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1993-05-24
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*** NOTE: The Powerboard 1.25 Shareware Documentation is _not_ complete
due to its vast size. Shareware distribution is made simpler
by including this terse document file.
ooooooooo
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o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
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ooooooooo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
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o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o oooooo ooooooo ooooo o o ooooooo oooooo o o o o oooo
B B S 1 . 2 5
Copyright 1991, 1992, 1993 by Scott W. Brown, All Rights Reserved.
Published by:
NuIQ Software, Inc.
415-A Richbell Road
Larchmont, New York 10538 USA
Tel: (914) 833-3479 Fax: (914)833-3623
Powerboard Support BBS:
The Swing BBS
Larchmont, New York
(914) 834-7830 USR HST (914) 833-1479 V32BIS
Table of Contents
===================
Section Page Number
1 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5 Shareware Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7 Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
8 Coming up with a BBS name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
10 Loading Powerboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
11 Your first Log-On to the BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
12 Menus on your BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
A. Bulletins Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
B. Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
C. Files Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
D. Questionnaire Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
E. Doors Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
F. Message Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
G. Sysop Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
13 Expert Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
14 Conferencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
15 File Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
16 Message Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
17 Security Setup on your BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
18 Modem Operation, Setup and Other Information . . . . . . 34
19 Waiting for Calls Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
A. Available Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
B. Pull-Down Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
C. Configuration of the Waiting for Calls Screen . . . . 49
D. Waiting for Calls Screen Colors . . . . . . . . . . . 54
20 Keys available while BBS user is On-Line . . . . . . . . 55
21 Display Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
A. Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
B. DISPLAY\ files (listing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
C. HELP\ files (listing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
D. AREAS\ files (listing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
22 Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
A. Batch Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
B. Percent Code Batch Files (.BT) . . . . . . . . . . . 73
C. General Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
23 BBS Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
24 Imbedded Control Codes (Percent Codes) . . . . . . . . . 79
A. PBAnsi Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
B. File Area Related . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
C. Multinode BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
D. Message Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
E. Message in Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
F. System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
G. System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
H. Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
I. Codes to Set Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
J. Current On-Line User Information . . . . . . . . . . 89
K. Index Search Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
L. Misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
M. PCL Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
N. Record of Current User On-Line . . . . . . . . . . . 93
O. Record of User in Temporary Memory . . . . . . . . . 95
25 Powerboard Configurator (PBConfig) . . . . . . . . . . . 97
A. Basic Mode of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
B. Advanced Mode of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
26 Setting up File and Message Areas (AREACFG) . . . . . . . 124
27 Powerboard Menu Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
28 Bottom Status Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
29 Page Bell configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
30 Powerboard Message Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
31 Message Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
32 Message Database Packer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
33 PowerMail .QWK Mail Door
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
A. What is an offline mail door? . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
B. Why should you use an offline mail door? . . . . . . 150
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
PowerMail Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
PowerMail Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
PowerMail Imbedded Text Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Sysop Status Line (Sysop Window) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
PowerMail Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
34 User Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
35 Newsletter Creator/maintainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
36 Powerboard Utility Package (PBUTIL) . . . . . . . . . . . 172
A. ERASE Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
B. SETMODEM Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
C. VIEWFILE Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
D. CLEARBUFF Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
E. ANSIDRAW Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
F. LOGS Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
G. PACK Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
37 File Area Indexer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
38 File Area Checker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
39 File Area Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
40 Master File List Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
41 File Area Sorter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
42 ZippyCheck .ZIP Validation System . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
43 Powerboard Control Language (PCL) Introduction . . . . . 192
A. Basic Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
B. Using Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
C. File Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
D. Questionnaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
44 PCL Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
A. List of Provided PCL Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
B. File Area related commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
C. Output to User & Local systems . . . . . . . . . . . 240
D. Retrieving Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
E. Message Area Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
F. Variable Manipulation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . 295
G. File Manipulation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
H. Multinode Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
I. Misc. Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
45 External Command Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
46 Multinode BBS operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
47 CD-ROM operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
48 External DOOR programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
49 File Transfer Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
50 Time Activated Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
51 Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
52 Netmail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
53 Powerboard ANSI (PBAnsi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
54 AT-X ANSI (PCBAnsi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
55 Modem Telecomm Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
56 File Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
57 Directory Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
58 Converting from other BBS software . . . . . . . . . . . 414
59 Upgrading from Powerboard 1.00 or 1.10 . . . . . . . . . 415
60 BBS Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Appendix A: DOS ASCII Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Appendix B: Powerboard Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Appendix C
.1 Hayes AT Command Set . . . . . . . . . . . 424
.2 S-Registers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Appendix D: RS-232C Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Appendix E: IBM Ansi Terminal Emulation . . . . . . . . . 431
Appendix F: Recommended Books & Software . . . . . . . . 435
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Disclaimer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although the Powerboard BBS software has been thoroughly tested, we
cannot be held responsible for anything that may happen before or after
it is installed on your system. We assure you that Powerboard has been
tested on most configurations, however, yours may be different. If you
experience any difficulty, please contact us. Although we will not
be held liable for any damages that occur, we would like to know about
any problems that might arise.
Introduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard BBS Package is a software package that will enable
sophisticated communications either in a local or wide area network, or
over phone lines with the use of modems. The Powerboard software is the
center of communications in either environment, which users will access
for data transfer. This will provide users with a wealth of services,
such as message exchange, data file exchange, and on-line services such
as games and on-line sales.
The Powerboard software has highly advanced functions in either
environment. In the network environment, Powerboard provides a means
for users to communicate with each other in a real-time conference
session. It provides network file access routines for sharing data over
the network. Powerboard also provides support for today's latest
technology, such as CD-ROM drives, 16550 UART fifo buffers, and more.
Powerboard also provides support for most message networks available
today. It supports both the Fidonet and PC-Relay message format.
Powerboard also provides full support for the Desqview/386 operating
environment. When run under Desqview/386, Powerboard will take full
advantage of options available under this system, and will take up the
minimum amount of CPU power.
The most exciting aspect of the Powerboard BBS software is that it will
work with the Sysop, and suit just about everyone's needs.
System Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In order to run Powerboard correctly on your computer, you should have a
configuration that conforms to the following:
IBM AT, 286, 386, 486, Pentium or 100% compatible with
A minimum of 640K ram
PC-DOS or MS-DOS version 3.20 or higher
Hard Disk Drive
If you want to use Powerboard as a modem-type BBS, you will need a
Hayes-compatible (AT command set) modem.
Powerboard's features
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard 1.2 comes complete with every feature that a Sysop could
possibly want. For those who are not sure of exactly what that entails,
this section will list 50 features of the Powerboard BBS. This is by no
means a complete list. Hopefully, this will answer most of the "So,
does Powerboard support ...?" questions.
1 Sysop Definable Waiting for calls screens:
over 42,000 screens, switchable by sysop
by keypress while waiting for calls.
2 Full DesqView/386 support
3 Local area network support
4 CD-ROM support
5 Support for unlimited file transfer protocols
6 Internal .ZIP checking system which checks for
Viruses, .ZIP validity, old files, removes
BBS ads and more
7 Internal archive viewer which supports
.Zip, .Arc, .Arj, .Lzh, .Pak and .Zoo
8 Full-featured multinode chat which includes:
Ignoring nodes
Sending private messages
Multiple multinode chat conference rooms
Selection of nodes to chat with
Specifying colors for incoming messages from other
nodes, plus ability to specify color for each character of
text user sends
9 Full awareness of other nodes:
keeps track of last user on any of the nodes,
total number of system calls, etc
10 Send option to send a message to a user on
another node no matter where they are
11 Remote sysops can:
View screen of user on another node
Kick off user on another node
Shut down another node
12 GUI configuration program which features:
Advanced/Novice mode so novice sysops aren't
clouded by too many complex options
Mouse support
13 Capability to run ALL types of BBS doors.
Creates door information file for both of
the door standards: door.sys and dorinfo1.def
14 Full support for Fidonet and PC-Relay echomail
15 Internal .QWK mail door to let users get mail,
read offline, then send replies back
16 Internal full-screen message editor
17 Option for external full-screen editor
18 Support unlimited com ports and baud rates to 115,200
19 Full ansi color support plus ansi auto detect
20 Ansi music support
21 Unlimited security levels
22 Unlimited events
23 Super fast file and message system, including indexed file
and user databases
24 Exclude 300 baud callers by option
25 Over 200 display files: more than any other BBS package
26 Support for PCBAnsi
27 Internal PBAnsi- works like PCBansi but more efficient
28 Internal ansi.sys driver
29 Unlimited message areas
30 Internal compression to send screens and data faster to
ansi users
31 Support for hundreds of imbedded text codes
32 Internal ANSI screen editor
33 Support for subscription systems
34 Sysop-definable page bells
35 Sysop definable paging hours
36 Unlimited file ratios
37 Automatic checking for "fake" users with a number of methods:
Check phone number against other phone numbers in user database
Check to see if first name=last name
Check to see if calling from=street address
Check for valid phone number format
Check for valid birthdate
Plus more... and when a fake user is found, their name is
automatically sent to a list of names that users cannot use to
log onto the BBS
38 Virtually all text seen on the BBS can be changed by the Sysop.
Both text for the user's side and the sysop's side
39 Lets users enter simple color codes with their messages
40 Conference system (file areas branch off of message areas)
41 Sysop pull-down menus for easy use
42 Online help available everywhere for both sysop and user
43 Fast setup: no BBS configuration necessary to have BBS up and
ready for calls in 5 minutes.
44 Modem ring detection so that sysop will be notified if a user
tries to call while Sysop is logged on locally.
45 Fast Sysop logon
46 Comment to sysop if invalid password entered
47 Shell for all utilities for easy access
48 Swapping to disk/ems memory
49 Easy menu configuration: any option can be on any menu anywhere.
Any option can use any calling letter with any security
requirement. New menus can be added, menus can be deleted,
menus can be added onto or commands removed
50 BBS is infinitely expandable by the Powerboard Control Language
There are literally hundreds of other options that are not listed here.
It would be ludicrous to attempt to list all of the features that
Powerboard has. Hopefully, this list has whetted your appetite so that
you will read the rest of this manual, and use the system to get a full
feel of all of the features that Powerboard has.
Shareware Distribution
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are planning on distributing the shareware version of the Powerboard
BBS package:
You may only distribute the Shareware 1.25 version of Powerboard.
Distributing any other version is illegal and is an infringement of
copyright laws. Shareware software distributors may distribute
Powerboard provided:
1. The fee charged is for copying, packaging, testing and distribution
and it never exceeds $10.00
2. The package must be complete -- include all original archive files.
If you are not sure if your package is complete, call our Support BBS
to download the latest version.
3. You must send us information prior to the distribution of Powerboard
and you must send us a copy of any publications you publish at any
time regarding Powerboard.
Why you should register
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you plan on running using the Powerboard BBS software, you must send
the registration fee. The current prices for the different varieties of the
Powerboard software are listed in the file REGISTER.TXT. The prices for
the software as of this publication are:
Single-node version $99
3-node version $175
9-node version $350
99-node version $800
499-node version $1300
999-node version $2300
All versions of the Powerboard software include the following:
- Bound Powerboard Manual
- Latest registered version of Powerboard
- Sysop utilities including:
BBS Newsletter maintainer
Message editor to edit mail in message areas
File area editor to edit your file database
File Area sorter to sort listings alphabetically
- Your name added to the mailing list for important
update information, information regarding Powerboard
software, and our newsletter
- Sysop Status on the Powerboard support BBS for 1 year
This includes:
Instant access to latest versions of Powerboard
Conferencing with other Powerboard BBS sysops
Support directly from the author
The multi-node (all versions above single-node) versions include
the following features that are not included in the single-node
version:
- File Sharing/locking
- Network Support
- Full awareness of other active nodes, where data is
constantly exchanged between nodes to act as one unit
- Option to check to see who is on other nodes at main menu
- Sysop menu options to kick user off other nodes and shut down
other active nodes
- Multi-Node chat conferencing featuring:
Option to let users specify color for each node's text
Sending multi-color real-time text messages
Ignore option to ignore other nodes who may be sending text
Send option to send text to user logged onto another node
which will reach the user no matter where they are on the BBS
Multiple Chat conferences
Private and free-for-all chats where anyone can join
Credits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
People who I would like to acknowledge for making significant contributions
to the Powerboard 1.25 package:
Doug Vermes PBShell, BDatCfg, FileCheck, UserBank,
On-line Sysop User Editor & FindUser
PCL programs
Joe Greenwood Powermail Door, .QWK Support
Dave Navarro, Jr. PCBAnsi Support
I would also like to make mention of the people who helped out by
alpha testing the 1.25 package, especially Mark Hennessy and Roger
Sibert, who have been my "chief" alpha testers since version 1.00,
and who have helped find hundreds of bugs, and have given me many of
the great suggestions that are now implemented in Powerboard 1.25.
Mark also provided the descriptions for the lines in the EditText
section of this manual.
Also, Paul Binns, who has been a Powerboard Sysop since version
1.10. Paul has been running a not-for-profit bulletin board for
"creative expression". His BBS, and the concept behind it, I feel can
be an example for those who are looking to get the most out of running
a BBS for a hobby. Paul's callers actually participate in the BBS. Not
only in message areas, but by writing interesting articles, and sharing
their creations with other members of the BBS. I find this
remarkable simply because many people lately have been choosing to
offer an on-line service versus a bulletin board. Those who have
been "BBSing" for a while may remember the days when everyone ran
their BBS as a hobby. Paul Binns is proof that running a
not-for-profit bulletin board that encourages user participation
can be as exciting, and perhaps more so than blending in with the
crowd. I find that Paul Binns is a great inspiration because of
his true dedication to his project.
BBS Name
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some people say that one of the hardest parts of setting up their BBS was
coming up with a name for it. In this section, we will suggest some
methods for coming up with an original, appropriate, and exciting name
for your bulletin board system.
Probably the easiest type of BBS to name would be a BBS in use in an
office environment, where the name has to reflect the name of the
company. For example, if your company's name is "Johnson Electric",
perhaps you would name your BBS "Johnson Electric's BBS".
The same goes for a private person. If your name is "John Henderson",
you might wish to name your BBS "Henderson's BBS" or "Henderson
On-Line".
Another name that you might find appropriate for your bulletin board
system might be a name of a music group you like. Or a movie,
television show, or something to do with one of the two. For example,
if you liked the movie, "Lethal Weapon", you might choose to call your
BBS "The Lethal BBS".
Another type of name you might want to use for your BBS might reflect
what your BBS will mainly support. If your name is "Scott Brown" for
example, and you are opening up a BBS that is mostly for on-line
conferencing and messages, you might call your BBS "Chatting with Scott"
or something similar.
Bulletin Boards are typically named the same way restaurants are. For
example, "Friendly's (R)" or "McDonald's (R)" would be great BBS names,
although those respective companies might not think it's appropriate.
Installation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation is provided in the 455-page bound manual
included with your purchase of the package.
Loading Powerboard
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When loading Powerboard, you will have a few options available to you.
To load the program, you must first change to your BBS directory. Let's
say you called your BBS directory "C:\PB". To change to the BBS
directory, you would type at the DOS prompt:
CD C:\PB [RETURN]
Next, you will load Powerboard. To find out what options are available,
type:
PBOARD /? [RETURN]
Doing this will bring up the following screen:
Powerboard BBS Package 1.25 Command Line Options
PBOARD [/AS] [/H] [/B(BAUD)] [/C] [/N(#)] [/O(FILE)]
[/AS] Abort Animation. If you are using a color monitor, this
option will abort the opening 'Powerboard' animation.
[/H] Run in Hercules (No Color) Mode.
[/C] This command will verify all message areas and dos file
directories. This is usually done internally by
Powerboard when you modify settings in Powerboard or
in Powerboard utilities. However, you may need to use
this option if you make a change to the BBS without
the utilities, such as deleting a message base or
DOS directory.
[/B(BAUD)] Load in Frontdoor mode (shutdown after caller logs off)
and log them in at [BAUD] baud. This assumes that the
caller has already connected in Frontdoor or a similar
front-end call receiver. [BAUD]=LOCAL for Local Logins.
[/N#] Specifies node number to start. Node number can be
an integer, from 1-999.
[/O(FILE)] Specifies the PCL program (control file) to load,
if you do not want to have the default PCL
program (usually OPEN.CTL) loaded. Please consult
the "PCL Introduction" section of this manual for
a more in-depth explanation.
Example:
PBOARD /C /AS
This command line would load Powerboard without showing the
animation (/AS), and will then verify DOS paths and message bases (/C).
The option that may be different depending on your version of Powerboard
is the /N option. The maximum value will be the node version you have
(e.g. 3 Node version would have a maximum value of 3). If you are
running the single-node version, you will not have the /N option at all.
Logging in for the first time
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you have installed Powerboard BBS on your system, you will want to
log on for the first time.
To do this, load the BBS (see section in this manual regarding loading
your BBS), then type either Alt-L, CTRL-L, or ALT-P. ALT-L will log
onto the BBS normally. CTRL-L will first take your phone off the hook
so no one can call. And ALT-P will turn on Ring detection so that if
someone else does call while you are on, you will be alerted and will
have the option to ignore this, answer the call, or disconnect that
user.
The first thing you will see when you log on is the Powerboard 1.25
copyright notice.
Ansi Auto-Detect
Powerboard has a feature known as Ansi Auto-Detect. This allows
the BBS to automatically determine whether or not the user is
using ANSI graphics. (ANSI graphics is a type of terminal
emulation supported by most communications programs.)
NOTE: Not all communications programs send the information
necessary for Ansi Auto-Detect to function properly.
It is therefore possible for a caller to be using ANSI
and have the BBS not detect it. For this
reason, it is probably a good idea to have the BBS ask
the user if they wish to use ANSI, if it
is not detected.
The default Ansi Auto-Detect message (if it detects ANSI) looks
like this:
Checking terminal capability ... Ansi Detected.
Since you are calling your BBS from your own computer (Local Login), you
do have Ansi support, and Powerboard will detect it. After this, the system
will ask you if you would like color graphics:
Would you like ANSI/Color graphics? [ ]
Since this is a local login, you should reply "Yes". If you were calling
from a remote terminal program that did not support color, you might choose
"No" at this prompt. So hit your Y key at this prompt.
You should then see what is called a "Welcome" screen that contains
information about your BBS, such as your BBS name, and the System
Operator's name (you).
After the Welcome Screen is displayed, you will see a prompt requesting
your name:
Please enter your first name here:
Here, you should type in the name that you entered as the Sysop, then press
[ENTER] (or Return). Next, the BBS will verify with you whether or not
you are the right user:
Are you the "(Your Name)" from "(BBS Name)"? [ ]
Type Y here. Next, the BBS will ask for your personal password:
Dots will echo instead of actual letters of your password.
What is your password? ( )
If you, the Sysop, are logging on using the computer that the BBS is running
off of, you may or may not see your password. (If you are logging on from
somewhere else, you will NOT see your password, you will see dots '.'
instead.) However, if you have the BBS set up to show all password entries
to the sysop, then you will not see dots, but you will see the actual
password being entered. The default for Powerboard is to show dots. This
setting may be changed in the PBConfig program, which will be discussed
later.
Passwords are used in the default configuration of Powerboard so that
other users cannot access your account. Of course, it is possible to
change this if you have a setup where security is not important, which you
will learn how to do later. Enter the password that you selected when you
installed the BBS. If you enter your password correctly, you will be able
to proceed with your logon to the BBS. If not, you can exit Powerboard
and type:
EDITOR [ENTER]
at the DOS prompt. This will load the user editor. The user editor
will display your password. At that point, you can press [ESC] to
exit, then re-load Powerboard and repeat the login procedure.
After you successfully enter your password, the BBS will show you a
screen that tells you what your current security level is.
After this screen has been displayed, you will be prompted for whether
or not you would like to view your BBS newsletter:
Would you like to view our newsletter? [ ]
If you would like to see what the newsletter says, type Y here. Of
course, there will not be any information pertaining to your BBS in this
newsletter because you have not edited it yet.
The next screen that you will see is a statistics screen.
After you have reviewed your statistics, you can press [ENTER] to
continue.
Next, you will see a series of welcome screens. If it is your birthday,
the BBS will give you a "Happy Birthday" screen. If you haven't called
before today, the BBS will show a "Welcome Back" screen. And if you are
a new user, the BBS will give you a "Newuser Welcome" screen.
When you arrive at the Main Menu, it is recommended that you change your
statistics to reflect your real BBS information. To do this, type
Y at the main menu and press [ENTER].
BBS Menus
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of menus is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.
Conferencing
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard uses a system known as "Conferencing" to link file areas and
message areas together. With Conferencing, it is possible to have
separate file areas under each conference, thus providing special files
to special groups or special members of the BBS. With this system, your
message conference/file database structure can look like this:
--------- Games/Entertainment
/
--------- Communications
/
--------- Text Files
/
Private Mail (MAIN) ---- Windows
\
\
-------- OS/2
\
-------- Word Processing
--------- System 7.0
/
--------- MacWrite
/
--------- HyperCard
/
Macintosh Users ---- CDevs
\
\
-------- System Sounds
--------- Door Programs
/
--------- BBS Utilities
/
Powerboard Sysops ---- Echomail Related
\
-------- Example Display files
In this example, the default conference/area would be Private Mail
and Games/Entertainment. From there, the user could switch to another
conference by either pressing J at the files menu or C at the message
menu (Change message conference). Or they can switch to another file
area within the current conference with the C selection at the files
menu. This setup is not only more organized, but will let you totally
lock off a set of areas, such as Powerboard Sysops, where you would want
to let only certified Powerboard Sysops in.
File Transfers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are two modes of file transfer available with Powerboard:
Uploading and Downloading. Uploading is when the user sends file(s) to
the BBS. Downloading is when the user receives file(s) from the BBS.
To upload a file to the BBS, the user must first go to the Files menu,
select Upload, select a protocol that is compatible with their
communications program (Zmodem is best), enter the name of the file that
they wish to upload and a brief description. Next, the user will have
to start the upload process with their communications program. This
usually means first pressing PGUP (or selecting the UPLOAD FILE option),
selecting the protocol to upload the file (the same one that the user
selected on the BBS itself), and then enter the full path and filename
of the file to upload (the same filename as the one that they specified
previously on the BBS).
To download a file from the BBS, the user first must go to the files
menu, select D for download, select a protocol that is compatible with
their communications software, enter the name of the file to download
(must be a file that exists in your BBS' file database), then they will
start the download process with their communications software. This
usually means pressing PGDN (or whatever the DOWNLOAD FILE option is),
specifying the same protocol that was selected on the BBS, then
specifying the filename. The filename is the same filename that the
user selected on the BBS. Many communications programs will fill this
in automatically. Most communications programs will start Zmodem
downloads automatically, once the user has entered the filename on the
BBS.
You (the Sysop) can also download or upload files locally. To upload a
file to the BBS locally, you will go through the same procedure as the
user, except that instead of pressing PGUP to upload, you enter the path
to where the file is (i.e. A:\ or C:\FILES). To download a file, follow
the same procedure as the user, except when the user would press PGDN,
specify the path for where the file should be copied to.
Entering Messages
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When entering a message in Powerboard, you will have a few options that
might not be obvious, but you should be aware of them. If you are using
ANSI graphics, you will always have the ability to cursor left and right
through your text and modify text that way. When in the Full-Screen
editor, you will be able to use the up/down arrow keys.
After entering the message, you have the ability to attach a file to the
message. This is done in cases where you would like to give a user a file
that pertains to the message that you wrote. This can also be used for
user to user file transfers, so other users will not have access to the
file.
You can also enter color codes into your messages to make emphasis on
certain points, or just to "sign" your name. The color codes that can
be used in messages are the same color codes that can be used in the PCL
"SAY" command, PBANSI display files, etc... Consult the "PBAnsi" section
of this manual for more information.
Security
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Throughout the BBS, you will see areas where you need a certain security
level for access to its function. For example, a new user won't have
access to upload a file by default. This is done so that you won't have
a new user who just logs on and uploads a virus or something of the
sort. Although it is unlikely, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Also, the Sysop has many functions that other users don't have, such as
the ability to read private messages, move files, edit other's users
information, view BBS logs, etc... You would most likely not want any
user on your BBS to be able to do this. That is why we have security
levels. You also might want to have a special security for members who
have made a donation. You might want to give them extra time per day or
extra or no upload to download ratio.
Modem Setup
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note that Modem Setup is not necessary when running Powerboard in
a local or wide area network setup. If running in a network
environment, the BBS should be run in "Local Mode" at all times. This
is a setting under the communications menu in PBConfig (see PBConfig
section of this manual for more information).
Modem setup with Powerboard is usually very simple. However, there are
also many non-standard setups where you will have to change some
settings in Powerboard, on your modem, or both.
Something you should check with your modem manual is connecting messages
for each baudrate. Many high-speed modems will report "Connect 14400".
This should be translated to 19200 baud. Connect messages can be
configured in PBConfig. PBConfig edits the file CONNECT.<Node Number>
(where <Node Number> is the node number that you want to configure, use
0 if running single-node Powerboard software). You can edit this
manually by loading it in a text editor, such as TED.
The first non-standard setup that will be discussed is when you are
running Powerboard at higher speeds. Higher speeds are considered
speeds of 9600 baud and above. When running with these modems, be sure
to set the handshaking selection in PBConfig to CTS/RTS.
Also, you will most likely wish to set the modem to a locked DTE rate.
What this means is that the computer will always talk to your modem at
high speed, and the modem will handle lower speeds. This means that
higher speeds will be achieved, even at lower speeds, because more
data will be processed at once. High Speed modems need to achieve
their high speed by using highly advanced error correction and
compression algorithms. The reason for this is because with current
telephone line conditions, operations at 9600 baud and higher will
inevitably have errors. When operating at a high speed, during a
good session, where connections are optimal, and phone line noise is
low, your modem may have potential to reach higher speeds. If you
are connected at 9600 bps only, you may not be able to reach that
high speed. However, if your port is locked at 38400 baud, you would
be able to reach that high speed. Therefore, when the option is
available, you will most likely want to use port locking. Microcomm,
USRobotics, Hayes, Cardinal, ATI, CompuCom, Zoom and UDS FastTalk
modems are known to work with Port Locking. However, most 9600 baud
modems have this feature because of its obvious advantages.
However, please note that not all computers and setups can handle
this configuration. If your computer or port is not capable of handling
data at higher speeds, you may not be able to use this option. It
is recommended that this option be used with a 286 (AT-Class) computer
or better. And that your port have a 16550 UART with FIFO buffers.
If port locking does not work even though your modem should support it,
it may be one of those two factors. 16550 UART chips can usually be
purchased for under $20, and com port boards with the UART installed can
probably be purchased for under $40. Check your favorite computer
magazine for the latest prices.
With USRobotics modems, it is possible for you to set your modem to port
locking all the time. To do this, you should enter the following
command:
AT&R2&B1&W [RETURN]
Your USRobotics modem should respond "OK". If it does not, something
went wrong. Try typing in the string once more. If you still receive
an "ERROR" message, check your modem documentation or contact the
manufacturer.
With other modems, settings may be different. Consult your modem
documentation. Or it may just be the initialization string that is sent
to your modem that activates port locking. Consult the "Initialization
Strings" portion of this section.
After you have set your modem up for port locking, you must then tell
Powerboard that you are running with a Port Locking setup. To do this,
you must first change the setting in PBConfig for "Locked Baudrate".
Change this to the locked baudrate of your choosing, usually 38400 or
19200 baud, whichever higher baudrate your computer will run at. You
must then change your Modem Initialization speed to reflect the same
baudrate as your recently selected Locked Baudrate. Then, make sure you
have handshaking set to RTS. Then, take into consideration your On-Line
game doors and file transfer protocols. If you use game doors, you must
pass the locked baudrate all of the time. Most game doors have an option
for "Lock DTE". Set this to "Yes". As for file transfer protocols, such
as DSZ, make sure that the baudrate that it uses is the locked baudrate.
Edit the protocol .BT files for your BBS (see section in this manual on
Protocols). If all goes well, your modem should be running with port
locking, and you will see great improvement in many areas of your BBS.
When running Powerboard under Desqview, you may experience modem
conflicts. If this is the case, the problem usually comes from your
setting for "Use Modem" in your window setup for Desqview (see "Desqview
Setup" section in this manual for more information on running Powerboard
with Desqview/386). The options for "Use Modem" are:
Yes - Uses com port
No - Does not
numb- Com port number program uses
Try all three of these settings. Once you find one that works, test it
and make sure it is the most efficient. Most of the time, using "N"
will let the port run at the highest speed. However, this does not work
under some configurations, so the next choice would be to specify the
com port number. For example, if you are running on Com port number 1,
you would specify a "1" here. And the last resort would be to use "Y"
which means the program will use any of the PC's available com ports.
Your computer may use a non-standard port address/irq level for your com
port. If this is the case, it should be noted somewhere in your
computer, modem, or com port documentation. However, it may not be. If
you are experiencing problems getting your modem to work with
Powerboard, you may have to contact your manufacturer or the vendor that
sold you your system. If you know that your com port is running under
a non-standard irq level or port address, you can give this information
to Powerboard. This is also useful when you are using com port numbers
greater than 4. Powerboard currently internally supports com port
numbers 1 through 4, but you can, with no problem, use ports 5 through
18 with this address/irq specification technique. To do this, simply
load PBConfig in advanced mode, and select the Port Address/Irq setting.
Here is where you will be able to specify the com port address and Irq.
If you would like to use standard address, specify 0 for the address.
If you would like to use a standard Irq level, specify 0 for the Irq
level. If you need to enter the value for Irq or Address in HEX format
(usually numbers ending with an "h"), you will have to enter "&H" before
the number. i.e. "1Eh" would be "&H1E". The defaults are from the com
port number that you specify for "Com Port/Init Speed", also in the
"Communications" menu in PBConfig.
You may experience problems if devices are sharing IRQ levels or base
addresses or both. This happens commonly when people are running both a
mouse and a modem, or perhaps a printer. This could even include a disk
drive. If you are running device drivers for any of your devices, be
sure to note the com port, base address, and IRQ level that they are
using. Also, note any non-standard settings that may be mentioned in
your computer or other hardware documentation. A common problem that
Powerboard users have come across is running a mouse with the BBS. It
happens quite frequently that the mouse driver is interfering with the
Powerboard software. If this is the case, you can try to change the com
port setting for your mouse. You can also attempt to change the com
port setting on your modem port. If this is not possible, refer to your
mouse and mouse driver documentation. There will usually be a solution
available for this problem.
Other problems that may occur have to do with TSR (Terminate and Stay
Resident) programs that can run over Powerboard by activating themselves
during an event--usually every timer tick, or every stroke that the
user makes on the keyboard. Some TSR programs may interfere with the
communications routines used in Powerboard. Some of these might include
communications fossil drivers. If you must use fossil drivers, you can
usually use a fossil driver that can be run for that particular program,
then un-installed.
Another common problem we have seen with modem setups is with modem DIP
switch settings. This always seems to be the last place that people
will look for a problem, but it can sometimes be the culprit. And if
this is the case, there is usually a very simple solution. Most
external modems have a chart under the modem showing what the dip
switches do and which ones should be on and off for different features.
One that should not be activated that is commonly activated and does
cause much chaos is the "Force Carrier" dip switch. This should always
be off while running your BBS. Another is "Force DTR". This option
will not let Powerboard hang up on your users after the call, and will
hang your BBS until the remote user realizes that he/she is still
connected, and decides to disconnect. The "Verbal Result Codes" switch
should almost always be on. When this NOT is activated, your modem will
send to your computer numbers instead of phrases, and Powerboard will
not understand this under default configuration. Another problem is
"Auto Answer". When this dip switch is set, your modem will answer the
phone on the first ring. You may have Powerboard configured to pick up
on the second ring, and as you can imagine, this does cause quite a bit
of confusion. Please check your modem manual to find out which dip
switch settings are appropriate for running a bulletin board system.
A possible problem in running your modem under Powerboard may be ring
detection. The default is for Powerboard to detect the phone ring and
then to send "ATA" to the modem to tell it to pick up the phone.
However, this may not work with your modem. This is a setting under the
"Communications" menu in PBConfig. If the command is different for your
modem, you can change this string in PBConfig. If your modem does not
have support for such a command, you can disable this completely,
however, your modem will have to pick up the phone itself without
Powerboard telling it to do so. This means that you will have to either
put a command for this in your modem initialization string, or set a dip
switch on your modem. Please check your modem documentation if picking
up the phone seems to be a problem.
Your modem may or may not support software/hardware handshaking.
Handshaking is done to insure that both systems are sending/receiving at
the correct pace, and if one system starts going too fast, the other
will tell it to slow down. If your modem does not support hardware
(CTS/RTS) handshaking, it will most likely support software (Xon/Xoff)
handshaking. If you or your callers experience a session where most
data comes out OK, but once in a while, if a large display is being
sent/received, you see line noise (garbage characters that don't have
anything to do with the previous text), handshaking may be necessary.
Handshaking is mandatory if you are running with a 9600+ or port locking
system. If you are unsure what type of handshaking your modem has,
consult your modem manual.
When experiencing difficulties in communicating with your modem, you
should also consider the length and quality of your modem cable. Make
sure it is a high-quality, RS-232C standard cable. It should not be
longer than 50 feet. If you have a rather long cord, it may be the
cause of some problems.
When setting initialization strings in Powerboard, you will have to run
The Setmodem utility. This utility is contained in PBUTIL (which is
described elsewhere in this manual), and can be run by typing:
PBUTIL SETMODEM <node> [RETURN]
Where <node> is the node number that you would like to configure, or 0
if you are running the Single-Node version of Powerboard. Setmodem will
let you configure your
1: Modem Initialization String
2: Modem Off-Hook String
3: Modem On-Hook String
The Off-Hook and On-Hook strings are sent to your modem during various
occasions, such as during a dos shell, to take your phone off the hook
or put it back on. This is done so callers cannot get through while the
BBS is completing an non-interruptible task.
The recommended string for your modem is:
ATM0V1S0=0
AT&D2&C1
The first line is the basic initialization string that all
Hayes-compatible modems should be able to handle.
The second line of the initialization string may or may not work with
your modem. It will work with most, but some modems will not accept it.
The purpose is to tell the modem that it should detect carrier and that
DTR should be set by the computer software (Powerboard).
The third line that you should have is
ATX4
This has not been included in the recommended string because it is
accepted by modems differently. Some modems will honor this command,
and some won't. If your modem replies with "ERROR", try
ATX2
If that does not give you proper results, please consult your modem's
manual. It should tell you what the proper setting is for the ATX
command. The setting you want is for the maximum number of result
codes.
The following list contains some common modem initialization strings and
specific information that you might need to know about the modem.
Modem Name Initialization String
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anchor 2400E ATM0X4&D2&C1S10=S0=0S25=4
Avatex 2400 ATM0X4&D2&C1S0=0
Cardinal MB2450 ATX4S0=0E0&D2&C1V1M0S2=255
Cardinal 9600 V42bis AT&FM0N1Q0V1X4S0=0S2=255
AT&C1&D2&K3&R0&S0
ATW2&Q5\N3%C0S46=136S95=2
General DataCom ATE0V1X1S2=200S0=0
ATS17=8
NEC9631 MNP5 AT S7=45 M0 X1 V1 S0=1 &C1 \N0 \Q2
Packard Bell ATM0X4&D2&C1S2=255S0=0
Premier Innovations ATX4E0H0S2=255V1
SupraModem 2400 ATX4S0=0E0&D2&C1V1M0S2=255
UDS FastTalk 9600 V32 AT%D1E0
ATM0X4V1S0=0
AT&D2&C1\N3
UDS FastTalk 19200 AT%D1E0
ATS2=255X4S0=0E0&D2&C1V1M0
AT\J\N3\Q2\V1
ZOOM v32/42 MNP 1-5 AT&FM0&C1&D2S36=7S48=7S95=3
The Waiting-For-Calls Screen
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of the waiting-for-calls screen is provided in
the 455-page bound manual included with your purchase of the
package.
The waiting-for-calls screen is the first screen that appears after
Powerboard has completed its loading process. This screen will display
various pertinent information about the last caller, such as their name,
calling from, number of uploads/downloads, etc. It also provides a
window into your modem's activities. The waiting-for-calls screen also
acts as the Sysop's version of the main menu. From this screen, the
Sysop can go just about anywhere in the BBS package, by using both the
Pull-Down menus and function keys. This important part of the BBS will
be described in detail in this section.
At the top of the screen, you will see your BBS name. If you are
running the Multinode version of Powerboard, you will see your node
number following your BBS name.
Next, you will see modem information, including Com Port number, current
baudrate, and a modem statistics box.
Also notice the current time and current date. They are updated
every minute.
The final item in the waiting for calls screen is the Last User's
Statistics. This consists of Name, Calling From, Uploads, Downloads and
the user's home phone number.
Powerboard will "blank" the screen after a certain amount of time
(configurable in PBConfig) so that your screen will not burn in.
When you press your [HOME] key at the waiting for calls screen, you will
see a help screen pop up that will give you details on which function
keys you can press to do certain functions. These are the functions
displayed on the Help screen.
Function Key Description
============================================================================
CTRL-B This command will blank the screen. Powerboard blanks
the screen after a while automatically, but if you pres
this key, it will be blanked instantly.
CTRL-I Initialize Modem. This command is used when you want to
initialize the modem manually.
CTRL-X Pressing this key will cause Powerboard to exit to DOS.
ALT-D Pressing this key will let you shell to DOS (Exit
temporarily and come back).
ALT-L Pressing this key will let you log on to your BBS
locally.
ESC Pressing this key will activate the Waiting-For-Calls
screen pull-down menus.
ALT-J This key will let you shell to dos, but takes the phone
off the hook first so that users will not be able
to get through while you're in dos. Instead, they will
get a busy signal when they attempt to call.
ALT-V This option will let you view your BBS log files.
ALT-R This function will shut down the BBS normally and then
re-load immediately.
ALT-C Pressing this key will load Omen Technology's DSZ
program so you can call out to another BBS. This
communications program requires that you use Hayes
AT commands. Basic commands you will want to use are:
ATD plus phone number, eg. ATD 914-834-7830 would dial
"914-834-7830". The command ATZ will re-initialize
the modem. Typing ALT-X in DSZ will return you to
Powerboard. And pressing F3 will start a Ymodem
download. See Appendix C for a list of commands
in the Hayes AT Command set.
F1 Pressing this key will let you view a file on your
disk.
F2 Pressing this key will toggle Sysop Availability for
when a user pages the local Sysop. If this option
is disabled, the user will be notified that the
Sysop is unavailable. Otherwise, the BBS will
ring a bell notifying the local Sysop that a user
is requesting a chat.
F3 This option will let you turn sound on/off on your
BBS. If this option is disabled, you will not hear
sound in most areas on your BBS.
F4 This option will let you turn on or off logging to
your printer.
F5 This command will let you change your modem
initialization speed.
ALT-X Exit BBS with phone off the hook, so users will not be
able to get through. Instead, they will get a busy
signal.
CTRL-L This option will let you log on to the BBS but will
take the phone off the hook so users cannot get
through.
ALT-S This option will switch Sysop waiting for calls
screens.
ALT-O This command will log the local Sysop on immediately
without name or password entry.
ALT-P This command will let you log on locally, but will
enable ring detection, so if the BBS detects a phone
ring from your modem, you will be alerted.
CTRL: Hold down [CTRL] (Control) key and press the next letter
ALT: Hold down [ALT] (Alternate) key and press the next letter
Pressing your [ESC] key at the waiting for calls will activate the
pull-down menu system. With the pull-down menus, you have access to
many options. The options fall under the following categories: Files,
Utilities, Toggles and Configuration.
*NOTE: Here are the options available in the Files Menu:
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Exit to DOS This option will let you exit to DOS
(Same as CTRL-X)
Shell to DOS This option will let you shell to DOS
and come back to the BBS (same as
ALT-D)
Dos Command This option will let you exit one DOS
command, without even leaving
Powerboard.
View File This option will let you view a file on
your disk.
*NOTE: Here are the options available in the utilities menu:
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
View Logs This option will let you view your
BBS log files (Same as ALT-V)
User Editor This option lets you modify/view your
user database.
File Indexer This option will re-index your file
area databases for optimum file searching
speed.
FileSort This option will sort your file areas
alphabetically.
FileEdit This option will let you edit your file
area database.
MsgEdit This option will let you edit your
message area database.
*NOTE: Here are the options available in the Toggles Menu:
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Avail On/Off This option will let you toggle
Sysop available for chat (same as
F2)
Beeps On/Off This option will let you toggle
sound on your BBS (same as F3)
Printer Toggle This option will let you toggle
logging to your printer (same as F4)
Modem Speed This option lets you change your modem
initialization speed (same as F5)
*NOTE: Here are the options available in the Configure Menu:
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Configure PB This command will load PBConfig, the
Powerboard BBS general options
configurator.
Modem Setup This option will let you modify your
modem initialization strings.
Event Editor This option will let you modify your
events.
Area Configurator This option will let you modify your
message areas.
Menu Editor This option will let you modify your
BBS menu structure, and options
available on them.
To modify the appearance of your Waiting-For-Calls screen, you must
first load the screen in your favorite text editor, for example, TED.
The file you want to edit is SCREEN.DEF. When SCREEN.DEF is loaded, you
will see text, extended ascii characters (graphics) and special Powerboard
codes. For a list of extended ascii characters, consult Appendix A in
this manual.
Now, let's create our own waiting for calls screen step-by-step.
The first step in creating the waiting for calls screen is to design
your basic layout for the screen. To do this, load either PBUTIL
ANSIDRAW, the screen drawing program that comes with Powerboard, or
another similar screen editor, such as TheDraw. Next, begin to design
your screen in the editor. You may choose to design a screen that looks
like this:
Powerboard Waiting For Calls Screen
-------------------------------------
*NOTE: The descriptive screens in this section have been removed
in the interest of reducing documentation size. Full
descriptive screens are included in the Powerboard BBS
Package.
The screen used in this example could even have been drawn up in a line
editor such as TED or QEdit. The first step, designing this screen, is
simply drawing what you want the screen to look like. Don't worry about
adding the codes or colors or anything yet. Now that you have designed
the screen, exit PBUTIL ANSIDRAW by typing ALT-X then selecting No
Color. Do not save this screen with color codes. We will be adding
them ourselves.
Now that you have the "schematic" for your waiting-for-calls screen, we
will want to add the codes to tell Powerboard where to put the different
items it will be writing to the screen, such as baud rate, last user
information, etc... The following is a chart showing the
waiting-for-calls screen code and the description for it.
Code Description
==============================================================================
%L(number) Sets position for next line of text to
"number". This can be a number from 1 to
25, and represents the row number on your
screen.
%INFOB Tells Powerboard that this is the starting
corner of the Modem information box.
%INFOE Tells Powerboard that this is the ending
corner of the Modem information box.
%BBS Tells Powerboard to print the BBS name at
this position.
%BAUD Tells Powerboard to print the modem baud
rate at this position.
%PORT Tells Powerboard to print the current com
port at this position.
%TIME Tells Powerboard to print the current time
at this position.
%DATE Tells Powerboard to print the current date
at this position.
%NAME Name of the last user that logged on.
%ULS Number of uploads (files) that the last user
has contributed to the BBS.
%DOWN Number of downloads that the last user has
received from the BBS.
%FROM Where the last user was calling from.
%PHONE Phone number of the last user.
%MSG Last status message Powerboard has
reported.
%PULLHELP Tells Powerboard to print pull-down menu
help at this position.
Now let's return to the waiting-for-calls screen that we're creating.
Take a look at your screen and find out where you think appropriate
information codes will go. When you know where you want to put
everything, go to the place where you want to put it, and type it in
with INSERT mode on (default in TED and QEdit). Let's say you have the
following line of our screen:
Current Time: Current Date: Last Message:
We would change it to:
Current Time: %TIME Current Date: %DATE Last Message: %MSG
Now, to tell Powerboard where to put the modem information box, we will
use the codes %INFOB and %INFOE, to specify the beginning and end of the
box, respectively. The following is what our screen will look like after
we add %INFOB and %INFOE commands.
*NOTE: If you buy the Powerboard BBS Package, the screen would be
here.
Now, go back to the screen and add whatever additional commands you
would like to add. Here is what the finished screen will look like:
Powerboard Waiting For Calls Screen -------------------------------------
Current Time: %TIME Current Date: %DATE Last Message: %MSG
+ +
+ ******** Modem Statistics ******* +
+ *%INFOB *
+
+ @@@@@@@@@@ Last User's Stats @@@@@ * * +
+ @ * * +
+ @ Name: %NAME * *
+
+ @ * * +
+ @ From: %FROM * *
+
+ @ * * +
+ @ Uploads: %ULS Downloads: %DOWN *
* +
+ @ * * +
+ @ Phone: %PHONE *%INFOE
* +
+ @ ********************************* +
+ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ %PULLHELP
+
Notice that there is an extra code, %PULLHELP, below the modem statistics
box. This code will tell Powerboard that when you press (ESC) for
pull-down menus, to print help for the current selection at that
position on the screen.
The next step in editing our screen is to add color codes. Let's say
that we want to add color to the titles of boxes. To do this, we will
place either a %C(number) code or a %B(number) code to the screen,
before the text. "number" is a number from 0-15 for %C() which will
change the foreground color. "number" is a number from 0-7 for %B()
which will change the background color. See Appendix B for a list of
colors that are valid for these codes. Assuming that you want all of
the titles to be green, which is color 10, and the rest of the screen to
be white, here is what the screen will look like:
%C(10)Powerboard Waiting For Calls Screen%C(7) -----------------------------
-
Current Time: %TIME Current Date: %DATE Last Message: %MSG
+ +
+ ******** %C(10)Modem Statistics%C(7) *******
+
+ *%INFOB *
+
+ @@@@@@@@@@ %C(10)Last User's Stats%C(7) @@@@@ *
* +
+ @ * * +
+ @ Name: %NAME * *
+
+ @ * * +
+ @ From: %FROM * *
+
+ @ * * +
+ @ Uploads: %ULS Downloads: %DOWN *
* +
+ @ * * +
+ @ Phone: %PHONE *%INFOE
* +
+ @ ********************************* +
+ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ %PULLHELP
+
The last step in editing your waiting-for-calls screen is to modify the
COLORS.DAT file. This file tells Powerboard which colors to use for the
objects that it projects onto your defined screen (e.g. Baud, Last User,
Date, Time, etc...). You can edit this file with TED or any other DOS
text editor. The colors in COLORS.DAT are standard Powerboard screen
colors, which are listed Appendix B. The following is the format for
codes that should be listed in COLORS.DAT. Every line consists of two
numbers which represent the Foreground, then Background color for the
option specified (i.e. 10,1).
Line Description Default
============================================================================
1 Modem Information 13,0
2 Last User's Name 10,0
3 Last User's Phone Number 10,0
4 Where Last User is From 10,0
5 # Uploads by Last User 10,0
6 # Downloads by Last User 10,0
7 BBS Name 3,0
8 Current Time 0,7
9 Current Date 0,7
10 Modem Communications Port Number 0,7
11 Current Baud Rate 0,7
12 Pull-down menu help 0,3
13 Last Message 4,7
Here is what your COLORS.DAT file will look like before you edit it:
13,0
10,0
10,0
10,0
10,0
10,0
3,0
0,7
0,7
0,7
0,7
0,3
4,7
Powerboard will let you have two main waiting for calls screens, which
you will be able to switch back and fourth in by pressing ALT-S at
the Waiting for calls screen. You can also have 42,766 more waiting
for calls screens (total of 42,768 possible screens), which you can
access by pressing the UP or DOWN arrow at the waiting for calls
screen. These screens should be located in your main Powerboard
directory. Their filename should be "SCR<number>.DEF". i.e. the
first screen would be named "SCR1.DEF". You would access this
screen by pressing UP once at the waiting for calls screen. When
you press UP again, Powerboard will load SCR2.DEF, and so fourth.
Pressing DOWN goes to the previous screen. Pressing ALT-S will
bring you back to the two main waiting for calls screens.
Keys available while user/sysop is online
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
While someone is online your BBS, you have over 80 available keys to
perform different functions on the BBS. It is probably impossible (or
at least very difficult) for you to memorize all of the function keys.
This is why two options have been made available to you. One is
pressing the [HOME] key which will freeze the user's current activity
and display full-screen help to you. The other is available by pressing
[ALT-H]. This will display abbriviated help on the bottom two lines on
your screen. This does NOT freeze the user's activity.
The following is what you will see when you press the [HOME] key while a
user is on-line:
(F1-F4) Sysop-Definable batch files (F5) Toggle Status Line
(F6) Sysop-Definable Text (F7) Engage Regular Chat
(F8) Disconnect User w/ Message (F9) Upgrade Security level
(F10) Disconnect User w/o Message (ALT-F??) Sysop Definable Screens
(ALT-C) Clear Local Screen (ALT-D) Shell to DOS
(ALT-G) Beep User (ALT-H) Status line help
(ALT-J) Shell to DOS w/o msg (ALT-K) Capture to CAPT.<node>
(ALT-P) Execute PB-CONFIG (ALT-Q) Clear Chat Request
(ALT-S) Start Splitscreen Chat (ALT-V) View User Information
(ALT-#) Sysop Script Files (CTRL-D) Drop out of PB to DOS
(CTRL-Q-Z) Sysop Definable PCL files (CTRL-F1) Toggle Graphics Mode
(CTRL-F2) Toggle Expert Mode (CTRL-F3) Toggle Sysop Available
(CTRL-F4) Toggle Sound (CTRL-F5) Toggle Printer Logging
(CTRL-F6) Toggle Local Mode (CTRL-F7) Toggle Frontdoor Mode
(CTRL-F8) Toggle User's Keyboard (CTRL-F9) Flush Com Port Buffer
(CTRL-F10) Toggle SysOp Next
(SHIFT-F1) Raise time by 10 mins (SHIFT-F2) Decrease time by 10 mins
(SHIFT-F3) Raise uploads by 1 (SHIFT-F4) Decrease uploads by 1
(SHIFT-F5) Raise Downloads by 1 (SHIFT-F6) Decrease downloads by 1
(SHIFT-F7) Raise K downloaded by 1 (SHIFT-F8) Decrease K D/L'ed by 1
Many of these commands are very self-explanatory and do just what they
say. However, some are a little more involved. The following is a list
of the commands and what they do:
Key Description
==============================================================================
F1-F4 Sysop-Definable batch files.
When you press one of these 4 keys,
Powerboard will attempt to execute a batch
file. They are F1.BAT, F2.BAT, F3.BAT and
F4.BAT, respectively. If these batch files
exist, they will be run when you press the
corresponding key. This would be useful
if you have an external chat program,
want to shell to user out to DOS
immediately (not recommended!!), perform
some sort of DOS activity, etc...
F5 Toggle Status Line.
Pressing this key will turn the status
line on if it is currently off and not
being displayed, or if the status line is
being displayed, it will be turned off.
F6 Display Sysop-Definable Text.
Pressing this key will load and let you
view the file called SYSDEF.SCR. By
default, this contains a listing of
the ALT-F?? and CTRL-Q-Z function keys
and what they do by default
(Which are Sysop-Definable screens and
Sysop-Definable PCL procedures,
respectively).
F7 Engage Sysop -> User chat.
Pressing this key will start a chat
mode where they User and Sysop will
be able to converse freely, as if in
a voice conversation. An enhanced,
Split-Screen chat mode is available
if the user is using ANSI screen
graphics. To access this function,
press ALT-S (defined later in this
section).
F8 Disconnect the current user with
a friendly "Sysop has requested that
you call back later" message so perhaps
you can take over the computer to
perform some sort of quick maintenance that
couldn't be done while the user was online.
F9 Change user's security level.
This key will let you change the user's
security level. The security level that
you change them to should be listed in
the security definition file, SECS.BBS.
F10 Disconnect the current user.
This key will disconnect the user
immediately with no message.
ALT-F?? Display a Sysop-Definable screen.
Pressing this key will load and display
to the user a sysop-definable screen.
These screens are located in the
DISPLAY\FKEYS\ directory and called
F??.ANS/.ASC (F1.ANS/.ASC, F2.ANS/.ASC,
F3.ANS/.ASC, etc...). Here is a list of
the default contents of these files:
ALT-F1: Pretend Line Noise. Makes
the user think that there
is something wrong with their
phone line and will possibly
hang up.
ALT-F2: Event in 3 minutes. Displays
a message saying that there
will be an event coming
up in 3 minutes (even if there
isn't).
ALT-F3: Sysop Requests a Chat. Asks
the user to kindly page the
sysop at their convenience.
ALT-F4: MORON. Calls the user a "MORON"
in big letters. Not recommended
unless the user is a close friend.
ALT-F5: Do you need help? Asks the user
if they need help, and if so to
please page the Sysop. Ideal
if the user seems to not know
what is going on, and you would
like to help out, but don't want
to interrupt.
ALT-F6: Do Not Disturb. Asks the user
not to disturb you anymore for
this call.
ALT-F7: Spell it Out? Tells the user
that they should read the text on
their screen.
ALT-F8: Can't Believe it. Tells the user
that the data that they're
entering is unbelievable and that
they should cease to do.
ALT-F9: Sysop Busy. Tells the user that
you are here, but won't be able to
chat for a minute.
ALT-F10: Wake Up. Tells the user to wake
up!
ALT-C Clear local screen.
ALT-D Shell to DOS. Go to MS-DOS temporarily--
keep Powerboard in memory so that you can
come back by typing EXIT at the DOS prompt.
ALT-G Beep User. Sends a beep to the user's
computer.
ALT-H Display short help on the bottom two lines.
ALT-J Same as ALT-D except does not show a
"Sysop is Shelling to DOS" message to the
user.
ALT-K Start capturing text to CAPT.<node> (<node>
is the number for the current node). If
text is already being captured, this will
close the capture file.
ALT-P PBConfig. Executes PBConfig and lets you
make changes to your BBS' configuration.
ALT-Q Clear chat request message. If the user
has paged you, you will see a "Chat
Requested" message on the bottom of your
screen. Pressing ALT-Q will turn off this
message.
ALT-S Start a Sysop -> User chat in split screen
mode. This option will only work if the
user is currently using ANSI screen
graphics. Otherwise, it will automatically
call the [F7] chat mode. In Split Screen
chat, the user and Sysop have separate
boxes on the screen where they can type
freely, and simultaneously.
ALT-V View user's information.
ALT-# Execute a Sysop script file. There are 10
possible Sysop script files. They are
located in the SCRIPT\ directory, and
called #.SCR (i.e. 1.SCR, 2.SCR, 3.SCR,
etc...).
In these Sysop script files should be keys
that you want to be executed automatically
when you press the corresponding number.
If text goes to a new line, that is
considered a return key. So the following
script, if executed as soon as the user
connects, would log in "Scott Brown" with a
password of "Password":
YScott Brown
YPassword
The first character in the script, "Y", is
what will be entered when the BBS asks (at
the first prompt), "Would you like Ansi
Graphics?". Next, the BBS asks for the
user's name. The script then automatically
types in "Scott Brown". Notice that the
script then goes to the next line. That
means to press the return key. After that,
the BBS searches for "Scott Brown" and
finds one from "Larchmont, New York". It
then asks "Are you the 'Scott Brown' from
'Larchmont, NY'?". Now the next character
in the script is "Y". This is now sent as
a response to the question. Next, the BBS
will ask for the password. The next
characters in the script are "Password",
which is then typed in, and then the script
goes to the next line, which means to press
enter. Now "Scott Brown" has been logged
in automatically with a script.
CTRL-D Drop out of BBS to DOS. This key will
remove Powerboard from memory and exit to
DOS immediately. Without logging the user
off or anything of the sort.
CTRL-Q-Z Execute a Sysop-Definable PCL procedure
[See section in this manual on "PCL"
(Powerboard Control Language)]. The
default control files are listed in
SYSDEF.SCR (Press F6). The following is
a list of the default PCL programs:
CTRL-Q: Goodbye? prompt
CTRL-R: Re-Log on
CTRL-S: Sysop Menu
CTRL-T: Page Sysop
CTRL-U: Main Menu
CTRL-V: Multinode Chat
CTRL-W: Modify user's statistics
CTRL-X: Time Bank
CTRL-Y: Find User
CTRL-Z has been left out of the default
list purposely because of that fact that
CTRL-Z can be used to save a message while
in the message editor.
CTRL-F1 Toggle Graphics Mode. If the user is
using Ansi, it will switch them to ASCII
or vice versa.
CTRL-F2 Toggle Expert Mode. Turns off/on viewing
menu displays.
CTRL-F3 Toggle Available. Turns off/on Sysop page.
CTRL-F4 Turns off/on bells and sounds on the BBS.
CTRL-F5 Turns off/on logging to the printer.
CTRL-F6 Toggle local mode. This function can be
used if you would like to do something
quickly while a remote user is on, but
don't want them to see it.
CTRL-F7 Toggle Frontdoor mode. Turning this
function on will cause Powerboard to exit
to DOS after the caller hangs up. If you
are already running from Frontdoor, this
will make Powerboard go back to the
Powerboard waiting for calls screen instead
of Frontdoor.
CTRL-F8 Toggle User's keyboard. Turning this
option on will freeze the remote user's
keyboard so that they can't type.
CTRL-F9 Flush Buffer. This will remove any waiting
characters from the remote user's sending
buffer.
CTRL-F10 Sysop Next. Turning this option on will
cause Powerboard to take the phone off the
hook and wait after the current user logs
off so that you will be able to use the
system immediately after their call.
SHIFT-F1 Raise user's time by 10 minutes.
SHIFT-F2 Decrease user's time by 10 minutes.
SHIFT-F3 Raise user's number of uploads by 1.
SHIFT-F4 Decrease user's number of uploads by 1.
SHIFT-F5 Raise user's number of downloads by 1.
SHIFT-F6 Decrease user's number of downloads by 1.
SHIFT-F7 Raise the number of kilobytes that the user
has downloaded from the BBS by 1.
SHIFT-F8 Decrease the number of kilobytes that the
user has downloaded from the BBS by 1.
SHIFT-F9 Raise the number of kilobytes that the user
has uploaded to the BBS by 1.
SHIFT-F10 Decrease the number of kilobytes that the user
has uploaded to the BBS by 1.
ALT-# in CHAT mode While in Chat mode, pressing ALT plus a
number (1-0) will display a Chat screen.
These screens are located in the directory
called CHATSCRS\ and are called
<number>.ANS/.ASC.
Powerboard Display Files
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard Display Files are text (ascii) or ANSI/Color files that will be
displayed to the user when they're on the BBS. There are two types of
display files: One is full-screen displays such as menus or your welcome
screen. These can be edited with the included PB utility: PBUTIL ANSIDRAW
or a 3rd party program called TheDraw, produced by TheSoft Software and is
available on many major BBS systems, however, TheDraw is shareware and
requires a registration fee if you decide to use it.
The other type of display file is a multi-page display where the display
will not only display on one screen, but it will continue to scroll down
and go to more screens. TheDraw and PBUTIL ANSIDRAW only allow editing
of one page of text. To edit a multi-page display, you will most likely
have to use the TED or QEdit text editor. TED, QEdit, and any other DOS
text editor will not allow changing colors and adding ansi codes
automatically. You will have to do this manually. ANSI Codes are
described in Appendix E in this manual.
If you decide to edit your display screens with TheDraw, make sure you
save your image using ALT-B to specify the area you want to save. Also,
it is recommended that you use no screen preparation, maximum line length
(usually default) and maximum display speed.
Please see TheDraw's documentation for more information on it, or for
more information on PBUTIL ANSIDRAW, consult the Powerboard Utility
Package (PBUTIL) section in this manual.
Powerboard Display files can contain many imbedded codes that will tell
Powerboard to do something other than just display the text. First,
Powerboard Display files can contain Powerboard Percent Codes, described
elsewhere in this manual. Second, there are a few commands that can be
placed on the very first line of the display file to direct Powerboard
to do something differently. To add these commands, you MUST do this
with either the TED, QEdit or other DOS text editor. Load the display
file, go to the first line, and insert a line. The new first line of
the display file can be one of 5 items, described below:
Command Description
=============================================================================
FORCEREAD Do not allow the user to abort the display.
ABORT Do not allow the user to press an abort
key (SPACEBAR is default) to abort the
display.
KILL Delete the display file as soon as it has
finished displaying.
NOPERC Do NOT check for Powerboard Percent Codes
in this display file.
PBANSI Tells Powerboard that this display is a
PBAnsi display file, and that it will
contain Powerboard ansi codes instead of
standard DOS ansi codes or PCBAnsi codes.
Consult the PBAnsi section in this manual
for more information.
There are also commands that can be on any line in the display file.
Just make sure that they are the only thing on the line. These commands
should be added in the same fashion that they are added with the
commands that are used on the first line. These commands are described
as follows:
Command Description
=============================================================================
@CLS@ Clear the screen.
@DISPLAY:file Load another display file (file). e.g.
@DISPLAY:display\welcome.asc
would display "display\welcome.asc"
@NOPAUSE@ Do NOT show any pause prompts in this
display.
@WAIT@ Pause display for one second.
char #6 Character #6 () on one line will ask the
user to press their enter key to continue.
For more information on characters, consult
Appendix A in this manual.
char #5<length> Character #5 () followed by a number will
set the user's screen length (when the
pause prompt will show) to the number.
The following files should be located in your DISPLAY\ subdirectory.
Filename Description
=============================================================================
READING.ANS/.ASC Shown after a user sees message text
while reading messages.
MESS<security>.ANS/.ASC Message menu display screen. This should
contain all the options available to that
security level for the Message Menu
on your BBS.
CUTOFF.ANS/.ASC Shown when you (the Sysop) press the
(F8) key to disconnect a user.
CHATINIT.ANS/.ASC Shown when you initalize Sysop-User chat
(F7) or (ALT-S).
TIMEOUT.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user hasn't pressed a key
for a while and PB is disconnecting them.
EVENTNOW.ANS/.ASC Shown if PB is about to kick the user
off due to an event.
HOURS.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user pages you during hours
that you have specified in NOPAGE.HRS (see
configuration files chapter).
REFUSED.ANS/.ASC Displayed if a new user refuses to become
a member of your system.
CHG<security>.ANS/.ASC Displayed to users with <security> before
asking which message area to change to
in the Message Menu.
MAIN<security>.ANS/.ASC Main Menu Display file. This is displayed
before the Main Menu prompt and should
contain a list of options available to
users with <security>.
NOTIME.ANS/.ASC Shown when the user runs out of time.
ENDCHAT.ANS/.ASC Shown when the Sysop quits chat.
BADPASS.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user gets their password
wrong 4 times.
LOCKOUT.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user is locked out.
BADNAME.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user enters a name not
acceptable (listed in BADNAMES.BBS)
TIMEMSG.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user is to be warned
because they haven't pressed a key
for a while, but won't disconnect
them (see TIMEOUT.ANS).
CWHO.ANS/.ASC Multinode Version. Shown in Multinode
chat before showing which users are online
with the /WHO multinode chat command.
SUCCUB.ANS/.ASC Shown if a Batch Upload is successful.
NONMEMB.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user isn't currently a
member of the BBS (before asking
if they want to register).
SEC<security>.ANS/.ASC Shown to user after login. Usually
tells information about the security
level they have.
B-DAY.ANS/.ASC Displayed on the user's Birthday.
PASSWORD.ANS/.ASC Shown when asking a new user for the
password they want to use on the BBS.
TRYPASS.ANS/.ASC Shown before verifying the password
the new user entered.
NEWUSER<screen #>.ANS/.ASC 10 screens total, shown at login if the
user has new-user security.
DN-PROTS.ANS/.ASC Displayed before asking the user for
the protocol they want to use for
downloading a file in the file area.
NEWSLTR.ANS/.ASC Your BBS newsletter that the user will
be able to read upon login or at the
main menu with the (N)ewsletter
selection.
COMPS.ANS/.ASC Shown when asking new users what type of
computer they have.
LENGTH.ANS/.ASC Shown when asking the new user the length of
their computer screen.
PAGE.ANS/.ASC Shown if the sysop isn't available for
a chat after the user pages.
ENTER.ANS/.ASC Shown after the user has entered the message
and before the enter message option prompt.
ONEADAY<number>.ANS/.ASC Shown at login if this is the user's first
call today.
GOODBYE.ANS/.ASC Shown before disconnecting if the user
hits the (G)oodbye selection at a menu.
BLT<security>.ANS/.ASC Bulletins Menu Display file. Shown at
the bulletins menu before the bulletins
menu prompt and should include a list
of bulletins available.
BULL<number>.ANS/.ASC A bulletin accessible at a bulletins menu.
EXPERT.ANS/.ASC Shown upon login if the user is in
EXPERT mode (no menus displayed).
FILE<security>.ANS/.ASC Files Menu Display. Shown at the files
menu before the files menu prompt and
should include a list of options available
at the files menu for users with <security>.
BACK.ANS/.ASC Shown when the user comes back from a door
program.
NOFSEC.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user doesn't have enough
security to access the file area they
requested.
NOTFND.ANS/.ASC Shown if a file the user requested couldn't
be found.
INVALID.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user enters a filename in
an invalid file format.
UPLD.ANS/.ASC Shown before letting a user upload a file
and before they pick the protocol they'll
use.
SEARCH.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user selects (S)earch from
the Message Menu or Reading Menu.
COMMENT.ANS/.ASC Shown before asking the user if they want
to leave a comment to the sysop.
NOFILES.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user attempts to list a file
area that doesn't have any files.
FBADSEC.ANS/.ASC Shown if the file the user requested is in
an area that they wouldn't be able to
access because their security is too low.
DOWN.ANS/.ASC Shown before the user downloads a file
and before they pick the protocol they
want to use.
BADRATIO.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user exceeds their upload to
download ratio.
SDONE.ANS/.ASC Shown when done with a file area search.
INVPROT.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user tries to select an
invalid protocol.
ABORTED.ANS/.ASC Shown when a download is aborted.
WELCOME.ANS/.ASC Shown after the user connects to your
BBS and selects the graphics mode they
want.
NO-300.TXT Shown if you turn off ability to accept
300-baud callers.
USUCCESS.ANS/.ASC Shown if an upload is successful.
ISHERE.ANS/.ASC Shown if a file the user tries to upload
already exists on your BBS.
SUCCESS.ANS/.ASC Shown if a download is successful.
FSEARCH.ANS/.ASC Shown before asking the user what text they
want to search for when doing a (S)earch
at the files menu.
SUCCESSB.ANS/.ASC Shown if a batch download is successful.
UP-OFF.ANS/.ASC Shown if an upload is successful and the
user is to be logged off.
INVDATE.ANS/.ASC Shown if the date the user enters for a
new files search is invalid.
NEWDONE.ANS/.ASC Shown at the end of a new files search.
DUPE.ANS/.ASC Shown if there is already someone on
the BBS using a name someone wants to log
in with.
NOSPACE.ANS/.ASC Shown if there is no disk space left for
the user to upload.
NODLTIME.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user doesn't have enough time
to download the file they requested.
DOORS<security>.ANS/.ASC Doors Menu Display. Shown if the user is
at the doors menu, before the doors menu
prompt.
SUB<security>.ANS/.ASC Shown to users who are subscribers at login
with <security>.
SEXP<security>.ANS/.ASC Shown to users with <security> if their
Subscription expires.
NEWNEWS.ANS/.ASC Shown at login, before asking if they want
to view the newsletter, only if the newsletter
has been updated since their last call.
REPLY.ANS/.ASC Shown in place of ENTER.ANS/.ASC after the
user has finished entering their message
if the message is a reply.
MTIME.ANS/.ASC Shown in MULTINODE version if the user
hits the /TIME command.
DEFPROTS.ANS/.ASC Shown before asking the user which
default protocol they want.
QUES<security>.ANS/.ASC Questionnaire Menu Display Screen. Shown
at the questionnaire menu before the prompt.
SDONE.ANS/.ASC Shown after a file search is completed.
DEFUSE.ANS/.ASC Shown when using a default file transfer
protocol.
UP-PROTS.ANS/.ASC Shows protocols available for uploading
a file at the file area.
WHO.ANS/.ASC MultiNode version: Shown before showing
names of users currently on-line the BBS.
ALREADY.ANS/.ASC MultiNode version: Shown if a user tries
to log onto more than one node at a time.
TWARN.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user is about to run out of
time.
READ.ANS/.ASC Shown at the Message Read menu.
DN-PROTS.ANS/.ASC Shown before asking which protocol the
user wants to use to download.
NOSPCE.ANS/.ASC Shown if there is no space left for the
user to upload a file attach.
UPPROTS1.ANS/.ASC Shown when asking the user which protocol
they want to use to transfer a file
attach.
ATTABT.ANS/.ASC Shown if the attach transfer was aborted.
ATTSUCC.ANS/.ASC Shown if the attach transfer was successful.
HERENOW.ANS/.ASC Shown if the file attach the user is about
to upload already exists.
READINGA.ANS/.ASC Shown instead of READING.ANS/.ASC if there
is a file attach attached to the message.
DNPROTS1.ANS/.ASC Protocols available to download file attach.
ATTSUCC1.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user downloaded the attach
Successfully.
ATTABT1.ANS/.ASC Shown if the user doesn't download the
attach successfully.
VIEWZ.ANS/.ASC Shown immediately after the user selects
V (View Archive) at the files menu.
READF.ANS/.ASC Shown immediately after the user selects
R (Read text file) at the files menu.
WSEARCH.ANS/.ASC Shown immediately after the user selects
W (Wildcard Search) at the files menu.
BADPASS2.ANS/.ASC Shown when logging off a user who entered
an invalid password.
CHATOPT.ANS/.ASC In multinode chat, shown before asking user
which nodes to chat with.
EVENT.ANS/.ASC Shown at logon if there is an event coming
up and the user's time had to be cut down.
slightly.
CHATCONF.ANS/.ASC Shown before going into Multinode chat,
when asking the user which conference
they'd like to chat in.
STCHAT.ANS/.ASC Shown before going into Multinode chat.
DPHONE.ANS/.ASC Shown if the phone number that the user
enters is one used already.
The following files should be located in your HELP\ subdirectory. All
of the default help files were created using PBAnsi codes. Consult the
section in this manual called "PBAnsi" for more information on editing a
text file that includes PBAnsi color codes.
Filename Description
=============================================================================
MAIN<sec>.ASC Main Menu Help Screen
ENTER.ASC Help screen that shows when the user
requests help while entering a message.
MCHAT.ASC Shown when the user requests help while
in Multinode chat.
REPLY.ASC Shown when the user requests help while
replying to a message.
SEAR.ASC Shown when the user is searching for a
message.
READ.ASC Shown before the user starts reading mail.
QUES.ASC Shown if the user requests help at the
questionnaires menu.
PROT.ASC Shown if the user requests help using the file
transfer protocols.
MESS.ASC Shown if the user requests help at the message
menu.
LST.ASC Shown if the user requests help while
listing files in a file area.
FILE<sec>.ASC Shown if the user requests help while at
the files menu.
DOOR<sec>.ASC Shown if the user requests help at the
Doors menu.
BULL.ASC Shown if the user requests help at the
bulletins menu.
SYSOP.ASC Shown if the user requests help at the
Sysop menu.
READN.ASC Shown if the user requests help while
reading messages in the message area.
The following files should be located in your AREAS\ subdirectory.
Filename Description
=============================================================================
WELC<conf>.ANS/.ASC Welcome screen shown when a user joins
the <conf> conference.
NEWS<conf>.ANS/.ASC News for <conf> conference.
FAREA<conf>.ANS/.ASC File area listing for <conf> conference.
Powerboard Configuration Files
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard has many miscellaneous configuration files that you can modify
to customize your BBS. All of the files listed here can be edited with
the TED text editor, QEdit, or any other DOS text editor.
a.Powerboard Batch Files
============================================================================
This chapter will list batch files available for Powerboard that you
may want to edit (or in some cases, create). All batch files are standard
text files that can be edited using QEdit. A batch file is simply a list
of MS-DOS commands that will be executed consecutively by MS-DOS. A batch
file to ask the time and date then run Powerboard might look something like
this:
TIME
DATE
C:
CD\BBS
PBOARD
BBS.BAT Batch file that can be used to load Powerboard.
DOS.BAT Batch file used for remote shell to DOS at the
Sysop menu. If you intend to use a remote
shell to DOS frequently, it may be a good
idea to obtain a copy of the DOORWAY
program by Marshall Dudley. DOORWAY lets
remote users shell to DOS and supports
almost all programs run under MS-DOS.
DOORWAY's Support Board is DATAWORLD BBS
and can be reached at 615-675-4753.
ERROR.BAT This batch file is run if Powerboard has a
critical error such as running out of RAM
memory (see the "Errors" section in this
manual for more information).
EXTEDIT.BAT If this batch file is found, it will be run
if the user selects "FullScreen Editor" for
entering messages. Powerboard will read in
the MSGTMP file after the message is saved.
Powerboard is known to work with the TOPED
text editor, available at many BBS' worldwide.
ZIPVIEW.BAT Run if user selects (V)iew Zip from Files
menu. This is a DOS batch file.
CALLDONE.BAT Run after each call is completed. You may want
to run some sort of program to update a list of
callers with this file or perform some brief
maintenance.
LOGON.BAT Run after a user logs on, before the Bulletins
Menu.
MAIL.BAT Run if user selects (M) at the message menu for
the off-line reader door.
b.Powerboard Percent Code Batch Files
============================================================================
Some of the batch files that Powerboard uses are not standard batch
files, but Powerboard Percent Code Batch Files, or .BT files. These
.BT files can contain Powerboard Percent Codes (described elsewhere in
this manual).
BXCHECK.BT Run after a batch upload. Usually used to check
the files that were just uploaded.
XCHECK.BT Run after a regular (single-file) upload. Usually
used to check a file after upload.
DOOR.BT Run when the user opens a door (described
in the "Doors" section of this manual).
c.General Configuration Files
============================================================================
NOPAGE.HRS Listing of hours sysop can not be paged.
Format for this file:
7 lines of info for the 7 days of the week,
each line should contain hours plus a colon
for the hours the sysop can't be reached,
example:
01:,02:,03:,04:,05:,06:,23:,00:
In the above line, the sysop would only be
able to be reached that day from 7am-10:59 pm.
RATIOS.BBS Upload/Download ratio configuration file.
This file tells Powerboard what you want
the file transfer upload to download ratio
to be. If you set a ratio to 10 for example,
the user would be able to download 10 files
before they had to send you one. The format
for RATIOS.BBS is
Security,Ratio#
or
Security,None
if you want No Ratio for that security level.
BADNAMES.BBS List of obscene or unwanted names that
new users won't be able to use when logging
onto your BBS. Powerboard will add to this
file automatically if users log on with
false information.
TIMELIMS.<node> Where <node> is a node number (0-999), 0
for Single-Node PB. This file lets you
configure time limits for your users. The
format for this file is:
Security,Limit
If there is an asterisk mark (*) after the
limit value, the user will have that
amount of time every time they log on.
Otherwise, their time will be refreshed
only once a day (at midnight).
SOUNDS.DAT Sound definitions for Powerboard.
The sounds are used for various places on
the BBS. To define a sound, you will have
to define first the pitch (in Hz) and then
the duration for how long the sound should
last.
Format for the sounds.dat data file:
ConnectSound,length
RingSound,length
ScreenBlankedSound,length
Re-initalizeModemSound,length
BASIC.ANS File defining certain prompts for PB.
Format for this file:
Splitscreen chat split line
Invalid File Spec
File not found
Sysop shelling to dos
Sysop back from dos
Press (ENTER)
No Bulletins Available
Bulletins Updated:
This file can use IBM-ANSI color codes.
The ANSI codes are listed in appendix E of
this manual. If you don't know them, it
isn't recommended that you attempt to
edit this file.
IGNORE.BBS Files that should be ignored if found in
the files listing.
REFUND.BBS File that tells how much time to give
back for every minute user spent uploading
for certain securities. Format for
this file:
Security,Time_to_give_back_for_every_min
BASIC.TXT This configuration file contains prompts
that will be shown to the user but aren't
configurable otherwise. The format
for the file is as follows:
File not found
Message for ANSI detection
Error-Correction modem detected at connect
What should be said if user hits Y at yes/no
If user hits N at yes/no question
Invalid file specification
Sysop using dos...
Sysop back from dos...
Press (ENTER)
No bulletins available
Bulletins updated:
ERRORS.DAT Error messages Powerboard will show if
it crashes. It isn't recommended that you
edit this file but you can do it if you're
very careful and backup first.
CONNECT.<node> List of connect messages from your modem PB
should recognize as a modem connecting.
Format for this file:
Connect Message, Baudrate
Note: This file can be configured via the
configuration program PBCONFIG.EXE but
PBCONFIG has a limited number of baudrates.
If you have a modem with a strange baudrate,
you can edit this file.
PHONES.DAT List of phone numbers that new users can't
possibly have. If a user tries to log on
with one of these phone numbers, the BBS
tells them that they're using a pretend
phone number and locks them out of the BBS.
SYSDEF.SCR Screen that will come up if you press F6
while a user is online.
HOME.DEF Screen that will display if you press HOME
while at the Waiting for Calls screen.
ONLINE.DEF Screen that will display if you press HOME
while a user is online.
FREEFILE.BBS List of files on the BBS that should be
considered a "free" download. i.e. do not
take away time from the user for the
download or change their upload->download
ratio. If an at sign (@) appears at the
beginning of a line in FREEFILE.BBS, it
means that following should be a number
representing a file directory number, then
another at sign (@), then the conference
number. All files in this specified area
will be free downloads.
MAXLIMIT.DAT This file should contain one line, which is
the value for the maximum amount of time
that a user can have stored in the time
bank. This file, unlike the other files
listed here, should reside in the BANK\
subdirectory, off of your main BBS
directory.
FILES.BBS This is the listing file that contains
the list of files in an area, and it
exists in all of the file areas for your
BBS. In this file, there are 4 fields.
The FILENAME is at position 1.
File Size ends at position 21.
File Date starts at position 24.
File description starts at position 34.
You do not need to know this information as
Powerboard will automatically handle adding
files and their descriptions to the listings,
but if you do modify your Files.bbs listing
so that there are different files, remember
to then run the Fndx utility (described
elsewhere in the manual) which will notify
Powerboard of the changes that you made.
Powerboard Log Files
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Log files are text files that Powerboard and related utilities will log
to for important information that you should be aware of. These files
can be viewed with the PBUTIL LOGS function (refer to the Powerboard
Utility Package (PBUTIL) section of this manual for more information).
All of the log files are contained in the LOGS subdirectory. The
following is a list of Powerboard log files.
CALLERS.<node> File where general caller and BBS activity
is logged. This includes user logins,
system shut downs and startups, event
activity, etc...
ERROR.<node> Any critical errors will be logged to this
file.
CHAT.<node> If you log a chat (pressing F7 while in
chat mode), it will be logged to this file.
DOWNLOAD.<node> All files that have been downloaded from
your system will be logged to this file.
UPLOAD.<node> All files that are uploaded to your system
are logged to this file.
Powerboard Percent Codes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard Percent Codes are keywords or character combinations that can
be embedded in normal text and will be translated to something else.
Percent Codes can reside in PCL programs, display files, .BT files and
more. If Powerboard comes upon a Percent code while retrieving text, it
will replace it with the value that is currently stored within that
percent code. For example, if the current user online is "Scott Brown",
and the following is a line in a display file:
Welcome to the BBS, %NAME%.
It would be translated to:
Welcome to the BBS, Scott Brown.
Because the current user is "Scott Brown". The value stored in %NAME%
therefore would be "Scott Brown".
There are 5 basic types of imbedded Percent codes:
/: / Stores information that pertains to the current
user on-line.
\: \ Stores information that pertains to a user
record, but not necessarily the user online.
These codes are used in New-User login and the
on-line user editor.
%VAR% Powerboard PCL programs access this to store
data temporarily. In version 1.10 and before,
this was known as "VAR:". This should no longer
be used. %VAR% is much faster.
^: ^ Array variable that Powerboard PCL programs
access to store temporary information.
% % General percent codes.
It is important to know that percent codes that begin and end with a
percent (%) symbol are processed faster than all of the other percent
codes. Some percent symbol (%) codes duplicate slash symbol (/:) codes.
In a speed-critical situation, you may want to take advantage of this.
To achieve maximum speed for any of the percent codes, using all capital
letters will save a step needed to convert any lowercase letters.
a.PBAnsi colors
=============================================================================
The following percent codes are to be used in place of PBAnsi (&<numb>&)
codes for increased readability. Please consult the section in this
manual, "PBAnsi" for a definition of PBAnsi. These codes can only be
used in PBAnsi displays, PCL programs at SAY commands, and other areas
where PBAnsi codes are expected.
%BLACK% Black foreground.
%BLUE% Dark blue foreground.
%GREEN% Dark green foreground.
%CYAN% Dark cyan foreground.
%RED% Dark red foreground.
%PURPLE% Dark purple foreground.
%BROWN% Brown foreground.
%WHITE% White foreground.
%GREY% Grey foreground.
%HBLUE% High intensity blue foreground.
%HGREEN% Bright green foreground.
%HCYAN% Bright cyan foreground.
%HRED% Bright red foreground.
%HPURPLE% Bright purple foreground.
%YELLOW% Yellow foreground.
%HWHITE% Bright white foreground.
b.File area related codes
=============================================================================
The following codes pertain to the file area of your BBS.
%CD% Is CD-ROM drive installed?
Yes=Yes,No=No.
%CDPATH% Path for CD-ROM file listings.
%DEFEXT% Default file extension for files in
the file areas (e.g. .ZIP).
%EDAY% Day for oldest file accepted.
%EMONTH% Month for oldest file accepted.
%EYEAR% Year for the oldest file accepted on
the BBS.
%FAREA% Current file area listing filename.
%FILAREA% Current file area number.
%FILNAME% Name of the current file area.
%FILPATH% DOS path to files in the current file
area.
%FILSEC% Security needed for this file area.
%FILUP% Date when the file area was last
updated.
%FREE% Is the last file searched for a free
download?
%MAXFAREA% Number of file areas available in the
current conference.
%RATIO% Was user's ratio "OK" or "NOT OK" the
last time a file was searched for?
%TTIM% Transfer time for file.
%XMIN% Number of minutes that the last file
transfer took.
%XTIME% Seconds the last file transfer
took.
c.Multinode BBS
=============================================================================
The following codes pertain to items available in the Multinode version
of Powerboard.
%CPAT% Path for multinode temporary files.
%NACTIVITY% Activity from last multinode check.
%NAVAIL% Available? from last multinode check.
%NBAUD% Baudrate from last multinode check.
%NFROM% Calling From from last multinode
check.
%NNAME% User name from last multinode check.
d.Message Area
=============================================================================
The following items pertain to data from the current message area and
the message database in general.
%AREA<number>% Name of <number> message area.
%AREAFPUB% Does this message area force all mail
to be public?
%AREAFPVT% Does this message area force all mail
to be private?
%AREANAME% Name of the currently selected message
area.
%AREAPVT% Does this message area allow private
mail?
%AREASEC% Security level necessary to access
current message area.
%ATTPAT% Path to files attached to messages.
%FOUND% Number of unread messages found for the
user the last time the message database was
scanned. (Using the SCAN PCL
command).
%MAXAREA% The highest message area accessible.
%MRESP% Response from message retrieve
procedure.
%MSGFNET% Does this message area force all
messages to be netmail?
%MSGISCAN% Does this message area ignore the
user's "scan area" flag? (set with SEL
command at message menu)
%MSGNET% Does the current message area allow
netmail?
%MSGPVT% Does this message area allow private
mail?
%MSGUP% Date when message database was last
updated.
%TFOUND% Total number of messages scanned
during the last message scan.
e.Message in memory
=============================================================================
The following percent codes pertain to information stored from the last
message that Powerboard retrieved.
%FULL% Is full-screen editor currently in
use?
%MAXLINE% The number of lines of text that this
message contains.
%MSGATTDIR% Not used.
%MSGATTACH% Is there a file attached to this
message?
%MSGATTNAME% Name of the file attached to this
message.
%MSGDEL% Is the message flagged for deletion?
%MSGDESC% Description for this message.
%MSGFROM% The name of the user that sent the
message.
%MSGNSNT% Netmail Sent.
%MSGNKILL% Netmail Kill.
%MSGNUMBER% The number of the message.
%MSGPREV% The number of the message that this
message is a reply to.
%MSGRCPT% Message receipt - not used.
%MSGRCVD% Has the message been received?
%MSGRDTIMES% Number of times that this message has
been read.
%MSGRKILL% Kill after receive - not used.
%MSGSNTD% Message sent date.
%MSGSNTT% Message sent time.
%MSGTHRD% Replies to this message? 0=No
%MSGTO% Who the message is addressed to.
%REPLIES% Are there replies to this message? "NO
REPLIES"=No, "REPLIES"=Yes.
f.System Information
=============================================================================
The following percent codes contain information about your system.
%BAUD% Current baudrate.
%BBSP% Path to main BBS directory.
%CALLERS% Number of calls that the system has
received.
%CDRIVE% Current disk drive.
%DATE% Current system date.
%DOSVER% MS-DOS version number.
%PORT% Communications port.
%LBAUD% Locked baudrate system is using.
%MULTI% Is system using a Multinode version of
Powerboard? TRUE=Yes.
%NODE% Node number this system has been
assigned.
%TIME% Current system time.
%VER% Powerboard version number.
g.System Settings
=============================================================================
The following codes are system settings, usually set by the Powerboard
Configuration program (PBConfig).
%BBS% Name of the BBS.
%BEEPS% Will sound be echoed to Sysop's side?
"On"=Yes, "Off"=No.
%BPCOMMENT% Should users have to leave the Sysop a
comment if they enter an invalid
password? Yes=Yes.
%CALLSLOG% Name of the system callers log for
this node.
%CHAT% Sysop available for page? Yes=Yes.
%NEWSEC% Security new users should receive.
%MINSPACE% Minimum disk space allowed.
%NEWTIME% Number of minutes a new user should
receive.
%PRINTER% Is the printer enabled? PRN=Yes,
NUL=No.
%SINCE% Date when BBS went online.
%SYSOP% Name of the System Operator.
%SYSOPF% Sysop's first name.
%SYSOPL% Sysop's last name.
%SYSP% Password that your System operators
(including yourself) must use to
access the system.
%SYSSEC% Security level that you assign to
System operators.
h.Responses
=============================================================================
The following percent codes pertain to system and user responses at
different areas in the BBS.
%ARESP% BBS' response at last PCL command.
%CONSTRING% Connect message modem sent when the
caller connected to the BBS.
%DRESP% Key user used to abort a screen.
%RESP% User's response at last prompt.
%UARESP% Unmodified user's response.
i.Codes to set Powerboard settings
=============================================================================
The following codes are very unlike all of the other Percent codes in
that they are not replaced with any text. Instead, they set various
settings in Powerboard PCL programs. Refer to the section on PCL for
more information on PCL programs.
%APAUSE% Add to the number of lines sent in a
display file. This will cause the
pause prompt to come up sooner.
%CLOGIN% If on the same line with a PCL
command, it will tell the command not
to execute unless someone has NOT
logged onto the BBS recently.
%CRON% If on the same line with an ASK family
command, this will tell ASK to send
"<CR>" to %RESP% if the user presses
enter.
%LEN<number>% If on the same line with an ASK family
command, this will tell the command
that <number> is the maximum amount
of characters that the user can enter
at the prompt.
%MIN<number>% If on the same line with an ASK family
command, this will tell the command
that <number> (a number) is the
minimum amount of characters that the
user is allowed to enter at this
prompt.
%NOCR% If on the same line with an ASK family
command, this will tell the command
when the user presses ENTER, do not
advance to the next line.
j.Current user online information
=============================================================================
The following codes contain information regarding the currently
logged-on user.
%AGE% Age of the current user in years.
%CACT% User's current activity.
%FNAME% User's first name.
%FROM% The "City,State" where the user is
calling from.
%GRAPHICS% User's graphics mode (ANSI,ASCII).
%LEFT% Number of minutes that the user has
remaining before the system will log
them off automatically.
%LIMIT% Time limit per day.
%LNAME% User's last name.
%MUSIC% Is ANSI music enabled? (TRUE, FALSE).
%NAME% User's name.
%ON% How the user is logged on. "FROM
DOOR"=the user logged on from a door.
%PHON% User's phone number.
%SEC% User's security level.
%USERN% User's number in user file.
k.Index Search Results
=============================================================================
The following percent codes represent data obtained from a user found in
a user index search.
%NDFNAME% User's first name.
%NDFROM% User's calling from.
%NDNAME% User's full name.
%NDLNAME% User's last name.
%NDLOCK% Is the user locked out? 1=Yes.
%NDNUMB% User's record number in the user file.
%NDPASS% User's password.
l.Miscellaneous
=============================================================================
Percent codes listed here may have to do with any section of the BBS.
%BEEP% Beep
%CTLNAME% Name of the currently loaded PCL
program.
%ERR% Is this current session under an
error-free modem connection?
%EVENT% Is there an event coming up soon that
will force the user to leave early?
TRUE=Yes.
%LASTU% Name of the last user that logged on.
%LOCAL% Is the user on locally (not connected
to a phone line)? TRUE=Yes.
%NONSTOP% Is non-stop display enabled? 10=Yes.
%RND% A randomly-generated number from 0 to
9.
%X% The current x (horizontal) position on
the screen.
%Y% The current y (vertical) position on
the screen.
m.PCL Variables
=============================================================================
There are two main types of PCL variables. One is the %VAR% variables,
which are the fastest and used most often. There are 26 of these
variables, A-Z. Use them in this fashion:
Hello, %VAR%A!
If the contents of variable "a" equals "Scott", the text would be
translated to:
Hello, Scott!
The other type is the variable array. There are 100 memory storage
locations with this variable. It is used in the following manner:
Hello, ^:1^!
If the contents of variable "1" within the variable array equals
"Scott", the text would translate to:
Hello, Scott!
n.Record from current user online
=============================================================================
The following codes represent entries from the user record of the
currently logged-on user.
/:BIRTH/ User's birthdate
/:CHATREQ/ Times chat requested
/:COMP/ Computer using
/:CUTOFF/ Times cut off
/:DEFAVAIL/ Default avail for multichat
/:DOWNLOADS/ Number of downloads
/:DROPPED/ Times carrier was dropped
/:EXPERT/ Expert mode?
/:FROM/ User's city & state
/:GRAPHICS/ Graphics mode
/:NAME/ User name
/:PASS/ User's password
/:PHONE/ User's phone number
/:STREET/ User's street
/:KDOWN/ K downloaded
/:KUP/ K uploaded
/:LAST/ User's last date on
/:LASTCHK/ Last new files check
/:LASTT/ Last time on
/:LASTDOWN/ Last download area
/:LASTMSG/ Last message area
/:LASTUP/ Last upload area
/:LEFT/ Time left
/:PROTOCOL/ Protocol
/:MEMO/ Memo
/:TIMESON/ Number of times on
/:FIRST/ First date on
/:SUB/ Subscriber? Y/n
/:SUBDATE/ Subscription end date
/:SEC/ Current security level
/:SCREENLEN/ Screen length
/:UPLOADS/ Number of uploads
/:WAIT/ Mail waiting?
/:WORK/ User's work number
o.Record from user in temporary memory
=============================================================================
The following codes pertain to information stored in the temporary user
record. These codes, by default, are used only in the online User
Editor and new-user logon.
\:BIRTH\ User's birthdate
\:CHATREQ\ Times chat requested
\:COMP\ Computer using
\:CUTOFF\ Times cut off
\:DEFAVAIL\ Default avail for multichat
\:DOWNLOADS\ Number of downloads
\:DROPPED\ Times carrier was dropped
\:EXPERT\ Expert mode?
\:FROM\ User's city & state
\:GRAPHICS\ Graphics mode
\:NAME\ User name
\:PASS\ User's password
\:PHONE\ User's phone number
\:STREET\ User's street
\:KDOWN\ K downloaded
\:KUP\ K uploaded
\:LAST\ User's last date on
\:LASTCHK\ Last new files check
\:LASTT\ Last time on
\:LASTDOWN\ Last download area
\:LASTMSG\ Last message area
\:LASTUP\ Last upload area
\:LEFT\ Time left
\:PROTOCOL\ Protocol
\:MEMO\ Memo
\:TIMESON\ Number of times on
\:FIRST\ First date on
\:SUB\ Subscriber? Y/n
\:SUBDATE\ Subscription end date
\:SEC\ Current security level
\:SCREENLEN\ Screen length
\:UPLOADS\ Number of uploads
\:WAIT\ Mail waiting?
\:WORK\ User's work number
Using PBConfig
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PBConfig is the Powerboard's main system configuration program. PBConfig
will allow you to customize various aspects of your BBS. The options that
PBConfig will let you configure are the areas that are not covered by other
configuration programs for Powerboard. These options are things that
the core BBS program manages itself, such as data communications, file
handling, writing to screen and printer, Expanded memory management,
multi-node operation, waiting-for-calls screen, and other information that
has to be passed to display and other configuration files, such as BBS
name, sysop name, etc...
To load PBConfig, type
PBCONFIG <node> [RETURN]
At the dos prompt. <node> represents the node number you would like to
configure, or type 0 if you are using Powerboard single-node software.
Example:
PBCONFIG 0 [RETURN]
PBConfig has been designed to be extremely easy to use, requiring only
knowledge of the option you would like to change and the will to do it.
PBConfig has Mouse support, and comes in a window-on-desktop interface.
Interaction with PBConfig is done with Dialogue Boxes. Dialogue boxes are
boxes that pop up on the screen and request information, or present
information that you need to know about. To take the Dialogue box off of
the desktop, simply click on either the "Ok" or "Cancel" button, which
looks like:
[Ok ]
or
[Cancel]
To press these buttons, you can move your mouse cursor over to the
selection, and press the left mouse button (usually referred to as
"Clicking"). If you do not have a mouse, or do not want to use your
mouse, you can just as easily use your keyboard. Simply move the
selector to the option you would like by pressing your [TAB] key, and
press [RETURN] (or ENTER) on the selection to select it. If you're
using a mouse, you can also clear the dialogue box by clicking on the top
"Zoom Out" button, which looks like:
[■]
Dialogue boxes can also contain text that you have to edit. In this case,
move your mouse cursor to where the text begins, and push the clicking
button. If you are using a keyboard, you can move to the text field by
pressing your [TAB] key until you arrive at the desired text entry
field. Once at the text entry field, you can either type the text over
or edit the existing text. When you click on the text, the text will
turn green. If you would like to simply re-write the text, start typing
at that point. If you would like to edit the existing text, press the
HOME, END, or any other direction key before editing to preserve the old
text. Remember, if you are not satisfied with the text you entered, you
can always press the [Cancel] button to restore the settings and text to
what they were before.
A sample dialogue box is represented below. This is the dialogue box that
will pop up after you have loaded PBConfig.
- General On-line ZippyCheck Settings Ready for Calls
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░░░░░░░░░░╔═[■]══════ About PBConfig ══════════╗░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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░░░░░░░░░░║ Powerboard Configurator ║░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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░░░░░░░░░░║ Version 1.10 ║░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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░░░░░░░░░░║ (C) 1991-92 By Scott W. Brown ║░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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F10 Menus ALT-X Exit PBCONFIG ver. 1.1 (C) Scott Brown
After you have observed this message and copyright notice for PBConfig,
you can click on the [Ok ] button to close the window. After you
do this, PBConfig will ask you if you would like to run in "Basic" or
"Advanced" mode. If you are not an experienced Sysop, use "Basic".
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
After you choose the mode of operation, you will then see an empty
desktop (middle of your screen). However, on the top of the screen, you
will see a list of choices (menus):
- General On-line ZippyCheck Settings Ready for Calls
And on the bottom of the screen, you will see a list of quick keys and
the PBConfig copyright and version number notice.
F10 Menus ALT-X Exit PBCONFIG ver. 1.1 (C) Scott Brown
You have a few choices at this point. You can opt to exit PBConfig, by
holding down your [ALT] key and pressing X, or you can "pull down"
menus. This can be done with the keyboard by pressing your [F10] key,
or with the mouse by clicking on the desired menu.
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
This screen above displays the "-", or "Miscellaneous" menu. In this
menu, you have three options. They are:
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
About PBConfig View the PBConfig version number
and copyright information dialogue box.
This dialogue box is shown upon loading
PBConfig.
Exit PBConfig This command will first save all
information, then quit PBConfig and
return to the previous application.
Quit without Save This command will quit PBConfig
to the previous application without
saving your data.
We will first go through the menus available when running PBConfig in
*BASIC* mode. If you plan on running PBConfig in advanced mode, please
skip to the next part of this section.
Menus in PBConfig's Basic Mode of Operation
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of Basic Mode is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.
Menus in PBConfig's Advanced Mode of Operation
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Default File Extension This option will let you tell
Powerboard what the default three
letters should be for filename
extensions in your file area. The
usual setting for this is .ZIP.
Display File Extensions This option will let you change
the ansi/ascii display file
extensions. The usual extensions
for Ansi and Ascii screens are
.ANS and .ASC respectively. You
should not change this unless you
plan on changing all of your display
file filenames.
Sysop Configuration This option will present a dialogue
box that will let you customize
the password that people with Sysop
security need to log on with, and
the security that you will consider
Sysop security.
Write true BPS in Door.sys? This option is usually set to Yes,
but if you are running a high-speed
modem and some of your doors are not
working correctly, this option may
need to be set to No.
Override Private Mailflag This option will let you configure
the minimum security level needed
to view a message that isn't addressed
to a user. This is usually set to
100 (Sysop Security level).
Number of Welcome Screens This option will tell Powerboard how
many welcome display screens you have.
Powerboard does not come with any
of these screens, so you could set
this to 0 if you do not want to change
that. The lower the number this is,
the faster logon searching for display
files will be. The files that this
is referring to are usually called
DISPLAY\WELCOME<number>.ANS/.ASC
where <number> is a number from 1 to
the number you specify for this
selection.
Swapping to Disk/EMS This option will toggle (turn off or
on) the option to use EMS memory
or hard disk when more memory is
needed for operations in Powerboard.
Paths Menu
Fast Screen Display This option will toggle (turn off or
on) whether or not Powerboard should
slow down displays for old CGA video
adapters.
Instant Windows This option will toggle the zooming
of information windows (dialogue boxes)
onto the screen in the main Powerboard
program.
Printer Port This option will allow you to use
your printer with Powerboard if you
would like, so that caller activity
will be written to the printer.
Communications This option will pop up the
Communications menu, which is
described later.
System Info This option will pop up the
System Info menu, which is
described later.
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
File Attaches Path This option tells Powerboard where
to store files that are attached to
messages. This should be the ATTACH\
directory.
Default File Area Listing This option tells Powerboard what
the path/name is for the Default
file area listing. This should be
AREAS\FAREA1.
Time Warning screens This option tells Powerboard what
the path/name is for the screens
to show when the user's time is
almost out.
Multinode Chat Who is on screen This tells Powerboard where to find
the screen to display when the user
types /WHO in Multinode Chat.
Multinode Chat Path This option tells Powerboard where
to write temporary Multinode files.
If the BBS is running on one computer
only, this path should lead to a
RAM disk. See the section in this
manual on "Multinode Setup" for more
information.
Multinode Chat Time screen This option tells Powerboard where to
find the screen to display when the
user types /TIME in Multinode chat.
Message Database path This should be the path to your BBS
database, usually MESSAGES\.
Sysop->User Chat Init Screens This holds the name of the display
file shown when the Sysop initates
a chat with the user.
Sysop->User Chat End Screens This holds the name of the display
file shown when the Sysop ends a
chat with the user.
Time Expired Screens This option holds the path/name for
the screen to display when the user's
time has been exhausted.
Keyboard Timeout This holds the filename/path for the
file to display when the user has
not typed a key on their keyboard
for too long a period of time.
Keyboard Timeout Warning This holds the filename/path for the
file to display when the user has
not typed a key on their keyboard
for a long period of time, and they
are about to be disconnected.
Door Information file path This holds the path/name for the
DOOR.SYS door information file
that Door programs read.
Multinode Chat Help screen This option holds the path/name for
the screen that is displayed when
the user typed /HELP in multinode
chat.
Error Log path/name This holds the path/filename for the
file that Powerboard should log
critical errors to.
Callers Log path/name This holds the path/filename for the
file that Powerboard should log
general BBS activity to.
Chat Log path/name This holds the path/filename for the
file that Powerboard should log
Sysop->User chats to.
Main BBS path This holds the path for your BBS.
Sysop Screen Paths This holds the path/name for waiting for
calls Sysop screens.
Cutoff File Paths This holds the path/name for the
display file that should be shown
when the Sysop presses [F8].
Text Prompts file paths This holds the path/name for the files
that should be read for ansi/ascii
prompts that are displayed on the BBS.
Opening PCL file This option tells Powerboard what
PCL program/script to run first
when the user logs on.
Event Notice File This holds the path/name for the
display file to be shown when a user
logs on before an event.
FunctionKey Screens This tells Powerboard what the path is
for screens that are displayed to the
user when the Sysop presses [ALT] plus
[F1] through [F10].
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Use Modem? This option will toggle the use of
your modem. If you decide to run
in Local mode, Powerboard will not
make use of the modem. This option
is ideal for either a local or wide
area networking environment, or for
a multi-node BBS where you would like
to dedicate one node to use by yourself
or other people in your local office.
Com Port and Init Speed This is the option that you should
select when telling Powerboard which
communications port to use and what
baudrate to open the port at.
Connect Messages This option will let you configure
the messages that your modem will
give Powerboard when your modem
gets connected to the remote caller.
Locked Baudrate This option should be used if you are
running a high-speed modem and it
supports Port Locking. Please see
the section in this manual on "Modem
Setup" for more information.
Flow Control This option will let you tell
Powerboard which flow control options
to use. See the section in this
manual on "Modem Setup" for more
information.
Pause after send to modem This option will tell Powerboard how
many seconds it should wait after
sending each command to your
modem. If you think that your modem
is not receiving some or all of the
commands, you may want to try
increasing this value so that
Powerboard will wait longer for the
modem to accept the information.
Seconds before Re-Init This option will tell Powerboard how
many seconds it should wait before
re-initalizing your modem while
waiting for calls. Powerboard
re-initalizes your modem every so
often so just in case something
went wrong, your modem will
re-initalize.
300 Baud Setup This option will let you configure
whether or not you will allow
300-baud callers on your BBS. 300
baud modems are extremely slow, and
if a caller calls at 300 baud, they
will take a lot longer to use the
BBS than a 2400 user would to achieve
the same task. If you have many
callers who must access your BBS, and
cannot afford to have your line tied up
by one person, this may be an option
you would like to enable.
Set IRQ & Base Address This option will let you specify the
IRQ and Base Address for your
communications port. This should be
used only if you are running with a
non-standard setup, and this is
necessary. If entering a HEX value
for this number, enter "&H" before the
value. Hex numbers are usually referred
to in that format, or the value followed
by a "h". i.e. "1Eh" would be "&H1E".
Refer to the "Modem Setup" section in
this manual for a more in-depth
explanation.
If you are experiencing any problems with your modem, please refer to
the "Modem Setup" section in this manual.
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
BBS Start Date This is the date that you started
your BBS.
Number of Calls This is the number of calls your BBS
has received. This is automatically
updated each time a user logs on to
your BBS.
Last Message Entered This is the date and time of the
last message that was entered into
your BBS' message database.
Last File Uploaded This is the date and time of the last
file that was uploaded to your BBS.
Sysop Name & Password This holds the current System
Operator's name and password. The
password is only used when the BBS
is first installed. After the BBS
has been installed, this password
will not necessarily be the Sysop's
password, because if the Sysop
decides to change it, this data will
not be updated.
Name of BBS This option will let you tell
Powerboard what the name of your
BBS should be.
Minimum Disk Space This value represents the minimum
amount of bytes that have to be
free before allowing a user to
upload a file. This should be set
differently according to your drive
space. The more space you have,
the higher this value should be.
With this option, if your disk
has too little space free, the user
will not be able to upload his/her
file. If a user uploads a file that
takes up too much space, the BBS
may not be able to operate.
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Comment if invalid Password? This option will toggle the function of
letting the user leave a comment to the
Sysop if they get their password wrong
when attempting to log onto the BBS.
Colors in Sysop to User Chat This option will let you change the
colors to be used in Sysop to User
Chat mode. Colors available are
0-15, which are listed in Appendix B
of this manual, "Colors and
corresponding codes".
AsciiSwitch at logon? This option, if enabled, if the user
has ascii graphics enabled when they
log on, but Ansi is recorded in the
user file, the BBS will switch to
Ansi.
New User Defaults This option will let you change
the number of default minutes a
new user gets for their first login,
and the security level that they
will start off with.
Colors when ascii user? This option, if activated, will let
you (the local Sysop) see colors
at prompts even if the user is in
ascii (no-color) mode.
Beep after Connect? This option will beep the user after
they connect to your BBS.
Tab Length This option will set the number of
spaces that a tab should be
equivalent to. Usually 5.
Clear Screen after Connect? This option will clear the user's
screen after they connect to your
BBS.
Conceal Password Locally? This option will toggle showing the
user's password to the local Sysop
while they are entering it.
Time warning message This option will tell Powerboard when
to give the user the "Time Warning"
message. For example, if this is
set to "3", then when the user has
only 3 minutes left, they will be
displayed a message.
Seconds before timeout This option will configure the number
of seconds that can go by before
the user will be considered "inactive".
Restore screen after chat? This option will toggle re-drawing
the screen the way it looked before
the Sysop engaged Sysop to User chat.
Abort Screens Key This option will let you configure
the key that the user has to press
to abort drawing screens. The default
is 32, which equals spacebar. If
this is set to -1, if the user presses
any key, the screen will abort.
For other keys, consult Appendix A for
a listing of Ascii codes.
Beeps on Local side? This option will toggle sound on
the local Sysop's computer.
Dots in Multinode chat? This option will toggle sending
"working" dots while in Multinode chat.
Yes/No Defaults This option will set the defaults
for Yes/No prompts on the BBS.
Display Status Line? This option will toggle whether or
not you want to show the status
line when the user is on the BBS.
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
ZippyCheck (described elsewhere in this manual) is the Powerboard .Zip
checking system. Zippycheck is run after a user uploads a file and
checks it for computer illness, validity, etc...
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Oldest File Accepted This should be the date of the oldest
file that you will accept on your BBS.
The recommended setting for this
is 1989, however, you can have it lower
or higher, depending on your personal
preference. If you have a lot of disk
space available for user's uploads, set
this date to 1980, then all files will
be allowed. If you do not have too
much space, setting the date to the
current year will insure that you only
have the latest versions of all
software.
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Modem info max len This option sets the number of
characters that the modem information
box will take per line.
*NOTE: This screen was removed in the interest of documentation size,
It is part of the manual included in the Powerboard BBS Package.
Option Name Description
==============================================================================
Screen Saving/Blanking This option will let you enable or
disable completely blanking of your
screen while the BBS is inactive and
waiting for calls. The purpose of this
is so that your screen will not have
burn-in, in which case you would most
likely have to replace the monitor.
Display box at blank Screen? This option will toggle showing a
box with the Powerboard name and
"Press [ENTER] to unblank" message.
Of course, having a totally blank
screen is better, but if there are
other people in the area where your
BBS is running that might mistakenly
turn off your computer while the BBS
is on, thinking that the computer is
inactive, this would be a good option
to have enabled.
Screen Blank Time This option will allow you to set the
time for when Powerboard should
blank the screen (if it is enabled).
Setting up file and message areas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first step in configuring your file and message areas is using
the AREACFG utility that comes with Powerboard. AREACFG will let you
modify settings, create and remove both message and file areas.
On your BBS, you will most likely want to separate discussions into
different message areas, or "Conferences" as they are sometimes called.
Separating discussions makes it easier for users to understand
discussions that are going on. It would be extremely confusing if you
had only one message area and there are people on your BBS with
different interests and who have different ideas they want to discuss.
It works the same way as a live conference would. If you were
conferencing with 3 other people about the stock market, and 3 more
people came in and started talking about word processing, it would be
very confusing to say the least. That is why we have different
conference rooms on the BBS.
The same principle may be applied to the file areas. File areas can be
thought of as file cabinets in your office. And there can be different
file cabinets in different conference rooms. Say for example you have a
Book Reading conference room and a Computer Games conference room. You
would most likely want to keep files that are related to Book Reading in
the Book Reading conference room and files that are related to Computer
Games in the Computer Games conference room. In your Computer Games
conference room, you may wish to have 3 different file areas (or file
drawers), called "Game Demos", "Game Hints" and "Press Releases". It
wouldn't make too much sense to have those file areas in your Book
Reading conference. The same goes for a situation where you want to
have both IBM and Macintosh files on your BBS. You can have an IBM
conference with file areas names "IBM Games", "IBM Communications
Software", "IBM MS-DOS Utilities" and "IBM Windows Software". You could
have a Macintosh conference also with separate file areas such as "Mac
Sounds", "Mac Desk Accessories", "Mac Games" and "Mac Hypercard". You
can see that it makes a lot of sense to have these file areas in
different conference rooms so that users on the BBS will be able to find
what they are looking for more quickly.
Now that you understand the concepts, you should be able to customize
your BBS conference and sub file areas easily. The first step is to
load the AREACFG program by typing at the DOS prompt:
AREACFG [ENTER]
The following is a snapshot from the AREACFG program:
╒[Powerboard Area Configurator]═══════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ SPACE=add area, BACKSPACE=delete, ENTER=edit, ESC=Edit File Areas
│ Area Name / Security Needed /Pvt/Force-Pvt/Force-Pub/Net/Ignore/ForceNet│
│
│ Private Mail 10 Y Y N N Y N
│ Discussion 10 N N Y N Y N
│ Powerboard Sysops 50 Y N N N N N
│ Mac Sig 10 N N N N N N
│ Movies 10 N N N N N N
│ Teens 10 N N N N N N
│ Political Discussion 10 N N N N N N
│ Seny Sysop 100 N N N N N N
│ SenyNet 10 N N N Y Y Y
│ Quit
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
╘═Areas page 1. Press PGUP for previous page, PGDN for next.═════════════════╛
This is a screen similar to the one that you will see when you first
load the AREACFG program. The first thing you will notice is the list
of available keys and what they do. The following is an in-depth
description of those keys and their functions.
Key Description
==============================================================================
SPACE Add an area to the list.
BACKSPACE Remove the currently selected area.
ENTER Edit the currently selected area.
ESC Switch from viewing conferences to
viewing the sub file areas that
are under the currently selected
conference.
UP Arrow Move up one area.
DOWN Arrow Move down one area.
If you want to quit the AREACFG program, move to the selection called
"Quit" and press ENTER on it.
The following is a list of fields that you will be able to modify when
you press ENTER on the area selected with the cursor (highlighted bar).
Field Description
==============================================================================
Area Name The name of the current area selected
with the cursor (highlight bar).
Security Needed The minimum security level that the
user must have to access this area.
Pvt (Private) Is Private mail allowed in this area?
If this selection is "Y" (Yes), mail
entered can be Private (so that only
the user that the message is addressed
to will be able to read it).
Force-Pvt Should all mail entered be forced
Private (not readable by anyone except
the person that the message is addressed
to). If this is enabled, "Pvt" should
also be enabled.
Force-Pub (Public) Should all mail in this area be set
so that any user can read it?
Net (Network) Should Network-Mail be allowed in
this message area? (Mail that is
sent through PCRelay or Fidonet
echomail).
Ignore Should Powerboard ignore the user's
personal Scan flag for this area
and scan it anyway, even if the
user has specified that they
don't want to scan this area
at logon (with the SEL command at
the message menu).
Force Net Should all mail entered in this area
be sent by PCRelay or Fidonet,
regardless of what the user wants?
When you press ESC on a selected area, you will see a list of sub file
areas that belong to the conference pop up. The following is a
sample screen that might come up when you press ESC on conference
#1:
╒[Powerboard Area Configurator]═══════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ SPACE=add area, BACKSPACE=delete, ENTER=edit, ESC=Edit Message Areas
╒[Area 1 File Areas]══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ Area Name Security Path
│ IBM Games/Entertainment 10 c:\rybbs\files\dl2\
│ IBM Communications Software 10 c:\rybbs\files\dl3\
│ Text files 10 files\text\
│ IBM Programming Utilities 10 files\prog\
│ IBM Education 10 files\ed\
│ IBM Music Software, Utilities and Sounds 10 files\music\
│ IBM Graphics Software, GIFs, MACs, etc 10 files\graphics\
│ IBM Business Software & Utilities 10 files\business\
│ IBM General Utilities 10 \rybbs\files\dl14\
│ IBM Microsoft Windows Utilities 10 \rybbs\files\dl17\
│ IBM MS-DOS Enhancments 10 files\dos\
│ IBM File Compression 10 files\comp\
│ IBM Powerboard BBS Shareware 10 \rybbs\files\pbsw\
│ Visiting Sysops 10 \rybbs\files\dl19\
│ IBM Miscellaneous 10 \rybbs\files\dl4\
│ AMIGA Sig 10 \rybbs\files\dl5\
│ Swingware Software 10 \rybbs\files\dl12\
│ Word Processors/Text Editors 10 \bbs\word\
│ Unprotects/Solutions 10 \rybbs\files\dl20\
│ Quit
╘═File Areas page 1. Press PGUP for previous page, PGDN for next.════════════╛
Notice that this list is slightly different from the conference list.
When you press ENTER on an option, you have 3 options that can be set:
Area name, security needed for the area, and the DOS path for the area.
The following is a list of the options and their descriptions:
Field Description
==============================================================================
Area Name Name for the currently selected file area.
Security Needed The minimum security level that a user
must have to access files in this area.
DOS Path Path on your disk drive where Powerboard
should store the files for this area.
This must be an existent path on your
drive. Consult your DOS manual for more
information on DOS paths and how to create
them.
After modifying your conference list, you will most likely want to
change the screen that the user will see when they attempt to change
conferences. The file to modify for message areas is called
"CHG<security>.ANS/.ASC" and resides in the DISPLAY directory.
<security> is the security level that the user must have to see the
screen. If you omit <security>, the screen will be shown to users who
do not have a "chg<security>" file with their security level. The file
to modify for file areas is "FAREA<number>.ASC/.ANS/.100" and resides
in the AREAS directory. <number> is the conference number for this list
of file areas. The .100 file is the file to show if the user has
security level 100. Consult the "Display Files" section of this manual
for more information on customizing display files.
Powerboard Menu Configurator
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard Menu Configurator (MENUCFG) will let you change the
options on your menus on your BBS.
To load the MENUCFG program, at the DOS prompt, type:
MENUCFG [ENTER]
The following screen is a snapshot from the first screen you will see
when you load MENUCFG:
Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25: Copyright, 1992, by Scott W. Brown
Please select the filename of the menu you would like to edit.
┌─│Please Select│─────────────┐
│ MAIN.MNU │ FILES.MNU │
│ MACMESS.MNU │ │
│ MESS.MNU │ │
│ QUES.MNU │ │
│ DOORS.MNU │ │
│ MACFILE.MNU │ │
│ BULLET.MNU │ │
│ MACSIG.MNU │ │
│ SYSOP.MNU │ │
└─────────────────────────────┘
Press [SPACE] to create a new menu; Press [BACKSPACE] to delete a menu.
At this screen, you have 6 options. The following is a list of those
options and what they do:
Key Function
==============================================================================
UP Arrow Move up one entry in the list of
available menus.
DOWN Arrow Move down one entry in the list of
menus available for editing.
SPACEBAR Add a menu to your BBS.
BACKSPACE Remove one of the menus.
ESC Exit to DOS.
ENTER Select the menu that the cursor is
currently on, load and enter editing
mode.
By default, MENUCFG will load "CONTROL\*.MNU" for menus that can be
edited. You can change this by entering on the commandline the path
and filespec for menus that can be edited. For example, if you store
your menus in a directory called "MENUS\", you might use the following
command line:
MENUCFG MENUS\*.MNU
When you press SPACEBAR at this screen, the following screen will come
up:
Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25: Copyright, 1992, by Scott W. Brown
Please select the filename of the menu you would like to edit.
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Name of file to create? │
│ control\UNNAMED.MNU │
│ │
│ │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
│ MACMESS.MNU │ │
│ MESS.MNU │ │
│ QUES.MNU │ │
│ DOORS.MNU │ │
│ MACFILE.MNU │ │
│ BULLET.MNU │ │
│ MACSIG.MNU │ │
│ SYSOP.MNU │ │
└─────────────────────────────┘
Press [SPACE] to create a new menu; Press [BACKSPACE] to delete a menu.
At this window, you will be able to enter the name of the menu you want
to edit. Always leave the "CONTROL\" and the extension as ".MNU".
After selecting the filename for the menu, you will select the type of
menu you want to edit:
Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25: Copyright, 1992, by Scott W. Brown
Please select the filename of the menu you would like to edit.
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Name of file to create? │
│ control\UNNAMED.MNU │
│ │
╒════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ │
│ Please select a menu type: │
│ │
│ 1. General-type │
│ 2. Questionnaires │
│ 3. Doors │
│ 4. Bulletins │
│ │
│ │
│ Please enter number of menu type? │
│ │
│ │
╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Press [SPACE] to create a new menu; Press [BACKSPACE] to delete a menu.
If you just want a general-type menu, select 1. If you want to create a
menu that will let users load available questionnaires, select 2. If
you want to create a menu that will let users select available door
programs, select 3. And if you want to create a menu that will let
users select available bulletins to view, select 4.
After you have decided which menu you want to load, move the cursor to
its position and press your ENTER key. For demonstration purposes,
we'll use MAIN.MNU. Here is what you will see when you press ENTER on
its selection:
╒═[ Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25 ]═══════════════════════════════════════╕
│╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕│
││ Menu Name Display Name Menu Help ││
││ Main Menu display\main,/:SEC/ display\help\main,/:SEC/ ││
│╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛│
│
│
│╒══[ Invocation Key / Command Type / Security Level ]════════════│
││ G Goodbye/logoff prompt 10
││ H Menu Help 10
││ ? Display Menu 0
││ X Toggle Expert Mode 10
││ P Page the Sysop 10
││ Y View/modify user statistics 10
││ N Display Newsletter 10
││ C Leave comment to Sysop 10
││ B Load CONTROL\BULLET.MNU 10
││ Q Load CONTROL\QUES.MNU 10
││ F Load CONTROL\FILES.MNU 10
││ M Load CONTROL\MESS.MNU 10
││ D Load CONTROL\DOORS.MNU 20
││ L List users registered on BBS 10
││ @ Load CONTROL\SYSOP.MNU 100
│╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════│
╘═════════════════════════[ ESC=Quit, ENTER=Edit, TAB=Switch Fields, F1=Help ]╛
When at this screen, you will see that there are many options available
to you. There are also 4 different sections of the menu that you can
edit:
Term Description
==============================================================================
Menu Name Name assigned to this menu.
Display Name Name of file that will be displayed when
the user loads this menu.
Menu Help Name of file that will be displayed when
user requests help at this menu.
Menu Body Actual options, security settings and
invocation keys for the menu.
To switch between these 4 fields, use your TAB key.
To get a list of keys that are available in MENUCFG, press your F1 key.
When you do, the following screen should come up:
╒═[ Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25 ]═══════════════════════════════════════╕
│╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕│
││╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕││
│││ │││
│╘│ Powerboard Menu Editor Help Screen │╛│
│ │ │
│ │ │
│╒│ │═│
│││ DOWN Move down one line UP Move up one line │
│││ ESC Exit TAB Switch Fields │
│││ SPACE Add Selection BACKSP Delete Selection │
│││ ENTER Edit selected item F1 This help screen │
│││ │
│││ Press Any Key To Exit User Editor Help. │
│││ │
│││ │
││╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
││ Q Load CONTROL\QUES.MNU 10
││ F Load CONTROL\FILES.MNU 10
││ M Load CONTROL\MESS.MNU 10
││ D Load CONTROL\DOORS.MNU 20
││ L List users registered on BBS 10
││ @ Load CONTROL\SYSOP.MNU 100
│╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════│
╘═════════════════════════[ ESC=Quit, ENTER=Edit, TAB=Switch Fields, F1=Help ]╛
Here is a list of commands that are available and their descriptions:
Key Description
==============================================================================
UP Arrow Move up one selection in the menu body.
DOWN Arrow Move down one selection in the menu body.
ESC Exit editing mode and return to previous
screen.
SPACEBAR Add a selection to the menu.
ENTER Edit the currently selected selection on
the menu.
TAB Move to a different field.
BACKSPACE Remove a selection from the menu body.
F1 Display help.
The following is a list of fields in the menu body that can be edited:
Field Description
==============================================================================
Invocation Key Key that the user must press to access
this selection.
Command Type Type of command this is.
Security Level Minimum security level user must have
to access this option.
If you would like to edit the menu body, move to the selection you that
you want to edit, and press ENTER on it. When you press ENTER, you will
be able to modify the "Invocation Key". When you press ENTER again, you
will be presented with a list of command types and will be able to move
through the list with your cursor (UP/DOWN) keys and select one by
pressing ENTER. The following is what the Command Types screen will
look like:
╒═[ Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25 ]═══════════════════════════════════════╕
│╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕│
││ Menu Name Display Name Menu Help ││
││ Main Menu display\main,/:SEC/ display\help\main,/:SEC/ ││
╒══[ Command Types Available ]═══════════════════════════════════════════════╕│
│ Change message conference ││
│ Tag files for download ││
│ Bad selection ││
│ Change file area ││
│ View/modify user statistics ││
│ Select areas to scan ││
│ List users registered on BBS ││
│ Leave comment to Sysop ││
│ Search for file in file area ││
│ List currently tagged files ││
│ Reply to a message ││
│ View text file in file area ││
│ Find user & show stats ││
│ Goodbye/logoff prompt ││
│ Select areas (pre 1.20 style) ││
╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛│
││ L List users registered on BBS 10
││ @ Load CONTROL\SYSOP.MNU 100
│╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════│
╘═════════════════════════[ ESC=Quit, ENTER=Edit, TAB=Switch Fields, F1=Help ]╛
If you would like to have the option load another menu, move to the
"Load Menu/PCL Procedure" option, and press ENTER. When you do this,
MENUCFG will ask you which menu you want loaded. It will do this by
first presenting a list of the menus that are currently available:
╒═[ Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25 ]═══════════════════════════════════════╕
│╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕│
││ Menu Name Display Name Menu Help ││
││ Main Menu display\main,/:SEC/ display\help\main,/:SEC/ ││
╒══[ Command Types Available ]═══════════════════════════════════════════════╕│
│ Search for a message ││
│ View other node's current screen ││
│ Abandon Conference ││
│ Display BBS & MS-DOS Version Numbers ││
│ Change defa┌─│Please Select│─────────────┐ ││
│ Change scre│ MAIN.MNU │ FILES.MNU │ ││
│ Change stre│ MACMESS.MNU │ │ ││
│ Change city│ MESS.MNU │ │ ││
│ Change Pass│ QUES.MNU │ │ ││
│ Change Home│ DOORS.MNU │ │ ││
│ Change Grap│ MACFILE.MNU │ │ ││
│ Change Work│ BULLET.MNU │ │ ││
│ Menu Help │ MACSIG.MNU │ │ ││
│ Show Menu │ SYSOP.MNU │ │ ││
│ Load Menu/P└─────────────────────────────┘ ││
╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛│
││ L List users registered on BBS 10
││ @ Load CONTROL\SYSOP.MNU 100
│╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════│
╘═════════════════════════[ ESC=Quit, ENTER=Edit, TAB=Switch Fields, F1=Help ]╛
If the menu that you want to load is in the list, move to it with the
cursor keys and press ENTER. If it isn't just select any one of the
menus and press ENTER.
╒═[ Powerboard Menu Configurator 1.25 ]═══════════════════════════════════════╕
│╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕│
││ Menu Name Display Name Menu Help ││
││ M╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕,/:SEC/ ││
╒══[ Comma│ │═══════════╕│
│ Se│ Name of file to load? │ ││
│ Vi│ control\MAIN.MNU │ ││
│ Ab│ │ ││
│ Di│ │ ││
│ Ch│ │ ││
│ Ch╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ ││
│ Change street address ││
│ Change city,st ││
│ Change Password ││
│ Change Home Phone # ││
│ Change Graphics Mode ││
│ Change Work Phone # ││
│ Menu Help ││
│ Show Menu ││
│ Load Menu/PCL Procedure ││
╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛│
││ L List users registered on BBS 10
││ @ Load CONTROL\SYSOP.MNU 100
│╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════│
╘═════════════════════════[ ESC=Quit, ENTER=Edit, TAB=Switch Fields, F1=Help ]╛
Next, MENUCFG will explode a window that asks if the menu that you
selected is the one that you want to load. If it isn't, you can modify
that text with your arrow keys and backspace key. When it is
acceptable, press ENTER.
Once you have modified the menu to your satisfaction, you will most
likely want to create or update the display file for this menu (defined
in the "Menu Display" field). To do this, load the display file in
PBUTIL ANSIDRAW and make the proper changes. Please consult the
"Display File" section in this manual for further information on editing
display files.
If you would like to edit the prompt for your menu, you will need to
load the menu itself in TED or a similar editor. Look at the screen
that appears immediately. You should be able to find a line that says
"*PROMPT". After this is what your prompt is defined as. "%CACT%" is
the actual name of your menu (replaced automatically with the menu name
by Powerboard during runtime). The prompt contains PBANSI codes.
Please consult the section in this manual on "PBANSI Codes" for more
information on editing Powerboard-ansi codes (&,$). Consult the "PCL
file editing" section in this manual for more information on editing
your menu files.
For more advanced users, you may be interested to know that it is
possible to add to the list of options that can be selected in MENUCFG.
To do this, modify the file in your main BBS directory called
MACROS.DAT. It is also possible to modify the types of menus that can
be created. The file to modify for this is MENUS.TYP.
A list of all of the MACROS that can be called for menu functions is
listed in the "PCL Commands" section in this manual.
Bottom Status Line Configuration
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of BDATCFG is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.
Editing your Page Bell
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have the option of editing your page bell for when a user pages you
with the "P" command at the main menu. To do this, you will have to
modify the file called PAGEBELL.DAT. This file contains numbers in this
format:
Sound (pitch), Length
The file can be as long as you want it to be, however, keep in mind that
the user is not doing anything or seeing anything on their screen while
this is happening, and if you have this going for too long, they'll
probably think something went wrong.
Powerboard includes a utility, PAGEPLAY, that will let you play the
pagebell offline so that you can edit it more easily. To use pageplay,
enter the following at the DOS prompt:
PAGEPLAY PAGEBELL.DAT [ENTER]
Message Database Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of MsgEdit is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.
Powerboard Message Base Scanner
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard Message Database Scanner (PBSCAN) lets you check your
message base to see if it contains unwanted text. Before you can run
PBSCAN, you must first create a configuration file called BADTEXT.BBS
which will contain all of the phrases that are unacceptable. An example
BADTEXT.BBS might look like the following:
Kill the Sysop!
This BBS is bad!
You're mean!
Of course you might want to add some more harsh phrases, but you get the
picture! Then you should run PBSCAN logs\callers.<node>. e.g. if you
want to log all reports of bad text to node 1's caller's log, enter:
PBSCAN logs\callers.1 [ENTER]
Powerboard Message Database Packer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard Message Database Packer (PBPACK) will let you maintain
your message areas. The primary function of PBPACK is to actually
remove messages from the message areas that are flagged for deletion. The
second purpose is to limit the number of messages in a message area. And
the third is to re-number a message area. If you are in a message network
and receive hundreds of messages a day, you may not have enough disk
space for this. PBPACK will let you limit the number of messages per
conference so that you will have enough space. And after limiting
the number of messages in an area for a while, the message numbers will
start to get higher and higher. To reset the message areas so that the
message numbers start at one (1), you can use the Re-number function.
To run PBPACK for the plain delete flagged messages run, simply type
at the DOS prompt:
PBPACK [ENTER]
If you would like to limit the number of messages in your message areas,
you'll have to first create a configuration file. To do this, load a
DOS text editor such as TED or QEdit. Modify a file called MESSAGE.CFG.
The line numbers in the file correspond to the message areas. For example,
if line 5 says "100", there will be a maximum of 100 messages in message
area number 5. After you have finished editing the file, save it and run
PBPACK:
PBPACK MESSAGE.CFG
Finally, to renumber a message area, run PBPACK with the /R option:
PBPACK /R
Or, if you would like to pack a message area and limit the messages at the
same time:
PBPACK /R MESSAGE.CFG
Powermail Offline Mail Door: Introduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of this section is provided in the 455-page
bound manual included with your purchase of the package.
User Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For manipulation of your BBS' user database, Powerboard provides a user
editor program. The user editor will let you modify any aspect of your
user database quickly and easily. The user editor interface is one in
which you are shown all of the elements of a user's record in the
user file. The editor will display the user records, one at a time, and
let you edit the information that you see. To change a field in the
editor, simply move to the field you want to edit with the cursor keys,
then either backspace the current data, or use the cursor keys to modify
it. Here is what the user editor looks like on your screen:
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
User number 1 of 2073
Name: Scott Brown Last Upload Area: 1
Street: The Swing BBS Last Message Area: 1
From: Larchmont NY Security Level: 100
Last Date On: 06-18-92 KBytes Uploaded: 0
Last Time On: 17:41:00 KBytes Downloaded: 0
Mail Waiting: No Expert Mode: N
Password: sjjjaakh11 Graphics Mode: ANSI
Home Phone: 914-834-7830 Screen Length: 23
Work Phone: Last Baudrate: LOCAL
Birthdate: 00-00-00 Computer Using: IBM Compatible
Time Left: 1441 Carrier Drops: 0
Times On: 631 Chat Req. Times: 0
Uploads: 0 Sysop Disc. Times: 8
Downloads: 0 Protocol: N
First Call: 12-23-91 New Files Check: 00-00-00
Subscriber?: No Memo:
Sub. Date: Last DL Area: 1
Multi Chat?: Locked Out?:
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Press [HOME] for help.
Powerboard v1.00 User Editor, (C) 1991 By Scott W. Brown
The following is a list of options you see on your screen and what they
are in reference to.
Term Meaning
==============================================================================
Name User's name that they will use when they
log onto the BBS.
Street User's street address (i.e. 15 Maple Street)
From City and State that this user is calling
from.
Last Date On Last date that the user logged on to the
BBS.
Last Time On Time of user's last logon.
Mail Waiting Whether or not the user has mail waiting
in your BBS' message database.
Password User's personal password that they
must use to log on to your BBS.
Home Phone The user's home telephone number where
you can reach them for a voice
conversation.
Work Phone User's secondary phone number. Usually
where they can be reached during
business hours.
Birthdate Month, date, and year when the user was
born.
Time Left Time user had left when they logged off.
If the user calls back the same day,
they will be given whatever is in this
value, unless your system is configured
differently.
Times On Number of times that this user has logged
on to your BBS.
Uploads Number of files that the user has
transferred from their system to yours.
Downloads Number of files that the user has
transferred from your system to theirs.
First Call Date that the user first logged on to your
BBS.
Subscriber Is the user a subscriber (see section in
this manual on Subscriptions).
Sub. Date The date when the user's subscription will
expire.
Multi Chat Will the user be able to use Multinode
chat?
Last Upload area Not used by default configuration.
Last Message area The user's last message area/conference.
Security Level The user's current security level (see
section in this manual on Security Levels).
KBytes Uploaded Number of kilobytes that the user has sent
to your system in uploads, in total.
KBytes Downloaded Number of kilobytes of data that the user
has received in files.
Expert Mode If enabled, the system will assume that the
user is an expert and will not need menus
or explanation of commands.
Graphics Mode Usually set to Ansi or Ascii. If Ansi,
the user will see colors.
Screen Length Size of user's screen, length-wise.
Last Baudrate The baud rate at which the user connected
on their last call to your BBS.
Computer Using The brand name or type of computer that the
user uses to connect to the system.
Carrier Drops Number of times that the user has
disconnected by means other than the ways
you have designated in menus and prompts.
Chat Req Times Number of times the user has requested a
chat with the Sysop.
Sysop Disc Times Number of times that the Sysop has
disconnected the user.
Protocol The protocol that the user is using for
file transfer, or N=Select each time.
New Files Check The last time that the user has checked for
new files in the file database on the system.
Memo The Sysop's memo for the user... i.e. "Is
very friendly".
Last DL Area The number of the file area that the user
last accessed or has selected.
Locked Out? Has the user been denied access to the
system?
The following is the help screen that you will see when you press your
[HOME] key in the User Editor.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ Powerboard User Editor Help Screen ║
║ ║
La║ ║
La║ ║
Ma║ CTRL-A Add a user to the database ║
║ ESC Exit Editor PG-DN Previous User ║
║ Up Arrow Move up one field PG-UP Next User ║
║ Dn Arrow Move down one field CTRL-F Search for user's FROM ║
║ ALT-F First user in database ALT-S Search for user's NAME ║le
║ ALT-L Last user in database ALT-T Search for user's STREET║
║ ALT-N Enter user number to go to ALT-P Search for user's P/W ║
║ HOME This screen ║
║ ║
║ ║
S║ ║
║ ║
M║ Press Any Key To Exit User Editor Help. ║
══║ ║═══
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Press [HOME] for help.
Powerboard v1.00 User Editor, (C) 1991 By Scott W. Brown
Term Meaning
==============================================================================
CTRL-A Add a user to your user database
ESC Exit the user editor and save any changes.
Up Arrow Moves up one editing field.
Down Arrow Moves down one editing field.
ALT-F Jump to first user in your user database.
ALT-L Jump to last user in database.
ALT-N Lets you type in the number of the user
you want to jump to.
PG-DN Move to previous user record.
PG-UP Move to next record.
CTRL-F Search for a user's calling from location.
ALT-S Search for a user by name.
ALT-T Search for a user by street address.
ALT-P Search for a user by password.
HOME Display help screen.
Newsletter File Maintainer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of this section is provided in the 455-page
bound manual included with your purchase of the package.
Powerboard General Utility Package
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard General Utility Package (PBUTIL) is a program that
provides many functions for Powerboard. These include:
ERASE: Resetting the a node for the multinode information file
SETMODEM: Configuring the modem initialization strings
VIEWFILE: Viewing text files
CLEARBUFF: Clearing the keyboard buffer for batch files
ANSIDRAW: Full screen ansi/ascii drawing utility
LOGS: View callers/error/chat logs no matter how large
PACK: Pack logs for increased disk space
To get this same list of utilities, type at the DOS prompt:
PBUTIL [ENTER]
If you want to load one of the utilities, type PBUTIL followed by
the name of the utility that you want to load, followed by the
parameters for the utility. For example, the ERASE utility takes one
parameter, which is the node number to reset. If you want to run ERASE
and have it erase node 4, type:
PBUTIL ERASE 4 [ENTER]
These 7 separate functions of PBUTIL will be explained separately in
this section.
a.ERASE
========================================================================
This is probably the simplest part of the PBUTIL package. ERASE will
simply reset the statistics for the node you specify (in the multinode
version). PBUTIL ERASE will assume that WHOISON.DAT is in the current
directory. If it isn't, you'll have to run PBUTIL from another
directory. So if your BBS directory is C:\BBS and PBUTIL resides in
this directory, but WHOISON.DAT is in D:\MULTI, change to the D:\MULTI
directory and run PBUTIL in this fashion, where we use erasing node 3
for our example:
C:\BBS\PBUTIL ERASE 3 [ENTER]
In this example, we tell DOS that the PBUTIL program is not in the
current directory, but in the C:\BBS\ directory and to load it from
there. Do NOT attempt to use this utility with the single-node version
of Powerboard.
b.SETMODEM
========================================================================
The SETMODEM utility will let you modify your modem initialization and
off/on hook strings to be sent to the modem for those activities.
SETMODEM requires a parameter to tell it what node to make these changes for.
In our example, we will modify modem settings for node 2 of the BBS:
PBUTIL SETMODEM 2 [ENTER]
When you enter SETMODEM, you should see the current modem initialization
string. If you don't see it, there is nothing there, and you will be
able to type it in. If it is there, you will be able to edit it using
the cursor/backspace keys. Refer to the section in this manual on
"Modem Setup" for information on modifying modem strings.
c.VIEWFILE
========================================================================
The VIEWFILE utility lets you view a file as if you were viewing it on
your BBS, pausing at the end of the screen. VIEWFILE will only work for
viewing DOS ascii/text files. When VIEWFILE is run, it needs to know the
name of the file you want to view. For example, if you want to view the
color configuration file for Powerboard (COLORS.DAT), you would type:
PBUTIL VIEWFILE COLORS.DAT [ENTER]
d.CLEARBUFF
========================================================================
The CLEARBUFF utility can be used to clear the keyboard buffer in your
batch files, usually for events. When Powerboard exits to run an event,
it types characters into the keyboard buffer to run the batch file. If
you are running Powerboard from one big batch file instead, you will
need to run PBUTIL CLEARBUFF after Powerboard exits so that these keys
will not remain in the buffer. To run CLEARBUFF:
PBUTIL CLEARBUFF [ENTER]
e.ANSIDRAW
========================================================================
The ANSIDRAW utility is provided so that you will be able to edit your
ANSI/ASCII screens. ANSIDRAW lets you modify text on the screen, full
screen style, where you will be able to move around with the cursor
keys, draw and change colors. When ANSIDRAW loads, the following help
screen will come up:
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Powerboard ANSI Editor v1.20 │
│ │
│ Copyright 1991-92 By Scott W. Brown │
│ │
│ │
│ ALT-C for ForeColor, ALT-D Toggle Draw, ALT-S Set Maxline │
│ ALT-B for BackColor, F1-F10 Special Chars, ALT-X Exits │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ press any key to continue... │
│ │
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Powerboard Ver. 1.20 Utility Package, (C) 1991-92 By Scott W. Brown
At this screen, you will see the different keys that are available to
you when editing your image. Here is a list of the keys and what they
do:
Command Description
==============================================================================
ALT-C Change foreground color.
ALT-D Engage/disengage drawing mode. When
Drawing mode is on, when you move with
the cursor keys, you will be drawing lines
instead of just moving around.
ALT-S Set maxline. This command lets you set the
last line to be saved in the ansi screen.
This is usually done automatically,
however, some other editors such as TheDraw
will use animation codes which can set this
option to something that is undesirable.
ALT-B Change background color.
F1-F10 Special Characters. Pressing F1,F2,F3,
etc.. through F10 will make special
graphic characters. You can also
hold down the ALT key and press a number
combination to get one of the other 245
ascii characters. The complete list
of ascii characters is listed in
Appendix A of this manual.
ALT-X Exit PBUTIL ANSIDRAW.
To exit the help screen, press a key on your keyboard.
When you exit the help screen, the following message will pop up on the
bottom of your screen:
Enter name of file to edit:
At this prompt, ANSIDRAW needs for you to type in the name of a file to
edit. For demonstration purposes, we'll use DISPLAY\MAIN.ANS. Type
this in and press your [ENTER] key. The following screen should
come up:
▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄ ▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄
██ ██ █ █ █ ██ █ ██ ██ █ ██ █ █ █
░░░░░░░░░░ ▌█ █ █ █▀▀█ █ █ ██ █ █ █ █▀▀ █ ██ █ █▐ ░░░░░░░░░░
█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄▄▄ █ █ █▄▄█
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ (P) Page System Operator (Y) Your Status │
│ (C) Comment to Sysop (N) Newsletter │
│ (M) Message Menu (B) Bulletins │
│ (F) Files Menu (Q) Questionnaires │
│ (D) Doors Menu (?) Display Menu │
│ (L) List Users (MAC) Macintosh Sig │
│ (BANK) Time Bank (FIND) Find user │
│ (WHO) Who else is on? (CHAT) Multinode Chat │
│ (VER) Version Information │
│ │
│───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ (G) Goodbye/logoff (X) Expert Toggle (H) Menu Help │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Powerboard Ver. 1.20 Utility Package, (C) 1991-92 Scott W. Brown Alt-F1:HELP
Now you are in edit mode. To change something on the screen, move to
where the item is that you want to change and type in the change, use a
special character, or engage drawing mode with ALT-D. You can also
change colors using the ALT-C or ALT-B keys. Pressing ALT-C will bring
up the following screen:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
█
Please choose new foreground color with the selector.
Press ENTER when you've made your decision.
Powerboard Ver. 1.20 Utility Package, (C) 1991-92 Scott W. Brown Alt-F1:HELP
f.LOGS
========================================================================
The LOGS function allows viewing of the callers logs. To use this
function, type at the DOS prompt: PBUTIL LOGS node<node#>.inf. <node#>
is the node number of the logs that you want to view. For example, if
you want to view the logs for node 2, type in the following:
PBUTIL LOGS node2.inf [ENTER]
When in LOGS, you will specify the date that you want to search for.
Press [ENTER] if you want to view only the logs for the current date.
g.PACK
========================================================================
The PACK utility will let you pack your callers logs when they get to a
certain size. This should be run as an event for your BBS (consult the
section in this manual, "Events", for more information). To run PACK,
enter: PBUTIL PACK node<node>.inf zipname.zip. <node> is the node
number for the callers logs that you want to pack. Example:
PBUTIL PACK node2.inf logs2.zip [ENTER]
Will pack logs for node #2 into "logs2.zip". The PKZIP utility is
required for this function.
File Database Indexer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard File Database Indexer (FNDX) utility will create or
update your file index. The file index is the list of files available
on your BBS, which Powerboard reads and stores in memory when Powerboard
is loaded initially. Once FNDX is run for the first time, it is not
NECESSARY to run FNDX again, but it is recommended that you run it
weekly or even daily to keep your file index up to date and running as
smoothly as possible. When a file is uploaded or a file is moved, the
index can get disrupted. Running FNDX insures that the file index will
be as fast and accurate as possible. It is also necessary to run FNDX if
you add a file to your file database outside of Powerboard. The
Powerboard utility, FILEEDIT, will update the index when you exit. If
you have another utility that accesses your file databases, you will
most likely need to run FNDX after the other utility is run to make sure
Powerboard is aware of the changes.
The addition of FNDX to Powerboard 1.25 allows for easier and extremely
fast access and use of CD-ROM drives. As you know, CD-ROM discs are
extremely slow. Powerboard keeps the list of files available on your BBS
in memory so that when a user wants to search for a file, the disc is
not accessed unless the file is found. The file index tells the disc
exactly where the file is so that seeking time is minimal.
It is recommended that you set up an event batch file for FNDX and run
it nightly or weekly. Consult the "Events" section in this manual for
more information on setting up events.
To run FNDX, type at the DOS prompt:
FNDX [ENTER]
If you are using a CD-ROM disc, FNDX execution will be slightly
different. Consult the "CD-ROM" section in this manual for more
information on adding CD-ROM to your BBS.
Powerboard File Area Checker
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard File Area Checker (FCHECK) will go though your file
areas and make sure everything is correct. To run FCHECK, at the DOS
prompt, type:
FCHECK [ENTER]
The following is a list of the functions that FCHECK will perform:
1. Will verify file size and if not correct, will replace with correct
file size.
2. Capitalizes filenames
3. Fixes date formats.
4. Capitalizes the first letter of the description.
5. If file is listed, but isn't there, the line will be removed.
6. If there is no description, "No Description" will be written
on the line.
7. If the file doesn't exist, it will check to see if there is a file
with the same filename but with a different extension. If so,
it will be replaced (i.e. if originally HELLO.ZIP but that file
doesn't exist but HELLO.ARJ does, it will replace the name in the
listing with that)
File Database Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of FileEdit is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.
Master File List Creator
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of FileList is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.
File Area Sorting Utility
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of FileSort is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.
ZippyCheck
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZippyCheck is the utility that Powerboard uses to scan your .Zip
(archive) files that are uploaded to your BBS for virus, validity, old
and outdated files, unwanted files (such as BBS ads). It is also used
to add your BBS' advertisement and to read in a FILE_ID.DIZ or DESC.SDI
automatic description file into the file description to insure that the
file has been described properly. The ZippyCheck program is contained in
its own directory that branches off of the Powerboard directory, ZC\.
You can actually modify the program's source code yourself. It is written
in the Powerboard Control Language (PCL), and the source file is called
ZC.CTL. Consult the section in this manual on PCL for more information.
ZippyCheck requires that you have SCAN.EXE in your main Powerboard
directory. SCAN is a virus scanning program made available by McAfee
Associates. If you don't have a copy of SCAN, you can obtain one from
either our support board, Powerboard Headquarters, at 914-833-1479, or
at McAfee's support board, which you can reach at 408-988-4004.
ZippyCheck also requires the PKZIP/PKUNZIP utilities from PKWare. If
you don't have PKZIP, you can obtain it from our support board.
ZippyCheck will replace .Zip comments with your BBS' advertisement.
This advertisement is a file called "ZIPC." and is located in your main
BBS directory.
You should create a directory that branches off of your main Powerboard
BBS directory called BADFILES\. This is where ZippyCheck will store any
files that did not pass its testing. You will also be notified in the
callers log.
Powerboard Control Language
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard Control Language (PCL) is the heart of Powerboard and
its on-line operations. Every single function that you see when you
are logged on to your BBS is a function that is called from a PCL
program. With PCL, it is possible to bring your BBS down to a bare
bones system where its sole function is to answer the phone and
display a message such as "BBS is down, call back later" or make
your BBS a large information system like CompuServe (tm) where you
have thousands of locations and forums on the BBS. However you want
your BBS to be, it can be that way. Powerboard gives you that
flexibility. Let's suppose you call a BBS and like its structure.
You can actually emulate that 100%. The big plus about the Powerboard
Control Language is that programmers and novice users alike will enjoy
using it. The reason is that the language is easy enough for a
beginning Sysop to get the hang of, yet, it is so incredibly powerful
that experienced programmers will find it exciting to program in due
to its tremendous power with very little effort.
It is, however, understandable that many Sysops do not even want to hear
about programming, and are totally turned off by it. The reason is most
likely because any introduction you've had to programming has been very
negative: some kind of structured method of writing the program where it
takes hours of planning before even starting, then finally going to the
coding where it takes even more hours to debug the program. PCL will
let you develop advanced programs quickly. That is its main purpose.
If you feel, though, that PCL is not for you at the moment, and would
just like a BBS program where you can configure the entire system solely
with Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's), Powerboard is that system too!
The MENUCFG program provides incredible flexibility, unmatched by almost
all BBS programs, but done with an easy-to-learn user interface. Just
so you know, all MENUCFG really does is write very simple PCL programs
for you! Please see the section in this manual on "Menu Configuration"
for more information.
The entire idea behind the Powerboard BBS package is that it will grow
with the Sysop. If you are a novice sysop right now, Powerboard will be
willing to grow with you. Once you start using it, you'll find that you
are constantly learning more about the system, and eventually you'll be
able to manipulate all of its awesome features.
The plain truth is that Powerboard is more configurable than any other
BBS program available. If you are willing to take some time to learn
its features, you will not only be very impressed with the BBS you have
created for yourself, but you'll also be impressed with yourself for
achieving such a feat.
First, let's go through a few basic things that you'll need to know to
start to learn how to make use of the language.
1. PCL programs are located in two directories, both branching off of
your main BBS directory (see "Directory Tree" section of this manual
for a diagram). One is the CONTROL directory, where your main PCL
programs are stored. These programs, on occasion, will make
references to programs stored in your CONTROL\MACROS directory.
Most of the programs in your CONTROL\MACROS directory (hereafter
referred to as MACROS) are commands that users will access from menus
on your BBS.
2. When Powerboard starts up, it has to know which program it should
load first. The program that it loads first will be the one that
users will get as soon as they connect to the BBS. The default
program is called "OPEN.CTL". That program resides in your CONTROL
directory.
It is possible to tell Powerboard to load a different program first.
There are two ways of doing this.
One is to actually modify the setting so that it will be used whenever
Powerboard is loaded up. That way is to load the PBConfig program, and
modify the setting. Since this is something that shouldn't be done too
often, you will need to load PBConfig in "ADVANCED" mode to be able
to access the option. Once PBConfig is loaded, move to the "General"
menu, either with your mouse or with the cursor keys (press F10 first
to activate the menus). Either click on the menu with the mouse or press
ENTER on the keyboard so that the menu will show. Once the menu is
showing, select the "Paths" selection. The "Paths" menu should
come up. One of the selections on the menu should be "Opening
Control File". That selection is close to the bottom on the menu.
Select this option. Once you do so, a window should pop up asking
you what you want the Opening control file to be. Since we are only
learning here, it would be a wise choice to specify a Control file
that doesn't already exist. Let's use the filename
"Control\learn.ctl". Now select the OK button and exit PBConfig by
pressing ALT-X.
The second way to change the PCL program that should be loaded first
is on the command line for Powerboard. In addition to the options
that you use when loading Powerboard (PBOARD.EXE), add the option /O
plus the filename. So if we wanted Powerboard to load a PCL program
called "control\learn.ctl" first, we would specify
/Ocontrol\learn.ctl.
3. The PCL language has been designed to be as easy to use as possible!
You MUST try to keep this in mind when learning the language. Don't
say to yourself "Oh, they must have put this in so that I can't
learn it" or anything like that. Everything has been designed to be
as painless as possible. The command names have been carefully
selected so that they represent what we might tell the computer to
do in English if we were simply speaking to it. That is an
effective way to learn a language. Picture in your mind that you
are having a conversation with your computer, and you're giving it
directions on how you want your BBS to look when a user logs
on. In this conversation, you might say "Computer, please Say to
the user when they log on, 'How are you doing today?'". If you keep
this in mind, later you will see just how simple the language
actually is!
a.Basic Commands
=============================================================================
Now that you have an idea of how PCL programs work, let's try to
actually do some programming in the language itself. The first step is
to figure out how you'll be editing the PCL programs. The text editor
that you use must save in DOS text, such as the TED editor. As we said
earlier, we will first try editing a program called LEARN.CTL, which we
will put in the CONTROL directory. To do this, go to your BBS
directory and type:
TED control\learn.ctl [ENTER]
Since you do not have a program called LEARN.CTL already, your screen
will be empty! The simplest type of program you can possibly write
would be one to just display a message and then hang up on the user.
The following program does just that:
Say (The BBS is down right now because we're trying to learn)
Say (the PCL language! Please call back a little later.)
QuitBBS
Notice the preceding program is only 3 lines of code, yet it did quite
a bit. The output would look like this if the user called in:
The BBS is down right now because we're trying to learn
the PCL language! Please call back a little later.
In this program, we used two PCL commands. One is the SAY command which
does just what it sounds like: Talk to the user. Notice how we passed
information to the SAY command. This is used with every command in PCL.
If the command accepts information (also known as "Parameters"), it will
be passed in that fashion.
Also notice the command called "QuitBBS". This command also does what
it sounds like. The QuitBBS command will hang up on the user and return
to the waiting for calls screen so that another user can log on.
Of course, you will also need to let the user reply to a message. After
all, a conversation is not a conversation if there is only one person
talking! To do this, we will use the ASK command. The ASK command is
slightly more advanced, but you'll get the hang of using it. The
following program (which you can enter into LEARN.CTL and try) will ASK
the user a question.
Say (The BBS is down right now.)
Ask (Do you think this is bad?)
QuitBBS
This program will produce the following output:
The BBS is down right now.
Do you think this is bad?
And then wait for a response from the user, and then hang up on them
(QuitBBS command). Notice that the ASK command accepts parameters the
same way the SAY command does. In this sample program, we ask the user
if they think it's bad that we have the BBS down right now. However,
this won't make the user feel too good when we ask a question and then
just hang up on them! Of course, most of us would never have a phone
conversation such as the preceding program when we ask a question, wait
for a response and just hang up! The following program will talk to the
user again, after they've entered their response.
Say (The BBS is down right now.)
Ask (Do you think this is bad?)
Say (That's good, we appreciate your understanding)
QuitBBS
This preceding program does what our last one did, except for it adds
another step. After asking the question and waiting for a response, it
then tells them that you appreciate their understanding your situation.
However, this won't work in all cases, because a user might think that
it is bad that your BBS is down. In that case, they probably do not
understand your situation. You will probably want to give them an
in-depth explanation in that case so they won't think the BBS is down
for no reason. In the next program, we will use a new command, called
YesNoAsk. This command is similar to the ASK command in that it asks
the user a question, however, it is different in that it will only
accept two responses. One is the user pressing a "Y", which would mean
Yes. The other is if the user presses "N", which would mean No. The
user won't be allowed to press any other keys. This means that if you
have a yes or no question, it will be answered correctly. A user might
think you're asking a different question and be unaware, or they might
think you want an explanation, such as "Yes, I think it's bad because I
really like your BBS". For comparison's sake, it's a lot easier for you
to write a program that just checks for a "Yes" or "No", simply because
there are many different other combinations that mean the same thing.
Such as, if you used the ASK command, the user might enter "Sure" or
"Nope". Although we know what they mean and we would answer
accordingly, the computer doesn't know of all of those combinations, and
most people would not want to enter a PCL program that would check for
all of those situations, although in actuality, it is entirely possible.
The following program will also use another new concept, called the "IF"
command. The IF command will let you do something only if a situation
is true. In English, you might say to the computer, "If the user says
Yes, tell them 'We're sorry, but we really need to use the computer
right now', but if they say No, tell them 'We're happy you understand'".
The next program will also use a percent code, called "%RESP%" which
contains the user's response to a question. All of the percent codes
are described in the section of this manual entitled "Powerboard Percent
Codes". The following is our new program which will act according
to a user's response.
Say (The BBS is down right now.)
YesNoAsk (Do you think this is bad?)
If (%Resp%)=(Yes) then Say (We're very sorry, but we need the computer.)
If (%Resp%)=(No) then Say (We're very glad you understand.)
QuitBBS
You'll probably agree that the above program does indeed do the task we
were trying to achieve very adequately. Once you're familiar with
programming in PCL, you'll be able to write programs such as the above
one in seconds.
Just for a moment, we'll go over the use of Percent Codes in your
programs. Keep in mind that Percent Codes are just like text, such as a
"Hello" or a "Goodbye". Powerboard sees them EXACTLY THE SAME WAY.
Many people get confused and think that Powerboard sees percent codes as
"variables" (variables are described later). When you enter a Percent
Code into a program, think of it as entering text. By the time
Powerboard processes the command, that's all it is. Powerboard's
internal procedure for Percent Codes goes through the PCL program and
replaces the percent codes with actual text anyway, so there is
absolutely no way that Powerboard could distinguish the difference. A
Percent Code can appear literally anywhere in a line of text. For
example, try out the following program by entering it into your
LEARN.CTL:
Ask (Enter "SAY" at this prompt.)
%resp% (You entered Say!)
QuitBBS
In the above program, the ASK command told the user to enter "Say". If
the user did this, they would receive the text "You entered Say!"
because "%resp%" would become "Say" and turn the line into:
Say (You entered Say!)
That's why it is very important that you understand Percent Codes fully.
The user could enter at that prompt any other command they wanted to
also, such as "Ask", which would turn the text into:
Ask (You entered Say!)
Most of the time, you'll want to keep percent codes confined to the area
in between parentheses so nothing will go wrong. The following program
will ask for the user's name, then greet them.
Ask (Please enter your name.)
Say (Hello, %Resp%!)
QuitBBS
If the preceding program were run, and the user entered "Scott", the
program would then say:
Hello, Scott!
Another concept that you should be aware of is text comparison. When
the If command receives two texts to compare, it does it exactly. So,
if you have the following line:
If (Hello) = (hello) then Say (They're the same!)
The result would NOT say "They're the same!", because they aren't.
Notice that the first "Hello" has a capital letter "H" and the second
one does not. This is a very important concept. For that reason, man0y
times PCL programs will make use of the MENUASK command. The MENUASK
command is similar to the ASK command, except for it will remove any
spaces that were entered before or after the text and then capitalize
it. So if the following program were run:
MenuAsk (Enter your name in all lowercase with a space in front.)
Say (Here's your name, %RESP%.)
QuitBBS
If the user entered " scott", or " sCoTT ", the result would, in both
cases, be:
Here's your name, SCOTT.
That way, it's a lot easier to compare with the If command. So let's
say you want to have a password to access the BBS, you might have a
program like this:
MenuAsk (Enter the password, please.)
If (%Resp%)=(BSWQ) then Say (Good, that's correct.)
If the user entered " bswQ", it would be acceptable. However, if the
user entered " 1334", it would not be acceptable, because it is just
plain incorrect.
Another command you should be aware of is the "NotIf" command. The
NotIf command is identical to the If command except for it will only
execute the command specified if the two items you are comparing are NOT
equal. Below is a program which demonstrates the NotIf command:
NotIf (Hello)=(Goodbye) then Say (Hello.)
The output for the program would be:
Hello
A very important concept that is prevalent throughout all of the PCL
programs is the GOTO command. The GOTO command is important because it
is a way for you to transfer control to another part of the program. A
classic example of the GOTO command used in BASIC is in an infinite
loop. The following is an example of the infinite loop:
*Start
Say (Hello)
Goto (Start)
Notice that in this program, we have a line that says "*Start". Lines
that begin with an asterisk (*) are considered labels that GOTO can jump
to. In the above program, after it executes the SAY command, it reaches
the GOTO command where it goes back to the top of the program and starts
again. If you want to enter a program to try for yourself to
demonstrate the GOTO command, you most likely won't want to do this
exact infinite loop program since there is no way for it to exit. In
the following program, we create an infinite loop, but if the user wants
to, they can stop it.
*Start
YesNoAsk (Would you like to stop? )
If (%Resp%)=(Yes) then QuitBBS
Goto (Start)
Notice that in the above program, it will continue on until the user
responds by typing "Y" at the prompt. If the user does not do this, the
program will go on forever.
As you can imagine, there is usually no need to write a PCL program to
execute an infinite loop in reality. Instead, the GOTO command is more
commonly used to go to different parts of a program based on a decision
made by the user or the program due to a certain event. The following
program demonstrates the more common use of the GOTO command.
Say (Welcome to the BBS. Our BBS is down right now while we learn)
Say (how to use the PCL language.)
YesNoAsk (Do you think this is OK? )
If (%Resp%)=(Yes) then Goto (ItsOk)
if (%Resp%)=(No) then Goto (NotOk)
*ItsOk
Say (We're very happy that you understand. Please call back)
Say (later on when the BBS will be online again.)
QuitBBS
*NotOk
Say (We are trying to learn how to use the PCL language to make this)
Say (BBS a better one. We hope you understand now.)
QuitBBS
Notice that in the above program, the labels we use for GOTO are very
significant. If the BBS's being down is not OK with the user, Goto
moves to the "NotOk" label, and if it's Ok, it moves to the "ItsOk"
label. Both are very significant names, but notice that they are both
only one word. Labels cannot be more than one word.
Another way to branch out in your PCL programs is to load another PCL
program. The following program demonstrates the LOADMEM command:
Say (The BBS is down right now. We're trying to learn how to)
Say (use the PCL language.)
YesNoAsk (Do you think this is OK? )
If (%Resp%)=(No) then Loadmem (Control\No.Ctl)
Say (We're happy you understand. Please call back later when the BBS)
Say (will be operating again.)
QuitBBS
This program loads a PCL program in the CONTROL directory called
"NO.CTL". So if you enter this program and try it out, you'll have to
also create a program called NO.CTL so that if the user chooses "N", it
will be able to load that program.
A command similar to Loadmem is the Loadsub command. Loadsub will load
another PCL program, but will be able to come back if the program that
Loadsub loads wishes to return to the previous PCL program. The
following program shows this command.
Say (Our BBS is down right now. We're learning to use the PCL)
Say (language.)
YesNoAsk (Is this OK? )
If (%Resp%)=(No) then Loadsub (control\No.ctl)
QuitBBS
The No.Ctl might look like this:
Say (We're sorry, but we really need to use the system right now.)
Say (Please call back later when the BBS will be up again)
Return
Notice in the No.Ctl program, we use the "RETURN" command, which returns
to the previous PCL program. Notice that the No.Ctl program doesn't
actually disconnect the user (QuitBBS) command, but using the Return
command, we return to the previous PCL program, where the next line is
QuitBBS, so this is achieved anyway.
b.Using Variables in PCL programs
=============================================================================
Another very important concept is the use of variables in your program.
Variables are storage boxes that hold information that you can access
later on. The following program demonstrates usage of our "A" variable.
Say (Our BBS is down right now. We're learning to use the PCL)
Say (language.)
YesNoAsk (Is this OK? )
SetEqual (A=%Resp%)
Ask (What do you think of our BBS?)
If (%Var%A)=(Yes) then Say (We're glad you understand.)
If (%Var%A)=(No) then Say (We're sorry you don't understand.)
QuitBBS
Notice in the above program that we compare using %Var%A instead of
%Resp%. This is because %Resp% has been modified by the line that says
"Ask (What do you think of our BBS?)". So if we compared %Resp%, it
wouldn't work how we want it to. The IF command can also use an
ampersand (&) sign to mean "%Var%", which it can read faster. Most of
the PCL programs that Powerboard comes with take advantage of this.
The other type of variable is the array variable. The following program
demonstrates its usage:
Say (Our BBS is down right now. We're learning to use the PCL)
Say (language.)
YesNoAsk (Is this OK? )
SetEqual (^1=%Resp%)
Ask (What do you think of our BBS?)
If (^:1^)=(Yes) then Say (We're glad you understand.)
If (^:1^)=(No) then Say (We're sorry you don't understand.)
QuitBBS
The next topic that we will discuss is variable manipulation. In your
programs, you will inevitably want to manipulate variables in some
fashion, such as multiplying them, dividing, subtracting, adding and
also combining two texts together.
In the following program, we will repeat something 3 times then exit the
loop.
Say (Our BBS is down now.)
SetEqual(A=0)
*Start
YesNoAsk (Is this OK? )
If (%Resp%)=(Yes) then Goto (ExitLoop)
Say (Are you sure?)
AddVar (%Var%A+1=A)
If (%Var%A)=(3) then Goto (ExitLoop)
Goto (Start)
*ExitLoop
QuitBBS
In this program, we ask the user if it is OK that the BBS is down. We
give them three chances to say "Y", just in case they made a mistake.
The "AddVar" command will let you add to the value of a variable. The
following commands are also available:
MultVar (Number1*Number2=Variable)
DivVar (Number1/Number2=Variable)
There is also another command called INC (Variable) which will increment
the value of a variable by 1, but is faster than the AddVar command.
The following program will combine a user's first and last names.
Ask (Please enter just your first name.)
SetEqual (A=%Resp%)
Ask (Please enter just your last name.)
SetEqual (B= %Resp%)
Combine (%Var%A+%Var%B=C)
Say (Your full name is: %Var%C.)
QuitBBS
In this program, we combine a first name and a last name to get the full
name. But look closely at the second "SetEqual" command. There is
actually one space before the "%Resp%". Doing this will make it so that
the name will come out as "Scott Brown" instead of "ScottBrown".
The SetEqual command actually allows setting many Powerboard variables
(these variables are fully documented along with the SetEqual command
itself later in this manual). One of these is "/Graphics", which can be
"ANSI" or "ASCII", for the types of graphics the user will view. The
following partial procedure could actually be used for logon to your
BBS.
Say (Connected to %BBS%.)
YesNoAsk (Would you like ANSI graphics? )
If (%Resp%)=(Yes) then SetEqual (/Graphics=ANSI)
If (%Resp%)=(No) then SetEqual (/Graphics=ASCII)
Display (display\Welcome)
Ask (What is your first name?)
SetEqual (A=%Resp%)
Ask (What is your last name?)
SetEqual (B= %Resp%)
Combine (%Var%A+%Var%B=C)
Say (Hello, %Var%C)
QuitBBS
The above code uses a new command, DISPLAY. The display command is
fully documented later in this manual. All you need to know right now
is that is will show a display screen.
There are 4 other basic variable manipulation commands that you will
need to use in your programs: GET, LEN, NUMBER and UPCASE. The
following program will demonstrate these commands:
*Start
Ask (Please enter a TWO DIGIT number (10-99), or Q to quit.)
SetEqual (A=%Resp%)
Upcase (A)
If (%Var%A) = (Q) then Goto (End)
Len (%Var%A)
NotIf (%Aresp%) = (2) then Goto (Start)
Number (%Var%A)
IfNotTrue (Goto (Start))
Get (%Var%A,2,1)
Say (The second number is: %Aresp%)
*End
QuitBBS
You will also notice that the program uses a percent code called
%Aresp%. This percent code will report the response from a PCL command.
For example, in this program, the LEN command returns the length of the
text you send to it in the %Aresp% percent code.
The program also uses the IFNOTTRUE command. This command simply looks
at %Aresp% and if it is "No", it will execute the command you tell it to
execute. There is also a complimentary command, IFTRUE. It will
execute the command if %Aresp% is "Yes". The following statements are
the same:
If (%Aresp%)=(Yes) then Say (It's true.)
or
IfTrue (Say (It's true.)
The UpCase command will simply change the variable you give it to all
uppercase. So if the user entered "q" instead of "Q", it would still
work.
The Number command checks to see if the text you give it is a number. If
it isn't it reports "No" to %Aresp%.
The Len command checks to see what the length of the text you give it
is.
The Get command will extract part of the text you give it into parts.
The first number you pass to it is which position in the string to start
taking out characters at, and the second number means how many
characters (letters, numbers, etc) should it take out. The result is
put into the %Aresp% percent code.
c.File Manipulation
=============================================================================
Another command you will need during your programming is the LOG
command. This command will log text to your callers log (if you have
the printer option enabled, it will log to the printer too). The
following program shows this:
Say (Our BBS is down right now. We're learning to use the PCL)
Say (language.)
YesNoAsk (Is this OK? )
SetEqual (A=%Resp%)
Ask (What do you think of our BBS?)
Log (--,User's thoughts:)
Log (--,%Resp%)
If (%Var%A)=(Yes) then Say (We're glad you understand.)
If (%Var%A)=(Yes) then Log (--,User understands.)
If (%Var%A)=(No) then Say (We're sorry you don't understand.)
If (%Var%A)=(No) then Log (--,User doesn't understand.)
QuitBBS
Another command, AppendTo, will let you log to any log file you want.
However, please note that not only is Log faster than AppendTo, but
AppendTo does not work on the callers log. The following program
demonstrates the AppendTo command:
Say (Our BBS is down right now. We're learning to use the PCL)
Say (language.)
YesNoAsk (Is this OK? )
SetEqual (A=%Resp%)
Ask (What do you think of our BBS?)
AppendTo (Logs\feelings.log,User's thoughts:)
AppendTo (Logs\feelings.log,%Resp%)
If (%Var%A)=(Yes) then Say (We're glad you understand.)
If (%Var%A)=(Yes) then AppendTo (Logs\feelings.log,User understands.)
If (%Var%A)=(No) then Say (We're sorry you don't understand.)
If (%Var%A)=(No) then AppendTo (Logs\feelings.log,User doesn't understand.)
QuitBBS
In this program, instead of logging to the callers log, we log to a new
file called "Feelings.log", which is located in the LOGS directory (see
"Directory Tree" chapter for more information).
The following program will check to see if there is a file existing
called "HELLO". If it exists, it will display the first line of the
file to the user. If it doesn't exist, it will let the user put
something into it.
Seek (HELLO.)
IfNotTrue (Goto (NotHere))
InpLine (HELLO.,1)
Say (The FIRST line of the file called HELLO is:)
Say (%Aresp%)
Goto (End)
*NotHere
Say (We're going to let you make a file called HELLO and put your)
Say (own line of text into it.)
Ask (What would you like to be on the first line of the file?)
AppendTo (HELLO.,%Resp%)
*End
QuitBBS
In preceding program, we first check to see if the file called HELLO
exists. If it does, we show the first line of text that it contains to
the user. If it doesn't we let the user create and add a line of text
to it.
The following program will simply check to see if a file called HELLO
exists, if it exists, it will delete it. If it doesn't exist, it will
create it.
Seek (HELLO.)
IfNotTrue (Goto (NotHere))
Say (The file called HELLO is here, but we're going to delete it.)
Kill (HELLO.)
Goto (End)
*NotHere
Say (The file called HELLO is not here, so we're going to create it.)
Zap (HELLO.)
*End
QuitBBS
In the preceding program, we check to see if the file exists. If it
does exist, we first tell the user that it is there, but that we're
going to delete it. If the file is not there, first we tell the user
that the file isn't there, but we're going to make it. Then we use the
ZAP command to create the file. The ZAP command creates a file but
doesn't put any text into it. You can use the APPENDTO command to put
text into the file.
In the following program, we open a file to read it, read until we get
to the end of the file, then quit the program.
Seek (HELLO.)
IfNotTrue (Goto (Error))
InpOpen (HELLO.)
*Start
InpRead
Say (%Aresp%)
FendIf (End)
Goto (Start)
*End
QuitBBS
*Error
Say (The file called HELLO is not here! We can't show it!)
Goto (End)
In the preceding program the first thing we do is check to see if the
file exists. If it doesn't exist, we won't be able to show it, so we
doesn't even attempt to and just end the program.
Next, if the file exists, we open it and start reading it. If there is
more text in the file, we keep going. The FendIf command checks to see
if we've arrived at the end of the file yet. If so, it will go to the
END label.
The following program does the same procedure, except is a bit more
efficient because it uses the DO and LOOPEOF commands.
Seek (HELLO.)
IfNotTrue (Goto (Error))
InpOpen (HELLO.)
DO
InpRead
Say (%Aresp%)
LoopEof
*End
QuitBBS
*Error
Say (The file called HELLO is not here! We can't show it!)
Goto (End)
This program is identical to the program we showed before, except it
uses the DO and LOOPEOF commands. The LOOPEOF will go back to the last
DO that the program encountered unless we're at the end of the file, in
which case it won't.
Now that you have an understanding of how PCL programs work, go through
these demos a few times, and even make some variations on them to test
your own knowledge. Other Powerboard Sysops also write their own PCL
programs, and many of these are available at the Powerboard Headquarters
BBS, which can be reached at 914-834-7830. Call in and check out these
programs, you should be able to learn from them as well.
A list of all of the PCL commands is provided in the section in this
manual, "PCL Commands".
d.Questionnaires
=============================================================================
This section will describe how to write questionnaires for your BBS.
Before you begin here, please be sure you've read and understood all of
the material in the previous sections that have to do with PCL
programming (Basic commands, Variables, File Manipulation).
Questionnaires in Powerboard use the same PCL language used for all of
the other functions on the BBS, except the questionnaire files are
located in the QUES directory, and are called QUEST<number>.QUE. The
response files that are created when a USER answers a questionnaire are
called QUEST<number>.ANS.
The following is the sample questionnaire that comes with Powerboard:
Say ( Visiting Sysop's Questionnaire at %BBS% )
Say (---------------------------------------------------------------------)
Say ()
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans, )
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,/:NAME/ answering questionnaire at %TIME% on %DATE%)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - )
YesNoAsk (Would you like to answer this questionnaire? *)
If (%Resp%)=(No) then Return
Ask (What is the name of your BBS?)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q1: Name: %Resp%)
Ask (Who are the sysops of this BBS?)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q2: Sysops: %Resp%)
YesNoAsk (Are you running the Powerboard BBS software? )
If (%Resp%)=(Yes) then Goto (PB)
Ask (Which BBS software package are you currently using?)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q3: Using: %Resp%)
Ask (Would you consider running Powerboard? Reasons?)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q3: Consider running PB?: %Resp%)
*RestOfQuest
Ask (How many files do you currently have online?)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q4: %Resp%)
YesNoAsk (Would you like visiting Sysop's access here? *)
If (%Resp%)=(No) then Goto (EndOfQuest)
log(--,Requested Visiting Sysop Access)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q5: Wants Visiting Sysop Access)
Goto (EndOfQuest)
*PB
Say(Wise choice. We hope you are enjoying the software as much as we are!)
Say ()
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q3:Using Powerboard BBS software)
Goto (RestOfQuest)
*EndOfQuest
Log (--,User answered Questionnaire #1)
Return
In this program, we make use of just about all of the items in PCL
programming that were discussed in the previous sections in this PCL
introduction. Let's briefly go over the program. The following is a
list of what the program will do when it is run:
1. Welcome the user, tell the user that this is the Sysop Questionnaire.
2. Log to the Questionnaire response log file (QUEST1.ANS) for this
questionnaire.
3. Ask the user if they changed their mind and do not want to answer the
questionnaire, in which case we will return them to the questionnaire
menu (RETURN command).
4. Next, we ask them what the name of their bulletin board system is.
After they reply, their response is logged to the same log file
(QUEST1.ANS), located in the QUES directory.
5. Next, we ask them who the people are that operate the BBS, in the
same fashion that was used to ask the user what the name of the BBS
system is.
6. Next, we ask the user if they are running the Powerboard BBS package.
If they reply "Yes", we go to a special section in the questionnaire
called (PB). This section begins at the line that says "*PB". Here,
we tell the user that they made a wise choice, log to the log file
that they are using the Powerboard BBS package, and then go back to
the rest of the questionnaire.
7. The rest of the questionnaire repeats the functions used in the first
part of the questionnaire, and then returns to the questionnaire menu
with the RETURN command.
This questionnaire does not use one function that many people like to
use in their questionnaires, which is answering a question in a
specified format. This too is possible, using the PICTURE command.
With the picture command, you give it the format that you would like to
use to ask the question, and it will do that. It works similarly to the
ASK function. The following questionnaire simply asks the user for
their phone number.
Say ( Phone Number Questionnaire at %BBS% )
Say (---------------------------------------------------------------------)
Say ()
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans, )
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,/:NAME/ answering questionnaire at %TIME% on %DATE%)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -)
YesNoAsk (Would you like to answer this questionnaire? *)
If (%Resp%)=(No) then Return
Say (What is your phone number?)
Picture (###-###-####)
AppendTo (ques\quest1.ans,Q1: Phone number: %Resp%)
Log (--,User answered Questionnaire #1)
Return
Notice that this questionnaire uses the same format as the last one. It
is a good idea to simply copy an existing questionnaire to a new file
and then just edit the new file. To copy the sample QUEST1.QUE file to
a new (non-existent) QUEST2.QUE file, enter the following command at the
dos prompt:
COPY QUEST1.QUE QUEST2.QUE [ENTER]
Powerboard PCL Commands
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section will describe all of the available Powerboard Control
Language (PCL) commands. If you are not yet familiar with PCL
programming, refer to the PCL introduction, elsewhere in this manual.
a.Existing PCL programs
============================================================================
First, let's take a look at the PCL programs that come with Powerboard.
Even if you choose to write your own programs and totally re-design your
BBS, you can still use some of the PCL programs that come with
Powerboard with your system, for example, the message reading program is
somewhat complicated, so you may want to have your programs use it for
message reading instead of attempting to write your own. You can also
just call these programs in different areas in your BBS. To call run
another PCL program, you will use the LOADMEM and LOADSUB commands.
These are described in the PCL introduction section to this manual, but
more in-depth in this section.
The following is a list of the PCL programs located in your CONTROL
directory and what they do.
PCL filename Description
============================================================================
AutoOff.ctl PCL file called if a user requests a
log off after the transfer is completed.
BadName.ctl Executed if user enters a name that is
not considered appropriate.
BadPass.ctl Executed if the user cannot enter their
correct password.
Batch.ctl Executed for Batch file transfers.
Birth.ctl Run on the user's birthday.
Bullet.mnu Bulletins menu.
Bullet.typ Basic bulletins menu definition file.
Bullets.ctl Run to display log-on bulletins
DoorBack.ctl Run when the user returns from a door.
Doors.mnu Doors menu.
Doors.typ Doors menu definition.
DownAtt.ctl Run when the user wants to download a
file that is attached to a message.
DPhone.ctl Run if the user enters a phone number
that duplicates a user already on the BBS.
EnterAtt.ctl Executed when the user wants to attach a
file to a message.
Files.mnu Files menu.
Gen.typ General menu definition.
HSLink.ctl Run after download with HSLink
bi-directional protocol.
LockOut.ctl Run if a locked-out user tries to log
on.
Main.mnu Main menu.
Mess.mnu Message menu.
MScan.ctl Run to scan the message area.
NewUser.ctl Run if a user could not be found in the
user file.
No.ctl Run if the user tries too many times to
enter their name.
Open.ctl First PCL program run, for user login.
Ques.mnu Questionnaire menu.
Ques.typ Basic Questionnaire menu definition.
Read.ctl Message reading.
Refused.ctl If the user refuses to become a member.
SelFilea.ctl Run to select a file area.
SpOpen.ctl Open.ctl partially converted to
Spanish... may or may not be included.
Sysop.mnu Sysop menu.
Uedit.ctl User editor main program.
Uedit2.ctl User editor part 2.
Uedit3.ctl User editor part 3.
Uedit4.ctl User editor part 4.
ViewB.ctl Run to ask the user if they would like
to view the bulletins menu.
ZipView.ctl Run to view a .Zip file.
The following is a list of the PCL programs located in your
CONTROL\MACROS directory and what they do.
PCL filename Description
============================================================================
Aband.ctl Abandon Conference.
BadSel.ctl Invalid menu selection.
Bank.ctl Time bank.
Bye.ctl Goodbye/logoff prompt.
Change.ctl Change file area.
Chg.ctl Change message conference.
City.ctl Change "Calling From" (City, St)
CnfNews.ctl Display news for current conference.
Comment.ctl Leave comment to Sysop.
DefProt.ctl Define default file transfer protocol.
DelTag.ctl Delete the tagged file list.
Down.ctl Download a file.
Edit.ctl Edit an existing message.
Enter.ctl Enter a new message.
Expert.ctl Toggle expert mode.
Find.ctl Find a user in the user file.
FList.ctl List files in current file area.
Forw.ctl Forward a message.
FRead.ctl Read a file in the file area.
FullEdit.ctl Full screen message editor.
Graph.ctl Change graphics mode (Ansi/ascii).
HPhone.ctl Change home phone number.
KillNode.ctl Disconnect user on another node.
List.ctl List users on BBS.
LTagged.ctl List tagged files.
MChat.ctl Multinode chat.
MCopy.ctl Copy a message.
MEnter.ctl Called by enter.ctl, reply.ctl & others.
Move.ctl Move a file.
MReader.ctl Executed to run mail reader door.
MSearch.ctl Search for a message in the message area.
MWho.ctl See who is on other nodes.
New.ctl Check for new files.
NewBull.ctl Show bulletins updated since last on.
News.ctl Show newsletter.
NodeDown.ctl Shutdown another node.
Old-Sel.ctl Old select conferences command.
Page.ctl Page the sysop.
Pass.ctl Change password.
Reply.ctl Reply to a message.
ScanM.ctl Scan message headers.
ScrLen.ctl Change screen length.
Search.ctl Search for text in file areas.
SearchM.ctl Search for messages.
Select.ctl Select conferences to scan.
Shell.ctl Shell to DOS.
Stats.ctl Show statistics on current user.
Street.ctl Change street address.
TFiles.ctl Tag files.
UBatch.ctl Upload files batch(called by UP.CTL).
Up.ctl Upload a file to the BBS.
Ver.ctl Display BBS & DOS version numbers.
ViewLogs.ctl View callers logs.
ViewNode.ctl View screen of user on another node.
Work.ctl Change work phone number.
WSearch.ctl Search for a file with wildcards.
ZView.ctl View an archive file.
b.File area related PCL commands
============================================================================
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of the PCL language is provided in the 455-page
bound manual included with your purchase of the package.
EXTERN.LIB
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard will let you add on any amount of PCL commands that you want
to your BBS, using the EXTERN.LIB. EXTERN.LIB is executed if a command
is found in a PCL program that is not an internal command. The MUSIC
command is an external command contained in the default EXTERN.LIB.
When Powerboard runs EXTERN.LIB, it passes the paramaters: <node>
<command>. i.e. if Powerboard is running on node 1 and a music command
is found, Powerboard will execute the following:
EXTERN.LIB 1 music (hi)
And then it is up to EXTERN.LIB to execute the command. When Powerboard
runs EXTERN.LIB, it first writes DOOR.SYS and DORINFO<node>.DEF. That
is how you can get information on the current user online. When
returning to Powerboard, if EXTERN.LIB gives errorlevel 5, Powerboard
will read a file called "Ret.<node>" and send text in it to the com
port. If EXTERN.LIB exits with errorlevel 1, Powerboard assumes that
there was no command executed and logs an error.
The default EXTERN.LIB was written in the Microsoft BASIC 7.10
Professional Development System using Crescent Software's P.D.Q. and
QuickPak Pro libraries. However, you can write your EXTERN.LIB in any
language you choose. Just keep in mind that your program should be very
small, fast, and efficient. Powerboard must actually execute the program,
so if it is not fast, the user will notice. The source code
(EXTERN.BAS) and link script file (EXTERN.LNK) are included with
Powerboard.
Multinode Setup
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of multinode setup is provided in the 455-page
bound manual included with your purchase of the package.
CD-ROM Support
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you plan on running Powerboard with a CD-ROM drive, there are certain
steps that you must do before it will work correctly. The first is to
create a file in the conference(s) where you want to have a CD-ROM area.
Let's say, for example, that conference 2 is to be the CD-ROM area. You
would create a file in your AREAS\ directory that branches off of your
BBS directory (e.g. C:\BBS\AREAS). The name of the file is
CD.<conference>, where <conference> is the conference number. And the
file should contain one line, which is the path to your CD-ROM file
listings. Let's use CD.2 for an example. First, change to the AREAS
directory. Go into your BBS directory and type:
CD AREAS [RETURN]
Next, type:
COPY CON CD.2 [RETURN]
LISTS2\
\FILES.BBS
[F6] [RETURN]
In this example, press your F6 key where you see the [F6] icon. LISTS2\
is the directory for your listings. Off of the LISTS2\ directory will
be another directory for each file area. And under those file areas
will be the FILES.BBS and HEADER.ASC/.ANS for each area. For example,
let's say that we have the following file areas under Conference 2:
1 Word Processing
2 Spreadsheet
3 Database
You would have 3 respective directories under the LISTS2\ directory.
These would be LISTS2\1\, LISTS2\2\, and LISTS2\3\. And under those
directories would be the FILES.BBS and HEADER.ASC/.ANS files for each
directory.
Doors
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Door programs are external communication programs that can be linked
into your BBS so that the user can access them like opening a door.
Most DOOR programs are games for your users to play online. But there
are also many other types of door programs.
Powerboard supports standard doors. That is, it supports doors which
use either the DOOR.SYS or DORINFO<node>.DEF standard. Doors that do
not support either of those two standards are considered non-standard
doors. You are probably best off using doors that are standard.
Non-standard doors tend to be cheaply written and will have more
potential to cause your BBS to hang or other errors. You can, however,
run a non-standard door with Powerboard. If you would like to do so, a
program called DOORMASTER will allow this. DOORMASTER will convert the
standard door format to any of the non-standard formats. Doormaster 5.7
provides support for Powerboard directly. Previous versions provided
support, but you would have to access it by telling Doormaster that your
BBS software is "GAP Communications". You can obtain a copy of
Doormaster by calling our support board, Powerboard Headquarters BBS, at
914-834-7830. Doormaster's documentation will provide an in-depth
explanation on how to set-up non-standard doors on your BBS.
To run a standard door on your BBS, simply follow the following steps:
1. Create a door batch file called DOOR<numb>.BAT, where <numb> is
the number of the door. This batch file should:
A. Load the door
B. Return to Powerboard
2. Modify your doors menu display file to reflect the changes.
Consult the "Display Files" section in this manual for more
information.
The following is a sample batch file that could be used to load the
Tradewars 2002 door:
cd doors\trade
tw2002 -door
cd\bbs
pboard
Notice that Tradewars is in a separate directory. You will most likely
wish to do this so that your main BBS directory does not get too cluttered.
Protocols
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Protocols are a method of transferring files from computer to computer.
Generally, a protocol will attempt to accomplish the following tasks:
1. Transfer the data to the other computer
2. Check for errors that may occur during the transfer
3. Make sure the data gets to the other system as fast as possible
The first widely accepted file transfer protocol is Xmodem Checksum.
With this protocol, data was transferred by the following method:
1. Count the combined value of all of the data in the text string
that is about to be sent
2. Send this value to the remote system
3. Send the actual data
4. Wait for the remote system to acknowledge the data
This system worked, but it was slow because of two reasons. One is
because of the procedure of counting all of the data and sending it.
The other is because it had to wait for a response. Also, this process
of counting the combined value of the data was not as accurate as the CRC
algorithm used for later protocols.
Next came Xmodem CRC, which is the same as Xmodem Checksum except that
it uses the CRC-16 algorithm to verify data instead of Checksum, which
meant higher accuracy.
Next came Ymodem, which transfers data in larger amounts, uses the
CRC-16 algorithm, and will also send data regarding the file to the
remote system before the transfer, such as file name and file size.
And finally, Zmodem, which is the accepted protocol today. Zmodem is
the same thing as Ymodem except for it uses a new, more sophisticated
and accurate, CRC-32 bit algorithm for data verification and does not
wait for verification after sending data, which speeds it up quite a
bit. The DSZ version of Zmodem provides extra features such as resuming
a transfer after it being aborted, compression, checking for "slugs",
buffered transferring, and more.
Xmodem, Ymodem and Zmodem protocols are all included in the DSZ
Protocol Engine from Omen Technology. The file DSZ.ZIP is included with
Powerboard and that includes DSZ's complete documentation and
registration information. You should plan to register DSZ if you plan
on using it for transferring files on your BBS. The registration fee is
$20 and is well worth it. You will be eligible for upgrades FOREVER and
the registered DSZ comes with many great features such as Ymodem-G
protocol. DSZ is the first implementation of the Zmodem protocol, and
DSZ's author is the creator of the Zmodem protocol. Read the DSZ manual
for more information.
Support has been included for the bi-directional protocol, HS-Link.
HS-Link is written by Sam Smith. His BBS can be reached at
818-891-6780. In the default configuration for HSLINK, it assumes that
HSLINK resides in your C:\HSLINK directory. If this is not the case,
you will have to modify the HS-D.BT file, located in your PROTOCOL
directory. You will also have to create a directory for HSLINK to
receive the files for each node. This directory branches off of your
main BBS directory, and should be called HSTEMP<node> (e.g. HSTEMP0).
Protocol batch files are located in your PROTOCOL\ directory. They are
files that have an extension of ".BT" and start with the letters that
the user needs to press to access to protocol (i.e. Z-D.BT for Zmodem
Download). .BT means that the file will first be checked for Powerboard
Percent Codes (described elsewhere in this manual), and then written to
a .BAT file, then executed.
Modifying your Events
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events are set times when your BBS will do a certain activity, by first
exiting the BBS, then loading a dos .BATch file to do that activity.
Most events consist of routine things that the Sysop might have to do
otherwise, such as backup of the user file or callers logs, file area
maintenance or message area maintenance.
Other events may have nothing to do with your BBS, but need to be executed
at a set time. Any one of these can be easily implemented in your
Powerboard BBS.
The first step in setting up events on your BBS is to run the EVCONFIG
utility included with Powerboard. To run it, type EVCONFIG followed by
the node number of your BBS that you want to modify. Example:
EVCONFIG 0 [RETURN]
0 is used if you are not running the multinode version of Powerboard. If
you are and you are, for instance, node #13, you would type:
EVCONFIG 13 [RETURN]
When you enter EVCONFIG, a screen somewhat like the following should
appear:
╒[Powerboard Event File Configurator]═════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ SPACE to add event, BACKSPACE to delete, ENTER to select & edit
│
│ Event Time Event Description Errorlevel Days Kick user off?
│
│
│
│ 12:41 Maintenance 79 0 Y
│
│ 12:48 Sort File Areas 70 0 Y
│
│ 15:43 Last Callers 79 0 Y
│
│ 07:30 Take BBS down 75 0 Y
│
│ 18:40 Check Message Area 79 0 Y
│
│ Quit
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
When in EVCONFIG, the following commands are available:
Command Description
==============================================================================
SPACE Add event to event list.
BACKSPACE Remove an event from the list.
ENTER Edit the currently selected event.
UP Arrow Move to the previous event.
DOWN Arrow Move to the next event.
When modifying events (Press ENTER on selection to do this), you will
see the following fields:
Field Description
==============================================================================
Event Time Time of day when Powerboard should
exit to run this event. This time
is in 24-Hour format (i.e. 3:00pm
would be 15:00).
Event Description This is the description for the event.
The first four (4) characters for this
description will be used for the name
of the batch file to run when calling
this event. i.e. an event with the
description of "Daily Events" would
run the batch file called "DAIL.BAT".
Errorlevel This is the errorlevel that Powerboard
will exit with when it runs the event.
This will be useful if you are running
PBOARD.EXE (the main program for
Powerboard) from a batch file.
Errorlevels let you branch out to other
places in the batch file. Consult
your DOS manual for more information
on errorlevels.
Days This is the setting that tells Powerboard
which day of the week it should run this
event. If you specify 0, the event will
be run every day. Here are the rest of
the values that Powerboard will accept
for the day:
1 = Sunday
2 = Monday
3 = Tuesday
4 = Wednesday
5 = Thursday
6 = Friday
7 = Saturday
Kick user off? This option will tell PB if it should
kick the user off immediately when
it is time for an event to run, if there
is a user online. It is suggested that
this option be activated. Otherwise,
Powerboard will attempt to keep moving up
the event so it will run immediately
after the user logs off.
Once you have set up the event in EVCONFIG, you should then write
the batch file that is to be executed with that event. Powerboard
uses the first 4 characters of the description for the name of the
batch file to call. For example, if you have an event called
"Sort File Areas", Powerboard will execute "SORT.BAT". Here's what
an example SORT.BAT might look like:
FILESORT areas\farea1.bbs
wait 60
pboard /n%1
When Powerboard runs the batch file, it adds to the commandline the
number of the node that is calling the event. i.e. if you run
the event from node 9, Powerboard will execute "SORT.BAT 9". In this
sample batch file, the first command is the actual program that we
run for the event. The next command, WAIT, is a program that comes
with Powerboard (WAIT.EXE) which will instruct the computer to wait
for the number of seconds you specify. In this example, we use
60 (1 minute) so that your computer will pause for a minute before
re-loading Powerboard. If Powerboard were re-loaded during the same
minute that the event was executed, the event would be executed again.
The next line is what will re-load Powerboard. Notice the commandline
paramaters: "/n%1". "%1" contains whatever parameter was sent to the
event batch file, which is the node number (Powerboard passes this).
So if the event is run from node 9, Powerboard will exit and execute
"SORT.BAT 9", and then the batch file will re-load Powerboard with
the commandline "pboard /n9". You should have this last line in
all of your event batch files, unless you do not want it to come back
to the BBS.
Another event utility that comes with Powerboard is called
"WAITTILL.EXE". The WAITTILL program will make your computer
wait until the time you specify. For example, if you specify
"WAITTILL 10:00", the computer will wait until 10:00AM. WAITTILL
(like EVCONFIG) accepts time in 24-Hour format, so 5:00PM would
be "17:00". This program is useful if you want to take your BBS
down a certain day of the week at a certain time.
Subscriptions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is possible to have what is known as "Subscriptions" on your bulletin
board system. With Subscriptions, users (usually those who pay a
certain fee), will be raised to a certain access level for a specified
period of time--just like magazine subscriptions. After the time is
over, you can either lower them to a different security level or take
away their access completely. The first step in creating a subscription
system is to modify your SUB.BBS file. Edit this file with TED, QEdit
or any other DOS text editor. Data in the file is in the following
format:
Subscription Security, Down-to
So if you had a SUB.BBS file that looks like:
100, 20
50, 20
70, 20
If a user has a subscription with security level 100, 50 or 70, when
their subscription runs out, they will be demoted to security level 20.
To make a user a subscriber, you will have to go into the User Editor
(EDITOR, described elsewhere in this manual) and change:
1. The field that says "Subscription?" so that it is "Y".
2. The field that says "Sub Date" and set it to the date that you want
the user's subscription to expire.
Consult the "Display File" section of this manual for a list of all of
the display files pertaining to Subscriptions.
Netmail
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard is capable of handling network mail. This means that if you
have netmail set up on your system, if a user enters a message on your
BBS, it will go out to many other BBS', possibly worldwide! And if
a user reads messages, they'll be able to read hundreds of messages,
from many other BBS' all over the world.
The two major netmail types are Fido and PCRelay/Postlink. Powerboard
supports both of these. For PCRelay, you will need PB-UTI. The
Postlink software, at it's initial 1.00 release, will require PB-UTI
also. But for higher versions, it may have Powerboard support internally.
Call the Powerboard Headquarters BBS to obtain a copy of PB-UTI or to find
out current information. There will also be information and utilities
necessary to set up Fido netmail available on Powerboard Headquarters
BBS, which can be reached at 914-834-7830.
PBAnsi
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard contains it's own internal color processing procedure,
referred to as "PBAnsi". PBAnsi allows the display of text embedded with
"PBAnsi Codes" in both Ascii and Ansi-Color modes, to save disk space.
The default Powerboard HELP screens (contained in the DISPLAY\HELP\
directory) were created using PBAnsi codes. You can refer to them for
an example on how to create your own PBAnsi display screens.
Colors used in the PCL command, SAY, are PBAnsi color codes. These are
in all of your control files. Refer to the section on "PCL" for more
information.
Writing text that contains PBAnsi codes is a very simple procedure.
Simply write out what you want your text to be, for example:
Hello, How are you?
Let's say we want to make "Hello" yellow, and the rest of the text
white. The PBAnsi code for yellow is "&14&". The PBAnsi code for white
is "&7&". Keeping that in mind, the text would change to:
&14&Hello&7&, How are you?
PBAnsi can also be used in writing messages, Multinode chat and more!
Once you learn how to read and write with PBAnsi, you'll breeze your way
through configuration and learning to use your Powerboard system! The
following is a list of the PBAnsi color codes:
Code Color
=============================================================================
&0& Black Foreground
&1& Dark Blue Foreground
&2& Dark Green Foreground
&3& Dark Cyan Foreground
&4& Dark Red Foreground
&5& Dark Purple Foreground
&6& Brown Foreground
&7& Dark White Foreground
&8& Grey Foreground
&9& Bright Blue Foreground
&10& Bright Green Foreground
&11& Bright Cyan Foreground
&12& Bright Red Foreground
&13& Bright Purple Foreground
&14& Yellow Foreground
&15& Bright White Foreground
$0$ Black Background
$1$ Blue Background
$2$ Green Background
$3$ Cyan Background
$4$ Red Background
$5$ Purple Background
$6$ Brown Background
$7$ White Background
In addition to these color codes, PBAnsi also accepts the code "&CR&" to
mean that it should move to the next line. This is useful to save time
if you want to advance many lines.
AT-X (PCBAnsi)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As of version 1.25, Powerboard has support for PCBAnsi (@X) ansi color
codes. Many new BBS utilities use this color coding. The advantages to
PCBAnsi are that you only need one screen for both ansi and ascii,
therefore saving disk space. However, Powerboard provides its own
imbedded color code files similar to PCBAnsi, but more efficient. These
codes are described in the "Display Screens" section of this manual.
PCBAnsi codes are always 4 characters. The first two are always the
at-x combination (@X). Next are the codes for the background, then
foreground colors. The following is a list of the available colors:
Background (3rd character) Foreground (4th, last character)
========================== ================================
Black 0 Black 0
Blue 1 Blue 1
Green 2 Green 2
Cyan 3 Cyan 3
Red 4 Red 4
Purple 5 Purple 5
Brown 6 Brown 6
White 7 White 7
Blinking Backgrounds: High Intensity (Bright) Foreground:
Black 8 Black 8
Blue 9 Blue 9
Green A Green A
Cyan B Cyan B
Red C Red C
Purple D Purple D
Brown E Yellow E
White F White F
The following at-x code would make text green with a black background:
@X02
Terminal Programs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section has been included in the manual for modem users who are
using one of the following terminal programs:
Qmodem
Telemate
Telix
There are special switches that should be on when calling a Powerboard BBS
for these programs.
QMODEM:
For Qmodem, in the QINSTALL program, move to the Video menu. From the
Video menu, move to the "Toggles" selection. Make sure that "Destructive
Backspace" is OFF and "Strict Color" is ON. Next, go back to the main menu
bar and move to "Options". From the "Options" menu, make sure "ANSI
Music" is ON.
TELIX:
When Telix is loaded, type ALT-O then select "Terminal Options". Next,
select "H- Received Backspace Destructive" to Off.
TELEMATE:
Once Telemate is loaded, type ALT-O to get to the options menu. Then
select "Terminal". Next, move to the "Destructive Backspace" option and
turn it off.
For any other communications program, basically all that has to be set is
no "Destructive Backspace" and to use standard coloring.
File Compression
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
File compression is widely used in most BBS systems. File compression
is the act of compressing a file so that it takes up less space on your
drive than it did before. This is done by combining common characters,
as well as other more sophisticated algorithms. An example might be if
you have the following text:
Hello How are you?
The compressed form of that text might be:
Hello[SPC(27)]How are you?
Notice that the first example required more characters (bytes) for
storage. In our compressed example, the text has been compressed so
that it will take up less space. If the data is uncompressed, it will
return to its original, larger, state.
The more widely used compression programs for MS-DOS are PKZip, LHa, and
ARJ. PKZip is the fastest compression program, while LHa and ARJ
provide tighter compression. Because of the speed difference, most
people choose to use PKZip. However, if data space is a problem for
you, you will most likely choose to use LHa or ARJ.
Directory Tree
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following directory tree assumes your BBS directory is called "BBS".
\
BBS\
DISPLAY\ <---- Display Screens
HELP\ <---- Help Screens
FKEYS\ <---- Function Key Screens
ATTACH\ <---- Files attached to messages
BADFILES\ <---- Files rejected by ZIP Scanner
LOGS\ <---- Activity Log files
CONTROL\ <---- Main BBS PCL files
MACROS\ <---- Menu function files
MESSAGES\ <---- Where messages are stored
CHAT\ <---- Multinode temporary files
QUES\ <---- Questionnaire files/replies
AREAS\ <---- Area configuration files
PROTOCOL\ <---- Protocol batch (.bt) files
DOORS\ <---- Doors
ZC\ <---- ZippyCheck .ZIP Scanner
CHATSCRS\ <---- Chat screens
SYSCTLS\ <---- Sysop-definable control files
SCRIPT\ <---- Sysop script files
BANK\ <---- Time bank
FILES\ <---- File areas
Converting from other BBS programs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conversion from other BBS programs is not a complicated process in most
cases. We have available conversion programs for many of the popular
packages on our support BBS. In cases where a conversion program is not
available, you will most likely be able to convert to one of the more
popular packages, and then use our conversion software to convert to
Powerboard.
Upgrading from Powerboard 1.10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To upgrade from Powerboard 1.10, you should first copy your user file
to a floppy disk, install Powerboard 1.25, then copy your user file
back. Then, you'll need to create a new phone number database. To do
this, run the program GPHONES.EXE. The message area can be saved by
running the program 110to120.exe. The file area can be saved by running
FNDX.EXE.
Errors
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although usually unlikely, a number of critical errors may occur while
Powerboard is running. Some of these will be explored in this section.
Probably the simplest error to fix is the version of DOS or other
operating system that you are running. Powerboard is compatible with
MS-DOS versions 3.10 and higher. If you are running under the DESQview
multitasking environment, Powerboard requires version 2.10 or higher.
Other problems may occur from having something configured incorrectly.
If you have not yet modified any Powerboard settings, the problem could
be with DOS. In your CONFIG.SYS file (see MS-DOS manual for more
information on CONFIG.SYS), you should have the FILES parameter set to
a minimum of 20, and BUFFERS set to a minimum of 20. The recommended
BUFFERS setting is 40.
Your System's setup may also present a problem. Please consult the
"System Requirements" section of this manual for the minimum system
requirements.
If you are having problems with your communications port/modem, please
consult the "Modem Setup" section of this manual.
Another problem that may occur is if you have TSR (Terminate and Stay
Resident) programs loaded. Some TSR programs may interfere with
Powerboard. Try removing all loaded TSR programs from memory, then
operating Powerboard.
A problem that many Sysops run into is when they come across a place in
their BBS where it will either crash or just hang. Sometimes, this can
be a result of their saving a file to the wrong filename/path. If, for
example, you save an ansi display to your MAIN.MNU file in the control
directory, your BBS may crash or hang. If it does this, go through your
files and make sure nothing like this has happened.
Another problem comes with Sysops who edit their PCL programs and forget
to put a QuitBBS or Return command at the end of their PCL program.
When you do this, your BBS may crash or hang since it has nowhere to go.
A good practice while you are still learning your to use your BBS is to
keep a written log on a notepad or something similar and write down
changes that you make to your BBS. This way, if an error comes up, you
will be able to go through your list and change things until the BBS is
functioning properly again.
If Powerboard crashes with an ERROR screen, beeps, then logs to your
ERROR log, it will log an error number and location of the error within
the Powerboard code. Using this information, you can contact us and we
will be able to help you better.
Possible error codes are:
Error Number Description
===========================================================================
5 Illegal function
6 Math overflow
7 Out of memory
9 Subscript out of range:
an illegal area of memory
was accessed
11 Division by Zero
14 Out of memory
51 Internal error
73 Feature unavailable
80 Feature removed
Appendix A - DOS Ascii Codes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of DOS Ascii Codes are provided in the 455-page
bound manual included with your purchase of the package.
Appendix B - Colors and their corresponding codes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most colors used in Powerboard correspond with the following
number-to-color system. The IBM-ANSI terminal emulation codes,
used to send colors to remote users, and also used in .ANS
display files in Powerboard, are described in Appendix E.
Code Color
============================================================================
0 Dark Black
1 Dark Blue (underlined in monochrome)
2 Dark Green
3 Dark Cyan
4 Dark Red
5 Dark Magenta (purple)
6 Dark Yellow (brown)
7 Dark White
8 Bright Black (grey)
9 Bright Blue (underlined in monochrome)
10 Bright Green
11 Bright Cyan
12 Bright Red
13 Bright Magenta (purple)
14 Bright Yellow
15 Bright White
Appendix C.1 - Basic Hayes AT command set
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Powerboard BBS software has been designed to work with Hayes or
Hayes-Compatible modems. These modems share a basic command set, that
will be outlined in this appendix, however, most modems go beyond that
standard and have extra codes, such as & (ampersand) codes. To find out
about these codes, their availability on your modem, and what they do,
please consult your modem's manual.
If you would like to try out the commands listed here, go into any
terminal emulation program, such as DSZ, and type the commands in. To
load DSZ so that you will be in terminal emulation mode, type at the DOS
prompt:
DSZ d t [RETURN]
If this does not work, DSZ needs more information. Information that DSZ
might need would be the com port number and the baud rate. The
following is the structure for sending that information to DSZ:
DSZ port <port> speed <speed> d t [RETURN]
Please note that DSZ is case sensitive--that is, if you type "PORT"
instead of "port", DSZ will not accept it. <port> will be your com
port, 1-18. <speed> is the baud rate;the baud rates are from 300-115,200.
Example:
DSZ port 1 speed 2400 d t [RETURN]
Command Description
==============================================================================
AT Attention! This command "wakes up"
the modem and tells it that you are
about to issue it a set of
instructions. It is also issued before
most of the commands in the Hayes
AT command set (hence the name "AT").
AT A Sending this command to the modem will
tell it to immediately answer the
phone so it can connect to the remote
modem.
AT D <method> <number> Sending this command will tell the
modem to dial out to a remote system.
The <method> means the dialing format
you wish to use. If <method>=P then
the modem will dial in the pulse format
(used with rotary phones). If
<method>=T then the modem will dial in
the newer, Touch-Tone method.
The <number> is the phone number you
want to call. Example:
AT D T 1-914-834-7830
Would tell your modem to call, with
touch-tone dialing, the number
"1-914-834-7830".
AT E<on/off> This command tells your modem whether
or not it should send characters back
to the screen. If <on/off> is 1,
characters will show on the screen.
Example:
ATE0
Will turn off "echoing" to the screen.
AT H<off/on> This command tells your modem whether
or not the phone should be on the hook.
If <off/on> is 1, the phone will be off
the hook. This command is useful for
times when you want to take the phone
off the hook so you will not be able to
receive BBS callers (they get a BUSY
signal). Example:
ATH0
Will put the phone on the hook.
AT M<0,1,2> This command will control the speaker
volume on your modem. If <0,1,2>=0,
the modem speaker will be off at all
times. If <0,1,2>=1, the speaker will
turn on when the modem detects an
incoming call, and stay on until it
detects a carrier (both modems have
connected at a negotiated rate of BPS).
AT Q<off/on> This command will command the modem to
turn on or off Result Codes. This
means that if <off/on>=0, you will not
get an "OK" or "ERROR" when you enter
commands to the modem. There is
probably no time where this command
would be appropriate, so it is
recommended that you leave it at the
default <off/on>=1 setting.
AT S<number> This command, when entered, will report
the value of something stored in
an S-Register. <number> is the
register to check.
AT S<number>=<value> This command, when entered, will set
the value of an S-Register to the
value you specify (S-Registers will be
covered later in this section).
AT V<on/off> This command will set result codes to
either Verbose or Non-Verbose. If
<on/off>=0 then your modem will send
numbers instead of the standard "OK" or
"ERROR".
AT Z This command will reset the modem. All
factory settings will be re-loaded.
Appendix C.2 - S-Registers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section will describe the basic S-Register commands available on
Hayes modems. S-Registers can be considered switches on the modem that
are software-controlled. To read an S-Register, type the following
command into your modem:
ATS<register> [RETURN]
Where <register> equals the register to set, the usual range is 0-25.
To set an S-Register, enter the following command:
ATS<register>=<value> [RETURN]
Where <register> will be the S-Register number, and <value> equals the
value you want to put into that register.
Command Description
==============================================================================
S0 Pick up on ring you specify. The value
that is stored in S0 will be the ring
that your modem will pick up on.
S1 This register will report the number of
rings that the modem has received since
it either answered a call, or reset.
If S0 does not have a value, this
register is invalid.
S2 This register contains the ascii value
of the escape code character. This is
usually 43 (plus sign).
S3 This register contains the value that
the modem recognizes as "accept
command", or carriage return. This
defaults to 13, which is the same code
that your [RETURN] key generates.
S4 This register contains the value that
the modem will accept for a line feed.
This is usually 10.
S5 This register contains the value that
is accepted as the backspace character.
This defaults to 8.
S6 This sets the number of seconds the
modem should wait for checking for
a dial tone on the line.
S7 This sets the number of seconds
of no carrier on the line that the
modem should wait for before declaring
"NO CARRIER".
S8 This command sets the number of seconds
that a comma will make the modem
pause for if entered in an AT D
string.
S9 This sets the number of seconds that
a carrier must be present for, either
on an incoming or outgoing call,
before the modem will recognize
the carrier.
S10 This sets the number of seconds that
the modem should wait for before
disconnecting after a "NO CARRIER".
S25 This sets the number of seconds of
the DTR being lowered that the modem
will need before hang up. The DTR is
lowered by Powerboard for disconnecting
a call. This value should be the
minimum value accepted.
Appendix D - RS-232C Pin Assignments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of the RS-232 cable is provided in the 455-page
bound manual included with your purchase of the package.
Appendix E - IBM ANSI Terminal Emulation Codes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The IBM ANSI terminal emulation codes are a set of codes that will let
you send to the remote user colors, and re-locate the cursor. The ANSI
standard was actually set up before it became used so often on computer
bulletin board systems. There is a device driver included with MS-DOS
that will go over the MS-DOS dos display and interpret these codes.
This is called ANSI.SYS. If you load this in your CONFIG.SYS file, any
screen activity in DOS will be monitored by this program. However, once
you load another program outside of DOS, it may or may not make its
output accessible by ANSI.SYS. Powerboard has its own internal ANSI
routines so that loading ANSI.SYS is not necessary. Powerboard's
internal routines are faster than they could be if ANSI.SYS was used for
screen output.
Codes can be entered in the same fashion as entering text in writing a
document. When you're designing a screen for use on your BBS, when you
are done with the screen, you can go back and add color codes. For
example, let's say we're designing our screen for when the user pages
the Sysop and the Sysop (you) is not available. This screen could look
something like this:
We're sorry, but the Sysop is not available at this time. Please
try again later... Thanks.
Let's first start off with PBANSI codes, which are easier to describe in
a written manual. They are defined in Appendix B. If we wanted our
text to be yellow, and we wanted "Thanks" to be red, we would add the
command for yellow (&14&) before the text, and add the command for red
(&12&) before "Thanks". Here is what the resulting text should look
like:
&14&We're sorry, but the Sysop is not available at this time. Please
try again later... &12&Thanks.
For ANSI, this is a bit different. This is because
1. Ansi supports more than color codes
2. Ansi requires 2 attention codes before the text instead
of one like PBANSI (the & symbol)
The first attention symbol is character number 27 (see Appendix A for a
list of ascii codes), which is the value that your [ESC] key generates.
If you are editing with the QEdit text editor, simply press CTRL-P then
[ESC] and you will see an arrow, which is what the [ESC] character looks
like on screen. If you are in TED, or any other text editor, you should
be able to get the character by holding down the [ALT] key and then
typing the number 27. Just like in QEdit, you should see an arrow,
pointing to the left. From now on, whenever you see an [ESC] in a text
sequence, it means that you should do the combination that was just
discussed.
The second attention symbol is much easier to key in than the first, and
that is a left bracket. This looks like:
[
After the second attention symbol will be the value you want to pass to
the function that you are calling.
Then comes the type of command, which is a single character. "m" stands
for color.
To do the same "Sysop Unavailable" message that we did for PBANSI, it
would look like this:
[ESC][0;1;33mWe're sorry, but the Sysop is not available at this time. Please
try again later... [ESC][0;1;31mThanks.
Please note that you will not actually see [ESC] in your text. The
[ESC] denotes that you should do the process for generating an escape
character (#27) that was discussed earlier. You will actually see an
arrow pointing to the left when you enter your text.
The following is a list of IBM-PC Ansi codes.
Command Description
==============================================================================
[ESC][<number>m Change color. This command will
change the color value or attribute.
If <number> is 30-37, it is a
foreground color which is:
30 Black
31 Red
32 Green
33 Yellow
34 Blue
35 Purple
36 Cyan
37 White
If the <number> is from 40 to 47, it
is a background color in the following
configuration:
40 Black
41 Red
42 Green
43 Yellow
44 Blue
45 Purple
46 Cyan
47 White
If the <number> is 0, it means
reset all attributes, and set
foreground color to 7 and background
color to 0, although some
communications programs do not follow
this standard.
If the <number> is 1, it means
that all colors following should
be in high-intensity.
If the <number> is 5, it means that
all colors following should blink.
Example:
[ESC][33m
Would set the foreground color to
yellow.
You can include more than one
<number> in this command, as long
as it is separated by a semicolon.
example:
[ESC][0;1;33m
Would reset attributes, set to
high-intensity color set, and
set color to yellow.
[ESC][<row>;<column>H This command sets the current cursor
position. <row> is the row number,
from 1 to 25, and <column> is the
column number, from 1 to 80.
[ESC][<number>A This command will move the cursor
up however many lines you specify
in <number>.
[ESC][<number>B This command will move the cursor
down however many lines you specify
in <number>.
[ESC][<number>C Move cursor to the right the number
of times you specify in <number>.
[ESC][<number>D Move the cursor to the left the
number of times you specify in
<number>.
[ESC][s This command will save the current
cursor position in memory.
[ESC][u This command will go to the cursor
position saved in memory previously.
[ESC][2J This command will clear the screen.
[ESC][K This command will clear the current
line from cursor to end of line.
Recommended Books and Software
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of recommended books & software is provided in
the 455-page bound manual included with your purchase of the
package.
Trademarks/copyrights
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerboard BBS, along with its documentation and utilities is copyright
by Scott Brown, with all rights reserved.
DSZ is copyright by Chuck Forsberg/Omen Technology, INC. The shareware
(demonstration) version of DSZ is included with Powerboard for limited
use. If you intend to use DSZ, you must send the registration fee of $20
to Omen Technology.
TheDraw is a screen editor utility, copyright by TheSoft Software and
Ian E. Davis.
MS-DOS and Microsoft are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
IBM, PS/2, PC-XT, PC-AT and PC-DOS are registered trademarks of
International Business Machines Corp.
All other trademarks mentioned in this manual belong to their respective
companies.
Glossary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. The
complete glossary is provided in the 455-page bound manual
included with your purchase of the package.
INDEX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE: This section of the Powerboard 1.25 Shareware documentation
has been omitted in the interest of saving space. Complete
documentation of the index is provided in the 455-page bound
manual included with your purchase of the package.