The Packet Inputline

This inputline serves as the user's interface to the packet cluster. Any type of command and text the cluster will understand and/or accept can be entered here. The packet menu item input linecontrols whether this line is visible or not. Turned into visible mode the line will show up as follows:

Figure 234:   The Packet Input Line

As shown in the screenshot example the message must be entered on the left part of the frame. For the time being the input is limited to 80 characters. Pressing the Enter key will start transmitting the input to a cluster.

Before this can be carried out, however, there needs to be a decision which of the existing connections should be used for the communication.

The list box on the right side will show the alternative clusters the message could be transmitted to. If an internet connection exists TurboLog 4 will try this as the first choice. The user, however, can always overrule the default and make his choice.

If erroneously no cluster connection exists while transmission is initiated an error message pops up:

Figure 235:   Error Prompt

Click the OK button in order to continue.

For ease of operation the input line is equipped with both, an input stack and a default stack. At this point we capitalize on the software tools developed for and introduced into the design of the log input line. The paragraph on Field Properties elaborates the concept of an Input stack and a Default stack for any particular field.The Default stack contains predefined character strings, e.g. SH/DX/100 while the Input stack is intended to collect the previous entries made from this field during the current session. Pressing Ctrl+Cursor+Down will bring the default stack to surface. Pressing Shift+Cursor+Down will open the input stack.

The default stack for the input line can be customized by right mouse key clicking anywhere on the input area. This will evoke the following popup:

Figure 236:  Field Properties

Clicking this button will surface the field properties frame. This frame is identical to the frame described in greater details for the log input line except for its content:

Figure 237: Input Line Field Prpoerties

Unlike the log input line there is of course only one line to be selected ... the packet input line itself. While both the "Standard" and the "Advanced" tabsheets are shown in the paragraph on the field properties the "Advanced" tabsheet is of greater interest here. In the example given it is filled by some of the mostly needed cluster commands.

Active COMMANDS:

None.

There is only mouse action and data input from keyboard in the frames.

CLICKABLES and HOTSPOTS:  

WINDOWS frame controls

This topic was last edited on  Monday, 03-Jul-2023,  at  23:57