There are a lot of options to configure MacDialer. This page will help explain what some of these options mean, what they do, and how you can change them to your needs.
| General | |
| Sort by | This pop-up menu allows you to select how the names are displayed in the Phone Book Menu and Address Book Menu. You can sort by first name, last name, or do no sorting at all. |
| Show in | You can set MacDialer to display either in the menu bar or in the Dock. After changing this, you must quit and relaunch MacDialer. Sometimes, however, Mac OS X's is confused when the setting changes but the cache doesn't show it, resulting in MacDialer running but not appearing anywhere. You can't quit MacDialer using Force Quit, but you can open Activity Monitor in the Applications/Utilities/ folder and quit MacDialer from there. To correct OS X's cache, simply drag MacDialer from its folder to another folder (or the Desktop) and then drag it back. OS X's cache will update and MacDialer should launch correctly the next time. |
| Menu icons | MacDialer offers three types of menu icons to display what type each contact is. The default version uses small icons, the aqua version uses small aqua globes, and the alphabet version displays a letter. You can also turn these icons off if you prefer. |
| Auto-hangup delay | After you make a call, MacDialer waits before it disconnects from the modem. If MacDialer never disconnected, then you would hear the entire conversation echoed through your Mac. You can, however, choose to disconnect sooner or later or turn off disconnecting altogether. If you turn disconnecting off, then you can use another program such as Audio Hijack to record your phone messages. Simply select MacDialer as the recording source and record while you make your call. |
| Close... status window... | This option lets you choose to have MacDialer automatically close the dialing status window after MacDialer disconnects from the modem. |
| Run Applescript on dial | Turning this on prompts you with an open dialog box asking you to select an applescript. With this on, MacDialer will call the applescript that you select whenever it makes a call. This enables you to tie MacDialer in with other applications. More information is available in the applescript support help file. |
| Modem init string | The modem init string is your gateway to controlling the modem. The "Reset" button simply replaces the modem init string with the default modem init string if you have changed it. More information on modem init strings can be found here. |
| Services key equivalents | These three fields allow you to set the key equivalents to the items in the services menu. You can only have one character to represent the key equivalent and changes take place when you log out and log back in or the next time your Mac starts up. If the changes aren't reflected in the Services menu, look for any other MacDialer applications on your hard drive as Mac OS X may be looking at them rather than the version you just edited and remove them. These key equivalents are tied directly to the application and will be reset whenever you swap out an old version with a new one. |
| Show notice on call | Turning this on causes MacDialer to show a small window whenever it detects a ring through the modem. You can have the window close automatically by entering some value into the seconds field. |
| Dialing | |
| Use to dial | You can either use your internal modem to dial or use your Mac's speakers to dial. To use your internal modem, be sure to have a phone line connected to the modem and a handset available. MacDialer can only be used to place calls, not hold conversations. This is due to a limitation with the hardware. After you dial using your modem, pick up the handset in order to hold the call. To use the speakers, hold the handset near your Mac's speakers and call. The sounds from your Mac will cause your phone to dial the number. |
| Area code | MacDialer can "listen" for numbers from your area code and respond to them appropriately. If you have several area codes, then separate them with commas. |
| Prefix numbers starting with an area code... | MacDialer treats numbers starting with an area code like a local number. If you need to dial something prior to dialing local numbers and you aren't stripping the area code from numbers in your area code, then you should check this box. |
| Strip area code | If this box is checked, then MacDialer will strip the area code from any number that begins with an area code that you specified in the area code field. |
| Strip country code | In some parts of Europe and in many other cases, it may be necessary to strip the country code before you call a number. |
| Prefix local #s with: | If you have to dial a number to reach an outside line or otherwise need to prefix local numbers, check this box and put something into the text field. |
| Prefix 10 digit #s with: | If you need to prefix long distance numbers with a code or would like to place calling card information before every long distance number, then put that into this text field and make sure the box is checked. |
| Prefix all calls | No ifs, ands, or buts, all numbers will be prefixed with whatever you put here. |
| Redial on busy | By turning this on, MacDialer will attempt to redial a number if it detects a busy signal. You can set it to redial a certain number of times and the number of seconds it waits until it attempts a redial. |
| Format | |
| Format telephone numbers | MacDialer can format any numbers dialed to display in your preferred format. Checking this box enables the internal number formatter. |
| Formats: | There are 5 different formats available that are programmed into MacDialer. You can, however, create your own custom format by selecting the "Custom…" option and filling in the fields. The pound ("#") character will be replaced by numbers when formatted. |
| Country | Pretty self-explanatory although not always needed. By selecting a country, you are helping MacDialer format your numbers. MacDialer does not need this, but more future integration is planned. |