The SmartPi->BBS was created with Smartcom II version 3.0 and contains features that were not available in earlier versions of Smartcom. I originally created SmartPi->BBS for use as a Desktop Publishing File receiving center for a Linotronics service bureau then adapted it for general purpose use. This BBS is not as picky with the type of modem you use and it resets fairly quickly. It has almost all the features of the heavyweight BBS's, ie. Password, Menus, Public/Private Messages, Uploading, Downloading, etc. and it can be customized. Don't be afraid to play around with the Autopilot sequences to obtain different effects, you can always unstuff SmartPi->BBS again from the original StuffIt file and start over again. SmartPi->BBS is ready to go and is very comprehensive (read the third paragraph first just to be safe and note that StuffIt 1.5.1 is not included, the password is HAWAII5O with the last character being the letter 'O' not zero). The rest of this documentation is for further familiarization and customization.
Please send all bug reports, questions, and suggestions to my GEnie mail address: A.Pi I will provide updates as interest grows.
You can run SmartPi->BBS from your hard disk or a floppy. You must name the disk that SmartPi->BBS is on as "BBS Disk" (without the quotation marks) and it needs to be in the folder that is named "BBS Folder" (also without the quotation marks). There can be NO OTHER disks or folders by either of these names. You must do this BEFORE running the program. Do not rename any other folders without editing the appropriate Autopilot sequences or else SmartPi->BBS will not be able to find what it needs (it's not that smart yet). The Smartcom II v3.0 application can be anywhere you choose as long as it is on an HFS (Hierarchical File System) volume otherwise put it in the BBS Folder.
NOTE: SmartPi->BBS will NOT give anyone access to any files that are not specified within Autopilot sequences. There are only two files specified for downloading at this time.
You can leave SmartPi->BBS on 24 hours unattended. The only time that I have gotten it to bomb is when somebody cancels the transmission during uploading or downloading then it will be locked up until the power goes off or you reset it. Smartcom II v3.0 does not yet have an Autopilot sequence to handle this. You can set SmartPi->BBS as the StartUp file under Multi-Finder so that if the power goes off your Mac will restart to SmartPi->BBS. Yes, SmartPi->BBS will run fine under Multi-Finder even with if your Mac has only 1 meg of ram.
DEFINATION of Autopilot Sequences: A series of commands (like macros) that are executed in a given order and/or at a given time that allow unattended operation of the program and can also be performed by assigning <OPTION>-(?) key combinations. These Autopilot sequences can be set to flow back and forth between each other depending on the desired procedure or action.
An AUTO STARTUP Autopilot sequence has already been set up for you so that SmartPi->BBS will automatically begin to set up your modem and get ready to receive a call when you double-click on its icon from the desktop. SmartPi->BBS is set up to adjust to the caller's baud rate up to 2400 bps (the Speed & Format options under the Settings Menu also offer 9600, 19200 & 38400 bps though I did not test these settings). The other settings have been set as follows:
Modem Settings: 8 bits per character, 1 stop bit, and No parity.
Terminal Setting: TTY
File Transfer Protocal: XModem/MacBinary-CRC (Best for all-around use.)
A caller will be presented with the welcome message that is contained in the AUTO STARTUP Autopilot sequence. You may edit this by selecting Open from under the Autopilot Menu option. I decided not to use text files as welcome messages because I wanted as failsafe a BBS as possible without a lot of files floating around. If, for an example, you gave SmartPi->BBS to a friend and forgot some of the files then it would lock-up, become useless, and you may not know the reason. The way it is now all you need to do is remind people to create a folder called Uploads and a folder called Downloads, SmartPi->BBS will create the rest when you run it (but then if you give people the StuffIt file they don't have to remember to do anything).
After the welcome message SmartPi->BBS will ask the caller to type in their full name, where they are calling from, the date, and then the password. This information (except for the password) is then saved to the TEXT file "Public Messages." The current password by the way is: HAWAII5O (the last character is the letter 'O' not zero!) this is not case sensitive. The user has three tries to type in the correct password and gets 60 seconds after each attempt or SmartPi->BBS will hang up on them after the third and reset for the next caller. You can change the password by selecting Open from under the Autopilot Menu option then double-click on "Password1." Then double-click on the second line (it begins "Whenever...") and change the characters in the upper right hand corner of the dialog box that appears. Click OK then click on "SmartPi->BBS" in the new window on the left scroll box then "Menu" on the right scroll box and click OK again. Repeat this process for Password2 and Password3. If you do not want a passward then just delete "HAWAII5O" and tell people to press <RETURN> when it asks for the password. Or, you can Open the AUTO STARTUP Autopilot sequence and delete the line that branches to the Password sequences (it says, "Skip to SmartPi->BBS: Password1...") this will bring the user straight to the Main Menu.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't change the password to something that the user might type sometime later because it will automatically take them to the Main Menu (like during the time that they are leaving you a message) this can really foul things up sometimes.
You may create an additional Welcome message with a TEXT editor (see TEXT EDITOR below). Be sure not to make it more than 25 lines or it will scroll off the user's screen, also for best results put a <RETURN> after each line and do not put more then 71 characters per line. Some examples of Welcome Messages are at the end of this text file. Copy and Paste them into a new TEXT file called "Welcome." Then you will need to add an "Autotype File" action to the "AUTO STARTUP" Autopilot sequence (when you Open the AUTO STARTUP Autopilot sequence you simply click on the picture of the keyboard with a document behind it) in order to put this sequence in the proper place click once on the line just below the place where you want the sequence to go (or just under the last line with the *'s in it) then click on the keyboard-document icon. You will then be asked to select the TEXT file to autotype. Find the file you just created called 'Welcome' then click the OK button. Click the box in the upper left corner and click the Yes button to save.
The Main Menu looks like this:
////////// Main Menu \\\\\\\\\\
UUU - To Upload a file.
DDD - To Download a file.
TTT - To go to Message Section.
AAA - To Ask SYSOP to talk on-line.
??? - To read the on-line HELP.
QQQ - To Quit this BBS.
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Your Choice?
COMMANDS
Smartcom II v3.0 does not have the capability to have certain commands for certain menus (that are only available for that menu) and all commands from all menus are active all the time no matter where in the BBS the user may be. I set up this system so that you have to type the menu selection letter 3 times with a carriage return <CR> to initiate a command. Since there are no English words with three consecutive letters (that I know of and excluding Hawaiian street and city names) the chances of typing a command by accident are minimal (of course you need clean/noise free phone lines also).
UPLOADING
Uploading is very straightforward (easy). The user simply selects UUU from the Main Menu and begins his/her upload procedure. The file will be saved to the Upload folder. When finished the user will be returned to the Main Menu.
If your users' files are over 10k (10,000 bytes) then it helps if you ask them to stuff/compress their files. If a caller wishes to upload more than one file at one time have them add those files to a single StuffIt file for fastest transmission. I have included a menu option for downloading StuffIt 1.5.1. The latest Total StuffIt package is over 100k so I chose not to include it with SmartPi->BBS. You can obtain it from most BBS systems. When you get it simply put it into the Download folder and make sure its name is exactly "StuffIt 1.5.1" so SmartPi->BBS can find it. Raymond Lau has done a great job with StuffIt 1.5.1 which he has released as shareware so if you like it please send Ray some money.
DOWNLOADING
If you would like someone to download a file or application from SmartPi->BBS simply name it "ForDL" (exactly and without the quotation marks) and put it into the Download folder. I have set up an Autopilot sequence to automatically download this file when the user selects option FFF from the Download Menu (but they still need to begin the receive procedure from their computer). You can edit SmartPi->BBS to include additional files that can be downloaded by creating Autopilot sequences similar to "Send ForDL" and "Send StuffIt" and editing the Download Menu text and menu commands (do not repeat any commands that have already been used in other menus). After downloading is complete the user will be returned to the Download Menu.
////////// Download Menu \\\\\\\\\\
SSS - To download StuffIt.
FFF - To download special file/application from SYSOP.
MMM - To go back to the Main Menu.
QQQ - To Quit this BBS.
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Your Choice?
MESSAGES
SmartPi->BBS has limited messages capabilities such that anyone can leave a message in the Public Messages section (provided of course that you give them the password to get on in the first place) and everyone will be able to read those messages. There are no user security levels however you could create a password Autopilot sequence similar to the one in the beginning (Password1) so that they would need to know a password to access the Message Menu. After the users type in their message then type *S to save their message it is saved just under that user's Name, Location, and the Date that they typed in at the beginning. Users can also leave a Private Message to the SYSOP that only the SYSOP can read by typing PPP. The user will be asked to type in their name again so that you know who is leaving the message (there are no assignable variables like in other major BBS programs but to do what SmartPi->BBS does is pretty amazing just the same).
////////// Message Menu \\\\\\\\\\
LLL - To Leave a Public Message.
RRR - To Read Public Messages.
PPP - To leave a Private Message to the SYSOP.
MMM - To go back to the Main Menu.
QQQ - To Quit this BBS.
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Your Choice?
TALKING ONLINE WITH USER
If a user types AAA to request to "Talk with SYSOP on-line." all you need to do to talk to them is click on the CANCEL button in the lower left corner, this will temporarily stop the Autopilot sequences from operating. You may begin typing back and forth. To put the user back into the BBS press <OPTION>-M, this will take them back to the Main Menu. You may also select "Perform Now" from under the Autopilot Menu then double-click on "Menu."
ON-LINE HELP
This is what the user will see when they type ???:
////////// THIS IS THE SmartPi->BBS HELP FILE \\\\\\\\\\
1) If you are getting ddoouubbllee characters on your screen then turn
"Local Character Echo" OFF.
2) If you can NOT see what you are typing on your screen then turn
"Local Character Echo" ON.
3) If lines keep printing over top of each other on your screen then
make sure that you "Display Incoming Data With Line Feeds."
4) SYSOP stands for System Operator (operator of this BBS).
If you have Smartcom II then make sure that the
first three boxes and the 5th box is X'd under Terminal Settings.
Any further questions can be directed to the SYSOP of this BBS
To change any part of this simply edit the "Help" Autopilot sequence.
TEXT EDITOR
I would suggest that you use a TEXT editer type DA (Desk Accessary) with SmartPi->BBS. This allows you to read and work on some of your text files (messages) while SmartPi->BBS is running so you don't have to quit and open another application to do it. Some good TEXT editers that come to mind are:
MockWrite (comes with MockPackage Utilities), McSink, SuperWriter, MiniWriter, PowerEdit, and â•–Edit (aka SigmaEdit) to name a few. These should all be available on your local/national BBS.
OPTIONAL SmartPi->BBS START METHOD
If you have already opened Smartcom II then switched from another Smartcom II file to SmartPi->BBS (thus not accessing the AUTO STARTUP Autopilot sequence) you can start SmartPi->BBS by pressing the key combination <OPTION>-B and the modem initialization sequence will begin and you will be ready to receive calls. Or you can go up under the Autopilot Menu, select "Perform Now" and double click on "AUTO STARTUP" this will also start SmartPi->BBS.
CHESS/CHECKERS
You can also play chess and checkers with someone over the modem (however, the other person must also have Smartcom II as it involves use of the Drawing Tool/Canvas). While a user is connected to you, you can type: <OPTION>-C this will automatically type the words, "SYSOP here! Would you like to play a game of chess?" I have included a picture of the SmartChess chess/checkerboard in two different files, one is in a scrapbook that you can access with SmartScrap¬ DA by Cut(ting) and Paste(ing) and the other is in MacPaint format that you can open with any paint program then Cut and Paste it into your own Scrapbook. This is a slightly larger and more aesthetic (I think that means it looks better) version of the one that comes with Smartcom II with plenty of room for cutting and pasting players. If you have a user on-line with SmartPi->BBS and you want to play SmartChess then click on the CANCEL button in the lower left corner. While you are using Smartcom II (and connected to another user) select the Drawing Tool (click once on the picture of the pencil in the lower right corner). You will see a few basic drawing icons in the upper left corner. Click on the "Pick Up" button or if this option is not available (in gray) then click on the "Request" button, this will ask the other person to "Put Back" their Drawing Tool. One you have the pencil icon showing with the words "I am drawing." beside it then copy the picture of the chess board from the Scrapbook (or "SmartChess Scrap") and Paste it onto your canvas. When you press the "Put Back" button the picture will appear on the other user's screen (this may take a few moments). Suggest to them that they immediately Copy and Paste the picture into their scrapbook before they start moving things around so that they have a brand new chess/checker board for future games. You are now ready to play chess. You can move the pieces by using the encompassing tool (the tool on the top, second from the left) if you don't like the move you just made then select Undo from the Edit Menu or move the piece back to where it was. When you are thru moving then click "Put Back" and the other person will click "Pick Up" and so on. After you make your moves the pieces will appear in their new positions very quickly at this point (remember to 'unclick' your move selection by clicking somewhere else on the chess board). Have fun!!!
IBM FILES
You can receive text files from an IBM user (remember, postscript format is a text format). Now don't yell, some IBM people want to take advantage of the Linotronics' up-to-2540-dpi Imagesetting capability. The files will be received and renamed as "New Upload File" and they will appear in the Uploads folder. Be careful though, if an IBM file is uploaded before you take the previously uploaded IBM file out of the Uploads folder then it will replace the previous one. It is best to rename the received IBM file as soon as you receive it. Tell your users to leave you a message as to what to call that file and what it is to be used for or what is to be done with it.
Not to many people thought it was possible to have a functional BBS by using Smartcomm II. Even though there are a few limitations it works really well.
I leave you with this quote: "If you only BELIEVE something is true then it must NOT be true because if it was true then you would KNOW that it was true!"
Take care and watch for my equation that PROVES that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Aloha,
"Apple" Pi
P.S. I have no legal first name so everyone thought it was obvious to call me "Apple" Pi. Mostly I go by just "Pi" (yes, a lot of people thought my first name was "Just" for awhile and I have received many other creative first names). If you would like more information about me and some more of my ideas then download the file "Apple Pi for Prez" from GEnie.
H H EEEE Y Y SSS Y Y SSS OOO PPP !!
H H E Y Y S Y Y S O O P P !!
HHHH EEE Y SSS Y SSS O O PPP !!
H H E Y S Y S O O P
H H EEEE Y SSS Y SSS OOO P !!
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