Customizing messages

WaterGate allows a great deal of flexibility in the language it uses towards your users. You can configure almost every aspect by two means: the language file and text response files.

Using this, you can change all replies to your local language, for example.


The language file

This is the WTRGATE.LNG text file in your WaterGate system directory. Each "language line" contains a number, followed by text. Apart from that, you can have empty lines and comment lines, which start with a semi-colon (;).

The numbers in the language file are fixed and all numbers must be present, or else WaterGate won't start. Unknown numbers or duplicate entries are reported in the log file.

The text part of the language line can contain tokens that will be replaced with the real item when the line is used. These tokens are @1@, @2@ and so on.

There is no complete description of each language line, when it is used and what the tokens will be replaced with. Most of the lines are self-explanatory and the tokens can be guessed. You will find helping comments in the language file where the tokens are not directly clear.


The text files

Text files are optional. They have special names and the extension .TXT and are stored in the sub-directory TXTS of the WaterGate System directory, for example C:\WTRGATE\TXTS\.

When present, these special files are used by WaterGate instead of the standard internal response messages, which are most of the time just one line.

With these text files you can customize WaterGate's responses, put in more details about the response and of course translate them to your own language, if you which.

Apart from text, you can use special so-called "tokens" in these text files. WaterGate replaces these tokens with special items, like the current date, etc. But before getting to the tokens, let's have a look at the different .TXT files.

Filenames

Currently, the following .TXT files are supported. Everywhere you see "AreaFix", you can also substitute "newsfix".
AFLSRHDR.TXT
AreaFix LiSt Request HeaDeR.
Sent as the header of an AreaFix %LIST request reply-message.

AFLSRFTR.TXT
AreaFix LiSt Request FooTeR.
Sent as the footer of an AreaFix %LIST request reply-message.

AFQRRHDR.TXT
AreaFix QueRy Request HeaDeR.
Sent as the header of an Area Manager %QUERY request reply-message.

AFQRRFTR.TXT
AreaFix QueRy Request FooTeR.
Sent as the footer of an Area Manager %QUERY request reply-message.

BNCFIDO.TXT
BouNCe FIDO.
Sent when WaterGate is unable to transport a Fido message.

BNCGATE.TXT
BouNCe GATEway.
Sent when WaterGate is unable to transport a message through the gateway, such as when a FORBID-FIDO statement in the ROUTE.TDB file prevents this user from using the gateway.

UNKAFUSR.TXT
UNKnown AreaFix USeR.
Sent when an unknown user sends a message to AreaFix. A user must be defined in the userbase to use AreaFix.

WRNGAPWD.TXT
WRoNG AreaFix PassWorD.
Sent when an invalid password was found in a message to AreaFix. This is not sent back to the sending user, but to the SysOp of that system.

LISTHELP.TXT
Help file for a HELP command in a message to the List Server.

LISTHDR.TXT
LIST HeaDeR.
The header of the message created in response to a LIST command in a message to the List Server.

LISTFTR.TXT
LIST FooTeR.
The footer of the message created in response to a LIST command in a message to the List Server.
The following two files are not shared by AreaFix and newsfix; each has a separate file, so you can explain how to address AreaFix or newsfix and use the terms "echomail" and "newsgroups".
AREAFIX.TXT
Sent as a response to a %HELP request for AreaFix.

NEWSFIX.TXT
Sent as a response to a %HELP request for newsfix.

Tokens

Each .TXT file may contain any of the tokens listed below, although some may be empty when used. PASSWORD, for example, will be an empty string when not used in conjunction with WRNGAPWD.TXT.
FirstUserName
Message sender's first name

LastUserName
Message sender's last name

UserName
Message sender's full name

Subject
Subject of sent message

Password
AreaFix password found

Date
Current system date

Time
Current system time

WeekDay
Current day of the week

FromAddress
Address used by the original sender

ToAddress
Address used by us for the reply

SysOp
SysOp name found in the configuration

SysopFirst
Sysop's first name

AreaName
Current message area

PID
Our program ID (WaterGate)

Version
Current program revision (0.92)
To use a token, put it between @ characters. For example, if you want to use the SysOp token, put the string @Sysop@ in your textfile.
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Last updated 13 October 1996