3 HELP/INFORMATION FILE  P The EMMPDL is an interactive library by which users may logon to a Pprogram and view the contents of selected directories, containing listings of Psource code, installation instructions and abstracts summarizing the contents Pof the various programs/submissions. In order to access the different options P(functions) of the library it is necessary to tell the program what function Pto perform to which directory, file, and filetype. This is accomplished using Jthe MAIN MENU select mode which is what you used to produce this output.  P Basically there are 3 steps in obtaining information about the contents of code in the library.  P 1.) Obtain a directory of the files in the library concerning the topic Pof interest you wish to access. This may be simply accomplished by selecting Pthe DIRectory option in the MAIN MENU routine. Simply type "DIR" following Pthe SELECT OPTION question of the MAIN MENU. The program will automatically Penter the directory routine, list the names of the currently defined Pdirectories (topics) and then request you to select a topic, by typing in its Pabbreviation. Remember since the library is just begining operation many of Dthe topics may not have submission at this time please be patient.  P The DIRectory option will list the names of the files for the your Pselected topic within the EMMPDL on your viewing screen. The DIRN (Directory PNew Files) option, lists only those files contributed since the indicated date.  P 2.) To obtain or view further information concerning a specific file Pwithin the EMMPDL you must use the SET FILE option to define the name of the Pfile(s) which you wish to view and then select the TYPE option which instructs "the EMMPDL to type out the file.  P For example, suppose you wish to read all ABSTRACTS of the programs Pavailable under the CBED directory. You must use the SET DIR option to set Pthe default directory to: CBED, the default filename to : * (NOTE a * within Pthe EMMPDL is a wildcard character), and the SET TYPE to ABS. After leaving Pthe SET function you would select the MAIN MENU option of TYPE. This function PTYPES the contents of all files within the default CBED:*.ABS on your viewing screen.  P 3.) Downloading of files from the EMMPDL to your computer system can at Pthe present be accomplished in 3 ways. The first involves the use of a public Pdomain file transfer program call KERMIT. KERMIT is available from a variety /of sources both commerically as well as from:   Kermit Distribution = Columbia University Center for Computing Activities & 7th Floor, Watson Laboratory  612 West 115th Street " New York, New York 10025   P There are now over 200 different implementations of KERMIT for virtually Pevery computer system available. To download files using KERMIT you must have Pa running copy of KERMIT on the host as well as the receiving computer system. PKermit basically is a program which talks to itself, that is to say you tell Pthe host machine KERMIT to "send a file" and then tell the receiving machine PKERMIT to "receive a file". The two KERMIT routines then begin a well defined Dprotocol of communications. The procedure is something like this:  P Host Machine send a "packet" of information to Receiver Machine. P Receiver Machine accepts the "packet" and then sends it back to the Host P Machine. Host Machine now checks the "packet" to see if the Receiver P Machine sent back what the Host Machine thought it sent. If everything P is okay the Host Machine sends a new packet of information and waits for P a reply. If an error occurs i.e. the Host Machine receives back a P packet of information which is not equivalent to the the orginal packet P then the Host machine sends the packet a second time, third time ... P etc. (up to a predefined limit usually 5 to 10 times) until it comes P back correctly unless the error limit is exceed then the two KERMIT's P stop sending automatically and tell the user there is an error in the P transfer. Upon successful completion of a transfer the host machine P takes over control and awaits a new command. At this time the user will & normally EXIT the Host Kermit.  P Note: Most versions of KERMIT also include some type of Virtual P terminal operation mode, that is it will allow the receiving system to 6 act as a DUMB terminal rather that a computer.  = More detailed information on KERMIT is available in :  P "Kermit: A File-Transfer Protocol for Universities" by F. da Cruz and % B. Catchings, BYTE June/July 1984  P "The KERMIT Protocol Manual, Version 5" by F. da Cruz Columbia - University Center for Computing Activities  P "The KERMIT Protocol and the PDP-11" by B. Nelson, THE DEC PROFESSIONAL  Volume 5, Number 6 June 1986  P A second procedure for downloading information involve a non-error P checking procedure which amounts to a simple ASCII transfer of data from the P your terminal screen to a disk file. Most commerically available P communication programs today give the user an option which allows one to SAVE P or CAPTURE text as it is typed on the viewing screen onto a diskfile. The M specific name of the option varies from program to program. For example : = Computer Communication Program Option Name ? ---------------------------------------------------- = Apple MacIntosh VERSATERM II SAVE STREAM O Apple MacIntosh MacTerminal SELECT ALL, COPY TO CLIPBOARD : IBM PC PCVT Cntrl-F3 9 IBM PC CROSSTALK - XVI CAPTURE : IBM PC SMARTCOMM II DOWNLOAD  P Check your instruction manual for the specific option which you must use P to operate on your system. If you have one which is not on this list please P inform the SYSTEM LIBRARIAN using the send message option of the MAIN MENU, 1 so that it can be added to these instructions.  P Now that you have discovered the option necessary on your communications P program simply invoke it and all text typed on your screen will be transfered P to your computer. Remember that all text typed on your screen will be stored P on your disk in this mode and therefore you will at some time need to edit P your files to remove unwanted text, such as the various messages from the P EMMPDL. Most communications programs will allow you to turn the CAPTURE text P mode off and on at will. This will allow you to selectively save text that P you want and avoid most of the various system messages which the EMMPDL types  on the screen.  P The third method is to send yourself a copy of the file you wish using P BITNET, which is a worldwide electronic communications network. To use P BITNET you must have a previously established address, usually on a major P computer system. Check with your local computer system manager to see if you P have access to BITNET. If you do then you need only invoke the BITNET option P and the system will request your address and then automatically P electronically mail you the information you requested. Note: Wildcarding . using the "*" is not possible using BITNET.  P 4.) Directions for the SUBMISSION of contributions to the EMMPDL are & documented under the SUBMIT option.  P 5.) Messages (up to 20 lines long) may be sent to the SYSTEM LIBRARIAN H using the SEND option. The SEND message routine contains directions.  P 6.) System Wide and User Specific Messages can be repeated using the P READ message option. Please note that after you logoff the EMMPDL any user P specific messages addressed by the SYSTEM LIBRARIAN to individuals will be P deleted from the EMMPDL. System Wide messages are updated/changed as  appropriate. s P 7.) Once you become proficient with the EMMPDL menus, you may wish to P suppress the much of the information presented to the new user. This may be P done by selecting the SHORT option. At anytime one can restore full menus by  selecting the LONG option. l D ********************ENDOFHELP/INFORMATIONFILE********************