A-Talk for the Windows 95 Operating System Version 2.0.0.100 Beta May 6, 1994 Copyright (C) 1986-1995 Felsina Software, Inc. Enclosed is a "timed out" version of A-Talk for Windows 95. This copy will stop working on December 31, 1995. A commercial version that works on Windows NT 3.5X is available for Intel, MIPS and PowerPC platforms. The final version of the enclosed product will run under both Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 or later. This file documents changes/additions to the A-Talk User's Manual performed after the manual went to press. SUMMARY 0. Windows 95 Preview Edition Limitations 1. Additional VT220 Mappings 2. SCROLL-LOCK Usage 3. F1 Key Behavior 4. Microsoft Office Compatible features 5. Modified Menu Structure 6. Speech no longer supported 7. Standard "Send" item 8. Additional Help 9. ZMODEM Enhancements 10. RTS/CTS Default 11. Windows NT Installation 12. Windows NT Home Directory 13. Additional Mail Support 14. Additional Baud Rate Supported 15. 32-bit version of Script Editor 0. Windows 95 Preview Edition ----------------------------- Version 2.0 Beta of A-Talk for Windows 95 supports the following features of Windows 95: + Explorer windows + Long file names Version 2.0 Beta of A-Talk for Windows 95 has the following limitations: + Script Editor can edit new files, save files but not open old files. This is a bug in Windows 95 Preview Edition. + Network DDE menus do not appear. This is also a bug in the Windows 95 Preview edition. 1. Additional VT220 Mappings ---------------------------- VT220 Top Row Function Keys IBM-PC Key VT220 Key VT220 Mode VT100 Mode ---------- --------- ---------- ---------- Alt-F3 F13 CSI 2 5 ~ LF Alt-F4 (Windows Close) - - Alt-F5 Help (F15) CSI 2 8 ~ - Alt-F6 Do (F16) CSI 2 9 ~ - Alt-F7 F17 CSI 3 1 ~ - Alt-F8 F18 CSI 3 2 ~ - Alt-F9 F19 CSI 3 3 ~ - Alt-F10 F20 CSI 3 4 ~ - Alt-F11 F14 CSI 2 6 ~ - Editing Keys IBM-PC Key VT220 Key VT220 Mode VT100 Mode ---------- --------- ---------- ---------- Home Find CSI 1 ~ - Insert Insert Here CSI 2 ~ - End Remove CSI 3 ~ - Ctrl-DEL (*) Select CSI 4 ~ - Page Up Prev Screen CSI 5 ~ - Page Down Next Screen CSI 6 ~ - (*) Note: Ctrl-DEL used since DEL is already taken. 2. SCROLL-LOCK Usage -------------------- The Scroll Lock key on the IBM keyboard now perform the VT220 Hold Screen function. It shopuld be used with RTS/CTS or XON/XOFF. 3. F1 Key Behavior ------------------ The default behavior of the F1 key is PF1 emulation. The Options Preferences dialog allows the F1 key to be mapped to the Windows Help key. The selection may be saved in the default settings file, by executing a File Save. Similarly the CTRL-keys default to emulations keys. Their behavior may also be changed to correspond to the Microsoft Office Accelerators (see next item). 4. Microsoft Office Compatible features --------------------------------------- A-Talk for Windows now includes Microsoft Office Compatible features such as a standard Toolbar, Tooltips, Status Bar, Dialogs, Help and Shortcut menus. The toolbar now includes buttons for Script, Script Editor, Split Window and Send mail. The Status Bar now includes additional fields for status of the connected system and currently used emulator. The F1 and Ctrl-Keys may be used as the standard Office accelerators by selecting Options Preferences, "Use Function and Control Keys for Windows". In the default unselected state, the user must also use the Shift key to invoke the accelerators. For example, the Office Ctrl+C accelerator, which invokes Edit Copy, uses Ctrl+Shift+C when control keys are not in use for Windows. Pressing the right mouse button brings up the Shortcut menu, which includes support for Edit Cut, Copy and Paste, Options Preferences and Format Font. 5. Modified Menu Structure -------------------------- A-Talk 1.5 is now a certified Microsoft Office Compatible product. To obtain this certification, A-Talk had to undergo slight modifications to the menu structure. There are now two additional menus: the Format menu includes items related to the selection of font, color and VT Setup functions. These items are documented in the Options menu in the printed manual. The Tools menu includes items related to editing, executing and generating scripts. These items are documented in the Phone menu in the printed manual. The File "Print Setup" menu has been renamed "Page Setup" (Chapter 4, pp 3-4). The "Setup" button in the File Print dialkg has been renamed "Printer" (Chapter 4, pp. 4-5). 6. Speech no longer supported ----------------------------- Due to the fact that the Monologue for Windows SPEECH.DLL is no longer available from its publisher, we regrettfully had to remove support for it from A-Talk. The appropriate section in the manual, entitled Speech (chapter 7, pp. 29-30), no longer applies to A-Talk. 7. Standard "Send" item ----------------------- A-Talk is now using the standard name "Send", instead of "Send To" (in the Edit menu) to invoke mail (either MAPI or VIM). As a result, sending a selection to the host is now called "Send To Host", instead of "Send" (see Chapter 5, pp. 1-5). 8. Additional Help ------------------ The Help Contents screen now includes specific help on: Using A-Talk, Examples and Demos, Reference Information, Programming with A-Talk and Technical Support. 9. ZMODEM Enhancements ---------------------- When using ZMODEM protocol, the following additional features are available: * ZMODEM autodownload is supported with all emulators * ZMODEM autoupload is supported with all emulators (you must select the file(s) to upload, of course) * File Date is restored on upload to UNIX hosts (the time may be off bvy a few 8 hours depending on your local time zone) * File Date is restored on download from UNIX hosts * Upload/Download directory is retained (also with B+) * End-of-line translation is used when transferring a text file 10. RTS/CTS Default ------------------- A-Talk now defaults to RTS/CTS handshake as most newer models of modems require such a setting to properly work at high speeds. 11. Windows NT Installation --------------------------- A-Talk for Windows NT requires Windows NT 3.5 or later. A-Talk supports multiple users and should be installed by a user with Administrator privileges, so that it can be shared among users. A-Talk, be default, will install itself in the C:\WIN32APP\ATALK subdirectory. This directory is assured by Microsoft to be set up with appropriate protections for shared usage. 12. Windows NT Home Directory ----------------------------- A-Talk for Windows NT supports multiple users running on the same machine. For this purpose, A-Talk uses the Home Directory path that should be set up when adding a user to Windows NT. Be default, the home directory field is empty. In this case, Windows NT returns \users\defaults as the home directory path. Both the phonebook and the script editor use the home directory path to find individual user's phonebooks and scripts. The system administrator specifies a home directory in the User Manager, in the user profile properties. Windows NT sets the following three environment variables based on the value of the home directory: HOMEDRIVE, HOMEPATH and HOMESHARE. For example, these three environment variables could contain the following: HOMEDRIVE=: HOMEPATH=\ HOMESHARE=\\\ Note: HOMESHARE could contain a local drive instead of a server and share. If no home directory is specified, Windows NT uses the following values by default: HOMEDRIVE= HOMEPATH=\users\default HOMESHARE= Note: if the \USERS\DEFAULT directory does not exist on the drive that has Windows NT installed, HOMEPATH is set to the \USERS directory on that drive; if the \USERS directory does not exist, HOMEPATH is set to the drive that has Windows NT installed. When using thr Command Prompt, the SET command may be used to display the values of the environment variables. A-Talk uses the HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH to find the user's home directory, and will decide the location of its files, in the following order, For Scripts: 1. \users\username\scripts, if available, otherwise try: 2. \users\default\script, if available, otherwise try 3. \win32app\atalk\scripts For Phonebooks: 1. \users\username\settings, if available, otherwise try: 2. \users\default\settings, if available, otherwise try 3. \win32app\atalk\settings Therefore, a system administrator that allows multiple accounts on the same machine, may select one of the following policies: a) Each user has his own phonebook and scripts. Two directories should be made in this case, for each user, such as \users\paul\scripts and \users\paul\settings. b) Users share the same phonebook and scripts. Two directories should be made in this case: \users\default\scripts and \users\default\settings. We urge administrators to add the appropriate home directory to all users of A-Talk. settings IMPORTANT NOTE: After creating the Home Directory, the administrator should also copy the ATALK.INI file from C:\WIN32APP\ATALK to the individual user's home directories. 13. Additional Mail Support --------------------------- When used with Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, Microsoft Mail 3.2 or Lotus cc:Mail, it is now possible to "forward" the last downloaded file as a Mail "attachment". Invoking the File Send menu item attaches such a file to the mail message. The menu item is disabled until the first file is downloaded, using any of the available file transfer protocols: X/Y/ZMODEM, Kermit or CompuServe B+. 14. Additional Baud Rate Supported ---------------------------------- To provide better support for the newer high-speed modems (28.8K), an additional baud rate of 115,200 is available. Please note that any baud rate above 19,200 should be used only with RTS/CTS (hardware) handshake on, and with machines that include a buffered serial chip (like a 16550 UART). 15. 32-bit version of Script Editor ----------------------------------- The current version of A-Talk for Windows NT now includes a full 32-bit version of the A-Talk Script Editor. The Script Editor support multiple users script directories as outlined in section 12, above.