BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/wildcat/quests20.zip/QUESTATS.DOC

Text File | 1992-03-21 | 20KB | 430 lines

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                                S O F T W A R E
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                               Proudly Presents

                                QUESTATS v. 2.0
                                by David Trinko
              Compiles statistics based on Wildcat Questionnaires
                       *** WILDCAT 3 and 2 NOW SUPPORTED ***

INTRODUCTION:

   Wildcat BBS has many strong points.  However, many sysops have one grudge
about the program - the questionnaire section generates answer sheets, but
doesn't generate any real statistics.  If you wanted to know how many users
chose one particular answer, you had to count it by hand.  Questats
(Questionnaire Statistics) will fill in this gap.

   Using the answer files that Wildcat generates, and the list/print file
produced by Makeques, Questats will create display statistics based on
multiple choice questions (and yes/no questions in Wildcat 3.0), in the form
of an ANSI color file or an ASCII black and white file.

   My old pal Bob Sysop will help demonstrate in this file.  He runs Wildcat
BBS and is very excited to see a product like Questats on the market.  Bob
runs Wildcat 3.01.  The program will work with all of the 2.?? versions of
Wildcat (I think).  It has been updated so that it can use Wildcat 3.  If you
are using Wildcat 1.??, just try and see.  And maybe you should consider
updating!

QUESTS20.ZIP:

   QUESTS20.ZIP consists of the following files:

              QUESTATS.EXE - This is the Questats program itself.
              QUESTATS.DOC - This file, including the instructions for the
                             program.

COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS:

   Think you're ready to try this program without reading any further?  If you
dare try, here are the command line parameters accepted by Questats.
  A=: Answer Filename
  Q=: Question List File from Makeques
  +=: Outputs Questionnaire Results to specified ANSI file
  -=: Outputs Questionnaire Results to specified ASCII file
   S: Program Setup

QUESTATS 2.0 by David Trinko . . . Connection Software . . . . . . . .  Page 2

   After the = sign in each of the above, include the filename.  Your default
path and extension from Setup will be used unless you include other
information.  As an example, say your questionnaire results are in \Wildcat,
your list file is in \Wildcat\Question, and your results are heading for
\Wildcat\Bulletin.  If you were working with questionnaire #1, and you wanted
your results in ANSI bulletin 5, you would use the line:

QUESTATS A=\Wildcat\QUES1.ANS Q=\Wildcat\Question\Ques1.Lst +=\Wildcat\
 Bulletin\BULL5.SCR
(You can save yourself half the trouble by entering the paths and extensions
in the setup utility!)

   The program will ask you to enter any information you may have forgotten.

   If you are lost, stay tuned for a little more in-depth view of it all.

SETUP:

   First thing's first - you need to unZIP the file into the directory you
want it in.  Good ol' Bob chose his C:\Wildcat directory, so he used:
PKUNZIP QUESTS12.ZIP C:\WC30

   Then, switch to that directory so that you can set it up.
CD \WC30

in Bob's situation.  Now you're ready to setup Questats.  Type
QUESTATS S

from your DOS prompt.  Now you'll see a menu, and can work a little.

(In most situations, hitting enter at a menu selection you didn't want will
leave the option unchanged and take you back where you were.)

1. Default Path-Answer File

   Here, you tell Questats where your questionnaire answer files are located.
The answer files are Wildcat's answer files (.ANS in Wildcat 2 and .001
[depending on node number] in Wildcat 3) when users answer a survey.
C:\WC30 was Bob's answer.  Typing . here will use the current directory.  Bob
thought about it, and, since his answers were in his C:\WC30 directory, he
typed C:\WC30\QUES, which is where his .001 files were.  This path is used
when entering the answer filename from the command line OR manually.  (The
program defaults to Current Directory when you first run setup.)

2. Default Path-List File

   Here, you tell Questats where you will be keeping your question list files.
This is a file that you will create with Makeques from the main menu (see
later on, in STARTING THE PROGRAM).  Bob keeps his Makeques in his
C:\WC30\Ques directory, and decided that this is where he wanted to keep the
list files he created, as well.  So he entered C:\WC30\Ques.  Typing a period

QUESTATS 2.0 by David Trinko . . . Connection Software . . . . . . . .  Page 3

(.) will tell the program to use the current directory.  This path is used
when entering the question filename from the command line OR manually.  (The
program defaults to Current Directory when you first run setup.)

3. Default Path-Output File

   For this option, you are telling Questats where you will want it to put the
results it finds.  Bob wants his results in his bulletins, so he told Questats
C:\WC30\Bull, his bulletin directory.  Obviously, you may not want the results
in your bulletin directory.  If you want to put the results in your current
directory, type a period.  (The program will default to Current Directory when
you run the program the very first time.)

4. Default Answer Extension

   This is the default extension for your answer files.  This defaults to
.ANS, which is Wildcat's default.  This one probably shouldn't be changed
unless you are using a version of Wildcat that doesn't put the answer files
to a .ANS file.  Wildcat 3 users will want to change the default to .001 for
their node 1 files, which is also what a single-line system will use.

5. Default List Extension

   This is the default extension for the list files you will create with
Makeques.  The program defaults to .LST - just use any extension that you can
remember to type every time you list a questionnaire from Makeques.

6. Default ANSI Extension

   This is the extension you want to use for your ANSI color output files.
Since Bob wants to put his files in his bulletin directory, he will be using
.SCR (the extension for ANSI display files), which also happens to be the
default.  Any extension you need/want will do.

7. Default ASCII Extension

   This is the extension you wish to use for your ASCII black and white output
files.  Again, Bob wants to use his files for bulletins, so he chooses to
change it from the default .TXT to .BBS (the extension for ASCII display files
in Wildcat).  Whatever you want will work!

8. Set Up Output Colors

   This choice will let you pick the colors used in your ANSI color output
files.  You will see an example screen (with the all-mighty question, which
came first, the chicken or the egg?) with the colors.  To change a color, type
the number of the text you want to change the color for.  Then, you'll get a
list of colors.  Pick the one you like.  When you're done, the screen will be
updated with your new color preferences.  Bob is happy with the colors the way
they are, so he leaves this alone.


QUESTATS 2.0 by David Trinko . . . Connection Software . . . . . . . .  Page 4

9. Registration Information

   Here, you enter the registration information sent to you by Connection
Software.  When you get your number (see REGISTRATION below for more
information), you can enter your number and name.  *IMPORTANT*  You must enter
your name and number EXACTLY as it was assigned to you by Connection Software,
or else the program will not accept the registration.  This means capital
letters are typed as capitals, lowercase letters as lowercase, and no spaces
where spaces don't belong.  Bob is still looking over the program, so he
leaves this as unregistered.

RUNNING THE PROGRAM:

1. Making List File

   Questats needs a list of questions so that you can tell what the question
was before you see the answer.  Questats will read from this file when it
creates the statistics each time so that it can read the questions.  So, any
time you change your questionnaires, MAKE SURE YOU UPDATE THE LIST FILE, TOO!
   Makewild changed between versions 2 and 3, so the steps are different.

a) Wildcat 2 Series

The Makeques program used to make your questionnaires for Wildcat has a List
function that does the job nicely.  Load up Makeques, then load your
questionnaire.  Then, <L>ist it.  The program will ask you for a filename to
save it as.  Make sure you use the same extension as you entered in the Setup,
and that you put it in the same path as you entered in the Setup.  For
instance, Bob's friend Carol wants the list file in her \WILDCAT directory.
So, when it asked for a filename, she typed \WILDCAT\QUES1.LST.

b) Wildcat 3 Series

The Makeques program will give you the results you need, as well.  Load
Makeques, and then load your questionnaire.  To list your questionnaire, press
[F9] - Print.  Then give the filename you want.  Ever-creative Bob chose
\WC30\QUES\QUES0001.LST.  You can be more creative, if you'd like - just
remember what you called it!

2. Running Questats

   Once you have the list file ready, and at least one user has run the
questionnaire (so that the .ANS/.001 file exists), you are ready to run
Questats.

a) Entering Filenames Manually

   Questats has several command line options so that it can process the
statistics automatically, perhaps as a daily event.  However, if you plan on
running the program manually each time, you can simply type QUESTATS, and the
program will ask you for each of the filenames.

QUESTATS 2.0 by David Trinko . . . Connection Software . . . . . . . .  Page 5

   When entering the filenames manually, you need to merely type the name of
the file.  You do not need to enter the extension or path unless it is
different than the default set in the Setup.  If the filename is in the
current directory, you will need to type your current path.  For instance, if
you are in the \WC30 directory, and the file you need is in this directory,
you must type \WC30.  (See "What's New" for an explanation why!)

   If you enter all of the filenames correctly and the program doesn't
experience any problems, your output file will be ready for viewing.

   Pressing enter on a blank line to any of the filenames will end the
program.

   Bob's friend Bill figured he'd try the program manually for his
questionnaire #1 and put it in his bulletin directory as ANSI #5.  So, he
answered like this:
Answer Filename:
Default extension: .ANS  Default path:
\WC30\Ques\QUES0001.001
Question Filename:
Default extension: .LST  Default path:
\WC30\Ques\QUES0001.LST
Output to:  (A)NSI file or AS(C)II file? A
Output Filename:
Default extension: .SCR  Default path:
\WC30\Bull\Bull5

and the program worked fine from there.  Note in the output file line that
Bill didn't type BULL5.SCR, but it still put the stats in that file.  Why?
The program assumed .SCR since Bob didn't tell it otherwise.

   If Bill were REALLY smart, he would go to Setup and change his default path
for each of the files.  That way, he wouldn't have to type those long paths.
But, hey, we'll give Bill a break; he's new to the program!

b) Entering Filenames on the Command Line

   Questats will allow you to enter your filenames on the command line so that
it does not need you to type anything while it is running.  This is ideal for
a batch file, perhaps as a daily event.  The program will allow the following
information on the command line:

  A=: This is the name of the Answer filename.  The program will use the
      default path and extension you entered in the setup unless you include
      a different path or a different extension.
  Q=: This is the name of your Question List filename.  The program will again
      look at your setup for the path and extension unless you include other
      information.
  +=: This is the name of the ANSI color file you want the program to produce.
      It will, of course, look at your default path and extension in the setup
      unless you tell otherwise.

QUESTATS 2.0 by David Trinko . . . Connection Software . . . . . . . .  Page 6

  -=: This is the name of the ASCII (B&W) file you want the program to
      produce.  You guessed it - it will use your path and extension from
      setup unless you give it another path or extension.

   Use only += or -=, do NOT use both.

   Examples, you ask?  But of course.

   Since Bob now has all of his defaults set the way he needs them, he simply
uses this when he wants the stats for questionnaire #1 in his ANSI bulletin
#5, and his list file is named Ques1.Lst in his default list file directory,
so he uses:

Questats A=Ques1 Q=Ques1 +=BULL5

   Bob's pal Bill didn't enter his information into setup, so he needs this
for a black and white file:

Questats A=\WC30\Ques\Ques0001.001 Q=\WC30\Ques\Ques0001.LST -=\WC30\BULL5.BBS

   If you forget some information, the program will ask you to type it
manually.  For instance, if Bill forgot to type A=\Wildcat\Ques1.Ans, the
program would ask him to type it by hand before it would go on.

3. The Results

   The top of the output files includes the number of people answering the
question, and the date and time that Questats was run to output the
statistics.  The file includes the question, then each of the possible answers
below each question.  Next to each answer is the number of people who chose
that option, then the percentage of people answering that question who chose
that answer.

REGISTRATION:

   Nothing's free, I'm afraid.  This program is not "crippled," and is fully
functional, however.  Registration of the program simply:

a) Drops the annoying Wannaware and replaces it with a "Thank you for
   supporting Wannaware" message that would make anyone proud.
b) Replaces the UNREGISTERED in the output files and program with "Registered
   to:" and your name or your bulletin board's name.
c) Entitles you to free copies of future releases of this program
d) And makes you feel like a really great person for having a legal copy, and
   you're promoting the shareware concept.  (And promoting the weight of my
   wallet with any luck, but I don't mind...)

   Registration is pretty simple.  Send $5 in the form of a check/money order:
David Trinko
217 North Main Street; Box 276
Arlington, Ohio 45814

QUESTATS 2.0 by David Trinko . . . Connection Software . . . . . . . .  Page 7

   Include your return address and the EXACT name that you want the program
registered to.  We will generate your registration number based on this
information.  Include your phone number (BBS or voice) if you would like us to
call you with your registration number.  Otherwise, we will just mail you your
registration information.  In either case, we will mail you your registration
information.

   Bob chose to register the program and sent us a simple note:

"Please register Questats to:
 Bob A. Sysop
 Please send registration number to:
 Bob's Really Big BBS, [phone]
 My address is:
 1234 Hummingbird Lane
 Some, State 00000
 Thank you."

   Within days, Bob got a message on his bulletin board with his registration
number.  It's that easy.  Days after that, he received a letter in the mail
with his registration number, just so that he had it in print.

   Some folks would rather have an actual disk mailed to them.  For $10 in the
form of a check or money order, we will send a disk (360k or 720k, please
include your choice of disk size in your note) to your address.  The disk will
include the newest copy of Counter, with your registration number already
entered into it, and the unregistered versions of a few other Connection
Software programs, including their documentations.

BUGS?

   This program has not been bug tested quite as hard as the last release, but
I still feel it should be bugless, as the main base of the program is the
same.  The last version has survived for nearly a year on a local BBS running
daily, and has yet to bomb.

   However, I've been wrong before, and I'll be wrong again.  If this is the
case, please send a letter describing the program, your system setup, and any
other important information that you can offer, to the author.

SUPPORT:

   I offer free support for my programs at the moment, whether you are
registered or not.  So, if you have questions, feel free to call me voice at
[phone].  However, please save this as a last resort - please look over
the docs carefully to see if you can find a solution here.

WHAT'S NEW:

   A lot is new, but it really doesn't look like it.  Oh well!  I'll mention
the big "important changes."

QUESTATS 2.0 by David Trinko . . . Connection Software . . . . . . . .  Page 8

   Wildcat 3 is now supported!  Wildcat 2 is still suppported, and the program
will automatically determine which one you are using by looking at the answer
file and by looking at the question file.  Also, with Wildcat 3 now supported,
Wildcat 3's Yes/No and Yes/No Branch settings are supported.  This means that
Multiple Choice, Yes/No, and Yes/No Branch are the three type of questions
supported by Questats.  (These are the only real "multiple choice" type
answers that can be used easily and quickly by the program.)

   Users no longer have to type the path when they enter the filenames
manually.  The program will now use the default paths unless you type another
path.  The drawback here is that if a file you need is in the current
directory (and the current directory is NOT the default), you will have to
type the name of your directory.  But, I think this is a minor inconvenience.
This feature was added in because, when I was testing this version, I got REAL
tired of typing \WC30\Bull all the time!

   The manual has been updated (obviously) and a few minor bugs have been
eliminated.  (IE:  Having the instructions for running the program tell you to
type COUNTER instead of QUESTATS!  Counter is another program by Connection
Software - that's what I get for using the same manual outline for both
programs!)

   That JUST about covers the whole program...  Oh yeah, we need to include
ALL THAT LEGAL STUFF:

   I hate writing this stuff as much as you hate reading it, which is why it's
at the end of the docs instead of the beginning like everyone else puts it.

   Wildcat and Makeques are both copyrighted programs by Mustang Software.

   Connection Software has every belief that this software is completely safe,
and believes that it is bug and error-free.  However, in the event of a
problem, Connection Software can not take responsibility for any problems or
damage to any hardware or software on your system.

   Users may distribute unregistered copies of the software to their friends
and acquaintances, as long as it is distributed in its entirety.  Registered
copies can not be distributed - if you had to pay for it, so should everyone
else, right?

FINALLY:

   I hope this program meets your expectations, and that it helps solve the
biggest gap in Wildcat.  Good luck, and quite happy questioning!

                                           ---David Trinko
                                              217 North Main Street; Box 276
                                              Arlington, OH  45814