MEX114KP.NOT In the search for a communications program THAT WOULD WORK with a newly acquired 1200-baud modem, "The Maxwell" by Racal- Vadic, and the Kaypro 2X (4'84), it was suggested "Why not try MEX?" The combination of MEX114.COM and MXO-KP41.ASM turned out to be the perfect combination. The first time I used it, it worked and has been working ever since. It may be time consuming to read through all the MEX files for the first time, but it is worth all the effort. The MXO-KP41 file also contains the dialing routine from MXO-SM13.ASM (the Hayes SmartModem overlay) so there is no need to have any other overlay file. What follows is a "how-to" assemble everything and get it up and running. This should work for all CP/M Kaypros with Hayes-compatible external modems. 1. Download MEX114.LBR, MEX-HLP.LBR, and MXO-KP41.AQM (which is contained in the MEX-OVL.LBR). (De-lbr and Usq files that need it). 2. Place MEX114.COM, MEX.HLP, MXO-KP41.ASM, MLOAD21.COM and ASM.COM (this one came on your cpm diskette) on a diskette and put this diskette into drive A. 3. At the A0> prompt type the following: A0>ASM MXO-KP41.AAZ This will assemble your Kaypro overlay file and give you the needed .HEX file which must be bound into the system by typing the following at the A0> prompt: 4. A0>MLOAD21 MEX.COM=MEX114.COM,MXO-KP41 You have just loaded a new MEX.COM file which is ready for immediate use!! ******************************************************************* HOWEVER - - - - - - Life with your modem can be made almost instantaneously easier if you do a few preparatory things before running your MEX program for the first time. 1. Create a file with your word processor or text editor (in non- document mode) and name it INI.MEX - This is the file: stat wtecho on stat search 3 stat split on stat bakfile on stat exclude off (all these commands in this stat filter on (file should be typed at the stat extend off (left-hand edge of your screen alt A0: id "[inimex]" load phone.phn load keys.key b: term session.log dir global t 2. Save this file to disk and place it along with the other files on your diskette in drive A. 3. Now, invoke MEX on the disk in drive A: A0>MEX 4. You will now see on your screen: [MEX] A0>> 5. At this prompt type: [MEX] A0>>STAT INITFILE ON This stat command will tell MEX to search for INI.MEX when booting MEX. 6. Now create your phone library by typing at the prompt: [MEX] A0>>PHONE KAYFOG=285-2687 1200 [MEX] A0>>PHONE FIDO=1-404-926-1876 1200 etc. After you have entered all the phone numbers you want, then do the following: [MEX] A0>>SAVE PHONE.PHN You have just created a phone file called PHONE.PHN and the next time you run MEX you can simply give the command: [MEX] A0>>LOAD PHONE.PHN However, since we have an INI.MEX file, loading the phone.phn file is not necessary, as it will be loaded automatically through the ini.mex file. 7. This process can also be used to create a KEYS.KEY file: [MEX] A0>>KEY L=<"logon sequence"> [MEX] A0>>KEY A="HELLO!" etc. You must enclose the keystring in quote marks. Now SAVE your KEYS file. 8. [MEX] A0>>SAVE KEYS.KEY The INI.MEX file will load the KEYS.KEY file just like the phone file, the next time you invoke MEX. 9. Now, with the KEYS and PHONE files saved, and the STAT INITFILE ON command given, you must CLONE this MEX file: [MEX] A0>>CLONE INIMEX.COM You can call your new mex.com file anything you want, but I have called it INIMEX.COM because I used ID "[INIMEX]" in the ini.mex file that was created with my word processor. If you want your file named something else, just use that same name (less the .com extension) in your ini.mex file. However, as stated above, you don't even need an ini.mex file. 10. Now after "cloning" has taken place, your new working MEX commun- ications program can be invoked from your A0> prompt: A0>INIMEX and [INIMEX] A0>> prompt will appear on your screen. It is nice to use a different name than MEX because you will always know you are at your own command prompt if the computer at the other end is also using MEX. I only like "inimex" because it reminds me that I have my ini.mex-file commands in use. This way, I don't have to worry about entering all these commands every time I want to run MEX. 11. Now at the INIMEX prompt, I can call kayfog (or anyone else in the library) with the following command: [INIMEX] B0>>cal kayfog #5 and my modem will call KAYFOG, and if there is no answer, it will try five times before giving up; you could use any number #nn you want. You are at the B0 drive because of your command in ini.mex. After your modem makes a connect, because of your ini.mex file, you will be automatically placed in terminal mode and will see a ":" at the left margin if your capture file SESSIONS.LOG is on and capturing everything that comes across the screen. If you can't get the other computer's attention after making a connection, you can press a couple of times, and that should do it. Now you are ready to communicate as always. If you want to download MEX (for example), do the following after you are in the CP/M area: A0>(or whatever drive/user area you are in), just type: B3>kmd s mex114.lbr (here the computer will tell you how much time it will take to send the file, etc.) Then when you find that things are just "sitting there" you do the following: hit your CTRL-J key plus E to get back to command mode: ^JE then you will see your MEX prompt: [INIMEX] B0>> At this prompt, type the following: [INIMEX] B0>>r mex114.lbr While transferring files (in 1k mode), MEX will print "logical" record numbers on the screen. (See Ron Fowler's "Progress reporting" statement in the -READ 114.ME file of the MEX114.lbr) Credits: This short tutorial is taken from notes and documents of the MEX conference files located in the CP/M area of KAY*FOG. Special thanks to Ron Fowler for placing MEX in public domain, to Hank Tate for writing the MEX-SET2.DOC for the ini.mex file (notice I have used my own commands, they are not quite the same as Hank Tate's), and to Will Kacy for the MEX-EASY.FIX file from which the phone.phn file was taken. *********************************************************************** You can get "on-line" help by typing HELP ?, or HELP for any topic-name displayed by HELP ? You can also get help by typing CTRL-J+? (that is, hold down the control key while typing J and then press the space bar and then type the ? key - Do this control-J ? AFTER going to terminal mode by pressing T at the command prompt of [MEX] etc. Note that in most of the documents, reference is made to ESC E, ESC N, etc. while in terminal mode. Well, in version 1.14 of MEX, the ESC is no longer ESC, it is now CONTROL-J (^J). That is: ESC = ^J in version 1.14 of MEX Please read MEX-SET2.DOC by Hank Tate. He gives an extremely clear explanation of the creation of the INI.MEX file. For a full understanding of MEX, read everything that is in the MEX CONFERENCE. Most of the information deals with prior versions of MEX, but it makes for better understanding of the power that this program holds. It is a flexible program and "limited only by your own imagination". ENJOY! E. McGowan, 5-10-86 Almost forgot! After you tell the BBS "bye", return to command mode by typing ^JE and at the [INIMEX]B0>> prompt, type CPM and that will get you back to your system prompt. Also, SESSION.LOG (where you captured everything that came across the screen) is on drive B. If you are going to make another call, be sure to rename your SESSION. LOG because it will be wiped out the next time you make another call.