**************************************** * MEX * * STEP by STEP * * by * * Curtis W. Givens * * Kaypro Users of Dayton Ohio (KUDO) * **************************************** The step by step outline for MEX114.COM listed below is meant to accompany and supplement the file MEX-IMP.WMT previously up-loaded to the KUDO Host. Step 1: You will need MEX114.COM and the appropriate overlay file for you computer/modem combination. A file called MEX.HLP should also be available to be placed on the disk with MEX114.COM so you can use MEX's built in help facility. All of these files are in the library file MEX114.LBR except for the overlay. The library contains a catalog of available overlays. The library also has a file called MLOADxx.COM (xx-version number). You will need this file also. Step 2: Use your word processor or editor to read through your overlay file and make any changes that you need to customize the overlay for your computer modem combination. In the case of Kaypro computers and the overlay MEXOVL.ASM there weren't any major changes to make. Step 3: Place your overlay and ASM.COM on a disk and enter the following: ASM MEXOVL <-- use name of your overlay. ASM.COM will generate two files one a .HEX file and the other a .PRN file. Before leaving this step read the screen carefully and make sure there are no error messages generated by ASM.COM. Step 4: Place MEX114.COM, the .HEX file generated in step 3, and MLOADxx.COM on a disk and enter the following: MLOAD MEX.COM-MEX114.COM,XXXXXX.HEX MEX.COM can be replaced by any name that you want to use to call your working version of the program. Substitute the filename of you .HEX file for the X's. MLOAD will generate the file MEX.COM in this case, this is a working copy of MEX114.COM ready to run with you computer/modem. Step 5: If you already have several phone numbers that you want to use you'll want to do one more thing before we start using MEX. Use you word processor or editor to create a file called PHONE.PHN with the following format: PHONE ID-1-XXX-XXX-XXXX baud rate PHONE ID- etc ID can be any identifier for a phone number up to 8 characters. Baud Rate is optional. You can include up to 32 phone numbers in this library. Step 6: You need a disk with your working copy of MEX114.COM generated by MLOAD in step 4, MEX.HLP and the PHONE.PHN file you created in step 5. With these files together and ready to go call MEX up by whatever name you gave it in step 4 and we'll finish the customizing process. Step 7: You should now have MEX running and have your cursor waiting for you at the MEX prompt. Enter SET and MEX will show you a list of its current settings. Look them over carefully and see if any of them need changed. For Kaypro users with internal modems you should enter SET INTERNAL to get you internal modem activated. If you use rotary phones and you have tone dialing as one of the entries enter SET PULSE to change the dialing mode. You may find some BBS's that need more than the 30 second answer delay but most of them will work okay with 30. For now leave the parity, stop and bits/char as is since these settings will work with nearly any board you might want to contact. Step 8: Enter STAT and MEX will display all of its STAT variables. For this exercise we are interested in two entries in this table the one labeled ESC and the one label CLOCK. The information following ESC (T-mode escape char) will tell you what character you will use to get out of the terminal mode. The character in quotes is the key you'll use. In some copies of MEX114.COM, it is shown as "^[" which is the key labeled ESC on most keyboards. Other versions of MEX114.COM have just "[" or the left bracket key as the escape character. From now on when I say use your ESC key I'll be referring to whatever key your version uses for its escape character. The entry after CLOCK is the clock speed for your CPU. Most distribution copies of MEX114 have this set at 46 or 4.6 mhz. If you have one of the older Kaypros with the 2 mhz clock you will need to change this by entering STAT CLOCK 20. Use this command to set the clock speed in the program to match you CPU's clock speed. Step 10: Now we want to read the phone library that you created into MEX so that you can call your numbers by entering their ID's. Enter the following at the MEX prompt: READ PHONE.PHN MEX will read your phone number library and after the next step the numbers will be a part of your working copy of MEX. Step 11: None of the changes that we've made since we started MEX are permanent and they will all be lost if we exit MEX at this point. If you've finished making changes and want them saved for the next session you use the CLONE command as follows: CLONE MEX.COM MEX will inform you that the file MEX.COM exists, if that's what you called you working program when you used MLOAD and ask if it's okay to erase. Say yes and MEX will create a new version of MEX.COM with your changes included. Step 12: Time has come to make a call. If you're using an external modem turn it on and enter this command: CALL ID or CALL xxx-xxxx MEX will have the modem dial the phone number associated with the ID you specify or it will dial the phone number that you enter at the command line. Adding the # symbol will cause MEX to try to dial this number until it gets through or until you abort the dialing with a Control-C. A number after # will limit the tries to the specified number. You can also have MEX try several numbers until it gets through by including the ID's on the command line with just a space between each one. Step 13: If this is your first contact with a new board you'll probably want to open a capture file so that you can get a hard copy of all the material that the remote is going to spew out. If you are already in contact with a remote system you start the capture file as follows: a.) ESC E {gets you back to command mode} b.) T filename.ext {back to terminal mode with a file open by the specified name. Another option is to open the capture file before you start the call like this: a.) T filename.ext {opens the capture file} b.) ESC E {gets you back to command mode} c.) CALL ID As soon as the remote system answer MEX will go to the terminal mode with the capture file open. A colon will appear on the screen at the start of each line as an indicator that you capture file is working. MEX uses a 16K capture buffer and every 16K it will briefly suspend things while it writes to disk. Step 14: As you look around through the files of the remote you will probably come across programs that you would like to add to your collection. You should find out if the remote has a help file for downloading and copy it into you capture file. After you get off line read through the instructions or better yet print the instructions out so you'll have it beside your keyboard when you try your first download. Procedures will vary from system to system but downloading will go something like this: a.) xmodem s du:filename.ext <-- you enter this, du can be omitted if you are logged on the drive and user area that has the file you want to download. If the remote supports the new 1K protocol you will want a "k" after the "s". b.) The remote will display some information about the transfer and then tell you that the file is open and ready to send. c.) Enter ESC E {you're back in command mode} d.) Enter rt filename.ext you can include a drive and user area if you wish the file to be placed on a different drive or user than you are currently logged to. The "r" tells MEX to receive a file, the "t" tells it to go back to terminal mode when the transfer is completed. If you are using the 1K protocol put a "k" between the "r" and "t". Step 15: Sending a file to the remote is also fairly simple. Again exact procedures may vary slightly from board to board but it'll go something like this: a.) xmodem r filename.ext <-- tells the remote that you are sending it a file. b.) The remote will tell you it has a file open ready to receive. c.) ESC E d.) st filename.ext <-- MEX will send the file and go back to terminal when the transfer is complete. Note: If you have a capture file open MEX will suspend it while you do xmodem transfers and reopen it each time you go back to the terminal mode. Step 16: After you sign off from the remote and after the remote drops its carrier you want to enter ESC E to get back to the command mode. Now enter WRT to close your capture file properly. You can now exit from MEX with EXIT or go on to make more calls.