OTRONA ATTACHE Series Manual page 16

Alarms
Valet's
~
Function
The alarms feature lets you schedule alarms that will display messages or
initiate program commands. It's as simple as an alarm clock, only more
capable.
Each scheduled alarm contains a message or command and a date and time
for retrieval. When the scheduled time arrives, a low beeping tone is
issued three times by the computer. You answer the alarm by activating
Set-up Mode, and the message or command is displayed on the screen.
If you do not answer the alarm, it will be repeated every four minutes
until you respond. If the machine happens to be turned off when the
scheduled time arrives, the alarm will be sounded the next time the
machine is powered up and CP/M is booted.
As many as six different alarms may be set at anyone time, and each •
message or command can be up to 58 characters long. When an alarm
sounds, you are given the option of changing the message or rescheduling
the alarm for another time.
The alarms featUre also lets you schedule programs for execution at a
later time. Commands may be chained together using the SUBMIT facility of
CP/M, so the computer can be inst~ucted to begin working even while you
are occupied elsewhere. This is handy for scheduling data transmissions
for "off hours" when line rates are lowest, for compiling programs, etc.
There are three different alarm types available - Message, Command, and
Immediate Command. The function for each type is as follows:
Message
C<Enand Line
Immediate Command
Line
allows you to type a message that will be displayed
when the alarm is answered.
allows
you
to type a command for execution of a
program or programs at a later time, effectively
"time bombing" program initiation. This alarm
requires operator response before the command is
actually executed, and also provides an option for
rescheduling if it is not convenient to initiate the
command as scheduled. Note: i·f the command is
allowed to execute while another program is being
used, the work in progress is lost.
is the same as Command except that the command is
executed immediately at the scheduled time without
requiring operator response and regardless of the
status of other programs. If
you
are using another
program when this alarm sounds, the scheduled
command will be executed and
you
will lose your work
in progress. Use this option carefully to avoid
losing important data.
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