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Monster Media 1996 #15
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1996-04-06
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------------------------------------------
░▓█▓░ SFQ v1.0 Shareware
░▓█▓░ Copyright(c) 1996 by Eldon Martin
------------------------------------------
SFQ is a questionaire door for use with Spitfire. It is designed
to be closely compatible with the file formats supported by
Spitfire's internal questionaire processor. SFQ is also capable of
Q&A styles that are impossible with Spitfire.
SFQ is supplied "as is". The author disclaims all warranties,
expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties
of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author
assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may
result from the use of SFQ. By the use of this program, you are
expressing your agreement to the above disclaimer of warranty.
SFQ has been tested by me on a single-node BBS without a fossil
driver. Any feedback as to how it runs with other configurations
will be greatly appreciated. Although I included code to handle
file locking/sharing as I thought it was necessary, my experience
with such things is a bit limited.
Here is a list of files that are distributed as part of this
package:
SFQ.EXE - The main executable file
SFQ.DOC - The program documentation (this file)
SFQ.INI - The optional configuration file
DEMO.BAT - Provides a quick tour of SFQ
SAMPLE.QUE - Sample questionaire file
REGISTER.TXT - Registration Form
------------------
Shareware Notice
------------------
SFQ is distributed as shareware. You may use it for an evaluation
period of 30 days. After that, you must either quit using it or
register it by sending $10 to the author. Please use the form
contained in the file REGISTER.TXT, which is included in the SFQ
package. If this file is missing, you may simply send your check or
money order to the address at the bottom of this document.
The unregistered version of SFQ has a short message and delay at
startup. After putting hours of time into SFQ, I felt this
measure was necessary to ensure that nobody would take advantage of
my work without paying the appropiate fee. The registered version
of SFQ seamlessly integrates with Spitfire. NO messages of any kind
will be displayed to the caller.
----------------------
Command Line Options
----------------------
The syntax for executing SFQ is as follows:
SFQ inputfile outputfile [dropfile] [/L] [/FD] [/IRQx]
inputfile = Name of SF compatible questionaire file
outputfile = Name of file to write replies to. This file will be
formatted nearly identicle to a .REP file written by
Spitfire.
dropfile = Name of SFDOORS.DAT compatible drop file. If this is
not specified, SFQ will look in the current directory
for a dropfile. (SFQ automatically searches for the
valid Spitfire dropfiles, such as SFFILE.DAT,
SFMESS.DAT, etc..)
/L = puts SFQ in local mode. When you use this switch, SFQ
will run without reading a drop file.
/FD = Use this switch if you want SFQ to use a fossil driver.
/IRQx = This switch is only needed if you are using a
non-standard IRQ. If this switch is not used, SFQ will
use the default IRQ values (COM1 and COM3 use IRQ4,
COM2 and COM4 use IRQ3).
/OT = This switch makes SFQ allow each caller to answer the
questionaire only once. When this switch is on, SFQ
creates a file called FILENAME.~~~ (filename is the
name of the questionaire file minus the extension) and
writes the names of the callers who complete the
questionaire to this file. When SFQ starts up the next
time, it then searches for the callers name in this
file to see if he/she is visiting the questionaire for
the second time. This switch should be used only when
needed - I imagine if enough people answered SFQ with
this option enabled, it could result in a brief pause
while SFQ searched the list for the caller's name.
---------------------
General Information
---------------------
The SFQ.INI file lets you configure the way SFQ looks and acts to
a certain degree. Load it up in ASCII text editor (EDIT.COM works
well for this) to have a look.
There are a few features of SFQ which do not work in local mode as
they do when a remote caller is logged on. Firstly, SFQ does not
log off a local user that runs out of time or is inactive for the
specified length of time. Also, the ~ command does not log a local
user off as it does a remote caller. When SFQ starts up, it will
clear the screen on the local end. The screen is not cleared on the
caller end unless the ^L display code is found in beginning of the
questionaire file.
SFQ supports all Spitfire questionaire commands except the $x$
command which adds x number of days to the callers subscription.
Hopefully I will get this feature added to SFQ sometime in the
near future.
Here is a list of Spitfire display codes that SFQ supports:
^D = Displays caller's first name
^L = Clears screen
^V = Displays caller's full name
^Y = Displays caller's security level
^P = Exhibits an < ENTER > prompt
Here is a list of keys available to the sysop when a caller is
using SFQ:
Alt+F1 or Alt+F2 = Kick user off
F6 = Take 5 Minutes
F7 = Give 5 Minutes
------------------------
The GetInput() Command
------------------------
SFQ includes a powerful command which allows you to do things not
possible with Spitfire's internal questionaire processor. The usage
format of this command is as follows:
!GetInput(PROMPT_GUIDE_MASK_MODE)
The exclamation point indicates to SFQ that the line contains a
command. The exclamation point must be present; if it is not, SFQ
will simply display the line as text to the caller. The four
parameters must be separated by underscores, and enclosed in
parentheses.
The PROMPT parameter is the question that is displayed to the
caller, such as "What is your first name?" (without the quotation
marks).
The GUIDE is a string of characters which is displayed to the
caller to show how the input is to be typed in. This parameter is
purely optional and can be left blank. The GUIDE string will be
displayed just above the line on which the user types the answer to
that particular question.
The MASK is a string that is not displayed to the caller, but
governs the way the input field acts. You can use the MASK string
to make SFQ automatically insert any character at any location in
the field. One application of this is a question which asks for a
telephone number, and inserts the "-"s as the user types. The MASK
also governs the allowed length of input. There are two main
characters in the MASK: the asterisk (*) and the pound sign (#).
Putting a "*" in the string makes SFQ allow any character to be
typed at that location of the input field. A "#" allows only digits
(0-9) or spaces to be input. Any other charactar in the MASK string
will be automatically inserted at that particular location as the
user types. The following MASK string would be suitable for a
telephone number input: ###-###-#### . It would allow only digits
and would automatcally insert the "-"s at the correct locations.
That MASK string could also be (###)###-#### or ### ###-#### . As
you can see, the possibilities are limitless. If the MASK area is
left blank, SFQ will allow anything to be typed, and the allowed
length of input will be set to include whatever area is left on the
line.
MODE is a number from 0 to 3 and specifies what type of prompt SFQ
will display. The prompt types are as follows:
0 = two-line optional input (same as Spitfire Q&A format)
1 = two-line forced input (same as Spitfire Q&A format)
2 = one-line optional input
3 = one-line forced input
Example:
!GetInput(Enter your ZIP code: ,#####-####,#####-####,4)
The above command results in the following display:
#####-####
Enter your ZIP code: _
If MODE were set to 1 or 2 instead of 4, SFQ would display the
following:
Enter your ZIP code:
#####-####
_
In both cases, SFQ would allow only digits to be typed, and would
automatically insert the "-"s in the correct positions.
The best way to gain an understanding of the way the GetInput()
command works to to take a look at the sample .QUE file included in
the distribution package.
-----------------------
The Data Sector BBS
-----------------------
This program was provided to you by the sysop of The Data Sector
BBS. Call today to make sure you have the latest version of SFQ and
to have a look at other great utilities for Spitfire sysops. The
number is (717) 485 - 5914 and supports 300 to 14400 baud. You can
also reach the author of this program by the snail mail address
below. Thank you for using SFQ.
Eldon Martin BBS: (717) 485-5914
HCR 75 Box 99 SFNET Node A0717008
McConnellsburg, PA 17233