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1995-05-28
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509 lines
****************************************
ATLANTIS SOFTWARE PRESENTS
****************************************
THE GUEST REGISTRY
Version 2.21
Copyright 1994-1995 By Jimmy Rose
****************************************
SHAREWARE NOTICE
________________
The Guest Registry is being distributed as shareware. If you
enjoy this program please register it. Whenever you find any
shareware Program that you like and find useful, please consider
registering. This will help encourage future developement of
other useful programs and also ensure that your favorites will
be supported and enhanced.
REGISTERED VERSION INFO
_______________________
The Guest Registry requires a registration number to operate in
registered mode. When you register this program you will receive
a registration number that is unique to you. No two numbers are
the same. Place your personal registration number on the second
line of the sysop.cfg file.
If you have registered this program then your name will
appear on the opening screen.
The Guest Registry is a copyrighted program!
INTRODUCTION
____________
This is the ORIGINAL AND BEST Guest Registry Program!
This program is written entirely in C++ for maximum efficiency.
The Guest Registry is a very popular door for all major BBS's.
It may be configured as a Main Menu item on many boards.
Guests (users) can enter information about themselves and view
other guest profiles.
Includes information such as hobbies, favorite books and movies,
marital status, dating availability, children, pets, and much more.
All questions are optional, and guests may edit personal stats at
any time.
REGISTRATION & SUPPORT
______________________
The Guest Registry will be supported indefinately. The latest
shareware version will always be available for download from
The Prophecy BBS (513) 423-2336, FidoNet 1:110/950.
It is a free download on your first call.
For registration information see the file "order.txt".
Atlantis Software products are also available as free downloads
from various support and distribution sites, please read the
support.doc file for a site near you.
Please see the "Notes" section at the end of this file for
additional information on obtaining assistance.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or features you'd like
to see added to The Guest Registry, please write or send E-mail.
I want to hear your ideas. All questions as will be answered as
quickly as possible. The Shareware version supports 20 guests.
The registered version will support an unlimited number.
REQUIREMENTS
____________
You need an IBM compatible computer and a BBS. The Guest
Registry will work with TriBBS, Wildcat, PC Board, Spitfire,
Synchronet, RBBS, WWIV, Gap, Renegade, Remote Access, KBBS,
and other BBS's that can run one of these doors.
It is assumed that you are familiar with your BBS software
and have installed other doors. If not, step by step instructions
are provided for some systems. This program may also be run in
local mode without a BBS (see below).
INSTALLATION
____________
If you're upgrading from a previous version, read "upgrade.doc".
Create a directory for The Guest Registry. Preferably in your
BBS directory. You can name it whatever you want. For example,
if you want to create a directory called "guest" in your BBS
directory, from the Dos prompt type "cd c:\bbs", then type
"md guest". Don't type the quotation marks.
This assumes your BBS is on your c: drive. If it's on another
drive, substitute the appropriate letter.
After you create the directory, unzip the archive contents
into it. Next you'll need to create a configuration file or modify
the "guest.cfg" file included with the archive. This is an ascii
text file that can be created or edited with any text editor.
The configuration file MUST be in the same directory as The
Guest Registry. It has the following format:
Line 1: Door data type (see below)
Line 2: Path to Door data file (dropfile)
Line 3: BBS name
Line 4: Sysop's name
Line 5: Locked baud rate
Line 1 is the Door data file type and can be any of the following
TRIBBS for TriBBS ; TRIBBS.SYS
PCB for PC Board ; PCBOARD.DAT, PCBOARD.SYS
GAP for Gap ; DOOR.SYS
SF for Spitfire ; SFDOORS.DAT
RBBS for RBBS ; DORINF0#.DEF
WC for Wildcat ; CALLINFO.BBS
GAP for Wildcat** ; DOOR.SYS
WWIV for WWIV ; ????????.???
* Note that TriBBS can run doors with any of the configuration
dropfiles above. Remote Access may use either GAP or RBBS.
Other BBS packages may work with multiple dropfiles, but
make sure you choose only one.
On some systems you may need to copy door.sys into your Guest
Registry directory.
**Wildcat 4.0 and later should configure their system to use
the "small" door.sys setting. Run MakeWild and change the
setting from the door configuration screen.
A text file for additional help with Wildcat is available
from The Prophecy BBS if you need further assistance. You
may also call the Atlantis Wildcat support site listed in
the "support.doc" file.
The other lines should be self-explainatory. Here's a sample
config file:
TRIBBS
c:\tribbs\
The Prophecy
Jimmy Rose
38400
This would configure The Guest Registry to run on a TriBBS
system. It assumes the BBS is in the "tribbs" directory. Other
Sample configuration files can be found at the end of this file.
Next you must edit the sysop.cfg file for your system.
SYSOP.CFG INSTRUCTIONS
----------------------
This configuration file MUST be present and MUST be named
"sysop.cfg". The file is seven lines and the format
is as follows:
Line 1 is the name of the person this program is registered to.
Line 2 is your registration number, or 0 if unregistered.
Line 3 is the Sysop security level for accessing the Sysop Editor.
Line 4 is one character, either A if your BBS uses Alias's
or R if your BBS uses Real names. Use capital letters.
Line 5 # of Color used for column 1 when displaying names.
Line 6 # of Color used for column 2 when displaying names.
Line 7 # of Color used for column 3 when displaying names.
Color codes for lines 5-7
1 Blue
2 Green
3 Cyan
4 Red
5 Purple
6 Brown
7 Grey
8 Dark Grey
9 Light Blue
10 Light Green
11 Light Cyan
12 Light Red
13 Light Purple
14 Yellow
15 White
All seven lines should be present and there must not be any blank
lines. The fourth line provides improved compatibility with BBS's
that do not use alias's. Please note that if your BBS uses alias's
and you have been using a previous version of this program, you
should not change to using real names. If lines 5-7 are left blank
default colors will be used.
Here is a sample sysop.cfg file from The Prophecy
-------------------------------------------------
Jimmy Rose
12345678
200
A
12
11
9
The last step is to create a batch file to call the door. Each
BBS is different, so it's assumed you know how to create one
for your system. Here's a sample batch file for TriBBS:
cd c:\tribbs\guest
gr sample.cfg
cd c:\tribbs
board
The first line changes to the directory where The Guest Registry
is located.
The second line calls the door followed by the configuration file.
You MUST include the name of the configuration file, although you
can name it anything you like.
The third and fourth lines return you to the board.
Each system will be a little different, the one line that will
be same for every batch file is the second one.
Finally, edit your bbs files to display the door name and call
the batch file when selected. You're on your own here!
The Guest Registery can easily be run from your Main Menu on
systems with extendable menus. It is recommended you do run
the program from the Main Menu if your system supports this.
To set up The Guest Registry as a Main Menu item on a Tribbs
system, name the above batch file "mainj", then edit your
main.mnu file to call the batch file by adding the following
line:
J,J,Guest Registry,20
This will call up The Guest Registry whenever the letter J is
selected from the Main Menu. You may use any availabe letter
that you like, just substitute the letter you want to use for
the letter J in all instances above, including the batch file.
The number at the end of the line is the minumum security level
a user must have to be able use The Guest Registry. Adjust this
to your liking.
OPENING SCREENS
---------------
The Guest Registry contains two opening screens that may be
edited with any ansi editor. They are called "welcome1.ans"
and "welcome2.ans". You may use them to customize the program
to your bbs, or theme if you have one. The first screen will
print a copyright notice at the bottom of the screen. The second
screen is optional and may be deleted if desired. For best results
you should save the ansi's with 19 lines or less.
OPERATION
_________
The Guest Registry may be run locally if you wish. If you want
to run the door without going through the BBS, make the directory
where the program is stored the current directory. From the Dos
prompt type "gr sample.cfg local". You will prompted to enter a
user name. Whatever name you type in will be used for your Alias.
When The Guest Registry loads you will see a list of commands.
Here are the Main Menu commands:
R - Register As A Guest:
This command lets you enter your personal information
into the registry. You will be asked a series of questions
for which you will type in your answer. If you don't want
to answer a paticular question, just hit enter and it will
be left blank.
If you are already registered, you can't register again.
select "E" instead.
S - Search For Guest:
Asks you to enter a name. If the name is a registered
guest, the info for that guest is displayed.
The search is not case-sensitive and you may type in a
partial name to search for.
V - View Guest List:
Displays a list of all registered guests and displays
registry for guest that you select.
B - Browse Summaries:
Displays all users and their summary, one screen full
at a time.
I - Instructions:
Shows ansi information screen. This screen is named
help.ans and may be customized by the Sysop.
E - Edit Personal Info:
Let's you make changes to your personal registry file.
Z - Sysop Editor:
Accesses the Sysop editing utilities. Only someone with
Sysop access can see this. For details on the editor,
see below.
Q - Quit and Reurn to the BBS:
Does just what it says.
SYSOP EDITOR
------------
G - Guest Editor:
You will be shown the guest list and asked to select a guest
number. You will then be taken to the edit screen where you
may change any data that a guest has entered.
T - Question Editor:
You will see a list of the headings for each question listed
on the screen. Choose the question number you wish to change.
You will be prompted to enter a new heading, then a new quest-
ion. The current question will be displayed for reference.
Pressing "enter" without typing in anything will keep the
current heading or question.
Please note that if you change a question, everyone who has
entered an answer for that question will have a wrong answer
for the new question. Therefore when you enter a new question
you will be asked if you want to clear all answers for that
question. If you answer yes, every guest's record will be
erased for that question only.
Obviously you will want clear the answers for a new question
if it is an entirely different question. If you just re-word
the original question, then there is no need to clear the
answers.
D - Delete Guest:
Asks for guest number, then deletes this persons registry.
CAUTION! Once it is deleted, the only way to get it back is
to have the user fill it out again.
N - Change Name or Alias:
This allows the Sysop to change someone's name or alias. It
is very useful if a user changes his name or alias after they
have already filled out The Guest Registry. If they do that,
then they will not be able to edit their personal info until
the Sysop changes it inside The Guest Registry.
SPECIAL FUNCTIONS
-----------------
While the door is running the following keys have special functions:
[F6] Subtracts 5 minutes from callers time.
[F7] Adds 5 minutes to callers time.
[F9] Quits the door and returns caller to BBS.
[F10] Enters split screen chat mode.
[HOME] Shows what the special keys do.
Alt+D Drop to DOS.
Please note that time added or subtracted is not returned to the
BBS, the time is for the door only.
The "TIME ON" in the status line is the time the caller has been
in the door. If a caller runs out of time while in the door, he/she
will be returned to the BBS before being logged off.
HINTS & TIPS
------------
Whenever possible The Guest Registry should be configured to run
from your Main Menu.
In the beginning ecourage everyone to register. Post a news item
to let users know what it is. For some reason people are reluctant
to enter their info if their are very few names listed.
However, once more people register, they seem more than willing. I
ask that all new users please fill out the registry and whenever I
chat with someone, I ask them if they would mind filling it out if
they haven't already done so. They always respond with something
like "sure"! Sysops seem to have a lot of power. :)
Let people know when you add different questions, so they can go
in and respond to the new questions.
Common Problems & Questions:
"It looks fine on the sysop end, but users only see garbage on the
screen when they enter the door".
This is always a configuration error. If your serial port is locked,
change the last line in The Guest Registry configuratiion file the
rate at which you lock your serial port. If the serial port is not
locked, the setting MUST be 0.
Also, make sure your RTS/CTS flow control is on in your node config.
"It runs fine, but it's not in color".
Try using a different drop file.
"Users fill out The Guest Registry but their name isn't shown on
the display screen".
Unfortunately some boards do not properly read the dropfile when
alias's aren't used. This should be taken care of with version 2.0.
"I'm using Wildcat 4.0+ and it just won't work."
It is possible to get the program running by using the
GAP setting. You will need to set up this program using a
"small" door.sys and possibly copy your door.sys into the
working directory. For additional support contact the official
Wildcat support site listed in the "support.doc" file.
"Everyone has access to the Sysop editor!"
You do not have the Sysop security level set correctly in
the "sysop.cfg" file. Make the appropriate change.
SAMPLE CONFIGURATION FILES
--------------------------
________________________________________
Spitfire.cfg:
SF
c:\spitfire\
The Haven
Eric Carr
0
________________________________________
pcboard.cfg:
PCB
c:\pcbbs\
Consultant's BBS
Joe Comm
14400
________________________________________
wildcat.cfg:
GAP
c:\bbs\node1\
Dragons Liar
The Wraith
38400
________________________________________
gap.cfg
GAP
c:\bbs\
Salt Lake BBS
Martha Mormon
9600
________________________________________
NOTES
_____
IMPORTANT! The program data is contained in the files "guest.usr"
and "userx", where x is the users registry number.
DO NOT attempt to modify these files! It is a good idea to make
a backup copy of these file at least once a week. If the files
become corrupted or are lost due to hard drive failure, or
human error, then all callers who already entered info will
have to do so again.
Future plans include internal mail capabilities, a logon utility
to remind those who havn't registered their info, improved search
functions and a matchmaker option for finding friends with
similar interests.
The Guest Registry was programmed by myself because I wanted
this feature on The Prohecy BBS and could not find anything
else suitable for the IBM. It is an extremely popular feature
on other platforms.
This program was written in C++ using Borland Turbo C++ and the
Tdoor library (c) by Mark Goodwin.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggetions please write
to:
Jimmy Rose
2000 Linden ave.
Middletown, OH 45044-4435
USA
Or call the Home of Atlantis Software:
The Prophecy BBS (513) 423-2336
24 hours a day. Fido 1:110/950
Voice support is available to REGISTERED users.
Please refer to the file "SUPPORT.DOC" for a complete listing
of support sites.
If you do have a problem and call or write, please be prepared
to provide the following information:
> Guest Registry version number.
> BBS Software & version number.
> Serial port used? (locked?, rate?).
> Does your BBS use Alias's or Real Names?
> A copy of the batch files used, incuding cfg files.
> Any thing else "specific" to your problem.
*****************************************************************************
THANKS FOR USING THE GUEST REGISTRY!
*****************************************************************************