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1990-11-17
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SFWWIVDR
WWIV Door To SPITFIRE Conversion Program
Version 1.1
Copyright (C) By Mike Woltz, 1990
Buffalo Creek Software
A Member Of
The Association Of Shareware Professionals
INTRODUCTION
------------
SFWWIVDR is a utility written by Mike Woltz, author of SPITFIRE, to
enable WWIV door programs to be used with SPITFIRE. Using SFWWIVDR
you may setup the WWIV door program to be used either as a SPITFIRE
door or as a sysop configurable command from the SPITFIRE Main, Message
or File menus.
HOW IT WORKS
------------
It is recommended SFWWIVDR.COM be placed in the main SPITFIRE file
directory. All examples in this documentation will make the assumption
that SFWWIVDR is being run from the C:\SF directory, with the system
files of SPITFIRE also residing in this directory. It is necessary for
SFWWIVDR to access other files which are required for the proper
execution of SFWWIVDR.
SFWWIVDR uses a command line parameter to determine the drive
and directory where the WWIV door program files exist and the placement
of CHAIN.TXT. CHAIN.TXT is the equivalent to WWIV as what SFDOORS.DAT
is to SPITFIRE. So in other words, if SPITFIRE is being run from the
SF directory of drive C and a DOOR_A directory was created from the SF
directory for the WWIV door program files your command line would
look like this:
SFWWIVDR C:\SF\DOOR_A
If no command line parameter is used specifying the drive and the
directory for placement of the CHAIN.TXT file, SFWWIVDR will not run.
Please note, the file name (CHAIN.TXT) is not included in the command
line parameter!
When SFWWIVDR is executed it first will check for the SFDOORS.DAT file.
If this is found, this signifies that the WWIV door program has been
set up to run as a SPITFIRE door. If this is not found, it continues
to look for SFMAIN.DAT, SFFILE.DAT or SFMESS.DAT, in the order listed.
If one of these files are found it signifies the WWIV door program
is being run as a sysop configurable command from the corresponding menu.
This allows SFWWIVDR to determine which batch file will be used to run the
WWIV door program. If none of the above mentioned DAT files are
found SFWWIVDR will beep and halt program execution.
SFWWIVDR will then read and obtain information from the SFNODE.DAT,
SFUSERS.DAT, and SFSYSTEM.DAT, in the order listed. If any of these
files are not found SFWWIVDR will beep and halt program execution.
The information obtained from these files is used to create CHAIN.TXT.
CHAIN.TXT is a data file used with WWIV door programs. CHAIN.TXT is then
written to the directory you specified earlier in the command line
parameter.
***IMPORTANT NOTE***
It should also be mentioned that when creating CHAIN.TXT, lines
17 and 18 of this file require a drive and directory name. The
drive and directory from which SFWWIVDR is being executed defaults
into these lines. In this example this would be C:\SF. This is
important to know because if the WWIV door you are using attempts to
write to or read from any WWIV BBS system files, it will not work
properly because the WWIV system files will not be found.
USING SFWWIVDR TO RUN A SPITFIRE DOOR
-------------------------------------
The first thing you will need to be concerned with when using
SFWWIVDR to run a SPITFIRE door will be to create or modify an existing
SFDOOR.MNU. Using your favorite text editor you will need to
include a line that contains a brief description of the door program
you intend to run, a comma, and the security level required by the
user to access this SPITFIRE door. (The line number should correspond
to the door number you are running your door program in. For this
example we will be using Door number 1. For more detailed information
refer to the SPITFIRE manual.) A typical line of your SFDOOR.MNU might
look like this:
The Door Description,10
If you are using SFDR[x].BBS/CLR sysop created non-ansi and ansi
menus these will need to be modified also.
Next you will also need to modify your SF.BAT file with your
favorite text editor. Locate the line which contains :DOOR_A.
You will need to place your door #1 commands (valid DOS commands,
program execution, etc.) between :DOOR_A and GOTO LOOP. A typical
example of this portion of your SF.BAT might be changed to read as
listed below:
:DOOR_A
SFWWIVDR C:\SF\DOOR_A
CD\SF\DOOR_A
PROGRAM NAME
DEL CHAIN.TXT
CD\SF
GOTO LOOP
:DOOR_B
If the WWIV door program you are using requires the use of a
configuration file, the name of the configuration file would be
added on the same line as, and after the PROGRAM NAME. For instance,
instead of PROGRAM NAME you would need PROGRAM NAME and a blank
space followed by the name of the configuration file.
USING SFWWIVDR FROM A SPITFIRE MENU
---------------------------------
SPITFIRE has a sysop configurable command for the Main, Message
and File menus. The sysop configurable command is executed through
a batch file which corresponds to the menu it is being run from. In
other words, SFMAIN.BAT runs the sysop configurable command from the
Main Menu, SFMESS.BAT runs the one from the Message Menu and SFFILE.BAT
the one from the File Menu. The commands necessary to execute SFWWIVDR
and run the WWIV door program are set up in the batch file which
corresponds to the menu you wish to have program run from.
The first thing you will need to establish is which of these menus
you wish to use to run the WWIV door program. For this purpose,
let's assume that it is going to be set up so it can be run from the
Main Menu. (It should be noted the set up procedure will be the same
regardless of which Menu you are running SFWWIVDR and the WWIV door
program from.)
Next, you will need to decide what you wish to name the command
option and establish what security level will be required for
users of your system to be able to access this option. Once this
is determined you will need to modify the SFMAIN.MNU file using
your favorite text editor, as long as it saves in ASCII format.
(Refer to the SPITFIRE manual for further documentation on this
if needed. It should also be noted that if SFWWIVDR was being
set up to run from the File Menu, you would need to modify the
SFFILE.MNU file and if it was being set up to be run from the
Message Menu you would need to modify the SFMSG.MNU file.)
Examining the default SFMAIN.MNU file, you will notice the sysop
configurable command appears as:
<K>............. Add Your Own,,1000,@
This will need to be replaced with a Command Character that will
be used to select the option from the menu. It is ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE
that the Command Character must not duplicate an existing Command
Character for another menu option. You will then need to include
a brief description of the WWIV door program you are running, two
commas, the security level required to access this feature, and another
comma followed by the a @. The @ must not be changed! (For more detailed
information on modifying your SFMAIN.MNU, SFMSG.MNU or SFFILE.MNU refer
to your SPITFIRE manual.)
<K>.... Brief Program Description,,10,@
Now you will need to modify the corresponding batch file, SFMAIN.BAT,
so that it can be executed from the Main Menu. Do this using your
favorite text editor, as long as it saves in ASCII format. (Again, it
should be noted that if SFWWIVDR and the WWIV door program were being
set up to run from the File Menu, you would need to modify the SFFILE.BAT
file and if it was being set up to be run from the Message Menu you would
need to modify the SFMESS.BAT file.)
The commands you will need to include in your SFMAIN.BAT to run
SFWWIVDR and the WWIV door program might look similar to this:
ECHO OFF
BRK OFF
SFWWIVDR C:\SF\DIRNAME
CD\SF\DIRNAME
PROGRAM NAME
:END
CD\SF
BRK ON
(BRK is written and copyrighted by Solid Systems, 1985, but can
be downloaded from Buffalo Creek's BBS as well as a number of other
BBS systems. BRK is not required, however, it is recommended since it
will prevent a caller using the CTRL BRK command to terminate the batch
file, gaining access to your system at the DOS level.)
In the above example, C:\SF\DIRNAME refers to the drive and the
directory in which the WWIV door program files reside. The actual
WWIV door program name would be entered where PROGRAM NAME is
currently. If the WWIV door program you are using requires the
use of a configuration file, the name of the configuration file would
be added on the same line as and after the program. For instance,
instead of PROGRAM NAME you would need PROGRAM NAME and a blank
space followed by the name of the configuration file.
SFWWIVDR ON A MULTI-NODE SYSTEM
-------------------------------
SFWWIVDR is fully compatible for operation on a multi-node BBS.
It automatically handles any file locking and file sharing
required during program execution. However, the WWIV door being
used with SFWWIVDR may not have this capability. Please refer
to the WWIV door's documentation in regard to it's multi-node
capability.
DISTRIBUTION
------------
SFWWIVDR is distributed under the shareware concept. You are
free to distribute the SFWWIVDR program as long as it remains
unmodified and no fee is charged. If you use this program and
find it beneficial, a fee is required. A $1.00 fee is required
of registered SPITFIRE Sysops and a $5.00 fee is required of
all others.
DISCLAIMER
----------
Mike Woltz and/or Buffalo Creek Software shall in no way be held
responsible for any damage incurred while operating SFWWIVDR. All
responsibility lies with the user of the software.
The documentation for SFWWIVDR is contributed by Jacque Shipley
and The Mother Board BBS. The shareware version of SPITFIRE
and other SPITFIRE utilities are available for download from:
Buffalo Creek's BBS The Mother Board BBS
Mike Woltz, Sysop Jacque Shipley, Sysop
(515) 225-8496 (515) 986-3464
38000/19200/9600/2400/1200 Baud 19200/9600/2400/1200 Baud