Using TERMSET to Configure TERMF or PCOP

Before TERMF or PCOP can be used to program the PCM, it requires information about the display hardware in your computer and the serial port settings to be used for communication with the PCM. This information is provided by a data file named TERM.DAT. A default version of TERM.DAT, installed with TERMF or PCOP, contains display hardware settings for the Workmaster industrial computer from GE .

These settings will work with any computer that uses an IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) display. The default TERM.DAT also contains serial port settings identical to the PCM default settings.

If your computer uses different display hardware, such as the IBM Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA), Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) or Video Graphics Array (VGA), you need to use the TERMSET program. If you change your computer’s hardware

configuration, you will need to use TERMSET again. You also need to run TERMSET in order to use PCM serial port settings that are different from the defaults. TERMSET asks you about your computer’s display hardware and the serial port settings you plan to use; then it makes the necessary changes to the TERM.DAT file.

The file DEFAULT.DAT contains the same default settings as the initial version of TERM.DAT installed with TERMF.

Caution

The file DEFAULT.DAT should never be modified. It is very useful when troubleshooting for providing default settings to TERMF or PCOP.

To run TERMSET:

1. Type CD \PCOP at the MS-DOS prompt.

2. To make changes to the TERM.DAT file, type TERMSET to display the TERMSET main menu. There are three parts to the main menu: Basic Setup, Custom Configurations, and Exit TERMSET. To configure TERMF or PCOP for your

computer, you need to use only the two Basic Setup functions (items 3 and 4, below) to set up the serial port and display adapter. For information on Custom

Configurations, see items 5 through 8 on the following pages.

3. To change the serial port settings, first type 1 to display the current values. Then type the number corresponding to the setting to be changed. A new menu will appear, showing all possible values for the selected setting. Choose one of the values from this menu. Be sure the new port settings match the configuration of the PCM port used for programming. When all the settings are correct, type E to return to the main menu.

4. To change the video adapter (display hardware) settings, type 2. If the display settings are correct, answer N to the prompt to avoid changing them. Generally, the display adapter type is the only setting that should need to be changed. If it is incorrect, type Y. An explanation of the display parameters is provided in the following table.

Value Description

Video Adapter Type Specifies the type of display adapter your personal computer uses to drive the attached video monitor (CRT). The six hardware selections are:

1 = Enhanced Graphics Adapter/Video Graphics Array (EGA/VGA).

2 = Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) (e.g. Workmaster computer). * 3 = Good CGA without snow

(i.e. a non-IBM CGA-compatible adapter).

4 = Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA).

5 = Vega 7 Deluxe/Multisync (using VEGABIOS.SYS).

6 = EGA driving a Monochrome Display.

Display Page Length Specifies the number of lines to be displayed on one video page. Range = 10 - 60 lines (Default = 25).

Display Control Sequences Display control character sequences from the PCM. Choices are ENABLED or DISABLED*. If display is enabled, control sequences are visible but have no effect. If display is disabled, control sequences perform their intended functions.

Normal Display Video Mode Controls character width and color/monochrome features of the display. Range is normally 0 - 3 and 7. Recommended values are:

3 = Color display (video adapter type 1, 2, 3, or 5). * 7 = Monochrome display (video adapter type 4 or 6).

Display Long Lines Specifies whether TERMF will honor the Set 132 column escape sequence, <ESC> ?3h. Choices are ENABLED or DISABLED*.

It is recommended that you disable this feature unless you have a display adapter and driver software that interpret one of the two video modes listed above to display a 120 or 132-column screen. If you enable this selection, a second option allows you to specify which display mode represents your long-lines display mode.

Character Font This selection is valid only for EGA/VGA adapters with the capability of using a user-loaded character font for text display.

The four font selections are:

1 = Normal font in ROM*. This allows for 25 lines of text per screen.

2 = Double dot font in ROM. This allows 43 to 50 lines of text per screen.

3 = User specified 256-character font. This allows 10 to 60 lines of text per screen and up to 256 user-defined characters.

4 = User specified 512-character font. This allows 10 to 60 lines of text per screen and up to 512 user-defined characters in two font files of 256 characters each. The font sizes in the two files must be the same.

* Default selection.

When all the display settings are correct, return to the main menu by typing N (or any key except Y) at the prompt that asks whether you want to change the settings.

Then type E to save the changes and exit from TERMSET. If you do not want to save the new settings, type Q.

In addition to the settings previously described, some custom configuration options are available from the TERMSET main menu. These options are seldom, if ever, used with TERMF or PCOP. They are included here to help you configure TERMF as a general purpose terminal emulation program for use with serial devices other than the PCM. These options are explained in the remainder of this section.

5. Item 3 in the TERMSET main menu selects a screen that describes the keyboard input queue, special key handling, multi-character transmission delay, size of the received character buffer, key assignments for exiting from TERMF and for sending a break from the serial port, and the delay count which determines the length of the break. To change any of these parameters, type Y. A short explanation of each parameter is given below:

Value Description

Keyboard Input

Queue Options include:

Supplied by BIOS*: The capability to type ahead is limited to 15 characters. This mode is reliable on every computer. It is strongly recommended.

Supplied by program: The capability to type ahead is expanded to 255 characters. This mode is not reliable on all computers, and is not recommended.

Special Key

Handling Special keys include the function keys, ALT keys, and keypad keys, which have a “key binding” associated with them.

Sent as character sequences from key bindings: When a key is pressed, the appropriate key binding sets are searched for that key. If found, the keystroke is translated accordingly. With TERMF in cursor mode, all three sets (cursor, application, and normal) are searched in that order.

In application mode, only application and normal sets are searched;

in normal mode, only the normal key binding set is searched.

Sent as MegaBasic control characters*: When a key is pressed, a search is first performed in a predefined set of MegaBasic key bindings. (Refer to the MegaBasic Programming Language Reference Manual, GFK-0256.) The MegaBasic key bindings are designed to allow the same use of special keys for MegaBasic in both the PCM and a personal computer. If the keystroke does not match a MegaBasic key binding, translation is performed as described in the preceding option (sent as character sequences from key bindings).

Multi-character

Transmission Delay This delay value is arbitrary and varies among different computer models.

It is a count of the number of times a software delay loop is repeated before putting the next character into the transmit buffer. This parameter is used only when TERMF is communicating with very slow devices.

It is included here only for the sake of completeness. The PCM does not require this delay. Range = 0* to 32,767. The value zero (0) is strongly recommended.

* Default selection.

Value Description Received Character

Buffer Size This buffer size affects the overall speed of TERMF when flow control is enabled. With no flow control, it affects the probability that a received character may be lost. It also affects the responsiveness of the display when a key is pressed: the smaller the buffer, the more responsive.

If you use the Scroll Lock key to start and stop continuous output from a device, a 1000-character buffer is recommended. If you are simply starting and stopping a MegaBasic listing from the PCM using the space bar, then a 100-character buffer* is adequate.

Exit Term Key This selection changes the key combination which exits from TERMF. The default setting, 2092*, assigns ALT-Z. (Press the Z key while holding the ALT key.) You can also exit from TERMF by using the CTRL-BREAK key combination.

The scan codes used for this setting do not correspond to keyboard scan codes documented in IBM personal computer manuals. Use Show Scan Code, below, to determine the correct setting for the key or key

combination (Shift, CTRL or ALT plus another key) you select.

Do not change this setting if you use PCOP. The Series 90 PCM

Development Software (PCOP) User’s Manual, GFK-0487, specifies ALT-Z as the key combination to return to PCOP after communicating with PCM MegaBasic. If you change this setting, PCOP will not function as expected.

Send Break Key This selection changes the key combination which causes TERMF to send a serial break. The default setting, 2152*, assigns ALT-F1. (Press the F1 function key while holding ALT.)

The scan codes used for this setting do not correspond to keyboard scan codes documented in IBM personal computer manuals. Use Show Scan Code, described below, to determine the correct setting for the key or key combination (Shift, CTRL or ALT plus another key) you select.

PCM MegaBasic does not respond to Break, although user programs can.

Break Delay This delay value is arbitrary and varies among different computer models.

It is a count of the number of times a software delay loop is repeated between the start and end of a break. The default is 20,000* counts.

Show Scan Code This menu item is shown after you answer Y to the prompt that asks whether you wish to change a selection. You should use Show Scan Code to discover the scan code for the key or key combination you want to assign to the Send Break function or exit TERMF.

* Default selection.

Caution

The key assignment for exiting from TERMF should never be changed when using PCOP. A change to this setting will prevent PCOP from functioning as expected.

When these selections are correct, type N.

6. Menu item 4 selects a screen that displays the current values for display attributes.

These values select the foreground and background colors for characters based on the status of the graphics rendition modes reverse, intensify, underline, and blink.

This selection allows you to change the colors of the display used by TERMF and PCOP. The values are coded as two hexadecimal digits representing a string of eight bits. The three least significant bits (1 through 3) code the foreground color; bit 4 specifies high intensity; bits 5 through 7 code the background color; and bit 8 specifies blinking.

TERMSET shows the names of the colors which correspond to the numeric values selected for foreground and background colors. These are the colors displayed on CGA, EGA and VGA color displays. If your computer has a monochrome display, you should use the default display attributes.

To redefine any of the display attributes, type Y and respond to the prompts for attribute combination number and hexadecimal attribute value. When the settings are correctly displayed, type N.

7. Menu items 5, 6, and 7 select screens that display the scan codes contained in the normal, application, and cursor key binding sets, respectively. Key bindings are used to redefine keys for various operational modes. A single keystroke may send up to 80 characters via these key bindings.

Note

Custom key bindings have limited value when using TERMF or PCOP with the PCM. This description is provided only for completeness.

When using MegaBasic special key handling, only ordinary keys (i.e., those that produce a non-null character code can be used for

keybindings. For example, CTRL-A can be used to produce the character code 1.

If MegaBasic special key handling is selected from main menu item 3, many of these custom binding in these sets will be replaced with MegaBasic defaults.

To view or modify the normal key bindings, type Y, select the appropriate function, and answer the prompts:

1 Look at a table entry.

2 Replace a table entry.

3 Delete a table entry.

4 Add a table entry.

5 Show the scan code for the key.

When the key bindings are correct, type N.

8. Menu item 8 selects a screen which displays the current values for the display color palette settings. These settings are only available for EGA/VGA adapters. The EGA color palette has 16 entries. The colors are defined in RGB notation (i.e., three digits with values 0 to 3 each to indicate the intensity of Red (first digit), Green (second digit), and Blue (third digit). The range for each color is 000 to 333, giving a palette of 64 possible colors.

If you wish to change any of these settings, type Y and respond to the prompts for register number, RGB value, and color name. If the settings are correct as displayed, type N.