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RoboROBOT v1.00
Copyright 1994 Duke Graphics
All Rights Reserved Worldwide
USER MANUAL
January 17, 1994
Duke Graphics
4130 La Jolla Village Drive
Suite 107-169
La Jolla, CA 92037
USA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION ......................................... 3
What is RoboROBOT ................................. 3
How it Came To Be ................................. 3
Acknowledgments ................................... 3
How to Contact the Author ......................... 4
Products by the Author ............................ 4
REGISTRATION ......................................... 5
Registered Features ............................... 5
Evaluation Version ................................ 5
License and Disclaimer Information ................ 6
Trademarks ........................................ 6
RoboROBOT SETUP ...................................... 7
System Requirements ............................... 7
Installation Instructions ......................... 7-9
Initialization File (ROBOT.INI).................... 9
USING RoboROBOT ...................................... 10
Canned Input Messages ............................. 10
RoboROBOT Examples ................................ 11-12
Future Enhancements ............................... 13
REVISION HISTORY ..................................... 13
PAGE 03
INTRODUCTION
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WHAT IS RoboROBOT?
RoboROBOT is the following:
■ An automatic message utility for RoboBOARD/FX. RoboROBOT will
automatically send a message to a user of your system using
RoboBOARD/FX's templates. A unique "canned input message" can
be created for any template's auto message.
For example, an automated "Welcome!" message can be sent to each
new user that logs onto your system (NEWUSER.PLT). Or, you can
have RoboROBOT send an automated message to a user who adds their
BBS to your BBS list... that is if you have set up such a template.
■ Keeps a log file, ROBOT.LOG, for debugging setup errors.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
RoboROBOT was the result of a need to send automated mail
to users of a RoboBOARD/FX. Similar "robot" programs exist
for other BBSes, but none exist for RoboBOARD/FX... until now.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the following people:
My beautiful wife, Kristine, for her patience, love, and putting
up with my all-night programming marathons.
Dominic Cotignola for testing and suggestions for RoboROBOT.
Dom has been the best supporter of my efforts, my software,
and RoboBOARD since day 1. Thanks, Dom!
Mark May (Mythical Kingdom Software) for use of his JAM routines.
PAGE 04
INTRODUCTION
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HOW TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR
If you have any questions, you can write to, or leave email
to "Chris Duke" on Online Resource or on CompuServe. Ideas and
suggestions are appreciated.
Online Resource .............. (619) 793-8360
CompuServe ................... 71045,3346
Email ........................ cduke@dukegfx.com
FidoNet ...................... 1:202/238
WorldNet ..................... 62:1900/107
RoboNET ...................... 90:1200/10
ITCnet ....................... 85:820/102
Address ...................... Duke Graphics
4130 La Jolla Village Drive
Suite 107-169
La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
PRODUCTS BY THE AUTHOR
Clipper ClassMates.............. OOP Library for Clipper
Viewit.......................... OOP Library for Clipper
Robo User Investigator (RUI).... Utility for Robo-Board PRO/PLUS
Robo Call Info (RCI)............ Utility for Robo-Board PRO/PLUS
Ico2FX Icon Converter........... Utility for RoboBOARD/FX
Robo Icon Manager (RIM)......... Utility for RoboBOARD/FX
GraphFX Statistics Utility...... Utility for RoboBOARD/FX
RoboROBOT Auto Message Utility.. Utility for RoboBOARD/FX
Thanks for using RoboROBOT! - Chris Duke, RoboROBOT Author
PAGE 05
REGISTRATION
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
Please see the accompanying REGISTER.DOC for information on
registering RoboROBOT.
RoboROBOT is not free. You must register after a 30-day
evaluation time period.
RoboROBOT is a Shareware product. It is distributed through
public access channels so that perspective buyers can have the
opportunity to evaluate the product before making a decision
to buy. If you decide to use this software, then you are under
both legal and moral obligation to register it with the author.
But if you decide not to use it after evaluating the software,
you are under no obligation. It is fully protected by State,
Federal and International copyright laws.
If you continue to use RoboROBOT after the 30-day evaluation
time period you must register it.
Registration Fee: $15 US
To register your copy of RoboROBOT, see the accompanying
REGISTER.DOC. If this file did not come with your RoboROBOT
archive, obtain a new copy of RoboROBOT from Online Resource,
or download ORDER.FRM.
If you register by mail, you will be sent via postal mail your
registration code which you enter in ROBOT.INI. If you
register on-line by credit card, your registration code will
be left for you in a private email message on Online Resource.
You will also need to enter your name in ROBOT.INI as it
appears on the order form you mail to Duke Graphics.
Registration entitles you continue using the current version
and all future versions as well as the following features:
REGISTERED FEATURES
Upon registering RoboROBOT, you will receive a key code unique
to you only. After entering it into ROBOT.INI, you will
have the following added capabilities:
■ Ability to send a different automated message in response
to ANY RoboBOARD/FX template. For example, when a user
completes an order template, RoboROBOT will quickly send them
a note saying their order was received and will be processed
promptly.
■ Removes annoying delay at start of each program execution.
■ Removes annoying nags.
PAGE 06
LICENSE AND DISCLAIMER INFORMATION
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1. RoboROBOT's creator does not assume any liability for the
use or misuse of this software beyond the original price
paid by the party at stake.
In no event will RoboROBOT's creator be liable to you for
any additional damages, including any lost profits, lost
savings, lost programming, or other incidental or
consequential damages arising from the use of, or
inability to use, this software and its accompanying
documentation, even if RoboROBOT's creator has been
advised of the possibility of such damages.
2. RoboROBOT is the property of Duke Graphics. Duke Graphics
retains the right to stop supporting RoboROBOT at any
time they see fit to do so.
3. You may not reverse engineer or modify in any way
RoboROBOT in memory or on disk, or distribute it for such
purposes.
4. RoboROBOT may be used on more than one node or machine
if you are physically networked to then other machines, or
multitasking the nodes on the same machine.
5. Duke Graphics, author of RoboROBOT reserves the right to
change its registration and distribution philosophy as they
see fit. Duke Graphics also reserves the right to change
the registration method and price of RoboROBOT.
6. You may not run any version of RoboROBOT registered to
another Sysop or Company without special permission from
Duke Graphics.
7. You may not charge a fee for the distribution of RoboROBOT
over and above the cost of the distribution medium,
and packaging.
8. RoboROBOT's creator should be notified for permission by
any commercial distributor wanting to circulate RoboROBOT.
9. RoboROBOT should not be used or distributed for any
unlawful or illegal purposes.
TRADEMARKS
RoboROBOT is a trademark of Duke Graphics.
RoboBOARD is a trademark of Hamilton TeleGraphics.
All other products are trademarks of their respective authors.
PAGE 07
RoboROBOT SETUP
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
RoboROBOT requires an IBM PC/AT/fully compatible computer, DOS
3.0 or greater, a minimum of 400K of memory.
RoboBOARD/FX 1.00 or higher.
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
For less verbose installation instructions, please see SYSOP.DOC's
"RoboROBOT Quick-E Installation Instructions". SYSOP.DOC is for
experienced RoboBOARD/FX Sysops only.
Step 1 - Install Software
Create a directory or sub-directory (it doesn't matter where
or on what drive) off of your \ROBOFX directory. I recommend:
C:\ROBOFX\ROBOT
Move all of the files which came with the original archive to
that directory.
Step 2 - Set up RoboBOARD/FX's NEWUSER.PLT
Add the following line to your \ROBOFX\ENGLISH\TEMPLATE\NEWUSER.PLT
file, after the *ENDPLATE line:
*TOFILE,C:\ROBOFX\ROBOT\ROBOT.DAT,NEWUSER,Welcome!,{USERNAME}
Syntax: *TOFILE,<ROBOT.DAT>,<TEMPLATE_NAME>,<SUBJECT>,{USERNAME}
|
`-> *TOFILE - Template command to direct output to a file
<ROBOT.DAT> - Drive, path and filename for ROBOT.DAT
<TEMPLATE_NAME> - The 8 letter DOS filename of the template
<SUBJECT> - Subject for message (keep it under 15 chars)
{USERNAME} - Inline text token to output the user's full name
NOTE: Other plates can be configured for use with RoboROBOT,
however only the NEWUSER.PLT information can be used in
the unregistered version.
Step 3 - Add a hook to your BBS batch file
Add a hook to your BBS batch file to check for new data. If
new data is found, run PROCESS.BAT. For example, before OR
after you make a call to ROBOFX.EXE in your batch file, add
these two lines:
echo:Checking for RoboROBOT...
if exist c:\robofx\robot\robot.dat call c:\robofx\robot\process.bat
PAGE 08
Another good place to put these two lines is at the "top" of your
BBS batch file. If you have an enormous batch file for your BBS
like I do, you will find the thought of adding these two lines
after each occurrence of ROBOFX.EXE appalling. Instead, if your
batch file "loops" like the default RoboBOARD/FX BBS batch file,
RUN-ROBO.BAT, just add the two lines at the "top" of the batch file.
Below is the RoboBOARD/FX RUN-ROBO.BAT batch file, modified for
RoboROBOT.
┌─────────────────────────────[ RUN-ROBO.BAT ]───────────────────────────┐
│ @ECHO OFF │
│ CLS │
│ │
│ :TOP │
│ echo:Checking for RoboROBOT... │
│ if exist c:\robofx\robot\robot.dat call c:\robofx\robot\process.bat │
│ │
│ ROBOFX │
│ │
│ if ERRORLEVEL 5 goto DONE │
│ │
│ goto TOP │
│ :DONE │
│ │
│ echo RoboBOARD exited! │
│ echo. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Lastly, you do not necessarily need to run RoboROBOT after each
call. Instead, it can be run as a daily (or nightly) event. The
benefit to running RoboROBOT after each call is obvious: if a new
user logs on, then calls back after a few hours (or even their
next call just minutes later), they will have new mail waiting.
New users love getting new mail (even if it is a canned message).
You give your system the appearance of a "friendly" system and you
run a better chance of that user calling your system back for more!
Step 4 - Edit ROBOT.INI
ROBOT.INI, the setup file for RoboROBOT, contains system
specific information which you will need to change. Follow the
comments and change where necessary. Be sure to correctly
identify the message area path and message area name for
RoboROBOT to post to.
See next page, "INITIALIZATION FILE" for a detailed explanation.
Step 5 - Check and modify NEWUSER.TXT
Take a look at NEWUSER.TXT. It is set up as a default "canned"
input message used as your new user message. Use any RoboBOARD/FX
inline text or color token. See TOKENS.DOC or your RoboBOARD/FX
manual for the latest and complete listing. See "CANNED INPUT
MESSAGES" for further discussions of the RoboROBOT canned input
messages.
PAGE 09
INITIALIZATION FILE
ROBOT.INI is the setup, or initialization file for RoboROBOT.
It is used to configure your copy of RoboROBOT for your unique
system. For example, it holds the "From:" field name for your
messages, registered Sysop name, your registration code, and
the message area path and area name for your JAM messages.
Below is an example of the default values. Below this example,
you will find a line-by-line description. You will find a
ROBOT.INI file in the original distribution archive which
should look similar to it.
NOTE: Do not insert blank lines, or omit any.
ROBOT.INI------------------------------------------------------------
Sysop ; Name of Sysop for FROM field in messages
Sysop ; Name registered to
0 ; Registration Code
c:\robofx\mail\general ; Message area path and area name
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
LINE 01 Enter the name to use in the FROM field in messages.
Often this will be your real name (same as line 2).
LINE 02 Enter your name here, as registered.
LINE 03 Enter your personalized registration code here.
LINE 05 Enter the path and area name for your JAM message area.
Often, this will be:
C:\ROBOFX\MAIL\<name|#>
...where <name|#> is a name or number representing the
JAM message area you want RoboROBOT to post to.
Default is C:\ROBOFX\MAIL\GENERAL
PAGE 10
USING ROBOROBOT
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RoboROBOT is intended to be run after each call to your RoboBOARD.
You do not actually run ROBOT.EXE, rather the accompanying batch
file, PROCESS.BAT, which runs ROBOT.EXE. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT
ROBOT.EXE BE RUN FROM ITS OWN DIRECTORY WHICH IS WHY PROCESS.BAT
MUST BE CALLED.
RoboROBOT is a simple program which benefits heavily from
RoboBOARD's templates. Basically, you add one line of text to the
end of a template which outputs some information to RoboROBOT's
ROBOT.DAT data file. When RoboROBOT sees ROBOT.DAT, it takes
that information and uses the supplied POST.EXE to send the
mail to your user(s). The mail sent is flagged as PRIVATE.
RoboROBOT is set up to be very generic in what it accepts as
data. Because of this, you can have RoboROBOT send a separate
message to any user for each template.
RoboROBOT maintains a log file in the RoboROBOT directory
called ROBOT.LOG. If you think you are having setup problems,
please take a look at this log file... you may find what you
are looking for!
HINT: If you run a BBS where you get a "fair share" of new users
every day, you may find it annoying to see all of these
canned messages in your General Mail area. A suggestion
is to create a separate mail area for this purpose. As a
suggestion, I set up one specifically for RoboROBOT called
"ROBOT".
CANNED INPUT MESSAGES
The canned input messages must be located in your RoboROBOT
directory. They have a file name extension of ".TXT" and
the file name must be the same as the name of the template
it is associated with. For example, NEWUSER.TXT for the
NEWUSER.PLT template, or ORDER.TXT for your ORDER.PLT order
template.
NOTE: RoboROBOT uses a "keyword" which is put into ROBOT.DAT
by each template you use. This keyword must be the
same name as the 8-character template file name. See
<TEMPLATE_NAME> in Step 2 of the INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
for further information.
The canned input messages must be plain ASCII text files (use
DOS EDIT or QEdit) with no word processing formatting codes.
They can contain any text, ASCII characters, or RoboBOARD/FX inline text tokens or color codes. See TOKENS.DOC for or your
RoboBOARD/FX manual for the latest and complete listing. See
"ROBOROBOT EXAMPLES" or the supplied NEWUSER.TXT for examples.
PAGE 11
ROBOROBOT EXAMPLES
NEWUSER.PLT (Stock RoboBOARD/FX template)
When a new user logs on and bypasses the NEWUSER template by
choosing the "DONE" button, RoboROBOT will send the contents
of the canned message, NEWUSER.TXT (found in the RoboROBOT
directory), to the user in a private email message in the
message area you specified in ROBOT.INI.
Line added to end of NEWUSER.PLT:
*TOFILE,C:\ROBOFX\ROBOT\ROBOT.DAT,NEWUSER,Welcome!,{USERNAME}
See the supplied NEWUSER.TXT for a sample canned message.
ORD_RBOT.PLT (Custom template created for taking RoboROBOT orders)
When user goes to my order menu and orders a registration key
for RoboROBOT, and bypasses the ORD_RBOT template by choosing
the "DONE" button, RoboROBOT will send the contents of the canned
message, ORD_RBOT.TXT, (found in the RoboROBOT directory) to the
user in a private email message in the message area you specified
in ROBOT.INI.
Line added to end of ORD_RBOT.PLT:
*TOFILE,C:\ROBOFX\ROBOT\ROBOT.DAT,ORD_RBOT,Order Confirm,{USERNAME}
Example of a canned message for the ORD_RBOT template's canned
message, ORD_RBOT.TXT:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ {4}Hi {UFNAME}! │
│ │
│ {15}Thank you for ordering RoboROBOT by Duke Graphics! │
│ │
│ This is a confirmation message to you, so you know we have │
│ received your order! You should receive, in a matter of │
│ hours, your registration key in a private message addressed │
│ to you. │
│ │
│ We have the following address for you which you entered as │
│ a new user. Please check to make sure it is correct. If it │
│ isn't, please change it by going to the User Menu, as it is │
│ imperative we have your correct mailing address for future │
│ mailings and product announcements! │
│ │
│ {1}Your address: │
│ │
│ {USTREET} │
│ {UCITY}, {UPOST} │
│ {ULAND} │
│ │
│ {14}Thanks again for ordering! │
│ {SYSNAME} │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
PAGE 12
BBSLIST.PLT (Custom template created for adding a BBS to a BBS list)
When user goes to my BBS list menu and adds a BBS to the BBS list,
and bypasses the BBSLIST template by choosing the "DONE" button,
RoboROBOT will send the contents of the canned message BBSLIST.TXT
(found in the RoboROBOT directory) to the user in a private email
message in the message area you specified in ROBOT.INI.
Line added to end of BBSLIST.PLT:
*TOFILE,C:\ROBOFX\ROBOT\ROBOT.DAT,BBSLIST,Thanks!,{USERNAME}
Example of a canned message for the BBSLIST template's canned
message, BBSLIST.TXT:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ {4}Hi {UFNAME}! │
│ │
│ {15}Thank you for adding your BBS to our growing BBS list! │
│ │
│ If you know of any other RoboBOARDs in your area, please │
│ let them know of our lest, or add them to our list for them! │
│ │
│ {14}Thanks again for your contribution! │
│ {SYSNAME} │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
UPLOAD.PLT (Stock RoboBOARD/FX v1.02 template)
When user uploads a file to your BBS, RoboROBOT will send the
contents of the canned message UPLOAD.TXT (found in the
RoboROBOT directory) to the user in a private email message in
the message area you specified in ROBOT.INI.
Line added to end of UPLOAD.PLT:
*TOFILE,C:\ROBOFX\ROBOT\ROBOT.DAT,UPLOAD,Thank You!,{USERNAME}
Example of a canned message for the UPLOAD template's canned
message, UPLOAD.TXT:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ {4}Hi {UFNAME}! │
│ │
│ Thank you for taking the time to upload a file to │
│ {BBSNAME}! │
│ │
│ {14}{SYSNAME} │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
PAGE 13
FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS
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The following are proposed enhancements and additions to
RoboROBOT. Note: these are not necessarily all going to be
added. I will do my best to implement these, as well as
user suggestions, as time permits.
■ Ability to specify a separate message area for each canned
input message.
REVISION HISTORY
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1.00 No changes, this is the first version!