Monster Media 1994 #1/monster.zip/monster/WILDCAT/AMSG1_5.ZIP/AUTOMSG.DOC

Text File | 1994-01-10 | 17KB | 390 lines

                                 AddTech Consultancy Limited
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          ▐██▌  ▐██▌  ▐██▌  │    leaving a message for the Sysop at:
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             │  │  │  │  │  │
          ┌──┘  └──┤  └──┘  │    [phone]    2400 baud
          └────────┴────────┘    [phone]   14400 baud
                                 [phone]   14400 baud

             Or on The Internet as "[e-mail]"









                                    Disclaimer

      AddTech Consultancy makes no warranty of any kind, either  express or
      implied,  including  but  not   limited  to  implied  warranties   of
      merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to
      this software and accompanying documentation.

      IN NO  EVENT SHALL  ADDTECH  CONSULTANCY BE  LIABLE FOR  ANY  DAMAGES
      (INCLUDING  DAMAGES   FOR   LOSS  OF   BUSINESS   PROFITS,   BUSINESS
      INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR OTHER  PECUNIARY LOSS)
      ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR  INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM,  EVEN IF
      ADDTECH CONSULTANCY  HAS  BEEN ADVISED  OF  THE POSSIBILITY  OF  SUCH
      DAMAGES.


         AutoMessage Documentation for WildCat! BBS systems version 3.xx

      AutoMessage is copyright 1993 & 1994 by AddTech Consultancy Limited.


      What is AutoMessage?

      AutoMessage is  a system  which will  enable you,  as a  Sysop for  a
      WildCat! 3.xx BBS to automatically  send messages to your users.  You
      can for  example, automatically  send a  welcome message  to all  new
      users, or a message warning users that their subscription to your BBS
      is about to expire. The registered version of AutoMessage can also be
      used to automatically change the security level of any user  it sends
      a message to, as well  as keep a log file  of all messages sent,  and
      security levels changed.

      When AutoMessage is  run, a  status screen is  displayed which  gives
      information about the messages being sent. To the right of the screen
      is a column with a  heading of "pr". This stands  for "Private/Return
      receipt", a tick will  appear under the  corresponding letter if  the
      message currently being sent has been marked "Private" or for "Return
      receipt".

      Once AutoMessage has completed it tasks, a line appears at the bottom
      of the screen which counts down from 10 seconds. If you  wish to exit
      quickly you can press any key at this point.


      How do I install AutoMessage?

      Simple! The first thing  to mention is  that if you  are going to  be
      running AutoMessage from a directory other than your  "main" WildCat!
      home directory (i.e. the one containing MAKEWILD.DAT), then  you need
      to set the DOS variable "WCHOME".  This is very easily done  from DOS
      by using the following command:

      SET WCHOME=C:\WC30\

      Where "C:\WC30\" is your WildCat! home directory. Note the lack  of a
      space between the WCHOME and the equals sign. For  compatibility with
      older versions  on AutoMessage  setting the  DOS variable  "HOMEPATH"
      will also work correctly.

      If however, you always run  AUTOMSG.EXE from your WildCat  directory,
      then the above isn't necessary.

      And that's all the configuration you need to do!


      What are the options in AutoMessage?

      The reason I wrote AutoMessage was because  I was a great fan  of the
      Post Master utility written by  Dave Cody. However, there were  a few
      things Post Master couldn't do, which I felt were quite important for
      the applications I was  using it for.  Because of  this, most of  the
      command line options in AutoMessage are Post Master compatible.

      There  is  only  one  *required*  parameter:  the  one   which  tells
      AutoMessage which  text file  to send  as a  message.  All the  other
      options are (surprise, surprise!) optional.

      Anything below included in  [square brackets] are optional,  anything
      in <sharp brackets> are required

      /I:[drive:][path]<text file>

      Tells AutoMessage which text file to  send as a message. This  can be
      the full drive and path to the file. Wild Cards *can* be used. But be
      careful!

      AutoMessage does not care if the file(s) specified are text  files or
      not, so care should be taken to assure that the file passed is always
      a text file (although sending a non-text file will not  result in any
      real harm). If the text file  is larger than 148 lines  (The WildCat!
      limit is 150 lines), then the file is split into a number of 148 line
      messages. (148 because of the two lines taken up by the tagline).

      The text file *can* include most of the standard WildCat @ codes, the
      currently supported codes are as follows:

      @VER@           The WildCat! version (i.e "3.90M")
      @BBS@           The name of your BBS (i.e "Transworld BBS")
      @SYSOP@         The Sysop name (i.e "Adam Stevens")
      @TMSG@          Total messages on the system (i.e "22345")
      @TUSER@         Total users on the system (i.e "4531")
      @TFILE@         Total files on the system (i.e "16731")
      @TCALLS@        Total calls made to the system (i.e "118257")
      @USER@          Users full name (i.e "FRED BLOGGS")
      @FIRST@         Users first name (i.e "Fred")
      @PHONE@         Users phone number (i.e "0272 444026")
      @FROM@          Users location (i.e "Bristol, England")
      @CPU@           Users computer type (i.e "486dx")
      @BDATE@         *Users birthdate (i.e "26/07/69")
      @CALLS@         Number of calls the user has made (i.e "345")
      @MEMO@          *Users memo date (i.e "25/12/93")
      @SEC@           Users security profile (i.e "STANDARD")
      @SINCE@         *Date of the users first call (i.e "12/07/89")
      @LASTON@        *Date and  time of  users last  call  (i.e "23/12/93
                      15:34")
      @UPK@           Size of uploads the user has made (in Kb)
      @UPS@           Number of uploads the user has made
      @DOWNK@         Size of downloads the user has made (in Kb)
      @DOWNS@         Number of downloads the user has made
      @MAXDL@         The maximum number of DL's for user per day
      @MAXDK@         The maximum amount of K the user can DL per day
      @EXDATE@        *The users' expiration date

      * Picks up the correct format for date and time from  the settings in
      MAKEWILD.

      /C:<conf number>

      Defaults to conference 0. This  is the conference number in  which to
      send the message(s).

      /L:<sec level>
      /L:*

      Sends the message to all users  of a certain security level.  If /L:*
      is used, then the message file specified with the /I:  parameter will
      be sent to *all* the users on the BBS.

      IMPORTANT NOTE:
      Each WildCat! conference  has a  "Max conference messages"  parameter
      which is set from within Makewild. It is important to  make sure that
      this setting is equal to, or higher than the number of users who will
      be sent mail via AutoMessage.  If this value  is less than the  total
      number of messages sent, then the first few messages  will "roll-off"
      the message base and be lost.

      /M:[drive:][path]<merge file>

      Reads a  list  of users  from  a  plain  ASCII text  file.  The  file
      specified with the /I:  parameter will be  sent to  all the users  in
      this list.

      /T:<to name>

      Default "ALL". The name to place in the TO field.

      /F:<from name>

      Default is the Sysop's name. The name to place in the FROM field.

      /S:<subject>

      The subject of the message.

      /A:[drive:][path]<attach file>

      The name (if any) of a file to attach  to the message. This can  be a
      full drive and directory path if required.

      /Q:[drive:][path]<questionnaire file> <question number> <Y/N>

      You can ask AutoMessage to send  a specified message to any  user who
      answered either "Yes"  or "No" to  a specified  question number in  a
      specified questionnaire result file.

      For example, assuming  your questionnaire  result file  (QUES0001.001
      for example) looked like this:

       --------------------------------------------------------
        [Start  ] ADAM STEVENS on 01/09/94 at 10:34
        [From   ] Bristol
        [Phone  ] xxxx xxxxxx
        [Ref:001]
           ...
        [Ref:030] [Y] - Yes, Please mail me info about AddTech

      Then using the option "/Q:QUES0001.001 30 Y" would mail the  user the
      specified message file. If you used "/Q:QUES0001.001 30 N",  then the
      message would  not  be  sent,  as the  user  answered  "Yes"  to  the
      question, but it would be sent to any users who answered "No".

      AutoMessage will scan the whole  of the questionnaire file, so  it is
      important  to  remember  to  delete   (or  rename)  the  file   after
      AutoMessage has been run,  in order to  stop multiple messages  being
      sent to the same user.

      /P

      Mark the message as private.

      /R

      Flag the message for a Return Receipt.

      /U:<sec level>

      REGISTERED VERSIONS ONLY.  Upgrade the  user to  security level  <sec
      level> after sending the message.

      Care should be  taken when  using this option.  AutoMessage does  not
      check that the required security level is a valid level as configured
      within Makewild. Beware of using  this option with the /L:  option as
      this will result in  all users of  the security level specified  with
      /L: being changed to the level specified with /U:

      It is *not* recommend that  you use /U:  in conjunction with /L:*  as
      this will result in *all* users being set to the same security level.
      However for those rare moments when this may be  desired, AutoMessage
      will allow this.

      /E:<days>

      REGISTERED VERSIONS ONLY. Default  0. Send the  message to all  users
      whose expiration date is in <days> days time. if "/E" is used on it's
      own, then 0 days is assumed (i.e anyone who's expiry  date is today).
      Negative values can also be  used (i.e Send  mail to all users  who's
      expire date was 5 days ago).

      /X

      REGISTERED VERSIONS  ONLY. Stops  the  default AutoMessage  "tagline"
      being appended to the message.

      /Z

      REGISTERED VERSIONS ONLY. Stops the 10 second countdown at the end of
      running AutoMessage.


      The log file:

      With the registered version of AutoMessage, a log file is  created in
      the same directory as AUTOMSG.EXE  which keeps track of all  messages
      sent, and security levels changed with AutoMessage.


      Examples of use:

      Automsg /i:newuser.msg /c:99 /l:NEWUSER /U:STD        /s:Welcome! /p

      Sends the file "newuser.msg" all  users who have a security  level of
      NEWUSER. Then upgrade each user to STD security level. The subject of
      the message  is "Welcome!".  send  the message  in conference  99  as
      private.

      Automsg /I:info.msg /c:99 /q:c:\wc\ques\ques0001.001 20 Y
                                                      /s:Information /P

      Will send (privately) the message  INFO.MSG to any user who  answered
      "Yes" to question number 20 (i.e. Ref:020) in Questionnaire number 1

      Automsg /I:expire1.msg /c:99 /e:10 /s:Subscription /p

      Send the file  expire1.msg as  a message to  anyone who's  expiration
      date is in 10 days time.

      Automsg /I:expire2.msg /c:99 /e /l:SUBSCRIBER /f:Adam       Stevens
                                          /s:Subscription /u:STD /r /p

      Send a private message (with  a receipt) to  all users of a  security
      level SUBSCRIBER on the  day of their  expiration date, then  changes
      their security level to STD.

      Automsg /I:j:\wc\*.log /C:0 /T:Adam Stevens           /F:Maintenance
                                                                        /P

      Sends me all the log files in the WildCat! directory!


      How do I register?

      If you are outside the USA:

      Registration for AutoMessage costs #10 (Ten UK pounds) plus 17.5% VAT
      if you live within the UK. Cheques should be made payable to "AddTech
      Consultancy Ltd",  and  sent  to  the address  at  the  top  of  this
      documentation. Once I receive payment  you will be able to  dial into
      Transworld BBS and  download a  KEY file directly.  Please state  the
      name and number of your BBS system together with a  required login ID
      and password for Transworld BBS. I will create a KEY  file, and place
      it on Transworld for you to download.

      If you live within the US:

      US registration  for  AutoMessage  costs  $20  (Twenty  US  dollars).
      Cheques (sorry,  "checks" <g>)  should be  made  payable to  "AddTech
      Consultancy Limited" and sent to:

                  C.C.S. OnLine BBS
                  PO Box 2181
                  Montgomery, AL
                  36102-2181

      Once payment is received you will be able to dial  into C.C.S. OnLine
      BBS on 205-281-9114 or 205-281-1331 and download a KEY file directly.
      Please state the name and number  of your BBS system together  with a
      required login ID and password for C.C.S. OnLine BBS with your cheque
      and they'll be a KEY file waiting for you within a couple of days!


                         -------------------------------

      Whether you decide to register AutoMessage or not, then  *Please* let
      me know what  you think  about it, and  how it  could be improved  in
      future versions. You can contact me in several ways:  By "snail-mail"
      at the address at the top  of this documentation, directly at  my BBS
      in  Bristol,  England  (+44  (0)   272  444026/7),  by  Internet   as
      "[e-mail]", or  hopefully  in  the  MSI:WildCat!
      conference, although I don't read that as much as I should!  - By far
      the best way for me is via The Internet.

      Adam Stevens - January 1994



      Also from  AddTech,  and  available  on both  Transworld  and  C.C.S.
      OnLine:

      AutoRequest.

      AutoRequest is a WildCat! 3.xx  SysOp utility which enables users  to
      download  requested  files  automatically  within  their  TomCat  QWK
      packets. All the user needs to do is send a message to  a user called
      "FILE REQUEST", with the name of the file he wants to  receive in the
      subject line. If a  password is required  to download the file,  then
      the subject  line  should  contain  first the  file  name,  then  the
      password, separated by a space. For example:

            To:   FILE REQUEST
            From: ADAM STEVENS
            Subj: ANYFILE.ZIP THEPASSWD

      The user  needs to  have  an understanding  of the  "attached  files"
      option within TomCat to be able to utilise this utility.  If the user
      requests a file, yet has not set his "attach" option  in TomCat, then
      he will  be sent  a message  explaining how  to  configure TomCat  to
      receive attached files  (This message,  and others, are  configurable
      with the registered version of AutoRequest).

      AutoRequest fully supports  the WildCat!  databases, and will  update
      the user  and file  download count  accordingly (unless  the file  is
      marked as "Free", in which case a  download will not be added  to the
      users account).

      If a user requests a file which isn't available, then  a message will
      be sent to him  explaining exactly why  it was  unable to attach  the
      file. This includes request which will take the user above his or her
      upload:download ratio, above his daily file count or  kilobyte limit,
      or files which reside in a file  area which he does not  usually have
      access to.

      AutoRequest is available as AREQx-x.ZIP  (where "x-x" is the  version
      number) from the MSI BBS,  from C.C.S OnLine BBS (205  281 9114/1331)
      or in the UK from Transworld BBS on 0272 444026/7.