{- set the location of the *.bbs files, default is current directory -}
  procedure setbbspath(path: pathstr);

  {- set the location of the users*.bbs files, default is current directory -}
  procedure setuserspath(path: pathstr);

  {- set the user related files support -}
  procedure setusersupport(name: namestring;  lastread, current: boolean);

  {-
    open all the files associated with the quickbbs message base.
    this function looks for the files in the bbspath directory and
    returns 0 iff everything went ok.
  -}

  function openmsgbase: integer;
  function flushmsgbase: integer;
  function closemsgbase: integer;

  {- create a header for a new message -}
  procedure createnewheader(var hdr: msghdrrecord;  whofrom, whoto: namestring;
                            subj: subjstring;  brd: byte;  typ: msgtype);

  {- update a header before calling writemessage after changing a message -}
  procedure changeheader(var hdr: msghdrrecord);

  {- create a new message or modify an old message -}
  function writemessage(var hdr: msghdrrecord;  var t: textbuffer): integer;

  {- read a message -}
  function readmessage(msgno: integer; var hdr: msghdrrecord;  var t: textbuffer): integer;

  {- get information about messages from index files -}
  function firstmsg(brd: byte): integer;
  function lastmsg(brd: byte): integer;
  function countmsg(brd: byte): integer;
  function lastreadmsg(brd: byte): integer;
  function curmsg(brd: byte): integer;
  function boardmsg(brd: byte;  cur: integer): integer;

  {- set message pointers -}
  procedure setlastread(brd: byte;  msgno: integer);
  procedure setcur(brd: byte;  msgno: integer);

  {- get next/previous message, returns 0 if empty, -1 if not found -}
  function msgnext(brd: byte;  cur: integer): integer;
  function msgprev(brd: byte;  cur: integer): integer;

  {- return true iff there is a message at 'msgno' in board 'brd' -}
  function msgat(brd: byte;  msgno: integer): boolean;

  {- read and write a message header, return 0 iff ok -}
  function readheader(msgno: integer;  var hdr: msghdrrecord): integer;
  function writeheader(var hdr: msghdrrecord): integer;

  {- read message text, return 0 iff ok.  return empty buffer on error. -}
  function readtext(var hdr: msghdrrecord; var t: textbuffer): integer;

  {- search for a message to a person -}
  function searchto(
    board: byte; var msgnum: integer; name: namestring
  ): integer;

  {- delete a message -}
  function msgdelete(msgnum: integer): integer;