flmsg - quick guide

flmsg is a simple forms management editor for the amateur radio supported standard message formats.  These current include:
It's data files are pure ASCII text that can be sent from point to point using the internet, amateur radio, or other electronic link.  The data files are designed to minimize the transfer size.  This is particularly important on amateur HF.  The data file and the transfer file are one in the same, but can be further encapsulated using either flarq or wrap for the purpose of confirming the received file integrity.

The File and Template menus are:

Menu's



Form Name
File Name
Drag and Drop Target
Can be used in lieu of the Drag-N-Drop
Panel







File:
New - clear all fields and name the default file "new.f2s" (new.m2s for radiogram)
Open - open an existing file flmsg data files have the extension

".i2s" for IARU form
".203" for ICS-203 forms
".205" for ICS-205 forms
".25A" for ICS-206A forms
".206" for ICS-206 forms
".213" for ICS-213 forms
".214" for ICS-214 forms
".216" for ICS-216 forms
".H203" for HICS-203 forms
".H206" for HICS-206 forms
".H213" for HICS-213 forms
".H214" for HICS-214 forms
".mds" for MARS daily report
".mis" for MARS IN/EEI report
".mns" for MARS net report
".nas" for MARS Army message
".nns" for MARS Navy message
".m2s" read as "message 2 send" for radiogram forms
".sws" for Red Cross Safety & Welfare report
".39s" for Red Cross 5739
".3as" for Red Cross 5739A
".3bs" for Red Cross 5739B
".p2s" for plain text, generic forms
".c2s" for comma-separated-value spreadsheets
".b2s" for blank forms

Save - save the current file to the name in the "file:" display box

Save As - save using a new filename that the user provides

View- write the data to specified type of file

Html delivery - viewed in default browser, contains only those elements sent to final recipient
Html file copy - viewed in default browser, contains ALL fields including record keeping
Text - viewed in default text editor - suitable for CW / Voice transmission

Q-forms

Import - Import the data fields from a Qforms eXtended Markup Language (xml) file

Export - Export the data fields to a Qforms compatible xml file

Wrap (Import / Export / AutoSend)

Import the data fields from a Wrapped data file.  If the data file is corrupt you will be given the opportunity to either allow flmsg to recover as many fields as possible or to view the file using the default text editor.

Export the data fields to a Wrapped data file

Create a wrapped datafile and save in the NBEMS.files/WRAP/auto directory.  If running, fldigi will find and automatically transmit the file.

Template:

Load - load an existing template file -  the default extension for the supported files are:

IARU template - "i2t"
ICS-203 template - ".203T"
ICS-205 template - ".205T"
ICS-205A template - ".25T"
ICS-206 template - ".206T"
ICS-213 template - ".213T"
ICS-214 template - ".214T"
ICS-216 template - ".216T"
HICS-203 template - ".H203T"
HICS-206 template - ".H206T"
HICS-213 template - ".H213T"
HICS-214 template - ".H214T"
MARS daily template - ".mdt"
MARS IN/EEI template - ".mit"
MARS Net template - ".mnt"
MARS Army template - ".nat"
MARS Navy templat - ".nnt"
Radiogram template - ".m2t"
Red Cross Safety & Welfare template - ".swt"
Red Cross 5739 - ".39t"
Red Cross 5739A - ".3at"
Red Cross 5739B - ".3bt"
Plain text template - ".p2t"
CVS-spreadsheet - ".c2t"
Blank text template - ".b2t"

Save - save the current form as a template file, using the default (or current) filename
Save As - save the current form as a template file, user provides the filenam

Note: data files and template files for ICS213 are identical.  The only difference is their location in the computer directory structure and their extension.  Message files and template files maintain their uniqueness by virture of their file name.  If you reuse a filename the old data will be lost.

File locations:

On XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\NBEMS.files
On Vista: C:\Users\<username>NBEMS.files
On Linux: /home/<username>/.nbems
On Puppy: /root/.nbems
On OS X: /home/<username>/.nbems

Data files are located in the sub directory "ICS/messages"
Template files are located in the sub directory "ICS/templates"
View files (.rtf, .html, .txt) are located in the "ICS/" subdirectory.
The compression panel is at the bottom of the main dialog.  You can elect to compress any file during transmission.  Compressed data must be converted to a character set that can be transmitted by fldigi.  The choices are base-64, base-128 and base-256.  A limited subset of digital modem types can be selected from the 2nd combo box.  If flmsg and fldigi are executing concurrently then flmsg will command fldigi to change modem when a new modem type is selected in flmsg.  Each time these controls are changed (when a change is made to the form itself) the status blocks for transfer size and number of seconds to transfer is updated.

Configuring flmsg

There are four separate configuration dialogs for flmsg:

 Personal data that will be used on various forms.  The Call is a required field.  If you leave it blank the program will nag you when you try to save a file, create a wrapped file, or use the autosend function.

  • Date format - select the date format that will be used for both ICS213 and Radiogram
  • Time format - select the time format that will be used for both ICS213 and Radiogram

  • Wrap - automatically open the target folder (directory) when the file is exported
  • All flmsg data streams can be compressed to reduce transmission time.  The compression will only be applied to the data part of the transmission, and it will only occur if the compression actually reduces the size of the file.  The compression information is recorded in the event log (see below).
  • Naming files - automatic file name generation as:
    CALLSIGN-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS(Z)-NNNN where
    CALLSIGN is the operators callsign
    YYYYMMDD is year, day, month
    HHMMSS is hours, minutes, seconds local or Zulu at time file is created
    NNNN is an auto incremented serial number
    You can elect to use any or none of the autogeneration components
    Filename extensions are f2s for ICS-213 data, f2t for ICS-213 templates and
    m2s for radiogram data.
  • Radiogram serial numbers can be auto-incremented.  The auto-increment number is also used for the file name.  In the example shown the next Radiogram will be number 104 and the associated file sill be W1HKJ-104.m2s
  • MARS roster file - Callsign entries in the MARS forms is from a combo box that is filled in from a configuration file.  This file is a simple CSV, Comma Separated Value, text file.  An example of it's contents is:

    CALL, LNAME, STATE, BCALL, POSITION
    AAR1AA,LNAME1,VT,,
    AAR1AB,LNAME2,NH,AAQ1EQQ,RS TUV
    AAR1BC,LNAME3,ME,AAQ1ERR,AB CDE

    Note that empty fields are still separated by a comma.  This file can be managed using a text editor or any spreadsheet program.

  • Radiogram format -
    • # words per line to be used when formating the radiogram message text
    • Auto increment the filename numbering
    • Assign a value to the next auto increment number
    • Add the ARL numeric descriptors to end of html form

 Configure server interface to fldigi.  Used for xmlrpc interface to fldigi.  Allows flmsg to control fldigi modem selection for a limited subset of the fldigi modem types.

AutoSend

flmsg can connect directly to fldigi using fldigi's ARQ socket service.  Fldigi acts as the server and flmsg the client.  Pressing the "AutoSend" button will initiate an immediate transfer of an encapsulated file to fldigi.  You should have fldigi prepared to accept the file for transmission.  The frequency (radio and audio) and modem type should be correct and if you are in a QSO then your contact should be prepared to receive the transmission.

Qform data file

flmsg can read and write Qform ICS213 data files.  The Qform data file is larger by virtue of the xml structure.  The file size ratio is less when the content is larger.

Viewing the data in a printable format

The program can produce a viewable document in ASCII text and Hypertext Markup Language (html) file formats.  After creating the document flmsg will request the file to be opened by the default viewer / editor for that type of document.

Html Text Format

The html Text Format file that the File/Write menu item produces can be opened with any web browser program.  Use that software for printing the report.

Command line parameters

Flmsg may be invoked from the command line (or parameters added to the launcher target).
--help
--version
--flmsg-dir "full-path-name-of-folder for all FLMSG folders"
--auto-dir "full-path-name-of-folder for autosend files"
  auto-dir and flmsg-dir can be separate and unique
--p FILENAME - print and exit
--b FILENAME - print and stay open

The --p and --b options are used by fldigi when it automatically opens flmsg to display a received flmsg data file.

The --flmsg-dir parameter is used to change the default location of all of the files associated with flmsg.  This should match with the same command parameter passed to fldigi.  This allows the user to run multiple instances of flmsg / fldigi with each keyed to the other.  For example the user might have separate flmsg/fldigi pairs for HF, VHF etc.  The default is

XP - C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\NBEMS.files\
Vista/Win7 - C:\Users\<username>\NBEMS.files\
Linux/Unix/OS X - $HOME/.nbems/

The --auto-dir parameter is used to further change the name of the folder used to contain the file that is sent automatically by fldigi.  Fldigi's command line parameter --auto-dir must match.  This is in addition to and over rides the --flmsg-dir parameter.  The default is:

XP - C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\NBEMS.files\WRAP\auto\
Vista/Win7 - C:\Users\<username>\NBEMS.files\WRAP\auto\
Linux/Unix/OS X - $HOME/.nbems/WRAP/auto/

Event Log

Events are recorded at various debugging levels (default is INFO) to assist the user in reporting problems to the developers.  The most recent event is at the top of the dialog.  The event log is opened from the Help | Event Log menu item:


Headers

A new feature in this version of fldigi is the ability of the program to track origination and modification of many of the message types.   The program also keeps track of the stations in the transmit path for a specific message. 

An example plaintext message:


When exported as a wrap file becomes:

[WRAP:beg][WRAP:lf][WRAP:fn W1HKJ-13.p2s]
<flmsg>1.1.14
:hdr_fm:19 W1HKJ 201214042019Z
:hdr_ed:19 W1HKJ 201210041840Z
<plaintext>
:tt:20 A plain text message
:to:5 Harry
:fm:4 Dave
:dt:10 2012-04-10
:tm:5 1339L
:sb:17 Bumps in the road
:mg:105 Life seems to have more than it's share of bumps in the road.  The secret is to stay alert at the wheel.

[WRAP:chksum A358][WRAP:end]

The :hdr_fm: is a first-to-last list of sending stations, each separated by a new-line character.

The :hdr_ed: is a first-to-last list of editing / modifying sations, each separated by a new-line character.

Each entry consists of the station callsign and the Zulu date time in YYYYMMDDMMHH format.

These can be viewed from within flmsg using the "Help | Header Trace" menu item: