Are there any commands I can use to open a com port and send dtmf tones (actually digits the modem will convert to DTMF) to it to create a dialer feature inside of Sesame.

In the past I used a little dialer utility and called it with an @shell type command and past the numbers to dial but with Sesame I have been using Sbasic to do many features that I use to  need third party utilities for.  I now read files in and write back out with commands like FileReadln() and FileWrite() so I figure there must be a method for me to open a port send attention and control commands and send the number to dial.

The advantage of doing this from inside Sesame is it would then be possible using Sbasic to create a call logging, dialing and routing system based on the connection results.

I have used the File I/O commands to communicate with the parallel port (to send printer commands), it should be very similar to talk to the COM ports. Use FileOpen to open the COM port you want to use - probably something like:

fd = FileOpen("COM1:")
 

Then use the file I/O commands to send the communication control commands you need (here in Hayes modem format - as an example only!):

FileWriteLn(fd, "+++") // Send the Attention command
FileWriteLn(fd, "ATDT555-555-1234") // Dial a number

etc ...
 

Mark,

Thanks for the info.

Bob,

At present, I know very little/nothing about accessing com ports, but I think I'll be reading up on them around summer time. I'll keep tabs on this thread to see how your doing and post what I've learned.

I would also like to see Sesame able to dial into an ISP to check email as well as dial a credit card authorization company to charge credit card orders.

I started to post my progress in Sesame, but I got long-winded and didn't want to water down your post so I created a new post. Please take a look and reply at your convenience.

Steve

Quote:

I would like to add a "protocols package" for Sesame. It may have to wait for 2.0. Instead of dialing, it would (and should) attempt to contact the specified IP address - the OS, would see that you are not connected to the internet (if you are not) and use the appropriate method for your machine to connect to the internet and get to that IP address. If you use SBasic's SendMail command on a machine setup for dialup internet (PPP), you'll see this how this works. At no point does the SendMail command actually dial anything, that is left up to your OS.

If you use FileOpen to dial the phone to contact your ISP, remember that your SBasic program will be responsible for maintaining the "point to point protocol" ("PPP") including the login procedure between your modem and the ISP's.

I can manage POP ("post office protocol" for getting email), and telnet protocol, but special protocols for credit cards or HTTP (hypertext transport protocol), will take a bit more work. Sesame already speaks a subset of SMTP (simple mail transport protocol) for the SendMail command.

I am still floundering a bit with the dialer feature however I found a terrific little free utility that will monitor a com port and display and or log the results. This is quite handy to see what is happening at the com port when you execute your sbasic from sesame. It is also helpful to see what happens when working software is doing what you are attempting to do with Sbasic and Sesame. For example I can monitor my port while using Hyperterminal to control the modem and dial the phone and capture the commands it is sending to the port. I can then run my Sbasic from Sesame and compare to see what I am missing in my communications to the port.

I thought this might be a handy tool for others trying to work with devices connected to a com port.

This utility is called Portmon and can be downloaded free at www.sysinternals.com