
     CTRL-DEL                   Deletes entire line
     ALT-O                      Brings up Editor options
     ALT-B                      Begins block operations
     CTRL-INS                   Inserts copied/deleted block of text
     ESC                        Exits the Editor

Identifying your position in the file
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the double-arrow in the left border is near the top, you are at the 
file's beginning. When it's near the bottom, you are at the file's end. You 
can identify which column you are in by the column counter in the upper-right 
corner.

Erasing a mistake
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press DEL to delete the character at the cursor, or BACKSPACE to erase the 
character left of the cursor. To delete more than one character, press ALT-B, 
mark a block of text, and press DEL, as described in Chapter 6. For tips on 
how to delete words or lines with a single keystroke, see Chapter 7.

Tagging and jumping to a location
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be able to return to a particular location quickly, press ALT-O and select 
"Tag" to mark that place (the tag appears as an ARROW symbol in the left 
border). To jump to it from anywhere in the file, press ALT-O, select "Jump", 
and then select "Tag".

Jumping to a particular line number
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press ALT-O, select "Jump" and "Line-number", and then enter the line number. 
(The top line in a file is line number 1.)

Inserting or overtyping text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Editor is normally in insert mode; characters you type are inserted 
between existing characters. Press INS to switch to overtype mode; the cursor 
changes from an underline to elongated block, and characters you type 
overwrite existing characters. To switch back, press INS again.

Ending one line and starting a new one
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can end lines yourself by pressing ENTER, or let the Editor end lines for 
you when you type past a set width (normally 75 characters; to change this, 
select Configure and Width). To make line ends easy to see, the Editor 
displays a DOWN ARROW symbol for the line feed that occurs at the end of each 
line. To suppress these symbols, select Configure and Symbols. (Though the 
Editor does not show this, there is also a carriage return at the end of each 
line.)

Making new paragraphs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To separate paragraphs from one another, you can leave a blank line between 
them or press TAB to begin each paragraph. TAB inserts a tab code, which 
normally displays as RIGHT ARROW. Text typed after a tab appears to the right 
of the next tab stop. Tab stops are located at set intervals (normally every 
8 characters; to change this, select "Configure" and "Tabs"). Files containing 
tabs may look different when displayed by programs that use different tab 
settings.

Typing special characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To insert a control or graphics character, hold ALT down while typing the 
character's decimal value on the numeric keypad. For example, to insert a 
form feed character at a point in a file where the printer should advance to 
the next page, you would use ALT-12. Avoid using control and graphics 
characters with remote systems and printers that misinterpret them.
     
                        
                          6.4 The Editor options
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the Editor options are not displayed, you're free to type text, correct 
mistakes, or move around in the file. To perform other operations that are 
convenient when editing files, press ALT-O to display the Editor options.

To select an option, press its first letter, or use RIGHT AND LEFT ARROW KEYS, 
TAB, or SHIFT_TAB to move to it and press ENTER. The following sections tell 
how and why to use the various options. To clear the Editor options from the 
screen, press ESC.

To quit the Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are several ways to quit the Editor. To return to the screen from which 
you reached the Editor, you can press ESC, or press ALT-O and select Quit. Or 
press ALT-C or ALT-M to go to the Comm screen or Main menu.

You don't have to save files to disk before leaving the Editor.  Text you've 
been editing remains in memory, so you can resume editing later.

Note: Before sending a file that you've edited, be sure to save it as in 
Chapter 6.

           
                         6.5 Finding particular words
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To find a particular string (a character, word, or phrase):

1.   Press ALT-O.
2.   Select "Find".
3.   Enter the string to find. To include a control or graphics character. To 
     find tabs, include ALT-9; to find line ends, include ALT-8.
4.   Select "Down" to search toward the file's end or "Up" to search toward 
     its beginning.
5.   After the first occurrence is found, you can select "Repeat" to find the 
     next occurrence, or "Quit".

Searches performed by the Editor are not case-sensitive, that is, all 
occurrences are found regardless of whether they match the case of your entry. 
To make the Editor case-sensitive, select "Configure" and "Case", then select 
"Yes".
     

                           6.6 Replacing text
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To find a particular string (a character, a word, or phrase) and replace it 
with another string:

1.   Press ALT-O.
2.   Select "Replace".
3.   Enter the string to be replaced. To include a control or graphics 
     character. To find tabs, include ALT-9; to find line ends, include ALT-8.
4.   Enter the string to substitute. It may include control or graphics 
     characters.
5.   Select "Down" to search toward the file's end or "Up" to search toward its 
     beginning.
6.   As each occurrence of the string is found, select:

     Replace        Replaces this occurrence and moves to the next
     No-change      Leaves this unchanged, but moves to the next
     Change-all     Replaces this and all subsequent occurrences
     Quit           Leaves this and subsequent occurrences unchanged
     
Searches performed by the Editor are not case-sensitive, that is, all 
occurrences are found regardless of whether they match the case of your entry. 
To make the Editor case-sensitive, select "Configure", "Case", and "Yes".
     

                          6.7 Doing block operations
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To copy, delete, move, print, reformat, transmit, spell-check, or write a 
block of text, you first select the block:

1.   Move to one end of the block of text.
2.   Press ALT-B.
3.   Move the cursor to the other end of the block of text.
4.   Select "Copy", "Delete", "Move", "Print", "Reformat", "Transmit", 
     "Spell_check", or "Write" by pressing the first letter. You cannot select 
     these options with LEFT ARROW KEY or RIGHT ARROW KEY because these keys 
     are used for marking text.

 Once you've marked a block of text, these are the operations you can perform 
 on it:

Copying blocks of text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After marking a block of text, you can select "Copy". To insert the 
last-copied or last-deleted block of text, move the cursor to the desired
location, and press CTRL-INS (or press ALT-O and select Paste).

Deleting text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After marking a block of text, press DEL or select Delete. For tips on 
deleting words or lines with one keystroke, see Section 7.2.

Note: To undo a deletion, press CTRL-INS (or ALT-O and then P). You can undo 
a deletion any time, up until the next block operation.

Moving text
~~~~~~~~~~~
After you mark a block of text and select "Move", the text is deleted from its 
present location; position the cursor at the new location for the text and 
press ENTER. (To move text from one file to another, "Delete" the text, then 
insert it with CTRL-INS or Paste, instead.)

Printing text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To print a block of text, mark it and select "Print" (make sure your printer 
is on). To position text conveniently on each page, you can set a top margin, 
left margin, and lines per page as in Section 10.13.

Reformatting text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
Reformatting is helpful when lines are too wide, too narrow, or irregular in 
width. Use "Reformat" as described in Section 6.11.

Transmitting text to remote systems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
Select Transmit to jump to the Comm screen and send a marked block of text 
using Text protocol (you must be on-line). When you want to respond quickly 
to something you've just read on-line, you can use the Editor to compose and 
send a quick response. Or, if you make a mistake when entering a lengthy 
remote system command on the Comm screen, you can come to the Review buffer, 
correct the mistake, and re-send the command.

Spell-checking text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
To check for misspelled words, select the desired block of text (or select no 
text, to check the whole file), then select "Spell-check". Each misspelled or 
unrecognized word is highlighted in turn. Select "Ignore" to leave the word 
unchanged, Correct to correct it, or "Add-to-dictionary" to include the word 
henceforth in the list of accepted words. Spell-checking messages before 
sending them helps you avoid embarrassment, and projects a more professional 
image.

Writing text to disk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
After you mark a block of text and select "Write", enter the name of the file 
the text should be written to, or press ENTER to accept the proposed filename. 
The filename can include a drive and/or directory. If the file already exists, 
you're asked whether to append to or overwrite the file.


                               6.8 Saving a file
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's not essential that you save each file before leaving the Editor, because 
the text you've been editing remains in memory. However, it is important to 
save files before you send them, or else changes you have made in the Editor 
will not be sent.

To save a file from within the Editor:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Press ALT-O and select "Save".
2.   Press ENTER to save to the current file, or enter the name of another 
     file. The filename can include a drive and/or directory. If you enter the 
     name of an existing file, you are asked to select "Overwrite" or "Append". 
     To leave the original file intact, save to a new filename.

If you quit FreeComm when there is text in memory that contains unsaved 
changes, you are notified and given an opportunity to save the text. Changes 
will be lost if you turn off or reboot the PC without first quitting FreeComm. 

     
                             6.9 Loading a file
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     While you're in the Editor, you can load a different file as follows.

1.   Press ALT-O and select "Load".
2.   Enter the name of a file, or use ALT-D to display a directory and select 
     the file. If you enter a filename that does not exist, you are asked if 
     you want to create it.
3.   The file you load will take the place of any text currently in the Editor, 
     so if that text contains unsaved changes, you're given a chance to save 
     it: Either select "Yes" and enter a filename, or select "No" to discard 
     the changes.

The Review buffer is not a file, it is text maintained in memory; you can 
load it into the Editor by entering <review> instead of a filename.
          
                               6.10 Using two windows
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A window is the area of the Editor screen where text appears. The Editor 
normally starts with a single window open. You can open another window as you 
work. The second window is useful when you want to:

    Work on two files at the same time.
    Work on two different parts of one file.
    Copy text from the Review buffer to a file in the other window.
    Refer to received messages in the Review buffer as you type responses 
     into the other window. You can change the size of windows, making them 
     as large or small as you like. If you no longer need two windows, you 
     can close one and continue work in the other.

To open a window, select "Window" and "Open". Initially, the current file 
occupies both windows and editing in either window affects the file. To load 
another file into one of the windows, move to that window and follow 
instructions in past section.

To move from one window to the other, select "Window" and "Switch". To close 
the window you are in, select "Window" and "Close". If you've made changes 
since you last saved the file, you are asked to select "Yes" to save them or 
"No" to discard them.

To enlarge the window you are in, select "Window" and "Enlarge". This 
increases the window one line at a time, so you can use it repeatedly to 
reach the desired size. To shrink a window, move to and enlarge the other 
window.
     
                  6.11 Giving text the desired appearance
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can control the overall appearance of text as you're typing it, or you 
can go back and reformat it afterward. You can get pleasing results very 
quickly.

Typing a new paragraph of the desired shape
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   After pressing ENTER to end the previous paragraph, press ENTER once 
     more, so there will be a blank line between the paragraphs. The Editor 
     considers them separate paragraphs only if there is a blank line between 
     (no blank line is needed if you begin the next paragraph with a tab).
2.   Before you begin typing the first line, set the indent by typing spaces 
     or tabs (or both) to move the cursor the desired distance from the left 
     border.
3.   Begin typing text. When the cursor goes beyond the maximum line width 
     (set as described below) and drops down to the second line, set the 
     paragraph's left margin by adding or deleting spaces to the left of the 
     second line.
4.   Finish typing the paragraph.

By using the above steps, you can type paragraphs with the desired left 
margin, with no indent, with indent, or with hanging indent. If you add or 
delete words from an existing paragraph, you may want to reformat it with the 
following method.
     
Reformatting an existing paragraph
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   To set the indent, add or delete spaces at the beginning of the 
     paragraph's first line.
2.   To set the paragraph's left margin, delete or add spaces at the beginning 
     of the second line.
3.   Move the cursor to one end of the block of text you want to reformat and 
     then press ALT-B.
4.   Move the cursor to the other end of the block of text you want to 
     reformat and select "Reformat".
     
Note: To reformat a paragraph quickly, just move the cursor into the paragraph, 
press ALT-B, and select "Reformat".
     
Settings that affect formatting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before you type or reformat text, you may also want to set the maximum line 
width and tab stops the Editor uses.

1.   Press ALT-O. Select "Configure".
2.   Select one of the following options:

Width--   Enter the width (expressed as a number of characters) at which the 
          Editor should end a line you're typing and start a new line. To 
          avoid having the Editor end lines for you, you can set this to 250 
          (the greatest width allowed) and press ENTER to end each line.

Tabs--    Enter the distance between tab stops, expressed as a number of 
          spaces. This establishes how tabs display, and how they print, 
          whether you're using the Editor's "Print" option or the "Files Print" 
          option discussed in the previous chapter. Files that contain tabs
          may look different when displayed or printed by other programs, 
          which may use different tab stops.

Symbols-- Select "Yes" to display line ends as DOWN ARROW and tabs as RIGHT 
          ARROW, or "No" to suppress these symbols.

Case For information on this option, see Chapter 6.
     

                  6.12 Customizing the Editor's use of keys
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After you are accustomed to the Editor, you may want to define single-key 
functions to speed up operations you do often. For example, you might want to 
create automatic sequences that delete a word or a line in a single keystroke, 
instead of the several keys normally required.

You can also make the Editor work like your favorite text editor or word 
processor, by defining sequences and assigning them to keys you're accustomed 
to using with that program. Defining keys is easy. Chapter 7 tells all about 
automatic sequences, and gives some examples on how to make sequences for the 
Editor.
     

                       6.13 Using an external editor
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have an editor or word processing program that you want to use instead 
of the FreeComm Editor:

1.   Select "Define command that starts external editor" from the Editor menu.
2.   Enter the command you would use at the operating system command prompt to 
     start the external editor and load a file, but in place of a filename, 
     type <filename>.

If the editor requires that you change to its drive or directory before 
starting it, precede this entry with CD, a space, the drive or directory name, 
and a semicolon. For example, to change to the \WORD directory and start 
Microsoft Word, you might enter CD \WORD5;WORD <filename>.
     
Note: Due to speed, memory, and other practical limitations, the Review buffer 
and "Keys" menu will continue to use FreeComm's Editor.

When you create files for sending with Text protocol, have the external editor 
save them as plain ASCII files. For instructions on how to create such files, 
refer to that program's manual.


                         7.1 Automating Communications
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After you have used FreeComm for a while, you will find there are certain 
tasks you do often, such as typing the same remote system commands or selecting 
certain options from FreeComm menus. By creating automatic sequences that do 
such tasks, you can make your communications faster and more enjoyable.

Automatic sequences can do such things as:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Produce many keystrokes when you press a single key, either to send 
     characters to remote systems or to operate FreeComm
    Wait for prompts from remote systems and send responses
    Wait for a certain time of day or wait a given length of time before 
     executing a series of steps
    Create special menus or functions to supplement or replace menus and 
     functions of FreeComm

So that you can automate each facet of your communications with maximum 
efficiency, FreeComm lets you create three kinds of automatic sequences: 
macros, commands, and scripts. 
     
"Macros" issue series of keystrokes when you press a single key. "Commands" 
jump to a certain menu, perform a sequence of steps, and (optionally) jump 
back. "Scripts" can recognize and respond to prompts from remote computers or 
perform more complex functions.

Creating automatic sequences is easy. You can simply have FreeComm learn steps 
as you perform them. In addition to learning keystrokes, it learns where and 
why you type them. When it repeats what it has learned, it automatically 
jumps to the right screen or menu and waits for the prompts you waited for. 
And it does things faster than you.

It's possible to revise sequences or write them from scratch. Macros and 
commands, which consist of series of key names, are edited on a special 
screen reached from the Keys menu. Scripts are ASCII files written with the 
HyperPilot language, a language capable of automating virtually any 
communications process.
     
This chapter gives basic information on the automation features, while the 
FreeComm Scripting Manual (available on the Delrina BBS) tells how to write 
scripts and use the HyperPilot language.
     

                      7.2 Creating and using macros
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Macros are the simplest of FreeComm's automating tools. When you press a 
macro key, it issues a series of keystrokes on whichever menu or screen is 
currently displayed. You can use macros to send words, phrases or ASCII codes 
to remote systems, or to issue series of keystrokes that operate FreeComm's 
menus or screens.

To create a macro, you use the Keys menu. To display the Keys menu, select 
"Keys" from the Main menu.
     
To create a macro:

1.   Select "Create a macro".
2.   Enter a macro name of up to 8 letters. Try to use a name that describes 
     the purpose of the macro.
3.   Press the key or key combination to which you want to assign the macro 
     or press ENTER to skip assigning a key.
4.   In the "Key Sequence Editor", press the keys the macro is to issue. 
     Press ENTER when you're done.
     Note: To include ENTER or any key normally used for editing (UP ARROW, 
     DOWN ARROW, LEFT ARROW, RIGHT ARROW, BACKSPACE, INS, or DEL), you must 
     first press INS.

To run a macro from anywhere in FreeComm, use one of the following methods 
(these methods also apply to commands and scripts).

    Press the key to which you have assigned the sequence.
    Press ALT-R and enter the sequence name.
    Press ALT-R, ALT-D, use UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, CTRL-LEFT ARROW, or 
     CTRL-RIGHT ARROW
    To run the sequence as you start FreeComm, enter DFC , a space, and the 
     macro name.

You can abort execution of a macro by pressing ALT-A.

Example applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    If you often type a certain directory when entering filenames, you could 
     use a macro to save keystrokes. For example, you might have a macro issue 
     C:\DOWNLOAD\ when you press CTRL-D, so that henceforth, you could merely 
     press CTRL-D and enter a filename.
    You can use macros to change or add emulator keys. For example, you 
     might supplement the VT100 PF1 - PF4 function keys (equivalent to F1 - F4 
     on your PC) by adding custom function keys F5 - F10, having each key 
     issue its own series of ASCII codes. (See Chapter 7 for an example.)
    You can use macros to customize the Editor. For example, for deleting 
     one line at a time, you might want to create a macro that issues HOME, 
     ALT-B, END, DEL, when you press CTRL-L. For deleting a word at a time, 
     you could have a macro issue CTRL-RIGHT ARROW, ALT-B, CTRL-LEFT ARROW, 
     DEL, when you press CTRL-W.


                      7.3 Learning and using commands
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commands are more powerful than macros and are context sensitive. Commands 
are learned and jump to given menus to "do their thing", whereas macros are 
created in the Keys menu, and issued keystrokes wherever you are. 
      
When you start a command, it jumps to the right screen, performs its task, 
then (optionally) returns to the screen you were on. Commands can select 
options, enter settings, or do virtually anything on FreeComm menus. To create 
commands, you have FreeComm learn your actions.

To have FreeComm learn a command:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Bring about the situation in which the command is to be used, but stop 
     short of doing steps the command itself should do.
2.   Press ALT-L to start learning.
3.   Perform the steps you want the command to do.
4.   When you've finished the steps, press ALT-L and select Stop-learning.
     Note: To cancel learning, press ALT-L and select "Abort".
5.   Enter a command name of up to 8 letters. You will find the command 
     easiest to identify later if you use a name which describes the purpose 
     of the command.
6.   To establish where the command leaves you after it runs, select:
     
     Jump-back     To have the command return you to the screen or menu from 
                   which you started running it that time.
     Stay-here     To have the command leave you on the screen or menu where 
                   you stopped learning.

7.   Press the key or key combination to which you want to assign the command 
     or press ENTER to skip assigning a key.

To run the command, use any of the methods given in Chapter 7. If you see that 
a command is not doing what you intended, press ALT-A to abort it.

Example applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    To make calls more quickly, start learning on the Main menu, select "Call 
     a system" and "Data-call", then stop learning, name the command DIAL, 
     select "Stay-here", and assign it to F10. Then, from anywhere in FreeComm, 
     you could make a call just by pressing F10, selecting a system, and 
     pressing ENTER. (See Chapter 7for a related example.)
    While it normally takes 4 keys to reach the System settings menu (ALT-M, 
     D, M, ENTER), you can create a command that jumps there with just one 
     key. To do this, you could start learning on the System settings menu, 
     stop learning, name the command MODIFY, select "Stay-here", and assign it 
     to CTRL-M.
    To be able to jump to the DOS prompt from anywhere in FreeComm (leaving 
     your communications on hold), start learning on the Use DOS menu, 
     select "Jump to DOS prompt" and press ENTER. To return to FreeComm, 
     enter EXIT at the DOS prompt (this is not learned). When you have 
     returned to FreeComm, stop learning, name the command MSDOS, select 
     "Jump-back", and assign it to CTRL-D.
     

                      7.4 Learning and using scripts
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scripts are the most powerful of the automating tools. Scripts can do 
everything macros and commands can do, plus much more. One important 
difference is that scripts can wait for, recognize, and respond to prompts 
from remote systems. To learn a script, you use exactly the same procedure as 
for learning a command; FreeComm determines whether the resulting sequence
is a command or script. During learning, avoid typing ahead of remote system 
prompts. When you stop learning and are asked if the script should be 
compiled, it's always safe to select "Yes" (compiling is explained later in 
this chapter).

When a script is running, it takes over operating your keyboard for you, so 
normally you shouldn't press keys until it finishes. If you see a stalled 
script, press ALT-A to abort it.

Learned scripts can automate repetitive tasks those in which the critical 
system prompts (and your responses) are the same every time. If an expected 
prompt never arrives or is obscured by line noise, a script stops and displays 
the number of the script line which encountered the problem. When this happens, 
press ENTER and resume manual control. (If ENTER is not pressed within 60 
seconds, the Comm screen Hang-up option is automatically selected; this is 
done to prevent your PC from remaining on-line indefinitely when unattended 
scripts fail.)
     
By editing the script, you can make it cope with prompts that vary, make it 
take alternate steps under certain circumstances, and much more. (See Chapter 
1 in the Scripting Manual for details.)

Example applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    To pick up electronic mail quickly, you can create a script that prepares 
     FreeComm to capture mail, and commands the remote system to send it. For 
     example, when you connect with MCI Mail and it has mail for you, press 
     ALT-L, ALT-O, C, B, and ENTER to begin capturing into the proposed file, 
     then enter the MCI Mail command PRINT ALL, to make MCI Mail display all 
     your mail; after your mail has all displayed, press ALT-O, C, E, ALT-L, 
     and S, to stop capturing and learning. If you were to name this script 
     GETMAIL and assign it to ALT-P, the next time MCI Mail has mail for you, 
     you could press ALT-P (or press ALT-R and enter GETMAIL).
    CompuServe has a forum where FreeComm users can discuss FreeComm with 
     other users or Delrina's staff. To create a script that displays new 
     messages on the forum, you could perform the following steps: log on 
     to CompuServe; when it displays its ! prompt, start learning; enter 
     GO DELRINA; when you reach the Delrina forum, press ENTER; enter 
     READ NEW THREAD; stop learning; assign the script to ALT-N and name it 
     NEW. Next time you log on to CompuServe, you could press ALT-N (or press 
     ALT-R and enter NEW) to read new messages.
     

                         7.5 Customizing your keyboard
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To customize your keyboard, you create sequences and assign them to keys such 
as F1-F12; F1-F12 plus SHIFT-, CTRL-, or ALT-; or alphanumeric keys plus 
CTRL- or ALT-. To assign a sequence to a key:

1.   Select "Assign a macro", "command", or "script" to a key.
2.   Enter the name of the sequence.
3.   Press the key or key combination you want to assign the sequence to, or 
     press ENTER to assign no key. To assign ESC or ENTER, press INS and then 
     the key. 

     Note: Sequences cannot be assigned to CTRL-M (carriage return) or CTRL-J 
     (linefeed), to avoid conflicts. This includes keys other programs cannot 
     sense, but not keys your PC intercepts, like CTRL-ALT-DEL.

How key conflicts are resolved
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    If you assign a key which is also used by one or more FreeComm menus, 
     your key assignment is ignored on those menus. This ensures that no key 
     assignment can render FreeComm inoperable.
    If you assign a key assignments that is also used by an emulator, the 
     emulator's key is ignored on the Comm screen. This means you can define 
     different emulator keys.

Defining different emulator keys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To show how to define your own emulator keys, this example changes the PC key 
which FreeComm's IBM3278 emulator uses as the PF1 key (F1) to the key which 
Digital Communications Associates IRMA emulator cards use (ALT-1):

1.   On the Keys menu, select "Create a macro".
2.   Enter a descriptive macro name such as PF1.
3.   To specify which key will run this macro, press ALT-1.
4.   In the Key Sequence Editor, press key(s) that you wish for ALT-1 to 
     issue (F1). Press ENTER to return to the Keys menu.

Keys that sequences can contain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's usually best to avoid including in sequences any keys that you might 
later redefine, such as emulator keys or keys that run other sequences. 
Instead of emulator keys, it's better to include the ASCII codes that the 
emulator keys issue. And instead of keys that run sequences, include ALT-R 
and the sequences' names.
     
When you run a sequence that contains an undefined key, you will hear a beep 
and the key will be ignored. Perhaps the key ceased to be defined because you 
changed emulators or key assignments. Either restore the key's definition or 
correct the sequence.

Temporarily disabling key assignments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the Comm screen, you may occasionally need to disable all local key 
assignments (both your keys and FreeComm's ALT keys) so you can send keys' 
normal outputs to the remote system. There are two ways.

    Press ALT-O and select "Quote", to suspend local key assignments for the 
     one keypress. For example, to send ALT-O, you would press ALT-O, select 
     "Quote", and press ALT-O.
    Press ALT-O and select "Send-keys" to suspend local key assignments 
     indefinitely. To resume local assignments, press ALT-O and select 
     "Keep-keys". (To send ALT-O, use the method above.)

Selecting Send-keys suspends local key assignments on the Comm screen only, 
and has no effect on FreeComm menus. FreeComm automatically toggles from 
Send-keys to Keep-keys when you disconnect.

Using alternate sets of key assignments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you run out of keys to assign sequences to or want to use different 
assignments at different times, then alternate sets of key assignments are 
the answer. To create an alternate set, select "File used for key assignments" 
from the Keys menu, and enter a new filename. (You may use any filename you 
like; using .KEY as the extension will make it easier to identify later.) 
Entering a new filename leaves the same sequences available, but frees them 
from old key assignments, so you can assign them to new keys. To retain some 
of the old key assignments, copy the present key assignment file to a new 
file, enter the new filename on the Keys menu, then change key assignments as 
needed.

When you place a call to a System, you can have FreeComm automatically change 
to a specific key assignment file. To do this, include the desired key 
assignment file among settings for the system (enter its filename on the 
Miscellaneous menu).
     

                   7.6 Including variables & time delays
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you're learning sequences, you can include variables, time delays and 
other options to enhance their usefulness. This lets you:

    Make a sequence wait for you to type information that may vary.
    Have a sequence generate filenames for you, to handle circumstances that 
     require a different filename every time.
    Stamp the time and date on text you send, receive or edit.
    Wait for a specific time (for example, to place calls at night, when 
     phone rates are low).

To include such options, begin learning as usual. To avoid having your 
passwords recorded when learning logon scripts press ALT- L, B,K, E before 
entering passwords. This makes your scripts pause for you to enter passwords. 
At the point where you want the variable, time delay, or other option to 
occur, press ALT-L and select:

"Variable-information" and then select one of the following.

Keyboard-input-- At a point when a task you're learning requires input that 
                 varies (say, a remote system command, filename or menu entry), 
                 you can select this to make the sequence pause for you to type 
                 that input. Depending on how the input will be ended, select:

     Enter                  If the input ends with ENTER. This is the most 
                            common choice.
     Number-of-characters   If the input is a fixed number of characters not 
                            ending with ENTER.
     ALT-R-to-resume        If you wish to continue typing indefinitely, until 
                            you press ALT-R.

     Next, go ahead and type the input to use this time and end it using the 
     method you just selected.

Unique-filenam-- At a point when a task you're learning requires a new 
filename every time, select "Unique-filename" to have filenames created for you. 
Enter the filename from which the filenames are to be derived. Entering 
NEWMAIL.MSG would give NEWMAIL0.TXT, NEWMAIL1.TXT, and so on, up to 
NEWMA999.TXT.

Date-- This is used to date stamp text that you send, receive or edit. When 
       you're learning in the Editor, the Review buffer, or on the Comm screen, 
       you can select this at any point where you could manually type the 
       date. As you're learning, today's date is inserted; when you run the 
       sequence, that day's date is inserted. 

Note: The format for the date is MM/DD/YY.
     
Time-- This is used to time stamp text that you send, receive or edit. When 
       you're learning in the Editor, the Review buffer, or on the Comm 
       screen, you can select this at any point where it would be possible 
       for you to manually type the time. As you are learning, the present 
       time is inserted; when you run the sequence at a later time, that time 
       is inserted. 
     
Note: The format for the time is HH:MM:SS. For example, one second before 
midnight is 23:59:59.

Time-delay-- Select this to put off execution of subsequent steps until a 
             later time. Then select:
     
Minutes-- This is normally used to insert a delay at the beginning of a 
          sequence, so that when the sequence is run, it waits that length of 
          time before it goes on to perform subsequent steps. At the point in 
          the sequence where you want the delay to occur, select this and 
          enter a number of minutes, or press ENTER for 60. You can continue 
          learning immediately; the delay occurs only when the sequence is run.
     
Time-of-day-- This makes it possible to start a sequence when you leave your 
              computer and have it perform subsequent steps at a specific 
              time. At the point where you want the delay to occur, select 
              this and enter the time in 24-hour format, or press ENTER for 
              the present time. For example, you could enter 0:15 for 15 
              minutes past midnight or 22:30 for an hour and a half before 
              midnight. You can continue learning immediately; the delay 
              occurs only when the sequence is run.
     

                      7.7 Passing information to sequences
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Often it is more convenient to pass inputs to sequences at the outset. 
To pass input as you start a sequence, press ALT-R, enter the sequence name, 
a space, and the inputs. To pass inputs to a sequence as you're starting 
FreeComm, enter the command that starts FreeComm, followed by (within quotes) 
the sequence name and inputs. These examples illustrate several uses and
techniques.

Example applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    To simplify placing calls, start learning on the Main menu, select "Call", 
     "Data", press ALT-L, and select "Variable-information", "Keyboard-input", 
     and Enter. Select the system to call this time, press ALT-L, and stop 
     learning. Name the command DIAL.

If you run DIAL without passing an input, it stops for you to select a system. 
But if you run it by pressing ALT-R, entering DIAL, a space, and a system 
name, it calls instantly. You can also start FreeComm and make a call by 
entering DFC "DIAL <system name>".

    Passing inputs can also be handy for changing menu settings. Take, for 
     example, a command that changes the baud rate. To create such a command, 
     begin learning on the System settings menu, select "Rate", press ALT-L, 
     select "Variable-information", "Keyboard-input", and Enter, and then 
     enter a baud rate to use this time. Next, stop learning, name the command 
     BAUD, and assign it to a key. After this, you could change the baud rate 
     to 2400 simply by pressing ALT-R and entering BAUD 2400.

If you have a sequence that accepts more than one keyboard input, you can 
pass more than one. Instead of typing just one input after the sequence name, 
type each input in the order they are used, separated by commas. For example, 
if you had a sequence named SET which sets baud rate, then data bits, then 
parity, you could press ALT-R and enter SET 2400, 7, E to set to 2400 baud, 
7 data bits, and Even parity. Or you could pass just the first of several 
inputs, by pressing ALT-R and entering SET 2400, 7; this would make the
sequence pause for you to enter the remaining input (parity).

All inputs passed to a sequence are entered in the same format (strings 
separated by commas), regardless of the method used to end the inputs (that 
is, whether they end with ENTER, with a fixed number of characters, or with 
ALT-R). When you pass inputs to a sequence, FreeComm ends each input for you 
appropriately; you need not include an ending in the input string.

If an input actually contains a comma, that input must be typed within 
quotation marks. To include certain characters in an input, you must precede 
them with a slash: Use /" to include a quotation mark, // to include a slash, 
and /r to include ENTER.

Sometimes inputs are used to make entries on FreeComm menus where there are 
proposed entries. If your intent is to accept a proposed entry, pass an input 
consisting only of a pair of quotation marks. For instance, in the example 
above, you could press ALT-R and enter FIX 2400, "", E to set to 2400 bps, 
accept the proposed entry for data bits, and set parity to Even.
     

                        7.8 Managing the sequence list
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To delete, copy, or rename a sequence:

1 .  Select "Manage the macro", "command", and "script list" from the Keys 
     menu.
2.   Select "Copy", "Delete", "Rename", or "Sort".
3.   After selecting "Copy", "Delete", or "Rename", enter the name of the 
     existing macro, command, or script (with "Copy" or "Rename", you are 
     also asked for a new sequence name). After selecting "Sort", select "Name" 
     to sort alphabetically by sequence name, or "Key" to sort by key name.

Though macros, commands, and scripts appear together in one list, they are 
stored in different ways. Macros and commands are all stored together in the 
file DCL.SEQ, whereas scripts are stored as individual files with .HP or .RDY 
extensions.
     
Note: Macros and commands are kept in menory for greater speed. To conserve 
memory, delete any macros and commands that you never use.

Normally, the sequences available to you are those located in the FreeComm 
drive or directory. If you prefer to use sequences located in a different 
drive or directory, copy DCL.SEQ to that drive or directory and run FreeComm 
from that drive or directory. (With version 2 of DOS, you will first need to 
define a path to the FreeComm drive or directory using the DOS PATH command.) 
Any scripts that you want to continue to use must also be copied; be sure to 
copy CALL.RDY and ANSWER.RDY.
     

                       7.9 Placing automatic calls
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you frequently call a certain remote system to perform routine chores, 
you could save time by having FreeComm make the call for you. This may also 
reduce your phone bill, since FreeComm can do things faster than you; it can 
also place calls for you at night when phone rates are lower. (To automate 
calls to PCs running FreeComm, see Chapter 9.)
     
Because FreeComm has many powerful automation tools macros, commands, scripts, 
logon scripts, and calling features of the Main menu there are many equally 
viable ways to automate a given call. Which way is best depends on the 
complexity of the call, your level of skill, and what you're trying to 
accomplish.

The simplest way to automate a call is to automate one piece at a time. Begin 
by learning a whole call, logon through logoff. If the call contains steps 
which vary, edit the script to make it handle the different scenarios (see 
Chapter 7). Then place the call and watch the logon script run enough times 
that you're confident it can complete without your help. Finally, learn a 
macro or command that initiates the call; to have the call placed later, 
include a time delay.

Automating a series of calls is similar. Learn a logon for each system as in 
the previous paragraph. Then learn a macro or command that places multiple 
calls as in Chapter 4.
     
Another possible strategy is to create a script which initiates calls 
directly from the Comm screen, bypassing use of "Call a system". While 
feasible, this is not recommended. Such scripts forego the many benefits that 
"Call a system" provides (automatic loading of system settings, modem setup, 
dialing, redialing, logging, etc.).
     

                          7.10 Editing sequences
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you want to change what a sequence does, you can either relearn it or 
edit it. To edit a sequence, select "Edit a macro", "command", or "script" from 
the Keys menu, and enter the name of the sequence. What happens next depends 
on the sequence type:

Editing a macro or command
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
The macro or command appears in the Key Sequence Editor as a series of 
characters and keys in angle brackets. You can move about and add new keys. 
Try to visualize the steps involved in the task the sequence performs, so you 
will know which keys to include. To include ENTER, UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, RIGHT 
ARROW, LEFT ARROW, DEL, BACKSPACE, ESC, or INS, press INS and then the desired 
key When you're ready to return to the Keys menu, press ENTER to save changes, 
or ESC to discard them.

Editing a script
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The script is loaded into the Editor. Each script is an individual file 
containing lines of instructions in the HyperPilot language. To learn how to 
edit or write scripts, see the FreeComm Scripting Manual (available on the 
Delrina BBS).
          
                     
                                8.1 Answer Mode
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FreeComm is as effective in letting remote users access your PC as it is in 
helping you access remote computers. After you put FreeComm in Answer mode, 
anyone who has a password can call and command your PC from their computer. 
From their perspective, the experience is similar to calling a computerized 
bulletin board.
     
But Answer mode is not just a bulletin board. Whereas bulletin boards provide 
remote access for the benefit of the general public, Answer mode puts remote 
access to work for you. With it, you can shape remote access to meet your 
objectives, admitting callers you authorize, giving them the type of remote 
control that serves your purposes. Answer mode makes your PC act as a host so 
it can be accessed by PCs acting as terminals.
     
After your PC answers a call and the caller enters their password which you 
assigned, the caller can type commands that make your PC do assorted 
operations. You can define in advance which of the following operations each 
caller can do.

    Examine the answering PC's disk directories or read its text files (you 
     can restrict callers to given drives or directories).
    Command the answering PC to send a file or a batch of files.
    Command the answering PC to receive a file or a batch of files.
    Have the answering PC print files on its printer.
    Do file or disk management on the answering PC, using COPY, DELETE, 
     RENAME, CHDIR, MKDIR, or RMDIR.
    Run scripts on the answering PC scripts written to provide custom services 
     to callers, or to perform operations on the answering PC.
    Callers with FreeComm and HyperTerminal can see and use the answering 
     PC's programs and operating system almost as if their monitors and 
     keyboards were attached to the answering PC. (Other callers can start 
     programs that update databases, compile code, process data, or perform 
     other tasks where it is unnecessary for callers to see or interact with 
     the program.)
     
Note: Watching callers control your PC may feel strange at first. Keep in 
mind that callers control your PC by typing on their keyboards, and that you 
need not type anything on your keyboard to help them.
     
Though Answer mode accepts calls from computers of all kinds regardless of 
the communications software they are using, callers with FreeComm enjoy faster 
transfers and more extensive remote control. For easy, step-by-step 
instructions on FreeComm-to-FreeComm communications, see Chapter 9.

After you've put FreeComm into Answer mode, you can leave your PC if you like; 
it can accept call after call with no assistance from you. For example, you 
can put it into Answer mode when you leave the office, so you can access it 
later from your home PC, or from a laptop PC when you're on the road.
     
Note: PCs are designed for continuous duty so you can leave it on overnight.


                         8.2 Preparing to answer calls
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To answer telephone calls or to act as a host to other computers through 
direct-cable connections, you use the Answer menu. To display the Answer menu, 
select "Answer" from the Main menu.

To prepare to answer calls:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Set your modem switches as in Appendix A; incorrect settings may not 
     have hindered you from placing calls, but will prevent answering. If 
     your modem has only software switches, you may skip this step.
2.   Correct Answer mode settings as needed. To change port settings, select 
     Communications port (see Chapter 10 for a similar menu). To change modem 
     settings, select "Hardware" and "Modem" (see Chapter 8.11). To change 
     printer settings, select "Hardware" and "Printer" (see Chapter 10 for a 
     similar menu). To change miscellaneous settings that affect answering, 
     select "Assorted settings" (see Chapter 8).
3.   If you want to review or change passwords, select "Manage password list" 
     (see Chapter 8). You may want to delete the initial passwords and create 
     new ones.
4.   Select "Wait for data calls". This puts FreeComm in Answer mode, ready 
     to receive calls.
     
You may leave your PC now. If you're leaving for an extended period, you may 
want to dim or turn off your monitor, to prolong its life. Many businesses 
leave a PC in Answer mode around the clock, to take calls from branch offices 
or clients.

When you're done answering calls or want to use your PC for other purposes, 
press ESC to return to the Answer menu.
     
Technical details on Answer mode 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you select "Wait for data calls", FreeComm runs the ANSWER script, which 
prepares the modem to answer, and interacts with callers. This script remains 
in control until you exit Answer mode. Source code for this script (ANSWER.HP) 
is available in case expert users want to make changes to it; most users are 
not expected to understand this long, complex script. 
     
Note: Settings on the System settings menu do not affect Answer mode. Select 
"Wait for data calls" without adjusting these settings.

Waiting for calls in the background
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
Under DOS, you can wait for calls in the background by using FreeComm with 
multitasking software such as DoubleDOS, DESQView, or Windows 3.X. (FreeComm 
does not have a built-in background mode; DOS programs with background modes 
often cause hardware and software conflicts.)

Waiting for calls on more than one modem simultaneously
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
DOS multitasking software such as DESQView, or Windows and a PC with 
sufficient memory, ports, and modems, you can run several copies of FreeComm 
simultaneously, each from its own directory, answering its own modem.

Answering with "dumb" modems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
If your modem is a type which cannot be configured to autoanswer (such as a 
direct-connect or acoustic-coupled modem), FreeComm will instruct you to 
prepare it to answer. With some modems, calls can be answered only when you're 
present.


                      8.3 How callers should configure
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Callers with FreeComm do not have to adjust settings they can follow steps in 
the next chapter. People with other communications software should configure 
their software to use settings given below.

Settings that callers should use:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8 data bits
1 stop bit
No parity
Full duplex
Respond to XOFF / XON when sending
Do not send line feeds at line ends
Do not append line feeds to received lines
Do not echo received characters

Note: These settings apply only to callers. As the answerer, you need only to 
follow steps in Chapter 8 to have proper settings invoked automatically.          

A caller may use any kind of modem and any baud rate which both his modem and 
yours can support. When the caller connects with your PC, Answer mode 
automatically determines his baud rate and switches to that baud rate if 
necessary.
     

                        8.4 How callers connect and sign on
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For callers to connect and sign on:

1.   The caller should first configure his computer as described in Chapter 8, 
     then call your PC.
2.   When the caller connects, your PC matches his baud rate and displays 
     "Enter password:" on his screen; usually this occurs automatically. 
Note: Some callers may need to press ENTER a few times (about once per second), 
to bring it about. It is important that the caller gets the "Enter password:" 
prompt.
3.   The caller should enter the password you've given him. Until you've 
     defined new passwords, callers can enter limit or unlimit. Passwords may 
     be entered in upper-, lower-, or mixed-case letters. For security, the 
     password never displays on either computer while the caller is entering 
     it. 

If Incorrect password displays, even when a caller enters a valid password, 
line noise may be the cause. (You can't rule out line noise just because 
"Enter password:" displayed properly; it's common for line noise to affect 
data in one direction, but not the other.) Noisy connections can be random; 
calling again may help. If the problem persists, contact the phone company.

If the answering PC displays "Enter password:" just once, then seems to 
ignore the caller's attempts to enter a password, the modems may have 
established an unworkable connection. Modems from different manufacturers 
sometimes seem to connect, but then are able to pass data in only one 
direction. Try calling again, or using a different baud rate.
4.   If prompted to do so, the caller should enter his name. He can then 
     command your PC as described in Chapter 8.
     

                       8.5 How callers command your PC
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Though the privileges you give each caller may vary, all callers use the same 
general procedure to command your PC. Callers are met by this prompt:

Type HELP for a list of commands
[DFC host] C:\DFC>_

This may look like the command prompt of the answering PC, but it is not. 
This is a command interface created by FreeComm, which allows only the 
privileges you authorize. Only callers with FreeComm, who are authorized to 
access your operating system, can ever reach your real command prompt 
(by entering DOS at this prompt).

To see a list of available commands, the caller types HELP and presses ENTER. 
To see a detailed explanation of a particular command, the caller types HELP 
followed by that command. Use of each command is discussed in Appendix E.
When a caller types HELP, the list of commands he will see depends on the 
privileges you have given him. For example, callers who use the password 
unlimit have unlimited privileges, and will see the list below:

[DFC host] C:\DFC>HELP
QUIT --disconnect from host   CHAT  --type messages to operator
DIR  --view host directories  CHDIR --move to another directory
FIND --find files on host     TYPE  --read host text files
SEND HSEND KSEND XSEND YSEND GYSEND ZSEND --make host send
REC  HREC  KREC  XREC  YREC  GYREC  ZREC  --make host receive
COPY DELETE RENAME MKDIR RMDIR  --manage files and directories
PRINT    -- print files on host's printer
DOS      -- remotely operate host's operating system
MAIL     -- a special-purpose command defined by host operator
For more help, enter HELP followed by one of the above commands
     
[DFC host] C:\DFC>_

To control the answering PC, the caller enters commands after the [DFC host] 
prompt (which includes the current drive and directory, followed by >).

To avoid confusion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     At the answering PC, resist the urge to type commands at the [DFC host] 
     prompt, as this may confuse the caller. When at the calling PC, keep in 
     mind that the commands you enter at the [DFC host] prompt control the 
     answering PC only, not the calling PC. The following examples clarify 
     this.

Examples of command use
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    To see a directory of the answering PC's files, the caller can enter DIR, 
     or can enter DIR followed by a directory or a filename containing * or ?.
     To read one of the answering PC's text files, the caller can enter TYPE 
     followed by the filename.
    To make the answering PC send a file using Xmodem protocol, the caller 
     could enter XSEND and a filename. When the answering PC displays Ready 
     to send, the caller must then issue whatever commands are necessary to 
     make the calling computer's software receive with Xmodem protocol.


                    8.6 Assigning passwords & access levels
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FreeComm comes with pre-defined passwords, so you won't have to define 
passwords at the outset. By creating new passwords, you can enhance security 
and give each caller the kind of access that suits your needs.

To add a password:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   From the Answer menu, select "Manage password list". If a master 
     password exists, it must be entered now to display the Password List 
     (see Chapter 8). The list can be up to 2,000 passwords long; you can 
     change pages with PGUP and PGDN, and jump to the beginning or end with 
     CTRL-PGUP and CTRL-PGDN.
2.   Select "Add".
3.   Enter a password of up to 20 alphanumeric characters. Passwords can 
     include regular alphanumeric characters and spaces, as well as control 
     or extended ASCII characters. Enter no password if you want to let all 
     callers access your PC without passwords.
4.   When the Privileges menu appears, select Name of caller and enter the 
     caller's name. If you're unsure who you'll give this password to, or if 
     you may give it to many callers, enter no name; callers will be asked 
     for their names when they log on. The caller name can include spaces. 
     Its maximum length depends on the password. For example, a 6-character 
     password would leave room for a 20-character name.
5.   You may now select and set the options described below. When you're done 
     defining privileges for this caller, press ESC to leave the Privileges 
     menu.
     
Read
~~~~
Set this to "Yes" to let the caller use TYPE to view your files, and SEND, 
HSEND, ZSEND, XSEND, YSEND, GYSEND, and KSEND to pick up files from your PC. 
To prevent access to files, set this to "No".
    
