TIC - Talk is Cheap Copyright 1987 By Donald Elton Carolina System Software Documentation: -------------- This is an abbreviated documentation file intended to give you enough information about TIC to let you try it out while you decide if you want to buy the full package that includes the complete 40 page user's guide. It is not all inclusive and the package you downloaded isn't all inclusive either but is there to let you 'try before you buy'. Features: --------- TIC is a ProDOS based terminal program for the Apple //e and Apple //c personal computers with an Apple Super Serial card or equivalent in slot 2 and an optional printer attached to slot 1. TIC also supports the new Apple IIgs with either an Apple Super Serial card plugged into slot 2 or using the built-in IIgs serial port. This program supports a standard TTY terminal mode along with several terminal emulations and file transfer protocols: xmodem, xmodem crc, ymodem, ymodem crc, turbo xmodem/ymodem and Ascii Express (tm USII) protocol for ProDOS file transfers. Ascii text uploads are also supported using x-on/x-off protocol with user selectable prompt, character, and line delays. A copy buffer can be used to record an online session or to download a file where protocol modes are not available. The copy buffer may be saved to disk either automatically when the buffer fills or manually. Getting Online: --------------- TIC automatically places you right in terminal mode as soon as you leave the title screen. You can dial your modem either manually by typing in the commands that your modem recognizes (see your modem manual) or under the control of command/macro files (described below). It's usually best to get comfortable with the manual method before venturing to use the command files. For Hayes compatible modems you can dial the phone by typing ATD followed by the phone number and then hit the RETURN key. Hardware Set-up: ---------------- Note that in order to use this program with the Apple Super Serial card you must have switch 6, block 2 turned to the ON position thus enabling interrupts. If you are using this program with the Apple IIgs port then you need to set your Control panel to select MODEM PORT for slot 2. Depending on your cable you may need to set the modem port to DCD HANDSHAKE OFF. The other options on the modem port screen should be left at their default values as TIC will control them directly. About Shareware: ---------------- This is a Shareware program. This means that it is distributed primarily electronically via bulletin board programs and information systems. You may distribute this program freely with the stipulation that users of the program are advised of the shareware nature of this product. I ask that if you use this program that you send me $30 to help support me in writing programs like this. Given that competitive products for the Apple generally sell for twice this amount I think this is a fair thing to ask. In return for the $30 you get a nice manual, technical support, update notices, and a good feeling inside for helping to keep down the high cost of quality apple software. If this product gets good user support via the shareware agreement then it will continue to be updated with new features, largely at the suggestions of users. Shareware distribution has the potential of being a great way to distribute great apple software at minimal prices because of the minimal distribution costs. Help keep a good thing going and send your check today to: Don Elton 3207 Berkeley Forest Drive Columbia, SC 29209-4111 803 776 3936 (300-2400 baud) If you'd like to make any comments or suggestions concerning TIC please feel free to send them to me at the above address. Commisions: ----------- Oh yeah, new idea. The copy of TIC that you are using has a Serial number affixed to the title screen. This is the serial number of the user who registered the copy you are using. If this serial number is 0 then you got this copy directly from me. When you register TIC you should list the serial number of the copy of TIC you were using so I can send a $5 finder's fee to the person who actually registered the copy you first tried out. This will work the same for you too... This means that if you give 10 copies of TIC away to friends and all 10 of them register the program by paying the $30 shareware fee then I'll mail you a check for $50. If you upload the program to a bulletin board and 100 people register and give your serial number with their order then I mail you $500. Just another incentive for you to register the program yourself and to encourage others to do the same. Thanks for your support. Terminal Emulation: ------------------- TIC can now do screen emulation of many popular terminals. This is accomplished by the loading of special termcap definition files which contain the necessary translation tables to do the particular emulation. The default is TTY (no emulation). You may specify the termcap definition file you want to use from the OA-M menu. From this entry (9) you enter the pathname required to reach the termcap file assuming that the prefix is set to the root directory. You may optionally use a full pathname at this entry. You may also specify a termcap file using the EMULATE statement from a command file. Note that ZOOM mode is only available from TTY mode. You may use the supplied DEFTERM basic program to define your own terminals. You need to have some idea of what makes up a terminal emulation to use this program so do so at your own risk. Note that TIC can only emulate terminals that are based on binary codes. This leaves out the VT-100/VT-200 series since they are based on ascii codes. They may be supported in a future version of TIC. Command File Documentation: -------------------------- Talk is Cheap (TIC) versions 0.27 and above support a powerful Command file feature that allows a user to automate most functions internal to TIC. This document is a supplemental user's guide to describe how the Command file feature works and to specify the language of statements used within Command files. There are also several new features, not related to Command files that have been added to TIC as a result of user suggestions. Note: OA-X refers to the Open Apple plus "X" key combination. CA-X refers to the Closed Apple plus "X" key combination. Note that the newer Apple IIgs and //e keyboards substitute "OPTION" for the Closed Apple key. TIC now supports powerful Command files. These Command files, if properly named, are automatically executed when you press the Closed Apple key together with a letter key or they may be specified manually using the OA-X command described above. If the user presses the CA-A combination then TIC will look for a file named "TIC.KEY.A" to execute as a command file. Command files that are executed as keyboard Macros are called Macro Command Files. In order for TIC to find its Command files, TIC keeps up with the concept of a Root directory. The Root directory is the directory that TIC resides in when it is run. All Macro Command Files must reside in the Root directory. At startup time, if a file named "TIC.STARTUP" is found in the Root directory then TIC will execute it as a Command file automatically. If you are using a program selector such as the Extended Command Processor (ECP) then you may specify an alternate startup Command file at run-time by specifying the alternate file name after the TIC file name: :tic The above would start TIC and force TIC to execute as the startup Command file. In order to invoke Macro Command files, you must have a text file named TIC.MACROS in TIC's Root directory. Each line of this file should begin with the letter of a valid Macro key. i.e. if you start a line in TIC.MACROS with "A" then you should have a file named "TIC.KEY.A" in the same Root directory with TIC. The remainder of the line should start immediately after the letter identifier and should be the name of the service associated with the particular Macro key. An example TIC.MACROS file might contain: aApple BBS bRadio Shack BBS cMy BBS fYour BBS Most Command file operations can be aborted by pressing the ESC key. There may be a short delay in aborting certain Command file functions. TIC Command file Syntax: TIC Command files are text files created by any text editor. They consist of lines of text with a single command per line. Blank lines are ignored as are leading and trailing spaces which may be included in the file to improve readability. Upper and lower case characters are allowed and will not affect parsing. TIC does not check the file type of Command files. Command List: # This is the comment character. It is a command that is ignored. One or more blank characters must follow the # symbol. Labels are defined as the first word following the # symbol. Thus to encode the label 'start' in a Command file you would use the following: # start <-- this is a label.. "Start" BUFFER ON Turns on the recording buffer. BUFFER OFF Turns off the recording buffer. BUFFER CLEAR Erases the recording buffer. BUFFER SAVE Saves the recording buffer to the autosave file. BUFFER WRITE Saves the recording buffer to . DISPLAY The is displayed to the CRT. may contain imbedded control characters or you may encode them by prefixing a letter key with the "^" symbol. Thus, "^C" is Control-C. Use "^^" to encode a single "^" character literally. Note that the characters displayed are sent to the CRT using the communications console driver so carriage returns and line feeds must be encoded separately as "^M^J". Either single or double quotes are required if contains imbedded blanks. DO