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RRRRRRR IIIIII PPPPPPP
RR RR II PP PP
RR RR II PP PP
RRRR II PPPPPP
RR RR II PP
RRR RRR IIIIII PPPP speed
Remote Imaging Protocol (RIPscrip) Module
for the WWIV BBS system
Copyright (C) 1994 by Zachary G. Ives
All Rights Reserved
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Installing and Configuring RIPspeed. . . . . . . . . . . 5
3 Installing RIPdrive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
4 Running RIPdrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
5 Editing Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
6 Adding New Menu Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
7 RIP and Non-English Languages. . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
8 Random RIP Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
9 Taking Advantage of Hypertext. . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
10 Substitution Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
11 Special Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
12 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
13 RIP File List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
14 More of Zack Ives' Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
15 Suggestions and Inquiries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
16 Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
1 Introduction
Telegrafix's RIPscrip(tm) protocol has rapidly become a
nearly universal standard for BBS graphical user interfaces.
WWIV has the most flexible and advanced RIP support
available anywhere. Once your system is properly
configured, you can give your users an interface which
rivals that of America Online, CompuServe, or the World Wide
Web - without sacrificing speed or compatibility.
WWIV's RIPspeed module includes six different GUI
styles, so your callers can pick whichever interface they
are most comfortable with. The BBS can mimic the Apple
Macintosh(tm), IBM's OS/2(tm), or Microsoft Windows 95(tm).
Also included are Full Screen menus, similar to the RIP
menus in many other BBS programs; an icon-less Drop-down
menu style, for those who hate little pictures; and a
Simplified menu style which minimizes the plethora of
options available to novice users. All of these menu styles
are completely modular and customizable, and you can easily
add your own sets to the list.
In addition, your BBS allows you to link together files
to form RIP hypertext documents; it includes menu files
which can be used for external, non-RIP editors and doors;
and it even supports the RIPdrive(tm) local RIP driver
program, which allows you to view the RIP graphics locally
while the BBS is running.
2 Installing and Configuring RIPspeed
If you are installing WWIV for the first time, it will
automatically place all files in the proper directories when
you run INIT, so you can skip down to the next section.
However, if you are installing over an old setup, things are
somewhat more complex.
2.1 Installing over an Old Setup
If you have installed over an old version of WWIV, you
will need to manually move a number of files to the proper
directories.
The first step is to move the files which belong in
your GFILES or language directory. Move *.MSG, *.STR,
*.RIP, and *.ANS to your language directory. The
MENUSLCL.MSG, MENUSSOF.MSG, and *.RIP files contain RIP menu
screens which are not downloadable by your callers.
Next, create a directory for the downloadable RIP menu
files. WWIV normally assumes that your RIP menu directory
is \WWIV\RIPMENUS, but you can change this. PKUNZIP the
RIPMENUS.ZIP file into that directory.
2.2 Configuring RIPspeed
Once the necessary files have been installed, you need
to configure your BBS setup. Use a text editor to open the
WWIV.INI file. Scroll down until you see a line reading
"; RIP-specific constants"
Now find the line which reads "RIP_BBS_ID = WWIV424."
Erase the "WWIV424," and change it to a 9-letter name for
your BBS. Be sure you use only capital letters, and no
spaces. (Imagine you are creating a DOS filename.) This
BBS identifier should be unique, because it will be used to
store your callers' information specific to this bulletin
board.
The RIP_MENU_DATE identifier should be left alone until
you begin editing or creating new RIP menus. The procedure
for doing this is described in section 5.2.
RIP_ADJUST is a number between -5 and +5, and is used
by the BBS when RIP drop-down menus are displayed. Some
modems are set in such a way that pulling down a menu
misaligns the BBS prompt. If this happens, you can try
adjusting the alignment with this constant.
Finally, it is important that you set RIP_DIR to point
to your RIP menus directory. If you did a first-time
installation, your RIP menus are in RIPMENUS, and RIP_DIR
already is set to this directory. However, if you manually
installed the RIP menu files in a different directory,
change the RIP_DIR variable to point to this new directory.
If you move further down the WWIV.INI file, into the
System Flags, you will find two other RIP-related settings.
If you wish to disable RIP graphics support for any reason,
you can set RIP_SUPPORT=N. Also, if you wish to disable
support for the local RIP driver, you can set RIPDRIVE_ON=N.
Note that you must erase the semicolon at the start of these
lines to make them take effect.
2.3 Doors and Editors
Most door and editor programs do not normally support
RIP graphics, but WWIV can provide them with this
capability. You can assign a RIP menu to be displayed every
time a specific door is loaded.
In your language directory are four files which are
designed to be attached to external programs: WWIVEDIT.RIP,
WWIVMAIL.RIP, FSED.RIP, and FEDIT.RIP. The "attachment"
process is quite simple. Load up your BBS and determine
which number the editor or door receives in the list. For
example, WWIVedit may be editor #1, and WWIVmail may be door
(chain) #2. If WWIVedit is editor 1, rename the
WWIVEDIT.RIP file to EDIT1.RIP, and if WWIVmail is door #2,
rename WWIVMAIL.RIP to DOOR2.RIP.
You can repeat this process for each of your doors and
editors, simply naming the file EDITx.RIP or DOORx.RIP. It
is quite easy to adapt the included RIP files to work with
other programs, too.
2.4 You Are Ready to Go
You should now have RIP graphics support for all
incoming callers. WWIV has been verified to work with Telix
for Windows 1.01D, RIPterm 1.54, Softerm for Windows 1.0,
and RIPterm 2.00.01. Note that, in the current state, you
will not be able to see the same graphics screens your users
are viewing. If you want to see the actual graphics, you
need to see the next section on installing RIPdrive.
3 Installing RIPdrive
If you would like to see the fancy RIP graphics screens
your BBS is displaying, you need to install the RIPdrive
program. RIPdrive is not included in the basic WWIV
package, but is available as in a separate file or with the
WWIV Accessories. If you cannot find the program, the
latest and most complete version is guaranteed to be
available on The Griffon's Lair BBS at (707) 526-2184, in
the file RIPDRIVE.ZIP.
Before you install RIPdrive, you should realize that
the program is a TSR which supplies a complete graphical
user interface - so it demands some sacrifice of speed and
memory. If you have a 486DX2/66 or better, the speed
difference will be hardly noticeable; and if you do not have
dozens of TSRs loaded, you can probably spare the RAM.
The program requires EGA or better graphics; a 286 or
higher processor (386/25 or better recommended); 60K of DOS
RAM (either upper or lower memory); and 176K of EMS memory.
Be sure you have EMS emulation enabled if you are using a
memory manager; you can verify this by running MEM from the
DOS prompt.
Installation is fairly simple. PKUNZIP the
RIPDRIVE.ZIP file into your main WWIV directory, and then
move the *.CHR (font) files into your RIP menu directory.
Now run RIPDRIVE, load the BBS, and log on with the
keyboard. At the main BBS prompt, type /R and you should
see a RIP graphics menu selection screen. Local RIP
graphics are ready to go.
While you are logged on, try using one of your external
editors by posting a message. If you have no "out of
memory" errors, you should be completely ready. Otherwise,
you can quit the BBS and make some modifications to
WWIV.INI. Under the Spawn Options heading are lines reading
";SPAWNOPT[xxx]=". These allow you to change the operation
of the BBS when it is "spawning" (running) external
programs. Find ";SPAWNOPT[FSED]" and erase the semicolon at
the start of the line. Set it equal to "COMIO, SHRINK"
instead of simply "COMIO." This will cause the BBS to
shrink its memory usage before loading the editor, providing
the editor with more room. If necessary, you can make
similar changes to the lines corresponding to other BBS
events.
4 Running RIPdrive
4.1 Basic Syntax
When you first load RIPdrive, it checks the current
directory for the WWIV.INI file, which it uses to find your
RIP menu files. Therefore, RIPdrive should be run from the
main WWIV directory. Alternatively, you can simply copy
WWIV.INI to the directory from which you want to load the
program; or you can specify the RIP menu path on the command
line.
The basic syntax for running RIPdrive is as follows:
RIPDRIVE [[/U] | [/LOW] [path]]
In other words, you can run the program with no
parameters; use the /U option alone; or use /LOW and/or a
path specification.
Running RIPdrive with no parameters will load the
program into memory, looking in the WWIV.INI file for the
RIP menu directory. If no directory is found, the program
assumes the path of RIPMENUS. RIPdrive will automatically
attempt to load itself into high memory if you have
sufficient UMBs. (Do *not* use a memory manager LOADHIGH
command; it will probably *prevent* the program from loading
high.)
The /U option is used to unload the TSR from memory.
Use the /LOW option to tell the program not to attempt
to load itself high.
Finally, you can specifically tell RIPdrive where to
look for its menu and icon files by specifying a pathname on
the command line. This will override any settings in
WWIV.INI. For example, to tell RIPdrive all RIP files are
in C:\RIPFILES, you would use:
RIPDRIVE C:\RIPFILES
regardless of the contents of WWIV.INI.
4.2 Automatically Loading RIPdrive with the BBS
The simplest way to load the BBS with local RIP
graphics enabled is to use batch files. It is recommended
that you load and unload RIPdrive as needed, rather than
loading it once in AUTOEXEC.BAT. Here is a sample setup for
a two-instance WWIV system:
BBS1.BAT:
SET WWIV_INSTANCE=1
RIPDRIVE
BBS -i1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
RIPDRIVE /U
SET WWIV_INSTANCE=
BBS2.BAT:
SET WWIV_INSTANCE=2
RIPDRIVE
BBS -i2 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
RIPDRIVE /U
SET WWIV_INSTANCE=
Using this setup, the sysop would load instance one
with BBS1.BAT, and the second instance with BBS2.BAT. Note
that the TSR must be loaded separately for each instance, so
this system requires 176K * 2 or 384K of EMS memory.
5 Editing Menus
5.1 Basic Requirements
You may wish to customize the RIP menus for your
system, and WWIV makes this quite simple. You need a good
RIP drawing program, such as DeadPaint 4.0, FlatLine, or
RIPpaint. (I do not recommend Tombstone Artist, because I
have found that it will not recognize many of the RIP
protocol elements.) Icon editing requires a program like
MAKEICN and a standard BMP editor. You can get a good idea
of what the menu files look like by using my RIPspy RIP file
viewer, available as RSPY_102.ZIP on many BBSs.
Each menu set has its own extension: menu set 1 is
*.MN1, with *.IC1 and *.BM1 as its icons; menu set 2 is
*.MN2, and would have *.IC2 and *.BM2 if it used icons; menu
set 4 is *.MN4, *.BM4, and *.IC4; etc. The MN files are the
RIP menus; IC files are RIPterm 1.54-compatible icons; and
BM files are RIPterm 2.0-compatible icons.
5.2 Downloadable Menus
All of the downloadable menu files, which make up the
majority of the RIP interface, are in your RIP menu
directory. A list of the filenames is included in chapter
13.
You should be able to load any of the menu files into
the RIP drawing program and make any changes you want. Use
extreme caution with the pull down menus (MENU301-304 in
menu sets 3-6), however: each of these menu styles uses the
RIP "clipboard" to quickly redraw the basic menu bar, but
some RIP editors remove the necessary clipboard commands
when they overwrite the file.
The last step you need to perform is one which will let
the BBS decide whether it should refresh the menus which the
user has downloaded. If you have made changes to a menu,
you will want the user to be working with the latest
version. WWIV bases all of its menu version decisions on
the RIP_MENU_DATE line in WWIV.INI, so you need to change
that line to make it equal to today's date. Then go into
your RIP menus directory and update *all* of your RIPEXT.MN?
files to today's date. You can do this by using the TOUCH
command if you have Turbo C++ or Borland C++; or by opening
each RIPEXT.MN? file in your text editor and saving it.
Once that step is complete, anyone who calls will
receive the latest updated menus. Only those files which
have been changed will be sent, so the process should be
relatively quick and painless.
5.3 Icons
The *.IC? icons can be modified with a program like
MAKEICN; and the *.BM? icons can be edited with any Windows
paint program. Be sure to have a BM icon for each IC icon,
and vice versa.
5.4 Logon, Logoff, Editor, and Door Screens
These logon/logoff screens and external editor/door
menus are .RIP files in your language directory, and all of
them can be edited using the same techniques as the
downloadable menus. However, you do not need to update any
of the BBS or menu date information, since these menus are
not downloaded by the user. Note that you may see strange
characters and/or numbers on some of these menus. These are
substitution codes which are replaced by BBS info such as
the system name.
5.5 Other Menu Screens
Most of the non-downloadable menu screens are held in
the MENUSLCL.MSG and MENUSSOF.MSG files. MENUSLCL.MSG holds
all of the locally-stored menus for normal RIP-compatible
terminal programs; and MENUSSOF.MSG contains an entire menu
set for less-compatible RIP terminal programs like Softerm.
These .MSG files are arranged much like the
MENUSANS.MSG ANSI menu file. Multiple menus are stored
together, delimited by lines like the following:
`330===================================================
The number after the back-quote corresponds to the menu
number. To edit an individual menu in this file, open it up
with your text editor, do a block copy of the text between
headers, and paste this text into a new file. For example,
to edit menu 330, find the "`330===" line, and copy
everything between it and the "`331===" line. (Don't
include the headers themselves.) Now paste it into a
TEMP.RIP file and edit the file. When you are satisfied,
load up the TEMP.RIP file in your text editor, copy it to
the clipboard, and paste it over the old lines in
MENUSLCL.MSG or MENUSSOF.MSG.
6 Adding New Menu Styles
6.1 Creating the New Menu Set
If you wish to expand beyond the basic set of six menus
included with WWIV, first decide on a menu extension (any
letter or number you'd like, perhaps "7"). The simplest way
to begin is to copy one of the existing sets. If you want
to use the MN6 menus as a template, you can COPY *.??6
*.??7.
Now use a text editor's search-and-replace function in
each of the new .MN7 menus, changing all references to
".IC6" to ".IC7". The menus should be ready for editing
with a RIP draw program.
Once your menu set is complete, you need to let your
users know it exists for them to download. In MENUSLCL.MSG,
you will find menu #350, which is the menu selection screen.
You need to edit this with either a RIP drawing program, or
a standard text editor. (Both procedures are described
below.) Finally, you need to update the BBS menu date
information, as described above in section 5.2.
6.2 Editing Menu #350 with a RIP Drawing Program
If you are using a RIP drawing program, you can easily
create a new button for your menu style #7. Set it to
return a "7" when pressed. You will probably want to assign
a "hotkey" to the new button, so users can select the menu
from the keyboard.
6.3 Changing Menu #350 with a Text Editor
If you prefer to use a text editor, you will need to
know something about the information in the RIPscrip file.
You will see a segment of menu #350 which looks like:
!|1U5C3E5Q3O2B00<>Simplified<>1|1U5C425Q4C1Y00<>Full<>2
!|1U5C4Q5Q501W00<>Drop-Down<>3|1U5C5E5Q5O2F00<>Windows 95<>4
!|1U5C625Q6C2500<>Macintosh<>5|1U9R3EA53O2700<>OS/2<>6
!|1U9R63A56D2600<>None<>0
Each of the first three lines corresponds to two
labeled buttons in the dialog box. The first button,
labeled Simplified, will return a 1 when pressed; this will
select menu extension .MN1. The second button, Full-Screen,
is set to .MN2. Similarly, Drop-Down is .MN3, and so forth.
The layout for each button is fairly simple. RIP uses
base-36 arithmetic (0-9, A-Z), and the basic format is as
follows:
!|1U 5C 3E 5Q 3O 1Y 00<> Simplified<> 1
| | | | | | | |
button x1 y1 x2 y2 hot title key(s)
code key returned
Here are the hotkey codes, translated to base-36:
A = 1T B = 1U C = 1V D = 1W E = 1X
F = 1Y G = 1Z H = 20 I = 21 J = 22
K = 23 L = 24 M = 25 N = 26 O = 27
P = 28 Q = 29 R = 2A S = 2B T = 2C
U = 2D V = 2E W = 2F X = 2G Y = 2H
Z = 2I
If you have French menus as .MN7, your new dialog may
look something like the following (if I have my French
correct, at least):
!|1U5C3E5Q3O1Y00<>Francais<>7
!|1U9R63A56D2900<>Quitter<>0
Note that the hotkeys have been set to "F" and "Q".
7 RIP and Non-English Languages
RIPscrip is a graphical user interface standard, so it
seems logical that it should fairly easily support other
languages. This is indeed the case, although the process
can seem intimidating because of the sheer number of menus
in each set.
The first step is to copy all of the non-downloadable
RIP files into your new language directory. These are your
WELCOME.RIP, HELLO.RIP, GOODBYE.RIP, and NEWUSER.RIP files,
any DOOR*.RIP and EDITOR*.RIP files, and MENUSLCL.MSG and
MENUSSOF.MSG. Of course, it is assumed that you have
already copied your language.STR and ANSI/TTY menus into the
new directory.
Next, go into your RIP menus directory and choose one
of the existing menu styles to translate to a new language.
Pick a letter or number (other than the numerals 1-6, which
are already used) for your new menu set. Then copy all of
the existing menu files to a new file extension. For
example, if you were starting with menu set 6, the OS/2
menus, and were creating a new menu set "F" (for "French"),
you would COPY *.??6 *.??F. All of the *.IC6, *.MN6, and
*.BM6 icon files will be copied to *.ICF, *.MNF, and *.BMF
extensions. Next, use your text editor to open up each of
the *.MNF files and search and replace ".IC6" with ".ICF",
so all icon references point to *this* menu set's icons.
Now you can begin translating the text strings in each
of your *.MNF (or whatever menu extension you chose) menu
files. You may find it simpler to open the menu files with
a text editor to change the text, rather than using a RIP
paint program; but either method is acceptable. See section
5.2 for more information on editing the files.
Once your downloadable RIP menu set is complete, you
can go back to your language directory and begin changing
its menu files. The *.RIP files are fairly simple to
change, using the method outlined above.
The MENUSLCL.MSG and MENUSSOF.MSG files are somewhat
more complex, because each of them is a composite of many
individual menus. You can use a text editor to fairly
translate all prompts; but if you wish to use a RIP draw
program, you need to copy out each individual menu to a
separate file, edit it in your draw program, and paste it
back in. This process is outlined in section 5.5.
Finally, you will want to change menu #350 in
MENUSLCL.MSG. This is the menu style selection screen, and
it can be different for each language. You will probably
want to remove all of the English-language options from the
dialog box, replacing them with links to your new menu
styles. The full procedure for adding menus is outlined in
chapter 25.
8 Random RIP Screens
As with the ANSI WELCOME screens, you can have the BBS
randomly choose a RIP logon or logoff screen. The files
WELCOME, GOODBYE, HELLO, and NEWUSER may all be randomized
selected.
The method of assigning filenames is nearly identical
to that of assigning random ANSI screens. Give the first
RIP screen an extension of .R0; the second, .R1; and so
forth, up to .R99. You can have WELCOME.R0 - WELCOME.R99,
GOODBYE.R0 - GOODBYE.R99, etc.
9 Taking Advantage of Hypertext
9.1 Hyperlinks
One of the most unique features of RIPspeed is its
support for hyperlinks. You can use this feature to make
World Wide Web-like documents on your own BBS. (Since BBS
network connections are not "live," you cannot create
hyperlinks to other BBS systems. However, you *can* create
links to documents on the user's machine.) Hyperlinks can
only extend to files within your RIP menu directory or the
user's RIPterm menus directory; so there is no compromise in
security.
Any RIP file can be a hypertext document. The key is
to add one or more buttons which can link the user to other
"pages." This is achieved by returning an ASCII 5 followed
by a filename and terminating carriage return. In order to
do this in RIPscrip, assign the button the following return
value to a button:
^E{filename}^M
where ^E corresponds to ASCII 5, {filename} is the name of
your linked file, and ^M becomes a carriage return. A link
to the file HOME.RIP can be created by assigning
"^Ehome.rip^M" (no quotes) to a button in your document.
9.2 Creating Documents
A sample set of hypertext documents is available from
The Griffon's Lair at (707) 526-2184, in the file
SAMPHTXT.ZIP. The file should be PKUNZIPped into your RIP
menus directory.
When the user clicks on the Hypertext! option from the
RIP main menu, the file hypertext HOME.RIP will be
displayed. It contains links to other documents, and all
other documents eventually link back to the "home page." It
is recommended that you always use HOME.RIP as your starting
and return point for all hypertext documents. This will
allow your users to activate the hypertext system with the
Hypertext! command, and will give them a familiar place of
origin.
10 Substitution Codes
Although they are not limited to the RIP subsystem in
WWIV, the new substitution (a.k.a. "MCI") codes in this
version give you considerable flexibility in creating menus
and messages. Your BBS can display dynamic information with
these codes.
Substitution codes are placemarkers which are inserted
into menu or message files; when the BBS is displaying these
files, it replaces the codes with specific information.
These codes allow you to insert the current date and time,
BBS name, user information, and other important data into a
file. You can now provide status information in your logon
message, or create menu files which integrate your BBS name
into them.
Several of the RIP menus take advantage of this
feature. All log-on and log-off screens, as well as the
"Your Information" dialog box, use substitution codes to
display the information. Note, however, that *downloadable*
menus cannot use substitution codes. The user's terminal
program is incapable of translating these codes into
relevant information.
The substitution code indicator is a sequence of two
ASCII 15's, followed by a letter. ASCII 15 corresponds to
Ctrl-O, which is a key used by most WWIV editors for Online
Help - this is intended as a safety feature to prevent
embedded characters from ever being mis-translated as
substitution codes.
10.1 Entering Codes
In order to create a document with substitution codes,
you need to use WWIV's internal line editor, DOS's EDIT.COM,
or a similar text editor.
Currently, WWIVedit and other WWIV-based full screen
editors do *not* support entering of substitution codes. If
you wish to enter a substitution code in WWIV's internal
editor, hit [Ctrl]-[P] (the "color code" key combination)
*twice*, followed by the letter corresponding to your code.
The code should be immediately translated on-screen.
If you use DOS EDIT, you need to hit [Ctrl]-[P] [Ctrl]-
[O] [Ctrl]-[P] [Ctrl]-[O], followed by a letter. (The
[Ctrl]-[P] indicates to DOS that you will be sending it a
"printer code," i.e. a keystroke it should not translate
into a command.) You will not see the results of the code.
10.2 Substitution Codes
Code are ASCII 15, ASCII 15, followed by:
~ = E-mails+fbks / = Today's Date % = Time left
# = User number $ = File points * = WWIV reg num
- = A** points ! = Pause command & = RIP/ANSI/TTY
@ = Dir name : = Sub # ; = Dir #
A = User age a = User language B = Birthday
b = Min. in timebank C = User city c = User Country
D = Files downloaded d = User DSL E = # E-mails
e = Net E-mails sent F = Feedbacks sent f = First call
G = MessaGes read g = Gold I = callsIgn
i = Illegal log-ons J = Message conf name j = Dir conf.
K = Kb uploaded k = Kb downloaded L = Last call
l = Number of logons M = Mail waiting m = # Messages
N = User's name n = Sysop's note O = calls tOday
o = Minutes on P = BBS phone p = User phone
R = User's real name r = Last baud rate S = User's SL
s = User's street T = User's sTate t = Time
U = Files uploaded V = # messages in sub X = User seX
Y = Your BBS Name y = User Computer tYpe Z = User Zip
10.3 Sample LOGON.MSG File
This sample file will display user-specific information
during logon. Note that the "^O"s in this sample file need
to be replaced by ASCII 15's using one of the methods
outlined above. If you are extracting this file to test it,
use EDIT to run a search-and-replace of ^O with [Ctrl]-[P]
[Ctrl]-[O].
************************************************************
^O^OY, ^O^OP
************************************************************
Information for ^O^OR, a.k.a. ^O^ON ^O^O#:
Address: ^O^Os
^O^OC, ^O^OT ^O^OZ
^O^Op
You are ^O^OA years old, born on ^O^OB.
You have downloaded ^O^OkKB in ^O^OD files
and uploaded ^O^OKKB in ^O^OU files.
You are in ^O^O& mode.
11 Special Features
11.1 Automatic Log-on of Users
If the user is calling with a fully RIPterm-compatible
terminal program, WWIV takes advantage of RIPterm's
"database" to store the caller's name and phone number. The
BBS then requests this information during log-on. Depending
on whether RIPterm's "Data Security" feature is enabled or
disabled, RIPterm will either automatically respond with the
user's log-on information; or it will allow the user to
confirm the response first.
The user log-on information, if incorrect, can be
changed through the Your Information (Y) command.
11.2 The AUTOEXEC.RIP File
Similar to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, this RIP file is
processed once the user has first logged on. RIP files can
contain recorded keystroke combinations, so you can use this
feature to automatically perform certain operations during
logon, or to automatically start the user with a hypertext
document, or to do many other things.
There are two AUTOEXEC.RIP files which are supported:
one on the host BBS system, and one on the user's system.
The host's AUTOEXEC.RIP is first processed; then the user's
copy. This allows you to have a general setup for all
users, then a specific one for individuals.
You can create the following AUTOEXEC.RIP file for a
user who wishes to go to the QWK mailer immediately upon
login:
!|1&e0000//QWK^m
where &e is an embedded Escape character. You can produce
this character in DOS EDIT by hitting [Ctrl]-[P] [Esc].
An AUTOEXEC.RIP which automatically put the user in the
Hypertext home page would look like:
!|1&e0000^Ehome.rip^M
In all cases, begin the file with !|, followed by an
Escape, then four zeroes, then whichever keys should be sent
to the BBS.
12 Compatibility
WWIV with RIPspeed and RIPdrive has been tested in a
number configurations, and has no known incompatibilities.
This chapter contains a list of some of the tested RIP
terminal programs and operating systems.
RIPspeed has been verified to work with the following
RIP terminals: RIPterm 1.54, RIPterm 2.00.01, Telix for
Windows 1.01D, and Softerm 1.00.
RIPdrive has been successfully used with the following
operating environments: MS-DOS 5.0 and/or 6.22 using
EMM386, 386MAX, QEMM, BlueMax, Lynx, and Tame; OS/2 2.0,
2.1, and Warp 3.0 (in DOS mode); Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11,
and Windows 95; and Linux 1.2.3 with DOSEMU 0.60.1 Alpha.
I have been told that RIPdrive and/or WWIV have an
undetermined compatibility problem with the MS-DOS SHARE
utility (if SHARE is run without a multitasker). According
to the information I have received, SHARE causes abnormally
slow BBS operation, and even occasional system lockups.
If you experience a compatibility problem, please e-
mail Zack Ives #3 @11729 with more information about the
problem. It is very likely that your configuration's
compatibity problems can be solved. If they cannot, a
workaround can often be found until future revisions of WWIV
or RIPdrive can address the incompatibility.
13 RIP File List
13.1 Files in \WWIV
RIPDRIVE.EXE (optional) RIPdrive loader program
RIPDRIVE.OVL (optional) RIPdrive overlay
13.2 Files in \WWIV\RIPMENUS or RIP menu directory
HOME.RIP (optional) Hypertext home page
IMAGE?.RIP (optional) Hypertext sample images
INTRO?.RIP (optional) Hypertext sample intro to WWIV
BOLD.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
EURO.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
GOTH.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
LCOM.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
LITT.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
SANS.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
SCRI.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
SIMP.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
TRIP.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
TSCR.CHR (optional) RIPdrive font
NAME.M? RIPterm 2.0 system name (created by BBS)
NAME.MNU RIPterm 1.54 system name (created by BBS)
RIPEXT.MN? Used to determine which menu set is selected
MENU*.MN? Menus including:
MENU0 WWIV Main Menu - Quick-redraw
MENU1 WWIV Message Base Commands
MENU2 Built-in Line Editor Command List
MENU3 Transfer Section Menu - Dialog portion
MENU4 Mail Reader Command List
MENU9 Batch Download Queue Commands
MENU12 Multi-mail Commands
MENU13 Sysop Message Base Commands
MENU14 Archive Commands
MENU17 File Tag Commands
MENU18 Extract Commands
MENU300 WWIV Main Menu, Full-Redraw
MENU301 WWIV Pull-Down Menus;
-309 MENU301-MENU304 are included with stock WWIV
MENU310 WWIV Transfer Menu, button-bar section
MENU311 Minimized WWIV Transfer Menu palette
MENU312 Door Menu
MENU313 Return from WWIV Transfer Section
MENU314 Chat Screen
MENU315 G-Files Menu
MENU316 Defaults Menu
MENU317 G-Files Sections Menu
MENU318 Transfer Defaults Menu
MENU319 Defaults/Transfer Defaults CLS Menu
MENU320 "Go Back" Screen
MENU321 Blank Button Bar
MENU322 About... Screen
MENU323 Q-Scan Configuration Screen
MENU324 Mail Waiting Screen
MENU326 Your Info Screen
MENU328 BBS Info Screen
MENU330 Yes/No Choice (default = Y)
MENU331 Yes/No/Quit Choice
MENU332 Pause/Nonstop/Continue
MENU333 Clear Pause Screen
MENU334 Size >10 bytes for full-screen menus *only*:
Reset window size, trigger [PAUSE]
MENU335 Clear Yes/No Choice
MENU336 No/Yes Choice (default = N)
MENU340 Help Screen
MENU360 Download Filename Dialog
MENU361 Upload Filename Dialog
MENU364 Extended Info Screen
MENU366 Time Bank
MENU368 QWKmail Menu, Normal User
MENU369 QWKmail Menu, Sysop
I*.IC? RIPterm 1.54 icons; vary by menu set
I*.BM? RIPterm 1.54 icons; vary by menu set
MENUS.TXT Message to user about menus
13.3 Files in WWIV\GFILES or language directory
WELCOME.RIP Initial log-on screen
NEWUSER.RIP Log-on screen border for new users
HELLO.RIP Screen border for LOGON.MSG, last callers
GOODBYE.RIP Log-off screen border
MENUSLCL.MSG Locally stored (non-downloadable) menus
menu350 Download RIP Menus Selection Screen
menu351 Download RIP Menus Query Screen
menu355 Log-on Password Dialog
menu356 Sysop Password Dialog
MENUSSOF.MSG All menus for less-compatible RIP terminals
Includes all files under MENU*.MN?, plus MENUSLCL.MSG,
plus:
menu353 Log-on Name Dialog
menu354 Log-on Phone Dialog
BBS.STR BBS string file
INI.STR BBS string file for WWIV.INI names
WWIVMAIL.RIP WWIVmail/QWK screen (rename to DOORx.RIP)
FSED.RIP FSED screen (rename to EDITx.RIP)
FEDIT.RIP FEdit screen (rename to EDITx.RIP)
WWIVEDIT.RIP WWIVedit screen (rename to EDITx.RIP)
DOOR?.RIP (optional) Door menus
EDIT?.RIP (optional) Editor menus
14 More of Zack Ives' Software
RIPspeed is currently the most widely known of my
programs, but it is far from the only product I offer. If
you would like to create your own programs which, like WWIV,
include support for local RIP graphics, I have two libraries
specifically for that purpose. I also have numerous
utilities and other products.
14.1 Programs Available from Zack Ives
Night-IV 1.1: program that takes Night Owl or other CD-ROM
with FILES.BBS files, and adds all files and
descriptions to WWIV Transfer Section. You are free to
then put then in whatever conference you want.
Includes script files for Night Owl 9, 10, and 11 CD-
ROMs. Registration $5.00.
NetDel 1.02: a MUST-HAVE for your offline-reader users.
Allows the user to delete any posts or e-mail made
during the current session. If you change subs around
and QWK replies end up in the wrong sub, now the user
can go in and remove them from the net. Registration
$10.00.
RandFile 1.0: quick, easy file randomizer. Allows random
log-on screens, menu files, batch files, or just about
anything else. Free program.
RIPspy 1.02: the ultimate RIPscrip file viewer program, a
necessity for working on RIP menu screens. Unlike most
viewers, supports virtually all of RIPscrip's commands:
links to other files, text windows, pick lists,
clipboard, and much more. Registration $10.
RIPdrive 1.00: the ultimate developer's library for door
programmers! This library/TSR package allows your
programs to support local display of RIPscrip(TM)
graphics in your doors! Now, in addition to giving
your *callers* a graphical display, you can give one to
the sysop as well. This package has been licensed by
Wayne Bell and WWIV Software Services for use with WWIV
4.24! Private-use license $10; distribution license
$50.
RIPlocal 1.01: if you would prefer *not* to have a TSR, but
would rather link in a library to your Turbo or Borland
C++ programs, this is the answer. Code for RIPlocal is
100% source compatible with RIPdrive, giving you great
flexibility. Private-use license $10; distribution
license $50.
14.2 Distributors
All of these utilities are available through the SimTel
Internet archives, accessible through 55 FTP sites including
oak.oakland.edu and ftp.cdrom.com.
BBS distributors are:
The Griffon's Lair, (707) 526-2184
The Tool Shed, (303) 776-8776
Shadowlands, (707) 528-7987
Eagle's Dare, (301) 498-1984
Data Express, (617) 247-3387
OUTLAW BBS, (412) 378-8932
I am always eager to add new distributors, so please e-
mail if interested.
15 Suggestions and Inquiries
Questions and comments relating directly to the general
functionality of the WWIV BBS system should be directed to
Wayne Bell (Random #1 @1 WWIVnet) or to Filo (Filo #1 @4000
WWIVnet). However, any questions, comments, or suggestions
regarding the RIP support, RIPdrive, or any Zack Ives
product should be directed to me. I am interested in any
feedback you can give me.
I can be reached at any of the following addresses:
Internet: zack@pacific.pacific.net
WWIVnet: Zack Ives #3 @11729
ICEnet: Zack Ives #3 @7701
GrapeVine: Zack Ives #3 @1
16 Credits
16.1 Special Thanks to:
Robert Griffith, who first asked me to write a RIP mod for
his WWIV 4.23 BBS, and who has been invaluable in the
creation and testing of the product.
Will Crawford, for providing me with a WWW home page, and
for helping me to iron out the wrinkles in RIPspeed.
All of my distributors, who have made it easy for me to
continue developing programs without spending time trying to
get them on the market.
The beta test team, who gave me the feedback I needed.
Bishop, who provided me with additional information
regarding RIPdrive compatibility and memory managers.
Filo, who invited me to write the RIP support for WWIV.
Wayne Bell, who created the BBS program and the network we
are all using.
16.2 Trademarks
Apple and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer Corp.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows 95 are trademarks of
Microsoft Corp.
IBM and OS/2 are trademarks of the International Business
Machines Corp.
RIPspeed, RIPspy, RIPdrive, RIPlocal, NetDel, and Night-IV
are trademarks of Zachary G. Ives.
RIPscrip, RIPterm, and RIPpaint are trademarks of Telegrafix
Communications, Inc.
Other product names are trademarks of their respective
companies.