Support FAQ

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What modem do you recommend for use with the VTS Alarm Dialer?

 
VTS should work with any standard voice modem. However, our developers have tested the following modems under XP, Vista and Windows 7 with no issues.

Multi-Tech MT5634ZPX-PCI-U
This older model is no longer in production. However, they are the easiest to work with if you can find them.

Multi-Tech MT9234ZPX-UPCI
This is the latest model. Ensure that the model number does not contain ‘NV’ (no voice).

This modem is currently being tested.
Zoom 3025 V.92 PCI Modem, Plug-in Card, PCI, 56 Kbps, Data/Fax/Voice Modem, mfr #: 3025-00-00CG

Are the instructions for generating a crash dump on Windows 7 different from those for Windows Vista?

 
Yes. The following registry setting determines whether a Windows system will generate a crash dump.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\ConfigureArchive

• In Windows Vista and Server 2008, this value is set to 2
• In Windows 7, it is set to the DWORD value 1

It needs to be set to the DWORD value 2 in order for Windows 7 to automatically generate crash dumps. This can be achieved either by a Group Policy setting (for domain administered machines), or by using RegEdit (for expert users).

Important: You must re-boot your machine after modifying this (per-user) setting.

Finding the Problem Reports and Solutions Applet

The Problem Reports and Solutions applet under the Vista and Server 2008 control panel were originally removed from Windows 7. Though it has been restored in newer versions, it is difficult to find.

1. Navigate to the “Action Center”:
• From Control Panel, All Control Panel Items, pick Action Center
  OR
• From Control Panel, under System and Security, click Find and fix problems. Then, at the lower left, click Action Center.
2. In the Action Center, click the down-arrow next to the work Maintenance and click Settings.
3. Select “Each time a problem occurs, ask me before checking for solutions” and click OK.
4. To view problem reports, go to the Action Center again, click the down-arrow next to the work Maintenance and click View reliability history. This will give a list of the problems.
5. Find the one you want and double-click it. Here you will find the same screen as Vista shows, with the “View a temporary copy of these files” link.

How do I test to find out if the voice modem I just purchased actually supports voice?

For Vista and XP Operating Systems

1. Open the Windows Control Panel
2. Open Phone and Modem Options
3. Select the Modems tab
4. Select your modem
5. Right-click and select Properties
6. Select the Diagnostics tab
7. Click on Query Modem

The response will include a line that begins with:  AT+F class =

• If this line ends with a     ,8    then you have voice modem support.  (e.g.  AT+F class = 01,8)  
• If not, then your modem does NOT support voice regardless of what is stated in the manufacturer’s literature. (e.g. AT+FCLASS=? 0,1)

When I try to run my remote application on a VTS client, the application "stalls" at 20% and does not load any further. What is the problem and how do I fix it?

It is likely that this is due to one of the following:

• The VTS application is not running on the server, so the VTS application cannot start on the client. To fix this, simply start the application on the server. The client will continue to load the application once the server has started (and has synchronized the Edit Lockout Manager).

or...

• There is a problem with the network itself. Consult your network administrator to verify if this is the case.

In the VTS Historical Data Viewer, how do I group together commonly used pens for quick reuse?

1. Open the Historical Data Viewer (HDV) and use the Tag Selector button to add the tags you wish to group.
2. Click the Plot button at the bottom of the Tag Selector dialog to see these values displayed in the HDV.
3. Click the Save Group button at the bottom of the Tag Selector dialog.
4. Enter a name for the group in the pop-up dialog and click OK.
5. Close the Tag Selector dialog.
6. The group you created in now available in the drop menu in the top left corner of the HDV.

Why can’t I access my VTS Internet Server remotely over the Internet or locally via my Intranet even though VTS appears to be configured properly?

VTS Internet Connectivity (VIC) uses the computer’s port 80 to access both local and remote HTTP networks. Problems occur when other software products are configured to use this port.

These can include:

• Programs that remain when a legacy HMI product is uninstalled
• VIOP products such as SKYPE™
• Certain tools included when you choose a full installation of Microsoft Office™ (not the default)

How to determine if a program other than VTS is using Port 80

Open the Command Prompt and run the netstat –a –b command.  This will show you which programs are using each of the computer’s ports.

Open Command Prompt

Windows Vista™

1. Click the Start icon in the bottom left corner
2. In the Start Search field, enter command prompt
3. An icon for the Command Prompt will appear at the top of the Start Menu
4. Right-click on this icon and select Run as Administrator

Windows XP™

1. Click the Start icon in the bottom left corner
2. Select RUN
3. Type in CMD.exe and hit Enter

Run the Netstat Command

In the Command Line, enter netstat -a –b
A list will appear showing each port and the programs associated with them (if any).

Port 80 (0.0.0.0:80) will appear at the top of this list. If there is a program other than VTS.exe listed with this port, the VIC will not be able to connect.

To correct this issue, you will need to do one of the following

1. Uninstall the program that is using the port
2. Move the program to an available port
3. Move VTS to an available port (See VTS Developer’s Guide)

Can I use my iPhone with the VTS WAP Browser?

 
No.  The iPhone’s Safari browser is not WAP enabled.

Why is my VTS Internet Client (VIC) not failing over to the backup VTS Internet Server?

To get proper VIC failover between a primary and a backup the server list on both computers has to be set up in the same order and must include:

• The computer name of the primary server *
• The computer name of the backup server *

The VIC works by starting with the first address in the list and trying it. If there is no response, it moves to the next. So, both lists need to be the same.

* In some cases, the IP addresses of the primary and backup servers may also be required

From outside your firewall
If your VTS Internet Client is accessing the VTS Internet Server from outside your firewall, the server lists on both computers should also include the following:

• Your registered domain name (URL) **

** In some cases, the IP address of the gateway and IP address of the URL may be required

As before, the order of the server list s on both computers must be identical.

If both servers fail
Failover only works if both computers were originally running.  So, if the primary fails, the VIC will find the backup based on the primary server list. If both computers go offline and the backup starts without the primary, there is no server list available to direct the VIC to the backup.  Therefore failover will not occur.

In this case the user will need to access the URL of the back up server manually in Internet Explorer.  It is recommended that a ‘Favorite’ be created for this purpose.

How do I perform a crash dump on VTS?

Crash dumping, also known as "post-mortem" dumping, takes a snapshot of a running process and saves it to the harddrive. This file can provide information about the state of the process at the time the crash dump was taken.

There are two methods of creating a crash dump:

• Windows can be configured (and often is) to generate a port-mortem dump in the event of abnormal termination of a process (e.g. VTS.exe), usually due to an internal fault.
• You can also generate the same file as a port-mortem dump with a utility that halts the process, takes a snapshot of it to a disk file, and then allows the process to resume.

The latter technique can not really be called "post-mortem", as the process is still running; therefore, this document will refer to "crash dump" as a generic term, and "post-mortem" as a specific term meaning the result of abnormal process termination.

When to Use Crash Dumping

Crash dumping can be used to take a snapshot of a system exhibiting a problem that either cannot be investigated by any other means (for example, if the VTS system is unable to run the VTS debugger), or needs to be investigated away from the running system.

Set Up

To set up Windows to automatically do a crash dump, some changes must be made to the normal Windows setup.

1. First, Click on Start then click Run
2. In the box, type drwtsn32
3. Click OK
   The dump files generated here:
   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr Watson
4. Make sure the Crash dump type is set to 'Full' (see below) 
5. Click OK and close this window
6. Next, click Start and find the My Computer icon
7. Right click on it and select Properties
8. Click on the Advanced tab at the top
9. Now, click the Error Reporting button near the bottom
10. Click on the Choose Programs button
11. Click the Add button and type in vts.exe
12. Click OK and close all the open windows

In the rare event that VTS crashes, Windows should now create two files for us:

• .dmp file
• .log file

These will be located located here:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr Watson

Zip the two files and transfer them to the Trihedral ftp site. The easiest way to accomplish this is inside the Windows File Explorer.

1. Go to the directory above.
2. Holding down the CTRL key, click on each file so they are both highlighted.
3. Now, point at one of he files and do a right-click.
4. On the menu, go to the Send TO item and click Compressed (Zipped) folder.  It should create a new “zipped” file in that same folder. Be a bit patient. It might take a minute or so.
5. If  the VTS server is on the internet, right click on the new file and click copy.
6. In the Address bar at the top, type ftp://ftp.trihedral.com/incoming/. This will take you to Trihedral’s ftp site. Again, be patient. This may take a few minutes to complete loading.
7. When it does, point anywhere in the right hand window and right click.
8. Do not highlight any file or folder.
9. Click paste and wait for the file to transfer.
10. When it is complete, call or email Trihedral tech support to let us know it is done.

Question asked by: Blair Sooley

When drawing an object in VTS, how can I move or resize it one pixel at a time?

The object may be moved or resized pixel by pixel by using the arrow keys:

1. Select the object with the pick tool
2. To move it:
   1. Click it somewhere in the middle by holding down the left mouse button
   2. Position it near the desired position
   3. While holding down the left mouse button, use the arrow keys to move it pixel by pixel
3. To re-size it:
   1. Grab one of the re-sizing handles around the edge
   2. While holding down the left mouse button, use the arrow keys to change its size.

Note: VTS has a snap grid that makes lining up objects easy. The grid is controlled using the snap grid tool in the upper right hand side of the toolbar. It defaults to On with a 4 pixel square grid.

Can I put the Windows Close, Minimize, and Resize buttons on a VTS application?

Yes. 

1. Open the Config.ini file found in the root of the application's directory
2. Add this line:  DispMgrFullScreen = 0

This will put controls in the upper right corner of the window and allow you to close the application without having to bring up the WAM or VAM.

This is very useful during development.

Is it possible to see two or more VTS pages at the same time?

Yes. This is done using the "go to" buttons that may be placed along the bottom border.

1. Add "go to" buttons to the pages you wish to view:
   1. Open a page using the Menu in the bottom left corner
   2. Click the "+" button in the bottom right corner to add the "go to" button for that page
2. While in one page, right click on the "go to" button of another page

This will place a re-sizeable window of the newly selected page on top of the first page.

As many pages as desired may be added.

I have created a custom library for my VTS application. Where can I find the library modules in the Debugger?

When the custom library was created, it was declared in Appmod.web.

Search for this name in the debugger under Root\Code\.

The custom library modules will show up under this module.

How can I make GUI objects move? The x and y parameters must be constants.

There is a magic formula that allows you to put variables in the scaling parameters of GUI objects. By changing the values of these variables, the object will appear to move or to re-size.

Guixxxxx(
0, 1, 1, 0, { Left, Bottom, Top, Right },
1 - L, { Left Scaling },
B, { Bottom Scaling },
R, { Right Scaling },
1 - T, { Top Scaling },
1, { Overall Scaling });

Where L, B, R, T are variables containing the values you would normally put in the first 4 parameters. By changing the values of L, B, R, and T, the object can be moved or re-sized.

As an example, the following code will produce a guirectangle 30 pixels wide, whose top moves up and down between 0 and 100 pixels as Top goes from 500 to 400. The lower left corner is at x=200, y=500.

GUIRectangle(
0, 1, 1, 0, 1-200, 500, 230, 1-Top, 1 { Scaling },
0, 0 { Movement },
1, 0 { Visibility, scaling },
0, 0, 0 { Selectability },
Brush(12, 0, 1), Pen(0, 1, 1));

Can I modify the GUIButton to have different actions?

Yes. The GUIButton defaults to a momentary action, but it can also have a latching action or act like radio buttons. The action is controlled by changing the last 3 parameters of the GUIButton call (Downvalue, Upvalue, Variable). Each configuration is explained below with an example:

Momentary Button (default). This button will cause MB to be 0 in its normal (up) position, and MB will be 1 while it is held down. When the mouse is released, it pops up again.
{ Momentary Button }
GUIButton(
800, 200, 900, 230 { Outline of the button },
1, 1, 1, 1, 1 { No scaling },
0, 0 { No movement },
1, 0 { Visible; reserved },
64 + 4, 1, 0 { Left mouse button release },
7, 15, 8, 0 { Colors },
4, 0 { Number of sides; reserved },
"Start", "Starting" { Up and down labels },
\_DialogFont { Font },
1 { Down Value },
0 { Up Value },
MB { Variable });

Latching Button. This button will lock in the up or down position with each press. When it is up, LB is 0, when it is down, LB is 1.
{ Latching or Toggle Button }
GUIButton(
800, 250, 900, 280 { Outline of the button },
1, 1, 1, 1, 1 { No scaling },
0, 0 { No movement },
1, 0 { Visible; reserved },
64 + 4, 1, 0 { Left mouse button release },
7, 15, 8, 0 { Colors },
4, 0 { Number of sides; reserved },
"Start", "Stop" { Up and down labels },
\_DialogFont { Font },
1 { Down Value },
! LB { Up Value },
LB { Variable });

Radio Buttons. One of these buttons will always be depressed and all the others will be up. The value of RB will correspond to the depressed button (eg. RB = = 2 when the third button is down)
{ Radio Buttons }
GUIButton(
800, 300, 900, 330 { Outline of the button },
1, 1, 1, 1, 1 { No scaling },
0, 0 { No movement },
1, 0 { Visible; reserved },
64 + 4, 1, 0 { Left mouse button release },
7, 15, 8, 0 { Colors },
4, 0 { Number of sides; reserved },
"First", "First" { Up and down labels },
\_DialogFont { Font },
0 { Down Value },
0 { Up Value },
RB { Variable });

GUIButton(
800, 340, 900, 370 { Outline of the button },
1, 1, 1, 1, 1 { No scaling },
0, 0 { No movement },
1, 0 { Visible; reserved },
64 + 4, 1, 0 { Left mouse button release },
7, 15, 8, 0 { Colors },
4, 0 { Number of sides; reserved },
"Second", "Second" { Up and down labels },
\_DialogFont { Font },
1 { Down Value },
1 { Up Value },
RB { Variable });

GUIButton(
800, 380, 900, 420 { Outline of the button },
1, 1, 1, 1, 1 { No scaling },
0, 0 { No movement },
1, 0 { Visible; reserved },
64 + 4, 1, 0 { Left mouse button release },
7, 15, 8, 0 { Colors },
4, 0 { Number of sides; reserved },
"Third", "Third" { Up and down labels },
\_DialogFont { Font },
2 { Down Value },
2 { Up Value },
RB { Variable });

How do I add "close" buttons to pop-up windows in VTS?

Put a GuiButton in the small VTS page with the following script:

If GuiButton(---);
[
    Slay(Caller(Rootwindow(Self())), 0);
]