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PC Access for Windows Reference Guide
for PC Access Version 4.30
Recording and Playing Comdebug Files
The Terminal window can record an online session to a comdebug file and play it back later while you are offline. This is different than recording a script file, as the comdebug file contains all the information your host sends you, instead of script commands. Note: this feature is for advanced users only. Session record/playback is useful in several ways:
1. Diagnosing problems with PC Access and/or a host system without having to dial in repeatedly to reproduce a problem. For example, if you find a bug in PC Access or a host system, you can record an online session that exposes the bug, then send your recorded file to your PC Access vendor's technical support department. The support personnel can play back your session in PC Access and reproduce the bug easily without requiring you to describe what you did in agonizing detail. (To fix a bug, support personnel usually must first reproduce the bug on their own systems.)
2. Minimizing connect time. If your host system and/or phone company charges you for connect time, you would probably like to complete an online session as quickly as possible. By recording a session, you can zip through several host screens quickly, logoff the host, and then play back the session at your leisure. When you play back the session, all local Terminal window capabilities are available to you. You can print screens; move, zoom, print, and adjust photos; and capture screens to a slide show file. Of course, while you are playing back a session, you can't enter any new commands to the host, because you aren't connected to it. (For maximum playback flexibility, you will want to insert intelligent pauses into your record session.)
To record an online session, login to a host as you normally would. (Either click the Call MLS button on the Main Menu window, or select an entry from the Phone Book.) As soon as the Terminal window appears, click the Support menu item with the mouse. This pulls down a menu with items: Record Comdebug..., Play Comdebug..., Pause Comdebug, and Stop Comdebug. Click the Record Comdebug... item to begin recording your session. PC Access displays the Record Comdebug window where you may type a file name where PC Access will record your session. (Comdebug is short for communication debug file.) Clicking the Support | Pause Comdebug menu item temporarily suspends recording; clicking it again restarts recording. (On playback, however, you will not see any pause at this point. To generate an intelligent pause on playback, see below.) When you have finished recording your session, click the Support | Stop menu item or close the Terminal window.
More:
Record/Playback: Agent Feature