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OS/2 Shareware BBS: 2 BBS
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MANUAL.DOC
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1995-10-03
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INSTALLATION
Installation of BBS Lister is simple: create a subdirectory called DOOR
of your main Maximus directory, and create a subdirectory of DOOR called
BLIST. Extract all the files into the DOOR\BLIST directory.
CONFIGURATION
BBS Lister uses one configuration file, called LIST.CFG. This name is
hard-coded into the program, as are the names and locations of the display
files. There are 5 display files, with a different last letter for each
main display file.
BBS Lister uses one configuration file, called LIST.CFG. This name is
hard-coded into the program, as are the names and locations of the display
files. There are 5 display files, with a different last letter for each main
display type. The names of the display files for callers with ANSI or AVATAR
graphics end with the letter "a", and names of the display files for callers
using TTY mode end with the letter "t". The 5 main display files and their base
names are:
BMENU Main door menu
EDMENU Menu for editing bbs information
BBSVIEW Display screen for list of each bbs
INSTRUC Instructions for users (BBS callers)
WELCOME Initial display screen
The SysOp can configure all aspects of the program. The security level that
is required to add to the list, view the list, edit already-existing entries,
and download the bbs list can be altered through the configuration file. Enter
the security level required to view the bbs list on line 1; enter the security
level required to add to the bbs list on line 2; enter the security level
required to enter the security level required to download the bbs list on Line
3, enter the security level required to edit bbs entries that are already
in the database on line 4 and enter the security level required to delete bbs entries
from the database on Line 5.
The display files can be customized in the same way all display files are
customized in Maximus. To get you started, a MEC version of each of the files
is included in the distribution package.
OPERATION
The program starts by displaying to the caller the initial welcome screen.
Then it shows the main door menu, and requests input from the user. The options
on the main menu are: Add to List, View List, Change graphics mode, Show
instructions, Download list, Quit the door, and log off the BBS from the door.
ADDING A BBS ENTRY
If the user chooses to add a bbs to the list, the program will check in the
configuration file to see if their access level is at least the level entered
on line 2. If they pass the access test, they will be prompted for data for
each of the 9 fields that are stored for each event. These fields are:
Date The date of the event;
Begin Time The time at which the event starts;
End Time The time at which the event ends (if any);
Location Where the event will take place;
Contact The name of a person to contact for more information;
Telephone The phone number of the person to contact;
descr1 Line 1 of the description of the event;
descr2 Line 2 of the description of the event;
Sponsor The group or individual that is holding the event;
The name of the user who entered the information is stored as the last
item of information about the bbs. That person is the only one who can edit or
delete the event (features planned for a future version of BBS Lister).
The information entered by users is stored in a text file called BBS.LST. This
file can be edited by the SysOp using any text editor.
Once the user has entered all the information for a bbs, that information
will be displayed on the screen, and the user will be given the opportunity to
edit any of the fields (except the user field).
VIEWING THE LIST
If the user chooses to view the bbs list, the program will check in the
configuration file to see if their access level is at least the level entered
on line 1. If they pass the access test, they will be shown each bbs entry.
They will be asked to press enter to continue after the data for each bbs is
displayed, until they reach the end of the list.
Once they reach the end of the list file, they will be returned to the
main menu.
EDITING A BBS ENTRY
If the user chooses to edit the record for a bbs that is already in the
list, the program will check in the configuration file to see if their access
level is at least the level entered on line 4. If they pass the access test,
AND if they are the user that originally entered the data, they will go through
the process described below. If neither condition is true, they will be sent
back to the program's main menu.
Whenever a BBS is found that matches the two criteria above, that entry
will be displayed, and they will be asked if that is the BBS they want to edit.
If they answer YES, they will be shown a menu that allows them to choose a
field to edit. They will then be asked for information, and the edit menu will
be repeatedly presented until they choose to quit.
DELETING A BBS ENTRY
If the user chooses to delete a bbs that is in the list, the program will
check in the configuration file to see if their access level is at least the
level entered on line 5. If they pass the access test, AND if they are the user
that originally entered the data, they will go through the process described
below. If neither condition is true, they will be sent back to the main menu.
Whenever a BBS is found that matches the two criteria above, that entry
will be displayed, and they will be asked if that is the BBS they want to
delete. If they answer YES, that entry will be deleted, the subsequent entries
will be moved up in the file, and the file will be truncated to accommodate the
new size.
CHANGE GRAPHICS MODE
If the user chooses this option, they will be presented with the Maximus
Chg_Video menu command. If they choose to change video modes, the change will
be carried over to the BBS.
SHOW INSTRUCTIONS
This option will display the file INSTRUC?, which contains brief
descriptions of the purpose of each command.
DOWNLOAD BBS LIST
This option allows the caller to download the text file that contains the
information about all the bbses that have been entered by users or by the
SysOp. The program will check to ensure that the caller's access level is at
least equal to the access level entered in line 3 of the configuration file.
The data file MUST be present in the MAX\DOOR\BLIST directory; this path is
hard-coded in the program.
QUIT THE DOOR
This option allows the caller to exit the BBS Lister and return to
the BBS.
GOODBYE BBS
This option allows the caller to exit the door and hangup, without
returning to the BBS.
REGISTRATION
THERE IS NO COST TO REGISTER THIS PROGRAM, OR, FOR THAT MATTER, ANY
REGISTRATION PROCEDURE. This program is NOT crippled, and there are NO NAGS
to encourage you to register. However, at the time of this writing, (September
4, 1995) I have no job, so I am asking anyone who finds this program useful
to donate $5. Any donations can be sent to:
James McCarte
5715 St. Jacques, #3
Montreal, QC
H4A 2E7
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
- Allow ANSI ads as part of a BBS record, to be shown when
browsing the list
- Allow RIP ads as part of a BBS record, to be shown when
browsing the list
- Support for RIP graphics
- Allow callers to upload a text file to be imported into the
bbs list description field
- Search capability
If you have any suggestions on improvements to make to the program, or
reports of bugs, you can contact the author, James McCarte, by the following
methods:
- call MindSeed BBS at (514) 489-3212;
- email/netnail a message to James McCarte at IBMNet node 40:6499/115;
- write a letter to the address above.