13/09/94 Questions and Answers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Following the release of !Printers 1.22 this month's top question is: Q. !Printers 1.22 asks for a new version of ColourTrans when I load it; I have looked in my !System.Modules directory and can't find it. A. There is a new version of ColourTrans included with !Printers 1.22; it's in !System.310 in the !Printers suite. Use !SysMerge to update your master copy of !System, and ensure that you reset the machine before running the new !Printers. Hints and Tips ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This month, we concentrate on file transfer between the Pocket Book and Archimedes using the A-Link. A Typical A-Link session ------------------------ 1. Ensure that the Pocket Book and the Archimedes are switched off 2. Connect A-LINK to Archimedes 3. Switch on Archimedes 4. Load PocketFS software 5. Connect A-Link to Pocket book 6. Switch on Pocket Book 7. On Pocket Book, set the Remote Link to On 8. On Archimedes, click on PocketFS icon At the end of an A-Link session, remember to dismount the A-Link correctly. The procedure below should prevent any problems with the A-Link and Pocket Book. 1. Dismount A-Link via the PocketFS menu. 2. On the Pocket Book, set Remote Link to OFF 3. Quit PocketFS software 4. Switch off Pocket Book 5. Remove A-Link from Pocket Book NOTE: When Using the A-Link it is advisable to use a mains adaptor; communications place a heavy load on the batteries and reduces their expected lifetime. The A-Link will not work if there is less than 50K free memory on the Pocket Book. More memory can be made available by quitting applications which are running in the background or by deleting files from the RAM disk. Transferring Write, Abacus and Card files ----------------------------------------- Although the Acorn A-Link can be used to transfer any type of file between the Archimedes and Pocket Book, the most common use of the A-Link is to transfer files to and from the applications supplied with the standard Pocket Book. As Write, Abacus and Cards formats are not understood by Archimedes applications, it is necessary for the A-Link to convert the files into an appropriate format; the following are used: Application Name Write Abacus Cards ---------------- ----- ------ ----- A-Link file format ASCII CSV CSV CSV (Comma-Separated Variable) format means that items of data are stored sequentially as a string of ASCII, with the entry for a given field separated from the entry for the adjacent field by a comma. Other Files, and Applications ----------------------------- Files from other Pocket Book applications, such as Schedule, can be transferred to and from an Archimedes without performing any conversion; this is also useful for installing new Pocket Book applications distributed on floppy disc. Choose the "Open $" option from the PocketFS icon bar menu, and use the filer displays as normal. Errors reported by the A-Link ----------------------------- "Already opened by another process" The file you wish to transfer is currently being used by an application on the Pocket Book. To make this file available for transfer, you need to quit the application using the file. An application can be quit by highlighting its icon on the desktop and pressing Acorn-Q. "Please insert Pocket Book" The A-Link can no longer find the Pocket Book, this may be a result of a bad connection between the machine and the Pocket Book. Check connections and start again. Backing up files from the Pocket Book ------------------------------------- When backing up files from the Pocket Book, it is possible that the files, when stored on an Archimedes formatted disk, will have their names truncated. This can lead to difficulty when re-installing the backed-up files. As the structure of a PC formatted disc matches more closely that of the Pocket Book, files which are backed up to a DOS formatted disk on the Archimedes will not be truncated. For this reason, we recommend that Pocket Book files be backed up to DOS Formatted floppies. Acorn News in Brief ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For readers with Internet access, Acorn has an FTP server from which technical notes, press releases and Acorn software updates can be downloaded. Set your ftp client to binary mode, open ftp.acorn.co.uk (or 136.170.129.1) and look in directory "pub"; be sure to read the "ReadMe" file. For technical queries, we suggest that you first contact your nearest Acorn Approved Dealer, who will have answers to most questions. We can also be contacted directly by writing to Customer Services Dept Acorn Computers Ltd Acorn House Vision Park Histon Cambridge CB4 4AE or emailing customer.services@acorn.co.uk via Internet.