Introduction

Intro

Z88 Support

Copyright

Disclaimer

If you have read this introduction and want to go straight to the manual click here.

These Z88 manuals have been produced from:-

• 
  Cambridge Computer
• 
  Computer Concepts Ltd
• 
  Wordmongers
• 
  Ranger Computers
• 
  Front Line Computers

As each manufacturer described common items, e.g. Copyright Notices, Inserting the ROM into the Z88, they have all been consolidated and only been written once before the manuals start. Please see "Read this First"

Z88 Support

Quite a lot of information about Wordmongers, Prestel, Telecom Gold and Ranger Computers that was in the original manuals is now completely out of date.

• Wordmongers and Cambridge Computers are no longer around.
• Ranger Computers and Computer Concepts are still very much around but all Z88 products are now handled here at Rakewell.

These manual have been altered to reflect these changes.

Copyright & Trademark notices as given in the Original Manuals

PC-LINK USER GUIDE (International Version)
This manual was written, designed and laser-typeset by Colton Software Limited, Cambridge.
Copyright © Cambridge Computer Limited 1988
First published in 1988 by Cambridge Computer Limited
All rights reserved. Copyright © 1988,1989 Wordmongers Ltd
All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the prior consent of the copyright holder. The only exceptions are as provided for by the Copyright (photocopying) Act or for the purpose of review or in order for the software herein to be entered into a computer for the sole use of the owner of this book.
Cambridge Computer Limited will not in any event be liable for any loss, including consequential loss, caused by any error, defect, or failure of the computer however arising, including but not limited to loss of use, loss of stored data, loss of profit, or loss of contracts.

• The PC-LINK system software was designed and developed by Trinity Concepts Limited, Cambridge.
• Z-Term is protected by copyright laws. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1987 Wordmongers Ltd
• The Z-Tape, zBASE & THINKz Wordmonger's manuals were written by Tony Kaye and Derek Fountain at Wordmongers Limited.
• Wordmonger software is protected by copyright laws. No copies of the program may be made without obtaining written permission from Wordmongers Ltd, on behalf of the authors.
• The Z-Tape, zBASE & THINKz software is protected by copyright laws. No copies of the program may be made without obtaining written permission from Wordmongers Ltd, on behalf of the authors.
• IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Inc.
• DEC, VT100, VT102, VT220 are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Massachusetts, USA.
• Lotus and 1-2-3 are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation
• Hayes Smartmodem 1200 is a trademark of Hayes Micro-computer products Inc.
• WordStar is a trademark of Micro-Pro Inc.
• dBASE, dBASE II, dBASE III, dBASE IV and 'Multimate' are all trademarks of Ashton-Tate Inc. (now Borland)
• WS3000 is a trademark of Miracle Technology Ltd.
• Miracle Systems is a Trademark of Miracle Systems Ltd, Bristol.
• Prestel and Telecom Gold are the Trademarks of British Telecom.
• Z-Tape, THINKz software is licensed not sold.
• 'PipeDream' is a trademark of Colton Software Ltd.
• Z-Tape, zBASE & THINKz is the subject of a trademark application by Wordmongers Limited.

Disclaimer

This pack is supplied on an "as is" basis with no warranty, specific or implied, attaching. No liability will be accepted for consequential loss, damage or error. Faulty media will be replaced free of charge.

Consumer rights under existing legislation are not affected by the above statement. However, the following statement should be noted by all users.

See full copy of Wordmongers Licence supplied with the system. (Which is not available any more).

Computer Concepts Ltd. shall not in any event be liable for any loss, whether consequential or direct, caused by any error in the Spell-Master product or manual, or as the result o misuse, including but not limited to loss of data, damage to the host machine - particular during cartridge installation or extraction, or loss of profit.

Statement by Wordmongers on fitness of its programs for its designed use.

Wordmongers would advise users that all their software has not been tested to a degree that makes it fit for use in any situation likely to cause or contribute to the physical well-being of users. Such exhaustive testing would put the price of their programs prohibitively high and deprive users of its designed use as an outliner and of Z-Tape, as a computerised data backup system.

Equally, Wordmongers cannot accept any responsibility for programs written by users. Programmers using zBASE must accept responsibility for testing their programs to whatever level is required for the intended application.

In cases where data is regarded as particularly valuable, users are recommended to take multiple copies of files. In extreme circumstances, users should consider taking out insurance policies to cover the loss of data.

.Extract from Licence.

Wordmongers liability for any losses or damages to the Licensee (purchaser) arising out of the terms and conditions of the Licence shall in no event exceed the purchase price of the software in respect of which the losses or damages are claimed and in no event shall Wordmongers be liable for any consequential damages or special costs or expenses in respect thereof whether Wordmongers has been advised of the possibility of such damages or not.

RangerLink2, RangerDisk2 and Vision/L are protected by copyright laws. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1989 Ranger Computers Limited, Rakewell Limited.
Copyright © 1989 FRONT LINE COMPUTERS LIMITED 30 Blackthorn Grove Nuneaton Warwickshire CV11 6UX
Copyright © Computer Concepts Ltd. 1988. First Edition 1988.

Read this First

Read this First	Manual conventions	The Z88's Filing System	Device & Directory scrolling
Directories Selection	Marking Files	MENU Selecting an option	HELP
Filenames	Save and Load as Plain text	Z88 International Versions

There are a number of common statements that have been repeated in each of the manuals. To save space they have been put here.

You should make yourself familiar with this section before reading any other manuals.

Manual conventions

Command		Instruction
		In this manual, commands are as follows.
This column is what you type.	This column is used when you need to press the enter key.	This column is used for comments.
		So when you see
C:	-ENTER-	Move onto the hard disk
cd \	-ENTER-	Move to the root directory
PCLINK	-ENTER-	Start the program.
		This means that you type these three commands to the computer.

Specific keys will be shown within dashes, (-ESC- -TAB- -SHIFT- -INDEX- -MENU- -HELP- and -DEL-) viz when -ENTER- appears, it means that the key marked ENTER should be pressed.

The DIAMOND and SQUARE keys will be symbolised as

t= DIAMOND and
n = SQUARE.

The cursor / arrow keys are marked by arrows.
ñ ò ð ï

When files are sent from the Z88 to the external accessory (like a PC, Disk Drive or tape recorder,) they are said to be SAVED. When files are retrieved from it and restored to the Z88 they are said to be LOADED or FETCHED. These two words are used interchangeably in this manual.

The LOAD verb is a historic use from the SPECTRUM days when software was LOADED from tape. FETCH originates in the Z88 FILER in which that verb is used for getting files from EPROM.

The Z88's Filing System

The filing system on the Z88, Disk Drive and PC can be thought of in much the same way as a filing cabinet. Typically, a filing cabinet would consist of a number of drawers, each one containing a number of folders.

Each folder may contain several different letters. To extract a particular letter from the filing cabinet, the user has to specify which folder in which drawer contains the letter. On a Z88, the drawers are equivalent to the individual RAM cartridges, called devices. The folders are equivalent to directories and the letters are equivalent to files. Thus, to extract a particular file, the user must specify the device (drawer), the directory (folder) and the filename (letter).

The devices are named as follows:

• :RAM.0 The internal memory of the Z88
• :RAM.1 The RAM cartridge in slot 1 of the Z88
• :RAM.2 The RAM cartridge in slot 2 of the Z88
• :RAM.3 The RAM cartridge in slot 3 of the Z88

The PC's equivalents to devices are 'drives', where A: and B: are usually floppy disk drives and C: the hard disk drive. The RangerDisk2, for example only one device, so you do not need to change devices when using it.

The directory names are chosen by the user and are made of up to 12 characters on the Z88, but only 8 on the PC or the Disk drive.

Thus the full specification of the file "PART1.DOC" in the directory "MANUAL" held on the RAM cartridge in slot 1 would be

:RAM.1/MANUAL/PART1.DOC

It would be inconvenient and time consuming if every time the user wished to specify a file, it was also necessary to specify the directory and the device. To overcome this requirement, the Z88 Filer, Diskfiler2 and RangerLink2 allow the user to select the device and the directory that he wishes to use in both Z88 and PC. These are called the Default Device and the Default Directory respectively.

If the user just specifies the filename, in an Application, it will add the Default Device and the Default Directory automatically, thus giving a complete specification. If the user specifies the filename and the directory, the Application will just add the Default Device, again giving a complete specification.

The Default Device and the Default Directory for an application can be set from the Filer. It is important to note that the defaults are set for each application and from each application. Thus to set the Default Device for an Application to :RAM.1, the user must follow this sequence.

1. From the Application, enter the Filer by pressing -INDEX-, and then n F
2. Change the device to :RAM.1 using the SELECT DEVICE command
3. Return to the Application by pressing the -ESC- key

For example, suppose that the Default Device for PipeDream had been set to :RAM. 1 and a file had been saved from PipeDream to the Default Device, i.e. just the filename had been entered.. If the Default Device for a different Application had been set to :RAM.0, typing just the filename when specifying the file to that Application would cause a file not found- error. To specify the file correctly for the Application, it would be necessary to either type in the device as well as the filename (:RAM.1 /filename) or to change the Application's Default Device to RAM.1.

Each application in the Z88 may have it's own, different, Default Device and Default Directory currently in force. It is therefore important to recognise where a file will be saved by one application if it going to be used by another application.

The list of files contained in the Z88 on the Default Device in the Default Directory are always displayed by RangerLink2 or Diskfiler2 in the middle of the three windows whenever RangerLink2 or Diskfiler2 is running. Files in the PC default drive and directory are displayed in the right-hand window.

Device & Directory scrolling (Wordmonger software only)

When the COMMANDS MENU is on screen, the files displayed will be those contained in the currently selected device and directory. The diamond commands to change these settings are described below. However, there is a shorthand method of moving between devices and directories.

To scroll round the devices, use tñ and tò. All 4 devices from RAM.0 to RAM.3 can be displayed, WHETHER OR NOT THEY EXIST. Obviously, if RAM.3 is selected its directory will show as blank. If any attempt is made to fetch files from tape onto a non-existent RAM, an error message will appear and no harm will be done.

Directories Selection

Directories can also be selected with the cursor. Move the cursor onto the desired directory name in either Z88 or PC window and press -SHIFT- and ò. The window will 'move down' into the directory. To move back into a parent directory, position the cursor anywhere in either the Z88 or PC window and press -SHIFT- and ñ. The window will move 'back up' to the parent directory. If no files are present in the child directory, the name "PARENT DIRECTORY" will appear in the window so that this function can be performed.

Marking Files

Many applications in this booklet can use marked files, either individually or in batches. Files may be marked in both Z88 and PC windows. Note: Directory names cannot be marked.

If the required filenames are not displayed in the appropriate window, it will be necessary to alter the Default Device and Default Directory used by the application. This can be achieved with two of the operations detailed below. Once the required filenames are displayed, the four cursor control keys on the Z88 keyboard can be used to move the cursor on to a particular filename.

The following commands can be used to mark files:

ENTER. Place the cursor bar on the desired file name using the cursor keys. Press -ENTER-. A chevron symbol appears, denoting that the file is marked.

Only one file at a time can be marked with -ENTER-. If the key is pressed again, the file is unmarked. Further files can be marked by pressing -SHIFT- and -ENTER- together. See -TAB-.

Note: If -ENTER- is pressed while marked files appear in a window, all files in that window will be unmarked.

TAB. Place the cursor bar on the desired file name and press '-TAB-'. A chevron symbol appears, denoting that the file is marked.

Any number of files can be marked with '-TAB-'. However, if the cursor bar is placed on a marked file and '-TAB-' is then pressed, the file is unmarked.

t-ENTER-. (Ranger and Rakewell software only) Place the cursor bar anywhere in the relevant window and press t, followed by -ENTER-. All files in the window will be marked.

MENU Selecting an option

The two keys on the Z88 keyboard marked -MENU- and -HELP- allow the operator to access a comprehensive set of commands to perform all the necessary functions within an Application. When the -MENU- key is pressed a screen offering a range of menu commands is presented. If the command required is present on the screen, the cursor keys can be used to move the cursor to the command. If the -ENTER- key is pressed, the Application will perform the command currently highlighted by the cursor. If the required command is not present on the screen, pressing the -MENU- key will present a further page of commands. The -MENU- key can be pressed repeatedly until the required command is shown on the screen.

To summarise any option in an application may be selected by any of the usual Z88 methods, namely

1. its diamond (t) sequence,
2. by highlighting the command on the commands list or
3. by highlighting the selected option in the menu, obtained by pressing the -MENU- key.

HELP

Each menu command has a page of "help" text associated with it. To display the help text for any given command, it is necessary to press the -MENU- key and use the cursor keys to move the cursor onto the command required. Then, by pressing the -HELP- key instead of the -ENTER- key, the Application will display the help text for that command.

-ESC- returns to the Application or to the INDEX (in the case of a pop-up) front screen. The cursor keys will display other help screens.

Filenames

Because the Z88 allows filenames containing up to 12 characters (excluding the extension), a potential incompatibility exists when files are copied to DOS format disks. If the source filename is longer than the DOS format standard of 8 characters, it will be truncated to 8 characters when created on the disk.

For example,
AMCALLREP.PRG

becomes
AMCALLRE.PRG.

On the PC and Disk, filenames can contain the characters # ' ~ $ & % (,) _ @ ^ { } !. These characters are not permitted on the Z88 and are changed to '-' when files are copied from the PC or Disk to the Z88 using Ranger software. In addition, disk or PC filenames can only contain UPPER case alpha characters, unlike the Z88 which allows both upper and lower case. This difference can provide a useful indication as to the source of the files in the Z88: If a file with lower case characters in the name is copied to the disk and then back to the Z88, the lower case characters will be converted to upper case.

Save and Load as Plain text

Some applications can share files with Pipedream require loading and saving files in as plain text files. The Save and Load commands (tFL and tFS) in PipeDream displays a series of options, including one which allows the file to be saved in plain text format (without the embedded % codes), as shown below:

Press tFS, or tFS followed by the file name. Move the cursor down 4 lines using the ò, to the question, 'Save plain text'. Enter a Y for Yes and hit -ENTER-.

If you intend to return the file to PipeDream then this option should remain set to 'No', so that PipeDream saves its embedded formatting codes. However, if the file does not need to be returned, or if the formatting is not required, the option can be set to 'Yes'.

Z88 International Versions

Top bit Characters

The OZ will not accept top bit characters in filenames, etc. The characters are generated while writing the name, but the top bit character will disappear from any system generated listings (suspended activities, directories). Names beginning with a top bit character aren't accepted at all and are rejected with regards like "Bad filename."

Some applications suffer from the usage of top bit characters. A new line in THINKz cannot start with a top bit character unless you fool the application by beginning the line with any character below Dec (128) and afterwards replacing that character with the desired top bit character.

Applications

The Stopwatch application used in a Finnish or Swedish Z88 won't allow the 14th stopwatch to be used. The expected input is distorted when it is entered.

The characters ÅÄÖåäö will not appear in files when viewed in

• SqueeZ~88
• RangerDisk2
• RangerLink2

They appear as EDVedv

T-Touch is only designed for use with British keyboards.

Fitting & Using the ROM

Background	Which Slot to Use?	Moving your RAM card	Installing the ROM
Checking the ROM	Running an Application	List of Short form keys	Removing the Application
Installing another or moving an Application	CARD

Background

All applications for the Z88 are stored on ROMs. These can be of several sizes, (32K, 128K, 256K and 512K) depending on the size of the program(s) supplied. This means that it is on a comparatively stable medium and less vulnerable to corruption than say a floppy disk. However, care should still be taken not to pour coffee into the ROM cartridge.

Not enough of a particular program was ever made to justify a special ROM (Read-Only-Memory) to be manufactured, so EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) were used instead.

Although EPROMs were used, as far as the Z88 is concerned they are ROMs so the words EPROM and ROM in the different manuals may be interchanged. The ROM should not be placed in the EPROM eraser unless the loss of the program is the desired outcome.

Which Slot to Use?

Slot 1	Slot 2	Slot 3
RAM	Applications ROM	EPROM
Some applications, RangerDisk2, RangerLink2, zBASE and SqueeZ~88, need at least 128K of memory in slot 1 to run.		Slot 3 - Warning
	Do not leave ROMs or EPROMs in slot 3 Any ROM or EPROM can be accidentally overwritten by the Z88 when the batteries go flat or if the Z88 goes into an unstable condition (when it just stops working).

Further information about the use of slots is contained in Appendix 2.

Moving your RAM card

If you need to move your RAM card, make sure that you back up any files that you have in it before. You can either use an EPROM pack or use another computer to store the files. Refer to your Z88 user guide or Z88 Magic for help with this.

Installing the ROM

It is very important that the following steps are taken when Installing or Removing ROMs. See tCARD.

Installation instructions usually start with a warning telling you to switch off and disconnect all power. Quite the opposite is true in this case... To install the ROM, take the following steps:

1. Switch on the Z88 pressing both -SHIFT- keys in the usual way.
2. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the -INDEX- key.
3. Ensure the INDEX is on screen.
4. Open the card flap which is the clear perspex cover labelled 1,2,3.. (The Z88 bleeps and switches off automatically).
5. Insert the ROM into Slot 2 or an empty slot.
6. Close the card flap. The INDEX page should now reappear.
7. If there are any errors at this stage will cause a message to be printed at the extreme right of the screen. See tCARD.

Checking the ROM

It is a good idea to check whether the Z88 has installed the software correctly. To do this do the following:

1. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the -INDEX- key.
2. Select tCARD. This should display the ROM size in the correct slot.
3. Press the -ESC- key, this should bring you back to the INDEX page again.
4. Move the cursor to the left-hand side of the screen (Applications) and move it down to the bottom of the list to see the program name(s) you have just installed.
5. If your Z88 doesn't recognise the application, get back to Index, open the flap again and check that the cartridge is fully inserted.

Running an Application

You are now ready to start running an application.

To do this you can either do the following

1. Switch on the Z88
2. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the -INDEX- key.
3. Move the cursor to the left-hand side of the screen (Applications) and move it down the list until you reach the program you wish to run.
4. Press the -ENTER- key

or
You can start it quicker by using the short form n key as shown next to each application's name.

List of Short form keys for applications (in this manual)

PC Link nL
PC Link with RangerLink2 nZL
RangerLink2 nL
RangerDisk2 nZD
Z-Tape nJ.
THINKz nO.
Vision/L nZV.
WordFinder nW.
QuickEdit nQ

Removing the Application

Before removing an application you should first check that it is still not being used. To do this:

1. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the -INDEX- key.
2. Look at the Suspended Activities section on the right-hand side of the screen.
3. If you can see an application running that you wish to remove (it also has a number 1, 2 or 3 in the card column as well) move the cursor over it and select tKILL.
4. Open the card flap. (The Z88 bleeps and switches off automatically).
5. Remove the ROM from the slot.This can be a little awkward. Using the edge of a coin or something similar, carefully prize the cartridge from its slot
6. Close the card flap. The INDEX page should now reappear.

It is important to note that you should follow this full procedure even if you are installing another application afterwards.

If you were not in the INDEX when you removed the card, you get a continuous bleep and the error message INDEX on the right-hand side of the screen. If this happens, open the flap and re-insert the card in its original slot.

Note: Errors caused by removing a card can be rectified by re-inserting the card into the original slot from which it was removed.

Avoid excessive force. Be particularly careful not to damage the transparent cartridge cover - your Z88 will not operate without it! does not work.

Installing another or moving an Application

You must treat this as two operations. If you take a card out, treat it as removing the application and close the flap first to let the Z88 know that you have removed it before opening it again to install the new one.

CARD

If the Z88 starts to bleep and displays message CARD in the top right-hand corner of the INDEX screen after you have inserted or removed a ROM, the above procedures have not been followed .

To clear this do the following

1. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the -INDEX- key.
2. Ensure the INDEX is on screen.
3. Open the card flap which is the clear perspex cover labelled 1,2,3.. (The Z88 bleeps and switches off automatically).
4. You need to undo what you did before you got the beeps. This could have been
   1. taking the ROM out of a slot and putting it in another slot without closing and opening the flap in-between that operation
      solution - reverse what you did.
      1. taking it out of the slot you had put it in
      2. return it to the slot you had taken it out of.
   2. removing a card whist not in the Index
      solution - put it back again
   3. removed a card whist still running an Application
      solution - put it back again and then KILL the application.
5. Close the card flap. The INDEX page should now reappear without the CARD message.
6. Carefully follow the instructions for Installing and/or Removing as two separate operations.

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