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05.Messages
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Chpater 5: Message Bases
5.1.0 Introduction and Overview:
The message bases are normally the heart of a bulletin board
system. They allow users to send messages between each other in
private, and also join in on public discussions with multiple people
involved. Not only can the message bases be just local, but they can
also be linked into networks spanning all over the world.
Concerning networks, 4D-BBS *DOES NOT* have a Fido-Net compatible
tosser or frontend. There is many freely available public domain and
shareware package for you to choose from. This documentation will
explain how to setup 4D to interact with these packages, BUT WILL NOT
explain how to setup the actual tosser/mailer itself. It is assumed
that you have already setup the tosser/mailer before you setup 4D.
You can setup 4D, before setting up the tosser/mailer, but you will
most likely have to re-configure many parts of the BBS afterwards.
Support of Usenet is accomplished by using the Amiga UUCP
package. Again, it is assumed you have this package setup AND
operable. The UUCP: assing must be used for support of this package.
For more information about networking, see the next Chapter 14
about network specifics.
5.1.1 Getting Started
Setting up the message bases requires planning, to prevent
jumping right in with both feet and get stuck. The first question
to answer is if you want to have networked sub-boards. It is usally
a good idea to keep your local sub-boards at the front of the list,
and your networked sub-boards at the rear of the list. Mixing the
lists can be VERY confusing to users.
There is several different *TYPES* of sub-boards. These are
Mail, NetMail, Local sub-boards, echos, and newsgroups.
5.1.2 Mail and NetMail:
Sub-Board number zero is ALWAYS the E-Mail (private) sub-board.
This allows users to send mail to each other without other people
(besides the sysop and the person the mail is intended for) being able
to read the mail. In a Fido-Net network, Sub-Board 0 can also be used
for Network Mail (NetMail). A piece of mail which does NOT have a
destination address will be considered local ONLY, while a piece of
mail WITH a network address will be prepared to be sent out the
network (by the tosser). There can be MULTIPLE netmail sub-boards
setup, and you DO NOT have to make sub-board 0 a net-mail sub-board.
If you wish to control which users can send net-mail, but want all to
be able to send local mail, then making sub-board one a net-mail
sub-board can accomplish this.
For Internet style mail, you must setup a SEPERATE sub-board with
the 'I' flag set. This will be the sub-board users can read and write
AmigaUUCP style net-mail messages on (RFC-822 compatible message
format). To accomplish this sendmail from AmigaUUCP must be operable,
and found in the UUCP:C directory. The directory name associated with
this sub-board WILL NOT be used. Instead UUMAIL: from the Amiga UUCP
pacage will be used. When a person checks to see if they have any
mail waiting for them on this sub-board, UUMAIL: is scanned for a file
name which matches the user's UUCP name. Sendmail will handle
directing mail to the proper areas, and the UULIB:Aliases file is
applicable to names used in this sub-board.
5.1.3 Local Sub-Boards, Echos, and Newsgroups
A sub-board in 4D-BBS is ANY messaging area. A Local sub-board
is a PUBLIC sub-board which is not networked. This is normally the
majority of the sub-boards, unless heavy networking in involved.
An "Echo" is the term reffered to a networked, public sub-board
in Fido-Net. The term arises because any messages which are posted
to an Echo is actually "Echoed" to many other sites which have also
elected to carry the particular echo. The name of an echo in
Fido-Net can be anything you wish, since echos work on a "tag name"
concept which are independant of the sub-board name. The directory
which you assign to this sub-board will be the link between the
tosser and 4D. You will also be able to assign an address (that is
independant of all other sub-boards) to the echo, to support
multiple networks.
A "Newsgroup" is the term given to an echo in UseNet. Newsgroups
are name dependant, so the name of the sub-board is VERY IMPORTANT and
must be given exactly. Normally names are a series of smaller parts
put togther with dots (IE: Comp.Sys.Amiga.Datacomm). Case is not
significant in the name, as 4D will put the name into ALL LOWER case
before processing it.
User's access to a sub-board can be controlled by granting them
either NO access, READ only, WRITE only, or BOTH read and write.
These options are configurable in both MB_ED and the user's account.
5.2.0 The Message Base Editor - MB_ED
The message base editor can be either ran from the workbench by
double cliking on its icon, or via a CLI by typing its name. From
4D-BBS itself the editor can be accessed by using the ":Y" menu
command or by using the FIFO door menu command (ie: "M:c F MB_ED").
If you run mb_ed from a CLI or the Workbench, you might have to
adjust the size of the window in order to see everything being
displayed.
5.2.1 The Main List Screen
Upon starting of mb_ed, you'll see the main list screen. This is
a short, quick listing of the most important attributes of each
sub-board. In general from left to right they are: sub-board number,
name, maximum number of messages, start and stop times, number of
total hours open, low and high messages, default new and member user's
access, sub-board flag, and network address.
At the main list screen, you can enter the number of a sub-board
to look at in more detail, and change the attributes of the
sub-board. If there is more than 12 sub-boards, you can go to the
next list by hitting <RETURN> or "n". You can go directly to the top
or bottom of the list by hitting "t" and "b", respectively. You may
also delete a sub-board directly from this menu with the "d' key, or
load in a different datafile, with the "r" key.
If you wish to save the changes you have made, select "s" from
this menu. Your changes will be saved, and you will be asked if you
want to "Save Current access levels to user defaults". What this
will do is make the new user and member access fields of this
datafile the DEFAULT access levels for a new user and a member (when
first validated). If this is your primary set of sub-boards, you will
normally say yes to this question. If this is an alternate set of
sub-boards, you will normally want to respond no to this question.
For more inforation on multiple sets of sub-boards see the later
discussion in section 5.3.0.
5.2.2 The Detail Edit Screen
Once you enter a number of a sub-board to edit, a new screen will
appear. This allows you to edit the attributes of a certain
sub-board. Below is a desciption of what each item.
Name: This is the name of the Sub-Board. The name of the
sub-board can be whatver you wish, except for the above noted case for
a Usenet newgroup. Maximum length of a sub-board name is 34
characters.
Path: The path of a sub-board is where the messages for this
sub-board should be stored. This path MUST BE UNIQUE in comparison to
all other sub-boards. This can also be anything you wish, and does
not have to follow any patterns. The default is Boards:Board_#,
where # is the number of the sub-board. This was carried over from
pre V1.65 version of 4D-BBS. For a UseNet Newsgroup, this path is
normally of the pattern "UUNews:Comp.Sys.Amiga.Datacomm" for Pre UUCP
1.16 and "UUnews:Comp/Sys/Amiga/Datacomm" for V1.16+. The maximum
length of the path can be 68 characters.
Flag: The sub-board flag tells 4D-BBS what type of messaging
system the sub-board will have. Below is a list of applicable flags.
The Name use rules ONLY apply to those systems allowing aliases to be
used. See overview section for information concerning different
sub-board types.
Flag Sub-Board type Name Use rules
---- ------------------- ----------------------------
Y Local Sub-Board Anonymous Names Allowed
N Local Sub-Board Anonymous Names NOT Allowed
R Local Sub-Board Real Names Only
F Fido-Net Echo Real Names Only
M Fido-Net NetMail Real Names Only
U Use-Net Newsgroup Real Names Only
I Internet NetMail Real Names Only
Low Mess: The current low message for this sub-board. Normally
this is not edited, since it is calculated by the high message number
minus the maximum number of messages.
High Mess: The current high message for this sub-board. This
value is stored in the "1.Msg" file for (a Newsgroup uses a file named
".next") in the path specified above. Normally this is not an
changeable value, except in the case the 1.Msg (or .next) file is
lost, you will need to re-enter this value, or the BBS will re-start
the numbering of messages at 2.
Max Msgs: When this number of messages is reached on this
sub-board, the lowest message will be deleted, after the new message
is saved. If storage space is ample, this number can be large. This
number should be se proportionate to the number of posts this
sub-board recives. On a high traffic sub-board, the number should be
larger, to allow people to read all the messages. For a Fido-Net
sub-board (flags M and F) the TOSSER is responsible for deleting
messages, and 4D will NOT delete any old messages, NO MATTER WHAT this
value is set to. Newsgroups use an expire theory, where the messages
are deleted after being on the system for a certain number of days.
4D-BBS will not delete messages on a Newsgroup sub-board. This number
should be an ESTIMATE of the amount of messages normally on the
sub-board, and will not reflect the ACTUAL number of messages.
Max Lines: When a person enters a message on this sub-board, this
value dictates the maximum number of lines they are allowed to enter.
If your computer is low on memory, you can set this to a lower value
to save memory. The memory requirement is 99 bytes times this number
(IE: 200 lines would require approximately 20k).
Start Hour: This is the time the sub-board opens up, allowing users
to read and write messages. See stop hour below.
Stop Hore: This is the time which the sub-board will close, and
not allow any users to read and write messages. If BOTH start and
stop hour are set to 0, the sub-board will be open 24hrs. A user with
SYSOP access overrides these two settings, and can always access the
sub-board.
Fido Adr: For a sub-board type F or M, this is the Origin system
address which will be included in the message. Normally this will be
your systems MAIN Fido-Net address, unless this sub-board is linked
into an alternate, FTN compatible network (IE: Amiga-Net or Trek-Net).
Status: This is the status of the sub-board, and works in
conjunction with the start/stop hour. If the setting is closed or
open, then the stop/start hour will predict which one is in effect.
A setting of read or write will limit a user to that one function,
regardless if they have access to the other. Finally, a status of
hidden will not show the sub-board, regardless of a user's access.
Newuser Acc: A new user will receive this access right for this
sub-board. possible flags are N-None, R-Read, W-Write, B-Both, and
S-Sub-Sysop (B+Delete). CASE IS SIGNIFICANT; If a user's access is
upper case then this sub-board is considered to me MASKED ON. That
means in a global scan situation, this sub-board WILL be checked. It
is suggested that networked sub-boards be defaulted OFF (lower case
letter). This keeps new users from always scanning network subs-board
when they log on (and puts less wear-and-tear on your hard drive).
The user is prompted to set the masks when they logon as a new
user, and can change them with the mask editor command.
Member Acc: Same as Newuser Acc: above, except this is the access
given to the user for this sub-board when the use is validated from
new user status to member status.
5.3.0 Sets of Sub-Boards
It is possible to have different sets of sub-boards. This is
accomplished using the menu command to load in an alternate sub-board
datafile. However, there is problems with doing this. The biggest
being there is no alternate access list loaded in for the user. This
means the user will ALWAYS have the same access lists, independant of
which set of sub-boards is loaded in. If multiple sets of sub-boards
are required, you must MIRROR your sub-boards access requirements.
Normally this is only required for sites who have a large amount
of networked sub-boards. The recommendation for this is to keep the
bottom part of all lists the same for each "set" (this would be the
mail and local subs) and then give the same access to the upper set
of sub-boards (IE: Sub-boards 0-15 for ALL SETS would be the same
local sub-boards, and then sub-boards 16-99 would be networked
sub-boards. The users would have controllable access to sub-boards
0-15, and given b access to sub-boards 16-99. This way when a new set
of sub-boards are loaded in, the access is always the same).
5.4.0 Menu Topology Setups
The most common way to setup the message bases on a BBS is to
have a seperate menu, off the main menu, which would contain all the
necessary message base commands. This is how the distribution disk is
setup. Another popular setup is to integrate the messaging commands
into the main menu. This is basically a merge of the main menu and
the message base menu described above. A less commonly used, but
interesting topology is the adeventure setup, where each menu is its
own sub-board area and file transfer area, simulating a small town,
castle, or other "setting".
As you can see, there is MANY possibilities you can take with the
flexibility of 4D-BBS. Your only limitation is your imagination, and
patience in designing and creating your masterpiece!
5.4.1 The user point of view
You may give the user any combonation, of the following seven
commands. Many of the commands have multiple settings or work
different, depending on the situation.
5.5.0 Posting a message
Posting a message envolves the user creating a message to be
sent to either a specific user in the case of E-Mail, or to all
users who have access to that particular sub-board, in the case of
public messages. A person can also reply to another message written
by a user. This message is treated a little different, as it will
have a parent message, and the user will also be able to embedd or
quote parts of the original message in their own message.
Whether posting a message, or replying to a message, the user
will always see several prompts before actually entering the body of
the message. All prompts have defaults which can be accepted by
hitting return. If the post is not a reply, the Title: field MUST be
filled in, or the post will be aborted.
5.5.1 Posting options:
Below are the different types of prompts, and their meanings, a
user can see while posting or replying to another message.
Anonymous:
If the sub-board is setup to allow anonymous posting, this
prompt will query the user whether they would like to post with an
anonymous name or not. Anonymous names always have an * preceeding
them to indicate it is NOT a true name. Currently Fido-Net echos,
Mail, and Newsgroups do not allow anonymous posters. The default for
this in NO.
To:
The name of the recipient of the message. If the message is NOT
a reply, the default for a public sub-board is "All", while the
default for an E-Mail sub-board is the SysOp's name. If the message
is a reply, the default will be the name of the author of the message
being replied to. In the case of internet mail, this field will
contain both the user name and the address (see the address field
below for Fido-Net). Usenet Newsgroups do not utilize this field, and
therefore users will NOT be prompted for this when posting or replying
on a use-net newsgroup. 4D-BBS does NOT check to see if the username
if valid, since it is possible to post a message to a use who is on
another system. It is up to the USER to make sure the name is entered
correctly.
Address:
The system's address of the user of the To: field. This prompt
will ONLY show up on a Fido-Net E-Mail sub-board. If the message is a
REPLY, the default will be the address of the author of the parent
message. If this post is NOT a reply, the default will be for local
delivery. 4D-BBS will try to decipher the address to find any faults
which might possibly be in it, before accepting the address. A
Fido-net address must have a ":" and "/" in it, with an optional "."
(ie: 1:346/24, or 1:346/24.5).
Title:
This is the title of the message being posted. If the message is
NOT a reply, hitting return at this prompt will abort the message. If
the message is a reply, a RE: will be preappended to the title of the
parent post (if it does not already start with one) and this will be
the default. The user does have the option of changing this, if they
want.
Once the user has successfully completed these prompts, they will
then be put into the message entry system. Please see section 5.9.0
for using the message entry system.
5.6.0 Reading Messages
Reading messages in 4D-BBS is one of the most commonly used
functions by users. Whether it be by the global quick scan option, or
by a single read command, the functionality is similar. When talking
about the read functions, the term "global read" will be used to
reference a read by the menu command ":j" and the term "normal read"
will be used to reference a read by the menu command ":p r". See
Chapter 8 for more information on the implementation and usage of
these two menu commands.
5.6.1 Global Quick Scan
The most popular type of reading messages by users is the "Global
Quick Scan". This is a function which will go through each sub-board
the user currently has masked on, and check to see if there is any new
messages. If there is, the BBS will put the user at a prompt allowing
them to execute any of the messaging functions. Once the user has
read all the new messages on a particular sub-board (or has chosen to
to skip to the next sub-board with out reading all the messages) the
BBS will move onto the next masked sub-board, until all have been
checked. This is a very easy way for users to read all the new
messages.
The Global Quick Scan is basically a stacked set of read
commands. Refer to the section on read command below for more
information on the specifics inside the Global Quick Scan.
5.6.2 Continuous and Manual Read Modes
There is two types of display modes: manual or continuous. In
manual mode, the user is prompted after each message is displayed for
the next command. In continuous mode the user is never prompted for a
command, and all messages will be displayed one after the other until
the last message is displayed. If the user is in a Global read mode,
the BBS will automatically go to the next sub-board and start
displaying messages, until ALL sub-boards have been checked. At any
time during continuous mode the user can abort the display, in which
they will be prompted whether they want to abort continuous mode or
not.
When a user has ANSI enabled, they can choose between normal read
mode, and full screen read mode. In full screen read mode the header
information will be kept at the top of the screen, while the body of
the message is scrolled underneath it. The user's terminal must
support the FULL set of ANSI commands in order for this to work.
Normal read mode will simply clear the screen before displaying each
message, and is a little faster than full screen read mode.
Continuous read mode is normally used when a user wants to
capture all the messages into a file, and read them offline. ANSI
Full Screen read mode is not recommended for continuous read mode.
Ansi normal read mode will NOT clear the screen before each post in
continuous mode (it will clear the screen before each post in manual
read mode), and is easier to read in a text file.
See the 'C' command in section 5.6.4 for information on how to turn
on continuous read mode.
5.6.3 Message Threading
For all sub-boards except use-net newsgroups and internet E-Mail,
message threading is also available. The behavior of message
threading is different depending on whether the user is in global read
mode, or normal read mode. The below dependancies describe the
behavior of message threading in the two situations, and assume
message threading is turned on. If message threading is NOT turned
on, a linear read will be used, and threads will be ignored.
In global read mode, the BBS will check to see if the message has
a parent higher than the user's initial last read message. If so,
this message will NOT be displayed, since it should have been
displayed already. If the message does not have a parent higher than
the intial last read, the message will be displayed, and then checked
to see if it has a child message. If a child message is found, that
message will be displayed, and the BBS will keep following the thread,
displaying each message as it goes along, until the end of the thread
is found (a message with out a child message). At that point, the BBS
will go to the message AFTER the original message, and this process
will start all over again, until the highest message is reached.
Normal read mode with threading is VERY similar to global read
mode, except for one slight difference: Each thread is considered to
be complete, and in order to display a message that is a part of a
thread, the user will have to manually move into that thread. If the
user were to start reading at number x, then any threads which
started below x WILL NOT be seen. This is confusing to some users,
and could possibly change in the future.
The structure of message threads are linear, and NOT tree. This
means that replies are not necessarily linked to the specific
message the user replied to, but are attached to the end of the
thread.
5.6.4 Read Commands
The following is a list of commands which are available at a
normal read prompt. Some commands are not always available, while
other commands can only be used by a SysOp or local user.
A: Read Message Again
Will re-display the last message which the user viewed.
B: Back a message
Will display the previously displayed message. If threading
is enabled, the threads will be searched, so using this command does
not always mean going to the message number one below the current
message. This command can also be invoked by the "-" and <DELETE>
keys.
C: Continuous Read Mode
This will start the continuous read mode. The user can hit a key
at any time to abort this mode. See section 5.6.2 for more detailed
information about this command.
D: Delete Current Message
If the user's account level is "SysOp" or has "S" status for this
sub-board, or they are the author of the current message, they can use
this command to delete the current message. If this message is in the
middle of a thread, the parent and child messages will be updated to
point to the other, esentially removing this message from the thread.
E: Edit Current Message
If the user's account level is "SysOp" or has "S" status for this
sub-board, or they are the author of the current message, they can use
this command to edit the current message. No changing to the header
information is allowed from this.
F: Find a Message
This command allows a user to enter a search string, and the BBS
will display any messages which contain the string in the header or
the body of the message.
H: Help
Displays the file "Text:ReadMsg.Help". This is basically a list
of all the read commands. This command can also be invoked by the "?"
key.
I: Read Individual Message
Allows the user to jump to a certaion message. Entering I can be
bypassed by just entering the actual message number at the prompt.
J: Jump to End of Thread
If in thread read mode, this will skip reading the current
thread, and go to the next message not associated with the current
thread. The messages in the current thread which have NOT been read
WILL NOT be displayed.
L: Local Save
If the user's account level is "SysOp" or they are logged onto
the BBS locally, they can use this command to save (or append, if
the file already exists) the current message to a text file. The user
is prompted for a file name, and should enter the full path. If just
the filename is given, the file will be saved in the directory the BBS
was started in.
M: Send Private E-Mail
This command will allow a user to send private E-Mail to the
author of the current message. It is treated as a "reply" so the user
can quote any part of the original message. The user can change the
name and address if they wish to send E-Mail to a user other than the
author of the current message. Currently this message WILL ALWAYS be
sent to sub-board 0. This may change in the future to allow the user
to select the destination sub-board.
N: New Messages
This command will display the next unread message on the current
sub-board. In global read mode, this is usually the same as hitting
return, unless the user jumped to a certain message.
P: Post a Message
This will allow the user to enter a new message which is NOT
associated with any other messages. If the user wishes to add a
message to the current thread, they should use the reply command
listed below. See section 5.5.0 for more detailed information about
posting messages.
Q: Quit Reading Messages
Stop reading messages, and abort the read command. If in Global
read mode, this will abort reading ALL sub-board. If the user just
wants to skip this sub-board and go to the next, they should use the
Skip command listed below. In normal read mode, this will end the
reading of messages.
R: Reply to Current Message
This command allows the user to add a message to the current
thread. The message will be added to the END of the thread, and NOT
at the point where the user actual replied at. See section 5.6.3. for
more detailed information on message threading.
S: Skip Reading Messages
This command will prompt the user if they would like to have all
the messages on the current sub-board marked as read. If the user is
in global read mode, they will then go to the next masked sub-board.
If they are in normal read mode, the command will return, as if the
"Q" command above was selected.
T: Toggle Thread Reading
Allows the user to select whether the BBS will display messages
in thread sequence, or ignore the message threads and show in
numerical sequence.
W: Who is the Author
If the author is a local user, and their account information is
public, this command will dispaly the user information about the
author. This is very similar to the ":5 w" menu command.
Z: Scan Message Headers
This will give the user a listing of the titles and authors of
the posts on the current sub-board. See section 5.7.0 for detailed
information on Scanning Messages.
&: Forward Message
This command allows a user to forward the current message to
another sub-board. If the user selects a mail sub-board, they can
forward this message to another user via mail. This command can
also be used to forward a message which is on an inapropriate
sub-board to the correct sub-board before deleting it from the
inapropriate sub-board.
/: Status of Read Mode
This command will display the status information about the read
mode, including current/low/high messages, date and time, and current
sub-board.
:: Toggle Display of Kludge Lines
This command will toggle the display of kludge lines for Fido-net
sub-boards. These are lines which begin with ^A, and also include the
Seen-By: and Path: lines at the bottom. For use-net this will display
the entire header before displaying the body.
!: Print Current Message
If the user's account level is "SysOp" or they are logged onto
the BBS locally, they can use this command to print the current
message to the PRT: port. The format is the same as the local save
command mentioned above. No form feeds or padding line feed are
printed, so its up to the user to make sure the printer is ready. If
the printer is NOT ready, it can cause the BBS to hang until it is
on-line. Use this command with caution when logged on from remote!
<: Jump to First Message
Will display the first available message on the current
sub-board.
>: Jump to Last Message
Will display the last available message on the current
sub-board.
.: Toggle Full Screen Read Mode
If the user has ANSI enabled, this will toggle full screen read
mode. See section 5.6.2 for information on full screen read mode.
+: Mark Attached File for Downloading
If the current message has a file attached with it, the user can
use this command to mark the file to download. The file will be added
to the mark list, and the user can download it with one of many
download commands. They can not however directly download the file.
This optional will probably be available in the future.
: Go to next message
If the user hits space, or <RETURN> the next logical message will
be displayed. See section 5.6.3 for detailed information on
determining the next message.
5.7.0 Scanning Messages
When a user does not wish to read all the messages on a sub-board,
this is an excellent command to use to check for any messages that
interest the user. This command is especially usefull when reading
networked sub-boards which have a high amount of traffic. By using
this command users can quickly and easily pick out messages to read,
without having to read all the messages.
When first invoked it will display the lowest and highest number
of messages on the current sub-board, and which message it will, by
default start scanning at. It defaults to starting at the last
message read by the user on the current sub-board. By hitting return,
the user can select the default, or they can enter their own starting
number. The function will list up to the highest message on the
current sub-board.
5.8.0 Secondary Message Commands
The following is descriptions of commands which don't directly
manipulate messages, but affect the way some of the direct commands
function.
5.8.1 Alter Masks
This command affects the behaviour of many functons associated
with messages. When a user sees a list of sub-boards, they will ONLY
see the sub-boards which they have masked ON. When they do a global
quick scan, only the sub-boards which are masked ON will be checked.
When they first select this command, they will be presented with a
list of the sub-boards they have access to. Any sub-board's number
preceeded by an * denoted a sub-board which is masked ON.
By selecting the CLEAR option, all sub-boards can be masked off.
Similarly, by selecting the All options, all the sub-boards can be
masked ON. Entering a sub-board's number will toggle just that
sub-board. By selecting NEXT or PREVIOUS, the user can see all of the
sub-boards. Hitting RETURN will go to the next set of sub-boards, if
there is one. If the user wishes to abort the selection, and use
their original masks, they can select quit, or they can select save to
update their masks with these new ones.
5.8.2 Listing Sub-Boards
When a user sees a list of sub-boards, they are presented with
several pieces of information about each sub-board:
00 Perosnal Mail Open 23 03:00 02:00 RWD 1:346/24
The first column is the sub-board number, followed by the
sub-board name. Next is the status of the sub-board as set in the
mb_ed program (and is also changeable via ARexx). Following the
status is the number of hours the sub-board is opened, with the
starting and stopping hours. Next to the stopping hour is three
letters showing the access the user has (Read/Write/Delete). Lastly
is the network address of the sub-board, or a blank if its local only.
5.8.3 Change Current Sub-Board
This command dictates which sub-board is the current sub-board.
Many menu commands can be passed a 0 to specify the action should be
performed on the current sub-board. This also affects the two EICS
which display the current sub-board number and name.
Normally this command is used in a menu with an input type of
"#". In this case the user is allowed to enter the sub-board number
directly without having to go through an intermediate prompt. The
":k 0" command can still be used to prompt the user for the sub-board
to make the current sub-board.
5.8.4 Macros
Users can store up to two macros within thier user account.
These are character combinations that can be used in the message
editor. A common use of macros is for a signature line or two at the
end of a message. The macros are accessed via the Control-P+Q and
Control-P+W commands.
When the macro edit command is envoked, both macros are
displayed, and the user has the option of editing either of them,
saving the changed macros into their user account, or aborting the
macro edit.
When creating a macro, the user can use any Control-P character
combination to implement color and styles. EICs are also accessable
in macros.
5.9.0 Message Entry System