
      Opus Terminal

      A terminal emulation program for the Atari ST.
                  
      Written by Daniel Sthl.
      
      FidoNet:  Daniel Stahl 2:200/409.7 or 2:200/404.7
      InterNet: d90ds@efd.lth.se




      Users manual version 0.5, 910721 by Ilja Hallberg. 

      1.  - Introduction

      1.1 Some features
      1.2 Hardware requirements
      1.3 User support
      1.4 Disclaimer

      2.  - Using Opus terminal

      2.1 Modes of operation
      2.2 Basic preparations
      2.3 Dialling
      2.4 Translation table
      2.5 File transfer
      2.6 Function keys
      2.7 Disk capture
      2.8 Miscellaneous

      Appendices

     I.  INT. CHARACTERS
    II.  KEYBOARD EMULATION



1. - INTRODUCTION


1.1 Some features                   

      Opus  Terminal is mainly designed for communicating with  the  BBS 
program OPUS.  It correctly interprets all escape  sequences,  including 
colour, conforming to ANSI/VT100 or the special OPUS protocol AVATAR. It 
will  use  blitter if present or directly address the screen  memory  in 
terminal mode,  thus making screen redraw very fast even with high speed 
modems.  Opus Terminal has a built in translation table which allows for 
correct interpretation of language specific characters.


1.2 Hardware requirements

      You need a Atari ST with a SM124 monochrome monitor or equivalent. 
Any memory configuration above 500K will do. The program has been tested 
with TOS 1.0,  1.2,  1.6 (STe) and 2.0.  It will probably work with  TOS 
1.4. You also need a modem.


1.3 User support

      This  program  is  free.  You  may use it at  home  for  your  own 
enjoyment.  You  may also give it to friends or upload it to a  bulletin 
board system,  but only as long as all files are included and AS LONG AS 
NO  FEE IS TAKEN IN EXCHANGE.  The use of this program in a business  or 
corporation  is granted only under special license agreements  with  the 
author.
      If  you  enjoy the program and decide to use it  please  send  the 
author a postcard as a tribute to his programming effort.  You may  also 
receive  the  latest  version  of Opus  Terminal  by  sending  an  empty 
formatted  diskette in a self addressed envelope to the  author,  please 
supply   enough  international reply coupons to send it  back.  All  bug 
reports  and suggestions are welcomed.  The address can be found in  the 
program.


1.4 Disclaimer

      The author takes no responsibility to whatever happends when using 
Opus  Terminal.  You  use  it at your own risk.  The  program  has  been 
thoroughly tested and if the program turns your computer into a  toaster 
or vice versa, I'm surprised and indeed very sorry.




2. - USING OPUS TERMINAL


2.1 Modes of operation

      Usage of the program is divided into two modes,  menu and terminal 
mode,  you  switch between them by pressing <Help>.  After  startup  you 
enter menu mode. Everything not concerning on-line typing and reading is 
done  here.  Terminal  mode  is used when you want  to  write  something 
directly to your modem or when a connection to another computer is made. 
In  terminal  mode  you find a information line at  the  bottom  of  the 
screen:

________________________________________________________________________
OPUS Terminal  | Ansi |  _______________________ |            | 00:00:00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
     |           |                |                      |           |
     V           |                |                      |           |
   (name)        |                |                      |           |
                 V                |                      |           |
             (emulation currently in use)                |           |
                                  |                      |           |
                                  V                      |           |
                          (last message from modem,  ex: CONNECT 2400)
                                                         |           |
                                                         V           |
                                                (reserved for expansion)
                                                                     |
                                                                     V
                                         (time on-line since connection)

You  can switch between the modes while receiving,  since incoming  data 
from the modem is buffered in a 8 Kbyte buffer. Remember that 8 Kbyte is 
a lot more than a full screen.
      The  clock will measure time from the moment your modem sends  the 
signal CD (Carrier Detect).  Some modem cables exclude this  wire,  with 
the obvious result of a non working clock.


2.2 Basic preparations

      Before  using Opus Terminal as a terminal you must configure  some 
settings. All settings can be found under menu item "Settings":

"RS232"
Set the correct transmission speed between your computer and your  modem 
by  selecting   the  appropriate button.  Further you  must  select  the 
characteristics of the transmission:  Flow,  parity, number of data bits 
and number of stop bits.  Those charactersistics depend on the  computer 
and modem setup on the other end of the line.

"Terminal emulation"
Incoming escape sequences are always correctly interpreted whether  they 
are  ANSI or AVATAR.  However you must select the appropriate  mode  for 
Opus Terminal to interpret the non-ASCII characters of the keyboard; you 
choose  if you want to send ANSI or AVATAR sequences.  AVATAR is  a  lot 
faster than ANSI/VT-100. You must also select the way the screen will be 
redrawn in terminal mode;  either use your blitter if you have one or if 
not use the fast built in direct memory access ("CPU") mode.
      When  automatic Z-modem is on,  Opus terminal  will  automatically 
invoke  Z-modem download at the request of the computer you have made  a 
connection to.

      Please remember that ALL parameters found under "Settings" can  be 
saved  in  a  special file under "File" ->  "Save  settings"  for  later 
recall.  When  Opus  terminal is started the file "OPTERM.DAT"  will  be 
loaded  as default.  You can also make a setting for every phone  number 
(see Dialling).


2.3 Dialling

      To  dial  a  number you enter menu "Function" and  click  on  item 
"Dialer".  A  dialog  box  containing  names,  phone  numbers  and  some 
additional data will open.  To make a call you simply select a name with 
the mouse and press the button "Dial".  The program will then turn  into 
terminal mode and try to make a connection.  Leaving the dialog  without 
making  a call is done by pressing "OK".  To change or add a number  you 
select a name and press the box "Edit".  You will now be able to  change 
the following:

      name  - Simply the name of the person,  BBS or mainframe that  you 
              want to store. Ex. "R. T. Nixon", "Ragnark BBS", "CIA".

      phone number - The dial string of your modem followed by the phone 
                     number.  If your modem is Hayes compatible the dial 
                     string will probably be "at dt". Ex. "at dt 90510". 
                     Please  consult your modem manual for  the  correct 
                     dial string.

      setting  - Every number can have its own settings file which  will 
                 be loaded every time you make a call,  thus making Opus 
                 terminal adjust itself correctly for different numbers. 
                 Of  course  you  can use one  settings  file  for  many 
                 numbers. Ex. "SETTINGS.DAT", "JOHN.DAT", "NORMAL.DAT".

      reset -
      init  -  For  every  name  there is a specific  phone  number  and  
               setting.   This   is   however  not   true   to   "reset"  
               and  "init" which are the same for  all  numbers.  Before 
               every call a reset and a init string will be sent to  the 
               modem. Ex.  reset:  "atz",  init:  "atm0" (turn off  the 
               internal loudspeaker).  Please consult your modem  manual 
               for the appropriate strings to send.

      You  end editing the number by pressing the "Edit" box  once  more 
(the checkmark will disappear). The changes you have made will disappear 
when quitting the program, you must therefore save them to disk. This is 
done  under  menu item "File" -> "Save dialer".  When Opus  terminal  is 
started it will load "OPTERM.DIA" as default.


2.4 Translation table

      The  ASCII protocol for text representation does not include  some 
extra characters found in the scandinavian languages,  german and french 
(just counting some languages using roman letters) and that is a  shame. 
As  a late entry some of the letters in the end of the ASCII  "alphabet" 
has been redefined to include these letters, giving a new definition for 
every language (see the appendices).  Opus terminal uses the translation 
table  to  change incoming or outgoing ASCII codes,  which  only  covers 
letters 0-127,  to any of 0-255 possible representations on the  screen.  
Ex. in swedish [ \ ] { | } are used for representing      . To get 
correct  transmission and representation of these letters,  you use  the 
translation  table to turn letters 91-93 and 123-125 to 142,153,143  and 
132,148,134  when receiving (in lo,  in hi).  You do the same  backwards 
when sending (out lo,  out,  hi). The problem will still remain when you 
wish  to use the original ASCII letters simultaneously with  the  nation 
specific ones,  as in a non-english fido C-echo.  As Opus terminal  does 
not  use the atari internal character set for representing  letters  and 
"letter-graphics"  on the screen you must consult the appendices  before 
changing the translation table.


2.5 File transfer

      For  the program to work properly with in- and outgoing files  you 
must  tell  it where to put and get all the files;  that is  done  under 
"Settings" -> "Path / Transfer". After "Dload" and "Capture" you put the 
correct  path  to  where you want your downloaded files  and  where  the 
capture buffer should be dumped when full.  Everytime you choose to make 
an  upload  you will be presented a file selector box with  the  default 
starting directory set according to what you put after "Upload". You can 
also  give the file selector box a mask other than "*.*" to exclude  all 
but some specific files, i. e. files with the same extension.
      Since all file transfers are done with external protocols  (except 
ASCII  send  which only "dumps" a file on the line) you must  also  tell 
Opus terminal where to look for these.  You have the option of using Z-, 
X-  or Y-modem.  For each protocol you must set the path to the  receive 
and send modules.  When the module is invoked it must be given a command 
to work properly. An example:

[ Z modem ]    Send   : .\TRANS\SZ.PRG
               Command: #
               Receive: .\TRANS\RZ.PRG
               Command: -e

The  "#"  character is replaced with the file (or files) chosen  in  the 
file selector box before making an upload. ".\" expands to the full path 
from  where  Opus terminal is started (if Opus terminal  is  located  at 
"A:\OT\"  then RZ.PRG and SZ.PRG should in the above example be  put  at 
"A:\OT\TRANS\"). Which command to use is specific to each module.
      By  selecting  the "E" box all error messages sent by  the  module 
will be shown, otherwise error messages will be suppressed.
      Some  protocols allow for batch file processing i. e.  many  files 
sent in a row. By selecting the "B" box you will be presented a new file 
selector box for each new file chosen for upload.  Select "cancel"  when 
you  are done and the program will show a list of all the chosen  files, 
asking you to confirm the selection.
      Z-modem is the fastest and most reliable protocol,  then Y- and X-
modem.


2.6 Function keys

      In terminal mode it is possible to send a pre-selected sequence of 
characters  by  holding  down  <left-Shift><Alternate>  and  pressing  a 
function  key.  You  can program non-ASCII characters  by  holding  down 
<Control> and then pressing a key.  For example can <Return> be obtained 
by pressing <Control><M>.


2.7 Disk capture

      Sometimes  the  text  on the screen scrolls so  fast  that  it  is 
impossible  to read or you just simply want to save the text  for  later 
retrieval. This is done with the disk capture function. Select "File" -> 
"Disk capture" and a file selector box will appear with the default path 
according  to the setting in "Path / Transfer".  Now keep the  path  and 
name or change them and press "OK",  the disk capture will now be turned 
on.  All incoming text will be saved in a capture buffer and  thereafter 
in a file.  The text will be stripped of all text formatting information 
and will most of the time appear in the file the way it appeared on  the 
screen.  You  turn off the capture function by selecting "Disk  capture" 
again.
      It is possible to append text to an already existing file.  Select 
the file you want to append to when the file selector appears,  a dialog 
box  will  then give you the choice of either clear the file  and  start 
from beginning or append text to the file.  All data coming in from  the 
modem will always go through a 8 Kbyte buffer,  so the text will not  be 
lost  while capture buffer is saved to file or an adjustment is made  in 
menu  mode. At 2400 baud  the modem-computer  buffer will cover about 25 
s, at 9600 baud about 6 s will be covered.


2.8 Miscellaneous

Drop DTR         Press <Left shift>-<Alt>-<H> simultaneously in terminal 
                 mode   to  drop  DTR.   Most  modems  will  close   the 
                 connection.  This is  not  recommended,  always try  to 
                 make a proper logout first.
"File"->
"New folder"     Create a new folder from within Opus terminal.

"File"->
"Delete"         Delete any file from within Opus terminal.

"File"->
"Free"           Show system free ram and space left on floppy or  hard 
                 disk.

Fast keys        Most  menu items can be reached by pressing control  or 
                 alternate and another key.  ex. <control>-C will invoke 
                 the capture buffer.
            

APPENDICES


I. INT. CHARACTERS

         35   36   64   91   92   93   94   96   123  124  125  126 
USA      #    $    @    [    \    ]    ^    '    {    |    }    ~
FRANCE   #    $                    ^    '                    
GERMANY  #    $                    ^    '                
UK           $    @    [    \    ]    ^    '    {    |    }    ~
DENMARK1 #    $    @                ^    '                ~
DENMARK2 #    $                                        
SWEDEN   #  (sol)                                      
ITALY    #    $    @        \        ^                    
SPAIN         $    @                ^    '            }    ~
NORWAY   #  (sol)  @                                    
JAPAN    #    $    @    [        ]    ^    '    {    |    }    ~

128        138        148        158(spain,P)168 
129        139        149        159        169 
130        140        150        160        170 
131        141        151        161        171 
132        142        152        162        172 
133        143        153        163        173 
134        144        154        164        174 
135        145        155        165        175 
136        146        156        166        
137        147        157        167 



  
II. KEYBOARD EMULATION

a. ANSI/VT-100

      ANSI           ATARI

      Arrow          Arrow
      F1-F4          F1-F4
      ClrHome        Clr Home

b. AVATAR 

      AVATAR         ATARI

      Alt A-Z        Alt A-Z
      Ctrl A-Z       Ctrl A-Z   
      Arrow          Arrow
      PgDn           Num 3
      PgUp           Num 9
      Home           Clr Home
      End            Num 1
      Ins            Ins or Num 0
      Del            Del or Num .
      F1-F10         F1-F10
      F11-F20        Shift F1-F10
      F21-F30        Ctrl F1-F10
      F31-F40        Alt F1-F10
      Ctrl PrtSc     Ctrl Num -
      Alt 1-9,0,-,=  Alt 1-9,0,+,  (may differ depending on country)

