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╔════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ╓─┐ ╥──┐ ╓──┐ ╓─╥─┐ ╥──┐ ║ ║ ╙─┐ ╟─ ╟──┤ ║ ║ │ ╟─ ║ ║ ╙──┘ ╨ ╨ ┴ ╨ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ ║ ║ v.70 ║ ║ SPITFIRE ADVANCED MESSAGE EDITOR ║ ║ ║ ║ Copyright By Richard Lemaster ║ ║ Over The Line BBS ║ ║ (918) 250-0542 ║ ║ ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════╝ INTRODUCTION ──────────── SFAME is a utility written to greatly enhance the default SPITFIRE Message Menu. The SPITFIRE Advanced Message Editor interfaces closely with SPITFIRE's message base but also provides the BBS caller with many options not directly available in SPITFIRE. Some of SFAME's advanced features include a full-screen message editor, grouping of message conferences, caller configuration options, message scripts, file attaches to messages and full alias support. CONFIGURATION ───────────── Begin by creating a directory which will be used by SFAME. For the purpose of explanation, our examples, will refer to a directory named SFAME located on the C: drive. Next, unzip the SFAME archive file into the C:\SFAME directory. This will place the files included in the distribution package into this directory. To simplify the configuration process, SFAME includes a file, CONFIG.EXE that can be used to define SFAME's operational values. Simply type CONFIG from the DOS prompt while in the SFAME directory. You will then be asked if you would like to create a SFAME.CFG file. Choose Yes to continue. You will then see the main config menu. From the Main Menu Choose option 1 to edit the default SFAME settings for your BBS. The next screen will display the settings you can change by selecting the letter for an option. The options available are: <A> Script Directory - This is the directory where your AutoMessage scripts are placed. Scripts should be placed in a separate directory to keep the SFAME home directory clean. Scripts will be be explained later. Use Scripts - Set this to TRUE if you would like scripts available in the message editor. Scripts will be explained later. You might want to read more about scripts before setting this option. <C> Main Menu Logoff - Setting this to TRUE will allow callers to log-off from the SFAME main menu. It will display a Goodbye.bbs/clr screen if found in your SPITFIRE display directory. <D> Main Menu Extension Name - This is the name displayed on the SFAME main menu for the main menu extension. When the extension option is choosen, SFAME will first check for a NODE#.BAT file to execute. The # is the node number. NODE2.BAT will be run if the caller is logged on node 2. If a NODE#.BAT file is not found, SFAME will then check for a NODE.BAT file. If a NODE.BAT file is not found, the caller will be returned to the SFAME main menu. You can use NODE0.BAT for local mode. The NODE#.BAT or NODE.BAT can be used to run a mail door such as LAKOTA or any other door or menu extension program. When SFAME runs the NODE#.BAT or NODE.BAT file, it will create the same type of drop file used on the SFAME command line in the SFAME home directory. If run locally, it will create a SFMESS.DAT file. Leave the Main Menu Extension Name blank to disable. <E> Use Printer - If this is set to TRUE, all log information will also be sent to the printer. You must also have SPITFIRE set to use the printer for this to work. You can then set this to TRUE and control whether the printer is used by changing the setting in SPITFIRE. <F> Inactive Timeout - This is the number of seconds of inactivity before the caller is returned to SPITFIRE. <G> Swap Memory During Shell - If this is set to TRUE then SFAME will remove itself from memory when the main menu extension is choosen, before a message upload or a file download. <H> Swap Drive/Directory - You can specify where the swap file should be placed. This should be a RAM drive for faster memory swapping. If blank, the swap file will be placed in the SFAME home directory. Log File Name - This is the file name where callers activity is written. You can enter CALLERS.TMP here if you want to use SPITFIRE's CALLERS.LOG file. If left blank, SFAME.LOG will be used. <J> Force Comments To Conference #1 - If you set this to TRUE then all messages to the sysop will be placed in conference #1. <K> Group Shared With SpitFire - This is the message group which shares its message base directory with SPITFIRE. Message groups will be explained later. You can set this to 1 for now. <L> File Attach Directory - This is the directory where files attached to messages are uploaded and stored. File attaches should be stored in a separate directory to help keep the SFAME home directory clean. <M> Min UL Space - This is the minimum free disk space in KB's that must be available to allow a file attach upload. If you set this to 1000, then there must be at least 1MB of free disk space. <N> Days To Keep File Attaches - This is the number of days files that that are attached to messages are kept before deleting. If a file is older than this setting, it will be deleted even if the message is still active. This setting should be close to the SPITFIRE old message purge date. <O> SpitFire Version - This tells SFAME which format of SFNODE.DAT to read. Choose A if you are using SPITFIRE v3.4. Choose B if you are using v3.5 or later. Internet Address - This is your Internet domain name such as bbsname.com if you have one. If you don't have a domain name, just leave this blank. This is used in scripts to make the users Internet address for your BBS. Scripts and the users Internet address are explained below. <R> Allow Address Books - With this turned On, users will be able to store up to 20 addresses in their book. The book for each caller takes up 768 bytes. If you have alot of users, that could add up to alot of disk space. <S> Spell Check Security - This is the minimum security needed to use the spell checker. When editing a message, you can select <Ctrl-X> then <30> to use the spell checker. When you select this option, SFAME will first save your message to a text file. It will then shell to the file SPELL.BAT if it exists. SFAME will pass the message text file as %1. The SPELL.BAT file should contain the commands to execute your spell checker. I've included a sample SPELL.BAT file which uses a spell checker called ShareSpell. This is a good text based program which works well with DOORWAY. To get a copy, you can freq SPELL from my BBS. The file name for the version I have is SS24B.ZIP but there might be a newer version available. Any text based program should be able to work with DOORWAY. When SFAME shells to the file SPELL.BAT, it will create a file called DOOR.SYS which is used by DOORWAY. When you return to SFAME, the new copy of the message will be imported back into the SFAME editor. You can also have node specific SPELL#.BAT files where # is the node number. You should probably make a SPELL0.BAT for local use which doesn't contain the DOORWAY commands. The SPELL0.BAT can run any program you like. It doesn't have to be text based like the one used with DOORWAY. <T> Check for Doorway Mode - If you want SFAME to make sure the caller has Doorway mode before running the spell checker, set this to Yes. If SFAME does not detect Doorway mode, SFAME will not exit to the spell checker. If a caller tries to use the spell checker without Doorway mode, they probably won't be able to use the spell checker's commands and have to drop carrier to exit. If your spell checker uses arrow or function keys, set this to Yes. <Y> Make New Phonbook.Dat File - The PHONBOOK.DAT file is used to store the users address books. This option will erase the current file and create a new one. When you create a new file, all the address books from the old file will be erased. <Z> Make New Alias.Ptr File - The ALIAS.PTR file is used to search for an alias when entering a message or when choosing a new alias. If you erase the CALLERS.DAT file you will need to make a new ALIAS.PTR file. <Q> Quit - Returns to the main menu. You can also choose F1 for help with an option while using CONFIG. You should next select option 2 from the main menu, Edit Message Groups. Before setting up the message groups, I'll explain what a group is. A group is simply a message base in its own directory consisting of the regular SPITFIRE message data files. SPITFIRE supports 1 message base. By using groups, you can have up to 250 message bases (groups). Each group can consist of 784 conferences as in SPITFIRE. To use groups with echomail, you must also use AMAIL with tags to toss the mail packets into different directories. In your AMAIL.CFG file you should use the SFMSGDIR option to define the directories for each group. The word following the "=" is the TAG name for the group. Example: SFMSGDIR C:\SF\MESSAGE1=GROUP1 SFMSGDIR C:\SF\MESSAGE2=GROUP2 SFMSGDIR C:\SF\MESSAGE3=GROUP3 In your AREAS.BBS file you should have: !1@GROUP1 SPITFIRE !1@GROUP2 BBS !1@GROUP3 FREEMAIL !2@GROUP1 CDROM The word following the "@" in the above lines is the TAG name for the conference. By using the above examples, if AMAIL finds a message for the conference SPITFIRE, it will be placed in conference 1 in the directory C:\SF\MESSAGE1 because that is the directory specified for the tag GROUP1 in the AMAIL.CFG file. If AMAIL finds a message for the conference FREEMAIL, it will be placed in conference 1 in the directory C:\SF\MESSAGE3. If AMAIL finds a message for the conference CDROM, it will be placed in conference 2 in the directory C:\SF\MESSAGE1. Your AREAS.BBS should contain a line for each conference in each group. Read the AMAIL docs for more information on tags and multi-base SPITFIRE setup. By using groups, you can place all FIDONET, SFNET or other networks in their own group instead of having them all mixed together. You might have to start using CONFIG and SFAME before you fully understand what groups are. For now, just think of a group as a message base and setting up each group is like setting up a SPITFIRE message base. When you choose option 2, you will be asked if you would like to create the GROUPS.DAT file. Choose YES and continue to the next menu. The screen now displays the defaults for group 1 and a menu to change the settings. Even if you only plan to use 1 group, you should still configure it. The options are: <1> Description - This will let you change the name of the group. The maximum length is 40 characters. <2> SfMConf.dat File Name - Each group has its own SFMCONF.DAT type file. This should be the name of the SFMCONF.DAT type file for this group. You can later choose option 3 from the main menu to edit the message conferences in this file. This can also be the same SFMCONF.DAT file used by SPITFIRE. <3> Message Directory - This is the directory where the SFMSG[#].PTR, SFMSG[#].DAT, SFMSG[#].LMR, and SFMSG[#].IDX files are stored. This can be set to the same message directory used by SPITFIRE. <4> Group Security - This is the security level needed to access this group. <5> Group Access - Set this to E and only callers with the Group Security level have access. Choose G and callers with a security level equal to or greater than the Group Security have access. <6> Aliases - Set this to TRUE if callers are allowed to use an alias in this group. <7> File Attaches - Set this to TRUE if callers are allowed to attach files to messages in this group. <A> Add New Group - Adds a new group. You can have up to 250 groups. Insert Group - This will insert a new group in front of the current one. <D> Delete Group - Deletes a group. If you only have 1 group, you can't delete it. Update LMR Files - If you change the maximum callers allowed on your BBS, choose this to rebuild the SFMSG[#].LMR files to the new correct size. <Q> Quit - This will return you to the CONFIG main menu. You can also choose F1 for help with an option while using CONFIG. The next option on the main menu, 3 - Edit Message Conferences, will allow you to edit the message conferences for any group. You should choose this to setup the conferences when you start a new group. The options for editing the message conferences are the same as used in SPITFIRE. Refer to your SPITFIRE manual for help with a command. The next option on the main menu is Edit Scripts. Before explaining how to setup the scripts, I should first explain the language and use of scripts. Below are the script commands allowed: ASK - Command Line: ASK "<question>" <variable number> <max length(opt.)> The <question> is the prompt displayed to the caller. The <variable number> is a number 1-10 that the answer is stored in. The <max length> is the maximum length of the answer and is optional. Example: ASK "What is your name: " 2 30 This would display the question, and store the answer in variable number 2. DISPLAY - Command Line: DISPLAY "<text>" This will display the <text> on the screen. DISPLAYANSWER - Command Line: DISPLAYANSWER "<text>" <variable number> This display <text> followed by whatever is stored in <variable number>. DISPLAYFILE - Command Line: DISPLAYFILE <file name> This will display the file <file name> if found. The <file name> must include the dir\path if it is not in the SFAME home directory. GETCHOICE - Command Line: GETCHOICE "<prompt>" <choices> <variable number> This will display <prompt> and wait for the user to enter a character in the <choices> string. The answer will be stored in the <variable number>. Example: display "<C> Continue" display "<Q> Quit" GETCHOICE "Enter Selection" CQ 1 This will display the prompt and wait for the user to press C,Q or <ENTER>. If the user pressed <ENTER> then the first character in <choices> will be used. If they pressed enter in this example, C will be placed in variable 1. This can be used for menus or <Y/n> questions. You can have up to 250 choices in a menu. GOTO - Command Line: GOTO <label> This is the same as the DOS batch file GOTO command. It will search the script for <label> and continue. Example: GOTO End ... ... :END IF - Command Line: IF <variable number> <"text"> If whatever is in <variable number> equals <"text">, then the script will continue. If it is not equal, it will search for the next ENDIF and continue. Example: IF 1 "Y" display "Yes." ENDIF WRITEANSWER - Command Line: WRITEANSWER "<text>" <variable number> This will write <text> into the message followed by whatever is in <variable number>. Example: ask "What is your name: " 1 30 WRITEANSWER "Name:" 1 This will write Name: followed by the users answer into the message. QUIT - Command Line: QUIT This will quit the script and return to the editor. A script is a plain text file with 1 command per line. Any line beginning with a ; is a comment that SFAME will ignore. The purpose of the scripts is to help make it easier for callers to use some of the services available on the Internet. Some Internet services, like requesting files, can take commands the caller might not remember. By using a script, you can prompt the caller for a file name, caller name or any other information. Then the script can add the other commands, addresses or other information needed. The variable 0 contains the users Internet address in the form firstname.lastname@bbsname.com where bbsname.com is replaced with your Internet address entered in the CONFIG program. You can then use the script line: WRITEANSWER "Address: " 0 This will put the text Address: followed by the users Internet address in the message. I'm including some sample scripts in the file SCRIPTS.ZIP to help understand how they work. Scripts can be a powerful and easy way for your users to access features of the Internet. Scripts can be used for other purposes than Internet features. When you choose option 4 to edit scripts, you will be asked if you would like to create the SCRIPTS.DAT file. Choose YES to continue. You will next see the list of scripts. When viewing this list, you can choose <A> to add a new script, <D> to delete a script, or you can enter the number of the script you would like to edit. Since the list is probably blank, choose <A> to add a script. You will then be prompted for the script files name. This should be the file name WITHOUT the .scr extension. Next, you will be asked for a description for this script. You have up to 50 characters for a description. This description is displayed to the caller when selecting a script. Next is the minimum security needed to use this script. Next is the group number this script can be used in. Set this to 0 if the script is available in all groups. The last prompt asks for the conference this script can be used in. Set this to 0 if you want to script available in all conferences. You should now see the listing of scripts which includes the script you just added. Choose <Q> to return to the CONFIG main menu. Option 5 on the main menu will allow you to setup the QWK settings used by SFAME when making a QWK packet. The options are: <A> QWK Packet Name - This is the name used for the QWK packet. It can be up to 8 characters and doesn't include the .QWK extension. BBS Name - This is your BBS name. <C> BBS City - This is the city where your BBS is located. <D> BBS Phone - This is your BBS phone number. <E> Max QWK Packet Size - This is the maximum number of messages that can be placed in a single .QWK packet. Set this to 0 to disable the QWK packet feature. Refer to the Reader section, option A below for more information on the QWK packets. <Q> Quit - This will return you to the CONFIG main menu. Option 6 on the main menu will allow you to edit the files attached to messages. This will list the files along with some other information. If you choose D, you will be prompted for a file number to delete. If the file is already marked DELETED, you can choose to un-delete the file. Option 7 will allow you to enter the nodelist information. You can specify information for 2 nodelists which SFAME will use when you want to search a nodelist. The options are: <A> Nodelist 1 Filename - This is the path\filename of the first nodelist. Starting Position of Node Number - This is the space in the line where the node number begins. If this is a SFNET list, enter 1 here. If its a CircuitNet list, enter 1. <C> Node Number Length - This is the length of the node number. If this is a SFNET list, enter 8. It its a CircuitNet list, enter 6. <D> CircuitNet List - If this is a CircuitNet nodelist, choose <Y>es. When routing a message in CircuitNet the address is added to the message subject. SFAME uses this to determine where to place the route-to address. <E>, <F>, <G>, <H> - This is same information as above used for nodelist 2. <Q> Quit - This will return you to the CONFIG main menu. Option 8 on the CONFIG main menu will allow you to edit the help records SFAME displays when you press Ctl-Z. Press A through F to edit a line in the record. Press + or - to move between records and Q to quit. You can also press V to see what the display will look like in SFAME. The Ctl-Z option is available at all prompts except the ones in the editor. The last option on the CONFIG main menu is 9 which will exit the program. The CONFIG program has 2 command line parameters which can be used. They are /CLEAN and /PACKFA. The /CLEAN option will read each name in the CALLER.DAT file and check the SFUSERS.PTR file to make sure the caller has not been deleted. If the callers name is not found in the SFUSERS.PTR file, it is removed from the CALLER.DAT file. The CALLER.DAT file contains the callers configurable settings used by SFAME. The /PACKFA option will pack the ATTACHES.DAT of files that have been marked deleted and files that are older than the Days To Keep File Attaches setting. It will also delete the file if it is not attached to another message. The /CLEAN option should be about once a week and the /PACKFA option should probably be run everyday to help free up disk space. If you followed the above steps, you should now be ready to run SFAME. To run SFAME use the command line: SFAME <drop file> or SFAME LOCAL The <drop file> must be SFMESS.DAT, SFMAIN.DAT, SFFILE.DAT, or SFDOORS.DAT. You can also use the SCAN option to scan for new mail. Example: SFAME <drop file> SCAN or SFAME LOCAL SCAN This will enter SFAME and start scanning for mail. You can then reply to any messages found. The SCAN option should be used in your SFLOGON.BAT instead of using SPITFIRE's message scan. If your using SFAME locally, you don't need to include LOCAL on the command line as shown above. After the new caller screen, you should now be at the SFAME main menu. From this menu you can choose the following options: <C> Change Conference - This will allow you to select a conference number or list available conferences. <D> Change Group - This will allow you to select a group or list available groups. <L> List Messages - This will list the messages in the current conference. You can use your arrow keys to move up/down the list and to the next/previous page. Press ENTER to read the message at the ">" cursor. <R> Read Messages - This will prompt you for a message number to read. You can enter a message number, choose L to go to your last read message or press ENTER to list messages. <E> Enter Message - This will prompt you for the conference you want the message saved in, who to send the message to and some other information. If you leave the Subject field blank, it will cancel the message. You will then see the blank editor screen where you enter your message. The editor commands are explained later. <A> Alter Conference Queue - This menu is the same as used by SPITFIRE. Refer to your SPITFIRE manual for help with the available options. Alter Group Queue - This works the same as the Alter Conference Queue menu. All groups in your group queue will be scanned for new mail at logon. <S> Scan For Your Mail - This will scan the message base for messages to your name or your alias. You can also choose to scan for messages From you or your alias. SFAME will either scan all message conferences or just the conferences in your queue depending on the setting you choose in your Caller Settings. SFAME will stop scanning for messages when it reaches 200 messages found for the user. It will then ask if you want to read your messages now and sysops will be asked if they want messages marked Read (preview). You can stop the message scan by pressing any key. If you choose to read your messages, you will next see the reader screen with the message header information and a message displayed. Choose H to list the available options. Refer to the Message Reader section of this file for more information on the options. Choose R if you would like to reply to the current message. Refer to the Message Reader section for more information about replying to messages. Change Caller Settings - This will allow the user to configure some of SFAME's settings. When you select I, you will see a listing of the current settings with a letter to select if you want to change a setting. Options A,B,C, and D will allow you to select the different colors SFAME will use. Set option E to OFF if you don't want to use color. Option F will allow you to select the style of borders used when you quote a message. Option G will allow you to specify if SFAME should scan all or your queued message conferences when it scans for messages. Options H and I will allow you to select taglines you can use in your messages. How to insert taglines is decribed in the Editor section. Option J will allow you to select an alias. The following is what SFAME checks when a user selects an alias: 1. The alias can't be "SYSOP". 2. The alias can't be the sysop's real name. 3. The alias can't be the name of another caller. 4. The alias can't be an alias already used by another user. 5. The alias can't be used if found in the SPITFIRE JOKER.DAT file. The user will be allowed to select an alias but can only use it if you have the group configured to allow aliases. Option K lets you specify which method SFAME uses when listing message conferences. Choose 1 if you only want to display the name of each conference. Choose 2 if you also want to display the number of messages in each conference. Choose 3 if you want to display the number of new messages in each conference. Option 1 is the fastest and 3 is the slowest. Option L lets you edit your address book if you have enabled them in the CONFIG program. You can store up to 20 addresses which can be used when entering a message. <H> Help Using SFAME - This will display the text file SFAME.HLP if found. It will also ask the user if they would like to download a copy. The SFAME.HLP file is a plain text file that describes how to use some of the features of SFAME. <Q> Quit - This will return the user to SPITFIRE. <O> Menu Extension - If you have entered a name for the Main Menu Extension in the CONFIG program, then option O will be displayed. SFAME will then run the NODE#.BAT or NODE.BAT. Refer to around line 70 above for information on the NODE.BAT file. <G> Goodbye - If you have set Main Menu Logoff to TRUE in the CONFIG program, this option will be shown and the caller will be logged off. The GOODBYE.BBS/CLR file will be shown if found in the SPITFIRE display directory. <F> Download QWK Packet - If the caller has selected any messages to be placed in a QWK packet, this will allow them to download it if they have enough time. <Ctl+Z> Help - You can press Ctl+Z from any prompt for a help message describing the prompt. You can edit the text of the help messages in the CONFIG program. The Ctl+Z help is not available in the editor. MESSAGE READER ────────────── You can read messages by choosing R or L from the main menu. After selecting which message to read, you will then see the message information displayed at the top of the screen and the message text below. The header also contains 6 flags, N S T P D R, which represent the status of each message. The N stands for a Netmail message. The S means the message has been Sent netmail. The T means the message is Threaded to another message. The P means this is a Private message. D stands for Deleted and R means the message has been Received. You will also see <First> or <Last> in the header if the current message is the first or last message in the conference. If there is a file attached to the message, you will see [File] displayed in the header. You should be able to understand the rest of the information in the header. When reading messages, you have the following options: <A> Add Message To QWK Packet - This will place the current message into a QWK packet the caller can download by choosing F from the Main Menu. This option will allow you to save a copy of the message. You can't reply to the messages and upload a .REP packet to SFAME. Since the .QWK packet does not store which group a message is from, SFAME would not know where to put the replies. The QWK packet can say the message is from conference #5 but if you have 2 groups, you will have 2 conference #5's and SFAME would not know where the reply belongs. You might not understand the above until you understand groups. Just remember SFAME doesn't accept .REP packets. Edit Current Message - This will allow the user to edit a saved message if the message is From the user. You cannot edit a message that has already been received or sent by netmail. <C> Change Conference - This will allow you to select a new conference to read messages in. You will be prompted for the conference and message number to read. <D> Toggle Deleted - This will toggle whether a message is deleted. <E> Enter Message - This will allow you to enter a message. It will first ask for the conference to save the message in. Then SFAME will ask who to send the message to. If the message is not marked as NetMail, the To: name must be a local caller and the conference must be in their conference queue. You can press ENTER if you would like the message sent to All Callers. You can also send the message to * if you would like a copy sent to every caller. You can also use * 10 20 if you would like a copy sent to all callers with a security level of 10 or 20. Examples: At the "Message To" prompt enter: * to send a copy to all callers * 10 15 to send a copy to all callers with a security level of 10 or 15. You can specify up to 5 security levels to send the message to. Only users with sysop security can send a message To: *. You can also enter A at the Message To: prompt if you want to view your address book. If you want to use an address stored in your book, enter the tag letter to the left of the address. Choose L from the Caller Settings menu to edit your address book. You must also have enabled the address book feature in the CONFIG program. <F> Follow Message Thread - This will allow you to go to the beginning of the message thread, or read forward or backward in the thread. Threaded messages are messages in the same conference with the same subject and marked as threaded. <G> Goto Last Message Read - This will search for the last message you've read in the current conference. <H> Help - This will display a help screen of the message reader's options. Non-Stop Capture - This will display messages non-stop. It will pause every 25 messages and ask if you want to continue. You can also press any key to stop. <J> Download Attached File - If there is a file attached to the current message, the user can download the file if they have enough time. If your using SFAME locally, you will be asked for the directory to copy the file. You must have DSZ.EXE or .COM in your path to allow downloads. The user can select X, Y, or ZModem. <K> Steal Tagline - This will let you copy a tagline from the current message to your Taglines.txt file. When you choose K, you will be asked for the line number that contains the tagline. After you enter a number, you will see that line displayed and you will be allowed to edit the line. You can use the arrow keys or the home/end keys to move the cursor. Press ENTER when your done editing the tagline. SFAME will ask if you want the line added to Taglines.txt. Only users with sysop security can steal a tagline. <L> List Messages - This will list messages available to the user. <M> Message Number - This will allow you to enter a message number to read. You can press Enter to list messages or choose L for the last message you've read. <N> Toggle Netmail Message - This will toggle whether a message will be sent netmail. <O>, <F10> Menu Of Options - This will display the options in the message reader with a number you can select for each option. It might be easier to use the F10 menu instead of having to choose H - Help if you can't remember an option's selection letter. Toggle Private Message - This will toggle whether a message is private. <Q> Quit to Main Menu - This will return you to the SFAME main menu. <R> Reply To Message - This will allow you to reply to the current message. You first will be asked where you would like the message saved. You will then be asked if you want the message sent to the To: or From: name. At the "Message To" prompt, enter T, F or press ENTER to send the message to All Callers. You can also enter a callers name to send the reply to. You can send the reply to * if you want a copy sent to every caller. The * is described in the option E help above. <S> Toggle NetMail Sent - This will toggle whether a netmail message has been sent. This option is only available to users with sysop security. <T> Text Search - This will ask you for the text to search for and which message fields to search. The first message with the text found will be displayed. Repeat Text Search - This will search for the next message that contains the text in the fields choosen with option T - Text Search. <V> View RIP Message - This will first write the current message to the text file VIEWRIP.RIP. If will then run the batch file VIEWRIP.BAT with VIEWRIP.RIP as parameter %1. Your VIEWRIP.BAT file should contain the line: <program name> %1 Replace the <program name> with your RIP viewer program name. This option is only for local users. <W> Copy Message - This will copy the current message to any conference. If a file is attached to the message, the information is also copied. This option is only available to users with sysop security. <X> Export Message - This will export the current message to a text file or the printer. If the file already exists, you can append or overwrite the original. You can also add the header information to the copy exported. <Y> Toggle Message Read - This will toggle whether a message has been read or received by the message To: name. <Z> Move Message - This will copy the current message to any conference and mark the original as deleted. If a file is attached to the message, the information is updated with the new message conference and number. This option is only available to users with sysop security. <[>, <]> Prev/Next Conference In Queue - Choosing [ will take you to the previous conference in your queue. Choosing ] will take you to the next conference in your queue. <O>+<20> - This will let you place the To: or From: name of the current message in your address book. You will first be asked which name. You will then see your address book. Choose the tag letter of the entry you want to place this address. This option is only available by first selecting the <O> or <F10> menu then #20. You should be able to understand the rest of the options that are listed when choosing H in the reader. Most allow you to move between messages or scroll the message your reading. If you are using SFAME locally, you can also use the arrow keys, the page up/down, and home/end keys. To go to the next message you can use either 6, +, or the right arrow. To go to the previous message, use can use 4, -, or the left arrow. If you are using SFAME from remote, you can use the arrow and other keys by using DOORWAY mode. Most communication programs use ALT= to enter doorway mode. MESSAGE EDITOR ────────────── When you select to enter a message, after you've entered the needed information, you will then be at the blank editor screen. The screen displays 20 lines of up to 74 characters each. The SFAME editor has word-wrapping so when you reach the end of a line, SFAME will automatically wrap the current word to the next line and you can continue typing. All users can use the Ctrl+ key options but the Alt+ and other keys can only be used by local users or while in DOORWAY mode. Below are the available options when entering a message: <Ctrl-S> - This moves the cursor left 1 character. Local users can also use the left arrow key. <Ctrl-D> - This moves the cursor right 1 character. Local users can also use the right arrow key. <Ctrl-Left Arrow> - Moves to beginning of previous word. <Ctrl-Right Arrow> - Moves to beginning of next word. <Ctrl-W> - Move to Start of line. Local users can also use the HOME key. <Ctrl-T> - Move to End of line. Local users can also use the END key. <Ctrl-I> - Move to next tab stop. Local users can also use the TAB key. <Ctrl-E> - Move Up 1 line. Local users can also use the UP ARROW key. <Ctrl-O> - Move Down 1 line. Local users can also use the DOWN ARROW key. <Ctrl-J> - Move up 1 page. Local users can also use the PAGE UP key. <Ctrl-K> - Move down 1 page. Local users can also use the PAGE DOWN key. <Ctrl-G> - This will allow you to goto any line number in the message. <Ctrl-B> Block Edit - This will allow you to move, copy or delete a block of text. Move the cursor to the first line you want in the block and press CTRL-B. You then can move the cursor down to the last line you want in the block and press CTRL-B again. You will then be asked if you want to move, delete, or copy the block. If you choose to move or copy the block, you will then select the line where you want the block placed and press ENTER. <Ctrl-N> - This will insert a blank line at the cursor positions line number. If there is text on the last line, you cannot insert a line. <Ctrl-Y> - This will delete the entire current line. <Ctrl-L> - This will insert the last line deleted using CTRL-Y. If there is text on the last line, you cannot insert a line. <Ctrl-F> - This will allow you to fill the entire line with a character. If there is text on the last line, you cannot fill a line with characters. <Ctrl-R> - This will delete all text from the cursor position to the end of the line. <Ctrl-H> - This is the same as using the BACKSPACE key. <Ctrl-C> - This will delete the character at the cursor. This is the same as the DELETE key. <Ctrl-P> - This will toggle between insert and overwrite mode. This is the same as the INSERT key. <Alt-D> - This will delete the word to the right of the current word. <Alt-H> - This will insert the name of who the message is being sent To:. <Alt-F> - This will insert your name in the message. <Alt-A> - This will toggle whether a message is public or private. <Alt-N> - This will allow you to change the message To: name. <Alt-S> - This will allow you to change the message subject. <Alt-K> - This will allow you to edit the routing information. <Alt-L> - If aliases are allowed, this will allow you to choose between using your real name or alias for the message. <Alt-M> - This will allow you to edit the carbon copy list. You can have up to 9 carbon copies. If the conference allows message routing, you will also be asked if you would like to route the message. You can route the original and each carbon copy to a different address. If you want to edit one of the names in the carbon copy list, first delete the name and re-enter it with the new information. <Alt-G> - This will allow you to route this message through SFNET. If you are replying to a message, SFAME will check the original message for a SFNET address and ask if you want it routed there. At the SFNET address prompt, you either enter a new address, choose N to clear the current address or choose Q to return to the editor and keep the current address. <Alt-X> - This will allow you to insert one of the taglines you entered in the Caller Settings menu. The tagline can be any text you often use in a message but don't want to type for every message. <Ctrl-Q> - If you are replying to a message, this will allow you to quote the original. In the quote screen, you use the 2, 8 keys to move the > up or down. You can also use the 3, 9 keys to move up or down 1 page. If local, you can use the up/down arrows and the pageup/down keys. If you want to quote a line, move the > to the line and press ENTER or the SPACE bar. When your done, choose D to return to the editor. If you decide not to quote the original, choose C to cancel the quote. <Ctrl-U> - This will allow you to upload a text file that will be placed in your message. The file must be uncompressed and any line longer than 74 characters is cut. If you are using SFAME locally, you can use this to import a text file into your message. Local users have 80 characters for the path\file name and remote users have 12 characters for the file name only. You must have DSZ.EXE or .COM somewhere in your path to allow uploads. The user will be able to choose X, Y, or ZModem. If your using SFAME locally, you can press ENTER at the prompt asking for a file name and SFAME will check for the file SFMSG.TXT in your work directory. If found, SFAME will insert the SFMSG.TXT file. <Ctrl-Z> - This will display the help file EDITOR.HLP. This is a plain text file which lists the editor commands and keys to use. <Escape> - This will exit the editor. When you select this, you will be asked if you want to <A>bort, <C>ontinue, or <S>ave the message. If you allow files attached to messages, you will also see an option Attach <F>ile. <A>bort will cancel the message without saving a copy. <C>ontinue will allow you to continue entering the message. <S>ave will save the message. Attach <F>ile will allow you to attach a file to the message. Local users will have 80 characters to enter a path\file name of the file to attach. Remote users have 12 characters for the file name. You must have DSZ.EXE or .COM somewhere in your path to allow uploads. The user will be able to choose X, Y, or ZModem. SFAME will check that there is at least as much free disk space as you specified in the CONFIG program before allowing an upload. When the upload is completed, the file is copied to the file attach directory. SFAME uses the DOS COPY command to copy files so you might see DOS's "1 file copied" message. Only 1 file can be attached to a message. You can also use the ESCAPE key to exit the editor. <Ctrl-A> - This will list a menu of the AutoMessage scripts available. If the user selects a script, any text placed into the message by the script will be placed at the cursor position when Ctrl-A was selected. <Ctrl-V> - This will show you some information about the current message. <Alt-V> - This will display a chart of the ASCII characters and codes for #128 through #254. The characters can be used by pressing ALT+ the code below the character. <Alt-B> - This will save a copy of the message to a text file. This option is available only to local users. <Ctrl-X>, <F10> - This will display a menu of options. You can choose an option by entering the number next to it. Using this menu is probably easier than remembering the Ctrl+ and Alt+ keys. There are a few options available only by using the F10 menu. They are: <20> - If you are replying to a message, this will check the original for a CircuitNet address. If an address is found, SFAME will add >> + the address to the message subject. <28> - This will display a menu of the control characters you can place in a message. <29> - This will allow you to search a nodelist for any text. You will first be asked which of the 2 nodelists to search. You then enter the text to search for. If you want to display the entire nodelist enter ALL at the prompt asking for the text to search for. If SFAME finds a line with the text, it will display the line with a tag letter. If you choose the tag letter, the address found on that line will be used to route the message. <30> - SFAME will shell to the file SPELL.BAT. The SPELL.BAT file is explained above. When you return to SFAME, you will see the editor screen with a new copy of your message which will contain any changes made in the spell checker. You can then continue to edit the message. You will also be asked if you want to spell check your message before it is saved. When saving a netmail message, first, SFAME will check for a text file called TAGLINES.TXT. The TAGLINES.TXT file is a plain text file which contains taglines that are added to messages. Place the taglines 1 per line and a line can't be longer than 70 characters. If you've registered SFAME, a tagline will be placed after the SFAME: line at the end of the message. Next, SFAME will check for a file called BBSNAME.DAT in your SPITFIRE work directory.If found, the first line will be added to the end of the message. SYSOP FUNCTION KEYS ─────────────────── There are a few sysop function keys available in SFAME. They operate the same as in SPITFIRE. <Alt+F1> - This will log off the user and display the file NEEDSYS.BBS/CLR if found in your SPITFIRE display directory. If the file is not found, a message will be displayed. <Alt+F2> - This will log off the user without displaying a message. <Alt+C> - This will enter and exit chat mode. You can't chat with a caller while editing a message. <Alt+J> - This will cause SFAME to drop to dos. It will also swap out of memory if set in the CONFIG program. Type EXIT to return to SFAME. <F4> - This will toggle the printer on/off in SPITFIRE. If the SPITFIRE setting is OFF, then SFAME will not use the printer. <F6> - This will decrease the callers time by 5 minutes. <F7> - This will increase the callers time by 5 minutes. SFAME WORK FILES ──────────────── These are the data and display files created and used by SFAME. The SFAME home directory refers to the directory where the SFAME.EXE and .OVR files are placed. SFAME uses the following SPITFIRE control characters when displaying files. Refer to your SPITFIRE manual if you need more information about the control characters. The characters can be placed in display files, or messages. Note: If you want to place a control character in a message using the SFAME editor, choose F10 for the Editor menu, then choose 28 for the control character menu. The reason for the extra menu is because if you enter ^D at the editor screen, SFAME will not know if you want to use the control character ^D or the editor feature ^D. Also, if you use a control character in a message, SFAME will display the information and not the control character. Example: If you put a ^V in your message, you will see your full name displayed but SFAME will store and save the ^V in the message. If your using SFAME locally, you will see the control codes. This is because of the direct screen writing used by SFAME. ^B (ASCII 02) - Inhibits the "More <y/n>" prompt. ^D (ASCII 04) - Displays caller's first name. ^F (ASCII 06) - Displays caller's city and state/province. ^K (ASCII 11) - Displays number of files downloaded by caller. ^L (ASCII 12) - Clears screen. ^O (ASCII 15) - Displays the caller's original log on date. ^P (ASCII 16) - Displays the "More <y/n>" prompt. ^Q (ASCII 17) - Displays the number of minutes allowed this log on. ^R (ASCII 18) - Displays the caller's phone number. ^S (ASCII 19) - Displays the date of the caller's last call. ^T (ASCII 20) - Displays the caller's password. ^U (ASCII 21) - Displays the caller's date of birth. ^V (ASCII 22) - Displays caller's full name. ^W (ASCII 23) - Displays the number of K uploaded. ^X (ASCII 24) - Displays the number of K downloaded. ^Y (ASCII 25) - Displays the caller's security level. The ^C, ^E, ^G, ^J, and ^N codes used by SPITFIRE are not used in SFAME. EDITOR.HLP - This is the text help displayed when you choose CTRL-Z in the message editor. It is kept in the SFAME home directory. SFAME.HLP - This is the help file displayed when you choose H from the SFAME main menu. It is kept in the SFAME home directory. GROUP#.BBS/CLR - This file is displayed to the caller when they select group #. Example: GROUP2.BBS/CLR will displayed when a user enters group 2. This file is kept in the SFAME home directory. GROUPS.BBS/CLR - This file can contain a display of the groups available. When changing groups, SFAME will normally list the group numbers and their description and the caller can select which group to enter. By using the GROUPS.BBS/CLR screen, you can create a display of the groups. SFAME allows 40 characters to describe a group. By using this display, you can design a screen that can contain longer descriptions. This file is kept in the SFAME home directory. ATTACHES.DAT - This file contains information about the files attached to messages. Each group has its own ATTACHES.DAT file. It is kept in the group directory. CALLER.DAT - This file contains the caller settings that can be changed by choosing I from the SFAME main menu. It is kept in the SFAME home directory. GROUPS.DAT - This file contains the setup information for each group. It is kept in the SFAME home directory. NEWQUEUE.DAT - This file is used by the SFAMEUQ.EXE utility which is described later. When a user alters their message queue, the new queue is written to this file. This file is written to the SPITFIRE home directory. SCRIPTS.DAT - This file contains your script information. It is kept in the SFAME home directory. SFAMEHLP.DAT - This file contains the help records seen when you press Ctl+Z in SFAME. You can choose menu option 8 of the CONFIG program if you want to edit this file. ERRORS.LOG - If an error occurs, it will be written to this file. If this file exists, you should read it. It is used if a needed file is not found or some other error occurs. SFAME.LOG - If you don't specify a log file name in the CONFIG, SFAME will write caller activity to this file. It is written in the SFAME home directory. SFAME.CFG - This is the main SFAME configuration file. It contains the settings you select using the CONFIG program. It is kept in the SFAME home directory. ALIAS.PTR - This file contains all users and their alias if they use one. When a caller enters SFAME, this file is scanned for their settings instead of the scanning the CALLER.DAT file which is slower. This file is also checked when a user selects an alias. It is kept in the SFAME home directory. CONFQUE.# - This file contains the callers conference queue for group #. The file CONFQUE.2 contains the conference queues for group 2. since SPITFIRE only stores 1 conference queue, this allows the user to have a queue for each group. This file is kept in the group directory. NODE# DIRECTORY - SFAME will create work directories called NODE# where the # is the node number for the directory. Local users will have a NODE0 directory. This directory is where SFAME makes the .QWK packets and puts uploaded files. When a user exits SFAME, this directory will be cleaned. If there are some files left over after a caller, you can delete them. If you create a .QWK packet locally, it is kept in the NODE0 directory when you exit. The NODE# directories are not removed when the user exits but files in them are deleted. QWK DOORS ───────── You can use SFAME's Main Menu Extension to setup a QWK mail door. If you have more than 1 group, then your mail door will probably need a different configuration file for each group. Heres why. If a caller enters the mail door in group 1 and downloads BBSNAME.QWK, then goes to group 2 and uses the mail door and tries to download another packet called BBSNAME.QWK, the download will fail because the file already exists in the users DL directory. To fix this, you should include the group number in the QWK packet name. Group 1's name should be BBSNAME1.QWK, group 2's BBSNAME2.QWK, etc. Your mail door will probably need a different configuration file which contains the QWK packet name for each group. An easy way to name them is CONFIG.1, CONFIG.2, etc. When SFAME exits runs node.bat, it includes the group number as %1. In your node.bat file, you can then copy the CONFIG.%1 to the name used by your mail door. When a user uploads their reply packets, they will have to enter the mail door for each group. Using a mail door with more than 1 group can seem a little messy but its does work. I've included a sample NODE.BAT file that should help you understand this. MESSAGE BASE PACKING ──────────────────── If you have more than 1 group setup, you'll need to pack the message conferences in each group. To do this, just copy the SFMCONF.DAT type file for each group to your SPITFIRE home directory and rename it SFMCONF.DAT. Then run SFPCKMSG to pack the message base. Example: CD C:\SF REM Save original SFMCONF.DAT COPY SFMCONF.DAT SFMCONF.BAK REM Copy group #1's conference data file to C:\SF\SFMCONF.DAT COPY C:\SF\SFAME\SFMCONF.1 SFMCONF.DAT SFPCKMSG /OLD=15 /POT /POU /PRM /ALL /SIZE=300 REM Copy group #2's conference data file to C:\SF\SFMCONF.DAT COPY C:\SF\SFAME\SFMCONF.2 SFMCONF.DAT SFPCKMSG /OLD=15 /POT /POU /PRM /ALL /SIZE=300 REM Copy group #3's conference data file to C:\SF\SFMCONF.DAT COPY C:\SF\SFAME\SFMCONF.3 SFMCONF.DAT SFPCKMSG /OLD=15 /POT /POU /PRM /ALL /SIZE=300 REM Restore original SFMCONF.DAT COPY SFMCONF.BAK SFMCONF.DAT The above example will copy the SFMCONF.DAT file for each group and then pack the message base for that group. UTILITIES ───────── There are 3 other programs included with SFAME. The CONFIG program is described above. The TESTSCR program will test your script files and display a message if a problem is found in a script. To use TESTSCR, type TESTSCR <script name>. First, TESTSCR will read each line to make sure all commands are valid. It will then run the script so you can test the script before putting it on-line. The other program is called SFAMEUQ.EXE. This program will read the NEWQUEUE.DAT file and will update the users queue in the SFUSERS.DAT file. It should be run from your SFINIT.BAT file after every caller. This program is needed because when a caller returns from SFAME, any changes made to their conference queue are lost. You don't need to use SFAMEUQ if you run SFAME from the DOORS menu. You do need to use it if SFAME is run from a menu extension. FEATURES ──────── Multi-node support ────────────────── SFAME has full file sharing and locking built in using Mike Woltz's BCShare. You can use the same SFAME directory and files on as many nodes as you like. You only need one copy of the SFAME files to handle any number of nodes. Multi-Tasking ───────────── SFAME supports the following multi-taskers and will release its time slices while idle. Windows 3.x & NT DESQview 2.xx DoubleDOS VMiX 2.xx MultiDos Plus 4.xx OS/2 2.0 DOS 5.0 Task Switcher and Compatibles TaskView, TopView, OmniView, & Compatibles Com Ports ───────── Can be used on com ports 1-8 using standard IRQ's. Disclaimer ────────── Use this program at your own risk. There are no guarantees that SFAME will run on your system. Richard Lemaster shall not be held responsible for any damages incurred while running SFAME, CONFIG, SFAMEUQ, or TESTSCR. The user accepts all responsibility when using these programs. HELP ──── If you have any questions, suggestions or problems with SFAME, you can leave me, Richard Lemaster, a message on my BBS or in the SFNET 3rd Party Conference. REGISTRATION ──────────── Registration for SFAME is only $15. You can pay by check or money order. Any checks from outside the US must be for $20 because the banks won't cash a foreign check under $20. So if your outside the US, its better to send a $15 money order. Unregistered versions of SFAME are limited to 2 groups and 1 script. All features work in both reg. and unregistered versions. Once registered, all future upgrades are free. You will only need the latest version. Your SFAME.KEY file will work with all future versions. You can call my BBS and pick up your registration key usually within 24 hours after receiving your letter. Please fill in the necessary information below. Information needed for registration ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SFAME Registration Form BBS Name (up to 50 chars):________________________________________ Sysop Name (up to 30 chars):______________________________ What name will you use when calling me: What password will you use when calling me: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To register, simply fill out the questions above and mail it and a check, or money order for $15 ($20 outside US) to: Richard Lemaster 7332 So. 74 E Ave. Tulsa, Ok 74133 If you have any suggestions, comments, or problems with SFAME or the included utilities, you can leave me a message in the SFNET 3rd Party conference or the Fidonet Spitfire conference. The best way to contact me would be to call my BBS listed below. Over The Line BBS Richard Lemaster - Sysop Fidonet 1:170/260 Line 1:(918)250-0542 28.8 Line 2:(918)250-2462 14.4 The latest version can always be FREQ'ed with the magic name "SFAME" from me at 1:170/260. Thanks to Jacque Shipley for helping develop and test SFAME. File sharing and locking are from BCShare by Mike Woltz. "SPITFIRE" is Copyright (C) 1987-1995 by Mike Woltz. "SPITFIRE" is a registered trademark of Buffalo Creek Software. "BCSHARE" is Copyright (C) 1990 by Mike Woltz.