Downloading Pointer Enabled Tools for VM/CMS

Don't get too excited. I've just started preparing the downloads. If it's not here now, come back in a week or so and look again. Or send me a note.

Topics

Disclaimers

  • Codes and files downloaded from this site are distributed "AS IS"; if you report a bug to me, I'll try to fix it as soon as I can.
  • Some of these codes require a Year 2000 compliant version of CMS (CMS 13 or later?), CMS Pipelines, Xedit, and CMS Windows (none of which should be a problem for up-to-date systems).
  • You are authorized to use these codes at your location, but you are not authorized to distribute these codes to any other sites, nor can you sell them in whole or in part.
  • For now, anything downloaded from this site is free; but I reserve the right to commercialize future versions and extensions.

    • General Instructions for Downloading Files

    The PETs programs and related files are packaged in a compacted, clear text format, whose records do not exceed 80 characters in length. With the exception of the PCLICK download, all the other files will be stored as self-extracting programs. Decompression and unarchiving programs (like VMARC or ZIP) are NOT required.

    The intent of packaging the software in this manner was to simplify its distribution and installation. The danger is that what starts off as clear text stands some small probability of being translated incorrectly as the files move around the network. The wisdom of trying to distributed this software in this manner will be evaluated, and alterations made if necessary. (Stay tuned...)

    I have tried a number of download strategies with more or less success, and I have documented what happened and how to correct some problems. So, before you proceed to download any files, please review the notes below.

    Downloading Files with Charlotte V2.1

    Since you'll be running PETs on VM/CMS, you can use Charlotte to download files, but you'll have to clean them up a tiny bit. Charlotte seems to add three descriptor lines to the top of a saved file AND prefix every line with a blank (if you know a way to prevent this, please let me know).

    If you download directly to a VM/CMS account with Charlotte,

    1. click on a download link,
    2. save the file by its proper name (e.g., "execname EXEC"),
    3. delete any extra non-REXX descriptor lines which may have been inserted at the beginning of the file,
    4. optionally remove any blanks in column 1 of the exec with Xedit: 
            CHANGE / //* 1
      and
    5. run the exec.

    Downloading Files with Internet Explorer 3.02

    Internet Explorer 3.02 works fairly well, but not 100% cleanly. These steps should work:
    1. click on a download link,
    2. save the file to your workstation as "execname.TXT",
    3. upload "execname.TXT" to VM/CMS (ASCII, CRLF),
    4. rename "execname TXT" to "execname EXEC",
    5. delete two blank lines inserted by IE at the beginning of the file, and
    6. run the exec.

    Downloading Files with Internet Explorer 4.0

    Downloading files with Internet Explorer 4.0 is clean. These steps should work:
    1. click on a download link,
    2. save the file to your workstation as "execname.TXT",
    3. upload "execname.TXT" to VM/CMS (ASCII, CRLF),
    4. rename "execname TXT" to "execname EXEC", and
    5. run the exec.

    Downloading Files with NCSA MOSAIC 3.0

    Downloading files with NCSA MOSAIC 3.0 is clean. These steps should work:
    1. click on a download link,
    2. save the file to your workstation as "execname.TXT",
    3. upload "execname.TXT" to VM/CMS (ASCII, CRLF),
    4. rename "execname TXT" to "execname EXEC", and
    5. run the exec.

    Downloading Files with Netscape Navigator 3.01

    I haven't yet figured out how to do a (relatively) clean download with this version of Navigator. If you know how to do it, please send me a note.

    Downloading Files with Netscape Navigator 4.04 or 4.05

    Downloading files with Navigator 4.04 is clean. These steps should work:
    1. click on a download link,
    2. save the file to your workstation as "execname.TXT",
    3. upload "execname.TXT" to VM/CMS (ASCII, CRLF),
    4. rename "execname TXT" to "execname EXEC", and
    5. run the exec.

    Uploading Files with Your 3270 Emulators

    Unfortunately, even if you successfully download PETs files to your workstation, your problems may not be over if you use a 3270 emulator to upload those files to VM/CMS. I'm sure I haven't seen all the problems that can arise, but if the proper translation tables are not used, certain characters can be corrupted.

    For example, PETs programs make use of the vertical bar ( | ) in Pipeline and REXX statements. The vertical bar should be represented by X'4F', but I have seen it corrupted to X'6A' by an emulator. (No doubt this is fixable, but who knows how to do it? who's got the time? and what other problems might there be?)

    With the PCLICK EXEC sample file, a corrupted vertical bar results in an uninitialized variable (THISID), and a screen that looks like this: 

      + ------------------------------------------------------------------ +
  |  PCLICK EXEC           11 May 1998 19:39:53                THISID  |
  |  Select/click on an interface.                                     |
  |  ----------------------------------------------------------------  |
  |  Welcome.  PCLICK is a "Pointer Enabled Tool" or PET, which can    |
  |  be manipulated with a mouse (or regular 3270 keystrokes, if you   |
  |  prefer).  PCLICK will help you to determine whether or not your   |
    Instead of 
      + ------------------------------------------------------------------ +
  |  PCLICK EXEC           11 May 1998 19:39:53        RGE AT UCONNVM  |
  |  Select/click on an interface.                                     |
  |  ----------------------------------------------------------------  |
  |  Welcome.  PCLICK is a "Pointer Enabled Tool" or PET, which can    |
  |  be manipulated with a mouse (or regular 3270 keystrokes, if you   |
  |  prefer).  PCLICK will help you to determine whether or not your   |
    If PCLICK looks okay when you upload it to VM/CMS from your workstation, then perhaps you're in good shape. If not, move on....

    Downloading Files with FTP

    If at first you don't succeed with one of the browsers, I would recommend using FTP, which seems to work flawlessly, whether from Windows 95, AIX, or VM/CMS.

    These step should work:

    1. fetch the file with FTP, for example: 
               ftp ftp.sp.uconn.edu
 
         (login as anonymous, password=your id)
 
         cd pub/userdata/rge/
 
         get execname.txt
    2. if need be, upload "execname.TXT" to VM/CMS (ASCII, CRLF);
    3. rename "execname TXT" to "execname EXEC"; and
    4. run the exec.

    Specific Downloads

    The PETs programs and files are being checked out, documented, and organized into bundles which can be downloaded (use FTP...use FTP...use FTP...) to a VM/CMS system. The first couple of downloads are ready and are listed in the table below. As more are prepared, the table will be updated.

    The "....PSEE.TXT" Files

    Most of the downloads have been/will be named in a similar fashion. The XAP download, for example, is named "XPG1PSEE.TXT", which is derived from 
       XaP Group 1 Pets Self-Extracting Exec
   X P G     1 P    S    E          E
    Each "....PSEE.TXT" file should be renamed to "....PSEE EXEC" after it is copied to VM/CMS, and then executed to unload the programs and other files which are included in the bundle. After the application(s) have been checked out, the "....PSEE EXEC" file can be erased to recover the disk space.

    Installation is to Your "A" Disk

    The self-extracting execs install to your "A" disk. If this is not a satisfactory location, move them after you install them. Sorry, I wanted to keep this simple.

    Execs and Macros are in a Compacted Format

    The original PETs source code is written in a fairly structured and highly indented way (because that makes it easier for me to read it). Unfortunately, that leaves a lot of blanks in the file, which waste disk space and slow down the REXX interpreter. So, the programs are prepared in a compacted manner which eliminates preceding blanks and full-line comments, and combines shorter lines together. The result is compacted, clear text which takes only about 40% of the disk space required for the original uncompacted source. Unfortunately, the compacted format is nearly impossible for a human to read. If anyone is interested in the uncompacted source, please let me know and I'll see what I can do.

    Co-requisites

    Because there are many programs involved in implementing PETs, some care must be taken to include all the appropriate files. When the notes below indicate "co-requisites," please download and install the co-requisite(s) first.

    Disk Space Requirements

    Two estimates of required disk space are included for the downloads. The top number represents the amount of space required during the installation/extraction process. The bottom number represents the amount of space required after the original download file has been erased. To err is human, so err on the high side.

    Download Name Contents Last Updated Co-requisites 4K Blocks Description
    readme.pets README PETS 05/26/1998 None 2

    2     		Some general comments about the PETs programs.
    pclick.txt PCLICK EXEC 10/03/1998 None 2

    2     		A single program to assist you in determining if your 3270 emulator already works with PETs, can be made to work with PETs, or just simply doesn't do what needs to be done (see Emulators for details and suggestions).
    xpg1psee.txt XAP XEDIT and related files 05/30/1998 xpg2psee.txt 137

    77     		An Xedit macro and supporting files which enable you to manipulate an Xedit session with a mouse; add, copy, move, delete, and alter text, lines, columns, and blocks of lines; insert user-defined file fragments. Includes extensive, integrated help.
    xpg2psee.txt Sample XAP file fragment libraries and indices 05/30/1998 xpg1psee.txt 32

    20     		Files containing samples of predefined lines of code intended for inclusion in programs and documents; these "XAPLIBs" are used in conjunction with XAP.
    dfg1psee.txt PETs configuration and sample files 05/26/1998 None 24

    18     		Configuration files, sample profiles, synonym table, etc.; some of these files are required for PETs programs; others are samples of alternative configurations which can be customized.

    Good luck. Let me know if you have any problems.

    --rick ellis

    Mail questions, comments, suggestions or inquiries to rge@uconnvm.uconn.edu .

    Page last updated on October 3, 1998.
    Copyright (C) 1998, Richard G. Ellis