컴袴 Galaxy 5 袴컴 Copyright (c) 1996 Thomas J. Smith 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 DROPFILE.*, NODE*.DAT, DORINFO*.DEF, & DATA*.NFO are all created in the TEMP subdirectory. So if your Galaxy 5 directory was C:\DOORS\G5, then the dropfile directory would be C:\DOORS\G5\TEMP. 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 -=�=- 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 Here is a list of files that should be included with G5_STRUC.ZIP 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 G5_STRUC.PAS - Data file structures. DROPFILE.1 - Format of the DROPFILE.* drop file created for Xport use. NODE1.DAT - Format of the NODE*.DAT drop file created for Xport use. DORINFO1.DEF - Format of the DORINFO*.DEF drop file created for Xport use. DATA1.NFO - Format of the DATA*.NFO drop file created for authors who do not program in Turbo Pascal. MAIL.TXT - Format of mail files. G5_CODES.TXT - List of all color codes, and other codes used by G5. README!.TXT - This text file. 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 These four files, DROPFILE.* NODE*.DAT DORINFO*.DEF DATA*.NFO Never exist at any given time. They are created in the TEMP subdirectory by Galaxy 5 when a caller uses an Xport, or when one of the automatic batch files are ran (if they exist). They can be used by 3rd party programmers to create their own add ons for Galaxy 5. Like IGM's in the popular door game, LORD by Seth Able Robinson. UrDoor programmers may find it easy to create an Xport for Galaxy 5, since the first 7 lines of the DROPFILE.* file, are written in the format required by the UrDoor unit! ;> DDplus door programmers may also find it easy to use the NODE*.DAT file, since its entire format is written to work with the DDplus door driver (it is a control file that DDplus requires). And other door programmers can use DORINFO*.DEF if the door writing kit you are using can read these types of BBS drop files, if not, then you can set up your Xport to read from one or more of these three drop files. You can read from any of these files, or all of em if you need to. Do whatever you have to to get a working Xport created! 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 THE DATA*.NFO FILE 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 The DATA*.NFO file does NOT contain information that your Xport may need to actually "operate." This file contains all of the info of the players record who is using the Xport. 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 If you write doors in a language other than Turbo Pascal, and wish to write an Xport for Galaxy 5, I have now made it easy for you to do! ;> There are basically two things you will need to do in order to do this... 1) Determine which drop file(s) you will use to gather door information such as COM port, baud rate, etc. etc. 2) Setup a routine in your Xport that reads the players info from the DATA*.NFO file, and a routine that writes any changes that your Xport makes to the players info, back to the DATA*.NFO file, so that G5 can make the appropriate changes if any. 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 How it works -------------- When running an Xport, Galaxy 5 creates the 4 drop files described above. After gathering the COM port info, and/or whatever other info you may need to operate your Xport from one or more of the 3 drop files created for that purpose, you need to read in the player info from the DATA*.NFO file (where * is the node number the player is on), and save the values to your own variables. After your Xport is finished, just before exiting back to the game, your Xport must rewrite the DATA*.NFO file, using the new values (if any). When Galaxy 5 reloads, it reads the DATA*.NFO file, and saves all of the values therein to the players record. You MUST change line 1 in this file to MODIFIED=YES if you want Galaxy 5 to record the changes in this file to the players record! Rules of thumb ---------------- 1) You MUST write on the very first line of the DATA*.NFO file, MODIFIED=YES in order for Galaxy 5 to accept the changes. Otherwise, the changes made to the DATA*.NFO file will be ignored. 2) You MUST write ALL of the info back to the DATA*.NFO file! Even if you only made changes to a few values! When Galaxy 5 reads in the DATA*.NFO file, if it finds ANY problems in the format (strings where numerals were expected, etc.), then it will completely IGNORE the info contained in the DATA*.NFO file. 3) If no changes were made to any of the values, then you can just have your Xport either erase the DATA*.NFO file, or leave the original one that G5 created upon running your Xport, and no changes will be made to the players record. If the DATA*.NFO file is not found when G5 reloads, then it will act as if nothing has changed. 4) BE CAREFUL! Inserting the wrong value in an improper line number of the DATA*.NFO file when your Xport finishes, can have unpredicted results (if G5 accepts the mistake for some reason). For example, putting the users amount of krills in the bank on the line that is supposed to contain the players fights left for the day...be careful not to do things like this. Try to make sure you follow the exact format shown in the example DATA1.NFO file when writing your values back to the file. 5) Do NOT use commas in your large amounts! If you do, then ALL of the info in the DATA*.NFO file will be ignored. For example, if the player leaves your Xport with 412,520 krills, write it to the DATA*.NFO file as 412520, not 412,520. 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 ALLOWING OVERNIGHT STAYS 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 If you wish to allow players to stay the night in your Xport, then here is what you need to do... 1) Upon exiting your Xport, first create a file named EXITGAME.# where # is replaced by the node number. This file does not have to contain anything special, in fact, it can even be a 0 byte file. Simply put, if it exists, then the game will exit upon returning from your Xport. 2) Create a record in the XPORTINF.DAT file, located (or will be) in the DATA subdirectory. The format of this file is given in the G5_STRUC.PAS file located inside the G5_STRUC.ZIP file. If this file does not yet exist, then you must create it. If it does exist, then add a record to it for the current player. 3) Thats it! The game will exit when your Xport is finished, and the next time the caller plays G5, he/she will be taken directly to your Xport. I know this is not the best way, but I did not want to change the structure of the PLAYERS.DAT file (this would have been easiest). If I did that, then all Xports and utilities that use the PLAYERS.DAT file, would also have to be updated, and SysOps would not be able to use them until they were updated. 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴