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OS/2 Shareware BBS: 2 BBS
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02-BBS.zip
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calendv3.zip
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MANUAL.DOC
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1995-10-12
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INSTALLATION
Installation of Events Calendar is simple: create a subdirectory called
DOOR of your main Maximus directory, and create a subdirectory of DOOR called
EVENT. Extract all the files into the DOOR\EVENT directory.
CONFIGURATION
Events Calendar uses one configuration file, called EVENT.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
Events Calendar uses one configuration file, called EVENT.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:
EMENU Main door menu
EDMENU Menu for editing event information
EVNTVUE Display screen for list of each event
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, view and download the events list can be altered
through the configuration file. Enter the security level required to view the
events list on line 1; enter the security level required to add to the events
list on line 2; and enter the security level required to download the events
list on Line 3, enter the security level required to edit events 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 event, View events, Change graphics
mode, Show instructions, Download events list, Quit the door, and log off the
BBS from the door.
ADDING EVENTS
If the user chooses to add an event, 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 event is stored as the last item of
information about the event. That person is the only one who can edit or
delete the event (features planned for a future version of Events Calendar).
The information entered by users is stored in a text file called EVENTS.LST.
This file can be edited by the SysOp using any text editor.
Once the user has entered all the information for an event, 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).
The SysOp can also add or edit events offline using a text editor. In this
case, you must be careful that each line contains the proper field codes at the
beginning of the line. Each field code (with the exception of the user field
(the user who entered the event) consists of a one-character code, followed by
a colon and a space. The following are the codes for each field:
Date Z
Begin Time B
End Time E
Location | (the pipe symbol, usually located above the \)
Contact 3
Telephone T
descr1 1
descr2 2
Sponsor &
User USER
In the case of the two time fields, the telephone field, and the user
field, the codes MUST be entered in upper case.
VIEWING EVENTS
If the user chooses to view the events 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 event. They
will be asked to press enter to continue after the data for each event is
displayed, until they reach the end of the list.
Once they reach the end of the events file, they will be returned to the
main menu.
EDITING AN EVENT
If the user chooses to edit the record for an event 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 same process as described in the section on ADDING EVENTS. If neither
condition is true, they will be sent back to the program's main menu.
DELETING AN EVENT
If the user chooses to delete an event 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 an event is found that matches the two criteria above, that entry
will be displayed, and they will be asked if that is the event 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 EVENTS LIST
This option allows the caller to download the text file that contains the
information about all the events 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\EVENT directory; this path is
hard-coded in the program.
QUIT THE DOOR
This option allows the caller to exit the Events Calendar 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 callers to upload a text file to be imported into the
event list
- Support for RIP graphics
- Allow RIP ads as part of a BBS record, to be shown when
browsing the list
- Text 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 1:167/965;
- write a letter to the address above.