PsiOn - V2.2 - By Paul Hargreaves --------------------------------- PsiOn helps you control your system password in a more sensible manner. PsiOn turns off the Psion's power on password and after your Psion has been switched off for a while, PsiOn wakes up and turns the system password back on. PsiOn has many other control options, such as disabling the OFF key when Agenda or Time is busy, making sure that Agenda alarms get set in the Time program correctly. It can also show your Agenda screen after your password has been entered, can control the backlight (if fitted), the remote link, and ensure that the sound is on so you do not miss alarms. PsiOn is designed to run on the Psion Series 3a, 3c and Siena. PsiOn will not run on a 3 classic, or a Series 5. The Series 5 presents a whole new challenge, as PsiOn requires special operating system calls that have been removed from general access. Changes ------- Changes are in the file CHANGES.TXT. Installation ------------ Copy the PSI-ON.OPA and the PSI-ONUG.OPO into your INTERNAL drive in the APP directory. I wouldn't advise putting PsiOn onto a flash or ram disk. If the program is running and someone takes the SSD out then you'll get errors. From the System screen, press Psion-I to install. PsiOn will create a file called \OPD\PSI_ON.ODB on your default disk. Before you run PsiOn 2.2 for the first time ------------------------------------------- If you use the remote link to back your machine up, you should back up BEFORE you run PsiOn. If you don't, then next time you backup, the PsiOn program will not be backed up, and PsiWin will complain. If you only backup infrequently, then I'd just suggest you exit PsiOn before turning on your remote link, then restart PsiOn after backup. Running PsiOn 2.2 for the first time ------------------------------------ Go to the icon and press Enter. If you are upgrading from a previous version, you should get this message. /--------------------------\ | Some settings have been | | retained from an earlier | | version | \--------------------------/ If this is the first time you've run PsiOn, you'll get this message. /---------------------------\ | No setting file was found | | A new settings file has | | been created | \---------------------------/ After pressing ENTER, you'll then be prompted about deleting the upgrading program. /-----------------------------\ | Would you like PsiOn to | | remove the now redundant | | Upgrade program? | |.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! _Yes_ | \-----------------------------/ This deletes the PSI-ONUG.OPO file. I'd suggest you say Yes to this. If you say No, you will not be asked again. Every time you start PsiOn -------------------------- You'll be prompted for a registration key. When you've registered PsiOn, you can just type in your key here. If you haven't had chance to register yet, press ESCape. You can get my contact information from the Other->About menu option. After you have entered a valid key, the registration key prompt will not be shown again, even when re-starting PsiOn. The following password entry screen will be displayed. /-----------------------------------\ | PsiOn V2.2 (C)Paul Hargreaves | |-----------------------------------| | Please enter the password that | | you currently use every time you | | turn your Psion on. This will not | | be saved in ANY file! | |.Password __________ | \-----------------------------------/ If you haven't yet turned on your power on password, press ESCape to quit, go into the Special menu on the system screen, and set "On" in the password setting. I'd also suggest that you make your password at least 6 characters long. PsiOn needs to know this password, as there is no way for a program on the Psion to "tell" what the password is. Without this password, the Password control functions of the Psion cannot be accessed. You can see this when you try to change your password. You have to enter your current password before any details are shown. Once you've typed in your password, you'll be taken to the main PsiOn running screen. PsiOn_V2.2_(C)Paul_Hargreaves ^! Arm Now ^P Pause ^T Time PsiOn is now running, and will watch to see when the machine turns off. You can also press hotkeys, or use the MENU key to change some of the settings. You can switch your machine off and on, and the password screen will not be shown. PsiOn has turned off your password for you. Now go back to the System screen and select Control-Auto switch off, you can reduce this to a much shorter time. That way your Psion will switch off quicker, but since PsiOn has disabled the password, just pressing Esc or any of the System keys will switch your machine back on. This will also help save your battery power. My default is 2 minutes, but any other time is fine. The shorter the better, but below 1 minute you'll find that as soon as you look away from your Psion, the computer will turn itself off. Now switch off your Psion and wait a while (15 minutes if you left the default set), and you'll see your Psion switch on for a brief second. PsiOn has turned your system password back on, just as if you'd done it from the system screen yourself. There is no way of getting past the password screen...it's the real thing! After you have typed in your password, PsiOn will disable it and will reset its timers again. Configuration options --------------------- Pressing MENU will bring up several options to configure the way PsiOn works. You can change some of the built in hotkeys, enable and disable the extra Agenda, Backlight functions etc. * WARNING :- When you press the MENU key, PsiOn stops working. Your * password will be left disabled, the Backlight control will not work, * Agenda will not be controlled etc. BE SURE to leave the menu or * dialog BEFORE turning off your Psion. This also applies to the * hotkeys Psion-P (Pause mode) and Psion-T (Temporary switched off * time) The menu structure looks like this :- /-----------------------------------------------------------------\ |Time |Agenda |Hotkeys |Other | |--------------------|------------------|-----------|-------------| |Switched off time |Fix Agenda to Time|PsiOn key |Remote link | |Password off/on time|Agenda control |Arm now key|Backlight | |Pause mode default |Choose Agenda | |Auto sound on| | | | |About PsiOn | \-----------------------------------------------------------------/ The backlight option will only show on 3c's with a backlight fitted. Switched off time (MENU option) ------------------------------- How long your Psion is switched off and unused before PsiOn turns your password back on. The default is 15 minutes. Temporary Switched off time (Psion-T key) ----------------------------------------- This hotkey, shown on the main screen, allows you to change the Switched off time until cancelled by pressing Psion-T again. This doesn't change the saved setting, and is only temporary. Password off/on time (MENU option) ---------------------------------- PsiOn can disable your password between certain set times. For example, you can have the password disabled at 6pm in the evening, and turned back on at 5am the next morning. PsiOn will not actually turn your password off at 6pm, but will instead wait until you "log in", and will then leave your password off until the On time. This effectively extends the Switched off time during this period. The Pause Mode (Psion-P) and Temporary switched off time (Psion-T) will be missing off the main screen and will be disabled. For example PsiOn_V2.2_(C)Paul_Hargreaves ^! Arm Now Password Off/On Start / Stop Pause Mode (Psion-P key) ------------------------------------- Pressing Psion-P puts PsiOn into a pause mode, where it leaves the password disabled until the time and date selected. Then PsiOn arms the password and if the machine is switched on, it will turn off. Pause mode default (MENU option) -------------------------------- The Psion-P Pause Mode can have defaults set in two different ways. It can pause at any time after midnight, or as an offset of the current time. You can also set PsiOn to pause for several days as well. Mode Time From Current Time Offset to time when Psion-P pressed From Midnight Actual time in 24 hour clock format Fix Agenda to Time (MENU option) -------------------------------- When you use Agenda to set alarms (for example to remember to tape "X-Files" every Monday at 10pm), it sends it to Time when it's the Next Agenda alarm to be played. This is great until you have an earlier alarm go off, which you cancel then turn the machine immediately off. There is a good chance that the alarm isn't set. PsiOn watches all Agenda's and the Time program to make sure they are not busy when you press the OFF key. If they are busy, then PsiOn will pause the off until either Agenda and Time stop being busy, or PsiOn times out and switches the PsiOn off. I would really suggest that you use it, as this allows PsiOn to control the time when it switches off. PsiOn will respond better and will be extra accurate about the Switched off time. Agenda control (MENU option) ---------------------------- PsiOn can control an open Agenda, and move it to the current day. You will be asked if you'd like Agenda to be controlled every time you "log in", or every morning after 4am. PsiOn can control Agenda either by sending a Jump to Date key (for example, on a UK machine in Agenda, pressing Psion-J), or by changing the view to the view you want on the correct date. An example of this is Psion-W to go into Week view (my preference). Most of my beta testers and I use the Jump to View setting. This means no matter which view Agenda was in, it's always in the correct view when required. After choosing your mode, you're asked for the Key to send to Agenda. Two examples for the two modes are above, but here is a list from my UK Series 3c. Week View : W Day View : D (or blank) To Do List : T List View : L Year View : Y Anniversary View : A Busy View : B (S3c and Siena ONLY) Non UK/US machines may have different letters. Go into your Agenda screen and press Menu, scroll over to the Diamond list, and the keys you can select will be shown. If Agenda mode is set to "Jump to date", then PsiOn sends just the Key that you select. In the UK, this key is J (for Jump!), but I expect other languages to use other keys. Choose Agenda (MENU option) --------------------------- PsiOn will ask you which Agenda you'd like to control. Use the tab key and pick a VALID Agenda. PsiOn does no checking to make sure that the file you pick is an Agenda file. If you leave this filename blank, then PsiOn will pick the first running Agenda it finds. If a valid Agenda has been chosen, then you will be asked if you want PsiOn to start Agenda if it isn't running when you "log in". If you say yes, then every time you enter your password, PsiOn will check if Agenda is running with your chosen Agenda. If it isn't, another copy of Agenda will be started, with your Agenda. Now for bad news. If PsiOn starts the Agenda, then the Agenda button will not change to the chosen Agenda. The only way to get back into the Agenda to close it or change it is to either re-select it in the System screen, or use the Shift-System key presses to cycle through all the running programs. PsiOn key (MENU option) ----------------------- PsiOn can set a hotkey so that no matter what screen you are in, you can jump right to PsiOn. The default key is R, giving Psion-Shift-R as the full key combination. If you change this to blank or space, no key will be allocated. You can use only letters A-Z for this hotkey, with X, Q, P and T being excluded. These keys do other things in PsiOn. Arm now key (MENU option) ------------------------- A hotkey can be defined which immediately arms the password no matter which screen you are in. For example, if you are going to lunch, and you don't want to take your Psion with you, press this hotkey, and your password will be armed. The machine will also be turned off. The same range of letters can be used for the Arm now key as for the PsiOn key, and you can also use the number 1. This will show as ! on the main screen (Psion-1 is to turn the machine off on 3a/3c). Psion-Shift-1 is the default hotkey. Remote link (MENU option) ------------------------- PsiOn can turn off the System Link when it turns your password on. This will also stop the NFSC software from running depending on what version it is. The Infrared will not be stopped as (currently) the PsiWin software will not work over Infrared. Backlight (MENU option - S3c with backlight fitted ONLY) -------------------------------------------------------- PsiOn can control the backlight between the times you specify. It runs in two modes, Sticky and Turn On. Turn On means that between the times specified, when the machine is switched on, the backlight will also be turned on. Sticky mode remembers the state of the backlight between machine switched on events. If the backlight was on, then it is turned back on. If it was off, then it's left off. This is my preference - some evenings, I don't want the backlight always on. Note that if the Fix Agenda to Time option isn't on, then the backlight control will not be very accurate in Sticky mode. Auto sound on (MENU option) --------------------------- How many times have you turned off all the Sound in the System screen when you go into a meeting, to find the next day that you missed an important alarm like a wake-up call. This option will allow PsiOn to turn the sound back on when it turns the password on. You can have PsiOn turn the sound on when Arming the password (recommended) or when Disarming the password (not a great idea). The main use for the Disarming option is for people who don't want the sound turned back on until they next use their Psion. If you use PsiOn in this mode, be careful to use the machine before you go to sleep otherwise you might miss that early morning alarm. Special configuration options ----------------------------- You can set your Switched off time in the Menu to 0:00. This will force PsiOn to leave your password OFF until you press the Arm now key, when PsiOn will re-enable your password. You can manually set your password back on in the system screen. Exiting PsiOn ------------- You can quit PsiOn in several ways. Ideally from the PsiOn screen, press either Psion-X, Psion-Q or Psion-Escape. These keys will always stop PsiOn immediately, unless you are in the menu or a dialog. You can also quit PsiOn from the System screen. If you press Delete on PsiOn, or use the remote link to stop PsiOn, then PsiOn looks to see if the remote link is active (a task called SYS$NCP). If it is, then PsiOn DOES NOT QUIT, but instead switches to the PsiOn screen. This is to stop a backup from quitting PsiOn, so you don't have to remember to run it again after you've finished. Notes ----- * DO NOT CHANGE YOUR SYSTEM PASSWORD WHILE PsiOn IS RUNNING. PsiOn * will quit automatically if it notices that you've done this! * Be very careful about changing the current Time either in Time or * World (by changing the home city). PsiOn will most likely turn the * password on and the machine off. No damage will be done, it's just a * little disconcerting when it happens. I'd always suggest you quit * PsiOn before you do this. PsiOn will work with 99.999% of software that you have on your machine. Two notable programs that PsiOn will clash with are PasOn and AlarmFix. AlarmFix can be used if you want, but you'll have to disable the Fix Agenda setting in PsiOn which does the same thing. Since PasOn does some of the same things as PsiOn (password control) it doesn't make sense to try running them both at the same time, and I guess the system would get upset by two different programs changing the state of the password. Several people have asked about a Series 5 version of PsiOn. I also have a Series 5, but since some of the Operating System calls I use have been removed from general use, its something I can't do at the moment. If you can write OPX's, then please get in touch with me. Failing that, you'll just have to wait until I can afford the 200ukp for EPOCWorld plus enough money to afford a copy of C++ Contacting the author --------------------- Snail Mail ---------- PAUL HARGREAVES 48 ALBERT ROAD LONG EATON NOTTINGHAM NG10 1JZ ENGLAND E-Mail ------ PsiOn@hargreavesp.demon.co.uk Web page -------- http://www.hargreavesp.demon.co.uk/ * Registration * ------------ * This program is SHAREWARE. Please register, and you'll have a nice * clean conscience and no nag messages. The fee is only 6ukp if sent * by UK Cheque (or UK money, or Eurocheque in UK pounds) or 15usd if * registered by RegNet. You'll get your registration key by return * E-Mail or via post if required. Please remember to quote a valid * E-Mail address in any correspondence, or it'll take much longer for * a key to return to you. * The RegNet web address is http://www.swregnet.com/1044p.htm And Finally ----------- Thank you to my beta testers - Celia, Charles Reed, Chris Phelps, Fionn Berhrens, Franz Eberhard, Geoff Morrison, James E. Gauch, Jean-Claude Gaetner, Jens Bonse, Jeremy Harpham, Johan Vromans, Joseph Reger, Joz, Lee Haywood, Martin Fiddler, Panajotis Papazoglou, Tim Kiel, Timothy Hilgenberg, Ulrich Bernert, Wayne Boxall and to everyone who suggested ideas and reported bugs in PsiOn. Also, thanks to whoever sent the new icon to Steve Litchfield. Much appreciated. PsiOn is (C)1996, 1997 by Paul Hargreaves