We all have different needs —————————————- Automation will never be the same for everybody. Our needs are too different. Some get excited when a program can dial a bulletin board, retrieve a program, and then disconnect without them having to touch the keyboard. Some want an "answering machine" that can respond to and forward email when he or she is away from the office. Others want a communications system that can tap selected news sources, search databases, and do postprocessing on the retrieved material. For most professionals, doing things manually takes too much time. Time is better spent reading, digesting, and using, rather than on stupid technical retrieval work. Computers can do that. To others again, automation is a question of being able to use the online resource at all. If it takes 60 seconds to get a piece of information, it may be possible to get before running for the next meeting. If it takes 15 minutes, however, there may not be enough time. If you also need to read a help text to find out how to do it, you may not even consider it. The mind is full of other things right now.
| When using a system for automatic communication, you do not | | have to learn and remember online commands. The system will | | do it for you. |
The minimum solution —————————— Automatic data communication in its simplest form entails the following:
* One keypress to get the communications program to dial a
number, and send user name/password when the online service
requests this information.
* Macro commands (like in a word processor) for navigating
through an online service, searching, and to send complex
commands by pressing one key.
Most communication programs have a macro language or a script language. You will probably never regret time spent on learning how to use these features. At a minimum, you should be able to have your system log on to a service automatically. Autologon spares you the task of remembering your user name and password. Besides, most people are only able to use the keyboard at a low speed. They easily get frustrated by having to correct typing errors.
Auto-logon with Procomm ———————————- Procomm is one of the most popular communications program in use today (see appendix 2). A Procomm script file is a text file, which can contain a list of commands for dialing and navigating on an online service. When writing a Procomm script for auto-logon, your first step is to list the commands that you believe required. Enter them in a text file (as DOS or ASCII text). In such scripts, you can test for the occurrence of a small piece of information that the online service is supposed to send at a given time (like the question "Password?"). When this information is found, Procomm can be set to send the proper response or command (here, your secret password). Scripts can be tied to your favorite online services through Procomm's dialing directory. Press a key to start the appropriate script file for access to a service. The following is a simple PROCOMM script file. It can be used to access my bulletin board in Norway. It assumes that your name is Jens Mikkelsen, and that the secret password is FOXCROOK4. You'll have to change this before testing.
;
;Script file for auto-logon to SHS with PROCOMM and PROCOMM PLUS
;
WAITFOR "our FIRST Name? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "Jens^M"
WAITFOR "our LAST Name? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "Mikkelsen^M"
WAITFOR "ots will echo)? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "foxcrook4^M"
WAITFOR "^JMore (Y),N,NS? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "n^M"
WAITFOR "^JMore (Y),N,NS? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "n^M"
WAITFOR "R] to Continue? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "^M"
It is not difficult. You probably understand a lot already. Here is the explanation:
* the ";" character at the beginning of a line identifies it as a comment line. Procomm is to ignore it. We use such lines for notes.