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- .TOPIC:
- Virtual QWK OFFline Mail Utility
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation--A-1
-
- ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
- ║ APPENDIX A VIRTUAL QWK OFFLINE MAIL UTILITY ║
- ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
-
- GENERAL OVERVIEW
- ════════════════
-
- This appendix explains the installation procedures for the
- VBBS QWK offline mail utility. This utility allows users to
- download messages, bulletins, and file listings from the BBS and
- then upload their responses, all without having to tie up the BBS
- any longer than it takes to do the file transfers. VQWK is nearly
- 100% compliant with the QWK format as set down by Mark Herring in
- 1987.
-
- INSTALLATION PROCEDURES
- ═══════════════════════
-
- 1> Run VCONFIG and select '1. Main Configuration' and switch to
- page 2. Select 'I. QWK Message Limit:' and enter a number to
- represent the maximum number of messages to be downloadable
- in one QWK packet.
-
- 2> Select the function block you wish to have the users access
- the mail utility and add the following line:
-
- Q 001 4 VQWK %1
-
- Change the key and security level required as needed.
-
- 3> Edit the VQWK.CFG file located in the main VBBS directory
- with the following configuration information:
-
- Line 1> The location of your BBS
- Line 2> The BBS phone number
- Line 3> A short BBS tagline (used by some OLMRs)
-
- Line 4> List of archive utilities supported:
- A = ARJ ver. 2.30+ P = PAK ver. 2.51+
- C = PKPak ver. 3.61+ Z = PKZip ver. 1.10+
- L = LHarc ver. 2.13+ G = PKZip ver. 2.04G
-
- Note: To use Zip 1.10 & 2.04 you must use PKUnzip from
- 2.04. The PKZip for 2.04 must also be renamed as
- PKZIP204.EXE and placed in your path or in your
- main VBBS directory (the later is prefered.)
-
- Lines 5-9> Maximum # of messages per packet based on caller
- speed. These 5 lines must contain a number even
- if you do not support the speed.
- Line 5> 300 baud Line 8> 9600 baud
- Line 6> 1200 baud Line 9> 14.4k+ baud and
- Line 7> 2400 baud local callers
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation--A-2
-
- Line 10> Drive devices allowed for new file scans:
- 0 = No file scans allowed via VQWK
- 1 = Hard drive databases only
- 2 = Hard drive and CD-ROM databases
-
- Line 11> Bulletin options available to the users:
- 0 = Users must receive all bulletins
- 1 = Users can turn off BLT-type bulletins
- (see item 4> below for more info)
- 2 = Users can turn off all bulletins
-
- Line 12> Configuration options in uploaded messages:
- 0 = Users may only change quick-scan status
- for a sub, expert mode, page length, and
- their password.
- 1 = Users may use all of the configuration
- commands listed on page I-5.
-
- Any line in your configuration file that begins with an '!'
- is treated as a comment line, thus ignored by VQWK, and there
- must be an acceptable value on all 12 lines.
-
- 4> Edit the VQWKBLTS.CFG file located in the main VBBS directory
- with configuration information for bulletins to be included
- with the QWK packet. Each line should be in the following
- format:
-
- <Bulletin name> = <Path/filename>
-
- <Bulletin name> must be a standard DOS filename of 8
- characters or less, plus an optional 3 character
- extension. If you wish the bulletin to be a non-
- required one then it should have a name in the form
- 'BLT-x.y' where 'x' and 'y' are replaced by numbers.
- All other bulletins will always be placed into the
- packet unless you have line 11 set to 2 in the
- VQWK.CFG file. Three good standard bulletins that
- you might want to have are:
-
- HELLO = The BBS login screen
- GOODBYE = The BBS logoff screen
- NEWS = System news for your BBS
-
- <Path/filename> must contain the drive letter, path,
- and filename with extension for the actual bulletin
- file. The two names do not have to match.
-
- There is no limit to the number of bulletins that can
- be included in a QWK packet. Any lines that start with
- an '!' are ignored by VQWK but it is not recommended
- that you have them if it can be avoided.
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation--A-3
-
- 5> If you wish to restrict email access to a particular network
- or piece of a network then edit the QWKNET.CFG file located
- in the main VBBS directory. Each restriction needs to be on
- a line by itself in the following format:
-
- NOEMAILNET=<net #>[,<allowed routing>]
-
- The <net #> is the network slot number that the restriction
- will be for. The [,<allowed routing>] is optional and can
- contain a specific network routing that you would like to
- allow email in, yet restrict all other email to the network.
- Some examples are shown here:
-
- NOEMAILNET=15 (Restrict all e-mail from network 15)
- NOEMAILNET=4,1:3816 (Restrict e-mail from FIDOnet except
- when addressed to any BBS in 1:3816)
-
- Multiple restrictions for each network are allowed, but be
- careful of the order in which they are placed in since VQWK
- will send out the message as soon as a restriction line that
- will allow a message into the network in question is found.
-
- 6> Reload VCONFIG and set up those databases that you wish to be
- QWKable by entering a number between 2 and 255 into the field
- 'QWK Conference:' under the specific database information. Do
- not enter numbers into file databases as they are not needed
- for VQWK to access them.
-
- 7> Place the VQWK.FB file in your VBBS\V directory and edit it
- to show the functions that you want. The functions are:
-
- Command - Description
- -------- ----------------------------------------------
- ARCHIVE - Change the compression type
- BULLETIN - Change the bulletin setting
- EXIT - Return to the BBS
- FILESCAN - Change the # of days to scan for files
- LOGOFF - Log off, does not work for local connections
- MSGLIMIT - Change the # of messages per packet
- QWKRECV - Upload a reply packet
- QWKSEND - Download a message packet
- QWKSETUP - Select subs to be included in message packet
- WHO - Show who is online
-
- The file itself follows the standard rules for function blocks
- as described in the main VBBS documentation.
-
- 8> Make sure the following files are in your VBBS\TXT directory:
-
- VQWK.MNU : Standard VBBS Heart-Code menu, you can also use
- a .ANS/.ASC menu pair instead. (This will also
- allow for a RIP menu when it is installed.)
- VQWKBLTS.TXT : Text shown when BULLETIN option is selected.
- VQWKCMPR.TXT : Text shown when ARCHIVE option is selected.
- VQWKFSCN.TXT : Text shown when FILESCAN option is selected.
- VQWKLMIT.TXT : Text shown when MSGLIMIT option is selected.
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation--A-4
-
- OLMR INFORMATION
- ════════════════
-
- Offline Mail Readers (OLMR's) are used to access the file
- that the user downloads from a BBS. Every OLMR has its own set of
- instructions to explain how the user can access the packet, so it
- is up to the user to read those instructions before downloading
- from a BBS. The one thing that should be noted is the way that
- VQWK can handle the addressing of messages uploaded with an OLMR.
- Many networks in use today have very long addressing schemes and
- so it is very difficult to send mail thru a QWK door since the
- standard allows for only 25 characters in the TO: field. In order
- to circumvent this limitation VQWK allows the users to insert the
- word 'VBBS' in the TO: field in the OLMR and then insert the real
- address as the first line of the message. The first line needs to
- be in the format:
-
- TO: [Handle/Name]<#User Number>{@Network Address}(*Network Number)
- [Handle/Name] = The recipients handle or name on the BBS, this
- is an optional field, unless the second field
- is not used.
- <#User Number> = The recipients account #, this is an optional
- field if the first field is used.
- {@Network Address} = This is the network BBS address that the email
- recipient is located at. If it is left blank
- then VQWK assumes it is a local user.
- (*Network Number) = The slot number for the target network. This
- field is ignored unless there is an address
- listed in the third field and then it must be
- supplied or the email will not be sent.
-
- When an email cannot be sent because the address has not been
- written correctly it will be sent to the sysop account with the
- original address inserted as the first line of the message. This
- will allow you to send the message back to the user or forward it
- to the correct recipient by correcting the address. When a user
- tries to send an email to a network address that has been placed
- into the QWKNET.CFG file it will be sent back to the sender with a
- note stating that email to that address is not allowed.
-
- A user can also change various settings on the BBS if you
- have it set in the VQWK.CFG file. To change their settings the
- user needs to insert the work 'VQWK' in the TO: field of their
- OLMR and then choose one of the following options for the message
- subject:
- CONFIG ---> This will allow the user to change settings by
- entering information into the body of the
- message. See below for more information.
-
- ADD ---> This will add the message sub to the user's
- message scan. This option will also set the
- highest read message pointer to 0.
-
- DROP ---> This will remove the message sub from the
- user's message scan.
-
- RESET ---> This will set the user's highest read message
- pointer equal to the highest message in the
- sub that the post written in.
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation--A-5
-
- ╔═╗ The ADD, DROP, and RESET options have no effect when
- ╚═╝ used on private email messages, the message will just
- not be saved to the database.
-
- When the subject field is set to 'CONFIG' the user can enter
- commands into the body of the message using the format:
-
- <Command> = <New Setting>
-
- The following commands are available when line 12 in VQWK.CFG is
- set to 0:
-
- BLTS ---> Accepts values of ON, REQ, or OFF. When this
- command is used the bulletins to be downloaded
- pointer is set to one of these values, based
- on the setting:
- ON = All bulletins will be downloaded.
- REQ = Only required (non-BLT) bulletins will
- be included in the packet.
- OFF = No bulletins will be downloaded.
- Note that this option will not override the
- setting on line 12 of VQWK.CFG, so if the user
- selects OFF and you have a 1 on the line then
- the value will be set to REQ.
-
- EXPERT ---> Accepts values of ON or OFF. Turns the user's
- expert mode for menus on or off.
-
- FILES ---> Accepts a value for the # of days back to scan
- for new files. The maximum value is still 730
- days, and this option will be ignored if line
- 10 of VQWK.CFG is set to 0.
-
- MSGS ---> Accepts a value for the number of messages to
- be included in a single packet. The maximum
- value is determined by the value in VQWK.CFG
- on lines 5 thru 9. Any invalid information
- will result in the limit being set to the
- maximum accepted for the user's baud rate.
-
- PAGELEN ---> Sets the user's maximum # of lines per screen.
- The maximum accepted value is 255 and the
- minimum is 0 (continuous).
-
- PASSWORD ---> Changes the user's password, this command
- will not accept any value with more than
- 8 characters.
-
- The following additional commands are available when line 12 in
- VQWK.CFG is set to 1:
-
- ADDRESS ---> Changes the user's street address. Accepts the
- first 40 characters and discards the rest.
-
- CITY ---> Changes the user's city. Accepts the first 32
- characters and discards the rest.
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation--A-6
-
- BPHONE ---> Changes the user's second phone number entry,
- also known as the business phone number.
-
- HPHONE ---> Changes the user's second phone number entry,
- also known as the home phone number.
-
- STATE ---> Changes the user's state. Accepts the first 3
- characters and discards the rest.
-
- ZIP ---> Changes the user's zip code. Accepts either the
- 5 or 10 character zip code formats.
-
- One other feature that has been added is the ability to both
- recieve files attached to emails and make File Requests via a post.
- Files attached to emails are automatically added to the file list
- to be downloaded when you select the <D> option from the menu. To
- make an actual file request you need to send the message TO: VQWK,
- use FREQ as the message title/subject, and then in the body of the
- message list all of the files you would like to D/L. List one file
- per line and end the file requests with a '---' on alone on a line.
- These file requests obey all the standard restrictions on file
- accessability on the BBS and you must know the full filename with
- extension or the file will not be downloaded. Immediately after
- you (U)pload a packet with a file request message you must then
- (D)ownload your new packet or the file requests will be lost.
-
-
-
-