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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_util
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zmsg2b2.zip
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ZMESSAGE.DOC
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1996-01-08
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The Ultimate BBS List
version 2.0b1
by KS\ Software
WARRANTEE INFORMATION
ZMessage is distributed AS IS with NO warranty, neither expressed
nor implied. In no event will Kurt Schultz or KS\ Software be held
liable to you for any damages, expenses or loss of profits or savings
that may occur through the use of or inability to use this program. You,
the user agree to use this program at your own risk. Extensive testing
has been performed to ensure satisfactory performance prior to release.
However, ZMessage is only gauranteed to use up hard disk space.
LEGAL STUFF
ZMessage is ShareWare and as such is protected under US Federal
Copyright Laws. You are granted license to use this program for
evaluation purposes for a period of 30 days. At the end of 30 days,
you must either register ZMessage or remove it from your system and
discontinue its use. If you continue to use ZMessage past the 30 day
evaluation period without registering, you will be in violation of US
Federal Copyright Laws.
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS PROGRAM!!!!! You may distribute the ShareWare
version of Zmessage as much as you like, in fact I URGE you to upload
this archive to every system you call! I only ask that you do not alter
any of the files contained within this archive without express permission
from me.
GETTING AHOLD OF ME
If you need to get ahold of me for any reason, I can be reached
via E-Mail at the following:
FidoNet: InterNet: America Online:
1:3634/406 moutanman@aol.com Moutan Man
and Snail Mail:
Kurt Schultz
PO BOX 341
Parkton, NC 28371
INTRODUCTION
ZMessage is a multi-node capable auto message door written
in an attempt to create a nicer looking Auto Message door than the
usual "blue boxes" containing text. Users can leave a 2-line message
that other users will see at logon. Once the maximum number of messages
is reached, the oldest message will be paged out of the data file as new
ones are added. It supports User selectable message color with support
for embedding several colors within the message body. Users can post
messages using Anonymous, their Real Name or their Handle.
ZMessage has 2 modes of operation: Logon and Normal. In Logon
mode, ZMessage will display messages left by others then ask the user if
they want to leave a message. It will then return to the BBS after the
user leaves a message or selects not to leave a message. (The usual
automessage door mode) In Normal mode, ZMessage performs as a regular
door displaying a menu of choices ( Add message, View messages, Logoff,
and Quit to BBS ) Each time the user finishes viewing or adding messages,
they are returned to the menu until they select logoff or quit to BBS.
This offers the ability for Zmessage to match up seamlessly to your BBS
as if it were a part of the host.
All ANSI/Avatar/ASCII screens can be customized to your liking
in both the registered and unregistered versions. See CUSTOMIZING THE
SCREENS for details.
<<<<<<<<<<< A QUICK PLUG FOR OPEN DOORS BY Brian Pirie >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
ZMessage was written in C using the Open Doors Library by Brian
Pirie. <Thanks Brian for an EXCELENT programming library>.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
ZMessage supports dropfile formats from most major bbs packages, and
automatically senses which format is present.
Supported formats are shown below:
+-----------------------------+
| DORINFO?.DEF |
| EXITINFO.BBS (normal) |
| EXITINFO.BBS (extended) RA |
| EXITINFO.BBS (Quick BBS) |
| CHAIN.TXT |
| SFDOORS.DAT |
| CALLINFO.BBS |
| DOOR.SYS (GAP/PC-Board) |
| DOOR.SYS (doorway style) |
| DOOR.SYS (WildCat) |
| Custom (SysOp defined) |
+_____________________________+
If your BBS software does not support one of the above formats,
you can use the configuration file to configure ZMessage to use your
BBS's dropfile format! For more informatin regarding custom dropfile
setup, refer to the section titled "The Configuration File".
ZMessage is fully SysOp configurable. The configuration file
permits you to customize the performance of ZMessage to your own
preferences. Among settings available are system directories, screen
colors, maximum time permitted, memory swapping options, and more.
This version of ZMessage is now multi-node aware! I have not been
able to fully test multi-node operation yet. However, ZMessage is
multi-node aware and should have no problem running under a multi-node
setup.
The only crippling I have set is a limit of 3 auto-messages and a
10 second delay with a messages stating that you are an Unregistered
BBS on exit. And of course, if you don't register, Aliens will suck
your brain. Registration will remove the nasty things.
Registration is only $10.00. This is a one time registration fee, your
key code will work on all future versions of ZMessage. So why not
register right? <g>
FILES IN THIS ARCHIVE
The following files should be included in this archive:
ZMESSAGE.EXE The Program
ZMESSAGE.CFG A heavily commented configuration file
ZMESSAGE.DOC This file
ZMESSAGE.DAT The Data file <created when you run Zmessage>
ZLOGO.ANS The Logo at the top of the screen when messages are
displayed.
ZMENU.ANS The background image for the Menu display.
ZADD.ANS The Screen you see when adding messages.
DOOR.SYS A door.sys file for testing
REGISTER.FRM The Registration Form.
<<<<<<<< IMPORTANT >>>>>>>>>
DELETE THE DOOR.SYS FILE PRIOR TO INSTALLING ZMESSAGE ON YOUR BBS.
THE DOOR.SYS FILE IS ONLY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE IN TESTING.
CUSTOMIZING THE SCREENS
You can customize all the screens in ZMessage with an ansi editor.
You can use TheDraw, Aciddraw or any other Ansi editor to edit ZMENU.*
ZLOGO.ANS and ZADD.ANS to customize ZMessage for you BBS. The only
limitations are detailed below:
ZLOGO.ANS
The top 6 lines of the screen when messages are displayed are from
this file. Messages are scrolled below this screen so the logo will
stay up at all times. ZLOGO.ANS must not be any longer than 6 lines.
Otherwise it will be scrolled off the top of the screen initially and
if it is too long, the message scrolling routine will destroy anything
below line 6.
ZADD.ANS
This ansi can be up to 23 lines long. The only limitation is that
the text in this part of the program has a black background, so you
would need to allow an area of no graphics for the text like the current
screen.
ZMENU.ANS
This is a 19 line ansi, all you would need to do is ensure you use
an ascii editor to delete all carriage returns padded in by TheDraw.
The actual menu is displayed via a popup window. You can draw whatever
you want and the menu will popup over the top of the screen. A neat
implementation that I haven't had time to implement yet would be to
draw an ansi that appears to wrap around the popup window.
ZMENU.ASC
This is the actual ascii menu. All choices are included in the
screen. You can customize this one to give the ASCII side of ZMessage
the same look and feel as your BBS.
INSTALLATION
ZMESSAGE NO LONGER REQUIRES A FOSSIL DRIVER TO BE LOADED AND
ACTIVATED TO WORK. IT NOW HAS ITS OWN INTERNAL COMM ROUTINES BUT
STILL SUPPORTS A FOSSIL AS THE DEFAULT SET UP.
This version is not compatable with ZMessage 1.x. To upgrade to
2.x from a 1.x version of ZMessage, completely overwrite everything in
your old Zmessage directory. Then DELETE the ZMESSAGE.DAT file along
with the following files ZSCREEN.* and ZOK.*. All future versions of
Zmessage will be compatible with the 2.x data file.
Zmessage accepts 2 command line parameters.
<configfile> The name of your configuration file. This parameter
is required for all calls to ZMESSAGE.EXE
<LOGON> The parameter that tells Zmessage to operate in LOGON mode.
When LOGON is specified, Zmessage will display all messages,
then ask the user if they wish to add a message. They may
then enter a message or answer "no" and be returned to the
BBS. If they decide to add a message, they will be returned
to the BBS after adding the message.
The command line format is:
ZMESSAGE.EXE Configfile LOGON
The parameters must be in order for ZMessage to work properly.
To install ZMessage on your system, do the following:
1. Unzip this archive into a directory of your choice.
2. Edit NODE1.CFG and set any configuration options you wish. Make
sure to set the dropfile path for your BBS. Create a config file
for each node on your BBS making sure you set the path to the
dropfile to that node's dropfile path.
3. Set up your BBS to call ZMESSAGE.EXE in the following format at
logon:
ZMESSAGE <configfile> <LOGON>
Configfile is the name of your configuration file for ZMessage.
LOGON is the parameter that tells ZMessage to run in "LOGON" mode.
With GAP BBS you would do this by creating a batch file called
LOGON.BAT that calls Zmessage from that batch file. For other
BBS Software, you will need to consult the Docs for that BBS.
4. Set up ZMessage as a door on your BBS and configure your BBS to
call it with only the configfile parameter. ZMessage will default
to "NORMAL" door operation with the menu routine.
5. Logon to your BBS and see ZMessage from your BBS.
EXAMPLE BATCH FILE FOR LOGON OPERATION
<<< LOGON.BAT >>>
ECHO OFF
C:
CD\BBS\ZMESSAGE
ZMESSAGE NODE1.CFG LOGON
CD\BBS
ZMessage will automatically check the directory specified in the
config file for the dropfile and detect which dropfile type is present.
EXAMPLE BATCH FILE FOR DOOR OPERATION < Menu Interface >
<<< ZMESSAGE.BAT >>>
ECHO OFF
C:
CD\BBS\ZMESSAGE
ZMESSAGE NODE1.CFG
CD\BBS
THE CONFIGURATION FILE
The configuration file included in this archive is heavilly
commented and you should have no problem setting up your own custom
configurations. The format for the configuration file is as follows.
Blank lines and any text following a semi-colon are ignored.
Configuration options are specified using a key word possibly followed
by one or more options. The keywords are not case sensitive but some
of the options are. The order of options in the configuration file is
not significant. The configuration options are detailed in the file
NODE1.CFG.
; ZMessage.CFG - Sample door configuration file
;
;
; Any text following a semi-colon (;), and blank lines, are ignored.
;
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; BBS system directory. Indicates where the door information file
; (drop file) can be found. Set this where your dropfile is located.
;
BBSDir C:\BBS
;
;----------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; The door's working directory. This is where the door's system files
; are located. Remove the semi-colon (;) to activate this option.
;
;DoorDir C:\BBS\ZMESSAGE
;
;----------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Local mode override. Forces door to always operate in local test mode.
; Remove the semi-colon (;) to activate this option. When this mode is
; activated, no door information file is required and default settings
; used for the user's name, location, etc.
;
;LocalMode
;
;----------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Door personality setting. This setting selects one of a number of;
; sysop interface personalities. Each personality setting emulates
; the status line format and sysop function keys of a particular BBS
; package. Valid personality settings are:
;
; Standard (Open Doors style, similar to RA 1.11)
; PCBoard
; RemoteAccess
; Wildcat
;
Personality Standard
;
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Log File options. "LogFileName" specifies filename (path optional)
; where the door should record log information. To disable the log
; file altogether, remove the semi-colon (;) from the "DisableLogging"
; line.
;
;LogFileName DOOR.LOG
;DisableLogging
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; BBS node number that door is running on. Only used if ZMESSAGE
; is unable to determine the node number by some other means.
;
Node 1
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
;
; Maximum length of time a user is permitted to access the door.
; If the user's total remaining time on the BBS is less than this value
; the user will only be permitted to access the door for this shorter
; length of time. This option may be disabled by placing a semi-colon
; (;) at the beginning of the line. When this option is disabled, the
; user will be permitted to use the full of their remaining time on the
; BBS within the door.
;
;MaximumDoorTime 15
;
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Inactivity timeout. Specifies the maximum number of seconds that may
; elapse without the user pressing any key, before the user will be
; automatically disconnected. A value of 0 disables inactivity
; timeouts.
;
InactivityTimeout 200
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------
; Maximum messages allowed. The maximum number of messages that
; Zmessage will allow before paging out the oldest message is set
; here. Set this to a value from 1 to 12.
;
maxMessages 3
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------
; Registration Information: Set the following to your Name exaclty
; as it appears in your registration conformation and registration
; code.
;
registeredTo UNREGISTERED
registrationKey 00000000000
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Name of the sysop. ZMESSAGE can usually determine the sysop's name
; from theinformation passed to the door by the BBS. However, some BBS
; software does not supply this information to doors. In such cases, if
; the sysop's name is required by the door, it may be supplied here.
; Remove the semi-colon (;) to activate this option.
;
;SysopName The Sysop
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Name of the BBS. ZMESSAGE can usually determine the name of the BBS
; from the information passed to the door by the BBS. However, some
; BBS software does not supply this information to door programs. In
; such cases, if the name of the BBS is needed by the door, it may be
; supplied here. Remove the semi-colon (;) to activate this option.
;
;SystemName Unnamed BBS
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Door colour options. These options specify the various text colors
; that will be used by the door if ANSI or AVATAR graphics modes are
; available. Colors are specified in the format:
;
; {Bright} {Flashing} [Foreground Color] on [Background Color]
;
; Where foreground and background colors are one of:
;
; Black
; Blue
; Green
; Cyan
; Red
; Magenta
; Yellow / Brown
; White / Grey
;
; Note that some of these options (such as those that pertain to files
; listings) are not used for all doors.
;
ChatUserColour Bright white on black
ChatSysopColour Bright red on black
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Memory swapping options. These options are generally not needed,
; but can be used to customize OpenDoor's swapping behaviour.
; "SwappingDir" can be used to specify which directory or directories
; should be used for swapping. Multiple directory paths can be
; seperatedusing a semi-colon. "SwappingNoEMS" can be used to prevent
; any swapping from being done to EMS memory, and "SwappingDisable"
; can be used to disable memory swapping altogether. Remove the semi-
; colon (;) to activate any of these options.
;
;SwappingDir C:\
;SwappingNoEMS
;SwappingDisable
;
;----------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Serial port options. These options are generally not needed, as these
; settings can usually be determined from the BBS door information file.
; "LockedBPS" specifies the the BPS rate at which the door should
; communicate with the modem. "SerialPort" specifies the port port
; number that the modem is connected to. Unless you have reassigned
; the port numbers through your FOSSIL drive, port 0 corresponds to
; COM1, port 1 corresponds to COM2, and so on. Remove the semi-colon
; (;) to activate either of these options.
;
;LockedBPS 38400
;SerialPort 0
;
;
; Normally, a FOSSIL driver is used for serial I/O if one is available. If
; a FOSSIL driver has not been loaded, the door communicates directly with
; the modem. Removing the semi-colon (;) from the "NoFossil" option causes
; the door to always communicate directly with the modem, bypassing any
; FOSSIL driver.
;
;NoFossil
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; The following options only apply if a FOSSIL driver is NOT being used for
; serial communications. If a FOSSIL driver IS being used, these options
; are normally set on the FOSSIL driver command line.
;
; Hexidecimal address of the serial port. This address can usually be
; determined automatically for ports COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4, and is
; normally only required for ports COM5 and higher. Remove the semi-colon
; (;) to activate this option.
;
;PortAddress 2F8
;
;
; Interrupt request line that the serial port is using. May be any IRQ line
; from 1 to 15. By default, IRQ line 4 is used for ports COM1: and COM3:,
; while IRQ line 3 is used for all other ports. Remove the semi-colon (;)
; to activate this option.
;
;PortIRQ 4
;
;
; Serial I/O buffer sizes. "ReceiveBuffer" specifies the number of bytes in
; the serial I/O receive buffer. You may want to increase this buffer size
; if you find that characters being sent from the user's modem are being lost.
; "TransmitBuffer" specifies the number of bytes in the serial I/O transmit
; buffer. You may want to increase this buffer size for improved performance
; in some multitasking environments.
;
ReceiveBuffer 256
TransmitBuffer 1024
;
;
; UART FIFO buffers. Normally, ZMESSAGE will use 16550A UART FIFO buffers
; if they are available. You can prevent ZMESSAGE from using the FIFO
; buffers, even if they are available, by removing the semi-colon before
; the "NoFIFO" keyword. The "FIFOTriggerSize" specifies how many characters
; may be placed in the FIFO buffers before an serial I/O interrupt is
; envoked. Valid values are 1, 4, 8 and 14 bytes. The default value is 4
; bytes.
;
;NoFIFO
FIFOTriggerSize 4
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Custom door information file support. ZMESSAGE automatically recognizes
; most door information file (drop file) formats, including DORINFO?.DEF,
; EXITINFO.BBS, DOOR.SYS, SFDOORS.DAT, CALLINFO.BBS and CHAIN.TXT. However,
; to permit ZMESSAGE doors to operate on BBS systems that produce a different
; format file, you may define a custom door information file format. A custom
; door information file format is defined using the "CustomFileName" command,
; followed by one or more lines beginning with the "CustomFileLine" command.
;
; The "CustomFileName" option specifies the filename used to distinguish this
; file format from other file formats. This filename should not include a
; path. To specify the path where the door information file is located, use
; the BBSDir setting, near the beginning of this file. If the filename of the
; custom format is the same as that of one of the built-in formats, the custom
; format will override the built-in format.
;
; The actual format of the custom file is specified using a number of lines
; that begin with the keyword "CustomFileLine". Each of these lines will
; correspond to a single line in the door information file, with the option
; following the "CustomFileLine" keyword specifying the information that can
; be found on that line. This can be one of the following keywords:
;
; Ignore - Causes the next line in the door information
; file to be ignored. Use on lines for which none
; of the options below apply.
; ComPort - COM? port the modem is connected to
; (0 indicates local mode)
; FossilPort - Fossil port number the modem is connected to
; ModemBPS - BPS rate at which to communicate with modem
; (0 or non-numerical value indicates local mode)
; LocalMode - 1, T or Y if door is operating in local mode
; UserName - Full name of the user
; UserFirstName - First name(s) of the user
; UserLastName - Last name of the user
; Alias - The user's psuedonym / handle
; HoursLeft - Hours user has left online
; MinutesLeft - Minutes user has left online, or time left online
; in format hh:mm
; SecondsLeft - Seconds user has left online, or time left online
; in format hh:mm:ss or format mm:ss
; (If more than one of the above time options are
; used, the user time left is taken to be the total
; of all of these values.)
; ANSI - 1, T, Y or G for ANSI graphics mode
; AVATAR - 1, T or Y for AVATAR graphics mode
; RIP - 1, T or Y for RIP graphics mode
; PagePausing - 1, T or Y if user wishes a pause at end of screen
; ScreenLength - Number of lines on user's screen
; ScreenClearing - 1, T or Y if screen clearing mode is on
; Security - The user's security level / access level
; City - City the user is calling from
; Node - Node number user is connected to
; SysopName - Full name of the sysop
; SysopFirstName - The sysop's first name(s)
; SysopLastName - The sysop's last name
; SystemName - Name of the BBS
;
;
;CustomFileName EXAMPLE.DEF; Same format as DORINFO?.DEF
;CustomFileLine SystemName
;CustomFileLine SysopFirstName
;CustomFileLine SysopLastName
;CustomFileLine ComPort
;CustomFileLine ModemBPS
;CustomFileLine Ignore
;CustomFileLine UserFirstName
;CustomFileLine UserLastName
;CustomFileLine City
;CustomFileLine ANSI
;CustomFileLine Security
;CustomFileLine MinutesLeft
;
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REGISTRATION
What you get when you register:
Up to 12 active messages.
No "unregistered" message.
Your Key will work on ALL future versions of ZMessage.
The number to my BBS for tecnical support.
My undying gratitude.
You sleep better at night.
The Aliens won't suck your brain.
To register ZMessage, simply fill out the registration form included
in this archive and send it with a check or money order payable to KS\
Software to the following address:
KS\ Software
PO BOX 341
Parkton, NC 28371
<Sorry No Credit Cards yet>
Once you recieve your registration code, edit the configuration file
to reflect your registration code and the program will unlock the registered
version capabilities.
GETTING THE NEWEST VERSION
The most updated version of Zmessage is available for download on the
following Official Beta Sites:
Apache BBS (910) 497-5451 fido 1:3634/302
TLC BBS (910) 868-2099
RaZoR's EdGe BBS (910) 904-0029
The newest version of ZMessage can can also be obtained through FidoNet
file request at 1:3634/406 filename ZMESSAGE 24 hours/day except NMH.
CREDITS
Special thanks goes out to the Beta Team:
Cruser -n- Heather <-Apache BBS (910) 497-5451-> 1:3634/302
Lazy Dawg and Lil' Sister <-TLC BBS (910) 868-2099->
HereticX16 <-RaZoR's EdGe BBS (910) 904-0029->
REVISION HISTORY
1.0
It Starts....
1.1
Major Bug Fixes. Added Message Content Confirmation and Posted Message
dialog.
1.20
Smashed stupid bug.
Added ability to limit maximum number of messages in configuration file.
2.0b1
Now has internal comm routines. No more need for fossil.
Added multiline support!
Added ability to embed colors.
2.0b2
Completely overhauled the look and feel of ZMessage.
Added a "normal" door mode with menu driven interface for calling from
inside the BBS
Revamped data file to allow for unlimited embedded colors, and up to
12 messages instead of 9.
Squashed the "Chinese" bug!
THE FUTURE.......
On the drawing board are the following items for future revisions.
RipScrip!
A Parser to implement naughty and nice mode of operation.
A trash can file for those who need to be there.
If there is anything you would like to see implemented or changed in
ZMessage, please E-Mail me with your comments. Again, my E-Mail address is
FidoNet
1:3634/406
AOL
Moutan Man
InterNet
moutanman@aol.com
and snail mail
PO BOX 341
Parkton, NC 28371