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Text File | 1996-06-19 | 18.1 KB | 349 lines

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Version 4.25a ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ▄▄▄▄ ██ ██ ▄██▀▀▀█▄ ▐█▌ ▐█▌ ▀███▄▄ ▄███▄ █▀██▄▄▄ ▄███▄ ▄██ ██▄ ██ ██ ▀▀█▄ ▐█▀ ▀ ██▀▀▀█▌▐█▀ ▀█▌ ▐█▀ ▀█▌ ▐█▌ ▐█▌ ▐█ ▄██ ▐█▄ ▄ █▌ ▀▐█▄ ▄██▌▐█▄ ▄ ▄█▌ ██ ▀████▀ ▀████▀ ▐██▄ ▀████▀█▄ ▀███▀███▀ ██ ▐█▌ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░ By Steve Blinch of Mikerosoft Productions ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Description ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! is an online grafitti door in which users can write messages and leave messages left by others. To sum it up, Scrawl! is really just a message base in which the users can verbally beat up on each- other. =) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Note ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Please note that any changes to the documentation since version 4.22a | have been pointed out by the use of '|' characters at the far right, | as illustrated to the right. | ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Disclaimer ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ It's simple. By using Scrawl!, you agree not to hold Mikerosoft Productions, Steve Blinch, Michael Helliker or any other member of Mikerosoft Productions liable for any damages or problems arising out of the use, misuse or inability to use Scrawl! The execution of any executable packaged in the Scrawl! archive signifies your agreement to these terms. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Options ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! is extremely easy to use. All options are self-explanitory, but a short listing follows. The main menu has four options: Read Messages - Allows the users to read thru all the messages in the message base. Options before reading are: Next - Read the next available unread message Begin - Start reading from the beginning of the mes- sage file Scan - Allows user to search for a word or words in the message base, and display all messages containing the keyword(s) (enhanced only) Jump - Allows user to jump to a specific message number (enhanced only) Options while reading are: Reply - Allows user to write a reply to a message Next - Displays the next message Back - Backs up one message and displays it Abort - Return to the main menu Write messages - Allows the users to write messages to be read by the other users. Options while writing are: Clear - Clears to the beginning of the current line Back - Backs up one line and allows the user to edit it Save - Write the message to the datafile and return to the main menu Trash - Abort the message & return to the main menu Quote - Only available when replying, will allow the user to quote from the original message List Aliases - Allows the users to view the aliases of the other users (if aliases and alias lists are enabled). | Quit - Return to the BBS If you have Enhanced your copy of Scrawl! (see section on Enhancing below), there is one other option available: Enhanced Menu - Allows the users to use the extended features of Scrawl! Options while in the Enhanced Menu are: Setup - Change ANSI style, and/or the user's alias. Alias changing is only allowed once every two days, ANSI changing is unlimited Info - Gives a bunch of information on the user's stats & the system's stats Logins - Lets the users see who has been on; basic- ally just a news file ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Editing/Option Keys ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Press F3 while in Scrawl! for a summary of what special "SysOp Hotkeys" are available. They are: F1 - Information 1 F6 - Disconnect User F2 - Information 2 F7 - Simulate Line Noise F3 - Summary of hotkeys F8 - DOS Shell F4 - Return user to BBS F9 - Screen Blanker F5 - Send Beep F10 - Chat mode ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Old Style ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ When we released version 4.00a of Scrawl!, with it's new style of ANSI screens we had a mixed response--actual responses varied from "Like, cool man," to "Hey man, like, that bites"--but no matter WHAT people thought, they sure voiced their opinions well! Still partially in shock due to the number of people that wrote us (either congratulating us on a job well done or telling us that the new style "sucked" and that we should convert back), we decided to give the users a choice. Now, on the user's first use of Scrawl!, he will be asked whether he wants the New Style ANSI or the Old Style (scrolling) ANSI. If the user wishes to change ANSI styles after his first entry, he can go to the Enhanced menu and select Change Setup. Of course, to get to the Enhanced menu, Scrawl! must be Enhanced! Thanks, everyone, for your input! ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Color! ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! now supports a NEW color change option, but this time it's for the USER, not the SysOp. When entering the message, the color of cer- tain words can be changed by using the following codes: ~1 DkBlue ~2 DkGreen ~3 DkCyan ~4 DkRed ~5 DkPurple ~6 DkBrown ~7 Gray ~8 DkGray ~9 LtBlue ~A LtGreen ~B LtCyan ~C LtRed ~D LtPurple ~E Yellow ~F White These codes can be entered anywhere in the message, and they will change the color until another color code is encountered or the end of the line is encountered, whichever comes first. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ InterBBS ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ For those who really, REALLY like Echomail and just can't get enough of it... Scrawl! now fully supports the Fido *.MSG format, and has full interbbs support. The only configuration that needs to be completed is inside INTERBBS.CFG & NODE.CFG. INTERBBS.CFG contains information specific to your BBS; NODE.CFG contains information about the other nodes in the league, and should ONLY be modified by the league coordinator. Once you set the above files up, just run SCRAWL /IBBS - or - SCRAWL /INTERBBS every night (or every time someone exits Scrawl!) and it will do everything for you. The InterBBS manager is only available if Scrawl! is enhanced (refer to the section on enhancing below). Each copy of | Scrawl! in the league must have a registered copy in order to partic- | ipate in InterBBS messaging. | One note: The Coordinator field in INTERBBS.CFG specifies the person who is coordinating the Scrawl! InterBBS league. This person will be given access to the coordinator options of Scrawl! Coordinator options are simply messages sent out by the coordinator with a single command as the first line. At the moment, there are only two coordinator options, but more will be added in the future: %REQMSGKILL - Will reset the Scrawl! message base. Useful for version updates that are not compatible with older versions -- the league coordinator can get Scrawl! to automatically erase the old message base with this command. %REQLOCKOUT - Will globally lock a user out of Scrawl! To use this feature, specify %REQLOCKOUT on the first line of the message, and the user's name on the second. Use this with caution: If the user is ever to get his access back, every SysOp in the league will have to manually remove him from LOCKOUT.DAT! ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Maintenance ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! has two maintenance options to keep it in good condition: SCRAWL /M /MAXMSG=xx - Will set the maximum number of messages in the message base to xx, and, if necessary, delete the old ones. SCRAWL /M /ERASELOG - Erases the log file. Good to do at, say, midnight so that the logfile stays small. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Blanking ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! now includes a local screen blanker, allowing you to prevent prying eyes from happening upon Scrawl! To have Scrawl! automatically invoke the blanker upon startup, use the /B parameter, i.e.: SCRAWL /B Screen blanking may be toggled with F9 (you do NOT need to use the /B parameter to use F9, it can be pressed at any time). ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ User Editor ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! now has a built-in user editor allowing you to edit your users information, such as their aliases, lastread pointers, etc. It can be invoked using the /U parameter, i.e. SCRAWL /U This will bring up a list of users and allow you to edit one or more of them. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ SysOp Privelages ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! will detect a SysOp logon (yes, that's right, if YOU login to Scrawl!, it will recognize you), and will give you access to a few features that regular users do not get. Alias listing - The user's name AND alias will be displayed regard- less of the Anonymous/Alias/Name status. Message Reading - The option of editing the message currently display- ed will be given. With this option, you can change the message text and resave it over the old text (only available in enhanced mode). - The option of deleting the message currently disp- layed will be given (only available in enhanced mode). ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Problem Users ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Is someone causing trouble in Scrawl? Well, here's the answer. Lock him out. It's simple, it's effective, and it's easy to do. =) Just put the guy/gal's name in a file called LOCKOUT.DAT in the Scrawl! directory, and he won't be allowed in until you take his name out! ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Multitaskers ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! now detects Windows, OS/2, and DESQview and will run much more quickly under them than it has in the past. No configuration is re- quired, Scrawl! will adjust itself automatically. However, the -S parameter is available if you wish to specify how often Scrawl! should release a time slice. -S80 would cause Scrawl! to release a slice every 8/10 of a second, -S100 would specify once every second, etc. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Enhancing ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Interested in any of the above "Enhanced-only options"? Well, here's how you can get them. Enhancing basically means registering. However, we didn't like the work REGISTERING because that usually implies that it's MANDATORY to do so. It's not. If you don't have the money, don't wan't to part with the money, or just plain don't care whether it gets enhanced or not, then don't bother! If you DO want to enhance your copy, though, here's the info: Enhancer Keys cost $12.00 You will recieve a Enhancer Key via one of the methods that you select on the Enhancer form (run REGISTER.EXE) Upon recieving your key, simply copy it into your Scrawl! dir- ectory and get instant access to all of the Enhanced-only options listed throughout this document In case you weren't paying attention before, here's a summary of the benefits: ■ Ability to delete messages ■ Ability to edit messages left by users ■ Ability to view all aliases/names ■ Ability to scan for keywords in messages ■ Ability to jump to specific message numbers ■ Enhanced menu: Alias Changing ■ Enhanced menu: ANSI style changing ■ Enhanced menu: System/User Information ■ Enhanced menu: News ■ » FULL InterBBS Capability! « ■ A message telling the user that you enhanced Scrawl! All information about pricing, addresses, req'd info, etc. is shown after filling out the form in REGISTER.EXE. Just fill it out, print it out, and mail it with the registration fee to the address which is also on the form. Future versions definitely will have more enhanced options, which will be enabled by the your enhancer, as all upcoming versions will use the current enhancer key. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Support ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ For a list of support sites and other places where Scrawl! (and any other Mikerosoft Productions) can be found, see the accompanying file, DISTRIB.TXT. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Information ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Scrawl! was first released on June 15th, 1993, using Turbo Pascal v6.0 and DoorDriver v5.00 (by Scott Baker) for communications routines, and was programmed on a 386sx/20 w/2400 baud modem. Versions 3.00ß and up were created using TurboCOMM, Mikerosoft Productions communications routines. Version 4.00a was a COMPLETE rewrite using Turbo Pascal v7.0, and was much more compact & efficient than it's predecessors. Scrawl! is now programmed on an i486dx/33 w/14400 baud modem. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Bye! ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘