richlove@carnationsoftware.com

www.CarnationSoftware.com

www.BestEmulation.com

You can use Command F to find what you are looking for in this document.

Introduction to BestEmulation Lite

Terminal Emulation

BestEmulation Lite emulates DEC VT100, VT220 terminals. Supports ANSI color and serial/modem connections.

BestEmulation allows a Macintosh to be used as a terminal -- connected to a host computer directly or by modem. The emulators support video attributes such as dim, reverse, underline, 132-column modes and graphic characters sent from the host computer. Features include phone list and dialer for modems, on-screen programmable function keys, connection scripts and more.

Connectivity

1. Built in Modem

2. Serial ports via USB to Serial adaptor .

Serial Connections

To set up your serial connection, simply pull down the Settings Menu and select your Serial port, baud rate etc. Serial ports are automatically detected. New ports will show up in the Serial Port Menu under Settings when you add more ports. Mac OS X only supports the built in modem and USB serial ports. Therefore, BestEmulation cannot work with older Macs that have built in serial ports. You will need to get a USB to Serial adaptor to make a direct serial connection to your host.

Direct Serial Connection

BestEmulation has been tested with Keyspan USB to Serial adaptors.

http://www.macwise.com/Keyspan.html

Built in Modem

Automatically supported by BestEmulation.

You may need to enter a Modem Initialization String to make your modem dial and connect to your host.

Consult your user's manual for the modem that came with your Mac.

You can try one of the preset init strings. One of them will probably work.

Keyspan USB to Serial Adaptors and drivers

You will need to install the OS X drivers for Keyspan if you are using one of these devices.

All Keyspan drivers here

Preferences

Remember Window Positions and size - BestEmulation will remember the size and position of your BestEmulation window when you close the window or quit and restart BestEmulation.

Limit Screen Page Depth to 24 Lines - Some host programs require the screen to scroll when the cursor is below the 24th line. If you are experiencing improper scrolling, then enable this option.

Disable this option if you have a large monitor and want full page scrolling.

Also, See "Previous Page Options" under the Edit menu for scrolling options.

Warn User When Option - C Will Close the Connection - If the user presses Option - C on the keyboard, it will warn them that the connection is about to close.

Allow Host to Enable Ansi Colors - If the host computer sends ansi color codes to BestEmulation, they will be displayed. Otherwise. BestEmulation will use all of the custom colors you have in the Colors... item under the Window Menu.

Enable Alternate Keypad for VT Emulation - This changes the configuration of the 10-key pad on your keyboard for VT100 and VT220 Emulation.

When enabled, the keys are as follows:

The top row of the keypad on the Mac becomes the PF keys...

Clear = / * becomes PF1, PF2, PF3, PF4

NOTE: Alternate Keypad mode can still be enabled by the host computer when

this option is not turned on. This option just forces it to always be on.

Enter Key = Return Key - When you press the Enter key, it will be the same as pressing the Return key.

MOUSE CLICK OPTIONS

Clicking on a URL Link Works Only If It Is Underlined - If this is enabled, you can only click on an underlined web address URL or email address to launch your web browser or email program. If this option is disabled, It will launch the app even if the address is not underlined.

For host controlled browser launching that does not require clicking, see

"Launching Your Browser and Sending Email Under Host Control"

Send Carriage Return on Single Mouse Click - When you click on a menu number or word in the BestEmulation window, it will be sent to the host and a carriage return will be sent. Otherwise, just the number or word is sent and no carriage return.

Mouse Click Delimiter Character - The Mouse Clicks button Lets you specify the character that immediately follows your host menu item numbers (usually a period). This allows you to click on a menu item number without sending the period (or whatever character you specify). Also, If you click on any word on the screen, it will be sent to the host.

Mouse Click Sends Column,row to host

Mouse click sends its cursor position to host preceded by ESC MOUSE

(CCC,RR where C=Column and R=Row)

Example:

Mouse is clicked on column 5 row 20

BestEmulation sends ESC MOUSE 005,20 CR

(where ESC = ASCII decimal 27 and CR = ASCII decimal 13)

NOTE: Rows start at row zero for this function.

Click on System Builder Menus - When communicating with host computers running System Builder software, this option lets you click on menu items within the window to select the menu item.

Disable Mouse Clicks - When you click the mouse on text in the BestEmulation window, nothing will happen if this option is enabled. However, you can still click on the fkey buttons at the bottom of the window.

More Preferences Information

Settings are stored in the user's Preference folder.

To find the BestEmulation preferences folder:

Open your hard drive and click on the Home icon.

Open the Library folder

Open the Preferences folder

Open the Carnation Software Prefs folder

Open the BestEmulation Lite Prefs folder

Now you will see at least four files that belong to BestEmulation:

defaults - stores most of your settings

fkeydefaults - stores your fkey settings

QuickDial - stores your QuickDial number for dialing with the modem.

Recorder - the default file to hold data you record with the capture menu.

Function Keys

Function keys can be used from the keyboard or by clicking on the fkey with the mouse.

When you change your emulation type, you will also need to change the function keys being used.

You will need to load the function key set. This can be done by selecting "Function Key Sets" from the Emulate Menu. Then just double-click on the set you want.

Function Key sets as of 5/13/2011 are:

VT100 Fkeys - Standard VT100 emulation fkeys

VT100 MLS Fkeys - Multiple Listing Service Fkeys for VT100

VT220 Fkeys - Standard VT220 Fkeys

VT220 Fkeys W/Do Key

VT220 MLS Fkeys - Multiple Listing service Fkeys for VT220

More Fkey info...

Only F1 thru F10 are displayed unless you are using the 24-point large window.

If your fkeys do not work from the keyboard...

If you are using a laptop, it will have a fn key in the lower left corner of the keyboard.

You need to hold the fn key down when pressing a function key to make it work.

You can get around this by opening the Keyboard & Mouse control panel.

Select Keyboard & Mouse from the System Preferences Menu under the Apple Menu.

Click on the Keyboard tab.

There is an option that says, "Use all F1, F2, etc keys as standard function keys"

Put a check mark on that option. Now your function keys will work in BestEmulation.

If you want to use a function key to change screen brightness, sound, etc. then hold down the fn key.

Expose and Spaces can override BestEmulation function keys.

Select Expose & Spaces from the System Preferences Menu under the Apple Menu.

Click on the Expose tab. Change any function keys that conflict with the fkeys you use in BestEmulation.

If you change the fkey to a dash, it will disable that fkey in Expose entirely.

BestEmulation actually supported fkeys in the old days when there were no fkeys on Mac keyboards.

If you do an option 1 you will get F1, Option - Shift 1 for Shiffed F1 etc.

Numbered keys from 1 thru 10 on the top row are F1 thru F10

F11 thru F16 are the qwerty keys.

Also, You can Edit all of the fkeys by selecting Edit Fkeys from the Emulate Menu.

You can move the function of a fkey from one fkey to another...

For instance, you could edit F12 and click the Copy button. Then edit another fkey that is visible on the screen and click the Paste Key. That makes that fkey have the function of F12.

VT220 Fkeys

For more information about VT220 function keys and special editing keys such as Help, Do, Find, Insert, Remove and Select, refer to this web page http://carnationsoftware.com/carnation/RSS/RSS_VT220_Fkeys.html

Arrow Keys

Select Arrow Keys... from the Emulate Menu

Normally, you will not need to change any of the arrow keys. BestEmulation sets them correctly to match the emulation type you are using. However, your host may expect to use a non-standard code for one or more keys.

In that case, you will need to find out what code your host expects to see for each arrow key and enter that code into the Arrow Keys window.

Reset to Defaults - will reset the arrow keys to the default values of the Emulation type currently in use.

{CT - Click on this button to insert the {CT command. Then type a capital letter after it. For instance, {CTJ would be control J.

{ES - Click on this button to insert the {ES command. Then type a capital letter after it. For instance, {ESJ would be escape J.

{CR - Click on this button to insert the {CR command to put a carriage return at the end of the line.

Printer Setup

Select Printer Setup from the File Menu

If you enable "Form Feed from Host = New Page", page breaks will occur each time BestEmulation gets a form

feed (Char 12) from the host.

You can also specify a word that will cause a page break whenever it appears at the beginning of a line.

You can select Printer Textwrap On which causes any long lines of text without

carriage returns to wrap around to the next line. This is normally not selected because

it causes slower printing.

"Ignore Control -Character Printer-On Commands" is normally unchecked.

It is used to turn on slave printing under host control.

"Ignore Printer Off Commands from Host" is only used for host computers that send a Printer Off command for each line of text. If you have this option enabled, you will need to manually toggle Printer On back off to start printing. You can usually leave this option off. The newer versions of BestEmulation use a timer to determine when printing is done.

"Pass Control Characters to Printer (Direct PCL Printing)" allows the host to send PCL commands when slave printing. PCL commands allow the host to select printing features such as bold text, lines per inch, margins, etc.

This mode bypasses the standard Mac print dialog box and prints directly to the Mac default printer.

For more information, read the document called "Printing direct with PCL".

http://BestEmulation.com/Printing_Direct_With_PCL_BestEmulation.html

Note: The default for this option is OFF. When it is unchecked, BestEmulation supports slave printing but filters out all escape sequences sent to the printer and the standard Mac printer dialog box is used allowing the user to select the printer, page orientation etc.

Print Screen as Graphic or Text...

When you select the Text option, you print using TrueType fonts.

The Graphic option prints the screen as a picture (screen shot).

Select the printer font and size. The default is MacWiseFont 12 which should fit 80 columns

and 66 rows on a standard letter-sized sheet of paper. If you use size 14 you will probably not be able to

fit 80 columns on a letter-sized sheet. Only Monaco, Courier and MacWiseFont are provided since

they are non-proportional fonts (which work best for proper column alignment).

When you select MacWiseFont, you will be able to print screens that contain graphic drawing characters and special international characters. Enabling this font actually selects a TrueType printer font.

If you have "Mac Set" enabled in International Characters, then MacWisePrinterFont is used.

If you have "IBM Set 2" enabled in International Characters, then MacWiseIBMPrinterFont is used.

Three fonts are installed automatically when BestEmulation is installed...

MacWiseFont is a bitmapped screen font.

MacWisePrinterFont and MacWiseBMPrinterFont are TrueType printer fonts.

There is no menu selection for these fonts. They are just automatically used.

File Menu / Printer On

Turns the printer on. All data that comes to the screen will be printed. Printing does

not start until Printer On is turned off. You can toggle Printer On and Off with

COMMAND =. The host computer can also send commands to your Mac to toggle

the printer on and off.

Window Settings

Window Transparency

Transparent windows let you see through the BestEmulation window to objects and text behind the window.

The default setting for window transparency is 2%. You can easily change this by selecting "Transparency" from the Window menu. Move the slider all the way to the left if you do not want transparent windows.

Move the slider to the right to set the transparency level.

Screen and Font Sizes

You can change the window and font size by selecting several different window sizes from the Window Menu:

Standard Window - 640 X 470

iPhone WIndow - 512 X 350

(inside dimension screen area excluding scroll bar and window title fits in standard iPhone window of 480 X 320)

For more information...

http://carnationsoftware.com/carnation/RSS/RSS_BestEmulation_iPhone.html

16-Point Font and Large Window - 825 X 495

18-Point Font and Larger Window - 1044 X 700

24-Point Font and Largest Window - 1280 X 845

For 132 column mode, you have two font size choices:

9-point font for 132 column mode or 12-point font for 132 column mode.

You can drag the lower right corner of the window to make the window taller.

The number of lines displayed may or may not increase beyond 24

depending upon the setup of the host computer.

SCO ANSI MODE - Requires a 25 line screen instead of 24 lines. The screen height will be greater for this mode.

MacBook Air Small Screen Size and the 24-point large window

The MacBook Air screen is not tall enough to display the function keys at the bottom of the screen with this larger window. But you can use the function keys from the keyboard.

NOTES:

1. The MacBook Air has a default screen resolution of 1280 X 800.

The 24-point BestEmulation window is 1280 X 870 (70 pixels taller than the screen).

You will need to position the OS X Dock on the right side of the screen to make room for 24 lines of data in the BestEmulation window or hide the dock.

2. The bottom scroll bar arrow will not be visible. To scroll, use the page up/down keys.

3. Do not click on the green button to size the window smaller. That will only allow 21 lines of data to be displayed and will cause scrolling problems on a 24 line screen.

4. If the above limitations are a problem for you then please use the 18-point font and larger window instead.

MacWiseFont

Three fonts are installed automatically when BestEmulation is installed...

MacWiseFont is a bitmapped screen font.

BestEmulationPrinterFont and BestEmulationIBMPrinterFont are TrueType printer fonts.

There is no menu selection for these fonts. They are just automatically used.

Multiple Session Windows

You can open up to 10 windows and connect to different host computers with each window.

Open a new window with New Session Window under the File menu.

The window will open with the same settings as the previous window.

You can change the settings for that window and then switch between windows.

When using the serial port, you can only use one port at a time.

Settings Files

BestEmulation always remembers the settings of the currently opened window whenever you quit.

If you only connect to one host computer and do not use multiple session windows, then you do not need to save settings files.

If you need to use settings files, you can save your settings (under the File menu).

Then when you want to open a settings file you can select Open Settings from the File Menu or you can double click on a settings file from the desktop.

HINT: Save all of your settings files in one folder. Save one settings file for each host you connect to. Then you can easily choose from the list of hosts to connect to and just double click on the one you want. Each settings file you double click on will open a new window with all of the associated settings for that host.

Locking Settings Files

BestEmulation has the capability of locking the settings files to prevent the user from changing settings.

If you are a system administrator for a company, you may contact Carnation Software and request the procedure for locking the settings. Send your request to richlove@carnationsoftware.com

Launching Your Browser and Sending Email Under Host Control

When programmed into your host, you can select from a host menu item to launch your browser and go to a web site. Or launch your mail program and enter the recipient.

Please read the file, "Browser launching and email.rtf"

http://www.MacWise.com/Misc_Help_Files.zip

Data Transfers to and from the Host

Capture Files

You can capture data from the host by selecting "Make a New Capture File" from the Capture Menu.

Any data that comes to the screen will be captured until you toggle "Capture On" back off.

Record to Clipboard

You can capture data from the host by selecting "Record to Clipboard" Any data that comes to the screen will be captured until you toggle "Record to Clipboard" back off.

Host-To-Mac and Mac-To-Host File Transfers.

These are text file transfer options that were originally designed for PICK host computers.

They also work with Universe and Unidata hosts. Read the file called "PICK Data Transfers" for detailed instructions. The Mac-To-Host File Transfer is a simple text transfer and could be used with any host.

International Characters

International Characters (under the Emulate Menu) are special characters that are used in different countries around the world. The default setting is US ASCII / Mac Set and is used in the United States.

An example of special characters: ∫ ø ¨å Æ £ ¿

If you have the Mac Set selected in combination with any of the foreign countries then the special characters are 7-bit characters and use the National Replacement Character Set (NRCS)

If you have the IBM Set 2 selected in combination with any of the countries, then the special characters are 8-bit characters and the country selected is ignored.

The exception to this is the French / Canadian setting which allows you to use 8-bit mode

Wyse Multinational is used for Wyse graphic drawing lines.

DEC Multinational is used for DEC graphic drawing lines in 8-bit mode with the IBM Set.

Graphic Drawing Line Characters

Graphic characters are used to draw boxes around text areas.

If graphic characters do not work and display letters like D, Z or H instead of the graphic characters...

There are several possibilities why it is not working.

First, try unchecking Strip 8th Bit and then use IBM Set2 as your font set.

If that does not work, there are two other options for graphic characters (DEC or Wyse Multinational characters).

You will just need to experiment with different settings.

Strip 8th Bit (under the Setings Menu)

When this option is enabled, communication with the host is done using 7-bit characters.

(the 8th bit is stripped off).

Normally, if you use IBM Set2 you do not strip 8th bit.

Wyse Multinational is usually used with 8th bit stripped.

DEC Multinational must be used with the 8th bit not stripped.

Miscellaneous

Caps Lock

When Caps Lock is enabled under the Emulate Menu, all characters typed will be in upper case.

If the Caps Lock key is on while this is enabled, characters will be typed in lower case.

Clipboard

When you drag the mouse to lasso some characters, it copies to the clipboard.

If you hold the Command Key down, it copies text.

Hold the Option Key down and it copies it as a graphic.

If "Editable Screen Capture" is checked under the Capture Menu then the default will be to copy text to the clipboard (without needing to hold the Command Key down).

Open Connection and Close Connection

When the connection to the host is open, there will be a large dot in the title of the window.

For instance it might say "BestEmulation using modem •"

If the connection is closed it will look like this "BestEmulation using modem ≠"

You can open and close the connection from the Connection menu or just use the keyboard.

Option O to open the connection or just hit return.

Option C to close the connection

Connection Scripts

You can optionally use connection scripts to log into your host and enter the account

and password automatically. When you open a connection,

the Open Connection Script will be sent to the host. When you close the connection,

the Close Connection Script will be sent.

Open Connection Script - When opening a connection, BestEmulation waits for a

prompt from the host before sending the script. You can specify what the prompt is

by entering it into the edit field called "Wait for text before sending Open Connection

Script".

You enter the actual script that gets sent to the host by clicking on the button called

"Edit the Open Connection Script". The edit window is the same format used for

editing function keys.

Close Connection Script - When closing a connection, BestEmulation optionally

sends a script to the host. It does not wait for a prompt from the host. You enter the

actual script that gets sent to the host by clicking on the button called "Edit the

Close Connection Script". The edit window is the same format used for editing

function keys. If you do not want a script sent, then just make sure the script is

blank when you edit it.

Answer Back

Some host computers require an answer back message when making a connection. This is normally done for security reasons. If the host does not receive the proper response when the connection is opened, the host will reject the connection.

You can program an answer back in BestEmulation by using Connection Scripts.

The connection script is sent to the host immediately after the connection is opened.

You will need to find out what answer back message your host expects and then enter it into the BestEmulation connection script.

1. Select Connection Scripts from the Connection Menu.

2. Put a check mark on "Enable Scripts"

3. Click on the "Edit the Open Connection Script" button.

4. Enter the answer back message. The message can be normal text and can also contain control and escape sequences. Normally, the message will end with a carriage return. Click the CR button for carriage return.

AppleScript

Please read the file, BestEmulation and AppleScript....

http://www.MacWise.com/BestEmulation_Sample_AppleScripts.zip

Option Keys for System Delimiter Characters

System Delimiter characters are used by programmers or system managers using the Host editor. You can type System Delimiter characters on your Macintosh keyboard by holding down the Option key and one of the following letter keys.

Option Key Delimiter Character Decimal ASCII Code Sent to Host

B Start Buffer [ 27

S Subvalue Mark \ 28

V Value Mark ] 29

A Attribute Mark ^ 30

G Segment Mark _ 31

Note: The value mark sends a Control [ to the host. This can conflict with the telnet escape character and cause an escape back to TELNET command mode. To get around this problem, you can change the telnet escape character to something else in the Telnet Connection... item under the Connection Menu.

BestEmulation Lite was written by Rich Love, Carnation Software, www.CarnationSoftware.com

using the FutureBasic programming language by Staz Software, www.FutureBasic.com

and compiled into C as a universal application with FBtoC, http://4toc.com/fb4/

MacWIse is a full featured terminal emulator from Carnation Software that includes connections for serial, modem, telnet, ssh and the mac unix shell. It also has more emulations including Viewpoint, Wyse and more.

http://www.macwise.com