EXTERNAL PROTOCOLS


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While Telix supports a very large number of protocols internally, it also allows users to define up to 5 external protocol implementations, for the utmost in flexibility.

External protocols are defined in the 'Protocol options' page of the Configuration Menu. Basically, based on this configuration, when the user selects a transfer with this protocol, Telix will either run a specified DOS Batch file, or a TELIX SALT script file.


Batch File Method


If a Batch file has been configured to be executed when the external protocol is selected, TELIX will execute it and pass to it 3 parame- ters (with the third sometimes being blank). The first parameter is the baud rate. This is accessed within the DOS batch file as %1. The second parameter is the comm port number. This is accessed as %2. The third parameter is the reply the user gave when asked what file(s) to transfer. If this is a download and this protocol has been defined to not need a download name, this parameter will be blank. If this is an upload via an external protocol defined as an "@" protocol (see Configuration, Protocols), this parameter will be "FILELIST", otherwise, will be the list of files to send. This parameter is referred to as %3 in the Batch file.

It is now the responsibility of the Batch file to call a driver pro- gram for the protocol, using the supplied info. For example, assuming Telix didn't have built-in Zmodem support, a batch file called SZB.BAT could be defined to perform Zmodem uploads using the commonly avail- able DSZ program with the following command in it.
DSZ port %2 speed %1 sz %3

This would tell DSZ what files to transfer, and also would specify the proper baud rate and comm port.

If DSZ were an "@" protocol, the command would be:
DSZ port %2 speed %1 sz @%3

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Script File Method


Alternately Telix can run a SALT script file when the user selects an external protocol. The script should be compiled ahead of time (as ex- plained elsewhere in this manual). The user's reply to the question of what files to transfer is stored in the system variable _ext_filespec.

The script file is free to implement the protocol in whatever way it wants to, such as calling an external driver program using the 'RUN' function, or by actually performing the transfer itself.

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