* WAITFOR "our FIRST Name? " has Procomm wait for the text string "our FIRST NAME?" from my BBS. It is a part of the question "What is your first name?".
* PAUSE 1 halts the execution of the script file for one second.
* TRANSMIT "Jens^M" sends the name "Jens" followed by a Return (the code ^M in Procomm).
* WAITFOR "our LAST Name? " makes Procomm wait for the question "What is your LAST Name?"
The script continues like this. In WAITFOR commands, we use part of the text that is displayed on our screen once the scrolling stops. Make sure that the search term is unique. It must not appear elsewhere in the text coming from the host computer. If it does, your name and password may be sent too early. You can call the script HORROR.CMD, and attach it to the entry for my board in your Procomm phone directory. When you call it the next time, Procomm will execute the commands in the file and "turn the keyboard over to you" when done.
Macros in Procomm ————————- Above, we used a script to log on automatically to a service. When Procomm gives us access to the keyboard again, we must continue manually. What we want to do online varies. Sometimes, we want to read new messages in conferences. In other cases, the purpose is to check new programs in the file library. If we find programs of interest, we may want to download them. Shorthand macros can help you do this faster and safer. For example, one macro can take you quickly to a conference for new messages. You can make Procomm start this macro whenever you press ALT-0 (keep the ALT key down, then press 0). You can have the macro key ALT-1 send other commands when in the file archives. When I started using MS-DOS computers for data communications, PC-TALK became my favorite program. It has many of the same macro capabilities that Procomm has. With PC-TALK, I did autologon to NewsNet. Macro number one sent commands that gave me the contents of various newsletters. Macro #2 picked up the contents in another group. Macro #3 picked up stories from my mailbox, and macro #4 logged me off the service. My mission was completed by pressing four or five keys.
Automating the full task ———————————— It's a long way from automated logon scripts and the use of macros to automating the whole task. The major difference is that with full automation, you do not have to look at the screen while the script is working. You can do other things. Sometimes, you may not even be present when the job is being done. On a typical morning, I go directly from bed to my office to switch my communications computer on. While I visit the bathroom, my communications program calls three online services, retrieve and send information. When the script has disconnected from the first service, which is my bulletin board, it analyzes the received data. I want an alphabetic list of visitors since my last visit, a sorted list of downloaded programs, and names of those calling in at 9600 bps or higher. Sometimes, the unexpected happen. There may be noise on the line, or a sudden disconnect. Usually, my script can solve this without manual intervention. It is therefore allowed to work unattended most of the time. When I get to my office after breakfast, it is all done. My communications program is set for reading and responding to today's email. I can sit down, and immediately get to work. After having written all my replies, I say "send" to my system. For me, it's time for another cup of coffee. I am not needed by the keyboard while my mail is being sent. This is what an automatic communications system can do. My scripts also help plan and prepare online visits, and ease my work by postprocessing results.
| When your communication is fully automated, you need not | | read incoming data while it scrolls over your screen, and | | then again after logging off the service. You do it only | | once. |
How to get it? Here are some alternatives:
Alternative 1: Write your own system —————————————————— You can write procedures for powerful script-driven programs like ProYam (from Omen Technology) and Crosstalk MK IV. I started writing scripts for ProYam over seven years ago. The system is constantly expanded to include new services, refined to include more functions, and enhanced to become more robust. The scripts make my system work like an autopilot. It calls online services, navigates, retrieves and sends data. Postprocessing includes automatic reformatting of retrieved data, transfers to various internal databases, statistics, usage logs, and calculation of transfer costs. Such scripts can do quite complex operations online. For example, it can