Crawly Crypt Collection 1/crawlyvol1.bin/bbs/maxidoor/maxidoor.txt

Text File | 1991-09-17 | 13KB | 319 lines

                           MAXIDOOR Docs
                           Sept 16,1991

Introduction

What is MAXIDOOR? This is a doors program for FoReM/Turbo BBS's that
will allow your users to log in, download new messages from the bases
that they have selected (and you have validated them for) in a
compressed format. Also included in the compressed packet will be any
confmail they select to receive and a listing of New files since
they last logged on. They can then take this packet and through
MaxiMiser (for ST's) or any IBM QWK compatible program (Deluxe2,SLMR,
Ezreader all have been tested) enter their replies to be uploaded and
posted in the correct message bases.

MaxiDoor maintains complete BBS security:

            Checks for Message Read flags
            Checks for Message Enter Flags
            Checks for File area Access Flag
            Checks for File Access levels
            Checks User Time limits (Can't enter without enough time)
            Checks free disk space so it will not crash or overfill HD
            Checks Ram available to ensure safe execution of ARC/LZH/ZIP
            Validates packets to ensure correct Compression program used
            Updates Messages Entered Counter
            Updates Messages Read Counters

Allows you to configure:

            Do you want to send Confmail at all
            Do you want to send New files list at all
            Which commands to pass to ARC/ZIP/LZH
            How Many messages a user can get from a Base by baud rate
            How many messages a user can get from a Session by baud
            rate

Allows user to configure:

            Do they want Confmail (only if you allowed it)
            Which Compression they want to use
            Which protocol they want to use
            How many messages they will receive (<= you global choice)
            Maintains Users High Message read counters



What does running MAXIDOOR mean to you the Sysop?

Your BBS will become more available to other users. I can log onto the
a BBS, grab 700 messages and download the packet and be off in 9 mins
instead of the usual 90 (and even in 90 I didn't get to read everything).

If you have a second system you to will be able to take advantage of
offline entry of messages. MAXIDOOR in local mode copies files to disk
so that you may take you packet to your other system and stay current.
Again you BBS will be available to your users even though you are "on it"

The message content will be more accurate and precise. People will be able
to take their time in composing responses so typo's will be reduced and
the message will be more coherent and to the point.
(With the added time maybe even FLAMES will be toned down)

Without Toll charges hindering some of your long distance callers, they
to will become more involved in the BBS.

Setting up

First you should have in this LZH the following files:

        MAXIDOOR.PRG  - This is the main program
        MAXIOFF.PRG   - This is the program that resets message
                        counters. It should be added to the LOGOFF.BAT
        MAXICFG.PRG   - The configuration program
        MAXIDOOR.txt  - You are reading it

There may also be the odd readme.now which will contain a
revision history if maxidoor.txt has not been updated.

You will need to supply from your own collection:

            ARC.TTP   - This is the default compression used in MAXIDOOR
                        For speed I recommend ARC 6.02 but any will work.

            LHARC.TTP - This is Optional but it provides an alternative
                        Compression. I have used LZH11321 successfully.

            STZIP.PRG - This is also optional. This will provide your
                        IBM Users with a alternative as many of their
                        readers default to ZIP. I have used STZIP09 with
                        success.

            XYZ.TTP   - This is the file protocols I use to send and
receive the packets. Please get version 2.01. I have coded some
parameters that I pass to XYZ that only 2.01 accepts. Remember that XYZ
is shareware and Mr. Hamilton deserves his money.






Now with all of these gathered together in one place (the main
BBS folder where CONFIG.DAT is) you should run MAXICFG.PRG. It
will ask you to fill in a few pertinent details that maxidoor
needs to know. Here is an overview of each configuration option:

1) BBS Name - The is the full name of your BBS

2) Location - There is the City and State/Province in which you are
              located.

3) Logoff   - This is where you enter a txt file that will be displayed
              to the user when they terminate their offline session.

4) Sysop    - Your Name/Alias

5) Welcome  - An intro screen shown to the user when they begin to
              read a packet generated from your BBS.

6) Shortname- This is a name (less then 8 characters) that will be
              applied to the packets outgoing and incoming from
              your BBS. Please note that no spaces or none ascii
              characters are allowed. LEFTOVER is valid but LEFT OVER
              is not.

7) Bulletin - This is a file shown to the user directly after the
              intro screen. This may contain any news or bulletins
              you feel the user should see.

8) Phone #  - The Phone # for the BBS

9) ARC Location - This is where you tell MAXIDOOR where to find ARC.TTP

10) ARC Extract - These are the commands you pass to ARC to extract a
                  file.

11)    ARC Move - These are the command you pass to ARC to MOVE a
                  group of files into a compressed format.

12,13,14) - Same as 9,10,11 except this is for ZIP

15,16,17) - Same as 9,10,11 except this is for LHA

**Note leaving 9,12 or 15 blank will disable the availability of those
  compressions to the users.

18) XYZ Location - This is where XYZ is on your system. I need this to
                   send and receive the files.

19) Max Messages/baud - This will take you to a submenu when you can
define BY BAUD RATE, how many messages will be sent both per
conference and per session. This will allow you to fairly decide which
baud rates can receive more or less. I support only bauds
300,1200,2400,9600 & 19200 at this time. IF the bbs reports any other
baud rates please let me know and I will make the adjustments.

20) BBS Type - This is where you enter FOREM/TURBO or TURBO2 (for
turbo 2 owners I will add the necessary offsets for  the expanded
pas.dat file and adjust for the different file directory structure).

21) Allow MaxiMiser Quotes - A YES will allow the initials in quote
lines to be left in. A NO will strip the initials out and leave the >
symbol only.

22) Allow Confmail - Yes will let your users recieve Confmail in their
packets. The users still have a YES/NO option but only if you have
said YES at this point.

23) Location of LOG file - This is the name of the MAXIDOOR log file.
If you do not wish to have one then enter NOLOG on this line.

24) Allow Scan for files - A YES will enable the scanning of the files
area and sending to the user a list of the files new since he last
called. Normal BBS security is maintain during this file scan!!

25) Censor Taglines - There are 3 possible options here, ALL, NONE or
a base list. If you enter ALL or a base list then taglines will be
removed from messages entered offline into those bases select or ALL
bases. NONE would be the preferred choice here as all the programmers
use their taglines as a method of tracking their programs and
potential theft of their products.

26) Delete >8 includes - This is Maxidoor's IMS routine. If you enable
this routine then Maxidoor will strip excess quoted lines from the
uploaded messages. This will work in blocks of 8 so that an offline
reader can intelligently quote upto 8 lines, generate a response then
quote 8 more for the next section of their reply.

27) Chars to be treated as quote chars - Different offline readers use
different characters to define a quote. What you enter here is a
string of characters that you want treated as potential quote
characters. If Maxidoor finds these characters in the position used by
the quote characters it will recognize them and have the IMS routine
treat them accordingly.

28) Base user is forced to read - This is a base that will be sent to
the user regardless of whether it is flagged or not. This could be
used for a base where you keep your users posted on the current
happens with the BBS. Entering 0 disables this feature.


Hints for using MAXICFG.PRG...

When MAXICFG asks for path names you must supply full path names
ie C:\FOREM\XYZ.TTP
To save you some typing you may hit return and select the
programs/Paths via a file selector by hitting return)

The Extract and Move Commands are left in the case you type them and are
passed to the program unmodified. I have supplied suggested parameters as
defaults but you are free to modify them as you wish. I HEARTILY RECOMMEND
THAT YOU DO A SEND QWK AND RECEIVE REP WITH EACH COMPRESSOR YOU HAVE ONLINE
BEFORE YOU LEAVE THEM UNATTENDED.


Once you have finished, press return to save the file.

MAXICFG will now save your CFG file and it will examine your Pas.Dat (or
TPAS.DAT for turbo 2 owners) and create a file called MXUSPREF.DAT. This is
the file that contains the users preferences. It is 250 bytes/user. It will
only create this file if it does not exist.

Now create a MAXIDOOR folder on EVERY drive the BBS knows about.
When I create the packets I use the drive with the most free space.
MAXIDOOR will create them if needed but in the interest of time please do
it yourself. If you do not create the folder the program does have
a routine to create them to avoid crashes but you are still best to do
it yourself.

Add MAXIOFF to your LOGOFF.BAT. This program will reset the users
high message read counters. It will also examine your PAS.DAT (TPAS.DAT for
turbo2 owners) and if the MXUSPREF is not the same size it will adjust it
(upwards only)

Now edit your FDOORS.DAT file to add MAXIDOOR.PRG in as per the
BBS instruction manual:

MaxiDoor
0
C:\forem\txt\maxi.in
C:\forem\maxidoor.prg
C:\forem\maxidoor.prg
C:\forem\txt\maxi.out

You have now successfully set up MaxiDoor.


I love user feedback on new features and ideas please
encourage your users to try MAXIDOOR and let their imagination
run wild about what they would LIKE it to do in the future.


I want to take this opportunity to thank the BETA test team for
testing this new and revolutionary (To Atarians) product. A special
thanks to Bill Scull, Ben Van Bokkem, Lesley Dee Dylan, Len Waller and
Don Liscombe. These and about 35 others have subjected their systems
to the risks of testing this software for the past 12 weeks or so.

            WE ACTUALLY MADE IT THROUGH IT!!!! Yeah Team!!!!

Caveat!!!!!!!!

This program is playing with your config.dat and message bases.
While I have made every effort to ensure their safety something
may go wrong. Please while testing make regular backups and I do
recommend running Don Liscombe's Message Manager to ensure your
message bases continued health.

This version of MAXIDOOR is released as FREEWARE. You are expected to
pay NOTHING for using it. I (Shawn Smith) do retain all rights to the
program and it is provided strictly on an "AS IS" bases. I take
absolutely no responsibility for the programs performance (or lack
thereof).

Enjoy and I hope to hear from you soon, I can be reached at node 68
and I do run a MaxiMiser/Maxidoor support conference (Code 10068) if
you would like to join drop me a line there.


Descriptionm of MXUSPREF.DAT
This file at present contains the users Rec # in the pas.dat,
User name (for comparison in case the user got deleted and a new user
was assigned to the rec #. There is all the various options the user
selects like ARC/LZH/ZIP, # of messages/base, # of messages/conference.
I have left some expansion as I do have future plans.

The structure is as follows:

struct userpref {
            int rec;         /* Record # in pas.dat */
           char uname[31];   /* User name */
           char Mxflags;     /* User flags */
            int Messperconf; /* Messages per conference */
            int Messperpack; /* Messages per packet */
           char mxflags2;    /* User flags 2*/
           char Expand[212]; /* Expansion, Seems like a lot but I have
                                                              plans  */
                 };
/* User flags definition
            bit 0 = ARC
            bit 1 = ZIP
            bit 2 = LZH
            bit 3 = Confmail allowed
            bit 4 = Xmodem
            bit 5 = 1K Xmodem
            bit 6 = Ymodem
            bit 7 = Zmodem

   User Flags 2 definition
            Bit 0 = Confmail Messages shown
            bit 1 = Do not Clear lines
            bit 3-7 = Future Expansion
*/