ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 …eeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)/ProfitPress-MegaCDROM2.B6I/BBS/MISC/TPB71DOC.ZIP/WHATS.NEW

Text File | 1992-04-03 | 10.2 KB | 258 lines

  TPBoard 7.1
  Plain Jayne Software
  Copyright (c) 1992


  This file contains notes about changes and enhancements in TPBoard
  7.1   Please read this entire file to make sure you are aware of
  these changes BEFORE you attempt to install version 7.1.  Most
  of these changes should be noted in the doc files as well.


  1.  The paths file called TPBpaths.XXX is now required.  This
      file associates full DOS paths to each of your TPBoard file
      areas.  The XXX extension is the node number where each node
      must have its own TPBpaths file.  For example: TPBPaths.1,
      TPBPaths.2, etc.

      The format of the TPBPaths file is:

      TPBoard=D:\TPBOARD
      NEWIN=D:\NEWIN
      PASCAL=D:\CODE\PASCAL
      PROGRAMS=D:\PROGRAMS
      GRAPHIC=E:\GRAPH\ADULT
      GRAPHIC2=E:\GRAPH\KIDS

      So, for EVERY file area you are using in TPBoard, you must
      have an entry in a TPBPATHS file, and a TPBpaths file for
      every node you are running.  The purpose of this file is
      two-fold:  it removes the necessity for drive mapping and
      it allows using paths that aren't DRIVE_CHAR+\+AREA_NAME

      ANY FILE AREA THAT DOES NOT have a full path will not exist.

  2.  The sysop's download screen now has status bars for the
      current file and the current download.  The estimated
      remaining batch time is also displayed.

  3.  There is a new sysop option to select whether callers should
      be returned to the last Files area.  If you set this to NO,
      callers will be placed in LOGIN.

  4.  There have been numerous changes to the Files display commands.
      The [N]EW, [Q]uick commands look more like the [F]ile command.

  5.  File tagging has been modified and expanded.  Callers can now
      tag (mark) files from the [F], [Q], and [N] commands.  An
      option has also been added to Edit the list of marked files.
      This also adds a new command [E] to the Files menu -- make sure
      you install the new TPBMENUS file!

  6.  There is now a file called ORIGINS.bb# that contains ALL
      of your origin lines for ANY area that must have origin
      lines added during TPBoard exporting.  If you are NOT running
      echomail or are not using TPBoard to export, you do not need
      to set up this file.

      This file has a format identical to the AKAS or TPBPaths file:

      TPBOARD=Home of TPBoard 7.0
      SYSOP18=The Board Room

  7.  Several message editing changes:

      - The line editor now accepts characters in the 127..154,
        160..167  range.
      - Fixed the Continue command in the line editor's editing menu.
      - The lower case command to /save in message entry was being
        saved in the message itself.

  8.  F7 now toggles chat on/of for the current caller.  This
      has no effect if a caller isn't online and only works for the
      current caller!  So, you can disable a caller from using chat
      while the caller is online without overriding any other CHAT
      settings.

  9.  ALT-V to validate and F4 now work exactly the same.  *IF* you
      are running the plus version, you will get the validation level
      list to validate from.  Also, the caller *is* now notified when
      validated online.

  10. There is a new sysop setting called PURGELEVEL (in config.val)
      which sets a purge level percentage for the Newin and User file
      purges.  For example, it you set this figure to 20, TPB will not
      purge the user file until at least 20% of the file requires
      purging.  YOU MUST SET THIS AT LEAST ONCE TO INITIALIZE THE
      SETTING.  For large systems with large Newin files, a complete
      purge can be very wasteful; for example: purging a file of over
      2 megs to remove only 100 deleted newin records!

  11. There is a new IMPMSGS which allows importing messages while other
      nodes remain up!  To use Impmsgs in network mode, you must call
      impmsgs with the added command line argument:  -net#  where the
      ## is the node number to use.  Any callers currently logged in
      to the other nodes will continue as normal; following the
      message import, these callers are told about the new mail.

      Note:  the only Impmsgs command you can use in NET mode is
      Import, if you attempt to use any other command, Impmsgs will
      either ignore it or turn off the NET mode.

      Also, there were several other changes required to add network
      capable mail importing to TPBoard.  One is a new nodexx.cfg
      file parameter to specify the mapped path to the fido netmail
      files (this is the fidomail path setup in CONS).  This new setting
      is:   FIDO_MAIL    Set it just as you would your mapped
      sysmsg_paths or your message_files_path in the Nodexx.CFG
      files.

  14. The message read T command now only reads *NEW* mail TO the
      caller; not *ALL* mail in the area TO the caller.  This is an
      important distinction as the check for new mail sequence is
      changed to allow for reading any new mail immediately following
      this scan.  The caller sees:

        23  areas contain new mail.
        The following areas contain new mail TO you:

        POST  TPBOARD   NETMAIL
        Do you want to read you mail?

  15. The last caller file now contains the following information:

         name
         city
         state
         total downloads (files)
         total uploads (files)
         total time on system
         time on system THIS call
         today's downloads (bytes)
         today's uploads (bytes)
         today's doors run
         today's articles read
         today's mesgs read
         today's mesgs entered

  16. Added two additional date formats:

         Format #7 is  DD-MM-YY  =  29- 1-92
         Format #8 is  dd-mm-yy  =  29-01-92

      Also, I have begun substituting this date format for the
      display of all dates whenever dates are shown.  At the moment,
      this includes Files command displays and will spread to other
      date displays throughout the board.

      Also added a setting called DateChar.  This is the character
      used to create date displays:

         01/29/92  01-29-92  01.29.92

  17. TPBoard now tests for ANSI support on the remote terminal
      and does NOT ask about the remote editor is the remote is
      NOT ansi capable.  TPBoard also does NOT ask the graphics
      question.

  18. Validation levels are NO longer reserved for Level2
      registration.   ALL versions of TPBoard now use the val levels
      and privilege bits.  Make sure you read the documentation on
      using security levels!

  19. The database processing (the dBaseIII database menu) is greatly
      expanded!  There are two NEW database menu commands:

        I) to view an info file for the selected database
        B) to browse the database (same as M followed by V except
           that the results are to the screen only.

      See the install.doc file for full info on all the database
      enhancements.

  20. You can now edit the command keys in the TPBMENUS file.  Be
      VERY careful when doing this as having two commands on the
      same menu with the same command key will make the second
      command inoperable!

  21. The sysop now has the option to use an external ascii editor
      to edit messages rather than the internal editor.

  22. The PRIAVTE file transfer function now works very differently.
      TPB now uses a database to store transfer information which
      allows holding the same file for more than one person.  Also,
      the sysop can place files on HOLD for callers.

  23. The nodecfg file is now read for node 1 as well.

  24. You can now establish more than one "set" of TPBoard text
      system files.  A set being Sysmsg, SysmsgG, and TPBMENUS.
      A file called TPBLANGx.BB# links directories with set
      names.  See the Instal.doc file for more information on how
      to use this feature.

  25. ARJ support was added to the Files menu A) command.

  26. The protocol and autologoff questions are now asked BEFORE
      going to create an ascii or xrs mailbag.

  27. You can speed up TPBoard's operations (especially on a network)
      by adjusting the amount of ram being used for the TPBoard data
      files.

  28. If you want to play with the database menu, there is a new
      ListUpdt program out that will create a dbf file from your
      nodelist file.  See the ListUpdt docs for more details.

  29. The ability to run a full-screen remote editor is back.


 Other misc changes:

 -  If a sysop logged in using the fidonet_sysop name that was
    specified in CONS, TPB was supposed to log the caller in as
    the SYSOP but the check was case sensitive.  You can now
    login using your FidoSysop name and TPB will log you in as
    SYSOP.

 -  TPBoard will allow downloading using a full path ONLY if the
    caller has sysop access (greater than 249).  This means you
    could specify:  D C:\TPB\TPBOARD.KEY

 -  TPBoard now sorts FILES by name order again, as in pre-7
    versions.

 -  The F6 screen dump now checks to see if the designated file
    exists and asks whether to  "O)verwrite  or  A)ppend?" if
    it is found.

 -  Changed the sysop's HELP screen (alt-h)

 -  fixed writing origin lines from TPBoard's export.

 -  Changed the Message_Move (sysop reading command) command to use
    the Message Area selection logic instead of forcing the entry of
    an area name.

 -  Fixed display of greater than 99 file areas.

 -  Changed the Short areas display to 3 across from 5 across in
    anticipation of longer area names.

 -  The sysop's full screen editor now supports the ega/vga mode.

 -  If the caller has access to delete mail and the sysop has allowed
    deleting echomail, the default answer to the "wanna delete"
    question is now NO.

 -  Callers without the ability to enter messages in echos can
    no longer REPLY to messages in echos either.

 -  Fixed the Shift-A typing in non-ansi mode.

 -  The XRS/Ascii download routine now exits if you answer 'N' to
    the first question.