MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page 22 B U F F E R E N T R Y Main Menu Option 7 Selecting this option will present you with a blank screen. Simply type in any desired data or messages that you wish to send, a screenful at a time. To edit, just use the arrow keys to move the blue, nondestructive cursor anywhere that you wish on the screen. The orange blocks that you'll see when you hit indicate where you have "carriage return" characters on the screen. This is a convenience feature of MIKEYTERM, since it allows you to enter your text in lines of a certain length. The Color Computer displays lines 32 characters long, so you may enter lines up to 64 characters long, for example, by simply entering the data until two screen lines are almost full on your screen. Pressing the at this point will terminate the line with a carriage return, and ensure that the length of the line doesn't exceed 64 characters. Similarly, 80-character lines can be entered by pressing the after two and one-half lines or less have been entered. Some editors that are used on BBS's or CompuServe (in particular) will not allow lines longer than a certain preset limit, say 64 or 80 characters. MIKEYTERM, by displaying the carriage return characters on the screen as orange blocks, allows you to avoid the frustration of having to edit the contents of the buffer in order to deal with this problem. To put the screen in the buffer, just press the . Your screen data will be appended to any existing data in the buffer, and then you will be returned to the Main Menu. NOTE: Once the screen data has been moved to the buffer, it CANNOT be edited further by MIKEYTERM. It is advisable to edit the text carefully BEFORE pressing the . If you desire, you may enter more data into the buffer by re-entering BUFFER ENTRY mode. The DISPLAY mode may be used to view or print the buffer contents or portion thereof. If you wish to abort and return to the Main Menu without moving any screen data to the buffer, then use +. MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page 23 C H A N G E P A R A M E T E R S Main Menu Option 8 This menu option will allow you to view or change some of the internal parameters used by MIKEYTERM. Use the up and down arrow keys to position the "->" marker on the line that contains the parameter to be changed. Use the key to toggle the selected option through its allowable parameters. When the parameter reads as desired, nothing further is required. The options are then set as they are displayed. The baud rate for the printer may be set from this menu also. Instead of entering a phone number, type an "*" followed by the hexadecimal value that you would normally POKE into locations &H95 & &H96 (149 and 150 in decimal). Leading zeroes are not required but you many use them if you choose. If more than 4 hexadecimal characacters are entered, only the last 4 are used. To use MIKEYTERM with a 1200 baud printer, for example, you would enter "*0029" or just "*29". (Don't use the quotes, of course.) Naturally, the printer and the modem may not be used simultaneously, due to current hardware and software limitations of the Color Computer. The will return you to Communications, while the key will return you to the Main Menu. Miscellaneous Notes: When 8-bit word length is selected, parity is automatically set to "NONE". This is a requirement and may not be modified. When half duplex is selected, "Linefeed on carriage return" is automatically set to "YES". This is the usual case for successful operation by your Color Computer, but may be changed to "no" if desired. Note also that in half-duplex mode, the characters that you send from the keyboard will NOT be stored in the buffer since they are not received from the serial interface. (A half-duplex host doesn't "echo" the characters you send back to you, as a full-duplex host would.) MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page 24 E X I T Main Menu Option * Typing an "*" (asterisk) at the Main Menu will produce the prompt: ARE YOU SURE ? (Y) Any reply other than a 'Y' will return you to the Main Menu. A 'Y' will reset all disk drive heads to track zero (if a disk system is in use) and then initialize BASIC. MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page A-1 Going Online F-A-S-T Since MIKEYTERM is supplied pre-configured for successful operation with most BBS's and information services, there really isn't a reason to avoid going online NOW! It's EASY! First, just type in LOADM "": EXEC. The is the name you've given to your customized version of MIKEYTERM if you've run the "CNFG47" program, or use "MTRM47" if you're running from a BACKUP copy of the distribution disk. After the program is loaded into your computer, you'll see MIKEYTERM's distinctive title screen displayed. At this point, you'll probably just want to push the "1" to enter communications mode, unless you need to alter some of the default settings. Don't worry about pressing the wrong keys. If you happen to make a mistake, the key will exit all modes except Communications, where you'll have to use either control-5 or -7. If you press any key other than those between 1-8 or the <*> key, you'll receive the "*-INVALID OPTION-*" message from MIKEYTERM. In any case, you haven't harmed anything. Next, dial your favorite BBS or information service, (use the directions supplied by that service) and await the high-pitched tone from the distant modem. When you hear it, just put your modem into the "ORIGINATE" position, (see your modem instructions for information if you need it) and you're ONLINE with the host! At this point, you'll need to transmit either a control-C or an to get the ball rolling. After that, you've successfully entered the fascinating world of TELECOMPUTING! Have FUN!! MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page B-1 Q U I C K S U M M A R Y I. COMMUNICATIONS Mode: A. Special Characters To Send Press these keys Control characters: + control key Horizontal tab: + [ ] + Escape + Rubout + <-> True line break + B. Control Key Designations: 1 Open/close the buffer 2 Adjust RS232 pack baud rate between 110 and 9600 baud 3 XMODEM transmit from the buffer 4 XMODEM receive into the buffer 5 Exit Communication into Display mode 6 Send predefined text string 7 Exit Communication and go to the Main Menu 8 Send predefined text string 9 Transmit the buffer 0 Send predefined text string MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page B-2 II. DISPLAY Mode: op Move to the top of the buffer ottom Move to the bottom of the buffer Move down one line Move up one line + Move down a full screen + Move up 12 lines

rint Print the contents of the buffer Return to MIKEYTERM's Main Menu Return to Communication mode ind Find a character string in the buffer ext Find next occurrence of search string MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page C-1 A Brief Description of the XMODEM Protocol The following description of XMODEM protocol is included as background information for the technically interested, and may be omitted by others. XMODEM is an asynchronous, "receiver driven" file transfer protocol that is configured for 8 data bits, no parity, and one stop bit. The protocol imposes no restrictions on the contents of the data being transmitted. No checks are performed for control characters in the 128-byte data blocks. Absolutely any kind of data may be sent - binary, ASCII, "compressed" BASIC, etc. The protocol has not yet been formally adapted to a 7-bit environment for the transmission of ASCII-only (or unpacked hex) data. XMODEM's popularity is due to the fact that it is an "Error Detecting, Error Correcting" protocol. Transmission errors due to phone line noise or other electrical disturbances will be detected and the block containing the error will be retried up to 10 times. After 10 consecutive errors or "timeouts" the transmission is aborted with a message indicating the reason. MIKEYTERM transmits only from the buffer. By using a buffer, MIKEYTERM eliminates the time-consuming disk access time that's found in some other terminal programs. Once the protocol is put into effect, the transmitter waits for the receiver to send an NAK character (ASCII 21). Meanwhile, the receiver sends NAK signals every ten seconds. Once the transmitter detects an NAK, it starts to send the file in sections of 128 bytes. Actually, more than 128 bytes are sent for each block. At the beginning of the block is an SOH character (ASCII 01), followed by the ASCII character representing the block number, followed by the ASCII character of the "one's complement" of the block number. Then the 128 bytes of the file are sent. Finally, the block concludes with a hex byte that represents the sum of the ASCII values of the 128 bytes sent (the "checksum" character). A typical data block looks like this: 1-byte SOH ("Start of Header", or hex 1) 1-byte block number, starting with 1 1-byte complement of the block number (255-block #) 1 block of 128 bytes of data 1-byte checksum: The sum of the data bytes only, discarding any carry The way that file transfer proceeds is something like this: since the protocol is "receiver driven", the sender waits for the receiver to send him an initial NAK ("negative acknowledgement", which is a hexadecimal 15). Then a block is sent and the sender waits for the receiver to send MIKEYTERM Users Manual Version 4.7 Page C-2 either a NAK or an ACK ("positive acknowledgement", which is a hexadecimal 6). The receiver checks the block to verify that everything is in order. First it makes sure that the block started with an SOH. Then it makes sure that the block number is correct. Then it performs its own calculations on the 128 data bytes and compares its own checksum with the one received from the transmitter. If everything is in order, the receiver sends an ACK character (ASCII 06) to the transmitter, indicating that the next block is to be sent. If the receiver can't verify, it sends an NAK, requesting that the block be sent again. This continues, block by block, until the entire file has been sent and verified. At the end of the file, the transmitter sends an EOT character (ASCII 04). The receiver acknowledges the EOT with an ACK, and the transfer terminates. MIKEYTERM uses a few deviations from the XMODEM standard that permit the user to transmit ASCII files freely. This deviation, while not part of the original specification, is consistent with the recommendation of the author of the XMODEM protocol for purposes of adapting it to a 7-bit environment. The differences are listed here in brief: 1. A linefeed/carriage-return pair is inserted at the end of the data to be transmitted. This ensures that the last data line ends with a carriage-return. 2. A linefeed is inserted after each carriage-return if one does not already follow it in the buffer. 3. Blocks are padded with 127 blanks with a carriage return in the 128th position. This ensures that the last block, if shorter than 128 bytes, will be terminated with a carriage-return. 4. The user will be prompted as to whether the file is in ASCII format when XMODEM TRANSMIT is selected. (Control-3 while in Communications.) Answer [Y] or [ENTER] if so, and Mikeyterm will handle the rest for you. Binary files will be sent "as-is". The End