Win32::SerialPort and Win32API::CommPort
VERSION=0.14, 07 February 1999

Hello Beta testers:

The current version of the module has been designed for testing using
the ActiveState and Core (GS 5.004_02) ports of perl for Win32 without
requiring a compiler or using XS. In every case, compatibility has been
selected over performance. Since everything is (sometimes convoluted but
still pure) perl, you can fix flaws and change limits if required. But
please file a bug report if you do.

This is the fourth public beta. Almost all features are now implemented.
I suspect there are still bugs - but I only know of one: "is_parity_enable"
sometimes fails on NT (test4.t #81). I have not been able to duplicate this
bug on my system. If you do get this test to fail, please let me know if
you can isolate it to some line in the module source code. If you see any
place where the code does not match the documentation, consider it a bug
and please report it.

This may be the final beta release. Almost all the changes are due to
new functionality. Except for those items highlighted as "experimental"
in the documentation (tied FileHandles, "lookfor" details, and stty
emulation), the modules have been very stable since Nov 8, 1998 (0.12).

COMPATIBILITY NOTES:

1. Users of ActiveState Build 3xx must use "Inst_3xx.PL" instead of
   "Install.PL". Version 0.14 improves the automatic test suite support
   in "Makefile.PL" (so it resembles Test::Harness without the summary
   report). Results will be written to "test.txt".

2. The Tied FileHandle support works fully on 5.005, mostly on 5.004,
   and essentially NOT on 5.003. This is due to the level of support
   in the underlying Perl - not to the module implementation.

3. The internals of "lookfor" have been extensively changed. Most of
   the simple demos did not break - but users should verify that
   existing applications which use this feature act the same. If any
   user took advantage of the (previously undocumented) support for
   regular expressions, they will have to revise their code to the
   new (less ambiguous) syntax borrowed from Expect.pm.

Please tell me what doesn't work, what you dislike (or like), and what
should be added (or deleted). One very visible change from the alpha is
the division into two modules:

1. Win32::SerialPort is the high-level user interface. It inherits from
   CommPort.

2. Win32API::CommPort is the raw API calls and other internal details
   that most users won't need to know much about.

These modules use Aldo Calpini's Win32::API module extensively. It is
available at:

    http://www.divinf.it/dada/perl/Win32API-0_011.zip

for AS build 3xx and GS 5.004_02. For AS build 5xx, it is available as
the package Win32-API using PPM on the ActiveState repository.
Get it, install it, and test it BEFORE trying Win32API::SerialPort. The
"-w" complaints (xxx used only once) under AS 3xx are normal. CommPort
now fixes them - but other modules probably do not.

See the NOTES and KNOWN LIMITATIONS in the SerialPort documentation. The
".pod" is embedded in the ".pm". The comments on "-w" and "use strict"
are especially relevant when you start calling this module from your own
code. This module has been tested on Win95 with AS Builds 315, 500, 509 and
the GS binary 5.004_02. Thanks to Ken White for testing on NT. Also thanks
to the others who have contributed comments and suggestions.

FILES:
    Changes		- for history lovers
    Makefile.PL		- the "starting point" for traditional reasons
    MANIFEST		- file list
    README.txt		- this file (CRLF)
    README    		- same file with CPAN-friendly name (LF only)
    demo1.plx		- talks to a "really dumb" terminal
    demo2.plx		- "poor man's" readline and chat
    demo3.plx		- looks like a setup menu - but only looks :-(
    demo4.plx		- simplest setup: "new", "required param", "restart"
    demo5.plx		- "waitfor" and "nextline" using lookfor
    demo6.plx		- basic tied FileHandle operations
    Install.PL		- install using MakeMaker tools (5.004 and above)
    Inst_3xx.PL		- install for perl 5.003
    options.plx		- post-install test that prints available options

    lib				- install directory
    lib/Win32			- install directory
    lib/Win32/SerialPort.pm	- the reason you're reading this
    lib/Win32API		- install directory
    lib/Win32API/CommPort.pm	- the raw API calls and other internals

    html			- install directory
    html/Win32			- install directory
    html/Win32/SerialPort.html	- documentation
    html/Win32API		- install directory
    html/Win32API/CommPort.html	- documentation

    Altport.pm		- stub for inheritance test
    t			- test directory
    t/test1.t		- RUN ME FIRST, tests and creates configuration
    t/test2.t		- tests restarting_a_configuration and timeouts
    t/test3.t		- Inheritance and export version of test1.t
    t/test4.t		- Inheritance version of test2.t and "restart"
    t/test5.t		- tests to optional exports from CommPort
    t/test6.t		- tied FileHandle tests 5.004+

This is a preliminary production release. While I will try to
maintain backwards compatibility from this point forward, I can't
guarantee it.

Run 'perl Makefile.PL' first with nothing connected to "COM1". This
will run the tests automaticallyi. With 5.004+, the Benchmark routines
are used to generate reports. The test suite covers most of the module
methods and leaves the port set for 9600 baud, 1 stop, 8 data, no parity,
no handshaking, and other defaults. At various points in the testing, it
expects unconnected CTS and DTR lines. The final configuration is saved
as COM1_test.cfg in this directory.

Tests may also be run individually by typing:
	'perl test?.t Page_Delay'
With no delay, the tests execute too rapidly to follow from an MS-DOS
command line. Delay may be set from 1 to 5 seconds.

All tests are expected to pass - I would be very interested in hearing
about failures ("not ok"). These tests should be run from a command
line (DOS box).

INSTALLATION:
1. For perl versions 5.004 and above, run 'perl Install.PL". That's it!

2. For ActiveState build 3xx, run 'perl Inst_3xx.PL'. Since html docs
   were not installed by default on build 3xx, I don't install them.
   You can manually copy them from the html subdirectory if you want.

3. Run 'perl options.plx'. It should run without errors.

DEMO PROGRAMS:
Connect a dumb terminal (or a PC that acts like one) to COM1 and setup
the equivalent configuration. Starting demo1.plx should print a three
line message on both the terminal and the Win32 command line. The
terminal keyboard (only) now accepts characters which it prints to both
screens until a CONTROL-Z is typed. Also included is demo2.plx - a truly
minimal chat program. Bi-directional communication without an event loop,
sockets, pipes (or much utility ;-) This one uses CAPITAL-Q from the
active keyboard to quit since <STDIN> doesn't like CONTROL-Z. And each
command shell acts a little differently (Cygnus "bash", COMMAND.COM).
Try running the terminal at 4800 baud to get errors (or 300 to get
"breaks").

AltPort.pm and test3.t implement the "basic Inheritance test" discussed
in perltoot and other documentation. It also imports the :STAT constants.
It's otherwise only slightly modified from test1.t (you'll get a different
"alias" if you run test2.t or demo3.plx after test3.t). There are some
subtle functional changes between test2.t and test4.t. But test4.t also
calls CommPort methods directly rather than through SerialPort and adds
tests for lookfor and stty_xxx methods.

You can read (many of the important) settings with demo3.plx. If you
give it a (valid) configuration file on the command line, it will open
the port with those parameters (and "initialized" set - so you can test
simple changes: see the parity example at the end of demo3.plx).

Run options.plx to see the available choices for various parameters
along with the current values. If you have trouble, I will probably
ask you to save the output of options.plx in a file and send it to me.
You can specify a port name for options.plx on the command line
(e.g. 'perl options.plx COM2').

Demo4.plx is a "minimum" script showing just the basics needed to get
started.

Demo5.plx demonstrates various uses of the lookfor routine including
setups for "waitfor" and a primitive "readline". Try them out. The
default "stty" settings work with a VT-100 style terminal. You may
have to set the options by hand. Use any editor. Let me know if the
descriptions in the documentation are useable. And if any more options
are necessary.

Demo6.plx demonstrates tied FileHandles. Perl 5.005 is recommended.
It "requires" 5.004. It implements timeouts on all user inputs - so
you can run it "hands-off" to see what happens.

Please tell me what does and what doesn't work. Which systems "croak".
You can share this with anyone. But it's still beta code. Don't trust it
for anything important without complete testing. The feedback I have
received, and my own testing, indicate the code is already pretty robust.
And watch for updates at:

%%%% http://members.aol.com/Bbirthisel/alpha.html

or CPAN under authors/id/B/BB/BBIRTH or
              Win32::SerialPort and Win32API::CommPort

Thanks,

-bill

Copyright (C) 1999, Bill Birthisel. All rights reserved. This module is
free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same
terms as Perl itself.
