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EXAMPLES.DOC Example BBS Information File (BIF) Setups. Copyright (C) 1991-1992 Liberation Enterprises. All rights reserved. This document provides step-by-step example setups of Intellicomm, including automation of a MegaMail/Qmail-type system, then an outline of file download automation (auto-collection of files from BBS's). The example is meant to be used after you are relatively familiar with Intellicomm, in that you have read QWIKSTRT.DOC and understand the purpose of BIFs, know how to go about editing them from within Intellicomm, and understand auto-logons. If you haven't read QWIKSTRT.DOC as yet, please do so -- there is important setup information there that can be browsed fairly quickly, and will help you avoid common setup errors. WHY DOESN'T INTELLICOMM JUST SET ITSELF UP? If we had it our way (and hopefully someday we will), you wouldn't have to set anything up at all ... aside from your name/password a few BBS phone numbers. But given the current BBS situation, and the quite often bizarre differences from one BBS to the next, this just isn't possible. A full auto-learn mode (having the program watch what you do online, then copy it) was considered and dismissed, simply because auto-learned tasks end up oblivious to unexpected errors. Auto-learned "scripts" know only exactly what you did online at one particular time, and anything that happens outside those boundaries will cause the task/script to fail. Intellicomm does not suffer from this shortcoming, and using properly defined BIFs it can handle virtually any error that occurs -- leaving you with fewer worries about leaving the program unattended. As well, some automated tasks Intellicomm handles (auto- up/downloads, for example, which have variables such as filenames, and must watch for somewhat obscure error messages) are just too involved for an auto-learned script to handle, period. PRE-DEFINED BIFS The first step in setting up a BIF is always to look on the BBS to see if the BBS Operator, Liberation Enterprises, or a helpful Intellicomm user has already set one up and has uploaded it to the BBS for everyone to use. Log onto the BBS and attempt to download a file called ICOMBIF.ZIP (.ZIP being the compression type used on the BBS; could also be .LZH, .PAK, etc). If a pre-defined BIF exists, most of it should already be set up properly and you just check the port settings, enter your name and password, and you're done! Be sure to see any README files that come with the .BIF though ... and make sure you read the BBS Notes in the BIF Editor. There may be special setup tips there. AUTO LOGONS Without a pre-defined BIF available, configuration for automated session/auto-logon always starts with the BIF "Logon" screen, then moves to one or more of the other screens, depending on what it is you're trying to automate. Auto-logon setup tips/techniques are discussed in QWIKSTRT.DOC, so please refer to the "BBS DIRECTORY/BIF FILES" section of that document now if you haven't done so already. Return here when you complete an auto-logon successfully. Intellicomm v0.94 EXAMPLES.DOC 2 MEGAMAIL/QMAIL-TYPE MESSAGE RUN SETUP The first step in setting up Intellicomm for use with MegaMail/Qmail- type systems (which includes most: Kmail, MarkMail, NetMail, PCRelay, Rosemail, TomCat, and others) is to set up the mail system itself and select the message areas you're interested in. Instructions on specific mail system setups come with the documentation for offline readers that support the system (MegaReader for MegaMail, Qmail DeLuxe, SLMR, EZ- Reader or MegaReader again for Qmail/MarkMail/Tomcat, etc). If you haven't chosen an offline reader yet (most are available as Shareware on BBS's), you're getting ahead of yourself trying to set up Intellicomm to automate the mail transfer process. It would be like trying to learn how to change a tire before finding out what a car is... After you select an Offline Reader, set the reader up by following its documentation (usually quite easy -- IF you follow the instructions), then perform at least one mail transfer manually and continue below. Once you have the reader set up, and have downloaded a message packet, start Intellicomm, select "BBS Dir", hilight the proper template for the type of BBS (MegaMail runs on multiple BBS types; others run on one BBS [PCBoard or Wildcat] only), and select "Create". If any BBS notes are displayed, please make sure to follow them or you may run into substantial difficulties. Esc exits from the notes. Enter the proper BBS Name, phone numbers, and port settings on the first screen, then press TAB to move to column two, hilight "Message Type" and select "Edit" (note that we are filling in the usual items with an arrow > after their description). Select the proper message type (Qmail, MegaMail, etc.), from the menu -- and take NOTE of what the screen tells you do to in the reminder below. If you don't read screens you will miss out on many tips. Press PgDn to change to the next screen when ready. Enter the name you use to logon the BBS (if necessary... you should later change the template itself and add your own name right there to save time) and BBS password, and the response for "English" or "Standard BBS mode" in the Mode/Language item, if applicable. (Again, note that we are filling in the items with arrows.) If using a Wildcat BBS you must also enter your birthdate/home phone # in the two "Extra" commands (left column) near the bottom of the screen. Replace the MMDDYY with your month, day, year of birth and 1235551234 with the area code, exchange and your home (voice) phone #. Both of these items are entered in your initial logon to the Wildcat BBS, but Wildcat feels that it's necessary for you to re-enter the information every once in a while... so Intellicomm must be able to do so for automation. Just one of the many handy-dandy uses for the BIF "Extra" commands/prompts. Please press PgDn to move to the next screen when ready. Enter the proper "Access Msg Menu" command to access the message door on the BBS, if applicable (not necessary on Wildcat... the same command is used from one BBS to the next to access Tomcat doors). QMAIL V4/ROSEMAIL USERS: The ;PROMPTS command following the door command is only necessary if you do NOT have the door set up to use "extended Intellicomm v0.94 EXAMPLES.DOC 3 prompts" for scripting. Enter the Qmail door, select C]onfigure, and toggle the proper OPTion to turn extended prompts on and you may then remove ;PROMPTS from the access menu command. Next, replace the BBSID in the Reply/Msg Filenames with the proper ID of the BBS. The ID is available by looking at a message packet from the BBS; if the packet is called ABBS.DL, then you would replace BBSID with ABBS. E.g. BBSID.UL, BBSID.DL would be changed to ABBS.UL, ABBS.DL [MegaMail], BBSID.REP, BBSID.QWK would be changed to ABBS.REP, ABBS.QWK [Qmail]. [ANOTHER] SPECIAL NOTE FOR USERS OF QMAIL-TYPE SYSTEMS: Intellicomm has 'invisible' support to upload .PTR (pointer reset) files, and .KEY (keyword include/exclude) files. 'Invisible' meaning that if either the PTR or KEY files are found for the ID of a given BBS, the file is uploaded before downloading new mail. No switch is provided, simply because we feel that these files should (and probably soon will) simply be included with your .REP packet where they could be compressed and wouldn't require separate uploads. Only one or two mail systems require these separate uploads (Qmail and Rosemail) and if/when the mail system developers change this, an Intellicomm switch to upload the file will be obsolete. We prefer to wait for situation to be corrected, rather than trying to design around what we feel is a poorly implemented feature in the message system itself. If you don't want these files uploaded, simply make sure Intellicomm doesn't find them in your Reply Directory: Specifically you may delete .PTR files by adding the command DEL *.PTR to your DELUXE.BAT file (Deluxe auto-extracts .PTR files from each .QWK packet, which causes Intellicomm to upload a PTR every time). You can always get a .PTR file if/when you need it by entering the DOS command: PKUNZIP <ID>.QWK <ID>.PTR (E.g. PKUNZIP ABBS.QWK ABBS.PTR) Hopefully, though, these separate .PTR and .KEY files will disappear, and can simply be uploaded all at once with your replies, and neither you nor Intellicomm will have to worry about them further. That's it for a normal setup for one of these mail systems. Make sure you also define your Message/Reply -directories- in the Intellicomm MAIN Setup, on the "File/Path" screen, or it will not be able to locate your packets. You need only enter Message/Reply directories on the BIF Message screen for special cases where you need a given packet to go to a directory other than your main Message/Reply directory (the items were provided for BBS Sysops who use Intellicomm for network mail). Select "eXit", enter a filename to save the BIF under, and you're ready to set up a "job" for message transfers. Setting up a job is very easy: "Create" from the Job Directory, hilight/"Select" the BIF you just created, then enter 3 4 (send/get mail), select "eXit", and enter a job description. Then "Run" the job to transfer your mail. If you require more detailed information on Intellicomm Jobs or BIFs, please refer to the main user's manual. Intellicomm v0.94 EXAMPLES.DOC 4 AUTOMATING FILE DOWNLOADS The process of automating file downloads (auto collection of files from one or more BBS's) begins with obtaining a listing of new files from the BBS, then selecting the files you are interested in, and having Intellicomm call the BBS back and pick up those files for you. The process is quite simple if you're using Intellicomm's File Tagger, as it handles processing of the new files lists (*.NEW) and allows easy browsing/selection of files. If you aren't using the File Tagger, things are a little more complicated, but certainly not as inconvenient (and possibly expensive) as having to do things manually online. In either case, begin by "Create"ing one or more jobs in Intellicomm comprised of the following tasks: Call <some BIF> Get new files list Get Files [Download] Call <another BIF> <<-- Optional... continue with as many CALLs Get new files list as you want. Get Files [Download] Your job could do other things as well, but the above three are all you need to automate downloads. NOTE TO .QWK-COMPATIBLE MAIL USERS: Qmail- type doors (MarkMail, Qmail, Tomcat, etc.) can be configured to include a new files listing with your message packets, and this SHOULD be used wherever possible as it is faster than using the "Get new files list" task. Intellicomm will automatically extract the new files from the .QWK packet, so you should substitute the "Get new files list" task with "Get mail" and you'll get your mail and files list at the same time. You must enable the mail door to INCLUDE a new files list though, and you may do this by logging on to the BBS manually, opening the mail door and selecting [C]onfigure. Just set the option to include a new files list to ON or YES. See the door's help screens if you can't find it. <Some BIF> would be a BIF that you'd set up with the proper BBS phone numbers, port settings and your Logon name/password for the BBS. As always, try to manually download ICOMBIF.ZIP from the BBS to see if there is already a pre-defined BIF for the BBS you're calling. Make sure you perform a manual "Dial" from the BBS Directory after entering your password, to ensure that at least the auto-logon completes properly (again, this is standard practice and should be the first step for any new BBS you try to automate). Next, "Run" your automated job(s) to pick up new files lists from whichever BBS(s) you're interested in. The "Get Files [Download]" task will be ignored this first run, since you haven't selected any files to download yet. If you're getting mail and new files at the same time from a .QWK-compatible message system, then Intellicomm will auto- extract the new files list when the session completes. Intellicomm v0.94 EXAMPLES.DOC 5 After you disconnect, if the File Tagger is enabled in the main setup, all new files will be imported into the NEWFILES catalog. This process can take some time on large listings, but the idea is to eventually perform ALL of this unattended while you're doing something more exciting (or sleeping). Once you monitor it a couple of times, and are sure it's working you can set a "Job starting time" in the job itself (or use an external timer and the ICOM /Run:"Some jobs" switch... see the main manual) and the time it takes to import new files listings to the File Tagger will be irrelevant, since you won't be watching. Selecting files to download using the File Tagger is accomplished by selecting "Tools" from the Job Directory, then "Tag files to download" on the Tools menu (or by running TAGGER.EXE from the DOS command prompt). Detailed information on the File Tagger is available in the main user's manual if you require it, but selecting files to download is very easy. Simply move the hilight bar with the usual cursor keys, then select "Tag" (or press the space bar) to select/deselect a file. When done, you may eXit the Tagger immediately and needn't save your changes to disk: all changes made to catalogs are saved to disk as they occur. The next time you "Run" your Intellicomm job with the "Get Files [Download]" task included, the proper File Tagger catalog will be scanned for tagged files for that BBS, and as many files as you have time for will be automatically downloaded. If you don't have time for a given file, it is saved for your next automated download session on the BBS. All files you obtain will be copied to a second File Tagger catalog called "FILELIST". This catalog can then be used to "Tag files for upload" from the Tools menu (or by entering TAGGER FILELIST from DOS). If you do NOT have the File Tagger enabled, the new files lists can be viewed using the "Tools", "File Lists" item. New files listings use the same base filename as the BIF and the extension .NEW (e.g. BIFNAME.NEW). It is recommended that you obtain Vern Beurg's "LIST" program, available on most BBS's, to scan *.NEW files lists without the File Tagger. Enter LIST in the Intellicomm main setup, on the File/Path screen, in the "File Viewer" entry, and you may then use the "View" option on the file list menu to select a .NEW file list to view. With a .NEW list loaded into the LIST program for viewing, you use the usual cursor keys to browse the file list, and when you see a file you want to download, move it to the very top line and press [Alt-M] to "mark" the line, then press [Alt-D] to "dump" the line to your Intellicomm file list. When asked for a filename, enter BIFNAME.GET ... BIFNAME being the same name as used in the .NEW filename (i.e. if browsing CRS.NEW, enter CRS.GET). This .GET filename need only be entered once per .NEW listing. From now on when you see a file you want to download, again move the line to the very top, press [Alt-M] to mark it, but the second time just press [Alt-O] to dump to the SAME filename. So it's [Alt-M], [Alt-D] on the first file of each .NEW list, then [Alt- M], [Alt-O] from then on. It's very quick and easy when you get the hang of it. NOTE that if you see an /Area: "switch" on the .NEW list, you should also move that line to the top and mark/dump it to the .GET list. This will ensure that Intellicomm changes to the proper file area before downloading the file. Intellicomm v0.94 EXAMPLES.DOC 6 The next time you "Run" your job containing the "Get files [Download]" task, Intellicomm will automatically download all files on the .GET list. Files you obtain are removed from the list for you while any files you don't have time for will remain on the list for next time. All downloaded files/descriptions are copied to a special list called FILELIST.TXT. This file can then be used just like a .NEW list to select files to "upload" (send) to another BBS. While download lists use a filename of BIFNAME.GET, upload lists use the name BIFNAME.SND (snd for send). So, whether you use Intellicomm's File Tagger or create your .GET / .SND lists manually, with either method you gain the advantage and convenience of performing all the actual browsing/selection work OFFLINE. This way you are not wasting your valuable online time, nor incurring long distance charges, nor tying up the BBS itself. Note that if you do use the File Tagger, you may also create/update .GET and .SND lists using LIST or some other program (or manually with an editor). In fact, all the File Tagger does is create/update these lists adding the filenames of all tagged files, when asked to do so by Intellicomm (i.e. just before an automated file transfer).