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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.