TUTOR has been superseded by and incorporated into the new TEAPAC Complete product which is described in detail at the main page of www.StrongConcepts.com.  Upgrades from TUTOR to TEAPAC Complete are available.  Contact Strong Concepts for details.

:TUTOR Ver 7.81 27MAY08

Build 11 - 27MAY08

>Updated release for compatibility with general release of TEAPAC Ver 7.81.

This release of TUTOR is primarily a version change for compatibility with the general release of TEAPAC Ver 7.81, with some minor generic changes, as noted below.

>Generic changes made to all Ver 7.81 TEAPAC programs.

Able to save from OpenIntoEdit if it was first file opened into program.
File-SaveAs shows file type of current file & better file type descriptions.

:TUTOR Ver 7.80 25APR07

Build 00 - 08JUN07

>Long File Names and Longer Path Names Implemented, Plus New File Format.

All aspects of TEAPAC data file storage, including SCENARIO condition files, have been extended so that file names can have as many as 70 characters in their names, and file path names can have as many as 180 characters, both including upper or lower case characters and spaces. Since SCENARIO condition files and certain file switch options can add as many as 6 characters to file names, it is best if user-entered names are no more than 64 characters.

A new, higher capacity data file format with a new file extension (.tpc) has been introduced which will be used by default for all new files created by all TEAPAC programs. This format is text-based like the old .for format so it is still easy to see what is in a file, as well as write such files from other programs, but with a look to the future this format has line length maximums of 256 characters per line (254 useable) instead of the more limiting maximums of the .for format which had maximums of 128 characters per line (80 useable). The old format can still be read and written simply by continuing to use the .for extension, but users are encouraged to convert files to the new format simply by saving .for file with the new .tpc extension (then archive the .for files so they are not used by mistake). The long file names and paths mentioned above are valid for either extension.

>New User Discussion Forum Is Accessible Directly from the Help Menu.

The new User Discussion Forum which has been implemented for TEAPAC users and is available 24/7 for posting questions and searching through answers to previous questions can now be accessed directly from the Help menu of the program. The Forum can also be accessed directly using any internet browser at www.StrongConcepts.com/Forum.

:TUTOR Ver 7.01 08SEP06

Build 07 - 25JAN07

Scroll down to 'Ver 7.00 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 releases of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.01 Build 07. These are documented below. Ver 7.01 Build 07 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.
 

Data entry dialogs that don't apply to dummy nodes have been modified so that if they are inadvertently displayed while pointing to a dummy node they will not display unpredictable values or cause the program to crash.

The LinkTo menu has been adjusted so that if no data file path has been defined it will attempt to use the program's file path, but will not crash if neither of these is defined. The file menu options for Open, SaveAs and IntoEdit have been adjusted similarly for the condition when no data path has been defined.

A bug has been fixed that could cause a crash when clicking within an output being displayed at a zoomed-out scale on some low-resolution monitors.

:TUTOR Ver 7.00 07NOV05

Build 28 - 28AUG06

Scroll down to 'Ver 7.00 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>V7.00.28: Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 releases of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.00 Build 28. These are documented below and use heading lines that begin with V7.00.28:. In addition, minor program-specific changes have been made, as summarized here and detailed in the program's own specific list of updates and changes. Ver 7.00 Build 28 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.

>V7.00.28: Multiple Copies of a Program Can Be Open Simultaneously Again.

The source of a problem which has recently prevented multiple copies of any given program from being open at the same time, such as when comparing alternatives side-by-side. This problem has been resolved and the ability to have multiple copies open simultaneously has been re-enabled.

Build 21 - 27JUL06

Scroll down to 'Ver 7.00 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>V7.00.21: Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 releases of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.00 Build 21. These are documented below and use heading lines that begin with V7.00.21:. In addition, minor program-specific changes have been made, as summarized here and detailed in the program's own specific list of updates and changes. Ver 7.00 Build 21 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.

>V7.00.21: Frequency of Automatic Update Check Can Be Set By User.

A new user entry can now be made which controls the number of days between automatic checks for program updates. The entry can be found in the Help-Check_For_Newer_Updates menu dialog. With this new feature, the maximum frequency of automatic checks is once per day, not every time the program is run. Automatic checks can be disabled by entering a frequency of 0 days, but this is not recommended (checking for updates every 10-30 days is recommended).

>V7.00.21: Make Help File Useable When a Data File is Double-clicked.

A problem locating the .HLP file when a user data file was double-clicked in Windows Explorer to open it has been fixed.

Build 14 - 20APR06

Scroll down to 'Ver 7.00 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>V7.00.14: Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 release of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.00 Build 14. These are documented below and use heading lines that begin with V7.00.14:. Ver 7.00 Build 14 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.

>V7.00.14: Color Selection Added to Options Menu.

The Options menu now provides a Colors option for selecting colors which are used when generating formatted output reports. Any selections made are retained and used during future program sessions. Most of the default colors for formatted output reports are taken from the user's desktop color scheme (DisplayProperties-Appearance), so changing the color scheme will automatically change the output colors used when the defaults are selected. All colors selected, including actual selections and defaults, are displayed in the Color management dialog produced by the Options-colors menu selection.

>V7.00.14: Improved Support for PDF Creation.

Difficulties producing PDF files for formatted output reports with certain PDF writers have been resolved.

>V7.00.14: Help File Formatting Restored to Previous Style.

The numbering of the indented paragraphs in the Notes section of Appendix B of the Help file has been restored, as appeared previously.

>V7.00.14: Minor Cleanups and Fixes Implemented.

A number of (mostly internal) cleanups and fixes have been implemented for more reliable operation of Visual TEAPAC programs. Most of these will not be noticeable to users.

Build 07 - 11NOV05

>Visual TEAPAC - A Whole New Way of Seeing TEAPAC.

All 13 modules of the TEAPAC suite of programs have been upgraded to the Visual TEAPAC (Version 7) interface. Primarily, this means each program sports a much more visual input and output system to make entering and viewing data for the analysis network much easier and to make the resulting output reports clearer and easier to read. The general aspects of the two major enhancement areas, visual input and visual output, are described below, followed by the many other supporting enhancements that go along with the Visual TEAPAC upgrade.

When combined with the unparalleled 1-file, 1-click, 500-intersection, completely seamless data sharing introduced with each of the 13 TEAPAC2004 (Version 6) programs, Visual TEAPAC provides an unmatched experience of fully-integrated visual traffic engineering and traffic planning software. Read on for the details.

>Visual TEAPAC - Graphical Input and Display of Analysis Network.

All TEAPAC programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) now provide a drag-and-drop user interface as a way to create and/or display the study network in the main window of the program. The network can be drawn schematically or to precise scale with the aid of an underlying grid, or a bitmap can be displayed under the network to make drawing easy and/or display of the network more meaningful. The bitmap file can be an aerial photograph, a street map, as-built drawings, or any other such display which would be helpful, and this bitmap is exported to third-party program such as CORSIM and TRANSYT as permitted.

>Visual TEAPAC - Enhanced Graphical Output Reporting.

All TEAPAC programs now feature enhanced, graphical output reporting for all results produced. Output reports now make full use of color and graphics drawing for arrows, phasing diagrams, permitted movements, time-space diagrams, intersection diagrams, cycle optimization graphs, daily count variation graphs, etc. All reports are printable on any color or black & white printer supported by Windows, including PDF writers. Any graphics output page can be copied to the clipboard as a bitmap so it can be pasted into other applications. The prior version's text-only results are still viewable alone or in parallel with the graphical results, and selected text can be copied to the clipboard or saved to a text file for subsequent use, as before. In Visual TEAPAC, you are no longer limited to the old, archaic, hard-to-read character graphics which was used when TEAPAC was originally created (what did your computer look like 30 years ago?).

All output reports use shades of color from the desktop theme/style setting to highlight the results, including report titles, report sub-sections, column headings and alternating output lines. The proportionally-spaced, sans-serif Tahoma font is used for easier readability, including right-justified numeric results in columns.

Viewing options include zoom in, zoom out, zoom all to see an entire page, rubber-band selection to zoom in, drag the page to scroll and click to re-center. Text strings can be searched for within one or many pages of results and multi-page results can be quickly scanned with controls to advance to the next or previous page, the next or previous report, or the beginning or end of all results.

Visit www.StrongConcepts.com for examples of the new graphical output back-end now found in Visual TEAPAC.

>Other Generic Enhancements Found in All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

Many other generic enhancements have been made to the Visual TEAPAC user interface which is now included in every TEAPAC program. These include:

-- Windows XP style buttons, drop-down lists, scroll windows, etc.
-- all Edit and Results menus can be accessed by right-click.
-- all demos allow at least 4 intersections to be entered and analyzed.
-- license keys are valid for any older version of the same program;
license info displays in Help-About, including site license address.
-- leading W removed from all program file names for easy recognition;
LinkTo and Menu looks for new name first, then old name with W, for
backward compatibility with older versions of other TEAPAC programs.
-- default node to renumber is the current node, not 0.
-- Startup Help button is located in main window and now in Help menu;
StartUp.txt can be modified by user with virtually unlimited size.
-- View-Network and Options-Graphics menu options have been removed.

>Program-Specific Enhancements Included in Visual TEAPAC Upgrade.

The Programs option of TUTOR uses the new executable file names of the programs to launch a selected program.

:TUTOR Ver 6.01 23MAY05

Scroll down to 'Ver 6.00 08SEP04, Build 06 - 22SEP04' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original TEAPAC2004 release of this program.

Build 12 - 30SEP05

>Field Width Error Detection Modified for More Useful Performance.

A new error check was recently introduced to warn a user that too many characters for an input field had been entered and that the entry would be truncated. The aggressive response to this condition (ignoring the entry entirely) has been toned back, now accepting the truncated input with a similar warning. This reduces the potential for the need to re-type an entry which may be perfectly fine in its truncated form, or require only minor editing to correct instead of complete re-entry. The new error check has also been eliminated for any entries of the GROUPTYPES dialog, most of whose possible entry values can typically exceed the actual allocated input field width.

Another effect of the overly-aggressive error check was that certain drop-down list values in a number of dialog boxes had pre-programmed entries which exceeded the input field width, thus preventing them from executing properly. These included drop-down lists in the OUTPUT, CONDITIONS, GENERATION and PATHDISTRIBUTION dialogs. The field widths of all of these entries have been modified to accept the full drop-down list pre-programmed entries.

>Extra Warning Message Eliminated When Opening New Files.

If a user is warned about unsaved data or results values when a new file is about to be opened, with an option to first save the values, certain circumstances could cause the same message to be re-displayed a second time, regardless of the user response to the first message. This duplicate warning message has been eliminated.

>Debug Value Removed from Display for Text Search Function.

A spurious debug value was inadvertently left in the production version of the program, displaying each time a text string is searched for in any output window or edit window. The debug display has been removed.

>Key Files Are Now Valid for All Prior Versions of Program.

The key file processing logic has been enhanced to allow a given key file to be used not only for various builds and minor updates for the licensed version, but also for any version of the program prior to the licensed version. This minimizes the hassle of multiple key file management when multiple versions of a program are being used, for example, to maintain consistency in results throughout the course of a project which was begun with an older version of a given program that has been updated.

Build 10 - 04AUG05

>Generic TEAPAC 6.01 Changes Implemented in TUTOR.

No specific changes that affect TUTOR were made in this release, except to be updated with the generic TEAPAC Ver 6.01 interface used in all the other TEAPAC Ver 6.01 releases.

Build 00 - 23MAY05

>Generic TEAPAC 6.01 Changes Implemented in TUTOR.

No specific changes that affect TUTOR were made in this release, except to be updated with the generic TEAPAC Ver 6.01 interface used in all the other TEAPAC Ver 6.01 releases.

:TUTOR Ver 6.00 08SEP04

Scroll down to 'Build 06 - 22SEP04' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original TEAPAC2004 release of this program.

Build 07 - 07DEC04

>Last Output Window Contents Saved in Text File Upon Program Closure.

The contents of the last Output Window display are now always saved in a temporary file (TMPxxx.OUT, where xxx is the program's abbreviated name) when a TEAPAC2004 program exits, thus leaving the last output produced in a text file for review and post-processing, if desired. The file is located in the folder which contains the authoring program (usually C:\TEAPAC) and is over-written the next time the same program exits. This feature also allows viewing of results created by a scripted control file which contains the Stop command, as well as multiple, linked control files which link to each other or are run from a batch command file. Also, a change has been made to make sure that all output generated by launching a control file from a command line is captured in the Output Window and/or the TMPxxx.OUT file. Lastly, if an Output Window is open when a Stop command is encountered in a control file, that Output Window is now always closed automatically.

>Automatic Closure of Save Message.

The message which is displayed when File-Save is used is now closed automatically in all cases after a brief display to confirm that the save has occurred as desired. Only Advanced file save messages are displayed until closed manually (unless the automatic closure checkbox is selected). Any save action directed from a control file is also closed automatically after a brief display in order to allow unattended operation.

>Longer Window Caption File Path Display.

The number of characters used to display the current file name(s), path and save status has been increased so that more of the file path is visible in the top caption line of the main window.

>File Functions Restored in TEAPAC Menu.

The 'Use this file:' function has been restored to the TEAPAC Menu so a file can be found by browsing, dragging to the Menu window, or double-clicking in Explorer. Then use of that file can be transferred to any TEAPAC program in the Menu. This function was inadvertantly disabled in the initial TEAPAC2004 release.

Build 06 - 22SEP04

>Summary of TEAPAC2004 Release of TUTOR.

After 2 years in development, the TEAPAC2004 version of TUTOR has been released as Ver 6.00. The highlights of the changes since its prior release include the complete implementation of the enhanced TEAPAC2004 (Ver 6) user interface, as described below. This also includes the many enhancements for the TEAPAC Ver 5.1x user interface which had not yet been added to TUTOR.

>Newest TEAPAC Programs Added to Edit-Programs Menu and [PROGRAMS] Group.

The newest TEAPAC programs created since the last release of TUTOR have been added to the Edit-Programs menu and [PROGRAMS] group definition. These include PRESYNCHRO, PRETSPPD and PRENOSTOP.

>T2004v6: TEAPAC2004 Interface Enhancements Found In All Programs.

TEAPAC2004 (Ver 6) includes a multitude of enhancements which are part of the generic user interface found in all TEAPAC programs (some do not apply to NOSTOP, TED or TUTOR, for readily-apparent reasons). All of the generic enhancements are listed below with heading lines that begin with T2004v6:.

>T2004v6: One Common Data File Supports All TEAPAC Programs.

The most significant and obvious change made to each TEAPAC program in Version 6 is that all programs now share a single, common data file structure that contains all of the data entries used by all TEAPAC programs. This means that any TEAPAC program (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) can open any file from any other TEAPAC program, make changes to any of the data values it contains, and re-Save the file with complete retention of all data values for future use by any other TEAPAC program.

The first implication of this major fundamental change is that the concept of File-OpenShare of earlier TEAPAC programs is no longer needed since the sharing of TEAPAC files among TEAPAC programs is now fundamental and automatic. File-OpenShare has been re-named to File-OpenMerge/Share to better reflect its current function, to merge the content of multiple files, and can still be used to read and merge the content of files from older versions of SIGNAL97, SIGNAL2000 (Ver 1), SITE, TURNS and WARRANTS -- OpenMerge is automatic when reading these files. Also, the warning message when saving to a file created by one of these other programs has been removed, again because this function is now standard procedure and has no risk of loss of data.

The second implication of this change is that any values computed by one program and to be used by another (such as peak-period volumes from TURNS, HCM satflows from SIGNAL2000, optimized signal timings and phasings from SIGNAL2000, projected traffic from SITE, etc.) need only be saved into the data file with File-Save, then the next program launched with the same file using the LinkTo menu. A single click positions the user in the next program ready to do the analysis of that program.

Lastly, all programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) now have the ability to store all of this data for up to 500 intersections in a single file.

>T2004v6: LinkTo Menu In All TEAPAC Programs Includes All TEAPAC Programs.

All TEAPAC programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) now contain the LinkTo menu which now provides immediate access to all other TEAPAC programs with a single click which causes the current data file to be re-opened in that program.

>T2004v6: LinkTo Function Now Allows Direct Link to Host Programs.

A new function of the LinkTo menu has been added which allows direct linkage to the six host programs which are supported by the six TEAPAC preprocessors. These are PRETRANSYT for TRANSYT, PREPASSR for PASSER, PRENETSIM for CORSIM, PRESYNCHRO for Synchro/SimTraffic, PRETSPPD for TS-PP/Draft, and now PRENOSTOP for NOSTOP. Since all programs have access to the control directives for all the preprocessors, this means, for example, that a TRANSYT run can be made directly from SIGNAL2000 with a LinkTo-TRANSYT (assuming a licensed copy of PRETRANSYT is installed on the system).

>T2004v6: Global Input Option for Most Intersection Inputs.

A powerful new feature has been added to all TEAPAC programs that allows the value of a single data entry to be made to all intersections in the NODELIST (or the SUBSYSTEM, if one is defined). This is done when Intersection 0 is selected, and the user is first warned of the pending global entry action and followed by an audible beep when the global entry is made. The warning message can be omitted for future such actions, if desired.

Examples of uses for this new feature include the following: Enter a common cycle length or cycle range for SIGNAL2000 optimization of all signals; designate a full SIGNAL2000 phasing optimization for all signals; set the new volume adjustment factor or number of years for compounding a growth factor for all intersections for sensitivity analysis; enable or disable the new additional volumes entry for all intersections; designate a common peak hour factor for specific movements or all movements of all intersections; set the minimum or required clearance values for optimization at all signals; set the satflow adjustment factor for all signals to perform sensitivity analysis; etc. The possibilities of this new feature are virtually endless.

>T2004v6: View-Network Function Improved with Easier Pan & New Zoom.

The View-Network function has been added to all programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR), and has been greatly improved in functionality regarding the ability to pan up/down and left/right, as well as new functions for zoom in/out and selecting a view area of the network connections and underlying bitmap with the mouse.

>T2004v6: Output/Edit Window Major Enhancements.

The Output and Edit Windows have been enhanced with menus and toolbar buttons which provide the ability to Find a user-entered text string, find the next output report and find the next page of results. A button also allows moving backwards thru the output to the previous output page. In the Edit Window, an additional Find & Replace function has also been provided. Also, the current line number of the cursor is displayed in the status line of the window, and the ^A function now performs the standard 'SelectAll' function instead of copying the entire window to the clipboard.

>T2004v6: Toolbar Button Provided for Intersection Selection.

A toolbar button has been provided in the main window next to the +/- buttons which provides direct access to the Intersection dialog to select the 'current' intersection, allowing quick access to this common function without the need to use the menus.

>T2004v6: Intersection/Type Description Listed in Dialog Caption.

If an intersection description has been provided for the current intersection (via the Intersection dialog), this description is displayed in the caption of any intersection data dialog in addition to the intersection number. For traffic impact studies with SITE, the same function is true for the current distribution type. These number and description displays are now also included in the caption of the Tabular View window.

>T2004v6: Check For Internet Update Function Provided.

A new function has been provided in the Help menu of every TEAPAC program that allows the user to have the program check the internet for any available downloadable updates. This function can be set to automatically check for updates every time the program is launched. If updates are found, this fact is displayed along with the status of the update (free or if a fee is involved and what that fee is), as well as a link to a complete description of what functionality changes the update includes, the ability to launch an email requesting a new key for a paid update or a quote for an upgrade. Options to view a complete price list online, to launch an email requesting technical support, and to go to the Strong Concepts main web page are also provided. This feature was partially implemented in the most recent downloads of several TEAPAC programs and accepted with great enthusiasm.

>T2004v6: INTERSECTION Dialog Includes Option to Renumber a Node and All Refs.

The INTERSECTION dialog now contains a feature to renumber any intersection in the NODELIST to any value not currently in the NODELIST. When selected, all references to the old node number anywhere else in the network are also updated, making renumbering a snap.

>T2004v6: Save Remembers Selected Intersection/Type for Subsequent Open.

When data files are saved, a directive is placed at the end of the file which remembers the 'current' intersection and current distribution type so that these positions can be reset when the file is subsequently re-opened by either the same program or any other TEAPAC program.

>T2004v6: Error Message Help Leaves Dialogs Open so Errant Entries Can Be Seen.

When Help for an error or warning message is displayed, the dialog entry which caused the error or warning is now left open so the entered values can be inspected in relation to the help advise given. Also, a note is provided in the message to use the Refresh button to see the dialog with the actual current values which are likely to not reflect the entry attempted (which caused the error or warning).

>T2004v6: Errors Contain Cancel Button to Abort File-Open or Control File.

When errors or warnings are issued as a result of reading a data file, a Cancel button is now provided which allows the user to abort continued attempts to read the file. This is now a convenient way to halt attempted processing of a file which is clearly not what was intended, or for power users, a way to kill a control file which has gone off the deep end.

>T2004v6: OUTPUT Dialog Contains Entries for All Programs.

The OUTPUT dialog is a common dialog name which has had different content for most TEAPAC programs. This conflict and impediment for combining all the TEAPAC data into a single file for TEAPAC2004 has been resolved by having a common OUTPUT dialog for all programs which contains the OUTPUT parameters for all TEAPAC programs. In the manual mode and control files, this involves the addition of a new parameter #1 which is the name of the program for which the following values apply, and thus all OUTPUT parameters for all programs are stored in the file and displayed in the dialog.

>T2004v6: Wording on Dialogs Used by Multiple Programs Improved.

The wording on dialogs which are used by multiple programs in TEAPAC2004 have been clarified so that it is more apparent what the relevance is to the current program in which the dialog is found.

>T2004v6: NODELIST Entry Protected from Change in Tabular View.

The only safe place to change the NODELIST after it has been entered is in the Normal View NODELIST dialog, so the NODELIST entry in the Tabular View has been greyed and protected from change to avoid unintended changes and possible disastrous results.

>T2004v6: Options-Setup Uses Browse for Folder, not Browse for File.

The Browse button in the Options-Setup dialog now produces a Browse-for-Folder dialog instead of the File-Open dialog so it is more clear what the function will return.

>T2004v6: Dialog Actions Re. ROUTEs with 9+ Nodes Fixed, Including Save.

Certain problems with ROUTES which contained more than 8 nodes have been fixed, including saving these route definitions.

>T2004v6: Recent File Menu Option Works Under All Windows Platforms.

Display of recently used files in the File menu has presented problems under certain Windows platforms, and thus an option has been provided to turn this display off so recent files are accessed only thru the File-RecentFiles dialog. This problem has been fixed so recent files can be displayed in the File menu on any Windows platform, and thus the default condition for this feature has been changed from No to Yes.

>T2004v6: Command-Line Control File Enhancements.

When a user has set a TEAPAC program to start in the Tabular View, ASK commands in command-line control files could not be used. This limitation has been eliminated so this feature can be used, if desired.

The output window for output generated by a command-line control file now appears in front of the main window so it is immediately visible without the need to click it to bring it to the front.

A new /x option has been added at the end of a command-line file name which instructs the program to open the command-line file as File #x (the default is File #1, as before). This allows the data file which a control file #2-5 opens to be designated as File #1 so that it is the file which will be open for subsequent File-Save operations from the File menu. Opening command-line control files as #2-5 instead of #1 is now the recommended practice.

>T2004v6: -X Entry for INTERSECTION Number Allowed As Positional Input.

The intersection number on an INTERSECTION command line or dialog is now allowed to be a negative number between -1 and -N where N is the number of intersections in the NODELIST. When this is the case, the intersection selected is the i-th node of the NODELIST when -i is used. The expected use of this feature is to allow REPEAT loops in control files to easily sequence through all the nodes of the NODELIST when the NODELIST is not in numerical order and/or not a sequential list of nodes from 1 to N.

>T2004v6: TEAPAC Menu Enhancements.

A new File menu in the TEAPAC Menu shows recent files which have been used by the program; a new Options menu allows program folder setup for all of the third-party programs supported by the Menu; a new Help menu can list recently installed changes and check the internet for updates; default support for VISSIM 4 and TRANSYT-7F Release 10 is provided.

TEAPAC files which are double-clicked to be launched thru the TEAPAC Menu now open into the menu only without launching the program that created the file (since any file can now be used by any program, this old action is no longer appropriate).

>T2004v6: Printable On-screen Manuals Available as PDF Downloads.

The full documentation for each TEAPAC program has always been directly available as the on-screen manual which also serves as the context-sensitive Help document. Options for obtaining printed/bound copies of this document have also been available at an additional cost. Now, in addition, this document is available as a downloadable PDF file which provides the ability to print a copy locally, as well as search the entire document for user-defined strings.

:TUTOR Ver 5.02 25APR02

Build 16 - 14JUL02

>Updated Build for Consistency with Release of Build 16 of Full TEAPAC Ver 5 System.

Build 16 of TUTOR has been created for consistency with the complete release of Build 16 of the full TEAPAC Ver 5 system (which includes the generic TEAPAC2000 interface update to Ver 5.02). Since these updates were included in the previous build of TUTOR, no changes other than the build number have occurred for this program.

Build 00 - 25APR02

>TEAPAC2000 Version 5.02 Generic Interface Fine-tuning.

In the first release of the TEAPAC2000 Ver 5 Interface, users may have experienced difficulty using the Advanced Datafiles LOAD and SAVE functions from the Tabular View. These functions have been updated to work properly from the Tabular View.

Error messages generated from the Manual Mode, data files or control files will list the specific line of input which generated the error, with the offending item highlighted in red. If the information came from a file, the file number and line number of the error is also listed.

Shortcut keys have been added to the File-RecentFiles and File-Save dialogs for more expediant keyboard manipulation.

Certain warning and error messages shouldn't be closed automatically by the new AutoClose option if these messages expect or require user response. The AutoClose option is now ignored for these cases.

The Help-Messages menu item has been changed to Help-RecentChanges to better reflect its purpose.

The Help-About menu item now shows the specific program name.

The default size of the Help window has been increased in size vertically to better display the contents of the complete, on-screen manual and context-sensitive help topics.

The Options-Setup dialog now allows the name of the Host executable file to be added at the end of the Host path, in the event that this executable name is different than used by default. The dialog also displays the 64-char limit for path\file names which must be observed. When the AUTO option of Export is executed, the program will now first look for the designated Host program (either the default or specified name) and issue a message if it is not found, cancelling the Export.

:TUTOR Ver 5.00 25SEP01

Build 10 - 25SEP01

>TEAPAC2000 User Interface Version 5 Implemented.

The WinTEAPAC2000 Version 5 User Interface has been implemented in TUTOR to provide the latest standardized TEAPAC interface found in all TEAPAC programs. The following lists the many changes which this new interface provides:

>New Tabular View Option Provides Dense Data Entry Displays.

Two views for Visual Mode, normal and tabular.
More data inputs per dialog, less helps and cues.
Toggle view between Normal and Tabular with View menu or F3 key.
Tooltip help and status line help for each entry field.
Context-sensitive help button for access to complete help in .HLP.
Execute button for action functions.
Next & Prev buttons if input list takes more than one dialog (PgUp & PgDn).
Alt-X accel to move through input keywords (commands) with keyboard.
Create custom Tabular View input dialog with ASK command from Manual Mode.
IODEV param #1 changed to toggle View.
Options-Setup allows option to startup program in Tabular View.

>New Recent File Dialog in File Menu.

Review list of last nine files and paths used.
Can select/edit file names and re-open selected files.
Option to include list of recent files and paths in File menu.
List of recent files can be cleared from the dialog.

>New Features for Saving Files.

Files now contain name & version of program which wrote the file.
-- also include the date & time of the Save
-- easily viewable information at the beginning of the file
Message advising of successful save remains visible until closed by user.
-- option to close the message automatically for subsequent Saves
Warning if Save is attempted into a file that may over-write other info.
-- warning condition is if file was written by another program or unknown
-- certain earlier versions of the same prog may provide warning if relevant
-- option to cancel save or to permit save anyway

>New Feature for Opening Files.

If data from another prog or earlier ver of same program read from a file,
-- that file is protected from Saves that may over-write other information
In particular, for file from another program, Share is automatic.
-- makes File-Open same as File-OpenShared & LOAD * * * same as LOAD * * Share
-- eliminates the need to use the OpenShared or LOAD * * Share explicitly

>New Results Log Option.

Ability to create text file with results of primary functions of program.
Log Results item in Options menu.
Log On/Off toggles whether computed results are currently being logged.
Start New Log clears all prior logged results and toggles Log On.
Log file is always the program name with .log extension.
-- located in folder where program was installed

>Improvements Regarding Output Titling Information.

Any time a title line is read from a file, displayed in the title bar.
-- provides feedback when loading multiple stacked files or control file
Blank title entries are saved in such a way that they will be restored.
-- previously, blank entries were ignored, leaving the prior entry
The option to use %F in a title line entry is noted in the input dialog.

>TED Edit Window Available in Advanced Edit Option of File Menu.

Option to edit current open file (#1) contents directly.
-- particularly for control files
-- also option to open a different file into the editor
-- -- converts to TEAPAC format when Saved
-- -- CONVERT.exe no longer needed for small files
-- available only when licensed copy of TED is installed
Upon saving the edits, option to open the edited file into the program.
-- e.g., to Launch an edited control file

>Printer Setup Supported Directly in File Menu.

Option to Setup printer only, or Setup and Print.
-- ability to select printer and printer options while in the program
-- prior method only allowed printing to current selected printer and option
Toolbar button and Ctrl-P accelerator print immediately with current setup.
Same print options are provided in the File menu of the Output window.

>Improved Context-sensitive Help Features.

Tooltip popup help has been added for any dialog box input field or button.
-- display after delay when mouse cursor hovers over input field or button
Status line help also appears for the input field with the input cursor.
HELP in manual mode for a single command displays the relevant part of .HLP.
As before, Help button or F1 key to display the relevant part of .HLP.

>New Save and Linkage Features Provided When Exiting the Program.

Warning message for unsaved data has been reversed with option to Save.
-- message now consistent with most other Windows programs
-- -- (in the way the question is asked)
-- option to Save or not save, or to Cancel the exit
New ability to link to another program using the File-Control-Stop dialog.
-- name the next program to run, as well as file to use, if desired
-- can be used from a control file to link programs or control files
-- also link from Manual Mode
The Quit menu which duplicated the File-Exit menu has been removed.

>Command History in Manual Mode.

Remembers last 10 manual mode commands used.
Use up- and down-arrows to see history of commands.
Re-use previous command or adjust to create new command.

>WinTEAPAC2000 Ver 5 Menu Program Enhanced.

A data file can be named in the display for the next selected program.
A Browse button has been added to assist in naming the data file to be used.
-- provides standard extensions for typical files of supported programs
A data file from a TEAPAC2000 Version 5 program can be dragged to WinTEAPAC.
-- will launch the program that created the file and use the dragged file
-- can drag the file to the WinTEAPAC window or desktop icon
The .FOR extension used by TEAPAC is registered when WinTEAPAC runs.
-- allows double-clicking .FOR files in Explorer and START command in .BAT

>Other Changes:

A 'Getting Started' help button is now available in the main window.
The option to Save output to a text file now allows the user to name a file.
A more informative message is issued if a file to open is already in use.
Better message if attempt to Open a non-TEAPAC file.
TEAPAC programs can now be installed in a folder with spaces in path name.
A new option exists to automatically close subsequent warnings and errors.
-- stays in effect until control returned to user
-- for stacked files and control files
Files can now be dragged to a desktop icon to launch the program.
-- uses the dragged file
All keywords now display using title-case instead of all-caps.
All dialog boxes have been enhanced with a more modern look.
-- using depressed input fields
Protect the Options-Setup fields which should not be changed.
-- except by re-installing
Browse buttons have been added for the data and host path entries.
-- to simplify changes
The current data file path from Options-Setup is shown in the FILES dialog.
Reading data from a file during control file execution doesn't set flag.
-- so won't get prompted with message to save data from a control file
Better closure of main window if control file halts program.
-- same function improved if control file dragged to main window halts prog
Hourglass mouse cursor displays while printing.

:TUTOR Ver 4.01 17JUN00

Build 14

>New Print Module for 32-bit Windows.

A new TEAPAC print module (TEAPACPR.exe) has been created for 32-bit Windows platforms (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT and Windows 2000) which has greater compatibility with some 32-bit printer drivers which have been distributed by printer vendors recently. This module also has continued compatibility with older printer drivers. The new module is now distributed as the standard print module for all Win32 versions of TEAPAC programs. The original print module is still distributed as the standard print module for all Win16 versions, and is also distributed as an alternate print module for the Win32 versions.

Build 00

>First Windows Version of TUTOR is Now Available.

Version 4.01 marks the first time the TUTOR/TEAPAC program is available for the Windows operating system, featuring the Visual Input Mode and the new TEAPAC2000 Interface 4.01 (see below). WinTUTOR now supports both the Win32 (Windows 2000/95/98/NT) and Win16 (Windows 3.1x) environments, in addition to continued support for the DOS environment. Windows Upgrades and DOS Updates to this version from Ver 3.xx are free via Internet download at www.StrongConcepts.com. Upgrades from any prior DOS version to the new Windows versions are available from Strong Concepts for a significantly reduced upgrade fee.

>WinTUTOR Uses the New TEAPAC2000 Interface Version 4.01.

WinTUTOR now uses the new TEAPAC2000 Interface (Interface Version 4.01) which offers many new features to enhance the computing experience with TEAPAC programs. The following new features are among those provided by the TEAPAC2000 Interface:

-- Context-sensitive link to Help file for error messages.
-- Context-sensitive link to Help file for program outputs.
-- Modernized dialog box design consistent with Windows 95/98/NT.
-- New radio button and drop-down list input features.
-- Sizable main window for better screen display and integration with with other running programs.
-- New Toolbar buttons for common functions.
-- Help strings for menu options.
-- Dynamic title display during batch control file execution.
-- New accelerator keys (shortcuts) for common menu selections.
-- New File-Close menu option.
-- Sizable File-Open dialog.
-- Proportional scroll button for viewing output.

Other useful and unique features carried over from the previous Windows interface for TEAPAC include:

-- Visual Mode of input that shows graphically what inputs are needed.
-- Optional Manual Mode of input for blazing fast input by power users.
-- Context-sensitive link to Help file for all Visual Mode inputs.
-- Complete, fully-indexed manual on-line as Help file.
-- Ability to create and run batch/script/macro-type control files.
-- Ability to drag a data or control file from Explorer to the running TEAPAC program.
-- Free program updates via Internet downloads.
-- Complete data file compatibility between old, new, DOS and Windows versions.
-- Complete Y2K compliance.

:TUTOR Ver 3.03 27AUG98

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.03 Changes Made.

A unique new licensing technique has been implemented in the Ver 3.03 Interface which will allow users to download free updates of TEAPAC programs from the Internet, without the need for pre-arranged passwords or download codes. When the demos found at the Strong Concepts homepage are run on the users system, the licensed Usage Level will be automatically enabled. The licensing also allows either Win16 or Win32 operation from the same license, both of which will be available along with the DOS-based version of each program on CD-ROM distribution.

The default location of user data files has been changed from '.\' to the installed TEAPAC folder location (usually C:\TEAPAC) for more consistency with normal Windows operations.

A new option for DOS TEAPAC programs in line five of the .CFG file allows the entry of 'HPLJx' to indicate that the printer attached to 'LPTx' is a Hewlett Packard LaserJet compatible printer. This complements the 'LPTx' option added in the Ver 3.01 interface so that required HPLJ printer codes are sent to the printer for each page, and are no longer required as a separate effort by the user. This is most significant in shared and networked printer environments. Note that when LPTx is used, the F6 key functions only when the printer is attached to LPT1 (or PRN).

:TUTOR Ver 3.02 05MAR98

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.02 Changes Made.

Various support files which are used by the program are now closed after their use so that other TEAPAC applications which are running concurrently on the same or other networked computers have less opportunity to conflict with the use of these files.

In Win32 versions, the vertical scroll button of the Output window can now be clicked and dragged to scroll through the output from top to bottom. Previously, this button's position could only be clicked to change the view of the output.

In Win32 versions, the File-Open and File-SaveAs dialog boxes now display the last file used in the FileName field, as well as the dialog's caption, providing an easier way to retrieve and save files with variations of previous file names.

:TUTOR Ver 3.01 17DEC97

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.01 Changes Made.

Minor changes which are now incorporated into Ver 3.01 of the standard TEAPAC Interface have been implemented. These include the following changes and enhancements:

The sample data file included with the program no longer echoes the input data which is read.

The command spec file now has the extension .CMD rather than .HLP so it does not conflict with the normal Windows Help file extension.

In Windows versions, data files can be dragged from other applications like Windows Explorer or File Manager and dropped on the main window of a running copy of the program. This is equivalent to using the File-Open dialog of the program for the dragged file.

The maximum amount of output which can be viewed in the Results window has been increased to 64,000 characters from the previous 20,000 characters to allow larger multiple-scenario analyses to be observed directly within the program.

When error messages are displayed during file open processes, the messages now more clearly depict the name of the file for which the errors have been generated.

The maximum size of file names (including the path defined in the .CFG file) has been increased to 64 characters. Under Win32 versions the defined paths may now also have embedded blanks, although this is not recommended. Actual file names should still be 11 characters or less (including Win32 versions), and any embedded blanks for a SaveAs name will be replaced by the underscore character, since embedded blanks are still not permitted in file names. Note that if SAVEd files are renamed to include more than 11 characters or embedded blanks, the shortened (8.3) file name displayed by the DIR command of the Command Prompt may still be used, even in the Win32 version of the program.

In DOS versions, a new entry has been added to the end of the CFG file which can be used to define the destination of printed output. The default has been changed from the "PRN" value previously used to "LPT1". This can be changed to any valid DOS printer device name. A file name may also be used for this entry to direct all "printed" output to an ASCII file (in lieu of the IODEVICES option which requires use of the Manual Mode).

New versions of the TEAPAC.BAT and WinTEAPAC shell programs (Ver 3.01) have also been produced, primarily to handle the new CORSIM program. CORSIM is now the default option of each shell. WinTEAPAC also allows running the DOS version (NETSIM) by first selecting a DOS check box. The DOS check box can also be used to over-ride the presence of a Windows version of a TEAPAC program such as SIGNAL94, PREPASSR, PRETRANSYT or PRENETSIM by forcing the running of the DOS version instead. The normal mode is now to search for and run the Windows version of any TEAPAC program before a DOS version is attempted. The newest version of WinTEAPAC also fixes a problem sometimes encountered on WinNT (and some Win95 systems) when trying to run DOS programs from the WinTEAPAC shell. Improved error message have been created as well, and long path names are also supported, although not encouraged, in the WTEAPAC.CFG file.

:TUTOR Ver 3.00 27JUN96

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.00 Changes Made.

This version is only an internal change in order to support a new compiler and functions necessary for Windows support. No new user version of the program was delivered with this change.

:TUTOR V2 L2.4 17JUN94

>Better ESCape Processing Provided.

An improved method for detecting and trapping ESCape depressions has been implemented to provide quicker response to a user's desire to escape from a current activity in the program. This problem has become more of an issue in recent years as computer processing speeds have increased. More frequently the user finds himself pressing ESCape after the computer has checked for it because the computer processes the intervening activities so quickly. This has led to the need to press ESCape repeatedly to abort, and sometimes never actually executing the abort process. The new method used nearly eliminates this problem completely allowing the program to respond to the ESCape key instantly almost any time it is pressed.

>Better Error Message Procedures Used.

Faster and more screen-compatible error display procedures are now used to minimize the occurrence of spurious error display problems which sometimes locked up the screen or displayed gibberish. Several minor clarifications in the text of some of the standard error messages have also been made.

>Better Diagnostic Response if HELP File Not Found at Program Start.

An improved error message is now displayed if the program's .HLP file cannot be located when the program is first started.

>Dynamic Pointer Key Operation Enhanced.

The dynamic pointer increment/decrement function using the Ctrl-Page-Down/Up key combination has been enhanced from its initial implementation in V2 L2.3. Now the command on which the cursor resides is not executed when these keys are pressed and the cursor is not moved to the next line of the screen display.

>Manual Mode Message from Opening Screen Doesn't Over-write Loading Message.

The Manual Mode message given at the opening screen when the Manual Mode is entered has been shortened so that it does not over-write the "Loading Command File" message which also appears on the same line. This comes into play when a command file is loaded directly from the DOS prompt, particularly during an EXPORT AUTO operation. A similar message has also been added when the Manual Mode is entered directly from a full-screen display with the F4 key.

>Prevent Saving Problem with PROJECT Command in Certain Manual Mode Cases.

Earlier versions of the TEAPAC Interface may have experienced a spurious occurrence of a problem SAVing the PROJECT command. This would only occur if the Manual Mode is entered directly from the opening screen using the ESCape key and then a SAVE is performed before any other full-screen operations. In this rare instance, the PROJECT information is SAVEd at the first line of the SAVE in a manner that cannot be LOADed without an error. This has been corrected.

:TUTOR V2 L2.3 07NOV93

>Control-key Option Increments/Decrements Pointer Commands Like INTERSECTION.

Ctrl-Page-Down and -Up can be used to increment and decrement a pointer command (such as INTERSECTION) in programs that use pointer commands; this is most useful for programs like PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT to move between INTERSECTIONS, and SITE to move between either INTERSECTIONS or PATHDISTRIBUTION types.

>Multiple LOADs Allowed with SHARE Option without RESET Execution.

RESET is not executed when multiple SHAREd LOADS are executed; this is most useful for programs like SITE, PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT when they LOAD a complete set of SIGNAL85 intersection data from a single file with a single LOAD command, e.g. LOAD 1 1 SHARE 20.

>Version/Level Number of Program Listed in All Printed Output.

The program's Version/Level number is now included as a part of all printed report titles to make it clear what version of the program generated the results.

> Improvements to CALCULATE Command.

A bug is fixed in assigning CALCULATE results to variables in a full-screen display; CALCULATE results are displayed in a bigger format which accommodates all possible integer results; and better overflow error checking is performed.

>New Editing Keys and On-line Help Update.

Using Ctrl-END has the same effect as using the END key; on-line help screens have been updated with this and other changes, such as Ctrl-ENTER.

>Improved Error Checking and Processing.

An invalid command in the SAVE list now generates a more reasonable response by terminating all file access before any SAVE is made.

An invalid command in the ASK list now aborts the ASK function, rather than proceeding without the invalid entry.

Error messages listed as WARNINGS in the documentation are now labeled as WARNINGS in the screen displays.

>Improved Drive, Subdirectory and DOS Enviroment Support.

Disk drives A: through Z: are now supported, rather than A: through P:.

Dynamic program linkages, such as to and from HCS, can now be performed from the root directory in addition to any subdirectory.

A bigger DOS environment can be scanned when searching for the system PATH, now 1024 bytes rather than 512.

>Helpful Prompt When Entering Manual Mode Directly from Opening Screen.

Pressing ESC at the opening screen to enter the Manual Mode generates the "Use F4 for Menu Mode" message, in the event the Manual Mode was not intended.

> Demo Time-out Period Decreased for Faster Demos.

The time-out period between demo screens is reduced from 10 sec. to 7 sec.

:TUTOR V2 L2.2 01MAY92

>Simplified LOAD and SAVE Commands Don't Require FILES Command.

The LOAD and SAVE commands can now be used without using the FILES command first to define the file to be used. If the FILES command is not used to define the file before the LOAD or SAVE commands are used, the user will now be prompted to enter the file name, if desired. If this is done, the LOAD or SAVE proceeds as normal, with the exception that the file named will not be retained in the FILES list and the LOAD will start at line 1 of the named file regardless of any line number given. The file name must be entered each time the file is accessed in this fashion. Entering the file name once on the FILES command eliminates this duplicate entry, and is recommended if a file will be accessed more than once in a given session.

>New .CFG Files Designate Location of Data Files.

New .CFG files can now be used to designate the drive and path where data files are to be stored (among other things). If no drive or path is specified for a file, this location will be used for the data file. A specified drive or path will over-ride the .CFG file location. A TEAPAC.CFG file can be used for any and all TEAPAC programs, but it will be over-ridden by a program-specific .CFG file, if it exists. The definition of the contents of these .CFG files appear in Appendix G along with the discussion of the new TEAPAC Menu System which also uses the .CFG files (see next section).

Data files can now also be preceded by the ".\" notation to refer to the current logged subdirectory or by the "..\" notation to refer to the parent subdirectory of the current logged subdirectory. If no CFG files are located by the program, the default location for any file name entered will be the current logged sub-directory ".\", unless a drive or path is entered in front of the actual file name. If "~" is placed in front of the actual file name, the system PATH will be searched for the file. See the detailed discussion of program installation and CFG files in Appendix G for further information.

><Next Program> Option of STOP Command Implemented; Also New SHELL Option.

The <Next Program> option of STOP has been implemented, allowing the definition of the next program to run when the current program is terminated. In order for this function to work, the current program must be initiated with the TEAPAC Menu System which is described in detail in Appendix G. This is an efficient way to go directly from one program to another. It allows the user to run the next program without returning to the operating system, and is also used by the automatic export features of some TEAPAC programs.

If SHELL is entered in the <Next Program> field, the running program will remain resident in memory and the user will be allowed to enter any single DOS command to be executed. When that DOS task is completed, DOS will return control to the original program. If more than one DOS command is needed, the DOS command for SHELL should be COMMAND. When done, the EXIT command will return control to the original program. This is the DOS SHELL function.

>Improved Error Checking and Status Messages.

A number of minor improvements have been made in the arena of input error checking and processing following certain types of errors. Valid ranges of input have been established for certain commands like GOTO, HEADING, IODEVICES, LOAD, NEXTLINES, REPEAT, and SAVE, and no action is taken on these types of active commands if any type of input error is detected. Commands with no parameters (like SUMMARISE) are also verified to make sure no parameters were entered.

A new status message in the opening screen indicates that a DOS command line file entry is being loaded (rather than "press any key"). The error message displays have also been enhanced to indicate if a message is only a warning rather than an error.

> New Meaning for ESCape in Program Control Menu.

When the Program Control Menu is displayed, pressing the ESCape key now has the same meaning as pressing Q for Quit. That is, pressing ESCape now places the cursor on the Quit menu selection in preparation to terminate the program.

>Command Buffer Size Increased to 10 Lines.

The number of manual mode commands which are remembered has been increased from five to ten. These commands can be retrieved by using the up- and down-arrows in the Manual Mode.

>Minor Problems Resolved in Menu Displays.

A few minor bugs have been repaired which sometimes caused unpredictable results. For example, if an active command which was executed from a menu display happened to be displayed on the last possible display line of the menu, the next display of the same menu would have random garbage in it. This has been corrected. Also fixed is a rare problem where the last lines of certain long output reports would be distorted on the screen. A minor enhancement has also been made which eliminates unnecessary pauses in the screen displays when output is being directed to the printer or a file.

:TUTOR V2 L2.1 07JAN92

>Opening Screen Displays TEAPAC Interface Version Being Used.

With this release of the TEAPAC Interface (Version 2, Level 2.1, 07JAN92), the opening screen of TEAPAC programs now display the version, level and date of the TEAPAC interface being used for easy reference. This will be most useful in the future when checking the interface version being used by TEAPAC programs installed on a given computer.

>More Editing Keys Added.

Two new editing keys have been added for compatibility with some word processors and editors which are available. When editing a field in either the Menu or Manual Mode, the cursor can be advanced to the beginning of the next "word" of the field by as using Ctrl-Right-Arrow, as well as ^F. The cursor can be moved to the beginning of the previous "word" by using Ctrl-Left-Arrow, as well as ^A. These additions should be noted in Table G-2 of Appendix G in the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual

>DOS Shell Option Added from Menu.

The DOS Shell option which has been available with the STOP command is now also available when using the Quit selection in the Program Control Menu. The user is now prompted with "Exit to DOS (No/Yes/Shell)?". If "S" is pressed, the user will be prompted for a DOS command which will be executed, then the TEAPAC program will resume operation where it left off with no loss of input data. As before, the DOS program to be run while using the Shell option must be small enough to fit in memory while the TEAPAC program is still in memory or a DOS error will occur. This is a useful option, for example, for executing a DIR command to determine the name of a file to use for a subsequent SAVE.

>Cycle Input Range Check Prevents Division by Zero.

The input Cycle Length on the DESIGN command is now checked against a valid input range of 10 - 900 seconds to prevent overflow and division by zero errors which might occur if ridiculous cycle lengths are used.

>ESCape Disabled After Error Message Display.

An error which was produced by pressing the ESCape key after the display of an error message has been corrected. This caused subsequent inputs to be ignored until the next ESCape key was pressed, with garbled screen display. ESCape can now be used, as well as any other key, to acknowledge an error message and continue with the program activity.

:TUTOR V2 L2.0 11NOV91

>Major Update Provides Many New Interface Features - V2 L2.0 11NOV91.

A major update to the TEAPAC interface makes its first appearance in the TEAPAC tutorial program, which is now called TUTOR rather than its previous name, TEAPAC. This new interface addresses many suggestions and new ideas that have been conceived in the last year since the original version of the TEAPAC interface was finalized. The new features included in this version of the interface accomplish several important things. They improve the operation, clarity and friendliness of current TEAPAC features, they add new options to existing features, they add powerful new capabilities to TEAPAC programs, and they fix some minor but annoying bugs.

With the release of this new interface, the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual has been completely re-organized and re-written so that it fully describes all of the current features and capabilities of the new TUTOR program, and all TEAPAC programs in general. The TUTOR program replaces its predecessor which was called TEAPAC so that there now exists no confusion in these two names. TEAPAC always refers to the TEAPAC package of software as a whole, while TUTOR always refers to the tutorial program which accompanies the generic TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual. All programs in the TEAPAC package will soon be updated to the interface level of this release, which has been designated Version 2, Level 2.0 (V2 L2.0) and dated 11NOV91.

>Clearer Messages/Response for File Open Errors.

Users have frequently been confused by the file-related error messages previously issued by TEAPAC programs. This has been particularly true when a named file did not exist, as well as when a file designated as a "new file" (by using the "/N" switch) already existed. The messages which are displayed under these two conditions have been clarified, as have the action responses which the user may take as a result of these conditions. When a named file does not exist, the user is given the opportunity to re-specify its name or to create a file with that name. When a "new file" already exists, the user is given the opportunity to use the existing file anyway, or to re-specify its name.

>New LOAD Options Allow Multiple SHAREs and IGNORE Sections of Files.

The LOAD command has been enhanced in two ways, as described below. An additional parameter has been added which can be used when the SHARE option is used. This indicates how many sets of data should be LOADed during the SHARE operation. For example, if five sets of intersection data for SIGNAL85 are stored sequentially in a file by SIGNAL85, and are to be LOADed by PRETRANSYT, all five intersections can be LOADed with the SHARE option by using the "LOAD 1 1 SHARE 5" command.

A new option has been added to the LOAD command which allows sets of data to be skipped in a file. This is the IGNORE option. For example, if the same file as above is used by SIGNAL85, but only the fifth intersection is needed, the "LOAD 1 1 IGNORE 4" command can be used to skip over the first four intersections, then followed by "LOAD *" to LOAD the fifth. This option can be particularly useful when LOADing the lines which need to be skipped would over-write data already LOADed into the program. Since the IGNORE option does not process the skipped lines at all, the previous data will be retained. This option also assists in moving quickly through a file without the need to know the line numbers where desired section begin.

>Improved Full-screen Editing Options.

A frustrating problem with earlier versions of TEAPAC programs was when data values were entered on an active command, then the cursor was inadvertently moved off the active command line, thereby losing the entered information. A check has now been added which prevents the user from moving off of an active command line after changes to it have been made. A message to this effect is now displayed, also offering the ESCape key as a way to abort the active command if the change was unintentional.

Another bothersome trait of the Menu Mode was that the last entry on a command line was not right-justified after it was entered, since the cursor moved to the next line before the justification occurred. This gave the inaccurate impression that the entry had not been completed properly. This condition has been corrected so that before the cursor leaves a line of a full-screen display the line is shown in its completed and formatted form. This is also true after the ESCape key and other abortive-type actions are taken.

Five new cursor editing keys have been added to the full-screen displays which allow improved text editing and cursor control. ^A will move the cursor forward to the start of the next "word" of the current field, ^F will move the cursor backward to the start of the previous "word" of the field, ^T will delete the current "word" of the field, and ^Y will delete the remainder of the field, starting at the current cursor position. These keys will operate in this fashion in any field of a full-screen display, but are particularly useful when editing the text of [TITLES] and INTERSECTION commands. The ^ENTER (or ^J) key may also be used to enter a field on a line of a full-screen display and immediately move the cursor to the first field of the next line. This is particularly useful when the last entry for a line is not in the last field of the line, avoiding the need for several cursor movements which would otherwise be necessary to move to the next input field.

A feature that has been in testing in some programs like SITE, PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT has now been formalized, allowing the clearer display of the field boundaries on active "selector" commands in the full-screen displays. This allows that when the selector field such as the INTERSECTION number is entered, the entire line is blanked so that the previous fields will not inadvertently be entered for the newly selected intersection, but when the cursor is move to the other fields, the field boundaries re-appear for more clear editing.

>New CALCULATE Command and Use of User Variables.

A new command called CALCULATE has been added which allows the user to use the program either as a simple calculator, a complex expression evaluator, or even a programmable calculator. Arbitrarily complex arithmetic expressions using the +, -, * and / symbols can be entered and evaluated, using either numeric constants as operands or using previously CALCULATEd variables as operands. Multiple levels of parentheses ( ) can be used. The result is always displayed with four decimal accuracy, and the integer-rounded value can be optionally assigned as the value of any of the 26 user variables A thru Z by preceding the equation with the variable name and an = sign. These user variables can then be used in subsequent CALCULATions, or as numeric parameter values in any command of the program, as described below. The user variables are the same as those used by the REPEAT command, allowing REPEAT variables to be used in the CALCULATion, and vice versa. The CALCULATE command replaces the unused USERMODEL command.

User variables from either CALCULATE or REPEAT commands can now be used as parameter values for any numeric field of any command in the program. This means, for example, that the VOLUMES of TUTOR can be CALCULATEd to include the effects of several iterative growth factors, or that the <Cycle Length> used in a DESIGN can be CALCULATEd from the user variable of a REPEAT command. The value of any of the 26 user variables is entered as the parameter value simply by preceding the variable name with the = equal sign. As an example, if a REPEAT CYC 1 5 is used in a control file, giving the successive values of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the "C" variable, an actual cycle length to be used can be calculated by the CALCULATE X=25*C command and followed by a DESIGN =X command, to analyze the impact of the five cycles 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125.

>Improved Status Messages.

The Error Number which is listed in the program documentation in Appendix E and F is now displayed in the error box on the screen, making it easier to look up the error causes and possible responses in the manual. The "ERROR" display is also now blinking to draw more attention to it, particularly on monochrome displays. Other status flags such as the "ACTIVE", "WAIT", "cont..", and "more..", as well as a new "acknol" flag are also blinking for better visibility, and all such status flags are cleared from the display when they have been acknowledged. The SAVE message also includes the file number and the name of the file in which the data has been SAVEd.

>Improved Manual Mode Operations.

The Manual Mode has been substantially enhanced by removing the archaic DOS editing functions and providing full-screen editing capabilities virtually identical to those used in the Menu Mode for full-screen editing of entries. Full-screen editing keys that relate to the multi-line and multi-screen displays are simply disabled. Another feature which has been added to the Manual Mode is a five-line memory of the last five non-blank Manual Mode commands which have been entered. For example, if a DESIGN 120 2 command is issued, but the results indicate that a VOLUME has not been entered correctly, a VOLUME command can be issued, then the previous DESIGN 120 2 entry can be recalled simply by pressing the up arrow twice. Manual commands which are entered or recalled from memory can now be easily edited with cursor keys before the ENTER key is pressed, using the Menu Mode editing keys (including the new keys described above). For example, the DESIGN 120 2 can be quickly changed to DESIGN 130 2 by recalling it and then editing it before ENTER is pressed. The Manual Mode editing line now also displays the status of the INSert mode next to the display of the PRINTR status.

The F4 key can now be used not only to go to the Menu Mode from the Manual Mode, but also to go to the Manual Mode from any display in the Menu Mode. If a field entry has been changed immediately prior to pressing the F4 key, this is equivalent to first pressing the END key before the F4 key. In other words, any full-screen display entry is made before the Manual Mode is entered. Also, when going to the Manual Mode in any fashion, a message is displayed indicating how to return to the Menu Mode, in case the Manual Mode was inadvertently selected.

>New Options for Header Information.

A number of improvements to the information which is displayed in the screen header block have been made for clearer understanding and representation of the program's status. First, the PRINTR flag is not displayed in the header block if the display is a result of an action in the Manual Mode (except if the ASK command was used), so that upon return to the Manual Mode at the end of the action the header block does not display an inaccurate status of the printer. The header block also displays the current status of the INSert mode.

The page number of the IODEVICES command will not be incremented if the output display is to the screen so that only subsequent printed pages will be incremented. This allows on-screen interactive analysis to take place between printed pages without the need to reset the page number each time. Another new option for the page number is that if the page number is set to a -1 value on the IODEVICES command, the screen header and the title header on printed output will not display the current date and time.

In a related matter, the [TITLES] commands can now enclose the desired titles in 'single quotes' or "double quotes", thereby providing a means to get leading blank characters in the titles. This also provides a way to remove a title line by entering a ' ' or simply a ' entry for any of the PROJECT, DESCRIPTION or NOTE commands.

A new option for HEADING, an entry of a zero value, has been added which duplicates the F6 printer eject function. The significance here is that F6 cannot be included in a control file, while HEADING 0 can. Furthermore, HEADING 0 will reset the output line count on the printer. This allows the IODEVICES command to be used within a control file to turn the printer on and off, as long as HEADING 0 is used each time it is turned back on to eject the printed page and reset the output line counter.

>Commands Included in Menus Adjusted.

The SUMMARISE command has been added to the [APPLICATION] menu selection so that the Summary of Parameter Values report can be produced from the same menu selection as other application-specific commands. An entry selection to set the [TITLES] commands has also been added to the Special Menu so that the report headings can be set in the Special Menu without the need to return to the Program Control Menu.

>Improved Demo Support.

The demonstration period has been increased to 60 minutes for demonstration copies of TEAPAC programs, and a new Student Demonstration version with a demonstration period of 240 minutes has been established. Special arrangements with Strong Concepts must be made for such a Student Demonstration version.

>Minor Annoying Bugs Fixed.

An apparent intermittent problem when LOADing control files directly from the DOS command line has been corrected. Support for screens which are longer than the normal 25 lines has been improved. A problem which evolves when the ESCape key is pressed to terminate the display of error messages has been corrected.

:TUTOR V2 L1.8 17JUN90

>Improved Error Messages and Recovery.

More informative error messages are now given when numeric entries exceed the accepted range of inputs (by displaying the acceptable range), and more descriptive and readable error messages have been added to describe problems opening and accessing data in files and for invalid REPEAT/GOTO specifications. Also, when a file open error occurs, an option is now given to recover from the error with a simple yes/no response rather than re-entering the command line. This allows new files to be created without the /N switch and existing files to be overwritten when /N was used. If switches are used in the file names, however, they are no longer retained on the FILES command so they do not conflict with future use of the FILES command. Also, if the file named is the same as the previous file for that position of the FILES command, it is closed and re-opened, but the NEXTLINES and LASTLINE pointers are not reset to point to line 1. This makes re-executing the current FILES command a practical and suggested way of closing and re-opening all files as a protective measure against inadvertent data loss after a system crash.

>New Options for STOP Command.

When the program is exited from the menu system, a prompt is now given asking the user to verify this action before potentially losing any data. This prompt is not given when the STOP command is issued from the Manual Mode. If the user response is N for NO, the program will return to the previous activity without any loss of data. An alias for STOP has also been implemented. This is the command QUIT, which is frequently used in other software. It behaves exactly like the STOP command, and can usually be abbreviated with the single letter Q in most TEAPAC programs. The QUIT alias cannot be used as a command within a <List of Commands> for commands such as ASK, HELP, etc.

>Old Group Name Prefix Still Accepted.

The previous method of using a period before a group name is again accepted as valid input for a group name. Thus .PARAMETERS is an accepted way to enter the [PARAMETERS] group, although this is not recommended. This is primarily for compatibility with older TEAPAC data files which may have had the older format group names SAVEd, such as with the typical RESET .PARAMETERS. Use of the old format is immediately converted to the new format internally, so use of the old format will not propagate itself forever.

>SHARE Option of LOAD Ignores Resets.

The SHARE option of the LOAD command (third parameter) continues its evolution with another change that prevents RESET commands embedded in the shared data from resetting the host program's data. Specifically, SIGNAL85 places RESET [PARAMETERS] commands in data files that it SAVEs. When LOADing these files with PRETRANSYT, they would cause PRETRANSYT to RESET its [PARAMETERS], which zeroes out everything that had been done previously, including the NODELIST and INTERSECTION commands. This makes everything that follows in the file invalid. Thus, now when LOADing information from a file created by another program and using the SHARE option, the LOAD will ignore any RESET commands it encounters while within that LOAD. This prevents RESET commands which were meaningful to the original program from taking erroneous action in the current program. The field to enter the SHARE option has also been added to the full-screen edit display, although it still remains an experimental option. The SHARE option is now also aborted if a LOAD * * SHARE is aborted with the ESCape key or any other kind of error, guaranteeing SHARE will always be inactive at the --> Manual Mode command prompt.

>Licensee Information Shown in Full-screen Displays and Outputs.

The licensed agency and location is now shown in each full-screen display, indicating where the software is licensed for use. If the copy is a special educational or demonstration copy, this information is also displayed in each output report which is generated. In addition, support for multi-level versions of TEAPAC programs has been added.

>New Demonstration Batch File Supported.

A new demonstration batch file has been created which can be used to walk new users through an explanation of the function of the program, instructions for performing a simple demonstration, options to print all of this information as well as example outputs, and to run the selected program. All this is done by typing A:DEMO with the program disk in the A: drive. An alternative is B:DEMO B: for the B: drive, similarly for other drives.

>New Report Format for Intersection Information.

The schematic intersection output of the DESIGN command (generated when the output option 2 is used) has been modified for clearer representation of the assumed turning volumes and lane widths of the analysis. The format of this report now follows that of the SIGNAL85 program's MAP command.

:TUTOR V2 L1.7 05MAY90

>Minor Enhancements Made to Full-screen Editing Mode.

When changing the default values of an active command line in a full-screen display, the cursor will no longer move automatically to the next field after ENTERing the last field of the command. This prevents the automatic move to the next command line, allowing the HOME key to be used to execute the active command after entering the last field. This change also means that none of the TAB, ENTER or -> keys can be used to move off of an active command line without executing it. The ALT or vertical arrow keys must now be used to do this.

When an active command is executed with the HOME key, a display of the keyword "WAIT" is made in the lower right corner of the screen to indicate that the computer is busy processing the active command. This is helpful when preliminary computations are being made prior to any output, particularly on slower computers where a blank display may exist for ten or more seconds. It is now clearer that the command is being executed with "WAIT" being displayed.

The "page X of X" display in the full screen display has been relocated to the upper-left of the screen so that it does not conflict with the "PRINTER" and "EJECT" keywords that appear in the upper-right of the screen when manipulating the printer.

The use of PAGE-UP and PAGE-DOWN to change screen pages of a multi-page display has been documented in the Help Menu displays. The "=" notation which is placed to the right of any active commands in the full-screen displays has been cleaned up for monochrome displays, and is also now discussed in the Help Menu displays.

The -> right arrow key can now be used to move the cursor from the left-hand command column of a full-screen display into the data fields to make changes. This was previously not allowed.

When the ALT key is used to jump to another command line, any edits made on the current command line are now first saved before the jump is made. Previously, the last edit made to the current field was not retained. In the Manual Mode, if a command line was completely erased by backspaces, then followed by F4 or ENTER, the previously erased command line was still executed. This has been corrected.

:TUTOR V2 L1.6 01APR90

>Change to Group Name Definitions.

Previously, group names (which represent an entire group of commands with a single group name) were preceded by a period (.) to indicate a group name was given, not a command. This has been removed and replaced with the use of square brackets ([]) enclosing the group name. For example, the most commonly used group name, .PARAMETERS, is now represented as [PARAMETERS]. Also, the [TEAPAC] group name has been changed to [DATAFILES] to more properly represent the purpose of these commands.

>Multi-line Command Support.

Previously, the full-screen mode of programs using the Version 2 TEAPAC interface only supported use of commands which were represented by only one line of DATA for that command. In many cases, this was not adequate, such as in the many VEHICLECOUNTS commands which can be issued in the TURNS program or the four NETWORK commands allowed in the SIGNAL85 program. This limitation has been removed with the completion of the update of TURNS to the Version 2 interface. In these cases, the first parameter of the command identifies which command line is being edited, and thus cannot be changed by the user.

This improvement has been extended to include lists of commands which exceed the space available on a single full-screen display. If the commands to be displayed exceed the first screen, additional screens are prepared which can be accessed by moving the cursor past the bottom line of the first screen, or by using the PAGE-DOWN key. The cursor can be returned to prior screens by moving the cursor past the top of the screen, or by using the PAGE-UP key. In order to keep track of which screen is being displayed, the screen header now notes which page is currently being displayed, and how many total screens are available in that full-screen session.

:TUTOR V2 L1.5 28FEB90

>Group Names Displayed in Menus.

The group names which represent each menu line of the Program Control Menu are now displayed as a part of the menu itself. This is to emphasize that the same full-screen input screens can be generated from the manual mode with the ASK command using these designated group names.

>Lower-case Letters Allowed as Repeat Loop Variables.

The use of lower case letters in the variables of the REPEAT command previously would cause errors in the execution of the REPEAT command. Lower case letters are now interpreted as the same variable as their upper case letter.

>Date/Time/Page Heading Output Moved Slightly.

The Date/Time/Page display in the heading of each output has been moved one column to the left so that it is contained within 80 characters in file output. This makes review of this output with screen display programs such as LIST much clearer and easier to accomplish. The time displayed in screen headers is now the time the screen pause is terminated, not when it began.

>Improved Messages Displayed for ANSI.SYS Use.

If the ANSI.SYS screen driver has not been loaded, better messages are displayed which inform the user of this problem and what to do to correct it. Also, if the program is licensed only for demonstration use, a special help screen is displayed initially to advise the user of various demonstration options, including the need for ANSI.SYS.

>Minor Changes and Improvements.

The default line number for the GOTO command in the full-screen display is now a more sensible 0 value if no file has been defined. If a header menu line is selected which has no actual full-screen display, the first full-screen edit display for the sub-group of menu lines is displayed. For example, if "Entry of Data Values" is selected, the first sub-menu line "Titles for Report Headings" is selected.

:TUTOR V2 L1.4 19JAN90

>Bug in SAVE Caused by Experimental SHARE Option of LOAD.

The previous version of TUTOR introduced an experimental option of the LOAD command, SHARE. Due to the multiple use of program code, this option was causing problems with SAVing data from the full-screen menu system. This problem has been corrected. The SHARE option of LOAD (still only accessible from the manual mode) is still experimental at this point.

>Minor Changes to Internal Codes Made.

Minor changes to the internal code supporting file lookup and error reporting for the DOS command line and have been made. Also, the F4 (ASSIST) key now returns to the menu system at the same point as when the program is run initially, which is the Data and File Management option. This also clears up a bug when trying to return to the ASSIST menu following a Manual ASK command which was used to execute an ACTIVE command with the HOME key. The demonstration time-out period has also been increased to 30 minutes, with messages every 5 minutes.

:TUTOR V2 L1.3 07JAN90

>User Interface Improved.

A number of improvements to the TEAPAC User Interface have been added, creating a new Version 2, Level 1.3 TEAPAC Interface. These enhancements are primarily preliminary modifications that can be tested at the user's own risk. One of these is that a third parameter can be entered on the LOAD command to improve the ability to share data files between TEAPAC programs. If this parameter is entered as the keyword 'SHARE', any commands encountered during that load of that file which are not understood by the program will be ignored without error messages. This SHARE option is terminated by a RETURN command or any subsequent LOAD that does not have the SHARE option added. Of course, if commands are entered into files manually but in error, these will also be ignored without messages, with unpredictable results.

Keyboard input has been improved somewhat by making sure that keys typed during the middle of a display action are not lost or truncated. This was particularly a problem when typing many arrow keys in a row to move the cursor down several lines. Arrow keys produce multi-byte ALT-codes which were sometimes truncated or ignored, producing garbage input. This has been corrected

Another improvement is in the use of screen modes with more (or less) than 25 lines of display. The IODEVICES command has two hidden parameters that follow the printer report length to enter the type of screen mode and the screen length. The screen mode can be entered as MONO, CGA or EGA and the screen length can be entered as any number of lines that can be displayed. To use this option, first place the screen in the advanced mode, say for 66 lines of display, then enter the TEAPAC program desired. The first TEAPAC command should be the IODEVICES command, selecting the number of display lines. An enhancement has also been made to the report heading module to make sure that new reports that fit on the same screen as preceding reports will get proper headings displayed.

A final improvement is that if the name of file #1 begins with the word DEMO (all caps), the wait between screen displays will only be a pause that lasts 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the next screen will display automatically, regardless of if a key is pressed or not. Pressing any keys during the pause will have no effect. This is an option that can be used to create control files that run continuously with screen display for demonstration purposes.

:TUTOR V2 L1.2 29DEC89

>User Interface Improved.

A number of improvements to the TEAPAC User Interface have been added, creating a new Version 2, Level 1.2 TEAPAC Interface. The most significant change over the previous versions is the difference in the use of the END, HOME and ENTER keys. The HOME key is now used, rather than the END key, to execute an ACTIVE command or a menu selection. While in a menu, the ENTER key can also be used to execute the selected menu line. The END key is now only used to terminate a full-screen input/editing process without executing any commands, much like the ESCape key. All entries and edits, including the last one, are retained. This is not the case with ESCape.

Another important improvement is the use of ALT-keys for cursor movement in full-screen input/editing. The cursor can be moved directly to the line of a desired command or menu line by pressing the ALT key along with the first letter of the desired command or menu line. This is most useful to skip over many commands with a single keystroke in the full-screen input/editing process.

Power users will be interested to know that if a control or data file name is entered on the same DOS command line that initiates the program, this file will be automatically set up as file #1 on the FILES command, and it will be loaded before any other user input is requested. This means that if it is a control file, the control file will be completely executed before any other input is needed. If it is a data file, the program will load the data file, then prompt the user for additional input. In either case, the first user input is made in the Manual Mode (the Program Control Menu can be re-selected with the F4 key). In a similar fashion, if the first response to the opening copyright screen is the ESCape key, the Manual Mode is automatically entered.

Many new on-line helps have been added. The single help lines at the bottom of each screen have been updated for better clarity and to reflect the new use of HOME and ENTER. Two additional pages of help have been added to the first menu item of the Program Control Menu, these describing all of the cursor movement, entry and editing keys available. The F6 key now also displays a brief EJECT message to assure the user the page eject has been issued -- particularly useful on shared or remote printers and on networks.

The trapping of the DOS function keys has now been much reduced so that inadvertent conflicts in their detection has been virtually eliminated. The program will still abort abruptly without saving data or closing files if ^C is typed during output; therefore, still avoid typing ^C and Control-BREAK like the plague.

:TUTOR V2 L1.1 07NOV89

>Minor Improvements to New Interface.

Several minor improvements to the new TEAPAC interface have been implemented as Version 2, Level 1.1 with this version of TUTOR. These include the addition of the F4 key to re-display the Program Control Menu, improved colors for the input data fields, improved output titles for the MESSAGES command, better display of the current command in the upper-right corner of the titles box, and more consistent formatting in SAVE output.

>Improved Error Detection.

Better error trapping for inconsistent or incomplete inputs has been implemented. When such errors are detected, appropriate warnings are issued and the command is terminated. This helps avoid division by zero crashes when certain inputs are inconsistent or missing.

>Demonstration Version Supported.

The necessary coding has been added to support a demonstration versions of TEAPAC programs. Certain limitations are imposed if it is not licensed for full operation. These are discussed in a new file that has the file name extension .DMO. This file can be PRINTed from DOS or viewed with a program such as LIST (supplied with the TUTOR Tutorial program).

:TUTOR V2 L1.0 18SEP89

>New TEAPAC Interface (Version 2, Level 1.0) Implemented.

A completely new TEAPAC interface, designated Version 2 Level 1.0, has been created for ultimate use in all TEAPAC programs, the first being the TUTOR tutorial program. This user-friendly interface consists of an initial Program Control Menu which can be used to direct the entire data entry and analysis process without the use of commands. It makes use of a new ASK interface which allows full-screen editing of data entry and control commands. The previous method of using commands for input can still be accessed as one of the Program Control Menu options, and the Program Control Menu can be re-displayed at any time by typing Ctrl-A (^A) at the command prompt (-->).

Until the documentation is updated to reflect this change, the following shall serve as documentation of this new user interface. The text of the Tutorial sections of the manual is still valid, with the only difference being that each section of the text must now be initiated with one of the Program Control Menu options. The following information should be used for selecting options from the Program Control Menu.

People familiar with TEAPAC programs prior to this new process can use either the new menu or select the menu option which allows the entry of commands in exactly the same fashion as prior versions. For these users, the only changes they need to be aware of is the control of the printer via the new IODEVICES command and the F5 and F6 keys. These changes are discussed below.

>Program Control Menu Option Selection and Input.

The Program Control Menu presents the user with the basic options needed to run the program. The cursor can be moved from option to option with the up-and down-arrow keys, as well as the ENTER and TAB/BACK-TAB keys. The first letter of each menu line can also be entered to move the selection directly to the next menu item that begins with that letter. The current selected item in the menu is highlighted, and the bottom line of the screen displays a brief description of the meaning and purpose of that menu item. The Program Control Menu appears as follows:

Program Control Menu
Help on Use of Program
Information About Changes & Commands
Data and File Management
Entry of Data Values
Titles for Report Headings
Basic Data Input
Controls for Program Execution
Special Inputs & Procedures
Results & Reports
Manual Entry of Commands
Quit and Return to DOS

The main entry of data for the problem to be solved is done from the three "Entry of Data Values" lines, and output is normally generated using the "Results & Reports" line. Additional entry and actions can be selected from the "Special Inputs & Procedures" line. Data value review and file storage and retrieval is managed by the third menu line, while the first two lines can be used to get help and other useful information. The manual command mode is achieved through use of the second-to-last line, and the program is terminated with the last menu item.

When the proper menu line is selected, it is executed by pressing the END key. This normally displays a full-screen of current data values, all preceded by a descriptive word for the information on that line. This is the associated command for that data which is referenced in the documentation. Selection of a data value to be entered or changed is the same as with the Program Control Menu - use the arrows, TABS or ENTER keys to move around. When the field to be modified is highlighted, simply type in the desired value. Using ENTER or TAB when complete will store that value and move on to the next. This process should be continued until all values on the screen are correct. If another menu line from the Program Control Menu is desired, simply press the ESCAPE key to return to the Program Control Menu and select another menu item.

If the highlighted command line in the full-screen entry mode generates results, this is termed an active command option. This is flagged by the word ACTIVE in the lower-right corner of the screen. If this is the case, in order to execute the command line, the END key must be pressed when all of the data values for that command line are correct. This will execute the command and generate appropriate results. When the command is completed, control will return to the same Program Control Menu screen. This screen can be repeated with different data values, or terminated with the ESCAPE key, as before.

>Printer Control Via New IODEVICES Command and F5/F6 Keys.

All output from the program is normally directed to the screen. If an output report is desired on the printer, merely press the F5 key prior to executing the command line with the END key. All subsequent report output is then directed to the printer until the F5 key is pressed again. The current status of the printer output is displayed in the Program Control Menu box header. The F6 key can also be pressed while in the Program Control Menu to cause the current printer page to be ejected from the printer (form feed). This is useful in order to begin the next output report at the top of a new page (which the program always assumes is the case), or to eject a report output which has just been produced.

As such, a normal report generation process is as follows: After setting all the data values to proper values, select the "Results & Reports" menu option and the desired action command. Set all the parameters of the action command to the desired values, using TAB or ENTER to skip from field to field, then press F6 to assure the printer is at the top of the next sheet of paper. Press F5 to turn the printer output on and press END to execute the desired command. When the report output is complete, press F5 again to turn off the printer, and press F6 to eject the output report.

Note that the printer can also be controlled by the IODEVICES command line in the "Controls for Program Execution" menu option. The same effect as the F5 key can be achieved by changing the first parameter value to PRINTER. Users of prior versions of TEAPAC software should note the different format of this command line. The second parameter line designates what page number the first output page should be. All subsequent pages will be numbered consecutively. If the page number value is zero (the default), no page numbering occurs in the output. The last two parameters describe how many lines can be placed on the output page and how many of these lines should be used. For eleven-inch paper printed at six lines per inch, these values are normally 66 and 63, the defaults.

:TUTOR V1 L3.1 11AUG89

>Minor Change in Method for Input, Output and Reset of Commands.

A minor change has been made to the input, output and reset module for commands so that TUTOR's methods are the same as all other TEAPAC programs. The change has no impact on the use of the program or the results.

>Minor Cleanup of Output Report Line Counting.

Line counting techniques have been modified slightly in the report output for better control over screen paging. The change has no impact on use of the program.

:TUTOR V1 L3.0 01APR89

>Standard TEAPAC Interface Level 3.0 Established.

This release of TUTOR establishes a Standard Interface Level 3.0 which will be provided by future releases of TEAPAC programs. Each releases of TEAPAC programs will specify what level of TEAPAC interface is being provided. Detailed descriptions of this interface level can be found by reading these messages for TUTOR, until specific updated documentation is provided.

>Line Continuation Prompt Generated.

Use of the line continuation character, &, now generates an "&>" prompt on the next line to permit additional entries for the command on the previous line. This is useful in entering commands with many parameters that overflow the 80-column limitation of input for each screen line. It can also be used for organizing input in data files for future reference.

>HELP File and Sample Problem Format Improved.

A number of omissions and clarifications have been made to the HELP file. The standard format of a TEAPAC sample data file has also been changed slightly. Typing FILE TUTOR followed by LOAD will echo the input data to the screen, then pause at a prompt, -->. At this point the data can be inspected and modified at will. Another LOAD will begin sample calculations for the current data values. Use of Ctrl-P will copy these calculations to the printer.

>List of Programs Included in TEAPAC Updated.

The list of TEAPAC programs included in the .PROGRAMS group name has been updated to include all the current TEAPAC programs being supported. The order of HELP for the programs has been modified so related programs are grouped together. The .ALL listing of programs lists all the programs at the end of the list in alphabetical order. Other TEAPAC programs still cannot be run from within TEAPAC under MS-DOS, but the error message generated is now more clear.

>Minor Enhancements Included.

Attempting to run another program via the STOP command generates a clearer error message notifying the user that this is not an enabled function under MS-DOS. An unimplemented USERMODEL now also generates a more clear message to that effect. Finally, the initial messages displayed within the first 60 days of their existence do a clear screen first for easier readability. This, like the initial copyright notice, uses the ANSI sequences which require the use of ANSI.SYS or an equivalent in CONFIG.SYS.

>New Data Integrity Check Added.

The standard data integrity check module has been added in the computational process prior to executing any .ACTIVE commands. Appropriate error messages are displayed and invalid computations are avoided by this process.

>Output Report Enhanced.

The abbreviated output has been enhanced to include the design cycle length. The ESCape key is also checked more frequently for quicker response.

:TUTOR V1 L2.9 01JUN87

>Improved Greeting Screen; MESSAGES Displayed for 60 Days.

The screen that greets you when you first run the program has been reorganized and enhanced. The program now clears the screen and prints the program's name, version and level, and copyright information at the top. Below this is a brief discussion of some of the important concepts of running the program. The whole greeting screen is enclosed in boxes formed with the IBM extended-ASCII character set.

In addition to the above, the program will now display a summary of all changes included in the current version of the program for a period of 60 days after the version date of the program. This can be reproduced at any time while running the program by executing the MESSAGES command with a parameter of 1. And, of course, details about these and past changes can also be displayed with the MESSAGES command using a parameter of 2 or 3.

>Sub-directories in PATH Command Now Searched for Support and Data Files.

The MS-DOS PATH command searches a set of specified sub-directories for a program to run if it cannot find the program in the current logged sub-directory. However, it will not search for support files or data files. A new TEAPAC feature is the ability to search all sub-directories specified in the PATH command for support files and data files. This feature is supported only in DOS 3.x, however. It is compatible with the DOS APPEND program.

>Data File Format Changed.

Data files that are written to disk now use a new format: each record consists of 128 bytes, delimited by a CR LF. (Only the first 80 characters may contain data, as before). The old format may still be read directly and programs still written for the old format may use data files written with the new format directly.

Error messages caused by an end-of-file or input/output error have also been enhanced.

>HEADINGS Command Improved.

The negative option of the HEADINGS command has been re-implemented under DOS to allow printing of headings at the console even when the rest of the output is directed elsewhere, e.g., to the printer or a disk file (see next message).

>Re-routing of Report Output Changed.

Output reports may again be re-routed to disk files as well as the printer via the IODEVICES command, but the method is now a bit different. Rather than using #11 through #15 as the output device as stated in Appendix 3 of the TEAPAC Tutorial, a #xx greater than #16 must be used. The first attempt to output to that number (device) will cause the program to prompt you for a file name. Output no longer can be directed to one of the files opened with the FILES command. Use of #16 or less will result in an error and unpredictable results.

>Printer Access with Control-P Again Echoes to Console.

When sending output to the printer with Control-P (^P), output will continue to be displayed on the console device. This feature may have been lost in an earlier version. In addition, all screen output (not just report output) can again be directed to the printer with ^P and the IODEVICES command is no longer affected by typing ^P.

>ASK Improved.

The ASK command has been improved by first displaying HELP and DATA for the commands ASKing for new values. This information is enclosed by boxes as in the initial greeting screen.

>F2 Editing Now Matches DOS.

Using the F2 function key for command editing now copies up to, but not including, the specified character; just as it does when editing DOS commands. Previously the specified character was also copied.

:TUTOR V1 L2.8 02MAY87

>Bug in Input Error Processing Fixed.

When an error is detected during command input, the program is supposed to immediately enter the ASK mode. A bug causing this not to happen has been fixed.

>PROJECT No Longer Overwritten by Messages.

A bug causing the PROJECT command to be overwritten by information from the MESSAGES command has been fixed.

:TUTOR V1 L2.7 03APR87

>New Start-up Messages Screen Implemented.

The messages displayed when the program is first loaded has been improved. In addition to the display of the program's name, version and level and copyright information, the equivalent of executing the MESSAGES command with a parameter of 1 is also displayed.

>Level of MESSAGES Now Specifiable; Format of File is Now ASCII.

The level of MESSAGES is now specifiable by specifying the Level parameter with the MESSAGES command. Level 0 displays the current version/level and date of the program. Level 1 displays the heading lines for the current version. Level 2 displays heading lines and detail for the current version. Level 3 displays heading lines and detail for all versions of the program. The default is Level 3. In addition, the format of the file is now ASCII instead of TEAPAC.

:TUTOR V1 L2.6 20NOV86

>ASK Improved.

The ASK command has been improved by first displaying HELP and DATA for the commands ASKing for new values.

>Improved Input Editing.

The DOS function key, F1, F2, and F3 as well as the arrow keys on the numeric keypad and the INS and DEL keys are now usable any time input is form the keyboard. In addition, the F10 key moves the cursor to the first position after the next occurring delimiter, a space or a comma in TEAPAC programs. (This is in effect a word-right.) Finally, the ESCAPE may be used to clear a line.

>Non-printable Characters Not Enterable.

The set of ASCII characters that are not printable, e.g. control characters, are not enterable from the keyboard. Exceptions to this are Control-Z (end file), ESC (abort from command), and Control-L (form feed).

:TUTOR V1 L2.5 30APR86

>HELP and MESSAGES Files Renamed.

The TUTOR HELP and MESSAGES files, TPC96.FOR and TPC97.FOR have been renamed to TUTOR.HLP and TUTOR.MSG, respectively. Now all TUTOR program and support files are of the form TUTOR.xxx.

>FIOF1 Used in Place of FIOFL for HELP and MESSAGE File Lookup.

The HELP and MESSAGES files are now looked up with FIOF1 instead of FIOFL. In the future all file lookup will be done with FIOF1.

:TUTOR V1 L2.4 26OCT85

>ESCape and Line Counting in DATA/SAVE.

The DATA and SAVE functions can now be ESCaped, and line counting is performed for the DATA command so paging can be performed correctly when the DATA command is used in printed output.

>New Format for Sample Problem and MESSAGES Files.

A new format for the sample problem file has been created. When LOADing this file once, it will automatically echo first the .ENTRY commands used to input the sample problem data, then each of the .ACTIVE commands used to produce the results. Output results are automatically directed to the printer so the screen shows the commands used and the printer shows the results. The structure of the MESSAGES file has been improved for ease of reading and scanning, primarily with the use of lower-case characters and removing indentation.

>Miscellaneous Code Improvements.

Old unused C# code has been removed to improve readability. The current standard use of %INCLUDE INC9?.FOR has been implemented. PSTRT is called in the mainline. The program exits properly if the TPC96 file is not found.

:TUTOR V1 L2.3 08NOV84

>#XX Removed from SAVE Command.

SAVE now saves the first seven letters of each command, and the #XX command number prefix has been removed. This increases the compatibility of command data SAVEd from one TEAPAC program to be used by another.

:TUTOR V1 L2.2 29MAY84

>Improved Capabilities to Control Printed Output.

The IODEVICES command can now be used to direct all result output to the printer without the use of the control-P key. Error messages and interactive prompts will continue on the console, regardless of the IODEVICES setting. A user-defined logical unit number may also be entered as #xx if that logical unit has been defined (e.g., a file FORTXX.DAT).

>Error Pointer Fixed with ECHOed Output.

When an input record is detected and printed with a carat pointer indicating the location of the error, the pointer will now point correctly if ECHOed output is in effect from a file (e.g., ECHO YES during a LOAD).

:TUTOR V1 L2.1 25MAY84

>TEAPAC Output Titles Added.

The report titles for each output report are now standardized to match that used in all of the TEAPAC programs.

:TUTOR V1 L2.0 07OCT82

>Tutorial Program for Learning All of TEAPAC Programs.

The program TUTOR can now be used as a tutorial program in conjunction with the TEAPAC tutorial documentation as a way of learning how to use the basic elements of every one of the TEAPAC programs.

this page last updated September 07, 2008