SERIAL SOLUTIONS, INC presents "PC BLACKBOARD" Version 2.0 Published by: Serial Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 2392 Littleton CO. 80161-2392 PC Blackboard Release 2.0 - December, 1993 Copyright (c) 1993, Serial Solutions, Inc. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitations of Liabilities This manual and the enclosed software were prepared by Serial Solutions, Inc. While the authors and program developers have taken reasonable care in preparing this manual and the files on the enclosed diskettes to assure their accuracy, Serial Solutions, Inc. and the authors assume no liability resulting from any inaccuracy or omissions contained in them of from the use of the information or programs contained here. The authors and Serial Solutions, Inc. have no expressed or implied warranty of any kind with regard to these programs or to the supplemental documentation in this manual. In no event, shall the authors, the program developers, or Serial Solutions, Inc. be liable for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the furnishing, performance, or use of any of these programs or documentation. This disclaimer includes but is not limited to any loss of service, loss of business or anticipatory profits, or consequential damages resulting from the use or operation of the enclosed software. Serial Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 2392 Littleton, CO 80161-2392 (303) 347-8547 User Feedback Form Serial #:_________________________ Date Purchased:________________ Name:_____________________________ Title:_________________________ Company Name:_____________________ Department:____________________ Address:________________________________________________________________ City:__________________________________ State:_________ Zip:___________ Phone:___________________________ Fax:___________________________ Comments: Suggestions For Improvement: Summary of CONTENTS Introduction Cursor Action Drawing Tools Free Hand Draw, Rectangle, Square, Line, Circle, Point Main Menu Options Palette Attributes Communications Call Status, Connect, Disconnect Configuration Menu Modem Setup, Tablet Setup Print Menu Files Save File, Load File, Send File, Directory Fax Menu Load Fax, Fax File, Fax Screen, Rename Fax, Directory Send Screen Undo Selective Erase Clear Screen Exit Document Pages Scroll Left, Scroll Right, Scroll Up, Scroll Down, Top of Page, Bottom of Page, Preview, Change Page Function Keys Beginning the Program Trouble Shooting Error Messages Error 1 - Error 36 PC Blackboard The PC Blackboard program is a simple point-to-point interactive communication program that can be used on any IBM "XT/AT" compatible PC. It allows two PCs to interact over a standard telephone line. Data transfer and interaction may be achieved at varying speeds, depending on the type of modem being used. Quite simply, it provides the same flexibility a teacher would have in a classroom, and more. It allows users to free hand draw and add text from the keyboard on a blank screen. Drawing tools are also available to create geometric shapes and lines for flowcharts, diagrams or any other conceivable purpose. Further, the user may send and receive faxes. With those received, he/she may interact on those documents with the interactive tools. The idea behind PC Blackboard is two fold. First, a complete software solution to enhance a standard phone call. In this way, the user could take the floppy disk to any "XT/AT" compatible machine with a modem. The program then allows the users to interact, so that ambiguous or intangible ideas and concepts could be expressed more concretely through the use of our interactive functions. Second, with the addition of a fax modem, users can now receive faxes directly into their PC. Simply stated, whatever document you wish to discuss is faxed to your computer, displayed on screen, and then annotated upon as desired. Sites on-line can then use the interactive capabilities to highlight points of the document, or to add notes to the document. Moreover, anything you put to your screen may be faxed to a fax machine. The interactive functions include: - Free hand draw, Squares, Rectangles, Lines, and Circles - Change drawing attributes (line widths and filled or non filled shapes) - Text input - Point - Screen transfer - File transfer. The file is sent and saved at the remote site. - Clearing local and remote screen - Loading and saving of one bit per pixel PCX images - Receiving, sending, and loading of fax documents - Change drawing color and/or Background color. We, at Serial Solutions, Inc., feel this will help diminish those frustrating calls where it takes hours to explain ideas and concepts, that should only take minutes. As well as, cutting down on unnecessary business travel, which is necessitated by the inability to explain ideas thoroughly through language alone. This is accomplished most through the ability to control what is on both screens. That is, for a multi-page document, it is very difficult to get people on the correct page, paragraph, and/or sentence. Now, since the document is displayed at both sites, this confusion factor is eliminated. The users all see the same portion of the document and may then interact on those portions together. Then as one site scrolls through the document, the document is automatically scrolled through at the remote site. Technical Requirements 1) An IBM "XT/AT" compatible PC 2) A CGA card or higher 3) A pointing device (mouse or graphics tablet). 4) A modem Options Fax/Data modem - for utilization of fax capabilities CURSOR ACTION VIA INPUT DEVICES Movement is achieved by moving your pointing device (mouse or stylus) or by using the arrow keys on the keyboard. All the functionality of this program can be reached via pop-up menus through the keyboard, a mouse, and/or a Summa compatible graphics tablet. You may use both a mouse and a tablet in the program; you are not limited to one or the other, however, additional serial ports may be necessary. Keyboard The keyboard can be used to move the cursor, pop-up the main menu, select and change options within the main menu and submenus, use function keys for special options, and enter text. The location of the cursor on the screen determines where text will be placed on the screen. Note: If you have a tablet installed, make sure that the stylus is not on the tablet, or your text will all occur in the same location. In other words, you will keep putting each character on top of the preceding character. The arrow keys will move the cursor to the left, right, up, or down, depending on which arrow key is pushed. However, the cursor will only move one pixel at a time, so it will be very slow to move around the screen. The keys to remember are: - The (Escape) key has three uses: 1). Calling the main menu if there are no menus on the screen. 2). Exiting from any menu that you are currently in. 3). Canceling the drawing of a circle, line, square, or rectangle if hit while the ghost image is on the screen. That is, when you are either holding the left button of a mouse down, or while holding down on the stylus. - The key has three uses: 1). Activating or changing the current highlighted option on a menu. This depends on the type of menu currently occupying the screen. 2). Moving your cursor to the beginning of the next text line. This is the result of using the enter key if there are no menus on the screen. 3). Selecting text that has been input by the user. This generally comes in the form of entering the name of a file which is to be loaded, saved, or transmitted or entering a telephone number for the system to dial. Mouse The mouse allows you to access all menus, access all items within those menus, and utilize all tools. To move the cursor, simply move your mouse. To pull up the main menu, click the middle button of a three button mouse, or the first and second buttons simultaneously of a two button mouse. To select an option within a menu, click the left button when the desired option is highlighted or when the cursor is in a location to change an option (depending on the type of menu). To leave or escape from a menu, hit the right button. When there are no menus on the screen, you can change your drawing tool by clicking the right button. This will scroll through the available tools, (your cursor will change to the shape of the new tool). Tablet The tablet allows you to access all items within menus and to utilize all tools. To move the cursor, simply move your stylus. The only way to pull up the main menu, if you only have a tablet, is to hit the Escape key on the keyboard. To select an option within a menu, push the stylus down on the tablet when the desired option is highlighted, or when the cursor is in a location to change an option. To leave or escape from a menu, push the button on the stylus. When there are no menus on the screen, you can change your drawing tool by pushing the button on the stylus. This will scroll through the available tools, (your cursor will change to the shape of the new tool). To use a tool, position your cursor where you wish to start, then push the stylus down on the tablet. This is the same as clicking the left button on the mouse. See mouse section for further instructions. Select/Deselect Before proceeding, some terms need to be defined: Select: The term "select" means to (1) hit the Enter key from the keyboard, (2) click on the left button of the mouse, (3) push down on the stylus. Deselect: The term "deselect" means to (1) hit Escape on the keyboard, (2) click the right button of the mouse, (3) push the button on the stylus. Select Deselect Keyboard Mouse Left Button Right Button Tablet Down Stylus Button on Stylus Drawing Tools This program provides six drawing tools, all represented by different cursors. The shape of the cursor determines which tool you are using. These tools are changed by either clicking on the right button of your mouse or by pushing the button on the stylus when there are no menus on the screen. To use a tool, position your cursor where you wish to start. Use the select key(button) and the tool will be under your control. The following lists what happens for each tool: Free Hand Draw Free hand draw is represented by the Pencil Icon. As you move the pointing device while holding down the left button of a mouse or holding down the pen, you will draw a continuous line. Rectangle The rectangle is represented by the Rectangle Icon. As you move the pointing device while holding down the left button of a mouse or holding down the pen, you will see a ghost box. You may move this ghost box above or below your starting point, as well as to the left or to the right of your starting point. If you let up on the left button of the mouse or let up the pen, the rectangle will be drawn with the present attributes, with the coordinates you have specified by the ghost box. If you do not wish to draw the rectangle, simply deselect it. This will erase the ghost box. Square The square tool will force you to draw perfect squares. The square is exactly like rectangle except that you can only move the ghost box to the right and below of your starting point. Line The fourth drawing tool is the line drawing tool. The line tool is represented by the angled line, similar to back slash on the keyboard ("/"). As you move the pointing device while holding the left button of the mouse down or holding down the pen, a ghost line will appear that extends to your new position on the screen. If you release the left button or let up on the pen, the line will be drawn with its current attributes between the points specified by your ghost line. If you do not wish to draw the line, simply deselect. This will erase the ghost line. Circle The fifth tool is the circle tool. This allows the user to draw circles. As you move the pointing device while holding the left button of a mouse down or by holding down the pen, a ghost circle will appear that grows as you move your pointing device. If you wish to draw the circle, just let up the left button or the pen. If you do not wish to draw the circle, deselect it. This will erase the ghost circle. Point The final tool is the pointer. It is represented by the upward arrow. Point is slightly different than the other tools. Locally, you always see the pointer, but if connected, the remote will only see the pointer while you push the left button or hold down the pen. As long as you hold down the left button, the pointer will be displayed at the remote site. NOTE1: If using a mouse and you wish to deselect the ghost box with the mouse, you must click the right button while you are holding down the left button. If you wish to deselect the ghost box with the pen, you must push the button on the stylus, while holding the pen down. NOTE2: With all the tools, you cannot leave the boundaries of the screen. Therefore, your boxes, circles, and lines will stop at the nearest boundary. MAIN MENU OPTIONS The Main Menu provides you with all the functionality that the P.C. Blackboard program offers. This is the first menu that the user will encounter. The main menu can be accessed by "selecting" it. Each option of the main menu will be explained in detail in the following sections. Each menu function can be "selected" by moving the highlight bar to the desired option. This can be done with the arrow keys on the keyboard, by moving the mouse, or by moving the stylus. Once you are at the desired option, select it. Then, depending on the chosen option, it will either complete the function or go to a submenu. The main menu provides the user with twelve(12) options: (1) Screen colors (2) Tool attributes (3) Communications (4) Configuration (5) Print menu (6) Files menu (7) Fax menu (8) Send screen (9) Undo (10) Selective erase (11) Clear screen (12) Quit to dos. PALETTE The palette allows the user to either change both the background and foreground colors if you have a VGA card, or change the foreground color if you have a CGA card. CGA If you have a CGA card, you will be able to change the foreground only. After selecting palette from the main menu, a window will appear which allows you to change the foreground. You may change the color by selecting anywhere on the screen. That is, you are not constrained to select within any confined area or window. The foreground color will change each time you select. Once you have chosen the desired color, you can leave the palette submenu by deselecting it. VGA If you have a VGA card, you can change both the foreground and background. When palette is chosen, a window will pop up that has two boxes in it. One box is labeled foreground, the other is labeled background. If you move your cursor into one of these boxes and select it, the color of the chosen option will change. Thus, if your cursor is in the background box and you select on that box, your background color will change every time you select within that box. The same holds true for the foreground box. NOTE: This only changes the background and foreground locally. Therefore, if you are connected, it has no effect on the remote screen. ATTRIBUTES The attribute option allows you to change the features for the presently chosen tool. Some tools have more attributes than others. For draw and line, you only have the option to change the line width. For rectangle, square, and circle, you can change the line width and you may have the object be filled or not. If you choose fill, the line width will not have any effect. Point does not have any attributes. Line Width: You can change the line width by moving your cursor along the grid. As the box in the grid moves to the right, your line width will increase. The actual line width is represented above this grid. As you move to the left, your line width will decrease. The minimum line width is one, and the maximum line width is four. Fill: For tools having the fill option, you can toggle between having filled on or off by positioning your cursor on the box where the word "ON" or "OFF" appears. By selecting on this box, you will toggle to the opposite of what is currently displayed. That is, if the word "ON" appears, by selecting on this, the word "OFF" will appear. This means that previously the tool had fill turned on, now it has fill turned off. Thus, your shape will just be an outline. Once you have set the attributes, you can leave the attribute menu by deselecting it. If you have fill "OFF", the width of the outline will then be determined by the line width you chose. COMMUNICATIONS The communications menu allows you to establish a call, disconnect a call, and toggle between on-line and off-line. Call Status: Call status indicates whether you are on-line or off-line with your remote site. This can only be selected if you have already established a connection. If you are connected, but wish to do something locally that you do not want the remote to see, you may want to go off-line without disconnecting. By selecting on this box, you will toggle between off-line and on-line. If you go off-line, you will be able to do everything except send or receive data. If you go off-line and wish to go back on-line, just select on this box again. A message will occur in the middle of your screen with the word "On-Line" or "Off-Line", depending on which state the modem is in. Note: The F1 key will toggle between off-line and on-line and is much quicker to access. Connect: Connect allows you to dial a remote machine so that you may begin to interact. Connect works differently for a modem than it does for a Null Modem. Null Modem: If you are using a Null modem, this will call the other PC automatically. You will not need to input a phone number. If the connection is made, both sites will be notified. Modem: The connection process works differently for a modem. When you select connect, you will be asked to enter the phone number of the remote site. You may enter the phone number as you normally would, with or without hyphens. Example: Entering: 303-480-9421 and 3034809421 are handled the same. Once you have entered the number, press the Enter key and the modem will call the remote. If a connection is made, you will get a message that states either which modem is connected or at which baud rate you have connected. If you are using the Telebit Trailblazer or the AT&T Comsphere, the message will say "Connect Fast" or "Comsphere Connection" respectively. Otherwise, the message will give the baud rate of the current connection. Further, the Call Status box will change from "Off-line" to "On-line". Tip: An important dial command to know is the comma (","). A comma is a two second pause. A pause may be necessary when you have to wait for an outside line. This command is useful when dialing out of a PBX (Private Branch Exchange), or when making a long distance call. If you have to dial a 9 before dialing the phone number, or a 1 for a long distance call, the comma would follow the 9 and 1. Example: A long distance call through a PBX, < 9,1,303-480-9441 > If the delay is not long enough with one comma, you may enter multiple commas. Before making a call, both sites must verify that they have each chosen the same communication device and at the same baud rate. If both sites are not setup the same, there is a good chance that the connection will fail. If you are using a modem and both sites do not have the same modem, then select Hayes compatible. This will allow different types of modems to communicate with one another. Note: If you are using a Telebit Trailblazer in Hayes Compatible mode, you must manually set it to conventional mode. IMPORTANT: While attempting to call another PC, the other PC should not have any menus on the screen. This will allow the receiving site to see the "Incoming Message" signal, as well as the connection message. This tells the receiver that a call is coming in, and that a connection has occurred. Disconnect Disconnect does exactly what it says. If you are connected to a remote site, this will disconnect the call. This is done by simply selecting on the DISCONNECT box. If the call is disconnected, the word "Off-line" will appear in the CALL STATUS box. The calling site will get a message in the middle of their screen telling the user that they are going off-line. A message will be displayed to the screen that the call has been disconnected. The receiving site will also have a message saying that the call is being disconnected. CONFIGURATION This menu allows you to setup both your communication device and tablet. The first two items listed in the menu show which graphics card you are using, and if a mouse has been installed. The second two options allow you to change your communication parameters and/or your tablet parameters. To change your communication parameters, select "Modem Setup". To change your tablet parameters, select "Tablet Setup". Modem Setup Modem setup has six options: device type, com port, baud rate, address, interrupt number, and initialize. Device: The device option allows you to choose your specific mode of communication. Generally, this contains the type of modem you are going to use. This program supports all Hayes compatible modems, the Telebit Trailblazer modem, and the AT&T Comsphere 3820. The software allows a NULL Modem, which is a special cable used to allow two PCs to communicate with one another at the same site. The final choice is "None", which means that you are not going to connect to a remote site. You may choose the modem type of your choice by selecting on the box to the right of DEVICE. This will scroll through your options. The following is a list of acceptable modems and their capabilities. Null Modem: Select this if you are using a direct connection (a special cable) from one PC to another. Hayes Compatible: If you are not using a Telebit Trailblazer or AT&T Comsphere modem, you must select Hayes Compatible. You should also verify that your modem is truly Hayes Compatible. (See your specific modem manual for details on how to set the modem into this mode) Telebit Trailblazer: The Telebit Trailblazer allows you to transmit at speeds of up to 19200 bits per second (bps). For the Telebit Trailblazer to work in Hayes Compatible mode, you must manually set it to conventional mode. (See your Telebit manual) AT&T Comsphere 3820: This modem allows you to communicate with your modem at speeds up to 115,200 bps. Com Port: This is where you tell the program where your communication device (modem or Null modem) is connected. You have a possibility of four com ports. Therefore, by selecting on the box to the right of COM PORT, you will scroll through your options. It is up to the user to determine which port the communication device is connected. If you choose an incorrect com port, the word "None" will appear in the DEVICE box and you will get a message saying "Modem Not Found". If a tablet is connected, you will not be allowed to change the com port to the tablet com port. Baud Rate: Baud rate determines the rate at which data is sent. The software allows for data rates from 1200 bps to 115,200 bps. Although these speeds are available, not all modems can use the high-end speeds. It is up to the user to know what speeds your modem handles. If you set a baud rate which the modem cannot handle, you will get a message saying "Modem Not Found" and "None" will appear in the DEVICE box. Address: Address shows where the chosen com port can be located within the machine. This option is for experienced users. A default address will appear for each com port. If you are using a device (such as a fax modem) that uses unique addresses for their comports, this default value will need to be changed. Your particular communication device manual will list these values. If a change is required, select on the box next to "Address". A box will appear waiting for you to input the desired address. If after choosing this box you wish to keep the old address, just deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the address and hit the key. Interrupt Number: Each com port must have a unique interrupt request number. A default value will appear for the com port chosen, but if you are using a device, such as a fax modem, that allows the user to manually change interrupt values, the user will need to enter the new interrupt number. Again, this is available for experienced users. An invalid value can create serious problems. If you do wish to change the interrupt, select the box to the right of "Interrupt #". A box will appear awaiting the user to enter the new interrupt value. If after choosing this box, you wish to keep the old interrupt number, just deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the interrupt number and hit the key. Initialize: The initialize button allows you to initialize the modem. The modem will automatically be initialized when you leave the modem setup after changing one of the above options. However, there may be a case in which you need to initialize the modem without changing any of the above options. To do so, select the "Initialize" box. The messages displayed will tell you if the modem was installed or not. NOTE: You cannot change any of the parameters within the modem setup if you are already on-line. Furthermore, if DEVICE is set to none, ADDRESS is set to zero, or INTERRUPT NUMBER is zero you will not be able to select any box until you select a communication device. If you have changed any of the above options, you will be notified that the new parameters are being used to setup the com port and modem. Tablet Setup Tablet setup has six options: size, com port, baud rate, address, interrupt number, and initialize. Size: The size option allows you to select the size of graphics tablet you are using. If no tablet exists, the box will be labeled "None". The two sizes available are "12 x 12" and "6 x 9." You may choose the tablet size of your choice by selecting on the box to the right of SIZE. This option will allow you to scroll through your options. Com Port: This is where you tell the program where your graphics tablet is connected. You have a possibility of four com ports. Therefore, by selecting on the box to the right of COM PORT, you will scroll through your options. It is up to the user to determine which port the communication device is connected. If you choose an incorrect com port, the word "None" will appear in the SIZE box and you will get a message saying "Tablet Not Found". If a modem is selected, you will not be allowed to change the com port to the modem com port. Baud Rate: Baud rate determines the rate at which data is sent. The software allows for data rates from 1200 bps to 115,200 bps. Although these speeds are available, you are advised not to change the default value of 9600. Most graphic tablets use a baud rate of 9600, and if you change this value the tablet will most likely not work. If you set a baud rate which the tablet cannot handle, you will get a message saying "Tablet Not Found" and "None" will appear in the SIZE box. Address: Address shows where the chosen com port can be located. This option is for experienced users. A default address will appear for each com port. In most cases, the default value will be correct for the tablet. If a change is required, select on the box next to "Address". A box will appear waiting for you to input the desired address. If after choosing this box, you wish to keep the old address, simply deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the address and hit the key. Interrupt Number: Each com port must have a unique interrupt request number. A default value will appear for the com port chosen. Again, this is for experienced users. An invalid value can create serious problems. If you do wish to change the interrupt value, select the box to the right of "Interrupt #". A box will appear awaiting the user to enter the new interrupt value. If after choosing this box, you wish to keep the old interrupt number, just deselect the box. Otherwise, type in the interrupt number and hit the key. Initialize: The initialize button allows you to initialize the tablet. The tablet will automatically be initialized when you leave the Tablet Setup after changing one of the above options. However, there may be a case in which you need to initialize the tablet without changing any of the above options. One such example would be if you shock the tablet. This will, in some cases, "knock out" the tablet. Thus, you will need to re-initialize the tablet. To do so, select the "Initialize" box. The messages displayed will tell you if the tablet is installed or not. Note: The tablet will not be initialized if "NONE" appears in the SIZE box, if the ADDRESS is zero, and/or if the INTERRUPT # is zero. Furthermore, if SIZE is set to none, you will not be able to select any box until you select a tablet size. If you have changed any of the above options, you will be notified if the tablet is installed. To leave the configuration menu, simply deselect it. PRINT MENU Print File: Print file allows you to print any .PCX images, .TXT or .FAX files. Select the file of your choice just as you would for load file. You can either scroll through the possible files or enter the file name. You must add the file extension if you manually input the file name. Once you have selected a file to be printed, you will see a box in the middle of your screen which says "SAVING PRINT FILE." If you wish to stop printing the document for any reason, hit the button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the printing was aborted. Otherwise, the document will be printed. Print Screen/Page: Print screen allows you to print the currently displayed page or image. If you have annotated on the currently displayed page, those annotations will also be included. If you wish to stop printing the screen or page for any reason, hit the button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the printing was aborted. Otherwise, the document will be printed. FILES The files menu provides the user with four options. It allows you to save and load any screens created in this program, send any file to a remote location, and change the current drive and directory. Save File: To save a PCX image that you've created, select on the save box. You may save the screen to the file name of your choice or to an existing PCX file. A) Save a File Via the Scrolling Box: To save your screen to an existing file, just select that filename when it is highlighted. A maximum of five files will appear in the box. To see the remaining files, move your cursor to the bottom of the box, and it will scroll through the files. To see files that were at the top of your list, just move your cursor to the top of the box. B) Manually Entering the File Name: To save the screen to a new file name or to a file name that already exists, just enter the new filename via the keyboard. You may wish to simply type in the name of file, even if it already exists, since it may take time to find the correct file by scrolling through all the PCX images. A window will pop-up and your file name will appear as you type it. You do not need to give a file extension, since PCX will be automatically appended to the name. If you do not wish to save the screen, just deselect it. Note: F4 will allow you to save the screen to a filename of your choice. A window will pop-up waiting for your input. Load File: Once you have saved a screen in a file, you may load that screen at a later date. To load, select on the load box. This will bring up all PCX images in the current directory. If there are none, you will be told so. A) Load a File Via the Scrolling Box If you wish to load one of these, move the highlight bar to the desired file and select it. A maximum of five files will be in the window at one time. If there are more in the directory, then by just moving your cursor to the bottom of the box, it will continue scrolling through the other files. B) Entering the File Name Manually If you wish to enter the name of the file without trying to locate it by scrolling through all the files, just enter the filename when the window of all possible images is on the screen. A window will pop up and the name of the file will occur as you type it. You do not need to add the PCX extension. When you have completed the title, hit the Enter key. If you do not wish to select a file, just deselect this window. If you are connected to another PC and this image also exists on that machine, you will automatically load this image on the remote screen. Note: If you have loaded a file that was previously a fax file, you will notice that only a portion of the page is on the screen. (See the Document Pages section on page for a discussion on individual pages.) Send File: Send file allows you to send any file to another PC, if you have already established a connection. It will be saved in the remote's current directory. You select the file of your choice just as you would for load and save file. You can either scroll through the possible files or enter the filename. In this case, you must add the file extension if you manually input the file name. Once you have selected a file, a window will pop up with the file to be sent, as well as the total number of packets to be sent and a running count of the number of packets sent. The remote site will have the same window on their screen, so that the remote site realizes that a file is being received. It too, will have a running count of received packets. Thus, this is a very useful file transfer feature. The remote site cannot have any menus on the screen, or the file will not be received. If you wish to stop sending the file for any reason, hit the Escape button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. Directory: The directory option allows you to change your current drive and directory to any existing drive and directory. A) Change Drive: To change the drive, select drive when it is highlighted. This will then bring up a window with all available drives. Just select the desired one. To leave the drive menu, just deselect it. Note: If you choose drive "A" or "B", make sure that a disk is in the desired drive and that the door is shut if it is a 5 1/4 drive. B) Change Directory: To change directory, move the highlight bar to the desired directory and select it. The ".." option will take you to the parent directory of the current directory. To leave the Directory Menu, simply deselect it. You will notice that when you return to the main directory menu, that your current path is shown below the menu. This is to help you make sure that you are in the path of your choice. FAX MENU The Fax Menu provides the user with five options. It allows you to load received faxes, fax a fax or PCX file to a fax machine, fax a screen to a fax machine, rename a received fax, and change the current drive and directory. Load Fax: Once you have received a fax, you may now load that document. To load, select on the load box. This will bring up all FAX documents in the current directory. If there are none, you will be told so. A) Load a Fax Via the Scrolling Box If you wish to load one of these, move the highlight bar to the desired file and select it. A maximum of five fax files will be in the window at one time. If there are more in the directory, then by just moving your cursor to the bottom of the box, it will continue scrolling through the other fax files. B) Entering the Fax File Name Manually If you wish to enter the name of the fax file without trying to locate it by scrolling through all the fax files, just enter the file name when the window of all possible fax documents is on the screen. A window will pop up and the name of the file will occur as you type it. You do not need to add the FAX extension. When you have completed the title, hit the Enter key. If you do not wish to load a fax file at this time, simply deselect the file box. If you are connected to another PC and this image also exists on that machine, you will automatically load this image on the remote screen. Note: If you load a fax file, you will notice that only a portion of the page is on the screen. (See the Document Pages section on page for a discussion on individual pages.) Fax File: Fax file allows you to send any received faxes or PCX images to a fax machine or PC fax board. You select the file of your choice just as you would for load fax file. You can either scroll through the possible files or enter the filename. You must add the file extension if you manually input the file name. To use this feature, you must first select "FAX BOARD" in your communications menu as your communications device. Once you have selected a file to be faxed, you will see a box in the middle of your screen which says "CONVERTING TO FAX FORMAT." Depending on the complexity of the image and the number of pages in the file, this could take a few minutes to get set-up. Once the conversion is complete, a window will pop up with the number of pages to be sent and a running count of the number of pages sent. Further, a window will pop-up, asking you to enter the fax machine's phone number. If you do not wish to fax this document at this time, just deselect. Otherwise, after the number has been entered, your PC will call the fax machine and send the document page by page. If you wish to stop sending the document to the fax machine for any reason, hit the Escape button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. Otherwise, after the document has been faxed completely, the Fax box will disappear, and you will return to the Fax Menu. Fax Screen: Fax screen allows you to send your screen or particular page to a fax machine. When this feature is selected, you may have two options. If you are displaying a page of a multi-page document, you will be asked if you wish to send the entire document. To answer "YES", you can either highlight the "YES" and select it, or hit 'Y' or 'y' on your keyboard. To answer "NO", you may highlight the "NO" and select hit, hit 'N' or 'n' on the keyboard, or simply deselect this box. If you answered "YES", the entire document will be faxed. If you have annotated on the currently displayed page, those annotations will also be included. If you answered "NO", only the current page, with its annotation, will be faxed. Note: If you are displaying a screen image (one that does not go beyond the limits of the screen), or a single page fax, you will not be prompted to ask about sending the entire document. To use this feature, you must first select "FAX BOARD" in your communications menu as your communications device. Once you have selected a file to be faxed, you will see a box in the middle of your screen which says "CONVERTING TO FAX FORMAT." Depending on the complexity of the image and the number of pages in the file, this could take a few minutes to get set-up. Once the conversion is complete, a window will pop up with the number of pages to be sent and a running count of the number of pages sent. Further, another window will pop-up, asking you to enter the fax machine's phone number. If you do not wish to fax your screen at this time, just deselect. Otherwise, after the number has been entered, your PC will call the fax machine and send your current screen page by page. If you wish to stop sending the document to the fax machine for any reason, hit the Escape button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. Otherwise, after the screen has been faxed completely, the Fax box will disappear, and you will return to the Fax Menu. Rename Fax: Rename fax allows you to rename a fax document to another fax document. The reason for this is due to the way "P.C. Blackboard" saves incoming faxes. "P.C. Blackboard" will provide a unique name to each received fax. It will consist of six numbers and two characters. The first six numbers are a combination of the day, month, and hour. The last two characters are created to insure uniqueness. It is recommended that you rename these files to a name which is more descriptive of the fax itself. Directory: The directory option allows you to change your current drive and directory to any existing drive and directory. A) Change Drive: To change the drive, select drive when it is highlighted. This will then bring up a window with all available drives. Just select the desired one. To leave the drive menu, just deselect it. Note: If you choose drive "A" or "B", make sure that a disk is in the desired drive and that the door is shut if it is a 5 1/4 drive. B) Change Directory To change directory, move the highlight bar to the desired directory and select it. The ".." option will take you to the parent directory of the current directory. To leave the Directory Menu, simply deselect it. You will notice that when you return to the main directory menu, that your current path is shown below the menu. This is to help you make sure that you are in the path of your choice. SEND SCREEN If you are connected to another PC, this will send your screen to the remote's screen. Once again, the remote cannot have any menus on the screen, or the screen will not be received. A box will appear at both sites showing the users the percentage of data sent and received. Note: Hitting the F3 key on the keyboard will also send your screen to the other PC. This is usually more convenient than going back to the main menu to send your screen. If you wish to stop sending the screen for any reason, hit the Escape button on your keyboard. This will bring up an error box on your screen, notifying you that the transmission was aborted. UNDO The undo feature will remove all annotations from the screen since the last save of the image. This includes free hand draw, shapes, and text. This means that the original image will now be in place, without the annotation. If you wish to make any annotation permanent, save the image via the files menu. If you do save the image, undo will not remove the marks made prior to saving the image. To undo, simply select "UNDO" from the Main Menu. If there is not enough disk space for undo, you will get an error message and be returned to the Main Menu. If there is enough disk space, all annotation marks made since the last save will be removed. SELECTIVE ERASE This feature allows the user to remove annotation from a user defined area on the screen. Select "Selective Erase" from the main menu. Your cursor will be represented by the cross. The user then positions this cross where they wish to remove annotation. A ghost box will appear. Drag the box to enclose the desired area to be erased and let up on the pen or release the left button of the mouse. This works just like the rectangle drawing tool. Any annotation within the box will now be removed from the image. If you do not wish to erase that particular area on the screen, deselect it. If you had previously saved the image with the annotation, you will not be able to erase those annotations. Therefore, you may only erase annotation marks since the last save. When you are finished using selective erase, deselect and you will return to the previous drawing tool. CLEAR SCREEN This will clear your screen to your current background color. If you are connected to another PC, it will clear their screen also. Note: Hitting the F2 key on the keyboard will also clear your screen. This is usually more convenient than going back to the main menu to clear your screen. EXIT The final option on the menu is Exit. This will exit you from "P.C. Blackboard" and return you to DOS. If you are connected, it will disconnect the call first, then exit to DOS. Note: All drawing tool attributes and all parameters for communications and the tablet are saved. So the next time you enter the "P.C. Blackboard" program, they will all be just as you left them. DOCUMENT PAGES Documents received from a fax machine are displayed differently than images created in the "P.C. Blackboard" program. Only a portion of each page can be shown at one time. This is due to the resolution required to display the amount of data that it necessary for a fax image. Therefore, we have created a virtual page. That is, each page extends to the right of the screen, as well as below the screen. Through the document queue, the user can then scroll through the document. The options will appear in a queue in the bottom, right hand corner of the screen. This queue will allow you to scroll left and right, up and down, jump to the top of the page, jump to the bottom of the page, and go to a particular page of a multi-page document. Further, you may put the entire page on the screen. This queue is the interface for the document pages. As you move your cursor towards the bottom of the screen, your cursor will change to a CROSS. As you position your cursor over the desired icon and select it, the function, associated with that icon, will occur. The following list provides a description of the document queue's options. A) Scroll Left: This is represented by the arrow pointing left. This will allow you to display portions of the screen which lie to the left of what is currently displayed on your screen. If nothing exists to the left of your image, this function will do nothing. This just means that you have reached the left side of the page. B) Scroll Right: This is represented by the arrow pointing right. This is just like the scroll left feature, except that it allows you to scroll right. This will allow you to display portions of the screen which lie to the right of what is currently displayed on your screen. If nothing exists to the right of your image, this function will do nothing. This just means that you have reached the right side of the page C) Scroll Up: This is represented by the arrow pointing up. This will allow you to scroll towards the top of the document. That is, portions of the page that lie above your currently displayed page will now be displayed, while less of the bottom portion will be displayed. When you have reached the top of the document, this function will have no effect. D) Scroll Down: This is represented by the arrow pointing down. This will allow you to scroll towards the bottom of the document. That is, portions of the page, which are below your currently displayed portion, will now be displayed, while less of the currently displayed portion will be on the screen. When you have reached the bottom of the document page, this function will have no effect. E) Top of Page: This is represented by the capitol 'T'. This will automatically jump to top of the image. This is more convenient than continually scrolling to the top of the page. Basically, this is used to save the user the time of scrolling. F) Bottom of Page: This is represented by the capitol 'B'. This is similar to the Top of Page function, except that it jumps to the bottom of the page. Again, this is meant to save the user from continually scrolling down the page. G) Preview: This is represented by the capitol 'P'. This function allows you to display the entire page on the screen. It will be difficult to read anything within the document, but it is used more as a reference point. That is, it can be used to establish which area of the document you wish to discuss. Note: This function shows why it is necessary to only show a portion of the page at any given time. Otherwise, you would not be able to read anything on your screen. H) Change Page: This is represented by the current page number. When you first load a document, the number '1' will appear in this box. If you touch on this box, another box will appear in the middle of your screen. This box will allow you to display any page that exists in the document. As you move your pointing device, the available pages will appear. When you come to the desired page number, select it. The program will then load this page to your screen. If this is only a one (1) page document, selecting this option will do nothing. If the document queue is in your way, hit the F6 key on the keyboard to take the queue away. You can now use your drawing tools within this area. However, you will not be able to scroll, preview, or change pages until you bring the queue back. To bring it back, you must hit the F6 key once again. FUNCTION KEYS F1 - On-Line/Off-Line: If you are connected to a remote site, this will toggle between off-line and on-line. If you are on-line, you will go off-line, and if you are off-line, you will go on-line. A message will appear in the bottom right hand corner with the word "On-Line" or "Off-Line", depending on which state the modem is in currently. (See the Call Status portion of the Communications section for an understanding of on-line and off-line.) F2 - Clear Screen: This will clear your screen to the current background color. If you are connected to a remote site, this will clear their screen to their background color. F3 - Send Screen: If you are connected to a remote site, this will send your screen to the remote's screen. F4 - Fax Screen: This will fax your screen, current page of FAX or PCX file, or entire FAX or PCX file. (See part 3: Fax Screen in the Fax Menu section.) F5 - Save Screen: Allows you to save the screen to a filename of your choice. The maximum number of characters in the filename is eight. The filename will automatically become a PCX image, so you do not need to add an extension. This is quicker than accessing the save option under the Files menu. A window will pop-up and wait for the file name to be typed in. When you are finished, hit the Enter key, and the screen will be saved to the file name you just typed in. If you do not wish to save the screen after hitting the F4 key, deselect it. F6 - Toggle Document Queue: This will toggle the document queue. If the queue is displayed, this will take it away. If it is not displayed, it will display it. This is a useful feature, when the queue is covering something you wish to discuss, or when you wish to draw within the area occupied by the queue. F7 - Change Tool: This function key will automatically change to the next drawing tool in the list. This can be very helpful if for some reason you don't have a pointing device to change to next tool. F8 - Undo: The F8 key will automatically undo any annotation that has occurred since the last save. This function key can be much faster than bringing up the main menu to undo the screen. F9 - Information Screen: This will bring up the information screen. It contains the version number and revision number of the program, as well as the serial number. It also contains Serial Solution's address and phone number, which may be useful if inquiries are required. BEGINNING THE PROGRAM To start P.C. Blackboard, at the DOS prompt type: C:>PCBB When you start the program, a window will pop up with information in it. It contains the program version as well as information concerning peripheral devices. It will tell you if a mouse is installed, whether a tablet is installed, the kind of graphic card you have, and the type of modem being installed if one exists. You may want to keep an eye on these as they are displayed to confirm that everything you want installed is installed. TROUBLE SHOOTING Mouse: If it does not install, first make sure you install the mouse driver for the correct com port from DOS. Second, make sure the mouse is connected to the PC. Then make sure it does not conflict with any device. That is, make sure you have not assigned another device to the same com port. Tablet: If it does not install, make sure it is turned on. Second, make sure it is connected to the PC. Third, check the configuration screen to make sure it is setup for the correct com port. If it is not, follow the steps outlined in the configuration section to re-install it. Modem: If it is not found, make sure it is turned on. Second, make sure it is connected to the PC at the correct com port. Third, make sure your modem can handle the baud rate at which you are attempting to set it up for. ERROR MESSAGES There are thirty-six possible errors that can occur while in the "PC Blackboard" program. Error 1: "Board Detected not Supported" This error occurs at start-up when a card is detected that cannot be set to the mode that this program requires. If this error occurs, the program will exit to DOS. Generally, this would mean you have a faulty graphics card, or you are attempting to use a monochrome card. Error 2: "Tool File Corrupted - Using Default" This error occurs at start-up when the program attempts to read the tool file. The tool file holds the previously set attributes for all the tools, as well as the communication and tablet parameters. When this error occurs, the tool attributes, the communication parameters, and the tablet parameters will be set to their default values. Error 3: "Unable to Create Tool File" This error occurs when exiting from the program. If this error occurs, it means that the program was unable to create a tool file. Thus, any changes made to the tool attributes, communication parameters, and tablet parameters will not be saved. Therefore, they will take on their default values the next time you enter the "P.C. Blackboard" program. Error 4: "Not Enough Memory For Data Allocation" This error occurs when the program cannot allocate memory for internal buffers that will be used for reading and writing to disk. Error 5: "Not Enough Memory For Menu Allocation" This error occurs when the program cannot allocate memory for a menu which is to be displayed to the screen. Error 6: "Error Saving Tool File" This error is similar to Error 3, except that the file was created, but the Tool file could not be written to. Again, since the attributes and parameters could not be saved, the tool attributes, communication parameters, and tablet parameters, will take on their default values. Error 7: "Time Out Error" This error occurs when sending or receiving a file or screen. If data is not received in a time determined by the baud rate being used, this error will occur. It means that the data was not sent or received in its entirety. If this error occurs, attempt to re-send. It may have been a problem in the telephone line. If the error persists, you should try two things. First, disconnect the call, and attempt the call again. This should clear up any problems that may have been occurring with the telephone line or com port. Or second, verify that both sites are setup at the same baud rate. If you are not, the time out value will not be correct for the actual baud rate. The one with the highest baud rate will time out to early. Error 8: "Unable To Open File" This error occurs when the "P.C. Blackboard" program attempts to load a PCX image to the screen, but is unable to. If this error occurs, attempt to reload it. If it continues to fail, the file is likely to be corrupted. Error 9: "Invalid Response Code" This error occurs when a file or screen is being sent to a remote site. It means an error has occurred in transmission. You should attempt to re-send the file or screen. Error 10: "Unable To Read From File" This error occurs when the "P.C. Blackboard" program is unable to read a PCX image which is to be loaded to the screen. If this error occurs, attempt to reload it. If it continues to fail, the file is likely to be corrupted. Error 12: "Unable To Write To File" This error occurs when attempting to save your screen to disk. If this error occurs, attempt to re-save the screen. If it continues to fail, you may want to check your hard drive or floppy disk to make sure enough memory exists to save the image. Error 13: "Graphic Card Does Not Handle This Image" This error occurs when the program attempts to load a PCX image which is not a one bit per pixel image. Other PCX images are too complex for the mode being utilized. Error 14: "Invalid File or Path" This error occurs when the user attempts to change the current directory to a directory that does not exist. Error 15: "Unable to Rename File" This error occurs when you attempt to rename a received fax to a new name of your choice, and the PC is unable to perform this action. Error 16: "Unable to Delete File" This error occurs when the PC is unable to delete the file you have selected to be deleted from the File Menu. Error 17: "Not a Valid PCX Image" The PCX image that you are attempting to load, is not in the correct PCX format. Error 18: "Fax Response Error" This error may occur during the transmission of a fax image. You should try to send the image again. Error 19: "User Aborted Transmission" This error occurs when the user aborted the transmission of a file or screen. Error 20: "Fax Board Not Installed" This error occurs if you try to access the fax file or fax screen/page options within the Fax Menu. To remedy this problem, setup your fax/data modem within the configuration menu. Error 21: "Unable to Continue, Already On-Line" This error occurs if you attempt to change communication parameters while you are connected. You must first disconnect from the remote site before changing communication parameters. Error 22: "Unable to Continue, Not On-Line" This error occurs if you hit the F1 key to toggle between off-line and on-line. This key has no function if you are not connected to another PC. Error 23: "No Modem Defined" This error occurs if you attempt to change any of the parameters within the configuration menu without a modem type being chosen. To remedy this problem, select your desired communication device. Error 24: "Fax Board Cannot Utilize This Menu" This error occurs if you attempt to access the communication menu if you have chosen a fax board within the configuration menu. Error 25: " Baud Rate Cannot Be Changed For Fax Board" The baud rate for the fax board is fixed. If you attempt to change it, you will get this error. Error 26: "Drive Not Ready" This error occurs if you attempt to access the "A" or "B" drive when it is not ready. You should check to see if a disk exists within the desired drive, and that the door is shut if it is a 5.25 drive. Error 27: "Point Does Not Have Any Attributes" This error occurs if you attempt to select the Attribute Menu while the pointer is your current tool. Error 28: "Not Connected to Another PC" This error occurs if you attempt to change the status box in the communication menu. This box is of no use if you are not connected to another PC. Error 29: "User Aborted The Receiving Of Data" This message is more informational than it is an error message. This message will let the user know that the system will discontinue receiving the data and that they are returning to the interactive mode. Error 30: "Not Enough Disk Memory For Undo" This occurs when there is not enough disk space to hold the undo file. To remedy this, you must leave the program and delete any unnecessary files. This will create more disk space, which will provide the necessary space for the undo file. Error 31: "User Aborted The printing of Data" This occurs when you hit the key to abort a print that is currently in progress. Error 32: "Document Queue Does Not Exist" This occurs if you hit the F6 key to toggle the queue. It simply tells you that no queue exists. Error 33: "Printer Error - Not Connected or Not On" This occurs when you attempt to access the printer menu and the printer is either off-line or not turned on. You should check the power button and make sure the on-line light is on. Error 34: "No Tablet Defined" This error occurs if you attempt to change any of the parameters within the configuration menu without a tablet being chosen. To remedy this problem, select your desired tablet size. Error 35: "No Address Is Assigned" You cannot initialize a modem or tablet when the address value is zero. You must input an address value. Error 36: "No Interrupt Number Is Assigned" You cannot initialize a modem or tablet when the interrupt value is zero. You must input an interrupt value. Note: When displaying an error message, the memory needed to be allocated may not be enough. If this case occurs, you will be notified through another error message saying so, as well as a message telling you that the previous screen will be lost. Thus, the program did not have enough memory to save the previous screen as well as the data required for the error message. If this occurs, you would be advised to leave the "PC Blackboard" program and check the available memory on your machine.