Figure E shows you that the Login Scripts window in DialupMaster has several functions. The first function is the ability to enable (and likewise disable) all of your login scripts for your dial-up connections.

FIGURE E

No more manual terminal windows with DialupMaster; it's automatic. Click picture for a larger image.

The next option, visible in Figure F, is a drop-down menu containing all of your connections, whether through serial ports or dial-up. When you select a dial-up connection, you start the to define a login script when it's required by your dial-up service.

FIGURE F

Though all available services are in this list, only use the dial-up connections. Click picture for a larger image.

The New button to the left of this drop-down menu brings up a dialog box that asks you to name a new script file and place it in the desired location. Once you select OK, the designated script editor is launched with sample text, as you can see in Figure G.

FIGURE G

I use PhatWare's HPC Spell as my script editor. Click picture for a larger image.

If you changed the location of your login script for some reason, you also have the option to update the path to it by simply selecting the button with an ellipsis (...) to find the new path. Also, if you need to reconfigure your script, simply select Edit to launch your designated script editor with your script in place and make and save your changes. This makes troubleshooting a breeze.

There are just two commands that DialupMaster uses (the following script information is found in DialupMaster's included online help):

• DELAY=n: Wait for n seconds
• SEND=text: Send the text as if it was typed

DialupMaster enters your login information using the following macros. Note that the macros are surrounded by a pair of brackets (i.e., "<>") that tell DialupMaster that the text is a macro:

DialupMaster includes additional documentation on using the scripting feature, but it isn't hard to master. As I stated earlier, I don't require this feature with my current ISP, but this will really come in handy if you use CompuServe or an ISP that requires scripts to properly authenticate you.

Keep Alive
Fortunately for me, my local ISP does not seem to practice a habit of disconnecting me at the slightest hint of inactivity. However, you may not be so lucky. Yet again, DialupMaster is here to help.

Keep Alive is the third tabbed window, shown in Figure H. Keep Alive affords you a few simple choices on configuring the built-in ping utility. Ping is a tool commonly used on the Internet to simulate activity when a user is inactive. This sort of utility attempts to confuse an ISP's timer, which is set to automatically disconnect a user exhibiting little activity for a set time. By pinging an address or server on the Internet, it appears as though the connection is in use, and this discourages your ISP from disconnecting you. This approach is not guaranteed to work all the time, and your connection may still be interrupted despite the use of this utility. Since it's included as part of the package, it's worth a try.