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The L i b e r a t o r (TM)
PCBoard Automation System for Telix
Version 2.31
Copyright (C) 1989, 1990 Liberation Enterprises
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This program is not in the public domain. All files that accompany The
Liberator including this documentation are Copyright 1989, 1990
Liberation Enterprises. The Liberator is a Trademark of Liberation
Enterprises.
DISCLAIMER
The Liberator and its documentation is distributed and sold AS IS,
without warranty of any kind as to performance of merchantability or
any other warranties, either express or implied. Neither Liberation
Enterprises nor its dealers or distributors shall be liable to the
user/purchaser or any other person or entity with respect to any
liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by the software or its documentation.
LICENSE
You are licensed to use this evaluation copy of The Liberator at no
charge for a limited evaluation period. Once you are satisfied that
the program is useful to you, after a reasonable evaluation period (30
days), you must register your copy. To do so, complete the registra-
tion form and mail it along with the fee as outlined on the form. Re-
distribution of The Liberator is encouraged, but must comply with the
following:
1. The Liberator may not be sold commercially or distributed with any
other programs without written permission from Liberation Enter-
prises.
2. No charges other than reasonable overhead and/or copying fees may be
levied for distribution of The Liberator ($10 or less).
3. The program files and documentation must be distributed in their
entirety and must remain absolutely unmodified. Please do not
distribute the program in an incomplete state.
----
PCBoard is a registered trademark of Clark Development Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 71365, Murray, Utah 84107.
ProLogon, ProBank, and ProDoor are Copyright by Samuel H. Smith. The
Tool Shop (modem only): (602) 264-3969.
Qmail and Deluxe are Copyright by Mark Herring of Sparkware. Post
Office Box 38216 Germantown, TN 38183-0216.
Telix and SALT are trademarks of and Copyright by Exis Inc. Post
Office Box 130, West Hill, Ont., Canada M1E 4R4. Telix Support BBS
(modem only): (416) 439-8293.
ii
User-Supported Software: Try BEFORE you buy!
User-supported software, such as The Liberator, is software that you try
on your own computer for a limited 'evaluation period'. During this
period, you decide whether the program is useful to you, and make up
your mind whether you wish to continue using it and pay for it, or stop
using it and not pay. Of course, another choice is not to pay and
continue using the program anyway.
Unfortunately, from previous experience, and from what I've heard from
many developers, the third choice is the one a great majority of people
make -- even for useful, quality products. However, ulterior motives
aside, it is definitely the wrong choice to make. Especially from a
user point of view.
The reason is this. There are many companies developing software for
your computer. Some of this software will be marketed in the tradition-
al way, in which the developer pays thousands, or more likely millions
of dollars for marketing, advertising, packaging, and distribution.
Initially these expenses may be paid from the developer's pocket: but it
is inevitable that the extra expense be passed on to you in the price of
the software. Thus you end up not only paying for the software, but
also for expensive ads in computer magazines, and flashy packaging which
will probably end up in the garbage. Worse than this, you may install
the software and find that it does not do what the ad said it would do,
or that they forgot to tell you about incompatibilies, etc. The end-
result? You paid more, filled the pockets of advertisers, and got less
-- or even something that may sit on your shelf collecting dust (we all
have a few of these programs).
On the other hand, some software is released under the premise that
people don't need flashy advertisements or packaging to determine
whether they are interested in a product. The best advertising for a
product should be the product itself, and this is the concept user-
supported software employs. There is no chance of misleading you into
making a purchase with dazzling packaging or advertisements since all
this is stripped away, and only the product remains. However, in order
to let you try the product, it must be made available... and this means
that you already have the product before paying for it.
Is this an invitation to steal the software? Some people look at it
that way. But if you use common sense, you will realize that if you
don't pay, eventually developers will be forced to add registration
gimmicks (a new feature in this release of The Liberator), which almost
always prevent you from evaluating the full product. If gimmicks fail,
there is no choice but to ensure customers pay ahead of time... leading
to all the extra expense and problems of traditional distribution. If
traditional marketing isn't practical, the developer may be forced to
shelve the product, since not many developers are willing to work hours
on end, forever, for nothing. If this happens, everyone loses.
Thus, it has been left it up to you to decide. Don't look upon
registration as doing some sort of good deed... Register (the products
you use) to do *yourself* a favour and keep the 'Try BEFORE you buy'
concept strong!
iii
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Registration Form C-01.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please print clearly. [Office use] R# D/R
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Company: ___________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________
City: _________________________ Prov./State: __________________
ZIP: _________________________ Phone: (_____)___________
Country: ___________________________________________________________
Quantity Price per registration
------------------------------------
1 - 10 $24.95
11 - 20 19.95
21 - 50 14.95
51+ 9.95
# of Copies _______ x $________ per reg. = Sub Total $____________
Ont. residents, add Provincial Sales Tax ____________
Outside North America add $3.00 shipping +____________
TOTAL $____________
One registered copy is sent (two 360K disks), plus a license to install
the # of copies registered. Orders are accepted in Canadian or U.S.
currency. Please mail your check, or M.O. to [NOTE: Postage to Canada
from the U.S. was 5 cents extra at release date.]:
Liberation Enterprises, 3091 Eglinton Ave E., Suite 602,
Scarboro, Ont., CANADA M1J 2G1.
Where did you obtain The Liberator?
____________________________________________________________________
What do you use The Liberator for mainly (most important feature)?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
What improvements or new features would you like to see added to the
program in the future? (Use back of page if necessary.)
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1. Liberator v2.31 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2. How To Use The Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1. Liberator First Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2. Registration Reminder Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.3. BBS Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.4. Editing Screen Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.5. Command Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.6. The Command File Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.7. Print a BBS Configuration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.8. Dialing Directory Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.9. Adding a New Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.10. What are Protocols? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.11. What are Batch Protocols? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.12. Enter Your Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.13. Dial the BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3. PCBOARD SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.1. Checking For Batch Transfer Support . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2. Checking the PCBoard Version Number . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.3. Setting Up Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.4. Searching For Liberator Configurations . . . . . . . . . 12
3.5. Joining Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.6. Turning Expert Mode On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.7. Viewing the available DOORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.8. ProDoor Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.9. Mail Door Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. MAIL READER SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.1. Choosing a Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.2. Configuring the Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5. GETTING HELP FROM YOUR BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
6. LIBERATOR CONFIGURATION FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.1. Installing A Pre-defined Configuration . . . . . . . . . 18
6.2. Configuration File Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.3. PCBoard Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.4. PCBoard Prompts Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.5. Pro Utilities Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.6. Qmail/MarkMail Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.7. Saving a Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.8. Cloning or Editing Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . 26
v
7. LIBERATOR COMMAND FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.1. Running Command Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.2. Command File Abort Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.3. Pausing Or Manually Aborting Command Files . . . . . . . 30
7.4. Creating New Command Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7.5. Editing Existing Command Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7.6. Deleting Command/Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . 31
7.7. Renaming Command/Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . 31
8. LIBERATOR CONFIGURATION (Tools 'Configure' option) . . . . . . 32
9. SETTING UP CUSTOM COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
9.1. Defining a PCBoard or ProDoor Command . . . . . . . . . . 33
9.2. Sending More Than One Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
9.3. Automatically Handled Prompts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
9.4. Some Useful Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
9.5. Running Other Telix Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.6. Passing Parameters To Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.7. Replaceable Parameters? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
9.8. Script Return Values - IMPORTANT . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
10. FILE TRANSFERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
10.1. Sending Files (Uploading) To PCBoard . . . . . . . . . . 38
10.2. Comments On File Lists (//) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
10.3. Optional File List Items (Switches) . . . . . . . . . . 39
10.4. Specifying Upload or Download Passwords (/u /d) . . . . 39
10.5. Joining Specific Conferences (/#nnn) . . . . . . . . . . 39
10.6. Making File List Items Permanent (/P) . . . . . . . . . 40
10.7. Using Switches On Separate Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
10.8. Specifying A Drive/Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
10.9. Upload Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
10.10. Backup Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.11. Demonstration Upload List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.12. Telix Batch Upload Limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.13. Receiving Files (Downloading) From PCBoard . . . . . . . 43
10.14. Using LIST.COM to create Download Lists . . . . . . . . 43
11. USING THE MASTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
11.1. Creating a Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
11.2. Using the Add Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
11.3. Using the Remove Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
11.4. Running the Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
11.5. Using EXIT and REPEAT to Create Multiple Masters . . . . 45
11.6. The Master Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
11.7. Using the Master To Link Command Files . . . . . . . . . 47
11.8. Command File Differences Under RunMaster . . . . . . . . 48
12. CONFIGURING LIBERATOR PROMPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
13. ABORT CODES/REMEDIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
vi
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Introduction - Page 1
1. INTRODUCTION
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in The Liberator PCBoard
Automation System for Telix! The Liberator will carry out entire
PCBoard sessions for you, totally unattended, right from dialing to
logoff. All the major jobs you would normally do manually can be
carried out by The Liberator, completely unattended, while you are doing
something more productive and exciting. You can even leave The
Liberator on its own over a period of weeks, carrying out up to 100
separate PCBoard sessions, at pre-specified times each day!
1.1. Liberator v2.31 Features
> Support for PCBoard, Qmail v2 doors, Qmail v3 doors, MarkMail doors,
ProDoor, ProLogon and ProBank! Full ProLogon support is built in, and
since The Liberator can operate in ProDoor it can also handle ProLogon
boards where the S)ystem command has been disabled, preventing use of
PCBoard itself.
> Designed for easy setup -- no knowledge of Telix SALT required. Even
a beginner can set up The Liberator with little difficulty. Those not
familiar with PCBoard and its doors can make especially good use of
The Liberator and will be taken through all the necessary steps for
setup. PCBoard experts will be impressed with the number of tasks The
Liberator knows how to do, and the speed with which it carries them
out!
> Completely unattended operation. The Liberator is larger than other
scripts mainly because it was designed to handle just about any error
that might occur. Dozens of individual prompts and messages are
recognized, to allow the program to intelligently operate the BBS
under just about any circumstances.
> Three mail doors are directly supported in The Liberator, and com-
patible doors can also be automated with reconfiguration. Carry out
message uploads, personal message downloads, repeat downloading,
regular message downloads, capture a SESSION.TXT file for use in your
reader -- all supported in Qmail v2 doors, Qmail v3 doors, and
MarkMail doors. Pointer resets file uploads and current-session-only
scanning of ALL conferences can also be performed if using a Qmail v3
door.
> Send and receive files to/from your BBS in any of *six* ways! Plain
old PCBoard file uploads and downloads are supported, for the very
basic BBS. However, for maximum speed and efficiency, PCBoard Zmodem
batch uploads and downloads (UB/DB) are supported, if available on
your BBS, and ProDoor batch uploads and downloads are also supported
if a ProDoor is available! The Liberator will transfer as many files
as you have time for, and automatically remove files from your list
when successfully transferred. If you don't have time to transfer a
given file, it remains on your list for the next session. Join a dif-
ferent conference for each file, if necessary. Specify multiple
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Introduction - Page 2
upload and/or download passwords, if necessary. Multiple-line upload
descriptions are also supported in ProDoor, and on PCBoard if avail-
able.
> Use the MakeList command to automatically create a Download List from
the results of a user-defined command. Set up any PCBoard or ProDoor
commands to send to the BBS, such as F)ile Directories, L)ocate, N)ew
files, or Z)ippy Scan commands, and MakeList will capture all files
found and place them on your Download List to be used in the same
session! Send multiple commands in multiple conferences if desired,
and the correct conference will be joined before downloading the file.
You can even manually edit the list, to remove specific files before
downloading.
> Carry out ProBank time deposits and withdrawals if a ProBank door is
available on the BBS. Set The Liberator to take some time out of the
ProBank when you need some extra time for a job. Have it deposit all
your time at the end of a session, or configure how much time to put
in. The Liberator will also check your available online time and
adjust your deposit to leave a specific amount of online time, if
desired.
> If that isn't enough, you can also set up multiple customized commands
to send to PCBoard and/or ProDoor, for the tasks that aren't directly
supported (though there aren't many). For complicated tasks you can
even incorporate other SALT scripts into any given session. Some
useful example scripts are included.
> Interactive operation allows you to select jobs on the fly. Customize
the level of interaction, and even carry out parts of the session
manually, if desired. All of the jobs listed above can be turned
on/off, or set for interactive mode for any given session.
> Any special logon or logoff can also be handled and actually fully
incorporated into any given session. Working iNet logon/logoff
scripts are included, but just about any type of logon or logoff can
be incorporated into any Liberator session with just a few keystrokes.
> Set up a Master list of up to 100 sessions, using any combination of
the jobs outlined above in each session. Dialing delay times can be
set and saved, and the entire Master list can be made to either repeat
itself, or even exit to DOS when complete. When a connection is made,
the list is checked for other jobs to execute on the same BBS. If any
are found, they will all be executed without disconnecting! A dialing
queue is also used to give you the best chance of getting onto busy
PCBoards. If a connection is not established within a user-defined
number of tries, the next job is started, and the current job is
marked to be tried again between all successful jobs.
> Extra protection is built in for a situation when The Liberator can't
locate its position on the BBS. The program actually reads the screen
just as you would, to determine where it is from any of eight key
positions on PCBoard and in the various doors. Any job listed above
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Introduction - Page 3
can be started from any of these eight locations. If the current BBS
prompt is not recognized, <Enter> is sent and it looks again for a
recognizable prompt up to three times. If a key prompt is not found
after three tries, the program notifies you that a recognizable prompt
could not be found and disconnects. No more guessing as to what went
wrong with a session.
> Logons are also equipped with a similar type of prompt recognition/-
recovery routine, but encompass all of the 16 logon prompts that are
tracked, and not just the eight key prompts. In the logon, if none of
the 16 prompts is recognized within 10 seconds of establishing a
connection, <Enter> will be sent. This is also repeated in another 10
seconds, up to a total of three times if necessary. This feature is
essential for connecting to PCBoards which need <Enter> to be hit
before they start the logon.
> And what feature listing would be complete without one of these: "Many
more features!" There truly are dozens more, but I hope that was
enough to get you interested enough to carry on with the tutorial, to
see the many other features available.
1.2. How To Use The Tutorial
This document is introductory for the most part, mainly for first time
Liberator users or even first time BBS or PCBoard users. It will take
you through the steps necessary to set up Telix, PCBoard, a Mail Door,
a Mail Reader, ProDoor and The Liberator itself, while you follow along
and actually get something done! It was not designed to waste your
time, but to *save* you time since you participate and actually get
useful things done as we go along instead of possibly fumbling around
trying to figure it all out for yourself.
The tutor is organized into lessons, and it is recommended that you at
least browse each lesson section to get some idea what you'll miss if
you skip it. Even though you may be a Telix and/or PCBoard expert, you
may still want to quickly follow along with these setup sections, since
some of the information is specifically for setup of The Liberator. Of
course, the more you know, the more you will be able to skip and the
faster the setup will be.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Started - Page 4
2. GETTING STARTED
If you haven't installed The Liberator yet, locate the program files
(INSTALL.EXE, *.SLC, .001, etc.), switch to the directory where they
are located (e.g. CD \TEMP, or A:), then enter GO to run the installa-
tion program. The installation program will ask you what it needs to
know, then install and start The Liberator if all goes well.
If you followed the installation program's instructions properly, you
should be looking at a prompt telling you to start reading the tutor
(congratulations... you actually did!) and to press any key. Since you
are now exactly where you are supposed to be, please go ahead an press
a key to start The Liberator.
GO.BAT will now display a few lines showing you how to start The
Liberator yourself. Once you press a key, GO.BAT will simply enter the
command 'LIBERATE' for you. In the future, enter this command yourself
to start The Liberator.
If Telix starts properly but cannot find The Liberator, then you
possibly gave the wrong 'Script directory' to the installation program,
or don't have it defined properly in Telix. If this happens, please
see the file TELIX.DOC that accompanied The Liberator, to define a
Script directory. Once defined and saved, manually start the program
by typing <Alt-G> (hold down the <Alt> key and tap the 'G' key) then
enter LIBERATE.
2.1. Liberator First Startup
On the first startup, The Liberator automatically checks to ensure that
you have a Script Directory defined, then checks itself to see that all
its files are present in this directory, and that the size of each file
is what it should be. If it aborts due to no defined Script Directory,
please see the file TELIX.DOC that accompanied The Liberator. If it
aborts due to a missing file, or incorrect file size, check the
original disk/archive for the missing file, and re-install the program
if necessary.
Your modem will also be checked to ensure that the 'carrier detect' is
not being forced on. If you are notified that it is, please refer to
TELIX.DOC (the one that accompanied The Liberator) for instructions on
how to fix it, then manually restart the program using <Alt-G>LIBERATE.
Next, if existing Command or Configuration Files from previous versions
are found, the program will convert them for you --automatically.
[Automation is the name of the game with The Liberator, and I hope you
like the word 'automatic', since you'll hear it, and experience it a
lot in this tutor...]
After any conversion, you are then taken (automatically) to the main
Configuration screen, but this screen is mainly displayed for users who
are updating from a previous version of The Liberator and know what the
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Started - Page 5
options mean. New users may also realize what some options are for,
but for now hit <Esc>. You can come back to this screen later if you
want by referring to the "Liberator Configuration" section below for
instructions.
2.2. Registration Reminder Screen
The next thing you will see is the opening title screen, reminding you
that you are using an unregistered evaluation copy of the Liberator.
The screen displays the number of times the program has been used, but
please note that The Liberator keeps track of this number for your
interest only. The program does not expire at a certain number, as it
is felt that a simple reminder is all that is necessary. Many people
actually forget that they are only using an evaluation copy, and
instead of crippling the program, I feel this screen is an adequate
reminder. If you decide to register, you will receive a registered
copy which does not display this reminder, and also allows you to
configure the screen colors. See the registration form near the
beginning of this document for more information.
2.3. BBS Configuration Files
From the title screen, you are automatically taken to create new
Command and Configuration Files, and should now be looking at screen 1
of your first BBS Configuration.
BBS Configurations (Configuration Files) are used to hold information
regarding one specific PCBoard BBS. Each PCBoard BBS that you intend
to use The Liberator with will require at least one BBS Configuration.
As you can see, it holds information about you such as your name, and
lots of information about the BBS such as doors, protocols, etc. There
are four Configuration screens altogether, (screen 4 is only available
if a Qmail door is defined), and we'll cover all the configuration
entries later. If none of it makes any sense to you now, it will by
the time we go to set a full Configuration up below. For now, we'll
just create the simplest one possible.
Each item on the screen can be changed by selecting the number
displayed in the left column. Note that the numeric keypad sends
different key codes, and is not presently supported. The numbers on
the top row of your keyboard must be used to enter digits. Type a '1'
now, and hit <Enter>.
2.4. Editing Screen Entries
When an entry is selected, it will be displayed in reverse video, right
to the maximum limit of the item selected. To change the contents,
simply type over existing characters, or use any of the following keys
for editing:
<Ctrl-End> Hold down the <Ctrl> key and tap the <End> key to remove
all characters from the cursor position to the end of the
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Started - Page 6
entry. This can be used to clear an entry, or remove a
number of characters quickly.
<Ins> Toggles insert/typeover mode. Each item starts in
typeover mode when selected. Press <Ins> once to change
to insert mode (characters are inserted at the cursor
position until the entry is filled). Press <Ins> once
more to change back to typeover mode.
<Home> Moves the cursor to the first character in the entry.
<End> Moves the cursor to the position following the last
character in the entry.
<Left arrow> Moves the cursor one position to the left.
<Right arrow> Moves the cursor one position to the right.
<Alt-F> Hold down the <Alt> key and tap 'F' at any time (even
when editing an entry) to call up the Telix DOS functions
menu, which allows various DOS tasks to be carried out.
<Alt-J> You may also enter <Alt-J> (Jump to DOS) at any point in
The Liberator to temporarily exit to DOS. Type EXIT at
the DOS prompt when you are ready to return to The
Liberator, and everything will be just as it was.
To accept an item as displayed, hit the <Enter> key. To abort any
changes and return the item to its previous value, hit the <Esc> key.
Now that you know how to change the entry, 'Name used on PCBoard' is
exactly as it appears, and the name entered here will be sent to the
BBS in the logon sequence. Think of a local PCBoard, and enter the
name you normally enter in the logon (if you haven't called any
PCBoards yet, enter your own name). Before you hit <Enter>, I would
also like to demonstrate two new features in The Liberator v2.3.
Hit <Alt-F> now and you will see the Telix DOS functions menu pop up,
just as in Telix. This menu can be called up at any time in The
Liberator to allow common DOS tasks to be carried out. You might use
it to browse a text file such as this document, in the middle of
editing an entry, or just when something pops into your mind that has
to be taken care of right away (hit <Esc> to exit the menu). As well,
<Alt-J> will allow you to temporarily jump (shell) to DOS to carry out
some task, or even run another program. Once the DOS task is carried
out, type EXIT at the DOS prompt and you will return exactly where you
were when you hit <Alt-J>. Hit <Enter> now, to enter your name.
Item 2 'Telix Directory Numbers to Dial' is normally where you place
actual dialing directory numbers, but you can also leave it blank to
select the entries manually. Leave it blank for this Configuration,
and we'll select the BBS from the directory later.
Believe it or not, this Configuration may now be usable simply after
entering your name, and we'll test it out in a second. Note beside the
cursor at the bottom of the screen the reminder 'Enter = Save', and
since we're finished for now, hit <Enter> to do just that. A box will
pop up prompting you for a name to save the file under. Just call it
PCBOARD, since it isn't set up for any specific BBS. The information
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Started - Page 7
will then be saved in a file called PCBOARD.CFG, which will be created
in your Script directory. If you use the main menu 'Tools' option,
explained below, you may have The Liberator save these Configurations
in another directory if desired.
2.5. Command Files
The thing about the Configuration Files though, is that they don't
actually specify what you want done on a BBS... they simply hold
configuration information which gives The Liberator information about
the BBS. To define the actual jobs to carry out, we must set up a
'Command File', and you should be looking at the Command File Editor
now, since you are automatically taken there after creating a Con-
figuration.
Note that the name PCBOARD has been placed in the 'Configuration File'
entry for you. If desired, many Command Files, each doing different
tasks, can be set up to use the PCBOARD Configuration we just saved.
'Capture File' is the drive, path, and filename used to capture the
session. The default name given is made up by extracting the drive/-
directory from your current Telix capture file, then adding the name of
the BBS Configuration and the extension .CAP. You may change it to any
other name by selecting/editing the item, if desired.
Some items will display <N/A> (not applicable), since these items
require doors #'s to be defined in the Configuration before they are
usable, and we did not define any doors in PCBOARD.CFG.
Skipping to the last item on the screen, 'Disconnect' controls whether
to log off when the defined jobs complete, or to stay connected (or
even to disconnect, then exit to DOS). In this case, since we don't
have any jobs defined, we will change Disconnect to 'No', which will
cause the The Liberator only to open the capture file, logon, then
leave you at the main board prompt. Sort of an enhanced PCBOARD.SLT.
Select disconnect (14) and enter 'n' for No disconnect.
The other Command File items are discussed later. For now, we need
some information from a PCBoard itself, so please hit <Enter> (Enter =
Save), and enter the name PCBLOGON to save the file. The file will be
created in your Script directory under the name PCBLOGON.CMD. Command
Files may also be created in another directory using the Tools option,
explained later.
2.6. The Command File Manager
You should then be taken to the main menu, or Command File Manager.
You will see that entry 0 holds the MASTER, and you should also see the
name PCBLOGON in one of the other entries, which is the Command File we
just created. There should also be a few others filled in, as a couple
of Command Files are included with The Liberator. These are mainly for
demonstration of some uses for the interactive features of Command
Files.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Started - Page 8
The MASTER refers to a special file (maintained with Add/Remove) that
is used to run multiple sessions on one or more PCBoards, one after the
other without intervention from you. The word MASTER is displayed in
entry 0 whether you have created this Master file or not, but disregard
it for now. When you're ready to set up a Master to run multiple
sessions, please refer to the section 'Using the Master'.
2.7. Print a BBS Configuration Form
Next, we must get set up to call a PCBoard. The Telix dialing
directory itself may need setting up, and we'll check this in a second.
When we do get connected, you will have to take some information down,
such as PCBoard door numbers and 'protocols'. If your BBS has a Mail
Door, it will also need setting up if you have never used it. How to
do these things is all covered below, and is fairly simple, so don't
worry about a lot of work. To help you keep track of the information
we need, you may print out the file BBS-CFG.FRM that accompanied The
Liberator, if you have a printer connected. Type <Alt-J> from the
Command File Manager (jump to DOS), change to the directory where the
file is located if necessary, then setup your printer and type COPY
BBS-CFG.FRM PRN. When the form is printed out, type EXIT to return to
The Liberator. If you do not have a printer, a blank piece of paper
will do.
Next, start the PCBLOGON Command File we created by typing the number
beside it, and hitting <Enter>. A screen should appear, which shows
what is about to be carried out, and only the Capture File and Discon-
nect options should be activated (along with a Dial Starting Time of
'Now'). You are given 10 seconds to look the screen over and abort the
file (you can increase/reduce or remove the delay entirely using the
'Tools' option from the main menu. Many of these details will be
covered after we get the BBS set up). Hit a key or wait 10 seconds for
dialing to start.
2.8. Dialing Directory Setup
Since we didn't define any directory entries in the BBS Configuration,
instead of dialing immediately, the Telix dialing directory is
displayed to allow you to select one or more entries. However, before
we can actually place the call to a PCBoard, we must define the proper
telephone numbers and some other information in the Telix dialing
directory.
2.9. Adding a New Entry
To add a new directory entry, get the phone number of a PCBoard handy
and move the highlight bar to a blank directory entry (or select 'Add'
to create a blank, then hit <End> and move to the blank entry). Once
on a blank entry, select 'Edit'.
Enter a description of the PCBoard in 'Name' (e.g. Joe's PCBoard), and
hit <Enter>, then enter the BBS's telephone number in the 'Phone
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Started - Page 9
number' entry. All the items down to 'Linked script' should be fine at
their defaults, so move down by hitting <Enter> a few times, then enter
"PCBoard" (without the quotes) in Linked script. A linked script is
automatically executed if you make a manual call (without The Liber-
ator), and the defined script will be run to automatically log you on.
You must edit (include your name) and compile PCBOARD.SLT before using
it, so later please see the instructions in this file if you haven't
done so. It is recommended you use the PCBOARD.SLT that accompanied
The Liberator, since it performs a more complete logon (The Liberator
has its own logon routines though, and normally doesn't require this
file). Set it up and compile it whenever you get a chance. The
'Default terminal' should be set to ANSI-BBS and I recommend you use
Zmodem as your default protocol, though it is up to you.
2.10. What are Protocols?
Protocols are used when transferring files (programs, etc.) to and from
the BBS, and you might think of them as a language. Let's say 1k-
Xmodem is Spanish, Ymodem is Japanese, Zmodem French, etc. As with
people, the actual language being spoken is not really important as
long as both people are using, and understand the language agreed upon.
Likewise when you transfer a file, both Telix and the PCBoard at the
other end must be speaking the same language, or using the same
protocol, when transferring programs back and forth. Some protocols
are also more efficient than others.
Zmodem is an efficient and reliable protocol to use, but remember that
it must be available at the BBS before you can use it. Ymodem (Batch)
is also a good choice, then 1k-Xmodem if all else fails. If you have
an error-correcting modem (MNP, etc.) you may also use the -G protocols
for some extra speed (Ymodem-g, G-1k-Xmodem), though I find transfers
often abort using these protocols, with or without The Liberator.
2.11. What are Batch Protocols?
Some protocols also have the ability to transfer files a bunch at a
time (a 'batch') while others can only send one file at a time. Batch
protocols normally allow 'wildcards' (as in DOS, * and ?), and/or
several filenames to be specified, separated by spaces. Once a batch
transfer starts, the Telix transfer window will stay displayed on the
screen continuously while one file is sent after the other. Non batch
protocols allow only one file to be specified at a time, which is
slower. The most common batch protocol is Zmodem, Ymodem (Batch) is
another, as well as Ymodem-g. Xmodem is not batch oriented, nor is 1k-
Xmodem or G-1k-Xmodem. The Liberator will take advantage of batch
transfers in ProDoor, and on PCBoard if available.
2.12. Enter Your Password
Moving along, the rest of the directory entries up to 'Password' should
be fine at their default values, so hit <Enter> a few times to move
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Started - Page 10
down. In the 'Password' entry, <Enter> a password to use on the BBS
and hit <Enter> twice more to save the entry.
2.13. Dial the BBS
To carry out dialing, highlight the proper entry, or mark all ap-
propriate entries with the space bar (making sure they are all PCBoard
BBS's), then select 'Dial' on the bottom menu. Once connected, control
is returned to The Liberator where it will carry out the logon (The
Liberator always disables any 'Linked scripts', such as the 'PCBoard'
linked script discussed above).
If you are logging on for the first time, you will have to abort the
Command File by hitting <Esc>, then enter some information to get
signed up on the PCBoard. (Select "C)ontinue to logon as a new user"
on the BBS by entering a 'C', then answer any questions. When prompted
for a password, make sure you enter the same one defined in your
dialing directory.) Otherwise, The Liberator will attempt to log on,
and should only run into problems if your modem is not set up properly,
or the Sysop [BBS System Operator] is using an old version of PCBoard,
or has changed the format of some logon questions.
If the logon does not take place at all (you see no text within 10
seconds or so), then most likely your modem and/or Telix is not set up
properly and you should refer to your modem documentation, and the
Telix documentation. Common problems include not having 'Echo' turned
on in Telix, or on your modem, or having it turned on in both (double
characters), or having the wrong baud rate set (you must use a baud
rate that both your modem and the PCBoard support... start at 300 and
work your way up if in doubt). The comm. parameters should also be set
in the Telix dialing directory to Parity None, Data bits 8, Stop bits
1.
If the BBS is using an old version of PCBoard, or has changed the
format of some questions (prompts) PCBoard asks in the logon, The
Liberator may not recognize one or more of the logon questions. If the
program cannot find a recognizable prompt within 10 seconds of a
connection, it will send an <Enter>, then look again for 10 seconds,
then send a few Ctrl-X's and Ctrl-K's to attempt to get the board's
attention, and try again. If after three tries a recognizable prompt
is still not found, the program will notify you and abort.
If this happens, abort The Liberator by hitting <Esc>, and logon
manually. Someone may have uploaded a working Configuration for this
BBS (we'll check in a minute), so you may not have to worry about
setting up all the prompts yourself. If a working Configuration is not
found, the section 'Configuring Prompts' will give you some pointers.
However, the main thing now is to get the PCBoard set up for use.
Configure any prompts later, if necessary.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 PCBoard Setup - Page 11
3. PCBOARD SETUP
3.1. Checking For Batch Transfer Support
As mentioned above, some protocols allow files to be transferred in a
'batch' or several at a time, one after the other. The PCBoard UB/DB
commands are used to enter several filenames (a batch) before the
transfer starts. Once all the filenames are entered, then the actual
transfer starts and all files are sent one after the other without
having to close the download window, and go back to the main menu to
enter the next filename.
If this doesn't make any sense now, you'll see what I mean when you go
to download some files. Suffice to say it is a faster way to transfer
files than the conventional PCBoard method of entering one name,
transferring the file, going back to the main menu, entering the next
filename, transferring the file, etc. For example, on a test of
downloading 10 small files, performing the transfer in non-batch mode
took 5 minutes, while the same transfer in batch mode took just over 3
minutes. Needless to say, if you are transferring hundreds of files
each week, the savings in online time and/or long-distance fees could
be substantial by taking advantage of batch transfers.
The Liberator supports every type of file transfer PCBoard is capable
of. Regular non-batch transfers are of course supported, but also both
the PCBoard UB (Upload Batch) and DB (Download Batch) commands are
supported, if available, and the program also allows batch uploads and
downloads in ProDoor if a ProDoor is available.
To make use of PCBoard batch transfers, you must first check to ensure
that your BBS supports them. The UB/DB commands were relatively new at
release of The Liberator v2.3, and your Sysop may not have upgraded to
a new version of PCBoard yet.
3.2. Checking the PCBoard Version Number
An easy way to see if the UB/DB commands are available on your BBS, is
to check the version number of PCBoard that your Sysop is using. To do
this, first press a key to get rid of The Liberator's 'Command File
Complete' window. Note that if you were not at your computer, The
Liberator would have sounded a pager every ten seconds until you
returned and pressed a key.
Now, enter the I)nitial Welcome command at the PCBoard 'Command?'
prompt by entering an 'I'. Near the first line, you should see
something similar to this:
PCBoard (R) - Version 14.5/U
All we need from this is the 14.5 (could also be 14.2, 15.0, etc). You
will later enter this version number in a Liberator Configuration, and
The Liberator will then know if it is possible to perform file
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 PCBoard Setup - Page 12
transfers in batch mode. If the BBS is using 14.5 or greater, both the
UB and DB commands are available. As well, multiple-line upload
descriptions are supported by PCBoard 14.5 or greater, and The
Liberator allows you to enter extended descriptions when available
(multi-line upload descriptions are also supported in ProDoor).
PCBoard 14.2 supports the DB command, but not the UB command, so The
Liberator will not make use of batch transfers here. Batch transfers
use different prompts than regular transfers, and The Liberator cannot
handle both PCBoard methods at once.
See the 'File Transfers' section later, for further details on
uploading or downloading files. For now, simply make note of the
PCBoard version on the BBS Configuration Form, or on a piece of paper.
If the BBS is displaying the 'More' prompt, enter an 'N' for No more,
and you will return to the PCBoard main menu.
3.3. Setting Up Protocols
Next, select T)rans. Protocol to view the available PCBoard protocols.
Then type <Alt-S> to view the Telix protocol menu and find a protocol
that both Telix and the PCBoard have available. Make a note of the
letter used on the Telix protocol menu to select the protocol you chose
and hit <Esc>. Next, enter whichever letter is used on PCBoard to
signify the same protocol. This will be saved by PCBoard as your
'default' protocol.
Note that with some error-correcting modems, the 'G' protocols (Ymodem-
g, G-1k-Xmodem) are not reliable for uploading, so with The Liberator
you can select a separate protocol for uploading, while using the
faster 'G' protocol for downloading. If this is desired, take note of
the actual letter used to select the non-'G' protocol you desire (e.g.
'Z' for Zmodem), as well as the letter used to select the 'G' protocol
(e.g. E for Ymodem-g), on both the Telix protocol menu and the PCBoard
protocol menu, then enter the information on a piece of paper or the
BBS Configuration form. The Liberator will use these letters later to
select the proper protocols both from Telix, and from the PCBoard. If
you are only using one protocol for uploading and downloading, you can
ignore the PCBoard letter used to select it, as long as it is set as
your default protocol.
3.4. Searching For Liberator Configurations
Next, from the PCBoard main menu, type "Z Liberat A" (no quotes, and no
'or' in Liberat in case it is misspelled 'Liberater') and hit <Enter>
to perform a Z)ippy scan for Liberator Configurations. A helpful
Liberator user may have uploaded a working Configuration for this BBS,
which will save us a bit of work (depending on the level of Sysop-
customization on the BBS, it may save also save you some headaches
trying to get the proper prompts). The description should say 'Liber-
ator Configuration for <BBS>' or something similar. It doesn't matter
what version of The Liberator the Configuration is for, since all older
versions of these files can be automatically converted, if necessary.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 PCBoard Setup - Page 13
3.5. Joining Conferences
If you don't find anything, try entering a 'J' to see the conference
menu (it may be longer than one screen; hit <Enter> after each screen-
full). You may need to J)oin a specific conference to get at the IBM
or Communications files, etc. Enter the appropriate conference number,
then resend the Z)ippy Scan command, if necessary. You may also want
to write down the conference number and have The Liberator automatical-
ly join this conference at startup. If you had to join now to get a
file, chances are you'll have to do the same later, so you might as
well have The Liberator do it for you, so you won't forget. Note that
some conferences also require you to OPEN ProDoor before joining them.
Type OPEN and enter the ProDoor number if this is the case.
The Zippy scan should also reveal The Liberator v2.31 itself, (LIB231.-
ZIP) but if it doesn't it would be appreciated if you made a note to
upload it to this BBS after we get The Liberator set up. An Upload
List has been provided to allow you to automatically upload The Liber-
ator. I.e. the program uploads itself! Software such as The Liberator
relies on users like yourself for distribution.
If you didn't find a Configuration, don't despair. They are normally
very easy to set up and we'll go through a full setup below. If the
Z)ippy scan did turn one up, enter the PCBoard command "D <filename.-
ext>", where <filename.ext> is the filename of the Configuration (e.g.
BBSCFG.ZIP), then hit <Enter>. If PCBoard prompts you for filename 2,
hit <Enter> again, twice. Then, hit <Alt-R> (receive; you can also use
<PgDn>) to receive the file, and select the proper protocol from the
Telix menu. The download should only take a few seconds, and for now,
we'll just leave the Configuration in your Download Directory, for use
later when we set up The Liberator further. Once you get a BBS
Configuration working for the BBS, it would also be appreciated if you
could make a note to upload it for others to make use of. Please try
to test all features before uploading it though. Feel free to include
your name for credit.
3.6. Turning Expert Mode On
Since The Liberator does not make use of PCBoard menus, you can also
turn X)pert mode on by typing 'X'. The PCBoard main menu will not be
displayed when expert mode is on, which will speed up operations a
little. If you logon manually (which you may never have to do, with
The Liberator at your disposal) you can simply type 'X' again to turn
eXpert mode off.
3.7. Viewing the available DOORS
Now, type OPEN and hit <Enter> to get a listing of doors available on
the BBS. We are interested in ProDoor, Qmail v2/v3 or MarkMail, and
ProBank, so please fill in all these door #'s on the BBS Configuration
form or a piece of paper, if found. If the board supports door NAMES
you may also use the names if desired (e.g. you enter PRODOOR, instead
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 PCBoard Setup - Page 14
of the number 1, etc.) If you cannot locate a door on the menu, but
you are sure it exists, you may have to J)oin a specific conference
first. Exit the door menu by hitting <Enter>, then type 'J' and hit
<Enter> to get a list of conferences, and join the most probable one
then type OPEN again. Keep J)oining conferences until you find the
correct one (or try reading some of the B)ulletins, or leave a C)omment
to the Sysop asking where it is, if all else fails), then make note of
the conference for use setting up a BBS Configuration later.
If no appropriate doors were found, hit <Enter> at the door menu to
return to the main prompt, then type 'G' for G)oodbye to log off and
proceed to the next section. You can still make good use of The
Liberator even if no doors at all are available. If you located a
ProDoor, please enter its number to OPEN it. If only a Mail Door was
located, skip to the 'Mail Door Setup' section below.
3.8. ProDoor Setup
Once at the ProDoor main prompt, select 'D' and hit <Enter> to view the
protocol menu, then type <Alt-S> to display the Telix protocol menu.
ProDoor frequently has extra protocols that are not available on
PCBoard. Find a protocol that both Telix and ProDoor support, then
take note of the Telix protocol menu letter for the protocol you prefer
and hit <Esc> (if using separate upload/download protocols, make note
of both letters). Then take note of the ProDoor menu letter used to
signify the same protocol (again, if you wish to use separate protocols
for uploading and downloading, please take note of both letters).
Enter the information on the BBS Configuration form, then hit <Enter> a
couple of times to abort the ProDoor download.
3.9. Mail Door Setup
If the BBS has a Mail Door (Qmail/MarkMail), OPEN the door by selecting
its number from the door menu, and we'll go set it up for use. If you
are not looking at the door menu, type OPEN then hit <Enter>, and enter
the appropriate number.
Setting up a Mail Door is very easy, and in my opinion is much easier
than learning the standard online way of messaging. These doors
collect new messages on all the subjects (conferences) you're inter-
ested in, then they compress all the messages found, usually in Phil
Katz's ZIP format. You then receive (download) a file which you can
browse offline at your leisure, using a special reader program. Not
only does this save your limited online time, and possibly long-
distance fees, but it's also more relaxing and allows you to be more
thoughtful about your replies since there is no need to rush.
If opening a Qmail door, once the door opens, take note of the Qmail
major version number (for MarkMail, simply make note that a MarkMail
door is being used). The Qmail v2.xx and v3.xx doors operate quite
differently and the major version # must be specified in The Liberator.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 PCBoard Setup - Page 15
The basic steps to setting up these doors is to select C)onfigure, then
a) select the conferences (each conference covers a different subject)
you are interested in, b) reset your 'last message read' pointers in
each conference to the last 50 or 100 messages, so that you don't get
thousands of old messages (e.g. if the 'high message' pointer is at
500, set your 'last message read' pointer to 400 or 450... do this for
each conference), and c) select a default protocol. That's about all
there is to it. The Qmail v3 door will even take you to the proper
menus automatically, the first time you use it.
There are other optional items that you may want to change, such as
getting a listing of new files/bulletins in each packet, etc. Take a
look at the Configuration menu and configure the door as you like (if
you don't see a menu, turn expert mode off by entering an 'X'). In a
Qmail v3 door, some extra options are available by entering OPT (enter
a question mark to view the OPTions, then type a number to toggle it ON
or OFF as you like). The Liberator is pretty much indifferent as to
how you set the door up, other than the protocol used, so take note of
which protocol you selected as the default, just as with your PCBoard
protocol.
If you wish to use separate protocols for uploading and downloading,
you must be using a Qmail v3 door. In this case, take note of the
letters used on the door's protocol menu, to select the protocols you
desire, and fill the information in on the BBS Configuration form. If
you are using a Qmail v2, MarkMail or other door, you must use the same
protocol for both uploads and downloads.
The Liberator also needs to know the official Packet ID of the BBS, in
order to locate and maintain mail packets. You can find out the Packet
ID now by selecting 'D' from the main door menu to Download a mail
packet (in Qmail v3 doors, select 'Q)uit' to get out of the Configura-
tion menu, and back to the main door menu). The door will then start
collecting messages from all the conferences you selected, and will
display a screen of what it found. It then asks if you want the
packet, to which you reply 'Y' (yes). The door will then start to
compress the packet, which may take a minute or two, and will prompt
you to start your download when the packet is ready.
Of course, if you are not using auto-Zmodem hit <Alt-R> (receive) and
select the proper protocol when the door prompts you to start your
download (later, The Liberator will take care of all this for you). In
the Telix download window you will see a file called SOMETHING.QWK (QWK
for Qwik, since the original door used to be called the QwikMail
Door... since changed to Qmail Door. The QWK extension is just a
renamed ZIP or ARC, etc). The SOMETHING part of the filename is what
we're interested in, since this is the Packet ID. For example, on
Qmail door author Mark (Sparky) Herring's BBS, you receive a file
called SPARKY.QWK. In this case, SPARKY is the Packet ID. Take note
of the Packet ID being used on your BBS and write down the information
for use in setting up The Liberator. When the download is complete, if
expert mode is available to suppress the menu display, please turn it
on by typing 'X' to speed up operations for automated sessions.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Mail Reader Setup - Page 16
4. MAIL READER SETUP
If you downloaded a mail packet and do not yet have an Offline reader
program (Deluxe, EZ-Reader), you may want to download one from the BBS
now. Otherwise, that's about it for setting up the BBS, so logoff by
entering 'G' for G)oodbye. If you are not using a mail reader program
(to read packets from a Qmail/MarkMail door), please proceed to 'Liber-
ator Setup'. Setting up a mail reader is a fairly involved topic, and
largely depends on the reader you select so I'll just cover the basic
steps to get you going.
4.1. Choosing a Reader
First you need a reader if you don't have one. At the writing of this
document, the two popular readers were Qmail Deluxe by Mark Herring
(author of the Qmail door) and EZ-Reader by Eric Cockrell. Both will
allow you to read QWK packets downloaded from either a MarkMail or
Qmail door (and other doors using the same packet format), so it's up
to you as to which you choose.
EZ-Reader is Shareware, and you should be able to find a copy on your
BBS by typing "Z READER A" from an appropriate conference (Zippy scan
for "READER" in All areas) You should also run into Mark Herring's
Shareware reader, but you won't find Deluxe on your BBS, since it's for
registered users only. Mark's Shareware reader may be updated in the
future to give you a better idea of what Deluxe is like, but at the
writing of this document the Shareware reader and Deluxe bore little
resemblance. The Shareware Qmail reader will allow you to get started
though, and is useful for the registration form to order Deluxe.
Use your discretion, and talk to other mail reader users via your BBS
(in an appropriate conference) for information as to which reader is
best suited to your needs. Download both, then logoff by typing 'G'.
4.2. Configuring the Reader
When you get your reader(s) installed (do this later), the usual steps
are to define a Packet directory (where the reader should look for the
QWK packets you download from the door... normally your Telix download
directory, but The Liberator allows you to define another directory) a
Reply directory (where the reader will create an <ID>.REP file contain-
ing your replies to upload back to the door), and an editor to enter
replies and new messages to upload back to the door. You must also
define 'packer' commands, that the reader will use to uncompress QWK
packets, and to compress your REP (replies) packet.
Getting the reader to communicate properly with your favorite word
processor or editor is normally where people run into problems.
However, if you follow your reader's documentation carefully you
shouldn't run into problems. Mail readers are a subject all their own,
so I won't get into it any further, but you can surely get a lot of
help in your reader documentation and on your BBS.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Getting Help From PCBoard - Page 17
5. GETTING HELP FROM YOUR BBS
First, there's no need to waste time, BBS disk space, and the support
staffs' time leaving a new message if someone just asked the same
question the day before, so have a look in the 'back issues' by reading
some old messages.
PCBoard (and ProDoor, if available) is set up into conferences: each
conference containing messages on a different subject. To view the
available conferences on your BBS, type a 'J' from the main menu for
'J)oin a conference', then hit <Enter>.
The list of available conferences should then be displayed (possibly
more than one screen), and you must look for an appropriate conference
for the subject matter you are interested in. For example, if you are
looking for Mail Reader help, look for a Qmail (also good for Qmail Door
help) or EZ-Reader conference. For Telix help, look for a Telix or
Communication conference, etc. For Liberator help, some BBS's carry a
Liberator support conference, but you can also use the TELIX conference.
If no conferences apply to the subject you are interested in, try the
general conferences such as TECH help or IBM, if available.
The MAIN (conference 0) can always be used if all else fails, but this
area is normally limited only to users of the same BBS, while other
conferences are often 'echoed' to/from users on other BBS's. Note that
older PCBoards could only support a limited number of conferences, and
to get at the messages in the higher numbered conferences you must OPEN
the ProDoor before J)oining the conference.
If you don't find an answer to your problem by reading some old
messages, then post a public message to ALL (in the appropriate
conference) and surely you'll get lots of help. Many times, a con-
ference is 'echoed' to other BBSes, which means that if you leave a
message there, it is sent to all the other BBSes on the echo network
(depending on the network, this could be thousands of other systems, so
don't say hi to 'Joe', or ask questions specific to your BBS in an
echoed conference).
Whatever you do, don't be embarrassed about asking a 'dumb' question (of
course, don't be arrogant or demanding either, or you likely won't get
much help). No matter how dumb you think the question is, it is
unlikely that anyone will even notice. The message bases are full of
nothing BUT 'dumb' questions... and there really are no 'dumb' questions
as far as most people are concerned. You can rest assured nobody will
make fun of you or think you're dim-witted just because you have a basic
question. Everyone was new to all these subjects at one time or
another.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 18
6. LIBERATOR CONFIGURATION FILES
Now that we have that out of the way, we can set up a BBS Configuration
File properly. If you did not find a BBS Configuration when we were
logged on to the PCBoard above, you may skip down to 'BBS Configuration
File Setup'.
6.1. Installing A Pre-defined Configuration
If you found a Liberator Configuration File on your BBS, type <Alt-J>
from Telix terminal mode (or any Liberator prompt) to shell to DOS,
switch to your Telix Download Directory and uncompress the file if
necessary. PKUNZIP <filename> for a .ZIP file, PKUNPAK <filename> for
an .ARC file. If you don't have these programs (pkzip/pkunpak), you
know how and where to get them... they are available on just about any
IBM oriented BBS.
Next, simply copy the CFG file (or files) into your Telix script direc-
tory, or Configuration File directory, if you specified one (e.g. COPY
*.CFG C:\TELIX\SCRIPTS). Once the Configuration is in your script
directory, type EXIT to return to Telix, and start The Liberator by
typing <Alt-G> then entering LIBERATE. From the main menu, select
'Tools', then 'Convert files to v2.3 format'. The new Configuration
(and all your other files, but it will only take a second) will then be
checked and converted to v2.3 format if necessary.
6.2. Configuration File Setup
BBS Configurations, once set up, can normally be forgotten. You do not
have to go through all these steps each time you want to set up a job
to execute on a PCBoard. Only one Configuration File need be setup for
each PCBoard and you can then set up as many jobs as you like for that
BBS without creating a new Configuration.
If you are not at The Liberator's Command File Manager, start the
program now by typing LIBERATE from DOS, or entering <Alt-G> LIBERATE
from Telix terminal mode. Once again, select 'C'reate to get started,
and either enter a 0 if creating a new Configuration, or enter the
number beside the pre-defined BBS Configuration, if you found one on
the BBS. If you found multiple configurations on the BBS, select the
'main' one, or the one that looks like it is used for general purpose.
6.3. PCBoard Setup Screen
'Name used on PCBoard' should be set to the name you used to log on to
the PCBoard above. Select this entry now by entering a '1' (on the top
row, and not the numeric keypad). Then, type the name used on the
PCBoard (use <Ctrl-End> or the <Del> key to clear any trailing charac-
ters from the entry), and hit <Enter>.
'Telix Directory Numbers to Dial' is where you store Telix Dialing
Directory entry numbers for the PCBoard. If no numbers are entered,
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 19
The Liberator will display the Telix dialing directory at runtime to
allow you to select entries manually. However, to avoid having to
select the entries each time, you may specify up to 10 Telix directory
entries in this option (10 is the Telix maximum). Select the option
now, and you will see a large editing box appear. This box is used for
all entries that exceed the length of the display window to the right
of the screen. If there were actual entry numbers in the option, they
will be moved to the box for editing.
Some options display reminders, such as the one here. If you press
<Alt-D>, the Telix dialing directory will be displayed to allow you to
edit or view any entry. Hit <Alt-D> now and move the dialing directory
highlight bar to any valid PCBoard entry. Select 'Edit' and just
confirm that all the information is entered correctly, and that your
password for this BBS is entered in the 'Password' option near the
bottom (this is also required for operation of PCBOARD.SLC, and most
Telix scripts). Next, take note of the directory entry number to the
left of the PCBoard name. If there is more than one entry for this
PCBoard, please confirm that your password is entered in each one, take
note of all entries, then hit <Esc> or type 'X' to exit the dialing
directory.
Now type the directory entry number(s) in the box. If more than one is
to be used, separate each number with a space (e.g. 30 31 32) up to 10
entries, or 64 characters which is the Telix maximum, then hit <Enter>.
'PCBoard version' is the PCBoard software version number being used at
the BBS, which we took down above. Specify the full version number,
and one decimal -- even if a 0 (e.g. 14.0). New features were intro-
duced in PCBoard 14.5, and The Liberator must know whether they are
available before attempting to make use of them. Note that if you
enter a version 14.5 or greater, you will be asked if you wish to make
use of Batch transfers. If you answer 'Y'es, the file transfer prompts
will be automatically adjusted for batch operation. To change out of
batch mode, select the item again, and answer 'N' when asked whether to
perform batch transfers.
'Redial attempts' holds the number of dialing attempts you want The
Liberator to make before giving up. Actually, The Liberator just
passes the number defined here, and the entry numbers, to the Telix
dialing routines, and Telix handles all dialing. If you defined 3
dialing directory entries in option 2 above, and set this option to '3'
redial attempts, then each entry will be tried once. If you have only
a single entry defined and you set '3' redial attempts, the single
entry will be tried three times (a TOTAL of 3 attempts will be made.
This is just the way Telix works, and not a function of The Liberator).
If you want to dial repeatedly, until a connection is established,
leave this item at '0'. Note that this 'Redial attempts' value is only
used when calling this BBS by itself. When calling multiple BBSes with
the Master, a dialing queue is used, and you may set a separate lower
number of redials if desired.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 20
'Response delay time' is used to make The Liberator slow down its entry
of responses to questions. Sometimes a PCBoard may not be fast enough
to handle the speed with which The Liberator answers questions. This
can be remedied by setting a response delay. Tenths of a second are
used, so a delay of 1 is one tenth of a second, 5 is half a second,
etc. Usually this item can remain at 0, but if you notice responses
coming out too fast, or not at all, try setting a delay.
'Backspace protection' is a new feature in The Liberator v2.3, and is
used as protection against line noise. Even though The Liberator
answers questions very rapidly, sometimes line noise sneaks in before
it responds to a question, or may sneak in while pausing for the
Response Delay set above. The result is something like this:
Please enter your first name? !@$%^Sig Tingloff
The garbage characters before the name are caused by noise on the
telephone lines, and prevent proper entry of the response. The
Liberator defaults to sending five backspaces before entering each
response, which would eliminate the line noise above. If no line noise
is present, the backspaces are sent anyway, but PCBoard ignores them so
they don't do any harm (the MarkMail door does not ignore them, and
actually complains vigorously, so backspace protection is automatically
disabled there). You can have up to 30 backspaces sent before each
response, which should be enough to eliminate even the worst line
noise. The backspaces are sent very rapidly, and the response is
entered immediately afterwards, so there isn't much chance of any noise
sneaking through once the entry starts. If for some reason you want to
turn the feature off, you can do so by entering a zero here.
'Language to use' is not implemented on most PCBoards, and may remain
set at 1 if only one language is supported. If more than one language
is supported, enter the number for 'English', if available, so you
won't have to reset all The Liberator's prompts for another language.
Some PCBoards also have a special language for 'scripts' such as The
Liberator, which normally uses all the standard English PCBoard prompts
(which is what The Liberator defaults to). You should use this
language if available.
'PCBoard Graphics' (color) should stay at 'n' for No, unless is it
essential to have color turned on for some reason. Having graphics on
slows things down, and this option may be removed entirely in the
future, since having graphics on also sends special codes which
sometimes confuse Telix's tracking routines.
'Conference to Join at Startup' is used mainly for PCBoards which
always force you to start at the 'Main' conference. On some PCBoards,
CRS for example, most IBM-specific files are only available from the
IBM conference. In a case such as this case, you should set The
Liberator to join this conference at startup. As well, you may have
had to join a specific conference to find a DOOR when we were logged on
above, and in this case you should enter the conference number here.
The conference NAME can also be used, if supported in the BBS.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 21
'MarkMail/Qmail Door' This entry probably says 'Qmail Door' at
present, since we haven't been to the Mail Configuration screen (if you
are using a pre-defined CFG though, it may already display 'MarkMail
Door'). If you turn on MarkMail support, on Configuration screen 4,
the entry will change to 'MarkMail Door', but The Liberator defaults to
Qmail v3. If you found a Qmail or MarkMail door on the door menu,
enter its number here. The header (the line at the top of the screen)
should then change from 'Screen 1 of 3' to 'Screen 1 of 4'. If the
PCBoard supports door NAMES you may also enter the name of the door
(e.g. QMAIL).
'ProBank Door' This door is used to deposit online time, to be used in
a later session. The Liberator allows you to withdraw time from the
ProBank before starting a session, and can also deposit as much time as
you like when the session completes. Enter the ProBank door number
here if your BBS has one. The door NAME can be used if door names are
supported on the BBS (e.g. BANK).
'ProDoor' This door is like another BBS within PCBoard and it supports
many features that are not available on PCBoard. The Liberator allows
you to enter ProDoor for 'batch' file transfers (explained above) and
to make use of the extra protocols and conferences that are usually
available only in ProDoor. As well, customized commands can be defined
and sent by The Liberator in ProDoor to take advantage of the door's
many enhanced commands. Enter the ProDoor number here, if your BBS has
one. The door NAME can also be entered, if door names are supported on
your BBS (e.g. PRODOOR).
'Online time to save/Max online time' Online time to save is also a
new feature in The Liberator v2.3. This refers to the actual online
time you have available each day on the BBS. The Liberator can read
the time from the PCBoard/Qmail/ProBank/ProLogon/ProDoor main menu
lines (assuming your Sysop is using the standard format), to determine
how much time you have left. If the time set in this option is
reached, The Liberator cancels further jobs and logs off. The option
comes preset to save 5 minutes of online time, which leaves enough time
to get on and get into the ProBank to get more time out. You may want
to perform one automated session per day, but also want to logon later
in the day to do some work manually. In this case, just set 'Online
time to save' to the number of minutes you wish to save for you manual
session. (Note that the online time will almost surely not be exactly
what you set here, since the online time can only checked between major
jobs, when The Liberator is at a prompt displaying your available time.
Allow some leeway).
'Max online time' is the total number of minutes to stay online before
logging off, regardless of how much online time you have left. This is
mainly used to limit the total connect time for long-distance calls,
etc. Again, the connection may not be broken exactly at the number of
minutes you specify here. The Liberator can only check the elapsed
time when it has control of your computer (Telix has control during
file transfers). If you specify 30 minutes maximum, and if 25 had
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 22
elapsed, The Liberator would still start a 50,000 byte file transfer,
which may take longer than the specified time. Once the transfer was
complete, The Liberator would see it was past the allotted time and
logoff... Again, allow some leeway.
'Telix/PCBoard Upload Protocol' When this option is selected, a menu
of the most common Telix protocols will be displayed to allow a visual
selection of the desired protocol. If the protocol you want is not on
the menu, select 'O'ther and enter the Telix protocol letter you wrote
down earlier (if you forgot the letter, hit <PgUp> to view the Telix
protocol menu). When the Telix protocol letter is entered, you will be
prompted to enter the corresponding PCBoard letter for the same
protocol. If you are using your default PCBoard protocol enter an 'N'.
Otherwise enter the letter you wrote down earlier at the PCBoard
protocol menu.
'Telix/PCBoard Download Protocol' This is normally set the same as the
entry above, but if you are using an error-correcting modem and wish to
use a 'G' protocol for downloads, enter the proper letters here.
'Custom Logon/Logoff Scripts' This entry is used to handle special
logons and/or logoffs that are not supported internally by The Liberat-
or (The Liberator has built-in support for PCBoard logons). You can
use this option to handle iNet/Datapac logons/logoffs, or any other
logon/logoff for which you have a working Telix script. The logon
script, if defined, is executed as soon as The Liberator establishes a
connection, and the defined script should carry out whatever is
necessary to get to the PCBoard CONNECT. The Liberator will pick
things up from there (The Liberator can also carry on after a partial
PCBoard logon). The logoff script, if defined, is executed as soon as
PCBoard sends the 'Run Logoff Script' prompt, defined on CFG screen 2
(normally 'Thanks for calling'). Support for iNet logons/logoffs is
included with The Liberator.
'Usage Log' The Liberator makes extensive use of this file for
stamping various status/error messages. This can be helpful when
trying to figure out what went wrong with a session, and the Usage Log
should be the first place you look for error messages. You are allowed
to clear the entry, thereby turning off the Usage Log, but this is not
recommended unless absolutely necessary, since many status/error
messages would be lost.
'Upload Directory' This is the same as the Upload Directory defined
within Telix, but if you want to use a different drive/directory for
this BBS, then define it here. When you request an upload (to send a
file to the BBS), The Liberator will look for file(s) to upload in the
directory defined here, unless you specify another path in your Upload
List. The exception to this is REP files (replies to upload to a Mail
Door) and PTR files (pointer reset, for Qmail v3) which have separately
defined directories on screen 4.
'Download Directory' This is the same as above, but for downloads. All
files downloaded (received) from the BBS are placed in this directory.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 23
The exception to this is QWK packets (containing messages from a Mail
Door) which can be placed in a separate directory, defined on screen 4.
That's it for screen 1, so please press the <Down arrow> or <PgDn> key
to move to the next screen. Note that the bottom line displays the
up/down arrows to remind you how to change screens, if you forget.
<PgUp> / <PgDn> may also be used. Note that <up> from screen 1 takes
you to screen 3 (or 4, if a Mail Door is defined), and <down> from the
last screen takes you to back to screen 1.
6.4. PCBoard Prompts Screen
Unless your Sysop has redefined the format of some prompts (e.g.
changed 'What is your first name?' to 'Yo dude, what's your name?'), or
is using a different language, you may never need to change anything on
screen 2. Prompts may also need changing if setting up for an older
version of PCBoard (older than 14.0). The Liberator operates by
watching for these prompts/messages to come in, then enters the cor-
responding response for what it thinks it found (most of the prompts
the program watches for can be redefined by you). For some prompts,
The Liberator doesn't enter a response, but carries out some operation,
such as starting a file transfer, etc.
Note that some prompt descriptions are followed by an asterisk (*).
These are 'key' prompts, from which The Liberator can start any job.
There are eight key prompts altogether (4 on the next screen, 2 on Mail
Configuration screen 4), and The Liberator can start any job from any
of these prompts. For example, if you are in the Qmail Door, you can
start The Liberator online and select a Command File set up for a
ProDoor batch transfer. The Liberator will then check the prompt,
realize it's in the Qmail door, Q)uit from the Qmail Door, OPEN the
ProDoor, and start the transfer. Same goes for any other job that you
set up in The Liberator. If you get a message '<< Unable to locate a
recognizable prompt >>', then none of the eight key prompts could be
located. Information on setting the prompts on screen 2, 3, and 4 is
discussed in the section 'Configuring Prompts' below.
6.5. Pro Utilities Screen
ProLogon is a 'front door' program for PCBoard. If your BBS is using
it, you'll know -- it can totally change the face of PCBoard, and
created a fairly major hurdle for this release of The Liberator
(ProLogon is now automatically supported, if found on your BBS).
ProBank is a door used to deposit and withdraw online time. ProDoor is
a complete BBS inside a BBS. If no Pro Utilities are available on your
BBS (ProLogon, ProBank, ProDoor), then you will not need to configure
anything on screen 3 either. If you found a ProDoor when we were
logged on, one thing to note on this screen if using ProDoor for file
transfers, is item 3:
'Transfer in ProDoor if how many files?'. On some PCBoards, doors take
quite a while to OPEN, and it may not be worth it to enter ProDoor just
to transfer one or two files. This is what item 3 is for: to limit the
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 24
use of ProDoor to a certain number of files. If a ProDoor is defined,
before starting any file transfers, valid filenames are counted on both
your Upload and Download Lists. If the total number of files on both
lists is equal to or greater than the number defined in item 3, the
ProDoor will be OPENed and the transfer (which is a much faster 'batch'
transfer) will take place there. If there are less files than that
defined in item 3, ProDoor will not be opened and the transfer will
take place on PCBoard.
If you want ALL your transfers to take place in ProDoor, regardless of
how many files are on your list (assuming you have already defined a
ProDoor on screen 1), enter a '1' in this option. If you want all your
transfers to take place on PCBoard (for example, using the 'DB'
command), enter a '0' in item 3. Otherwise, enter whatever number of
files you feel it would be worthwhile to OPEN the ProDoor for.
'Number of files per ProDoor batch' can be used to limit the number of
filenames that are entered before transferring each batch. If you set
it to '5', then five filenames will be entered, these files will be
transferred, then five more filenames entered, etc. Normally you can
leave this set to a high number, since The Liberator will usually
automatically recognize when a batch is full. However, if a batch is
not started when prompted, set this number to 1 less file than the
number of filenames entered. As many batches as you have time for are
carried out.
Enter your ProDoor Upload/Download protocols in the same manner as your
PCBoard protocols on screen 1, but using the ProDoor protocol letters
you took down above in the door. The rest of the items on this screen
will need changing only if your Sysop has changed the standard prompts,
or an old/very new version of ProDoor is being used. If you have
problems with any Pro Utilities, you will know which screen to come to
for redefinition of prompts. Also note the four 'key' prompts on this
screen (the descriptions followed by an asterisk), from which any
Liberator job can be started.
Hit <Down arrow> to move to screen 4. If no Qmail door was defined on
screen 1, you will instead move back to screen 1, and may proceed to
'Saving a BBS Configuration' below.
6.6. Qmail/MarkMail Setup Screen
'Packet ID' is the ID of the QWK packet that we obtained when we were
in the Mail Door. Enter the proper ID here.
'Door type' is the type of mail door being used on the BBS, which we
noted earlier. To change the type, select item 2 and enter a '2', '3',
or 'M' for Qmail v2, Qmail v3, or MarkMail respectively. If you are
setting up a pre-defined Configuration, this item should already be set
to the proper type of door. Selecting a different door type will
automatically update the prompts, and you will lose any changes you had
made to the prompts on the screen.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 25
'Perform Qmail/MarkMail transfers last' is for use on PCBoards that
don't allow you to Q)uit from the Mail door after use. If you set this
to 'y' (yes), the Qmail transfers will take place last, after all other
jobs.
'Number of QWK packets to keep' is the maximum number of packets to
rename or 'renumber'. If you set this to '5', The Liberator will keep
your last five QWK packets on hand by renaming/deleting older packets
as new ones come in. Up to 99 packets can be handled in this manner,
and all renumbering will take place OFFLINE before dialing (assuming
you aren't already online when you start The Liberator) to avoid
wasting online time. The Liberator allows two renumbering formats; the
default being <packet-id>nn.QWK, where nn is a number from 1 to 99, and
an alternate method of <packet-id>.Qnn, where the <packet-id> is left
undisturbed. The alternate method can be selected using the main menu
'Tools' option, and selecting 'Configure'. If you don't want your
packets renumbered, set this option to '0' and old packets will simply
be deleted just before a new packet is downloaded.
'Number of REP packets to keep' is the same as above, but for your
reply packets. REP packets will also be maintained offline, after the
connection is broken, if possible.
'Mail Door Protocols' The protocols in the next two options should be
entered as defined when setting up the Mail Door. Note that the 'Door
Upload/Download Protocol' options (following the Telix protocols after
the /) should both be set to 'None (default)' unless using a Qmail v3
door and using separate upload and download protocols. Other doors do
not permit the use of separate upload/download protocols, and you must
use the default protocol as you defined in the door.
'SESSION.TXT pack command' is the command needed to add a file to your
newly downloaded QWK packets. The SESSION.TXT file was discontinued in
the Qmail v3 door, and it simply contained the same screen that is
displayed after your message packet is collected (where you are asked
if you want the packet or not). It shows the number of messages found
in each conference, etc., and if this file exists in your QWK packet,
your reader will display it when you open the packet for reading. This
can be useful to give you some idea what's coming in the packet. The
command to enter here is simply the name of the proper archiver,
depending on the format of the packet. For example, if your QWK packet
comes in ZIP format, you would enter PKZIP (or whatever you renamed
PKZIP.EXE to). If your packet comes in ARC format, enter PKPAK, etc.
If a command is entered, The Liberator will capture the packet informa-
tion screen to a file called SESSION.TXT, and will insert the file in
the appropriate QWK packet when you disconnect from the BBS.
'QWK/REP/PTR directories' must be set to the same directories defined
in your reader. If you set C:\QWK as your QWK Packet Directory in your
reader, then you must set the same directory here in the Configuration.
Same with the REP directory. Note that the PTR directory is only
useful for those using Qmail v3 doors, which place a <packet-id>.PTR
file in your packet containing information about your message pointers
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuration Files - Page 26
(Deluxe automatically extracts this file and places it in your 'Archive
Directory' when you open the packet). The file can later be uploaded
to the door by The Liberator to reset your messages pointers quickly in
a number of conferences.
The rest of the items will only need changing if your Sysop has changed
the standard prompts, so that's about it for BBS Configurations! Refer
to the section 'Configuring Prompts' for prompt configuration informa-
tion, if necessary.
6.7. Saving a Configuration File
You can save the Configuration by hitting <Enter> when the cursor is
next to the 'Enter = Save' prompt. Hitting <Enter> (or <Esc>) here
will call up the save window, where you can do one of three things:
a) Hit <Esc> to abort saving the file. Any changes you made are
discarded and not written to disk.
b) Enter a new name to save the file under. If there is a <packet-id>
for the BBS, this is a good choice for the Configuration name. If
not, just enter an abbreviated name that will remind you of the BBS.
The file will then be saved as <name>.CFG, where <name> is the name
you enter. Configuration Files are normally saved in your Script
directory, but you may change this with the main menu 'Tools' option
under 'Configure'.
c) If you were editing a Configuration created previously (such as if
are editing one we found one on the PCBoard), you can give the file
a different name. This will cause the file we started with to be
left alone, and will create a new file using a different name. (e.g.
you start by editing BBS.CFG, but save it as BBS1). This can be
useful to 'clone' previously created BBS Configurations and cut down
on setup time.
For our purposes, please save the file by typing in a name and hitting
the <Enter> key, or by simply hitting <Enter> if you are editing a
Configuration from the BBS. You will then automatically move the
'Create Command File' screen.
6.8. Cloning or Editing Configuration Files
To edit or just view a previously created Configuration, select 'Edit'
from the main menu, type <Alt-E> to edit a Configuration, then select
the file you want to view/edit from the menu. If you found multiple
pre-defined BBS Configurations on your BBS, use this method once we get
back to the main menu, to set the rest of the Configurations up
properly (you have to enter your name and the proper dialing directory
entry #'s in each CFG). To edit a Configuration from the Command File
Editor screen (the screen you are looking at now), select option 1
'Configuration File' then hit <Alt-E>. To clone a Configuration, use
either of the above methods, make any changes you like, then simply
save the file using a different name.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Command Files - Page 27
7. LIBERATOR COMMAND FILES
Command Files define what jobs you want done on a BBS in a given
session. You may create up to 99 Command Files, to carry out an almost
limitless variety of sessions on many different PCBoards.
NOTE: All options listed below can be set to interactive mode by
entering a question mark in the option. When the Command File is
executed, you will be prompted for a response to any interactive
options. This allows the level of interaction, for any given Command
File to be tailored to suit your needs.
'Configuration File' can be thought of as the BBS itself; as this is how
you tell The Liberator which BBS to execute the defined jobs on. The
actual jobs to carry out are defined below. Note that the BBS Con-
figuration we just saved has already been placed in option 1 for you,
but you could select option 1 to use another Configuration (for another
BBS... or even just a different setup for the same BBS) if you had
Created others. You can also edit the currently named Configuration at
any time by selecting item 1 and hitting <Alt-E>. You can even enter a
question mark (?) in the option, as you can with any of the options
below, to select the Configuration (BBS) at runtime.
'Dial Starting Time' is the time you want this Command File to start
running. If you define a specific time, say 4am (04:00), then each time
you select the Command File from the main menu, The Liberator will pause
until 4am before dialing and carrying out the defined jobs. Time is
specified in 24 hour (military) format, so 12:00 is noon, 00:00 is
midnight, 17:00 is 5pm, etc. Just add 12 if entering a PM time (1pm +
12 = 13:00... 1am = 01:00 -- do not add 12 for AM times). When you
select this option, the current time or the previously saved dial
starting time will be displayed for editing. Enter an 'N' (Now) as the
*first* character (you needn't clear all the other characters) to cancel
a dial starting time and have the Command File execute as soon as you
select it.
'Capture File' is the drive, path, and filename used to capture the
session. The default name given is made up by extracting the drive/-
directory from your current Telix capture file, then adding the name of
the BBS Configuration and the extension .CAP. Feel free to change it to
any name you like (you might want to get used to the default format,
since it will most likely be forced in v3 of The Liberator, to allow
capture file maintenance). Capture Files are quite useful for determin-
ing problems with sessions, such as capturing a prompt that your Sysop
redefined and caused the program to hang.
'Sound' If set to 'n' (None), then no sound at all will be heard,
including Telix alarms and PCBoard beeps. Really there is no need to
have sound turned on when The Liberator is operating, since it handles
everything automatically, and has no need for intervention. Should you
choose not to disconnect from the PCBoard (via item 14), sound will be
turned on and you will be paged when the Command File completes.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Command Files - Page 28
However, if you prefer you can turn sound on for the entire automated
session by selecting this item and entering 'y' (yes).
'ProBank Withdrawal' is used to set the number of minutes to withdraw
from the ProBank. The number of minutes set here will be taken out of
the bank before any jobs start, immediately after the logon completes
(if you are already online when you start The Liberator, the logon is
bypassed). If no ProBank door is defined in the CFG named in item 1,
ProBank withdrawals will not be available and the item will display
<N/A>. If you have not used the ProBank before, you will have to
accumulate some time using 'ProBank Deposit' below before attempting a
withdrawal. You may use The Liberator immediately to deposit time;
ProBank requires no manual setup.
'Custom Command[s] 1' is used to send your own commands to PCBoard, or
run another Telix SALT script in the middle of, or even as a Liberator
session. Custom Commands can be used to read mail from systems without
a Qmail door, or to carry out some of the smaller jobs that The
Liberator doesn't directly support (reading bulletins, etc). The
commands can be as simple or as complex as you desire. There is a
section devoted to Custom Commands later in the manual, with some
example commands, that you should refer to when you're ready to set up
one up. Custom Commands are a powerful and very easy-to-use option, and
are well worth looking into when you have time.
If you don't have a Mail Door defined in the Configuration, you may skip
the next three items.
'Qmail Pointer Reset Upload' should be set to 'y' (yes) if you wish to
send a PTR reset file to the Qmail door (Qmail v3 only). If using
Deluxe, the proper file can be found in your 'Archive Directory', and
you may edit the file to reset multiple conferences, or simply upload it
as is to reset your pointers to where they were before you downloaded
your last packet. If you can't find the <packet-id>.PTR file, simply
unpack it from your last QWK packet (e.g. PKUNZIP <id>.QWK <id>.PTR ...
if PKUNZIP doesn't work or gives an error, try PKUNPAK, or LHARC, etc).
PTR files are useful if you get a bad packet, but the door updated your
pointers. You simply have The Liberator upload the PTR file, and all
your pointers will be back where they were before your last download.
'Qmail/MarkMail Replies Upload' should be set to Yes if you want to
perform a <packet-id>.REP upload to the Mail Door. The <packet-id>.REP
file is created by your reader, and holds any replies or new messages
you entered while reading the <packet-id>.QWK packet. When the REP
packet is uploaded, the Mail Door extracts the replies inside and
inserts them in the BBS message base, in the correct conference,
addressed to the correct person. If the upload is successful, the
packet is automatically deleted or renamed by The Liberator depending on
the number you set in 'Number of REP files to keep' in the Configura-
tion. If the proper REP file cannot be found (if you haven't created
any replies ... or gave the wrong <packet-id> or 'REP directory' in the
CFG), The Liberator will cancel the upload request when you start the
Command File, thus you may leave this set to Yes if desired.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Command Files - Page 29
'Qmail/MarkMail Download' has a few different settings. If set to Yes,
a regular download will take place according to how you configured the
door. If set to Personal, only messages addressed to you will be
downloaded. If set to Repeat, downloading will continue until the 'No
Mail Found' prompt is received. This can be useful when you have a lot
of catching up to do, and must download several packets (each packet has
a limit as to its size). Sysops may also find Repeat downloading useful
when picking up echomail from a large hub. If more than one packet is
downloaded, you will find them in the form <packet-id>.QW0, <packet-id>-
.QW1, etc.
If you select 'y', 'p' or 'r', and are set up for a Qmail v3 door, you
will be asked if you wish to scan ALL conferences. At release of The
Liberator v2.3 this was only available in the Qmail v3 door, and it
causes every conference on the BBS to be scanned for messages, and not
just the ones you configured in the door. Answer 'y'es if you want ALL
conferences scanned.
'Custom Command[s] 2' is similar to Custom Command[s] 1, except that if
a ProDoor is defined in the CFG, the Custom Command[s] will be executed
in ProDoor instead of on PCBoard. This allows you to take advantage of
ProDoor's enhanced commands. If no ProDoor is defined, the command is
sent on PCBoard. As with Custom Command[s] 1, you can also specify a
SALT script to execute in this option. The MakeList script, included
with The Liberator, is an example of what can be done with these Custom
Commands and secondary SALT scripts.
'Upload List' is the drive, path, and filename of a Liberator Upload
List. If a list is specified here, all valid files on the list will be
uploaded to the BBS, including entering the description for the file.
These lists are quite simple to create, and when you are ready to do so,
please refer to the 'File Transfers' section later in this manual.
'Download List' is similar to the Upload List option above, but the list
consists of names of files to download. When you are ready to create a
Download List, please refer to the 'File Transfers' section, and the
section 'Creating a Download List using LIST.COM'.
'ProBank Deposit' is where you set the number of minutes to deposit in
ProBank, if available. The deposit takes place after all other jobs are
complete. When you set a deposit, you can enter more than your
available time to deposit all your time if you wish. The Liberator will
take your remaining online time and adjust the deposit to leave the
number of minutes you set in the 'Online time to leave' item in the
Configuration. Normally this is 5 minutes, which leaves enough time to
get into the door and take some more time out.
'Disconnect' controls whether you want to log off, or stay connected
when the Command File completes. You can also set this option to
disconnect, then exit to DOS if desired by entering 'e' (Exit to DOS).
If set to No, to remain online, when the Command File completes The
Liberator will page you with an alarm every 10 seconds until you return
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Command Files - Page 30
and hit a key. If you don't return within about 3-5 minutes, the BBS
will timeout and break the connection. Again, set this item to 'No'
now, so that just a logon will performed, and will leave you at the
PCBoard prompt.
What you should have now is a Command File that does nothing but log
onto the BBS (specified by 'Configuration File'), open a Capture File,
then stay connected to allow you to carry out whatever you want to do:
basically a logon script that opens a capture file.
Hit <Enter> to save it, and create a name that will remind you of what
the Command File does. For example, if the Configuration File was
called 'BBS', you might type in 'BBSLOGON', or BBS-ON as the name. The
file will then be saved in your Script directory as <name>.CMD, where
<name> is the name you entered in the window.
That's it! You have now created a Command File, which specifies the
jobs you want done, and a working BBS Configuration (actually this
largely depends on your Sysop and the prompts on your BBS) which
specifies which PCBoard you want the Command File to execute on. You
can now create as many of these Command Files as you want for this BBS,
by selecting Create from the main menu, and entering the number of the
BBS Configuration we created above.
7.1. Running Command Files
To run Command Files, the one we just Created for example, simply type
the number beside the name you want to run. Run your logon Command
File now by typing its number. If you receive a message that the
program was not able to recognize any prompts, please see the section
on Configuring Prompts below. You can also start The Liberator and run
Command Files when already connected, but you must get to one of the
eight 'key' prompts first (the key prompts are signified by an asterisk
following the prompt description, in the Configuration).
7.2. Command File Abort Codes
The Liberator was designed to handle many errors that occur during the
operation of a Command File, and can normally salvage a session even if
errors occur, but sometimes it is necessary to abort the Command File
and log off the BBS. If this happens, a message will be printed on the
screen (which can be read from the capture file or by using the Telix
<Alt-B> 'Scrollback' command before leaving Telix) along with a number
in brackets, called an 'Abort Code'. All abort code values and their
meanings and possible remedies are listed in the section 'Abort Codes/-
Remedies' at the end of the manual.
7.3. Pausing Or Manually Aborting Command Files
To pause a Command File, hit the <Esc> key. A menu box will then
appear called the Control Menu. From here you can carry out a number
of tasks, or select option 1 to abort the Command File. The Liberator
does not just dump you back to terminal mode immediately when you
abort, but will first take care of any details that need cleaning up;
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Command Files - Page 31
such as Qmail REP packet maintenance, or adding the SESSION.TXT file to
your QWK packet (both of these tasks normally takes place offline,
after the Command File completes). As well, any system variables such
as the default colors, Upload/Download directories are put back at
their proper values. The Usage and Capture files are purposely not
reset however, to allow the remainder of your session to be recorded in
the same files. These files should be closed manually when you
disconnect.
7.4. Creating New Command Files
The main menu Create option is used to create new Command Files (and
Configurations if necessary). When you are ready to create a new
Command File, select Create then simply select the BBS Configuration
you wish to use from the menu. There is no need to create a new BBS
Configuration each time you want to set up a new job. As many Command
Files as desired can be created for an existing Configuration. To
create a new Configuration, select Create, then enter '0' (or hit
<Enter>) from the Configuration menu.
7.5. Editing Existing Command Files
The main menu Edit option is used to modify or view an existing Command
File (or Configuration File as explained in the Configuration section).
To edit a Command File, select Edit and simply enter the number beside
the file of your choice. You can clone Command Files in the same
manner as Configurations, by Editing an existing file and just saving
it under a different name.
7.6. Deleting Command/Configuration Files
The main menu Delete option is used to delete any Command File, and its
accompanying Configuration as well if necessary. You can also delete
these files right from DOS if you like, by switching to your Script
directory (or Command/Configuration directory if defined) and using the
DEL command. Make sure you don't delete a Configuration if other
Command Files are set up to use it, or these Command Files will be
unusable.
7.7. Renaming Command/Configuration Files
The main menu reName option (selected with 'N') is used to give a
Command and/or Configuration File a new name. Simply enter the new
names when prompted. To rename the Configuration only, hit <Enter>
when prompted for a new Command File name, then enter the new name for
the Configuration. The name will also be updated inside the accompany-
ing Command File, but other Command Files that used the old name will
not be updated and should be changed manually if necessary.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Liberator Configuration - Page 32
8. LIBERATOR CONFIGURATION (Tools 'Configure' option)
'Master redial attempts' is the same as the redial attempts you entered
in the BBS Configuration, but this number is used for the queue when the
'Master' is running (discussed below).
'Display Command File Delay' is used to display what the Command File is
about to carry out, to give you a chance to abort. You may increase or
reduce the 10 second default here.
'Qmail Packet Renumbering Type' is only of interest if you are using a
Mail Door. The Liberator can maintain (renumber) your packets in two
ways: by placing the numbers in the <packet-id> portion of the filename,
or in the QWK/REP extension. This is where you can change the method
used, if desired.
'Text Editor' is the drive, path, and filename of your text editor.
What is a Text Editor? A Text Editor is a very common tool, much like a
word processor, but used to create 'DOS text files' (sometimes called
ASCII files), such as BAT files, and even files like this document.
Text files can be read from DOS with the TYPE command, and do not need
to be loaded into a special program like a word processor to be printed
or viewed. The Liberator expects your File Lists (used for upload-
ing/downloading) to be in 'text file' format: without word processor
formatting codes. If you don't have a Text Editor, perform a Z)ippy
scan on your BBS in the appropriate conferences (e.g. "Z EDITOR A" or
Z)ippy scan, for EDITOR, in All areas). There are many good Shareware
editors available. The Liberator uses the editor defined here to allow
you to edit File Lists from within the program.
'Command File Directory' is initially set to your Script directory, but
if you prefer to keep this directory uncluttered, you can tell The
Liberator to put your Command Files elsewhere. Define the drive/path
of any valid directory here.
'Configuration File Directory' is the same as above, but for your BBS
Configurations.
Type <Alt-S> to save any changes you made, or <Esc> to exit, when
finished with this screen.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Custom Commands - Page 33
9. SETTING UP CUSTOM COMMANDS
Custom Commands allow you carry out jobs on PCBoard or in ProDoor that
are not supported internally by The Liberator. They are something like
the macros you assign to keys in Telix, but are more powerful, and more
oriented to PCBoard. You can use Custom Commands to capture and
download messages from systems without a Mail Door, or to carry out some
PCBoard/ProDoor jobs that are not supported internally by The Liberator.
You can also capture the results of PCBoard/ProDoor commands to a user-
defined capture file by executing the example CAPCMD.SLT script from a
Custom Command, or for more advanced capture, the MakeList script
included with The Liberator.
There are two types of entries you can make in the 'Custom Command[s] 1'
(to save some typing, I'll call this 'CC1') and 'Custom Command[s] 2'
('CC2') items of a Command File. The first requires that you know a
PCBoard or ProDoor command, or multiple commands (some examples are
given below, if you don't). In this case, you enter the PCBoard/ProDoor
command in CC1 or CC2 pretty much the same as you would enter them on
PCBoard. The Liberator sends the defined command[s] when you run the
Command File.
The second type of Custom Command entry requires you to have a Telix
script that does the job you want done (such as the MakeList script, or
one of your own), and in this case you enter the script's name in CC1 or
2 preceded by the '@' character, as in a Telix macro. The @SCRIPTNAME
may be followed by 'parameters', as outlined below.
9.1. Defining a PCBoard or ProDoor Command
To have a PCBoard command carried out, simply enter the desired command
in CC1 or 2. To have a ProDoor command carried out, you must define
the command in CC2 and make sure a ProDoor is defined in the BBS
Configuration being used (the Custom Command help screen will tell you
to enter a 'ProDoor' command if a ProDoor is defined in the Configura-
tion). CC1 is always carried out on PCBoard, but The Liberator will
OPEN the ProDoor first for CC2, if a ProDoor is defined in the BBS
Configuration being used. If no ProDoor is defined, CC2 is carried out
on PCBoard.
You should 'stack' your commands where possible, but you can also embed
the command with <Enter>s (Carriage Return, or CR for short) if
necessary. Command stacking means that you enter all command options
on one line. For example, on PCBoard you can carry out a Zippy scan by
typing a 'Z' then hit <Enter> and enter the text you want to scan for,
hit <Enter> again then enter the file areas to scan, and hit <Enter>
once more... then type NS (non-stop) and hit <Enter> again if the
'More' prompt comes up. Or you can enter the whole shot on one line:
Z <text to scan for> <file areas> NS
This is how you should do it whenever possible in a Custom Command. If
you must use <Enter>(s) in your command, you may specify them right in
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Custom Commands - Page 34
the command as a control character (<Enter> is Ctrl-M). To specify any
control character, precede the character with a caret (^). <Enter>
would be ^M, which is made up of TWO characters (^ and M) and not by
holding down the Ctrl key and hitting M. You can also cause half
second delays within the command entry if necessary by using a tilde
(~). Two tildes equal a 1 second pause.
9.2. Sending More Than One Command
Use the vertical bar (|) to separate full commands. If a vertical bar
is encountered, a CR (<Enter>) is automatically sent and The Liberator
pauses until it one of the eight 'key' prompts defined in the BBS
Configuration appear. You needn't specify ^M before a vertical bar
unless you actually want two <Enter>s sent.
9.3. Automatically Handled Prompts
While sending the commands you define, or while waiting for one of the
eight key prompts, the following prompts are automatically handled by
The Liberator, if encountered:
Prompt Defined on CFG Screen Response
More (PCBoard) 2 NS (non-stop)
Scan Message Base 2 N (no)
Pause 2 ^M <Enter>
ProDoor More 3 NS (non-stop)
This is useful in case you forget to specify 'NS' (non-stop) in your
command, or if you use a J)oin conference command and the 'Scan message
base' prompt appears, etc. Note that the final command must eventually
finish at one of the eight 'key' prompts, or The Liberator will not be
able to start the next job.
9.4. Some Useful Commands
The below commands are for use in CC1 or 2, and should be executed on
PCBoard v14, or inside a ProDoor where specified.
To carry out file oriented commands (commands which normally produce
filenames such as F)ile Directories, N)ew Files, L)ocate, or Z)ippy
scans), precede the command with @MakeList <filename> to have the
MakeList script capture all the resulting files, remove extraneous
text, and place the result in <filename>. <Filename> can then be used
for downloading in the same session, or saved for later use. MakeList
also allows you to send commands repeatedly in a number of conferences.
See MAKELIST.DOC for more info and some examples... it is a powerful
script and is worth looking into.
J <conf>| Precede any of the below commands with this to J)oin a
specific conference first (note the vertical bar is used as a
command separator). If sending the command in ProDoor, or if
conference NAMES are supported on your PCBoard, you may also
use the name (e.g. 'IBM' instead of '2'). For example: "J 2
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Custom Commands - Page 35
Q|R S D" joins conference 2 (note the 'Q' for 'Quiet mode'
which suppresses the NEWS bulletin) then sends a message read
command as explained below.
For the below commands to work properly, Zmodem must be your default
PCBoard protocol (set with the PCBoard T)rans. Protocol command), and
you must have auto-Zmodem downloads turned on in Telix. This is due to
the fact that Zmodem downloads start automatically. The Liberator will
not start other types of transfers, when requested from Custom Commands.
R S D Read all messages Since the last message read in current
conference only, then Download the result. The file
containing the messages will be placed your Download
Directory as defined in the BBS Configuration.
R Y S D Same as above, but selects only mail addressed to you.
R F Y S D Same as above, but selects messages left by you as well.
R A D Read all messages above the last message last read, in
All conferences selected, then Download the result.
Substitute the 'S' in the two commands above with an 'A'
to scan All conferences selected, instead of just the
current conference.
ZIPM A|D^MZ^M^M To get the extended conferences (older PCBoards
support only a limited number of conferences), use this ProDoor
command in CC2 to ZIP (compress) messages in all selected conferen-
ces, then Download. The three trailing <Enter>'s (^M) are necessary
to get the download started.
The below commands are better suited for use with the CapCmd script
(explained below) that was included with The Liberator, but you can use
them directly as well. You may also precede the commands below with J
<conf>| to Join a specific conference (e.g. J 2 Q|B 2 5 NS):
B 2 5 NS Read bulletins 2 and 5 in NonStop mode. You should have a
Capture File defined in the Command File when this command is
used, then simply read the capture file when offline. To have
the bulletins placed in a separate file, use the CapCmd script
as outlined below.
NEWS NS Re-displays the conference NEWS file in NonStop mode. This
can be useful if you J)oin a conference in Quiet mode or if
you used The Liberator's 'Conference to Join at Startup'
option, which also uses Quiet mode and suppresses the NEWS
display.
I NS Display I)ntial welcome in NonStop mode. The Liberator
allows only one screen of the initial welcome news, to
make logons as speedy as possible. If you want to see
the entire welcome news, use this in a Custom Command.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Custom Commands - Page 36
9.5. Running Other Telix Scripts
If using the above method of entering the command directly isn't
appropriate or possible, you can also call a SALT script for more
complicated jobs. I provided a couple of example scripts for this
purpose, and will show you how to get started to create your own simple
scripts here (also see the SALT tutor included with The Liberator).
SALT is not complicated at all, if you ignore the advanced features and
make use of the simpler ones.
To have a script executed from a Custom Command, simply precede the
scripts' filename with '@' (e.g. @FILENAME). Note that the extension
of the script is not necessary if .SLC is used. To call the compiled
CAPCMD.SLC script, you would use @CAPCMD.
9.6. Passing Parameters To Scripts
As well, you can pass 'parameters' (command line options) to the script
if it is set up to accept them. The Liberator separates the rest of
the line after the @SCRIPTNAME into two portions. Portion one
(parameter 1) is the first 'word' after @SCRIPTNAME, up to the next
space. This is normally used for filenames, since they don't contain
spaces. Portion two (parameter 2) is the rest of the line after the
space following parameter 1. Example:
@SCRIPTNAME <parm1> <parm 2 remainder of line>
The CapCmd script included with The Liberator takes two command line
parameters like so:
@CapCmd <capfname> <command>
<capfname> being the name of the file you want to use as a temporary
capture file, and <command> being the actual command to send to
PCBoard/ProDoor. For example, to have this script capture bulletin 6
to the file C:\TEMP\B6.CAP, you would use the following Custom Command:
@CapCmd C:\TEMP\B6.CAP B 6 NS
Or to capture another conference's news file to a file on drive B:
called NEWS1.CAP, the Custom Command could be defined like so:
J 1 Q@CapCmd B:NEWS1.CAP NEWS NS
As you can see above, @SCRIPT need not be the first item in a Custom
Command. However, @SCRIPT must always be the last item, since any text
following the script name is separated into parameters, and passed to
the script. Note that no '^M' or '|' followed the J 1 Q command above
(^M means <Enter>, | means <Enter> then wait for a 'key' prompt). This
is because when '@' is not the first character in the Custom Command,
it causes the same effect as a vertical bar, or in other words <Enter>
is sent, then we wait for a key prompt before starting the script.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Custom Commands - Page 37
Note that CapCmd does NOT automatically handle the prompts outlined
above, so make sure you specify Non Stop (NS) in your commands. CapCmd
also does not interpret the special characters ^ ~ @ | as The Liberator
does.
9.7. Replaceable Parameters?
These are very simple and useful. You can replace either parameter 1
or 2, when passing parameters to any script, with:
%u (or %U) which The Liberator then substitutes with the name entered
in the 'Upload List' item of the same Command File. Whatever name
is in 'Upload List' is then passed to the script. If nothing at
all is defined in Upload List, then a default name is created in
the form <cmd_file_name>.UL. The actual name of the Command File
replaces <cmd_file_name>, .UL stands for Upload List. (E.g. if
executing BBSCAP.CMD, the name BBSCAP.UL is used if %u is used as a
parameter and no Upload List is defined in the Command File).
%d (or %D) is substituted as above, but with the name defined in the
'Download List' item. If no Download List is defined, a default
name is created as outlined above, but with the extension .DL (for
Download List).
Replaceable parameters can be used when passing parameters to any
script. They are useful when the actual name of the Up/Download List
isn't known when you define the Custom Command... for example, if the
Up/Download List item is set for interaction with a question mark.
9.8. Script Return Values - IMPORTANT
The return value of a called script (sent via the SALT return()
statement) is significant, and is tested by The Liberator. If 0 or 1
is returned, the Command File will continue with any other defined
jobs, as usual. Any other value signifies to abort, and causes the
Command File to abort disconnect. This can be useful when programming
your own scripts, as you will be able to 'tell' The Liberator to abort
the Command File via a return(2); return(3); return(-2); etc. You can
tell The Liberator all went well by either not using a return at all,
or by using return; return(0); or return(1); from the main(). The
value -1 should never be returned via the return statement, as in SALT
this signifies that the called script was not found, or there wasn't
enough memory to load it.
Whatever value is returned from scripts called via Liberator Custom
Commands is stamped in the usage log, for later reference.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 File Transfers - Page 38
10. FILE TRANSFERS
The Liberator can transfer files in any of six ways, depending on the
BBS. The slow, plain old PCBoard uploads and downloads are supported on
any BBS, and will be used where nothing else is available. PCBoard
'batch' uploads and downloads can be taken advantage of for extra speed,
if your BBS supports them. Batch transfers are discussed in the
sections 'What are Protocols?' and 'Setting Up PCBoard'. As well,
ProDoor batch uploads and downloads can also be carried out, if your BBS
has a ProDoor. You can even have The Liberator count the number of
files on your lists and make a decision whether to OPEN the ProDoor, or
carry the transfer out on PCBoard.
10.1. Sending Files (Uploading) To PCBoard
To have file uploaded, you create a list of filenames with your Text
Editor (Text Editors are described above in the section 'Installing The
Liberator', if you don't know what they are), by typing the filename
and description in, pretty much as you would do when you were on
PCBoard. Each file you want to upload is specified along with a
description on the SAME line. One file/description per line. For long
multi-line descriptions, if supported on your BBS, you may enter up to
500 characters per line... but do not use more than one line per
description.
There is no limit as to the number of files you can place on your File
Lists. The Liberator will transfer as many files as you have time for,
and will automatically remove files from your list after the transfer
is carried out successfully! Any files that are not transferred are
left on the list for next time (sometimes The Liberator 'comments out'
lines in your list... this is explained below). A line from an Upload
List might look like this:
LIB231.ZIP The Liberator PCBoard Automation System.
This line would cause The Liberator to search in the defined Upload
Directory (defined in each Configuration on screen 1) for the file
LIB231.ZIP, and if found, the upload request is sent to the BBS. If
the BBS gives the okay, the description "The Liberator PCBoard
Automator for Telix." is entered, and the transfer is started when
prompted.
10.2. Comments On File Lists (//)
Lines can also be 'commented out' of your list, which means they are
ignored, by using two forward slashes (//) at the beginning of the
line. You may use this feature to place permanent comments in your
lists, or to temporarily remove filenames without actually deleting the
line from your list. The Liberator itself sometimes inserts "//
(error)" at the beginning of a line to comment out a file, depending on
the error that occurred when attempting the transfer. (Error) is
substituted with the actual reason that the line was commented out.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 File Transfers - Page 39
Comments remain on the list permanently, and should be removed manually
when necessary. Lines that start with a space, or a vertical bar (|)
are also treated as comments, but these lines are removed from the list
when encountered.
10.3. Optional File List Items (Switches)
You can also add other items to each line if you have special needs,
such as joining specific conferences, specifying an upload or download
password, or if you don't want the line removed from the list when the
transfer is successfully carried out. As well, you may specify a drive
and/or directory path if the file is not located in your Upload
Directory as defined in the BBS Configuration being used. The full
format for each line is:
[/u-|/d-pass][/#nnn][/P] [d:][\path\]FILENAME[.ext] <Description>
The items in square brackets simply denote optional items, and the
square brackets should not actually be included if you use these items.
The vertical bar (|) means to use one or the other (either a /u-pass
or /d-pass... subtitute 'pass' with a password). The filename must be
separated from other items on the line by at least one space. Switches
may appear in any order, and can be separated by a space if desired,
but '/' must be the *first* character on the line for switches to be
recognized. Switches must precede the filename, or they will not take
effect, and will be considered as part of the <Description>. All of
the optional items are explained below, in the same order as they
appear on the line above.
10.4. Specifying Upload or Download Passwords (/u /d)
Some PCBoards require entry of a specific password before uploading or
downloading. If a specific file, or all files on your File List
requires the entry of a password in order to send or receive the file,
use the /u switch for Upload passwords, or the /d switch to specify
Download passwords. When the switch is found, the password following
the switch stored in memory and will be entered if the 'Password'
prompt, defined on CFG screen 2, appears when entering a filename. Any
character other than a space or tab may be used to separate the switch
from the password (/u=pass /u:pass, etc.) Use whichever character you
prefer.
10.5. Joining Specific Conferences (/#nnn)
'/#nnn' is an optional conference to join before uploading the file.
Substitute 'nnn' with the actual conference number. Conference NAMES
may also be used if supported where you are performing the transfer.
ProDoor supports conference NAMES, and some newer PCBoards do as well
(e.g. /#IBM). All files below, and including the line with the /#
switch are uploaded to the specified conference (you need not specify
the switch again, until you want to join a different conference). If
you ALWAYS join a specific conference before uploading or downloading
files, rather than place a /# in your File List each time, specify the
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 File Transfers - Page 40
conference in the 'Conference to Join at Startup' option on CFG screen
1 of the appropriate Configuration.
Once a /# switch is used, The Liberator keeps the current conference in
memory, and will not re-join the same conference if the same switch is
specified again, while still in this conference. As well, the con-
ference is not joined until a valid filename is found on the list. If
/# is specified, and no valid filenames follow, the conference will not
be joined.
10.6. Making File List Items Permanent (/P)
The '/P' switch causes the line on which it is found to be 'permanent'.
Usually, once a file is successfully up/downloaded, the line is
automatically removed from the list to avoid duplicate up/downloads the
next time the list is used. Other switches, and lines starting with a
blank (space or tab) or (|) are also normally removed when encountered.
To override this, use the /P switch, and the line will remain on the
list. This can be useful when you wish to upload the same file, using
the same File List, to multiple BBS's, or keep a switch permanently on
your list (e.g. /#2 /P). /P can be used for Download Lists as well.
Note that lines starting with the comment switch (//) also are con-
sidered permanent, and must be removed manually. Comments may also be
placed after other switches: /u-Mypassword // This is a comment.
10.7. Using Switches On Separate Lines
All the switches listed above can be used by themselves on a line which
does not specify a filename, if desired. As mentioned above, the /u
and /d switches are read then stored in memory for use if the 'Pass-
word' prompt appears. When a /# switch is encountered it is stored in
memory and will take effect for the next valid file. The /P switch, if
used without a filename causes the current line, along with the current
conference, to remain on the list. For example:
/#2
// (file not found) FILENAME.EXT This file was removed earlier
This is an invalid line because of the leading space
/u=up-password // This is the upload password
/P
NOEXIST.ZIP File does not exist
| This line is ignored because of the vertical bar
If the above were your entire Upload List, conference 2 would not be
joined since no valid filenames follow the request. Only once a valid
filename was found, would conference 2 be joined. The /P switch, if
specified on a line without a filename, causes the current conference
to be placed permanently on the list, at that position. Once The
Liberator had processed the above Upload List, it would look like this:
// (file not found) FILENAME.EXT This file was removed earlier
// This is a comment (lines starting with // are never removed)
/u=up-password // This the upload password
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 File Transfers - Page 41
/#2 /P
// (file not found) /#2 NOEXIST.ZIP File does not exist
Note how the current conference is also placed with a file, if it
removed with an // (error). This occurs with any file that is removed,
to ensure that the proper conference is not lost, should you rearrange
the list later.
10.8. Specifying A Drive/Directory
[d:][\path\]FILENAME[.ext] is an optional drive, path and extension,
which can be specified for any file on your Upload List, if the file is
not located in the Upload Directory specified in the Configuration. If
the file is not found in the directory specified, The Liberator will
then search the defined Upload Direcory, and upload the file if it is
found there. No particular extension is assumed, and if you do not add
an extension, The Liberator will simply add a period (.) as the
extension. The . is added since ProDoor usually adds a 'default'
extension [.ZIP, etc.] if no period follows the filename, which may
cause an error locating the file.
10.9. Upload Descriptions
<Description> should be replaced with a description of the file you are
uploading. When online, The Liberator enters the description character
by character, just as if you were typing it yourself (but perhaps
faster). The description isn't typed in as fast as other respones,
since The Liberator pauses (for 1/10 of a second) and checks whether
the description has 'overflowed' after entering each character. If you
are performing the upload in ProDoor, or on a PCBoard that supports
multi-line upload descriptions, don't concern yourself with what text
will end up on what line. The BBS itself will take care of this using
'word wrapping' within the margins, much like your word processor does.
The Liberator simply enters all the characters you give in the descrip-
tion (the entire description MUST be specified on the same line in your
Upload List... up to 500 characters per line are permitted), and the
BBS takes care of line-wrapping. You may force text to the next
description line by using ^M (two characters... ^ and M) in your
description. It is *not* necessary to use ^M's to move to the next
description line though.
When creating your Upload List, if your text editor keeps wrapping your
descriptions to the next line, look for a way to set the margins. Set
the margins to 0 left 500 right if possible, or simply to the maximum
width within 500 characters. The description you give must be at least
15 characters in length, or The Liberator will not attempt the upload,
and will automatically 'comment out' the line from your list. The
minimum description limit on PCBoard was 10 characters at release date,
but ProDoor has a minimum of 15 so I used this number to keep things
consistent (PCBoard usually follows ProDoor in any case, and will
probably increase its 10 char. minumum in the future).
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 File Transfers - Page 42
If the description is too long and overflows (each BBS may be set up to
accept a different number of characters for a description), The
Liberator will stop sending characters and attempt to backspace over
any that overflowed.
10.10. Backup Lists
Before your original File List is modified, it is copied to a file of
the same root name, but with the extension .BAK. For example, if the
Upload List was called TEST.UL, you could find the list in its original
condition in TEST.BAK. This also applies to Download Lists.
10.11. Demonstration Upload List
To demonstrate how to upload to a BBS, I'll assume you found a PCBoard
that doesn't have The Liberator v2.31 in its library, and that you want
to help me distribute the program, so are going to have the program
automatically upload itself (how's THAT for assumptions...).
An Upload List to automatically upload The Liberator was provided, and
will also use multiple-line descriptions if available on the BBS. All
you have to do is 'Create' or 'Edit' a Command File from the main menu
and include the name LIB231.UL (and drive/path if not in the current
directory) in the 'Upload List' option of the Command File. Of
course, before use it does require you to have the file LIB231.ZIP in
your Upload Directory. Sorry about that... it's one of the things I
couldn't take care of automatically.
For example, assuming the Upload List itself (LIB231.UL) was in the
C:\TELIX Directory, you would enter "C:\TELIX\LIB231.UL" (without the
quotes) in the Upload List option of an appropriate Command File, then
copy LIB231.ZIP into your Upload Directory. The Upload List can then
be used as many times as necessary, since the /P switch is specified
along with the filename. Load the file LIB231.UL into your Text
Editor, and set the margins to 0 left 500 right (or as wide as
possible) to edit the file, if necessary. Some further instructions
and information were placed directly in the file, to help you get
familiar with automated uploading.
10.12. Telix Batch Upload Limitation
Note that when performing batch uploads, each filename in the batch is
separated by a space, and passed to Telix on one line in order to carry
out the upload itself (e.g. FILE1.ZIP FILE2.ZIP FILE3.ZIP). However,
from SALT scripts, there is a limit of 64 characters for the entire
batch of filenames. This means that only about 3 or 4 filenames can be
specified at once for batch uploads... enough filenames to fill the 64
character limit. You needn't let this concern you, since The Liberator
keeps track of how many characters are already in this line, and will
stop entering names and transfer the batch when a filename is too big
to fit within the 64 character limit. A new batch is then started
until filenames fill up the 64 character limit again. This continues
until the list is complete or you run out of time. The 64 character
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 File Transfers - Page 43
limit is mentioned only for your interest, in case you wondered why not
as many files are entered in a batch when uploading.
10.13. Receiving Files (Downloading) From PCBoard
Downloads are performed much like uploads, but a description need not
be entered along with the filename. Any characters following the first
space after the filename are ignored in Download Lists. The same
switches apply for joining a conference, or specifying permanent lines,
as outlined above for Upload Lists. Use your Text Editor, the MakeList
script, or a program that copies lines from one text file to another,
such as Vernon Buerg's LIST.COM, to create your Download Lists. Once
the list is created, you simply supply the list's location/filename in
the 'Download List' option of any Command File to have the downloads
carried out (e.g. C:\TELIX\DOWNLOAD.LST)
10.14. Using LIST.COM to create Download Lists
If you obtain, or are currently using Vern Buerg's LIST v6.4a or
greater, you can read PCBoard file listings quickly and easily -- and
create a Liberator Download List at the same time. Complete file
listings can be downloaded from most BBSes, and contain all the files
in a specific file area, or all the files on the BBS. As well, Mail
Doors such as the Qmail Door can be set up to send new files listings
along with a message packet. In Deluxe, you use the A)rchive New Files
command to save the entire new files list to a file called <packet-
id>.NEW, which can be browsed with LIST to create a Download List. You
can also use the MakeList script along with a F)ile Directories, N)ew
Files, L)ocate, or Z)ippy Scan command to capture file listings (see
MAKELIST.DOC for info).
With LIST, you can view PCBoard listings using the up/down arrow,
PgUp/PgDn, Home/End cursor keys. Then, when you see a file you want to
place on your Download List, mark the line by moving it to the top of
the screen then hitting <Alt-M>, or the bottom of the screen then
hitting <Alt-B>. If several consecutive lines are to be marked,
perform a second <Alt-M> or <Alt-B> on the last line in the series.
Marked lines will be marked in reverse video.
Then dump the line(s) to your Download List by typing <Alt-D>. For the
first line(s) dumped, you must enter the name of your Download List
(LIST always prompts for a filename when <Alt-D> is pressed). From
this point on, you then use <Alt-O> to dump, which means to 'dump to
the last filename used'. Using this method will ensure that, a) the
filename is spelled correctly and, b) that the file actually exists on
that board. Not to mention that it is easier than typing the names
manually!
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Using The Master - Page 44
11. USING THE MASTER
The Master itself is very simple. It's just a list of Command File
names that you create with Add and Remove on the main menu. This list
is processed by the RunMaster script to run multiple Command Files in a
number of different ways. The Command Files defined on the Master list
can be executed on the same BBS without disconnecting, for a 'linked'
type job, and/or on a variety of BBS's, without intervention. The
Master is a very powerful feature if used to its full extent. Some
example scenarios and uses for the Master are covered below.
11.1. Creating a Master
First, you must have at least two Command Files that actually do
something. The Master does not accept interactive options (they are
automatically turned 'off' when the Master is running), and does not
allow a Command File to remain online at completion, so you can't use
the logon script we created above since, with disconnect enabled, it
doesn't do anything but logon then logoff... (considered useless, and
thus The Liberator will not run it). The reason interactive options
are automatically disabled, and disconnect enabled, is that it is
assumed you will not be present when you run the Master, and thus would
not be able to provide input for these items. If you plan to be
present, you may simply select the Command Files from the Command File
Manager.
If you don't yet have at least two Command Files setup to do real jobs
then you aren't in need of a Master yet and can return here later.
11.2. Using the Add Option
The main menu Add option is used to create or add to the Master. When
you select Add, you can add one of four things: a Command File, a Delay
time, an EXIT command, or a REPEAT command.
To add a Command File, simply type its entry number as displayed on the
menu. To add a Delay time, which allows you to pause execution of
specific Command Files until a specific time, enter a 'D', then enter
the desired time. The time is expected in 24 hour format, so 00:00 is
midnight, 12:00 is noon, and you just add 12 to PM times (e.g. 1pm + 12
= 13:00). To enter an EXIT command, which causes The Liberator to exit
to DOS thereby ending execution of the Master list, enter an 'E'. To
enter a REPEAT, which causes all Command Files to be placed back in the
queue (explained below) and the list to be re-started, enter an 'R'.
Once you choose what you wish to Add, all these items can be placed at
any position on the Master list. When you enter your selection, you
will be prompted to hit <Enter> to append the selected item, or <Alt-I>
to insert it at another position. If you hit <Enter>, the item is
added to the end of the Master. If you hit <Alt-I> (Insert), the
Master is displayed and you are asked which position to insert the item
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Using The Master - Page 45
into. If you type a number, the item is placed into that entry, and
other entries are pushed down by one entry.
11.3. Using the Remove Option
To remove any item on the Master list, select the main menu Remove
option. Once selected, the Master will be displayed and you simply
enter the number beside the item you wish to remove. You then have the
option of removing a sequence of entries, or just the one entered. Hit
<Enter> to remove just the one entered, or type another number and all
entries between and including the numbers entered will be removed.
11.4. Running the Master
You can run the Master in two ways. From the Command File Manager,
simply select entry '0' as you would to run a Command File. You may
also execute the RunMaster script directly as you would run any other
script: type <Alt-G> then enter RUNMASTR from within Telix, or simply
type RUNMASTR from DOS to execute the RUNMASTR.BAT file that was
created by the installation program. Note that RUNMASTR.BAT simply
types in "Telix sRunMastr" for you. You can run any Telix script from
DOS in this manner, by preceding the script name (in this case,
RUNMASTR.SLC), with the letter 's'. The .SLC extension is assumed by
Telix and isn't necessary.
When RunMaster starts, it will display the Master list and prompt you
for an entry number to start at. If you don't enter a response within
15 seconds (if you aren't present), or if you hit <Enter>, the Master
starts at entry 0 and continues until the end, or until an EXIT or
REPEAT command is reached. If an EXIT is reached, RunMaster ends and
exits to DOS, or back to the calling program/batch file. If a REPEAT
is encountered, the Master is re-started wherever it was originally
started. So if you started at entry 20, RunMaster would go back and
rerun every job from 20 back to the REPEAT. This is useful when you
will be away for a number of days, etc., and is normally used in tandem
with one or more Dialing delay times. REPEAT continues to re-run the
jobs indefinitely, until you manually abort by hitting <Esc>.
11.5. Using EXIT and REPEAT to Create Multiple Masters
Since you can start the Master at any position, and since both EXIT and
REPEAT commands cause the current Master run to end or restart when
encountered, you can actually create many different runs using only one
Master. For an example of this, look at the Master below:
0 CMD1
1 CMD2
2 CMD3
3 *EXIT*
4 *12:00*
5 CMD1
6 CMD4
7 *REPEAT*
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Using The Master - Page 46
8 CMD5
9 CMD3
There is a possibility of many different runs using the above Master.
If you tell RunMaster to start at entry 0 (the default), then CMD1,
CMD2 and CMD3 are executed, then we exit to DOS, which ends the Master
run. If you tell RunMaster to start at entry 4, all jobs are delayed
until 12 noon. At noon CMD1 and CMD4 execute, then the REPEAT is en-
countered which causes the Master to repeat at its STARTING point...
which was entry 4: the dialing delay. So, that's another run with CMD1
and CMD4 being executed repeatedly at 12 noon each day. If you start
at entry 8, CMD5 and CMD3 are carried out, then the Master completes
and returns to Telix, or the calling SALT script (the Command File
Manager, or a script of your own). As well, you could start at entry 1
to have just CMD2 and CMD3 carried out, etc. The possibilities are
almost endless.
11.6. The Master Queue
When the Master starts execution, all jobs to be run are placed in a
'queue'. The queue keeps track of the Command Files that have not
completed successfully -- initially all of them. Each Command File in
the queue will be dialed for the number of attempts specified in the
'Master redial attempts', which defaults to 3 attempts, but can be
adjusted if desired, by selecting Tools from the main menu, then
'Configure' from the tools menu.
Assuming the Master redial attempts is set to 3, the current time is
11am, the Master below is your Master, and you started it at entry 0,
here is an illustration of how the queue behaves:
0 CMD1
1 CMD2
2 *12:00*
3 CMD3
4 *EXIT*
At startup, all jobs, including the Delay time and the EXIT, are placed
in the queue. The first job in the queue (CMD1) will be dialed 3 times
(because of the Master redial attempts), and if no connection is
established, the next job in the queue is dialed 3 times. If no
connection is established, we then run into the Dial delay, but it's
only 11:02am. Will we now just sit here until Noon, leaving CMD1 and
CMD2 in limbo? I hope not... RunMaster is smarter than that! CMD3
will not start until 12:00, since it is after the Delay time, but if
other jobs are still in the queue up until that time, they are tried
repeatedly until they complete successfully. [If 12 noon is reached,
and CMD1 and CMD2 are still in the queue, RunMaster simply starts
trying all three of them from 12 noon on].
Okay, now lets assume we get connected and carry out CMD2 successfully.
The job finishes at 11:30, and is removed from the queue when done. We
then go on dialing CMD1 only, since it isn't 12 noon yet. At 11:45 we
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Using The Master - Page 47
finally get connected and carry out CMD1, but the session takes longer
than expected... CMD1 finishes successfully and is removed from the
queue, but it's now 12:30! The 12 noon delay has already passed, so do
we wait until 12 noon the next day? No. RunMaster has planned for
just such an occasion. Delays are good for up to one hour after the
specified time, to allow for overruns as illustrated above. If CMD1
had executed until 1:01, then the delay would be activated, and
RunMaster would wait until 12 noon the next day.
Once the Delay time has passed, it is also removed from the queue, then
we try CMD3... and get 3 busy signals and run straight into that
*EXIT*. Do we now exit to DOS? No. RunMaster also watches for this
type of disaster. *EXIT* and *REPEAT* commands only take effect once
the queue is empty.
Above, it was assumed that all files completed successfully, but what
if they didn't? If you take a peek at the section 'Abort Codes/Reme-
dies' at the end of the manual, you'll see that The Liberator keeps
fairly good track of errors that occur, and actually returns a
different value, called an Abort Code, for each error. RunMaster
checks this number and determines whether to remove the Command File or
not.
If a -1 is returned, the entire Master is aborted, since this means
Number One (LIBERATE.001) couldn't be found, or there wasn't enough
memory to load it... Number One carries out all the Command Files, so
it would be pretty hopeless trying other jobs. If a zero, or any value
up to 26 is returned, the Command File is removed from the queue, since
re-running the job after any of these return values would not be ap-
propriate. If 27 is returned (operator abort), then the Master Control
Menu is called up to allow you to determine what to do next (the menu
is self-explanatory, and if you see it you'll know what to do).
If 28 is returned, which means 'connection lost', or 29 which means the
logon was bad (you got connected to a bad node, etc), then the Command
File remains in the queue. These two return values are closely watched
however, to avoid re-connecting to a BBS for hours on end. If 3 of
these return values are returned from the same Command File consecu-
tively, the file is removed from the queue. Of course if value 30 is
returned, which means 'unable to establish a connection' (busy
signals), then the file is left in the queue to be tried again.
Between each successful Command File, all jobs in the queue starting
from the beginning are tried again, to maximize your chances of getting
onto a busy BBS.
11.7. Using the Master To Link Command Files
What if you have the Master below setup, and the files that start with
BBS1 use a Configuration that is set up to call one BBS, while the
files that start with BBS2 are setup to call another?
0 BBS1-1
1 BBS2-A
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Using The Master - Page 48
2 BBS1-2
3 BBS2-B
4 BBS1-3
5 *04:00*
6 BBS1-4
Before RunMaster passes a job to LIBERATE.001 (the script which runs
all your Command Files), it first gets the Telix dialing directory
entry numbers you defined in the Command File's accompanying BBS
Configuration, and checks all other jobs in the master queue (up to a
REPEAT or EXIT) for BBS Configurations with at least one of the same
entry numbers defined. If it finds another job with a CFG that has an
entry number the same (assumed to be carried out on the same BBS), it
instructs LIBERATE.001 NOT to disconnect when the Command File
completes. Thus, no matter which Command File in the Master above gets
connected first, the other Command Files for the same BBS will be
executed without disconnecting. For example, if BBS1-3 got connected
first (entry 4), then RunMaster will have already found that BBS1-1
(entry 0) was to be executed on the same BBS, and instructed Number One
not to disconnect.
When entry 4 completes, entry 0 will be executed, then entry 2, since
it is also set up for the same BBS. Entry 6 is only started without
disconnecting if it is between 4 and 5 AM (note the *04:00* Delay time
above). Otherwise, we finally disconnect from BBS1 and start executing
the BBS2 series. If all BB2 Command Files finish before 04:00, then a
delay window (menu) will be displayed on the screen until 4am. You can
select a number of options from this window, or even Shell to DOS until
the Delay time is reached, if you are present at the time. If any jobs
are still in the queue at 4am, then the delay is removed from the
queue, and entry 6 joins in on the dialing. So, you needn't worry
about placing the files in any specific order and attempt to fumble
with the Disconnect option for Master entries. Just Add entries as you
like, and RunMaster will sort everything out for you!
11.8. Command File Differences Under RunMaster
Command Files behave differently when the Master is running, since it
is assumed you are not present when the each job is started (if you
plan to be present, you can start each job yourself and don't need the
Master).
The 'Display Command File Delay' set in the main configuration is
temporarily set to zero, to avoid a delayed display screen. As
explained above, the 'Master redial attempts' is used instead of the
usual 'Redial attempts' set in each BBS Configuration. As well, any
'Dial Starting Time' set in the Command File itself is set to 'Now'
(use the Master Dial delays to set Master starting times) and any
Command File items set for interactive response are turned off. As
explained above, the disconnect option is controlled by RunMaster, so
you needn't worry about changing this for the Master.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuring Prompts - Page 49
12. CONFIGURING LIBERATOR PROMPTS
If The Liberator gives you the message << Unable to locate a recog-
nizable prompt >>, or if some operation fails, such as a file transfer
is not started when prompted, then either The Liberator is sending
responses too fast and you must set a 'Response Delay' or the PCBoard/-
Door is not using the standard prompts (or is using old/very new
versions of these programs) and you must tell The Liberator the format
of the prompt being used. (Keep the response delay in mind if you check
the prompt and find out that it matches what The Liberator was looking
for.)
To check for a bad prompt, refer to your capture file (if still in Telix
you can also check the scrollback buffer with <Alt-B>) to see where the
problem occurred. Take a good look at where the session failed and
write down the last prompt/message exactly, including all spaces and
punctuation (case is not important). To illustrate, let's assume the
first name prompt had been changed to the format below, and was not
recognized:
Please enter your Name now:
You would first write down the above text, including the colon, as soon
as it was found that this is where the program failed. Next, start The
Liberator, select 'Edit' then <Alt-E>, and select the appropriate BBS
Configuration from the menu. Once the CFG file is loaded, since this
was a PCBoard prompt, you would move to screen 2, the PCBoard Prompts
screen, by hitting <Down arrow>. If the program had failed at a
ProLogon, ProBank, or Prodoor prompt, you would move to screen 3. If it
failed in the Mail Door, you would move to screen 4.
Once at the proper screen, view the prompt descriptions and select the
prompt that needs changing. They are all fairly self-explanatory. For
the example above, prompt 3 'Name', on the PCBoard Prompts screen would
be what needed changing. If the defined prompt looks the same as what
the BBS sent, go back to screen 1 and try setting a Response delay of 5
or 10 in option 4. In this example, you would see that The Liberator
expects the prompt in the standard format of:
First name? <<
(Note the << is used to show trailing spaces.) Since the BBS prompt in
the example was actually different than what The Liberator was expect-
ing, you would select number 3 'Name' from screen 2, hit <Ctrl-End> to
clear the entry, then enter the last few characters of what the BBS
actually sent. Up to twenty characters may be specified for any given
prompt. It is important that you make sure to enter enough from the BBS
prompt/message to separate the prompt from regular text. Punctuation is
helpful here, as are trailing spaces, or anything else that will help
The Liberator separate this text from the other text streaming in from
the BBS. "Name now: " would probably be adequate from the example
prompt (without the quotes of course). If you simpy defined "Name" as
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Configuring Prompts - Page 50
the prompt, then The Liberator would enter your name even if the word
'name' happened to show up in the opening bulletins, so try to use
enough to distinguish the prompt.
You'll see that all the prompts have a double arrow following them, and
this is to show any trailing spaces. The trailing space isn't man-
datory, but it does help to distinguish the prompt from other text, and
normally also allows for a 0 Response Delay.
Once you have the new prompt typed in, <Enter> it, then hit <Enter>,
save the Configuration and re-try your Command File.
One thing to watch when configuring prompts, is that you don't enter
something that is likely to change. For example, in the prompt "(115
min. left) Main Board Command?" it would not be wise to enter the '115',
since this changes according to how much time you have left. Some
prompts also pull double duty and are used for more than one operation.
For example, the 'Begin File Transfer' prompt on screen 2 signals The
Liberator to start both PCBoard uploads and downloads. Thus, you would
not want to enter something like "Download time:" as the message to
watch for, since the message will change to "Upload time:" when you
perform an upload.
The 'Pause' prompt, defined on screen 2, is used both on PCBoard and in
ProDoor. PCBoard uses 'Press (Enter) to continue?', while ProDoor uses
'Press (Enter) to continue:' (with a colon instead of a question mark).
The last character is left out of the prompt, so it will be recognized
in both formats.
Another prompt that pulls double duty is the 'Enter file description'
prompt, again on screen 2. The text here signals The Liberator to start
typing the file description, when uploading a file. However, the same
text must also work in ProDoor, so I chose text that is used in both
places as the default.
I have sent a proposal to Clark Development (the developers of PCBoard),
that if implemented would eliminate this prompt configuration business
completely. The idea is that PCBoard be modified to accept a special
command which causes a set of *standard* prompts to be used, which are
hardcoded and cannot be changed by the Sysop. The Liberator, or any
other script, could then 'turn on' standard prompts for the session, and
would be guaranteed to receive what its looking for. Not only would
this eliminate the hassle of plugging prompts into your scripts, but it
will make automation more reliable than ever before. With standards in
place, all scripts would work 'out of the box' -- every time -- without
any hassles! The lack of standards, and general disregard (or unaware-
ness) BBS Developers and some Sysops show to script users is hindering
automation significantly.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Abort Codes/Remedies - Page 51
13. ABORT CODES/REMEDIES
If a Command File aborts, a message such as this will be printed on the
screen, and stamped in the Usage Log:
BBS1-A Command File Aborted (1).
The number in the brackets is an abort code, and it is set to a specific
number depending on the reason for the abort. All abort codes and their
possible remedies are listed here. Note that The Liberator makes
extensive use of the defined Usage Log, and you should also look here
for any status/error messages to help debug a session.
-1 Number One (LIBERATE.001), or another necessary module was not found,
or there was not enough memory to load it.
0 No fatal errors. This doesn't mean that absolutely everything went
off without a hitch, but only that no errors were serious enough to
warrant aborting the Command File. The Liberator can recover from
many errors, and any of these may still have occurred. Check the
Usage File for error/status messages that are not covered here.
1 Bad Command File. This means that the Command File could not be
found, or it was not the proper version, or there was a disk error
attempting to read it. If the file was not found, select 'Tools'
from the main menu, then 'Configure' and check the 'Command File
Directory'. Change to the directory where the file can be found, or
copy the file into the defined directory. If the file was an older
version, use the Tools 'Convert' option. If there was a disk error,
try again or try 'Edit'ing the file, and re-saving it.
2 Bad Configuration File. Same as number 1 above, but the BBS Con-
figuration was bad. See number 1 for possible remedies.
3 Nothing to do. Once the Command File was checked, no jobs remained
to be carried out. This could occur by saving a Command File but
forgetting to define any jobs, or if for example, you requested only
an upload, and your Upload List was not found. Once the upload was
cancelled, no jobs would remain to carry out.
4 Master running, and no entry #'s to dial. You cannot run Command
Files with RunMaster that are set for interactive dialing directory
selection (no entry numbers defined). When you run the Master, it is
assumed you are not present and thus you would not be able to select
the entries to dial.
5 Invalid entry number(s) to dial. This occurs if, for example, you
enter 56 as an entry, but your directory only goes up to 30. This
can occur when you delete entries, or sort your directory, etc.
Check the defined entry numbers by 'Edit'ing the BBS Configuration,
selecting item 2 from screen 1, and hit <Alt-D> to compare the
entries to your dialing directory. Redefine as necessary.
6 No password in Dialing Directory entry. The entry connected to did
not have a password defined (due to the way Telix works, The
Liberator unfortunately does not know if a password is defined until
AFTER connecting...). To remedy, 'Edit' the appropriate BBS
Configuration, select 'Telix Directory Numbers to Dial' from screen
1, and take note of and check each entry by hitting <Alt-D> to view
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Abort Codes/Remedies - Page 52
the Telix Directory. Highlight the appropriate entry(s) and type 'E'
for Edit. Check near the bottom in the 'Password' entry, and enter
your PCBoard password in the entry.
7 Custom Logon Script not found/returned abort code. The defined Logon
script was not found, or it returned a value other than 0 or 1. If
the file was not found, check the BBS Configuration to ensure the
name was entered correctly, and if so, then type <Alt-J> to shell to
DOS and copy the *compiled* script (run CS.EXE if necessary) into
your Script directory. Type EXIT when done, and retry the Command
File. If the script returned an abort code, it should have informed
you as to the reason. Check your Telix Usage Log.
8 Bad password (not accepted by PCBoard). The password you entered in
the dialing directory was rejected 3 times by the BBS. Check the
appropriate Telix Dialing directory entry by hitting <Alt-D>, moving
the highlight bar to the proper entry, and typing 'E' for Edit. Hit
<Enter> to move down to the 'Password' entry and change fix the
password as necessary. Try a manual logon to confirm the correct
password has been entered.
9 Script called in Custom Command returned abort code. As mentioned in
the Custom Commands section, if a script run from a Custom Command
(using @SCRIPT), returns a value other than 0 or 1, this signals an
abort to The Liberator, and thus you received this abort code. The
script that sent the abort code should inform you as to the reason.
If it gave no reason and appeared to complete normally, check the
main() function of the script for return() statements. Anything
other than return, return(0), or return(1) will cause The Liberator
to abort the Command File. Edit out the offending return() and
recompile the script.
10 Unable to locate a recognizable BBS prompt. Before starting each
job, The Liberator reads the screen and attempts to figure out where
it is from any of eight key positions on PCBoard. The eight
locations are signified in each BBS Configuration with an asterisk
(*) immediately following the prompt description. If none of the
positions are found, <Enter> is sent a couple of times and some other
responses, in an attempt to get to a key location or get a recog-
nizable prompt up. If after three tries the program still can't
figure out where it is, it aborts with this value. See the section
on 'Configuring Prompts' above for a fix.
11 BBS time up. The number of online minutes set in 'Online time to
save' (option 12, BBS Configuration screen 1) was reached, causing
further jobs to be aborted. The Liberator can read the available
online time from all the major PCBoard and door prompts (assuming the
standard format is being used) and checks the available online time
before starting each job. If it is less than or equal to the time
set in the BBS time up option, mentioned above, further jobs are
cancelled and The Liberator logs off. Reset the 'Online time to
save' to a lower amount, or set to zero to turn off time checking.
12 Maximum online time up. When a Command File begins, a timer is
started, and if the number of minutes set in 'Max Online time' is
reached (option 12, BBS Configuration screen 1), further jobs are
cancelled and the program logs off. Increase the number of maximum
minutes to remedy.
The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 Abort Codes/Remedies - Page 53
27 Operator abort. <Esc> was hit to call up the Control Menu, and
option 1 'Abort' was selected.
28 Connection lost. The connection with the BBS was unexpectedly lost.
There are dozens of reasons this might occur, including line noise,
or a bad prompt somewhere when The Liberator is not using its prompt
recognition/recovery routines. Check the capture file or scrollback
buffer <Alt-B> for the actual cause.
29 Logon unsuccessful. This occurs if a key prompt is not reached
within three minutes after a connection, or if none of the sixteen
logon prompts can be found after three attempts at getting one up.
30 Max redials reached or operator aborted dialing. It doesn't know
which, since Telix returns the same value for both. In any case, a
connection was not established.