Conference virke::mrmemo

    
    Hi Yolanda,
    
> Here's the QUESTION: 
> Is there a way to pass .DX data through MRMEMO?
    
    Not as .DX, no. Whenever MRMEMO encounters .DX (or WPSPLUS) it will
    be converted to text by use of DCF (Document Conversion Facility). This
    obviously means that all sorts of word processing attributes like bold,
    underlining etc will be lost.
    
> Does MEMO mail system read binary text?
    
    The critical factor here is the software on the IBM side that MRMEMO
    connects to, the MEMO/Gateway. This connection uses a software protocol
    that will only allow transfer of EBCDIC Text documents. That is why we
    cannot pass binary data to MEMO.
    
> Is there any other way around this????
    
    Well, X.400 is theoretically the other way of connecting to MEMO from
    MAILbus. But the X.400 software on the MEMO side is very immature (it
    should have been released long ago but I'm not sure it has) and I'd be
    more than surprised if they could handle an arbitrary document format from
    there. You might want to check it out, but I'll wager you'll still end
    up with MRMEMO. BTW if your customer wants to go X.400 make sure he
    uses MRX for it. It can handle messages from all MEMO users through
    MRMEMO. MEMO's X.400 Gateway will only take care of their own users!
    
> Has anyone done anything similiar to this before?
    
    Not as far as I know. The problem is that our hands are tied as long as
    Verimation, owners of MEMO/Gateway, don't allow alternate document
    formats. We have approached them for a change but they move rather
    slowly. It would probably help if you and your customer, with the
    weight of ABB, could put some pressure on them. This goes for anybody
    else with similar requirements. What do our German friends say? 
    
    A useful address to a person with product requirement responsibilities:
    
    Verimation AB
    Att: J�rik Hirschberg
    421 32 V�stra Fr�lunda
    Sweden
    
    
    Can I suggest a letter along the lines of:
    
    ===========================================================================
    
    Dear Sir,
    
    We the Strategic Account Worldwide Corporation would like to see the
    an enhancement in your MEMO/Gateway software:
    
    - allow the transfer of the following wordprocessing formats through
    the Gateway:
    
      o DX
    
      o WPSPLUS
    
      o WORD-xxx
    
      o ---
    
      o any unspecified binary format
    
    
    yours etc,
    
    ===========================================================================
    

    Re .-2:
    
    DECdx is one header line with some ESC sequences followed by ASCII 7
    bit. So you could try to send your DX within a TEXT bodypart (customize 
    ALL-IN-1 to convert your documents to DX, rename the DX file to .TXT
    and use the CABINET subsystem to create a new document). 
    
    May be that the DX header will be destroyed by MR/MEMO (depends on the
    translation table). Nevertheless the DX data will be received by your
    PC user (in EBCDIC). So I guess you'll have to reconvert EBCDIC to ASCII
    and may be it's also possible to recreate a 'correct' DX header.
    
    Even if this will work then there is the impact that you can't send to
    mixed distribution lists. All recipients must be MEMO PC user.
    
    Regards,
    
    Rainer

    
    Re .2
    
    Yes, Rainer's suggestion is worth investigating. MRMEMO uses the
    standard SNA character translation table by default, but you could
    specify any table you want. If you manage to carry through all
    characters DX->EBCDIC->DX then it should be feasible.
    
    cheers,
    
        Stefan
    	

    Re .-2
    
    I am not following what you mean as a test bodypart.  Do you mean
    sending the DX document as an attachment? or including as text in
    the ALL-IN-1 mail message?
    
    Help me understand what you mean.
    
    
    Yolanda

    In addition to my questions in .4, will the solution for including DX
    documents work?  The cusomer wants to be absolutely certain that he
    will be able to transfer DX documents to MEMO mailsystem "or" he does
    not want MRMEMO.  I really think that MRMEMO is the best solution but
    he needs the assurance that I cannot give.  
    
    Can anyone give me a YES this will work??
    
    Trying to get MRMEMO for ABB, Yolanda

    I think nobody can guarantee that it really will work. I guess it
    should work. 
    
    For clarification of 'text' bodypart. 
    
    A NBS bodypart has (roughly spoken) two parts, i.e. the data and a tag
    describing the data. All gateways are looking at the tag and then
    calling the suitable conversion routines. If you are sending a TEXT
    document from ALL-IN-1 then MR/MEMO will convert the data to plain EBCDIC
    text (character by character). If you are sending a DX (or WPS-PLUS)
    document then conversion routine also converts the data to plain EBCDIC
    text and you'll lose all informations describing the document
    attributes. 
    
    But DX documents luckily are encoded as TEXT (try to $ EDIT/EDT a DX 
    document and then do the same for a WPS-PLUS document and you'll see 
    what I mean). So sending DX means sending more or less text but setting
    the tag to DX. You must tell ALL-IN-1 to send DX but tag it as TEXT.
    This can be done by (I don't know the exact syntax)
    
    1.	ALL-IN-1   Text Transfer Send to VMS "file.DX"
    
    	Now your document is in DX format (due to extension DX)
    
    2.	DCL        RENAME  file.DX  file.TXT
    	
    	Now the DX data are in a file called .TXT
    
    3.	ALL-IN-1   Text Transfer receive from VMS "file.TXT"
    
    	ALL-IN-1 tags the new document as TEXT (due to extension .TXT, try the
    	ALL-IN-1 command <FULLDB). If you are sending this document by 
    	Electronic Mail then MR/MEMO will convert the content character by 
    	character (using a translation table).
    
    So on the MEMO system you must load this document to the PC and convert
    it back character by character. Then on your PC you'll have a DX
    document if the PC download doesn't destroy anything.
    
    Rainer

    
    Hello again,
    
    In addition to Rainer's very complete explanation I can tell you that I
    performed some tests with MRMEMO and DX: 
    
    I created a rather uncomplicated document using WPSPLUS, the document
    contained some bolding and underlining. Then I used ALL-IN-1's
    conversion facilities to copy it into a DX file. After that I used
    VMSmail to post the message through MRMEMO and back (meaning that it
    was converted to EBCDIC and back to ASCII). The translation table used
    was the MRMEMO default MRMEMOTRA.TBL. Finally I imported the
    document into ALL-IN-1.
    
    The result: It worked! The bolding and underlining was still there.
    Obviously this is no guarantee that we'll be able to handle everything
    but it certainly gives us some hope.
    
    
    cheers,
    
    	Stefan

    THANK YOU!!!!  THANK YOU!!!  THANK YOU!!
    
    I would like to thank you both for being so patient in explaining how
    to transfer the document.  You have HELPed me TREMENDOUSLY.
    
    Again, THANK YOU!!!
    
    Yolanda

    
    "...it's all in a day's work for Bicycle Repair Men"
    
    Anyway I just couldn't resist supporting someone with such a beautiful
    name.
    
    :-)
    
    	Stefan