HP200 File Editing Hint

A common situation arises in my usage of my HP 200LX. I want to edit a text file or source code that resides on my Palmtop while I'm at my home or office desktop computer. I used to transfer the file to the desktop computer, edit it, then copy it back to the Palmtop when done, overwriting the original. Well, I just rediscovered recently an old DOS command that makes this process much easier -- the CTTY (Change TTY) command. This command instructs the command processor to begin accepting commands from, and sending output to, the specified COM port. For example, the command that I issued was:

CTTY COM1

Now, on the desktop, you have to open a terminal emulation program (or alternatively use a real terminal). From a DOS desktop system, you can use a program like Procomm Plus (PCPLUS). On a Windows system, you would use the TERMINAL program supplied with the OS. Or on a Windows 95 or NT system, you have the HyperTerm program that is supplied with the OS. Of course, you can run a DOS terminal program in a DOS box -- I regularly run PCPLUS from a DOS box on my NT 4.0 system at work.

At this point, you should be talking to your Palmtop's command line processor, command.com. The DOS prompt (c:\) should show up, and you can issue DIR commands, as well as many other ones. A word of caution: only certain programs will function well or at all over the serial port in this manner. Many graphics-like programs (like 1-2-3) access the computer's video RAM directly and hence won't work over the com port. But simple editing can be done with the DOS EDLIN (yuk!!) program. I once used this exclusively for a week while my monitor was out for servicing, and learned to hate EDLIN.

However, it recently occurred to me that my favorite vi-clone editors ought to work over the serial port. After all, that's how they work on UNIX-based systems from whence vi came. After a little experimenting, I found that the Elvis vi-clone will function in this mode just as expected. You have to set the TERM environment variable to ANSI, then it's set to go. You can edit your files from the desktop's fullsize keyboard without shuffling a file back and forth. As a bonus, you can do all the various DOS file management commands, such as COPY, RENAME, DEL, MKDIR, CD, etc. from within this mode. Also file filter techniques work, You can use file redirection and piping in conjunction with DOS's SORT and others' UNIX-like filter programs such as GREP, SED and AWK. Your own programs that run on the Palmtop in a command-line mode (such as a custom filter) should also work in this mode, as well.

To exit this mode of operation, issue the following command:

CTTY CON

from the remote terminal.

Feel free to experiment -- the worst I've seen happen is that I have to type commands on the Palmtop and/or look to it for output if a program didn't work as expected. If you're not an Elvis vi user, try the popular vim editor. It almost worked for me. I got the screen display redirected, but not the keyboard commands. But the author of vim seemed willing to investigate and incorporate any modifications in a later release. I also tried the popular and small vi-clone Calvin. It didn't work in this mode either, but I haven't yet contacted the author to inquire. Other text editors, if they can run over a serial port in other implementations, might well be coaxed into operating in this mode. I suggest you contact the author.

As for me, I'll be happily editing away on my Palmtop-based ASCII files and spending less time transfering them back and forth.

R. Christopher Lott, P.E rclott@ro.com

Eventually after many hours of trying I can print from PE and WORD to the Pocket Jet (or for that matter, to other printers). By pure accident I found and can consistently reproduce printing from PE and WORD only when printing from MEMO first.

I use Software Carousel with MEMO in Work Area 1, PE in Work Area 10, and WORD in Work Area 6. It turns out that after a reboot, going directly into the PE or WORD area, nothing moves. The printer does not even blink. After Reboot, I cannot print with PE or WORD if MEMO has not run once. Also, all three programs have to be loaded into their work areas with their text files before MEMO is run. When I run MEMO first and then load PE and/or WORD and their text files, they will not print.

I realized that the questions of Null Modem, Printer drivers, MODE command (rerouting), Buddy interference (I do not use it at the moment) etc. are immaterial to the problem of getting the printer to work. Only afterwards do these questions have their place. Here are some more findings.

MEMO: Use Internal Printer drivers: set to Proprinter ONLY, otherwise no Umlauts are printed. Set Printer Parameters via MEMO/ FILE/PRINT/SETUP.

PE: Use Internal Printer drivers: All 3 drivers can be used if no parameters are set. Printer Parameters can be set via the POCKETJT.EXE parameter program (shell to DOS). Then ONLY the internal HPLaserJet driver can be used. Also, to make POCKETJT.EXE work, the parallel port has to be rerouted to Com1 (D:\DOS\MODE LPT1=COM1), otherwise POCKETJT.EXE will not run.

WORD: Use WORD drivers HP3.PRD or TTY.PRD ONLY. With drivers Diconix.prd, Epsonfx.prd and IBMPRO.PRD the printer simply stops. Set Printer Parameters via WORD Menu ALT+Format.

Winfried