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T R I U M P H S O F T W A R E Presents ░██████████ ░██ ░███████ ░█ ░██ ░█ ░██ ░██ ░██ ░█░██ ░██ ░██ ░██ ░███ ░███ ░█░██ ░██ ░█ ░█ ░█ ░██ ░██ ░█ ░█ ░█ ░█ ░█ ░█ ░████ ░██ ░███ ░███████ ░███ ░███ ░██ An On-Line Door Support Unit For use with Turbo Pascal 5.5 and 6.0 TriDoor Written by Christopher M. Russo TriComm Communications Support Written by Jeremy H. DuBois TriDoor, TriComm (c)1992 Triumph Software, All Rights Reserved. PCBoard is a Registered Trademark of Clark Development Co, Inc. QuickBBS is a Registered Trademark of the QuickBBS Group. Turbo Pascal is a Registered Trademark of Borland, Inc. Triumph Software is not affiliated either Clark Development Co. Inc., The QuickBBS Group or Borland, Inc. in any way. Triumph BBS : (508)263-4247 / FidoNet : 1:322/265 Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. i DISCLAIMER Triumph Software and the employees/programmers in conjunction with and/or affiliated with Triumph Software can not be held responsible for the condition of any software received through any non-postal/ non-parcel means. Nor can said persons be held responsible for any damage caused to media or hardware as a result of the use of any of our products. Triumph Software and it's employees and associates would like it to be known, however, that all of their products are thoroughly tested before leaving our offices. It is only in the deepest faith in our own product that any such software is released to the public. Triumph Software reserves the right to change any documentation, disclaimer, licensing information or registration procedures and costs at any time for any reason with no prior warning or notice. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. ii LIMITED LICENSING AGREEMENT The holder of the unregistered TriDoor package is allowed a limited usage period of 30 (thirty) days, wherein he or she may incorporate the unit in any program that he or she develops as long as the program incorporating the TriDoor unit is not distributed in any manner at any time. After the thirty day period, the holder of the unregistered copy of the TriDoor package must register the software to be allowed further use of TriDoor. A private registered copy may be obtained by filling out the TriDoor registration form and sending both the registration form and $30.00, in the form of a check or money order, to Triumph Software. The private copy will allow the registered owner to produce programs using the TriDoor unit and distribute them as long as the registered copy of TriDoor is not included in the the package, no compensation is obtained in any way from the distribution of the software incorporating the TriDoor unit, and Triumph Software is given ample credit as depicted in the final chapter of this document. The registered copy of the TriDoor unit must not be distributed in any way other than as a compiled portion of a program or software produced by the registered copy holder. A commercial registered copy may be obtained by filling out the TriDoor registration form and sending both the registration form and $100.00, in the form of check or money order, to Triumph Software. The commercial copy will allow the registered owner to produce programs using the TriDoor unit and distribute them. This copy also allows the holder of the registered copy to obtain legal compensation for the program incorporating the TriDoor package. The holder of the commercial registered copy must include acceptable credit in the documentation of his or her program as further explained in the final chapter of this document. The registered copy of the TriDoor unit must not be distributed in any way other than as a compiled portion of a program or software produced by the registered copy holder. An individual copy must be registered for each individual company and person. The only exception is in the case of a company owned by a person in which case the copy may be registered for both in the case of a commercial copy. Triumph Software reserves the right to revoke registration priviliges either temporarily or permanently if the conditions of the registration are not properly met by the holder of the registered TriDoor package. Triumph Software reserves the right to use the registered owners name, company and/or product created incorporating the TriDoor unit in any of Triumph Software's advertising of any type. Registered copy holders will be entitled to minor upgrades of the TriDoor package at a minimal processing and materials fee of $5.00 per upgrade. Major upgrades can be obtained at a cost of $12.00 for private copies and $24.00 for commercial copies. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS How to Use This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 001 Why Use TriDoor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 002 Features of TriDoor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 003 What's New This Version. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 004 Programming With TriDoor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 005 Programming Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 007 Locked Communications Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 008 Accessable Global Variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 009 Global Constants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 010 Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 011 Acceptable Credit in Programs and Documentation. . . . . . . . . 017 Reserved Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 018 Who to Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 019 History of TriDoor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 Other Products by Triumph Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 021 Things to Come ("The Workbench") . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 022 Join Our FidoNet Mailing List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 023 A Comment on Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 024 Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 001 HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL First and most importantly is that you read the entire manual from front to back. As easy as TriDoor is to use it will be absolutely useless to you if you don't at least read most of it, and in addition to that there are also many hints and refining tips in this document that will help you to truly take command of this software. It is also a very good idea to print this document out. It is made especially for printers allowing for page length and form feeds and so on. Having a hard copy of the text in your hand while you work on your program will prove to be invaluable. As far as the actual text goes, you need to keep a few things in mind about my format. * Anything followed by a "()" is a function or procedure. i.e. print(), writeln() and readquick() * Anything contained in "<>"s is a TriDoor variable acccessable by you, the programmer. i.e. <stats>, <queueoff> and <quit> The rest is simply in the text itself. Good luck and happy reading. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 002 WHY USE TRIDOOR? TriDoor is the most advanced, efficient and easy-to-use utility of it's kind available on the software market today. It allows even the novice Borland Turbo Pascal programmer to create fully-functioning doors, on-line programs and utilities in a matter of minutes without ever having to delve into the hundreds of texts on communications programming. In addition to having complete communications support TriDoor also comes equipped with many other features which are extremely useful when writing communications applications. Examples of these are color ANSI graphics controls, user time handling routines and many Pascal-like commands such as print() which is the communications equivelant of write() and writeln(). TriDoor is flexible too! With the exception of a few things here and there (like the tell-tale chat mode) your users may never even know that you did not write the entire program- communications routines and all. You will see no hard-coded error messages, forced configuration files or annoying restrictions that you did not develop yourself. This allows you to use all your programming resources the way YOU want as opposed to the way a toolkit may have set them up. A prime example of this is command line parameters; some toolkits will force you to enter in the name of a configuration file on the command line. What if you would rather enter in an IRQ setting or a user name? What if you do not want a configuration file? TriDoor allows you to do as you will. The programming possibilities are endless- I have written on-line games, archive viewing utilties, text/ANSI graphics file viewers, "top ten list" generators, terminal programs, SysOp paging doors and many MANY more. How many times have you said to yourself, "This is truly an excellent system I have running if only I could add on a [blank] without changing to a new BBS software..."? Well, there are a few solutions to this problem: You could switch BBS software which may give you a few options you did not have before but you are also reducing yourself to rebuilding a system you have already put probably hundreds of hours of work into and potentially compromising the quality of your user's environment -or- you could download a door from your local BBS where you may find a program to do what you need, but it may not be EXACTLY what you want -or- you could use TriDoor to write your own! You could have the door you want, make the changes you need at ANY time and have the pleasure of having made it yourself. I frequently find myself saying, "If you cannot do it with TriDoor, then you probably cannot do it." I have only scraped the surface of it's capabilties and ease of use; the rest is up to you. You now hold the power to make the doors, on-line games and utilities that you have always wanted! Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 003 FEATURES OF TRIDOOR TriDoor has many advanced and VERY easy-to-use features which are built right in. And allthough there are so many that I literally cannot remember ALL of them, we are still adding all the time so give us a call so we can get you a copy of the latest version. * Automatic set-up and support of communications ports * Automatic reading and processing of DORINFO1.DEF and PCBOARD.SYS * Easy to use commands such as PRINT and GETINPUT which will print to the local screen, and the comport if a carrier is detected * Built-in chat mode with word-wrap and ANSI color graphics * Boolean variable QUIT which is set to TRUE if ALT-H is hit from the local keyboard- allows for programmer-defined or non-existent "hang-up" procedures * Easy forced "caps-lock", and "password-entry" (see "***" instead of "hey") * Length restriction available on input fields * Built-in string capitalization, first letter capitalization and easy integer/longint to string conversion available * Built-in direct screen write functions * Automatic status bar displaying time, name and baud rate * Automatic on-line user time handling routines * Built-in routines for clearing user's and local screen * Built-in boolean response "Are you sure?" function * Built-in user-page (>BEEP!< "The SysOp is paging you!" >BEEP!<) * Automatic "Last Printed" memory (can be disabled) * Command list status bar on local screen * Auto-sensing of color/monochrome local screen * Borland Turbo Pascal 5.5 AND 6.0 support * Full color ANSI graphics support * User on-line time modification * Auto-hangup (QUIT := TRUE) at time<1 * System messages in status bar ("SysOp : User is being paged.") * Ability to add support for ANY BBS system * Ability to be run in multi-tasking environments such as DESQVIEW and WINDOWS. * Local disable/enable of remote user keyboard * Fake line-noise from local console * Ability to use non-standard IRQ/COMM port configurations * Ability to change all communications parameters * Locked communications port support * Complete flow control support (XON/XOFF and CTS/RTS) Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 004 WHAT'S NEW THIS VERSION * PCBOARD.SYS (PCBoard 14.x) support * Locked COMM port capability * Complete software/hardware flow control (XON/XOFF and CTS/RTS) * TOTALLY NEW DOCUMENTATION- We advise that you read it all. * You may now use non-standard communications settings. In other words you may assign any IRQ value along with any communications port. To do this all you need to do is fill in the appropriate variables in the <stats> record before you call the setuptri() function. For example: stats.comport := COM1; {* set up comport *} stats.comp_interrupt := IRQ4; {* set IRQ *} stats.comp_dbits := 8; {* set data bits *} stats.comp_sbits := 1; {* set stop bits *} stats.comp_parity := EVEN; {* set parity *} if ( setuptri ) then {* call setup routine *} begin {* main program here *} end; For further discussion on this topic see the chapters entitled PROGRAMMING WITH TRIDOOR and ACCESSABLE GLOBAL VARIABLES. * The readquick() function will now automatically determine parity stop bits and data bits from information in the DORINFO1.DEF file and fill in the appropriate <stats> record variables. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 005 PROGRAMMING WITH TRIDOOR Creating doors with TriDoor is an astoundingly simple process but a couple steps must be taken in each program you write in order for the program to function normally. The computer may physically "hang" if these few following procedures are not completed (but will usually just drop out with a complaint about not being able to set-up properly.) A basic example of how to set-up a simple program (EXAMPLE.PAS) comes with this software package. It is useful to refer back to it from time to time to get a better feel for how things work. The first thing you must do is fill in the <stats> record with all of the appropriate values necessary- these values are normally recorded for you in a file your BBS software creates when it exits to DOS. Examples of this type of file would be DORINFO1.DEF, DOOR.SYS or PCBOARD.SYS. If you run a BBS that supplies the DORINFO1.DEF file, all you need to do to fill in these values is call upon the readquick() function. This will read the DORINFO1.DEF file and get most of the needed values from it. If you run a BBS that supplies a PCBoard Compatible 14.x PCBOARD.SYS file, all you need to do to fill in the <stats> record is call upon the readpcb() function. Because of the amount of information contained in this file, you will not have to supply any other data to the <stats> record. If you are running a BBS package that does not have support built-in to TriDoor yet, then all you need to do is make a procedure to read in your support file and fill in the appropriate <stats> record variables. To further illustrate, I have supplied a copy of the readquick() and readpcb() functions which utilize the DORINFO1.DEF and PCBOARD.SYS files (respectively). These have been placed in a file called READBBS.DOC which is included with this package. Remember that if you are using non-standard IRQ settings, you must make it so that your program can determine the appropriate address from another means such as a command-line parameter or a configuration file of your own. A list of TriDoor-defined global constants such as COM1, IRQ3 and others is listed in the chapter entitled GLOBAL CONSTANTS. These constants have addresses assigned to them to make programming easier. There are also many variables accessable to you which will have a great deal of affect on the amount of control you have over TriDoor. These are listed in the chapter ACCESSABLE GLOBAL VARIABLES. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 006 Also note that if you allow some way to fill in the <mainpath> variable (again through a parameter or configuration file) with the path where the DORINFO1.DEF or PCBOARD.SYS file (assuming you are using the readquick() or readpcb() functions or have incorporated that variable into your own support algorythm) may be found you will not have to copy it to the directory where your program will be executed. Once you have filled in all the <stats> record variables, all you need to do is call the boolean setuptri() function. If it returns a TRUE then you will be all set up and ready to use any of the procedures and functions in the chapter entitled COMMAND SUMMARY. Don't forget the locked communications support! Because of today's high-speed modems it is sometimes necessary to "lock" the speed from your computer to your modem at a higher rate than the modems actual connection to the remote caller. This is done so that optimum performance from your high-speed modem can be obtained. This version of TriDoor has two new variables to allow for "locked" communications ports. The old <stats.baud> has been changed to <stats.real_baud> which is the actual connection speed. The <stats.lock_baud> variable is your locked communications port setting or your computer to modem speed. To support locked communications ports you need only to fill in these two variables before running the setuptri() function. This topic will be discussed at length in the chapter entitled LOCKED COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT. That is pretty much all there is to programming TriDoor; it's simple and straightforward. Now take your printed copy of this manual (I am assuming that you have printed it out by now, if you haven't done so I would advise that you do.) and try working with the example program (EXAMPLE.PAS) which I have provided for you in this package. Try changing or adding a few things and see what you can do. After you have experimented a few minutes come back and read the PROGRAMMING TIPS chapter immediately following this one. It will further familiarize you with some concepts and open your eyes to some completely new ones. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 007 PROGRAMMING TIPS Here are several ideas and concepts to keep in mind as you program. Remember that TriDoor is very flexible to allow you to do pretty much what you like with the commands and make it as personalized as possible but due to this flexibility some things are not so readily obvious (or forced, for that matter) as they might be in a more structured programming environment. * Remember to frequently check to see if the user is online() and that the <quit> variable has not been set to TRUE. This is most important in loops. If you do not check these things your computer may just sit there after a user hangs-up or runs out of time. * If you create support for another BBS support file it is often a good idea to make the procedure a boolean returning function so that way you can immediately tell if there was a problem when the program tried to read the data. TriDoor's readquick() function does this. See the example program (EXAMPLE.PAS) provided with this package to see how it is used. * Again, if you are creating support for another BBS, try to use the <mainpath> variable to allow your program to be present in a directory other than the one that your support file is in. Refer, once again, to the readquick() function in the chapter PROGRAMMING WITH TRIDOOR. * If you want the local user (SysOp) to see something that the remoter user (on-line user) does not, use a writeln() instead of a print() or perhaps use TriDoor's sysmessage() routine. * Try not to exclude non-ANSI graphics users from your door. Many people do not have ANSI graphics support. Don't limit yourself and your program. * Remember that many bulletin board systems run better if they stay in memory while a door is run, and some HAVE to stay in memory at all times. Keep this in mind when writing your doors and keep them small, or break them into modules. Don't put once-a-day-maintenance programs as part of the main door, etc. * THINK IT OUT! If there's something you want to do, but are not sure if you can with TriDoor then take a moment to think it through. I can almost guarantee you can do it. If you cannot think of a way, give us a call and we will give you a hand or rememdy the problem. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 008 LOCKED COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT It is very important to support locked communications support in any software that you plan to release to the public. If you do not a fair amount of people with high-speed modems will not be able to use your package or will simply not bother to try. If you are running PCBoard 14.x or any other BBS that supplies a compatible PCBOARD.SYS file then you should not have to concern yourself with this issue because readpcb() will automatically handle any values necessary to set this support up. If you run another bbs, however, different scenarios may apply. Some of these are as follows: If you are running QuickBBS or another BBS that supplies a DORINFOx.DEF file you will have to supply TriDoor with the locked baud rate through some other means such as a configuration file or a parameter. Never hard code the locked baud rate because others may want to change it. All other information will be filled in automatically by readquick(). If you are running any other BBS there are two possible scenarios. If your BBS supplies you with the locked port information in it's door support file then you may simply read it in like TriDoor's readpcb() does. If your BBS does not supply you with the necessary information you must obtain the information from a configuration file or command line parameter as in the case of a DORINFOx.DEF support file. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 009 ACCESSIBLE GLOBAL VARIABLES Here is a list of accessable variables that may be accessed at any time during program operation. Remember that the <stats> record must be filled in before you run the setuptri() function. All variables with a "*" before them are already defined upon bootup but may be/may need to be changed to suit your needs. statrec = { RECORD OF ON-LINE USER STATISTICS } record name : string[50]; { name of user on-line } real_baud, { baud rate (as seen by user) } * lock_baud : longint; { baud rate (computer to modem) } time : integer; { time user has left } comstr : string[20]; { comstring in the format 1200,N,8,1 } comport : integer; { comport- COM1,COM2, etc... } comp_interrupt, { changeable/assignable comport interrupt } * comp_dbits, { changeable/assignable data bits } * comp_sbits, { changeable/assignable stop bits } * comp_parity : integer; { changeable/assignable parity } ansi : boolean; { ANSI codes enabled if TRUE } end; The above record is necessary to support the various bulletin board systems. The variable <stats> will be assigned as a record of this type. Examples of how these variables are accessed are in the chapter entitled PROGRAMMING WITH TRIDOOR. For further information, consult your Turbo Pascal manual on RECORDS. The rest of the global variables are just standard variables that may be accessed through the normal means. var stats : statrec; { record of starec } local, { local if true } code, { "***" at getinput() if true } quit, { set to true at ALT-H and timeout } caps, { caps at getinput() if true } queueoff, { turn off print queue if true } timeoff, { display time in status bar if false } ansi, { ANSI active if true } autohang : boolean; { sets quit to true at time<1 if true } * mainpath, { path to support files (default=current) } queueone : string; { queue store for print queue } * programname : string[80]; { name of program (shown in status bar) } Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 010 GLOBAL CONSTANTS The following is a list of global constants available to the the programmer in order to make some tasks a little easier. They cannot be re-assigned like accessable global variables can; they have been pre-assigned to actual addresses and values. * EVEN, ODD, MARK, SPACE, NONE Parity settings * COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4 Comport settings * IRQ2, IRQ3, IRQ4 IRQ settings * BLACK, RED, GREEN, YELLOW, BLUE, MAGENTA, CYAN, WHITE, INTENSITY, BLINK ANSI graphics settings * TDVER Active TriDoor version * TDDATE Active TriDoor date * CR Carriage return * BS Destructive backspace All of these constants can be used in normal programming. For example: -> print('This program is using V'+TDVER+' of TriDoor'); -> stats.comport := COM1; -> stats.comp_interrupt := IRQ4; Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 011 COMMAND SUMMARY * NOTE : All accessable variables will be discussed in more detail in the ACCESSABLE GLOBAL VARIABLES chapter of this document. All commands marked with a signle * (asterix) are automatically executed in the setuptri procedure or are automatically handled by TriDoor under normal operating conditions. <01> function offline : boolean; This function will return a TRUE if there is no user "on-line". This function automatically accounts for local users. *<02> procedure recordtimeon; This procedure records the time that the user enters the door. <03> function timeleft : integer; The timeleft function will check the user's time left in the door. If the boolean variable <autohang> is set to TRUE and the user's time runs out, the boolean <quit> variable will also be set to TRUE. *<04> procedure puttime; This procedure will put the user's time left in the lower righthand area of the screen as long as the boolean <timeoff> variable is set to false. <05> function strg( i : integer ) : string; This function will return the string of any integer. <06> function bstrg( li : longint ) : string; This function is the same as the strg() function except that it will accept long integers as well. <07> function ucase( strg : string ) : string; This function will return the string given it in capital letters. <08> procedure dwrite( outchr : char; attr : integer ); The dwrite() procedure will write the character <outchr> directly to screen memory at position <scrnpos>, which is a global variable. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 012 <09> procedure gotopos( x,y : integer ); The gotopos() procedure will set the variable <scrnpos> in accordance to the standard <x>,<y> position. <10> procedure dstr( outstr : string; attr : integer ); This procedure writes a string to screen memory at the position of <scrnpos>. *<11> procedure statusbar; The statusbar() procedure will print a bar at the bottom of the local screen with with the user's name , time left and baud rate. This is also where the variable <programname> will be displayed. <12> procedure sysmessage( strng : string ); The sysmessage() procedure will print a message <strng> in the statusbar on the local screen. <13> function readquick : boolean; This function will read the necessary door operation information from the door support file DORINFO1.DEF. TriDoor MUST get it's essential information from a door support file in order to be able to operate properly. This will also return a TRUE if the file was successfully read. <14> function topcaps( strg : string ) : string; This function will return a string with the first letter of word capitalized and all other letters in lower-case. <15> procedure clearcom; This function will clear the local screen and the remote screen if a user is online. <16> procedure angotoxy( x, y : integer ); This is the ANSI equivalent of the Pascal procedure gotoxy(). If ANSI is disabled, this function will NOT work. <17> procedure anleft( ls : integer ); This is an ANSI procedure that will move left the number of spaces specified in the variable <ls>. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 013 <18> procedure anright( rs : integer ); This is identical to anleft() except that it goes right instead of left. <19> procedure anup( us : integer ); This procedure is similar to anleft() and anright() except that it goes up the number of spaces passed as the variable <us>. <20> procedure andown( ds : integer ); This procedure is identical to anup() except that it goes down instead of up. <21> procedure aneraseln; This is the ANSI procedure to erase an entire line in the current ANSI color as set by ancolor(). <22> procedure anclear; The anclear() procedure is the ANSI equivalent of clearing the screen. Like all ANSI functions and procedures, this does not function if ANSI is disabled. <23> procedure ancolor( bl, br, fg, bg : integer ); This function will set the ANSI color. The following constants have been provided for easy access : <bl> : BLINK <br> : INTENSITY <fg>/<bg> : BLACK, RED, GREEN, YELLOW, BLUE, MAGENTA, CYAN, WHITE The following are some examples : ancolor(0,0,WHITE,BLACK) white/black background ancolor(BLINK,0,CYAN,BLACK) blinking cyan/black background ancolor(0,INTENSITY,WHITE,BLACK) bright white/black background <24> function getkey : char; This will wait for and return a key that is pressed either locally or remotely if a user is on-line. <25> function comwait : boolean; This will tell you if there is a character waiting in the input buffer of the communications port waiting to be read. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 014 <26> function getinput( wrdsize : word ) : string; The getinput() function is similar to getkey() except that this function allows for a string to be entered. The following variables also apply : <caps> := TRUE/FALSE -- will convert all typed to uppercase if TRUE. <code> := TRUE/FALSE -- will show all characters typed as *'s if TRUE. <wrdsize> := (1-255) -- maximum characters accepted as input. <27> function readphone : string; This function reads and returns a phone number in the format of (###)###-####. <28> function readdate : string; This function reads amd returns a date in the format XX/XX/XX. <29> procedure printchar( ch : char ); The printchar() procedure will print a character to the local screen and the comport if a carrier is detected. There is no calculated delay between characters in this function as there is in the print() procedure. <30> procedure print( strng : string ); The print() procedure will print a string to the local screen, as well as to the communications port if a carrier is detected. To create a carriage return, simply plug in a || anywhere in the string to be printed. For example... print('My name is george.||Who are you?||||BLAH! '); would print... My name is george. Who are you? BLAH! ( <-- cursor would remain here! ) Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 015 NOTE : When plugging variables, substitute +'s where you would normally place ,'s in a write()/writeln(). For example... print('My name is '+mynamevar+'.||'); When printing Numerical Variables, use the STRG function to convert them to a string format. For example... print('My age is '+STRG(age)+'.||); Also note that as of V1.26 there is a boolean variable called <queueoff>. If this variable is set to false, the print() command will always remember the last thing printed. (Comes in handy when exiting chat-modes and so-forth.) The variable that the last thing printed is stored in is <queueone>. (a string) <31> procedure comprint( strng : string ); The comprint() procedure is identical to print, except that it prints SOLELY to the communications port and that it does not have a queue like print does. <32> function setuptri : boolean; This function MUST be run in order for TriDoor to operate properly. It is to be placed in your program's code right after the reading of the chosen door support files. setuptri() will return a FALSE if it fails to set up the communications port with the values currently in the <stat> record. <33> function aysure( s : string; [Yes/No] ) : boolean; The aysure() function will print the string s accompanied by a '? (Y/[N])' and return a boolean TRUE or FALSE depending on a choice of yes or no respectively. The Yes/No is to specify which choice you would like to have as the default setting for if the user hits RETURN. An example of this is as follows- if aysure('Proceed to next procedure',Yes) then gonext; Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 016 <33> procedure showfile( fname : string; len : word ); The showfile() function will display a file to both the user on-line (if present) and to the local screen. The <len> variable is the number of lines of the file that should be printed before a 'More? ([Y]/N)' appears. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 017 ACCEPTABLE CREDIT IN PROGRAMS AND DOCUMENTATION On the title-page of your documentation where your program name appears, or if you do not have such a page, wherever your "credits" are (Written by... ) you should include the following : TriDoor Communications and On-line Door Driver Written by Christopher M. Russo and Jeremy H. DuBois (c)1992 Triumph Software, All Rights Reserved. (508)263-8420 / BBS: (508)263-4247 The above listed credit lines MUST be placed within the first 3 (three) pages of your documentation to be considered as acceptable credit. A disclaimer must also be in the documentation stating that Triumph Software is not affiliated with you or your company in any way and that Triumph Software can not be held responsible for any programs created using the TriDoor package. If no documentation is included in the package that you have produced, then a file giving Triumph Software credit for TriDoor must be included in the package. This credit must also include the disclaimer as noted in the previous paragraph. Triumph Software reserves the right to temporarily revoke registration privelleges until proper credit for Triumph Software is given in any software/programs created using the TriDoor unit. The following lines will AUTOMATICALLY appear VERY BRIEFLY upon bootup of any program using a registered copy of TriDoor : TriDoor Vx.xx - On-line Door and Communications Support (c)1992 by Triumph Software, All Rights Reserved. Reg No : xxxxxxxxxx Reg To : John Q. Programmer A special copy of the package without this notice may be obtained by special arrangements with Triumph Software. Different licensing agreements and disclaimers may apply. Removal of this notice or any of it's information without prior and valid written approval by Triumph Software voids the registration of the TriDoor package. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 018 RESERVED WORDS The following list of words are reserved (used by TriDoor) and not to be re-defined by any program incorporating TriDoor as a conflict will arise that will result in non-functionality, to some degree, of the final resulting program or software. tridr55? tridr60? buffptr buffrec statrec stats scrnpos logontime comintvec screnmode local code quit caps queueoff buffertop head tail oldint exitsave programname tdver tddate CR BS BLACK RED GREEN YELLOW BLUE MAGENTA CYAN WHITE INTENSITY BLINK IER IIR LCR MCR LSR MSR RLS RDA TRE MSI PIC EOI PICMASK ENABLE1 ENABLE2 DISABLE1 DISABLE2 BIOSSEG KEYHEAD KEYTAIL EVEN ODD NONE COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4 IRQ2 IRQ3 IRQ4 offline recordtimeon timeleft puttime strg bstrg ucase dwrite gotopos dstr statusbar sysmessage readquick clearcom angotoxy anleft anright anup andown aneraseln anclear ancolor getkey comwait getinput readphone readdate printchar print comprint checkkey setuptri aysure Yes No XOFF set_cts cts_true pcbreadrec Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 019 WHO TO CONTACT Did your machine curse aloud in protest of our software? Are files missing from the release you obtained? Did raging demons come and take your dog? Did Valkaries cart your brother off to Valhalla? Well, for some of those problems you may have to contact someone else- we can't do EVERYTHING you know! But we can help solve your Triumph Software problems. If you have difficulties, questions, need a new release of our software, want an upgrade or even just have a bit of feedback for us, please feel free to give us a ring or send us a FidoNet message. Christopher M. Russo Voice : (508)263-8420 Jeremy H. DuBois Voice : (508)263-7004 (716)274-0227 Triumph BBS (508)263-4247 FidoNet 1:322/265 Remember that those voice phones are our HOME phones as we do not yet have a business line- please refrain from hassling the other people that live there- NONE of us will answer "Hello, Triumph Software." We will tell you when we get the business line. We are also looking out for potential support boards and beta-testing systems, so if you have a system and are interested, make sure you inform us of your desire and eligibility. ...and Jeremy may be willing to give you his dog. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 020 HISTORY OF TRIDOOR TriDoor and it's communications support is the end result of almost four years of effort by both Jeremy DuBois and myself. (Christopher M. Russo) We started one rainy day when Jeremy had informed me that he had managed to write some basic polling Pascal communications routines. As Jeremy already had a bulletin board system running at that time, I suggested that we write an on-line game for it. And that is when it all began. We went from writing a semi-complete and not-too-awful on-line game to writing DoorBase, our first version of an on-line door supporting unit. Then I wrote a game on my own- Monopolistic Competition, followed shortly thereafter by Monopolistic Competition II which was running off of a newer, but still bedraggled version of DoorBase. Then one day while trying to write a terminal program, we realized that the communications routines that Jeremy had made were simply not fast enough to handle all the tasking necessary, and at anything above 2400 baud, was a miserable failure. Thus, Jeremy set out once again to create newer, faster, interrupt driven routines. I had quite a lot of trouble dealing with the newer routines for reasons which, I admit, are beyond my knowledge. After time and perseverance, however, I mastered the new routines and re-wrote the newest version of DoorBase, now called TriDoor in the interest of our newly-founded company. And thus, I present to you said software and complete documentation for the easy usage and incorporation of communication and door support in your Pascal programs for QuickBBS and clones. I strongly believe that using TriDoor is the easiest, most user-friendly way of writing doors and on-line games available today. Finally, before we commence, I would like to take a moment to thank Jeremy for all his help and patience with my quirky little habits and programming nit-picks. I have never given another teacher more of a hard time than I gave him. Ridiculous as this may sound, he is an inspiration to me, and I thank him for all he's taught me and all he will, undoubtedly, teach me in the future. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 021 OTHER PRODUCTS BY TRIUMPH SOFTWARE The following products are also available from Triumph Software. For more information on these products or specific consulting services, please contact us. TriComm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Registered : $30 TriComm is the original communications unit compiled for Turbo Pascal 5.5 and used in the creation of TriDoor. It currently supports COM1 and COM2 and runs at all baud rates. (Has been tested up to and over 9600 baud) TriUser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Registered : $25 TriUser is an on-line QuickBBS user editor written using the TriDoor on-Line door support unit. It also takes advantage of TriDoor's ANSI support features. WorldFix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $200.00 WorldFix is a utility for the Real World Accounting software package that will close data files in a matter of seconds as opposed to the minutes and hours that it takes Real World to do the same job. Triumph Software and Real World are not aphilliated in any way. Qstat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Registered : $20 Qstat is a QuickBBS download counter that will keep track of downloads in the FILES.BBS files. Among it's many nice features are a limit of 999 downloads per file before returning to 0, (Most such programs only allow 99) a nice interface and display and an error log. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 022 THINGS TO COME ("THE WORKBENCH") The main thing that is on the designing block is our Borland Turbo C TriDoor Library. The code has actually been written, it's only a matter of some testing time and working out a few kinks before you see this new addition in our communications package. Keep an eye out for it! Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 023 JOIN OUR FIDONET MAILING LIST Want to keep up on new additions to our software packages without having to constantly call us to get updates? All you need to do is have a valid FidoNet address and send us the following information : 01> Your name 02> Your FidoNet address or AKA 03> Your BBS/Data phone number 04> Your voice phone number 05> Your primary Triumph Software interests 06> Which Triumph Software packages you have registered (if any) 07> Your business name (if any) 08> Any comments or suggestions you may have (optional) You will then receive newsletters and blips about our software as such information comes around. A confirmation letter will be sent to you upon receival of your request. Triumph Software - TriDoor Documentation pg. 024 A COMMENT ON QUALITY To finalize, I would like to take a moment to voice my thoughts on quality in programs and programming. I have spent over eight years working on and with bulletin board systems, an equal amount of time programming both at an amateur and a professional level, and three years or more programming for bulletin board systems. In that time I have seen many doors and many bulletin board systems, and I have noticed so many sloppy doors and on-line games that if I had a computer for every one I have ever seen, I would be able to put them together and form a top-of-the-line Sun SPARCStation with tint-control, a built-in microwave and a television. I can't tell you how many times I have run a program and then been asked, infuriatingly, "Cannot find BRUNxx.EXE. New Path?" or found that a program would literally crash inside of two minutes of operation on any machine that I could try it on. And all the programs that I saw grinding away at the disk-drive as they either accessed a massive load of disorganized data or simply were running in the slowest possible languages and needed three days to load 360k of marginally organized data. Then there were the programs that simply crashed without a peep, or crashed and threw some sickening statement like "KILLROY DEATH NOTICE #093284AF84UAREDEAD" at you as you sat in bewilderment. I am the pickiest person on earth when it comes to programming, so you can be assured that any product that you ever get from Triumph Software has been brutally criticized and abused to make sure it is doing everything it should be doing, doing it well, and then some. If I missed something, I will be ever amazed, but I assure you that I literally don't sleep until the problem is fixed. I hope you enjoy this and all of our programs and find them easy to use and well-written. If you have suggestions or complaints, please contact us/me as we/I are/am always happy to hear them and try to incorporate them. Happy Programming! -Christopher M. Russo