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Text File | 1993-04-30 | 21KB | 505 lines

▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ Version 2.00 ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ (c) Copyright 1993 ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ By Tony Bonillo ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ TABLE OF CONTENTS - Introduction - Disclaimer - Archive Contents - Setting up YVC - Configuration File - Command Line Options - Problem Users - Status Line/Function Keys - The Log File - Errors - How the Door Works: A Quick Synopsis - Support INTRODUCTION "Your Vote Counts" is an online program (door) that allows users of BBS systems to cast their vote on polls set up by the system operator and by other users. Results of the polls are categorized by age and gender and a user may look for results of a poll based on these criteria. "Your Vote Counts" was created using Intelligent Communications Xchange's (with whom I am associated) Modem/Fossil toolkit, so THIS DOOR REQUIRES A FOSSIL DRIVER. The most popular fossil drivers are X00 and BNU, which are available on most boards that carry communications- related files. "Your Vote Counts" was marketed under the Shareware concept. You are legally obligated to purchase this door after continuing its use beyond a certain number of days. For this door, the number of days you are allowed is twenty-one (21). After this period, the door must be paid for or must no longer be used. See ORDER.FRM for the price and details for payment (sorry, I hate cross-references too, but ..). This door has some features that will not be activated until it is registered. I don't like to call it CrippleWare, though. The door will be completely usable unregistered, just some of the extended features won't be available. The features not available are: users' ability to add polls, bulletin creation, and multiple poll files. That's it. DISCLAIMER Use this door at your own risk. It has been tested, but with the thousands of different system configurations there's always a possibility that something could happen. Tony Bonillo is not responsible for any damages brought on your system by use or misuse of this program. You may copy this program for backup purposes only. You may also distribute unmodified copies of this program as long as the copyright notice is reproduced on all copies, and all files contained in the original archive are included with each copy. ARCHIVE CONTENTS The following files must be located in the archive you receive: YVC.DOC This documentation YVC.EXE Executable File - main program YVC.HST History of releases and what's new in latest version YVCLOAD.BAT Sample batch file to load YVC. DOBULLS.BAT Sample batch file to create bulletins YVC.POL Sample Poll File YVC.CFG Sample Configuration File ORDER.FRM Registration information and form README.1ST You should already know if you read it first! 100TO200.EXE Version 1.00 to 2.00 Conversion Utility 100TO200.DOC Version 1.00 to 2.00 Conversion Utility Documentation SETTING UP "YOUR VOTE COUNTS" DOOR This door is relatively easy to set up; that is, easier to set up than Windows. This door does require you to be DOS-literate. Here's a list of steps: 1. First, create a directory in which all files from the archive will be placed. Such as: C:\BBS\DOORS\YVC. 2. Unarchive the compressed files into this directory. 3. Change to said directory. 4. Set up the configuration file (see "CONFIGURATION FILE" below). 5. Set up your BBS software to use this door, using a menu command or adding the door however your software handles it. Every software package approaches this differently, so your best bet is to read its documentation. 6. Load your BBS and do a local logon to the door, or use the LOCAL parameter (discussed below). 7. Add some polls which you'd like your users to vote on. 8. Exit the door. CONFIGURATION FILE Using a text editor, bring up for editing the file named YVC.CFG, which is the default name for the configuration file. You may rename it if you wish. You'll see the default file: USERPOLLS YES SYSOPNAME Tony Bonillo NODE 1 EXITFILEPATH C:\BBS\DOORS\YVC EXITFILETYPE DORINFO UPDATEBULLETINS YES LOGUSERVOTES YES BBSNAME Modem XChange POLLFILENAME YVC The format of each line of the config file is: <option> <setting> there must be one or more spaces in between the option and the setting (not an = sign, just spaces). The order of options and their existence doesn't really matter (except for SYSOPNAME and BBSNAME). Here are the details on each option: BBSNAME (Default = '') This option defines the name of your BBS, to be shown when the door is registered. This option MUST exist. BULLPATH (Default = Current Directory) This is the path where the bulletin files (*.ASC and *.ANS) will be written. If not specified, current directory is assumed. EXITFILEPATH (Default = Current Directory) This is the path where the door will look for the BBS door exit file. You may add a trailing backslash if you wish, but it doesn't matter. The default is the current directory. Note that this is NOT the directory where your poll and user data files will be stored or retrieved; that is always the current directory. EXITFILETYPE (Default = DORINFO) This option tells the door what door exit file (drop file) to look for in the path specified by EXITFILEPATH. If your BBS doesn't create one of the following, look into finding DoorMaster or QKDoor programs, which convert many different door file types to the following formats. If you cannot locate these, you are out of luck. The setting should be: DORINFO for DORINFOx.DEF. The x will be filled in with the value of NODE (see above). This file is produced by QuickBBS, RBBS, RemoteAccess, SuperBBS, Ezycom, and others. DOOR for DOOR.SYS. This file is produced by GAP, PCBoard, Wildcat v3.xx, and others. CALLINFO for CALLINFO.BBS. This file is produced by Wildcat versions 1.xx and 2.xx. SFDOORS for SFDOORS.DAT. This file is created by Spitfire. LOGUSERVOTES (Default = NO) Most of what a user does is recorded in the log file YVC.LOG; this option adds recording of what users vote for. If set to YES, users' votes will be recorded in the log file. If set to NO, the votes will not be logged. NODE (Default = 1) This isn't presently a multi-node door, meaning it can be used by just one node at a time. If a node number is not specified here, 1 will be assumed. Multinode support is being worked on. I am studying and search- ing for methods in which to accomplish this in Turbo Pascal. If anyone has any suggestions, please notify me. POLLFILENAME (Default = 'YVC') This option, active only in the registered version, allows you to specify different filename prefixes in order to create multiple poll and user files. This setting must be a 1-6 character filename. This setting will have .POL and .USR appended to it, and will be used to store poll and user data. So if you wanted to have a set of polls of "general interest", you could use: POLLFILENAME GENINT would create GENINT.USR and GENINT.POL. When bulletins are created, GENINT##.ASC and GENINT##.ANS filenames are used. And in another *.CFG file, you could have a different setting for POLLFILENAME. So, to have multiple poll files you do need multiple configuration files. This is because you may want to have each poll have its own settings concerning bulletins, path, etc. An example: you have younger users that are not interested in topics of politics, etc. You could set up separate polls for your adult and younger users. SYSOPNAME (Required) This, obviously, is the system operator's name. Some door exit files such as DORINFOx.DEF supply the sysop's name; others do not. This option is here to make sure the sysop's name is known so that only this person can delete polls and other sysop-only functions. This option MUST be specified. And when you register the door, the name that appears here must be the same as the one on the order form you send in. UPDATEBULLETINS (Default = NO) This option determines whether or not updated bulletins containing the results of the polls will be created when the user quits the door. They will be created in the directory from which the door is executed. Their filenames are in the format <pollfilename>##.ASC (No Color) and <pollfilename>##.ANS (ANSI Color), where ## is the number of the poll. <pollfilename> is the setting specified in the POLLFILENAME variable. This can take a lot of time if there are a lot of polls. Because of this, there is also the option to use a command line parameter to specify that you want to create the bulletins (this parameter is independent of this config command), so that the bulletins can be created during an event, for example. Bulletins may only be created in the registered version. USERPOLLS (Default = NO) The setting should be 'YES' or 'TRUE' (no quotes) if you want users to be able to add their own polls. If this is not set to YES or TRUE, they will not be allowed. The sysop is always allowed to add polls. This feature is available in the registered version only. THE COMMAND LINE There are two types of command lines. Each is treated differently. The formats are as follows: YVC [LOCAL] [ConfigFileName] - OR - YVC /BULLS <SysopFirstName> <SysopLastName> <PollFileName> [BullPath] 1. YVC [LOCAL] [ConfigFileName] In this command line type, YVC accepts zero, one or two command line parameters. The first is either "LOCAL" (no quotes and case insensitive) or the name of the configuration file from which to read the setup information. If "LOCAL" is used, then the second parameter will specify the configuration file's name. If "LOCAL" or another config file name is NOT specified, YVC.CFG will be used. Also, if "LOCAL" alone is specified, the filename of the config file being used will be YVC.CFG. Examples: YVC LOCAL Loads Local Mode; uses YVC.CFG YVC LOcAl Also loads local mode; uses YVC.CFG YVC LOCAL TEST.CFG Also loads local mode; uses TEST.CFG YVC Reads YVC.CFG to determine which exit file is being used. YVC OTHER.CFG Reads OTHER.CFG to determine which exit file is being used. 2. YVC /BULLS <SysopFirstName> <SysopLastName> <PollFileName> [BullPath] This option is available even without a config file of any sort. What this does is instructs the door to create the result bulletins without loading the door. The config command UPDATEBULLETINS specifies that the bulletins will be updated as the user exits the door, taking a lot of time if there are a lot of polls. This option allows the bulletins to be created offline (usually during nightly maintenance), so the user doesn't have to wait so long. This will update the bulletins regardless of the setting of UPDATEBULLETINS. This type of command line is available only to registered users. This type accepts 4 parameters, 3 of which must be specified. The first is "/BULLS" (no quotes). The second is the sysop's first name as registered. The third is the sysop's last name as registered. The fourth paramater is the 1-6 character filename of the poll to use. It is the equivalent of the setting of POLLFILENAME in the configuration options. The bulletin files will be output in the format [PollFileName]xx.A?? in the current directory, where xx is the number of the poll 1-99, and ?? specifies ANSi (color) or ASCii (no color) output. The fifth parameter is optional. It specifies the directory in which to output the bulletin files. The current directory will be assumed, if another directory is not specified. You may press a key to abort the bulletin creation. Available in version 2.00 is a file that allows you to specify which bulletins to print. Its name must be in the format <pollfilename>.BUL. It consists of one line of numbers: 1 2 3 10 13 37 With the above *.BUL file, only bulletins 1, 2, 3, 10, 13, and 37 will be created. If a *.BUL file for a specified poll file does not exist, all bulletins will be produced. Please see accompanying file DOBULLS.BAT for a sample batch file to create the bulletins and move them to your text file directory. PROBLEM USERS With allowing users to enter polls, there are bound to be some instances of abuse. Therefore, there is a feature that allows you to specify a list of users who cannot enter polls. The format of the filename is <pollfilename>.BAD. An example: John Doe Bob Smith Dan Dilbert In this example, none of the above users would be allowed to enter polls. STATUS LINE AND FUNCTION KEYS When the door is invoked, you'll see a status line at the bottom of the screen (if you don't, we need to talk <grin>). It will have a few tidbits of user information as well as the name of the door. Pressing [F1] will show a summary of the available keys on the status line. Here's a list: Alt-H: Hang up on user and exit door Alt-X: Exit the door F2 : Show Main status line (Name, baud, etc). (Default) F3 : Alternate status line #1 F4 : Alternate status line #2 Up : Increase user's time limit by one minute Down : Decrease user's time limit by one minute PgUp : Increase user's time limit by five minutes PgDn : Decrease user's time limit by five minutes F10 : Invokes chat mode. Note that this is a simple chat mode intended for quickly solving problems the user is having. This is not intended for long term chats. It does not have word wrap, or any other nice features. LOG FILE The log file is designed to give you an idea of what your users are doing. Most of the main things users do will be recorded. There is also a config option that will determine whether the things users vote for are recorded in the log file. I have this option because I tend to have many political polls and I don't want to know who votes for what. You, however, may have other types of polls, or you may WANT TO KNOW who voted for what. (See LOGUSERVOTES config command above.) The log file is named YVC.LOG. ERRORS If an error occurs, it will be recorded in a file called ERROR.LOG. If the error cannot be tracked to you (such as you had a missing file), please consider writing a letter to me describing the problem so that it can be fixed. Or if you have enough money to call long distance, you could leave a message on my board. HOW THE DOOR WORKS: A BRIEF SYNOPSIS! When the door is loaded, the user is shown the main menu. The choices are to vote, to see the results of polls, to add their own poll, or to quit. If the user is the sysop, an option to do sysop functions is also presented. If the user chooses to vote, they're shown a list of the polls from which they may choose. They enter the number and are then shown the choices and asked for the number of the choice they want to vote for. If they've already voted on a poll, they are asked whether they'd like to change their vote. If they would rather not vote, the option of "No Opinion" is offered, also. After this, they are asked whether they want to see the results of the poll (updated with their choice). If the user chooses to see results, they are presented with three choices of how to see the results: by sex, by age group, or to just see the total results. If they choose to see it by sex or age group, they are shown the results of just those people. So if they wanted to see just how females voted, they choose female and they are shown the total number of females and how they have voted. If the user chooses to Add or Modify a poll, they're given two choices: Add or Modify. Users are only allowed to modify polls they have created (however, the sysop can modify anyone's for whatever reason; spelling, etc ..). When adding, they'll be asked for: - The summary or category of the question, - the full text of the question (2 lines), - up to 20 choices per poll, - whether to save what they have entered. When modifying, the same process is followed, but they may just press enter to keep an option, the summary or the question the same. Also, '-' quits editing of the choices when modifying. If modifying, the user will be asked whether to reset the poll. This is for instances in which poll choices have been reordered and the user file would not correspond correctly to the poll file. If the user is the sysop, they can choose [S]ysop Functions. At present the only function is to delete a poll. If you choose to delete a poll, the poll file will be updated, as will the user's voting records. It's always a good idea, though, to keep a backup of the data files. The user file is *.USR and the poll data file is *.POL, the * representing the setting of the POLLFILENAME variable. Also, you may delete *.USR and *.POL if you wish to re-start with new polls and new user file. If you delete either file, make sure to delete the other: they work together. SUPPORT You can always download the latest copy of "Your Vote Counts" on my board: Modem XChange (503)371-4241 300-2400 baud (Ugh, I know...) If you have any bugs or such, please call my board and report them. [EOF]