This is a summary of the differences between ReadCIS 1.7.7 and version 1.6.1. DO NOT DISCARD this file, it includes features which have not yet been added to the "Readcis.dbf" documentation file. Changes made in version 1.7.7 are marked with an asterisk * rather than a hyphen - . 

THE FIRST TIME YOU START VERSION 1.7...

- If you have an AUTOEXEC.ON switch, toggle it .OFF until you are familiar  with the new version.

- If you have an EIGHTBIT.ON switch delete it; ReadCIS now defaults to 8/N  operation.

- If you have a "country" switch such as UK.ON, USA.ON or GERMANY.ON delete it, ReadCIS now  determines the country of operation by checking the "Home" city in the TIME application. The city need not exactly match the node you are calling, but if you are using a supplementary network it must be in the same country. 

- If you have a CPS.ON, CSF.ON or CSI.ON switch used in with Infonet network, remove it. ReadCIS determines the correct setting automatically by checking the "Home" city in the TIME application.

- If you have GETFILE1.ON, GETFILE2.ON or GETFILE3.ON switches remove them. GetFile is now a separate function, called with GETFILE.ON

- If you have a YMODEM1K.ON switch, remove it. This protocol is now used automatically when retrieving forum library files.


IF YOU USE JBCIS...

- Download JBCIS.ZIP from CIS:PALMTOP forum library 18, and upgrade to version 1.2. ReadCIS will not reconize Mail Out Basket files created with JBCIS version 1.0 or 1.1.

- Delete "Jbcis.app" (Version 1.0 or 1.1) from the \APP\ directory.

- Install "Jbcis.app" (Version 1.2) in the \APP\READCIS\ subdirectory.

- If you have a JBCIS.ON switch, delete it. ReadCIS now uses JBCIS automatically if it is located in \APP\READCIS\.


READCIS FUNDAMENTALS

- Runs on both Series 3a and 3c.

* Defaults to 19200bps on 3c, 9600bps on 3a to mimimize COMMS application failures. Users who desire faster serial port speeds can create 19200.ON, 38400.ON or 57600.ON switches, but for most users there is little advantage.

* Added PCMCIA.ON switch for use on Series 3a with Psion PC card adapter. You must exist and restart ReadCIS for the switch to take effect. You must also copy all the files from the C:\APP\COMMS\ and C:\IMG\ directories from the 3Link or 3Fax ROM to use ReadCIS with the PCMCIA adapter. DO NOT USE THIS SWITCH IF USING THE 3FAX MODEM OR 3LINK.

- No longer displays a perpetual open menu, and can be closed from the system screen. The menu bar can be displayed by pressing <Menu>, or any of the <Arrow> keys, which you will use to navigate the menus.

- Menu bar rearranged to move "Online" menu to the first position, to emphasize that one must connect to CompuServe before there will be any files to read.

- "Online" menu text changed to better describe the online action. For example <Psion-O> "Connect to CompuServe" now says "Send/Receive All Messages".

- Switches can be hidden at the time they are created with <Psion-I>.

JBCIS INTEGRATION

- If JBCIS.APP is located in the \APP\READCIS\ subdirectory it is used automatically, no need for a JBCIS.ON switch.

- JBCIS is used for all editing functions when it is the selected Text Reader, including Create Mail, Edit Mail, Create (Forum) Reply, Create New (Forum) Message, and Edit (Forum) Out Basket Message.  Word is still used to Edit New (Forum) Message Header, and to display Quotes.

- User is warned if JBCIS is already running, reducing the possibility of running out of memory by inadvertantly starting additional instances. 

WEBCIS INTEGRATION

- <Psion-/> "Browse World Wide Web" appears on "Online" menu if "\APP\READCIS\Webcis.sco" exists. When this option is selected the script bypasses the first ThreeCIS menu. In this mode Webcis.sco is automatically called, so it is no longer necessary to have a WEBCIS.ON switch, unless you want WebCIS called after a <Psion-O> or <Psion-W> logon.

MODEMS

- Automatically detects and configures the 3Fax modem. When calling a direct CIS node the port speed is set for 9600bps, with data compression enabled, and the modem will not connect if it cannot negotiate an error corrected link. When calling any other network the port speed is set for 4800bps, compression is disabled, and Normal connections are allowed.  The init string Name is ignored when using 3Fax, which means that if you use 3Fax plus another modem you can store the other modem's init string in the configuration file and ReadCIS will automatically use that string when the other modem is attached. (Use a 3FAX.OFF switch to override this feature and create your own init string.)

- WAKEUP.ON switch added to improve reliability with devices that turn "on" when they detect serial port activity, such as the Modulette PCMCIA card adapter.

* MOBILE.ON switch added for portable phone access. Changes "Dialing Menu" entry from "Other" to "Mobile". If this entry is selected the serial port is set to 9600bps (2400bps if 3Fax modem is detected), the Dialout Code is ignored, and Tone Dialing is always used. This allows GSM users to alternate between mobile and landline phones without the need to toggle speed switches.

DIALING

- Revised Manual Dialing menu to provide instructions for "Dialing through Modem", "Dialing from Telephone Keypad", and (if Home is set to a city in US or Canada) "AT&T 2000 Public Phone". 

* Support for "AT&T 1000 Plus" Public Phone added to Manual Dialing menu. 

- Dialing Directory is a separate module (PHONES.SCO) that can be deleted if not required. Navigation is faster, due to a >> "fast forward" option at the top of multi-page menus. Always press <Enter> forward, <Esc> backwards. 

- PHONES.ON switch bypasses the Dialing Menu and goes directly to the Dialing Directory.  It is still possible to use the Dialing Menu by navigating "backwards" with <Esc> from the Directory.

- Nationwide numbers moved to first position in Dialing Directory menus, and numbers can be used without creating switches for supplementary networks in France [FTE], Germany [Datex J], Ireland [Eirpac], Switzerland [Telepac], UK [Mercury]. Appropriate switches *are* still required when using these same networks or numbers with another dialing method. 

* Dialing Directory updated: added South American nodes (Argentina, Columbia, Venezuela); removed all UK local nodes and Mercury nationwide number; added separate menu for dialing back to UK from another country; removed Swiss Telepac number; added or corrected all international nodes introduced or modified since last release.

- Added DIALOUT.OFF switch to suppress use of Dailout Code from the Dialing Directory only.

- Dailing failure (i.e NO DIALTONE, BUSY, NO CARRIER) "Hints" have been replaced by "Help" screens explaining possible causes and remedies.


LOGON

- Defaults to eight bit no parity operation for compatability with all online settings. This means the first few lines of text are usually garbled, but ReadCIS recognizes the prompts and the text is legible after logon is complete.

- Ignores the online "First Service at Logon" setting, and always starts at CIS:INDEX. This means the "You have electronic mail" banner and "What's New" menu are no longer visable. INDEX was chosen because it is a free area that displays a short menu, and ReadCIS uses it to detect online settings and issue configuration commands.

* Logon routine rewritten to allow an alternate logon procedure in the event CompuServe eliminates or changes the Index area. An INDEX.OFF switch will cause ReadCIS to append /GO:PHONES rather than /GO:INDEX to the logon. This area is also free of connect time charges and should allow ReadCIS to perform all the configuration tasks, just as CIS:INDEX does.

- Requires no online setup, except (possibly) when using a 7/E connection.  However, the script issues most configuration commands only if it sees that the setting is wrong, so performing the setup reduces the number of configuration commands needed. 

- Country switches (e.g. UK.ON) are no longer used for any purpose. ReadCIS reads the country of the "Home" setting in TIME. It is essential to change your Home city when travelling. Home need not match the City you are in, but it must at least match the country.  If phoning across an international border it must match the country you are calling.

- Supports all supplementary networks. Four networks do not support 8/N access: Chilepac, FTE, PacNet, and Infonet/CPS (Infonet/CSI and Infonet/CSF locations work with 8/N). ReadCIS automatically uses 7/E when calling these networks, but a SEVENBIT.ON switch is provided as a fallback. If you find it necessary to use the SEVENBIT.ON switch please report the details to Dennis, this should *never* be required.

* CompuServe Columbia and Venezuela network logon support added. No switch is required to use these networks.

* GNS Dialplus (UK), Datex-P (Germany), Telepac (Switzerland) logon support removed, because CIS no longer lists these supplementary networks.

- Infonet requires only an INFONET.ON switch, the script determines the CSF, CPS or CSI setting based on the "Home" setting in TIME. However, the CSF.ON, CPS.ON and CSI.ON switches are still recognized as a fallback.  There is a routine to help user create required switches if INFONET.ON switch is set in a country that ReadCIS does not recognize as having an Infonet node. 

* SCITOR.ON switch replaced with EQUANT.ON

* SITA.ON switch added. The Equant network is operated by SITA. If you are in the aviation industry and have a SITA account you may be be able to use Equant nodes in locations where CompuServe access is otherwise blocked (e.g. India). To use this option you must store your SITA NUI number and password in the ReadCIS configuration file.  Press <Psion-+> then <Psion-W>. Type the NUI in the "Network Address" field, include only the eight numeric digits, do not include the letters NUI. Type the password in the "Network Password" field. Press <Enter> to close the dialog, and <Psion-X> to return to the main ReadCIS menu. If the logon fails *after* the script has sent your CompuServe User ID and Password with a message indicating CSi cannot be accessed via Equant from your location, try again.


MAIL

- Mail Out Basket now accomodates 16 messages. File naming changed from MAIL1.OUT to MAIL01.OUT, etc. If you have unsent messages in your Mail Out Basket from ReadCIS 1.6 they will not be sent unless you rename them.

- ReadCIS performs online setup of CompuServe Mail if finds it in "Menu" or "Prompt" mode. Setup includes storing name in Mail area, activating Retain feature, and permanently switching to "Command" mode. 

- ReadCIS recognizes more Mail error messages, is able to send messages that would cause version 1.6 to fail, and displays more informative Alerts in the event of failure.

- Mail automatically deleted after sending. You will be prompted to create an ARCMAIL.ON switch to save copies.

- Text file created when retrieving binary Mail is named "Index", rather than "Contents".  New entries are appended rather than overwriting the file, but it's still best to delete the file and rename the binary files as soon as they are received to minimize identification problems.

- SCANMAIL.ON allows user to choose which messages to retrieve. When combined with SAVEMAIL.ON a user can keep all messages "live" in the online mailbox during a trip for subsequent retrieval with a PC. Binary mail is inaccessible in this mode.  In ScanMail mode ReadCIS first creates a "Scan.cis" file listing the available messages. Read this file with <Psion-M>, make note of the numbers of the messages you wish to retrieve, close the file with <Psion-X>, but do *not* delete the file. The next time online you will be prompted to list the messages to be retrieved, and "Scan.cis" will be automatically deleted.

- TwinMail feature allows retrieval of messages from two CIS accounts on the same logon. To enable the feature toggle Mail [On] and use TWINMAIL.ON, there are also TWINSAVE and TWINSCAN switches corresponding to SAVEMAIL and SCANMAIL. The second User ID is stored in Special | Configure Names | Connect Settings | Network | Network Login.  The CIS password must be the same as used for the main account.

- MAILVIEW.ON switch inhibits Mail Out Basket flushing for users of the MailView companion application. Note that this switch does not cause ReadCIS to use MailView as a Text Reader, it only leaves the files in the Out Basket after sending.

- Added READONLY.ON switch to enable retrieving Mail without sending contents of Mail Out Basket. 

* Added SENDONLY.ON switch to prevent ReadCIS from attempting to retrieve Mail during an online session. This allows the user to send messages from Mail Out Basket without retrieving additional Mail, such as at the end of a trip or if your mailbox has been moved to the 'new' Mail system.

* Mail menu reorganized to group Binary Mail functions together and make the purpose of the <Psion-L> command clearer.

* When sending Binary Mail the script now displays an additional "Binary Mail File Type" menu, which asks whether the file contains "Binary data" or "ASCII text". "Binary data" files can be sent only to another CompuServe address, and making this choice is identical to sending Binary Mail with ReadCIS 1.7.5 or earlier. "ASCII text" files can be sent to a CompuServe address -OR- to an Internet address, and the contents of the file will arrive in the recipient's mailbox as a _message_. This is useful for sending long text files, but can also be used to send a message to automated servers that are confused by ReadCIS's embedded TO: address line.

* Binary Mail receiving capability increased from 3 to 9 files, file naming scheme changed from "Binary1.cis" to "Binary01.cis", and routine rewritten to use gaps in file names. (e.g. if "Binary01.cis" and "Binary03.cis" already exist, the next file retrieved will be stored as "Binary02.cis" rather than "Binary04.cis"). 


SERVICES

- Added WHATSNEW.ON switch. The first time it asks you to choose the language, and if English (USA, UK or Central Pacific) is chosen whether to retrieve "New" or "All" articles from the appropriate "What's New" menu. It cannot really tell which articles the user has read, so "New" means the first page of the menu, usually about half the stories. 

* WHATSNEW.ON feature modified to retrieve new Dutch language version, and to automatically create WHATSNEW.ON switch.

- QUOTES Name increased from 50 to 64 characters.

- QUOTES1.ON, QUOTES2.ON and QUOTES3.ON can be used to extend the Quotes feature to retrieve more items. List the additional ticker symbols in the Auxillary Names dialog. "User Name 1" is used with QUOTES1.ON, "User Name 2" is used with QUOTES2.ON and "User Name 3" is used with QUOTES3.ON. Any combination may be used, but the QUOTES.ON switch must be used first.

* APO.ON fixed.

* APMARKET.ON switch added to retrieve Associated Press US financial market report. 

* APSCORES.ON switch reinstated. Retrieves list of US sports scores.

* AAP and FORTUNE switches are no longer recognized, these services are no longer available.

- Added PAO20.ON switch to retrieve twenty articles from the UK Press Association area. The PAO3.ON, PAO6.ON and PAO12.ON switches are still valid.

*WEATHER2.ON routine modified to send ^C after retrieving reports. This is faster than waiting for the menu to redisplay, and works around a problem with the Psion PCMCIA adapter "freezing" at that point. 


FORUMS

- Added forums 4 and 5. Forum names must be assigned sequentially, (e.g. if the script sees that the Forum3 Name is blank it will not test for Forum4).

- Forum messages are automatically deleted after sending. Create an ARCFORUM.ON switch if you wish to keep copies.

- Forum newsflashes are recognized and received separately from messages.

- Should work with any combination of online forum settings.

- Most forum switches can be applied universally (e.g. ONEDAY.ON applies to all five forums), or separately ( e.g. ONEDAY4.ON applies only to Forum4).

- "\CIS\_cisecho.txt" is always created on Internal disk to eliminate problems for users who designate a flash SSD as their default disk.

- Script displays "Begin forum N" info as it starts each of the five forums to aid in understanding unexpected results. 

* Added routine to restart script if it pauses before reaching the first forum prompt, a failure which occurs when using the Psion PCMCIA adapter with LOG.ON switch. Script first tries ^H to "wakeup" the connection, then ^C to request a system prompt.

* Eliminated the pause after completing actions in one forum and moving to the next.

GETFILE

- GETFILE is now a separate function that can retrieve up to three library files from one forum, without sending or receiving any forum messages. Create a GETFILE.ON switch to use it, and choose from the menus.

- Added "Create Catalog" function to retrieve a list of forum library files. User can choose catalog format (Long or Short), plus date range, and can save these choices as a template. On subsequent sessions user can reuse template settings with one keystroke, or design a new set of criteria for one time use. In CIS:PALMTOP (only) the user can also save a preferred library (16, 18,19, 20 or all four) as a template. Optional KEYWORD searching with KEYWORD.ON in CIS:PALMTOP (only). Existing catalog overwritten when a new one is created.

- Added <Psion-G> "Read Library File" command to Forums Menu. This can be used to view library catalogs or any other text file located in the \CIS\LIBRARY\ directory.

- Added _Library_ option to <Psion-E> "Delete Forum Files" command to erase a file from \CIS\LIBRARY\ directory.

* Hardcoded "Palmtop" forum file retrieval function changed to "Psion" forum.

* Hardcoded "Palmtop" catalog creation function (temporarily) disabled pending completion of library reorganization. Catalog can still be created using the numbered option (Forum 1 ... Forum 5) corresponding to the ReadCIS forum assigned to CIS:PSION.

ARCHIVING

- Completely redesigned. Mail files are appended to "Mail.in" and "Mail.out", and Forum files are appended to "ForumN.in" and "ForumN.out" files, in the \CIS\ARCHIVE subdirectory. The Out Basket archiving will typically be done automatically after sending, so the <Psion-A> command defaults to archiving the In Basket files.

- ReadCIS automatically converts Word format files to text before archiving. This prevents Word control characters from appearing in archives, and archives themselves from being corrupted by inadvertant conversion to Word format.

- Added "Change Word to Text" command to manually convert a Word format file to plain text. (Even though this is shown with the hotkey "Psion->" it will only work from the menu. "Psion->" is reserved by the system to increase screen contrast.) 

LOGGING

The "Readcis.log" ends when the scripted session terminates, and a "Browse.log" is created to record the interactive work.
