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Monster Media 1996 #14
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Monster Media No. 14 (April 1996) (Monster Media, Inc.).ISO
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bbs_door
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per09b2.zip
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PERSONAL.DOC
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WARNING!!!!
This BETA documentation may be incomplete or contain
references to features not yet completed.
****************************************
ATLANTIS SOFTWARE PRESENTS
****************************************
THE PERSONALS
Version 0.9 BETA
Copyright 1996 By Jimmy Rose
****************************************
SHAREWARE NOTICE
________________
The Personals is being distributed as shareware. If you
enjoy this program please register it. Whenever you find any
shareware Program that you like and find useful, please consider
registering. This will help encourage future developement of
other useful programs and also ensure that your favorites will
be supported and enhanced.
REGISTERED VERSION INFO
_______________________
The Personals requires a registration number to operate in
registered mode. When you register this program you will receive
a registration number that is unique to you. No two numbers are
the same. Place your personal registration number on the second
line of the sysop.cfg file.
If you have registered this program then your name will
appear on the main screen.
The Personals is a copyrighted program!
INTRODUCTION
____________
The Personals is a BBS door for writing personal ads such as
those found in major newspapers across the country.
This door can be used as a serious means of locating potential
dates or mates. It can also be used just for fun by seeing
who can write the most interesting ads.
The Personals Features:
* Easy set-up and configuration.
* Colorful display screens.
* Internal Mail.
* Users remain anonymous when writing ads & responses.
* Sysop may delete any ad.
* Sysop can find out who wrote any ad. (1.0 and later)
* Multi-Node compatible.
* Excellent Support.
It may be configured as a Main Menu item on many boards.
REGISTRATION & SUPPORT
______________________
The latest version will always be available for download from
The Prophecy BBS (513) 423-2336, FidoNet 1:110/950.
It is a free download on your first call.
For registration information see the file "order.txt".
Please see the "Notes" section at the end of this file for
additional information on obtaining assistance.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or features you'd like
to see added to The Personals, please write or send E-mail.
I want to hear your ideas. All questions as will be answered as
quickly as possible. The Shareware version supports 50 ads,
and you cannot delete ads till the program is registered.
Atlantis Software products are also available as free downloads
from various support and distribution sites, please read the
"support.doc" file for a site near you.
REQUIREMENTS
____________
You need an IBM compatible computer and a BBS. This
door will work with Wildcat, PC Board, Spitfire, Tribbs,
RBBS, WWIV, Gap, Synchronet, Renegade, Remote Access,
Proboard, and other BBS's that can run one of these doors.
It is assumed that you are familiar with your BBS software
and have installed other doors. If not, step by step instructions
are provided for some boards. This program may also be run in
local mode without a BBS (see below).
QUICK INSTALL
-------------
This section is a quick setup procedure for experienced Sysops.
If you need more complete instructions, refer to the "Full
Installation Procedure" below.
1) Decompress the files into their own directory.
2) Create a directory under the home directory called "mail".
This can be done by typing "MD mail" (no quotes) from the
DOS prompt in the program's directory.
3) Edit the "sysop.cfg" file for your BBS. Instructions can
be found in the file itself, and also later in this file.
4) Write a batch file to call the door for your BBS. The
command line is "personal c:\bbs\dropfile".
Example: personal d:\wildcat\wcwork\node1\door.sys
The door can read the following drop files, DOOR.SYS,
DORINFOx.DEF, CHAIN.TXT, SFDOORS.DAT, EXITINFO.BBS, CALLINFO.BBS.
However, the use of DOOR.SYS is highly recomended.
You can also run the program locally by typing "personal local".
FULL INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
---------------------------
Create a directory for The Program. Preferably in your
BBS directory. You can name it whatever you want. For example,
if you want to create a directory called "ads" in your BBS
directory, from the Dos prompt type "cd c:\bbs", then type
"md ads". Don't type the quotation marks.
This assumes your BBS is on your c: drive. If it's on another
drive, substitute the appropriate letter.
After you create the directory, unzip the archive contents
into it. Next you'll need to modify the "sysop.cfg" file
included with the archive. This is an ascii text file that
can be edited with any text editor. The you MUST create a
directory under the home directory called mail.
SYSOP.CFG INSTRUCTIONS
----------------------
This configuration file MUST be present and MUST be named
"sysop.cfg". The file is only six lines and the format
is as follows:
Line 1 is the name of your BBS.
Line 2 is the name of the person this program is registered to.
Line 3 is your registration number, or 0 if unregistered.
Line 4 is the Sysop security level for accessing the Sysop Editor.
Line 5 is the number of current ads each user is allowed to have.
Line 6 is one character, either A if your BBS uses Alias's
or R if your BBS uses Real names. Use capital letters.
Line 7 is the full path to The Personals home directory.
All lines must be present and there must not be any blank lines.
A sample sysop.cfg file is also included with instructions contained
in the file.
Here is a sample sysop.cfg file from The Prophecy
-------------------------------------------------
The Prophecy
Jimmy Rose
12345678
200
5
A
d:\doors\personal
The next step is to create a batch file to call the door. Each
BBS is different, so it's assumed you know how to create one
for your system. Here's a sample batch file for TriBBS:
cd c:\tribbs\personal
personal.exe d:\tribbs\door.sys
cd c:\tribbs
board
The first line changes to the directory where The program
is located.
The second line calls the door followed by the full path to
the dropfile.
The third and fourth lines return you to the board.
Each system will be a little different, the one line that will
be same for every system is the second one.
Finally, edit your bbs files to display the door name and call
the batch file when selected. You're on your own here!
This program can easily be run from your Main Menu on
systems with extendable menus. It is recommended you do run
the program from the Main Menu if your system supports this.
To set up The Personals as a Main Menu item on a Tribbs
system, name the above batch file "mainv.bat", then edit your
main.mnu file to call the batch file by adding the following
line:
V,V,The Personals,20
This will call up The Personals whenever the letter V is
selected from the Main Menu. You may use any availabe letter
that you like, just substitute the letter you want to use for
the letter V in all instances above, including the batch file.
The number at the end of the line is the minumum security level
a user must have to be able use this program. Adjust this
to your liking.
OPERATION
---------
This program may be run locally if you wish. If you want
to run the door without going through the BBS, make the directory
where the program is stored the current directory. From the Dos
prompt type "personal local". You will prompted to enter a
user name. Whatever name you type in will be used for your Alias.
When The Personals loads you will see a list of commands.
Here are the Main Menu commands:
W - Write an Ad:
This command let's you write your own personal ad.
The Sysop may set the maximum number of ads per user
in the "sysop.cfg" file.
B - Browse Ads:
Browse through all ads currently available. Male ads
will be shown with a blue background and female Ads
will have a magenta background. You may quit at any
time be pressing 'Q' or respond to any ad by pressing
'R'.
D - Display an Ad:
Displays a specific Ad. You'll be prompted for an Ad
number.
R - Respond to an Ad:
This command let's you leave private mail in the mail
box of the user who left the Ad.
M - Mail Box:
Takes you to the Mail Box Menu where you can read waiting
messages. Each user has their own private mail box.
Q - Quit and Return to the BBS:
Exits The Personals and returns to the bbs.
S - Sysop Editor: (NOT COMPLETED YET)
This choice is only displayed when the user has Sysop security
level as declared on line 3 of the Sysop.cfg file.
This command accesses the Sysop functions.
Here are the Mail Box Menu commands:
R - Read Mail:
Let's you read your mail. You can save messages and reply
later if you want.
D - Delete Mail:
Let's you delete old mail that is no longer needed, only
if the program is registered.
HINTS & TIPS
------------
Whenever possible configure the door to run from your Main Menu.
Post a news item to let users know that the door has been installed
and what it is.
The Personals can be used as a serious matchmaking utility, or it
can be used just for fun by seeing who can write the most interest-
ing ads.
Common Problems:
"It looks fine on the sysop end, but users only see garbage on the
screen when they enter the door."
This is always a configuration error. Double check your config
files and make sure your RTS/CTS flow control is on.
NOTES
_____
IMPORTANT! The program data is contained in the files "person.usr"
and "personal.ads"
DO NOT attempt to modify these files! It is a good idea to make
a backup copy of these file at least once a week.
Thanks to all my beta testers and distribution sites
for their input and feedback. Check out the "support.doc"
for a complete listing.
This program was written in C++ using Borland C++.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggetions please write
to:
Jimmy Rose
2000 Linden ave.
Middletown, OH 45044-4435
USA
Or call the Home of Atlantis Software:
The Prophecy BBS (513) 423-2336 or (513) 423-1829
24 hours a day.
Send Netmail to: Fido 1:110/950
If you do have a problem and call or write, please be prepared to
provide the following information:
> Program version number.
> BBS Software & version number.
> Serial port used? (locked?, rate?).
> Does your BBS use nonstandard IRQ's?
> Does your BBS use Alias's?
> A copy of your current batch files for this program.
> Any thing else "specific" to your problem.
*****************************************************************************
THANKS FOR USING THE PERSONALS!
*****************************************************************************