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1992-08-14
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OS2BBS.CMD -- Automated OS/2 BBS Access for Reading/Writing
IBM has implemented a forum on IBMLink called the OS2BBS that
allows IBM and customers to exchange information. The OS2BBS
is a host-based system. This REXX code will automatically
login to IBMLink, access the OS/2 bulletin board and download
either the new notes or all of the notes. This was written
using the HLLAPI DLL that comes with OS/2 ES 1.0. The three
primary benefits of this code is that you can store the
information from the BBS as long as you want, you can read the
information at PC speed instead of host networking speed, and
your time spent on the BBS will be kept to a minimum, reducing
the connect time charges for using the BBS.
---- Advertisement ----
I use Chron, a Hilbert Computing product, to execute this
code on a daily basis at 7:00PM. When I come into work in
the morning the new notes are available to be read. Chron is
available from:
Hilbert Computing
1022 N. Cooper
Olathe, KS 66061
Voice: (913) 780-5051
BBS: (913) 829-2450
The price is $69 for Chron v3.0 (subsequent versions may have a
price change). Site licensing is available.
---- End of Advertisement ----
This code is available free of charge and is officially unsupported.
However, I will try to answer any questions and resolve any code
defects. I can be contact on the Hilbert Computing BBS by
leaving a message to Sysop or Gary Murphy. My CompuServe ID is
[73457,365]. Prodigy is VWSD07A. I would enjoy hearing from you
if you like this code or have suggestions for improvement.
The syntax of the command is:
OS2BBS [NEW | ALL] {password} ( {options}
where NEW indicates that you want just the new notes since you
last accessed the forum and ALL indicates that you want all the
notes. The optional "password" is your password to IBMLink. If
this is not specified, you will be prompted to enter the password
as the code runs. The password will not be echoed back to you as
you type it. The optional "options" are currently LOGON
(the DEFAULT) and NOLOGON. If you are already on IBMLink for
other work, you can access the OS2BBS by returning to the IBMLink
main menu and running this command with the NOLOGON option for
example:
OS2BBS NEW (NOLOG
The code should be ready to run after a likely modification to
the login code. Our host, depending on default LOGAPPLs, can
be on one of a few different screens when not logged on. This
code tries to determine where the screen currently is and get
to a menu displayed by a host VTAM product called CL/Menu. Once
there it enters the login string "/L IBM0MON2 M(PC3270M2)". In
most shops you will modify this to enter the typical logon string
from the USSTABLE screen as follows:
LOGIN APPLID(appl) LOGMODE(logmode)
Probably the main problem in HLLAPI code is recognizing when
the host application does a keyboard unlock on the 3270. If
there is a keyboard lock (i.e. the X-Clock at the bottom of
the screen) then you can use the HLLAPI 'Wait' verb to wait for
keyboard unlock. If the application doesn't lock the keyboard,
(as in the case of the logon to VM systems including IBMLink),
then you have to code a call to my routine called HostWaitFor
keep looking at the screen for 'x' seconds until it finds a
character string on the screen. You will see in the code where
the login has to use the HostWaitFor, but once logged on to the
OS2BBS, the code uses the
rcode = hllapi('Wait')
to simply wait for keyboard unlock before proceeding.
You will also have to change the stem variables at the beginning
of the program to reflect your site's information. Change the
"Host." variables to contain your VTAM APPL for IBMLink, the
logmode, your four character account, userid and the 3270 Session
in Communications Manager that you want to use for the IBMLink
login.
The 'Forum.' stem variable contains the list of forums on the
BBS that you are interested in. The names must match exactly
the forum name listed to the right of the screen when logged on
to the OS2BBS. Make sure that the Forum.0 value accurately matches
the number of forums that you have enumerated in the stem variable.
Once logged on, this code will visit the forums you have selected
and download the information, a screen at a time, to an OS/2 file
called "forum.BBS", where 'forum' is that same 1-8 character name
of the forum on the BBS. It will append to the end of the file,
so if you automatically run this application on a daily basis but
don't get the time to read the information, none will be lost.
When visting a forum, this code will look for the existence of
a file called "forum.RPL" if found, the notes in that file will
be entered as new notes on the BBS. The ".RPL" file must be
formatted the same as the notes that are pulled created by this
code, including the double bar at the beginning and end of the
note and the line containing the CFORUM name and the Subject:.
I have developed some macros to work with my favorite editor,
Kedit from Mansfield software, that will help create those
notes. Therefore, I didn't put a lot of error checking into
the code that reads the reply files.
If you want to play with the reader/writer, there is a TESTER
forum on the OS2BBS that I used during the development of this
code. You may want to use that forum to validate your replies
before going with a "live" forum.
If you want to code your own REXX HLLAPI applications, the
documentation is found in \CMLIB\RXHLLAPI.DOC on your workstation.
Please only upload this code to other bulletin boards. If you make
modifications and want to upload those, please clearly indicate
your modifications in the code and in this documentation.