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1992-02-19
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OCS-DOOR
Online Classified Service Viewing Door
Written By:
Gary Pickett
Program Written By:
Gary Pickett
Version 1.1
Feb. 1992
Scope
______________________________________________________________________________
This Door allows a user to view the Online Classified Service's Ads.
The name and full path to the text files are stored in a data
file so there is no need to move any of the files to a different directory.
OCS-Door also has sysop definable menus that can be created using any
ANSI/ASCII editor. OCS-Door supports up to 99 catagories. Multiple data
files and menus can be used by calling different .CNF files.
History
______________________________________________________________________________
After seeing the Online Classified Service ads and thinking what
a great idea JJ Heim came up with, I felt that viewing the Ads through
a door would be a major plus for his service..
So I broke out the ol' 'C' compiler and came up with the OCS-DOOR!
How to set up the OCS-DOOR
______________________________________________________________________________
SYSOP SETUP AND FUNCTIONS
-------------------------
Door programs written with the GAPCDR Door Interface Module will
run on GAP Communications version 4 and greater and on PCB
version 14+ and greater, and most BBS' that will use the "DOOR.SYS"
standard.
To configure the door for a particular BBS setup, a configuration
file must be used. At the very minimum, this file will contain
two lines. It may contain more than two, depending upon a
particular doors configuration requirements. The name of the
file is usually the same as that of the door program but with a
CNF extension. The minimum requirements for OCS-Door are as
follows:
Line 1: C:\GAP --- Path to your default BBS directory
Line 2: Network XXIII --- The name of your BBS
Line 3: 0 --- 0 = GAP; 1 = PC
Line 4: 4 --- Comm port IRQ
Line 5: 03F8 --- Comm port base I/O address
Line 6: 2 --- Number of catagories to view
Line 7: OCSMENU --- Name of the menu you want to use
Line 8: OCS.DAT --- Name of the data file your using
Line numbers 1 - 5 are defined by the GAPCDR library and are
self-explanitory.
Line 6 contains the total number of catagories which will be shown
on the menu. This number should also match the number of
entries in the data file (line 8).
Line 7 defines the name of the ASCII menu screen. This name
should be seven characters long with no extension. This file
will be shown if the user is not using color. If a user has the
color enabled, a menu with the same name plus "G" will be shown
if it is available. In the example given above, a filename of
MENUG would be given to the ANSI color version of the menu.
The menu file should contain the list of catagories that will
be available from the door. These selections should be numbered
1 through the number of files available. The menu should also
define three other selections, [T] for Toggle color mode, [G]
for Good-Bye to log off the BBS from the door, and a [Q] to
Quit from the door and return to the BBS.
Line 8 contains the name of the data file. The data file
contains the full path and name to the OCS files listed in the
menu. The Files MUST be listed in the same order as your menu.
The last line of the door data file should contain the entry
"9999", without the quotes. This line is used to designate the
end of the list.
GAPCDR will obtain the sysop's name from the DOOR.SYS door
file.
You must now create a batch file to invoke the door. This batch
file is placed in your BBS default directory. Such a batch file
might look like this:
ECHO OFF
C:
CD\GAP\DOORS\OCSDOOR
OCSDOOR OCSDOOR.CNF
CD \GAP
ECHO ON
As you can see, the door is invoked by passing the configuration
file name as a parameter.
You will also need to modify your doors menu files and the data
file that tells the BBS what your doors are and the security
level needed to access them. For GAP, these are respectively:
DOORM
DOORMG
DOORS.DAT
Please refer to your BBS documentation for details on setting
these files up.
If you are running multi-nodes, simply create a separate door
configuration file for each node, and number them. For instance,
for a 3 node system, you might have the following configuration
files:
OCSDOOR1.CNF
OCSDOOR2.CNF
OSCDOOR3.CNF
The only difference between the three would be the 1st line which
points to the default directory for the particular node.
Multi-user operation is automatic. For GAP, the presence of
DUMMYLOK.DAT in the MAIN directory triggers multi-user operation.
For PCB, this information is derived from the PCBOARD.DAT file.
The following files are read during door initialization. They
must be present or the door will not operate.
GAP PCB
---------------- ----------------
DOOR.SYS PCBOARD.SYS
GAPBBS.CNF PCBOARD.DAT
USERS
The default mode of operation for any door that is developed with
GAPCDR is the GAP mode. To run the door under a PCB BBS, you
must set line 3 of the door configuration file to a 1. For a GAP
system, set this line to 0.
The following sysop functions are available while awaiting
keyboard input :
F5 - Shell to DOS.
F8 - Twit user and return to BBS.
F10 - Initiate chat with user.
CF10 - Answer user page bell.
Home - Main user stats.
End - Displays sysop keys available.
PgDn - Secondary user stats.
Up Arrow - Increase user's time remaining.
Dn Arrow - Decrease user's time remaining.
One of the nicer features about using the TWIT key, is the user
is not told that "the sysop wants them to return to the BBS".
Instead, a very plain and simple message of "returning you to the
BBS" is displayed. This way, the user is given no indication
that the sysop is hovering about.
When using the F5 shell to DOS key, to return to the door
program, simply type EXIT at the DOS command prompt. It is not
necessary to change directories back to the door directory.
GAPCDR is smart enough to know which drive and directory the door
program is in and will reset the defaults upon return from DOS.
In addition, the status line will remain "glued" to the screen.
It should be noted that the GAPCDR status line is protected by
intercepting BIOS video calls. If you use ANSI.SYS replacements
which write directly to the video, you will not have this
protection and your status line will scroll off the screen.
The Up and Down Arrow keys increase and decrease the user's time
respectively by 5 minutes for each press of the key. There is no
indication of what is occurring (except by the fact the user's
time remaining will change), so the sysop should try not to have
a lead finger. The increase or decrease is effective only while
the user is in the door.
Copyright/License/Warranty
______________________________________________________________________________
This document and the program file OCSDOOR.EXE ("the software")
are copyrighted by the author. The copyright owner hereby
licenses you to use the software given these restrictions:
o the program shall be supplied in its original, unmodified
form, which includes this documentation;
o the program may not be included - or bundled - with other
goods or services. Exceptions may be granted upon individual
request only.
o no fee is charged; an exception is granted to not-for-
profit users' groups, which are permitted to charge a small
fee (not to exceed $6) for materials, handling, postage,
and general overhead. No other organization is permitted
to charge any amount for distribution of copies of the
software or documentation, or to include copies of the
software or documentation with sales of their own products.
There is no warranty of any kind. The copyright owner may not be
held liable for any damages, including any lost profits or other
incidental or consequential damages arising out of or inability to
use the software. By using the software, you agree to this.
The software and documentation is Copyright (C) 1992 by
Gary Pickett
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
Online Classified Service Ads are Copyright (C) 1992 by
The Online Classified Service. All Rights Reserved.
The Online Classified Service; 5766 South Lansing Court, Englewood, CO 80111.
Editor: JJ Heim, Voice Phone: (303)220-8161. BBS: The Rocky Mountain
DATApark, Modem: (303)290-0980. Current Advertising Rates As of This Issue:
$.50/line x number of weeks x ad sections. Distribution: 6pm (MST) Sunday
Evening. Suggestion, comments, questions are welcome!
******************************************************************************
Registration/etc.
______________________________________________________________________________
Registration for OCS-DOOR is FREE!
One of the best things you can do is give us a call and let us know
how you like OCS-DOOR and where you got it from.
We can be reached at Network XXIII Bulletin Board at the following
numbers:
Node 1 (805) 962-0122 HST 24-hour bulletin board
Node 2 (805) 962-0963 HST 24-hour bulletin board
Node 3 (805) 962-1206 V.32 24-hour bulletin board
______________________________________________________________________________