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Software Vault: The Gold Collection
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Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
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dsply20.zip
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DISPLAY.DOC
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1993-04-28
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550 lines
******************************************************
* *
* DISPLAY.EXE v2.0 Copyright (c) 1991 - 1993 *
* *
* Sagerquist Micro Engineering *
* *
* 1414 W. Kerrick Street *
* Lancaster, Ca. 93534 *
* Data (805) 723-6908 *
* *
******************************************************
DESCRIPTION
-----------
DISPLAY.EXE is a BBS news letter display program. DISPLAY will
show the BBS caller the news letter named on the command line.
You may customize the initial question, the pause statement, and
the final pause statement to match your language, dialect or tone.
You may insert the caller's name within the news letter and the
custom startup question file if you desire. You may force the news
letter to be displayed skipping the initial question altogether.
DISPLAY does not create the news letter itself, it just displays it.
SYNTAX
------
The command line switches may be placed in any order. Only two
are required, the others are optional, and have default values.
/B:[(BBS)] Required.
/F:[News file name] Required.
/A:[YES/NO (Ask caller to display)] Optional. Default: YES
/P:[YES/NO (23 line pause in news file)] Optional. Default: YES
/D:[BBS file DIRECTORY (no file name)] Optional. Default: Cur Dir
/Q:[Question file name] Optional. Default: No File
/W:[Time delay (wait) on exit] Optional. Default: Disabled
/S:[Filename.Ext (Display File Sequencer)] Optional. Default: Disabled
EXAMPLES
--------
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /F:NEWSFILE
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /A:YES /P:YES /F:NEWSFILE /Q:NEWS_Q
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /A:YES /P:NO /F:NEWSFILE /D:C:\MEGAHOST\DATA
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /A:NO /P:NO /F:ADVRTISE /D:C:\MEGAHOST\DATA /W:500
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /A:NO /P:NO /F:TEMP_AD /D:C:\BBS\DATA /S:ADS.SEQ /W:500
Note: File names only, no extensions, except for the /S: switch.
SUPPORTED BBS'S
---------------
Megahost: MH# (MEGAHST#.DEF) Note: # = Node Number
PCBoard: PCBOARD (PCBOARD.SYS)
QuickBBS: QBBS# (DORINFO#.DEF)
RBBS: RBBS# (DORINFO#.DEF)
Remote Access: RA1 (DOOR.SYS)
Remote Access: RA2 (DORINFO1.DEF)
Teleguard TELEGUARD (CHAIN.TXT)
TGP TGP (CHAIN.TXT)
TRIBBS: TRIBBS_D (DOOR.SYS)
TRIBBS: TRIBBS_T (TRIBBS.SYS)
Wildcat: WILDCAT (CALLINFO.BBS)
World War IV: WWIV (CHAIN.TXT)
FILES IN THIS ZIP PACKAGE
-------------------------
DISPLAY EXE -- Executable Program.
TEST1 BAT -- Batch file for testing.
DISPLAY DOC -- Document file: This file.
NEWS ASC -- Sample ASCII news file.
NEWS ANS -- Sample ANSI news file.
DISPLAY REG -- Registration number file.
MEGAHST1 DEF -- Sample BBS file.
OPTIONAL ZIP -- Optional files for custom operation:
NEWS_Q ASC -- Custom ASCII start question file.
NEWS_Q ANS -- Custom ANSI start question file.
DISPLAY MOR -- Custom pause statement.
DISPLAY PKC -- Custom "Press a key to continue..." statement.
TEST2 BAT -- Batch file for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
ADS SEQ -- DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING control file.
AD_FILE1 ASC -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
AD_FILE2 ASC -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
AD_FILE3 ASC -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
AD_FILE4 ASC -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
AD_FILE1 ANS -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
AD_FILE2 ANS -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
AD_FILE3 ANS -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
AD_FILE4 ANS -- Sample ad for testing DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCING.
SETUP
-----
Create a directory for DISPLAY and all of its associated files. Place
all the necessary files in this directory. Your calling batch file
should change to this directory, run DISPLAY.EXE, and change back
to a safe directory for the remainder of BBS operations.
SAMPLE BATCH FILE
-----------------
@ECHO OFF
C:
CD C:\BBS\DISPLAY
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /F:GOODNEWS /Q:GOODNS_Q /D:C:\BBS\DATA
CD C:\BBS\START
COMMAND LINE SWITCHES
---------------------
/B:???
------
Use the BBS switch for the BBS you are running. Please keep in
mind that although different BBS's create caller definition files
of the same name, their content may be different. Remote Access
and WILDCAT! both create DOOR.SYS, but RA's DOOR.SYS file is 6
lines long, and WILDCAT!'s DOOR.SYS is 52 lines long. Be sure to
use the proper switch.
/F:???
------
The filename with the /F: switch has no extension. DISPLAY.EXE
requires 2 files to exist with the same file name, but with
different extensions. The extensions ".ASC" or ".ANS" are appended
to the filename depending on the color switch in the BBS file
(DOOR.SYS, MEGAHST1.DEF, etc.). The extension ".ASC" is for
noncolor ASCII text files, while ".ANS" is for color ANSI files.
Both files should exist in preparation for color and noncolor
callers. If an extension is accidentally placed on the command
line, like "NEWSLETR.TXT", the extension will be replaced with
"ASC" or "ANS".
/D:???
------
This switch allows you to define what directory the BBS's caller
definition file is located. Prior releases of DISPLAY.EXE required
the BBS file (DOOR.SYS, etc.) to be copied to DISPLAY's directory.
Not so any more. This switch will save your computer a time
consuming step.
/A:???
------
Depending on the command line switch, (/A:YES or /A:NO), the caller
may or may not be asked if he/she wants to view the newsletter.
If the newsletter is directed toward everyone, and you want to
ensure that all callers will view it, use /A:YES. This is the
default value if it is not used on the command line. If the
switch /A:YES is used, will see the statement:
"Display the News Letter? (Y/n) "
The caller has the choice to view the news letter or skip it. Y is
default answer if the <ENTER> key is pressed. If the switch /A:NO
is used, the caller has no choice, the newsletter will be displayed.
/Q:???
------
This switch must be used with /A:YES. The question:
"Display the News Letter? (Y/n) "
can be replaced with a customized question. Just place the file
name (no extension) after the "/Q:". DISPLAY will append the
question file name with the extension "ASC" or "ANS" depending on
the color switch in the BBS file (DOOR.SYS, MEGAHST1.DEF, etc.).
The question files must be present in the directory. This question
file may be as large as you like. Do not exceed 255 characters per
line. The name you choose can be anything, but for organization,
I suggest that the news letter file and its question file have
similar names:
/F:NEWS and /Q:NEWS_Q
/F:B_DAY and /Q:B_DAY_Q
/F:BIRTH and /Q:BIRTH_Q
You'll appreciate this convention when your DISPLAY directory
becomes loaded with news files and question files.
/P:???
------
If the switch /P:YES is used, the news file will pause every 23
lines. If the switch /P:NO is used, the news file will not pause
until the full file has been displayed. The /P:(YES/NO) switch
only affects the news file. The alternate initial question file
(if defined on the command line) will still pause every 23 lines.
Once into the newsletter, if the /P:YES command line switch is used,
23 lines at a time are displayed, then DISPLAY will pause with the
message:
"Continue? (Y/n)"
The caller has the choice to continue or quit every 23 lines. Y is
default. Many communication programs use one line as its own status
line. This leaves 24 lines for viewing the BBS. The 23 lines from
the news file and the line stating "Continue? (Y/n)" amount to
24 lines. DISPLAY.EXE is designed to send only 24 lines at a time,
filling the remote screen.
/S:???
------
This switch invokes the DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCER, by defining the
sequence file name: /S:ADS.SEQ In this file is a list of files.
Each file to be sequentially displayed is listed without any
extensions. A file name in this list requires two files to exist.
For example, ADS.SEQ contains the following list of files:
AD_FILE1
AD_FILE2
AD_FILE3
AD_FILE4
The actual files that must exist are AD_FILE1.ASC & AD_FILE1.ANS,
AD_FILE2.ASC & AD_FILE2.ANS, etc., (ASCII and ANSI).
The sequencer function will copy the pair of files to the file name
defined with the /F:??? switch. If the switch was /F:TEMP, then
AD_FILE1.ASC & AD_FILE1.ANS will be copied to TEMP.ASC & TEMP.ANS
prior to being displayed. If one or both of these files does not
exist, DISPLAY.EXE will exit with ERRORLEVEL 30, and the sequence
position file will not be updated.
The position in the sequence is maintained in another file created
and updated by DISPLAY.EXE. If the sequence file is ADS.SEQ, the
sequence position file will be ADS.NUM. If the sequence file is
BIBLEMSG.SEQ, then the sequence position file will be BIBLEMSG.NUM.
After the last file is displayed, the sequence starts over.
The idea here is to use DISPLAY.EXE to send one of many single screen
messages to the caller while loading a trap door program. Every time
a caller enters the door, the next file in the sequence will appear.
Used with the /A:NO, /P:NO, and /W: switches, the message will be
displayed and no input will be required from the caller.
Technique: Create a separate directory for the actual files that
will be sequentially displayed. Define the full path in the sequence
file:
C:\BBS\DISPLAY\SEQUENCE\AD_FILE1
C:\BBS\DISPLAY\SEQUENCE\AD_FILE2
C:\BBS\DISPLAY\SEQUENCE\AD_FILE3
C:\BBS\DISPLAY\SEQUENCE\AD_FILE4
An example of this operation is in OPTIONAL.ZIP, and tested through
TEST2.BAT.
/W:???
------
At completion, the statement:
"Press a key to continue..."
is displayed, allowing the caller time to read the last of the
news. If you would rather the program just pause for a defined
amount of time at exit, use the /W:# switch. The purpose of this
switch is to allow for a message to be displayed for a period of
time without waiting for a user keystroke. For example, you might
set up a screen of advertisements to be displayed for 10 seconds
prior to entry to an online game. The switch would then look like
this: /W:1000 The number is in 1/100ths of a second increments.
1 second is 100, 5 seconds is 500, etc. Maximum is 2147483647.
360000 would be 1 hour. 2147483647 would be about 5,965.23 hours,
or 248.5 days. The caller would probably hang up first. The /W:#
switch disables the "Press a Key to Continue..." you normally see
on exit. /W:0 is the same as no /W:# statement at all.
Optional Files
--------------
If the file DISPLAY.MOR exists, (found within OPTIONAL.ZIP), then
the default pause statement
"Continue? (Y/n) "
is replaced with the text within this file.
If the file DISPLAY.PKC exist, (found within OPTIONAL.ZIP), then
the default exit pause statement...
"Press a key to continue..."
is replaced with the text within this file.
This allows you to customize the output of DISPLAY.EXE to match
your dialect, language, etc. at your whim.
The files DISPLAY.MOR and DISPLAY.PKC (found within OPTIONAL.ZIP),
will be used if they are placed in the default directory where
DISPLAY is called from. DISPLAY.MOR and DISPLAY.PKC need not exist
at all.
Pause and Stop during the Display
---------------------------------
At anytime during the process, the caller or local keyboard may
interrupt the display by pressing 'P' for a pause or 'S' to Stop.
The pause will last 2 minutes, then continue to fill the screen to
the 24 line limit. The stop will terminate and exit DISPLAY.EXE
with ERRORLEVEL 5.
NEWS LETTER FILE
----------------
This file is your choice. You must have both ASCII (straight text,
file extension .ASC) and ANSI (color, file extension .ANS) files
available. DISPLAY.EXE will choose the correct file depending
on the status of the color switch in the BBS file (DOOR.SYS,
DORINFO1.DEF, etc). This filename may contain a path, but do not
include an extention:
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /A:NO /P:YES /F:C:\BBS\DATA\NEWSLETR
You must supply both of the news letter files! DISPLAY.EXE does not
create them. DISPLAY.EXE is only a program for the display of them.
CUSTOM QUESTION FILE
--------------------
This file is your choice. You must have both ASCII (straight text,
file extension .ASC) and ANSI (color, file extension .ANS) files
available. DISPLAY.EXE will choose the correct file depending
on the status of the color switch in the BBS file (DOOR.SYS,
DORINFO1.DEF, etc). This filename may contain a path:
DISPLAY /B:MH1 /A:NO /F:C:\BBS\DATA\TWARS /Q:C:\BBS\DATA\TWARS_Q
You must supply both of the question files! DISPLAY.EXE does not
create them. DISPLAY.EXE is only a program for the display of them.
CALLER'S NAME INSERTION
-----------------------
In the newsletter files and the custom question files, the character
'' character (from the <CTRL> E) will be replaced with the caller's
first name, and the '' (from the <CTRL> F) will be replaced with the
caller's last name. This allows you to personalize your message to
each individual caller. Be sure to leave room on the line for these
characters to expand to names, or the line might get cut in half.
For example:
Hello, . How are you today? I trust the family is doing fine, .
Will be transmitted looking like this:
Hello, Carl Sagerquist. How are you today? I trust the Sagerquist family is do
ing fine, Carl.
Obviously, not desirable appearance. Remember to leave room for the
names to be inserted to the line.
LIMITATIONS
-----------
1 - Each line of the news letter file must NOT exceed 256 characters,
including the carriage return. This allows room for ANSI escape
characters.
2 - ASCII text must not exceed 80 characters per line INCLUDING the
CR/LF (the <ENTER>). In other words, each line must not exceed 79
visible characters or they will spill to the next line. This will
cause DISPLAY.EXE to send more than 23 lines at a time.
3 - If either name exceeds 15 characters, the name will be cut to 15
characters. This should be adequate for 99.9% of all callers.
4 - The (drive:\path\filenames) from the command line may be 65
characters long.
5 - ASCII or ANSI files only. The extended characters may be used,
but use caution:
- Some of them are not accepted at the remote properly.
- Files created with a word processor in Document mode will not
display correctly.
- The characters and (<CTRL> E and <CTRL> F) are interpreted as
placement of the caller's first and last names.
6 - There is no automatic word wrap. Words may be cut in half at
the right edge of the remote (and your) screen if the lines exceed
80 characters. The lines may be 256 characters long to accommodate
the ANSI escape characters. Be sure that each line does not exceed
the 256 character limit.
7 - On the lines where the caller's name will be inserted, use caution
not to allow the name to offset the remainder of the text on that
line to beyond 80 characters.
REGISTRATION
------------
This program is Shareware. DISPLAY.EXE represents many hours of
dedicated work. You may evaluate this program for a period of 30
days. If you decide to continue its use, a registration fee of
$10.00 is required. If used for commercial purposes, registration
is $20.00. Please send a check or money order to:
Sagerquist Micro Engineering
1414 W. Kerrick St.
Lancaster, Ca. 93534
USA
Registration removes the banner displayed on program exit.
Your support is greatly appreciated!
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
---------------------
DISPLAY handles its own Com Port I/O. No redirection programs are
required. Com Ports 1 through 4 are supported.
Carrier loss is no problem. DISPLAY will reset all interrupts to
their prior status, and exit clean. Test this feature by typing
the ~ (tilde) character at any prompt.
The keyboard timer is set to 2 minutes. If a caller waits a full
120 seconds without any keyboard entry, DISPLAY will exit clean.
Test this feature by typing the (Ctrl A) at any prompt.
Command line switches may be placed in any order.
Files are accessed in "Share Mode". When the DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCER
feature is being used, the file that maintains the sequence position
is "locked" prior to writing. This technique is necessary in a
multitasking environment.
ERRORLEVELs
-----------
On exit of DISPLAY.EXE, an errorlevel is returned to the calling batch
file. Each errorlevel has a different meaning:
ERRORLEVEL 35 - Unsupported COM port.
ERRORLEVEL 30 - A necessary file could not be accessed.
ERRORLEVEL 20 - Carrier loss.
ERRORLEVEL 15 - Keyboard time out.
ERRORLEVEL 11 - Unrecognized command line switch.
ERRORLEVEL 10 - Caller declined to read the newsletter.
ERRORLEVEL 5 - Caller partially read the newsletter.
ERRORLEVEL 0 - Caller read the newsletter completely.
These ERRORLEVELs allow the sysop some degree of control, should
there be a need to do something on exit: If the caller does not
read the newsletter, you can enter a statement to your BBS log file
by checking for the appropriate errorlevel:
IF ERRORLEVEL 10 IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 11 ECHO Declined Newsletter >> C:\BBS\BBS.LOG
DISCLAIMER
----------
This program is distributed as is. No warranty, either expressed or
implied is offered and the programmer is not responsible for any
damages or expenses that may occur through the use of this program.
The user shall determine its suitability. Please communicate any
difficulties with the programmer through the BBS at (805) 723-6908.
If you like this program, drop me a message at (805) 723-6908 and
let me know. If you have any ideas for improvement, or new ideas
you'd like to see, call and let me know. Many of the enhancements
to the programs I've created come from the users themselves. I
welcome your response!
Thank you for using DISPLAY.EXE!
Carl Sagerquist
Sagerquist Micro Engineering
1414 W. Kerrick St.
Lancaster, Ca. 93534 USA
BBS (805) 723-6908 300 - 16800 BAUD
HISTORY
-------
Version 2.0 - 04/27/93 - Revised support for PCBOARD through PCBOARD.SYS.
- Added the DISPLAY FILE SEQUENCER feature through
the command line switch /S:[Filename.Ext)]
- All files now opened in "Share Mode", for safety
when operating in a multitasking environment.
Version 1.9 - 03/08/93 - Command line switches overhauled for simplicity.
All BBS type switches replaced without the leading
dash: -MH1 is now /B:MH1, etc.
- /P:YES and /P:NO added to allow the sysop the option
to display files that exceed 23 lines without pausing.
This makes DISPLAY.EXE operate cleanly with large ANSI
animation files.
- /W:# added, causing a pause (wait) for a specified
time at exit, rather than wait for a keystroke.
Version 1.8 - 01/31/93 - COMM routines overhauled. Interrupt driven receive
and transmit, and more thorough error checking is
performed. RTS/CTS flow control used.
- Operation with MEGAHOST revised to read MEGAHST#.DEF
where the # is the node number.
- Operation with PCBOARD revised to read the 52 line
DOOR.SYS.
- Operations with QBBS and RBBS revised to include the
node number ie. -QBBS1 or -RBBS3, etc.
Version 1.7 - 04/08/92 - New syntax to accommodate different custom question
files for each use.
- Custom question file is now definable on the
command line.
- The file names ONLY, no extensions, is required on
the command line. The extensions .ASC and .ANS
are appended automatically depending on the color
switch in the BBS file.
Version 1.6 - 01/01/92 - Added the translation characters and for use in
the files DISPLAYQ.ASC and DISPLAYQ.ANS.
- Added the pause to DISPLAYQ.ASC and DISPLAYQ.ANS
allowing this file to exceed 24 lines.
- Added the command line switches "-ASK" and "-NOASK".
Version 1.5 - 12/01/91 - Custom initial question file and newsletter file
may now be interrupted. 'P' to (P)ause,
'S' to (S)top and exit DISPLAY.
Version 1.4 - 10/28/91 - Removed the advertisement at the end of the program
run, if registration fee is paid, and number is placed
in the file "DISPLAY.REG".
- Added the optional file DISPLAY.MOR:
The statement "Continue? (Y/n) " is replaced with
the text in this file.
- Added the optional file DISPLAY.PKC:
The statement "Press a key to continue..." is
replaced with the text in this file.
- MAXI/MEGAHOST syntax different, allowing for each
BBS file it can produce.
- Remote Access added as a supported BBS. Allows for
each BBS file it can produce.
- Teleguard added as a supported BBS.
- TGP added as a supported BBS.
- World War IV added as a supported BBS.
Version 1.3 - 10/10/91 - Cleaned up code a bit, errorlevels and abnormal exit
cleaned up.
- PCBoard added as a supported BBS.
- Removed "-LOCAL" switch. Each BBS file (like
DOOR.SYS) can be set to local to allow for testing.
Version 1.2 - 10/07/91 - Added MEGAHOST as a supported BBS.
Version 1.1 - 10/05/91 - Added pause at completion of news file.
- Translation of the TAB character corrected.
Version 1.0 - 10/01/91 - Created program.