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1992-07-12
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Voodoo Computer Co.
(216)-932-4339
UsRobotics DS HST
-==>YELL<==-
Ver 2.4
::PURPOSE::
What is Yell? Well, it is a simple chat program that offers
a few added features to SearchLight BBS's chat mode. Yell lets
the user enter a reason for his chat request, it runs a batch
file when the sysop is paged (allowing soundblaster adlib
support), and it offers a split screen chat mode. It also records
users who tried to chat, the date, and the reason they wanted to
chat in a log file so you can get back to them. It wont allow
users to page you more than 5 times in a row if you don't answer.
And, by using SL's EVENT.DEF file you can also set up hours
during the day for the sysop to be available and hours for him to
be not available.
::DISCLAIMER/LICENSE::
Voodoo Computer Co, Franz C. Maruna, and Ralph D. Schaefer
are not responsible for any loss of money, hardware, data, hair,
spouses, mental faculties, so on and so forth. Anything that
happens to you after using this program is not our fault. Things
have changed with the license. I have decided that this version
of YELL is SOOO much better than 2.1 that the public just had to
see it :->. So this is released under Share Ware laws. If you
like YELL and use it, you must register it with in 30 days or you
are breaking the law. You also might notice if it isn't
registered you keep getting this annoying 10 sec. pause when you
run it.... <evil grin>. The registration is in the file YELL2.REG
and if it isn't in the ZIP you got call my BBS and download it.
By registering you will also receive free updates.
::INSTALLATION::
Pretty simple, it can be used on any BBS program, although I
suggest SearchLight. Any BBS program that can pass a users name
with the spaces replaced with underbars to YELL will do. Yell
reads the user name off of the command line. What you have to put
on command line should look something like this:
YELL2.EXE JOE_SCHMOE
That is how you might run it from dos. To install it with SL put
YELL2.EXE %U
where SL needs to know the command to run. This will be in the
MENU.EXE feature in SL 2.25 and in the DOORS.DEF file in earlier
versions. Our suggestion is to replace the Chat command with a
sample chat menu (YELL2.MNU) that comes included with this ZIP.
It will give you the following menu when you hit chat from the
main menu.
Yell Node Mail Quit
this is pretty self explanatory, Yell runs YELL, Node runs SL's
normal chat for inter node chatting, Mail runs the mail function,
and Quit, quits.
Yell requires a config file (YELL2.CFG) which has the
following format:
BBS Number
Sysop Name
Availability
Use SLColors
Number of Times to Page
for example
(216)-932-4339
SYSOP
S
Y
15
In the freeware version, the 'S' line was where you put a Y on
for available, or a N for not available. This still holds true,
however you can also no put a S for Scroll Lock determines
availability. This way, then scroll lock is on (you see the
little light on your keyboard) you are available, when it isn't
on, you are un-available. This lets you toggle availability from
front-end programs, or multitaskers without having to login (even
better than SL -GASP-). The second to last line is weather on not
you want to use SL's colors. If so you MUST have your CONFIG.SL2
file in the same directory as YELL. I am not sure if this feature
will work with versions of SL earlier than 2.xx, but it should,
if it doesn't, just put N on this line and YELL will default to
somewhat interesting colors. The '15' line is how many times you
want yell to run the batch file for paging. This is real handy if
you have a long sound file, and only want to hear it a few times
instead of 15...
The Sysop name is important. It must be EXACTLY the same way
your BBS will pass it on to YELL. If you have a two word name it
should have the spaces replaced with underbars (_'s). (This part
is case sensitive). We still arn't sure why we put the phone
number field in there. Maybe in a later version we will have it
displayed, maybe not. It doesn't really matter, anything can be
in that field, we just thought is was a good idea at the time.
The beauty of having this config file, is you can create one for
available, one for not available, and then use your EVENT.DEF
file to set times for availability. Just copy the config file
with the Y to YELL2.CFG when you want to be available, and copy
the file with N for not available.
Please only put this on the lines in the config file with
nothing else on 'em. If you put any comments etc on the line it
will @#%&>? it all up!! :-)...
::HOW YELL WORKS::
When you first enter yell it will load the config file in
and then, depending on various things go one of 3 ways. If you
have chosen scroll lock availability then it will determine
weather or not you can be paged from that. If not it will
determine availability from the config file.
If you are not allowed to page it will say that the sysop is
not available now and exit. Otherwise it will ask the user for a
reason the user wants to chat. If the user has paged you 5 times
in a row, and you haven't answered (or you pressed return) then
YELL will record his reason, display the user name, and then
'pretend' to page you. It will display the periods, so you can
still chat with him, but it wont run YELL2.BAT.
-Note: The Info on last user, and how many times is in YELL2.DAT
which YELL will create. Make sure you don't have anything in
there when installing YELL!-
If the user hasn't paged you 5 times it will record the reason,
display the user's name so you know who it is bugging you and run
YELL2.BAT. YELL2.BAT is the file you put your page command. Make
sure you have an @ECHO OFF statement on the first line, and
follow all the commands you put in YELL2.BAT with a >NUL so the
user doesn't see anything. My YELL2.BAT for a Sound Blaster is
like this:
@ECHO OFF
VPLAY YELL2.VOC >NUL
If you like YELL's old page, use the program SCREAM.EXE which
came with the YELL archive. It's the same beep, and the only
thing that might annoy you is there will be a little pause while
YELL opens a dos shell and runs the batch file....
If you hit return while it is paging, it will stop, and exit the
program. This way you can ignore twit users. If you hit ALT-C
during the page you will enter chat mode. With the addition of
the YELL2.BAT file, you may have to hit return or ALT-C twice,
since YELL is in a dos shell and not scanning input, but so far
it hasn't giving me too much trouble that way.
The last thing that YELL does is record the user's name, the
date, reason they entered for chat, and whether or not you
chatted with him in a file called YELL2.LOG If the last thing on
the line is TRUE then you chatted with him, if it is FALSE then
you didn't. Here's a sample log entry:
Voodoo Computer 1992611 Thank you for using Yell!!! TRUE ---
------------ ----|-- ------------------------------- ----User's
Name year|day reason for chat did you
month chat?
::CHAT MODE::
Well, as promised this version has a good chat mode ;-). The
chat mode is very simple. (Most are) The sysop talks on the top.
The user talks on the bottom. You can talk at the same time (or
damn near close to it) so it saves a LOT of time on users who
type at about 4 words per minute and choose phrases like "No, I
tend to disagree my dear sysop, the answer clearly lies in the
direction of our previous thinking....." (grin). Delete, and the
left and right arrows work. Up arrows and down arrows don't work,
but they might confuse you since the cursor will go all over the
place. Don't worry, you are still typing at the same place. In
general don't trust the cursor in the split screen chat mode.
It's very busy. :->. Escape from either user exits YELL. Oh by
the way, word wrap works now too. We have also changed the
windows so that when you hit return on the last line of text in
your window, it scrolls instead of clears, this is REALLY nice
and handy to have...
::VERSION NOTES::
Umm I don't know if you really want to read this but anyways:
Yell 2 - Original version. Rewritten after HD crash destroyed
1.42
Yell 2.1 - After a multitude of bugs beta version was released
Yell 2.2
Added Split Screen Chat mode & Word Wrap
Added Scroll Lock Availability Check. (Thanks to Jim Barry of CCS
Systems for help on determining Scroll Lock status)
Yell 2.3
Added SL Color support
Fixed Bug with Delete past beginning of line and word wrap with
words over 70 characters long.
Fixed Up/Down arrow bug
Added Choice on Scroll Lock so people could still use EVENT.DEF
Added Support for Non-SL systems & Colors
Yell 2.4
Made YELL 'Public-Ready' by adding Registration info
and fixing a few bugs.
Yell 2.5
Added Scrolling in Chat Mode.
Tried to fix bug with exiting at REASON prompt.
Added batch file support.
Added number of beep support.
Fixed bug with unregistered using bad colors.
Added user only pages 5 times support.
If you have any problems, call me. Don't forget to register!!!
Voodoo Computer
Company|(216)-932-4339|Fido:1:157/559|SL:250:200/760|