Celestial Software

I'm evaluating this program for purchase and it looks promsing, but I cannot get the "File-New-Window" function to work. When I click it nothing happens. Is this a registered-only feature?

I can run another instance of the program and have multiple windows that way.

I'm running on Windows 2000.

[ November 17, 2002, 10:21 PM: Message edited by: Brian T. Pence ]

That's what File->New Window does. It creates a second instance of the application using the same connection file.

Thanks for the reply. I like the program and I think I will register it. I've been struggling to obtain a reliable Win32 communications program that supports Telnet and RS-232, and your program looks quite good. I've tried Procomm, Crosstalk, and Hyperterminal PE, and they all have bugs and/or shortcomings. So far, I haven't encountered any bugs in Absolute Telnet.

That said, maybe you can advise me on how best to accomplish what I want to do. I'm an embedded systems engineer. Typically, I connect to two embedded devices at once using Telnet, or sometimes RS-232. I assumed that the "File-New-Window" function simply opened a new window, from which I could then open a connection file. But when it opens a new window, it also attempts to connect to the existing connection, which in most cases fails, displaying an error message. Fortunately, after it fails to open a second connection to my device, Absolute Telnet leaves the window open and I can then open a connection file. But it's kind of clunky that way. (You may want to consider making "File-New-Window" simply open a new window, and add something like "File-Duplicate Connection" to open both a new window and a new connection.)

If I use "File-Open" to open a second connection, Absolute Telnet prompts me to close the first connection, which I don't want to do. Oddly enough, if I select a connection from the MRU list, Absolute Telnet does exactly what I want it to do, which is to open the connection file in a new window. However, I first have to get a connection file name into the MRU list. In general, this approach isn't a good one for me because the connection parameters often change, precluding the use of connection files.

So at this point, it looks like the easiest way for me to open multiple connections to different devices is by simply running new instances of Absolute Telnet. Do you agree, or is there a better way?

Thanks,
Dave

Hmmm...

Each of the user interface options you mention really are specific to users who repeatedly connect to one (or several) different defined hosts. If you want a new connection to the current host, you choose 'File->New Window'. If you want a new connection, but to a different host, you choose from the MRU list. If it's not one you've recently connected to, you can choose File->Open and choose from a larger list of *all* of your connection files.

If you say, however, that you really have too many potential targets to define connection files to all of them, what you need to do is start a new clean instance of the app. To make this simple, you should create an AbsoluteTelnet shortcut in your start menu, quicklaunch bar, or on the desktop (wherever you can find it fastest). From the shortcut, you can even create a hotkey that will launch the app with a keystroke!

It also sounds like you'll want to go to Options->Global and change the startup to 'Open the connection properties dialog' when the program starts so you can enter your specific connection parameters quickly.

Let me know if this helps!!