BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/doors_2/shmpg324.zip/SHAMPAGE.DOC

Text File | 1992-09-02 | 16KB | 293 lines

                                                                 
 This program compliments of:                      ╓┴╖           ╓┴╖
                                                 / ║ ║           ║ ║ \
   ╤╕           ╤╕       ╕         ╤╕╤╕╒╕       ┌─┬║┬║┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬║┬║┬─┐
   ││           ││      │         │││││       ▀▀▀▀║▀║▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀║▀║▀▀▀▀
   ││ ╤╕ ╒╕ ╕ ╒ ╞╡ ╤╕ ╕ ╒╡ ╒╤ ╤╕   ╞╡╞╡╘╕          ╨ ╨           ╨ ╨
   ││ │  ╒╡ │││ ││ │  │ ││ ││ ╞╛   ││││ │             FIDO 1:369/2
   ╧╛ ╧  ╘╧ ╘╧╛ ╧╛ ╧  ╘ ╘╧ ╘╡ ╘╛   ╧╛╧╛╘╛          EchoNet 50:5305/2
                            │                       OurNet 65:613/2
     Fort Lauderdale, FL   ╘╛                        WDNet 3090.00
   [phone] *HST/DS*


                                SHAMpage v3.24
                            (C) 1992 by Rich Waugh

Do you ALWAYS answer the page bell, even at 3am? If so, you must be a new
SysOp - SHAMpage is not for you. If, on the other hand, you do occasionally
disable the page function, you might enjoy this fun little door. It allows
the caller to have a nice (or not-so-nice... it's totally up to you) chat
with the SysOp - even when the SysOp's not around!

SHAMpage is similar to other "A.I." programs with which you may already be
familiar, such as ELIZA or CHERI. There is a bit more to SHAMpage than those
programs though, for example: a routine to randomly vary the speed at which
each letter is "typed", a random "typo & correction" routine and built-in
communication I/O routines. All the typing delays are calculated, so the
typing rate initially will vary on different machines, depending on the speed
of the CPU, but they were written in a manner that allows you to configure
the program to type at realistic speeds on virtually any machine (see line 8
of the sample configuration file below).

While "chatting", SHAMpage checks the caller's entry, each time he hits the
[ENTER] key, for up to 100 "key" words (and up to five synonyms per key word)
which you have previously defined. If the caller's entry contains a string
matching one of those words, an appropriate response (or even the contents of
an entire text file) is returned. Otherwise a random response - again, your
choice is sent. All responses go through a typing routine which varies the
speed at which each letter is typed and even makes an occasional "typo". The
key words and related replies are contained in plain-vanilla ASCii data files
which you are free to modify to suit your needs. The enclosed samples are
well commented and should be self-explanatory. Do not be offended by the key
words or replies, some of which are rather rude - please notice that the
really nasty replies are sent only after a positive match with a really nasty
key word the caller has entered of his own volition.

The following variables are available in your key word replies:

*USER*             - this will be replaced by the caller's first name.

*TIME*             - replaced by the current time (in 12-hour format).

*KEYWORD*          - replaced by the word SHAMpage matched. This variable
                     comes in several flavors. If it is all upper case, like
                     the example on the left, the variable itself will be
                     typed in all CAPS. *keyword* will be replaced by the
                     variable in all lower case letters, and *Keyword* Will
                     Have The First Letter Only Capitalized. Please see
                     WHAT'S.NEW for further details.

*FILE* [FileName]  - this tells SHAMpage to type the contents of the
                     file [FileName].

*LF*               - wherever this occurs the line will be split, a line-feed
                     sent, and the rest of the response typed on the
                     following line.

*ALIAS*            - identifies a synonym for a key word.

All variables are enclosed in asterisks (*) and are always UPPER CASE (except
*KEYWORD*, as noted above).

SHAMpage was originally conceived as a fun, humorous door and the included
data file (the one I use) reflects that - it works great with 13 year-old's
at two in the morning! However, since I released SHAMpage to the public, many
SysOps have told me, to my surprise, that it is the perfect program to answer
callers' questions in a quite serious and/or informative manner whenever the
SysOp really isn't available (a use which, I must admit, never even crossed
my mind when I began writing the code). If that is also your intention,
simply edit SHAMPAGE.DAT. Hobby-oriented SysOps with a sense of humor as sick
as mine can use the enclosed SHAMPAGE.DAT with few changes; if you intend to
run SHAMpage on a business-type BBS, it will need a LOT of editing! How you
use SHAMpage is up to you.

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │  CAUTION! When you modify the data file, please remember that each KEY   │
 │  WORD, including NOMATCH, is limited to a maximum of ten (10) replies.   │
 │  Also, be absolutely certain you match the format of the example file.   │
 │  Any variation will result in unpredictable and undesirable results. I   │
 │  strongly recommend you use the included MAINTAIN utility every time     │
 │  you edit your data file. MAINTAIN will check your data file for         │
 │  grievous errors and, while it will catch some obvious errors in the     │
 │  file, it is not intended as a replacement for your own care in editing! │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

SHAMpage runs on any BBS capable of generating a standard DORINFOx.DEF or
DOOR.SYS drop file. It is, in fact, currently running on WildCat!, PCBoard,
QuickBBS, Remote Access and Virtual BBS boards that I am aware of. Features
include support for drop to DOS, various timer functions (caller's time left,
input-timer whenever remote input is expected, SysOp hot-keys to increase or
decrease caller's time left), carrier detection, CTS checking and more. You
can check the caller's stats while the door is in operation. SHAMpage writes
a log just in case you really WEREN'T around when you had that little chat
with a caller <grin> as well as a separate file which logs errors, should
they occur.

Perhaps most importantly, SHAMpage does include a page bell to notify you
when you're being paged and you actually CAN pick up the page and chat with
the caller while he is in the door. One of the benefits you will discover is
that SHAMpage allows you to "screen" pages much the same as people who own
telephone answering machines often decide whether or not to pick up the phone
only after hearing not only who is on the other end but ALSO what he wants.
Information about the caller appears at the bottom of the local screen: name,
location, connect rate and (if using DOOR.SYS) age. If you choose not to chat
with the caller, let SHAMpage do it! If you do want to chat, you can take
live control at any time, transparently to the caller, by hitting [F7]. When
you're finished, press [F8] and SHAMpage will resume the chat or press [F10]
to return the caller to the BBS. The local screen (only) indicates whenever
the chat is live. The caller is not charged for time while in live chat, so
you will not be rudely interrupted in the middle of a live conversation by
SHAMpage logging him off!

When the caller exits the door by typing G, Q, X, EXIT, BYE, QUIT or two
consecutive empty lines (SHAMpage also terminates whenever it runs out of
responses to any particular key word, including NOMATCH, as well as when the
caller's time limit expires), he receives an, up to four line, exit message
which explains the SysOp was unavailable and he was actually chatting with
the computer (or whatever you choose to say). If he exits by dropping carrier
- some people have NO sense of humor - he might not get that message <grin>,
but the door notes the dropped carrier in the log and exits gracefully
anyway.

                    ──────────────────────────────────────

Here's what's required to implement SHAMpage on your board:

Make a separate directory where you will run SHAMpage. Unzip all the files in
the archive into this directory. Next, you must modify SHAMPAGE.CFG to
reflect the correct information for your board (see below). You will also
want to edit SHAMpage.DAT (and MIDNITE.DAT, if you plan to use it) to replace
occurrences of my name with yours and personalize some of the opening lines,
key words and/or responses, etc.

   ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ IMPORTANT: Read WHAT'S.NEW to see various other configuration    │
   │ options not documented here. This documentation DOES NOT include │
   │ all the current features of SHAMpage.                            │
   └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

EXAMPLE SHAMPAGE.CFG

DrawBridge BBS                 <── The name of your BBS
RICH                           <── SysOp's first name
WAUGH                          <── SysOp's last name
C:\Wc30\Wcwork\Node1\DOOR.SYS  <── Path to & name of DOOR.SYS (or DORINFOx.DEF)
SPLIT                          <── split-screen chat mode (or FULL)
SHAMPAGE.DAT                   <── Name of the Key Word Data File
SHAMPAGE.LOG                   <── Name of the Log File to write
1  <────────────────────────────── Delay factor - increase this number
0  <──────────────────────────┐    to slow down the typing speed, decrease
23:00  <───── Time to turn    │    it to speed up the typing. For example,
08:00  <──┐   Page Bell OFF   │    making this factor .5 will increase the
          │                   │    typing speed 100%, making it 2 will slow
          └── Time to turn    │    it down 100%. Experiment with different
              Page Bell ON    │    values until you get a realistic typing
                              │    speed for your machine. For your
 NOTE: The last two lines     │    information, SHAMpage was written and
       must be entered in     │    tested on a 386/25DX machine and types
       military-style 24:00   │    just about right with this factor set at
       format.                │    one (1). (Remember, it's SUPPOSED to
                              │    emulate a real human typing, at realistic
                              │    human speeds.)
                              │
                              └─── An integer specifying the type of
                                   handshake you wish to use between the CPU
                                   and modem. Valid numbers are:
                                             0 = NO handshake
                                             1 = XON/XOFF
                                             2 = CTS/RTS
                                             3 = XON/XOFF and CTS/RTS
                                   If you don't know what to put here, make
                                   it 0 or 1. CTS/RTS is for high-speed
                                   modems.

Due to the fact the remote cursor position is generated by ANSI code, if the
caller has color screens turned off, SHAMpage will default to full-screen
chat, not split-screen. This is not a bug. It is intended to run this way.

                    ──────────────────────────────────────

SHAMpage is run with the following syntax: SHAMpage SHAMPAGE.CFG

For a quick demonstration, SHAMpage can also be run from the command line by
typing: SHAMpage SHAMpage.CFG LOCAL

EXAMPLE MAIN1.BAT (or DOORx.BAT):

@Echo Off
Cd \Doors\SHAMpage
SHAMpage SHAMPAGE.CFG TIME=80
                      └──┬──┘
                         └─────> Command line option to control the caller's
                                 time in the door. See WHAT'S.NEW for details.

This batch file will work only if you have WildCat! set to SHELL to doors.
This documentation is not intended to be a tutorial on door setup. If you've
never set up a door before, please refer to your BBS documentation (page 221
in the WildCat! manual).

  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │                  OPTIONAL hints for WildCat! SysOps                     │
  ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
  │ To make the caller believe he is really chatting with the SysOp, run    │
  │ MAKEWILD. From the Main Menu Definition page, change the "Page the      │
  │ SysOp" key to some letter other than P and assign it an access level of │
  │ 1001 or higher, so nobody has access to it. Next, assign DOS Hook 1 or  │
  │ DOS Hook 2 to key P. Then set up SHAMpage in MAINx.BAT. If you REALLY   │
  │ want to fool the caller, run MKWCTEXT and change the "Preparing system  │
  │ to run a door" prompt to "" (nothing).                                  │
  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


                      FILES INCLUDED IN SHAMPAGE v3.24:

    READ.ME!      - IMPORTANT!!! Update information!!!
    SHAMPAGE.CFG  - Example configuration file.
    SHAMPAGE.DAT  - ASCii data file containing KEY WORDS and responses.
    MIDNITE.DAT   - Alternative Data file for night-time use.
    SHAMPAGE.DOC  - The file you're reading now.
    SHAMPAGE.EXE  - The door itself.
    SHAMPAGE.LOG  - A typical excerpt from my SHAMPAGE.LOG.
    MAINTAIN.DOC  - Instructions for the SHAMPAGE.DAT maintenance utility.
    MAINTAIN.EXE  - SHAMPAGE.DAT maintenance utility.
    SENDIT.ASC    - Example *FILE*
    WHAT'S.NEW    - Documentation of changes from release to release.
    DESC.SDI      - Short program description.
    FILE_ID.DIZ   - Longer program description.

                    ──────────────────────────────────────

SHAMpage is distributed as Nobitchware. I'm not charging anything for it, so
you are NOT entitled to bitch about it!!!

I, for one, am sick and tired of people who solicit money for the dumb little
doors/utilities we all find so indespensible, so this one's a freebie. It is
fully functional and contains no time bombs. I will attempt to keep the
latest version always available for FREQ (high-speed only please) with the
magic name SHAMPAGE. Significant updates are also hatched out into DDSDOORS,
TDS and the WDNet (WCDOOR) as well as uploaded to the Cathouse.

If you find SHAMpage handy, give the DrawBridge a call and thank me. Better
yet, send me your own customized SHAMPAGE.DAT file. I would appreciate
anyone's "serious" data file. If it's good enough, I'll include it in future
releases, with full credit to the author.

If you don't find SHAMpage useful, I'll cheerfully refund double your money!

                                  Rich Waugh

                    ──────────────────────────────────────

            FREE WildCat! 3.x doors/utilities from the DrawBridge


BobCheck - Automatically send each new caller a personal "Welcome" message
           after they pass BobCat verification. Requires BobCat and Postmstr.

CheckSec - Restrict access to any door or DOS hook based on the caller's AGE
           or security level.

CodeSet  - Reset users in Master Decoder door when they reach the end of the
           data file.

MailChek - Check if last caller left any messages. (Don't bother with
           WildMail SCAN if not.)

MailDoor - Run more than one mail door from the WildCat! Mail Hook.

PieSet   - Reset Piesplat door players automatically when somebody wins the
           game.

QwkQuote - OLX compatable reply quote maker.

TickFix  - Change the file name extension in *.TIC's from LZH or ARJ to ZIP.
           For those who convert LZH & ARJ files to ZIP before tossing.

SHAMpage - Answer ALL SysOp pages - whether you're around or not.

ScrbNtfy - Notify players it is their move in one or more Scrabble door games
           via a personal message addressed to them. Requires Postmstr.