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▒███████ ▒███████ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒████████ ▒████████ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒████████ ▒████████ ▒███████ ▒███████ ▒███████ ▒███████ ▒████▒██ ▒████████ ▒███████ ▒████▒██ ▒██████ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██▒█▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██▒█▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██████ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██▒█▒██ ▒██ ▒██████ ▒██▒█▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██▒█▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██▒█▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒███ ▒███████ ▒██▒████ ▒██ ▒███████ ▒██▒████ ▒██████ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒██ ▒███████ ▒████████ ▒███████ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██▒█▒██ ▒███████ ▒████████ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒██████ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒██ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒███████ ▒██ ▒██ ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐ ▓███│ v2.00.0 Release Date 31 Oct 1993 │▓███ └──────────────────────────────────────┘ (C)opyright 1992, 1993 Cairo Research Labs, All Rights Reserved 1113 29th Street, Columbus, Georgia 31904 ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── BFE - The BBS Front End System 2 ________________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents........................................2 INTRODUCTION.............................................4 Features and Brief Overview.........................4 What's New in this Release?.........................5 A Word From the Author..............................7 Licensing and Distribution..........................9 The Demo Version of BFE.............................10 Benefits of Registration............................10 Ordering Instructions for BFE.......................11 Filling out the Registration Form...................11 Receiving By Call to BBS............................12 Receiving Order by Fidonet Crashmail................12 Ordering with Visa, Mastercard, or American Express.12 GETTING STARTED..........................................13 System Requirements.................................13 Installation........................................13 Brief Overview......................................13 BFE/SETUP................................................15 What is BFE/Setup?..................................15 Navigational Controls...............................15 The .CTL File Scheme................................15 Opening and Creating .CTL Files.....................15 Saving .CTL Files...................................16 Global Options......................................16 Path/Swapping Configuration....................16 Sysop Pager Options............................17 File List/Chat Color Defaults..................18 BFE Menu Color Defaults........................18 Miscellaneous Options..........................18 Startup Options................................19 Private Entry System...........................20 Menu Editor.........................................20 Menu Item Selector List........................20 Rearranging Menu Items.........................20 Menu Options........................................24 Protocols...........................................25 Local Test..........................................26 Message Bases.......................................26 THE BFE/SCRIPT SYSTEM....................................28 Introduction and Overview...........................28 Script Syntax Rules and Coding Basics...............28 Script Function Reference...........................33 BFE REFERENCE SECTION....................................40 BFE Menu Type Reference.............................40 BFE User System.....................................48 GlobalAccess(tm) Commands...........................49 SlashCommand(tm) Technology.........................49 BFE Language File...................................49 Using BFE with Dropfiles............................51 Custom BBS Dropfiles................................53 CONVTL .CTL File Convertor..........................54 BFE - The BBS Front End System 3 ________________________________________________________________________________ Sample System Setups................................55 DOOR OPERATION...........................................56 BFE Command Line....................................56 Sysop Keys..........................................56 Multinode/Multiuser Operation.......................57 Digiboard Compatibility.............................58 Reserved Errorlevels................................58 Miscellaneous............................................59 Special Thanks......................................59 The SPHINX Echo.....................................59 Upgrades and Information............................60 Technical Support...................................60 What's Next for BFE?................................61 Program Dedication..................................61 BFE - The BBS Front End System 4 ________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION In today's high-tech world, connectivity has become a major issue. Getting from point A to point B sounds incredibly simple at times, but is often an entirely different situation, especially when one wants to run multiple BBS packages, different mail networks, provide subscriber info, etc. Enter BFE. BFE is a BBS front-end system that was designed to provide sysops with a fast, efficient method of "connecting" things at the front end of their site. FEATURES AND BRIEF OVERVIEW BFE was designed to be called from a front-end mailer, such as Frontdoor or Binkleyterm. Instead of spawning directly to the BBS system, it presents a menu to the user, which details his immediate options. These options can range from offering multiple BBS systems, remote jobs, literally anything you can think of! The BFE system can also be configured to be called straight from your BBS software itself, in essence, running as a normal door, using one of several popular BBS dropfile formats. Read onward.... BFE features include: * Custom multi-level menus, now with RIP graphics support! * Item and/or menu level password protection * Hotkey items or SlashCommand(tm) mode! * Multinode/Multiuser Compatibility * Intuitive menu-driven setup and customization facility * Feature packed Script system! * DESQview *and* MS-Windows aware! * Configurable for security concerns * Complete carrier monitoring and timeout checking * Use any of 11 standard dropfiles, or define custom ones * Run as a normal door or as a frontend! Dropfile not required! * Complete BBS carousel - run multiple BBS systems * Complete support for ANSI/ASCII/AVATAR/RIP users * Configurable automatic ANSI and RIP detection schemes! * File transfer system with support for external protocols * Run remote jobs, such as batch files, programs, other doors, etc. * Internal remote shells to the operating system * Built in chat/paging system with hourly/daily time restrictions * Split screen chat mode, along with line chat mode for TTY users! * *Total* configurability BFE - The BBS Front End System 5 ________________________________________________________________________________ WHAT'S NEW IN THIS RELEASE? * = New # = Change ! = Fix * Tremendous overhaul and code cleanup in this release. * The first version of the BFE User System is now in place! BFE now has the ability to support its own userfile, with its own login procedure. Three modes are available (Full, Partial, and None). * The first version of the full screen chat module is now in place! * RIP graphics support! See documentation for more information. * BFE Developer's Kit now included with the distribution archive * BFE/Edit now supports Squish message bases via a new function and menu type called LeaveMsgSq(). * New additions to the BFE Language File: ROCKHEADTXT - Logged when user botches a BFE login procedure BADPASSWORD - Logged when a user fails at a BFE menu password TWITLOGON - Logged when a "twitted" user tries to log in LOGINPROMPT - Default "login" prompt * New additions to BFE/Script: ADDTIME() - Function to increase user's online time CHECKRIP() - Returns TRUE if user is RIP capable GETRANDOM() - Function to return a random number SUBTIME() - Function to decrease user's online time TOGGLERIP() - Function to toggle user's RIP setting TOGGLEMORE() - Function to toggle MORE prompting FLASHFILE() - Displays file with no page pausing * New menu item types: LeaveMsgSq - Leaves a message in a Squish message base ToggleRIP - Toggles RIP graphics on and off ToggleMORE - Toggles MORE prompting on and off FlashFile - Displays file with no page pausing * Auto ANSI/RIP detection schemes are now both configurable items. * BFE now supports STARTUP and EXIT scripts, in addition to normal scripting. * In addition to the standard DORINFO?.DEF dropfiles, BFE can now generate the following dropfiles on the fly when running an external process: BFE - The BBS Front End System 6 ________________________________________________________________________________ - SFDOORS.DAT (Spitfire BBS) - DOOR.SYS (WildCat! flavor) - DOOR.SYS (GAP/PCB flavor) # The Destination address in netmail messages can now be entered by the user, if left blank in BFE/Setup. (John Riley among others) ! Fixed problem with EMS swapping in BFE/Setup (Chuck Spear) ! Fixed a bug of biblical proportions in the BFE/Edit message subsystem. Messages were getting crosslinked with garbage, and sometimes disappearing into the bit bucket. (Thanks to Chris Koziol for nailing this one). ! When using custom menus on the *first* menu only, BFE would get incredibly confused. This bug squashed thanks to John Riley. * New macro: Underscores (_) in the language file will be converted to spaces. Great for things such as (Login:_) # Placing a tilde (~) in the default "From" field of a message base will force BFE to use the user's login name in the from field of the message, instead of prompting for the name. ! Fixed problem with the download menu type not returning to the list properly. Squashed! (Thanks to Mike Labellarte/Arte` Graphics). ! Fixed problem with the "-l" switch locking up the system under certain situations. BFE - The BBS Front End System 7 ________________________________________________________________________________ A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR The public release of BFE marks a new beginning for sysops worldwide. No longer do you have to settle for inferior front end systems for your sites. Quite a bit of time was spent between releases on making BFE as intuitive as possible, while simultaneously adding several major enhancements. BFE is superior in every way to similar products, and in some ways, revolutionary. To date, BFE has enjoyed a tremendous success rate, due in part to the undying loyalty of an exhausted beta team, I might add! The entire BFE project encompasses nearly 200,000 lines of optimized C code, the majority of which was written in less than 6 months! Some of you have really put BFE to the test, and I must say that I am glad to see that it passed with flying colors. Here are just a few comments on BFE as reported by users around the globe: - "As a SoftWare Developer, we felt you should know that since your public introduction of BFE1303a.ZIP (BBS FrontEnd System v1.30.3a), it has become a tremendous asset to our labs. We receive daily calls from around the world by SysOp's and BBS Callers wanting to download our trivia door games. They are absolutely amazed of how they can download our trivia games WITHOUT logging onto our BBS!" - "We are quite sure that this new development of yours will go a long way into the BBS Community and Sysops/Programmers will scratch their heads wondering, how they've gotten this far without this type of FrontEnd program." - "Now we can provide online registration information ... up front!" - "A tremendous frontend support system for our shareware products!" - "...splendid way of letting my users choose between RIP, NAPLPS, and normal BBS operation, all before they log on!" - "Believe it or not, we actually set your program up without reading the docs, it was just that simple and yet, an extremely powerful program." - "Thanks for keeping the price in a more than reasonable range. All too often people put HIGH price tags on programs that are no where as useful as BFE, and I feel that both the author and users lose in the end." - "Unstoppable. Unbeatable. Top notch shareware!" - "I'd like to first say, that bar none, BFE has been the best utility that I have registered. I am running 4 systems under these two nodes, plus massive hubbing responsibilities for North Ameri-Net, FidoNet, BBCNet, and TAGNet. BFE has made quite a few duties a lot easier on my part (And looking nice to boot)." BFE - The BBS Front End System 8 ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE was originally designed in-house, for use on our support BBS, Under the Nile, at 1:3613/12. However, after getting begged by many of our users to offer a shareware version, we set out on the task. Our mission was to create a flexible, simple-to-use, inexpensive BBS front-end. See for yourself! Why stick with packages which are still utilizing outdated techniques? Why should you use a front end system in which you need a degree in rocket science to understand? The answer is simple: You don't! BFE has set a new precedence in terms of speed, quality, and quantity for the buck. We hate crippleware! Down with crippleware authors! Shame on them! BFE has never been, is not, and will never be crippleware. Hrmpf! We are in the process of revamping the BFE beta/support site directory. Please contact us via netmail if you are interested in becoming a BFE Support Site or a Cairo Research Labs Distribution Site. Previous releases of BFE could be registered via the standard Cairo fee of only $10 dollars. This has been raised to $15, due to the availability of our online credit card registration service. We feel that $15 is STILL a tremendously low price for such a powerful product. Once again, see for yourself! Scott Burkett Cairo Research Labs BFE - The BBS Front End System 9 ________________________________________________________________________________ LICENSING AND DISTRIBUTION This documentation, programs, and other files distributed in this software package (the "Software") are the copyrighted property of Scott Burkett and Cairo Research Labs. All rights are reserved. For use by corporations, institutions or goverment agencies, or for-profit purposes, contact the Author for licensing information. U.S. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION The use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government of the Software is subject to the restricted rights applicable to commercial software that are specified in the subdivision (b.3.ii) of the 'Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software' clause, document DFARS 52.227-7013. DISTRIBUTION/USAGE BFE can be freely distributed, provided that the original archive is not changed in any way (other than changing the archive type) and no amount of money is required. In no circumstance at all can BFE be modified without written consent from the authors. It is prohibited to include this program, whole or in part, in other software. It is expressly forbidden to distribute a registered key to unregistered users. BFE can be used in commercial organizations only after regular registration. This license is considered accepted if the program is used. Its violation will involve the withdrawal of the registration key and the rights to use the program. WARRANTY DISCLAIMER The Author cannot and does not warrant that any functions contained in the Software will meet your requirements, or that its operations will be error free. The entire risk as to the Software performance or quality, or both, is solely with the user and not the Author. You assume responsibility for the selection of the program to achieve your intended results, and for the installation, use, and results obtained from the Software. The Author makes no warranty, either implied or expressed, including without limitation any warranty with respect to this Software documented here, its quality, performance, or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall the Author be liable to you for damages, whether direct or indirect, incidental, special, or consequential arising out the use of or any defect in the Software, even if the Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. All other warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are expressly excluded. BFE - The BBS Front End System 10 ________________________________________________________________________________ LIMITATION OF REMEDIES The information contained in the documentation for the Software is subject to change without notice. The Author's entire liability, and your exclusive remedy shall be: (1) the replacement of an original Software diskette not meeting the above Limited Warranty and which is returned to the Author along with proof of purchase, or (2), if the Author is unable to deliver a replacement diskette which is free of defects, you may terminate the License Agreement by returning this Software and the corresponding license fee will be returned. By using the Software, you acknowledge (1) to have read and understood all parts of this document and (2) to have agreed with and accepted all of its provisions without any reservation. THE DEMO VERSION OF BFE This shareware demonstration version of BFE is as fully functional as its registered counterpart, with a few minor differences. - The unregistered evaluation message at the top of the screen: Upon registration, this will be replaced by your name or your organization's name, showing your support for the BFE project. - Registered users have the option of changing both the text and the color of the default registration message which appears at the top of each menu. - Registered users can make use of custom ASCII/ANSI/AVATAR/RIP screens in lieu of the built-in default BFE menus. - Registered users have the additional ability to customize the internal strings used in the program (See the section on the BFE Language File). BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION - Extended Tech Support via the SPHINX echo (our support echo). - Access to beta copies of BFE, as they become available. - You will also be entitled to free upgrades to newer versions of BFE, as they become available. In addition to the great many features and the quality that this version of BFE has to offer, we are constantly working on additions and enhancements for future versions. BFE - The BBS Front End System 11 ________________________________________________________________________________ ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS FOR BFE Below are detailed instructions for registering BFE. These instructions are not intended to seem confusing or complicated; they are simply meant to answer almost any question that you might have about registering. If you have any questions or uncertainties about your registration, please feel free to contact us. For information on how to contact us, please see the section on "Upgrades and Information". To order BFE via cash, check, or money order, simply follow these three steps: 1.) Fill out the registration form. Information on filling out the form is located in the next section. 2.) Enclose the appropriate payment ($15), Fifteen American Dollars, payable in the form of cash, check or money order. Make all checks or money orders payable to: SCOTT BURKETT 3.) Send the above two items to: Cairo Research Labs 1113 29th Street Columbus, GA 31904 FILLING OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM NO PRINTER? Alternatively, if you do not have a printer, simply send a hand-drawn version of the order form. If you do not wish to mail a registration form in, you may opt to upload it to our support BBS at (706) 596-8126 (14.4/v.32). We will not present you with a registration key, however, until proper payment has been rendered. If you have any special instructions for us, or anything that you would like to say when you register, feel free to write this down on the back of the registration form, or on a separate piece of paper. When filling out the BFE registration form, be sure to indicate how you would prefer to receive your BFE registration key. You will have the choice of receiving your registration key by one of three means: A call to our BBS, FidoNet CrashMail, or by a call to your BBS. If you have a FidoNet Email address, FidoNet CrashMail is still by far the quickest way to receive your order. Once you have decided which means you would prefer to receive your order by, please read the detailed instructions on your order method below. Please keep in mind that snail mail is not an option! If you send us your registration fee, and instruct us to send it to you via U.S. snail mail, we will simply place your key here on hold until you call our support BBS. BFE - The BBS Front End System 12 ________________________________________________________________________________ RECEIVING BY CALL TO BBS In order to receive your BFE registration key by a message and/or upload to your BBS, fill out the order form and mail it along with your payment as described below. Be sure to include the phone number, baud rate, and our login and password for the BBS to which you would like us to call. We will cover any long distance costs. If, for some reason, we are unable to connect to your BBS (not because its busy, but, for example, if your BBS is no longer online, or we are unable to connect succesfully), we will place your key in a message on our support BBS in the private E-Mail conference. RECEIVING ORDER BY FIDONET CRASHMAIL In order to receive your BFE registration key via network crashmail, simply fill out the order form and mail it along with your payment as described below. Be sure to include the FidoNet node address to which you wish to have your order sent. ORDERING WITH VISA, MASTERCARD, OR AMERICAN EXPRESS Through an arrangement with Chris Duke at Duke Graphics, you can charge the registration fee of $15.00 to your Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card. You can call their 1-800 phone number, order on-line via their BBS, or send your order in the mail with the form that appears in the CREDIT.FRM file in the distribution archive. ORDERING: TO ORDER BY PHONE, call 1-800-DUKE-GFX and ask to purchase a registered copy of BFE. TO ORDER ON-LINE, call BBS++ at (619) 793-8360 and use the on-line registration system, available from the main menu. TO ORDER BY MAIL, complete the CREDIT.FRM file and mail to: Duke Graphics 4130 La Jolla Village Drive Suite 107-169 La Jolla, CA 92037-1480 BFE - The BBS Front End System 13 ________________________________________________________________________________ GETTING STARTED System Requirements BFE was designed for use with IBM compatible personal computer systems, with 640K minimum RAM, however, it will run in much less. It will run under most popular BBS packages, to include RemoteAccess, Maximus, SuperBBS, QuickBBS, GAP, PCBoard, WildCat!, WWIV, RoboBoard and others. Facilities are also in place to provide complete dropfile customization, which provides maximum compatibility with nearly all DOS-based BBS software packages. BFE also requires the use of a fossil driver, such as Ray Gwinn's X00, or David Nugent's BNU. These programs can be found on most BBS systems, since they are necessary in running most BBS packages and doors to begin with. If your BBS does not utilize a fossil driver, you can always enable it for BFE, and then disable it after BFE exits. If you would like to allow users to download certain files from BFE, free of BBS ratios, then you will also need copies of whatever external protocols you wish to run (i.e. DSZ, MPT, J-Modem, etc). INSTALLATION First things first: Create a directory to hold the BFE system. We recommend using something like C:\BFE or C:\FD\BFE, etc. Next, copy the BFExxxx.ZIP file into the directory and unzip it in this directory. ** Note: Your source for obtaining the BFE archive may have changed the format of the archive to one suitable for use on their system (i.e. ZIP, LZH, ARJ, etc). Consult your compression package documentation for more information on using it. BRIEF OVERVIEW Congratulations! You have now installed the world's *premier* BBS front end system on your computer. Imagine what the neighbors must think by now! Although the installation procedure is very straightforward, configuring BFE can be a bit more challenging, but certainly very rewarding in the end. In earlier releases of BFE, all of the options and functionality of the package was configured via the manual editing of numerous control and configuration files. This was often very tedious work for the aspiring sysop, and many begged for something easier. Once again, we have listened to our users and have provided an easy-to-use, menu-driven setup facility entitled BFE/Setup. Through the use of this revolutionary new setup system, sysops can now configure and customize their BFE system with little or no effort at all. By now, most of you are probably asking yourselves, "What can BFE do for me? I run a simple, one-line BBS system, and I have no need for a full blown BBS carousel setup!". What?! Sure you do! Through the use of BFE, you can BFE - The BBS Front End System 14 ________________________________________________________________________________ provide pertinent information and file downloads up front, *before* your new users have chance to get lost in your BBS! BFE is also prevalant at large sites, running multi-line BBS setups. With BFE, your callers can perform online registrations, receive subscriber information and downloads up front, without wasting precious BBS time. If your site participates in more than one electronic mail network, running on multiple BBS systems, BFE can present this information to your callers, and allow them to make accurate, informed decisions, to better enable them to reach the services you offer. To sum it up, BFE can do just about anything you can imagine. From BFE, you run DOS tasks, call multiple BBS systems, or even other doors! Read on! BFE - The BBS Front End System 15 ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE/SETUP What is BFE/Setup? As mentioned earlier in this document, BFE/Setup was designed to provide an intuitive, easy-to-use method of configuring and customizing BFE to suit your needs. A lot of time has been spent on ensuring that BFE/Setup provides you with the tools necessary to allow you to maximize your use of the BFE package. NAVIGATIONAL CONTROLS BFE/Setup will automatically make use of a mouse if one is detected. By default, it runs in standard 16 color mode, but can be forced into monochrome mode by passing a "-m" on the command line (i.e. BFESETUP -m). To start BFE/Setup, simply type BFESETUP while in the BFE directory. Left mouse button used as "select" button, while right mouse button is used as the "ESC" button. THE .CTL FILE SCHEME Before you begin your first session with BFE/Setup, a brief overview on he.CTL file scheme utilized by BFE is in order. The contents of each of the menus you will create with BFE/Setup are stored in a CONTROL file (files with a .CTL extension). When BFE is started, you will pass the name of your "main" .CTL file on the command line. This is the menu that BFE will first prompt your users with. From there, however, based on user selections, you can jump to other menus (up to 10 levels of nesting). That's it! No voodoo involved in this concept at all. In fact, this is not a new concept, as this is the way that most BBS systems function anyway! OPENING AND CREATING .CTL FILES To create new .CTL files or open existing ones for maintenance, simply select "Open .CTL File" from the main menu. A popup box will soon appear, prompting you for the type of .CTL to open (i.e. new or existing). If you choose to create a new .CTL file, you will then be prompted for the name of the control file. You need not enter an extension, as .CTL will be appended to the name you enter. We recommend you name your .CTL files in some sensible manner, perhaps using the name MAIN as your first menu. If you choose to open an existing .CTL file, a file selector box will appear, and you may then traverse the directory structure of your system in order to find the appropriate .CTL file to open. After providing a new .CTL file name, or choosing an existing one, the name of this file will appear at the top of the main menu window, to help you keep track of which file is in memory at any given time. BFE - The BBS Front End System 16 ________________________________________________________________________________ SAVING .CTL FILES After making any changes to your .CTL files, you will need to select this option to save them permanently. Simply select this option, and your menu will be updated for you in the blink of an eye! GLOBAL OPTIONS Your first stop in BFE/Setup should be here, as this is where you will configure BFE with all of its internal default options. All global options are stored in a file called GLOBALS.CFG. After selecting this option from the main menu, you will be presented with the Global Options Menu: PATH/SWAPPING CONFIGURATION DROPFILE PATH This field, when filled in, enables BFE's internal BBS dropfile routines. If you are running BFE as a front-end from a mailer such as FrontDoor or BinkleyTerm, you should leave this field blank! Only fill this field in when you wish BFE to operate by reading a BBS dropfile (DORINFO1.DEF, DOOR.SYS, etc). See the section on using BFE with BBS dropfiles for more information on the automatic dropfile recognition system used in BFE. BFE SYSTEM DIR This should point to your BFE directory. Plain and simple. LOGFILE If this field is filled in, BFE will maintain a log of events in the path and filename specified by its contents. To disable BFE's internal logging, simply leave this field blank. The logfile is in the same format used by Joho's FrontDoor Netmailer. A special macro (%N) is available to specify the node number for multinode systems. For instance "BFE%N.LOG", would create a logfile called BFExxx.LOG, where "xxx" is the node number. WELCOME SCREEN BFE has the ability to display an ANSI, ASCII, AVATAR, or RIP screen to your users upon startup. Simply specify the path and filename of this file. BFE has a few unique features when displaying external files to your users! See the section on the DISPLAY FILE type for more information. SWAP PATH BFE has the ability to make use of memory and disk swapping when calling external processes. By default, BFE will attempt to swap itself to EMS, but will resort to disk swapping should not enough memory be available. This field should contain a list of valid swap paths, separated by commas (i.e. C:\TEMP;D:\TEMP;E:\SWAP ). SWAP WITH EMS? To prevent BFE from swapping to EMS, place a "Y" in this field! BFE - The BBS Front End System 17 ________________________________________________________________________________ EXTERNAL EDITOR Currently, two of the selections from BFE/Setup are configured through the use of an external editor (the Custom Dropfile Editor and the BFE Language Editor). These will eventually be permanent residents of BFE/Setup, but for now, simply place the path and name of your favorite external text editor. LOGON SCREEN If you are using the internal BFE user system, this field should point to the full path/base filename of a screen to be shown at login. In the typical BFE system, this should describe your system. NEWUSER SCREEN If you are using the internal BFE user system, this field should point to the full path/base filename of a screen to be shown to new users who have logged in to BFE for the first time. This screen is shown after they enter their name and location, but right before they enter their password. SYSOP PAGER OPTIONS One of the things that BFE allows your users to do is "page" the sysop for a chat session. This menu selection allows you to specify the hours and days that chatting is available. CONFIGURING PAGING HOURS Once you enter this selection, you will be presented with a small entry form which has two entries per day-of-the-week. Simply fill in the hours in which paging will be available (in 24 hour military format). To disable paging for a given day, enter 00:00 for the starting time, and 00:01 for the stopping time. NUMBER OF BEEPS Whenever the sysop is paged, BFE will present a series of beeps on the PC speaker, to attempt to gain the attention of the sysop. This setting controls the number of beeps that BFE will perform during a page attempt. PASSWORD ATTEMPTS When faced with a BFE password prompt, the number of attempts they are given to supply a valid password is governed by the value of this field. HANG UP ON USER? If a user fails to enter a valid password within the specified number of attempts (above), should BFE hang up on the user ("Y"), or simply return him/her to the BFE menu system ("N"). CUSTOM DROPFILE EDITOR Custom door information file support. BFE automatically recognizes most door information file (drop file) formats, including DORINFO?.DEF, EXITINFO.BBS, DOOR.SYS, SFDOORS.DAT, CALLINFO.BBS and CHAIN.TXT. However, to permit BFE to operate on BBS systems that produce a different format file, you may define a custom door information file format. A custom door information file format BFE - The BBS Front End System 18 ________________________________________________________________________________ can be defined in a file called CUSTOM.BFE. When BFE starts, this file is read in and a dynamic dropfile type is created and looked for by BFE. BFE will enable dropfile mode if it finds a valid custom dropfile. The "CustomFileName" option specifies the filename used to distinguish this file format from other file formats. This filename should not include a path. To specify the path where the door information file is located, use the BBSDir setting, near the beginning of this file. If the filename of the custom format is the same as that of one of the built-in formats, the custom format will override the built-in format. See the BFE Reference Section on "Custom Dropfiles" for more information on the format used. FILE LIST/CHAT COLOR DEFAULTS Select this option to setup the default color scheme to be used when in a chat session with a user. There are also options to configure the various colors used to display a BFE style FILES.BBS file listing. BFE MENU COLOR DEFAULTS If using the built-in BFE menu style, you may want to change the default color scheme used to display the menus. Unless a specific override has been enabled in either MENU OPTIONS or a COLOR OVERRIDE on a particular menu option, the colors defined here will be used to display all menus. It is suggested to go ahead and set these colors to the colors which will be used in most of your menus. This makes maintenance a bit easier! MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS SYSOP NAME The contents of this field should match *exactly* with the name that you have/are planning to register BFE with! This field is case-sensitive! SYSTEM NAME This field is purely an informational field, and should contain the name of your BBS system or communications site. NODE # Enter the node number of your BBS (i.e. 1, 2, 3), or leave blank if running on a multinode BBS system. REGISTRATION # Upon registering BFE, you will receive a key number which should be entered into this field. BFE/PERSONALITY There are several options available to the Sysop while the user is in the BFE Door. These options and hotkeys differ from BBS "personality" to "personality". BFE currently supports three BBS personalities (WildCat!, RemoteAccess 2.0x, and the default style). For more information on the RA and WildCat! hotkeys, consult the documentation which accompanied the BBS BFE - The BBS Front End System 19 ________________________________________________________________________________ software. The sysop keys for the default personality are outlined later in this manual. Valid values are (RA, WC, or DF). TIMELIMIT This is the default BFE time limit given to all callers. If you are not running BFE via a bbs dropfile, BFE has no way of knowing how much time the user has online! Specify the amount in minutes. INACTIVITY TIMEOUT This value specifies the amount (in seconds) that BFE will allow a user to sit idle at the keyboard before hanging up. FREEZETIME When BFE calls protocols and other external tasks, you can have the user's remaining time temporarily "frozen", which means no time will be taken away while in an external task of any kind. LOCKED BPS If running with a locked serial port, specify the locked baud rate of your system here. FOSSIL PORT Enter the port number (0, 1, 2, etc) that your fossil driver is active on. USER SYSTEM? If you wish to make use of the internal BFE user system, this field should be set to "Y". See the section entitled "BFE User System" for more information on implementing the user system. SCROLLER DELAY This setting is used to adjust the speed of the scrolling message at the top of the BFE/Setup display area. Setting this to a value of 0 will effectively disable the scroller. HIDE PASSWORDS IN MENU EDITOR? If enabled ("Y"), BFE/Setup will "mask" all passwords as they are being entered into the menu builder. This is great if you do not wish for someone to look over your shoulder while you are entering the password! STARTUP OPTIONS AUTO DETECT ANSI? To have BFE attempt to automatically detect whether or not the user is running an ANSI capable terminal, enter a "Y" in the field, or a "N" to disable this feature. If this option is disabled, the default graphics mode will be ASCII/TTY. AUTO DETECT RIP? To have BFE attempt to automatically detect whether or not the user is running a terminal capable of emulating the RIP graphics protocol, enter a "Y" in this field, or a "N" to disable this feature. If you do not plan on supporting RIP on your system, you should disable this feature, as it takes a second or two up front. BFE - The BBS Front End System 20 ________________________________________________________________________________ STARTUP SCRIPT BFE has the ability to execute a "startup script" when the user connects. The startup script will be shown after the user logs on (if you are using the BFE user system), and after the welcome screen is displayed, but before they hit the first .CTL file menu. Simply enter the path and/or filename of the script in this field. Leave the field blank to disable this feature. EXIT SCRIPT BFE has the ability to execute an "exit script" when the user logs off normally (i.e. the Goodbye command). Simply enter the path and/or filename of the script in this field. Leave the field blank to disable this feature. PRIVATE ENTRY SYSTEM How many times have you been down at the office, or over at a friend's house, and needed to connect to your system ASAP? Once again, we listened to our users, and voila! The BFE Private Entry System! Through the use of this feature, you can configure BFE with a "system entry password", between certain hours of certain days of the week. Simply enter the starting time and ending time for the Private Entry System next to the appropriate day of the week. The system entry password can also be configured at this screen. To disable the Private Entry System for a particular day of the week, simply enter a value of zero (0) for the starting and ending times. MENU EDITOR BFE/Setup's menu editor provides an intuitive method of constructing your BFE menus, allowing you to concentrate on the flexibility and functionality of the front end setup, rather than the semantics of a cryptic text-based configuration file. MENU ITEM SELECTOR LIST Upon selecting this option, you will be presented with a list of the menu items for the currently active menu (i.e. a .CTL file menu which has been recently created or opened). Here is where the fun begins! When the list of menu items appears, simply use the cursor keys (or the mouse) to select a menu option to edit. All unused menu items will be marked as so. Press ENTER or the LEFT mouse button to confirm your selection. You will then be presented with the menu option editor screen. From here, you tailor this particular menu option for an active role in your front end. After you have made your changes or additions, pressing ESC will return you to the menu item selector list, and will automatically retain your changes. These changes are *not* written to disk, however, until you actually SAVE the .CTL file from the main menu! REARRANGING MENU ITEMS There will be times when you need to re-arrange existing menu items to insert new ones, etc. To do this simply hit the space bar on one menu item, move to BFE - The BBS Front End System 21 ________________________________________________________________________________ the menu item you wish to swap positions with, and hit the space bar again. The screen will flash, letting you know that the switch was made. DESCRIPTION Selecting this item will prompt you for a textual description which more or less describes this option to your users. The contents of this field will be presented to your users at show time. This field also serves the role of "deleting" menu items, or making them temporarily inactive. By removing the description, BFE will not activate this option for your users. Examples: Select me to enter Under the Nile BBS! Download our master file listing Receive subscriber information For options which make use of BFE's SlashCommand(tm) mode, the slash command text should be entered in this field, before the description, and separated from the actual description with a pipe sign (|). Examples: BBS|Select me to enter the BBS! FILES|Download master file listing SHELL|Remote shell to DOS SlashCommands can appear in any .CTL file, including the special GLOBAL control file (more on this guy later). HOTKEY The hotkey field is a simple, yet necessary one. The keystroke you enter in this field will be displayed next to the textual description entered above in the DESCRIPTION field. The "hotkey" field represents the keypress needed to activate the option. You may use any character for this, however, if you chose an alpha character (A through Z), it will use the uppercase form of the character. In other words, if you put a lowercase letter in as a hotkey, BFE/Setup will convert it to uppercase. This setting does not matter if the menu item is a SlashCommand(tm). FLAVOR BFE currently supports four option "flavors": NORMAL and HIDDEN All items marked as NORMAL will be displayed to your users. Any items which are labeled as HIDDEN will remain active, but will not be displayed to your users. This field serves no special purpose if you are using custom user- defined menus! SLASH/NORMAL and SLASH/HIDDEN As part of BFE's SlashCommand(tm) technology, options can be marked with a flavor of either SLASH/NORMAL or SLASH/HIDDEN. When the user hits the '/' key, he will be prompted for the SlashCommand to use, as opposed to simply hitting a hotkey. BFE - The BBS Front End System 22 ________________________________________________________________________________ OPTION TYPE This is perhaps the most critical part of configuring your new BFE system. Each menu option must have a valid TYPE. This type determines the action that BFE will take if and when a user selects this menu option from the menu. This action can range from something as simple as exiting on an errorlevel to the calling batch files, to more complex actions, such as remote shells to your operating system! Keep in mind that the contents of this field determine the meaning and use of other fields on the menu option editor screen. See the BFE Reference Section for a detailed listing of the menu types available for use within the BFE system. SECURITY If a certain security level is needed to access a particular menu item, specify this level here. Please note that this option is *only* available when running BFE with a dropfile, not as a front end, since we have no idea who is actually online in a front end environment. PORTSPEED The PORTSPEED option was provided to allow Sysops who lock their serial ports to pass either the TRUE port speed (i.e. 9600), or the LOCKED speed (i.e 38400). This comes in handy when combined with download types or when calling another BBS door from a BFE menu option. * NOTE: Be sure to check the additional serial port locking options that appear in the global options menu in BFE/Setup! These must be set as well! PASSPARMS This option will force BFE to pass pertinent communication information on the command line in type "R" menu items. The parameters are passed in the following order: %1 = port (1-4) (0 if local) %2 = speed (baud rate) (0 if local) %3 = time to next event %4 = node number (0 if not known) PROMPT The PROMPT keyword will force BFE to stop and get input from the current user, and will store the results of his data entry into the PROCESS field, which is described next. This information is then passed on the command line in type "R" menu options. Using this option will override anything that you have entered into the PROCESS field! SECONDARY FIELD The SECONDARY field is used as a catch-all field in BFE. Its contents and internal use are based solely on the menu type. It can contain anything from a simple errorlevel (for type "E" items), to a filename to be downloaded in a download type (type "F"). The relevance of this field is described in the BFE Reference Section, for each menu type that uses it. BFE - The BBS Front End System 23 ________________________________________________________________________________ PROCESS The PROCESS field was designed to pass parameters to external tasks (other than the default communication parameters toggled by PASSPARMS). This field is used automatically by the PROMPT feature. The following macros are available for use in this field: %p = port (1-4) (0 if local) %s = speed (baud rate) (0 if local) %t = time to next event %n = node number BFE - The BBS Front End System 24 ________________________________________________________________________________ SHOWAFTER This field is used to display an ANSI/ASCII/AVATAR screen to your users AFTER they select the menu item, but BEFORE the task is carried out. See the description of the type "D" option for more information on how BFE handles the display of external files. PASSWORD Any menu item in BFE can be password protected! Simply place the desired password in this field. When the user selects an option that has an associated password, BFE will prompt him/her for the password. After 3 failed attempts, BFE hangs up on the user and returns control to the calling batch file. COLOR OVERRIDE When using BFE's internal menus (i.e. no custom user menus), the menus will be displayed using the default menu color scheme configured under the Global Options menu. Should you wish to override any or all of those colors, simply select this item! A color picklist will appear, and will allow you to select the appropriate color for the current menu item. While in the picklist, pressing PGUP/PGDN will toggle between the blinking colors (flashing) and the constant colors. Does not apply to internal RIP menus! CREATE DROPFILE This option, when enabled, will force BFE to create a bbs dropfile based on the current user's settings. This dropfile will be created in the directory pointed to by the DROPFILE PATH field. This can be particularly handy when running other doors from your BFE menus. Currently, the following dropfile formats are supported: - Standard DORINFO?.DEF - SFDOORS.DAT (Spitfire BBS) - DOOR.SYS (Both WildCat! and GAP/PCBoard flavors) DROPFILE PATH This should point to a directory in which BFE-generated dropfiles will be created (Backslash optional). MENU OPTIONS Under the MENU OPTIONS selection, you are able to further tailor the current menu to your liking. REGISTRATION MESSAGE By default, BFE displays its own registration message at the top of the screen (both local and remote). If BFE is unregistered, it will display "*** Unregistered Evaluation Copy **". Upon registering BFE, this will be replaced by "Registered to: <your name>". However, registration of BFE allows you to change this default registration message to whatever you like, and since the message appears at the top of each menu, you could give a different message for each menu, providing a title line. BFE - The BBS Front End System 25 ________________________________________________________________________________ CUSTOM USER MENU By default, BFE will make use of an internal menu scheme. This scheme is very attractive to the eye and easy to follow. However, at some point, you may wish to create "custom" user menus. These custom menu screens can be created using your favorite ASCII editor, ANSI paint program, and/or a RIP graphics paint package. Simply place the full path and filename in this field (path optional). If you do not specify an extension to the file, BFE will insert the extension at runtime, based on the user's graphic settings (i.e. ASCII/ANSI/AVATAR/RIP). See the section on the type "D" menu option for more information on how BFE handles the displaying of external files. CUSTOM COLORS You may select custom colors for each "piece" of the default menu set. These settings are initialized to the settings which were configured in the GLOBAL OPTIONS menu, but can be overriden for each of your menus to provide a custom look. PROTOCOLS Here is where all external protocols are configured for use within BFE. This is a very painless process, as you will soon find out! You may configure up to 10 external protocols. There are three fields for each: Menu Name Textual description which will describe this protocol to your users (i.e. ZModem, YModem, etc). Batch Processor The full path and filename of a batch file which will be called when a user selects to transfer a file with this protocol. Prompt for File Some protocols automatically recognize the filename being uploaded (i.e. ZModem), others do not (XModem). If BFE needs to ask the user for the filename, specify a "Y" in this field. BFE passes the following parameters to the configured batch file(s): %1 - Node number %2 - Port number (1-4) %3 - Serial Speed %4 - Filename (complete path, if specified in SEC.) %5 - U = Upload D = Download It is up to you to put these batch files together (although the DSZ sample set should suffice for all but the most giving of sysops!). Also, since the file transfer hook is provided in batch, this affords you the opportunity to do additional processing, such as scanning uploads for viruses, or moving uploads to another area on your system. Endless. BFE - The BBS Front End System 26 ________________________________________________________________________________ LOCAL TEST From this option, you can test out your BFE configuration in local mode, to test your menu sets. BFE looks for a batch file called BFELOCAL.BAT in your BFE directory. It is up to you to place the necessary call to BFE in this batch file. A sample BFELOCAL.BAT file has been included in the distribution archive. The only thing you need to change (essentially) is the name of the .CTL file to start with. MESSAGE BASES OVERVIEW BFE has the ability to make use of Fidonet *.MSG or Squish message areas. You can configure up to 20 message areas by selecting the MESSAGE BASES option from the BFE/Setup main menu. After selecting this option, you will be presented with a picklist of the available areas. To configure an area, simply select the area to edit by using the cursor keys (or mouse) and pressing RETURN. This pulls up the Message Area Editor. There are a number of options which need to be configured for each message area that you wish to use with BFE. PATH/FILENAME OF AREA This setting depends upon the message base format you intend to use. Currently, the fidonet *.MSG format and the Scott Dudley's Squish format are supported. Fidonet style areas should point to the directory to hold the messages. Squish areas should point to the path and *base* name of the squish base. Examples: C:\FD\PVTMAIL C:\BINKLEY\NETMAIL DESTINATION ADDRESS This is the fidonet style network address which represents the destination of the message. To keep messages locally, simply enter your own address. ORIGINATING ADDRESS This is the fidonet style network address which represents YOUR network address. MESSAGE ATTRIBUTES The following message attributes may be enabled: - PRIVATE - CRASH - HOLD - KILL/SENT BFE - The BBS Front End System 27 ________________________________________________________________________________ - FILE ATTACH - FILE REQUEST Additional message attributes may be added in the future. Simply answer "Y" or "N" for each attribute. Any message that BFE generates for this area will have the configured attributes. DEFAULT "TO" FIELD To provide a default "to" field for the message, simply enter this here. If you leave this field blank, BFE will prompt the user for a recipient's name before he/she enters the message. Examples: Sysop areafix Scott Burkett DEFAULT "FROM" FIELD To provide a default "from" field for the message, simply enter this here. If you leave this field blank, BFE will prompt the user for their name before he/she enters the message. If you are using the BFE user system, or are running BFE via a BBS dropfile, you can have BFE use the user's logon name for this field by simply placing a tilde (~) as the contents of this field. Examples: ~ Sysop areafix Scott Burkett DEFAULT "SUBJECT" FIELD To provide a default subject field for the message, simply enter this here. If you leave this field blank, BFE will prompt the user for a subject before he/she enters the message. Examples: Feedback mypass -R -Q BRIEF DESCRIPTION A brief description is required for each of your configured message areas. This description is the same text used in the message area selector list. Examples: Feedback to Sysop Area Areafix Request Area BFE - The BBS Front End System 28 ________________________________________________________________________________ THE BFE/SCRIPT SYSTEM INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW BFE/Script is the name of the internal script processor in BFE. Through the use of this system, users are able to "code" their own BFE scripts, and call them from their BFE menus. Most users will not have a need for BFE/Script, as BFE alone provides quite an arsenal of tools to construct your frontend system. However, for those who like to tinker with internals and the like, BFE/Script can prove to be a tremendous feature. Although the script language is somewhat limited in this release, we have big plans for it in the future. In appearance, BFE/Script code is remarkably similar to the C language, although C is a much more powerful platform. In fact, the entire BFE system was authored in C, while BFE/Script is but a user interface to the BFE internals. If you are a C programmer, or have dabbled in C, then you should have no problems at all with BFE/Script. Non-programmers should be sure to read over this section in its entirety, and study the sample scripts which are included in the BFE distribution archive. Current features and constructs of BFE/Script include: - Access to internal BFE functions such as sysop paging, etc. - Parameterized functions with local variables - Function Recursion - Global variables - Keywords: if, do-while, while, for, and return. - Numeric and character variable types - Operators: +, -, *, /, %, <, >, <=, >=, ==, !=, unary +/- - Functions which return integers - BFE/Script is completely case-insensitive (unlike C!) More BFE/Script functions and procedures will be added in future releases. Should you have any suggestions on possible additions to this unique feature of BFE, please contact us! SCRIPT SYNTAX RULES AND CODING BASICS As we mentioned earlier, BFE/Script is very similar to C, at least in the general appearance of its code. While this section is not meant to teach C, many of the rules will apply to both C and BFE/Script. You may find it helpful to pick up an introductory C programming book in order to hone your BFE/Script skills. All of your scripts should be edited with your favorite ASCII text editor, such as Q-Edit, TED, DOS-Edit, etc. BFE - The BBS Front End System 29 ________________________________________________________________________________ Your BFE/Scripts are composed of functions, and calls to these functions. Each of your functions must be completed enclosed in a "code-block". For example: printmessage() { putsnl("Welcome to my first BFE script!"); } In the above example, the function "printmessage" is a user-defined function, consisting of nothing more than a call to "putsnl" (put string with a CR/LF pair). There are two very essential concepts about the above. The first being the two curly braces which separate the function name, in this case, putmessage(), and the actual function contents, the call to putsnl(). The second item of interest is the semi-colon following the call to putsnl(). This signifies the end of the current function call. Let's take a look at another small example: /* My first BFE Script! */ main() { clearscreen(); printmessage(); } printmessage() { putsnl("Welcome to my first BFE script!"); putsnl("Press any key to return to BFE!"); getkey(); } In this example, we have expanded on our original printmessage() example. In actuality, the original example we discussed is not complete! Each of your BFE scripts *must* contain a function called "main". This function is used as the starting point of the script. In the above example, you will also notice the placement of the two curly braces in the function main(), is a bit different from that of the function printmessage(). Like C, BFE/Script is a free-format language, to an extent. Spacing and line order doesn't matter. As long as the constructs are present. In the above example, BFE/Script would start processing in the function main(), with consists of nothing more than a call to printmessage(). When printmessage() is executed, the two calls to putsnl() would display the text to the user. The call to getkey() would simply wait for a keypress from the user. At that point, control is returned to main(). Since main() has no more processing left, BFE/Script in turn returns control back to BFE. Let's take a look at the use of user-defined variables, as these will play an important role in even the most primitive of scripts. Currently, BFE BFE - The BBS Front End System 30 ________________________________________________________________________________ supports two types of variables, character and numeric. Additional, more advanced data types (such as floating point and string), will be introduced in a later release of the package. To define a user-defined variable, use the following construct: <type> <identifier> Here are a few examples: int x,y,z; The above example creates three (3) numeric variables (integers) called x, y, and z. (Note the ability to separate variable definitions of the same type with a comma! You cannot mix more than one type like this). char key; char a,b,c; Similarly, the above examples generate character variables, called "key", a, b, and c. All variables (unlike C) are automatically initialized to zero. To set a variable's value, simply use the "=" operator: x = 10; y=1; key = 'A'; Variables declared inside of a function block are "local" to that function, and are not available in any other function! These "local" variables are also re-initialized on each call to the owning function. Similarly, any variables declared outside of any function are declared as "global" variables and are available anywhere in the script, in any function. Global variables retain their values unless explicitly changed. Another extremely powerful feature of BFE/Script is the ability to pass values to and from functions. This is known as "parameterized functions". Perhaps another example is in order: main() { int x,y,z; char t; clearscreen(); puts("Enter a number: "); x = getnum(); ShowNumber(x); } ShowNumber(int z) { BFE - The BBS Front End System 31 ________________________________________________________________________________ puts("X is equal to: "); print(z); putsnl("Press any key to exit!"); getkey(); } In this particular example, starting in the main() function, the user is prompted to enter a number. This number is then passed to the ShowNumber() function, where the number is displayed. This is also a great example of local variables, as the variable "z" is local to the ShowNumber() function, even though it will end up with the same value as the main() function's local variable "x". Easy, isn't it? Great! Now that we have variables under our belt, let's discuss some of the conditional keywords which BFE/Script makes use of. dumb_function() { int x; x = getnum(); if(x < 10) { putsnl("Number is less than 10!"); } if(x == 10) { putsnl("Number is equal to 10!"); } if(x > 10) { putsnl("Number is greater than 10!"); } } In the above function, we declare a local variable called "x". We then set this variable equal to the value returned by the getnum() function (the getnum() function simply queries the user for a numeric value). We then put the contents of "x" through a series of tests, using the "if" keyword. Simple, eh? dumb_function2() { int x; for(x=1; x<11; x=x+1) { print(x); } } The above example uses a "for" loop to display the numbers 1 through 10. dumb_function3() { int x; x = 1; BFE - The BBS Front End System 32 ________________________________________________________________________________ while(x <= 10) { print(x); x = x + 1; } } This example does the same thing, only instead of the "if" loop, we use a "while" loop. dumb_function4() { int x; do { print(x); } while(x <= 10); } In the above example, we use a modified version of the "while" loop, known as the "do-while" loop. Simple, isn't it? Ah, but what would code be without comments? BFE/Script implements the C- style "slash-asterisk" comment. /* This is my first script! */ Anything which falls in between the /* and the */ is ignored by BFE/Script and treated as a comment. Comments may span several lines: /* This is my first script! Enjoy! */ or how about: /* This is my first script! Enjoy it! */ On a final note, all items contained in a BFE script are case-insensitive. In other words GETKEY() is the same as getkey() or GeTkEy(). That's about all of the help I can provide at this point. As this feature expands to new horizons as BFE progresses, the documentation on it will inherently get better. Trust me! Feel free to post your scripts in the SPHINX echo should you require assistance. Now, let's move on to the actual function calls contained with the scripting system. BFE - The BBS Front End System 33 ________________________________________________________________________________ SCRIPT FUNCTION REFERENCE ADDTIME(); Adds the passed numeric value to the user's total remaining time online. Example: /* This adds 5 minutes to the user's time */ addtime(5); CENTERMSG(); Centers the passed text string on the current line. Example: centermsg("Welcome to this script!"); CHECKANSI(); Returns TRUE if the user is in ANSI graphics mode, or FALSE if the user is in standard ASCII/TTY mode. Example: ShowGraphicsMode() { int ansi; ansi = checkansi(); if(ansi) { centermsg("Graphics Mode: ANSI"); } else { centermsg("Graphics Mode: ASCII"); } } CLEARSCREEN(); Clears the screen both remotely and locally. Example: clearscreen(); DISPLAYFILE(); Displays an ANSI/ASCII/AVATAR/RIP file to the user. See the section on the type "D" menu option for more details on how BFE displays external files! Examples: Displayfile("WELCOME"); Displayfile("WELCOME.TXT"); BFE - The BBS Front End System 34 ________________________________________________________________________________ DOWNLOADFILE(); Initiates a download session for the passed file. Examples: Downloadfile("MASTER.ZIP"); Downloadfile("C:\FILES\MASTER.ZIP"); DOWNLOADLIST(); Allows the user to browse a BFE-style FILES.BBS file, and download files from the list. Functions exactly as its menu type counterpart. Simply pass the path that the FILES.BBS resides in. The filename FILES.BBS is assumed at this time. Examples: DownloadList("C:\BFE\NEWFILES"); DownloadList("C:\SUPPORT\BETAFILE"); ERROR(); Displays a BFE-style error message. Example: Error("Your error message goes here!"); ERRORLEVELLOW(); Exits the current script and BFE with an errorlevel. DTR is lowered. (Hangs up on user!) Example: errorlevellow("100"); ERRORLEVELHI(); Exits the current script and BFE with an errorlevel. DTR is left high. (Doesn't hang up on user!) Example: errorlevelhi("100"); FLASHFILE(); Displays a ANS/ASC/AVT/RIP file with no page pausing. GETKEY(); Gets a keystroke from the keyboard and returns the value. Example: char key; key = getkey(); BFE - The BBS Front End System 35 ________________________________________________________________________________ GETNUM(); Gets and returns a numeric value from the user. Example: int x; x = getnum(); GETRANDOM(); Returns a random number from 0 to the passed numeric value. Example: /* Get a number from 1 to 100 */ int x; x = getrandom(100); x = x + 1 GOODBYE(); Hangs up on the user and exits BFE with an errorlevel of 255. Example: Goodbye(); IFEXIST(); Returns TRUE if the passed filename exists (no wildcards allowed!) Example: main() { int x; x = ifexist("C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT"); if(x) { putsnl("AUTOEXEC.BAT exists!"); } if(x==0) { putsnl("Error locating AUTOEXEC.BAT!"); } } LEAVEMSGSDM(); Places the user in BFE/Edit using the passed message area number. The "SDM" portion of this command stands for "Star-dot-MSG", or "*.MSG", which is the fidonet standard. Examples: leavemsgsdm(1); leavemsgsdm(8); BFE - The BBS Front End System 36 ________________________________________________________________________________ LEAVEMSGSQ(); Places the user in BFE/Edit using the passed message area number. The "SQ" portion of this command stands for "Squish", as this function utilizes Scott Dudley's Squish message base format. Examples: leavemsgsq(1); leavemsgsq(8); MAKEDORINFO(); Creates a DORINFO?.DEF dropfile in the passed directory. Example: makedorinfo("C:\BBS\MYDOOR"); MAKEDOORSYS(); Creates a DOOR.SYS dropfile in the passed directory. Example: makedoorsys("C:\BBS\MYDOOR"); MAKESFDOORS(); Creates a SFDOORS.DAT dropfile in the passed directory. Example: makesfdoors("C:\BBS\MYDOOR"); MENU(); Queries the user for a response. All valid keystrokes are passed as a parameter. MENU() returns the first valid keystroke. Example: char key; putsnl("1 - Option 1"); putsnl("2 - Option 2"); putsnl("Q - Quit this script"); key = menu("12Qq"); MENULINE(); Displays line of text and hotkey, similar to the way BFE handles its default internal menus. (Text mode only, no RIP!) Example: clearscreen(); centermsg("Welcome to BFE!"); menuline("Go to WildCAT!", "1"); menuline("Go to Maximus", "2"); menuline("Goodbye", "G"); menu("12PG"); BFE - The BBS Front End System 37 ________________________________________________________________________________ OS_SHELL(); Performs a remote (or local) shell to the contents of COMPSEC. Example: os_shell(); PAGE(); Initiates a page to the sysop. All hour restrictions are valid! Example: page(); PAGENOW(); Initiates a page to the sysop. All hour restrictions are IGNORED! Example: pagenow(); PASSWORD(); Accepts a password from the user, and compares it to the password which is passed to the function. Returns TRUE on success, or FALSE if the passwords did not match. Example: secret_page() { int x; x = password("SECRET"); if(x) { pagenow(); } } PLAYMUSIC(); Plays an ANSI music string on the remote speaker only. Example: PlayMusic("MBT120L4MFMNO4"); PRINT(); Used to display numeric values. Example: int x; x = getnum(); print(x); BFE - The BBS Front End System 38 ________________________________________________________________________________ PUTCH(); Puts a single character to the display. Example: putch('*'); PUTS(); Puts a string to the display (no carriage return/linefeed!). Examples: puts("Testing!"); puts("!|*|"); /* Clear RIP screen! */ PUTSNL(); Puts a string to the display, and appends a carriage return/linefeed. PUTSNL is short for "put string with a next/line. Example: putsnl("Testing again!"); RUNEXTERNAL(); Runs an external process. All "process" macros (%p, %s, %t, %n) are available. Examples: runexternal("DOOR.EXE -p%p -s19200 -t%t -n%n"); runexternal("COMMAND.COM /C del dorinfo1.def"); SETCOLOR(); Sets the current text attribute. The following color codes format table is used: {Bright} {Flashing} [Foreground Color] on [Background Color] Where foreground and background colors are one of: Black Blue Green Cyan Red Magenta Yellow / Brown White / Grey Examples: setcolor("bright white on black"); setcolor("flashing bright yellow on blue"); BFE - The BBS Front End System 39 ________________________________________________________________________________ SUBTIME(); Subtracts the passed numeric value to the user's total remaining time online. Example: /* This subtracts 5 minutes to the user's time */ subtime(5); TOGGLEANSI(); Toggles ANSI graphics on and off. Example: toggleansi(); UPLOADFILE(); Initiates an upload from the user. Example: Uploadfile(); WAIT(); Forces BFE to "pause" for the passed number of milliseconds. Example: /* Pause for 5 seconds */ wait(5000); WRITELOG(); Used for logging information from BFE/Script. Example: writelog("This is a test!"); BFE - The BBS Front End System 40 ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE REFERENCE SECTION BFE Menu Type Reference ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: E DESC: Errorlevel Exit (Lower DTR) SCRIPT: ErrorLevelLow(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Valid numeric DOS errorlevel (5-255) ________________________________________________________________________________ Specifying an "E" as the type will cause BFE to exit back to the calling batch file with an errorlevel. This is perhaps one of the more powerful types, as it provides virtually unlimited possibilities. Simply place the errorlevel you wish to exit with in the SECONDARY FIELD. As an example, you could call one BBS with an errorlevel of 100, and another one with an errorlevel of 101, etc. Basically, as long as you trap the errorlevel in your calling batch file, you could do practically anything! This menu type will lower the DTR of the modem, and hang up on the current user. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: 2 DESC: Errorlevel Exit SCRIPT: ErrorLevelHi(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Valid numeric DOS errorlevel (0-255) ________________________________________________________________________________ This menu type is similar to the menu type "E" above, with one exception: The DTR of the modem will remain high. This comes in handy when running BFE as a normal door, allowing the user to exit BFE, but return to your BBS or host software. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: R DESC: Run an External Process SCRIPT: RunExternal(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Path/filename of external program or batch file ________________________________________________________________________________ Specifying an "R" as the type will cause BFE to execute (run) an external process. This is also an incredibly powerful option, in very much the same way as the "E" type. The benefit of using "R" over "E" is simple: You don't have to fiddle with the calling batch file and trapping the errorlevels. In addition, if the PASSPARMS (described later) option is enabled, BFE will pass the communication parameters on the command line for you. This feature is unavailable in an "E" type errorlevel exit! BFE will attempt to swap itself out to memory or disk first, to ensure that you have as much memory as possible to call your task. If you wish to run a program that requires command line parameters or switches, you can do this in one of two ways. You can place all of the switches in a batch file, and have BFE call the batch file, or you can make use of the PROCESS field, and its macros. Your call! BFE - The BBS Front End System 41 ________________________________________________________________________________ Simply place the name of the external process in the SECONDARY FIELD. You may specify the full path, or just the filename if it resides in your path or the BFE directory. ** NOTES: We cannot stop expressing the sheer power of this type! You can use this to call bulletin doors, message entry doors, Doorway, etc. BFE works especially well with RegPRO, our full screen online entry form system! :-) It is possible to call a program such as Marshall Dudley's Doorway(tm). In fact, this has been tested and confirmed by several BFE corporate beta sites. Since BFE passes the port and baud rate to any external processes, it is a cinch. If you experience problems running certain programs via this option, your command line parameters may not be coming across as you think they are. We have included a small program called CMDLINE.EXE, which allows you to "test" your command lines from BFE. Simply run this program instead of the program in question, and the command line parameters passed to the program will be displayed on your screen. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: P DESC: Page Sysop SCRIPT: Page(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ When the user selects a menu option which has been labeled as a type "P", BFE initiates the sequence of events leading to a chat session with the sysop or current operator. BFE first checks the paging hours as configured in BFE/Setup (Global Options), and if valid, will prompt the user for a "reason to chat". If the user simply hits ENTER, then the page attempt is aborted. If the user enters a reason, BFE will begin to page the sysop. You can break in to chat by pressing CTRL-C at any time. The reason for chat is also placed into the BFE log file if logging has been enabled. If the user has ANSI or AVATAR graphics mode enabled, BFE will utilize the internal full screen chat mode. The screen will be split into two partitions, with the user's comments appearing in the top window, and the sysop's comments appearing in the bottom window, each in the respective color as reflected in BFE/Setup. If the user is using vanilla ASCII/TTY mode, the old line chat mode will be initiated. While in the full screen chat mode, pressing ESC twice on the sysop end will return the user to BFE. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: N DESC: Page Sysop (NOW!) SCRIPT: PageNow(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE - The BBS Front End System 42 ________________________________________________________________________________ This menu item type functions the same as the type "P" above, with one exception: No time checks are performed against the configured paging hours from BFE/Setup. This menu type will *always* initiate a page. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: P DESC: Play ANSI Music String (Remote Only!) SCRIPT: PlayMusic() SECONDARY CONTAINS: ANSI music string ________________________________________________________________________________ For those who are interested in implementing ANSI music / sounds in their frontend setups, this function is for you. This menu type will play ANSI music / sounds on the remote system, and not echo the music on the local speaker. This is usually alright, as most often the sysop would not want their computer emitting beeps and playing music at all hours of the day. Future additions for supporting the local speaker may be in order. It can be called with a string of 1 to 250 characters. The characters of the string define what sounds should be played: A - G Musical Notes # or + Following A-G note means sharp - Following A-G note means flat < Move down one octave > Move up one octave . Period acts as dotted note (extend note duration by 3/2) MF Music Foreground (pause until finished playing music) MB Music Background (continue while music plays) MN Music note duration Normal (7/8 of interval between notes) MS Music note duration Staccato ML Music note duration Legato Ln Length of note (n=1-64, 1=whole note, 4=quarter note, etc) Pn Pause length (same n values as Ln above) Tn Tempo, n=notes/minute (n=32-255, default n=120) On Octave number (n=0-6, default n=4) As an example of using this menu type/function, consider the following: PlayMusic("MBT120L4MFMNO4C8C8DCFE2C8C8DCGF2C8C8O5CO4AFED2T90B-8B- 8AFGF2"); PlayMusic("00m"); Which plays the tune "Happy Birthday". :-) Look for a collection of these tunes coming soon! ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: A DESC: Toggle ANSI Graphics SCRIPT: ToggleANSI(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE - The BBS Front End System 43 ________________________________________________________________________________ This menu type merely allows the current user to switch BFE in and out of ANSI graphics mode. This option can also be toggled from BFE/Script, via the TOGGLEANSI() function. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: 3 DESC: Toggle RIP Graphics SCRIPT: ToggleRIP(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ This menu type merely allows the current user to switch BFE in and out of RIP graphics mode. This option can also be toggled from BFE/Script, via the TOGGLERIP() function. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: 4 DESC: Toggle MORE Graphics SCRIPT: ToggleMORE(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ This menu type merely allows the current user to switch BFE in and out of MORE prompting mode. When BFE displays a file longer than the screen length, a "more" system of prompting is utilized. This is great if the user is browsing through some informative text file, but not too hot if you are trying to show ANSI animations, or RIP scenes, which may be quite a big larger. This option can also be toggled in BFE/Script, via the ToggleMore() function. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: O DESC: Shell to Operating System SCRIPT: OS_Shell(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ For those of you wish to drop to DOS from remote, this is the one! Simply place an O as the type. BFE will make use of the COMSPEC enviroment variable to locate your command processor (COMMAND.COM, 4DOS.COM, etc). To return to BFE, simply type exit at your command prompt. One note is in order here. You may run any program you desire from remote, once you are in the OS shell. However, keep in mind that unless the program supports DOS routing, then you will not see any output on your screen. Most command line utilities will work just fine, as well as the internal DOS commands, however, things like Windows, PC-Tools, etc will not function properly, and will more than likely lock your system. If you enable your fossil watchdog, you should be fine in the event you get hung up. Check your fossil documentation for more information on the watchdog services. With the inherent power that arrives by shelling to your OS from remote, you should always password protect this option! ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE - The BBS Front End System 44 ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: D DESC: Display a File (ANSI/ASCII/AVATAR/RIP) SCRIPT: DisplayFile(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Path/filename of file (extension optional) ________________________________________________________________________________ This nifty type will allow you to display an ANSI, ASCII, AVATAR, or RIP file to the user. To use this option, simply place the filename of the file to be displayed in the SECONDARY FIELD. If you do not specify an extension, then BFE will look for the filename which corresponds to the user's graphic settings. For example, you could create four different screens for your WELCOME screen: WELCOME.ASC WELCOME.ANS WELCOME.AVT WELCOME.RIP In the above example, simply using the filename alone, with no extension, BFE would display the appropriate file. BFE will "drop down" one level, and attempt to display *something*. For instance, if the user was RIP capable, and BFE could not locate a RIP version of your file, he will attempt to display the .AVT (AVATAR) version, then the .ANS (ANSI) version, and so on. You may also specify the extension, if you only want one file to be used, such as MYFILE.TXT. You may specify a full path, or just the filename if the file is in the BFE directory. By default, BFE will automatically engage "more prompting" when displaying screens that are over 1 screen in length, except for when in RIP mode. This setting is toggable via the ToggleMore() function in BFE/Script (More later). ** NOTE: BFE "interprets" the file as it is being displayed to the COM port. It is capable of interpretting embedded system codes used by RemoteAccess. For more information on these codes, please refer to your RA documentation. More embedded code schemes, such as WildCat! and PCBoard will be added in future releases. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: 5 DESC: FlashFile SCRIPT: FlashFile(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Path/filename of file to be displayed ________________________________________________________________________________ Functions the same as the type "D" above, but with no page pausing. BFE - The BBS Front End System 45 ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: F DESC: Download a File SCRIPT: DownloadFile(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Path/filename of file to be downloaded ________________________________________________________________________________ This type will allow the user to download a file (ratio free) from BFE, without having to log onto your BBS first. This is particularly handy, especially if you are a shareware author, as you can offer the latest versions of your products up front. Trust me when I say that your long distance users will admire you for this! Simply place the filename to be downloaded in the SECONDARY FIELD. You may specify a full path, or just the filename if the file is in the BFE directory. When the user selects this option, BFE will present a list of available protocols (configured via the PROTOCOL EDITOR in BFE/Setup). ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: U DESC: Upload a File SCRIPT: UploadFile(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ This menu type is very similar to the type "F" above, only it allows your users to upload files to your system rather than downloading them. In addition, if the protocol in which the user has selected has been setup to "Prompt for Filename", then BFE will prompt for this information, and pass it to the protocol dispatcher (once again, configured in the PROTOCOL EDITOR in BFE/Setup). ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: M DESC: Download file from a list SCRIPT: DownloadList(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Path of FILES.BBS to use for listing ________________________________________________________________________________ This type is very similar to the "F" type, with one exception. Instead of downloading a specific file, the user will be presented with a list of the available files, from which he/she may choose the file to be downloaded. In order to use this type, a "files list" must be created, and the full path to the list must be placed in the SECONDARY FIELD. This list should be in the following format: ---------------------------[ CUT HERE! ]--------------------------------- Cairo Research Labs Free File List D:\CAIRO\AVLAB100.ZIP AVLab v1.0 - Antiviral Researcher's Toolkit! D:\CAIRO\RCS10A.LZH Netmail Robot Construction Set v1.0a D:\CAIRO\RP_260.LZH RegPRO v2.60 - The Premier Questionnaire Door! D:\CAIRO\TBM_250.LZH Turbo Bulletin Manager Door v2.50 BFE - The BBS Front End System 46 ________________________________________________________________________________ D:\CAIRO\VID201.ZIP VID v1.10 - Virus Information Door D:\CAIRO\VP0793.ZIP Updated VID Virus Database - as of March 1993 D:\BETA\RP_300B.LZH Beta version of the upcoming RegPRO 3.0 release! ---------------------------[ CUT HERE! ]--------------------------------- As you can see, this is a modified version of the standard FILES.BBS, with the only difference being that the full path to each file needs to be present. This provides a nifty way of pulling files from all over your system to a single file download menu. In this way, you need not use any of the FILES.BBS files that your BBS uses, you can create a custom one and place it in another directory, such as the BFE directory. Any line which does not start in column one is considered a comment line, and will be displayed in the appropriate attribute (as configured in BFE/Setup). All that is needed in the secondary field is the PATH to the FILES.BBS, not the entire path/filename. The name FILES.BBS is assumed. Once again, the user will be presented with a list of available protocols which are defined in the PROTOCOL EDITOR. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: J DESC: Jump to another menu (.CTL file) SCRIPT: N/A SECONDARY CONTAINS: Path and filename of new .CTL file ________________________________________________________________________________ Through the use of the "J" type, you can have BFE call a completely different .CTL file! This is handy when you need to group several options together: For example: Top Menu (MAIN.CTL) - - - - Sysop Menu (SYS.CTL)<--- ----> Product Info (PROD.CTL) Menus can be nested up to 10 levels. If you try to go beyond this, BFE will simply post a warning message and re-display the current active menu. Although we feel that 10 levels of menu nesting is quite adequate for a BBS front end, this will more than likely become limited only by available memory in the future. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: X DESC: Return from a jump SCRIPT: N/A SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ Use this option to provide a method of returning from a subordinate .CTL file menu back to the .CTL file menu that called it. BFE - The BBS Front End System 47 ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: T DESC: Return to main menu SCRIPT: N/A SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ This menu type simply provides a hook from returning to the original .CTL file menu (i.e. the one that BFE started with initially), from any level of nesting. A short cut, if you will. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: S DESC: Run a BFE Script Program SCRIPT: N/A SECONDARY CONTAINS: Path and filename of script to execute ____________________________________________________________ BFE has an internal script processor called BFE/Script. You can create scripts to do just about anything! An overview of the BFE/Script system appears later in this manual. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: L DESC: Enter a Message (*.MSG format) SCRIPT: LeaveMsgSDM(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Number of message area to use ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE contains an internal line editor called BFE/Edit. You may configure any of your menu options to have the user enter a message through the use of the internal editor. The secondary field should contain the "number" of the message area to use. This number corresponds directly to the list of message areas which appears by selecting MESSAGE BASES from the main menu of BFE/Setup. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: B DESC: Enter a Message (Squish format) SCRIPT: LeaveMsgSQ(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: Number of message area to use ________________________________________________________________________________ Functions identically to the type "L" menu type (above), but uses Squish compatible echomail areas. ________________________________________________________________________________ TYPE: G DESC: Goodbye (Log off) SCRIPT: Goodbye(); SECONDARY CONTAINS: N/A ________________________________________________________________________________ This type is fairly straightforward! It hangs up on the user, and returns an errorlevel of 255 to the calling batch file. BFE - The BBS Front End System 48 ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE USER SYSTEM Although BFE is an extremely powerful software package, initial releases lacked the ability to adequately inform the sysop of the exactly *who* the online user was, if BFE was being run in front end mode (i.e. without a BBS dropfile). Once again, we listened and implemented a very powerful solution! As of v2.00, BFE now includes an optional user system. This system allows BFE to effectively keep track of all of your system's users. When enabled, BFE will perform any enabled graphics detection schemes, and will proceed to place the user into the logon screen. There, the user will enter his/her name, followed by their password. BFE maintains a file called USER.BFE in the BFE directory. This file contains the user information for all users in the system. The format of this user file can be found in the BFE developer's kit, available separately. If a user's name is not found in the user file, they will be prompted to enter their location and a password to use in subsequent logins to BFE. Their initial access level is set to zero (0). The BFE User System also has the ability to support multiple users who share the same name. You may set the user system to function in one of three modes: FULL, PARTIAL, and NONE. The FULL mode will prompt the user for the name and password, and will maintain the users in the USER.BFE file. The PARTIAL mode will only prompt the user for their name, and will continue, without maintaining a user file at all. The NONE mode will disable the user system completely. To run in FULL mode, place an "F" in the USER SYSTEM field in BFE/Setup. To run in PARTIAL mode, use a "P". Use a "N" to disable the user system. Keep in mind that if you enable the user system in either FULL or PARTIAL modes, this overrides BFE's ability to look for a dropfile upon entry! In other words, this feature was designed to be used when BFE is being utilized as a true front end, not a door! There are two files which also relate directly to the BFE User System. The first, the Logon File, is shown to BFE callers right before they are asked for their name. The second file, the Newuser File, is displayed to new users after BFE gets their name and location, but right before they are prompted for a password to use. A few notes on access levels are in order. The first is a carry over from Maximus CBCS, but a nifty feature all the same. If a user has an access level of -2, BFE will simply hang up on the user as soon as they enter their name! This is similar to the "twit" user level in Maximus, thus, this feature is dubbed the "twitted" logon. Also, BFE does not have a "userbase" editor of any type. The userfile which is used is generated by third party userfile conversion utilities. We have provided a MAX2BFE.EXE program which will convert the Maximus CBCS userbase into the USER.BFE format used by BFE. Userbase conversion programs should be BFE - The BBS Front End System 49 ________________________________________________________________________________ run nightly, or after new callers hang up, so that BFE will always have the latest copy of your userbase. Since the user will be going through the newuser loops once he or she hits the BBS, there is no reason to have yet another user editor for BFE. We feel that this concept is more than efficient for practical use. Information necessary for the development of third party userfile conversions can be found in the BFE Developer's Kit, included with the distribution archive. If you put together a convertor for your brand of BBS, send it on to us for possible inclusion in later releases! GLOBALACCESS(tm) COMMANDS There will be times when you will want to offer certains options from *all* of your BFE menus (i.e. Sysop pager, goodbye, etc). Through the use of the GlobalAccess(tm) system, this is now possible in BFE. To enable this feature, simply create a new menu .CTL file called GLOBAL.CTL. Place all of your global options in this menu and save it. When BFE is executed, this file is read in automatically, and all of the options contained in it are "appended" to the contents of your regular menus. Voila! SLASHCOMMAND(tm) TECHNOLOGY BFE not only supports hotkey menuing, but also SlashCommands. Any menu item can become a SlashCommand by simply entering the name of the slash command in the DESCRIPTION field, separated from the actual description by a pipe sign (|). BFE LANGUAGE FILE In order to further allow the user to customize the operation of BFE, an external "language" file has been implemented. This file is a simple text file, which contains a series of keywords and text fields. Quite a bit of BFE's internal text messages can be customized! Upon startup, BFE looks for a file called BFE.LNG (The BFE Language File). The format of this file is relatively simple: KEYWORD <Language Text> All lines starting with a semicolon (;) are treated as comments and are ignored. Each line should be no longer than 80 characters (including the keyword!). Macro keys available: ~ = carriage return/linefeed pair _ = Blank (space) The following language keywords are available to you: BEFORECHAT Shown if the sysop initiates a chat session AFTERCHAT Shown when the sysop closes a chat session BFE - The BBS Front End System 50 ________________________________________________________________________________ BEFORESHELL Shown when the sysop shells to DOS locally AFTERHSHELL Shown when the sysop returns from a local DOS shell CHATREASON Displayed when BFE is asking for a reason to page CONTINUE General continuation message (i.e. Continue [Y/N/=]) TIMEOUT Shown when the user has an inactivity timeout NOTAVAIL Shown when the user pages the sysop, and you are not in! NORESPONSE Shown after an unsuccessful paging attempt OUTTATIME Shown when the user has reached his timelimit in BFE OFFLINE Shown when browsing FILES.BBS for files that are offline PAGINGMSG Shown while BFE is paging the sysop PRESSKEY General "press ENTER to continue" message PROMPT Menu selection prompt DEFUSERNAME Default name to use when BFE doesn't know who the user is DEFUSERLOC Default location to use when BFE doesn't know who the user is ENTERMSGTXT Shown at the top of the BFE/Editor screen SLASHCMDTXT Prompt used when a user initiates a slash command HANGONMSG Shown when BFE is exiting on an errorlevel BFE - The BBS Front End System 51 ________________________________________________________________________________ ROCKHEADTXT Logged when a user botches the BFE login procedure BADPASSWORD Logged when a user fails at a BFE menu password TWITLOGON Logged when a "twitted" user tries to log in LOGINPROMPT Default "login" prompt Additional textual customization features will be added to this .LNG file as the product grows. Currently, this feature is only enabled in registered versions of BFE. See the BFE.LNG file which came packed in the BFE archive for starter examples. USING BFE WITH DROPFILES If BFE locates an enabled Dropfile path in your global options, it will attempt to make use of a BBS dropfile, effectively ignoring any relevant command line communication arguments. If you wish to run BFE as a normal door from your BBS, you will need to specify a valid path for this option in BFE/Setup. If you are running BFE as a front-end to your system (i.e. called from a mailer), do *not* put a path in the dropfile directory field! It appears that the BBS world simply cannot agree on a standard dropfile format. For a while, it appeared as if the DORINFOx.DEF, or perhaps the DOOR.SYS format would prevail. However, with the release of RemoteAccess v2.0+, that myth has apparently been shattered, as the RA author decided to introduce yet another dropfile format. We will continue to add and support all of the popular dropfile formats, regardless of how hairy it gets... :-) BFE by default does not look for a BBS dropfile, since it was originally designed to be run as a frontend (i.e. *BEFORE* the user had actually logged on to the BBS). As of v1.22 of BFE, a "smart" method of dropfile detection has been employed. BFE first looks in the current directory for the dropfile. If it is not there, it looks in the DOS path. If the dropfile mode is enabled, and BFE can not locate a dropfile, it will not run! 1.) First, if there was a custom door information file format defined in the CUSTOM.BFE file, BFE will begin by looking for this file. BFE searches for the custom information file in the following order: A.) The path defined by the BBS Directory option B.) The directory which was the current default dir at startup time C.) If any of the following environment variables exist, BFE will then search for the file in the directories pointed to by these variables, in the following order: BFE - The BBS Front End System 52 ________________________________________________________________________________ RA QUICK PCB BBS 2.) If no custom door information file was found / defined, BFE will then search for door information files corresponding to one of the built in formats. It will search for these files in the same directories, and same order, as it does for the custom door information file (A - C). Within each directory, it will search for files with the following filenames: CHAIN.TXT SFDOORS.DAT DOOR.SYS CALLINFO.BBS DORINFO1.DEF DORINFOx.DEF, where x is the node number (0-Z) As soon as it finds a directory containing one of these filenames, BFE will stop it's door information file search phase. It then begins to decide what to do with what it has found. If more than one of the above filenames was found in the directory in question, BFE will read the file with the most recent date and time stamp. This is intended to overcome abiguities that can arise when a door information file conversion program is being used, and a number of different door information files may still exist in the directory. In such a case, it is assumed that the most recently created file is the one that should be used. If more than one file exist with an identical date and time, BFE will use the file that is closer to the beginning of the above list. (ie they are listed in their order of priority) Once BFE has decided which file it is going to use, it may have still more decision-making to do. In the case of door information file names that correspond to more than one format (such as DOOR.SYS), BFE will examine the file to determine which format it actually is. If a DORINFO?.DEF file is found, BFE will then also attempt a search for an EXITINFO.BBS file. Again, if an EXITINFO.BBS file is found, BFE must determine which of the many EXITINFO.BBS formats it is actually dealing with. This may all sound rather complicated, but it is a well thought-out strategy that is intended to asure that the correct door information file will be located and used in the vast majority of cases. (and to think - it does all this in the blink of an eye!) As of v1.22, BFE recognizes the following dropfile formats: DORINFOx.DEF (Standard DORINFOx.DEF Drop file (Default)) EXITINFO.BBS (RA v.01 - v.04) EXITINFO.BBS (Extended (RA v1.0+)) EXITINFO.BBS (RemoteAccess 2.0+ style) CHAIN.TXT (WWIV) SFDOORS.DAT (SpitFire BBS) BFE - The BBS Front End System 53 ________________________________________________________________________________ CALLINFO.BBS (WildCat!) DOOR.SYS (GAP/PC-Board) DOOR.SYS (Doorway version) QBBS 2.75+ (EXITINFO.BBS) DOOR.SYS (WildCat! style) Custom (See the next section!) CUSTOM BBS DROPFILES BFE automatically recognizes most door information file (drop file) formats, including DORINFO?.DEF, EXITINFO.BBS, DOOR.SYS, SFDOORS.DAT, CALLINFO.BBS and CHAIN.TXT. However, to permit BFE to operate on BBS systems that produce a different format file, you may define a custom door information file format. A custom door information file format is defined using the "CustomFileName" command, followed by one or more lines beginning with the "CustomFileLine" command. This file *must* be called CUSTOM.BFE! The "CustomFileName" option specifies the filename used to distinguish this file format from other file formats. This filename should not include a path. To specify the path where the door information file is located, use the BBSDir setting, near the beginning of this file. If the filename of the custom format is the same as that of one of the built-in formats, the custom format will override the built-in format. The actual format of the custom file is specified using a number of lines that begin with the keyword "CustomFileLine". Each of these lines will correspond to a single line in the door information file, with the option following the "CustomFileLine" keyword specifying the information that can be found on that line. This can be one of the following keywords: Ignore - Causes the next line in the door information file to be ignored. Use on lines for which none of the options below apply. ComPort - COM? port the modem is connected to (0 indicates local mode) FossilPort - Fossil port number the modem is connected to ModemBPS - BPS rate at which to communicate with modem (0 or non- numerical value indicates local mode) LocalMode - 1, T or Y if door is operating in local mode UserName - Full name of the user UserFirstName - First name(s) of the user UserLastName - Last name of the user Alias - The user's psuedonym / handle HoursLeft - Hours user has left online BFE - The BBS Front End System 54 ________________________________________________________________________________ MinutesLeft - Minutes user has left online, or time left online in format hh:mm SecondsLeft - Seconds user has left online, or time left online in format hh:mm:ss or format mm:ss (If more than one of the above time options are used, the user time left is taken to be the total of all of these values.) ANSI - 1, T, Y or G for ANSI graphics mode AVATAR - 1, T or Y for AVATAR graphics mode PagePausing - 1, T or Y if user wishes a pause at end of screen ScreenLength - Number of lines on user's screen ScreenClearing - 1, T or Y if screen clearing mode is on Security - The user's security level / access level City - City the user is calling from Node - Node number user is connected to SysopName - Full name of the sysop SysopFirstName - The sysop's first name(s) SysopLastName - The sysop's last name SystemName - Name of the BBS A sample CUSTOM.BFE is outlined below. This example designs a custom dropfile template which emualtes the standard DORINFO?.DEF file. CustomFileName EXAMPLE.DEF ; File name to look for! CustomFileLine SystemName CustomFileLine SysopFirstName CustomFileLine SysopLastName CustomFileLine ComPort CustomFileLine ModemBPS CustomFileLine Ignore CustomFileLine UserFirstName CustomFileLine UserLastName CustomFileLine City CustomFileLine ANSI CustomFileLine Security CustomFileLine MinutesLeft CONVCTL .CTL FILE CONVERTOR Included with the distribution archive is a program called CONVCTL.EXE. This program will convert your existing BFE .CTL files to the latest format. BFE - The BBS Front End System 55 ________________________________________________________________________________ ** Be warned, that this program only converts .CTL files from the last public release of BFE (1.41.0p). It will also attempt to convert *any* file ending in .CTL!!! If you have installed BFE in its own directory, you should not have any problems, however, some users tend to install BFE in their mailer or BBS directory. THIS could have *disastrous* effects, as there are quite a lot of other packages which use files ending in .CTL!!!! When in doubt, simply move all of your BFE .CTL files to a temporary directory, and run CONVCTL.EXE in this temporary area. SAMPLE SYSTEM SETUPS Included in the distribution archive are a number of sample setups which have been provided by some of our beta sites. We hope that these sample configurations will prove valuable to you, as you are able to see actual configurations which have been running on real systems. KLINGON.ZIP This particular sample comes to us from the Klingon Bird of Prey BBS, run by Robert Ferguson. Sci-fi to the max is what this setup proves. Very interesting! SS&S.ZIP This setup was provided by Chris Koziol at the Sun, Surf, and Serenity BBS system in Chicago. A very interesting business like approach. BFE - The BBS Front End System 56 ________________________________________________________________________________ DOOR OPERATION BFE Command Line BFE accepts the following command line parameters (in any order): -p(Port) 0,1,2,3,or 4 (COM1, COM2, etc) -s(Serial speed) Self explanatory! (0, 300, 1200, etc) -c(Control File Path) Path/filename of your main .CTL file! -t(Time to next event) The time until the next mailer event -n(node number) The node number of the BBS -f Forces ANSI in local mode -l Locks port with value passed in -s & -p -z Performs a "sanity check" on your setup! You can run BFE in local mode by passing "-p0 -s0" as the port and speed. Of course, if you are using a dropfile, these values are meaningless once again, therefore your dropfile must be configured for local use (Or blank out the Dropfile Path option in the Global Options in BFE/Setup!). SYSOP KEYS There are several options available to the Sysop while the user is in the BFE Door. These options and hotkeys differ from BBS "personality" to "personality". BFE currently supports 3 BBS personalities (RemoteAccess 2.0x, WildCat!, and the default style). For more information on the RA and WildCat! hotkeys, consult the documentation which accompanied the BBS software. DEFAULT SYSOP HOTKEYS [UP/DOWN] Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the amount of time which the user has left in the door. BFE - The BBS Front End System 57 ________________________________________________________________________________ [Alt]-[C] Allows the sysop to break into chat with the user at any time. [Alt]-[C] again, or [ESC] will end chat mode. (Notice that the Want-Chat indicator will also be turned off, if it was flashing. If you are running under Apex, RemoteAccess or QuickBBS, paging from within the door will even cause the Want-Chat indicator to stay lit when the user returns to the BBS) [Alt]-[J] Allows the sysop to shell to DOS, if enough memory is available. Simply type EXIT to return to the door again. [Alt]-[H] Hang up on the user. Plain and simple! [Alt]-[L] This key locks the user out of the BBS. It first hangs up on the user, and then sets their security level to 0, to prevent them from ever logging on again. This feature may require use of the EXITINFO.BBS file, depending on what system BFE is running under. [Alt]-[K] The "User Keyboard-Off" key allows the sysop to temporarily prevent the user from typing anything on their keyboard. This has no effect on the local keyboard, but causes BFE to ignore any keystrokes from remote. [Alt]-[N] The "Sysop Next" key, this function reserves the system for use by the sysop after the user logs off, if BFE is running under an Apex or RA 1.00 or later system. [Alt]-[D] "Drop to BBS" key. This function allows the sysop to exit BFE and return the user to the BBS, without hanging up. [F1] Display basic user information (default) [F9] Display help information for sysop [F10] Turn off the status line MULTINODE/MULTIUSER OPERATION BFE is quite capable of running on multinode systems, and in fact, does it quite adeptly. Special care has been given to ensure 100% multinode compatibility. If you happen to experience problems running BFE on a multinode machine, please contact us if you are unable to resolve the problem. For smoother operations on multinode setups, ensure that the DOS SHARE.EXE program is running! BFE - The BBS Front End System 58 ________________________________________________________________________________ A brief description on how BFE handles node numbers is in order. By default, BFE will use the value of the NODE field in BFE/Setup. This value can be overridden on the command line via the "-n" switch. If a dropfile path has been specified in BFE/Setup, the node number has an effect on the number of the DORINFO?.DEF file used to run BFE. (i.e. Node 1 is DORINFO1.DEF, and Node Z is DORINFOZ.DEF). If no node number is specified in either BFE/Setup or on the BFE command line, Node #1 will be used for compatibility, primarily on single line systems. DIGIBOARD COMPATIBILITY BFE will run on systems which utilize DigiBoard communication cards. To do so, however, you will need to pick up the latest version of the DigiBoard Fossil Driver. As of this release, the latest version of DigiFos is v1.3, and is available as DIGFOS13.LZH on our support BBS (FREQ's welcome). RESERVED ERRORLEVELS The following is a list of the reserved errorlevels used by BFE and a brief description of each: Errorlevel # Description ________________________________________________________________________________ 0 Critical error has occurred 1 Carrier lost, user off-line! 2 Sysop terminated the call, user off-line! :-) 3 User time used up, user STILL ON-LINE! 4 Keyboard inactivity timeout, user off-line 5 "Twit" user has logged on, user off-line 6 User botched the logon procedure, user off-line 255 User exiting door via GOODBYE menu type ________________________________________________________________________________ BFE - The BBS Front End System 59 ________________________________________________________________________________ MISCELLANEOUS Special Thanks We would like to take time to offer our appreciation to the Cairo Research Lab Beta Team and suggestion crew (in no particular order): Robert J. Ferguson Ray Smith Christopher Koziol Christopher J. Brown Steve Pepin Tommy Harvey Chuck Harrington Stephen Thomason Michael Downing Mikael Winterkvist Albert Louw Marshall Brandenburg Martin Pavey Mike Walker Greg Shaffer Sal Lizard John Riley Thanks guys! Thanks are also in order for the following individuals who have been tremendous assets to our organization and efforts: Chip Rabinowitz Dave Seidel Brian Pirie Carola 'Lola' Lutz Dallas Richardson Philip Findley Andres Guevara Jeff Dunlop Lawson 'Mike' Booth Chris Duke/Duke Graphics Mike Labellarte/Arte` Graphics Scott Dudley/Squish API Special thanks go out to Bob Kruger, the friend and beta tester from the outskirts of hell. And a special thanks to the sysops who have registered our products, and shown their ongoing support for Cairo Research Labs. THE SPHINX ECHO The SPHINX echo is now available! The SPHINX echo is a support echo for users of Cairo Research Labs products. The echo is not currently on the backbone, but a feed is available from 1:3613/12. Overseas links are being organized at this time, as well. To establish a feed from our system, simply drop a netmail to 1:3613/12 (Be sure to include a session level password!). Poll once a week, twice a week, whatever you prefer. Effort is under way to place SPHINX on the fidonet backbone. Topics of discussion include: 1) Inside info and tips from the developers! 2) Third party add-ons for CRL products 3) Ideas, suggestions, wishes, wants and needs... :-) 4) Technical support for individual products 5) Sharing of scripts, setups, control files, etc 6) Get information on new releases, fast! BFE - The BBS Front End System 60 ________________________________________________________________________________ 7) See what's in store for CRL products, and have a say-so in their development! 8) See what other sysops are doing with BFE, RegPRO, and others! Here are a few major links to SPHINX. Hopefully, one of these will be close to your location: Chris Koziol George Hannah Sun, Surf, and Serenity Prophecy BBS Elmwood Park, IL (Chicago area) Saint John, NB (708) 453-6630 (506) 652-7292 1:115/113@fidonet 1:255/7@fidonet Robert J. Ferguson Blake Barr Klingon Bird of Prey BBS Fire & Ice Philadelphia, PA Harker Heights, TX (215) 426-5596 (817) 698-6810 1:273/935@fidonet 1:395/43@fidonet Sal Lizard The Mailbox BBS Charleston, SC (803) 762-1481 1:372/69@fidonet UPGRADES AND INFORMATION For the latest version of BFE, call any of the systems listed in the Cairo Research Labs Distribution Network listing (CDN.LST). Magic name BFE will get you the latest version! Upgrades are free of charge to registered users. A one-time $15 registration fee provides you with an unlimited number of upgrades to newer, more powerful versions of BFE. TECHNICAL SUPPORT If you experience any problems with the BFE system, or have any questions, please contact us! Fidonet Netmail: 1:3613/12@fidonet Fidonet: DOORWARE SHAREWARE MUFFIN OPENDOORS BBS_CARNIVAL Internet: crlhq@f12.n3613.z1.fidonet.org BBS: Under the Nile, (706) 596-8126, USR 14.4 v.32 Voice Support: (706) 596-0276 Snail Mail: 1113 29th Street Columbus, GA 31904 BFE - The BBS Front End System 61 ________________________________________________________________________________ WHAT'S NEXT FOR BFE? BFE has always been known for its tremendous growth rate and feature-packed additions with each new release. Upcoming releases are no different! Some of the additions to look for in the future are: - Support for Windows/Scrolling in BFE/Script! - Support for Hudson and JAM message base formats - Internal WFC (Wait for Caller) mode to handle non-mailer sites - String maniplation in BFE/Script - Built in entry forms (similar to RegPRO!) - Extended internal RIP Graphics Support PROGRAM DEDICATION This program is dedicated to the families and friends of American MIAs. Our hearts are with you. They are not forgotten.