While A User Is Online
Status Line
When a user is logged into the system, a 2-line status bar is displayed at the bottom of the screen. You can refer to this status bar to determine information about the caller that is online. There is far too much information about the user to display it all in two lines. To accommodate all of the information that is displayed, there are several views of the status line that you can rotate between by pressing ALT-H. The original view is referred to as the default view.
Default View
There is a lot of information displayed on this screen. To help explain the various components of this status line, it will be broken into two segments that will be explained in detail.
| 1 | Node number. This area of the status line displays the node number of the screen that you are viewing. | |
| 2 | Carrier speed. This area displays the carrier speed that the caller connected to the system at. If there is an E after the carrier speed, the caller has established an error-correcting session. | |
| 3 | Name of user. This region of the status line displays the full name of the user. | |
| 4 | City / location. In this area, the contents of the City field in the user's record will be displayed. | |
| 5 | Graphics mode indicator. One of four indicators will be displayed: N, A, G, or R. | |
| N | CTTY mode. Color graphics is disabled. | |
| A | ANSI sequences are sent to speed up cursor positioning. | |
| G | ANSI sequences are sent to color the screen and to move the cursor. | |
| R | The user has selected RIPScrip mode. | |
| 6 | Last date online. The date that the current user called the system is displayed in this region of the status line. | |
| 7 | Current conference. The number between the parentheses displays the current conference that the user is in. | |
| 8 | Current security level. In this area of the status line, the security level of the caller is displayed. This level will take into account any additional security that is assigned by joining the conference or other temporary security level adjustments. | |
| 9 | Call waiting screen indicators. From the call-waiting screen you can see the status of the page bell, printer, and alarm. Between the parentheses a P, A, or B will be displayed if the printer, alarm, or page bell is turned on. | |
| Times On | This region of the status line displays the total number of times that the user has called the system. This information can be found in each user's record too. | |
| Up:Dn | Refer to this area of the status line to see how many files the current user has uploaded and downloaded. The number to the left of the colon is the number of files that have been uploaded while the number to the right is the number of files that have been downloaded. | |
| 10 | Minutes used. In this region of the status line, the total number of minutes that the user has been online is displayed. This value is obtained by looking at the current time and comparing it with the time that the user logged in. | |
| 11 | Logon time. The time that the caller logged into the system is displayed in 24 hour format in this region. | |
| 12 | Last file handle number. The value that is displayed in the area is the last file handle number that DOS returned to PCBoard You should use this number to estimate the number of files that are open by this copy of PCBoard. Using this number, you will know if you need to increase the number of files allocated in your CONFIG.SYS file. | |
| 13 | Total free memory. The value displayed here tells you how much memory is left. The number is displayed in kilobytes (1024 bytes per kilobyte). | |
| 14 | Minutes left. In this region, the number of minutes that the user has left for this session or day is displayed. Remember that it is possible for the user to achieve time credits by uploading files. | |
| 15 | Current time. In this region, the current system time is displayed in 24 hour format. | |
In addition to the information shown on the status line there are blinking characters that may appear at the bottom of the screen near the Logon and Current time fields. The following describes the significance of the blinking characters:
| N | This node has been marked to make the SysOp the next user to login. |
| X | This node is set to exit to DOS after the caller disconnects. |
| R | This node is set to recycle after the caller disconnects. |
| S | Software flow control is turned on. The remote caller must press CTRL-Q to begin sending data again. Unlike the other indicators, this one does not flash or blink. |
| p | The caller attempted to page you, but you did not answer the page. |
| PCBoard is scanning the USERNET.XXX file. |
View #2
The second page of the status line briefly lists the SysOp function keys that are available while a caller is online. Refer to Keyboard Commands in this section for a detailed description of each.
View #3
In the upper left hand corner of this view, the user's business/data and home/voice phone numbers are displayed. The two numbers are separated by a / character. The following describes the rest of the fields in this view:
| E/D | Expiration date. This field shows the expiration date of the user. If 00-00-00 is displayed, then either subscription mode is not enabled, or the user has been setup to not have an expiration date. |
| P/W | Password. This field displays the login password of the caller. |
| C1 | Comment 1. The contents of the Comment1 field in the user's record is displayed in this field. |
| C2 | Comment 2. The contents of the Comment2 field in the user's record is displayed in this field. |
View #4
To quickly display the user statistics for file transfers and messages, you should switch to this view. The following information is available:
| Msgs Left | Displays the total number of messages that the user has entered. |
| Msgs Read | Displays the total number of messages read by the user. |
| Files U/L | Displays the number of files uploaded to the system. |
| Files D/L | Displays the number of files downloaded from the system. |
| Bytes U/L | Shows the number of bytes that the user has uploaded to the system. |
| Bytes D/L | Shows the number of bytes that the user has downloaded. |
| Today | Displays the total number of bytes that have been downloaded by the user today. A negative value means that the user has uploaded files and had received byte credits. |
View #5
This view presents information about the serial port that PCBoard uses. If you have defined PCBoard to use port 0, this view will not be available to you. The following explains the fields in this view:
| PC-Modem | The speed that is used between the computer and the modem. This is commonly referred to as the DTE speed. |
| Carrier | The speed that the caller connected to the system at. This speed is also known as the DCE speed. |
| Overrun | Displays the number of overruns you have experienced. This value should always be 0. If it is not, then you are receiving data faster than your current system is setup to handle. |
| Framing | Displays the number of framing errors that have occurred. If this value is not 0, your system is having problems receiving data. |
| Parity | Displays the number of parity errors that have occurred. If this value is not 0, your system is having problems receiving data. |
| ErrCorr | Based on the information that the modem provides to PCBoard at login, this field will show whether or not an error-correcting session has been detected. |
| InBuf | The total number of bytes that are currently in the input buffer. This value should normally be 0. |
| OutBuf | Displays the total number of bytes in the output buffer. This value you should normally be 0. |
| CTS | Shows the status of the CTS signal on the serial port. The signal will either be up or dn. |
In addition to the rest of the fields in this view, PCBoard will display the type of UART that it detects in the lower right hand corner of the status line. The possible value are:
| 8250 OLD | An older 8250 UART has been detected. |
| 8250A/16450 | An 8250A or 16450 UART has been detected. |
| 16550 | An older 16550 UART chip has been detected. This chip has a bug which prevents the 16 byte buffer from working correctly. |
| 16550 FIFO | An older 16550 UART chip has been detected. PCBoard determined that this chip is capable of using the 16 byte buffer. |
| 16550A FIFO | A 16550A UART chip has been detected. PCBoard will take advantage of the 16 byte buffer of this UART chip. |
| COMM-DRV | PCBoard is communicating with the modem using the multiport driver. |
| FOSSIL | PCBoard is communicating with the modem using a FOSSIL driver. |
Keyboard Commands
This section details the keyboard commands that are available to you while a user is online. You may only use these from the local keyboard - not while you are logged in from remote.
| F1 | SysOp privileges. Use this keyboard command to temporarily upgrade a user from a non-SysOp security level to the SysOp security level defined in PCBSetup > Security Levels > Sysop Commands. To return the caller to their original security level during the same call, press 1 again. Once the caller logs off, their security level will be returned to the original value. |
| F2 | Lock out. This keyboard command will allow you to automatically lock out the current users from the system. If you choose to lock the caller out, their security level will be dropped to 0, and they will be immediately disconnected from the system. |
| F3 | Toggle printing caller log. Use of this keyboard command will toggle the printer status. Anything that is written to the caller log will also be written to the printer port defined in PCBSetup > Node Configuration. You will know that the printer status is on when a P is printed in the parentheses found on the lower right-hand corner of the status line. |
| F4 | Toggle page bell status. Use of this keyboard command will toggle the page bell status. When the page bell is turned on, users will be able to page you for chatting if they attempt to page between the hours defined in PCBSetup > Configuration Options > Limits. If paged, you will be beeped for 30 seconds. You can then choose to answer the page by pressing M or to ignore the page. If you do not answer, the user will be asked if they wish to leave a comment to the SysOp. You will know that the page bell status is on when a B is printed in the parentheses found on the lower right-hand corner of the status line. |
| F5 | Shell to DOS. As long as you have not disabled local shells to DOS in PCBSetup > Configuration Options > System Control, this keyboard command will cause PCBoard to shell to DOS. |
| F6 | Modify current user's record. Essentially, this keyboard command will enable you to edit the same fields that you can edit by using the C subcommand of the 7 SysOp command. The difference being that the current user's record will be edited instead of you making an attempt to find the proper record. If the user does not have a record on disk yet, this keyboard command is disabled. |
| F7 | Toggle alarm status. Use of this keyboard command will toggle the alarm status. While a caller is online (either local or via modem), PCBoard will beep when an invalid command is entered, at the beginning of the call, and when the automatic logoff for inactivity is about to occur. The setting of the alarm will determine if the beeps will be heard on the local computer. You will know that the page bell status is on when an A is printed in the parentheses found on the lower right-hand corner of the status line. |
| F8 | Disconnect current caller. To force a user to immediately disconnect from the system you may use this keyboard command. Before the caller is disconnected, you are asked to confirm that you do indeed want to disconnect the caller. |
| F9 | Toggle screen display. This keyboard command will toggle the status of the screen. When the screen is off, no information is printed on the screen (leaving the entire screen black). Otherwise, the normal information you would see is displayed on the screen. |
| F10 | Chat with caller. To break into chat with the caller, use this keyboard command. When in chat mode, both you and the user can type interactively with one another. When you finished chatting with the user, press E to return to PCBoard. |
| ALT-B | Send a bell to the caller. When this keyboard command is used, a beep will be sent to the remote caller. This beep is useful for attempting to get their attention. For you to hear this beep locally, the alarm status must be on. |
| ALT-D | Run PCBFiler. PCBoard shells to DOS and runs PCBFiler. If a caller is online, they will be informed that you have exited to DOS and that they should remain online. |
| ALT-F | Capture text to a file. Use this keyboard command to capture the text that PCBoard displays on the screen to a file on disk. When you turn on capture mode, you will be prompted to enter the filename you wish to capture the information to. To turn off capturing, press ALT-F again. |
| ALT-I | Import text from a file. This keyboard command can be used to import a text file directly into PCBoard's buffer. If PCBoard finds the filename that you specify, the contents of that file will be used as if you typed in the information at the keyboard. |
| ALT-M | Run PCBMoni. PCBoard will shell to DOS and execute PCBMoni. |
| ALT-N | Reserve node for the SysOp. After the caller disconnects, PCBoard will automatically select the Sysop - Busy button from the call waiting screen rather than wait for the next call to come in. |
| ALT-P | Capture text to the printer. Use this keyboard command to capture the text that PCBoard displays on the screen to the printer defined in PCBSetup > Node Configuration. When you turn on capture mode, a P will appear next to the last file number opened on the status line. To turn off capturing, press ALT-P again. |
| ALT-R | Recycle the node. This command will mark the current node to be recycled after the caller disconnects. For additional information on recycling a node, refer to the 15 SysOp command in the PCBoard Commands chapter of this manual. |
| ALT-S | Run System Manager. System Manager is executed by shelling to DOS. |
| ALT-T | Send a top of form to printer. This keyboard command sends a form feed to the printer defined in PCBSetup > Node Configuration. |
| ALT-X | Drop to DOS after current call. This keyboard command will automatically select the DOS - Busy button after the current caller is disconnected. The phone will be busy, and PCBoard will exit. |
| ALT-F1 | Decrease available time. When this keyboard command is used, the caller's available time online will be reduced. If the user's available time is under 10 minutes, it will be decreased by one minute. Otherwise, their time will be decreased by 5 minutes. |
| ALT-F2 | Increase available time. When this keyboard command is used, the caller's available time online will be increased. If the user's available time is under 10 minutes, it will be increased by one minute. Otherwise, their time will be increased by 5 minutes. |
| ALT-F9 | Decrease security level. Using this keyboard command will reduce the caller's current security level. The new security level will be the next lowest entry in the PWRD file (PCBSetup > File Locations > Configuration Files). Once the security level has been adjusted, the user will adopt the characteristics of the new security level (including the time and bytes available). |
| ALT-F10 | Increase security level. Using this keyboard command will increase the caller's current security level. The new security level will be the next entry in the PWRD file (PCBSetup > File Locations > Configuration Files). Once the security level has been adjusted, the user will adopt the characteristics of the new security level (including the time and bytes available). |