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RACE Version 2.01
RemoteAccess Caller Editor
Copyright (C) 1989-1993 Michael F. Janke. All Rights Reserved.
RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 -- INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.3 Acknowledgments/Credits . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Special Characters . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2 -- LICENSING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1 Shareware Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 License Fee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3 License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Disclaimer of Warranty . . . . . . . . . 5
2.5 How to Register RACE . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 3 -- CONFIGURATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2 RACECFG Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.1 Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.2 Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.2.3 Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.4 Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.5 Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.2.6 Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3 Template Security Flag
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 4 -- GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.1 The RACE Help System . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.2 Remote Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.3 RACE Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 5 -- EDITING A USER RECORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.1 Editing Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.2 Editing Individual Fields . . . . . . . . 18
5.3 Editing without entering Edit Mode . . . 18
5.4 Moving through the User File . . . . . . 18
5.5 Other Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2 Questionnaire Setup . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.3 POSTINFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.4 Comment Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.5 Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.6 Welcome Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.7 Validation Menu Options . . . . . . . . . 25
7.1 The User Report Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.2 Report Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.3 Field Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.4 Report Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
8.1 Search Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8.2 Search Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8.3 Search Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8.5 Location/Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8.6 Security/Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
8.7 Uploads/Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8.8 Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
9.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . 33
9.2 Attribute Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
9.3 Security Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
9.4 Group Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
9.5 Global Changes and Group/Security
Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
9.6 Executing Global Changes . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 10 -- ADD NEW USER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Chapter 11 -- JUMP/UTILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
11.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . 37
11.2 Jump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
11.3 Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 12 -- RACEEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
12.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . 38
12.3 RACEDIT Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix A -- PROBLEMS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Appendix B -- FIELD EDITING & MOVEMENT KEYS . . . . . . . . . 43
B.1 Field Editing Keys . . . . . . . . . . . 43
B.2 Field Movement Commands . . . . . . . . . 43
II
RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
Chapter 1 -- INTRODUCTION
RACE is a multi-function user editor for the RemoteAccess
Bulletin Board System. Besides its obvious duties as an editor
for manipulating an individual caller's data, it has many
additional features to make managing your user files easier.
1.1 Features
* Searches on specific user fields, including flags.
* Globally change security flags.
* Globally change user attributes.
* Custom reports.
* Swapping to EMS or disk during shells.
* Fully multinode aware.
* New user validation routines.
* Send users prepared messages when validating.
* Attach reminder notes to user security flags.
* Included eRACEm utility for packing/sorting the user file.
* WHOOPS! function to restore users accidentally packed out.
* Much, much more!
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
1.2 Requirements
RACE requires MS-DOS v3.0 or later (or equivalent) for
proper operation.
250 KB of free RAM is recommended. It may be possible
to execute RACE with less, although some features will be
disabled.
1.3 Acknowledgments/Credits
Special thanks go out to the beta testers that helped
to test RACE and offered many feature requests. They are:
Bruce Bodger, Fred Horner (may he rest in peace), Ed Meloan,
Peter Janssens and the rest of the RemoteAccess beta test
team. Thanks guys!
A special thanks goes out to James Berry for his
persistence during some difficulties with EGA/VGA mode
changes and for providing much needed code for this portion
of RACE.
Thanks also go to Joaquim Homrighausen, author of the
popular FrontDoor mailer system, for unselfishly allowing me
to create the RACE configuration program in the image of the
FrontDoor setup program.
Thanks also go to Andrew Milner and Phil Mackay, for
providing a great piece of bulletin board software.
A VERY special thanks to Andrew Leary for updating the
RACE documentation for this release of RACE.
And last but not least, thanks go to TurboPower
Software, Inc. for their EXECSWAP code which provides the
swapping routines in RACE.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
1.4 Special Characters used in this manual
<>
The <> character combination is used to surround characters
that you are required to press to activate a particular command.
In the case of the <Ctrl> or <Alt> key, you would press and hold
the <Ctrl> (or <Alt>) key, press the other key, and then release
both keys. For example, <Ctrl-P> would mean to press and hold
the <Ctrl> key, press the <P> key, and then release both keys.
<Alt-D> would be similar, except of course the <Alt> key is
pressed in this case.
If this document shows a command such as <V>alidate, that
means you would press the <V> key on your keyboard to activate
the validate command.
"" or ''
Double and single quotes are used for emphasis and to
clarify input that is expected from the user. One would not
actually type the quote characters unless specifically instructed
to do so.
3
RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
Chapter 2 -- LICENSING
2.1 Shareware Notice
RACE 2.01 has been released as Shareware. If after 21
days you find that RACE suits your needs and you wish to
continue using it, you must register and pay the license
fee.
2.2 License Fee
The fee for RACE is $15.00 in United States funds.
This fee applies to both private and commercial single site
installations. Information on licensing multiple copies may
be obtained by contacting the author at the address listed
in section 2.5, "How to Register RACE."
2.3 License Agreement
In consideration of payment of the license fee, I,
Michael F. Janke (hereinafter referred to as "the author"),
as licensor, grant to you, the licensee, a nonexclusive
right to use RACE (hereinafter known as "the software") on a
single computer at a single location.
4
RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
2.4 Disclaimer of Warranty and Limited Warranty
The software and the accompanying materials (including
instructions for use) are provided "as is" without warranty
of any kind. Further, the author does not warrant,
guarantee, or make any representations regarding the use of,
or the results of the use, of the software or written
materials in terms of correctness, accuracy, reliability,
currentness, or otherwise.
The author shall not be liable for any direct,
indirect, consequential, or incidental damages (including
damages for loss of business profits, business interruption,
loss of business information, and the like) arising out of
the use or inability to use the software, even if the author
has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
2.5 How to Register RACE
Why should you even bother to register, you ask?
First, it's a legal requirement. Second, if you want to see
RACE continue to be developed and improved, registration
will encourage me to do so. Third, a few extra features are
enabled by registering. These features are marked with {+}
in this manual. Although lack of these features in no way
prevents full use of RACE, they do provide that extra little
touch.
Many months of hard work went into producing this
product, and I believe that you will find it is worth the
small $15 registration fee that is required. Your $15
registration will be good for the life of the product, and
no matter what changes occur, you will never have to pay
another registration fee for RACE.
To register RACE, send $15.00 in United States funds to:
Michael F. Janke
8261-B SW 107th Ave.
Miami, FL 33173
Checks or money orders should be made payable to
Michael F. Janke. Do not make them payable to "RACE
Registration."
So that I may acknowledge your registration, please use
the REGISTER.FRM file that is included in the RACE
distribution archive. This file also contains information
on RACE registration sites located in the U.K. and Europe.
5
RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
Chapter 3 -- CONFIGURATION
3.1 General Information
RACE uses an external configuration file for
information such as paths to various files, colors, etc.
This file is in binary form, and it cannot be edited with an
ASCII text editor. The included RACECFG program is supplied
to create/edit the RACE configuration file.
The RACE configuration file name (RACE.CFG) is hard
coded into RACE. If you rename the file, RACE will abort
because it cannot find RACE.CFG.
RACE will look for the configuration file (RACE.CFG) in
the following locations:
* The current directory
* The directory where RACE.EXE is located
* Any directory on your DOS 'PATH'
RACECFG is always in edit mode for the field that the
cursor is located in. As you use the cursor keys to move
through the fields, you will notice that the field where the
cursor is located will be highlighted in reverse video. A
highlighted field is the active field, and you may use any
of the available edit keys to edit the field. For a listing
of the available edit keys in RACECFG, see Appendix B.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
3.2 RACECFG Main Menu
The RACECFG Main Menu is a series of choices listed
across the top of your screen. Move the highlight to your
choice with the cursor keys and press <Enter> to activate
that option.
3.2.1 Files
Selecting the Files option on the RACECFG menu will
bring down a pull down menu. This menu has 4 basic options.
1. System Filenames
The System Filenames menu is the most important part of
configuring RACE. In fact, you must define the path and
filename for your user file here before you can even run
RACE.
A. System Directory - This is the fully qualified path to
your RemoteAccess System directory. RACE uses this
path to find USERON.BBS for the Users Online function,
and LASTCALL.BBS for the Today's Callers function.
B. USERS.BBS - This is the fully qualified path and
filename for your RemoteAccess user file. Don't forget
to include the filename here, because RACE will not
assume that the filename is USERS.BBS.
C. Answer File - This is the fully qualified path and
filename of the questionnaire answer file that RACE
will use in the <V>alidate function. The filename will
most likely be NEWUSER.ASW, but you can validate based
on the answers to any questionnaire you wish.
D. Swap File - This is the fully qualified path and
filename for RACE to use when swapping out of RAM to
disk. This can point to a RAM disk. If RACE finds
sufficient EMS memory available, it will use that
memory for swapping, instead of the disk file defined
here. However, you must define a path and filename
here if you wish RACE to swap. Leaving this field
blank will disable the RACE swapping function.
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2. External Utilities
The External Utilities menu allows you to define
external programs that can be run within RACE. These are
optional, and should only be defined if you have a use for
them.
To specify an external utility, simply enter the
command line the same way you would run the program from
DOS. You do not have to specify a directory if the program
can be located on the DOS PATH.
3. DOS Shell
This option allows you to shell to DOS within RACECFG.
4. Exit Setup
This option allows you to exit RACECFG and return to
DOS. If you have made any changes to RACE's configuration,
RACECFG will ask you if you want to save your changes. You
must press <Y> for Yes or <N> for No. There is no default
for this question. Also note that it is not necessary to
select this option to exit RACECFG. Pressing <Esc> will
also allow you to exit RACECFG. This method will also ask
whether changes should be saved, if you have made any.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
3.2.2 Validation
The Validation menu allows you to configure the
validation templates and welcome message information for
RACE's <V>alidate function.
1. Templates
Validation templates allow you to configure the actions
RACE will take when validating users with the RACE
<V>alidate function. You can define up to 50 templates for
validating users here. The <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys will move
you between the available templates.
A. Template Label - This field allows you to give
meaningful (to you) names to your validation templates.
These labels are displayed in the RACE validation menu.
B. Template Access - This is the security level that will
be given to users when validating them with the current
template.
C. Apply Security - This determines whether or not RACE
will apply the security level shown above when
validating with this template. Set this to 'Y' to
enable the security change, or 'N' to disable it.
D. Flags - There are three type of flags that can be
defined in each template. You can define Security
Flags, the No-Kill attribute flag, and the Transfer
Priority attribute flag. Security flag templates are
discussed in detail at the end of this chapter.
E. Subscription - If you run a subscription system, this
option will allow you to take advantage of the
subscription features of RemoteAccess. Enter the
number of months to give to a user validated with this
template here. You may enter any number from 1 to 99
months. If you do not wish to use this feature, simply
set this field to 0. This will cause RACE to ignore
the subscription field when validating with the current
template.
F. Group - Enter the group number to assign users
validated with this template to. If you do not wish to
change the user's group number when validating with
this template, just enter '-1' here. This tells RACE
to ignore the group number when validating with this
template.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
2. Welcome Messages
This option allows you to set up welcome messages that
will automatically be sent to users when upgrading them with
the RACE <V>alidate function.
A. Send Welcome Message - This option allows you to enable
or disable the sending of Welcome Messages. Set this
option to 'N' if you do not want to send welcome
messages when validating users.
B. Path/FileName - This is the fully qualified path and
filename of an ASCII text file containing the message
you want to send to the user when validating. DO NOT
supply an extension! RACE will automatically append
the template number to this name to find the message to
send. For example, if this field is set to
"C:\RA\Validate", RACE will look for C:\RA\Validate.001
when validating a user with template 1. For a more
complete explanation of the file naming convention used
for welcome messages, see Chapter 6, Section 6.6.
C. From - This is the name that RACE should place in the
From field when sending validation messages. Normally,
you will set this to your name or handle.
D. Subject - This is the text that RACE should place in
the Subject field when sending validation messages.
For example, you might wish to set this field to
"Welcome to the BBS!"
E. Board Number - This is the message area number that
RACE will post the validation messages in. Valid
values are 1 - 200. Note that RACE does not check to
see if this area is defined in your RemoteAccess
configuration, or if the user has access to it. It is
up to you to ensure that you set this to a valid area
that the user has access to.
F. Private - This option allows you to decide if the
validation messages should have the Private attribute.
Set this to 'Y' if you want the validation messages to
be Private, or 'N' if you want them to be public.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
3.2.3 Colors
This menu allows you to configure the colors that RACE
will use for its screens. This menu will also allow you to
enable CGA Snow Checking for older CGA cards.
You can select your own custom color combinations, or
select the default colors that come in the distribution
package. A representative sample of the window being edited
will appear on the screen, so you can see what your colors
will look like in RACE.
3.2.4 Flags
If you use a lot of flags, you will soon find that it
is difficult to remember what purpose each flag serves.
RACE gives you the capability to display reminder notes when
editing a user's flags or using the global flag change
function. This menu gives you the ability to enable or
disable the flag notes, and define what each flag note will
say.
The first item on the Flags menu will tell you if the
flag notes are enabled or disabled. To change the setting,
simply highlight this item and press <Enter> to toggle the
notes on or off. The next four items on the menu will allow
you to change the notes for the A, B, C, and D flags,
respectively. Simply move to one these fields and press
<Enter> to edit the notes for that bank of flags. A window
will pop up, allowing you to enter up to 48 characters of
text for each flag.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
3.2.5 Reports
This menu allows you to define up to 20 templates for
the report function of RACE. It also allows you to define
options for your printer, for use when printing reports from
RACE.
1. Templates - This option will bring up the template edit
screen. You can move between the available templates
with the <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys. Each template has
three items to configure:
A. Description - Enter a short comment
describing this template.
B. Device - Use the <Space> key to toggle
through the choices.
C. Fields - Press <Enter> on this field to bring
up a field selection window.
{+} NOTE: The RACE report function will not use templates
in the unregistered version. You may enter, edit and
save templates in RACECFG, but RACE will not give you
the option to use them.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
2. Printer Port - This is the printer port that will be
used when printing out user reports. Select '1' for
LPT1: or '2' for LPT2:.
3. Page Length - This option allows you to select how many
lines should be printed on each page. Values from 1 to
255 are valid.
4. Form Feed - This option allows you to select whether or
not to output a form feed after each page of text. Set
this option to 'Y' to enable the form feed, or 'N' to
disable it.
5. Printer Initialization - This string will be sent to
the printer before printing a report. To include a
control character (such as <Esc>) in your string, press
<Ctrl-P> to place the editor into literal mode (the
cursor will change to a large, rapidly blinking block
instead of the normal blinking underline), then press
the control key. For example, pressing <Ctrl-P>, <Esc>
would insert an <Esc> character into the string. To
enter multiple control characters, you will need to
press <Ctrl-P> before each character. Control
characters will appear in high intensity yellow (high
intensity only on monochrome systems), while normal
characters will appear in low intensity cyan. You
might want to use this feature to place your printer in
compressed print mode, to allow more characters to fit
on a line.
6. Printer De-Initialization - This string will be sent to
the printer after a report is printed. Control
characters can be entered in the same manner as above.
This can be used to turn off compressed printing, if
you put your printer in compressed mode before printing
reports.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
3.2.6 Miscellaneous
This menu allows you to configure various miscellaneous
options in RACE.
1. Start Editor in Insert Mode - This option defines
whether or not RACE will start in insert or overtype
mode. The default configuration for this option is No,
which means that RACE will start in overtype mode. To
switch between insert and overtype mode while in RACE,
simply press your <Insert> key while you are editing a
field.
2. Beep on Error - Normally, RACE will beep when you
attempt to enter invalid data in a field. For example,
attempting to enter alphabetical characters into the
Security field would generate a beep. If you do not
want RACE to beep on encountering an error, set this
option to 'N' (No).
3. Edit Mode Left/Right Delimiters - By default, RACE does
not use delimiter characters to show the ends of
fields. If you wish to use delimiters, select a left
and a right delimiter here. To use the default (no
delimiters), simply enter '0' for both the left and
right delimiters.
4. Name Field Size - RACE has the capability to generate
reports of various types. One item that limits the
usefulness of these reports is the default size of the
user name field. If RACE always assumed it should
output the full name field, 35 characters, almost half
of the report line would be consumed by this field,
much of it blank.
It is quite likely that you will never have a user that
has a name anywhere near the length this field allows.
The Name Field Size option allows you to define how
much of the name field will be used for REPORTS ONLY.
This option will not modify your USERS.BBS file in any
way. Valid values are 1 to 35.
{+} 5. Shell Password - This option allows you to define a
password that is needed to access the external
utilities and the <J>ump to DOS function of RACE. This
is only used in the registered version of RACE.
{+} 6. Start in USERED Mode - This option defines whether or
not RACE should start with a user list on screen, like
the RAMGR User Manager. Set this option to 'Y' to
enable the user listing on startup, or 'N' to start up
directly in the edit screen. In unregistered copies of
RACE, this option has no effect. Unregistered copies
of RACE will always start directly in the edit screen.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
7. Display Names in Lastname,Firstname Format - This
option defines whether or not RACE should display names
in Lastname,Firstname format in user lists and reports.
Setting this option to 'Y' (Yes) will display the names
in Lastname,Firstname format in reports and user lists.
Setting this option to 'N' will display the names in
traditional Firstname Lastname format.
3.3 Template Security Flag Configuration
The template security flags require a special
explanation, because they work a bit differently than what
most RemoteAccess SysOps are used to.
Unlike most flag routines, this particular section
allows THREE settings for flags. These settings are:
X = Turn this flag ON
O = Turn this flag OFF
- = Leave this flag alone
As you probably noticed, the letter 'O' is used to turn
a flag off during validation, instead of the usual hyphen
character used elsewhere in RACE and other programs that can
edit flags.
For the sake of explaining exactly how it works, let's
say that a first time caller's A flag is set initially set
by RemoteAccess to:
XX----X-
When you upgrade a user with template 1, you want to
turn flag A2 OFF and turn flag A4 ON, but you want all
others to remain as is. In this case you would set up your
template A flag to look like this:
-O-X----
Then, when in RACE <V>alidate and using this template
to upgrade a user, the user flag would be set to this:
X--X--X-
Flags A1, A3, A5, A6, A7, and A8 were left as is
because you did not specifically set the template to turn
them ON or OFF. Flag A2 was turned OFF because you
specified an 'O' in position A2 of the template setup and
flag A4 was turned ON because you specified an 'X' in
position A4 of the template setup.
Try to remember that the hyphen character does NOT turn
a flag OFF. You should use the 'O' character for this
purpose.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
Chapter 4 -- GENERAL INFORMATION
4.1 The RACE Help System
RACE has a general help system, and in a few instances,
a context sensitive help system. Context sensitive help
means that you can request help for the particular command
or field you are using. Help is accessed by pressing <F1>.
You may note that in some of the help screens, words
are highlighted in reverse video or with a colored
background. Pressing <Enter> will display the part of the
help file that describes the highlighted word. If more than
one word is highlighted, you may move the highlight with the
arrow keys to view help on the other topics. To return to
the original help screen, press <Alt-F1>.
4.2 Remote Operation
RACE is not designed to be used from a remote location
over the modem. This option is not in any future plans.
4.3 RACE Main Screen
RACE begins by displaying the user in record number 0
and starts out in VIEW MODE. Unlike the RAMGR User Manager
(and the earlier USERED.EXE), RACE is not always in edit
mode when the user record is on-screen.
RACE is written to be usable on a multi-node system.
If the user you are currently viewing is online, RACE will
automatically disable editing of their record. The screen
will display a message: "This User ONLINE, Editing Disabled"
and all editing functions will be disabled. This protection
is necessary because RemoteAccess holds a caller's record in
memory while they are online, and rewrites it completely
when the caller logs off. This would cause any changes made
by RACE to be lost.
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RACE Version 2.01 User Documentation
Chapter 5 -- EDITING A USER RECORD
Editing a user's record is the basic purpose of RACE.
Simply press the 'E' key to switch from View Mode to Edit Mode.
If this is your first edit session since starting RACE, you will
be placed in the first field of the current user record.
If you leave the edit screen in any other field but the
first, you will start out in that field on subsequent user record
edits. This makes it easier to edit the same field of multiple
user records.
As you enter the Edit Mode, the Main Menu will change to an
Edit Menu. This shows you the keys to move around the screen,
and save or abort any changes to the user record.
5.1 Editing Restrictions
There are various restrictions in edit mode, depending
on which field you are editing. The name, alias, location,
comment, company, address, password, and phone number fields
will accept any characters that can be entered from the
keyboard.
All other fields in the user record have some type of
restrictions. RACE will not allow you to enter invalid data
in these fields. Listed below are the restrictions for
these fields.
1. Flags - 'X' or '-' only
2. TodayK and Time Today - 0 to 32000
3. Screen Length - 10 to 66
4. Date Fields - numeric data in the form MM-DD-YY
5. Time Field - numeric data in the form HH:MM
6. User Attributes - 'Y' or 'N'
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5.2 Editing Individual Fields
RACE provides a number of editing functions within an
individual field. There are too many to list here, but a
complete listing of edit keys is available in Appendix B of
this documentation or in the RACE online help system.
Some of the more commonly used editing keys are:
1. <Ctrl-End> - Delete from the cursor to the end of the
field.
2. <Ctrl-Home> - Delete from the cursor to the beginning
of the field.
3. <Ctrl-Y> - Delete entire field.
4. <Ctrl-T> - Delete word to the right of the cursor.
5. <Ctrl-R> - Restore previous contents of field. This
function will only work if you have not yet moved out
of the field you are attempting to restore.
5.3 Editing without entering Edit Mode
There are a few functions that will allow you to make
changes to a user record without entering edit mode.
<Alt-T> will bring up the user attributes window, allowing
changes to any of the user attributes.
<Ctrl-P> will allow you to change the current user's
password.
<+> and <-> will increment/decrement the user's security
level by one. <Alt-+> and <Alt--> will increment/decrement
the user's security level by ten. <Alt-+> and <Alt--> will
most likely NOT work with the <+> and <-> keys on the
numeric keypad, but only with the <+> and <-> keys on the
main keyboard.
<Ctrl-C> will clear the TodayK and Time Today fields of the
current user.
5.4 Moving through the User File
The Main Menu shows four commands for moving through
the user file: <F>irst, <L>ast, <N>ext, and <P>revious.
These commands operate exactly as their names imply.
<F>irst moves to the first user, <L>ast moves to the last
user, and so on.
In addition to the listed keys, some of the cursor
movement keys will allow you to move through the user file.
<Left> and <Right> will move to the previous and the next
user, respectively. <Home> will move to the first user, and
<End> will move to the last user.
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If you know the user's record number, you can go
directly to that record by using the <G>oto command. When
you press <G>, RACE will bring up the Goto Window. Type the
record number for the user you wish to edit and press
<Enter>. RACE will immediately go to that record.
Selecting the <R>eports command from the Main Menu and
then selecting User List will also allow you to move through
the user file. For more information on the <R>eports
function, see Chapter 7.
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5.5 Other Commands
1. <Alt-E> - This command allows you to enter a message to
the user currently displayed on screen. Most
information for the message header (From name, Subject,
Board number, and Private status) is taken from the
Welcome Message setup in RACECFG. RACE will call
RACEEDIT.EXE as the message editor. RACEEDIT is
discussed in detail in Chapter 12.
2. <W>hoops! - This command is used to restore users who
have been packed out of the user file with eRACEm.
This is useful if you accidentally purge most of your
user file. NOTE: This option will not function if
eRACEm does not create the USERS.OLD file. When eRACEm
packs the user file, it can create a USERS.OLD file
containing the records of users who are packed out of
the user file. RACE needs this file to restore the
records back into the user file. For further
information, see the eRACEm documentation.
{+} 3. <Alt-L> - This command displays a listing of users who
have called today, based upon the information in
LASTCALL.BBS. You can move through the listing with
the cursor keys and select a user record to view by
pressing <Enter>. You can also search for a name by
typing the first part of the name. RACE will move the
highlight to the first match for the characters you
have typed, if any. Once you have located the correct
record, simply press <Enter> to view that user. NOTE:
This is a registered only feature.
{+} 4. <Alt-U> - This command displays a listing of Users who
are online, based on the information in USERON.BBS.
Any line which does not have a user online will display
a "Line <number> unoccupied" message in the appropriate
position on the screen. You can move through the
listing with the cursor keys and select a user record
to view by pressing <Enter>. You can also search for a
name by typing the first part of the name. RACE will
move the highlight to the first entry that matches the
characters you have typed, if any. Once you have
located the correct record, simply press <Enter> to
view that user. NOTE: This is a registered only
feature.
5. <Alt-M> - Allows you to switch to 43/50 line mode on
EGA/VGA graphics cards with more than 128K of display
memory. RACE does not use the extra lines on screen
for anything, with two exceptions. User reports sent
to the Screen and the User List option in the <R>eports
menu will use the extra lines to display more
information on screen.
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Chapter 6 -- VALIDATION
6.1 General Information
RACE takes full advantage of the subscription system
implemented in RemoteAccess 1.00 and later versions. With
one or two simple keystrokes, you can easily perform the
following tasks:
* Send a welcome message to the user.
* Update the user security level.
* Update the user group number.
* Toggle any number of security flags on or off.
* Automatically set subscription expiration date.
* Turn on or off the No-Kill and/or Transfer Priority flags.
* Import designated answers into the user comment field.
In addition, RACE provides fifty templates so that you
may have fifty different sets for the above items. This
allows you to easily validate callers as normal users,
special users, visiting SysOps, etc.
The RACE <V>alidate function also allows you to
manually edit the user's subscription expiration date, group
number, security level, and security flags for those
occasions when none of your predefined templates quite fit
the user. You may edit user attributes by pressing <Alt-T>
("Toggles"). Pressing <Alt-T> will bring up the user
attributes window, allowing you to edit any of the user
attributes.
Once you have properly set up the <V>alidate templates
in RACECFG, and understand how they work, you will find that
they will save you considerable time and effort when it
comes to validating new users.
Please note that throughout the remainder of this
chapter, the apostrophe (') character is used to emphasize
and clarify various points of interest. These are not to be
used in questionnaires or input. They are only used for
clarity. In the case of the OUTPUTANSWER examples, the
double quote character (") *IS* used in the RemoteAccess
questionnaire language.
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RACE offers two different methods of validating users.
Both methods use a questionnaire answer file, but the way
that questionnaire is read depends on the method used. The
first method is accessed by selecting the <V>alidate command
from the RACE Main Menu. The second method is selected by
pressing <Ctrl-V>.
1. Main Menu <V>alidate - This method allows you to
validate the user currently displayed on-screen. RACE
will scan the answer file for this user's answers, and
display them if found.
2. <Ctrl-V> Validate - This method is used to sequentially
read the answer file and display the individual answer
sets on a one to one basis. This method is somewhat
easier to use, as it does not require that you move to
the record of the first user to upgrade before
selecting the <V>alidate function. This mode can also
be initiated from DOS by running RACE with a "/V"
command line switch.
6.2 Questionnaire Setup
In order to use the RACE validation routines, you may
need to make some modifications to your questionnaire file.
6.3 POSTINFO
"POSTINFO" is a RemoteAccess questionnaire language
command. This command tells RemoteAccess to write the
user's name to the answer file. This *MUST* be the FIRST
item posted to the user's answers.
RACE uses the POSTINFO information to find the user's
answers within the answer file and to determine where the
user's answers begin and end. If this item is not the first
item written to the answer file, RACE may not be able to
find the user's answers, or may find the wrong set of
answers.
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6.4 Comment Import
RACE has the capability to automatically insert
comments into the user record comment field.
For example, if you would like to have the user's
net/node address stored in the comment field of the user
record, you can ask the user this question and signify the
answer as a "comment import" answer.
This is done by placing a '&:' anywhere within the
OUTPUTANSWER text string. For example, if your tenth
question was "Net/Node?:" you would put something like this
in your questionnaire file:
OUTPUTANSWER "&:Net/Node: " 10
If a user answered that question with '320/119',
RemoteAccess would place '&:Net/Node: 320/119' into your
answer file.
When you upgrade this user, RACE will scan the answer
file for the '&:' character combination. If it is found in
the answer file, everything after those characters up to the
end of the line will be imported into the user comment
field. For the example shown above, the user comment field
would contain 'Net/Node: 320/119'.
The <W>rite Comments command in the <V>alidate screen
will allow you to import the comment information from the
answer file without upgrading the user with a template.
If you don't want to waste space in the limited (80
characters) comment field, you can place the '&:' string
after the OUTPUTANSWER text, like this:
OUTPUTANSWER "Net/Node &:" 10
RACE would import everything after the '&:' characters
to the comment field, therefore it would only import the
user's answer, and not the OUTPUTANSWER text ('Net/Node ').
Note that the user comment field is limited to 80
characters. If the comment imported from the answer file
exceeds that limit, RACE will simply truncate the string to
80 characters, possibly leaving out information that you
consider important. Use care in deciding which items to
import, to avoid going over the 80 character limit.
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A sample questionnaire file (SAMPLE.Q-A) has been
provided in the distribution package. This sample is only
meant to give you an idea of the format of the required and
optional items that go into a questionnaire. Although the
sample questionnaire is fully functional, it is not as
complete as most SysOps would like.
6.5 Templates
The templates are the heart of the validation routines.
Pressing the number of the template you wish to apply to a
user will give the user all the settings you defined for
that template during configuration.
The automatic turning ON and OFF of security flags
seems to have caused the most confusion in the past. Please
re-read the description of template flag configuration found
in Chapter 3, Section 3.3.
If the template you apply has a subscription expiration
associated with it, the number of months you specified in
configuring RACE will be applied to the user, based on your
current system date. If you system date is not set
correctly, then RACE will not be able to set the expiration
date properly.
6.6 Welcome Messages
A welcome message is automatically sent to a user when
you upgrade that user, if you have enabled this feature
during configuration.
If the message base is locked by another process when
you attempt to send a welcome message to a validated user,
RACE will pause and retry accessing the message base up to
10 times. If access continues to be denied, RACE will
report this. No harm is done, and the user will still
receive all of the template upgrade values, but they will
not receive the welcome message.
The RACE distribution archive includes five sample
welcome messages, to give you an example. These may be
edited to suit your system, or deleted if you do not wish to
use the welcome message feature.
Each welcome message file must have an extension that
corresponds to the template number it is to be used with.
For example, when using template number 1 to upgrade a user,
RACE will look for WELCOME.001 in the path defined in the
RACE configuration file.
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Note that the configuration option in RACECFG for the
Welcome Message path is specified as the path and filename,
without the extension. For example, if you specify
'C:\RA\WELCOME' in the Welcome Message setup of RACECFG,
RACE will look for C:\RA\WELCOME.002 when you validate a
user with template 2.
If any welcome message file is not found, RACE will
default to using the message for template 1 (In the above
example, the filename would be C:\RA\WELCOME.001).
RACE will not perform any formatting on your welcome
message. It will be imported to the message base exactly as
it is on your disk. As long as you keep lines just under 80
characters (or less) you should have no problems. RACE does
not impose a size limit on your welcome message. If you
create a 100KB welcome message file, RACE will import it
with no problems.
If the welcome message feature is enabled, each time
you validate a user with one of the templates, RACE will ask
'Send prepared message?' <Y>es is the default, so hitting
<Enter> will send the default welcome message. If you
select <N>, RACE will prompt you for a filename to send as
the welcome message. If you wish to send a welcome message,
enter the filename here. If you do not want to send a
welcome message, simply press <Enter> or <Esc> at the
filename prompt.
6.7 Validation Menu Options
1. <E>dit - Allows you to manually edit the user
information displayed in the lower left window on the
screen. This is useful if you do not have a template
defined for the access you which to give to the current
user.
2. <F>ind More - Finds more answers (if any) for the
current user in the answer file.
3. <V>IP - Adds the user name to the RemoteAccess VIP.CTL
file. RemoteAccess will sound a bell when a user in
VIP.CTL logs on.
4. <T>rash User - Adds the user name to the RemoteAccess
TRASHCAN.CTL file. This will prevent this user from
logging back on with the name in TRASHCAN.CTL.
5. <C>omment - Allows you to write a comment for the
current user.
6. <G>oto Record - Allows you to go to another record in
the user file.
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7. <W>rite Cmt. - Forces RACE to write any lines defined
as comment lines to the user record. Described earlier
in Section 6.4.
8. <P>ick ASW File - Allows you to choose another
questionaire answer file to validate users with.
9. <S>earch - Allows you to search for another user.
10. <M>ark Deleted - Mark the user answers as deleted.
eRACEm will allow you to purge deleted answers from the
questionaire answer file. For further information, see
the eRACEm documentation.
11. <Q>uit/<Esc> - Allows you to quit from the validate
function and return to the main screen.
{+} 12. <Alt-E> - Allows you to enter a message to the user on
screen. Most information for the message header (From
Name, Subject, Board Number, and Private Status) will
be imported from RACECFG's Welcome Message Setup. This
option will call RACEEDIT.EXE, included in the RACE
distribution archive. For further information on
RACEEDIT, see Chapter 12. NOTE: This is a registered
only feature.
{+} 13. <Alt-W> - Allows you to enter a message to the user on
screen, as above, but quotes the user's answers. NOTE:
This is a registered only feature.
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Chapter 7 -- REPORTS
RACE offers an extremely flexible user reporting
function. You can create reports on your users based upon
almost any fields in the user record.
7.1 The User Report Menu
There are five basic options on the user report menu.
The Screen, Printer, and Disk File options allow you to
select a wide range of parameters and included fields to
create a custom report. The <T>emplates item allows you to
use a report template that you have defined in RACECFG. {+}
The last item, User List, is a predefined format, intended
for a quick look at your users.
1. Screen - This option directs that the report output be
displayed on the screen. RACE will pause after each
screen of data, waiting for you to press a key. Note
that you cannot move back and forth through the report
with this option. This option is handy for testing out
custom report formats.
2. Printer - This option directs the report output to the
printer you have defined in RACECFG. RACE will check
to ensure that the printer is ready before starting to
print and during the printout.
NOTE: RACE assumes continuous feed paper. It will not
pause between pages to allow you to insert another
sheet of paper. If this limitation is a problem for
your system, then you can direct your report to a disk
file, and print it after formatting it as required.
3. Disk file - This option will write the report
information to an ASCII text file on disk for
processing and/or storage as you see fit.
RACE will prompt you for the filename for the report
output. If the destination file already exists, RACE
will ask for permission to overwrite the existing file.
RACE does not specifically support paths for the
destination file. However, you may be able to use one
if the combined path and filename do not exceed the 25
characters allotted for the filename input prompt.
{+} 6. <T>emplates - This option allows you to choose one of
the custom report templates you have defined in
RACECFG. NOTE: Usage of report templates is a
registered only feature.
5. User list - This option is designed for quick lookups
of users. All fields are predefined, and there are no
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prompts/questions to answer. The cursor keys may be
used to move around the user list screen.
You may move the highlight bar to a user in the list
screen and press <Enter> to go directly to that user's
record. The <Del> key will also allow you to toggle
the Deleted attribute for the user ON or OFF.
Note that RACE will allow you to search for a user by
typing the first portion of their name as displayed on
screen. It is suggested that you display names in
Lastname,Firstname format (See Chapter 3), so that
searches can be made by last name. As you type a name,
RACE will move the highlight bar to the first user who
matches the characters you have typed. You can then
press <Enter> to move to that user's record.
7.2 Report Options
All report field and search options are identical,
regardless of the destination for the report (Screen,
Printer, or Disk File).
7.3 Field Selection
Once you have decided whether you want a screen,
printer, or disk file report, RACE will take you to the
Field Selection Window. This window allows you to select
which user fields will be included in the report.
Fields will always be placed in the report based on the
order they are displayed in the selection window, not the
order in which they are selected.
Move the highlight bar using the cursor keys, or by
pressing the first letter of the desired field. For
example, pressing <A> will move the cursor to the Alias
field. Pressing <A> again will move the highlight to the
next field starting with the letter 'A' (in this case, A1
Flag).
Pressing <Enter> on a field will select it for the
report if it is not selected, or deselect it if you have
previously selected it. RACE will display a running total
of the number of characters selected for the report on the
screen. Note that RACE will not allow report lines to
exceed 240 characters.
If you need to place more information on a report line
than will normally fit, you can shorten the length used for
the name field as discussed in Section 3.2.6.
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When you have completed selecting the fields to include
in your report, press <Esc> to exit the selection window.
RACE will then display the search selection menu.
7.4 Report Searching
After choosing the fields to be included in a report,
you can optionally limit a report to only include certain
users. If you wish a report to include all users, simply
press <Esc> to exit the search selection menu. If you do
wish to narrow the scope of a report, select the desired
item to search by from the menu.
A user will only be included in a report if the user
record matches the search criteria you specify here. For
further information on specifying search parameters, see
Chapter 8. Report searching works exactly like the <S>earch
command on the RACE Main Menu, with two exceptions. RACE
will not pause at each record found, and you cannot abort
the search by pressing <S>.
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Chapter 8 -- SEARCHING
8.1 Search Menu
Upon selecting Search from the RACE Main Menu, a Search
Menu will appear on-screen. This menu allows you to specify
what field will be searched on. Depending on which field
you select, you may be prompted for additional data before
the search begins.
8.2 Search Operation
RACE will always begin a search from the beginning of
the user file. It does not begin at the user record
currently displayed on-screen. You will not need to move to
the beginning of the user file before beginning a search.
Once you have started a search, RACE will remain in
Search mode until:
1. The end of the user file is reached.
2. You abort the search by pressing <S> again.
RACE stops at each match during a search. At that
time, you may edit the user record that was just found, or
you may move to the next match by selecting the <N>ext
command or pressing the <Right Arrow> key.
Once you have found the user you are looking for, it is
recommended that you press the <S> key to exit Search mode.
This is not absolutely necessary, as RACE will allow you to
edit the user record while in search mode, but remember that
RACE will remain in Search mode until you reach the end of
the user file or abort the search with the <S> key.
8.3 Search Options
RACE will allow searches to be made on almost any field
in the user record. For numeric fields, you can select
whether you wish to view records that are Greater Than, Less
Than, or Equal To the number you provide.
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8.4 Name/Handle
When you select one of these items, RACE will prompt
you for the Name or Handle to search for. Keep in mind that
the search is not case sensitive. You may enter the search
text in any combination of uppercase, lowercase, or both.
RACE performs an INSTRING search. If the text you are
searching for is found ANYWHERE within the field you are
searching on, RACE will consider the record a match.
For example, if you enter BERT as the search string,
RACE would find users with the name BERT Simpson, Joe
AlBERTson, or AlBERT Smith.
8.5 Location/Telephone
Like the Name and Handle fields, the Location and
Telephone Number fields are stored as string data in the
user file. The search used is a case-insensitive, instring
search, much like the search used for the Name and Handle
fields. The search data may be specified in any combination
of uppercase, lowercase, or both. Searching with only
partial data also works well in these fields.
For example, you could find all callers in your area
code by entering it as the search data. For example, if you
lived in area code 203 (CT), you could find all callers in
your area by specifying 203- as the data to search for.
Note that RACE will search both telephone number fields
(Voice and Data) for anything that you enter here.
8.6 Security/Group
When searching based on Security level or Group number,
RACE will allow you to specify whether you want to search
for matches that are Greater Than, Less Than, or Equal To
the number you provide. This will allow you to search for
very specific groups of users.
8.7 Uploads/Downloads
When searching based on Uploads or Downloads, RACE will
ask you whether you want records that are Greater Than or
Less Than the amount you specify. Note that RACE does not
offer Equal To as a choice for these fields, as it is
unlikely that you will ever need to search for users with an
exact number of Kilobytes.
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8.8 Flags
Searching for users with a specified flag on or off
will require a little care on your part when you are
entering the search data. RACE expects the search data to
be in a specific format.
RACE expects you to enter the flag to search for in
this form:
{Flag Letter}{Flag Number}{Space}{ON or OFF}
For example, if you wanted to search for users with
flag A1 set to ON, you would type the following at the
"Flag: " prompt:
Flag: A1 ON
You may only search for one flag at a time. As with
the rest of the search functions, RACE will accept
uppercase, lowercase, or both during flag input.
If you enter invalid data in the Flag search field,
RACE will not report any errors. No harm will be done,
except for the wasted time searching for data that doesn't
exist.
It is possible for RACE to display a match if you enter
flag search data incorrectly. It is unlikely that RACE will
be able to find anything, but if it does it will probably be
an invalid match. In most cases of invalid flag input, RACE
will simply reach the end of the user file and report "No
matching users found."
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Chapter 9 -- GLOBAL CHANGES
9.1 General Information
RACE provides the ability to globally change one or
more flags or attributes for every user on your BBS. The
ability to change Group numbers is also provided.
9.2 Attribute Flags
Attribute flags are items such as: Clear Screen, ANSI
Graphics, Full Screen Editor, etc. These settings are
unique to each user, and the SysOp will rarely have a need
to make global changes to these fields. However, the option
is there if you need it.
When you select Attributes from the pop up menu, you
will be placed into a window listing all Attributes. In
addition, fields are provided to limit the changes based
upon security level and/or group number. See Section 9.5
for more information on using the Security/Group options.
Attributes will have a box next to them that looks like
this: [ ] The box initially contains nothing, which means
that the attribute will not be affected by the global
change.
Use the arrow keys to move up and down through the list
of attributes. If you wish to globally turn an attribute
ON, simply enter a 'Y' in the box next to that attribute.
If you wish to turn an attribute OFF, enter an 'N' in the
box next to that attribute. If you mistakenly enter a 'Y'
or 'N' for an attribute, simply erase it by pressing <Space
Bar>.
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9.3 Security Flags
RACE provides the ability to toggle any number of user
security flags on or off very easily.
Upon entering the Global Security Flag Change Window,
you will see that all four flags are initially filled with
the numbers 1 through 8. This is to allow easy movement to
the desired flag without having to count as you move to the
flag number you wish to change.
If you have Flag Notes enabled in RACECFG, RACE will
display the Flag Notes window on screen exactly as it does
while you are editing a user record.
Move to the flag that you wish to globally change, and
press <X> to turn that flag ON, or <-> to turn the flag OFF.
If you change your mind about a particular flag, you can
simply type the original number back into the position.
After selecting the flags that you wish to change, you
may limit the changes by group number or security level.
See Section 9.5 for more information.
9.4 Group Changes
Selecting Group Changes from the <C>hanges menu opens
the Group Changes window, where you can specify the
parameter for performing global group changes.
The first item in the window is 'New group'. This is
the group number that you wish to assign to user that match
the parameters provided in the Security level and Group
number fields. These fields are explained in detail in the
next section.
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9.5 Global Changes and Group/Security Levels
Global changes may be limited to a select group of
users based in their security level and/or group number.
The default settings are to apply the changes to all users
with a security level less than 65535 and to ignore group
numbers. The <Space>, <+>, and <-> keys will allow you to
select from the available choices:
1. ALL USERS - Applies the changes to all users,
regardless of their security level. This option will
ignore any number specified in the Security field.
2. EQUAL TO - Applies the changes to users who have a
security level equal to the one you provide in the
Security field.
3. GREATER THAN - Applies the changes to users who have a
security level greater than the one you provide in the
Security field.
4. LESS THAN - Applies the changes to users who have a
security level less than the one you provide in the
Security field.
The Security field allows you to enter the security
level that you wish to apply the changes to. This value is
ignored if you have specified "ALL USERS" in the Apply To
field.
The Group field allows you to enter a group number to
apply the changes to. If you wish to apply the changes to
all groups, simply enter -1 here. If you place a group
number here AND have set a security level limitation, both
criteria must be met for the changes to apply.
9.6 Executing Global Changes
Once you have made all of your selections, press <Ctrl-
Enter> to continue. If you change your mind, you can simply
press <Esc> to return to the main menu without making the
changes.
If you choose to continue, RACE will ask "Execute these
changes?" Hit <Enter> or <Y> to make the changes, or press
<N> to abort. It takes very little time to execute changes,
even on large user files.
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Chapter 10 -- ADD NEW USER
Adding a new user manually is basically the same as
editing an existing user record. Simply select <A>dd or
press your <Insert> key to add a user. RACE will display a
new record on the screen, and allow you to edit it.
A few of the fields are filled in automatically when
you add a new user. The Name is initially set to "New User"
and the Location is set to "Somewhere". You will probably
want to edit these fields to insert more accurate
information.
The Screen length field will be initially set to 24,
since this is the most common setting. The Last Date and
First Date fields will be filled with he current date, as
obtained from DOS. If your system date is not set
correctly, you will probably want to edit these fields.
Most numeric fields in the user record will be
initialized to 0, and all user attributes will be set to
OFF.
Once you have finished editing the new user record,
press <Ctrl-Enter> to save the record. If you press <Esc>
instead, the record will be discarded and not appended to
your user file.
Upon exiting the Add New User screen, you will be
returned to the user you were viewing before you selected
<A>dd.
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Chapter 11 -- JUMP/UTILS
11.1 General Information
Whether you are running a predefined command, or simply
jumping to DOS, RACE can free up most of the memory it uses
by swapping itself to disk, or EMS if enough is available.
Note that if swapping is enabled, RACE will ALWAYS swap to
EMS if enough is available.
RACE will only swap if you have defined a swap file in
RACECFG. If swap space is not available when RACE is run,
either because of insufficient disk space or a bad path
name, RACE will disable swapping. You may still use <J>ump
or <U>tils, but RACE will not be able to free up memory for
those commands.
RACE always uses the command processor for <J>ump and
<U>tilities. This allows you to run a batch file from a
<U>tilities selection. RACE gets the command processor name
from the COMSPEC environment variable. This ensures proper
operation if you use 4DOS or another command processor
instead of COMMAND.COM.
RACE will attempt to return to the current record
number once the shell terminates. If the current record
number no longer exists, RACE will return to record 0. If
you pack or sort the user file while shelled out from RACE
(either manually via <J>ump to DOS or by a <U>tilities
selection), RACE may not return to the same user. It will
return to the same record number, if it still exists.
11.2 Jump
<J>ump will allow you to shell to DOS from within RACE.
RACE will close the user file while in the shell, so other
programs that work with the user file will operate properly.
11.3 Utilities
<U>tilities will display a list of the external
utilities you have defined in RACECFG. Simply select one
and it will be executed. Like the <J>ump to DOS command,
RACE will close the user file before the shell, to enable
programs that work with the user file to function properly.
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Chapter 12 -- RACEEDIT
12.1 General Information
RACEEDIT is a simple full screen editor that will allow
you to write a message to a user while with RACE. RACEEDIT
does not have block commands, search and replace, or other
advanced features. It is primarily intended to allow you to
write a quick message to a user. If you would like to use
your own editor, see Section 12.3.
Place RACEEDIT.EXE in the same directory as RACE.EXE.
RACE will automatically call RACEEDIT when you select to
write a message to a user from the main screen, or from
within the <V>alidate function if you are registered.
RACEEDIT is executed directly from RACE. The command
processor is NOT used. Whether or not RACE swaps out before
loading RACEEDIT is determined by your settings for the Swap
file in RACECFG.
Most of the information for the message headers is
taken from the Welcome Message setup in RACE.CFG. The To:
field is filled in with the user currently being displayed
on screen. The lack of ability to edit the message header
was a design decision meant to prevent accidental posting of
messages to non-existent users, in EchoMail areas, or in
undefined boards. The primary purpose of RACEEDIT is to
allow you to write a message to a user during validation, so
the Welcome message configuration information was thought to
be the safest way to go.
RACEEDIT can handle a message up to 64KB in length, or
available memory, whichever is less.
12.3 RACEDIT Commands
The following commands are valid in RACEEDIT:
<Ctrl-X>, <Ctrl-Enter>, <Ctrl-Z>, <Alt-S> - Save message and
exit. <Alt-S> will also cause RACE to prompt for a new
subject before importing the message.
<Ctrl-K><S>, <F2> - Save message and continue editing.
<Ctrl-K><Q>, <Alt-F2>, <Esc> - Abort message.
<Alt-I> - Import a text file into the message. NOTE: This
command will erase the buffer before importing the text
file.
<Left>, <Ctrl-S> - Move left one character.
<Right>, <Ctrl-D> - Move right one character.
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<Ctrl-Left>, <Ctrl-A> - Move left one word.
<Ctrl-Right>, <Ctrl-D> - Move right one word.
<Backspace>, <Ctrl-H>, <Ctrl-Backspace> - Del character to
the left of the cursor.
<Ctrl-Y> - Delete Line.
<Ctrl-End>, <Ctrl-Q><Y> - Delete from cursor to end of line.
<PgUp>, <Ctrl-R> - Move up one screen.
<PgDn>, <Ctrl-C> - Move down one screen.
<Ctrl-Home>, <Ctrl-Q><E> - Move to the beginning of the edit
window.
<Ctrl-Q><X> - Move to the end of the edit window.
<Ctrl-PgUp>, <Ctrl-Q><R> - Move to the beginning of the
file.
<Ctrl-PgDn>, <Ctrl-Q><C> - Move to the end of the file.
<Ctrl-P> - Insert control character. To insert a control
character, press <Ctrl-P>, then press the control character.
<Ctrl-B> - Reformat paragraph.
<Alt-R> - Reformat entire message. Use with caution!
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12.3 Technical Information
RACEEDIT is a Turbo Professional TpMemo editor written
specifically to work with RACE.
You cannot simply rename your favorite editor to
RACEEDIT.EXE and use it in place of the supplied editor.
This was not done intentionally to prevent using another
editor. The main reason for this is the difficulty in
determining what RACE should do next on return from the
editor. The easiest method for doing this is to examine the
errorlevel returned by the editor. Most editors don't
return errorlevels, and those that do don't use the same
values as RACEEDIT. RACEEDIT returns the following
errorlevels:
0 - Normal termination, message text saved.
1 - Normal termination, message text NOT saved.
2 - Window error (probably insufficient heap space).
3 - Error writing message file.
4 - Error reading message file.
5 - Buffer allocation or memory error.
The first two errorlevels are obviously the most
important. If you have an editor that can drop those under
the proper conditions, you may be able to use it in place of
RACEEDIT. Note that most editors will return an errorlevel
of 0 no matter what happens short of the editor crashing.
If that is the case, RACE may attempt to import the text
file even if you abort the save in your editor.
RACEEDIT is hardcoded to use RACETMP.MSG as the message
filename. However, RACE will pass this filename as a
command line parameter to facilitate usage of other editors.
If the editor returns an errorlevel of 0, RACE will attempt
to import this file into a message. Once RACE successfully
imports the file, it is deleted.
RACEEDIT saves the current screen image upon startup
and restores it on exit. If your editor does not do this,
the display may be messed up once you return to RACE.
When using an editor other than RACEEDIT, RACE *WILL*
always import the message if RACETMP.MSG exists. Also, RACE
will not do ANY formatting of the text, so set your margins
in your editor to a reasonable value. If you set the right
margin at 65 or 70 you should have no problem.
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Appendix A -- PROBLEMS?
If you are having problems with RACE, or if a
particular feature isn't working the way you think it
should, please read this section first. The answer to your
problem may be right here.
If RACE ever ends with an error message, look for a
file called RACE.ERR. This file will contain information
about the type of error. If possible, include the contents
of this file when reporting a bug.
Q. When I run RACE, it beeps and says "RACE.CFG disk read
error".
A. This is usually caused by attempting to run RACE with
an old configuration file. The many changes between this
version of RACE and version prior to 2.00 make it necessary
to delete RACE.CFG and reconfigure RACE when upgrading to
2.0x. Delete RACE.CFG, and then run RACECFG again. Answer
<Y> when RACE asks "RACE.CFG not found, create it?" Then go
through the configuration as described in Chapter 3.
Q. RACE tells me a user is online and I cannot edit his
record or perform any global changes, but noone is online!
A. At some point RemoteAccess ended abnormally and was not
able to update the USERON.BBS file. This can happen if your
system reboots while a caller is online. Delete USERON.BBS
from the RemoteAccess system directory and RACE will work
fine. RemoteAccess will create a new USERON.BBS as soon as
a caller logs on.
Q. I've set up my new user templates to turn flags off,
but when I upgrade users with the templates the flags are
not turned off.
A. Check your templates and make sure that you have
specified the letter "O" in the flag positions that you want
turned off. The hyphen "-" character does not turn off a
flag in templates, as it does elsewhere in RACE.
Q. When I run <R>eports, I can't seem to get the user name
to appear in the reports. I select it but it never appears.
A. Check to make sure that a valid value from 1 to 35 is
defined in the "Name Field Size" under "Miscellaneous" in
RACECFG. It is remotely possible for this field to be
corrupted. Enter a valid value and the problem should
disappear.
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Q. When I upgrade a user in <V>alidate, RACE asks if I
want to send a predefined message. When I say <Y>es, RACE
reports that it can't find the message file.
A. You probably have not properly defined the welcome
message path in RACECFG or named your welcome message files
incorrectly. Reread Section 6.6 for a complete explanation
of the filename convention for welcome messages.
Q. RACE runs ok, but some options report insufficient
memory.
A. There is no way for RACE to know beforehand what items
you may wish to use. The memory requirements for RACE will
vary depending on what options you try to use, because RACE
will only allocate more memory if it is needed. This is
better than requiring 300KB of RAM free for all RACE options
even if you just want to take a quick look at one user.
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Appendix B -- FIELD EDITING & MOVEMENT KEYS
B.1 Field Editing Keys
The following keys are valid at any input prompt within
RACE. This includes all fields in the user editor, the
search data prompt, etc.
<Left>, <Ctrl-S> - Move cursor left one character.
<Right>, <Ctrl-D> - Move cursor right one character.
<Ctrl-Left>, <Ctrl-A> - Move cursor left one word.
<Ctrl-Right>, <Ctrl-F> - Move cursor right one word.
<Home>, <Ctrl-Q><S> - Move cursor to the beginning of the
current field.
<End>, <Ctrl-Q><Q> - Move cursor to the end of the current
field.
<Del>, <Ctrl-G> - Delete character at cursor.
<Backspace>, <Ctrl-H>, <Ctrl-Backspace> - Delete character
to the left of the cursor.
<Ctrl-Y> - Clear entire field.
<Ctrl-End>, <Ctrl-Q><Y> - Delete from cursor to end of
subfield.
<Ctrl-Home> - Delete from beginning of subfield to cursor.
<Ctrl-T> - Delete word to the right of the cursor.
<Ins> - Toggle Insert mode on or off. A fat cursor
indicates insert mode; a blinking underline indicates
overtype mode.
<Ctrl-R>, <Ctrl-Q><L> - Restore original contents of the
field and continue editing.
<F1> - Help. If a help topic is available for the current
field, it will be shown.
B.2 Field Movement Commands
The following commands are valid for moving between
fields and saving or discarding changes:
<Enter> - Accepts contents of field and moves to the next
field.
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<Tab>, <Ctrl-I> - Moves cursor to the beginning of the next
subfield.
<Shift-Tab> - Moves cursor to the beginning of the previous
subfield.
<Up>, <Ctrl-E> - Moves cursor to the field above the current
field.
<Down>, <Ctrl-X> - Moves cursor to the field below the
current field.
<Ctrl-PgUp>, <Ctrl-Q><R> - Moves cursor to the first field
on the screen.
<Ctrl-PgDn>, <Ctrl-Q><R> - Moves cursor to the last field on
the screen.
<Ctrl-Enter>, <Ctrl-K><D>, <Ctrl-K><Q> - Quit editing. Save
all changes made to the current user record.
<Esc>, <Ctrl-Break> - Abort. Restores the original contents
of the user record. Any changes not saved are lost.
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