
==============================================================================
    Preliminary Documentation          IRMA File Transfer Ver. 2.00 (OPUS)  

                           FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
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      The new release of the IRMA File Transfer utility, OPUS, will 
      include a screen oriented set of menus, as well as the original 
      command line processor, for user data entry. These operation will 
      will be divided into two general sections, data file transfer and 
      system file maintenance. The initial display, or panel, will be the 
      data file transfer panel. Function keys will be used to select 
      secondary menu options as desired. In general, only the data file 
      transfer panel will be used. The system file maintenance options 
      are primarily for configuration purposes to provide a means for 
      user customization and tailoring based on site by site differences. 
      The intention is to provide the most frequently used options as the 
      default parameters for the transfer. A secnd set of important but 
      less frequently used items will be included with the released 
      software. Thus, the file maintenance operations would only be 
      required if the facilities as supplied did not meet the user's 
      specific needs. 

      
      Data File Transfer   
      
         
      The actual file transfer operation can be specified either from a 
      menu panel or directly from the DOS command line on the IBM/PC. The 
      latter method will match very closely the original FT78T format so 
      further discussion of this topic will be postponed for now. The 
      menu panel(s) and option(s) involved in the scree oriented mode of 
      operation are displayed as a series of screen overlays or windows 
      of increasing complexity. The user need only see those windows 
      which are necessary for the particular transfer being specified. 
      The function keys on the PC keyboard are used too select operations 
      and to control the flow of the entry process. A brief walk-through 
      of the various entry panels will describe the process. See the 
      printed copies of panels 1 - 4 for the actual screen layouts.

      Panel 1 is the initial, blank scren which is displayed when OPUS is 
      first started. This is also the simplest screen which provides 
      enough information to transfer a file with pre-defined parameters. 
      Notice that only those function keys which pertain to available 
      operations are displayed in the function key label window. This 
      concept is used throughout the operation of OPUS to assist the user 
      in determining exactly what options are avalable at a particular 
      point in the entry process. Panel 1 provides for the entry of the 
      two filenames involved in the transfer and, optionally, a transfer 
      type. The transfer type determines the physical paramenters of the 
      files involved and can be ignored in many, if not most, instances.
      
      The specific flow of events for Panel 1 will be used to describe 
      the entry philosophy used throughout OPUS. Essentially, there are 
      two types of data fields available, text entry fields and 
      enumerated data fields. The latter consists of a set of choices 
      which are displayed in turn so that the user merely selects the 
      appropriate one. The two filename items are text entry fields so 
      the user must enter valid names. The transfer type is an enumerated 
      field based on a set of pre-defined transfer types (this is not 
      entirely accurate as the definitions are user maintainable as 
      discussed below). The initial or default type will be displayed 
      based on the particular filename entered (it has not yet been 
      determined whether the PC file or the host file will control this). 
      
      Panel 2 shows the display with the two filenames entered by the 
      user and the transfer type displayed. Several additional function 
      keys are available at this point and the corresponding entrys are 
      displayed in the function key window. If the default transfer type 
      as displayed is satisfactory, the user can use the function key for 
      the direction of the transfer to proceed with actual data transfer 
      ath this point. This means that only two pieces of information are 
      need as a minimum, the filenames, in order to start the transfer. 
      If either the "Send" or "Recv" functions are selected at this 
      point the record count item will be displayed as shown in Panel 4, 
      and the transfer will commence. 
      
      If the transfer parameters implied by the transfer type are not 
      appropriate, as determined by the user, the "Edit" function is 
      specified to provide an additional window of transfer parameter 
      data which can be edited as necessary. Panel 4 shows the format of 
      this screen with a representative set of data. This window is 
      necessarily complex and will be discussed in detail below. If this 
      option is selected an additional function is provided to "Save" the 
      re-defined transfer type. This allows the user to tailor the 
      transfer and then make the changes permanent on disk. The transfer 
      type field can also be changed at this point so that additional 
      user-defined transfer types can be set up and saved on disk. If the 
      "Send" or "Recv" functions are selected operation proceeds as 
      discussed above.
