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============================
OnLine!
============================
(c)1992 T&J Software
One of the T&J Software Collection of multi-BBS door programs.
Supporting PCBoard, Wildcat!, Gap, QBBS, RBBS, Spitfire,
UltraBBS, Telegard, TriBBS, Remote Access, and WWIV
VERSION 1.40 07/01/92
By
Tom Wildoner
397 West Broadway
Jim Thorpe, PA
18229
VOICE (717)325-9480
*between 5:30 & 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time
From
The T&J BBS
(717)325-9481
1200/2400/9600/19200/38400
24 Hours/Day
LATEST VERSION:
===============
Please call the T&J BBS for the latest version of this program.
LEGALITIES:
===========
THIS SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS ARE DISTRIBUTED "AS IS" WITHOUT
WARRANTY, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL ANYONE INVOLVED WITH THE CREATION AND PRODUCTION OF THIS
PRODUCT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING
OUT OF ANY USE THEREOF OR BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY.
DISTRIBUTION:
=============
You may make this file available for downloading from your BBS or you may
upload it to any BBS of your choice, provided that you do not make any
changes to the contents of the archive (ZIP file). The archive and its
individual contents may not be used by any service that charges any money
whatsoever, without the written permission of the author.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
====================
OnLine! is basically a way for you, the SysOp, to setup your own online
type of magazine or your own online search door. You can make your own
Hello and Goodbye screens, and you can have up to 225 articles/ANSI screens
for your users to read/search online and have them broken down into 15
different sub-menus.
Think of OnLine as a "shell" for you to build on. You can customize it
to your favorite colors, text files, ANSI screens etc.
When viewing TEXT files, you may SEARCH the text file for a KEYWORD,
goto the next page (like PAGE DOWN), and goto the previous page (like
PAGE UP). If you have the download option set to Yes, your users can
even download the text files or ANSI screens using ZModem right from
within the door.
ANSI files simply display to the user and then return to the main menu.
There is no way to "search" an ANSI file.
NOTE:
=====
The ONLINE.KEY file that is distributed with this door does NOT expire!
This is simply here so the door has a KEY to read. When you register,
you will receive a new ONLINE.KEY file.
You may only display/use 2 sub-menus with 2 articles in each until
the door is registered. After you register, the limit is 225 articles
or ANSI screens, and all future upgrades to the door are free.
Running the door locally (ONLINE! LOCAL) will let you evaluate the
door with no crippling effects. You can use the entire 15 sub-menus
and all 225 articles! The 2 sub-menu, 2 article per sub-menu limit
will only occur when running the on your BBS.
FEATURES:
=========
--- Desqview Aware.
--- COM1-4 support and non-standard IRQ's.
--- Colorful ANSI screens.
--- Chat function.
--- NO BRUN module needed for play.
--- BETA tested on five different boards.
--- Will return to BBS on dropped carrier.
--- Will TIMEOUT a player after 5 minutes of no activity.
--- Use of HOT KEYS while in the door.
--- Support BBS available.
--- 15 Sub-Menus.
--- 225 Total Articles.
--- Downloading Option.
--- Four Archive Formats Available.
INSTALLATION: (using the ONLINE! SETUP command)
===============================================
Run ONLINE! using the command string SETUP (i.e. ONLINE! SETUP)......
Just type: ONLINE! SETUP
First let's make your OnLine configuration file.....
Select item number one from the menu and answer all the questions. You
will be prompted to enter the complete PATH to your caller data file
(DOOR.SYS, CALLINFO.BBS, etc....), your BBS name, sysop first and last
name, if you want downloading available, and the archiver you wish to
use when the user tries to download a file.
Next, its time to decide how many articles you will have in your first
online issue! If you have not done this, quit the SETUP program and get
all your files lined up then come back to this point. If you plan on
allowing your users to download the files, you MUST have all the files
in the ONLINE directory!
You should have all your files in the ONLINE directory, decide how many
sub-menus you will have, and what articles/ANSI screens will be in each
sub-menu. It would be best to write all this information down.
Select number two from the menu. You will be prompted for how many
sub-menus will be in ONLINE. Then, it will ask for a description of
each of the sub-menus and the name of each article in each of the
appropriate sub-menus (enter it just like a DOS filename, WCLIST.TXT,
etc...). After each filename it will ask if it is a TEXT file or an ANSI
file. Enter T or A. Yep, you can have either TEXT FILES or some ANSI
SCREENS to show to your users! If it is a TEXT file, you will be prompted
for what color you want the text file in. Just select the number of the
color you want.
NOTE: Do not use any comma's in any of the file description or
sub-menu titles.
SETUP will verify each file and create a file called MENU.CFG which
will contain how many sub-menus you have and the title of each of the
sub-menus. It will also create a seperate MENUx.CFG for each sub-menu
that you have. In each of these MENUx.CFG files it will have all the
important information for each of your files.
That's it! The door is ready to run!
Anytime you add/change any of the text/ANSI file(s) you MUST run item
#3 in SETUP! (the VERIFY option). Also, your text file must be clean!
No clear screens or line feeds etc.... Having the clear screen commands
of page advance commands in the text files will play some tricks on the
monitor.
SETUP also has a handy feature for interpreting the .LOG file. When run,
it will make a text file called STAT.TXT which will tell you how many
times the door was opened and how many times each article/screen was
read/viewed. This is handy if you wish to make a monthly type of online
magazine for the users. Use the STAT.TXT file every month and see what
articles are most popular!
INDIVIDUAL FILES: (if you would like to edit them yourself)
================
The MENU.CFG (example only)
4 'How many sub-menus
"EPA Regulations (3/92 to 4/92)" \
"Federal Register (1/92 to 4/92)" The title's of each of the
"Browse THREE different BBS Listings!" sub-menus you have
"Hazardous Waste Superfund Newsletter" /
The MENU1.CFG (example only)
2
"EPA Regulations for March 1992","epareg92.mar",1023,"t",7
"EPA Regulations for April 1992","epareg92.apr",711,"t",7
LINE 1: Shows how many articles there are in this particular sub-menu.
LINE 2 and 3: Show examples of the information about each article. The
first item is the article description, second item is the actual
article name, third item is how many lines of text there are in the
file, fourth item will show a "t" if it is TEXT or an "a" if it is
an ANSI screen, and the last item is the color of the text.
For each sub-menu there will be a cooresponding MENUx.CFG file with
all the details of the articles contained within.
The SYSOP.CFG file:
"Y"
"DSZ"
" ha both sz "
"PKZIP "
LINE 1: Is set to "Y" if downloading is allowed or "N" if downloading
is not allowed.
LINE 2: Download protocol -- you MUST have DSZ or GSZ in your PATH! --
If you are using GSZ instead of DSZ, just replace the DSZ with
GSZ.
LINE 3: Download protocol -- leave this as it is. The leading and
trailing space must remain! Please read your DSZ or GSZ
documentation if you try changing anything here.
LINE 4: Your ARCHIVE protocol. SETUP will set this up for you, but if
you wish to change this manually use one of the following:
"PKZIP " -- for PKZIP
"LHA a " -- for LHA
"PAK a " -- for PAK
"ARJ a " -- for ARJ
The trailing space is VERY important!
The port for the download option is determined from the caller information
file. We cannot be sure that the download option will work on every BBS
especially those that use non-standard COM port IRQ's!
CONFIGURATION:
=============
Example configuration file for PCBOARD.SYS
------------------------------------------
C:\PCB\PCBOARD.SYS <=- (Full pathname of your PCBOARD.SYS file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
Example configuration file for USERS.SYS
----------------------------------------
C:\PCB\USERS.SYS <=- (Full pathname of your USERS.SYS file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
Example configuration file for DOOR.SYS
---------------------------------------
C:\BBS\DOOR.SYS <=- (Full pathname of your DOOR.SYS file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
Example configuration file for USERINFO.DAT
-------------------------------------------
C:\BBS\USERINFO.DAT <=- (Full pathname of your USERINFO.DAT file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
NOTE: DOOR.SYS must be in the SAME directory as USERINFO.DAT
Example configuration file for CALLINFO.BBS
-------------------------------------------
C:\BBS\CALLINFO.BBS <=- (Full pathname of your CALLINFO.BBS file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
Example configuration file for DORINFOx.DEF
-------------------------------------------
C:\BBS\DORINFOx.DEF <=- (Full pathname of your DORINFOx.DEF file
where 'x' is the BBS Node number.
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
Example configuration file for SFDOORS.DAT
------------------------------------------
C:\BBS\SFDOORS.DAT <=- (Full pathname of your SFDOORS.DAT file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
Example configuration file for CHAIN.TXT
----------------------------------------
C:\BBS\CHAIN.TXT <=- (Full pathname of your CHAIN.TXT file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
Example configuration file for GTUSER.BBS
-----------------------------------------
C:\BBS\GTUSER.BBS <=- (Full pathname of your GTUSER.BBS file)
T&J Software <=- (Change this to your BBS name)
Tom <=- (The Sysop's first name)
Wildoner <=- (The Sysop's last name)
1 <=- (COM port number - defaults to 1)
1 <=- (Node number - defaults to 1)
Example Batch File
==================
A sample batch file is included and is similer to the following:
ECHO OFF
CD\DOORS\ONLINE <=- Switch to the door's Directory.
ONLINE! ONLINE!.CFG <=- Execute the door program and pass the
configuration filename to the program.
CD\PCB <=- Go back to PCB DIR when user exits door.
BOARD <=- Restart BBS.
This Door is multi-node compatible so you may run more than 1 node from
the same .CFG file provided the path to your system file (DORINFOx.DEF,
CALLINFO.BBS, etc) is exactly the same unless you are using environment
variables, (q.v.)
Environment Variables
=====================
PCBoard automatically creates the %PCBDRIVE% & %PCBDIR% environment
variables. Non-PCBoard systems may also use these variables by including
the following in either your BBS batch or AUTOEXEC.BAT
SET PCBDRIVE=C: <- Drive letter of your BBS files
SET PCBDIR=\BBSDIR <- Path to your BBS files
Then in your Door .CFG file instead of putting C:\BBSDIR\DOOR.SYS, you
would put %PCBDRIVE%%PCBDIR%\DOOR.SYS. This allows you to use just one
.CFG file for multi-node operation!
To specify a non-standard IRQ, put the IRQ number after the .CFG on the
command line. For example:
ONLINE! ONLINE!.CFG /5
or using the PCBDRIVE procedure: SET IRQ=5 and use
ONLINE! ONLINE!.CFG /%IRQ%
This tells the program to use IRQ 5 instead of the standard IRQ.
Sysop Keys
==========
F3 - Toggles the printer On/Off. Value is passed to PCBoard and/or
written to DOOR.SYS and USERS.SYS
F4 - Toggles the Page Bell on/off. Value is passed to PCBoard
and/or written to DOOR.SYS and USERS.SYS
F5 - DOS Shell. Allows SysOp to exit to DOS from inside a DOOR.
F7 - Toggles the Caller Alarm On/Off. Value is passed to PCBoard
and/or written to DOOR.SYS and USERS.SYS
F8 - Returns the caller involuntarily to the BBS.
F9 - Toggles the local display On/Off. Value is passed to PCBoard
and/or written to DOOR.SYS and USERS.SYS
F10 - Activates SysOp CHAT mode within the DOOR.
ESC - Deactivates CHAT mode. DOOR is resumed.
UP - Give the caller extra time while in the DOOR.
DN - Subtract time from the caller while in the DOOR.
HOME - HELP key for Status Line options.
ALT-N - SysOp next on toggle. Value passed to PCBoard. (PCBoard only)
ALT-X - PCBoard will exit after current caller logs off. Value is
passed to PCBoard. Not available on non-PCBoard systems.
VERIFY COMMAND STRING:
=====================
This is a suplimental command string which was added because of a need
of one of my BETA testers to verify his OnLine! text files on a nightly
basis.
Basically, if you have text files (in OnLine!) that will change from
day to day, they need to be re-verified for OnLine! to operate properly.
Such text files as your BBS file listing (which will change). Thus,
you can run ONLINE! VERIFY as part of your nightly maintenance routines
to make all the adjustments for you without you having to manually run
the ONLINE! SETUP command.
To run the verifier program simply type: ONLINE! VERIFY
SCREEN DESIGN:
=============
Now it's time to make your screens! (If you wish) First, design your
HELLO.SCR for the door! Just work on line 1-22 for the design. Do not
save any of your screens using a 'clear screen' they should be saved
using a 'home cursor', at least if you are using TheDraw. Also, save
the screens using the BLOCK SAVE command, do not simply save it using
the SAVE command. That could cause some problems with the display. These
rules will hold true for both the HELLO.SCR and the GOODBYE.SCR screens.
When block saving your screens, just highlight rows 1 to 22 for the
save.
After your done with your HELLO.SCR it's time to make your GOODBYE.SCR!
Do whatever you want here! Just use lines 1-22 for your screen design
following the same rules as above.
RUNNING LOCALLY:
===============
To run in LOCAL mode simply type ONLINE! LOCAL
ADDING ONE NEW TEXT FILE:
=========================
If you have OnLine! up and running, and wish to add a new text file
to an existing sub-menu just do the following:
Let's say you want to add a new text file to sub-menu #1 -- simply
open the MENU1.CFG file,
2
"EPA Regulations for March 1992","epareg92.mar",1023,"t",7
"EPA Regulations for April 1992","epareg92.apr",711,"t",7
Change line 1 from 2 to 3, on line 4 type the following (using your
own information):
"Your new description","filename.txt",0,"t",7
NOTE: Do NOT use any comma's in any of the description or sub-menu
titles!
After you do this, save your changes and run ONLINE! VERIFY -- The
verifier will verify this new entry and plug in the number of lines
in this file.
The text color option (the last item) must be one of the following:
1 = Low Intensity Blue
2 = Low Intensity Green
3 = Low Intensity Cyan
4 = Low Intensity Red
5 = Low Intensity Magenta
6 = Low Intensity Yellow
7 = Normal White
8 = Gray
9 = High Intensity Blue
10 = High Intensity Green
11 = High Intensity Cyan
12 = High Intensity Red
13 = High Intensity Magenta
14 = High Intensity Yellow
15 = High Intensity White
ADDITIONAL HELP:
===============
When should I use VERIFY in the SETUP program?
--- If you edit an existing text file (taking lines out, etc..) then
you must VERIFY all the files again.
What if I have an ANSI'ed TEXT file?
--- No problem! In the SETUP program simply identify this file as an
ANSI screen. You will not be able to SEARCH or anything else. The
user will be prompted for a "Press ENTER to continue or E to end".
When I am viewing a TEXT screen, the screen blanks and gets a little wierd.
--- You must have some CLEAR SCREEN or TOP OF PAGE commands in the
TEXT file, find them and remove them.
I can't seem to get the download option to work!
--- Due to the variety between BBS's packages and COM PORT setups,
the download option will probably not work on all systems. Change
line 1 of the SYSOP.CFG file to "N". Call my support board if you
have any problems with this -- maybe we could help you out.
The program (SETUP or VERIFY) keeps bombing when the text file(s) is
being verified!
--- You may have something wierd in your text file. Take a look at it
and make sure there is no garbage inside the file.
If any internal errors do occur, check for a file called DFRAME.ERR
and let me know what the error code says.
Several people have been having problems with their Trident SVGA
cards and the ANSI screens not showing up correctly. To fix this,
check you utility disk that came with your Trident card for a program
called TANSI.SYS or something similar. Replace your old ANSI.SYS
with this version of it. This will correct the problems.
Several people have had problems running some of the doors under
Livecat. Try copying your user information files to the Dollarmania
sub-directory and then telling Dollarmania to look for them there.
Add something like this to beginning of your door batch file:
COPY C:\WC30\WCWORK\NODE1\DOOR.SYS C:\WC30\DOOR\ONLINE
Don't forget to change line one in your ONLINE.CFG file to reflect
the new location of the DOOR.SYS file.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any problems at all.
UPGRADING:
==========
If you are upgrading from v1.0 through v1.3 you will have to reinstall
the door from scratch.
FUTURE VERSIONS:
================
--->> Your the editor, let me know what you would like to see added!!
VERSION HISTORY:
===============
Version 1.00 ......... First release. 05-15-92
Version 1.10 ......... Fixed problem with the unregistered version allowing
3 articles at a minimum. Fixed problem with SETUP
not allowing more than 10 articles. 05-18-92
Version 1.20 ......... Fixed problem when the users CAPS LOCK was on. This
was not a problem with the door code, but a problem
in the DoorFrame door routines. Added the SETUP and
VERIFY programs to the main code. You can now use
command line options of SETUP and VERIFY. 05-24-92
Version 1.30 ......... Small bug found (thanks Jim!) when the door was
initially setup and the files were being verified!
05-30-92
Version 1.40 ......... Added a little bit more color throughout the door,
no need to mess around with the MAIN.SCR anymore
OnLine! makes it for you, added support for up to
15 sub-menus with each sub-menu containing 15 articles,
and added support to download selected articles
using ZModem. 07-01-92
REGISTERING:
============
That's all there is to it! If you have any problems or questions
please feel free to call the T&J BBS at (717)325-9481 and join the
T&J Software Conference.
See the enclosed registration form for ordering! (REGISTER.TXT)