Help System Table of Contents

• What is AT_Connect III...
• Features and Disclaimer
• Getting Started
• Configuration
• Operation
• The Status Form
• BBS Editor
• The Box (Text Window)
• Scrollback Controls
• Message Quoting System
• AutoPause System
• System Log
• Time Online Report
• Detect URLs
• The ATEditor
• Notes
• About and ChangeLog

The AT_Connect III Main screen

What is AT_Connect III...

AT_Connect III is the ATASCII Terminal Client... a Windows program that allows you to connect to Atari 8-bit BBSes in ATASCII mode using the internet.  All Atari 8-bit enthusiasts that remember the BBS days of the 1980's know that the only true way to call an Atari 8-bit BBS is in ATASCII mode.  It's the only way to experience ATASCII text graphics and cursor controls.  Back in the day, many Atari BBSes did not allow callers in ASCII mode... only ATASCII.  My own BBS, The Boot Factory, was an ATASCII-only BBS for many years until I switched it over to the IBM PC world... but that is another story.  My current internet BBS, Boot Factory 2k+, supports ATASCII, ASCII and ANSI connections, but the BBS is still best viewed in ATASCII mode.

In early 2000, Tom Hunt (Closer to Home Enterprises) had just finished helping me get The Boot Factory 2k+ BBS online via the internet and he asked me if I would like to finish a program he had started... AT_Telnet.  At the time, he was busy with other projects and did not have the time to work on this one.   I, of course, said "yes" and so I began working on AT_Telnet.  I added the missing cursor controls to the ATASCII processing, a necessary feature for true ATASCII compatibility.  I also added other stuff such as a toolbar, a status line, a baud rate simulator (BaudSim) and performed some general code cleanup.  Tom released AT_Telnet I on his BBS and website probably around 2002.  Over the next few years, I continued to play with the code and eventually added a BBS database, Macro support, a configuration form, capture functions, 80-column support and more to the program.

I have been using this program to access Atari 8-bit internet BBSes since I started working on it.  Over the last few years, I have worked very sporadically making changes and updating it to suit my needs.  In December of 2008, I decided that I would finally release another version.  When I built the setup package, it was 7 megabytes in size due to extra files needed to support the BBS database.  So, because of the sheer size of the distribution package, I removed the BBS database and some unnecessary active X controls and built the new streamlined BBS Editor which maintains the BBS entries in a Text file (.INI).  This cut the size of the distribution package by 4 megabytes and gave me an easier method of adding features to the BBS List and Editor.

Tom's original version was called AT_Telnet.  Now in 2022, I have decided to rename the program to AT_Connect and release it as version 3.

In Tom's original version, he included the screens and references to BobTerm. In the interest of maintaining the original spirit of AT_Telnet, I have kept one of the BobTerm screens in the program and tried to maintain the basic look and feel of Tom's original brainchild.  Except for the addition of the toolbar and the changes to the control panel, the addition of the Box, the URL detection and the ATEditor, the program looks exactly like Tom's original work.  And now with one click of the mouse and a program restart, AT_Connect can look exactly like the original AT_Telnet as seen in the image above.

As of this writing, there are only a handful of Atari 8-bit BBSes left on the internet.  Many of the callers to my BBS call in ASCII mode.  This program will now give more of them the ability to connect in ATASCII mode.

• Connect to Atari internet BBSes in ATASCII mode.
• Use the BBS Editor to maintain your BBS list with all setup options in an INI compatible text file.
• Capture your BBS sessions to text files that can be played back in AT_Connect.
• Dump the screen contents to a bitmap file or printer (40 column mode only).
• 10 unique Macros for each BBS.  The content of these macros can optionally be hidden from sight and encrypted in the BBS file.
• Connect on any port.
• Each BBS can have multiple port designations.
• ATASCII graphics in 40 or 80 columns.
• Allows you to save a website for each BBS in the list and shell to your browser to connect to that website.
• Can filter out unwanted characters (ATASCII code 0) generated by the LANtronix devices that many current BBS sysops use to connect their Atari machines to the internet these days.
• Simulate the baud rates of yesterday using the BaudSim mode.
• A 'stay alive' mode keeps you connected to the BBS while operating in BaudSim mode.
• Use a PC-based Text Window Editor (The Box) with full PC editing options for entering messages or pasting text into a BBS.
• Detect URLs in the data stream and make them available to your favorite browser via 1-click.
• Use the ATEditor to capture, edit and send macro-like strings of ATASCII characters... graphics, inverse, control and text.
• Contains an optional 2 kilobyte Scrollback Buffer.
• Contains a Message Quoting function for entering quoted messages on a BBS.
• Contains a Checkbox system for creating graphic checkboxes for use in your messages.
• Can create an optional 'System Log'.
• Keeps track of your time logged into the current BBS and totalizes these values for each BBS.
• Tested in Windows 7, 10 and 11.
• This HTML Help Subsystem explaining the workings of AT_Connect.

DISCLAIMER: This documentation assumes a working knowledge of terminal programs and BBS usage.  It is not intended to teach any of that.

AT_Connect III has been tested under Windows 7, Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well as virtual machines running these operating systems.  It is not guaranteed to work under earlier or later versions of the Windows operating system.

In fact it is not guaranteed to do anything at all...

After installation, if you decide to move AT_Connect to different folders on your drive, the uninstall program may no longer function properly so it is recommended that you decide on where you want your program folder to be and choose it at installation time during the setup program.

AT_Connect will automatically create its system folder in your "Documents" folder.  Everything important like your configuration file and your BBS List file will be installed there.  Since this folder is not created by the setup program, it will not be deleted when the program is uninstalled so you won't lose your configuration or BBS List if you upgrade AT_Connect to a newer version.  You should always uninstall AT_Connect before installing a new version.

When you run AT_Connect for the very first time, it will create its configuration file, some sub-directories, and the BBS list containing one BBS entry... MINE!  You may immediately choose this BBS and hit the 'Connect' button to start the AT_Connect experience.  For best results, using BaudSim mode is recommended to experience what BBS'ing and serial communication was really like.  BaudSim will be ON by default when you connect to my BBS unless you change this in the BBS Editor.

On the initial run after installation, AT_Connect will ask you if you want to load this Help File before taking you to the program.  Hit 'Exit' at the top left of this form to continue with AT_Connect.

When AT_Connect initially loads, it displays the splash screen you see to the right here.  Clicking on the 'BobTerm' image will continuing loading the program and bring you to the 'main screen' shown above.  At this point, you may use the toolbar and control panel to operate the program.  Select a BBS from the drop-down list box and click the 'Connect' button to connect to the BBS.  Sit back and interface...

When you are ready to add more BBSes to your list, hit the toolbar button to load the BBS Editor.

If you want to capture your online sessions, turn on the Capture Buffer by Right-Clicking on the terminal screen and selecting the 'Capture On' option in the sub-menu.

The Splash Screen

There are now eight different color schemes available in AT_Connect as of v3.20.  The colors and names are self-explanatory as seen to the right here.  Some of these may change in the future as I am still working on some new ones.

A program restart is required (and forced) after a color scheme change.

NOTE:  As of this version 3.20, there are still some very minor anomalies with the cursor colors as you will see when you use them.  I am still working on fixing these.

NOTE2:  These colors are static and created during compilation of the program.  There is no way to edit them or change them in any way at runtime.

Re-create System Mojis button - This button will re-create the system Mojis (like 'chX1' ..2 ..3 ) in case they get deleted or messed up during editing.

Backup CFG File button - backs up the Configuration file

Color Schemes Tab

Settings are as follows:

• BaudSim Value - Set the BaudSim baud rate here.  A value between 0-9 can be used here... 0 is the fastest.  A value of 9 looks to be approximately 300 Baud.  BaudSim is enabled / disabled in each BBS record in the BBS Editor.
• Stay-Alive string - a string value that is sent to the BBS every 60 seconds to keep it from logging you off due to inactivity.  Used when viewing large text files, messages or cartoons in BaudSim mode.  Characters that the BBS might understand and react to (such as front slash (/) in the Express BBS message editors) are not recommended for this.
• Keypress Delay - delays your keystrokes so as not to send too many characters too quickly to the BBS you are connected to.  Default value = 65ms.
• Atari Keyclick sound - causes your keystrokes to send the famous Atari 'keyclick' sound.  Sound must be enabled on your PC.
• Clear screen after CONNECT - causes the terminal screen to clear (as in ? CHR$(125)) when you connect to a BBS.
• Clear Buffer after Remote disconnect - causes AT_Connect to stop printing characters to the screen and clear the incoming buffer when the BBS disconnects you even if there are still characters left in the buffer.
• ATASCII Buzzer character - causes AT_Connect to beep when the buzzer character (253) is sent from the BBS.  Un-checking this flag will force AT_Connect to print the character to the screen instead of beeping.
• Enable Title Bar Messages - enables the random display of the Title bar messages on the main screen - an original feature of AT_Telnet.
• Enable RAW BBS List edits - This flag enables the 'Edit RAW' and 'Fix List' buttons in the BBS Editor.  Otherwise, both of these buttons are invisible.
• Pop-up Message on Disconnect - When the BBS disconnects you or you disconnect yourself, an optional message + beep can pop-up to potentially wake you up if your BBS session was a little too boring...
• Show BBS Editor - display the BBS editor to the right of the main AT_Connect screen to place all info about this BBS at your fingertips.
• Use The Box (Text Editor) - Enables or disables the Text Editor Window.  If this checkbox is unchecked, you will never know the Box exists...
• Detect URLs - At_Connect can now detect URLs coming across the data stream and put them in a 'Last 5' window for easy clicking and loading with your favorite browser.
• Auto Open ATEditor - Checking this box will automatically open the ATEditor at runtime.
• Enable Scrollback buffer - enable / disable the 2K scrollback buffer for viewing what went by too fast.  The buffer size can also be set here.
• Enable System Log File - When enabled AT_Connect can keep a log of your activity in a file located in the System Folder called 'AT3_Log.txt'.
• Enable Online Timer - enables a timer which starts incrementing as soon as you connect.  This timer is totalized and saved in the BBS Editor for each BBS.
• Auto-Open Session Status - opens the session Status form at startup.
• 'Scroll 2 Box' clears the Box - clears the box when this command is executed and this value is checked.
• Enable Speed Check - enables monitoring the incoming character speeds in cps and calculated bps and can be viewed and toggled in 'Status' form.
• Enable 'AutoNext' dialing - toggles the AutoNext function which allows immediate connection to the next BBS in the drop-down list by hitting the <Enter> key.  It is a very fast way to surf the BBSes.
• Beep on Connection - Beeps when connection to a BBS is established.

Connect and Disconnect Messages

Make them anything you like!

• Connect - this message is displayed on the terminal screen when a connection to a BBS is established... like the old modem result codes and messages.
• Disconnect - this message is displayed on the terminal screen when a local or remote disconnect takes place     NOTE: Originally, the "NO CARRIER" message was used here for nostalgic purposes even though in reality there is no modem and there is no carrier - All communication is done through Winsock.  Again, make them anything you like.  Sometimes, I use ON and OFF.

* CLASSIC MODE *

• Un-checking all seven of the boxes in this section will make AT_Connect look and operate like it did in the good old days... for the most part, none of the new major features in version 3 will be noticeably visible.
• All ON / OFF button - this button will toggle all of the classic checkboxes for a quick way to change the mode from / to Classic At_Telnet.

Settings Tab

The following Paths (and 2 flags) are used by the system:

• Capture File - this is the File that captured data from sessions will be saved to.  It is an ASCII text file that gets translated by AT_Connect in the 'View Capture' function.
• Screen Dump BMP filename - default filename for all bitmap screen dumps.  AT_Connect prompts you to change the filename before any screen dump to BMP operation.
• AT_Connect System Folder - Located in your documents folder, this is where ATC looks for its BBS List, Configuration file and other stuff.  If you change this location, remember to move your system files from the old location to the new one.
• Screen Dump sub-directory pathname - folder where BMP screen dump files will be placed.
• Capture sub-directory pathname - folder where all captures will be placed.
• 'Moji Storage folder - folder where all 'mojis will be stored.
• Web Browser Path - You may specify a path to your preferred web browser.  If no path is specified, AT_Connect will use the system configured browser anytime a web link is accessed.
• Backup Folder - This folder is where your BBS and CFG backups are stored.

Flags

• Clear screen before viewing capture file - Check this box to clear the main screen before viewing a capture file.
• Use Date / Time for screen dump filename - checking this box will force AT_Connect to create a new filename based on the date / time for each BMP screen dump in the format: yyyymmdd-hhmmss.bmp.
• Slow Display - When checked, a delay is added to the display speed for files displayed in the Capture menu.

Paths Tab

AT Connect Password

• The AT_Connect system password is used to keep AT_Connect Macros hidden in the BBS Editor from nosy viewers - things like passwords, user names etc.  This password should be set up when AT_Connect is executed for the first time.

AT_Connect System Password Tab

The control panel is located at the bottom of the terminal screen.  It contains the BBS drop-down list box, the status bar and several buttons to control the operation of the program.  Basic operation of the program is:

• Select a BBS in the drop-down list.
• Hit the 'Connect' button.
• Wait...
• The status bar will notify you when you are connected and the LED in the upper left corner shown here will turn from Red to Green.  If you enabled a 'Connect Message' in configuration, you will see it displayed in the terminal screen window.
• At this point, the BBS should start prompting you... this could take as long as 5-10 seconds.  If not, try hitting your <ENTER> key a few times slowly to wake up the BBS.
• You may Right-click on the terminal screen at any time (even before connecting) to open the Capture sub-Menu if you want to capture the data sent from the BBS during your online session.
• The 'View System Log' button will open a form that displays the System Log file.  Here it can be deleted, cleared and restarted and optionally disabled for the current session.
• The Online Timer (blue box) will keep track of your time online.

The Control Panel

Shown here with the Box command button in AT_Connect III.  This button disappears when the Box is disabled in configuration.

• The drop-down list box is located in the center of the control panel.  Use it to select the BBS you want to call.  After selecting from the list, click the 'Connect' button to the left of the list.  The list box is populated with all of the BBS names in your list.
• When you have selected your BBS, you may also hit the 'Edit BBS' button to open the BBS Editor and edit the selected BBS.
• You may hide BBSes from this list in the BBS Editor.

The toolbar provides 1-click access to most functions.  Currently, there are 15 buttons on the bar described below (left to right):

1. Connect - Connects you to the selected BBS. A BBS must be selected in the drop-down list box in the center of the control panel
2. Disconnect - disconnects you from the BBS (grayed-out here when not connected)
3. Clear Screen - clears the local screen (like ? CHR$(125))
4. BaudSim - toggles the baud rate simulator.  Internet communications can be much faster than traditional modem connections, therefore data can get blasted to the screen so fast that the original effects of ATASCII graphics (like cursor controls) can get lost or unnoticed.  BaudSim is a way of slowing down and smoothing the data coming onto the screen so it more closely simulates the modem connections of yesterday.  There are four different baud rate speeds (Slowest,300,1200,Fastest) which can be configured on the 'Settings' tab of the configuration form.
5. Stay-Alive - The Stay-Alive function is designed to send characters to the BBS to fool the BBS inactivity timer when viewing a long text file or break movie in BaudSim mode.  Typing a character at the local keyboard resets the timer.
6. 40 / 80 column toggle - toggles the screen width between 40 and 80 columns.  NOTE: some functions (Screen Dump and Screen Print) do not work in 80 column mode.
7. Print Screen - sends the terminal screen to your printer.  NOTE: to save ink the white chars on black background are inverted.  NOTE2:  Not supported in 80 column mode.
8. View Screen Dump Panel - loads the screen dump panel over the control panel for viewing screen dump files.
9. Configuration - Loads the configuration form.
10. BBS Editor - Loads the BBS Editor form.
11. About - Tom Hunt's "Closer To Home" icon loads the About dialog box.
12. Exit - the big red 'X' shuts down the Winsock control and exits the program.
13. Help - loads this help file.
14. WWW - loads the web access form if the currently selected BBS has a website attached to it.

15. Save Window Positions - Pushing this button loads a form with a button on it which when pushed, will save all of the positions of your windows to the config file so they will always come back to the correct positions.
     

Each BBS record may contain up to 10 unique Macros.  When a BBS is selected, the macros for that BBS are displayed in the control panel as shown to the right here.  In the example to the right, there are eight macros (0-5 and 8-9) enabled for the current BBS.  The keystroke {Shift}-{Control}-x (where x = 0 - 9) would send the associated macro.  Clicking the button will also send the macro.  Any buttons here that do not have a macro attached to them will be disabled and have no number in the button.  Macros are initially setup in the BBS Editor.

The status bar does three things:

• Shows you the status of the current connection as well as sometimes displays your last command.
• Shows you the status of the operational Status Indicators (below).
• Displays the current version and build number of AT_Connect.

The three Status Indicators indicate the following:

• Baud - BaudSim enabled
• Stay - Stay-Alive enabled
• Cap - Capture buffer turned ON

The View BMP panel allows you to view BMP images in AT_Connect:

• Select a BMP image file in the list box on the far right and double-click it to load it into AT_Connect for viewing ('screen.bmp' here).
• Hit the 'Delete' button to delete the selected BMP file.
• Hit the 'Exit' button to exit the panel.

Capture Files can only be viewed in full ATASCII mode from within AT_Connect since they are not true ATASCII but rather ASCII.  When viewing a capture file two additional buttons will be displayed in the control panel:

• Viewing Capture File... Click to Abort - doubles as a status indicator as well as an 'abort' button. {Alt}-A does the same thing.
• Pause / Continue - Pauses the viewing so your brain can catch up and Continues the viewing when it is caught up. {Alt}-P also works here.

Capture Mode enabled Indicator (green bar)

Right-Clicking your mouse on the terminal screen opens the Capture Menu.  From here you can do several things:

• Toggle Capture mode on/off
• Change the capture filename (for this capture ONLY).  Use the Configuration form to change it permanently.
• View the capture file in AT_Connect.  NOTE: The capture file is saved in ASCII mode, so if you try to view it in Notepad or some other Windows program, it may look strange depending on how many strange ATASCII characters are in there.  Viewing it in AT_Connect translates the ASCII to ATASCII to give the desired effect.
• Delete the capture file.
• Change the capture mode from Append to Replace.  'Append' mode means that every time the Capture buffer is turned ON and OFF, the existing capture file will be appended with newly captured data.  Checking 'Replace' means that every time the 'Capture' buffer is turned ON a new capture file will replace the old one.
• 'Pick a file to view' allows you to do just that - view any ATASCII file.
• The 'Save Screen as .BMP' item dumps the contents of the current terminal screen to a bitmap file.  NOTE:  This function is not supported in 80 column mode.
• The 'View System Log' item opens the log display form just like the button on the control panel.
• Paste Clipboard to Main screen does exactly what it says.
• Send Capture file to ATEditor for editing purposes.  This can send a full or partial capture file to the editor.

The Status Window is a new feature (as of 3.12 - Xeraxes) which displays some status information about the current session, connection, BBS and incoming character counts.  There is also a button for viewing the System Log as well as one for manually entering some text as a log entry into the System Log.  The 'Total' button manually adds the current session character count to the total character count.  This is done automatically when you logoff from the BBS.

Incoming Chars

• Enable - enables the monitoring of the incoming chars for current and average speeds.
• Speed Test - turns on the Speed Test which disables the screen and keyboard.  You should already be viewing the speed document (whatever you decide to view) when you turn this on.  Don't forget to uncheck it when you are finished.  How do you know when you are finished?  You'll see the bps / cps go to zero.

The pertinent data for each BBS is displayed in labels and text boxes.  Most of these can be edited on this form.  The multi-colored labels seen below a show up on the top label bar in various scenarios.

• ID  - the unique record number of the current BBS. (Generated by ATC.)
• BBS Name - name of the BBS System.  As of v3.22, a drop-down combo box has been added to allow easier selection of the BBS.
• BBS Address - the URL or IP address of the BBS (get this from BBS sysop).
• Port - the data port that the BBS uses for incoming connections (get this from BBS sysop).  The currently selected port is stored in the left-most Port field and the list of available ports for this BBS can be stored in the right-most field separated by a space between each port as seen here.
• Sysop Name - put the BBS sysops name here (or whatever you like).
• # Connects - # of times you have connected to this BBS (read-only).
• Time Online - the total elapsed time spent on this BBS.  Online Timer must be enabled.  This is also a button to load the 'Time Online' report.
• Last - Time online of last connection.
• Last Connected - date / time of last connection to this BBS (read-only).  The time connected for the last connection is displayed here also.
• Maxbps - the fastest bps rate measured and calculated for the current BBS.
• Date Created - date / time that this BBS record was created (read-only).
• Last Edited - date / time that this record was last edited (read-only).
• Comments - whatever you want to put here.
• Macros - this is where you set up your macros for each BBS.  Enter the desired macro into each field (0-9).  When connected to this BBS, hitting {shift}-{control} {0|1|...9}  or clicking the macro # button will send the associated macro to the BBS.  NOTE:  adding a <cr> anywhere in the macro causes AT_Connect to send an ATASCII carriage return (155) to the BBS when it gets to that point in the macro string.
• Web Site - This field stores the URL of a website you might want to associate with this BBS.
• Signature - Allows you to configure a unique signature for each BBS.  It may be created in the ATEditor and copied to the signature field.
• [ BBSes: x ] - label showing the total number of BBSes in the system.  This label is always visible.  Seen on the bar to the right at the top of the form.
• [ Changed ] - This label appears when the current BBS record is manually changed by the user.  It is a reminder that the current record needs to be saved.  When the 'Save' button is clicked, this label will disappear.
• [ New ] - label showing that this BBS record is new (just added or copied).  This label disappears when the date rolls over.
• [ Backup ] - a label that only becomes visible when the BBS ini file has changed and indicates that it should be backed up.
• # records - This label shows the number of records in the system.  There can be more records than BBSes in the system.  When 'adding' or 'copying' a BBS, the system will attempt to use any deleted records for the new BBSes before it creates a new record.  Therefore, if you want to keep old data on a BBS, do NOT delete the BBS.  Just 'Hide it from the dial list' and all of the data for that BBS will be preserved.

There are twenty-four buttons on the BBS Editor form.  They are:

• '<' & '>'  - Two of each.  These are the 'previous record' and 'next record' buttons which allow you to scroll through the BBS List loading each subsequent or previous record.  There is a pair at the top of the form and a pair at the bottom.  Once you use these buttons to scroll thru the BBS list, you will have to reselect the BBS in the drop-down list box on the main form before a connection can be attempted.
• '<<<' & '>>>'  - Also two of each.  Allows a quick movement between the beginning and end of the BBS List.
• Edit Default - this button loads the 'default' BBS record into the editor form.
• Connect - connects you to the currently selected BBS... even if it is hidden from the dial list.
• Hidden - Hides / Un-Hides selected macros via password protection setup in Configuration form.  Requires you to enter the system password before hidden macros can be shown or edited.
• Choose Port - this button opens a dialog box allowing you to select the current port from the list of ports for this BBS.
• Backup List - backs up the BBS list.
• Add BBS - creates a new BBS record from the 'default' BBS record and plugs it into the first available slot.
• Edit RAW - (Optional - enabled in the Configuration form)  Allows raw editing of the BBS list text file. Not recommended for amateurs. This optional button can be hidden in the Configuration Form.
• Copy BBS - copies the currently loaded BBS record to a new BBS record.
• Delete - delete the current BBS record.  Records marked with the 'Permanent' flag cannot be deleted this way.  The permanent flag must be unchecked, the record saved, and then it can be deleted permanently.
• Save - saves the current BBS record.
• Cancel - cancels any changes to the current BBS record.
• Time Online - Loads the time online report.
• Sign - Sends the signature for this BBS to the connected BBS.
• Clear - clears the signature in the field
• Copy from ATE - copies the signature generated in the ATEditor into the signature field.

Flags (Check Boxes)

There are some flags on the BBS Editor form.  They are:

• Deleted - a read-only checkbox that indicates that the current record is deleted.
• Baud Simulator - turns on the Baud Rate simulator for this BBS.
• Stay Alive - turns on Stay Alive mode.  NOTE: this mode should be used with BaudSim mode on any BBS that you are viewing break movies or reading large text files in order to keep the BBS inactivity timer from logging you off.
• Permanent - use this flag to ensure that a BBS is not accidentally deleted with the 'Delete' button.  You must turn off this flag and save the record before the 'Delete' button will delete the BBS.
• LANtronix Filter - this flag is used if the current BBS is a real Atari running on a LANtronix device for it's internet connection.  The LANtronix devices will send an extra character  (0) after a ctrl-M (13) which screws up the display.  This flag will cause AT_Connect to filter out those extra characters.  The very slight performance hit is not noticeable in BaudSim mode.
• Hide From Dial List - This flag allows you to mark a BBS as 'down' which removes it from the drop-down dialup list on the main form control panel without deleting the entry.
• Kill Buffer on Disconnect - Clears the incoming buffer when you or the BBS disconnects.
• Alarm Column - Enables the right column alarm in the Text Window for BBSes that do not have a word wrap feature in their message editors.  Also the column number for the alarm is set here.  This alarm only works while typing in the Box.
• AutoPause - enables the AutoPause system for BBSes that do not have a page length setting (like BBS:Express v1.0 and FoReM XE)
• AutoPause Delay (ms) - Milli-seconds delay between sending the [A]gain char and the {Ctrl}-S char.  Start around 300 ms.  Experimentation may be required on different BBSes.
• Box Delay(ms) - Milli-seconds delay for data being sent from the box to the currently logged on BBS screen.
• No Wrap Quotes - this is an option which is basically for using the built-in quote system on a Carina BBS.  It should be checked for Carina Systems if you want to use it.  Since Carina BBS likes to mess with the format of your messages after you enter them, this was the only way I found to keep the quotes looking OK after the Carina formatting took place.
• 'Send one char at a time' - Check this box to make ATC send the macros 1 char at a time for some slower BBSes.

• Screen Width - allows you to setup the screen connection width in 40 or 80 columns for this BBS.  When you connect to the BBS, the screen width will automatically be adjusted.

[ Gateway ] - Setting at the bottom of the BBS editor form to enable the use of the AtariBBS gateway (by AMIS).

• Enter the URL (ataribbs.ddns.net) and port (6502)

• Check the 'Use Gateway' checkbox for enabling the gateway with the current BBS.  Only enable the gateway for BBSes that are accessible thru the gateway.

• This allows you to use your macros for that BBS thru the gateway.

• Make sure you select the correct BBS once inside the gateway or the macros will be wrong.

          Currently there is only one Atari BBS gateway.  In the future, I may add support for multiple gateways if the need arises.

BBS Editor

Newly created BBS record

Gateway Configuration

Website

• - This button loads the website access form for the current bbs.  The website access form is populated with the website of the current bbs either from the BBS Editor or the terminal screen.  Clicking the blue underlined link will load your internet browser and connect you to the website.

Website Access Form

The Default BBS is used by AT_Connect to create new BBS records, when the 'Add BBS' button is pressed.  Many of the values here can be used as global values and will be copied to the new BBS record when it is created.

Do not attempt to delete this record through 'raw' BBS List editing or the 'Add BBS' button will not function correctly.

You have been warned...

Default BBS Record

Because some BBSes do not have a word wrap feature in the message editor, the Alarm Column feature will give an alarm beep when your typing gets near the end of the BBS line.  I have discovered that setting this alarm column to 30 works nicely on a 40 column BBS.  This allows you a few extra chars to finish typing the line you are working on before hitting <return> and moving to the next line.

Windows Cut, Copy and Paste can be used in the Box.

Detected URLs can be pasted into the box for editing and sending to the BBS. (I don't know why anyone would want to do that but maybe you do.)  Author's Note: I have found myself doing this more frequently since adding it.

The Box can be totally disabled in the Configuration Screen so it never appears...

Buttons

• Clear - Clears the contents of the Box

• Send - Sends the contents of the Box to the BBS

• Send/Clear - Sends the contents of the Box to the BBS and clears the window (hitting your<Return> key in the box does the same thing if 'Auto C/R' is enabled.)

• C/R - Sends an ATASCII CR (chr(155)) to the BBS (hitting your<Return> key in the box does the same thing if 'Auto C/R' is enabled.)

• 40 / 80 - Toggles the editor box width from 40 cols to 80 columns.

• Box - Hides / Displays the Box window.  Box ON... Box OFF.

• View System Log - opens the 'System Log' form for viewing the log.

• Clipboard to Box - Pastes the contents of the clipboard into the box.

• Box to ATE - This button sends the contents of the Box to the ATEditor to do whatever you want with it.

• 1) Scrollback to Box - pastes the last 400 (or how many bytes indicated in the Scrollback field) bytes in the Box for editing prior to quoting.

• 2) Edit Box - Clicking this button places the cursor at the top of the quote text in 'The Box' readying it for editing, formatting and sending.

• 3) Format Edited Box - Automagically changes the contents of the Box (or the Quote) into the correct format for sending to the BBS message editor using the 'Send Formatted' button.  Both the 'Scrollback to Box' and the 'Format Edited Box' buttons automatically disable the 'Auto C/R' function and enable the 'Send Formatted Box' button.

• 4) Send Formatted Box - coupled with the Auto C/R checkbox, this allows you to format text in the box before sending it to the BBS.  Disable the 'AutoCR' to enable the 'Send Formatted' button.  This button is also the last step (4) in the Quoting System.

• Sign - Sends the signature for this BBS to the connected BBS.  This is a way to sign your messages (or posts.)  The signature is a part of the BBS record and is edited in the BBS form..  The 'Sign' button also exists on the BBS form.

Flags

• Auto C/R - turns on the Auto C/R function which means all data in the box is sent to the BBS when a typed Carriage Return (C/R) is detected.  This must be disabled to 'Send Formatted' data from the box.

Fields, Controls & Keystrokes

• Q> Used for changing the Quote Prefix to the original poster's initials or whatever...
• # Chars - displays the number of characters in the Box.
• AlrmCol - Number of the column at which point the alarm goes off as a signal to hit your <return> key and start the next line.  The CheckBox to the right of this field enables / disables this Box alarm.
• {Alt}-T - Toggles the focus between the Box and the main screen.
• Focus Indicator - indicates whether the Main screen or Box has the focus (tiny green indicator next to the Main Screen and the Box.)
• Delay(ms) - Delays each char of the data being sent to the BBS from the Box by the number of milli-seconds.  Some BBSes process incoming data slower than others. This value is normally set in the BBS record for each BBS but may be temporarily changed here.
• BaudSim - Allows a quick and local way to change the Global BaudSim value temporarily.  Values of 0 - 5 are used here with 0 being the fastest and 9 being the slowest.  Do not put a baud rate here!!!
• 00:00:00 - Time Online Display shows the amount of time (hh:mm:ss) online to the currently connected BBS.
  
  Thanks to Andy K for suggesting the name "Box" for the text window!

Scrollback Controls

The Scrollback controls are located below the Box controls for easy access.  This allows viewing of the last few bytes that came across the data stream.  Sometimes they go by too fast.  The scrollback function slows down the display a little for easier viewing (and so you can watch those 'Mojis go by in slower motion.)  You can also Pause and Resume the scrollback display.

The scrollback buffer has a max size of 2048 bytes.  AT_Connect maintains this circular FIFO buffer when it is enabled and always puts the last 2048 bytes received from (or sent to) the BBS in the buffer.  AT_Connect maintains a pointer to the last data placed in the buffer so it knows where to start the scrollback display.

You can set the number of bytes to scroll back in the Buffer Size field.  It doesn't change the size of the buffer but rather only displays the last number of bytes as designated in the field.  So for example, if you hit the 'Scrollback' button and it didn't display enough, you can increase (or decrease) the size in the field and hit 'Scrollback' again to display more (or less) buffer bytes.  The contents of the scrollback buffer does not change until the BBS starts sending more data or you start typing into the BBS.

• Scrollback - Sends the contents of the scrollback buffer to the screen after sending a clear screen (125) code.
• Buffer Size - field to the left of the Scrollback button allows editing of the buffer size up to the 2048 byte limit.  This number determines how many bytes or chars will be sent to the screen (or box when quoting.)
• Pause - Pause / Resume the display of the scrollback buffer.  Only visible during scrollback.
• Abort - Stops and aborts the Scrollback function. Only visible during scrollback.
• Green Indicator - Indicates that the scrollback buffer is being displayed.  Only visible during scrollback.

After scrollback is complete, the focus is returned to the BBS screen and AT_Connect is ready for your next keystroke.

Back to Top

'The Box' and additional controls shown here in 80-col mode

The Box - Text Window / Message Editor shown here in 80-col mode.  40-col mode is also available

Scrollback Buffer Controls

Buttons seen during scrollback

This system is used to create quoted messages on a BBS.  This allows you to quote desired content from a previous message and incorporate it in your current message.  It is a somewhat primitive system.  Usually the BBS handles quoting of previous messages, but the old Atari 8-bit BBSes did not do this.  Hence this system...

When you see a message that you want to quote in your next message, do the following five steps in this order:

1. Send Buffer to Box - Hit the ‘1) Scrollback to Box’ button – this sends the contents of the scrollback buffer to the Box.  In the picture to the right, the last 1000 characters will be sent to the box.  Increase or decrease this number if you need more or less.
   Prep the BBS - In the BBS, set up your reply to the message until you are in the message line editor.  Doing this step after step #1 ensures that you are sending the most relevant buffer contents to the Box because none of your message prep data will take up extra space in the Box.
2. Edit the Box - The '2) Edit Box' button will place your cursor in the box at position 0 to begin the edit process.  Manually edit the quoted message in the box until it only contains the text you are interested in quoting.
   Q> You may place the original poster's initials in this box to act as the prefix for each line of the quoted material.  It might look like this:  JP:   or   a>  or   bf.   Whatever you like.  Just make sure to change it for each message quoted when the OP changes.  Leaving it blank will use the default prefix from the configuration.  Logging off of the BBS will make it blank.
3. Make the Quote - Hit the ‘3) Format Edited Box’ button to automatically modify the text in the box to add your quote prefix and special ATASCII Carriage Returns (155). The text might look a little strange to the eye but it should format correctly in the BBS after you send it.  Pressing the 'Format Edited Box' button also disables the 'Auto C/R' function and enables the 'Send Formatted Box' button.
4. Send it to the BBS - Hit the ‘4) Send Formatted Box’ button to send box text to the BBS.

You may then continue to enter your message into the BBS.

   NOTES: 

• During the quoting process, the next step in the process will be underlined with a GREEN line indicator seen in the picture to the right.
• The ‘3) Format Edited Box’ command uses the Alarm Column value to determine the length of the line. You might have to experiment with this value. During testing, I used a value of 32 here to help eliminate those long words that happen to cross this threshold from causing an inadvertent word wrap after the ‘Format Edited Box’ function modifies the Box Text and during the ‘4) Send Formatted Box’ function.  Not the end of the world, but it can happen.  Modifications to the process have almost eliminated this anomaly... almost.
• If the '1) Scrollback to Box' function cuts off the top part of the message, you can clear the box, increase the buffer size in the field (shown here at 1000) next to the 'Scrollback' button, and hit the 'Scrollback to Box' button again.  This will reload the box with more characters this time.  Repeat until you get what you want in the box.  Remember, the max size of the scrollback buffer is the last 2048 bytes.
• Hitting the 'Scrollback to Box' or other Quote buttons will automatically and temporarily disable the 'Auto C/R' to allow better and cleaner editing in the Box.
• The Quote Prefix defaults to this: ‘.> ‘. It can be changed in the configuration form.
• The Quote Box function needs to be smarter… it isn’t smart enough to quote a previously quoted message properly… it still works but not as cleanly as I would like.
• Using Ctrl-Z while in the Box will add a Chr(155) (ATASCII CR) to allow some extra formatting in the Box.
• There is an additional field in the BBS form for you to check if the BBS is a Carina BBS.  Carina likes to reformat your text a bit.  The 'No-Wrap' function helps to prevent this.

With a little practice, I can do the quote in about 20 seconds now.

Quoting System

Quoted Message

AutoPause is a small system that can interrupt a message display on a BBS that does not have a page length setting for users.  Some BBSes (like BBS:Express v1.0 and FoReM XE), don't have a way to pause the message especially when they are running ultra-fast on the internet.  After hitting the [A]gain command to reread the current message, you cannot hit the Ctrl-S fast enough to pause the display before the data has completely been sent to you.  This makes it difficult to read the beginning of the longer messages.

In your BBS record, you can set AutoPause on using the AutoPause Checkbox for each BBS that you need it on as seen here on the right.  You should also set the AutoPause delay to a value between 300 and 600ms.  You may have to experiment with this value on different BBSes.

There are three invisible buttons in the lower right corner of the control panel which will appear when you connect to a BBS that you have enabled AutoPause.  These buttons are:

• Again - using this button, AT_Connect sends the [A] command first to redisplay the current message and then after a slight delay (300-600 ms), sends the Ctrl-S to pause the message before it displays too much to read.  Then Ctrl-S (or the ... button) can be used to restart and stop the message as necessary.
• ... - will send the resume command (Ctrl-S or Chr[155] in BBS:Express) followed by the delay and then the Ctrl-S again.  This will continue to display and pause the current msg.
• !!! - this button will resume displaying the message from the current position to the end of the message.

NOTE:  Ctrl-S can be used to stop and restart the message display.

NOTE2:  Currently, this system is programmed for use with BBS:Express v1.0 and FoReM XE.  If we decide that it needs to be programmed for other ATASCII BBSes, I will consider this for future releases.

Set AutoPause in the BBS Record

AutoPause Controls (in lower right corner of control panel)

The System Log can optionally be used to keep track of your BBS activity.  The number of characters in the current log is displayed at the bottom of the form.  While the log cannot be edited anywhere in AT_Connect, several things can be done to it here in this form:

• It can be cleared and restarted here.
• It can be deleted and optionally turned off for this session.
• It can be renamed and saved (like an archive function).  It automagically assigns a "unique" filename based on the time and date rounded to the nearest second and stores it in the LOGS folder which is created the first time you use it.

It can be permanently disabled in the configuration menu.

The log file is located in the System folder and is called 'AT3_Log.txt'.

The time value is stored as a long integer in the BBS List for each BBS.  This means it will roll over at some point... when you reach 69 years of time online.

System Log Form

The Time Online report is a report showing the time online of the various BBSes in the AT_Connect BBS file.  The 'online timer' must be enabled in the configuration in order to collect the time online and display it in this report.

• Show All BBSes - checking this box allows all BBSes in your BBS File to show up in the report.  When it is unchecked, only the BBSes with actual connect time will show up.
• Save As - allows the saving of this report into the System Folder after prompting for a filename.

Programming Note - The same form is used for both the 'System Log' and the 'Time Online report'.  The data it displays and the functions that are allowed are determined by a system variable called "TPSreports".

Time Online Report

• Clear URLs - this button will clear all URLs from the form.
• The little green caret to the right of the links indicates the last URL detected.
• Copy - this button will copy the URL to the clipboard where you can do with what you will... paste it into the box for editing, paste it to a new text file, etc.
• Export - exports all of the available URLs in the form to a text file that you name.

It is also possible to turn on your capture buffer, capture something from a BBS, and send this captured data to the ATEditor.  In other words, Steal a 'Moji...

This editor was born during the troubleshooting phase (which never ends) of AT_Connect III when I was trying to figure out which characters were not being processed correctly by the screen handler.  I kept adding things to try to help me do the job better and I realized at some point that this might be a cool feature to have as part of the program... so I further developed it into the ATEditor.

ATEditor

Used in conjunction with the Main Screen for editing ATASCII chars and 'Mojis

• Enable Editing Checkbox - This box must be checked before any typing can be done in the ATEditor window.  Nothing but ATASCII char codes should be typed into this window.  All character codes must be separated by a semi-colon.
• Clear Main Screen before send checkbox - sends a clear screen code (125) to the main screen when the 'Send to Screen' button is pressed before the data in the window is sent.
• Inverse Characters checkbox - turns on inverse characters in the main screen until you uncheck the box.  The <End> key does the same thing.
• CLS button - Clears both the text window in the ATEditor and the main screen.
• *** Edited *** - Indicates that the contents of the window were edited and changed manually and a save or test might be necessary. (Flashes Green and Red).
• Send to Main button -  sends the contents of the window to the main screen in both offline and online modes.  The RED warning label seen at the top of the form is displayed on the first push as a reminder to turn on graphics mode in the message editor if sending a message.  The second push sends the data.
• 'Clear After Send' checkbox - checking this will clear the ATE after sending the contents to the BBS or main screen.
• 'Create File' checkbox - This will translate the contents of the ATEditor and send it to a new file after prompting for a filename.
• Delay (ms) field - sets a delay between the sending of each character.  This is necessary on some BBSes and recommended for most testing.  This field can be modified permanently in the Config form and saved as a parameter.
• File Controls - The 'Load', 'Save' and 'Delete' buttons work on the files selected in the Filebox in the bottom left corner.  The 'Load' and 'Delete' buttons are disabled until a file is selected in the box.  Click on the filebox to select a file.  Dbl-clicking the file in the filebox loads the file into ATE automatically.
• Clear button - clears the contents of the window.  There is no prompt to save the contents so be careful.
• Close button - closes the ATEditor window.
• File: label - indicates the name of the last loaded file.

The ChXbox System

• '1) Start -X-' button - creates a checked chXbox in the ATE.

         OR

• '1) Start -_-' button - creates an unchecked chXbox in the ATE.
• '2) Insert Label' button - type your label into the label text box and insert it using the button.
• '3) Finish' button - finishes the chXbox in the ATE after a caption has been added.

1. To use the chXbox system, first decide will this be a 'X'ed box or an un'X'ed box...
2. Click the 'Start -X-' or 'Start -_-' button depending on the decision in Step 1.  This will load the 'Moji 'chX1' (or 'chX2') into the ATE.
3. In the Label text box, type in the caption for the chXbox.  It can be anything you want (Like, Dislike, What, where or whatever or poop).
4. Click the '2) Insert' button below the box to insert your caption into the ATE.
5. Click the 'Finish -X_-' button to load the 'chX3' 'Moji and finish the chXbox.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for each additional chXbox.
7. When you have finished all chXboxes, click 'Send to Main' to send the chXboxes to the BBS.  Or you can 'Send to Main' after each ChXbox is built.  Both ways work.

        Note: The label can also be entered into 'The Box' and the 'Box to ATE' button used to add it to the ATE ChXbox being constructed.

As of ATC v3.20, there is a 'moji that AT_Connect will run at the startup of the system.  The filename of this 'moji is "ATC Ready".  It is automatically generated at installation time or re-created along with the system 'mojis in the Configuration editor.

Or you can use the ATEditor to create your own version of this file.

a modified 'ATC Ready' 'moji which displays at ATC startup

 Caveats & Conundrums

Certain things must be taken into consideration when sending these 'Mojis to a BBS.

• If you are logged into a BBS that doesn't allow ATASCII graphics characters in the message bases, you might see nothing but garbage on your screen when you hit 'Send to Main'...
• All of the ATASCII BBSes I know of use line editors for their message bases.  Some of these line editors only allow 40 characters on a line so if these 'Mojis are too large for the single line (more than 40 characters), they may not fully execute.  Sometimes integrating C/Rs (155) into your 'Mojis will solve this to a certain degree or setting your line length to 80 cols.
• If your Moji contains a C/R (155) and the next character is a front slash (/), your 'Moji might kick a BBS:Express BBS system into the message editing menu.  Something to think about...
• Some BBSes use a CR on a blank line to launch the message editing mode.  Beware of this if your 'Moji has 2 chr(155)s in a row.
• What else?

AT_Telnet is Copyright © Tom Hunt; Closer To Home Enterprises

AT_Connect is Copyright © Tom Hunt; Closer To Home Enterprises, and Cabell Clarke; Boot Factory BBS

BBS Editor, ATEditor, URL Detection, The Box, Scrollback System, Quoting System, AutoPause, Help System
and additional code are Copyright © Cabell Clarke

Screens and References to Bob Term are Copyright © Robert Puff

Help Contact: Cabell Clarke (BF2k+)

My BBS - The Boot Factory 2k+ : bfbbs.no-ip.com  Port : 8888

AtariAge: bf2k+

Beta Testers: Tillek, Amis, John Polka, [Giarc], Bob_C, Slacker, mhansel739
Help on Help: mhansel739

v3.23 - Build: 922 - 4.12.26 (Katara) (maintenance release)

• Set the max number of BBSes supported to 500.  Having a max number of 65535 caused other problems that I did not anticipate.
• Added a 'View / Hide Gateway' button to the BBS Editor form for sizing purposes.  It does not affect the use of the gateway.
• On the initial installation of ATC, where files, folders, and configs are created, I tweaked the window placement to make a cleaner initial installation.
• Minor internal changes to some variable structures and placements.

v3.22 - Build: 912 - 3.19.26  (Katara)

• Added support for the new Atari BBS gateway created by AMIS.  This allows you to connect to your favorite BBS thru the gateway and still have access to your assigned macros for that BBS.

• Added combo box to BBS form to allow selection of BBS via drop-down list rather than having to use the Next / Prev buttons.

• Added a BBSList automatic backup function which can be enabled or disabled.  BBS form indicates when the BBS needs a backup and it can be done manually or automatically at startup depending on how it is configured.

• Added a Backup folder for backed up BBS Lists and CFG files.

• Added 'Abort' switch to splash screen.  This will shut down AT_Connect before it starts.

• Added a 'Backup CFG File' button at the bottom of the Config form and a backup folder option under the 'Paths' tab.

• Major Clean-up to 'AddBBS', 'CopyBBS' and 'DeleteBBS' functions on the BBS form.  Fixed 'DeleteBBS' function so it will not attempt to delete an already deleted record.

• Added ability to add a BBS by editing an empty BBS record.

• Removed the old BBSMap from the AT3_BBS.ini file.  This also allows the max number of supported BBSes to go from 255 to 65535... not that we really needed more but removing the map cleaned up the BBSList file.  I HATED the map.

• Removed the 'Fix BBSList' function as it is no longer needed.

• Added a new Log Header to 'Rename Log' and 'Clear Log' functions.  The header contains additional info at the top of the newly created log file.

• Added ability to type inverse chars into a BBS using the 'inverse chars' checkbox in the ATEditor.  The BBS must also support the inverse chars.  The 'inverse char' checkbox is now highlighted  RED  when inverse chars are enabled.

• Added a "Connecting to <bbsname>..." message at the beginning of each connection attempt.  This also reflects using the gateway for the connection.

• Added a field in the BBS form for the date that the Max BPS was achieved.

• Lots of minor changes:
         ◦ BBS form 'Save' buttons now have a yellow background when a 'save' is needed.
         ◦ Backspace key now works in Inverse Char mode.
         ◦ Added space to generic quote string.
         ◦ Added minor color changes to some forms and buttons.
         ◦ ATEditor Text window flattened.
         ◦ Edited a few ToolTips.
         ◦ The background 'Atari' image made the help file hard to read so I removed it.
         ◦ Quite a few minor internal changes that are not noticeable.

• New Dragon Name: Katara

Bugs

• While not actually a bug, the BBS form has always loaded the first record in the BBS list when ATC starts up.  Now it loads the first record enabled in the dial list instead of record #1.

• 'AddBBS', 'CopyBBS' and 'DeleteBBS' functions all had bugs in them.  They should be cleaned up now.

• The MaxBaud bug has finally been squashed (hopefully).  This would cause bogus data to be written into the BBS record and was most noticeable when the MaxBaud value was different.  It could also have been affecting other data in the BBS record but this was not ever noticed.

v3.20 - Build:829 - 4.18.25 (Apophys)

• Added seven new background screen colors which can be chosen in the configuration screen.  ATC restart required after choice. Colors: Atari Classic white on blue, Green Screen, Amber Waves, Purple Haze, Midnight Blue; pSycH0dElikA; Paperwhite

• Changed the width of the main screen to make it a little smaller.  This was actually a somewhat major change to the system.

• Removed most of the old 3d look which came from the VB 6 environment... like checkboxes, data-entry fields, etc.

• Added four new buttons '>>>' and '<<<' to the BBS form to allow moving quickly to the beginning and end of BBS records.

• Re-programmed much of the BBS form and added functionality.  Some of the buttons have changed.  The BBS data structure is now record-based rather than number-based.  Removed the old 'Save + Close + Connect' button.  Also removed the 'Import BBS' button which had never been programmed and was not high on the list..

• The 'Fix BBS List function' is reprogrammed.

• Added the animated startup 'Moji named 'ATC Ready' which can be programmed to display anything you like.  This replaced one of the old Bobterm pictures which did not display correctly with some of the new background colors.

• Added the 'Pick any file to view' option to the capture menu.

• Added the 'Slow display' checkbox to the capture configuration screen for displaying files at fast or slow speeds.

• Added the 'MaxBPS achieved' green indicator on the BBS form which lights up when the current MaxBPS record for this BBS has been broken.

• Translated the <TAB> key which had never been done in 25 years.

• Re-enabled connections from the BBS form via a new 'Connect' button located on the form so that BBSes that are 'hidden' from the dial list can still be connected to.

• New Dragon Name: Apophys

Bugs

• Fixed an old bug which would crash ATC when a specific type of screen was displayed in 80 column mode.  This had to be fixed in four different functions.  Thanks to Matt H. for finding this one.

• Clicking on a blank URL no longer processes the blank URL.

• Fixed a bug in the 'View capture file' function which caused it to print too many chars.

• Bug in 'CopyBBS' function could crash ATC in certain situations.

• Fixed a disconnect issue when Winsock throws an error 10053 - thanks to Slacker for help with this one.

• Fixed a bug that was loading frmLastURL before the form positions had been read from config file.

• Fixed a bug where the different form positions needed to be written upon first installation and first running of ATC.

v3.14 -Build:717 - 2.1.25 (Xeraxes)

• Added bits per second calculations and chars per second measurement to create the new Speed Check mode.  It can be enabled in the Status Form as well as the Config form.

• Also added the Speed Test which disables the screen and keyboard for better accuracy in speed tests.  Average and current speeds displayed in the Status form.

• Added 'Maxbps' speed calc value to BBS record and log entry.

• Added the 'AutoNext' feature which detects when a BBS logs you off, and allows you to hit <Enter> and immediately connect to the next BBS in the combo box.  It is very FAST.

• Added manual quote prefix ( Q>) to quoting system for adding the quotee's initials or whatever.  This overrides the default prefix set in the Config form until disconnection from the BBS.

• Added {Ctrl}-Z keystroke in the Box to place an ATASCII CR (155) in the current cursor position for better formatting of quotes and things like separation of quotes within quotes.

• Pre-loaded the session number with a 1 if it was equal to 0.

• Character Totalizer manual calculation is now a log entry when executed.  It is still executed automatically when logging off.

• Added the “one char at a time” Macro send for cases where it is needed. Can be selected in the BBS record for each individual BBS.

• 'AutoPause' function expanded to work with FoReM XE.

• Changed the Autopause command buttons to the following:
       ◦ 'Again' – redisplays the previous message and after a delay, sends {Ctrl}-S to pause it.
       ◦ '. . .' - restarts the paused message and pauses it again after the delay.
       ◦ '! ! !' - restarts the paused message and displays until the end of message.
       ◦ All three of these work this way for BBS:Express v1 and FoReM XE.

• Added speed (maxbps) to Time Online report.

• Better quoting in 80 cols.

• Added the Graphics Mode enable (/g) reminder to the ATE top of form (red label) before sending ATEditor data to screen.

• Increased size of BBS Name in Status Form.

• Added a 'Status' button on the control panel to open the status form when it is closed.

• Added a 'Beep on Connection' notification option setting in Config form.

• Added an 'ALL ON / All OFF' button in the Config form for toggling between 'Classic AT_Telnet' view and 'AT_Connect 3' view.  One button toggles all options on and off.

• Added a Yes/No query to the Delete Log file question.

• Modifications to BaudSim mode to allow a wider range of speed (0-9 instead of 0-5).  The new wider range allows more flexibility in the baud control for different PCs.  I found that even at the slowest baud rate, my Core i9 PC still ran full speed with no apparent slowdown.  The wider range along with an additional 2ms multiplier increased the control therefore the appearance of a baud rate where none exists.  (A value of 9 appears to be approx 300Baud.)

• Beginning to use Git for version control.  Github for Windows on the local PC.  There is no remote repository (yet).

• General Cleanup.

Bugs

• Fixed a bug in combo box select bbs code.

• Fixed a bug in "Choose Port" section of code.

• Fixed a bug in the character Speed Check averaging system where the chars would only be averaged in BaudSim mode.

• Fixed a bug that would crash ATC when the incoming char monitor in the status form was enabled.

• Fixed a bug in the ‘Autonext’ code which caused a ATC crash when the combo1.listindex tried to increment past the combo1.listcount.

• Fixed an OLD bug that prevented the BaudSim Value from being saved to the config file.

• Fixed a REAL OLD bug in the 'Print Screen' button on the menu bar that would crash ATC if the print dialog 'cancel' button was pushed.  Thanks to Slacker for finding this one.  I had not pushed that button in at least 20 years.

v3.12 -Build:602 - 12.14.23 (Xeraxes)

• Added the AutoPause feature for slowing down the message displays on BBSes with no page length setting.

• Added the Status Window for status information during connections.  It displays the BBS name, URL and Port as well as the incoming character counts.  It also has a provision for entering some text into the system log as a log entry.

• Added a flag in the config page to enable / disable clearing the box when the 'Scrollback to Box' button is pressed.

• Added session numbers for knowing how many ATC sessions you have experienced.

• Added additional logging for some errors. 

  • Added the ==== separator for the log session entries making the log a little easier to read. 

  • Modified the 'View System Log' button to move the cursor to the end of the log when opening it.

  • General cleanup of logging...

• Modified 'Look & Feel' of the Quoting and ChXbox systems as well as general cleanup of these systems.

• Added the status bar value to the status field 'tooltiptext' property so if a status is longer than the status window can display, hovering the cursor over the status field will display the entire contents of the field in the tooltip.

• Renamed the CHX1,2,3 files to _CHX1,2,3.  Filename prefixed with an underscore to make them rise to the top of the files display.

• Added the 'No Word Wrap' quoting modification for making the quotes look better on a Carina BBS system. Carina tends to modify the format of the messages even after they are entered and saved.  This option helps with making the quotes a little better to view if you choose to use it.  This feature also swatted the chr(13) - chr(10) display bug in the Carina quotes.

• Changed the colors of the quote step indicator bar from Red to Green.

• Added a 'Yes / No' query to the 'Clear System Log' function.

• General Cleanup.

Bugs

• Bug fixed - Send to BBS function would crash ATC if not online.

• Bug fixed - bug in Help file display code

• Bug fixed - not really a bug but using the Previous (<<) and Next (>>) buttons in the BBS editor now forces a re-selection of the BBS in the combo box in order to better keep it all in sync.

• Bug fixed - Swatted the Ctrl-M bug that has been in the program since 2000.

• Fixed a problem with the Help file installation during setup.

v3.11 -Build:548 - 9.15.23 (Xeraxes)

• Added the 'ChXbox Creation System' which uses a combination of 'The Box' and the 'ATEditor' to create cute little ATASCII chXboxes for graphics-enabled message bases.  The chXboxes are also correctly visible in ASCII and ANSI connections.

• Added an optional Incoming Character Count display for each ATC session as well as a totalizer.  Both of these counts are displayed at the end of the system log.

• Made 'classic mode' more classic by adding the 'Enable Online Timer' function to classic check boxes group in Configuration file.

• Added "Last Time Online" data to BBS record to display the length of the last connection to that BBS.

• Added the "2) Edit Box" button to the quoting system to place the cursor into the box quickly at position 0 in the box rather than the old manual method.

• Added quote step indicators ( which look like this:  ______ ) below each button to remind you of the next step while creating quotes.

• Updated ATEditor to optionally create a file when using the 'Send to Main' function.

• Cleanup of the Total Online Report

• Added the Signature function for each BBS record so each BBS can have its own signature.

• Added the 'Scrollback Abort' button for stopping the scrollback function.

• Added the 'Box to ATE' button for copying the contents of the box to the ATEditor.  Why do we need this? I don't know but I added it anyway because I could.  (And now it is used for the chXbox system.)

• Moved Quoting buttons into different positions around the Box to make quoting more intuitive.

• Enlarged the Log Form to prevent word wrapping of log entries.

• Minor Cleanup of program and help file.

Bugs

• BUG Fixed - 'Scrollback to Box' function would crash AT_Connect if there were less than 2048 chars in the scrollback buffer.  Fixed by requiring 2048 chars in the buffer before 'SB to Box' will do anything.

• BUG Fixed - bug in 'View Capture' function which prevented some files from being viewed.

• BUG Fixed - bug in Time Online function would erase the time if the BBS record got changed to a different BBS and then a logoff occurred.  Disabled the problem buttons that caused this so the BBS record could not be changed while online. ( '>>', '<<', and 'BBS Select' combo box)

• BUG Fixed - BBS Select combo box was not properly updated when a BBS was changed from 'Show in List' to 'Don't show in list' (and vice versa). Now the combo box is reset to zero (default) if this function is toggled.

v3.10 -Build:516 - 3.10.23 (Xeraxes)

• Added the 'Scrollback' feature which when enabled, saves the last 2048 chars in a circular buffer which can be re-displayed in user-defined-sized chunks on demand.  The playback is slightly delayed for ease of viewing and 'Pause' and 'Resume' buttons are available.

• Added the Automated Message Quoting System for quoting parts of messages when entering a new message.  This feature uses the Scrollback Buffer for capturing the contents of previous messages.

• Added the Online timer which displays below the Macro Keys in the Control Panel.  This display is updated every second.

• Added the Online Timer totalizer for the total time spent on each BBS.  This is viewed in the BBS Editor form.

• Added the 'Time Online Report' which displays & Saves the total number of connects and time online for each BBS.

• Added the 'System Log file' which can be enabled or disabled in the config form.  This log file is named 'AT3_Log.txt' and is located in the System Folder.  Right-Clicking the screen displays the Capture file menu which also holds a menu entry for viewing this log in a separate form.  In this form, the log can be saved (archived), cleared or deleted.

• Added an 'Export URL' button to the URL form for exporting the URLs to a text file.

• Increased the number of URLs displayed in the form from 5 to 10.

• Added some initialization variable values for the first run setup of ATC.

• Fixed some mislabeled tool-tip-texts in the control panel.

• New Dragon Name: Xeraxes

v3.01 -Build:466 - 2.15.23 (Vhagar)

• Added names of beta testers to the 'About' dialog.

v3.00 -Build:465 - 2.14.23 (Vhagar)

• Migrated AT_Telnet II to new name: AT_Connect III

• Created code for a new System Folder (AT_Connect) which resides in the users 'Documents' folder.  This will overcome the UAC issues outlined in v2.12 below.  This folder is automagically created on the initial running of AT_Connect.  Enlarged the config form to display the new system folder (read-only).  Modified code for the config file, the bbs file, the screen dump system and the capture file to reside in this new folder tree.

• Added 'The Box' (or Text Window) for easy editing of messages before sending them to the BBS.  Lots of features in this function... supports 40 and 80 columns; is configured for use in the BBS record for each BBS; can be made completely invisible to the user if desired; monitors the current number of chars in the editor window; has a right column alarm for BBSes that don't have word wrap in their message editors; the {Alt} - T keystroke is used to toggle between the main screen and the box editor.  Focus Indicator for Main screen as well as Text Window makes it easy to tell who has the focus; Can send formatted text to a BBS.  Can optionally be hidden from viewing.

• Added a new system to automagically detect URLs in the incoming data stream and convert them into one-click links that can be accessed from within AT_Connect.  The last ten links are saved for the current session and can optionally be cleared for the current session.  This detection can be enabled or disabled in configuration and can optionally be hidden from view.

• Added the ATEditor for capturing, editing and sending almost anything ATASCII.  Great for making those little 'Mojis and any other combination of text, graphics characters and inverse characters in a macro-like format for sending to the BBS.  Can optionally be hidden from view.

• Added a 'Capture' folder for saving all captured data files.

• Added the ability to save the window positions for the Main screen, BBS Editor, ATEditor, Last5URL and WebSite windows.  These positions are saved in the config file so the windows always return to where you want them positioned.

• Added a 'Capture in process' indicator (flashing green bar at the top of the main screen) to help remind you that you are in 'capture' mode.

• Simplified the BaudSim function to entering an integer only; 0 for fastest; 5 for slowest. (5 is VERY slow - not recommended.  Typically 0 and 1 are all that is needed.)

• Added a reminder to the 'Hidden' button on the BBS Editor form to prompt to create a new AT_Connect password in the configuration form when none exists.

• Added encryption to hidden macros for storage in the BBS file.

• Gave new versions dragon names - this one is Vhagar.

• Various cosmetic changes throughout... including this help file!

Bugs

• Fixed a bug where a Clear Screen (ATASCII 125) would not be executed if it followed a Ctrl-Insert (ATASCII 255).  This bug would actually prevent anything that followed a Ctrl-Ins from executing.  This fixed a LOT of things in the display functions.

• Fixed a BUG in the Portlist creation function.

• Fixed a BUG in the BBS Editor that allowed editing of hidden macros while they were locked and protected from sight.

• Fixed the old Control-Delete processing issue (somewhat), which has existed in ATx for more than 20 years, however there are still others to be identified and fixed.

• Found that the keyclick sound (sp0000.wav) was not being installed with the new AT_Connect setup package and fixed it.

v2.12 - 6.21.20

• Tested under Windows 10 (Note: UAC issues cause some files to reside in strange places.  To be documented and fixed in v3.)

• Installing Visual Basic 6 into my Windows 10 box allowed me to work in a host environment rather than on a virtual machine.  The Win10 compiled version of the program displays to the screen at a much higher rate of speed... like going from 2400 baud to 9600 baud.

• Masked an error in the Ctrl-Del key screen processing.  This prevents the program from crashing even though the key is not correctly processed and displayed.  I will try to fix this in v3.

• Added a function to clear the incoming buffer when the connection is broken.  This can be enabled or disabled in the Config screen.

• Added UseBBSEditor function for displaying the BBS Editor form next to the AT_Telnet screen during your BBS sessions allowing you to view info about the BBS as you connect to it.

• Various minor changes and fixes.

• Not released to the public.

v2.10 - 1.18.13

• Removed the BBS Database and went back to the old text file for BBSes.  The DB increased the size of the setup ZIP file from 1.5 mb to 7 mb.  I didn't like that.

• Tested and working in Windows 7 x64 (in compatibility mode).

• Added 'Browse' buttons for filling in browser and screen dump path fields in Config form.

• Added 'Abort' connect function to the 'Connect' button.

• Added multiple Ports for each BBS in BBS Editor.

• Added 'Edit RAW BBS List' feature with config disable/enable feature.

• Added 'Fix BBS List' feature with config disable/enable feature.

• Added ability to mark a BBS as down so it doesn't show up in dial list box without having to delete it from the BBS List.

• Added Password Tab to configuration form.

• Added visual masking and password protection to Macros to hide passwords and logins from sight, etc.

• Various minor changes and fixes.

v2.00 - 11.5.09 - Version 2 Release

• Added the ATDB BBS database in place of the old text bbs list. ATDB adds a whole slew of new functions including keyboard macros, individual BBS configuration, session information and others.

• Added ‘Ctrl-C’ processing for aborting long text files. This works as well as can be expected in light of the speed at which the data comes across the winsock pipe.

• Cleaned up a few minor bugs.

• Minor cosmetic changes throughout the program.
   

v1.20

• Changed the prompts in the marquee to reflect the CTH new website and bbs URL’s.

• Minor modifications to the status bar.

• Added the ‘PrintScreen’ function to print the contents of the current screen. Click the printer icon to access this function.

• Added code to update the BBS list combo box after the list was edited using notepad.

• Added ‘CAPTURE’ mode for capturing text from the BBS. Right-clicking the screen opens the “CAPTURE MENU” for access to all capture functions. While viewing the capture file, an ‘Abort Capture’ button is visible at the bottom of the window for aborting the viewing.

• Added the About Dialog Box and a FUJI icon to the toolbar for “About” access.

• Enhanced the Winsock Error code to better describe the error in a dialog box.

• Re-enabled the BaudSim function.

• Fixed a bug which left data in the Winsock Buffer at odd times.

v1.10

• Cursor Controls – added support for the four arrows, Control-Insert, Control-Delete, Shift-Insert, Shift-Delete, and Tab.

• Changed the CursorOn( ) and CursorOff( ) subroutines to support non-destructive printing to the screen. This is necessary when the cursor passes over an existing char on the screen to keep it from wiping out that char during calls to either of these subs.

• Changed all char sizes from 15 to 16 to keep the cursor from wiping out 1 pixel from any char it passes next to. Had to change the Charset image( atari4.gif ) by adding one pixel of white at the end of each row which ended in an inverse char because the above change made the chars at the end of that row have a one pixel dark line at the end of the char. For example, if AT1 printed another inverse char next to one of these chars, the two chars would appear to be separated by a 1 pixel dark line. (Changing the char size from 15 to 16 introduced this “feature”).

• Added the Baud Rate simulator for smoother viewing of ATASCII cartoons. This feature is still under construction. Even though it appears to work fine, I am not totally happy with it.

• Fixed a bug which would stop the program if the remote computer closed the connection and you typed a char. Sending a char to Winsock generated a fatal error. The fix was to set the “Connected” variable False when the remote BBS disconnected.

• Added code to properly process ATASCII 255 (Control-Insert) which the Telnet protocol uses for an escape sequence.

• Made use of the VB internal Project properties for Application Version control to help keep me straight.

• Centered the Splash Form and MDI form in the middle of the screen.

• Added the “StayAlive” button and code to send a single configurable char (default = “/”) to the remote BBS to stay connected while viewing a long text file in Baud Simulator mode.

• Added a StatusBar at the bottom of the form to replace the “Connection Status” Textbox.

• Added the Appinfo to this statusbar.

• Added a toolbar for quick access to all commands.

• Fixed ShiftInsert() and ShiftDelete() to move the cursor back to X = 0.

• Rewrote the Tab routines to fix a bug in them.

• Added the AUTOSTAYALIVE Boolean. When this var is True, “StayAlive” is enabled upon connection to a BBS.

• Added the AUTOBAUDSIM Boolean. When this var is True, “BaudSim” is enabled upon connection to a BBS.

• Added the Configuration Dialog and Config file which retains the values of “AutoBaudSim”, “AutoStayAlive” and the “StayAliveChar” (“/” or “whatever”).

• Added two more marquee items to describe BaudSim and StayAlive.