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Documentation For: GENERIC VERSION 1.4
COMPLETE VERSION 1.4 (Enhanced)
Bulletin Board Image Enhancement and Registration System
(C) 1993 By Mario Giordani. All Rights Reserved.
Distribute Freely as Shareware
January 6, 1993
E X P R E S S (tm)
Bulletin Board Registration System
(C) 1993 by Mario Giordani. All Rights Reserved.
Posted On BBS's As: EXP_GEN2.ARJ OR EXP_GEN2.ZIP
VERSION 1.4
Table Of Contents Page
------------------
Introduction ......................................................i
What is New .................................................... 1
Customizing BBSPWR.SCR ......................................... 2
Benefits of Use ................................................ 3
Using The Draw(tm) ............................................. 4
Registration Fee ............................................... 5
ANSI.SYS ....................................................... 6
Printing ....................................................... 6
Screens To Edit ................................................ 7
Final Note ..................................................... 8
TroubleShooting ................................................ 9
Distribution Sites ............................................. 10
Legal Matters .................................................. 11
How to Register ................................................ 12
Users Comments ................................................ 13
WHAT IS NEW PAGE 1
(Express Complete Version 1.4 Enhancements)
1. This version adds a "SB Files" Option from the QUIT menu. This has
been done for those who HAVE SB and want to listen to the .VOC files again
prior to exiting the program. You can edit any .VOC files to your personal
taste in sound or music.
2. Added a scrolling 2 line text on the closing screen. Customizable with
registration.
The REGISTERED Version will play the .VOC file of your choice named
Welcome.VOC and run your Opening.Scr created with The Draw! ** Using a
SB Utility such as BlasterMaster you can record your own "Welcome to My
BBS" .VOC file and using The Draw(tm), create your personalized opening
screen. Use the bSave command to save your own BBSPWR.SCR if you prefer
or keep the one that comes with the program...
REMEMBER: There are [2] Versions of Express(tm), namely:
1. Express(tm) Generic: a. Does Not Have the Count-Down and Explosion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ b. Does Not Have Intro Messages
c. Does Not Have Scrolling Text On Closing Screen
Listed On author's BBS as EXP_GEN2.ZIP
Registration: $5.00
2. Express(tm) Complete: Just Like the one you're viewing today!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Listed as EXPRES12.ZIP or EXPRES12.ARJ
Because of the extra .VOC files, this program is
slightly larger in size than the Generic and has
been designed for SYSOPs who want their users to
take full advantage of Sound Blaster.
If you haven't seen the Generic Version, feel free to download it and
mark your preferred version on the registration form.
** IMPORTANT **
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/ With this version ** DO NOT MODIFY THE PROGRAM'S "Express SCREEN" with /
/ its accompanying (C) 1993 By Mario Giordani. All Rights Reserved. /
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
PAGE 2
CUSTOMIZING THE BBSPWER.SCR WITH YOUR BBS NAME,ETC. (Optional)
Backup all of your .SCR and .VOC files first.
Optionally keep or delete BBSPWR.VOC. Some people like to keep it as
a background effect when their BBS name pops up.
Edit the Welcome.VOC file to say whatever you want.
If you don't have a Sound Blaster or Compatible Card, the .VOC files
become obsolete but you can still change the BBSPWR.SCR.
You're probably wondering how in the world you are going to create
your own .VOC file, right? Well, look around for Blaster Master,
in my opinion, the best SB editor on the shareware market today! It
will do the job for you. If you don't have a Sound Blaster Card but
would like to purchase one, our company has one of the best prices
as follows:
........................................................................
. New, Unopened .
. Sound Blaster .................................. $115.00 .
. Sound Blaster Pro Basic..........................$169.00 .
. Sound Blaster....................................$199.00 .
. * Prices as of Jan 1, 1993 .
. Shipping $5.00 UPS Ground .
. Terms: Money Order or Check (Subject to Clearance) .
........................................................................
** Free Registration Included With A Sound Blaster Purchase. **
A few more additions to this version...
3. Reduced the size of the program by eliminating previous INSTALL.
4. Reduced the size of the sample manual.com. Design your own, i.e.,
explanation of commands for your BBS, rules and policies, etc., then
convert it to a MANUAL.COM file using ASC2COM or some other fine
utility.
5. Released a Generic Version called EXP_GEN2.ZIP without all the
whistles and bells - Many people like them though!! - of this version.
Available on Salt Air Support Board. The Generic Version is scaled
down and straight to the point.
Note To SySops:
You may want to delete this document or remove it from the edited program
after you are finished creating your screens.
PAGE 3
BENEFITS OF USING EXPRESS(tm)
This program has been designed for SYSOPS who want to have a nicer
looking "MEMBER", "REGISTRATION" or "BBS INFORMATION" file for their
new users to download. Many "new" users don't know how to load up
a Text Editor to view ASCII files! Express(tm) will be very user friendly
to them.
Add Sound Blaster Support to it and your users will immediately see
that they are not dealing with another "average BBS". Express(tm)
portrays an image of creativity for you as a SYSOP and for your BBS,
whether you are just starting out or have been around for years!
Express(tm) is written to give your BBS a "Touch Of Class" by eliminating
traditional ASCII files and allowing your users to have an immediate "feel"
about your Bulletin Board System. Express(tm) also assists in enhancing the
image of BBS's by educating users about the wonderful world of shareware,
electronic messaging, online games, special CD-ROM collections, etc., thus
portraying a professional image about your system.
After you have edited a few screens using a program called THE DRAW(tm),
you will be ready to make this program available for download to your NEW
users. Express(tm) is another way to nudge users to contribute by printing out
your text application form. (.TXT extension mandatory).
PAGE 4
I. USING THE DRAW
a. Load up THE DRAW and do an ALT-L Command.
b. When you see the prompt <previous>, type *.COM and press <Enter>.
c. Start editing the screens to your taste.
d. If you forget the name of the screen you are editing, press ALT-V
or do a DIR *.COM >FILENAME.EDT and print the .EDT file so you know
which screens to edit and mark them off as you go.
If you want to edit "BBS POWER" and replace it with your own BBS screen
just save the file as BBSPWR.SCR - but use the bSave command and copy it
over the other.
II. ASC2COM.EXE UTILITY
Contact: MorganSoft
2170 Raynor St. SE
Salem, OR 97302
** IMPORTANT** -> Some drawing programs may create a different type of
.COM file which will require you to press the Space Bar "twice"
before returning to the Main Menu.
We STRONGLY suggest you only use The Draw!
If you have a utility that converts an ASCII file to an executable
.COM file, you can also use this process.
Your users will be able to page up and down the text file with the
directional arrow keys. Just keep the .COM file names the same.
This is probably a faster way to get you up and going in the shortest
period of time. Express(tm) is very flexible in this regard.
PAGE 5
HOW MUCH IS THE REGISTRATION FEE?
(IF YOU WANT DISKS, THEN ADD $5.00)
$5.00 AND SPECIFY THE SIZE YOU WANT)
~~~~~~
That's right! For only $5.00 you can pick up a KEY with your registration
and BBS name in it and use the program for as long as you want and re-edit
the screens as often as you like. Just make sure you never rename them to
something else. Registered screens will be available on our BBS only!
We usually name a key using the following format:
a. First 5 digits of your bbs name
b. The appened -reg to the filename ..........................|
12345REG.ZIP
If your BBS name was Lites BBS, your key name would be: LITESREG.ZIP
After you call our BBS to upload the ORDER.FRM document for fast processing,
we will assing you SYSOP ACCESS. We disabled our callback verifier for LD
callers due to high LD costs but you can still upload and download latest
versions of Express(tm). Leave a commend to the SYSOP and please make your
upload (/ Private). The easiest way to reach us if you are only uploading
the .FRM file is to call (801) 943-4616 at 2400. Our 14.4 node opens from
7pm to 7am M-S only.
PAGE 6
ANSI.SYS is NOT REQUIRED!
This program has been written not use ANSI.SYS as a device driver. To
my understanding, THE DRAW .COM files do not require an ANSI driver.
This way new users that may not be so accustomed to color graphics
will not get a bunch of garbage character on their screens. You should,
however, recommend that they install DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS anyway to take
advantage of the nice colors on your bbs next time they call!
EXPRESS(tm) PRINTS OUT YOUR BBSDOC.TXT
Insert your .TXT ASCII file into the same directory before you PKZIP the
program. JUST BE SURE THE ASCII FILE HAS A .TXT extension for proper
print out! If you don't want your users to automatically have your
Registration Form Printed out, then omit it from the directory. The
program will run just fine without it... Delete all other .TXT files from
the directory or rename them to other extensions. Try out the program
before posting it online for download.
That's It!
PAGE 7
SCREENS TO EDIT
Take out THE DRAW(tm) and edit the files listed below to describe your
Bulletin Board System.
.........................................................................
..** IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU NAME THE EDITED FILES E-X-A-C-T-L-Y ..
.. As listed below or the program will not run!!! ..
.........................................................................
Registration will also input the name of your BBS to replace the
blinking : "Unregistered" opening screen, "This Bulletin Board"
closing screen with the name of your BBS System and NOW add a custom
scrolling message up to 2 lines on the closing screen. All this for
only $5.00, how can you beat that ?
Edit but.... -> **** DO NOT RENAME THE SCREENS ****
---------------------------------------------------------
Express(tm) "calls" the following file names:
Name Ext Size Description
BBS COM 1303 Your Main BBS screen
DATE_01 COM 621 Where the BBS started
WHY_01 COM 821 Why You Started
USERS_01 COM 689 How many users
FUTRE_01 COM 674 Future Plans
HIST_01 COM 675 Your History
OTHRS_01 COM 549 Other comments
GNRIC_01 COM 808 Generic Files
SPEC_01 COM 640 Special Sections
ONLNE_01 COM 648 Online Games
COLEC_01 COM 702 Special CD or Other Info
COMPUTR COM 636 Your Computer System Set Up
BYTES_01 COM 708 How Many Bytes (1gig, etc)
NET_01 COM 812 Network or other Info
SAFE_01 COM 752 Anti-Virus Care
MISC_01 COM 725 Misc. Other Info
NODESNDS COM 721 Total Nodes
NODE_1 COM 599 Specs on Node 1
NODE_2 COM 599 Specs on Node 2
OTHERNDS COM 751 Other Nodes
FAVOR_01 COM 549 Your Favorite Hobbies
NODE_3 COM 599 Specs on Node 3
As you can see, all .COM files are VERY SMALL!
MANUAL.COM -> A converted to .COM ASCII file. Your BBS Manual.
WELCOME.VOC -> Customizable .VOC File.
BBSPWER.SCR - Can be created with bSave as your BBS screen.
Don't load it, just create your own named BBSPWR.SCR
and copy over this one! This is the only .SCR file
your should be replacing!!!
SAMPLE.TXT - Replace this with your own ASCII APPLICATION FILE AND name
it whatever, as long as it has a .TXT extension, it will
print just fine!
PAGE 8
FINAL NOTE
After you have edited your screens, you may want to delete any files which
do not pertain to the program you want your users to download. In order to
make things easier for your users to view the program you can create a simple
batch file to install and run Express(tm) for them, this way:
@ECHO OFF
CLS
ECHO.
ECHO.
ECHO.
ECHO I am ready to decompress all files into the current drive and run
Echo the program for you. Press your favorite key when ready or CTRL-C
Echo to abort...
Pause >nul
BBSNAME.EXE -> Created with ZIP2EXE that comes with PKZ110
IF EXIST BBSNAME.EXE DEL BBSNAME.EXE
CLS
EXPRESS
The above batch file will decompress the self-extracting file into the
user's current directory, delete the self-extracting file and then run
the program automatically.
PAGE 9
TROUBLESHOOTING
The beauty of Express(tm) is that it is so easy to install and you should not
have to edit your screens more than once unless you want to change the info
or the look. The few minutes or hours your may spend editing your screens will
be well worth it in the long run, even for future versions of Express(tm).
Q. Is Express(tm) Desqview aware?
A. We have run it several times under DV without any problems. It all depends
on how much memory you have available. Some Systems require you to place
a line in your CONFIG.SYS on the QEMM LINE AS DMA=29 to hear sound.
Q. Does the user need a an EGA/VGA Monitor to view this program?
A.: No. Express(tm) will run just fine on CGA's too.
Q. Can I run this program under DOORWAY and make it a DOOR for my users?
A.: The next version of Express(tm) will allow you to run it under DOORWAY.
Q. Does this program support Sound Blaster?
A. Yes!
Q. Why is your registration fee so low?
A. I don't believe in high prices for shareware programs.
Q. I have to press the Space Bar twice before going back to the main screen!
A. Mostly likely you have used a screen grab utility such as the one from
Laughing Dog and converted the file to a .COM file. Even though Laughing
Dog is a great program for its purposes, its converted .COM file DO
wait for user input, thus creating an extra "wait for input" option which
causes the blank screen forcing you to press a key again! UsingThe Draw(tm)
to create your .COM screens will eliminate the problem.
Q. How do I register Express(tm)?
A. Easy. Send your $5.00 dollars to the address provided above. Give it
about 3-5 days to allow me to receive it. Then pick up your key under
the first 5 digits of your bbs plus _reg.zip from our BBS. The key will
have the name of your BBS on the opening screen and on the closing screen.
Otherwise the program is not crippled in anyway. I will always post a
message to you when your key is ready. An example of a key for Lites BBS
would be LITESREG.ZIP.
PAGE 10
DISTRIBUTION SITES & USERS
We can't possibly list all boards, but here are a few carrying and using
the latest versions of Express(tm):
The Soul Connection BBS
Mike Demski
(210) 674-1242 Node 1
(210) 674-3308 Node 2
City Lites BBS
North Dakota
John Lundell
(701) 772-5399
Intimate Visions -Northeast
Massachussets
Richard A. Crowell
(414) 229-2163/0126
COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Please let us know how we can improve this program for you and your users.
If you would like to become a distribution site for Express(tm), simply send
in your registration fee and download the latest version which as of today
is Version 1.4 zipped as EXPRES12.ZIP. ** Please upload this program to any
other service such as CompuServe, AOL and others if possible. Help us get the
word out!
PAGE 11
LEGAL NOTICE
Use the Express(tm) program at your own risk. I shall not be responsible for
any direct or indirect damage you or anyone else may occur as a result of
running the program on your system or others. The program has run without
any problems on my machine.
You are not allowed to edit, change, rename or reverse engineer this
program in any way. You can only modify the screens specified in the
original documentation that comes with this program and as available on
Utah Data Link BBS. You are free to distribute the program on your own
BBS or others as long as no unauthorized changes are made to it.
It is illegal to modify or temper with any part of this program. If you see
this program hacked in any way please report it through echo messages
,the Hack Report or call us at (801) 942-2533 during business hours.
We have all the legal means to trace and sue any violators. This program is
so inexpensive that it is not worth any decent person's time to temper with
it! So don't!
PAGE 12
HOW TO REGISTER
MAIL YOUR REGISTRATION TO: MG Marketing International
2077 East Royal Farms, Suite 20
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
Check or Money Orders Only, Please.
UPLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM TO:
BBS: Utah Data Link BBS (801) 943-4616 2400 24 hours
(801) 942-2533 38400 7pm to 7am MOUNTAIN TIME
** USE THE ENCLOSED REGISTRATION FORM TO SEND YOUR $5.00.
(You can also upload it to us for fast processing).
PAGE 13
USERS COMMENTS
" Thanks for the great utility! "
- Mike Demski -
The Soul Connection BBS
San Antonio, TX
MG MARKETING INTERNATIONAL
2077 East Royal Farms, Suite 20
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
BBS NODE 1: (801) 943-4616 24 Hrs @ 2400
* BBS NODE 2: (801) 942-2533 7pm-7am (MST) @ 38.4
------------------------.
------------------------. .
O R D E R F O R M . Express(tm) BBS Registration System .
------------------------. Version 1.4 .
------------------------
P
R
I $5.00 Enclosed Is A __Check __ Money Order
C
E $10.00 For Diskette __5.25" __3.5"
_______________________________________________________________________________
P NAME:
E
R ADDRESS:
S
O CITY: STATE: ZIP:
N
A HOME PHONE:(__________)________________ Best Time To Call____________
L
______________________________________________________________________________
B
B
S BBS HIGH SPEED NODE(S) (_______)____________________________________
I BBS TYPE: __PCBOARD __WILDCAT! __SPITFIRE __OTHER_____________
N
F Where Did You Get Express?
O
Do You Have A Sound Card? /__/ Yes /__/ No (IF NO, VIEW SOUNDBL.PRI)
_______________________________________________________________________________
O Would You Like To Be Listed As A Distribution Site For Express?
T
H /__/ Yes /__/ No
E
R Suggestions:___________________________________________________________
NAME AS YOU WANT IT TO APPEAR ON THE SCREENS:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CUSTOM SCROLLING MESSAGE (COMPLETE VERSION ONLY)
MSG. 1 [----------------------------------------------------------]
MSG. 2 [-----------------------------------------------------------]
Please Provide An Account For Us On Your BBS As: MARIO GIORDANI
PW:---------------
FUTURE UPGRADES OF EXPRESS WILL BE AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE!
** Make Check Or Money Order Payable Only To: MG Marketing International **
Upload This Form For Faster Processing!
_______________________________________