HELP VEDATARI                              Leila Burrell-Davis, Dec 1988

Using an Atari ST as a terminal with VED

Use the DOWN ARROW key to read on, and the UP ARROW key to come back.

This file will help you to use the Atari ST microcomputer running the
UniTerm terminal emulation program. The program allows the Atari to
'pretend' to be a VT100 series terminal, with some differences (a
slightly different keyboard layout) and some extra features (ten extra
function keys).


    CONTENTS - (Use <ENTER> g <RETURN> to access required sections)

 -- Getting started
 -- Loading the function key library
 -- If the function keys don't work
 -- Resetting the terminal
 -- Sending a break
 -- Built-in help
 -- Editing files with long lines
 -- UniTerm User's Guide
 -- Acknowledgement


-- Getting started ----------------------------------------------------

The first thing to do is to make sure that you have a map showing you
the effect of the Atari's function and keypad keys when used in VED. If
you don't have one already, you can print out the one contained in
HELP * VEDATARIKEYS.

If you are new to VED, you should work through the teach and help files
for beginners, starting with TEACH * TEACH, and come back to this file
later to find out about additional facilities available on the Atari.

If the function keys (the slanted grey keys in the top row) don't seem
to be working as you expect from the keymap, you will find that many of
their functions are duplicated on the numeric keypad after pressing the
Gold key, so carry on working through the teach files until you have a
basic familiarity with VED, and then come back to this file to find out
how to get the function keys to work.

You may also like to look at HELP * VT100, though you should note that
the cursor keys on a real VT100 are not in the same place as on the
Atari and some of the numeric keypad keys are marked with different
characters.

-- Loading the function key library -----------------------------------

VED will automatically recognise that you are using a VT100-type
terminal and will interpret the keypad and cursor keys correctly.
However, in order to use the function keys, a library LIB * VEDATARI
needs to be loaded. The easiest way to do this is to put the following
line in VED's initialisation file, vedinit.p, in your home directory

    lib vedatari;

(If you have redefined the environment variable poplib, your vedinit.p
may not be located in your home directory.)

Alternatively, if you don't always use an Atari as a terminal, you could
add the following code, or a modified version of it, to your "vedinit.p"
file to make VED interrogate the terminal's answer-back sequence:

    ;;; Interrogate terminal to see if it's UniTerm
    [
        vedtermidseq
            ['[?6;2c'   vedatari]
        ^^vedterminalselect
    ] -> vedterminalselect;

You should then find that the function keys work as shown on the keymap
in HELP * VEDATARIKEYS.

-- If the function keys don't work ------------------------------------

If you have loaded the function key library as described above, but the
function keys don't work as expected, or don't all work, then they are
probably not programmed to send the sequences of characters that VED
expects.

If you are using one of the versions of UniTerm that was widely
distributed at Sussex prior to December 1988, you may find that the
function keys are programmed as described in LIB * VEDOLDATARI. If this
is the case, and you do not wish to reprogram the function keys, you can
use this library instead of LIB * VEDATARI, although only the Shifted
function keys and function keys alone will be defined.

If you wish to reprogram the function keys, you will probably need to be
or to consult a fairly experienced VED/UniTerm user. You should first of
all look at LIB * VEDATARI to see what the sequences should be and then
press the Help key and then E to get UniTerm's function key editing
screen. You can then enter the appropriate codes for the function keys
when pressed alone, with Shift, and with Control.

N.B. to get the <ESC> character into the string of characters use Ctrl/[
since pressing the Esc key clears the string.

Having made the alterations, you should save the changed setup to file
UNITERM.SET on the UniTerm floppy disk by pressing S from UniTerm's help
screen. The settings in this file are automatically used by UniTerm when
it starts up.

-- Resetting the terminal ---------------------------------------------

If UniTerm gets into a strange state where the keys don't seem to work,
you can reset it by pressing  ALT/F7 (this means hold down the key to
the left of the space bar marked Alternate and press the slanted
function key in the top row marked F7). This will cause UniTerm to
re-read its setup file from the floppy disk and the screen will clear.
You should then refresh the screen by pressing the key at the top left
of the numeric keypad _twice_. This key, which has a left parenthesis,
(, on it, is sometimes called the Gold key.

-- Sending a break ----------------------------------------------------

Another key sequence that you may need is the one to send a BREAK to the
computer (ALT/B). This should only be used when you have no alternative.
It will immediately terminate your session without writing any files.

-- Built-in help ------------------------------------------------------

All the ALT/key sequences are summarised on UniTerm's built-in help
screen. Press the Help key to access it: to return to the terminal
screen, press Q, or click the left mouse button.

-- Editing files with long lines --------------------------------------

If you are editing or inspecting a file with lines longer than 79
characters, e.g. the function key map in HELP * VEDATARIKEYS, you may
like to use UniTerm's long-line mode which allows 128 characters to be
displayed on a line. This mode is switched on or off with the LL
command - try it now.

    To switch into long line mode do:

       press: <ENTER>
       type:  ll
       press: <RETURN>

    Repeat the command to turn it off again.

-- UniTerm User's Guide -----------------------------------------------

UniTerm is distributed by its author with a comprehensive user guide.
The program is so easy to use that you may never need to refer to this
guide but, if you do want to get hold of it, try looking on the floppy
disk which contains the program. In particular, read any files whose
names are some variant of READ.ME, these may well give you further
clues. If this fails, consult the person who supplied you with the
program.

-- Acknowledgement ----------------------------------------------------

The UniTerm terminal emulation program for the Atari ST has been made
freely available to the academic community by its author, Simon Poole
(poole@forty2.uucp or K538915@CZHRZU1A.BITNET). It is a first-class
program and those of us who use it are in his debt.


--- C.all/help/vedatari
--- Copyright University of Sussex 1990. All rights reserved. ----------
