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- .TOPIC:
- Messaging Functions
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-1
-
-
- ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
- ║ CHAPTER 6 ANNEX A MESSAGING FUNCTIONS ║
- ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
-
- The default VBBS setup places all communications functions
- in the Main Menu. As stated earlier, separate menu displays for
- messaging and/or E-mail (for instance) may easily be customized
- to present whatever type of interface the sysop wishes. Again,
- see "Customizing VBBS" for more information.
-
-
- Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Messaging
- ════════════════════════════════════════════════
-
- [L] List Messages Lists message bases in current
- topic area, then prompts user
- to enter a sub, change topics,
- or quit.
- [P] Post Message Post a message in the current
- message base.
- [N] New Message Scan Allows user to scan all new mes-
- sages in configured bases.
- [R] Read Sequential Read messages in current base se-
- quentially.
- [S] Scan Brief Scans posts in current base in
- groups of 10, showing the mes-
- sage number, author, and subject.
- [J] Join/Ignore Bases Allows users to set up bases to
- ignore or mark for scanning.
- [>] Next Base Move to the next message base in
- sequence; also activated by [+].
- Note that a user moving through
- three consecutive bases using
- [+] may actually activate his or
- her modem's hangup string.
- [<] Previous Base Move to previous base; also acti-
- vated by [-].
- [#] Change to Base # Change to a particular message
- base by entering its number.
- [$] Change Topic Lists available topic areas, then
- asks user which one to go to.
-
-
- SETTING UP TOPIC AREAS
- ══════════════════════
-
-
- Topic areas are used by VBBS to join databases together
- into more manageable groups for sysops and users. Both message
- databases and file databases can be linked together into
- Database Topic Groups. By running VCONFIG and choosing option
- 3. Database Configuration, you will see the following menu:
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-2
-
- ┌────────────┤Type├────────────┐
- │ Message Bases │
- │ File Directories │
- │ Custom Databases │
- │ Sort Configuration │
- │ Compile Network Info │
- └──────────────────────────────┘
-
- VBBS comes preconfigured with three main Database Topic Groups
- already set up: Message Bases, Files Directories, and Custom
- Databases. Topic Groups are identified by using a letter,
- number, or symbol from ascii characters 33 to 255. Thus, letter
- A is already used for the Message Bases, letter F is used for
- File Directories, and letter O was designated for the Custom
- Databases. Thus, many characters are available after VBBS
- is installed for the sysop to use for adding other Database
- Topic Groups. These are called DBGroup Identifiers.
-
-
- Adding Topics for Message Bases
- ═════════════════════════════════
-
- To add another Topic Group to be used for messages, simply
- highlight Message Bases on the Type menu above, and press the
- Return key. You will then see the following menu:
-
- ┌─────────────────┤Select Group├───────────────────┐
- │ A - Main │
- │ │
- │ │
- └[Up ]─[Dwn]─[Enter]=Select─[F1]=SubMenu─[Esc]=Quit┘
- [Arw] [Arw]
-
- Pressing F1 will bring up the SubMenu:
-
- ┌──────┤F1 Sub-Menu├───────────┐
- │ Add New Database Group │
- │ Delete Database Group │
- │ Edit Topic Name │
- └──────────────────────────────┘
-
- Highlighting "Add New Database Group" here will prompt you for
- a topic letter. Choose an unused letter from A-Z, enter the
- name of the Database Topic Group you would like users to see,
- and press Return.
-
- --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to use a unique letter for each
- topic group you add since inadvertently
- reusing a letter will cause the existing
- databases to be linked to the new topic
- you have created, as well as the existing
- topic.
-
- To add message bases to the new Topic Group you have created,
- simply choose the new topic letter now listed on the Select
- Group menu and add normally as outlined in the "Configuring
- and Editing Databases in VCONFIG" section of this manual.
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-3
-
- --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Be aware that each Database Topic Group
- set up may contain a maximum of 100
- databases. Each database itself may hold
- up to 32000 entries.
-
-
- Creating Topics for File Directories
- ════════════════════════════════════
- To add new topics for use by file directories, the same
- procedure is followed, except that on the Type menu above,
- you must select File Directories.
-
- ╔═╗ Before setting up new topic areas, try
- ╚═╝ to plan ahead and divide the existing
- characters between message areas and file
- areas. Since the characters are shared
- between both types, a little planning
- will save you some reshuffling later on.
-
- Similar to the above, Custom Databases may also be set up. These
- are treated as message type databases in formatting and are
- used mainly in conjuction with specialized scripts to add, for
- example, a quote of the day, random logoff screens, etc.
-
-
- Deleting Topics
- ═══════════════
- To delete Database Topic Groups, again the F1 Sub-Menu allows
- for this; however, you should delete each individual database
- first if it is no longer desired.
-
- --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Deleting a Database Topic Group does not
- automatically delete the databases which
- belong to it.
-
-
- Moving Databases to Different Topic Areas
- ═════════════════════════════════════════
- Once databases are created within a Database Topic Group, it is
- possible to easily move them to a different existing topic area.
- This is accomplished by editing the information for the database
- entry itself. Option Z) DB Group: in each database can be
- changed at any time to change a database to another topic.
-
-
- --> IMPORTANT NOTE: After adding, deleting, or moving any
- Database Topic Groups, you must run the
- Sort Configuration and Compile Network
- Info options on the Type menu for any of
- the changes to take effect.
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-4
-
- VFSE Full-Screen Editor
- ═══════════════════════
-
- VBBS comes with both a standard line editor and a powerful
- built-in full-screen editor. The full-screen editor features 36
- text color choices which are enabled by hitting [Ctrl-P], then a
- number from 0 to 9 or a letter from A to Z. [Ctrl-P] followed by
- a question mark will display a list of color choices. Other con-
- trol-key options exist for various other functions including cur-
- sor movement, line feeds, line and character deletes, cut-and-
- paste, etc. These commands may be found in the editor help-file
- by pressing [Ctrl-Z].
- On the top line above the workspace, the user is shown
- the message or E-mail title, the current line number, and the
- insert/overwrite status. The editor starts in OVR (overwrite)
- mode and can easily be toggled to INS (insert) mode by using
- either the Insert key or [Ctrl-O].
- The VFSE allows user to upload previously-prepared text
- at any time. Pressing the slash [/] key and supplying a file
- name at the prompt inserts the prepared text into the workspace.
- This is a neat and efficient way for the sysop to create or edit
- .MNU-type menus, system taglines (see "System Taglines" for more
- information), bulletins, or whatever.
- The full-screen editor is an ANSI-based editor; users who
- have their ANSI preference enabled should be encouraged to use
- the FSE for its superior features.
-
- Message Quoting
- ═══════════════
-
- VBBS features advanced message quoting in messages and in
- E-mail. Users who reply to posts or E-mail are asked whether
- they wish to quote from the post or E-mail to which they're re-
- plying. If the user chooses "yes", then a special screen will
- appear, allowing him or her to choose which lines are to be quo-
- ted in the reply. The user is prompted at each line of the mes-
- sage whether to
-
- [A]dd that line into the quote workspace,
- [S]kip that line and advance to the next, jump to the
- [N]ext portion of the original message,
- [R]estart the quoting process (useful in case of an
- accidental skipped line), or
- [Q]uit from the quote workspace altogether.
-
- There is a 20-line limit on the amount of previous text that may
- be quoted; upon reaching the 20th line, the quoter automatically
- returns the user to the editor workspace. The quoted lines are
- prefaced with a bright green ">" symbol.
-
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-5
-
- ╔═╗ There is a definite "art" to effective quoting. Beginners
- ╚═╝ sometimes quote more of the original message than is ne-
- cessary, but this decreases with practice, especially in
- networked message bases. Note that quoted lines may be
- edited to remove extraneous words or phrases; this can
- help the quoter "zero in" on the essence of the quote.
-
-
- Message Threading
- ═════════════════
-
- In addition to quoting, message "threading" exists in all
- message bases. This allows the user to search for the original
- message in a "thread" (line of discussion) and all replies to
- that message. It should be noted that the threader searches on
- the title field of the message; if the title has been changed by
- someone replying to the message, the threader will not pick it
- up as a reply.
-
- ╔═╗ In order to facilitate threading on network subs, users
- ╚═╝ and sysops are being encouraged to make titles as descrip-
- tive of the contents as possible; one- or two-word titles
- like "YO!", "Hmmm...", "Why don't...", and the like are
- being discouraged. Users replying within the context of
- a particular message thread should not change the working
- title if they want it to be included in a thread; if they
- are digressing, changing the subject, or starting a new
- thread, they should come up with a new title.
-
- Message Search
- ══════════════
-
- VBBS messages may be searched in two ways. Pressing [S]
- from the message submenu prompt will display the next 10 messages
- in sequence. Following that, pressing [R] will bring up a
- "search" prompt that allows the user to search the message data-
- base by title.
-
- ╔═╗ The [S]can feature is one of the most useful tools a sysop
- ╚═╝ has, especially if her board carries a lot of active net-
- worked message bases. Scanning titles takes MUCH less
- time than reading EVERY message; this is another argument
- in favor of descriptive message titles.
-
- Message Sub Validation
- ══════════════════════
-
- Each message base may be assigned a "requires validation"
- status from within the DATABASE Configuration of VCONFIG. This
- is to allow the sysop a degree of control over what goes out
- onto a network from his system. Some network subs require net
- validation to be set to "on"; when subscribing to a "secured"
- sub, the subscribing sysop should inquire about this.
-
- ╔═╗ One caveat about message sub validation: sysops some-
- ╚═╝ times forget to validate the messages, resulting in a
- pileup of messages, especially on active subs.
-
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-6
-
-
- Message Sub Moderators
- ══════════════════════
-
- Moderators, sub-ops, and co-sysops can be very useful for
- any BBS. In local messaging areas, sub-ops can be invaluable as
- discussion leaders, often causing a far greater user participa-
- tion in subs than if those subs were without a moderator. As
- mentioned above, some network subs require net validation, and
- often a sysop may not have the time each day to validate the
- messages in those subs. In that case, a sub-op can be very use-
- ful in performing those duties for the sysop.
-
- To designate a user as moderator for a particular sub,
- go into VCONFIG and enter his or her user number in the "Data-
- base Co-sysop" field for that sub.
-
-
- Messaging Sub-Menu
- ══════════════════
-
- While reading messages, a user has several options that
- are presented at each message prompt. These are hard-coded into
- VBBS, so altering them requires a source-code modification.
-
- [Enter] Next Message Read the next message.
- [R] Reply to Message Post a public reply to the cur-
- rent message.
- [A] Read Message Again Re-read the current message.
- [D] Delete Message Delete the current message.
- [###] Jump to Number ### Entering a number will take you
- to that message number.
- [S] Scan Next 10 Mes- Show the titles of the next 10
- sages messages. This is a very use-
- ful feature, especially on ac-
- tive message bases.
- [B] Bypass Sub (Quick If you're doing a quick-scan, [N]
- Scan) from the main menu, this will
- move you to the next sub with-
- out having to read all the mes-
- sages in the current sub. If
- you find yourself using this
- option a lot, you might consider
- using the [J]oin/Ignore Bases
- command to configure your new-
- message scan.
- [E] Send E-mail Reply Send a private E-mail to the au-
- thor of the current message.
- His/her network address is in
- the message header.
- [Z] Non-Stop Allows a user to read messages
- without stopping.
- [Q] Quit Reading Mes- Returns to the Communications
- sages Menu.
-
- VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-7
-
- [+] Thread Forward Search for replies to current
- message (if any). Quite use-
- ful in eliminating redundant
- replies; if someone's asking
- a question, use this to check
- to see whether someone else
- has already answered it to
- your satisfaction.
- [-] Thread Backward Search for the original post that
- prompted the reply you're rea-
- ding now (if any).
- ──────── Sysop ──────────
-
- [X] Extract Text Allows sysop to extract the text
- of a message for later reading
- or printing. Sysop is prompted
- for a filename (.PST is a good
- extension to use, as it won't
- be confused with .TXT files).
- Sysops beware: liberal use of
- this function can greatly bloat
- your Main VBBS directory! :-)
- [M] Move Message Moves message to a different sub.
- Useful for combatting off-topic
- posts, or for bringing in rele-
- vant posts from other subs.
-
-
- [P] Toggle Permanent Toggles current message between
- permanent/non-permanent. This
- is quite useful in making the
- first message of a sub a "sub
- rules/policies" post.
-
- A word on message threading: if a thread-search fails to find an
- original or a reply, it doesn't mean there ISN'T one; the thread
- function searches by TITLE. If someone has entered a related
- message under a different title, it will not show up as relating
- to the current thread.
-
-