DOWNLOADING FILES WITH PCACCESS PCACCESS does not require any additional data files for its operation, so it can be started from any drive or directory. By putting PCACCESS.EXE in a directory that is listed in your DOS PATH setting, file transfers may be initiated from any target directory, eliminating the need for you to enter a pathname when using the program. The actual operation of PCACCESS is extremely simple. The program uses the following command keys: ALT-D - Starts the Auto-log-on sequence ALT-L - Resends the Log-on sequence (in case of errors) ALT-R - Starts Xmodem file transfer (receive only) ALT-I - Places PCACCESS in Immediate Mode. This option does not appear on the top menu. ALT-C - Sends three Cancel characters (used after an error or time-out). This option does not appear on the top menu. ALT-X - Exits the program. - Help - Show current settings for port, ID$, Password$, etc. - Shell to DOS or program - Log input to file (no filtering for CR/LF) - Abort when entering new system information PCACCESS has one command-line option, I, which tells PCACCESS to prompt for a utility name, immediately download the utility, and sign off PC MagNet. To begin the program, simply type PCACCESS (or PCACCESS i) and press . PCACCESS will initialize the modem with the ATZ command and give you a "Modem Ready" message. You then start the auto-log-on process by pressing Alt-D. PCACCESS sends the modem an ATDT (for tone, ATDP for pulse) command, followed by the phone number you entered into the program. After the dialing commands and number have been sent, the modem waits for a carrier tone from PC MagNet. Once a successful connection has been established, the modem will then send a "CONNECT" message back to PCACCESS. (The exact message may vary among modem brands. If you experience difficulty, write the message down and enter it exactly in place of the "CONNECT" shown in the Logon subroutine part of the source text.) Upon receiving a "CONNECT" response, PCACCESS continues the log-on procedure by sending the ID and Password to PC MagNet. Note that if you have trouble logging on and receive a Device Error message or jibberish on the screen, you should simply try dialing again. Sometimes it is difficult to log on. There is no problem at this point from PCACCESS's end. It simply cannot get through. Occasionally, because of network problems, bad telephone lines, or just poor timing, the network may not respond to your initial logon attempt. If it seems to be taking too long--more than 20 seconds or so--press Enter to break out of the log-on sequence. Because you are still connected to PC MagNet and merely need to resend the log-on, press Alt-L to retry. The second try will usually be successful. Repeated messages from the network such as "Login Invalid, try again," can mean that your ID or Password have not been entered correctly. In that case, carefully check your spelling and punctuation in the IDStr$ and Password$ variables. A display of the PC MagNet logo and copyright notice, followed by a number of messages and an opening menu, signal a successful log- on. Navigating through PC MagNet is as easy as selecting an item from the menu. Further, help is always available if the choice is not obvious. First-time users are encouraged to experiment in the practice forum, where no charge is incurred and where newcomers can experiment with many of the finer points of PC MagNet and CompuServe. To exemplify the procedure, we'll walk you through the download of a short utility from the PC MagNet practice forum. To get to the Practice forum from PC MagNet's main menu, select choice 4, Forums. At the Forum menu select choice 5, Practice forum. The first time you access a forum you must "join" it (PC MagNet imposes no charge for this, though some CompuServe services do). To join any forum, type JOIN at the exclamation prompt and answer the prompt for your name. You're now a member. After reading a short message from the SysOp (systems operator), you enter the forum library by selecting 3, Libraries. A very useful short course on PC MagNet is contained here in a file called PCMAG.COM. The file is about 27K in length, and downloading it will provide a good trial run for learning PCACCESS. (Once you've successfully downloaded PCMAG.COM onto your PC, you simply run it to create the text file containing the instructions.) Downloading a file with PCACCESS is very easy. From the library menu, select Download. When PC MagNet asks for the name of the file to retrieve, type PCMAG.COM and press Enter. PC MagNet now needs to know what downloading protocol you wish to use, so it displays a list of available choices. Select Xmodem from the list and press Enter. PC MagNet is now ready to send the file; it now waits for PCACCESS to signal that everything is ready at your end to start receiving. To enable PCACCESS's downloading facility, press Alt-R. PCACCESS will now prompt you for a filename. Generally, you'll simply enter the same name that PC MagNet uses, though you can substitute any legal filename and may precede it, if you wish, with a drive and path. Once the name has been entered, PCACCESS will acknowledge the protocol that PC MagNet is using, and before you know it, you've begun to receive blocks of data. During the file transfer, no further action is needed: you simply sit there, following the progress of the transfer by watching the block number and total number of bytes received thus far. Because the Xmodem protocol can send only complete blocks of 128 characters, the size of the files you receive will always be a multiple of 128; if the last block is shorter than 128 bytes, the transmitting program will pad it up to 128 bytes with zeros. Although this is usually harmless, it can be disconcerting to the uninitiated. If, for some reason, the transfer must be cancelled, press Alt-C. PCACCESS will first close the file on your machine and then send a termination character to PC MagNet. When the file transfer is completed PCACCESS signals with a chime, displays the total number of blocks and bytes received, and then returns to the main program. PC MagNet expects a carriage return when the transfer is complete, so press Enter to confirm the transfer. At this point you may select another file to download or continue exploring the forum. ALT-I, Immediate Mode, is very handy. It will automatically go through the download process for you from any place you may be. Say, for example, that you are browsing through files or you read a message and it mentions some program you would like to have. Without the need to go through various menu stages, simply press ALT-I, provide the filename, and PCACCESS does the rest. Again, when you decide to log off, don't forget to enter BYE at one of the exclamation prompts, or you'll inflate your PC MagNet bill unnecessarily. Pressing Alt-X will then take you back to the DOS prompt. Using the Alt-I command-line option tells PCACCESS to prompt you for a filename. No further action is required on your part. Once the file name is entered, PCACCESS goes directly to work downloading the file. Once downloaded, PCACCESS immediately exits. This option is useful for absolutely minimizing the amount of time spent on PC MagNet.